This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 128 LV10! The Second Stage of the Sequence!

Chapter 128: Chapter 128 LV10! The Second Stage of the Sequence!

Evening.

Chu Guang had a nightmare.

In the dream, his body was covered in fur and he had turned into a bear. To evade the pursuing hunters, he ran desperately through the forest, tearing apart a Crawler with his claws and killing a Crack Claw Crab with a slap, and eventually, even punching a real bear into flight...

Wait a minute, if I took down a Crack Claw Crab, why am I running from hunters?

Just then, Chu Guang woke from the dream in alarm.

The first thing he did upon awakening was to feel all over his body, discovering that apart from being drenched in sweat, there were no other changes.

Chu Guang heaved a sigh of relief.

That was close!

Bracing himself with both hands on the bed board, Chu Guang intended to sit up, but he did not control his strength well and with too much force, he bounced right off the bed onto the floor.

Stumbling forward a few steps before steadying himself, Chu Guang had not even grasped what had happened when his bones made cracking sounds with the movement of his limbs.

After moving around, every cell in his body felt more comfortable than ever, as if each pore was breathing.

Not only that, Chu Guang’s mind was clearer than ever, and his vision was unprecedentedly sharp. He didn’t feel like he had just woken up but rather as if he had downed several bottles of taurine.

Especially shocking for Chu Guang was that he could now clearly see the texture on the doorknob while standing beside the bed!

He immediately realized what had happened.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chu Guang ran to the resident hall and used the medical Device there to give himself a complete body check.

As expected.

He had leveled up again after this sleep!

[

ID: Chu Guang

Gene Sequence: Manager (Stage 2)

Level: LV.9→LV.10

——Basic Attributes——

Strength: 11→16

Agility: 6→11

Physique: 8→13

Perception: 7→12

Intelligence: 7→12

]

[

Talent:

1. Wild Instinct

2. Mind Intimidation

]

[Mind Intimidation: Produces a psychological pressure effect on sentient beings weaker than oneself, weakening their will to resist.]

Stage 2!

All attributes increased by 5 points!?

"Holy shit, this is too awesome."

Leveling up while lying down!

Chu Guang couldn’t stop grinning at the examination results displayed on the VM screen.

Just like he had guessed, Level 10 was a bottleneck and once the development progress of the Gene Sequence broke through this bottleneck, his strength would take a quantum leap!

"An increase in all attributes by 5 and an additional Talent... Is this the ’Awakening’ as described by the Wasteland natives?"

Chu Guang still remembered, it was Hain from Red River Town who had first mentioned this term to him.

And in the subsequent fight with "Bear," pushed into a corner, "Bear" even displayed a phenomenon akin to becoming "Variant." Without surprise, this should also be considered a kind of Awakening.

However, in Shelter No. 404, this phenomenon seemed to be referred to as the Second Stage of the Gene Sequence.

Unlike the naturally awakened "Bear," Chu Guang’s own appearance and characteristics hadn’t changed noticeably due to Awakening.

The only change he could feel was that he had grown stronger, his thoughts sharper, his perception of his surroundings keener, his reaction speed faster, and his regeneration and immunity had also strengthened.

Chu Guang roughly speculated that the bonuses provided by different Sequences at the Second Stage must differ, and unlocking Talents should also vary. For example, Strength Types might focus more on muscle enhancement, while Agile systems might focus more on reflex nerves and the like.

However, all of this was just speculation.

Currently, in the entire shelter, only he had reached the Second Stage; even the fastest-leveling Bull and Horse Squad among other players had only reached the peak of Level 7.

As for what conditions the other Sequences were in, he would only know once they had trained to Level 10.

Anyway, Chu Guang was quite satisfied with the Second Stage of the "Manager" Sequence that he possessed.

A 5-point increase in all attributes had instantly turned him into a Pentagon Warrior. Plus that skill that inflicts a fear debuff on people, he felt he was invincible!

Footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Yawning, Xia Yan, who had just woken up, emerged from her room, her arms clutching a crutch.

Seeing Chu Guang sitting there with a goofy smile and holding a VM, the sleepy-eyed Xia Yan paused and muttered softly.

"What’s so good that it makes you laugh like that?"

Quickly wiping the smile from his face, Chu Guang abruptly lifted his head and looked over at Xia Yan, staring into her eyes.

Their gazes met.

The air quieted for a few seconds.

Her fair cheeks began to blush.

"Freak."

Turning her head, Xia Yan left, leaning on her crutch.

