This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 200: It’s Advised That You Move House

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: It’s Advised That You Move House

[Worldwide Announcement: Congratulations to the player "White Horse Passing a Gap" for achieving the first kill on the Claw of Death!]

[Since the player chose to make it public, the achievement will enter the Hall of Fame.]

Central Continent Aerospace Experimental Base.

Players who were cleaning up the battlefield received these two messages simultaneously on their VMs.

They were almost simultaneously baffled.

"Damn?"

"Old White???"

"What the hell, wasn’t this guy captured?"

"How about this hostage? Not only did he escape on his own, but he also snagged a first kill?"

"Negative review! Strongly request the planners to change the extras next time!"

"Waaa, my first kill."

meters away from the Experimental Base.

On the roof of a double-stacked wild house.

Looking at the VM on his arm, Night Ten’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Damn, Old White’s got some moves!"

To think he came out on his own and even killed a Dead Claw!

That monster over four meters tall, with claws almost as long as a leg, Night Ten couldn’t figure out how Old White managed to take it down.

"I guess it was probably the one we ran into this morning. I remember before we left, that Dead Claw seemed to have been nearly destroyed by a rocket launcher from the Looters," Fang Chang tried to analyze.

"That’s crazy!" Night Ten said regretfully, "Man, they always say the Strength Type is an early sequence, but isn’t this ’early’ stage freaking long?"

The distance for combat keeps increasing, and the Perception Type is almost irrelevant!

If Neural Connection Equipment doesn’t become more popular, the Intelligence System is going to die out!

The presence of Constitution and Agility Types has never been strong, always second place.

Only the Strength Type from 0.1 to 0.9, leveling up fast and fighting fiercely, even better at bricklaying, carrying double loads than others.

Isn’t there any justice in this?

If it weren’t for Old White being one of our own, Night Ten would probably join those on the forum whining for a nerf.

"Uh, maybe everything before Level 10 is considered early phase?" Fang Chang said, his expression somewhat subtle.

It was indeed a bit awkward to talk about.

With every version update, he predicted the rise of the Intelligence storyline, but from 0.5 to 0.9, it seems like the entire sequence was forgotten by the game developers.

Where are the promised cybernetic implants?

Where’s the Neural Connection Equipment?

Strength Type is going wild!

Looks like muscle is the main theme of this game!

"Hey, let’s ask Old White to send a red packet when we log off!"

Fang Chang nodded.

"Definitely, got to make him send a big one!"

Night Ten said, unable to contain his eagerness.

"Speaking of which, how long do we have to wait here? Can I take down that mutated hyena crouching in the corner? I’ve been watching it bare its teeth for a while now."

Fang Chang glanced at his VM.

"I haven’t received any new tasks for now, but judging from the green dots on the map, our team has fully controlled the battlefield... let’s wait a bit more."

Let them finish cleaning the battlefield since the loot from group battles goes to the collective.

It wouldn’t be bad to slack off here for a bit.

However, just as Fang Chang was thinking this, both his and Night Ten’s VMs received a new mission.

To be precise, not just the two of them, but also Wild Wind, who was responsible for watching their backs.

[Mission: Proceed to the target area and establish a reconnaissance point]

[Reward: 50 War Points]

"What’s going on, isn’t the battle over yet?" Night Ten looked perplexed, instinctively turning to Fang Chang.

He always did this when he couldn’t figure out the situation.

However, this time, even Fang Chang was a bit confused.

"Don’t look at me, I’m not Ah Guang. Reasoning this out, the battle should be over... but it’s uncertain whether there will be another one."

Who knows?

Ah Guang might be working overtime recently, too busy to monitor them, and it’s not impossible for other planners to target them when they develop too fast.

Isn’t there a planner named ’Xiao Qi’?

However, Fang Chang still preferred to believe what Ah Guang said—the plot and tasks in the game are dynamically generated by the server AI, just like the settings in the old MMORPG novels, and planners generally don’t interfere with the game’s progress.

As for not interfering at all, that’s unlikely. Just like the so-called "100 percent reality," such nonsense is only mentioned in advertisements. Who would actually believe it?

Fang Chang switched to the map, his index finger sliding across the VM’s screen, quickly finding the mission marker.

It appeared to be an amusement park, located about 10 kilometers north of the Central State Aerospace Ecology Experimental Base. Not to mention whether it’s far or not; that location was almost deviating towards the southern suburbs of Tianshui City!

It was an unexplored area; no one had ever gone so far from the respawn point.

"Can I save the game first? I did kill two, after all." Clearly Night Ten had also noticed the position of the mission beacon on the map, his face wore an expression of wanting to cry but no tears coming out.

"Eighty percent chance you can’t save now, we’re at least sixteen kilometers from the respawn point, a thirty-plus kilometers round trip..."

Fang Chang’s Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed and continued.

