This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 156: The Messenger from Giant Stone City

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: The Messenger from Giant Stone City

From afar.

The swirling snow and a dozen gunshots painted a touch of melancholy for the funeral.

Three fallen marines were put into ice chests, and the crew of the Pioneer held a simple ceremony for them.

To prevent their comrades’ bodies from being consumed by the Variants, they would freeze the bodies, store them in the morgue, and bring them back for burial in Ideal City after the triumphal return of the Expeditionary Army.

When the Pioneer set out, it had one hundred people; now, only ninety remained, with three more lying in the medical bay, awaiting cybernetic implant surgery.

Gazing at the bodies of his fallen comrades, Captain Lu’s heart felt heavy, even a bit lost.

He did not doubt the decisions made by the enterprise’s higher-ups, nor did he fear dying in search of No.0 Shelter. However, what made him anxious was that he did not know how many more would die if they continued on this path.

They had already lost 10% of their personnel just by reaching River Valley Province.

If they continued deeper into the wasteland to the west...

At this moment, his adjutant, Yi Hai, came up beside him and said in a low voice,

"We should increase our weapons reserves, by at least another 500 tons. The farther west we go, the greater the likelihood of encountering Army forces. I’m worried... that new situations will arise by then."

Captain Lu nodded.

"Last night, I discussed this issue with Director Li of the logistics section. On the one hand, we need to increase our weapons reserves; on the other hand, we need to actively seek reinforcements from the corporate headquarters. I plan to help the Residents of Shelter No. 404 reinforce their action base so that we can receive supplies from there once reinforcements from headquarters arrive."

But that wasn’t the only consideration.

Captain Lu was concerned that General Kras of the Expeditionary Army would find out that Shelter No. 404 had been granted the title of "permanent strategic partner" shortly after his thousand-person Brigade suffered losses.

That would undoubtedly signal to them the decisive role Shelter No. 404 had played in the outcome of the War.

Perhaps General Kras wouldn’t lose his reason over a Thousands of leaders, forgetting his purpose in coming to River Valley Province.

But it was hard to say whether they would engage in other acts of retaliation.

After all, the Looters were the Army’s "number one fans", with many of their tactics in organizing and training slaves simply copied from the Army.

Yi Hai nodded slightly.

"That’s what I was thinking too."

...

Dawn broke.

In the distant action camp, the industrious Residents of Shelter No. 404 had already started cooking.

Fang Chang, sitting in the camp with his left arm wrapped in bandages, also holding a bowl of noodles in his hands, lamented after sipping the soup,

"Ah, it’s a good thing Brother Egg is still alive; otherwise, we couldn’t even have this bowl of noodles."

He had managed to save both bow and life.

The only regret was that Brother Night Ten had been sacrificed, Old White couldn’t log in due to other commitments today, and Brother Gale had lost an arm and was receiving treatment on the Pioneer.

This bowl of noodles, only he could sit here and eat alone.

"I’m Niubi after all, not so easy to kick the bucket," said Brother Egg slapping a plaster on his face and holding the cooking spoon, without forgetting to call out, "Next."

Although more than a hundred people had died the night before, those who survived seemed unaffected, only sometimes slightly sighing during casual conversations, as if expressing regret for the deceased.

Leaning against the water wheel, eating a bun he just bought, Yuan Hao looked towards the white smoke rising in the distance and couldn’t help murmuring,

"Maybe we should learn from their optimism."

"Yeah..." Vite nodded, admiration and emotion in his eyes, "Perhaps, that’s why they’ve managed to survive in this harsh world."

"Speaking of which, the soy milk today is not bad."

"Indeed! To tell the truth, I really wish we could leave the planting chambers to them... Using the freeze-drying workshop and the mobile kitchen to process those precious ingredients is just a waste."

At that time, from the direction of Rhombus Lake to the south, a black transport plane approached.

Its shape was striking like a dolphin, with a wide nose and a slender body, and the two engines located at the bottom of the fuselage, one in front and one behind, were ejecting enchanting blue fire arcs, propelling the fuselage forward.

The electromagnetic Point Defense on top of the Pioneer targeted it, following its outline slowly for a while before firing two mass bombs as a warning.

The thunderous booms that pierced the sound barrier halted the plane, which obediently stopped moving forward and landed gently in the open space south of the Pioneer.

With the engines off, four men wearing exoskeletons jumped cleanly out of the cabin and headed towards the Pioneer from afar.

