This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 163 Heading Out to the Wilderness!

Chapter 163: Chapter 163 Heading Out to the Wilderness!

Letter:

"My dear friend Batch, I have good news to tell you. With the generous help of our allies, we have successfully repaired the damaged parts and will be back on the road soon!"

"Do you remember the last time I wrote to you was half a month ago? The reason for my silence isn’t that I’ve forgotten about you, but that I was assigned a very important mission, acting as a liaison at our allies’ place... This work is critical; you could think of it as a diplomat. It involves a lot of socializing, but it’s not unpleasant."

"I remember you once told me that you wanted to cross that towering wall to see the world beyond, to gaze at distant mountains and lakes, to look upon the endless deserts and swamps, to climb over snow-capped mountains and jungles, searching for lost relics. You also told me you’ve grown tired of a dull life, that you are very envious of me for finding a group of like-minded companions, to shun the mundane and venture into the wilderness that chaos and barbarism have claimed."

"What I mean is... why not give it a try? The road is right under your feet. And as I write this letter, we have already traveled thousands of kilometers and will soon venture even further."

"If you’re looking for direction, I seriously recommend the friends we met in Qingquan City. They are a group of hardworking, brave, optimistic good people who live in Shelter No. 404. They have an impressive culture, and every day spent with them is so delightful."

"It’s a good place. Once you get there, you’ll understand why I say this."

Aboard the Pioneer.

Lying in a comfortable single room, Luo Hua, with the back of his head resting on his folded arms, dictated the contents of the letter to the holographic window floating before his eyes.

It’s incredible that he’s been away from home for over a year already.

The crowded, noisy environment he used to disdain, he now finds himself missing.

"I should write one to old Dad as well."

Luo Hua sighed softly, ready to hit send but then remembered he had forgotten to add a signature. He slid his index finger that was hanging in front of the holographic window and added the line swiftly.

"– Your devoted friend, Luo Hua."

...

Two days later.

An ordinary morning.

Without any grand ceremony, as if on cue, the Steel Fortress sprawled across the Wasteland unfolded its gantry crane-like steel structures to the sides.

The mechanical arms descending from the ceiling, like a hand, picked up the modular production units deployed on the Open Space one by one and put them back on its back.

This incredible scene, occurring so naturally on it, was as easy as breathing.

Standing in front of the office porthole.

Watching the production modules slowly rise outside the window, Li De’s face showed a look full of confidence and ambition.

"It’s finally time to hit the road again."

He had been waiting for this moment for too long.

"Yes, we’ve been delayed here for nearly half a month now."

Standing behind Director Li, Wang Jie agreed verbally, but his feelings were complex.

On one hand, he wished to stay here a few more days.

On the other hand, his pockets were nearly as empty as his face.

In fact, he wasn’t the only one troubled. Ever since a water cart driver came back holding a bag of buns, their pockets seemed to have been cast under a spell.

Luckily, they couldn’t swipe their cards here, and a large part of their wages was deposited directly into their accounts; otherwise, they might have had to dig into their savings...

If Wang Jie was merely troubled, then Director Li standing in front of him was thoroughly headachy.

In just under half a month, those Blue Jackets had managed to make a staggering 210,000 CR from them!

Li De deeply reflected on his mistakes in decision-making.

At the time of signing the labor contract, he had not considered the Blue Jackets would come to their doorstep to do business, let alone imagined that these destitute Blue Jackets could actually make a tidy sum from them.

Therefore, when pricing their goods, Li De only considered the most basic wage expenditure, estimating a daily expense of 2000 CR, at most spending fifty or sixty thousand before departure.

This was just something that couldn’t be helped.

Who would have thought that those people would come up with some value-added services and trades, which caused his budget to exceed by an order of magnitude.

Those items on the list should never have been sold to them at cost!

Of course, after thinking about it, Li De felt that it might not be such a bad thing.

Although he had made a profit of 210,000 CR, a rational analysis showed that the trade deficit was actually zero. The money that was made ultimately ended up being spent with him.

The money had made a round trip and ultimately flowed back into the Pioneer’s funds. Now, with the logistics department’s finances in a comfortable position, the cafeteria’s fridge was stuffed full of the Blue Jackets’ buns, dumplings, wontons... and a whole bunch of other delicacies to boost morale.

Looking at it this way...

Could it not be considered a loss after all?

He took a sip of fragrant coffee and said slowly, looking out the porthole,

"Speaking of which, what did they buy from us?"

Wang Jie answered, "Some metallic hydrogen batteries and exoskeletons... the rest he exchanged for food and seeds."

It was easy to understand the exoskeletons, as they were the perfect substitute in the absence of power armor.

But these metallic hydrogen batteries...

Li De asked curiously, "What do they want metallic hydrogen batteries for?"

