This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 117: Hoping Our Neighbors Can Feed Those Jackals

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Hoping Our Neighbors Can Feed Those Jackals

Outside Outpost Base, snowflakes were fluttering about.

At the southern gate, Yu Hu, clad in furs, braved the heavy snow, hastening from the direction of Bet Street.

Upon his arrival at Outpost Base, Yu Hu had intended to find Chu Guang, but instead came upon the long queue formed in front of the sanatorium.

Drawing nearer, he saw his little sister seated at a small wooden table.

Her young face was the picture of concentration.

She extended her small hand, taking silver coins from those in line wearing blue jackets, meticulously counting them several times before tapping a few times on a screen.

"In total, 41 coins!"

Lifting her head, she looked at the player in front of the counter, her face breaking into a sweet smile.

"Thank you! Be safe on your adventures, okay."

"Wuwuwu... Dammit, Si Si! Lend me money! I need to deposit more!"

Si Si, who was standing behind, was rubbing her forehead with a headache, tugging at the sleeve that had a tail.

"Alright, alright, Ah Wei, stop embarrassing yourself here. You’re blocking the people behind."

"Don’t you think she’s adorable! You heartless woman!"

"Adorable, adorable, tsk. Speaking of which, the caravan to Greenhouse Ruins is about to leave. Are you still going or not?"

"Going! Dammit, why do I have to work during the day, and at night too! What happened to the chill game? Can’t I spend a little more time with something cute!"

"I’m sorry for not being cute enough. Enough chit-chat, leveling up and earning money to buy gear is important. Let’s go. If you keep dawdling, the old brother behind is going to start a fight."

Still grumbling, the tailed Si Si was dragged away.

Just then, a large white bear emerged from behind, sneakily standing in front of the counter, its hands somewhat apprehensively resting on the door frame.

Seeing the big bear, Little Fish was slightly taken aback but not frightened, quickly revealing a sweet smile on her face.

"Would you like to make a deposit?"

Covered in fur so you couldn’t see it blush, the bear awkwardly fumbled out a coin purse, upending its contents onto the table.

"I-I-I, I give it all to you!"

Watching the big white bear throw down the money and walk away, Little Fish quickly said,

"Ah, wait, wait a minute, your ID, please."

"It’s all yours!!"

In the end, thanks to Xiao Qi’s help, Little Fish managed to find out the white bear’s ID.

After carefully counting the coins on the table, Little Fish logged the amount on the VM, just as Chu Guang had taught her to do.

Yu Hu didn’t understand, nor could he make sense of what those blue jackets were saying, but it seemed they weren’t giving his sister a hard time.

It was just that when the white bear had bolted out, he instinctively flinched, and if it hadn’t been for the lack of reaction from those around him, he nearly drew his bow and arrow to shoot.

At that moment, Chu Guang walked over and said with a smile,

"Aren’t you going to say hello?"

"No need, I’m just passing through. Better not to disturb her work," Yu Hu said in his good-natured manner, scratching his head, "I had no idea Little Fish was so competent. Last night, I was still worrying, afraid she’d cause you trouble."

Chu Guang replied with a smile.

"Trouble? Your sister is very smart, and she learns quickly. She just hasn’t had anyone to teach her many things."

Yu Hu sighed and said,

"Dad and my brother have to go out hunting most of the time, so we can’t really teach her anything. Mom taught her how to make pancakes, but she was never very good at it. Last night, I was still worried that she might mess things up. That’s why I came over first thing in the morning — I thought that if she did cause trouble, I’d take her back no matter what. But now, seeing her... Well, Little Fish is definitely better off with you than with us."

"You can’t say that," Chu Guang shook his head, "you should still come to see her often. Even the warmest quilt isn’t as good as being with one’s family."

A warm quilt?

Was their relationship progressing that fast?

Yu Hu was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"You’re right... Well, I’ll be going then."

Chu Guang said politely.

"Are you in such a hurry to go back? Stay for lunch before you leave."

"No, no," Yu Hu shook his head repeatedly, waving his hand as he spoke, "I won’t disturb you here; I still need to go hunting. You go ahead with your business, I’m just going to head back now."

Chu Guang did not insist, simply nodded.

"Be careful on your way."

...

Leaving through the north gate, Yu Hu felt very good, even though it was snowing, he felt warm, even more comfortable than if he had drunk alcohol.

But just then, he saw a large covered cart filled with bricks with a person standing alongside.

The man looked somewhat familiar.

As Yu Hu walked closer to take a look, his eyes suddenly widened.

"Zhao Mouse?!"

"Yu Hu?!"

"Wait, weren’t you dead? I saw that your family even held a funeral."

Yu Hu was still the same old inarticulate person, but Zhao Mouse, now bumping into an old acquaintance, was too emotional to care about such matters. His eyes brimmed with tears.

"Brother, I nearly died! Luckily these Blue Jackets saved me!"

