Seeing everyone looking at him, Blood Pigeon felt a bit embarrassed.
But he still straightened his back, trying hard to appear unruffled.
"You've flown a plane before?" Qin Yun walked up to Blood Pigeon and asked.
"I've flown a trainer plane under instruction."
"Flown a trainer plane!!"
Qin Yun thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Then this task is yours. If you can get the Valkyrie airborne, you will be the Imperial Glory's Aircraft Commander, plus thirty thousand Contribution Points."
Other players showed envious expressions upon hearing this.
"Having professional skills and knowledge is the top-tier class this version."
"Promoted! Aircraft Commander! Can someone tell me if the rank for this position is Major or Lieutenant Colonel??"
"Damn it, I'm so jealous. For the first time, I hate myself for not studying seriously in school."
"If only I had known, I would have studied hard instead of constantly fantasizing about dating the English teacher."
"You'd even go after a teacher? What a beast! Was she pretty? Did you succeed? No particular reason, I just want to know the details so I can thoroughly despise you."
"Do you need professional skills and knowledge suited to the current version to unlock hidden gameplay??"
"...,"
Seeing the players wailing incessantly.
Dovahkiin, Monkey, Warmaster, and other players who were still students looked at each other.
They silently strengthened their resolve to study hard.
This was the power of knowledge; even in a game, it could play a role.
Blood Pigeon entered the Valkyrie's cockpit.
His eyes met a dense web of instruments and buttons like a spider's web.
At first glance, it was dizzying.
"I need a co-pilot."
After briefly familiarizing himself with the cockpit, Blood Pigeon came out and requested from Qin Yun: "Someone quick-witted and obedient to commands."
Qin Yun turned to the players. "Who is willing to be his co-pilot? The reward is Aircraft Vice-Commander, plus ten thousand Contribution Points."
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Pick me, pick me!"
"I'm clever, diligent, and eager to learn."
Players raised their hands one after another, their faces full of anticipation.
Forget about the Contribution Points for now.
Just learning to pilot a Valkyrie would be a huge gain.
This game was too realistic.
The more you knew, the more valuable you were.
The more hidden gameplay you could unlock.
"You choose one," Qin Yun looked back at Blood Pigeon, letting him decide.
"Pick me, Blood Pigeon, I'll Venmo you five thousand offline."
"Money is fleeting, pick me, I'll introduce you to the junior I just met."
"Ahem! Ahem!" Qin Yun interrupted the players attempting to bribe Blood Pigeon. "This kind of behavior is seriously against the rules."
Qin Yun's words made the players instantly behave, not daring to speak recklessly anymore.
They could only cast their gazes at Blood Pigeon, hoping he would choose them.
Blood Pigeon hesitated for a while, and finally chose Milk Dragon.
During the previous squad assignment, Milk Dragon was the veteran player responsible for leading him and another newcomer.
They knew each other's roots, were relatively familiar, and cooperated well.
Milk Dragon looked excited, scurrying over to Blood Pigeon's side.
"I knew my excellence was like a shining piece of gold, impossible to hide."
The other players rolled their eyes.
'Excellent my foot!!'
Purely benefiting from the advantage of leading newcomers.
Ignoring the wailing players, Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon started studying the Valkyrie's control panel according to the manual.
To create a quiet environment for the two, Qin Yun had the other players go do their daily tasks.
He also instructed Old Bird, Monkey, Dovahkiin, and other players knowledgeable in maintaining mechanical equipment to stay and assist Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon.
After making arrangements, Qin Yun went to the Prayer Chapel to check when the new pre-registration slots would be released.
This time, Qin Yun didn't plan to release all the slots.
But would keep a portion to invite players with special skills and professional knowledge.
To maintain the Imperial Glory and complete the tasks issued by the Emperor, relying solely on fighting wasn't enough; comprehensive logistical support was also needed.
He would ask Old Bird later if he had any colleagues who liked playing games.
He'd also ask Blood Pigeon; they needed to recruit some players who knew how to operate aircraft.
He also needed to find ways to recruit talent in other technical fields.
Just as Qin Yun was thinking about how to better complete the Emperor's tasks,
A golden light screen materialized before him.
[Task: Assist the Loyalist Faction in Reclaiming Astroma Prime
Astroma Prime is engulfed in war due to cultist rebellion. The local Imperial citizens await the Emperor's salvation day and night.
Please defeat the enemies who have plunged the Imperial citizens into suffering and restore normal life for the civilians.
Reward: A Pair of Flight Wings (Epic Grade)]
After checking the new task's content, Qin Yun prayed to the Emperor to find out the release time for the new pre-registration slots.
Then, he went to the command hall, went online to check the chat group messages.
The real world.
"Who would have thought a game would have such high requirements for specialization. What about me, working in finance!!"
Qian Donglai, having exited the game, sighed.
He felt that what he had learned couldn't be used in the current stage of Warhammer OL.
He could only hope the developers would introduce farming gameplay later.
If he could get a position as a Planetary Governor or a reform director, his financial knowledge might come in handy.
"Forget it, no point overthinking. If I can't use my professional advantage, being a psyker is pretty good too."
Opening the chat group, he prepared to share today's insights.
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Why is no one talking? You haven't all gone to play the game, have you? Seeing you play the game hurts me more than killing me. I beg you, stop playing, come out and chat together."
I Don't Wanna Be a Stinky Can: "Stop shouting. It's just us few without pre-registration slots left here."