As he watched her walk towards the buffer room with a sway, Chu Guang stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before suddenly looking towards the trash can crouching in the corner, recharging.

"Xiao Qi."

The signal light on its head lit up, and Xiao Qi raised its camera.

"Here, Master."

Chu Guang then asked.

"Was she frightened?"

Xiao Qi seemed to hesitate for a moment, and after several seconds, it spoke hesitantly.

"Although the target’s blood pressure, heart rate, and heat dissipation have risen slightly, Xiao Qi feels... that might not be the effect you were expecting?"

Chu Guang: "..."

Well then.

Perhaps he was too handsome, making him seem less intimidating.

This skill was somewhat underwhelming for his own use.

...

Bet Street.

In the plaza in front of the Castle, there was a bustling crowd.

The residents of Bet Street were called here early in the morning, many of whom had just woken up, their faces filled with confusion and curiosity.

For the residents who lived here, many had never come to this place in their lifetime.

Old Charlie’s family couldn’t stand seeing the poor, so every time they came anywhere close, the patrols nearby would chase them away.

But now it was different. Old Charlie’s family had been driven out.

Even though a new Mayor had taken office, at least this new Mayor was a familiar old acquaintance whom they had dealings with, which was naturally much more affable than the vampire they had never met.

Facing a sea of eyes looking towards him, Old Charlie took out a paper signed with a name and date from his chest, cleared his throat, and said.

"Starting from today, the first code of law for Bet Street officially comes into effect! It will promise and protect the lawful rights and interests of all residents of Bet Street."

"The rules are simple: intentional murderers will be sentenced to hanging, those who start fights causing minor injuries will face at least a year of imprisonment and labor, and those causing serious injuries will face at least three years of imprisonment and labor. Additionally, thieves or those who maliciously damage property will, according to the amount involved, face imprisonment, labor, and whipping..."

Old Charlie read out probably more than twenty items, but only a dozen or so were understood by most people.

The crowd in the square looked at each other in confusion.

Law code?

Many of them were hearing this odd and curious term for the first time.

Although Bet Street had a security team before, the security team never dealt with the residents’ disputes; they were only responsible for the safety of the castle and the enclosing wall.

In all these years, there had never been a murder case, though fights were common; but no one ever got seriously hurt.

After all, living was difficult enough these days, and no one wanted to offend others lightly. Even if it wasn’t out of moral obligations, the community would weigh the consequences of disrupting order.

As for theft...

Does digging up Jerusalem artichokes from someone else’s front door count as stealing?

How should this be accounted for?

Watching the bewildered residents, Old Charlie knew what they were thinking but didn’t provide any explanation.

There was no need to explain.

Too complex, and they wouldn’t understand.

Laws, if only written on paper, mean nothing. Once they are strictly enforced for the first time, people will naturally start to weigh the consequences of violating them.

After a pause, Old Charlie continued to speak.

"Starting today, the official currency of Bet Street will be set to two types, silver coins and copper coins, which can be used to purchase food, living supplies, clothing and other materials at the street office’s general store. The existing chips can still be used but only for buying food and salt. Additionally, the rewards for scavenging and hunting will no longer be paid in chips. The current exchange rate between chips and silver coins is tentatively set at one chip for one silver coin, but after a month, one chip can only be exchanged for 5 copper coins."

As soon as the word was out, there was immediately a murmur of discussion.

"Chips are no good anymore?"

"Why switch to silver coins and copper coins..."

"Exactly! What are these silver coins and copper coins? I’ve never even heard of them."

"Are you going to exchange?"

"Not me!"

"Only a fool would!"

While saying this, many were covertly watching Old Charlie’s facial expression.

They thought he would panic, even become distraught.

However, to their disappointment, Old Charlie didn’t take their complaints to heart at all, his expression remained calm and steady as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Meanwhile, Yu Hu, who was in the crowd, was more anxious than Old Charlie.

Unlike the other residents of Bet Street, he had seen those silver and copper coins. Those Blue Jackets in Wetland Park used these coins to buy things, and they could buy quite a lot of good stuff with them.

Now someone was saying that only a fool would use chips to exchange for those silver coins, how could he stand by?

Just as he was about to explain, Yu Xiong, standing next to him, saw his intention and immediately pulled him aside.

"Bro, why are you pulling me?"

Looking at his indignant brother, Yu Xiong shook his head solemnly.

"What can you say to them? What’s the point other than starting a fight?"

Yu Hu was urgent.

"But—"

"There are no buts. If you can think of it, wouldn’t Brother Chu have thought of it? Since he made this decision, he must have his reasons and plans. As for us, just do our jobs well and don’t accidentally cause more trouble than help!"

