Loyal, but First We've Got to Milk Them for All They're Worth (Please Keep Reading)

"Retreat!"

Wang Zhong spat out a single word. Tax Brother and Xue Brother immediately understood. Without hesitation, the three of them turned and hurried back through the foul-smelling passage they had come from.

The rusted equipment was certainly tempting, but the Refinery's alarm had died down, and the chaos would soon be over.

Now wasn't the time to get greedy.

A few minutes later, they blended in with the other workers returning to the rest area and slumped, panting, onto the cold floor. Covered in grime, they looked no different from the truly exhausted workers around them.

The overseers cursed as they counted heads. Once they confirmed that none of the expendable workers had taken the chance to escape, they grumbled a little more about how the damn pipes had burst again and how the Servitors upstairs needed replacing, then slowly dispersed.

The rest area sank back into oppressive silence.

Wang Zhong closed his eyes and focused, speaking in the regional channel:

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Brothers, hold off on the complaining for a moment."

"Now that it's been confirmed beyond doubt that this damn thing is a Warhammer World simulator wearing a suit of power armor, we need to be clear about our top priorities."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "First, figure out the timeline."

"Are we in M30? M31? Or even later?"

"Is the Emperor sitting on the Golden Toilet, or is he out there leading the Primarchs on the Great Crusade?"

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Second, which sector of the galaxy? Which system? Which planet?"

"Where in the galaxy is this Aurelian IV, exactly?"

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Third, and most importantly, raise your hand if you still want to play this game after logging off. Type 1."

"If it's too hardcore and scary, and you want to delete your character and run, type 2."

"I just want to get a sense of where everyone stands."

The channel went quiet for a few seconds.

Then the numbers began to scroll by.

They were almost all 1s, with the occasional 11 or 111 thrown in to show even greater determination.

[Soul of Cadia]: "1! Do you even have to ask? Sure, our starting situation sucks, but let's be real: a massive virtual simulation game on this level would cost how much if it hit the market? 99,999 credits? And you'd still need to enter a lottery just to preorder!"

[Did White Scars speed today]: "11111! Playing Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 on a computer and killing bugs is one thing. Actually being in the Warhammer World and doing manual labor is another!"

"This immersion, these details, even the nutrient paste tastes authentically awful... Who'd ever play a computer game again?"

[Tau-kun, you are right, but Bolter is righter]: "1! I argue with people online all the time, saying, 'Ask me anything, I'm loyal,' and then, 'No way am I going.'"

"Well, now's my chance! You can count on me to be loyal, okay!"

"Besides, I can revive. Sure, it hurts, but I'll just think of it as... ultra-realistic pain feedback! Let's do this!"

Those words were like a spark falling into a barrel of oil.

[Want Silent King's Crown but cannot afford]: "1! Damn, it reminds me of the days when I used to play games on my computer and slaughter Orks and Tyranids."

"Now the real-life VR version of Warhammer is right in front of us. If we chicken out, wouldn't that let down the Emperor... I mean, the Fourth Calamity?"

[Slaanesh Chosen Reserve]: "111111! I have to keep playing! I want to see if this game can really make me a Chosen of Slaanesh! What does ultimate pleasure feel like?"

"Though the women in the Warhammer World might look a little... well, unusual, a cross-species romance with an NPC could be pretty exciting, too?"

[Nurgle Loving Father Loves All]: "1. Accept reality. Embrace change."

"Every day here is a blessing from Grandfather, even if that blessing takes the form of a whipping or moldy nutrient paste."

[Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run]: "1. From a technical analysis perspective, this simulated world's fidelity to physical laws, the complexity of its social structure, and the credibility of its technological details all far exceed those of any existing virtual product."

"It would be extremely valuable even as a scientific specimen to observe. Besides, I want to see a real Titan with my own eyes."

[Schrodinger's Loyalist]: "1. I'm loyal and might also turn traitor right now. I'm in a superposition."

"But this game is so much fun. Not playing it would be un-Chinese!"

[The Emperor's Tax Has to Be Paid Even If the World Ends]:

"1! I haven't finished paying my taxes. How can I leave? Wait, am I being emotionally manipulated...?"

More and more people responded, and the channel filled with determination and banter.

Wang Zhong looked at the messages, the corner of his mouth twitching.

These guys... They really were the Fourth Calamity.

Give them even the smallest glimmer of hope—even if that hope was just a chance to revive and get abused some more—and they'd light up at once.

