This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 175 Principle, Method, Conclusion

Chapter 175: Chapter 175 Principle, Method, Conclusion

On the muddy road leading to Changjiu Farm.

Sitting in the back of the truck, Yin Fang, wrapped in a fur coat like a rice dumpling, kept talking nonstop.

"This is impossible! The Academy’s insignia? Appearing in a community college of an unknown small town? Are you sure you’re not joking?"

Chu Guang smiled faintly and said,

"If I were joking, I would have let you go alone."

"..."

Yin Fang looked at him speechlessly, not wanting to talk.

But Chu Guang actually wanted to chat with him.

Unfortunately, Qingquan City was so isolated, and he had to rely mostly on hearsay and his own imaginations for news about the outside world.

He was equally curious about why something from the Academy would appear in an ordinary Academy.

According to Yin Fang, from here to Wandering Swamp was at least a thousand kilometers, far beyond the Academy’s sphere of influence.

Although Qingquan City was once an important city in the southern metropolitan group of River Valley Province, that was during the Prosperity Epoch.

"Actually, I’ve always been curious about what kind of organization the Academy really is."

Yin Fang shook his head and said, "To fully explain this question might take a whole day and night."

"Then just pick the main points, the ones I’m interested in."

Overwhelmed by this whimsical request, Yin Fang opened his mouth, gulped a Northwest wind, and then came back to his senses, coughing several times before speaking.

"Well, the Academy... isn’t as mysterious as you outsiders imagine. It’s like a huge library. In fact, until the end of the Prosperity Epoch, it was just a loose academic organization."

Chu Guang looked at him with interest and said, "But your actions aren’t loose at all, not plain, nor like any academic organization."

"That’s for sure, I’m talking about before the end of the Prosperity Epoch. Now, it’s the 211th year of the Wasteland Era."

Two hundred years.

In the history of human civilization, many feudal dynasties didn’t last that long, let alone just an academic institution.

Yin Fang squinted toward the southwest and continued,

"I’ve only heard a bit about it. In the early years of the Wasteland Era, the Academy took on some of the post-war reconstruction work, mainly focusing on the technical field. This included taking over some experimental facilities, scientific research equipment, and restoring damaged data and lost technologies."

Chu Guang: "Sounds like a massive project."

Yin Fang sighed deeply and said, "That’s true. We’ve been working on it until now. The world changes too fast. It’s said that long ago, the Academy’s influence covered the entire Central Continent, and its exploration teams could go anywhere they wanted. But that didn’t last long, and outside the Wandering Swamp, there was no room for Academy people anymore. Everyone looked at us like we were fat sheep."

Hearing this phrase, Chu Guang unconsciously glanced at the guy’s right hand.

Honestly.

A single arm is worth at least 10,000 CR, and that’s a friendly price. Chu Guang felt that you really can’t blame others, even someone as nice as him would be tempted.

"By the way, what exactly is the Wandering Swamp?"

Yin Fang briefly replied, "A vast marshland, as big as a whole province, with uncontrollable weather every day and Variants going mad... You wouldn’t like it there."

"I never said I wanted to go, just curious," Chu Guang looked forward, patted the hood of the truck, and signaled the driver to look for a place to stop nearby, "We’re almost there, stop here."

After getting off the truck, Chu Guang pulled out a hammer from behind him.

The four accompanying young players decisively grabbed their weapons and walked ahead, taking on the role of guards.

A 2 strength 2 sensitivity lineup, two Strength-type players clearing the way ahead, and two Perception-type players following behind lighting up the path. Each person had an LD-47 assault rifle, providing ample firepower and a strong sense of security.

Since they were well-armed, Chu Guang didn’t need to add more firepower. Holding his hammer, he just needed to activate his shield to protect himself and the nearby NPC; that was okay.

This part of the city was quite deserted.

Due to the snowstorm, there were hardly any Variants wandering the streets. After dealing with a few Eaters hiding in the shadows, the group easily reached the target area on the map.

It was a community college, looking very plain from the outside, its size only slightly larger than a nearby high school.

