In the Dawn livestream, host Charles still wore his professional, warm smile as he spoke smoothly to the camera:
"...As you can see, Tranquil Flower Whispers creates an incredibly soothing pastoral atmosphere.
Every petal texture is lifelike, and accompanied by gentle music, it effectively calms our frayed nerves.
Currently rated 85 by expert reviewers and 82 by users, this is an excellent..."
His words flowed smoothly and engagingly as he introduced yet another competition entry that fit mainstream aesthetics and aimed to provide "emotional comfort."
However, before he could finish, the stream chat's direction suddenly shifted!
Like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, a massive wave of emotionally charged comments began flooding the screen, instantly drowning out the previous gentle discussions:
"Battlefield: Warhammer 40k is absolutely cursed!!!!!"
"Holy crap is this game even playable? The Leman Russ tanked 5 melta charges without exploding?! That's gotta be hacks!"
"Defense side is a total trap! Completely unplayable! Even made Liora cry!"
"Battlefield: Warhammer 40k is amazing! Just give it first place already and stop judging!
Get it on the gaming platform ASAP! Watching Scorchwind play is making me itch to try it! (Though I'd probably get destroyed)"
"Who's this Medici guy who made the game? Come out and face justice! What kind of person makes AI soldiers that strong? Cadian soldiers headshotting from 500 meters out!
Did a dog eat the game balance?"
"Host, stop talking about flowers! Switch cameras now! We want to see Battlefield: Warhammer 40k combat footage!
I see these flowers on my balcony every day, I'm sick of them! I can name fifty games just like this on the market without repeating a single one!"
Charles's smile instantly froze, the corner of his mouth twitching imperceptibly.
Battlefield: Warhammer 40k? That bloody, violent game that received a severe warning? How could it be generating this level of controversy and... popularity?
The director's voice came urgently through his earpiece: "Charles! Traffic! Traffic is exploding!
Everyone's talking about that Warhammer game! Quick, find a way to cut to their match footage! Even the expert panel is buzzing!"
Charles was an experienced host, after all.
He quickly adjusted his expression, showing just the right amount of surprise and curiosity: "Oh? It seems we've had an influx of new friends to our stream, and everyone appears to have... a special fondness for a certain competition entry?
One might even say a 'love-hate relationship'?"
He used a light, teasing tone, trying to guide this surging public opinion.
"Exactly! It's Battlefield: Warhammer 40k!"
"Host, switch cameras! We want to see Scorchwind's final offensive! We want to see user 114514 blow up tanks!"
"I want to see how Liora gets destroyed!"
"Flowers are boring! We want steel and fire!"
The chat was almost unanimously demanding a camera switch. Charles was inwardly shocked.
This game he'd initially considered an oddity, out of step with the times, had unknowingly accumulated such terrifying popularity?
This kind of controversial, nearly one-sided outcry was unprecedented in the Dawn Project, which typically emphasized harmony and healing.
He made a snap decision, showing the camera an apologetic smile: "It seems everyone's voices are quite unified.
Well then, since our audience friends are so enthusiastic, we'll temporarily bid farewell to this peaceful garden and, at everyone's request, switch cameras to... well, Battlefield: Warhammer 40k match footage!
Let's see together what kind of charm this work that's sparked such intense discussion possesses... or should I say, what kind of 'magic.'"
With his words, the idyllic pastoral scenery on the stream's background screen vanished instantly.
In its place appeared the hellish landscape of the Tival Plains: burning vehicle wreckage, billowing smoke, crisscrossing trenches, and that fortress-like Leman Russ Destroyer tank mercilessly bombarding the rebels' final defensive line with its main gun!
Deafening artillery fire, soldiers' battle cries, the shrieking of laser beams cutting through air, all transmitted through the broadcast signal, instantly assaulting every viewer's senses.
Compared to those gentle, refined works designed to soothe the nerves, this was a world at the opposite extreme!
The stream chat experienced another explosive growth surge.
There were exclamations of shock at the brutal visuals, cheers for the Imperial advance, sighs of regret for the rebels, and countless people asking when the game would officially launch.
Charles watched this drastically different style and the frantically scrolling comments with mixed feelings.
He vaguely sensed that some long-assumed boundary about entertainment was being forcefully shattered in the most brutal way by this game called Battlefield: Warhammer 40k.