Half a month later, still in front of Gamma's laboratory, the lineup gathered at the laboratory door this time, whether in terms of numbers or value, was much stronger than the last time.
There was a Magos' review team led by Magos Lauster, a Priests' visiting group led by Adept Leia, and an officer procurement team led by Chief of General Staff Doug.
This arms approval exhibition and sales fair, organized by Gamma with a flurry of invitations, was quite lively. Everyone had long been eager to see what big project Gamma would come up with.
Among the Magos, there were conservative Magos ready to give this "little heretic" a profound lesson to remember, and there were also Magos who came purely for entertainment.
Among the Priests, some came for entertainment, some were inspired by Gamma's theory that "lasgun batteries are as sacred as multi-fuel engines" and came to learn from his experience, and even more, having heard of his "no ban on low-level technology" theory, were amazed and wanted to come and steal his skills.
The officers mainly came to inspect and purchase, and incidentally to show support for the big boss.
Only Magos Lauster came purely to beat him!
━ Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━ Gamma
As the laboratory door slowly opened, everyone first saw two castellan robots over 5 meters tall repeatedly performing welcoming gestures. Although the castellan robots were still in disrepair, judging by their smooth "welcome, welcome" movements, their energy and motion systems had been repaired and were working without issue.
The Magos: This kid is truly a genius…
The Priests: So big! I want it so bad!
The officers: Oh! This is awesome! Can we choose this robot?
Gamma stood between the two castellan robots, beaming as he waited for his "distinguished guests."
"Good mo—…"
"Cut the nonsense!" Lauster snapped, his face like frost.
"Oh…" Gamma responded listlessly, but he was confident that this time he would not give Magos Lauster a chance to beat him.
A group of people followed Gamma to the firing range behind the laboratory. The reason his laboratory had a firing range was because he had directly converted a former warehouse into his own laboratory for personal use.
From afar, the conservative Magos saw the "heretical weapons" lined up. His original thought of merely beating Gamma half to death immediately vanished, and he decided that if he found any fault, he would directly "kill" Gamma on the spot, executing him to make an example of him.
He suppressed the anger in his heart, pointed at the first "heretical" weapon, and asked, addressing this "blasphemous thing," "This one?"
Gamma explained, "OMG-RPG, full name: Gamma-type Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher."
"How dare you! You…"
Gamma quickly interjected, "Pure mechanical structure with no external power source whatsoever!"
"…"
The conservative Magos froze for a moment, then silently picked up the RPG from the stand.
Gamma continued to explain, "It can use various types of warheads: fragmentation rounds, thermal melt armor-piercing rounds, high-explosive demolition rounds, and so on."
"…" The Magos
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"The RPG's design purpose is simply: a grenade range extender, shooting more accurately and flying farther than a hand grenade."
"Clap clap clap clap…" Doug led the applause. He thought this RPG was truly excellent. With this thing, who would be foolish enough to get close and throw a grenade? He still shuddered remembering his youth, when he had to stick close to Traitor vehicles to throw thermal melt grenades.
Gamma concluded, "Simple structure, durable, inexpensive, flexible, and convenient to use."
"…"
Gamma: Hmph, can't say anything now, can you? La la la la…
PS: The perfect combination of 2K light weapon design and 42K materials science, lighter, stronger, and more waaaagh! than the original!
After inspecting it, the conservative Magos silently returned the RPG to its original place. The officers, led by Doug, eagerly went up to examine it, and under Gamma's guidance, test-fired several rounds of various ammunition, giving it unanimous praise.
The Imperium was not without advanced man-portable rocket launchers, but those should be called man-portable missiles. Their structure and design were far more complex than the RPG Gamma had referenced. Gamma's version even had ammunition modified from hand grenades.
The officers were boisterous, the Priests were discussing animatedly, and the Magos remained silent.
Soon, they moved to the display stand for the second weapon. This time, the conservative Magos did not ask first. He stood in the crowd, staring directly at Gamma.
Feeling a bit unnerved by the stare, Gamma quickly began to explain his second creation.
