Watching the coordinates light up one by one on the backend data stream, Wang Shaojing felt no excitement; instead, he was overcome with an unprecedented sense of urgency.
He wasn't playing 'SimCity,' but 'Tetris,' and every falling brick was a living, breathing person.
"Ten thousand people... that's too many."
Wang Shaojing stared at the holographic screen, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard. Although the system promised infinite resurrections, each resurrection consumed a "Resurrection Coin," a high-tier resource based on Warp energy. And currently, his Resurrection Coin inventory was—zero.
This meant that if this group of "players" was wiped out by wandering monsters two minutes after coming online, the ten thousand members of the fourth scourge he had painstakingly gathered would instantly turn into ten thousand corpses. Not only would no one be working, but he would also have to clean up the mess.
More importantly, once the player community discovered that the game's "death penalty" was real pain and that there were no cheap resurrection methods, the server's reputation would instantly collapse.
"A safe zone must be established, and... rules must be set for them."
Wang Shaojing took a deep breath, stood up from beside the pile of dead Warp monsters, and, dragging the insulation shears stained with black blood, quickly walked to the side of the control console.
There was an old-era voice broadcasting system there. Although the wiring was old, with the system's assistance, it should still be able to produce sound.
[Modifying server rules...]
[Newbie Protection Period (Pseudo) activated.]
[Area established: A-42 Scrap Reclamation Yard (temporarily renamed: New Hope Camp One).]
Wang Shaojing pulled out an oil-stained red robe from under the control console. It was a relic of a deceased Adeptus Mechanicus Priest. Although tattered, its religious solemnity remained. He draped the robe over himself, pulled up the hood, concealing his blood-stained and still shaken face.
Since he was playing the role of a planner, he had to look the part. In this godforsaken place, mystery and authority were more important than anything else.
He pressed the broadcast button, and with a harsh crackle of static, his voice was transmitted through the loudspeakers scattered throughout the area.
"Welcome to... New Hope."
His voice was hoarse, with a metallic quality.
"I am the administrator of this ruin, and your guide. Now, shut your mouths, open your eyes, and look at the land beneath your feet."
...Meanwhile, at the Number One Scrap Processing Plaza in A-42 District.
A strange ripple suddenly appeared in the air, like heat waves passing over water. Immediately after, countless beams of light descended from the sky without warning.
"Holy crap! This loading animation is too long!"
"Is this that 'warhammer ol'? Is it really full immersion? I can't move!"
"Is the graphics card burning? Why do I smell engine oil?"
Amidst the noisy clamor, one hundred pioneering players (to control risk, Wang Shaojing used a system loophole to limit the maximum number of simultaneous online users to 100) materialized in the plaza.
They were wearing their clothes from Earth; some in pajamas, some in cosplay outfits, and one guy even held unfinished instant noodles—of course, the instant noodles were now crushed, and the soup spilled everywhere.
Player ID: [Furious Old Bro Online Raging]
This was the unlucky fellow with the instant noodles. He stared blankly around him, clutching the lump of noodles in his hand, frozen for a full five seconds.
"No... this lighting effect, this tactile sensation... it's too real, isn't it?"
He tried to shove the lump of noodles into his mouth, but found the smell of engine oil too overpowering, making him gag directly.
The surrounding crowd also erupted.
"Hey! You, stop eating! Look at the sky!"
Someone pointed to the gigantic and oppressive metal dome above, and the red warning lights still flashing in the distance, their voice trembling.
"This isn't a game, is it? What kind of newbie village is this depressing?"
"Look on the ground, what's that? Corpses?"
Indeed, in one corner of the plaza, several mummified corpses in tattered work clothes lay there. They were workers who had died long ago, or unlucky individuals who had recently met their end.
Panic began to spread through the crowd. These were players; although they usually shouted "For the Emperor" online, when truly immersed, the instinctive fear was uncontrollable.
Just then, Wang Shaojing's voice boomed like a great bell over the plaza.
"Newcomers, listen up."
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the control console above. The figure in the tattered red robe, whose face was obscured, looked down at them from above.
Wang Shaojing looked at the diverse group of players below, secretly calculating the time. He had to dangle the carrot before they developed a widespread desire to quit the game.
"This is the warhammer 40k universe. I know what you're doubting—is this a holographic projection? Is this VR? Or a prank show?"
Wang Shaojing paused, then abruptly raised the insulation shears in his hand and slammed them hard against the metal railing of the control console, producing a loud clang.
"If you die, you're truly dead."
The entire plaza fell silent instantly.
"Although the resurrection system is still under maintenance, I can assure you that if you rush out of this camp now, within fifty meters, those hungry... things outside will teach you a lesson."
Wang Shaojing's voice was as cold as ice, but he immediately dangled the bait.