Just as puzzled, Wang Jie replied, "I don’t know... Maybe they plan to use them for exoskeletons or drones?"

Li De: "..."

They have that technology?

How strange!

...

Outpost Base certainly didn’t have the technology, but someday it would.

While the Pioneer was packing its bags, Chu Guang, accompanied by Old Luka, was tallying up the "wool" in the Action Camp’s storage.

A total of 213,420 CR, minus the 117,000 CR of compensation, leaves 96,420 CR.

What did 96,000 CR represent?

It meant that, on average, his little players were generating nearly 9,000 CR of income for him every day! At least half of that was earned through trade, outside of labor dispatch.

With such an astonishing trade surplus, it’s not just the wool that was being sheared by his little players but nearly the skin as well!

After deducting the 10,000 CR spent on Boss Xia’s leg replacement, there was still 203,420 CR left.

This hard-earned fortune was something his little players had exchanged with untold sweat—and even blood. Naturally, Chu Guang couldn’t waste it frivolously.

After much reflection, Chu Guang first took out 100,000 CR from it to purchase 50 common models of metallic hydrogen batteries—at an average cost of 2,000 CR each.

As for why buy batteries, the reason was simple: they offered the highest cost-performance ratio and were hard to obtain in Qingquan City.

Based on Chu Guang’s research on the KV-1 Exoskeletons produced by Giant Stone City, the only black technology worthy of the name in the whole exoskeleton was a solid hydrogen battery.

Regarding mechanical structure and engineering design, though there were commendable features, none were impressive enough to astonish people.

Yet the metallic hydrogen batteries produced by the enterprises had an energy density a whole step higher than the average solid hydrogen battery.

This stuff was genuinely black technology—whether used for drones or exoskeletons, it was very reliable. Even if he bought a bunch of KV-1s and just changed their batteries, it would greatly enhance their endurance.

The price of 2,000 CR was definitely a bargain!

Chu Guang figured that in the area around Qingquan City, such a good item that could serve as a strategic reserve should at least sell for 4,000 CR or be exchanged for equivalent goods.

After spending 100,000 CR on batteries, there were still 103,420 CR left.

After weighing his options, Chu Guang took out half of his inventory and exchanged it for food and some pre-war crop seeds. The other half was spent purchasing ten sets of Miner Type I Exoskeletons, each valued at 5000 CR.

Just by hearing the name, it was clear what this exoskeleton was intended for.

But that wasn’t important.

The KV-1 was originally used for moving bricks. After welding on rebar and steel plates, it could also function as a kind of fake power armor.

In particular, this Miner Type I Exoskeleton was much better designed than the junk bought from Giant Stone City.

Not to mention, its metallic hydrogen battery alone was more than a little superior to the KV-1’s. With its excellent electronic control system and motor design, it ensured a long endurance while providing stronger and more stable power output. If modified, it could theoretically carry even thicker and heavier armor!

In terms of business, the Miner Type I Exoskeleton was considered a Class E commodity and was the most advanced model Chu Guang could buy under the mechanical exoskeleton listings at the moment.

Of course, this exoskeleton wasn’t without its drawbacks.

The explosive power of metallic hydrogen was 35 times that of regular dynamite, and its detonation velocity far surpassed black gold; theoretically, only 1L was needed to take down a main battle tank. Therefore, in later models II and III, the company switched back to the slightly safer solid hydrogen batteries and downgraded the export controls to Class F commodities.

Interestingly though, even if models II and III were safer, the most popular model on the Wasteland was still the original generation.

Even though Vite strongly recommended that Chu Guang buy the safer Model II, Chu Guang stuck to his own ideas without hesitation.

"With these things, I feel like there’s no need to sell my old armor..."

Looking at the several exoskeletons with a rather industrial look in the warehouse, Chu Guang couldn’t help but fall into thought. However, he thought for less than three seconds before making a decision.

"Forget it, I’ll just sell it."

"Consider it a bonus for the players."

Since the armor was used by the Manager himself, Chu Guang decided to hold an auction to decide its new owner. Only the most diligent players could possess this exoskeleton, inscribed with honors!

Hmm, when he got back, he’d have to add a couple more scratches to the front armor.

As for the Miner Type I Exoskeleton, Chu Guang planned to mandate that only those who reached Citizen level could purchase it, and each account was limited to buying just one unit. Upon purchase, it would automatically bind, making it untradable to players or neutral NPCs. If they didn’t want it anymore, they could only hand it over to a designated warehouse or weapons store.

Considering the import price was as high as 5000 CR, setting the price at 5000 silver coins would be reasonable.

But setting it at that price, his little players would probably have to save money until next year to afford it.

"Let’s make it 2000 silver coins then... and I’ll add another hurdle. Not only do they need to be Citizens, but they also need to reach level 10 before they can buy!"

Leaving equipment to collect dust in the warehouse was something Old Leech would do.

