110: Chapter 110 Beyond the Game

As Lin Li's update announcement was posted on the official game website, topics regarding 'warhammer 40k ol' on major social media platforms were instantly propelled to the top of the trending lists, as if a nuclear bomb had been detonated.

However, public opinion online remained polarized.

The vast majority of netizens who hadn't secured access to the first closed beta still maintained a strong attitude of denial and mockery toward this immersive online game that suddenly appeared claiming to have 100% absolute realism.

"LMAO, 100% realism? Current VR technology can't even solve motion sickness. This fly-by-night company is probably running a Metaverse scam, right?"

"These CG screenshots are clearly rendered in Unreal Engine 5. Stone Men? Titan mechs? The harder they hype it, the harder they'll fall when it's time to harvest the suckers!"

But just as the entire internet was mocking it...

Something jaw-dropping happened.

Shortly after the update announcement was released, Games Workshop—the parent company of the super-IP warhammer 40,000—actually placed a prominent promotional link for 'warhammer 40k ol' on their arrogant global official homepage!

At once, the entire global gaming circle completely exploded!

This was an official endorsement!

This was a completely different story from some small, fly-by-night studio building their own website to brag!

With official certification, it meant this was at least a legitimate, large-scale project with IP licensing and massive capital investment.

Whether the game was actually fun was one thing, but it definitely wasn't a shell scam meant to farm pre-registrations and run away with the cash!

Therefore, even in the dead of night...

The discussion heat for 'warhammer 40k ol' continued to soar frantically, constantly breaking records.

The wasteland gameplay screenshots and several combat videos secretly recorded by players released on the official website were being deconstructed and analyzed frame by frame by major content creators and gaming media.

Meanwhile.

In the capital of China, within a high-security office of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Praise Ming Shen] Zhang Yiming, wearing a slightly oversized white lab coat, sat properly on the sofa, quietly waiting for the white-haired academician wearing reading glasses across from him.

In the academician's hands was a detailed scientific research report that Zhang Yiming had compiled and printed overnight.

The office was so quiet that only the sound of pages turning could be heard.

After a long while.

The old academician gently set down the report, took off his reading glasses, and looked up at the promising young researcher before him, asking in an exceptionally serious tone:

"Little Zhang, what you wrote in this report... in other words, this complete theoretical framework and packaging technology for solid-state hydrogen batteries, you got all of this over the past few days from that game called Warhammer?"

"Yes, Teacher."

Zhang Yiming sat up straight.

"In the game, using the advanced industrial equipment there, I not only personally completed the experimental verification but also confirmed that the physical logic of this technology is completely reproducible in reality. It's just..."

Zhang Yiming paused and added rigorously, "The cost of reproducing this technology in reality is very high. Furthermore, some of the special synthetic materials used in the game do not currently exist on Earth. We need to spend a lot of time searching for real-world substitutes to perform chemical replacements."

The old academician did not show any signs of absurdity or doubt after hearing this.

He simply sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair.

"It seems that the rumor circulating at the top is true."

Zhang Yiming was curious but, knowing the secrecy protocols, asked tentatively:

"Teacher, what rumor? Is it convenient to disclose?"

The old academician picked up his teacup, took a sip, and waved his hand.

"It's fine to tell you; you're one of the involved parties anyway. In fact, the Ministry of State Security and several top foreign intelligence agencies had already set their sights on this game website when it first went live and issued test qualifications out of thin air."

"Originally, the cybersecurity department wanted to use the IP information of the website to perform reverse positioning and follow the clues to uncover the background of this production team."

The old academician's gaze became somewhat complex.

"However, it wasn't just us. Even when the world's top hacker teams and national-level cybersecurity centers joined forces, they couldn't track the physical location of their servers!"

"What's even more ridiculous is that their official website page can ignore any low-level firewall of any country or level."

It directly projects itself onto the terminals of every mobile phone and computer in the world!

Even... the cybersecurity department conducted extreme physical isolation experiments. Even if they forcibly cut the network and unplugged the cables, that website could still be accessed smoothly!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yiming felt a chill run up his spine to the back of his head, his hair standing on end!

Accessing it even with a physical network disconnection?!

"This... this is no longer something that existing human computer technology can achieve!"

Zhang Yiming's voice trembled.

"In other words, this game wasn't created by some secret research institution above? It was made by some... unknown entities?!"

"Yes."

The old academician nodded. "Right now, the only breakthrough point for global intelligence agencies is that British company that holds the Warhammer IP rights."

It is said that the United Nations has already issued an emergency internal document, preparing to hold a non-public inquiry hearing for their global CEO in the coming days."

"But after our assessment, we have preliminarily characterized this game incident as a Close Encounter of the Third Kind."

As the old academician said this, his expression became solemn.

"However, some experts in quantum mechanics believe it's not aliens."

"Instead, a disaster occurred in some parallel high-dimensional civilized world, causing a disruption in the fourth-dimensional space-time, which projected this materialized BUG onto our network."

Zhang Yiming swallowed hard.

"Has the situation reached such a serious level?"

"It's only going to be more serious than you think," the old academician said in a low voice.

Zhang Yiming was puzzled.

"Then since it's so dangerous, why don't the countries unite and directly ban this game globally?"