"OMG-63 - Light Rocket Launcher. I won't elaborate on the launch stand next to it; it's still a pure mechanical structure. The launch tubes can be increased or decreased as needed, and it can use multiple types of ammunition."
"…"
"But the biggest feature of this rocket is its ammunition. It can be launched by ignition or by battery power, or you can simply smash off the tail cap of the rocket and ignite the fuse at the tail with an open flame to launch it."
"…"
"Skilled soldiers don't even need a launch stand; they can simply pile up dirt to form a suitable angled platform and ignite it."
"…"
PS: The perfect combination of 2K light weapon design and 42K materials science, lighter, stronger, and more waaaagh! than the original! too!
It was still Chief of General Staff Doug who led the test firing and handling, giving it good reviews…
"Man-portable Mortar, pure mechanical structure, similar to the use of a regular mortar, but lightweight and can be carried, deployed, and fired by a single person. The ammunition is still modified infantry grenades."
"…"
"Fast firing rate, lightweight, simple structure, easy to use, can be put into combat without special preparation, and can be used flexibly and reliably in complex terrain and harsh weather conditions."
"…"
Imperial mortars, compared to the Gamma-type man-portable mortar, are larger, bulkier, and more complex, with no caliber below 40CM, making them unsuitable for single-person use. Their style still follows the Adeptus Mechanicus design philosophy of "bigger is better, bulkier is beautiful."
"OMG-82 - Man-portable Recoilless Rifle, pure mechanical structure, uses a tripod for firing, optical sight, can use multiple types of ammunition."
"…"
"It shoots farther, more accurately, and has greater power than the OMG-63 - Light Rocket Launcher. The key point is that it can be deployed and fired by a single person, positioned as: Infantry Artillery!"
"Hiss…" Doug couldn't help but gasp.
"…" The Magos.
The same process as above was repeated with Doug… handling… good reviews… better than the original…
"Finally, I will introduce the only aerial unit among all the weapons: the OMG - Peregrine - Autogyro."
"Wow…"
"The airframe structure is simple, the rotor at the top of the fuselage consists of two blades, and there is a three-bladed propeller at the rear providing thrust. It relies purely on the airflow generated during flight to drive the blades to rotate, thereby generating lift for flight, and is capable of aerial hovering."
"Oh…"
"The advantage of an autogyro is that even if the engine stalls, it can still land safely by gliding."
"…"
"It uses lasgun batteries and universal motors…"
"Ah ha…"
Gamma: Who is it? What's wrong with them, laughing so strangely, you startled me.
The conservative Magos let out a grotesque laugh with a twisted expression, "Ah hahahaha, I finally caught you!"
Gamma: This Magos is crazy…
"Ahem, Magos, this autogyro uses standard lasgun batteries and universal motors. The airframe is just a simple mechanical structure."
The conservative Magos: "Is that so? And this dashboard?"
"Modified from a data-slate and a bird-scanner!"
"Energy…"
"The dashboard has independent battery power and can be removed at any time to be used as a multi-functional bird-scanner!"
"…"
Gamma: How about that, you can't do anything to me, can you? Ah hahahaha…
The conservative Magos: "I don't believe it!"
"You can inspect it!"
"I won't inspect it!"
Gamma: "…"
"I just don't believe it! If I say it has heretical suspicion, then it does!"
Gamma was a little flustered. He said, "You're being unreasonable, so many people are watching!"
"Yes, so what if I'm unreasonable? I don't care what others think!"
Gamma cast a pitiful look at Magos Lauster: Magos, someone is bullying me, your lovely, clever, and intelligent Gamma…
Upon seeing Gamma's pleading gaze, Magos Lauster silently turned his back and pretended to chat with the other Magos, as if he hadn't seen anything.
Seeing that Magos Lauster was unreliable, Gamma then turned his gaze to Leia and the other Priests: My companions, I am your reliable and handsome Gamma, you… hey hey! What do you mean by turning your heads! Are you worthy of me!
