Wang Zhong clicked Log Out.
The sensation of his consciousness being pulled away was strange, like rapidly rising from the Deep Sea. The refinery's ceaseless rumble still lingered in his ears, and the smell of sulfur, metal, and sweat seemed to cling to his nostrils.
Then he opened his eyes.
The familiar gaming chair, the familiar desk. On the screen was the login page for Era 40k: Mecha, now completely black.
The sunlight outside was glaring. Afternoon light spilled through a gap in the curtains and onto the floor, where dust motes drifted slowly through the beam.
Wang Zhong sat there in a daze for three seconds, then abruptly raised a hand and pinched his face hard.
"Ow. That hurts."
It wasn't a dream.
He had really come back.
He'd returned from the Warhammer world, where even breathing was taxed, whip lashes really hurt, and nutrient paste tasted as awful as Nurgle's stew, to his rented apartment with its private bathroom, which cost him 2,500 yuan a month.
"Wait..."
He grabbed his phone from the desk and unlocked it.
5:03 p.m.
Wang Zhong's head buzzed.
He clearly remembered entering the game at around eleven last night. In the game, he'd been captured, imprisoned, interrogated, exiled, forced to mine, stolen ore, and planned a rebellion... At least two days and one night had passed.
Even with accelerated in-game time, this was ridiculous.
"Eighteen hours in reality, and in the game... about sixty hours?"
He muttered, then his eyes lit up. "A time ratio of 1:3.33? Holy crap, what a deal! It's like my lifespan got extended!"
Of course, that was assuming he didn't die in the game. He could revive, but the pain was real.
Then another thought hit him: It was Monday. He was supposed to have clocked in at nine that morning.
"I'm screwed. I missed work!"
Wang Zhong fumbled for his phone, found the number saved as "Heartless Boss," and called.
The phone rang several times before someone picked up. An impatient voice came through.
"Hello? Wang Zhong? Where were you today? You don't want this job anymore or what?"
"Boss, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"
Wang Zhong immediately put on an act, making his voice sound weak and hoarse. "I got food poisoning last night. I was throwing up and had diarrhea. I only just got back from the hospital this morning, and I didn't even have the strength to check my phone... I can send you a picture of my medical report..."
"Enough, enough!"
The boss cut him off, still sounding displeased. "You've lost your perfect-attendance bonus for this month. Ask for leave ahead of time next time! If you don't show up tomorrow, don't bother coming back!"
"Yes, yes, thank you, boss!"
After hanging up, Wang Zhong let out a long breath and touched his brow, though there was no cold sweat there.
Thank goodness. His job was safe for now.
Even though he was desperate to rush back into that world and keep working as a miner—damn it, what a terrifying thought—he still needed this job to pay rent, utilities, and food in reality.
He collected himself, ordered takeout on his phone, then immediately opened Tieba and went to the Warhammer forum.
His fingers flew across the screen as he made a post.
Title: [Sorrow of Alru]
Content: ...
Poster: Loyal to the Emperor Forever
Six dots. That was enough.
Those who knew would understand.
After posting, he left Tieba and opened QQ. Their original little group of just over twenty, "Terra Underground Network Tavern (Non-Heretical)," had gone wild, with 99+ unread messages.
Wang Zhong tapped into the group and quickly skimmed through them.
[Schrodinger's Loyalist]: "I'm back! Brothers, I'm alive! Though my arm still seems to hurt..."
[Even If the World Ends, the Emperor's Taxes Must Be Paid]: "Holy crap! It's only five in the afternoon in reality! In the game, it felt like two days had passed!"
[Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run]: "The time flow is inconsistent. My preliminary estimate is a ratio somewhere between 1:2.5 and 1:4."
"This technology... is incredible."
[Soul of Cadia]: "My own floor looks so damn familiar now! At least the overseer won't whip me on it!"
[Ask Yourself Every Day If You Are Loyal]: "Anyone else get whipped? I got hit once! That feeling... my back still feels kind of numb!"
[Golden Big Shot]: "I didn't get beaten!"
"But I almost got caught by the One-Eyed Overseer while stealing ore. I was so scared I stuffed the ore in my mouth. I can still feel sand between my teeth..."
[Tau-kun, You Are Right, but Bolter Is Righter]: "So we've confirmed it's really a Warhammer world, right? Not just a high-quality imitation?"
[I'm Not the Lord Regent, Just Guilliman Passing By]: "Based on the evidence so far—the Imperial Coin, Promethium, psychic powers, the Alru Group, the Simans Chamber of Commerce, the Hive City's structure, and that phrase 'in the Emperor's name'... it's basically confirmed."
"But we still need to establish the exact timeline."
