For the Emperor

"If these people really appeared out of nowhere... their biological characteristics could be extremely valuable for research."

The way he spoke of research value was like he was discussing a new batch of lab animals.

"Should we inform the High Council?"

The director with the mechanical eye asked, "With such a major disturbance, the other factions will definitely notice."

"Inform them?"

The Bald Director sneered. "Once we clean this up, we'll send them an investigation report saying it was a riot caused by a spontaneous gathering of mutants, promptly eliminated by the Chamber of Commerce's security forces, ensuring Aurelian's stability."

The other two nodded in understanding.

This was the Chamber of Commerce's usual approach: act first, report afterward, then fabricate a grand-sounding excuse.

As long as they handled things cleanly and left the other powers no excuse to intervene, someone on the council would naturally help smooth things over.

After all, although Aurelian IV nominally submitted to the Imperium and fell under the jurisdiction of some largely uninvolved primarch from the Eastern Fringe.

That individual was far too busy to care about a frontier world like this. In practice, this place was still ruled by the four major powers.

The governor sent by the Imperium?

He was nothing more than a mascot, responsible for collecting the tithe and turning a blind eye to the conflicts within the planet.

As long as the tithe was paid in full and there was no open rebellion, the Imperium could not be bothered with who killed whom on some frontier world.

In fact, the existence of the tithe only intensified the exploitation and violence on the planet.

To scrape together the quota owed to the Imperium, the four major powers became ever more ruthless in exploiting the lower classes. Rebel groups sprang up one after another, and human lives here were cheaper than Promethium fuel.

"Execute the order."

The Bald Director said at last, "Tell the front line that if they encounter resistance... let them see why the Chamber of Commerce controls more than half of Aurelian IV's medical and pharmaceutical industries."

His smile was icy.

"After all, what we do best is make people willingly become contributors to medical advancement."

The order was swiftly issued.

The Chamber of Commerce's entire security apparatus began operating at full speed.

Ten minutes later, at several landing fields on the outskirts of Arlu City.

More than thirty aircraft took off at once: fifteen heavy transports loaded with soldiers.

Six armed Gunships provided fire support.

Six rapid assault craft were responsible for sealing off the perimeter.

There were also six transports painted entirely black.

They were the dedicated aircraft of the Cleaners, carrying the Chamber of Commerce's most elite and most clandestine special operations unit.

More than a thousand armed personnel in total, carrying light and heavy weapons, descended on the Crimson Bright Wasteland.

This was no longer an ordinary public security incident.

This was a military threat, and it had to be crushed with overwhelming force.

Outside the workshop, at the edge of the mine pit.

Wang Zhong yawned.

His stamina had recovered to 78%. He was not hungry or thirsty for the moment, and his wounds had been treated.

It was time to consider logging off.

"I'm getting off."

He said to the teammates beside him who were still chatting, "I've got work tomorrow."

"I'm logging off too."

Tax Brother nodded. "This body... we're just leaving it here?"

"Let's hide it in a corner."

Xue Brother suggested, "What about those empty bio-pods inside the workshop?"

"They don't have nutrient solution anymore, but at least they're enclosed spaces."

"That makes sense."

The group got to their feet, preparing to head back into the workshop.

Just then.

"Listen!" Did White Scars speed today suddenly pricked up his ears. "What's that sound?"

The players fell silent.

A low, rhythmic hum drifted through the night wind, growing closer and closer.

Not one aircraft, but many. Very, very many.

"Planes?"

Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run looked up at the sky. "No, rotorcraft! And I can hear jet engines too! A lot of them!"

Against the deep violet night sky, dozens of dark silhouettes rapidly approached from the direction of the Hive City, their outlines gradually becoming clear:

Transport aircraft, Gunships, assault craft... a complete aerial formation.

"What... is that?"

Soul of Cadia narrowed his eyes. "An air show? A military drill?"

"Everyone, attention!"

Wang Zhong instinctively sensed danger and shouted, "A large number of unidentified aircraft are approaching! Find cover!"

The players immediately erupted into commotion.

Throughout the mine pit, thousands of players looked up at the sky at the same time.

Some were still staring around in confusion, while others had already reacted and began running toward the workshop or looking for cover.

But it was too late.

The fifteen transports arrived over the mine pit first, hovering in an encircling formation.

Powerful searchlight beams shone down from their bellies like holy light on Judgment Day, instantly illuminating the entire mine pit as brightly as day!

Next, the six Gunships hovered around the perimeter, and the automated turrets beneath their fuselages began rotating as they warmed up.

The six assault craft circled at higher altitude, blocking every possible escape route.

The six pitch-black transports landed soundlessly in the shadows around the mine pit.

Their hatches slid open, and a squad of soldiers in completely black armor, even their masks pure black, silently slid out and swiftly vanished into the shadows of the ruins.

They were the Cleaners, the Chamber of Commerce's ghosts, specialists in dirty work that could leave no traces behind.

The players were blinded by the intense light and raised their hands to shield their eyes.

The transport side doors slid open, and ropes were thrown down one after another.

Soldiers in full combat gear, their faces hidden behind helmets, descended with practiced tactical movements, rapidly spreading out and taking advantageous positions.