Seeing these people were unreliable, and that at critical moments it still had to be loyal subordinates bound by interests, Gamma finally looked at Doug and them: Esteemed loyal fierce… what do you mean by looking down! Traitors! This is a shameful betrayal…
Suddenly, Gamma felt the back of his neck, his very destiny, seized by the claw of a mechanical demon. He heard that deranged Magos say in his ear:
"Little brat, let me teach you a lesson: not everything in this world is about reason!"
Realizing they had conspired beforehand to deal with him, Gamma cried out in indignation, "No! This does not belong to me…"
The first thing Gamma did after being suspended by a rope from his own invented aerial vehicle and flown over the gathering place for a day was not to angrily rebuke the hypocritical Traitors who surrounded him. He had to go back to his room and change his pants first. After changing, he would settle accounts with these "Traitors."
Although Gamma had been tormented for a day, fortunately, his "2K Ancestor Edition weapons" still received the Magos' approval, including his "OMG - Peregrine - Autogyro."
In addition to gaining the Magos' approval, Gamma also received compensation from the conservative Magos: an STC for a small missile. This Magos said that teaching him a lesson was to make him remember, as he had seen too many geniuses ruined by their own talent.
Gamma had certainly learned his lesson this time. As long as he operated within the larger environment of the Adeptus Mechanicus, he had to be careful of "deranged people" who wouldn't reason with him.
He truly hesitated to accept the STC given by the conservative Magos; it was too valuable. In the end, it was Magos Lauster's gesture that prompted him to accept it.
Magos Lauster privately explained to him that while such STCs were precious, they were also quite widespread, simply because there were many models of missiles with better power and performance than this one, which was why it hadn't been produced. However, because this particular model was very small, it was suitable for mounting on Gamma's "Peregrine," which was why it was given to him.
The advent of the OMG series of individual equipment gave Gamma's "Engineers" the confidence to mock enemies with, "Your cover is as ridiculous as you are."
Since they were all initial versions from the lab and hadn't been tested in battle, Gamma only arranged for small-scale production, equipping them to troops going into underground combat for practical training. Subsequent improvements would be based on battlefield performance and soldier feedback.
Gamma only recently discovered that the green skins beneath their feet weren't green at all. Magos explained that due to the lack of sunlight underground, these "White Skin Orcs" had very low chlorophyll content, hence their white skin.
But "White Skin Orcs" were still Orcs. Even though Gamma had intentionally suppressed the speed at which Orcs acquired resources, these White Skin Orcs had now begun to learn how to shoot guns and build vehicles. Fortunately, Jacob and his team strictly enforced his "corpse collection order," so the number of White Skin Orcs never increased. Furthermore, this place was "Little Catachan"; wild Orc boys born in the wilderness weren't guaranteed to survive and find their way back to an Orc tribe.
Gamma looked at the "Orc-brand starch" piling up higher and higher in the warehouse, and now, the Orcs seemed more and more pleasing to his eye.
Half a year passed in a flash, and the OMG series had already iterated to its fifth generation, basically maturing. During this time, he had constantly made small adjustments based on combat feedback, and had also subtly made changes to the OMG series like a frog being boiled in warm water. The Magos turned a blind eye to his minor actions.
Among them, the most significant change was to the "Peregrine Falcon" gyrocopter. Not only did it gain missiles, but also a pair of bionic wings. The overall fuselage also transformed to resemble a bird, and many new functional dashboards were added. With this series of changes, the "Peregrine Falcon's" range, maneuverability, takeoff/landing distance, maximum flight altitude, maximum payload, and other performances were all several times greater than before. Some talented pilots could now even achieve vertical takeoff.
By the way, most of these technologies were secretly stolen by Gamma from observing Magos Lauster's "pterosaur." He begged Oil Girl to secretly open the hangar door for him.
Outside, the battle for the starport between the Temple and the Archmagos was nearing its end. The Archmagos's side still had reserves, while the Temple was at the end of its tether. The fate of this starport and the future direction of Thedan would be revealed soon.
The number of dispatched teams had increased several times due to the abundance of vehicles, and the search area had expanded many times over, but now they couldn't find any people or supplies. Gamma simply pulled back completely, instead beginning to strengthen the settlement's defenses.
