This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 167 News from the North and the Second Wave of Refugees

Chapter 167: Chapter 167 News from the North and the Second Wave of Refugees

Early morning, by the riverside brick kiln.

Vanus stared blankly at the square wooden box in his hands, his expression somewhat bewildered.

Unable to figure out how to use it, he carefully lowered his head, humbly seeking guidance from the foreman beside him.

"This... how do you use it?"

Yang Ergou was a down-to-earth man, he didn’t look down on his subordinates’ clumsiness and patiently explained to him.

"This is a mold for stacking bricks. You fill it with mud, press it down, then overturn it onto wooden strips. After it dries a bit, you pull out the mold. But lately, it’s been so cold that the mud by the river and under our feet is as hard as stone; we need to warm up the mud in the cave first... You go throw the mold here, then go outside and pick some firewood."

Vanus nodded woodenly, put down the mold, and walked towards the nearby forest.

Gazing back at the camp, he had contemplated running away, but the thought had only flickered for an instant before he gave it up.

Escape?

Where could he flee to?

To the south and east were the icy jungles of steel, to the west was a lake, and to the north, an expanse of frozen wasteland.

Without guns, food, or even fuel, he would be a piece of tender meat in the eyes of Variants or even Looters, wandering the wilderness; a single layer of clothing provided no sense of security at all.

Those real barbarians wouldn’t give him a chance to pay a ransom; they would happily chop off his head, make his skin into seat covers or carpets, and introduce them to their barbarian brothers—look, this is the skin of an Army thousands of leaders, I defeated them!

Vanus felt that, rather than such a death, it was better to be shot or hanged and then buried; at least that would leave some dignity.

The north wind howled, with large snowflakes drifting intermittently from the sky, and from time to time, accumulated snow fell from the pine trees.

Finally having gathered enough firewood, Vanus, holding a bundle of dry wood, made his difficult way back to the brick factory, only to see the originally deserted open space had become bustling.

Yang Ergou was directing the workers to carry the mud into the kiln cave with wheelbarrows, he glanced at Vanus, didn’t ask why he was delayed, only urging him to hurry and get the firewood inside.

Vanus didn’t dare to delay, and immediately ran into the cave with the wood in his arms.

The temperature inside the cave was very high, like in summer; he who had been shivering with cold a moment ago was now sweating from the heat.

No wonder everyone worked so diligently, it was much more comfortable here than outside!

Vanus noticed that inside the cave was a furnace made of bricks, with a tall chimney connecting the ground to the ceiling and extending out from the top of the cave.

The workers burned charcoal beneath the chimney, smoke was filtered out through the chimney, the resulting charcoal was used to burn the bricks, and the residual heat was used to thaw the frozen soil by the river.

This design was simply genius.

Did they come up with it themselves?

Vanus was surprised. Although he had been educated at the Academy, he had never done such lowly work.

Here, he could only be ordered about. He basically did whatever he was told, helping out here and there like an idle helper, never too much in the way.

Busy for an entire day.

A group of people worked together in the kiln cave, stacking ten loads of bricks on wheeled metal racks, transporting them on a level pathway made of bricks into the adjacent kiln cave.

The charcoal fire lit.

The kiln door sealed shut.

Only then did Vanus realize he was not only sweaty but also covered in mud; his entire person had turned into a lump of coal.

Yang Ergou looked at him for a moment, then burst into laughter, patting his shoulder.

"It’s always like this the first time, go take a bath later."

"A bath... where?"

"There’s a small communal bathhouse here. We’re too lazy to go a kilometer away to Outpost Base, so we take care of it here. But you have to pick your own firewood; the charcoal is all used for burning bricks."

Hearing there were hot waters, Vanus heaved a sigh of relief.

In this hellish weather, even the river’s surface was icing over.

To bathe in cold water was simply torture!

...

Late at night.

After taking a bath and changing into a fur outfit, Vanus sat in a work shed lit by a fire basin, when the foreman Yang Ergou came over and handed him a wooden box.

The wooden box looked very similar to a brick mold, but it wasn’t dipped in mud, and it contained a hot, roasted potato corner and a strip of jerky as long as a middle finger and as thick as a thumb.

"There’s hot water boiling in the stove; help yourself if you need it," Yang Ergou said, sitting beside him and grinning. "How do you feel on your first day of work? Are you getting used to it?"

Vanus smiled bitterly in his heart; how dare he complain.

Working here, at least there was fire for warmth, and after the kiln was sealed, there was less to do, much more comfortable than those underlings of his who were digging ditches up north.

"It feels pretty good... How long have you been living here?"

Yang Ergou said.

"About a month I guess, why?"

Vanus: "You seem very familiar with this place; I thought you had been here much longer."

Yang Ergou laughed and said, "Familiar may not be the word, but this place does indeed feel like home to us."

Vanus: "Home?"

Yang Ergou: "That’s right, we were all people on the brink of death, barely avoiding dying in the Looter’s dungeons. Later it was the wise and valiant Manager who planted his flag on the Looter’s lair... and those of us who were rescued had nowhere else to go, so we simply stayed."

