A thick, putrid stench of excrement assaulted his nose. Zeke Mason, having just woken from a coma, was nearly knocked out again by the smell.
"Er Dan..." Zeke rolled over, muttering subconsciously, "Did you shit on the floor again?"
Er Dan was Zeke's pet, a Labrador that ate a lot and pooped just as much.
He used to stink up the whole house until, under the threat of Zeke's slipper, he finally learned to do his business in the right spot and behaved much better.
Zeke pinched his nose, shook his groggy head, and looked around.
A tunnel stretched out in both directions, its ends swallowed by darkness.
Rusty fuel drums lay scattered about the tunnel. The drums were riddled with bullet holes, leaking a viscous, oily liquid—the source of the stench.
This... this wasn't his home!
A shiver ran through Zeke's body, instantly clearing his mind.
A dream? Kidnapping?
Scrambling to his feet on all fours, Zeke surveyed his surroundings.
An underground cavern. Wait a minute, what was that?
Zeke noticed a row of mosquito-sized icons at the bottom of his field of vision.
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the shapes.
On the left were ten heart-shaped icons; on the right, golden drumstick icons.
Zeke swallowed hard, his mouth watering from nervousness, as a bold idea formed in his mind.
If this really is MineCraft... "Inventory," he thought silently.
A virtual interface unfolded before his eyes.
The Inventory space consisted of four rows and nine columns. The bottom row was the Hotbar, containing a total of 36 slots.
On the left was a 3D render of Zeke himself, flanked by four armor slots.
Seeing something familiar finally gave Zeke a shred of security.
Had he transmigrated into the world of Minecraft? Zeke glanced at the scattered cylindrical fuel drums and dismissed the thought.
The world of MineCraft didn't have round objects. It was more likely that he had transmigrated to another world carrying the MineCraft System.
Understanding his current predicament, Zeke relaxed slightly.
Supporting himself against the wall, he began to explore his immediate surroundings.
About ten meters ahead, an orange glow emanated from around a corner.
The light illuminated the cave, allowing Zeke to see clearly.
His curiosity piqued, he moved towards the light.
Squelch, squelch.
Stepping past the fuel drums, the sticky liquid clung to the soles of his shoes, pulling into thin strands with every step.
As he neared the light, he felt the ambient temperature rise, his frozen body gradually loosening up.
Zeke quickened his pace. Reaching the corner, he pressed against the stone wall and peeked halfway out to see the scene before him.
A perfectly square wooden chest, surrounded by four torches. It looked completely out of place in this dark, twisted environment.
Four torches and a wooden chest—it was a Bonus Chest!
As a Minecraft god, Zeke usually wouldn't deign to open a generated Bonus Chest in survival mode. But now that he had actually transmigrated? He could only admit: it looked delicious.
Delighted, Zeke strode quickly toward the chest, reaching out to open it.
Rumble...
Suddenly, an explosion sounded from overhead, as if something had crashed down.
The entire cave shook, sending dirt and stone chips raining down from the ceiling.
Zeke's hand froze in mid-air. He hesitated for a moment, then immediately pressed his body sideways, putting his ear against the stone wall.
A rough, thunderous voice penetrated the rock layers, exploding faintly in his ears:
"This is Cadia. Unidentified vessel, state your intent!"
"Urggghhh..."
"Dammit, it's Chaos! Open fire! Everyone, open fire!"
Fierce gunfire erupted, mixed with explosions and unidentifiable howling.
The symphony of war began abruptly and ended just as suddenly. After a few explosions, silence returned, leaving only the sound of Zeke's wildly beating heart.
Ca... Cadia?!
Even if "Cadia" could be a coincidence of geography, Zeke had heard the word "Chaos" clearly.
He had transmigrated into Warhammer, and specifically onto the Fortress World, Cadia!
His head swam; he felt as if the whole world was spinning.
Zeke stood in stunned silence for a long time.
Phew—
Zeke exhaled a long breath of stale air, as if trying to squeeze the fear and despair out of his lungs.
Phew, calm down, Zeke. It's just Cadia. No big deal.
It's just a place where Chaos walks openly, Cultists and Lesser Daemons are as common as dogs, and occasionally Greater Daemons show up to play. Or maybe, during the 13th Black Crusade, the "ever-victorious" Abaddon might just use a Blackstone Fortress to blow up the entire planet.
Thinking about it this way... it seemed even worse.
Zeke smiled bitterly, trying his best to comfort himself, but his thoughts uncontrollably slid toward despair.
His wandering gaze eventually settled on the Bonus Chest.
Look on the bright side: at least he had the MineCraft system.
Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, Zeke reached out and grabbed the Bonus Chest.
Even if this was the scheme of a certain Big Blue Bird, Zeke accepted it. He was already at rock bottom; the only way to go was up.
Creeaaak— The Bonus Chest opened.
Two Red Apples and three loaves of Bread were neatly stacked on the oak planks.
On the layer below lay a Stone Axe, a Wooden Pickaxe, and three Logs.
Some food and basic tools.
Zeke picked up the bread. The soft texture transmitted through the crust, and the rich aroma of wheat drilled into his nose, awakening his body's most primal hunger.
In Warhammer, this was a rarity among rarities.