001 Warhammer Simulator
The Solar System, Earth.
North America, United States.
New York City.
At nine in the morning, on the sofa of an old apartment, Zaire sat with a solemn expression.
His true identity was that of a transmigrant, a stranger in this world.
If it weren't for the news on TV about Stark Industries shutting down its weapons division, Zaire would have thought he had arrived in a parallel universe.
Zaire was just a movie enthusiast and a casual comic reader. To him, the well-known characters and plotlines of superhero movies were a blurry memory.
He struggled to recall, only remembering a few key points from the storylines. The Battle of New York, with thousands of casualties. The rise and fall of Ultron, with unknown casualties. And the Endgame, where Thanos snapped away half the universe's population.
As these thoughts swirled, Zaire couldn't help but shiver. Watching superhero movies was entertainment but experiencing them firsthand was a different matter entirely.
To make things worse, Zaire had merged with the memories of an ordinary teenager named Zaire, who was an orphan with no money, no power, and no superpowers. Now, he was living with his aunt, his legal guardian, helping out in her restaurant during his spare time and saving up tips to pay for college.
Zaire had thought about running away. With his aunt's credit card maxed out and his saved-up tuition money, maybe he could even meet the Ancient One at Kamar-Taj and become a sorcerer's apprentice. Even if his identity as a transmigrant was discovered and he was taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D., it was better than becoming a statistic in the Battle of New York.
However, the memories of his aunt, who had taken care of him since he was a child, created an unbreakable bond. The emotional connection was too strong to sever, and the stubbornness of his aunt's middle-aged mindset made it impossible for Zaire to change their lives abruptly.
So, Zaire had used part of his tuition money to rent the basement of the old apartment. He borrowed tools from neighbors, reinforced the basement with steel and wood, and stocked up on food and water. He hoped that when the Battle of New York happened, he and his aunt would be at home and safe.
As the clock struck 9:30, Zaire got up to start his daily routine. In the morning, he had his final year of high school classes. In the afternoon, he helped his aunt run the restaurant. In the evening, he continued to reinforce the basement. The borrowed tools needed to be returned soon, so time was tight.
"Huh?"
Just then, a string of garbled letters flashed before Zaire's eyes, like a hallucination.
[Warhammer 40K: Life Simulator Booting Up——]
[Would you like to start the initial simulation?]
Warhammer 40K?
Isn't that a futuristic sci-fi IP built around a tabletop wargame, supplemented by novels, comics, games, and animations?
Zaire frowned, puzzled. In his previous life, he was just a casual Warhammer fan, mainly learning about it through videos on paid tube, especially the series of Warhammer stories made by the uploader "Colonel Dachi." After getting hooked, he occasionally read detailed articles on famous battles and the background stories of certain characters.
He knew the basic storylines and the major factions in the Warhammer universe, but he couldn't recount specific battles on certain planets or identify the masterminds behind specific events.
However, why would his golden finger, as a transmigrant, be linked to the Warhammer universe? That was a dark, ignorant, and desperate universe filled with chaos, a decaying Empire, and predatory alien civilizations. Any glimmer of hope was just a tiny spark delaying the inevitable destruction of the universe...
Given a choice, only a masochistic lunatic would choose the Warhammer universe. Even then, they would cry like a squished fairy upon arrival.
At this moment, Zaire was utterly confused. But this didn't stop him from being deeply worried about his safety. To survive better, he had to gamble on his golden finger.
[Simulation Starting——]
[You have arrived in the Warhammer universe.]
[Time: Unknown]
[Location: Milky Way Galaxy (Sector Unknown)]
[As soon as you step on the planet's surface, the Warp trembles. The gaze of the Chaos Gods falls upon you.]
[You clutch your head and wail.]
[Your mind is flooded with xxxxxx (censored).]
[Your skull explodes.]
[You died.]
[Simulation ended. Duration: 15 seconds.]
[No options retained from this simulation.]
[As the simulation lasted less than 24 hours, no simulator wear and tear are incurred.]
What... died?
Zaire blinked, bewildered. He hadn't yet recovered from the fleeting experience of death. Even in the Warhammer 40K universe, the difficulty of survival was too high.
"The Chaos Gods!"
Staring at the simulator's text, Zaire suddenly understood everything.
"I know too much about the Warp..."
The Chaos Gods, also known as the Ruinous Powers, were born from the negative emotions of countless sentient beings during the war between the Necrons and the Old Ones. From that point on, Chaos was eternal, and the four gods were immortal. The more chaotic the Warhammer universe, the stronger the Chaos Gods became. And the stronger the Chaos Gods became, the more chaotic the Warhammer universe grew. For forty thousand years, there was no hope, only war.
"Can I block out my memories?" Zaire tentatively asked the simulator. Unfortunately, the simulator was just a tool, not an omnipotent system.
"I refuse to believe this!" Zaire's stubborn side kicked in. He decided to skip school and sat back on the sofa.
[Simulation Starting——]
You have arrived in the Warhammer universe.]
[Time: Unknown]
[Location: Milky Way Galaxy (Sector Unknown)]
[As soon as you step on the planet's surface, you start praying desperately to the Emperor. The Warp trembles again. The gaze of the Chaos Gods falls upon you once more.]
[Your prayers to the Emperor seem to have no effect.]
[You clutch your head and wail.]
On the brink of death, you seem to see a cold sun shining upon your soul...]
[Your skull explodes.]
[You died.]