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Good! Since most of you have decided to keep going, let's make the most of our characters."

"But we've got a practical problem right now: logging off to rest."

"Our bodies outside still need food and bathroom breaks. We can't just leave these in-game bodies lying around."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Here's my proposal: we start a group chat outside the game."

"I'll make a post on the Warhammer forum. The title will be... hmm, Sorrow of Alru."

"After you log off, search for that post and message me. I'll invite everyone to the group."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Once you're in the group, don't mute it! We'll take shifts."

"During the rest period in-game each day, we'll have two people stay online on watch."

"If the overseers suddenly start the shift early, or something else comes up, the ones on watch will log off right away and message the group that we're back to work! Everyone else should log in as soon as they see it."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "We'll rotate the shifts."

"That way, our real lives won't be affected too much, and our in-game bodies won't get treated as abandoned scrap."

"What do you think?"

The channel filled with agreement.

[Soul of Cadia]: "Sounds good! Brother Loyalty has thought this through! But..."

He changed tack. "Are we really going to mine around the clock here until we die?"

"Sure, we can revive, but sorting Promethium ore by hand every day? That's way too much like prison!"

Wang Zhong smiled.

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Why would we mine for the rest of our lives? Right now, we're like a dragon stranded in a shallow stream, a tiger fallen on the plains. We're just staying under someone else's roof for now and saving up some startup capital."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "When you handled the waste ore, didn't you see the system prompt?"

"One piece of Promethium Waste Ore can provide about 0.5 to 1.5 units of standard energy material. It's low-purity, but we can still exchange it for 0.05 to 0.15 Imperial Coins."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "I just took a careful look at the shop. There's a Portable Material Recycling Terminal (Basic) that costs 50 Imperial Coins."

"It lets you recycle materials and exchange them for Imperial Coins outside the regular drop-off points. There's a small fee, but it's convenient."

"Tax Brother, Xue Brother, and I can pool today's earnings. We should be able to buy one."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Starting tomorrow, we'll be Mine Rats."

"When the overseers and the NPC workers aren't looking, we'll sneak waste ore into our storage slots."

"Items of the same type can stack in a storage slot. The only limit is our carrying capacity, so we can't take too much."

"We'll steal a dozen or twenty pieces a day, fill our carry weight, then use the recycling terminal to sell them all at the rest area."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "First, we'll milk the Alru Group for all it's worth and save up some money."

"Also, didn't we find some broken equipment in that stinking drainage passage earlier?"

"That means there must be an organization in the factory that wants to resist. They're just lying low for now."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "When they make their move, we'll take the opportunity to use our saved-up Imperial Coins to buy weapons, then hit them with a big score."

"What do you think?"

He paused, his tone turning more rousing:

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Don't you want to get a little revenge for the dozens of brothers who were dragged off for experiments and died horribly, and for all the whipping we've taken while mining?"

That completely set the channel ablaze.

[Did White Scars speed today]: "Holy shit! Brother Loyalty really is a loyal subject of the Emperor! This plan's great! We rob them, then strike back. I know this kind of story!"

[Tau-kun, you are right, but Bolter is righter]: "For the brothers who died! For a chance to let off some steam! I'm in!"

[Slaanesh Chosen Reserve]: "Revenge is an experience of ultimate emotion, too... I'm in!"

[Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run]: "From the perspective of resource optimization, this plan is viable. I second it."

[Schrodinger's Loyalist]: "I both agree and disagree, but either way, I'm stealing ore."

[The Emperor's Tax Has to Be Paid Even If the World Ends]: "Tax evasion... I mean, stealing ore to sell for money is only natural! Count me in!"

Seeing everyone's support, Wang Zhong continued laying out the plan:

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Good! As for the dozens of brothers who died, if any of you knew them, try to get in touch after logging on and bring them into our group."

"Their respawn points are random, so they may have ended up scattered across other parts of the planet. They might be reinforcements later."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "Also, whenever you get the chance while working, try chatting with the NPC workers around you and see what information you can get."

"When they caught us, didn't the leader say, 'In the name of the Emperor'?"

"Maybe it was just a catchphrase, but at least it means the Emperor might still be alive."

"We may not be in the darkest timeline, where the Emperor is dead and Chaos rules... Of course, we'll have to figure everything out bit by bit."

[Loyal to the Emperor Forever]: "That's all for now. Anyone willing to take a shift, message me privately."