I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 96 Gratitude!

In the lower levels of the hive, in the dimly lit passageways, the air was thick with dust, exhaust fumes, and some indescribable stench of decay. A dozen or so players, clad in armor, formed a loose circle surrounding a square formation of hundreds of hive dwellers, and slowly moved forward.

These people who descended from the nest had sallow complexions, thin bodies, and eyes filled with a long-term sense of repression and numbness. Their clothes were tattered, mostly made of patchwork burlap and discarded plastic sheets, covered with oil stains and unknown spots, barely covering their bodies.

"Speaking of which, can our escort team of a dozen or so people really protect so many people?" The younger twin, [Cai Hai Ai Wan] (hereinafter referred to as Xiao Cai), wondered. He looked around and said, "We're not Astartes. If cultists or thieves charge in, even if we don't die, these civilians will suffer heavy casualties, right?"

“Hey, you don’t understand,” the older brother [Playful but Incompetent] (hereinafter referred to as Brother Ai) stretched out his index finger and shook it from side to side. “The moment I saw this mission, I knew that our role was not to escort, but to deter.”

"Deterrence?" Xiao Cai repeated, his brow furrowing slightly. "Deterring whom? Cult members or cunning individuals?"

“You’re half right,” Aige said, pointing to the group of Nesters surrounded by players. They huddled together nervously, trying to avoid eye contact with the players. “We also intimidated them.”

“Oh,” Xiao Cai suddenly realized, slapping his forehead, “to prevent them from causing chaos on their way to the Middle Nest, right?”

“That’s right,” Ai Ge nodded. “The cultists and sly criminals are so badly wiped out by us that they’re hiding in the middle of nowhere. Why would they willingly expose themselves to kill a bunch of civilians? So our main responsibility is simply to maintain order.”

With one question answered, Xiao Cai had a new one: "What did these people who moved to Sichuan think about the migration? After all, historically, migrations like the 'Huguang Filling Sichuan' migration didn't seem to have a very good outcome."

"Aren't they here?" Aige tilted his head, gesturing to the nestling beside him. "Why don't you just ask them?"

"Oh, right," Xiao Cai suddenly realized. He randomly picked a commoner, who was bowing his head and hunching over. His tattered coat barely covered his bony shoulders, and his thin, bony face was covered with dust and fatigue. His eyes were cloudy and lifeless, like two stagnant pools of water.

"You, yes, you, come here for a moment."

The civilian's previously numb expression froze instantly, then turned into extreme terror. He trembled violently, his legs went weak, and he could barely stand. Seeing this, the surrounding inhabitants immediately moved away from him by three meters, as if avoiding a plague, leaving a vacuum zone.

"Uh," Xiao Cai was taken aback, looking at the person's exaggerated reaction, "That exaggerated?"

"Alright, didn't you hear my brother calling you?" While Xiao Cai was still in a daze, Brother Ai stepped forward, his face showing impatience, and scolded, "Come here right now!"

The commoner was startled by Ai Ge's shout. He moved shakily, each step seeming as if he were about to fall, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He approached Ai Ge and Xiao Cai, and before they could speak, he hurriedly said in rapid succession, "My lords, I'm known for my honesty in the factory. I've never done anything like gangster stuff. I... I have elderly parents and young children to support. I'm a law-abiding citizen, my lords!"

"This system's translation is really down-to-earth..." Xiao Cai remarked.

"Shut up and stand still," Ai Ge's cold words silenced the man instantly, leaving him frozen in place. Ai Ge turned to Xiao Cai, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, ask me what you want to say."

"Uh..." Xiao Cai looked at the fear in the man's eyes and felt that her way of asking the question might not be appropriate. But then she thought that there was no need to criticize her brother for the sake of an NPC, so she asked first, "What do you think about this matter of moving you from the lower nest to the middle nest?"

A wave of fervent excitement washed over the commoner's face. Without hesitation, his voice trembled with gratitude: "Thank you, Emperor! Thank you, Empire! Thank you for your mercy, Your Excellencies!"