The walls were built as high as possible, and the "moat" was dug as deep as possible. Relying on inexhaustible geothermal energy and endless mechanical power, the walls grew higher and thicker day by day, and the moat grew wider and deeper day by day.
The reason for all of this was that he knew the disappearance of the living must be related to cults and Chaos. Demons could appear at any time, and the settlement had no Void Shield. He was forced to use these most primitive defensive methods by the current circumstances.
If only he could find a broken "Void Shield Generator," he would risk exposing his secret to equip the settlement with such a shield, which uses Warp technology to cleverly distort the local spacetime around the impact point to deflect incoming ranged attacks. It's impenetrable when overloaded, how powerful, how Waaagh!
"Sigh..." Gamma sighed listlessly, lie on the table.
Oil Girl asked, "What's wrong again, Gamma?"
"Sigh, I always feel like they're coming!"
Gamma's words made everyone in the room's hearts sink. They knew what "they" Gamma was referring to. He had told them at the beginning of the war what despair would summon.
Realizing that what he had just said served no purpose other than to lower their morale, Gamma immediately remedied, "Our firepower is enough to defeat all monsters and demons. I'm just worried that if the Archmagos and the others are gone, I'll have no choice but to become the Fabricator-General!"
"Hahahaha, Gamma, you really dream big!"
Gamma: "What's the difference between a person without dreams and Grox canned meat?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Gamma, do you want me to prepare a Fabricator-General's robe for you in advance?" Oil Girl teased Gamma.
Gamma, in a selfless manner, said, "My great Thedan has endured great hardship, and everything is waiting to be rebuilt. This Archmagos should set an example, be diligent and frugal, and abandon the luxurious bad habits of my predecessors. Today, I will use these old clothes to..."
"Haha, Gamma, you still... what's wrong with you?!"
Oil Girl looked worriedly at Gamma, who hadn't finished speaking, because Gamma's complexion had changed from red to green, from green to white, then from white to black, and finally from black to yellow in that short amount of time.
The others also noticed Gamma's abnormality and quickly gathered around him, worried. Gamma had never been like this before.
"With these old clothes..."
"With these old clothes?"
"With these old clothes!!"
Oil Girl and the others heard him repeatedly muttering "with these old clothes," and his complexion worsened with each repetition. Oil Girl quickly spoke, "Gamma! Gamma! Come to your senses. Whatever it is, we'll face it together!"
"With these old clothes... Ah, oh, you, you, you can't bear it, can't bear it..." Gamma replied to Oil Girl, distraught.
"We can! Everyone, am I right?"
"Of course!"
"Gamma, don't worry, at worst, we'll go see the Omnissiah!"
"Exactly, exactly. We've lived a year longer than so many people. According to the doctrine, we're more efficient. We'll even get to see the Omnissiah ahead of those who died earlier, right, Gamma?"
Each word of encouragement from his companions made Gamma's dying heart begin to beat again. Tear drops as big as beans rolled from his eyes.
"Wuwuwu, you, you guys... wuwuwu."
Oil Girl gently stroked Gamma's head and asked softly, "Gamma, what exactly happened?"
Her spring-like words opened Gamma's heart. He cried and stammered:
"Wuwuwu, I, wuwu, my, my old clothes were made a year ago, but I can still wear them, they fit so well. I, I haven't grown even a little bit this past year, wuwuwuwu."
(๑ १ д १) Who understands! How much damage is this to a boy?
"You little brat, are you messing with me?!"
"Wuwu, ah, ah, ah, it hurts, it hurts..."
Oil Girl only regretted not having replaced the hand gripping Gamma's skull with a mechanical prosthetic earlier! No! With a power claw! Then she could have crushed that brat's dog head directly! Release the muscle restrictors for me!
"Sigh, that was a wasted act of generosity."
"Oh, it's hard to raise little people! It's hard to raise little people!"
"Disperse, everyone disperse. There's still a lot to do, stop wasting time!"
"Do you want me to prepare a dose of animal growth hormone?"
Afterward, Gamma meticulously measured his height and indeed, he hadn't grown. There were a few millimeters of growth, but that kind of height might disappear if measured at night. This development wasn't normal!
