72: Chapter 72 Player Summoning Protocol Activated

Lin Qiming stood in front of the console at the Ancient Ones Outpost for ten minutes without moving.

A translucent blue panel floated before him, densely packed with data he had spent three years collecting—stc core repair progress 68.3%, energy reserves 205 ona, Player Summoning Protocol framework repair progress 90%, carrier generation unit blueprint unlock progress 85%.

Behind every number lay a memory he didn't want to recall: nights spent gnawing on Nutrient Paste by a cesspit, afternoons spent being chased by the Iron Tooth Gang, early mornings spent scrambling away from Warp Spawn in the Remains Mine, and those ancient one fragments dug out of trash heaps, stained with the bodily fluids of unknown creatures.

And three days ago, he had burned down the Deep Rock Workshop he had operated for months—no, it had been blown up by the Iron Tooth Gang, and then the intruders were wiped out by the Ancient Ones Outpost's defense system.

"Hephaestus," he spoke, his voice half a tone lower than usual, "You say I spent three years repairing this thing, but what if I summon two hundred losers who can't even beat a rat? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

[Analyzing from a probabilistic perspective, the probability of randomly extracting individuals with basic combat proficiency from the active player pool of 'warhammer: star sea' before it shut down is 78.3%.]

Hephaestus paused for a beat, [But considering your energy level was 4.1 ona when you first encountered a Hive Giant Rat, while the giant rat's energy level was 3 to 5—statistically speaking, even the weakest player you summon is stronger than you were when you first transmigrated.]

"...Are you here to cheer me up or to bring up old scores?"

[I am here to state facts. Cheering you up is not my core function. Additionally, you have been standing in front of the console for ten minutes, and your heart rate is twenty-three percent higher than normal. Do you need me to play meditation audio?]

"No. I'm just making a decision that might change the layout of this entire universe."

Lin Qiming took a deep breath, "Or maybe I'm just summoning two hundred idiots who will jump off cliffs to test the physics engine."

[Based on my database analysis of player behavior patterns in the information-state universe you originated from, the probability of that prediction is approximately 64%.]

"...I really don't want to admit you're right."

Lin Qiming pressed his left hand onto the beacon core's crystal.

It was a processed, hexagonal ancient one fragment.

The base was a voltage stabilizer module salvaged from an old pump room, the frame was the metal skeleton of an abandoned pipe, and it was wrapped in three layers of copper wire picked from a scrap heap.

The whole device looked like a piece of art surrounded by a trash heap—if the concept of "art" still existed in this universe.

Xiao Haozi had been circling the device for three days, occasionally touching the copper wire with its paw and then squeaking as it was numbed by a slight electric current.

The core crystal grew slightly warm under his palm; it wasn't physical heat, but an information-state resonance.

Every time an ancient one fragment had been near his chest over the past three years, he had felt this, but now it was stronger, more stable, as if it were confirming: Yes, this is the person. Yes, it is time.

He closed his eyes.

Deep within the stc core, something was awakened.

It wasn't a vibration, nor a sound, but a deeper connection—as if his consciousness had been gently tugged, touching the information-state channels inside the core that had been dormant for sixty million years.

The panel began to flicker, ancient one runes and system terminology weaving into a stream:

[Player Summoning Protocol · Phase I · Activation]

[Establishing information-state projection channel...]

[Scanning for eligible information aggregates in the information-state universe...]

[Matching complete. Sending "Game Invitation" signal...]

[Number of respondents: 200.]

[First batch of player projections anchoring... Anchoring complete.]

[Summoning complete. Good luck, Anchor.]

The beacon core's light burst forth suddenly, ghostly blue, almost white.

The entire Outpost was illuminated for an instant, and the geometric patterns left behind from the era of the Old One emerged in the blue light.

Xiao Haozi was so startled it bounced off the workbench, diving headfirst into a rag bag at Lin Qiming's feet, leaving only half its tail trembling outside.

Then the light retracted like a receding tide, too fast for anyone to react.

The white light of the Outpost returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The ground under the beacon was empty.

Lin Qiming frowned.

He was about to ask Hephaestus if the summoning had failed when the first basic carrier, wrapped in an information-state projection, sprang up from the ground.

Literally "sprang."

Like a compressed spring suddenly released.

A young man in grey cloth clothes, before he even had a chance to open his eyes, was already muttering: "Holy shit, this login animation is so realistic I almost thought I got hit by a truck—"

Immediately after, the second, third, tenth.

