In the Name of the Fourth Calamity

Ten seconds later, Zhang San stopped convulsing and slumped in the chair, his pupils dilated and unfocused.

The man in the white coat stepped forward and used an instrument to check his vital signs.

"Test Subject 001 showed a violent rejection reaction to Psionic Inhibitor Type-7, resulting in nervous system collapse and brain death."

"Record: Suspected untrained psionic sensitive or possessor of special genetic resistance."

He waved his hand: "Drag him away, send him to the dissection room."

"The organs should still be usable."

Two soldiers dragged Zhang San's corpse away like a sack, leaving a pale yellow stain on the floor; he had lost control of his bladder.

The entire underground containment facility was deathly silent.

Some players who could witness this scene turned as pale as paper.

Wang Zhong felt his stomach churning violently.

This game's death mechanics were far too realistic.

Moreover, dying with zero dignity—dragged away like a piece of rag, only to be dissected and have one's organs harvested for use.

"Next."

The cold voice of the man in the white coat rang out once more.

The soldiers walked toward another cage.

Meanwhile, deep within the Warp.

Lu Sheng's shifting energy form was stretching out contentedly.

"Ah... this flavor..."

He felt the emotional energy pouring in continuously from the physical universe; its concentration and quality were on a level far beyond what he had obtained while mining.

Fear, despair, anger, collapse, and a sliver of madness...

"Yes, just like that," Lu Sheng absorbed it with intoxication, "More, make it more intense..."

There was nothing he could do about these players getting captured; who knew the factions on this land would be so cautious.

Now he could only wait for them to die and respawn. It seems he will have to choose a more remote location for them next time.

He observed the situation in the Arlu City underground containment facility through the system interface.

The players were being imprisoned, interrogated, injected with drugs, and dissected...

Every process generated massive amounts of negative emotions.

And these emotions, filtered and purified by the system, all became his sustenance.

"The previous 5,000 units of energy were mainly used to establish a stable cross-universe channel to pull their consciousnesses over."

"Now that the channel is stable, the cost of simply constructing bodies for resurrection is much lower."

He glanced at his energy reserves.

Between the players mining, hunting, completing tasks, and the current output of fear, his energy reserves had recovered from the initial 2,000 units to over 53,600 units.

"Even if all five thousand of them die once now... it's enough to resurrect them many times over."

"No major issues."

Lu Sheng had a very good mindset.

Players could respawn after death, and once resurrected, they could continue working and producing emotional energy.

And the people of the Alru Group?

They were merely NPCs. In a few decades, who knows how many batches of factions like theirs would have perished.

"Let's observe the situation first," Lu Sheng thought, "and see what kind of tricks these players can come up with."

He planned his future happily.

As for the players' fear and pain?

"Heh! Heh! Heh!"

"Wait! Since when did I become so evil?"

"But unfortunately, an Evil God simply has no humanity."

Lu Sheng only felt... that they were delicious.

At most, when they respawn next time, he would add a feature to dampen their pain, perhaps setting the percentage to a minimum of 30!

Truly, he was so benevolent; praise the Holy God!!

Underground containment facility.

The second player to be dragged out had the ID [Just a Passing Loyalist].

He was calmer than Zhang San, but his legs were still trembling.

"Name."

"Li Si." (Pseudonym)

"Age."

"25."

"Place of origin."

"I... I don't know, I have amnesia!"

The man in the white coat looked up, his eyes behind the mask flashing with a hint of impatience.

He nodded at the soldier once more.

This time, it wasn't a syringe, but a helmet-like device that was placed onto Li Si's head.

"This is a Psyker Potential Detector. If you lie, or attempt to hide anything, it will overload your brain and turn you into an idiot."

Li Si's face turned even paler.

The detector activated, emitting a low hum.

A few seconds later, the man in the white coat frowned as he looked at the readings on his data pad.

"Psyker potential... zero? That's impossible."

"Even an untrained ordinary person would have faint fluctuations in potential."

He looked at Li Si: "Have you undergone psychic suppression surgery?"

"I... I don't know!"

"Or, are you not human at all?"

Li Si was on the verge of tears: "I am human! A genuine, authentic human!"

The man in the white coat was silent for a few seconds.

"Send him to the genetic testing lab."

"Draw blood, take bone marrow samples, and perform a full-body scan."

"If he is confirmed to be human, yet his psyker potential is zero... then his genes might barely have some research value."

Li Si was dragged away.

In the regional channel, the players were already cursing up a storm.

[Soul of Cadia]: "Damn! Psyker potential testing! Genetic testing! What exactly are they trying to do?!"

[Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run]: "It's obvious, they are screening us."

"Screening for psykers, screening for those with special genes; the former can be used for psychic experiments, the latter for genetic research."

"As for ordinary people... I guess we're just organ donors or forced labor."

[Want Silent King's Crown but cannot afford]: "So we're being picked over like cuts of meat?! Like pork at a market?!"

[Slaanesh Chosen Reserve]: "I think being a lab rat is truly terrifying... even worse than falling to Chaos..."

[Nurgle Loving Father Loves All]: "Accept reality, brothers."

"In the world of Warhammer 40K, ordinary people like us without a background are just consumables."

[Did White Scars speed today]: "Then what? Wait for death?"

[I am not the Regent I am just a passing Guilliman]: "I suggest, the next time someone is dragged out... try to resist."

[Schrodinger's Loyalist]: "Resist? With what? We're unarmed! And locked in cages!"

[The Emperor's taxes must be paid even if the world ends]: "Bite them! Headbutt them! Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well die heroically!"

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Everyone calm down! Do not be afraid."

Wang Zhong spoke up in the channel.

"Since we cannot log out for the time being, we need intelligence."

"We need to know the guard strength of this containment facility, the locations of the exits, and the blind spots of the surveillance."

"We need a plan; even if we die, we should at least inflict some damage on them!"

"Before that... try your best to survive."

He paused, then added: "Also, remember who we are."

"We are players."

"We are the Fourth Calamity."

"Death, for us, is not the end."

"It is... reloading a save file."

"We can fight Chaos, Tyranids, and Orks in computer games; just treat this as playing a new virtual Warhammer VR game. There is nothing to be afraid of."

The channel went silent for a few seconds.

Then, a string of messages flooded in:

"For The Emperor!"

"To survive!"

"To... one day, pilot a mech back here and blast this wretched city into dust!"

Wang Zhong watched the messages from the players as they rallied their spirits.

These guys... they truly were the Fourth Calamity.

Very well, that... is exactly what makes this interesting.

He raised his head to look at the dim light outside the cage, his gaze gradually turning resolute.

"Alru Group... Simans Chamber of Commerce..."

"You captured us, imprisoned us, and used us for experiments."

"Then do not blame us for..."

"Turning your world completely upside down."

"In the name of The Emperor and the Fourth Calamity."