（The Warhammer Universe is famously a space opera-style universe infused with idealistic elements, so its worldview isn't strictly hard sci-fi. Often, when in doubt, one can simply appeal to psychic powers. Of course, I personally aim to write something that adheres as much as possible to hard sci-fi, allowing the plot to develop reasonably without illogical occurrences. Brains even zombies wouldn't eat: Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, Slaanesh, the Emperor. Although I will diligently research, I'm a casual fan, so please forgive any errors and spare my life.）
The night descended like a heavy black cloth, pressing down ponderously on the city. The neon lights in the streets and alleys appeared so dim in the thick darkness.
Lin Yu, a veteran otaku, dragged his leaden legs into his cramped rental apartment.
Three years since graduation had acted like a relentless file, wearing away most of his youthful spirit. Each day was spent in busyness and exhaustion; only by returning to this small sanctuary at night and immersing himself in the world of anime and manga could he find a moment of peace.
He collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his heart filled with the weariness of a life he found unbearable. After a moment, as if driven by some invisible conviction, he struggled to get up, reopened his computer, and launched his favorite game—Stellaris.
On the screen, the vast, boundless sea of stars instantly unfolded before his eyes. The twinkling stars were like brilliant jewels embedded in the black firmament, each seemingly narrating endless mystery and romance.
And there was his anime waifu, gentle and adorable, providing Lin Yu with a sliver of comfort in this virtual world.
Lin Yu immersed himself completely in the game, his hands furiously operating the keyboard like a sudden storm, as if to vent a day's fatigue in this virtual space battle.
However, fate's cruel jokes always arrive unexpectedly. Just as he was engrossed in the game's intense moment, an inadvertent movement caused his elbow to knock over the water glass placed nearby. The glass, like a plucked puppet, wobbled precariously towards the power socket.
“No!” Lin Yu's eyes widened in horror, trying to reach out and stop it, but it was too late. Accompanied by a dazzling electric spark and a 'sizzling' sound of current, the water in the glass instantly made intimate contact with the power socket, and a powerful current surged through.
Lin Yu felt a strong electric current spread from his fingertips throughout his body, as if countless hot needles were simultaneously piercing him. A sharp pain struck, and his consciousness, under this sudden impact, dissipated rapidly like a wisp of smoke, plunging him into endless darkness.
In the depths of that chaotic darkness, Lin Yu's consciousness seemed to drift in an ocean of nothingness.
Dimly, he saw dreamlike visions: five torrents of energy—red, green, blue, purple, and gold—like five roaring dragons, intertwining and coiling, dancing wildly in the endless darkness.
They emitted a strange yet soft glow, a glow that seemed to contain the deepest secrets of the universe, each stream of light seemingly narrating the vicissitudes of time and the birth of the cosmos.
Lin Yu tried to grasp the information contained within these lights, but only felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if an invisible force was preventing him from prying into this mysterious realm.
After an unknown period, Lin Yu slowly awoke amidst a sharp pain.
His head felt as if countless small hammers were striking it simultaneously, and the pain surged like a tidal wave. His ears were filled with various cacophonies, as if countless people were whispering at once, or perhaps ancient, mysterious incantations, making his consciousness even more muddled.
He slowly opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was an impenetrable darkness, as if the entire world had been swallowed by it.
Only in the distance were there some faint lights, like flickering candles in the darkness. The lights seemed to come from a narrow alley, and dimly, he could make out some blurred outlines, like ancient and dilapidated buildings, looming in the shadows, exuding a sinister and eerie aura.
“Ding, hello, Divine River body Lin Yu, I am the Great Clock from Super God Academy.” Just as Lin Yu was struggling to figure out where he was, a cold, mechanical electronic voice abruptly sounded in his mind.
Simultaneously, a wave of dark energy, imperceptible by conventional means, rippled outwards from him like concentric circles. This energy seemed to possess its own consciousness, constantly exploring and calculating everything around it.
“Ah, the Great Clock?” Lin Yu was completely bewildered. His mind was still immersed in the world of the game he had been playing, and he couldn't comprehend what was happening at this moment.
He vaguely remembered staying up late playing a game, so how had he suddenly arrived in this inexplicable place and heard the voice of the Great Clock? Was the Great Clock the most powerful cosmic supercomputer, wielded by Karl in his mind, from Super God Academy?
That legendary super artifact capable of deducing the entire cosmic tree model and discerning all the mysteries of the universe?
“Yes, I am what you are thinking of, the Great Clock from Super God Academy, wielded by Karl.” The cold mechanical voice sounded again, as if it had seen through Lin Yu's doubts.
“What, it really is that Great Clock!” Lin Yu's heart was in turmoil. “Then why are you with me, and where is this place?” He anxiously murmured in his mind, hoping to get an answer from the Great Clock.
“This unit has no detailed record of the process. According to the system logs, prior to the last Planck time scale, Karl had just opened the Void channel and welcomed the arrival of the Void. Then, at the next Planck time scale, I was directly linked to you at the consciousness level.
My main body seems to be in a quantum superposition state, existing and not existing. As for where this is, according to your memory database, this place currently has a similarity of 78.62% to the Warhammer Universe in your impression.”
The Great Clock answered methodically, its calm tone forming a stark contrast to Lin Yu's inner panic.
“Ah, no!” Lin Yu cried out in despair, like a grot who had been kicked hard, his voice echoing tragically in the dark space, sounding particularly sorrowful.
Fear, like a tide, completely engulfed him. He knew the horrors of the Warhammer Universe, a world shrouded in the forces of Chaos, where the shadows of the Four Chaos Gods (no, five gods) were ubiquitous. Knowing too much forbidden knowledge could easily lead to corruption by Chaos, transforming one into a twisted, terrifying monster.
At this moment, Lin Yu kept chanting in his mind, desperately trying not to think of the Four Chaos Gods, but the more he tried, the more those terrifying images and forbidden knowledge uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
Terrified, he instinctively covered his eyes with his hands, as if that could prevent those dreadful thoughts from entering his mind.
After a long while, he tremblingly opened his hands, his gaze frantically scanning his body, afraid to see strange tentacles or blue bird feathers suddenly sprouting—terrible signs of Chaos corruption.
However, to his surprise, his body seemed to have undergone no changes; everything was as before. He felt both a sense of relief and confusion.
“It seems that because you are a higher-dimensional being, your consciousness in this universe is merely a higher-dimensional projection, with no projection in the Warp. And because I am linked to you at the consciousness level, I have also not been invaded by the electronic demons in your memory.”
The Great Clock seemed to sense Lin Yu's confusion and offered an explanation at the appropriate moment.
Hearing the Great Clock's words, a great weight finally lifted from Lin Yu's heart.
But he knew that being in this perilous Warhammer Universe, his future path would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulties and obstacles.
However, as a seasoned otaku, the spirit of adventure deep within him was quietly ignited at this moment. He took a deep breath, looked at the faint light in the distance, and was about to take a step towards it.
Just then, the Great Clock suddenly emitted an urgent alarm: “Warning! Unknown energy fluctuations detected rapidly approaching. Danger level: High!”
Lin Yu instantly froze, cold sweat breaking out in a rush, and he instinctively clenched his fists.
Before he could react, in the darkness, a pair of eyes glowing with an eerie red light suddenly lit up...