The Warp is vast and boundless, not only home to gods and daemons, but also to a massive number of strange and ugly beasts.
These Warp beasts are savage predators, hungry and greedy, constantly seeking to satisfy their bloody desires.
These beasts usually live in places where the veil is thin.
Part of their bodies are flesh and blood, while the other part is composed of non-physical matter.
This allows them to hunt in the borderlands between the Warp and Reality.
The appearances of these Warp beasts vary greatly, with no two being exactly alike.
If one were to find a commonality among them, it would only be the eyes growing all over their bodies, emitting a scorching red glow and endless malicious desires.
Suddenly, a strange roar came.
A Warp beast, resembling a hound but larger than a calf, pounced out of the thick darkness.
It had two heads, and a gap in its chest, revealing its heart beating powerfully in the open air.
Each beat spewed out small plumes of black smoke, and magma-like blood flowed within its visible veins.
Its hairless body was covered in astonishing cracks, from which an eerie red light emanated.
When it roared, its sharp fangs were visible in its mouth, along with sparks and smoke.
The Warp beast's objective was clear: Little Alpaca, who was at the very front.
It let out a vicious roar, straining to open its gaping maw.
The stench of blood and sulfur mixed together, stirring up a hot and foul wind as it ran.
Little Alpaca ducked to avoid the Warp beast's sudden attack.
The Players behind him immediately raised their guns and fired at the beast.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dull gunshots echoed in the gloomy corridor.
The Warp beast that pounced from the darkness had its head blown off by a single shot.
The immense impact sent the corpse flying several meters, dragging a crimson line on the ground.
"These things are endless," Gray Baby complained.
"Stop chattering so much and let's go quickly. We must clear this dungeon this time," Little Alpaca said, stepping forward.
After they jointly defeated that monster and obtained the Daemon Codex, they delved deeper.
They were preparing to retrieve the legendary holy relic longsword, 'Duty's Light'.
There were no powerful daemons or Warp beasts along the way, but the further they went, the harder it became.
The Warp not only merged with those ships but also twisted the corridors and rooms along the way, forcing them to take detours.
Heavy darkness enveloped the decaying bulkheads like a display of defiance.
The creaking of twisted metal, the hissing of old exhaust pipe devices, and the dripping of ruptured pipes mingled together.
The closer they got to the interior, the heavier the oppressive atmosphere became.
The light beams projected by the power armor could not illuminate far before being completely swallowed by the darkness.
The scattered light cast a faint silver edge on the outlines of objects beyond the glow.
Objects within sight were blurry, their details unclear, making it difficult to judge distances.
And in the farthest and darkest regions, not only shadows lurked.
"This ghostly place is getting more and more creepy," Yuzu Jiang said, vigilantly surveying her surroundings. "If it could be replicated one-to-one in Reality, it would definitely crush all haunted houses on the market."
Gray Baby held a chainsword in one hand and a bolt pistol in the other, stepping forward in a standard combat stance.
"By the way, what do you guys think of this place compared to the USG Ishimura?"
"You play Dead Space too?" Little Alpaca asked curiously.
"I play everything. Not just Dead Space, but Silent Hill, Resident Evil, all of them," Gray Baby said. "I don't really like making friends, so I just stay home and play games."
"Those are all horror games, yet you dare to play them?" Yuzu Jiang also glanced at Gray Baby.
"Once you play enough, you get used to it," Gray Baby said. "If you're really scared, you can turn off the music. Half of a horror game's horror effect comes from the music. Without music, many parts aren't actually scary."
"I feel like we've strayed from the topic. You still haven't said which is scarier, the Twilight or the Ishimura?"
Little Alpaca shrugged, "Suppose you didn't have your power armor or your weapons, and no companions by your side, what would you do?"
"I'd turn around and run," Gray Baby said. "This space hulk is like hell. All sorts of ghosts keep appearing, and there are also strange-looking beasts. I feel like my SAN value is about to hit zero after coming in."
"Haven't you already given the answer?! The Ishimura is only scary because of the Necromorphs, but the Twilight isn't just about Necromorphs."
Little Alpaca shrugged.
"Without power armor, without the Emperor's protection, if you encounter a few waves of daemons and Warp beasts, you're already dead."
"You might even, as you said, lose all your SAN and go completely insane, eventually being torn to shreds by those beasts."
Yuzu Jiang nodded, deeply agreeing with Little Alpaca's words.
"Gray Baby, you yourself said that horror games are half music. How can the Ishimura compare to the Twilight?!"