Standing in front of the laboratory building, Yin Fang looked up and shook his head.

"I don’t think the Academy would be interested in such an insignificant target. You’ve probably made a wasted trip."

Hearing this, Chu Guang smiled indifferently.

"We’re already at the doorstep, whether it’s a wasted trip or not, we’ll know once we go inside."

Dropping this line, Chu Guang led the players inside.

Seeing that he was being left behind, Yin Fang had no choice but to stiffen his resolve and follow them into the eerie laboratory building.

The floor was littered with broken tiles and rubble, and there were fresh shell casings on the ground, indicating a fierce battle had taken place here just over an hour ago.

Looking at a Crawler with a split open head on the ground, Yin Fang clicked his tongue and unconsciously moved closer.

In the Academy’s scientific teams, dealing with combat, a crude task, was usually the job of Level E, F, or even bionic and unmanned personnel; Class D personnel needed independent analytical capabilities and excellent brains.

Even if they needed survival skills, it was primarily about survival itself.

Like basic first aid knowledge.

Yin Fang was quite skeptical of these people’s combat ability, especially seeing this Manager still holding the handle of a hammer, which made the unreliability even more pronounced.

"Can you give me a gun? I can protect myself."

"You’re a VIP; just stay quietly behind me."

"VIP?"

"Tsk, how do I explain this to you."

During this casual chat, the group had already arrived.

The Spring Water Commander, wearing a suit of heavy armor, stood in front of them, respectfully placing his right fist over his chest in a military salute.

"Respected Manager, by the time you arrived, we had already successfully cleared all the Variants from the entire first floor hall."

"Well done." Chu Guang nodded approvingly and said, "Lead the way ahead."

"Yes!"

With the Manager’s approving look, Spring Water Commander happily led the way. Chu Guang then instructed two players to guard the entrance, while the other two players followed him and Yin Fang into the basement for exploration.

The passage here was very narrow.

However, once inside, the view opened up dramatically.

Seeing ten sleep cabins in the basement, Yin Fang seemed petrified, freezing on the spot.

Regaining his composure, he rushed forward without a word, moving close to the nearest sleep cabin and staring intently at it.

"It can’t be wrong... This cultivation chamber’s design, it’s exactly the same!" Yin Fang whispered to himself, his hands fumbling on the dusty cabin door, almost as if he wanted to throw his whole body against it.

The surrounding players exchanged bewildered glances and murmured quietly.

"What is this doctor doing?"

"I don’t know... Maybe it’s a special hobby?"

"I get it, the new NPC’s hobby is Sleep cabins!"

"Big shot Niubi! I’ll post this on the forum later, heh, I wonder if I can get a feature."

Chu Guang: "..."

Who would feature such a boring post.

Clearing his throat softly, Chu Guang looked at Yin Fang, who seemed completely obsessed, and asked,

"What’s exactly the same?"

"It’s exactly the same model as the sleep cabins at the Academy... It’s really bizarre, why would this model appear in the River Valley Province?"

With a face full of disbelief, Yin Fang finally moved away from next to the sleep cabin, looking seriously at Chu Guang.

"Where’s that box? The one you mentioned with the Academy logo on it?"

Chu Guang took the box — which the players saw as a quest prop — from a player standing beside him and handed it to Yin Fang.

"Here... What exactly is this?"

"A data storage black box!" Yin Fang tapped the surface of the box lightly with his knuckles, speaking excitedly, "The outer material can effectively resist neutron beams and the electromagnetic pulse generated by a nuclear explosion. Besides, it likely has inert gas infused inside, to protect the graphene circuit boards... I guess it’s probably a holographic image or something like a recording. Let’s open it and see."

Saying this, Yin Fang didn’t wait for Chu Guang’s signal. He skillfully took a blade and gently made a cut on the surface of the box.

Then something miraculous occurred.

The moment the outer material was cut, the black paint wrapped around the box dispersed like sand vanishing in the wind, revealing the silver shell underneath.

Yin Fang carefully felt around the edges of the box, quickly finding a subtle seam and opened it.

