Leikard Orbital Space Station

Seeing everyone looking at him, Blood Pigeon felt a little embarrassed.

But he still straightened his back and tried to look calm.

"You've flown before?" Qin Yun walked up to Blood Pigeon and asked.

"I've flown training aircraft under someone else's instruction."

"You've flown training aircraft?!"

Qin Yun considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Then I'll leave this mission to you. If you can get the Valkyrie airborne safely, you'll become the Imperial Glory's fighter commander, with an additional 30,000 Contribution Points."

The other players looked envious when they heard that.

"Professional skills and knowledge really are the key to this version."

"A promotion! Fighter commander! Can someone tell me whether this position is a major or lieutenant colonel?"

"I'm so jealous. For the first time, I hate myself for not studying properly."

"If I'd known, I would've studied hard instead of spending all my time fantasizing about dating my English teacher."

"You'd even make a move on your teacher? You beast! Was she pretty? Did you get her? No other reason, I just want to know the truth so I can look down on you properly."

"Do you need professional skills and knowledge suited to the current version to unlock hidden gameplay?"

"..."

Watching the players beat their chests and wail in despair, Dovahkiin, Magical Monkey, Warmaster, and the other players who were still students exchanged glances.

Silently, they strengthened their resolve to study hard.

That was the power of knowledge. Even in a game, it could still prove useful.

Blood Pigeon climbed into the Valkyrie's cockpit.

Before him was a web of densely packed instruments and buttons.

At first glance, it was enough to make his eyes go blurry.

"I need a copilot."

After briefly familiarizing himself with the cockpit, Blood Pigeon climbed back out and asked Qin Yun, "Someone quick-witted and obedient."

Qin Yun turned to the players. "Who wants to be his copilot? The reward is deputy fighter commander, plus 10,000 Contribution Points."

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Pick me! Pick me!"

"I'm clever, diligent, and eager to learn."

The players all raised their hands, their faces full of expectation.

Never mind the Contribution Points for now.

Just learning how to fly a Valkyrie would already be an incredible profit.

This game was too realistic. It paid attention to detail.

The more you knew, the more valuable you became.

And the more hidden gameplay you could unlock.

"You choose one." Qin Yun turned back to Blood Pigeon and let him make the choice himself.

"Pick me, Blood Pigeon. I'll send you five thousand yuan offline."

"Money is just worldly baggage. Pick me, and I'll introduce you to the junior I just met."

"Ahem! Ahem!" Qin Yun interrupted the players trying to bribe Blood Pigeon. "That kind of behavior is a serious violation of the rules."

Qin Yun's words instantly made the players behave themselves. They no longer dared to spout nonsense.

They could only fix their eager, hopeful gazes on Blood Pigeon, waiting for him to choose them.

Blood Pigeon hesitated for a while before ultimately choosing Milk Dragon.

When the teams had been assigned earlier, Milk Dragon had been the veteran player responsible for leading him and another newcomer.

They knew each other fairly well and were familiar enough to work together.

Milk Dragon ran over to Blood Pigeon with a look of excitement.

"I knew it. An outstanding person like me is like glittering gold—you just can't hide it."

The players all rolled their eyes.

Outstanding, my ass!!

He was only benefiting from having led the newcomers.

Ignoring the wailing players, Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon began studying the Valkyrie's controls according to the manual.

To give the two of them a quiet environment, Qin Yun sent the other players off to do their daily missions.

He also instructed Old Bird, Magical Monkey, Dovahkiin, and the other players who understood mechanical maintenance to stay behind and assist Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon.

After making the arrangements, Qin Yun headed to the Chapel of Prayers to check when the new reservation slots would be released.

This time, Qin Yun did not intend to release all the slots.

Instead, he planned to reserve some for inviting players with special skills and professional knowledge.

To maintain the Imperial Glory and complete the Emperor's missions, fighting alone would not be enough. They also needed a complete logistical system.

Later, he would ask whether Old Bird had any coworkers who liked playing games.

He also needed to ask Blood Pigeon about recruiting players who knew how to fly aircraft.

They would have to find ways to recruit talent in other technical fields as well.

Just as Qin Yun was thinking about how to better complete the Emperor's mission, a golden screen appeared before him.

Mission: Assist the Loyalists in reclaiming Planet Automata

Planet Automata has been plunged into war due to the Cultists' rebellion. The local Imperial citizens await the Emperor's Redemption day and night.

Defeat the enemies who have plunged Imperial citizens into suffering and restore normal life to the civilians.

Reward: A pair of Flying Wings (Epic)

After reviewing the new mission, Qin Yun prayed to the Emperor and learned when the new reservation slots would be released.

Afterward, he went to the Command Hall and logged in to check the chat group messages.

The real world.

"I never thought even playing a game would demand such specialized skills. What am I supposed to do as someone in finance?!"

Qian Donglai let out a long sigh after logging out of the game.

He felt that everything he had learned was completely useless in Warhammer Online at this stage.

He could only hope the developers would introduce farming gameplay later.

If he could get a position as a Planetary Governor or reform director, perhaps his financial knowledge would finally be useful.

"Forget it. Why think so much? Even if I can't use my professional strengths, being a Psyker is pretty good too."

Opening the chat group, he prepared to share what he had learned today.

Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Why has everyone stopped talking? Don't tell me you've all gone to play the game? Seeing you play is worse than killing me. I'm begging you, stop playing already. Come chat with us."

I Don't Want to be a Stinky Can: "Stop yelling. Only a few of us without reservation slots are still here."

Auspex Plays Genshin Smoothly: "Sigh, how bleak."

Slaanesh's Ten-Times-A-Night Stud: "Hehe, I'm here again to share the latest game news with everyone."