Many players in the action camp witnessed this scene, their faces showing surprise.

"What the hell?"

"A helicopter without propellers!"

"That engine emitting blue light is so cool..."

"If only I could buy one!"

"One million silver coins a piece, go buy it."

"Shut up, what if the game designers overhear you?"

Regarding these unexpected visitors, the Pioneer went into the highest level of combat readiness but did not sound the alarms. Logistics staff took elevators back inside the fortress, and four marines in power armor descended from the elevator.

Approaching with three teammates, Captain Lu Yang scrutinized the four men in front of him, his brows lightly furrowed.

"Who are you?"

The man in the lead took a step forward and spoke politely.

"We are from the Giant Stone City Militia Group, my name is Lihua."

Lu Yang stared at him.

"Silver Wing Group First Pioneer Corps, Lu Yang, state your purpose."

"We’re here to deal with the aftermath. We don’t want to get involved in your conflicts, but this clash did happen on our territory..."

From the corner of his eye, Lu Yang noticed the fixed-wing drones taking off above the fortress, and Lihua reluctantly raised his hands, "Don’t be nervous, friends from afar. Since your fight is over, how about stopping here? Why not leave the captives to us? We can pay a ransom for them... After all, keeping them is of no use to you, right?"

"Are you representing the Army?" Lu Yang’s tone grew heavier.

Lihua said,

"A neutral third party. Of course, if you refuse, we won’t say anything. After all, they are your captives, and you have the right to dispose of them."

Lu Yang pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"I can’t decide alone about the captives; I need to ask our allies for their opinions."

"Allies?" The man was taken aback, exchanged a surprised glance with his teammate, and eventually looked at Lu Yang and nodded helplessly, "Fine... we can wait."

Someone dares to meddle in the matters of the Army?

Truly a brave soul!

Watching those people return to their plane, Lu Yang also returned to the Pioneer with his subordinates and made a call to Chu Guang.

When the call went through, Chu Guang was at the Office, receiving a payment list for the consolation money from Luo Hua.

117,000 CR and a magnetic confinement plasma processing machine.

Yes, the latter was free.

Following the battle, the director of logistics had changed his previous attitude and decided to repair the machine tool for free as gratitude for the support from Shelter No. 404 during the encounter.

However, the machine was technically complex and required about a week to fully repair, so it would take a bit of patience. Luo Hua assured Chu Guang that he would deliver the machine before departure.

Chu Guang certainly didn’t mind waiting; he was in no rush.

Saving 100,000 CR was a huge gain!

He only had to spend 117 units of active substance after all, and thanks to the more than two thousand corpses left by the clones, the cost was essentially null.

Besides, there was also the 117,000 CR in consolation money, which whether used for buying weapons or food, was a great deal.

Of course, since the amount involved in the tens of thousands of CR meant purchasing a vast quantity of goods, Luo Hua also reminded Chu Guang that the Pioneer’s production capacity had limits. If large quantities were needed, it was better to order in advance as they didn’t keep a large inventory, and arranging production took time.

Like assault rifles.

Like agricultural products.

If they couldn’t deliver before departure, they would have to give them the money to buy from the commercial teams of the enterprise.

Of course, these issues didn’t seem to be a problem to Chu Guang at all.

If Shelter No. 404 became a permanent partner of the enterprise, it would be fine even if the CR couldn’t be spent immediately; it would eventually get used.

At that moment, Chu Guang was feeling extremely pleased with himself, yet he couldn’t show too much excitement; he felt like all 16 points of his strength were being used to suppress his laughter.

However, before he could enjoy his contentment, he soon received a call from Lu Yang...

"Giant Stone City? They plan to redeem the people?" Chu Guang was taken aback after hearing the words of Captain Lu.

Just a couple of days ago, he was wondering why there was no movement from the people of Giant Stone City, yet today, first thing in the morning, they showed up.

"Yes." In the holographic image, Lu Yang nodded, "They just arrived in the ’North Suburb’."

Chu Guang immediately asked,

"How did they get here?"

With so much snow!

The road from the ’North Suburb’ to the Third Ring was completely blocked, and this wasn’t just a short distance of one or two kilometers, but it involved traversing several mountains and tunnels!

The most crucial point was that they didn’t use the Northern elevated highway, and the Hummingbirds hovering in the area didn’t even spot them.

Could they have crossed from the lake?

Lu Yang: "It was a twin-engine rotorless aircraft."

Chu Guang: "..."

Well then.

He’d wasted his expressions.