Still unconvinced, Gamma measured himself for several consecutive days, and the results remained unchanged. Finally, he drew a tube of his own blood, and a check-up revealed a real problem!
Gamma roared: "Will, you old geezer, you made me a premature birth, and you've ruined me! You'd better be killed by the Temple, otherwise, if you fall into my hands, I have 99 ways to kill you!"
He once again gathered his old companions and began to brainstorm, seeing if looking from different angles could reveal where the problem lay.
They couldn't be relied upon for professional knowledge; even for genetics questions, Oil Girl had to consult him now.
Oil Girl looked at Gamma's test report and asked with a hint of disbelief, "So your genes really have a problem?"
"Yes, a big problem."
Jacob asked, concerned, "What's the problem?"
"My body is undergoing an unexplained mutation," Gamma replied.
"That shouldn't be the case? We, as cultivated humans, have all undergone genetic modification. Our genetic stability is several times that of ordinary people. Any with mutations were pulled for wetware before leaving the factory." Louis, also a cultivated human, surprisingly took the report from Oil Girl's hand and began to study it carefully.
"I still remember my memory from when I left the warehouse; I was normal then."
Ed asked, "When did it start to be abnormal?"
"About a year ago. I had normal growth for the two years before coming to the Temple. This past year, I've barely grown at all."
"Did anything unusual happen?"
"I've always been with you guys."
"Is the only manifestation of the mutation a halt in development?"
Gamma explained, his head aching, "It's not a halt in development; there's a strange self-repairing ability in my gene sequence. Even the aging caused by natural growth is being repaired. My physiological age has been fixed at the genetic level."
At this moment, Oil Girl's voice came faintly, "Gamma, you won't grow old!?"
The male Priests: Women's points of focus are truly strange.
Seeing Oil Girl's snapping fingers, Gamma decisively conceded and said, "Oil Girl... sister, I'm only nine years old! Nine years old!"
Oil Girl: "Eight years old."
"..."
"Yes, eight years old!" Gamma said through gritted teeth.
Paul said, "Boss, is there no aging at all?"
Gamma said uncertainly, "It seems there's a little, but the testing time is too short, and the aging is too slow. It requires long-term testing and observation."
"Oh, Gamma who won't grow up, hahahaha." Oil Girl said with a bit of sarcasm.
Gamma: Has what happened a few days ago not passed yet? Or did I somehow irritate Oil Girl again?
Louis finished reading the report and said, "It would be great if we could still contact your batch of brothers and sisters now. That way, we'd have a comparison to determine if your mutation is congenital or acquired."
"I now suspect that out of 1300 people, I might be the only one left," Gamma said, dejectedly.
"What about treating it with growth hormones?" Ed said.
"Useless. My growth hormone secretion is normal right now, no different from my peers."
Jacob said, "This... your body is like a normal child's. This self-repairing ability is indeed strange."
"It's as if some external force is affecting you, Gamma."
Gamma suddenly thought of something. He said, "Psionics? I've become a psyker, why don't I know?"
Psionics, a dangerous and unscientific power, involves a blind spot in the knowledge of Magos Gamma and others. The Adeptus Mechanicus as a whole disparages and rejects psionics.
The Adeptus Mechanicus emphasizes "Human Supremacy" and "Iron Dogma," viewing psionics as something contrary to their mechanical doctrines.
They prefer to achieve goals through technology and mechanical power rather than relying on psionics, even considering psionics as "waste."
The Adeptus Mechanicus, which advocates extreme materialism, believes that everything in the universe can be explained and controlled by data, energy, and precise machinery. Psionics, an unscientific, unstable, and unquantifiable power, is destined to be rejected by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
You ask, aren't there "Warp Engines" and "Void Shields"?
Those are "Warp technologies," the scientific application of Warp energy, and have nothing to do with those "mad wizard" Psykers! Nothing!
You're lying...
Bang! Drag him away and turn him into starch...
"That doesn't make sense? If I awakened psionics, why don't I feel anything? Don't they say Psykers can hear whispers from the Warp?"
Magos Gamma denied the conjecture, but it did give him a new idea—could it be due to his "cheat"?
