I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 8 Self-Enlightenment
In the aftermath of that nauseating "dinner" incident, the players lost all appetite. They lay down in twos and threes on the relatively clean ground, gazing upwards. There was no sky, only a huge, cold, rusty metal dome, with countless pipes and cables tangled like the veins and nerves of a behemoth, blocking out the faint light from the upper hive city and leaving only eternal darkness.

A heavy silence hung in the air in the trenches, and everyone's face was etched with exhaustion and nausea.

Finally, a player broke the silence with a weak voice: "Playing this game... is a double torture for both body and mind."

His words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, immediately creating ripples.

“That’s right…” The other players nodded in agreement. One of them covered his eyes with his arm, his voice trembling slightly, “I think after this closed beta, I will never touch any war-themed games again in my life.”

“I think so too,” another person complained indignantly. “I hope this production team doesn’t let me find their address, or I’m definitely going to find them in person and have a chat with them about life!”

Amidst the chorus of complaints, Ruan Wenbo appeared thoughtful. Looking up at the oppressive metallic sky above, he slowly said, "Perhaps... this is the development team's purpose? They're planning to create an anti-war game?"

"Will you guys still play?" another player asked, his voice sounding weak. "I probably won't play anymore. I feel like whenever I hear words like 'war' or 'fighting,' I'll... I'll feel nauseous..."

"No way, man, you've got PTSD already?" the player next to him exclaimed in surprise, but then sighed, "Although... I probably won't play anymore after this..."

“The developers probably really wanted to go down the same path as This War of Mine,” one player chimed in. “I have to admit, they succeeded. I will never play another war game again, including this one.”

A sense of wanting to quit the game permeated the player community. However, Ruan Wenbo shook his head and said firmly, "I still plan to continue playing. At least, I want to experience the complete story of this game. After all, I'm a game content creator, and I don't have much right to speak on this without experiencing it completely."

"A gaming content creator? That's why your name sounds so familiar!" Before he could finish speaking, a player next to him slapped his thigh and sat up abruptly. "【Soft Doctor】, right?! I've seen your videos! I even follow you! Hey, since you're continuing to play, I'm planning to keep playing too! Can I add you as a friend? Let's play together sometime!"

Ruan Wenbo didn't expect to meet fans here, and he readily agreed: "Of course, we are all closed beta players, it's fate."

As he spoke, he skillfully opened his data panel, preparing to add friends. Then, he froze.

"Uh...where do I add friends in this game?" He searched through the rudimentary UI. "Wait, does this game... even have a feature to add friends?"

The player who had requested to add the friend also searched their own interface for a while before finally giving up in frustration: "It seems... there really isn't one. This is so incomplete! I must report this to the official team when I get out of here, they absolutely have to add me!"

Just then, Ruan Wenbo seemed to suddenly realize something, looking thoughtful. He suddenly spoke up, "Don't you find it strange?"

Everyone looked at him.

“Based on our previous deductions, the development team is pursuing ultimate realism and… uh, torture,” Ruan Wenbo analyzed. “But, are they really going to let us just sit here blankly for hours? That’s not like them.” He sat up, his expression turning serious. “Think about it, from the moment we entered the game, every instance of torture has ‘content.’ The bumpy troop transport is to let us experience the actual conditions of soldiers on the battlefield; the chaotic battlefield is to let us feel the cruelty of war; that pot… that pot of soup is to let us understand the dark nature of this universe. These are all carefully designed ‘content’ that can bring a strong emotional impact.”

"But what is 'idling around for hours'? That's boredom, not torture. For a game, boredom is more deadly than pain. Given the level of this development team, I don't think they would make such a basic mistake."

In the indescribable dimensions of the subspace, Bit, the god of information, listened with great interest to Ruan Wenbo's analysis. A ripple of near-astonishment stirred within His consciousness. This "soft expert's" logical chain was so clear, his reasoning so rigorous, that if Bit hadn't been certain that He hadn't interfered with the player's specific thought process from beginning to end, He would almost have been convinced that it was all a pre-arranged script.

Ruan Wenbo's words were like a shot in the arm, revitalizing the previously disheartened players. Upon reflection, they realized he was right. While this incompetent game planner was indeed ruthless, he had, at least so far, demonstrated considerable creativity and substance in "how to torment players," going far beyond simply forcing them to AFK.

"The doctor is right!" a player exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "This is definitely not just a simple rest period; it's the calm before the storm! The developers are definitely up to something!"

"Doctor," another person immediately pressed, "how do you think the dog-like planner intends to torture us next?"

Ruan Wenbo thought carefully, going through all the details from the moment he landed in his mind. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something crucial, his eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Do you remember what the political commissar said to us at the beginning?"

The players were all confused: "The political commissar said a lot, which sentence did you mean?"

Ruan Wenbo almost perfectly replicated Commissar Walter's words, which carried a mix of encouragement and harsh reality: "[If you're lucky, you might even find a high-quality precision-engineered explosive gun!]"

He pointed to the pile of corpses not far away, still emitting a foul stench, his voice filled with confidence: "This is the hint the planners gave us! A clue to a hidden quest!"

"We were able to find a laser gun in the pile of corpses, which proves that 'scavenging' is at least one of the ways to play this game! The political commissar's words weren't just casual remarks; they were telling us that there are even better things in there!" Ruan Wenbo became more and more excited as he spoke. "There are still good things waiting for us to find there!"

The players were convinced by Ruan Wenbo's reasoned and confident words. Fear and nausea were replaced by a more primal desire belonging to the players—a craving for better equipment. The crowd, who had just looked utterly hopeless, now had greed gleaming in their eyes.

One of them suddenly realized and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! There's even a treasure-hunting part after defeating the monsters! This game designer really knows how to come up with something!"

Bit in the subspace smiled slightly: "Since you're all so good at self-deception, it wouldn't be right for me not to play along."

He subtly mobilized his information and energy: "In that case, let's give my lovely players something delicious... After all, the game does need some positive feedback, and this can be considered a reward for your help with the closed beta test."

(End of this chapter)