"Group admin Slaanesh's Ten-Times-A-Night Stud has enabled group mute."

"After a difficult battle, the players cleared the Mutants from the lowest deck and successfully regained control of the Imperial Glory."

"Guide had several players restart the reactor, bringing the Imperial Glory back into operation."

"A player who was a freshman at a flight academy accepted Guide's mission and is currently learning to operate a Valkyrie. They plan to head to Planet Automata and unlock a new map."

"The knowledge and professional skills from Warhammer Online can be applied in the real world."

"Possessing professional skills and knowledge gives you a better start in the game, and may even let you unlock hidden gameplay."

"..."

"That's everything gained from the game today. Thank you, everyone."

Qin Yun, who had been lurking in the chat, took the opportunity to send out footage related to Old Bird restarting the reactor.

That immediately stirred up both players who had not logged in and netizens who had failed to reserve game access.

Dazed Krieg: "Interesting. The gameplay is actually this rich. It looks exactly like the real thing."

Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Regent is happy that you can post this, but Regent is very unhappy that you won't give out game slots. Macragge is calling to me! Hurry up and give me a game slot."

I Don't Want to be a Stinky Can: "JPG: Ah! Ah! I'll kill you all!"

Auspex Plays Genshin Smoothly: "@The Company Slave Drafted by the Emperor, Group Owner, when will the new reservation slots be released?"

"Yeah, new slots. Why aren't you releasing any new slots?"

"Forget the closed beta. Just launch the open beta already. I can't wait any longer."

"A petition signed in blood by the masses! Please launch the open beta!"

"Right, open beta. It has to be open beta."

The Company Slave Drafted by the Emperor: "Fifty slots will be released tomorrow. Also, the company has provided some special invitation slots to invite players with professional knowledge and skills into the game for testing."

Brother of the September Ninth Remembrance Chapter: "I work in auto repair. Would that work?"

The Company Slave Drafted by the Emperor: "@Brother of the September Ninth Remembrance Chapter, yes. Send me proof of your qualifications. If it passes review, I'll send you a reservation slot."

Guilliman is the Only Sun: "What? That works too?!"

I Don't Want to be a Stinky Can: "Group Owner, does being a coding wage slave count?"

The Company Slave Drafted by the Emperor: "Yes. Anyone with a useful skill can contact me. If you pass review, I'll send you a reservation slot."

"You can also ask friends around you who are proficient in a particular field and see whether they're interested in joining the game's closed beta."

After a period of exploration and trial and error, Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon actually managed to get the Valkyrie airborne.

They even flew several circles around the Imperial Glory.

The Valkyrie could not fight in the depths of the Void, but it could fly in low orbit and carry out landing missions from starships to the ground.

Qin Yun watched Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon train several times.

After confirming that the Valkyrie under their control could take off and land safely,

he decided to first take the players to Automata's grandest orbital station platform to investigate the situation.

As for why he did not have the Imperial Glory go directly there—

who knew what the situation at the orbital station was like?

If it had already fallen under Rebel control, it would be a nightmare.

They had too few people to operate a Lunar-class Cruiser properly.

If the other side opened fire, they would not even be able to return fire. They could only take the hits.

If they went by Valkyrie, then even if something unexpected happened, they would only lose one Valkyrie.

Considering that they might encounter enemies, Qin Yun selected the twenty players best at combat.

The other players remained aboard the Imperial Glory under Old Bird's command, continuing to clear the warship and repair damaged equipment.

They would also help the newcomers who were about to log in familiarize themselves with the environment.

After all the players boarded, Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon started the engines and thrusters according to procedure.

Then, the heavy hangar doors opened, and the Valkyrie slid out along the runway.

After entering the Void, the thrusters sprayed plasma radiance as it flew toward the orbital station.

The Void was vast and boundless, making the Valkyrie seem exceptionally tiny.

Without any reference points, it was difficult for people to even tell whether the Valkyrie was moving.

Half an hour later, the orbital station, once only a tiny black dot, grew larger and larger as they approached.

The orbital station had a diameter of roughly a hundred kilometers. It was incomparably grand, shaped like a colossal olive.

Starship wreckage floated through the Void around the station.

Some pieces were still exploding, casting out bright flames.

Countless corpses drifted through the Void, most wearing Double-Headed Eagle uniforms.

The players widened their eyes and observed the scene outside through the windows.

"So this is a Void battlefield?"

"That's terrifying. There are so many bodies."

"..."

Qin Yun sent several consecutive messages to the station, but received no response at first.

Only after they drew close enough to see the drifting wreckage and corpses with the naked eye did they receive an answer.

"Welcome to Leikard Orbital Space Station, strangers."

A hoarse mechanical voice came through the Valkyrie's communications system.

Qin Yun said, "I am the captain of the Imperial Glory. State your name and position."

"I will tell you, but not now."

"What do you mean?"

"Current data indicates that the probability of you being Loyalists is only 22.54%."

"We are one hundred percent loyal to the Emperor."

"Then prove it. Go to Entrance Y-107H. A group of Cultists is entrenched there. Eliminate them."

"How do I know which faction you belong to? Are you using us?"

The voice sounded again, carrying a trace of mockery.

"If I wanted to kill you, all I would need to do is press the little button in front of me. The weapon systems still operational on the station would instantly destroy the unshielded Valkyrie."

"If the Valkyrie's Machine Spirit had not still retained the Omnissiah's blessing, you would already be dead."

PS: In the meme, after Jagatai went to the Thousand Sons' homeworld, some White Scars wanted to rebel alongside Horus while others refused, so they started fighting.

This humble author, as always, begs for continued reading and votes.