This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 191: The Shelter’s New Exit and the Tunnel Not Found on the Map

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: The Shelter’s New Exit and the Tunnel Not Found on the Map

The raw materials were all readily available in the warehouse, and the power source came with a variable adapter, which could be powered by a generator or plugged into a standard fusion cell interface.

Just like the black box Chu Guang obtained from the office of the manager of Shelter No. 117, the black boxes here were also self-powered, with remaining battery capacities of 98% and 99% respectively.

Helium-3 belonged to a stable isotope with a very long half-life; under normal usage conditions, one could almost neglect the wear from natural decay. Basically, as long as the battery itself wasn’t damaged through mishandling or other reasons, energy storage would last much longer than conventional chemical batteries.

Chu Guang instructed Guo Niu through VM to bring all the necessary materials to him, and also called Dr. Yin Fang, the chief prospector and archaeological team leader from Shelter No. 404.

As soon as he entered, Yin Fang’s eyes almost popped out.

"Black box?! And two of them! Where did you get these?"

S-level Relics!

And there were two of them!

Just the day before yesterday, Chu Guang had acquired a black box, and he hadn’t imagined that before even three days passed, he would obtain another two.

Since graduating and becoming a prospector, Yin Fang had been investigating pre-war civilization relics for the Academy for about five or six years, and this was the first time he had seen such an exaggerate situation!

Seeing how naive Chu Guang looked, he rolled his eyes and threw the newly found instruction manual to him.

"Picked it up, see if you can use it?"

Yin Fang chuckled.

"Even a fool can use this thing... By the way, have you checked the fuel in the reactor? How much is left?"

"Surprisingly quite a lot, about 40% or so."

Chu Guang wasn’t too clear on what 40% represented; if it were his mobile phone, he would definitely be feeling his charging OCD kicking in, but for a controlled fusion reactor, wasn’t it said that even 1% of energy could last a long time?

He wasn’t sure how much energy the synthesis of a clone would consume.

However, no matter what, now that the reactor was in his hands, the weight Chu Guang had been carrying in his heart had finally been lifted.

Hearing Chu Guang’s words, Yin Fang also visibly relaxed.

"40%? That’s good... No need to worry for a while then!"

With no more worries, Yin Fang began operating the two black boxes.

In a drawer-like filler port, he input the materials according to the instruction manual, one by one, and then closed the drawer. Although the order wasn’t necessary, doing so could speed up the process a bit.

The indicator light turned on, indicating the materials were acceptable.

Then he turned on the power and pressed the start button.

All processes completed, very easily.

It was simplistic, almost like some kind of religious ceremony.

Watching the numbers flicker on the screen, Chu Guang stroked his chin and said.

"Remaining production time 59min27s... Really have to wait that long?"

On the other side, another black box, smaller in size, which produced VMs, was quicker in production, taking only ten minutes to manufacture one item.

Assuming an uninterrupted supply of raw materials, theoretically, it could produce 144 VMs a day.

This device certainly was a handy thing.

A VM with a processor, imaging device, and laser mapping function could not only be used as a "vital signs monitor" but could also be used to retrofit other things.

Such as robots with laser mapping and automatic navigation features.

Or simple computers and more.

Paired with the "Neural Connection Device" produced by Dr. Principle’s black box left at Shelter No.117, if the materials were sufficient, the modification level of the players might just increase by 10 percentage points!

It was going to be a real springtime for players with Intelligence Systems!

It proved extremely useful.

Yin Fang spoke, "I heard the working principle of the black box is to first powderize the materials, then follow a preset synthetic route to print out the components’ parts layer by layer in space, and perform complete production of the product... Compared to an assembly line mode, it definitely takes a bit longer."

Chu Guang said.

"Is it akin to simultaneously making wheels and engines?"

Yin Fang affirmed.

"You could put it that way!"

Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully, indicating he understood.

This device was like a 3D printer.

However, its functionality was much stronger than a 3D printer’s; it was not only capable of printing the shape of components but also printing the material’s "performance" along with the microstructure and macrostructure of the components and completing automatic assembly during the printing process.

This had far surpassed the concept of "printing."

More so, it was like "reconstructing on a pm-scale in space!"