Unable to hold back, the Spring Water Commander glanced at the Battlefield Atmosphere Group and whispered, "Why the hell couldn’t I pry it open after trying for so long."

"That’s to be expected," before the Battlefield Atmosphere Group could speak, I Max Black interjected, "What kind of quest prop would allow itself to be used just like that?"

The two were stunned.

That made sense, impossible to refute.

In the brief moment of distraction, a deep blue light had already converged into form, and a holographic bust appeared out of nowhere in the room.

Chu Guang and the players had no reaction, however, Yin Fang, standing in the room, stared with eyes so wide they almost fell out of their sockets.

"Principle?!"

"Principle?" Chu Guang asked, puzzled, as he watched Yin Fang muttering to himself, "What principle?"

"Principle, Method, Conclusion... The three doctors of the Post-War Reconstruction Academy, their statues stand at the entrance of the academy."

Yin Fang swallowed hard, his eyes filled with disbelief, and continued, "The person before you is Doctor Principle, after whom the academy’s laser rifles are named. I’m sure I’m not mistaken; it’s him, and moreover, it’s him in his youth. But why would his relic appear here? The history of the academy doesn’t record it this way... I don’t understand."

Chu Guang: "..."

How coincidental.

Chu Guang wanted to say he didn’t understand either.

But just as he was about to say this, the holographic image standing in mid-air began to speak as if narrating its own story.

"We have exited the cabin, feeling well."

"It’s the second year of the Wasteland Era now, and we were received by Captain Zhao Weisheng of the 111th Airborne Division, as planned. We successfully met with the army, though we were a bit late... but fortunately, they didn’t give up and loyally waited here for us for two years."

"According to the plan, our next step is to head to the Northern Great Rift Valley under military escort, which is a central energy storage hub in the Central Region, housing enough metallic hydrogen to rebuild the Central Region twice over. The Great Rift Valley is currently controlled by the 111th Airborne Division."

"Based on information provided by Captain Zhao, the Post-War Reconstruction Committee has already started work. What we need to do now is to report there, meet up with the others, divide responsibilities, and begin reconstruction."

"The only trouble now is that the battalion responsible for escorting us unexpectedly took in over a thousand residents who didn’t manage to find refuge in time, which has nearly exhausted our supplies. And, compounded by the terrible road conditions and weather, we can only rely on our own feet."

"Moreover, Captain Zhao wishes to bring those survivors along. Honestly, they are a burden, only adding variables to our plan. I can’t judge whether his deed is right as, putting myself in his shoes, I would probably make the same decision."

"Regardless, there’s no delay from here on; our duties are piled high, and we’ve run out of time. However, what makes me uneasy is, I always feel that things aren’t as smooth as they might appear... Has the war really ended? Honestly, I’m very confused."

"My respected mentor once taught me to always be prepared for all situations, things won’t always go as smoothly as we anticipate."

The man in the holographic image looked up at the sky and then stared straight ahead, squeezing an optimistic smile from his expressionless face.

"Hey, listen, the one who finds this recording."

"If you are standing in a prosperous Utopia, with the air filled with the scent of peace, please take this to the museum. It’s valuable data, perhaps you can find my name in the exhibit hall. I’m sure the museum will pay you a handsome sum for it, these are my words. If they try to back out, just break this box in front of them, haha."

The man laughed heartily, his face suddenly marked by a trace of loneliness.

"But if scenario B happens, and we unfortunately live in a tragic world, then it proves... we might have failed."

"I’m so sorry, both to my mentor and to those who trusted me, giving me this chance to shape the future. The little thing I can do for you is just this."

"Please take this recording and go to Shelter No.117 located under the Garden Street Metro Station in the North suburb of Qingquan City. I’m not sure about the exact location, and you might need to look around for it."

"There’s a manager there, and an old acquaintance of mine. I once entrusted him with a suitcase containing some useful items. If it’s scenario B, I probably won’t get a chance to retrieve it, so go take it, my old friend will give it to you after seeing this video."

"Remember the suitcase code, X1179."

"If you input the wrong code three times, you will lose everything."