His current understanding of his "ability" is limited to helping him steal knowledge and learn technology, which is a passive "skill." Besides that, he has no idea if there are any other functions.
Jacob said, "We still need to find Magos Lauster to test it to confirm whether you've awakened psionics."
"Even if you have, your 'psionics' seem very stable for now, so stable that you haven't even noticed it yourself."
"Hmm, alright, I'll go find the Magos now."
"Let's go together. Just because we don't care doesn't mean others don't. Going together can help cover for you."
"Okay."
Magos Lauster was very concerned about Magos Gamma's situation. After hearing from Leia that he had a physical problem and might even have awakened psionics, he immediately dropped his "Luoyang shovel" and pulled Magos Gamma into his laboratory.
As it turned out, not only did the boy not awaken psionics, but his psychic resistance was also ridiculously high. Magos Gamma felt nothing during the "psychic examination," which is very painful for ordinary people. He even asked why it hadn't started yet, as his mental preparation for suffering was about to fade.
Magos Gamma was eventually chased out by Magos Lauster. He felt that this father and daughter were definitely related; their words were unpleasant and carried a sour taste, but at least there was a result now.
Leia's jealousy was unconcealed. Clutching Magos Gamma's new test report, she said, "Now your aging speed is only one-third of a normal person's, and your psychic resistance is ridiculously high!"
Magos Gamma smugly said, "Yes, it's just that I can't grow up faster, which is truly annoying!"
"..."
"Omnissiah is unfair..."
"Can't the grace of the Omnissiah be shared with me?"
"If I were to say something blasphemous, I'm starting to suspect Magos Gamma is the omnissiah's illegitimate child."
"It sounds blasphemous, but it doesn't feel blasphemous at all."
"Hmm, I agree!"
"First, control Magos Gamma and let me draw a tube of blood. I'll share the results with you once I've researched them."
Magos Gamma: "Hey, hey, Leia, you're going too far! Let go, release me..."
"Heh heh, scream all you want, no one will come to save you."
...
Magos Gamma, with a lifespan one-third that of a tortoise, was in high spirits. Although he would be an "illegal shota" or "legal shota" for a considerable period in the future, who would complain about a long life? In the future, with the Adeptus Mechanicus's "rejuvenation techniques" and other life-extending technologies, he could become a complete tortoise even without replacing parts.
Now, Magos Gamma had a new understanding of his "talent." Besides the "knowledge-stealing" passive, he also had a "high magic resistance" passive. The "life-adding" ability still needed to be confirmed.
The insatiable Magos Gamma was already complaining in his heart: When will I get an active skill? Can't I also raise my "physical resistance"?
This incident of suspecting he had awakened psionics also gave Magos Gamma a reminder: Are there any people among the tens of thousands in the settlement who have truly awakened psionics and become Psykers?
The most apt description of the danger of Psykers is the following passage:
"Imagine knowing there is a door to the realm of demons, and if you are careless, they will smash you to pieces. Now imagine that door is in your mind. That is what it feels like to be a Psyker."
—Castus Lupa, Auxiliary Scholar
The earliest human Psykers were powerful beings known as Shamans, but after their demise and the creation of the Emperor, Psykers remained unknown to most of humanity for a long time.
It wasn't until the end of M22 that they first appeared in large numbers. "Psychic awakening" became increasingly common among humans, seemingly heralding humanity's transformation into a new psychic race.
People at the time believed that "psychic awakening" represented humanity's future: that humans would evolve into an ideal organism, a stronger, smarter, and more capable life form.
But humanity, then the "Galactic Overlord," did not realize that psionics was both powerful and miraculous, yet also strange and dangerous. It was both a boon to humanity and a threat.
The Emperor saw the danger of "Psykers" and thus issued the "Psychic Edict." If left uncontrolled, Psykers posed a potential danger to the entire world.
Much of the Inquisition's duty is to hunt them down, and the Imperium ensures that Psykers are suppressed, tracked, and controlled.
Those strong and stable enough will be recruited into Imperial service, playing important roles as Astropaths and sanctioned Psykers within the Imperium.