In about five minutes, Zhao Mouse told Yu Hu about his experiences over the past month, from being captured while hunting by the Looters, to when this group of Blue Jackets broke through the Blood Hand Clan’s stronghold and placed him and others at the brick factory by the river.

Although instinct told him something was fishy about getting caught by the Looters, Yu Hu’s mind couldn’t figure out the complexities and soon shifted his focus elsewhere.

"...So you mean, you are now working for Brother Chu?"

Zhao Mouse paused before replying.

"Brother Chu? You mean the Manager? Anyway, working here is quite comfortable. They provide food and lodging, there’s meat at every meal, firewood and coal for heating, and now they even pay 1 Silver Coin a day. The work is to make bricks using molds, then fire them in the kiln, and bring back the fired bricks. It’s not that tiring."

Yu Hu nodded, then asked.

"Then you aren’t planning to go back?"

A complex expression crossed Zhao Mouse’s face.

"Go back? Where would I go back to? Only my parents, my elder brother, and his two kids are left at home. The little food that remained would barely get them through the winter. If I went back now, it surely wouldn’t be enough. Let’s talk about it after spring comes next year... We’ll see when the time comes."

As he was speaking, Zhao Mouse suddenly remembered something. He said, "Hold on for me," and then turned and ran into the gate.

In a short while, he returned with a small bag of coarse salt, weighing about three or four ounces, and stuffed it into Yu Hu’s hand.

"This is what I exchanged with my wages. Take it back for my mother. Just say... I’m doing well and tell them not to worry! I’ll go see them next spring! And Yang Ergou, he’s alive too... but he’s busy right now. You decide if you want to tell his family or not."

Taking the salt, Yu Hu nodded seriously.

"Rest assured, I will definitely pass on your message!"

Yu Hu retraced his steps.

However, just as he was passing the south gate of the Wetland Park, he suddenly noticed a set of footprints not far from his own that didn’t belong to him.

The footprints were shallow and seemed to have been made some time ago.

As a hunter’s instinct kicked in, Yu Hu squatted down, rubbed his forefinger over the print, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Whose footprints are these?

...

Bet Street.

Rushing through the door, Wang Biao headed straight to Old Charlie’s grocery store.

"Old Butler!"

Charlie, who was sitting at the door resting with his eyes closed, opened half an eye and instantly understood when he saw Wang Biao. He stood up from his chair.

"Come in and talk."

The door curtain was drawn.

Wang Biao, with a look of excitement and without even catching his breath, started gesticulating as he reported to the old butler everything he had seen and heard following Yu Hu.

Charlie’s frown deepened the more he listened.

"You’re saying... a survivor settlement has appeared in Linghu Wetland Park?"

Wang Biao nodded fiercely.

"Yes! There are Blue Jackets and some refugees whose origin we don’t know... I suspect they came from the north. They’ve built enclosing walls in the forest, dug ditches, and set up roadblocks. I couldn’t see inside the encampment, but there’s a chimney that’s always emitting smoke."

"From the north?"

Charlie’s frown deepened.

The north was the territory of the Blood Hand Clan, and there seemed to be a Mutant tribe not too far away.

What was the difference between establishing a settlement there and offering up heads as tribute?

And...

Those Looters were the kind who’d devour people without spitting out their bones—how could they have let them in?

Wang Biao, however, didn’t care about all that and only busied himself with shouting excitedly.

"Old Butler, that young brat from the Yu Family has broken the rules; we should quickly catch him!"

He had long harbored discontent with the Yu Family.

Especially since Yu Hu had beaten up his younger brother. And that foreigner’s shack too—they didn’t even leave them a door frame; they took everything for themselves and had the cheek to say it was a gift, truly shameless.

Wang Biao’s calculations were loud and clear; according to the rules of Bet Street, anyone who traded privately with outside Commercial Teams would be seen as a betrayal. The minor punishment would be a fine of one beast skin; the major one would be confiscation of property and expulsion.

Whether those people counted as a Commercial Team didn’t matter; what he cared about was the shack Yu Hu was living in. If he could get him expelled, his family could just take over that foreigner’s shack.

However, Old Charlie was a man of experience and naturally wouldn’t be as short-sighted as him.

Blue Jackets, huh...

He had once been one, although that was a very, very long time ago.

After a long contemplation, Charlie said cautiously,

"This matter isn’t urgent, remember not to act rashly; I will report the situation to the mayor first before making a decision."

Wang Biao was stunned.

What else was there to ask for?

Just raid the place and that would be the end of it.

As long as the mayor gave the order, the Wang Family would respond first.

However, the old butler didn’t bother with further conversation.

Tossing four white chips into his hand, Old Charlie chased him out of the grocery store, locked the door, and hurried toward the center of the town.

...

The mayor’s family lived in an ancient castle in the center of Bet Street.

This castle, originally built for entertainment purposes, had now become a symbol of the pinnacle of the pyramid.

Inside the castle lived the rulers of this small town; servants, guards, and direct relatives lived in the brick and wood houses nearby, while further out lay dilapidated shanties.