Rebuked by his elder brother, Yu Hu finally calmed down.

He hadn’t understood at first, but after his brother’s explanation, it kind of made sense.

Would someone as clever as Brother Chu not consider the current situation?

Realizing this, Yu Hu relaxed, and looking at those making a fuss, determined not to exchange their chips for silver coins, he thought they were foolish.

Heh heh.

Just wait and see!

I’ll exchange all the chips at home for silver coins when I get back, and then we’ll see who loses out!

Yu Hu and Yu Xiong’s father kept silent, but it was clear he already had his own ideas in mind.

"Chips aren’t in a hurry to be exchanged."

With a tap on his eldest son’s arm, Old Yu lowered his voice and said,

"If we get silver coins and don’t want them, we can exchange our chips with them... should be able to get more."

Yu Xiong slightly startled, immediately grasped his father’s meaning, and nodded.

"Good!"

After allowing the surrounding residents enough time to discuss, and once they had had their fill of discussion, Old Charlie slowly began to speak, continuing with other arrangements.

Like the security guard team.

Although the original security guard team had been disbanded, Bet Street couldn’t afford to be without guard for even a day.

The role of captain of the security guard team would be temporarily taken by Yu Family’s eldest son, Yu Xiong, and they were openly recruiting 15 young people between the ages of 14 and 35 to form a new guard team.

The daily work of the guard team was to patrol and stand guard, as well as train.

The work intensity was not high, and there was no need to risk one’s life—at least it was safer standing behind the parapets of the enclosing wall than scavenging or hunting in the Wasteland.

As for the treatment, in addition to room and board, the street office would pay each guard a salary every month.

Currently, this amount was 50 silver coins, and it might increase in the future.

Although no one had a concrete concept of the purchasing power of a silver coin, according to Old Charlie, at the grocery store operated by the street office, one silver coin could be exchanged for one kilogram of ram’s horn potatoes or green wheat.

silver coins a month, that’s 50 kilograms of food.

Some of the money could even be used at the grocery store to exchange for salt or other daily necessities—more than enough for a family’s expenses!

After Old Charlie finished speaking, quite a few people showed an eager expression on their faces, planning to leave their fingerprints to sign up for a try later.

If they were chosen, there would be no need to worry about going hungry all winter!

"... Additionally, Bet Street’s Central Castle will open a welfare-oriented school, currently offering two courses: literacy and arithmetic."

"All teenagers between the ages of 6 and 14 must complete two terms of these courses. During school hours, the school will provide a free lunch to those enrolled.

"Young adults over the age of 14 can choose to sign up for an adult class from seven to nine in the evening, free of charge. Passing both courses with a satisfactory score will qualify one to work at the street office."

Obviously, compared to the recruitment of the security guard team, the majority of Bet Street’s residents were not very interested in this so-called school, nor did they consider it a welfare benefit.

However, the free meals were still quite attractive.

Even if it was just the children’s meal, it could save some grain for the family to get through the winter.

Whether the residents of Bet Street were interested in literacy and arithmetic or not, this literacy campaign was essential.

Establishing order was the first step, and emerging from ignorance was the second. Only by succeeding in these two steps could a solid foundation be laid for further work.

Looking at those survivors with faces full of ignorance, Old Charlie sighed softly in his heart.

The responsibility is great and the road is long.

After all arrangements had been explained, Old Charlie immediately announced the adjournment of the meeting.

Aside from those planning to sign up for the security guard team who stayed behind, the rest of the residents went their separate ways.

Many of them still had to go hunting and, as the day had not yet fully dawned, hurried home to prepare their equipment.

On the way home, the third son of the Wang Family, Wang Defu, complained with a face full of resentment.

"Why let Yu Family’s people be the captain of the guard team? They’ve only got two men, why should they!"

It was not just he who was dissatisfied; his two older brothers were also clearly unhappy.

Especially his eldest brother, Wang Biao.

Until Old Charlie announced the selection for the captain of the guard team, he had been in good spirits, always considering himself one of Charlie’s men.

However, when Old Charlie announced the selection for the captain, he felt as if his whole world had instantly turned grey, his face looking uglier than if he had eaten something distasteful.

Why?

Why is it that he, who risked his life to deliver messages to the Blood Hand Clan, who kept his mouth shut and kept the Blood Hand Clan’s destruction a secret for Old Charlie, was not the one made captain of the guard team?

After hearing this arrangement, he felt even the few chips in his pocket lost their allure...

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