The weakest are destined to serve humanity by serving in the Astronomican, as nourishment for the Emperor of Mankind, or merely by having their frontal lobes removed to become one of countless Servitors, while a few are taken to the Obsidian Fortress of the Astropathic Choirs, where an unknown fate awaits them. The contaminated are purged and executed before reaching Terra.
The Imperium classifies Psykers based on their level of psychic ability, with the given grade indicating the power of their psionics.
An Omicron-level Psyker might only possess mildly subconsciously activated psychic abilities, while a Super Alpha-level Psyker could cleave a Titan in two.
"Psychic awakening" usually manifests when a person is very young, but there can be exceptions, so Psykers may be born with latent mutations, or they may mutate under the destructive influence of the Warp.
In this 42nd Millennium, the destructive power of the Great Rift has awakened Psykers in unprecedented numbers. Theoretically, anyone in the Imperium now has the potential to become a latent Psyker.
Magos Gamma became unsettled at the thought of a "living Warp portal" possibly existing in the settlement, having awakened psionics.
"Are you sure you want to spread this kind of news?"
"Do you have any faster way to find them?"
"Using Magos Lauster's instruments..."
"Too slow. How long would it take to test tens of thousands of people? What we lack most right now is time."
"But..."
"No 'buts,' we must use the fastest method to find these unstable factors."
"But this will affect you."
"I'm not afraid. It's not real. Even if the Inquisition comes, I'll let them inspect me."
"Alright."
A message began to circulate within the settlement: The respected Magos Gamma had awakened psionics and become a Psyker. He was now recruiting fellow "Psykers" in the settlement, at his laboratory.
That's right, to make potentially lurking Psykers fall into his trap, Magos Gamma decided to use himself as "bait" to lure them out. He and the Magos Priests had communicated in advance, telling them not to make a fuss, and to set aside their Adeptus Mechanicus's exclusionary attitude towards Psykers. They needed to smile! They needed to be kind! They needed to make the self-surrendering Psykers feel at home!
To make it look convincing, he also borrowed equipment from several Magos, using science to disguise magic, performing public displays of power like levitation, electrical discharges, and fireballs whenever he had a chance.
At the laboratory entrance, a special reception room for Psykers was prepared, just to tell the people of the settlement: the news was true, and his psionic abilities were also true.
Indeed, half a month later, Psykers began to emerge. Most were fake, a few had mental issues, and only three were genuine.
A little girl the same age as Magos Gamma, a young man who had just come of age, and a middle-aged man who looked shifty at first glance.
Magos Gamma didn't do anything to them; instead, he treated them well with food and drink. Firstly, because although they were dangerous, they were innocent, and he didn't want to kill unless absolutely necessary.
Secondly, these three were lured out, and Magos Gamma couldn't be sure if there were others still hiding. Making the three disappear would only alert those still hidden. It was better to keep them and occasionally take them out in public. If other "fish" saw no danger, wouldn't they come out to eat the "bait"?
The psychic trio already knew Magos Gamma was faking it, but with his reassurance, they were willing to cooperate and continue the act. This certainly couldn't be achieved with just words, but after Magos Gamma gave each of them a "psychic suppression collar" so they could all sleep soundly, everything fell into place.
These thick black collars were composed of silicate material, dense and seemingly without obvious protrusions. When in contact with living beings, they naturally emitted a force field capable of calming Warp energies, while also consuming the wearer's attention and mental acuity.
He took four people as his retinue. Why four people? That's because Magos Gamma didn't have time to look after children, so he also recruited Ruby—the psychic little girl's only relative, her mother—to be a nanny, and coincidentally, to look after him too.
Magos Gamma: Who isn't a child!
He still held some curiosity about psionics, so he naturally had the three cooperate with his research. However, after a few attempts, he gave up. The power of untrained Psykers was too uncontrollable; they could only release it, completely unable to control its magnitude or direction.
During several experiments, psychic lightning and psychic flames flew everywhere. Magos Gamma, even though he was far away, was hit by one, but he felt nothing at all.
Magos Gamma: Is my magic resistance that high?!