Their movements were crisp and efficient. They were clearly elite troops subjected to rigorous training, and there were so many of them. More than a hundred had landed in the first wave alone, with more still coming down behind them.

Yet even these battle-hardened augmented soldiers paused briefly when they saw the scene in the mine pit.

There were too many.

As far as the eye could see, people were everywhere.

On the platforms, in the mine pit, at the workshop entrance, behind abandoned machinery... thousands of eyes stared at them beneath the harsh lights, confused, terrified, or curious.

This was not the rebel camp they had expected. There were no fortifications, no heavy weapons, not even any proper arms.

There was only a group of people in ragged work clothes, holding crude tools.

But their numbers... Emperor above, the numbers were absurd.

"Report to command, this is Vanguard Team One."

The captain lowered his voice and reported through the encrypted channel. "Confirmed target count... over five thousand."

"I repeat, more than five thousand people."

"No heavy weapons detected, but their numbers alone constitute a threat."

"The atmosphere on site... is strange."

"The targets do not appear afraid. They seem more curious than anything else."

A calm reply came through the channel. "Received."

"Execute standard containment procedures."

"Capture as many alive as possible. The Chamber of Commerce laboratories need fresh samples."

The captain took a deep breath, raised his rifle, aimed at the sky, and pulled the trigger.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!

The piercing gunfire tore through the night sky and echoed through the mine pit.

"Heretics, in the name of The Emperor, I command you."

"Everyone! Don't move!"

"Drop your weapons! Get on the ground! Hands on your heads!"

"Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

The cold roar, amplified through loudspeakers, echoed through the mine pit.

The players were dumbfounded.

They looked at the suddenly appearing, heavily equipped soldiers, the black gun barrels, and the massive aircraft formation hovering overhead. For a moment, they had no idea how to react.

This... was game content too?

A beginner storyline?

Or...

"Fuck! Where did these NPCs come from?!" a player cried out in the regional chat.

"What are they saying? Drop our weapons? What weapons do we have? We've got a few crappy pickaxes!"

"This looks so real... the armor, the gun models... the detail is insane!"

"Look at their insignia! That symbol... there's a line of small text underneath that says Alu Pharmaceutical Group?"

"Another line of small text... Simans Chamber of Commerce?"

"Chamber of Commerce? This game has Chamber of Commerce factions too?"

Wang Zhong's heart sank to the bottom.

He saw the insignia on the soldiers' armor: a Gene Helix entwined with snakes, and the small text beneath it.

He saw the cold gleam of their mechanical limbs and bionic eyes.

He heard the commands in the common tongue, spoken with a local accent, coming through the loudspeakers.

Most importantly, he saw the look in those soldiers' eyes, the way predators regarded prey.

That was not the look NPCs should have.

That was the look only predators who saw human beings as resources and expendable materials could possess.

Everything was too real.

So real that... it could no longer be explained as a game element.

A terrifying thought tore open in his mind like a Warp rift.

These soldiers, their methods, their utter disregard for human life...

Emperor above.

This place...

Could it really be...

"Get down! Everyone, get down!"

He screamed hoarsely, throwing himself to the ground first.

But not every player was as immersed in the act as he was.

Some players still believed this was part of the game's storyline. A few even walked curiously toward the soldiers, trying to trigger dialogue.

"Hey, brothers, does your world have an Emperor too? Which faction are you with?"

"Got any quests?"

"This opening cinematic is sick! Is this an enemy airdrop?"

"Should I try resisting? Maybe I can get some loot?"

"For the Emperor!"

One player even raised a miner's pick and shouted that classic line, though it sounded incredibly bizarre in this context.

The next second.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!

Even denser gunfire erupted.

The player walking toward the soldiers had several bloody blossoms burst across his chest. The impact of the bullets hurled him backward, and he hit the ground, convulsed twice, then went still.

The player who had shouted "For the Emperor!" was also struck by several bullets and fell with a scream.

Under the searchlights, the blood looked like a glaring dark red.

Player I Think This Game Can Revive has died. Cause of death: gunshot wounds. Revival cost: 5 Imperial Coin.

Player Loyal But Broke has died. Cause of death: gunshot wounds. Revival cost: 5 Imperial Coin.

The cold system notifications appeared in the regional chat channel.

Time seemed to freeze.

The players stared blankly at the two corpses, the flowing blood, and the smoke rising from the soldiers' gun barrels.

The gunfire still echoed through the mine pit.

Then the two players who had been shot dead began screaming in the regional chat, their messages full of terror and pain.

Though their bodies were already dead, their consciousnesses seemed to remain somehow. At the very least, they could still speak in the chat channel.

"AAAAAHHHH! It hurts! Fuck! It really fucking hurts!!!"

"Help! I feel like I was actually shot!!!"

The screams abruptly stopped. They had been forcibly logged off.

They had died so realistically, so... cheaply.

The entire mine pit was deathly silent.

Only the roar of the transport craft's rotors remained, along with the cold voice sounding once more through the soldiers' loudspeakers:

"Final warning."

"Drop everything, lie face-down on the ground, and clasp your hands over your head."

"Anyone who resists will be shot on the spot."

Wang Zhong lay prone on the ground, his face pressed against the cold, rough earth, his body trembling uncontrollably.