[Slaanesh Chosen Reserve]: "I tried discussing the possibility of life's great harmony with a female NPC. She looked at me like I was garbage... The AI in this game is way too realistic!"
[Nurgle Loving Father Loves All]: "Accept it. In the Warhammer world, disposable lowlifes like us don't deserve love. We only deserve whips and nutrient paste."
[Don't Ask, I Think It Will Work]: "I think we can't just keep mining! We've got to do something big!"
[The Emperor's Sword]: "@Loyal to the Emperor Forever, Brother Loyalty! Did you make the group? Add me!"
Wang Zhong quickly typed: "Hang on, brothers. I'll make a main group and invite everyone."
He left the small group and created a new QQ group. Without hesitation, he named it [Alru First Generation Fellow Workers Group].
Once it was set up, he invited all the two dozen or so familiar faces from the small group, then posted the group number and invite link beneath the Tieba post with its six dots, adding, "Brothers, send me a private message through the post and I'll invite you to the main group."
"Let's talk in the main group."
For the next two hours, Wang Zhong's life became a cycle of eating takeout, checking his phone, opening Tieba messages, copying QQ numbers, searching for them, sending group invitations, and moving on to the next message.
His private messages were exploding.
[Warhammer 40k Is the Best] sent their contact information.
[For the Emperor, Blast Chaos] sent their contact information.
[Mars Mechanicus Fugitive Sage] sent their contact information.
[Khorne Grant Me Eight-Pack Abs] sent their contact information.
[Tzeentch Gave Me This Exam Paper] sent their contact information.
[Slaanesh Said Wait for Me Tonight] sent their contact information.
[Nurgle Praised My Good Body] sent their contact information.
[Tau-kun, You Are Right] sent their contact information.
Wang Zhong's eye twitched as he read them. These guys had one more outrageous username than the next. If they actually made it into the Warhammer world, wouldn't they all die even faster than each other?
Group requests kept pouring in.
Soon, the group of 200 was full.
Wang Zhong had no choice but to grit his teeth and spend 1,000 credit points—half a month's rent—to upgrade the group's capacity to 10,000.
His heart bled as he paid, but then he thought of the dozens of brothers who had been dragged off for experiments in the game and died horribly.
He thought of the Power Whip that could come crashing down at any moment, and the nutrient paste so disgusting it defied belief... This money had to be spent!
Five hours later, at ten that night.
[Alru First Generation Fellow Workers Group] members: 4,961.
Almost all the players who had logged in at Workshop No. 7 had joined.
Some others claimed they'd revived elsewhere. They described different locations, but all were on Aurelian IV. After Wang Zhong verified their accounts, he let them in too. These brothers scattered across the planet might become reinforcements someday.
Wang Zhong changed the group announcement to:
[Group Announcement]
1. This group is for players of Era 40k: Mecha.
2. In-game time flows at approximately 1:3.33 compared to reality. Please adjust your schedules accordingly.
3. Current main quest: Work as miners at the Alru No. 3 Refinery, steal ore to save up money, and get ready to make trouble.
4. In-game duty schedule: From 7–8 p.m. and 2–3 a.m. in real time, the game will be in its rest period. Two people must stay online on duty, taking turns.
5. Game information is being collected in the group files. Contributions are welcome.
6. For the Emperor (tentative)!
As soon as the announcement went up, the group exploded with messages.
[Everyone] Group owner [Loyal to the Emperor Forever] changed the group announcement to "For the Emperor (tentative)!"
[Mechanicus Oil-Lover on the Run]: "The word 'tentative' is the real genius."
"Until we confirm the current state of His Majesty the Emperor, we should maintain a cautious loyalty."
[Tau-kun, You Are Right, but Bolter Is Righter]: "If this is 30K and the Emperor is still out there leading the Primarchs on the Great Crusade, then shouting 'For the Emperor' is fine."
"But if it's 40K... His Majesty's sitting on the Golden Toilet. Even if we shout, he probably won't hear us, right?"
[Soul of Cadia]: "Even in 40K, we still have to shout! It's faith! You understand? Faith!"
"Faith can't feed you, but at least it lets you die with a bit of ceremony!"
[Dog of the Third Primarch]: "I just want to know which corner of the galaxy this Aurelian IV of ours is in."
"I've gone through every Warhammer star map, background book, and even fan setting collection, and I can't find this planet."
[I'm Not the Lord Regent, Just Guilliman Passing By]: "A few possibilities: first, it's a background planet GW hasn't written about yet. Second, it's a frontier world in some part of the Eastern Fringe, with little information available. Third, we've actually crossed into a fan-made universe."
[Don't Ask, I Think It Will Work]: "A fan-made universe? Then who's the author? Do they update regularly? Are they going to drop the story?"
Before you continue