As long as he ensured that the gear was smoothly equipped by active combat professional players, whether they were using the equipment for moving bricks, scavenging, hunting, or other activities, it was all in the interest of maximizing benefits for Chu Guang.

Generally, unless one was part of the Intelligence System, life professions found it difficult to level up quickly in the early stages.

The most typical example was Mosquito. Since his Gene Sequence was from the Agile system and he often holed up in his workshop, he rarely went out on missions; his level was a pitiful LV5. Tomato Scrambled Eggs, who had entered the Game with him, had reached LV6 before the expansion pack was released and was now nearly at LV7, already a mature Tank of the Body Constitution System.

After instructing Old Luka to arrange for a truck to transport some of the goods back to Outpost Base, Chu Guang, who stepped out of the warehouse, glanced at the Pioneer, which was busy packing outside the camp, his eyes filled with reluctance.

It would have been nice if they could have stayed a few more days.

Popcorn had only just started becoming popular on the Pioneer, and it was a shame not to have sold more...

...

Deployment took ten minutes, packing up took an hour.

By eight in the morning, the Pioneer had finally completed packing.

However, this steel beast didn’t take everything away; for instance, the Action Camp located about a hundred meters away from it was left untouched.

Moreover, during the time after the encounter with the Army, the Pioneer helped the Residents of the refuge fortify the Action Camp a second time.

The current Action Camp not only had three-meter-high reinforced concrete Enclosing walls, but there were also five-meter-high pentagonal gun towers located at each of the four corners of the camp.

In addition, there were 300 tons of cement that they didn’t manage to use, which the crew of the Pioneer left at the camp.

Together with the supplies that Chu Guang had purchased with CR, these were stored in various warehouses.

"...This is a little token of our appreciation. We hope they can be of help to you."

Wearing his power armor, Captain Lu Yang approached Chu Guang and the residents of the refuge and removed his helmet’s faceplate.

Chu Guang looked at him and said solemnly,

"Thank you, you have helped us so much. I will remember this kindness."

To be honest, Chu Guang seldom bared his soul to others, whether in his past life or in this one.

But his words were indeed heartfelt.

It was rare to see such a serious expression on the face of this friend, but Captain Lu Yang didn’t pay much attention to that and smiled heartily.

"Don’t be so formal. You’ve helped us a great deal too. Without your assistance, there’s no way we could have set out again so quickly."

After a brief pause, that hearty smile turned somewhat wistful.

"Farewell, my friend. If all goes well, we’ll meet again!"

At that time, he would return in triumph.

Chu Guang nodded.

"We certainly will. May your banners fly high and your journey be free of worries."

"Hopefully your words will bring good luck!"

They bumped fists as a final goodbye, and then the jaunty Lu Yang waved his hand and stood on the elevator leading to the Steel Fortress.

This was the last batch.

The elevator slowly ascended, and the hatch closed with a heavy clunk.

The Earth trembled ever so lightly, emitting a muffled sound as the majestic ground fortress, driven by fusion power, began to move.

The steel tracks rolled forward slowly but resolutely, crushing the pristine snow and frozen branches beneath them until the towering form merged with the morning mist of the winter day, leaving behind deep furrows as if they were gorges.

This stunning scene caused the players at the entrance of the Action Camp to widen their eyes in amazement, as if their gaze was glued to the fortress that had vanished from sight.

"Has it left?"

"Awesome, the fortress actually moved! I’m beginning to doubt the realism of this game’s physics engine!"

"To analyze it rationally, if it’s nuclear fusion, it could be possible... Of course, the materials used are probably not regular steel; otherwise, they couldn’t support its enormous weight."

"Alright, enough analysis, what I want to know now is, has this expansion pack ended?"

"Probably? Since yesterday, the scavenging missions in the northern towns have disappeared. Didn’t you guys pay attention to the VM announcements?"

"Wait a minute, aren’t there still over a hundred unlucky players who haven’t been revived?"

"Damn, this game operator is so sly. Instead of fixing the BUG, they just ended the expansion pack!"

"Hahahaha, one word, epic!"

Listening to the chatter of the younger players, Chu Guang smiled faintly.

Drawing his gaze away from the fortress that had disappeared into the distance, Chu Guang swiped his index finger across the VM.

The server announcement he had previously edited was immediately sent to every player’s VM and also posted on the official website.

[Worldwide Announcement: The prosperity of the Action Camp has reached 100 points, evolving into the Survivor Base, now renamed "Long Endurance Farm."]

[Worldwide Announcement: "Ground Fortress" expansion pack has officially ended, and players who were locked in login status and unable to revive can now log into the game normally.]

[Worldwide Announcement: 100 new players have been added in the Alpha 0.8 version of the game, let’s welcome their arrival!]

-

(The next Chapter will update before 11 o’clock! I’m checking it twice for my OCD.)