"Just standing here, without music, you can already feel that chilling atmosphere."
"If you want to be a contrarian and say you can't feel it..."
"My suggestion is to take off your power armor and experience it firsthand."
Gray Baby shook her head repeatedly.
"Forget it, the moment I see the Creep flesh and tentacles on the walls, my scalp tingles. You still want me to take off my armor? I wouldn't do it even if you killed me!"
Are you kidding me?
In this environment, her armor was her greatest protection.
Not just for her body, but for her soul too.
Wearing this armor gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
No matter what kind of monsters, she felt like she could face them.
"Scared now?" Yuzu Jiang teased.
"It's not fear, it's just pure disgust. Look at the ceilings of these corridors, they're all pulsating tumors and tentacles and such. It's just too much," Gray Baby emphasized. "I don't want to touch them!"
Laughter came through the comms.
"If you're scared, you're scared. No need to explain so much. This ghostly place, we only dare to explore it because there are so many of us. If there were fewer people, we'd turn and leave."
"Warhammer OL, this game, is truly a hodgepodge. It has everything. Even ghosts. I don't know what else the officials can come up with."
"+1, I think Warhammer OL could completely stitch together all the games on the market. The galaxy is so big anyway."
"......"
The Players chatted as they walked deeper.
Although Warp beasts or twisted daemons would occasionally rush out,
they had long since adapted to this startling horror atmosphere.
In uncertain areas, they would fire a shot first. If there was movement, they would fire a few more shots. If the movement was significant, they would throw a grenade. If there was no movement, they would continue forward.
They would also stick purity seals of the Ecclesiarchy on the walls along the way to dispel Warp energy.
Anyway, they could call for supplies from outside at any time, so they didn't have to worry about logistical issues like ammunition replenishment.
After several more brief and intense firefights, everyone safely passed through the corridor and arrived at the abandoned Black Ship.
There are two types of Black Ships. The first type is the Inquisition Black Ship, a special strike cruiser used by the Inquisition.
These vessels are equipped with various weapons and are very powerful in combat.
They sometimes carry Deathwatch and Grey Knights to carry out missions.
They often house and detain a large number of psychic lifeforms, Warp constructs, and ancient relics.
In simple terms, an Inquisition Black Ship is a mobile containment facility.
The other type of Black Ship is solely for transporting psykers, belonging to the Black Ship Fleet.
The Black Ship Fleet is one of the two major branches of the Astropathic Choirs, the other being the Scholastica Psykana.
The armor of these Black Ships is made of psychic-inert materials and covered with anti-psychic shields, managed by Sisters of Silences.
The Black Ship Fleet operates independently of the Imperial Navy, consisting of a vast fleet responsible for collecting and transporting psykers.
They traverse the galaxy, collecting a tithe of psykers.
Every Imperial world is visited by a Black Ship every hundred years.
When a Black Ship approaches a planet, its ruler is required to surrender all psykers on that planet.
Corrupted psykers are usually executed directly.
Those psykers with pure souls and strong bodies are taken away by the Black Ship and sent to the Scholastica Psykana under the Astropathic Choirs for a second screening.
During this process, qualified psykers are kept and trained.
Those who are not qualified are sent to Terra to be burned as fuel.
"Be careful, this is an Inquisitor Black Ship."
Little Alpaca warned his companions.
They were about to explore the ship formerly used by Inquisitor A'duojin.
It not only housed psykers but also various strange and bizarre things.
After a final check of their ammunition, the Players stepped into the Black Ship.
A Black Ship is essentially a prison ship, with most areas converted into cells.
Those cells were covered with powerful pentagram wards.
Unfortunately, those pentagram arrays had been destroyed.
"It's a shame everything's gone."
One Player looked at the empty cells with some regret.
"I thought I'd find some Xenos or special containment objects or something."
"Do you want a wish-granting lamp?"
"Sounds pretty good, but I have a question: is it the one from the fairy tale world, or the one from 'The Lord of the Mysteries'?"
"What are you thinking? In the Warhammer Universe, you still want the fairy tale one? It must be the one from 'The Lord of the Mysteries'!"
"Then forget it, I can't handle that."
"......"
As the Players examined the empty cells,
a strange whispering sound came from the darkness of the long corridor.
This immediately put the Players on alert, and they aimed their guns into the darkness.
The Player named "Meng Zhu," whose eyes were all white, listened for a moment.
Then he stepped past everyone and went to the front, calling out into the darkness,
"Come forth, lost servants of the Imperium."
Immediately after, a faint mist surged from the darkness.
