APRIL FOOLS!! | White Knuckle - Part 6

Markiplier returns to "White Knuckle" after a period of updates, starting with an elevator that was part of an April Fool's update. This "direct surface emergency access system" promises a 30-minute travel time to the surface, avoiding the game's usual climbing mechanics. The elevator's announcements provide lore, mentioning a "deep substructure storage facility" containing an "entity hostile to all intelligent life," first discovered in 1987. This entity is implied to be the rising goo, which appears to be an amalgamation of swirling faces and reaching hands. The player speculates on the goo's nature, questioning if it's a self-generating entity, an interdimensional phenomenon, or something akin to an "infinite poop" that continuously expands. The elevator passes through various facilities, including a ventilation system and high-pressure lockdown hatches designed to contain the goo. The player reflects on the vast budget spent on climbing measures throughout the facility, humorously noting the irony of being in an elevator to avoid climbing. An announcement warns of "lambda wildlife" infesting the drainage networks, described as "tall lambda striders" that eat sewage, which the computer voice finds disgusting. This prompts the player to question the nature of the computer, suggesting it might be an omnipresent, peculiar person. Mid-journey, the elevator experiences a "power system fault," and strange noises are heard, indicating the presence of creatures outside. The computer reassures the passenger, emphasizing their dislike for climbing and the system's efforts to prevent it. An "intransit sale" on merchandise like "I hate climbing" t-shirts and "no handholds" mugs adds a layer of dark humor. The elevator reaches "habitation yellow in substructure 17," which the player initially associates with the main tower or surface plug area, leading to confusion about the facility's overall structure and whether it's entirely subterranean. The walls of the elevator shaft are observed to be "wiggling," adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Further lore is revealed, stating that passengers are "legally responsible for any strange or unsettling sights, sounds, smells, cravings, or emotions" encountered in the super-structure, placing blame on individual perception. The elevator briefly encounters a creature, identified as part of a new update, described as something that "chases you instead of the goop rising." After reaching the "ceiling of the cavity" and then the "interface strutter," the elevator reveals it's ascending a massive tower within a subsurface cavity, leading to questions about a "hollow earth" scenario. The estimated time to surface arrival is 3 minutes, at 6,000 meters, but the elevator unexpectedly moves backward before continuing its ascent, reaching 10,000 meters. Upon reaching the "surface," the game presents a series of text snippets, one of which mentions "Habitation yellow teeth was humanely pacified and compensated for his many years of service," and another about "substructure 10 abandonment confirmed." The ending also mentions "the nest" and new game modes like "parasite," "shuttered rift," and "endless substructure." The player then delves into the "parasite" game mode, where they control a creature and must escape an "experimental detention facility." This mode features a motion tracker, bloodstains, and notes from other prisoners. These notes describe "emulated sentences" for crimes like tax fraud and "terrorism," with sentences ranging from hundreds to thousands of years in simulated reality, while real-time sentences are much shorter. The facility's medical notes detail procedures to increase adrenaline response in prisoners, suggesting the simulations are designed for punishment and fear. The player discovers a "fuel cell," which is an objective, and learns that staff have picked the place clean of them. They find a note about entering the "organism" only through "chamber lifts," not through the "mall" without systems shocking it open. The player then navigates the environment, creating handholds to reach an elevator. They find an "emergency use inoculator," possibly to survive neurotoxins. An announcement about a "code 999 sentence reduced" suggests a major incident. The player uses the inoculator, but the environment is described as "mystery flesh pit," with the elevator entering the "organism." They encounter a creature that appears to be the source of neurotoxins, and despite using the inoculator, the player struggles to survive, highlighting the game's increased difficulty and new elements. The player acknowledges the game's expansion and the need to improve their skills.