Within a minute, two hundred players wearing uniform grey basic clothing crowded around the beacon.

Some were rubbing their eyes, some were pinching their own faces to confirm the pain, some were squatting on the ground studying the texture of the grid-like metal floor, and a few were looking up at the ceiling, trying to confirm if this "Newbie Village" had a sky.

The air was filled with the distinct aroma of the Hive Bottom—a mixture of rust, machine oil, and old garbage—immediately triggering exclamations one after another:

"Holy shit, this game has smell?!"

"The graphics are insane, look at this floor, even the rust has texture!"

"Wait, why does my panel only have these few options? Where's the skill tree? Where's the shop?"

"Where's the Newbie Village NPC? Why is nobody giving out quests?"

Lin Qiming retreated into the shadows of the console.

He pulled up the player management panel and saw two hundred IDs neatly listed, each followed by basic energy level data—mostly between 15 and 25 ona, roughly equivalent to an adult Hive Giant Rat.

The highest was 32 ona, with the ID "Iron Wall Rebirth," whose energy level was equivalent to an elite thug of the Iron Tooth Gang.

The lowest was 10 ona, with the ID "Newbie Village Chief," who was currently squatting on the beacon base, trying to talk to the metal plate, presumably thinking it was the NPC at the novice reception desk.

"Hephaestus," Lin Qiming said in his mind, "I'm starting to doubt this plan."

[No, it's too late to doubt now. Those two hundred information-state projections are waiting for you to speak. Also, 'Newbie Village Chief' just tried to talk to the beacon base; he asked three times 'are there any hidden quests,' got no response, and is now tapping the metal plate with his fingernails to test its hardness. His spirit of exploration is commendable, but his IQ—]

"Stop."

Lin Qiming stepped out of the shadows.

He was wearing the Tech-Priest robe that Xiao Haozi had bitten two holes into, his face covered by a metal mask improvised from the workbench, and he stood still under the white light.

The entire Outpost went quiet—the kind of silence before a storm, with four hundred eyes turning toward him in unison.

There was nervousness, excitement, curiosity, and one person who was stuffing a piece of scrap metal into their mouth.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly processed by Hephaestus, deep, with a hint of metallic echo: "Welcome to the descent."

Two hundred people held their breath.

"I am Lin Qiming, a Tech-Priest of the Hive Bottom, and founder of the Hammer of Dawn guild."

He paused for a second, scanning those two hundred faces.

"From now on, you are all members of the Hammer of Dawn. For a long time to come, your mission is—to survive."

The silence lasted for about two seconds, then a player raised their hand.

ID "Rookie One," energy level 12, looking like a genuine novice.

"Sir, what equipment do we get for the newbie quest? Are there any assault rifles?"

Lin Qiming looked at him for two seconds: "Yes. But only if you can survive to reach the mission point first."

A brilliant smile appeared on Rookie One's face: "Okay, sir! I can do it!"

Lin Qiming looked away.

He had a vague premonition—this level 12 novice might become the first player to die in front of him.

But what he didn't know was that Hephaestus had already pulled up Rookie One's detailed information in the background: [Note: This player was previously a Grade B warrior player in 'warhammer: star sea,' skilled in heavy weapon operation. The current low energy level is due to information-state projection initialization fluctuations; it can be quickly improved after recovery training. Recommend focusing on them.]

"Question time, three questions. After that, get to work."

Dozens of hands went up at the same time.

Lin Qiming picked an ID that looked relatively normal—"Grey Mist Walker," energy level 28, female character.

"Sir, you said this is the Warhammer 40K universe," her voice had a clear tone of testing, "then you said earlier this is the 'Hive Bottom.' Which planet exactly? What year of which millennium is the timeline?"

Lin Qiming was slightly surprised.

This player was obviously an old fan of Warhammer—the questions asked hit the key points directly.

"Fenris IV, on the edge of the Storm Sector, the end of the 41st Millennium."

He said, "There are less than three years until the fall of Cadia, and even longer until the resurrection of Guilliman. You don't need to worry about the grand era, because right now you can't even beat the Iron Tooth Gang of the Hive Bottom—although the Iron Tooth Gang was wiped off the map by me three days ago. The new enemies will only be more difficult to deal with."

The crowd let out a low commotion.

Some people probably understood the significance of "Fenris IV" and "Guilliman," while others only heard "Iron Tooth Gang."