Actually, compared to those survivors whose families were destroyed, he still had a place to go. Just a four or five-kilometer walk south of Wetland Park would take him to Bet Street, where his relatives were.

But where is as comfortable as this place?

Not only was there a warm house and firewood for heating, but meals were provided thrice a day and they even received money to spend... He had to admit, before coming here, it was his first time hearing there was such a thing as dinner in this world.

Bet Street didn’t care much for dinner; even oil lamps were a rarity. As soon as it got dark, only Old Leech’s Castle still had lights on, and everyone else would quickly go under their covers to rest. At most, they would make a pot of green wheat porridge in the evening, dry it into green wheat cakes, and keep it for the next day’s provisions.

After the family of Old Leech had been driven away by the Manager’s gunfire, Yang Ergou took some time off to check his house but stayed only a couple of days before running back here. He not only lacked the intention to return, but he even wanted to bring his family over.

Life here was like heaven.

Yang Ergou talked on and on, eventually becoming parched, and upon realizing he had been the only one speaking, he curiously glanced at Vanus.

"So tell me about you. Were you also saved by the Manager?"

"Um..."

Considering the reputation of the Army outside, Vanus dared not reveal he was one of them, so he vaguely nodded.

Yang Ergou’s eyes lit up, without any suspicion, and he continued to raptly share how good life was here under the administration of the Manager – not only were they fed and clothed, but they were also far from the disturbances of Looters and Variants.

Listening to the foreman’s words, Vanus fell silent, his mind wandering into thought.

It seemed people here also lived under some form of order.

But, compared to the territories ruled by the Army, it was a completely different kind of order.

He had no doubt that the Army’s order was supreme, where only the strong were entitled to speak of civilization, and only the strong could survive in this barbaric world that followed the law of the jungle, while the weak were inherently slaves, their inferior genes and character undeserving standing upright. As a member of this powerful group, with Black Gold flowing in his veins, he was entitled to the most luxurious material pleasures, be it a sumptuous mansion, gold, fine wines, or beauties...

But Vanus had to admit to himself that perhaps these weaklings with impure bloodlines and contaminated genes, these servants and underlings, indeed had a more comfortable life here.

Order granted them the greatest leniency, allowing them to build and enjoy at the same time.

Allowing brick burners to eat meat?

That’s madness.

...

Around 10 p.m.

An update came from Long Endurance Farm that a group of refugees had wandered from the north. Mostly comprised of the old, weak, women, and children, there were about a hundred people, like Wu Tiefu and his party, who were Nomads roaming from the north, though significantly more numerous.

Upon hearing this news, Chu Guang immediately issued a mission, assembling two truck-driving drivers, along with over thirty "small players" still online, to head to Long Endurance Farm to provide support.

Since the Manager had been so generous, many of the "small players" had just come back from Long Endurance Farm and hadn’t even unloaded their equipment before they hurriedly followed along.

As they passed through the northern part of Wetland Park, Chu Guang suddenly remembered leaving an Army Thousands of leaders in the brickyard, so he swung by to take a look.

When he arrived at the brick kiln, everyone except for Yang Ergou, who was responsible for the night watch, and another brick burner had already gone to sleep.

In the shack area, snores could be heard one after another.

Chu Guang found Yang Ergou and looked at him as he asked,

"The person I handed over to you, how did he do with his work today? Did he slack off? Or did he disobey orders?"

Hearing the Manager asking about the outsider, Yang Ergou didn’t think too much and respectfully replied,

"Are you talking about the one from yesterday? He worked quite hard, just a bit clumsy and seems not too bright."

It seemed this man was capable and adaptable; no wonder he could become one of the Thousands of leaders.

As for Vanus being so obedient, he really saved him a lot of trouble.

"Understood."

After getting the situation here, Chu Guang turned and headed towards the north gate of Wetland Park, to meet with the group of young players who were waiting there.

Two light trucks, carrying more than thirty people, set off with great fanfare.

And as Chu Guang and his party were on their way, at the same time, outside the north gate of Changjiu Farm, it was a complete mess.

Over a hundred refugees had surrounded the entrance, not daring to come closer, but with no intention of retreating. They were negotiating with Old Luka who stood at the entrance.

Behind Old Luka was the guard squad led by Wrench.

Fifteen guards were divided into two groups, one in front of the door and the other atop the wall, clutching their guns tight and ready for anything.

Standing next to Wrench, a young guard didn’t dare to let down his guard for a second and was fixing his gaze intently on the group of refugees ahead, even carefully controlling the white breath coming from his mouth.

"I’ve said it before... such a large plume of smoke was bound to attract troublemakers."

Another guard, standing at his side, muttered quietly.

"What do they think they are by coming close? Aren’t they afraid that we might be Looters?"

"Heh, do you think they’re any good themselves? Look at those guys, they obviously all have hunting guns on their backs! I’d bet that if we didn’t have these fifteen guns and had not built such a tall enclosing wall, we’d probably have to fight a tough battle today!"