Pale figures emerged from the darkness. They had no physical bodies, their outlines glowing white, like the ghosts of legend.
There were many of them: soldiers, servants, and jailers.
"Are these undead?" Yuzu Jiang showed a surprised expression.
"The science of the Warhammer Universe has been hit hard again."
"Case closed. Warhammer not only stitched in Cthulhu and the Gene-Cults, but also evil forces. Otherwise, how could there even be ghosts?"
Gray Baby humorously complained,
"It's just, I wonder when the Winchester brothers will make an appearance?"
Meng Zhu walked up to the undead.
"We are servants of the Emperor. Who is your leader? And why do you linger here?"
At this moment, the undead parted.
A man dressed in Inquisition acolyte robes walked up to Meng Zhu and Little Alpaca, and gave them an aquila salute.
"We are servants of this ship. You may call me Vogel. I, and these others, all serve Inquisitor A'duojin."
"Did you come here because you received my master's bio-signal?"
The ghost's words made the Players look at each other.
Little Alpaca stepped forward, "Yes, is she still alive? Is she a living person, or is she in ghost form like you?"
"She is already dead. When she killed the daemon, her soul and the souls of those Grey Knights were swept into the depths of the Warp by the psychic power unleashed by its death."
A hint of sadness appeared on Vogel's ghostly face.
"That's really not good news."
Little Alpaca shrugged. She raised her bolter, pointing the muzzle at Vogel's head,
"Since A'duojin is already dead, why did she send a message?"
"I sent it." Vogel admitted candidly.
"So, this is a lure to trick us into a trap?" Little Alpaca placed her finger on the trigger.
A blessed bolter round could easily kill even a ghost.
"No, I just wanted someone to retrieve my master's body. She did so much; she shouldn't be buried here with the daemon."
Vogel spread his arms, assuming a posture of resignation.
"You can kill me, I only ask that you, for the sake of my master who gave everything for the Imperium, take her and the bodies of those Grey Knights back."
Little Alpaca hesitated for a moment, looking at Meng Zhu beside him, "Is he lying?"
"No." Meng Zhu shook his head.
Little Alpaca turned to Vogel, "Lead us to Inquisitor A'duojin's remains."
Vogel's ghost led the Players deeper into the black ship,
while recounting the events of the past.
After Inquisitor A'duojin discovered the daemon that had plagued her throughout her life, she decisively led her team on a pursuit.
After a chase that spanned half the galaxy, A'duojin used a scheme to trick the opponent onto the black ship,
and, together with the Grey Knights, killed it.
But she and the accompanying squad of Grey Knights also sacrificed their lives.
The psychic shockwave from the daemon's death killed the black ship's servants and threw it out of Reality into the Warp.
Warp entities discovered them in the black ship and tried to exterminate the surviving souls.
Thanks to the protection of the legendary Holy Relic 'Light of Duty' and the black ship's design against psychic powers,
they gained a reprieve and learned how to fight those daemons.
But as time passed, they could also feel themselves being corrupted by the Warp little by little.
"Is that a Daemon Codex hanging at your waist?"
Vogel, having finished recounting the past, noticed the gilded, chain-bound book at Little Alpaca's waist.
"Yes." Little Alpaca still pointed her gun at Vogel; she didn't fully trust the other party.
Who knew if the operators would bury a pit out of malice!
Better safe than sorry.
Being vigilant is always right.
"There is a ritual in the book that can free bound souls."
Vogel said,
"Could you perform this ritual for us before you leave?"
"Depends on the situation."
Little Alpaca responded coldly. Vogel sighed softly, but quickly forced himself to regain his composure.
"It's alright if you don't want to, as long as you take my master and the bodies of those Grey Knights away."
"They were all good people; they shouldn't be buried here with the daemon."
"You've already said that once." Little Alpaca's tone was impatient. "I don't want to keep listening to your rambling. Lead the way."
Under Vogel's guidance, the Players reached the furthest end of the spine corridor that ran through the entire black ship,
arriving before a hatch sealed by layers of frost.
"This is it."
Vogel was the first to step over the threshold and enter the cold compartment.
The Players followed closely.
Inside was a cathedral, where a colossal statue of the Emperor stood.
The bodies of five Grey Knights were scattered throughout the cathedral, frozen into ice sculptures.
A woman in Power Armor, covered in ice and snow, held the 'Light of Duty' longsword, which was plunged into the daemon's corpse.
The daemon's corpse lay spread out on the floor, immense in size,
with tentacles, eyeballs, and a gaping mouth filled with jagged fangs,
also covered in thick frost.