But since they could afford a plane ride, they were likely not just any mercenaries or hired guns; they were probably from the Giant Stone City Militia Group.

Looking at Lu Yang’s holographic image, Chu Guang’s expression became serious, and without even asking how much the ransom was, he said,

"We can’t take this ransom!"

Lu Yang looked at Chu Guang and asked,

"We haven’t agreed to them. Before deciding how to dispose of those captives, I wanted to know your opinion."

Opinions?

What opinions could there be?

If we were to release the captives and let the Expeditionary Army up north know it was we who spoiled their plans, that would be real trouble.

Although the Army’s Expeditionary Army would eventually find out that it was us who had acted, learning about the same event through different means can lead to entirely different outcomes.

If Vanus doesn’t make it back, even if the generals of the Expeditionary Army did learn the truth, they might not bother sending anyone to search the south for a foolish failure.

Marching through heavy snow slows the troops down, and by the time the snow stops, the Pioneer would be long gone. Travelling over five hundred kilometers to beat up some hillbillies isn’t worth it.

Too few men would be a waste of lives, too many and it wouldn’t pay off.

But if Vanus made it back alive, that would be a different story.

What if he managed to persuade his general and gathered a thousand-team to come back looking for revenge?

It’s not entirely impossible.

Considering this Thousand-leader’s network within the Army and the Expeditionary Army, as well as potential family ties, Chu Guang could list at least four completely different possibilities.

After some thought, Lu Yang asked,

"So, what do you think is the best way to handle this?"

"If you’re not planning to take him with you when you leave, then hand these captives over to us," Chu Guang said sincerely, looking at the holographic image of Lu Yang, "After the Army’s Expeditionary Army is defeated in the River Valley Province, I will give him a chance to redeem himself, but not now."

Releasing him is definitely not an option, but killing him isn’t right either. It’s best to wait until the Expeditionary Army has withdrawn from the River Valley Province, then decide based on the situation whether to deal with him or give him a chance to redeem himself.

The Thousand-leaders of the Army are Slave Owners, and there’s always a way to squeeze some benefits from them.

If all else fails, selling him to Giant Stone City is an option too.

At least while the Army’s Expeditionary Army is in the River Valley Province, Chu Guang can’t afford to send this unpredictable factor back.

Lu Yang had probably thought of this too and nodded.

"Right, I don’t agree with releasing him now either. At least before we set off, we need to keep him under control to ensure he doesn’t go running around. Since we’re on the same page, I’ll just send those messengers from Giant Stone City on their way."

Chu Guang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.

"That will be very good."

...

The jet-black helicopter took off again, heading back to Giant Stone City at the edge of Qingquan City’s Third Ring Road.

Glancing at the increasingly distant Pioneer, Lihua’s face showed some regret.

The militiaman seated beside him couldn’t help but ask,

"Commander, we’re just leaving like this?"

Lihua glanced at him.

"What else? Do you have a better idea?"

The soldier immediately shut his mouth.

What good idea could he have?

He was just worried that the group leader would blame them for returning without accomplishing anything.

But when it comes down to it, these hillbillies from the North Suburb are really daring, actually getting involved in the disputes between the Army and corporations.

Are they planning to dance in a minefield?

Incomprehensible.

In the nearby Action Camp.

Players who had expected some new developments dispersed in disappointment, each going off to do their own thing.

"What on earth were those people here for?"

"Don’t know..."

"Who do you think those people were?"

"Their gear looks different from the corporations’... Could they be from Giant Stone City?"

"Possibly."

At game time midnight, which corresponds to noon the next day in real time, the official website will host a spoils auction.

From the items listed in the announcements, there were quite a few good things, and many eager online players decided to make some money in the meantime. That way, when the auction came around, they would have a chance to bid for their desired equipment.

Meanwhile, on board the Pioneer.

Wild Wind lay on the medical bed, looking at his right hand in utter astonishment, his face filled with disbelief.

It was a mechanical hand.

The shiny steel casing looked incredibly sturdy and heavy, but it did not hinder its agility in the slightest.

Honestly, it didn’t look like a prosthetic at all.

It was as though it had grown right out of his own body!

At that time, he was lying in the trench, thinking he was about to go down and join Night Ten OB but surprisingly, a soldier wearing an exoskeleton saved him. There was a lot of shouting, and then he was hoisted onto a stretcher.

Anyway, he, seemingly the only one who survived with severe injuries and wasn’t finished off.