The young guard muttered.

The guards nearby all agreed, not doubting his words in the least and without even a hint of a different opinion.

On the Wasteland, kindness was rarer than gold. Even neighbors couldn’t be completely trusted, let alone these itinerant refugees?

Against a more powerful force, each one could be a dancing little lamb, but facing weaker Survivor Forces, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them all shed the sheepskin and become hungry wolves.

Such examples were not news on the Wasteland!

"The wind outside is too strong, our children and pregnant women are about to freeze to death... please, have mercy, let us rest here for a while, and we will leave once the storm passes."

Standing at the front of the refugee line was a burly man, with a steel pipe rifle on his back and a revolver not far from his right hand at his waist.

Old Luka noticed the dried bloodstains on the hem of the man’s clothing but wasn’t sure if it came from an animal or from a person.

Judging from the respectful and awed look in the eyes of those around him when they looked at his figure, this man was likely a clan chieftain or a leader, and his authority was not low.

Being able to lead so many people on a long journey across the Wasteland, it indeed wouldn’t be possible without real ability.

"I am not in charge of this matter; I need to wait for my owner to arrive," although standing in front of this muscular man felt like standing next to a dry twig, Old Luka’s face showed no cowardice.

His owner was a powerful being who had defeated the Blood Hand Clan and even gained respect from corporations far away on the East Coast.

Just a few refugees were not enough to scare him.

The man fixed his gaze on him and continued,

"Where is he? Can I talk to him?"

"He is on his way here, and will be arriving soon," Old Luka slightly lifted his chin, locked eyes with him, and spoke evenly, yet firmly, "Before visiting someone’s home, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first? Who are you, who are these people behind you, where did you come from, and where do you plan to go?"

The man stared intently at the old man for a long time and then glanced at the guards behind and atop the wall, seemingly assessing whether these people would be easy to provoke.

Old Luka’s eyebrows knitted together.

"It appears you don’t really have the intention to communicate earnestly, so we have nothing to talk about anymore."

"Sorry, I was too abrupt," the man quickly said when Old Luka seemed about to leave. "My name is Li, and most of us come from the central part of River Valley Province."

Luka: "What do you mean by ’most’?"

The man named Li nodded and continued.

"We’re not all from the same Survivor Settlement. More than half of the people here joined us along the way."

Luka: "That doesn’t make sense. If, as you say, you were once a Survivor Settlement, why would you suddenly leave it? And in winter no less."

"Because of the damned War. We didn’t want to, but we had to move," Li said angrily, "You must have heard, the Army’s men have been fighting up north for a whole year, and this sudden winter has probably made it impossible for them to persist. Droves are fleeing southward."

Luka frowned.

"Did you encounter the Army?"

Li responded furiously, "To be exact, we encountered the Army’s fleeing soldiers. Those people are no different from Looters, they plunder everything they see! Damn it, I even feel Looters would at least negotiate, but they are just completely despicable! Beasts! Scum!"

This burly man nearly exhausted all the curses he knew, recounting their atrocities in the northern and central regions.

However, Old Luka’s focus was not on these trivial matters, but rather a sense that...

Had the Army lost?

Or at least they were close to losing.

After all, if there were organized looting, then it wouldn’t just be fleeing soldiers.

Surprise flashed through Luka’s eyes.

Previously, the Manager had mentioned that the Army from the north could send out a fully equipped force of two thousand to take a detour and intercept the Pioneer, either they were very confident in their victory already, or they were about to lose and ready to grab some benefits before fleeing.

If what these people were saying was true, it seemed the Manager had guessed right...

Admiration gradually replaced the surprise in Old Luka’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the man named Li kept pouring out his hardships, trying to convince the elderly man before him to let them in.

Just then, the sound of an engine suddenly came from the distance.

The migrants crowded in front of the Enclosing Wall became agitated, their faces revealing panic. Li also took a half step back cautiously, his right hand on the pistol at his waist.

Wrench was eyeing him, his thumb already having disengaged the safety of his Arbitrator, and the few guards beside him slightly raised their muzzles.

Seeing the atmosphere plummet swiftly, Old Luka raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down, surprise still in his eyes.

"Don’t be rash! It’s the Manager!"

The Manager?

Li was slightly stunned.

Just then, the headlights of a truck suddenly turned on.

Li looked towards the Light, squinting involuntarily, only to see a towering figure standing beside the truck with its lights on.

This man should be the Manager they were talking about.

Or, in other terms, the lord of this place.

He was clad in an Exoskeleton, but what no one could ignore was not the rifle on his back, nor the Warhammer by his side.

It was the Warriors behind him with hungry eyes, and the rifles in their hands.

Facing that blinding light, a chill arose in Li’s heart.

At the same time, a cadenced voice came through the snow curtain, drifting from afar.

"Lay down your weapons and accept our arrangement."

"Or—"

"Go back to where you came from!"

-

(The next Chapter will be out before 11 pm. Everyone, please be patient.)