Standing on the side, Xia Yan scratched the back of her head, unable to contribute to this complex topic.

She knew how to repair machines with a wrench, or to work on makeshift workbenches processing parts, after all, Giant Stone City’s slums were built right next to the industrial area. People there had only two ways out, either to work to death in assembly lines or workshops or to take up arms produced by factories to become mercenaries trading their lives for money.

And she had walked both paths.

After pondering for a moment, Xia Yan felt that if he kept silent, he would seem useless, so after hesitating for a while, he reluctantly interjected.

"This device sounds quite useful... Can we take it apart to have a look?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Guang had no reaction, but Yin Fang, standing beside him, jumped as if a dog whose tail had been stepped on, hurriedly saying,

"Please don’t do anything like that!"

Xia Yan scratched the back of his head and asked, "Why? Logically speaking, shouldn’t this kind of thing be great for research?"

Hearing this layman’s statement, Yin Fang shook his head and explained,

"It’s common knowledge that the more technologically dense a product is, the more difficult it is to reverse engineer. Finding a grain of gold in a pile of sand only requires you to sift it out. But if you were asked to stand on a dune and categorize every single grain of sand for recycling, that would be an impossible task... unless you already possessed more advanced tools and methods."

"The Black Box of the Ark Project, whether in terms of manufacturing methods or technological principles, represents the pinnacle of the United Human’s manufacturing industry. It requires no specific level of material performance or operator education—not even intelligence. Even a monkey from a zoo could use it."

"This wish-granting machine can be said to be the technological culmination of the pre-war civilization. Unless our civilization possesses far superior manufacturing methods and basic sciences, no one could disassemble the necessary components from this complicated and elaborate device."

Xia Yan muttered,

"I was just asking casually, didn’t say I really wanted to take it apart... But with this thing being so difficult to maintain, what happens if it breaks?"

"It can’t be fixed. If it breaks, it stays broken," Yin Fang answered, shaking his head, "At the Academy, a broken Black Box would generally be sent to a museum, maybe someone could analyze it in a few hundred years... but that’s impossible for now. We would rather study the products produced by the Black Box, at least that would be much easier."

Yin Fang’s response settled some of Chu Guang’s questions.

It seemed that even the Academy was not capable of disassembling the technology within the Black Box, at most they could only study the products it created.

Finally, glancing at the timer on the screen, Chu Guang spoke,

"It seems we still have some time before the mystery is unveiled... Let’s go check the buffer chamber next door."

Yin Fang was startled,

"Buffer chamber? Isn’t this Level B3?"

Chu Guang nodded,

"Correct, Shelter No. 404 has more than one door, and I suspect that the main door on Level B3 is the real entrance."

From a spatial perspective, the door on Level B3 was obviously wider than the one on Level B1, and it connected to both a warehouse and a planting area.

What did this imply?

It suggested that this shelter was very likely built beginning from Level B3 and then extended both upwards and downwards!

Of course, this was only Chu Guang’s conjecture; if more exaggerated exits were found on lower levels, then disregard his guess.

Each time Chu Guang thought he fully understood the shelter and the First Generation Manager’s plans, the shelter under his feet always sprung unexpected surprises on him.

Chu Guang even suspected that the designer of the shelter must have been a game developer.

...

Outside the door of Level B3, everything was unknown, and it was uncertain what might be encountered.

If the situation was optimistic, perhaps it was an Easter egg left by the First Generation Manager.

If not optimistic, it might even be a nest of mutant rats or cockroaches.

Just in case, Chu Guang brought the power armor from the preparation room on Level B1, and in addition to carrying the Nitrogen-Powered Hammer and Gauss Rifle, he also casually picked up two Sickle Assault Rifles, a bulletproof vest, and a backpack filled with 7mm bullets.

The bulletproof vest was for Boss Xia.

Returning to the preparation room on Level B3, Chu Guang tossed a Sickle Assault Rifle and a police bulletproof vest to Xia Yan.

"You shouldn’t need me to teach you how to use these, right?"

Putting on the bulletproof vest, Xia Yan casually tied her long red hair into a ponytail and picked up the rifle leaning against the wall.

"Are you joking? After all, I am..."