Auspex Plays Genshin Smoothly: "Sigh, how bleak."
Output to Slaanesh Ten Times a Night: "Hehe, I'm here again to share the latest game news with everyone."
[Group Admin Outputs Slaanesh Ten Times a Night has enabled group mute.]
"After a tough battle, the players cleared the mutants from the lowest decks and successfully reclaimed control of the Imperial Glory."
"The Guide had a few players restart the reactor, getting the Imperial Glory operational again."
"A player who is a flight school freshman accepted the Guide's task and is currently learning to pilot a Valkyrie, planning to go to Astroma Prime and open the new map."
"Knowledge and professional skills from the real world are interchangeable in Warhammer OL."
"Having professional skills and knowledge gives you a better start in the game, and can even unlock hidden gameplay."
"..."
"That's all the gains from today's game. Thank you, everyone."
Qin Yun, who was lurking, took the opportunity to post the related video of Old Bird restarting the reactor.
This action brought out both the players who weren't online and group members who couldn't get a game slot.
Lost Krieger: "Interesting, the gameplay is so diverse. It looks just like the real thing."
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "The Regent is happy you posted this, but he's unhappy you aren't giving out game slots. Macragge calls for me! Give me a game slot quickly!"
I Don't Wanna Be a Stinky Can: "JPG: Ah! Ah! I'll kill you all!"
Auspex Plays Genshin Smoothly: "@Corporate Drone Enslaved by the Emperor, Group Owner, when will new pre-registration slots be released?"
"Yeah, new slots! Why aren't new slots being released?"
"Stop the closed beta, just go straight to open beta. I can't wait any longer."
"A petition signed by ten thousand, begging for open beta!"
"Yes, open beta, it must be open beta."
Corporate Drone Enslaved by the Emperor: "Fifty slots will be released tomorrow. Additionally, the company has provided some special invitation slots to invite players with professional knowledge and skills to test the game."
September Ninth Remembers Battle-Brothers: "I work in auto repair, does that count?"
Corporate Drone Enslaved by the Emperor: "@September Ninth Remembers Battle-Brothers, Yes, you can send the relevant proof to me. If it passes, I'll send you a pre-registration slot."
Guilliman is the Only Sun: "Ah, what? This works too!!"
I Don't Wanna Be a Stinky Can: "Group Owner, I'm a programming workhorse, does that work?"
Corporate Drone Enslaved by the Emperor: "Yes. Anyone with a particular skill can contact me. If it passes, I'll give you a pre-registration slot."
"You can also ask friends proficient in a certain field if they're interested in joining the game's closed beta."
After a period of trial and error.
Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon actually managed to get the Valkyrie to take off.
They even flew a few circles around the Imperial Glory.
Valkyries cannot operate in deep space, but they can fly in near-orbit and perform landing missions from ship to the surface.
Qin Yun watched Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon's training sessions several times.
After confirming they could safely take off and land the Valkyrie,
He planned to first take the players to Astroma Prime's most magnificent orbital station platform to check the situation.
As for why not take the Imperial Glory directly over, who knew what the situation was like at the orbital station!!
If it were already controlled by rebels, that would be a nightmare.
Their numbers were too small to operate a Luna-class battleship normally.
If the other side opened fire, they couldn't even fight back, only able to take hits passively.
Going by Valkyrie, even if they encountered an accident, the loss would only be one Valkyrie.
Considering there might be enemies, Qin Yun selected the twenty players most skilled in combat.
The other players, under Old Bird's command, would stay behind on the Imperial Glory, continuing to clean the ship and repair damaged equipment.
And also familiarize the soon-to-log-in newcomers with the environment.
After all players boarded, Blood Pigeon and Milk Dragon started the engines and thrusters according to procedure.
Then, the heavy hangar doors opened, and the Valkyrie flew out along the runway.
Once in the void, the thrusters emitted plasma light, propelling it towards the orbital station.
The void was vast and boundless, making the Valkyrie seem exceptionally tiny.
Without reference points, it was even hard to tell if the Valkyrie was moving forward.
Half an hour later, the orbital station, which was initially just a small black dot, grew larger as the distance closed.
The orbital station had a diameter of about a hundred kilometers, immensely magnificent, shaped like a giant rugby ball.
Warship wreckage floated in the void near the station.
Some were still exploding, emitting bright flames.
Countless corpses drifted in the void, most wearing the double-headed eagle uniform.
The players widened their eyes, observing the outside through the viewports.
"Is this the void battlefield?"
"So terrifying, so many corpses."
"..."
Qin Yun continuously sent messages to the station; there was no response at first.
Only when they got close enough to see the floating wreckage and corpses with the naked eye did they get a response.
"Welcome to the Laicade Orbital Station, strangers."
A hoarse mechanical voice came through the Valkyrie's comms system.
Qin Yun said, "I am the Captain of the Imperial Glory. Please state your name and position."
"I will tell you, but not now."
"What do you mean?"
"Current data indicates the probability of you being Loyalist is only 22.54%."
"We are 100% loyal to the Emperor."
"Then prove it to me. Go to the Y-107H entrance. A group of cultists is entrenched there. Eliminate them."
"How do I know which faction you belong to? Are you just using us?"
The voice sounded, with a hint of mockery.
"If I wanted to kill you, I just need to press a small button in front of me. The weapon systems still operational on the station would instantly destroy an unshielded Valkyrie."
"If it weren't for the Valkyrie's Machine Spirit still bearing the Omnissiah's blessing, you would be dead already."