To save him, the Pioneer had carried him to the operating table where they injected him with anesthesia... and then Wild Wind lost connection.

After an ordinary afternoon in reality, Wild Wind only put on the helmet that evening with a try-and-see attitude but unexpectedly managed to connect successfully.

When he woke up from his coma, he found himself transformed like this.

That’s when the door to the medical room opened.

A doctor in surgical attire walked in.

"How do you feel now that you’re awake?"

Wild Wind: "..."

What was this guy saying?

And there were no subtitles.

Seeing that he didn’t speak, the doctor sighed softly and continued.

"I’m sorry, we did everything we could. Over 90% of the tissue in your right arm was necrotic, and we had to amputate. Later, we examined your nervous system and found your neurons were unexpectedly active, which made you a perfect candidate for a prosthetic implant. So, we fitted you with this mechanical arm."

"Compared to a bionic prosthetic, this mechanical hand might be inconvenient for daily life, but it’s quite handy for lifting heavy objects and operating equipment. We don’t have the means to create bionic prosthetics here, but if you’re looking for that natural feeling similar to your original hand, you might want to keep an eye on corporate merchant teams... if you’re lucky, you should be able to buy one."

Wild Wind didn’t understand what the doctor was saying, but he felt this new arm was incredibly niubi. He couldn’t wait to go show off to his buddies—

Oh no, he meant to share the good news!

This was more than just a win.

It was a huge jackpot!

After the doctor finished speaking, Wild Wind nodded sincerely.

"Thank you!"

A smile appeared on the doctor’s face. He didn’t understand what Wild Wind said either, but he could tell the patient’s expressions.

"You’re welcome, it’s part of our job!"

...

Riding the elevator down from the Pioneer back to the Action Camp, Wild Wind overheard the conversation of the players around him.

"It seems like there’s another collection task... moving stones at the construction site in the Northern urban area, what’s that about? Are they going to mix cement again?"

"I don’t know, who cares! The rewards for the task are pretty good, we’ll find out when we get there."

After this battle, the game seemed to have a soft update. Though the expansion’s bugs were still unresolved, a lot of new tasks were added, so much so that there was now somewhat of a labor shortage at the Action Camp.

Apart from the garbage recycling tasks, Old Luka had also posted some stone collecting and truck-driving tasks.

The trucks confiscated earlier from the Army were redistributed; two went to the Action Camp. And it seemed that the allied Fortress had new movements too—they had deployed a modular production tool next to the Action Camp.

Judging by the materials piled up nearby, was that module for producing cement?

But Wild Wind still didn’t understand what these people needed cement for. Were they planning to construct a permanent fortification here?

At that moment, Fang Chang came over to greet him but caught sight of his arm at first glance.

"Holy shit?! What’s going on with your arm?"

That sly face showed a sly smile.

"I don’t know, it was like this when I woke up."

"Let’s go!" Fang Chang excitedly reached out to pull him.

"For what?"

"Seems like a group of Mutant Snow Wolves showed up at the battlefield in Elm District. Don’t know where they wandered in from, but they’re messing with our recovery of Clone corpses," Fang Chang said, handing Wild Wind a bag of javelins with a smile, "I just took on a task to drive off the Mutant Snow Wolves, why don’t you try it out too?"

Wild Wind was precisely planning to test the might of his new mechanical arm. He weighed the bag of javelins in his hand that was light as a feather and nodded.

"Sure... when do we leave?"

"Right now! The truck to Elm District is about to depart, let’s hurry and catch a ride, ten kilometers aren’t close!"

The engineers and logistics officers standing next to the cement production workshop looked up at the departing figures of the two players.

"... Are they going hunting?"

"Seems so."

"I feel like the one with the javelin looks familiar."

"I remember him, he’s the one who was saved from the battlefield yesterday. His arm was blown off, only half a sleeve dangling from his shoulder! Director Li personally arranged for his prosthetic implant surgery, so I guess he’s woken up now..."

As they spoke, they both showed expressions of admiration on their faces.

Just off the operating table, and already heading out hunting with a weapon in hand.

That was simply too niubi!

-

(Day 5/30, asking for your votes! After a few Chapters, when the corporate people have left, the Action Camp will become the new gathering spot, acting as the second "town" in the MMORPG, serving initially like a merchant team’s station. It will be linked to the northern resource gathering spot and the hunting grounds in the northwest Elm District. What do you guys think we should name it? If you’ve got good names, we’ll use yours!)

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