"Have Brother Agammon dispatch a transport shuttle. Let us bring our heroes home."
Little Alpaca put away her bolter,
and took the 'Light of Duty' from Inquisitor A'duojin's corpse.
This sword possessed a unique power;
the moment she took it, she felt a warm current flow from the hilt into her body,
dispelling the chill brought by the Warp winds.
"Thank you for your mercy."
Vogel bowed to Little Alpaca,
"If the bodies can return to the Imperium, my master and these knights' souls will surely return to the Emperor's side."
Little Alpaca looked at Vogel, raising an eyebrow slightly,
"You're not going to say anything else? Like begging me, perhaps I might bestow mercy upon you."
"It is enough that you can take my master and these knights' bodies back. I dare not ask for more." Vogel said calmly.
Little Alpaca was somewhat surprised, "You should know that without the protection of 'Light of Duty,' once you re-enter the Warp, you'll be torn apart by those Warp daemons, right?"
"Perhaps that is our destiny. Our duty is done; we die without regret." Vogel said.
"Fine, consider it doing a good deed."
Little Alpaca opened the Daemon Codex.
This book contained numerous forbidden knowledge,
recording the Grey Knights' and Inquisition's understanding of daemons, various holy rituals for exorcism, how to fight Warp entities, and even listed the true names of many daemon entities.
Little Alpaca turned to the chapter titled 'Redemption' and recited the scriptures within.
The bound souls found redemption in the chanting,
their bodies dissolving into specks of light that dissipated into the air,
leaving behind only some silvery-white dust.
"Thank you for your mercy!" Vogel's voice was excited. "Thank you, truly thank you."
Subsequently, he too vanished into specks of light.
"I didn't expect the storyline for these ghost NPCs to be so well done," Gray Baby chimed in.
"I thought it would just be a continuous fight! I didn't expect there to be a redemption plot. The official team really put effort into it, I love it, I love it."
Yuzu Jiang's rating for Warhammer OL was getting higher and higher.
This game was simply too good;
even the dungeons were so deep.
"Stop talking so much nonsense. Collect this silver dust," Little Alpaca said.
"What's this stuff for?" Gray Baby asked, puzzled.
Little Alpaca said,
"We don't know yet, but once the next version updates, it might become a rare forging material."
"Just collect it for now; it doesn't take up much space anyway."
......
Macragge's Honour,
Alex and Guilliman discussed for several hours how to rebuild the Imperium.
The more they talked, the more Guilliman felt that he had met Alex too late.
They both shared the same desire for development, rather than mere conquest and destruction.
"Honestly, I would gladly sacrifice those few traitorous brothers to have you as my brother."
By the end of their conversation, Guilliman sighed with emotion.
Alex: "......"
"Even if I weren't your brother, I'm sure you'd still be happy to sacrifice those few, wouldn't you?!"
"Regent, I never realized you were so greedy and cunning."
Guilliman burst into laughter.
"Alright, let's stop here. We still have many things to do. I might have to depart soon and throw myself into the war."
"The Despoiler is still trying to expand the Great Rift, pushing an evil plan called 'Crimson Path'."
"Once he succeeds, a path will open between the Eye of Terror and the Sol System. At that time, Terra will have to face the Chaos daemonic legions directly."
"Even more critically, several key Warp lane hubs within the Sol System have been seized by Chaos forces."
"Currently, only Volorus is in our hands, which means the Despoiler is trapping us. If we don't counterattack in time, we will be isolated in the Sol System, thereby losing control over most of the Imperium's territory."
"I understand." Alex nodded. "With me stationed on Terra, you can depart for the campaign with peace of mind."
......
As Alex and Guilliman emerged from the secret chamber, Sicarius hurried over, bringing bad news.
"An accident occurred with the Fifth Fleet assembling at Uranus's equator. The Warp engine of the *Fires of Devotion* exploded, four ships were sucked into the Warp, dozens of ships were severely damaged, and three star forts were crippled."
"The Inquisition has already intervened to investigate, and initially suspects it was an act of sabotage."
"Immediately ascertain the casualties and salvage the lightly damaged ships."
Anger flashed across Guilliman's face, then was suppressed by his rationality.
Anger was meaningless.
He had to minimize losses as quickly and as much as possible.
"A heavy blow, we must deliver a heavy blow."
Alex also frowned.
This incident was clearly an extension of the political infighting on Terra.
These guys were already insane.
The survival of humanity meant less to them than the power they held.