Time is like a wild horse; once it starts running, it doesn't stop.
In the blink of an eye, the players had been at the refinery for over a week.
All 4,961 players now had a little over a hundred Imperial Coins in their pockets. If this were the real world, that amount wouldn't even buy a decent hotpot dinner. But here, in the living hell that was Aru Refinery No. 3, it represented hope. It represented armaments. It represented... capital to cause absolute chaos.
Due to taking a slightly larger cut on the first day as the financiers of the terminal—and coupled with their diligent labor over the past week—Zeke, Tax Bro, and Schrödinger Bro currently had an average balance of 221.6 Imperial Coins each.
However, nobody spent their money recklessly.
They were waiting.
Waiting for a storm. Waiting for an opportunity to turn this steel hellhole upside down.
The refinery's ore yield continued its sluggish slump. This slump was like the most stubborn foot fungus in Nurgle's Garden: no matter what they tried to treat it with, it wouldn't go away.
The pressure on the one-eyed overseer was mounting day by day. His single good eye was completely bloodshot, and everyone he looked at pissed him off.
Before every shift, he would pace back and forth in front of the formation gripping his power-whip like an agitated Khornate hound, randomly lashing a few unlucky bastards to vent his anger.
"Scum! Trash! You can't even sort ore properly!"
"The suppliers' quality-control report says there's nothing wrong with the ore! So where's the problem?! Huh?!"
"Are you maggots slacking off?!"
The players kept their heads down, furiously complaining in their minds:
"The problem is in our pockets, you dumbass!"
"We steal so much ore from you every day, of course there's a shortage!"
But on the surface, everyone maintained a miserable appearance that screamed: My Lord, I am innocent! I work so hard, but I don't get enough to eat! Where would I find the strength to steal ore?
After a week of rigorous honing, their acting skills had reached perfection.
Even the genuine NPC workers occasionally glanced over and felt pity for these miserable newcomers who were being bullied so relentlessly. Although... the way they constantly huddled together to smirk and wink at thin air was undeniably a bit creepy.
The players eventually learned the name of the young NPC worker who had initiated contact with Zeke: Rayne.
Over the past few days, Rayne would randomly approach Zeke or other players whose eyes still held a glimmer of light, chatting about seemingly trivial matters.
"The overseers' tempers are getting worse lately."
"I heard they dragged another batch of people out of the clearing zone last month."
"Do you guys miss home?"
The players coordinated their responses, displaying just the right amount of indignation and unwillingness to accept their fate, while acting too afraid to speak out openly.
"Who doesn't want to leave? But how?"
"This life... is not meant for humans."
"Damn it, if they push us any harder, we'll fight 'em to the death!"
This half-hidden, half-revealed attitude seemed to gradually lower Rayne's guard.
–
On this particular day, after the shift ended.
Instead of logging out immediately, the players gathered in a corner of the rest area.
Zeke spoke up in the regional channel:
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "Brothers, looks like they're going to make their move soon."
"The look in Rayne's eyes when he talked to me today was different. He looked like he was holding something back."
"I reckon their resistance organization can't hold out much longer."
[Soul of Cadia]: "They've been holding it in for a week, it's time to let it rip!"
[T'au-Kun, You're Right, But the Bolter is Righter]: "They definitely want to recruit us. There are over four thousand of us! Sure, we're just miners, but we can bury a few overseers just by throwing bodies at them."
[Fugitive Cogboy of the Mechanicus]: "From an organizational behavior analysis perspective, utilizing newly introduced external destabilizing factors to break the existing status quo is a common tactic in resistance movements."
"In their eyes, we are the ultimate destabilizing factor."
[Schrödinger's Loyalist]: "So, are we the chess pieces? Or the chess players?"
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "First we play the chess piece, then we play the chess player."
"My plan is this: When they make contact, we pretend to agree."
"Once they make their move and cause chaos, we instantly buy our gear and go loud!"
He paused, his tone growing heavier:
"Remember, brothers! Our primary objective is NOT to escape!"
"It's to ROB THEM BLIND!!"
"Do you know how much good stuff is in this refinery?"
"The ore, the equipment, the transport vehicles... You see that massive Promethium Smelter in the northwest corner?"
"I secretly scanned it with the System. The recycling value is 80,000 Imperial Coins!"
A tidal wave of "Holy shit!" flooded the channel instantly.
[Did the White Scars Speed Today?]: "Eighty thousand?! How many guns can we buy with that?!"
[I Want the Halo of Tranquility But I'm Broke]: "I suddenly feel like... this refinery isn't so bad after all?"
[Slaanesh Champion Candidate]: "The thrill of robbery... is also a form of ultimate pleasure..."
[Papa Nurgle Loves Everyone]: "Accept this gift... although the method of receiving it might be a bit rough."
[Eternally Loyal to the Emperor]: "Exactly! We pull off a massive heist! Even if we die and drop everything, as long as we successfully recycle one or two large machines, we make an absolute killing!"
"Resurrection only costs 5 coins! One machine is tens of thousands of coins! This trade is incredibly worth it!"
"So everyone, stay sharp!"
"Don't panic when it happens. Stick to the pre-assigned squads: Squad 1 creates chaos and draws aggro. Squad 2 picks locks and dismantles equipment. Squad 3 hauls and recycles!"
"Do you understand?!"
"UNDERSTOOD!!!"
The roar in the channel shook the heavens. Even though in reality they were just quietly squatting in a corner, everyone's eyes were practically glowing.
It was the thirst for Imperial Coins. The anticipation of revenge. The boundless passion for causing absolute chaos.
–
The next day, shortly after the shift began.
An urgent message from [Soul of Cadia] suddenly popped up in the regional channel:
"Northeast corner! By the abandoned warehouse! A few NPC workers just sneaked in! They don't look like overseers!"
"What's the situation?" [Did the White Scars Speed Today?] immediately asked.
"I don't know, the door is closed. I circled around back and heard hushed voices inside. Sounds like they're arguing about something," [Soul of Cadia] replied.
"Need backup?" [T'au-Kun, You're Right, But the Bolter is Righter] was eager for action.
"No! Too many people will blow our cover. You guys keep working. White Scar and I will keep an eye out," [Soul of Cadia] cautioned.
Zeke's mind raced.
The players had noticed that abandoned warehouse in the northeast corner a long time ago. Its heavy doors were locked with rusted iron chains, and the windows were boarded up with metal plates. They had always assumed it was just a storage unit for useless scrap.
Now NPCs were sneaking inside?
He immediately thought of Rayne.
"It could be the resistance, or... something else."
He spoke in the squad channel to Tax Bro and Schrödinger Bro: "Keep an eye on that area. Something might be going down."
About half a standard hour later, [Soul of Cadia] and [Did the White Scars Speed Today?] returned. Their faces were flushed with excitement, yet tinged with confusion.
"How did it go?" Zeke slipped over near them when the overseer wasn't looking.
[Soul of Cadia] lowered his voice: "There were more than just those few workers inside!"
"We waited for them to come out and tailed them for a bit. They split up and blended into different work sectors. But guess who one of them was?"
"Who?"
"Rayne!" [Did the White Scars Speed Today?] interjected.
Just as I thought!
Zeke's suspicions were confirmed. Rayne really was a member of some organization.
"What did they go in there for? What did they say?" Tax Bro asked.