"A mercenary who added a chicken leg to a Crawler’s packed lunch?"

Seeing Xia Yan’s face full of murderous intent, Chu Guang quickly shut the visor and, coughing, walked ahead.

"Keep close to me."

Xiao Qi rumbled along on its rollers, following behind Chu Guang.

Seeing he was left weaponless, Yin Fang hurriedly caught up and asked,

"What about me? Give me a weapon, too! In case of an emergency, I can fight as well!"

Chu Guang thought for a moment and threw the Silver Snake Revolver hanging on his power armor to him.

"Remember to return it to me."

"Just six bullets?!"

"If needed, I’ll give you more."

Chu Guang pulled down the lever on the console and pressed the red button.

The alarm in the preparation room rang three times.

Thick as a thigh, the bolts retracted one by one, and the gear-like alloy doors gradually rolled to one side, revealing the pitch-black tunnel.

A chill, dry breath hit their faces.

Chu Guang turned on the shoulder-mounted spotlight and, holding the Sickle Assault Rifle, walked forward.

The sound of footsteps creaked on the thick dust-covered floor, a clear indication that no one had visited in a long time.

The tunnel was dimly lit, so dark one could barely see their own hand extended in front of them.

Luckily, the power armor was equipped with lighting devices, and the other two also carried flashlights.

Using the light emanating from his shoulder, Chu Guang could see a steel rail laid out on the ground and a few scattered construction tools around it.

"There isn’t this tunnel on the map," Dr. Yin Fang confirmed with a glance at the VM and continued, "To our direct south is Garden Street Metro Station on line 12 of Qingquan City, about 4 kilometers away in a straight line! The north direction overlaps with the city’s overpass leading out of Qingquan City."

Line 12 ran from the south to the north of Qingquan City, with the Garden Street Metro Station being a significant stop on that line.

Chu Guang lifted his index finger and lightly tapped on the side of his helmet, activating the map on his tactical goggles.

An orange-yellow viewport was projected on the tactical goggles.

The nearest subway station to them was near Bet Street, approximately 800 meters away.

Chu Guang had been there once before but didn’t enter, merely glancing from outside, taken over entirely by the Eaters.

Perhaps there were other, even more, dangerous things.

"What about to the north?"

Dr. Yin Fang paused for a moment and dragged the map around.

"To the north... We are already at the northernmost point of Qingquan City, and further north would be outside the city limits. The map doesn’t show any subway lines there."

The tunnel ran north-south, with the shelter exit situated on the side of the tunnel, offering paths both to the north and the south after crossing through the iron gate.

"Let’s check out the north first then."

After speaking, Chu Guang took the lead, guiding the team northward.

After approximately 800 meters, the tunnel abruptly ended with an alloy wall blocking their way.

"It seems like there’s no way forward," Xia Yan, shining the flashlight forward, turned her head to Chu Guang to ask, "Should we go back?"

Chu Guang observed the wall for a moment, then walked to the side and found something resembling a distribution box.

He opened the cover and saw a handle along with a circular interface.

Interestingly, this circular interface matched perfectly with a small cold fusion battery.

With a thought, Chu Guang pulled out a cold fusion battery with 11% remaining energy from his pocket and inserted it into the interface.

Then, he pulled the adjacent handle.

A slight electric current sounded, followed by a grating noise that set one’s teeth on edge, and then a slight tremor emanated from the ground beneath them.

It was like an earthquake!

"What’s happening?!"

Dr. Yin Fang, slightly panicking, looked around and stepped back a few paces.

Xia Yan, however, remained relatively calm, casting a watchful eye toward the ceiling before staring intently ahead, her eyes widening slightly.

"It’s the wall! It’s sinking!"

Xiao Qi slipped to Chu Guang’s leg and spoke nervously, "Master, this place is dangerous, should we retreat first?"

"Not yet, wait a bit longer!"

Chu Guang stared intently at the wall ahead.

As it slowly sank after a series of tremors, the tunnel behind it was finally revealed.

Only then did the group realize the wall was hundreds of meters wide!

It was like an entire segment of the tunnel lifted up!

"Incredible..." Dr. Yin Fang stepped forward, his face filled with astonishment.