His eyes shone brightly. If Ai Ge hadn't told him to stand properly, he probably would have already knelt down with a thud: "I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life, and I will make sure my children remember this kindness for generations to come!" Xiao Cai scratched his head and tentatively asked, "But you'll have the same working hours once you're in Zhongchao. Don't you want to make some real changes? Like reducing your working hours by one or two hours or something..."

Xiao Cai had only asked casually, never expecting the other person to be so terrified. His face, which had been flushed with excitement, instantly turned deathly pale. Ai Ge's earlier instruction to "stand still" was useless; his knees buckled, and he knelt down, his forehead almost hitting the ground. His voice was trembling with sobs: "Sir, I absolutely did not mean to push my luck! Absolutely not! I... I'm just a lowly worker. Being able to come to Zhongchao is already a great blessing. How could I dare to have any other desires! Sir, you must see the truth..."

"Holy crap, why did he suddenly kneel down?" Xiao Cai was stunned by the other person's sudden kneeling and the barrage of declarations of loyalty. He subconsciously reached out to help him up, "Um, get up first."

He tried a few times, but found that the commoner's determination to kneel was extremely firm. His knees seemed to be rooted to the ground, stuck to the ground, and he couldn't pull them up.

Ai Ge then decisively drew the pistol from his waist, pointing the cold muzzle at the kneeling civilian: "If you don't stand up and shut up, you won't have to stand up and shut up in the future."

The civilian saw the dark muzzle of the gun and his body jolted violently. He stood up as if he had been electrocuted and shut his mouth tightly. His body trembled even more than when he had come over, like a leaf in the wind.

"Alright, get back to the ranks," Aige waved his pistol, indicating he could leave. The civilian, as if granted a pardon, scrambled back into the formation, disappearing into the crowd as if he had never been there.

Ai Ge holstered his pistol, looked at Xiao Cai, and smiled knowingly: "So? Do you understand what they're thinking now?"

Xiao Cai, having recovered from his daze, stroked his chin thoughtfully: "I think I understand..."

“For us, class is an abstract concept. Overcoming class means a better life. For example, higher wages, lower working hours, and a better living environment…” Aige said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the numb Nesters. “But for the people of the Warhammer universe, class is not like that.”

“For them, class is tangible,” Xiao Cai continued, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. “Top nest, upper nest, middle nest, lower nest, and even bottom nest... these are the tangible classes, which they can’t cross even in dozens of lifetimes. Being able to move from one nest level to another is already the limit of their imagination.”

"So, in their eyes, bringing them from the lower nest to the middle nest is already a great favor, an unparalleled honor bestowed upon them by us." Aige's tone was tinged with sarcasm and helplessness. "Even if we tell them that they will have more working hours, more difficult working conditions, and higher work intensity from now on, they will not complain at all, but will instead feel more at ease because of it."

“But if we say that we are not only going to bring you to Zhongchao, but also reduce your working hours and labor intensity, then they will start to have doubts... We will not get anything by doing this, so is there another purpose? Under the fear of the unknown, they will resist migration.” Aige shrugged.

"So," Xiao Cai's expression was somewhat complicated, "even if we wanted to improve their treatment, we couldn't?"

“Yes,” Ai Ge replied with certainty, “but the nature of human beings is greedy. In ten to thirty years, there should be people who will raise this demand, and then we can justifiably reduce their workload.”

"Ten years..." Xiao Cai muttered, scratching his head, "I don't even know if I'll still be playing this game by then..."

As they spoke, they had already arrived at Middle Nest via the massive, frosted metal elevator. The environment in Middle Nest was significantly better than in Lower Nest; at least the air was no longer suffocating, and the light was brighter. This escort mission was now complete, and other players would take over. Just as the two brothers were about to go and take on another escort mission, a familiar figure ran from afar—it was Assassin.

"Hey, little rascal, Ai-ge!" Assassin shouted, his voice brimming with obvious excitement, "You two have been chosen!"

The two exchanged a glance and saw the surprise in each other's eyes—the "being chosen" that Assassin mentioned certainly didn't mean anything else; it only meant one thing: becoming an Astartes.

(End of this chapter)