"Anyway, let’s meet up with Old White first."

...

At the same time, sixteen kilometers from the front line at Outpost Base.

Wearing a coat and accompanied by Liu Jiuyue and three bodyguards, Brown braved the wind and snow, hurriedly arriving here from the farm.

"I’m Brown, the farmowner from Brown’s Farm, here to discuss countermeasures for the Chewing Bone Tribe’s invasion of the north suburb of Qingquan City, and here is my invitation... What are you doing here?"

When he saw the people gathered at the southern gate of the Outpost Base, Brown was taken aback.

The ones standing there were none other than those he had driven out of his living room earlier!

"What a coincidence."

Looking at Brown, the man with a scarred face crossed his arms over his chest, whistled at him, and continued in a teasing tone,

"Didn’t expect our dear landlord, although he verbally distrusts the ’Blue Jacket,’ his body surprisingly tells the truth."

"Is that all you can spit out of your mouth?"

Irritation flickered across Brown’s face.

Liu Jiuyue stepped forward slightly, her expression grave as she stared at the scarred man, her hand already resting on her hip.

Ignoring her movements, the scarred man leisurely watched her, his eyes slightly narrowing.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually grew tense.

The two guards standing at the gate had already focused their attention on the few people in the standoff, ready to intervene if needed.

Just then, Brown suddenly caught sight of an old man walking out of the south gate from the corner of his eye.

That old man looked vaguely familiar, but Brown couldn’t for the life of him remember where he had seen that face.

Strange.

He couldn’t recall at all!

While Brown was distracted, a middle-aged man wearing a hunter’s hat stepped forward and nodded slightly to the old man standing at the gate.

"I am Du Conglin from the Morning Wind Community. Please allow me to meet your Manager. I have important matters to discuss!"

The man with the scarred face also stepped forward.

"Night Owl, from Highway Town. I’d like to meet your Manager too, about the Chewing Bone Tribe matter."

Worried about being left out, the man with a head as round as his belly hurriedly stepped forward and added,

"Red Train Station, Doru... Considering we are all survivors from the north suburb of Qingquan City, please help us."

The others also spoke similar words, looking at Old Luka with hopeful eyes.

Standing at the margins, Brown, along with Liu Jiuyue and the rest of the bodyguards behind him, wore utterly baffled expressions.

Who exactly was the invited guest?

Old Luka didn’t show partiality to any party.

Though there were about ten more people than originally planned, he still followed the Manager’s instructions, receiving them with the demeanor and attitude of a master butler.

"The Manager stepped out and will be back later. If you’re willing to wait for a while, please, follow me inside."

As he said this, Old Luka’s gaze passed over the crowd and glanced at the landowner Brown at the back.

His expression remained unchanged, all business as he spoke.

"You are Mr. Brown, right? Please, come inside as well."

"Okay."

Mr. Brown quickly nodded his head, walking towards Outpost Base with the other survivors.

On the way to the meeting room.

Mr. Brown pondered relentlessly, trying to recall where he had seen that face before. Finally, he couldn’t help but signal Liu Jiuyue with his eyes, inviting him to come closer, and whispered in his ear.

"Is that the Manager’s butler? Or somebody else... why does he look somewhat familiar?"

Liu Jiuyue inwardly sighed; he knew why Mr. Brown found the face familiar, but fearing blame, he pretended to be confused and brushed it off.

"I don’t know, sir, the last time I was here delivering a message for you was the first time I saw him... Maybe you recognized the wrong person?"

Although skeptical of this response, Mr. Brown truly couldn’t remember where he had seen the person before; thus, he did not pursue his query and casually remarked.

"Perhaps that’s it."

...

The group arrived at the meeting room.

The environment here was plain; the priciest items were probably the bear skin on the floor and the radio placed beside the wooden table.

Mr. Brown recognized that radio.

He had once visited the old town mayor’s house on Bet Street, where even the mutual defense pact was signed in the mayor’s study.

Mr. Brown still remembered the episode from "Voice of Giant Stone City" playing on the radio—it was about the planting techniques of Cam Trees.

It was because of this that Mr. Brown felt a bit uneasy.

Although he had promptly delivered a batch of food here at that time, nobody could guarantee that the lord here wouldn’t suddenly remember this and use it as an excuse to extort him.

Being able to buy peace with money was a good thing.

But the problem was, he really couldn’t squeeze out any more.

Waiting for everyone to be seated.

Looking at the survivors inside the meeting room, Old Luka began to speak.

"We didn’t expect so many guests; the facilities here are a bit basic, please bear with us."

Du Conglin from the Morning Wind Community shook his head, politely saying,

"No troubles at all; it’s we who are intruding unexpectedly."

Although the meeting room was simple, nobody doubted the capabilities of these ’Blue Jackets.’

Night Owl had been observing the people here all along the way, and to his surprise, he noticed several survivors showing signs of "Awakening."