"But I don't intend for you to die in vain. I summoned you not to watch you perform fancy ways of dying, but to—rebuild civilization."
As his words fell, the system prompt sounded punctually in every player's mind.
[Collective Task Triggered: Clean House.]
[Task Background: Camp One (A-42 District) is full of industrial waste and mutated creature corpses from the previous era. If we want to survive, we first need a clean home.]
[Task Objective: Clear obstacles within the camp, collect scrap metal, discarded parts, and... anything that can burn.]
[Task Reward: Experience Points +50, new hope coins (Closed Beta Only) +10, Random Newbie Supply Crate.]
[Special Note: Those with outstanding performance will receive a personal audience with the "Administrator" and gain eligibility for rare class specialization.]
"new hope coins? What can they buy?"
"Rare class specialization? That sounds interesting..."
The players below began to stir. For these "game addicts," fear could be diluted by "task rewards." As long as there were tasks, rewards, and goals, they could turn a horror movie into a simulation game.
"Now, get moving!"
Wang Shaojing shouted, then lightly tapped the control console with his finger.
[System Command: Deploy initial supplies.]
With several loud clangs, several huge metal crates slid down from the chute next to the control console, crashing into the center of the plaza. Their lids sprang open, revealing mountains of... rusty iron rods, worn-out shovels, and a few old but still usable laser rifles (their power adjusted to the lowest setting to prevent accidental injury).
"These are your newbie equipment. Pick them up and get to work!"
The players exchanged glances, but soon, their "gaming instinct" took over.
"Charge! Monsters are spawning! No, supplies to pick up!"
"That shovel is mine!"
"I want that gun! Even though it looks like junk, the design is so cool!"
Wang Shaojing stood high above, watching these "scourges" pounce on the supply crates like mad dogs, his mouth twitching slightly.
Even in his previous life, he had never seen anyone so happy to snatch a broken shovel.
But he knew this was just the first step. The camp was not yet safe; that Warp monster earlier was just a scout, and the smell of blood would soon attract more troublesome things.
"One-Punch Man, Star Falling in Rain, step forward, both of you."
Wang Shaojing saw those familiar IDs in the backend. They were the "closed beta seed players" he had specifically marked during recruitment.
The crowd parted, and several players carrying iron rods looked up in confusion.
"Me?"
The burly man (Wang Qiang) with the ID One-Punch Man stepped out, still holding a rusty steel pipe he had just snatched, looking bewildered.
Wang Shaojing's gaze swept over his attribute panel.
[Strength: 18 (normal human limit is 10)], [Constitution: 16].
A good prospect.
"You're the strongest one in this batch," Wang Shaojing said coldly. "Take ten people and go check that ventilation duct. There was a strange noise coming from there just now. If you encounter any rats, dead or alive, smash them all for me."
"And you, Star Falling in Rain."
The quiet-looking girl (Chen Yuxin) wearing glasses nervously clutched the shovel in her hand.
"You... you called me?"
"You remember all those messy settings, right?" Wang Shaojing asked. "Go to the supply crates and pick out anything that looks like Bolter parts. Don't let those idiots use them for firewood."
"Huh? Oh... okay!" Chen Yuxin was nervous, but her eyes instantly lit up.
After arranging all this, Wang Shaojing did not relax. His gaze turned to the surveillance screens on the camp's periphery.
On the screens, in the darkness, countless pairs of crimson eyes were lighting up.
The death of that monster was like a dinner bell.
"Time is running out..."
Wang Shaojing swiped his finger across the holographic map, marking several key buildings around "Camp One"—the armory, the energy core room, and that damned sewer entrance—all as [High Priority Mission Points].
"System, activate 'PVP Punishment Mechanism.' Malicious player attacks are prohibited within the camp; violators will be directly annihilated."
[Command confirmed.]
"Also activate the 'Guild System,' allowing players to form teams freely. For every five-person team, all members' attack power +5%."
[Command confirmed.]
Having done all this, Wang Shaojing turned his back on the players who were enthusiastically "cleaning up" and strode deeper into the control room.
He was going to find the real key to that underground armory. Without true heavy firepower, once these players finished clearing the "newbie monsters," the first wave of "Ork tide" or "Cultist" invasion would flatten the place.
"I hope you can hold on a little longer... my'scourges'."
He murmured, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the deep corridor, leaving only the red robe, which looked particularly striking under the dim lights.
Behind him, in the plaza, player Master Strategist was squatting beside a corpse, poking it with a shovel.
"Hey, brothers, I think the material of this monster can be dug out as 'Mutated Leather'! The details in this game are too good!"
"Stop talking nonsense, dig faster! Experience points are rising!"
In the dark ruins, a strange, vibrant vitality truly began to rise.