After asking the guard at the entrance for permission and going through a simple body search, Charlie was allowed to enter.

As he stepped into the grand hall on the first floor, he happened to see two adorable children playing soccer in the great hall of the castle.

Their clothes, made of deer skin, matched the ball they were kicking; their clean faces and carefree smiles were something the children outside didn’t possess.

Noticing Charlie at the entrance, the slightly older boy with brown curly hair picked up the ball from the ground.

"Charlie? You’re back? Want to join us for soccer?"

"Sorry, respected young master, I’m afraid I can’t accompany you to play... I am here to see your father."

A touch of disappointment crossed the boy’s face as he spoke impatiently.

"Go on, he’s in the study."

Charlie respectfully bowed his head.

Circling around the children’s playing area, he was led by a servant to the elevator and rode it to the top floor.

As the elevator doors opened, a warm breeze greeted him.

In the fireplace directly opposite, the fire burned and the wood crackled.

"I know the way."

Nodding to the servant, Charlie passed through the door on the left and arrived in front of a double door that was two persons tall.

This is the town mayor’s study room.

Within the study, rows of bookshelves were lined up, and on them were novels, poetry collections, and some odd curiosities that scavengers had picked up from outside.

Sitting in front of an antique wooden table, the mayor leisurely sipped his tea. The intermittent sounds coming from the radio on the table were from his favorite post-war music by the Red-tailed Thrush Band.

Among the larger radio stations in Giant Stone City, there was one that could be heard even in the distant "North Suburb" of Qingquan City.

Every evening from six to seven, the station repeatedly broadcast the day’s closing prices for trade commodities. From seven to ten, they offered planting tips for scarce "economic crops" like Cam Trees and Spirit Leaves, interspersing the segments with ads from arms dealers and clone traffickers.

As for the rest of the time, it was replays of pre-war popular music, which was also the old mayor’s preferred program, as it allowed him to briefly forget these troubled times.

Even to the ears of a real "pre-war person," this was all just old-fashioned amusement.

Quietly waiting for the song to finish, Charlie approached the desk, respectfully bowing his head.

"Sir, I have urgent news to report to you."

The mayor glanced up, responding indifferently,

"What is it?"

In his view, urgent news from Old Charlie could only be about some new trouble ignited by those roaches living in the shacks outside.

To him, those people were like weeds that would sprout up in batches after a while; he never cared about their welfare.

Old Charlie continued with his head lowered.

"To the north, in Linghu Wetland Park, a survivor settlement has emerged, with a population of over a hundred... perhaps even more."

"Linghu Wetland Park? A survivor settlement?! How’s that possible!"

Placing his teacup heavily on the table, the mayor sat up straight, staring at Charlie who stood before the desk, "Is this information accurate?"

"It should be correct."

Charlie nodded solemnly, continuing his respectful tone,

"They are not to be underestimated. Some hunters have been taking their game directly to them, exchanging it for salt and meat to bring back. And it seems their terms are more generous than ours. I’m worried that if this continues, it will damage your interests... I suggest that we make contact with those people proactively and adjust the price of salt accordingly."

The mayor’s expression went from cloudy to clear as he tapped his index finger lightly on the desk, apparently weighing his options.

After a moment,

he felt a slight urge, pulled open a drawer, took out an envelope with the Blood Handprint, and a blank piece of paper.

After writing a few lines with his pen, the mayor stuffed the paper into the envelope and tossed it into Charlie’s hands,

"Find someone brave, meticulous, and trustworthy to deliver this letter to Blood Hand."

Gazing at the envelope in his hands, Charlie was slightly taken aback.

"Are you planning to...?"

The mayor said expressionlessly,

"This winter will be very cold. If nothing unexpected happens, Blood Hand will come again next month."

Just the thought of those insatiably greedy villains made him clench his teeth in anger. However, there was no helping it; his guards combined were no match for them.

Charlie hesitated, and after a moment of deliberation, he cautiously reminded,

"This may not be the best idea. Besides, I don’t think Blood Hand is unaware of them and needs us to point them out—"

"There is no doubt this is the best idea, unless you can come up with a better one?" the mayor said impatiently, waving his hand, then added, "We don’t have enough surplus in our granary to feed them, and if you can’t produce the food, you have to provide people. You know what happens to those taken by the Looters, don’t you? Think of those broken families. I’m doing this for the good of the townspeople."

At this point, he suddenly seemed to care for the town’s people.

Picking up his teacup again, the mayor looked at the silent Old Charlie, took a sip of the warm tea, and slowly began,

"The weather’s getting worse every day."

"Let’s pray that our neighbors can satiate those wolves."

Charlie bowed his head in respect,

"I will follow your orders."

The mayor nodded, pleased,

"Go now... Oh, and when you get back, tell those troublemakers to gather more firewood and try to dry it out better. Damp wood pops and crackles when it burns, and it’s noisy."

With his head bowed, Charlie left the study with the envelope in hand.

"Yes, sir."

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