The second question came from "Iron Wall Rebirth," the player with the highest energy level.

His voice was steady, and the question was very pragmatic: "Sir, you mentioned we have the ability to revive infinitely. Is there any specific punishment mechanism? Like item drops? Experience point deduction?"

"Experience point deduction and level sealing are the basic punishments. Long-term continuous death will accumulate invisible negative status effects—you don't need to know the details for now. Just remember: don't treat your life as a consumable."

He didn't mention corruption values.

It wasn't time to talk about that yet.

For the third question, Lin Qiming picked the player who was still chewing on the scrap metal.

ID "Iron Stomach," energy level 14, munching away as if eating a snack.

"Sir," Iron Stomach swallowed what was in his mouth, "is this stuff edible? I've been chewing for half a day, it tastes like burnt aluminum."

Lin Qiming stared at him for three seconds.

"That is scrap metal. It is not food. You will be poisoned to death."

"Oh. Then I'll spit it out."

"No need. You'll experience the resurrection system soon."

"—"

Hephaestus's voice sounded in Lin Qiming's mind: [He will experience nausea symptoms in ten minutes due to heavy metal poisoning. Estimated time of first death: within one hour. Suggest preparing a death analysis report template in advance.]

Lin Qiming did not respond to this snark.

He simply pushed the first newbie quest to those two hundred pairs of eyes.

[Newbie Quest: The First Step of the Hammer of Dawn]

[Objective: Follow the guidance markers to leave the Outpost and find the first supply point in the Hive Bottom tunnels.]

[Reward: Experience +100, Merit +10, Hammer of Dawn Newbie Supply Pack × 1]

[Note: Don't run around. Don't fall behind. Don't touch things that glow.]

[Failure Penalty: None. But if you die, the resurrection point is at the Outpost entrance, and you have to walk the path again.]

The light from two hundred quest notifications popping up simultaneously lit up the Outpost for an instant.

"Quest has been pushed. Now, everyone line up and leave the Outpost. The first supply point is at—"

His words were interrupted by a dull thud.

Lin Qiming turned to look at the source of the sound.

The airtight door of the Outpost had opened, revealing a sliver of dim tunnel light.

A player was standing at the doorway, curiously poking his head out to look.

His ID was "Nightsong," energy level 18.

He had probably forgotten the "don't act alone" warning after only ten seconds, and then he saw the world outside the door—the darkness of the entire Hive Bottom felt like an abyss devouring everything.

The fluorescent moss at the top of the tunnel emitted a faint green light, and under his feet was an uneven metal grid, through the gaps of which one could see the sound of water and faint hissing from deeper down.

Nightsong stood at the doorway, motionless.

Then he turned his head, his face showing an expression that was half-excited, half-stunned: "S-Sir, I've been playing Warhammer games for ten years. This is the first time I've seen the Hive Bottom in person... the graphics are just too fucking realistic."

"This is not graphics."

Lin Qiming wanted to say that, but he ultimately just said in a deep voice: "You'll get used to it. Now catch up with the team."

Nightsong nodded vigorously and turned to walk out the door.

And then, at that very moment—the first time he lifted his foot to step onto the grid floor outside, a small piece of the metal under his feet suddenly collapsed.

His whole body sank, his body instinctively trying to grab the door frame next to him, but his hand only touched the rusted metal, and it instantly slipped off.

Nightsong didn't even have time to scream before he fell from the collapsed gap.

Two hundred players looked at Lin Qiming in unison.

Lin Qiming looked at Hephaestus's background monitoring without expression.

[Player "Nightsong" has died. Cause of death: Falling damage (vertical height difference of about 15 meters).]

[Resurrection countdown: Will respawn at the Outpost entrance in 5 seconds.]

[Corruption value +1%.]

[Note: This is your first player death since you became a GM. Do you need me to make a memorial for you? Anchor?]

Lin Qiming didn't answer Hephaestus.

He simply laid an extra layer of metal plates at the Outpost entrance, then faced the two hundred pairs of eyes behind him and said calmly:

"The person just now holds the current fastest death record. In the process of completing the mission, I hope you don't break it again."

Outside the Outpost, in the dim tunnels of the Hive Bottom, a rustling sound of something climbing in the darkness could be heard faintly—it was Hive Giant Rats attracted by the sound of the fall, gnawing on the fallen corpse in the abyss beneath the grid.

Nightsong's resurrection countdown had three seconds left.