Such a thick concrete structure.

Must weigh thousands of tons, at least.

Including the machinery within and the supporting structures below, it was akin to having a battleship buried underground!

This analogy might not be quite right, but it didn’t make much difference.

Chu Guang’s face was also marked by a look of surprise.

The mechanism itself wasn’t complex.

However, it was surprising that after more than 200 years, it could still activate and operate without any issues!

Just as they were stupefied, a raspy roar and the sound of running came from ahead in the tunnel.

Hearing that, Xia Yan was startled and immediately raised her assault rifle, cleanly flicking off the safety with her index finger.

"Eaters! In front of us!"

Before her words had finished, she had already pulled the trigger, shooting down the two closest ones in a three-round burst.

"It seems the noise has attracted quite a few."

Activating the auxiliary aiming mode on his tactical goggles, Chu Guang raised his Sickle Assault Rifle and swept through, instantly blowing the heads off the nearest Eaters and killing them on the spot!

Just then, a sudden sense of danger washed over them.

"Damn, it’s a Crawler—" Xia Yan’s face showed a trace of panic, and fearful memories emerged again in his mind.

However, in the next instant, the Crawler’s head exploded into fragments.

"Don’t panic, I’m here."

Chu Guang, having slung the Gauss Rifle over his shoulder, re-gripped the Sickle Assault Rifle and adeptly switched back to automatic fire, sweeping several charging Eaters onto the ground.

The ground was littered with broken branches and severed limbs.

A rotten, fishy stench spread throughout the corridor.

Hiding behind, Yin Fang breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his raised gun muzzle.

Looking at the Eaters on the ground, and the black spots and mucor on the distant wall, he swallowed hard.

"I have a feeling... there might be quite a few Variants ahead!"

"We don’t need feelings for that, just eyes," Chu Guang paused for a moment and continued, "the area ahead should be left for the ’players’ to explore."

Saying this, Chu Guang put away his rifle, lightly tapped his helmet twice with his index finger, and brought up the visual interface, skilfully beginning to type.

[Task: Clear the level B3 exit]

[Type: Hunting, exploration, assault]

[Description: The passage outside the entrance/exit of level B3 has been occupied by Mucor species. We need to take it back from those beasts!]

[Eligibles: Hunters, Scavengers, Soldiers, and players above level LV5.]

[Rewards:

For each Eater killed, reward 1 silver coin and 2 contributions.

For each Martyr killed, reward 1 silver coin and 1 contribution.

For each Crawler killed, reward 20 silver coins and 20 contributions.

For each Tyrant killed...

...

]

——

[Task: Explore the level B3 corridor.]

——

[Task: Investigate the source of mucor contamination in the level B3 corridor.]

...

A total of 5 tasks updated on the task channel, all players meeting the "Eligibles" criteria can freely accept them.

This should turn out to be a good grinding spot.

Even 10,000 Eaters would merely amount to 10,000 silver coins.

And even adding 500 Crawlers would just mean another 10,000 silver coins.

In this way, players not only gain experience but also improve proficiency in shooting, archery, throwing, combat skills, and even earn money.

Perfect!

If we could get the Active Substance Extractor, we could even set one up here.

The extraction efficiency from Eaters is average; about 10 of them needed to produce 1 unit. Still, no matter how small mosquitoes are, they add up, and in large amounts, it’s a substantial figure, definitely better than letting those Variant corpses rot and stink in the tunnel, turning it into a hotbed for germ breeding.

And all he needed to give up was some adjustable numbers.

Thinking this, a smile involuntarily curled up at the corners of Chu Guang’s mouth.

Since all the benefits were for the players.

This time, let’s say the players win twice!

Admiringly glancing at Chu Guang, Yin Fang couldn’t help but express his admiration.

"Your ’players’ are really useful."

Truly paragons of hard work and endurance.

He had never seen such diligent residents of the shelter!

Chu Guang made a jesting remark.

"It seems you’re beginning to grasp the essence of this game."

Being confronted with an unfamiliar term, Yin Fang paused and asked,

"youxi?"

"Interpret it in context," Chu Guang replied, "it means trimming the leeks."

Yin Fang: "...?"

-

(Next Chapter at 11!)

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