I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 97 just missed the game update.
Following Assassin's directions, the two brothers traversed a maze of metal corridors, finally arriving before a heavy alloy door. The door slowly slid open, revealing a spacious yet cold laboratory.

As far as the eye can see, there are a large number of transparent glass jars filled with nutrient solution, arranged at varying heights on both sides of the room, gleaming with a faint green or amber light.

Each glass jar contained biological tissues of various shapes and sizes. Some were complete organs, undulating slowly in the nutrient solution, pulsating with a faint glow; others were indistinct clumps of flesh connected to fine tubing and sensors. A strong smell of disinfectant permeated the air, mixed with the distinctive sweet and pungent odor of some biological culture medium, sending chills down one's spine.

"Uh, this doesn't look good," Xiao Cai muttered to himself. He looked around, his body tensing up involuntarily, and his stomach churning slightly. The wriggling organs in the jars reminded him of scenes from horror movies.

“I think this perfectly matches my stereotype of a biology lab,” Aige said, appearing much calmer and even having the composure to comment.

Just then, a tall figure emerged from the shadows deep within the laboratory. It was Redito, the mechanical priest, his mechanical eyes flashing red, appearing exceptionally dignified and aloof in the cold light of the laboratory.

“You’ve arrived,” Redito’s voice was as calm as ever, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. He raised a metal finger and pointed to two operating tables placed side by side in the center of the laboratory. The beds were cold and surrounded by various sophisticated instruments. “Lie down on them.”

The two brothers exchanged a glance. Although each felt apprehensive, the allure of becoming an Astartes outweighed everything else. Following instructions, they lay down one after the other on the cold operating table. Once Xiao Cai was down, curiosity took over again, and he casually asked, "Father Redito, which of these organs are usable?"

“Not a single one is usable,” Redito replied without turning his head as he made final preparations. His fingertips were adjusting a complex robotic arm, which emitted a slight hum.

"Huh?" Xiao Cai was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

Redito's mechanical eyes turned slightly toward them, the light seeming to become more focused. He explained, "I am not a sage specializing in biology. Although I have a large number of finished organs for data analysis and have found the remaining modification equipment and related data of that warband, the creations of the Om Messiah are not so easy to control."

At this point, Reddion's usually calm voice revealed a hint of obvious regret: "Unfortunately, although the sage in charge of the modification in the Martyrs' Chapter is dead, the encryption he set is still in effect. I only obtained a portion of his knowledge. If I could obtain all of it, the modification would be much easier. At least there wouldn't be any problem creating the [organ manufacturing machine]. This means I still need to conduct a lot of human experiments to determine those fluctuating data."

“Is it really okay for you to tell us so much?” Aige, on the other operating table, glanced at Redito.

“Whatever,” Redito’s mechanical arm continued its movements without pause, his red mechanical eyes coldly sweeping over the two of them. “You’re both going to die soon anyway.”

“Uh, that makes a lot of sense, I can’t argue with it,” Aige accepted Redito’s logic and even nodded. “What if we two actually succeed in the modification?”

“Then, as Astartes, you are also qualified to know these things,” Redito said, his preparations finally coming to an end. He turned and stood beside Xiao Cai’s operating table. His red mechanical eyes stared intently at Xiao Cai. “Alright, enough of the small talk, let’s start with you.”

Xiao Cai's heart raced as he looked at the rapidly spinning circular saw protruding from behind Redito, along with the various surgical tools gleaming coldly beside it. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Wait a minute," Xiao Cai swallowed, "Could you give me some anesthesia?"

“No,” Redito refused ruthlessly. “At most, I can only completely restrain you. Anesthesia is a variable that will affect the accuracy of the data.”

His robotic arm had already extended and begun to fix Xiao Cai's limbs, the tough restraints binding him firmly to the operating table.

“It’s okay, Xiao Cai,” Ai Ge said, a smile playing on his lips as he suppressed a laugh as he looked at his brother’s predicament. “Anyway, the pain is only as bad as being hit on the finger with a hammer. Just bear with it.” “That still hurts a lot!” Xiao Cai cried out in despair. He could feel the restraints tightening and Redito’s mechanical arm reaching towards his body.

……

Darkness, endless darkness.

First, there was a slight tremor, followed by a familiar "hiss" sound, as if some kind of pressure valve had been opened. Xiao Cai's eyelashes trembled, her consciousness breaking free from deep confusion, and she slowly opened her eyes.

What met his eyes was no longer the cold metal walls and the eerie culture tanks, but the familiar, somewhat messy ceiling of his own bedroom. The energy-saving light overhead emitted a soft white glow, and the air was filled with the faint scent of household cleaning products. He subconsciously sat up, his body a little stiff, but without the expected sharp pain or discomfort.

He found himself lying inside that sleek, high-tech gaming pod. The hatch had opened automatically, revealing soft padding inside. He rubbed his throbbing forehead and looked inside, puzzled. The indicator lights on the side of the pod were flashing red, signaling an anomaly. He leaned closer and saw that the nutrient solution reservoir at the bottom of the pod was empty, with a few murky liquids remaining at the bottom.

"The nutrient solution is all gone..." Xiao Cai muttered to herself, instantly realizing what was happening. The game pod would automatically wake the player after the nutrient solution ran out to prevent accidents.

Almost at the same time he realized what was happening, a similar "hiss" sound came from the side. Xiao Cai turned his head and saw that the hatch of the game pod next door was also slowly opening. Ai Ge, looking equally bewildered, sat up from inside, his hair a little messy, his eyes filled with the blankness of someone just waking up from a deep sleep.

"Hmm?" Ai Ge subconsciously checked his gaming pod, his brows furrowing. "The nutrient solution is all used up? But I remember filling it with a week's worth before I went in?"

Xiao Cai's memories gradually returned, and he tried hard to recall his last experience in the game: "If I remember correctly, today is the forty days since we started participating in the modification, after dying more than twenty times, that wicked oil guy finally said that the problem with the black shell was solved, and that we were very lucky. He decided to start the formal modification, and then he gave me an anesthetic injection..."

As she spoke, Xiao Cai's eyes suddenly lit up, and her face lit up with uncontrollable elation: "So, when we wake up, we can become Space Marines?!"

Aige's gaze was much calmer than his. He slowly shook his head, pouring cold water on the situation: "Not necessarily. The success rate of converting adults into Space Marines isn't high... but it depends on the situation. The Wolf Pack is mostly made up of adults. But one thing is clear: for at least the next month in Earth time, we won't be able to go online."

Xiao Cai's excitement cooled down a bit: "It seems so... So what are we going to do for the next month?"

"Um, how about browsing the game forums first?"

Xiao Cai scratched his head, climbed out of the gaming pod, and went straight to the computer desk next to him. He skillfully pressed the power button, the screen lit up, and the desktop icons appeared one by one.

The forum page loaded, and the pinned announcements and popular posts on the homepage made his pupils shrink.

"Holy crap, bro!" Xiao Cai turned his head sharply, his face filled with shock. "The game updated while we were unconscious!"

(End of this chapter)