"It's not that we're unwilling; it's that we don't have the capability."

The old academician shook his head.

"I just said, they can ignore physical network disconnections to project it. Unless we directly pull the plug and let the world regress to an era without computers and mobile phones, we simply can't block it."

Looking at the deeply shocked young man before him, the old academician smiled kindly and comforted him:

"Don't carry too much of a mental burden."

"If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

"As a researcher, play the game as you should, and do your research as you should."

"Look, this set of Solid-state Hydrogen Battery technology you brought back—if it can really be reproduced, that would be a genuine national contribution!"

The old academician lowered his voice and revealed some internal news:

"It's said that the higher-ups have already made a decision: it's better to channel it than to block it. Instead of being afraid, it's better to actively discover the technology within and reuse it in reality."

"The higher-ups will immediately arrange for a group of people with deep military and scientific backgrounds to try and grab these twenty thousand reservation spots."

At the same time, a huge amount of special funding has been approved to support you pioneers."

"The first thing is to issue a generous 'relocation allowance' to all existing veteran players in the country."

So that you have no worries and can play this game full-time with your whole heart."

"Additionally, the state will establish a specialized agency to buy core in-game points from you at high prices using real money. This is to serve as startup capital for those researchers when they enter the game."

After listening, Zhang Yiming nodded solemnly.

It seemed the higher-ups were very clear-headed and open-minded.

Faced with an unknown gift of technology, they didn't blindly reject it but chose to actively absorb it.

But this conversation also raised a huge question mark in Zhang Yiming's heart.

"That so-called Warhammer 40K wasteland... is it a virtual brain-in-a-vat game? Or... a real parallel universe?!"

On Earth, similar closed-door meetings and strategic deployments were occurring frequently among the top decision-makers of major powers.

Although different countries characterized this game that appeared out of nowhere as an alien conspiracy, a high-dimensional invasion, or various other incidents...

There was no doubt that the technologies contained within the game, which were decades or even centuries ahead of Earth, could indeed be reproduced in reality!

Anyone could see that this was a technological leapfrog opportunity sufficient to change the course of human civilization.

And so.

On this night, a large number of special personnel with military, corporate, and top scientific backgrounds began to frantically fill out reservation details on the official website's backend.

The number of reservations for the twenty thousand new spots was skyrocketing at a terrifying speed!

...

The next day.

Fire Seed Shelter, Basement Level 5.

To prevent the Shelter from instantly falling into paralysis, Lin Li set up a diversion mechanism.

The twenty thousand new player spots would be divided into four batches, going online in intervals of 24 hours.

Five thousand was already the limit that the Shelter's current logistics could handle and guide.

It was still the familiar welcoming ceremony for newcomers.

Lin Li, wearing his cool Power Armor, stood on a temporary high platform.

He looked down at the dense crowd of five thousand newbies who had just crawled out of the nutrient fluid.

These newbies hadn't fully adapted to their new bodies and were performing all sorts of abstract behaviors that made one's blood pressure spike:

Some were jumping frantically in place to test the physics engine;

Some were slapping each other to test the pain system;

There were even a few perverts in the corner studying the excretory organs of their new bodies...

Standing on the platform, Lin Li suddenly felt a massive headache.

For the first time, he felt that those plots in Earth's web novels, where the protagonist could easily command millions or tens of millions of people to fight interstellar wars, were so hilarious and nonsensical.

Looking at this swarming crowd of abstract Fourth Calamity members who had zero discipline and were only thinking about trolling.

Forget about commanding them to form battle lines and fight a war.

Even if he asked them to line up in a straight line and go to the toilet in an orderly fashion right now, Lin Li felt that would be an impossible, daunting task!

"Forget it, I'll leave the troublesome business of leading newbies to those three Legion Commanders."

Following the program set by the system, Lin Li played the role of a stone-faced and cold NPC administrator.

In an emotionless mechanical voice, he finished reciting that long and tedious wasteland background prologue.

Then, Lin Li raised the halberd in his hand and gave a perfunctory shout:

"For the restoration of humanity! Set out, warriors!"

With that, he jumped straight down from the platform and made a quick getaway.

As soon as Lin Li slipped away.

The veteran players from the major legions who had been waiting nearby like sharks smelling blood immediately rushed into the crowd and began frantically using their eloquence to recruit the newcomers.

"[Scourge Legion] is recruiting! Our benefits are the best in the server! We especially welcome veteran players with real-world experience in semiconductors, microelectronics, and aerospace! Join and get a gun and a wife!"

Ming Shen shouted through a tin megaphone.

"[Brotherhood of Steel] is taking people! If you're a brother, come to the Northwest and hack me! You don't need to bring a brain; as long as you dare to hack Greenskins with a machete, you're my brother from another mother!"

Flame Fist showed off his magnificent mutated muscles in the crowd.

"[Galactic Empire Stormtroopers] is recruiting pilots! Anyone who wants to fly planes and fire cannons, report quickly!"

Besides these three established legions.

Some ambitious high-level players who didn't want to be subordinates also took the opportunity to start their own groups.

"New warband [Hellfire] has been established! Solo players, look over here! We don't compete with the big guilds. If you want to experience the real Warhammer step by step, come in quickly!"

The B5 floor was bustling with noise, like a massive cyber-MLM scene.