Inside Neksum's private laboratory, Osiris stood before the main console.
His dark red mechanical body was motionless under the laboratory's cool white lighting, with only the subtle data light points flowing within his optical lenses indicating that he was processing information.
The recently received combat data summary, initially encrypted by the Inquisition, was now fully displayed on the main console's screen.
The data flowed steadily, with its core part recording the entire process of Valerie piloting the neural-interfaced "iron guard" prototype, activating the Sandevistan System at the final moment of combat to deliver a fatal blow to the Chaos Sorcerer.
Osiris' attention was focused on several key parameters: the peak curve of neural signal surge, the output efficiency of power joints under instantaneous overload, and the energy changes produced when the disassembler field contacted organic tissue.
He was repeatedly analyzing and modeling this data, searching for performance boundaries and optimization nodes.
"The synergistic effect of neural acceleration cybernetics and the deep neural interface system," Osiris said in a low, steady voice, "real-world combat data shows peak efficiency exceeding theoretical expectations by 12.7 percent."
This result aligned with his basic judgment, but the specific value was indeed higher than the best simulation results under laboratory conditions.
His mechanical fingers input a series of new calibration parameters into the console, adjusting system thresholds for the next test.
His thoughts did not remain at the technical analysis level.
Inquisitor Kairas's expressed purchasing intent was a clear signal.
This was not just a potential order, but also a direct opportunity to showcase it to the core armed forces of the Imperium.
"An order from the Inquisition is a good start," he assessed the situation, "it seems the potential application range of the 'iron guard' is broader than Archmagos Vox initially anticipated."
This judgment led him to begin concretely planning the meeting with the Inquisitor.
He pulled up a datapad and began to list the technical documents that needed to be prepared.
Basic performance parameters were a must, but he also needed to prepare simulated test data under different environments, as well as demonstration plans for modular weapon interface compatibility.
Negotiation points also needed to be clarified: testing fees for early prototypes, priority supply rights for subsequent mass-produced models, and technical support and resource compensation plans for providing deep modification services to Inquisition personnel.
Cooperation with the Inquisition required careful handling, both to demonstrate the practical value of the technology and to maintain the Adeptus Mechanicus' independence in technological collaboration.
Within the vast system of the Imperium, the interests between various factions were always in dynamic flux.
Now, the unexpected performance of the "iron guard" in the Hive City world was fostering new channels of connection between the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World and the armed factions of the Inquisition.
Osiris was well aware of what establishing a direct cooperative relationship with the Inquisition meant.
Stable high-level orders could enhance his influence in Neksum and even within the Adeptus Mechanicus; at the same time, it came with stricter scrutiny standards, more complex factional relationships, and potential attention from competitors.
However, he was not worried about this.
Within the Adeptus Mechanicus system, reliable technology proven in combat was itself the most valuable capital and the most effective defense.
What he needed to do now was to ensure that the "iron guard" project continued to be perfected, so that it could demonstrate sufficient reliability, adaptability, and practical value in any test and actual application.
When the technology itself possessed a clear advantage, many potential obstacles would naturally become less significant.
The value of technology needs to be proven through practical application, and the combat data from the Hive City world was providing such proof.
Osiris categorized and archived the data on the main console, while also beginning to prepare demonstration materials.
He noted several technical details that required further optimization, particularly in energy distribution efficiency and system heat dissipation.
These improvements would be incorporated into the next phase of the research and development plan.
Outside the laboratory, the constant operational hum of the Forge World permeated through the thick soundproofing, deep and continuous.
Inside the laboratory, Osiris continued to handle various preparatory tasks.
His heavily mechanically modified face showed no expression, only his optical lenses glowed steadily, indicating his focused work.
The meeting with the Inquisitor required thorough preparation, and he was proceeding with these preparations methodically.
—
The cleanup operations for the Vista Prima Hive City incident proceeded methodically.
Inquisitor Kairas remained to oversee the subsequent clearing.
The Inquisition's Stormtroopers and some Planetary Defence Force units deemed reliable fully took over the "Unified Standard" factory and its surrounding areas.
The cleanup operations followed the Inquisition's standard procedures, emphasizing efficiency and thoroughness.
First was the physical space's decontamination.
All areas clearly or suspected of being involved in Chaos rituals were rigorously treated.
Large quantities of promethium and specially formulated exorcism holy oil were first sprayed, then soldiers used flamethrowers for carpet burning, ensuring no organic matter possibly tainted by the Warp remained.
Damaged production line equipment, any parts deemed to have contamination risk, were dismantled and sent to the furnace for destruction, with no consideration for repair.
For several days, the factory's lower levels were constantly permeated with the pungent smell of burning matter and the strange odor after promethium combustion.
Personnel screening and handling was a more complex aspect.
All surviving workers in the factory, along with anyone who had worked in the core area before or after the incident, and low-level managers deemed to have potential involvement based on preliminary screening, were swiftly apprehended and detained by Inquisition forces, without exception.
For individuals suspected of being core members or active participants of the cult, the Inquisition employed ruthless and severe measures.
Inquisition psykers conducted deep, intrusive mental probes on the detainees, stripping away their mental defenses and excavating hidden memories.
Concurrently, professional Inquisitors utilized a range of approved interrogation methods designed to break physiological and psychological limits.
Mental pressure, high-intensity sensory deprivation, forced truth serum injections, and even more destructive physical tortures were applied sequentially, with a clear objective: to pry open their mouths and extract every shred of information regarding the cult's network, ritual details, potential accomplices, and any other possible hideouts.
The confessions and leads obtained from these severe interrogations quickly stirred up a broader ripple effect across the Hive City, and the Inquisition's actions rapidly extended beyond the factory's confines.
Based on the extracted lists and associated information, arrests were carried out in relevant areas of the Hive City's lower and even middle strata.
Not only the previously detained workers, but also their immediate family members, relatives with recorded frequent interactions, and even neighbors and co-workers merely mentioned by name or believed to have had contact, were affected.
The scope of implication expanded rapidly under the mutual corroboration of confessions and the Inquisition's principle of "better to kill a thousand innocents than let one guilty escape."
Ultimately, the scale of this purge far exceeded initial estimates.
All original groups of workers who had been collectively detained, along with the much larger number of family members and other associated individuals arrested in subsequent implication operations, were uniformly marked as "confirmed contaminated groups" or "high-risk associated individuals" after an internal, simplified trial procedure unknown to outsiders.
There was no public trial, no detailed graded screening; they were secretly escorted out of the Hive City en masse, transported to remote, specialized quarantine zones for such matters, and subjected to indiscriminate "final purification."
To thoroughly eliminate any hidden dangers, all official records, household registration files, and work histories related to these individuals were systematically destroyed or permanently sealed, as if these people had never existed in the Hive City.
Count Gresham's factory had its original workforce completely purged.
Under the supervision of a joint oversight committee designated by the Inquisition and the Departmento Munitorum, the factory management urgently recruited a brand new workforce from other areas of the Hive City and even neighboring worlds, all rigorously background-checked. After this thorough and bloody "blood change," the factory was allowed to gradually resume production under strict surveillance.