When had "Awakening" become so common?

Night Owl remembered clearly how cruel the price and perilous the trial of life and death he endured to luckily obtain that hard-won power.

"...Originally, we planned to invite everyone in turn to discuss the situation in the northern part of Qingquan City, but since you’re all here, let’s discuss it together."

Luka paused and then continued.

"As you may have noticed, the chaos brought by the Army is spreading from the central part of River Valley Province southward. Countless survivors are being displaced by the warfare, and a massive Looter Tribe is rising amidst the chaos. They burn villages, destroy settlements, and plunder and enslave everything in sight."

A thin man shivered and said tentatively,

"Chewing Bone..."

Luka glanced at him and nodded.

"Yes, that’s what they’re called."

"Originally, our expectation was that they would march to the north suburb of Qingquan City in spring. However, unexpectedly, they arrived earlier than planned."

Saying this, Old Luka nodded towards an assistant at his side.

The young man immediately understood, distributing the prepared VM devices to the survivors present.

As the attendees puzzled over the VMs in their hands, wondering what the Blue Jackets were planning, a video appeared on the screen.

It was a drone’s aerial perspective.

The ecological experiment base, now decorated by campfires, had been occupied by a group of Looters.

They were well-equipped, some carrying bolt-action rifles, some holding automatic rifles; there were machine guns welded on the tops of trucks, and some even wore bulletproof vests over their fur coats, with many carrying rocket launchers... All Army equipment!

After witnessing this footage, including Mr. Brown, all the faces of the present survivors turned unpleasant.

"Are they... from the Chewing Bone Tribe?"

"Where is this?"

"It looks like Central State Aerospace Ecology Experimental Base... I’ve heard of this place, to the northeast of Qingquan City!"

"What?! The Chewing Bone Tribe has already reached Qingquan City?!"

A wave of panic ensued.

The Chewing Bone Tribe had actually reached right under our noses?

The broadcast said there was still some distance!

"Here is about 15 to 16 kilometers from us, not very close but definitely not far," Luka responded to some of their questions, signaling them to calm down and continue watching.

In the video,

firelight suddenly flickered beside the highway beneath the high ground.

Without any sign, the once silent forest was instantly lit up by dense gunfire!

Combat erupted in an instant!

Then, roaring rockets flew across the battlefield and slammed hard on the south side of the Ecological Experiment Base, blooming explosions of firelight on the Looter’s position.

Meanwhile, the Looter’s machine guns also started to fire down the hill, the bullets almost heating the air they passed through.

The intense atmosphere even penetrated the screen.

Brown unconsciously held his breath, his face as stiff as stone.

At that moment, he glimpsed from the corner of his eye, a fatty named Doru sitting not far from him, sweating beads as big as soybeans on his forehead.

It was clear he was frightened by the scene!

But nearby, Du Conglin and Night Owl were not intimidated by the brutality of the battlefield.

However, as the battle reached its climax, their faces involuntarily showed astonishment, shock, and disbelief.

Not just because of the strength of these Blue Jackets.

What baffled them more was the proficiency displayed by those Looters guarding the high ground in this defensive battle.

Are these people really just Looters???

In Du Conglin’s memory, Looters were just bandits who picked on the weak, and their way of fighting was similar to gang fights... although he himself was also from the same ilk.

Yet, these Looters had clearly shown a certain level of combat training.

Thinking of his own side, who less than an hour ago were blushing and vying over a difference of two people, Du Conglin suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

If he tossed them over there to fight a real battle with these Looters, he could be sure, less than one-third would return alive.

In the video, as the survivors from the eastern front charged up the high ground and broke into the experiment base, the battle was nearly at its end.

Only sporadic gunfire flickered on the battlefield.

The Looters who retreated into the building were either shot dead behind cover or killed by grenades thrown into the rooms.

Even more tragically, some were set on fire by Molotov cocktails, turning into human fireballs and were burned alive in excruciating pain.

The battle was undoubtedly a victory for the Blue Jackets.

A group of Looters holding their heads were being monitored by the rifles, lining up to walk out from an experimental building.

The video ended there.

The reception room went deadly silent.

Looking at the survivors seated there, Old Luka spoke gravely,

"Gentlemen, we are facing a group of organized Looters, their threat level far exceeds our expectations."

"The territory of Qingquan City’s North Suburb is vast; it’s unrealistic and impossible for us to maintain a defense line spanning tens of kilometers."

"A harsh reality is, if we brought our defense line down to our doorsteps and turned a blind eye to your plight, those of you scattered across the North Suburb would likely only have one fate -- being defeated one by one by the dominant Chewing Bone Tribe, becoming their slaves— or even their food."

Watching the survivors’ faces turn pale, Old Luka paused for a moment then threw out a proposal from the respected Manager.

"Our honorable Manager has considered this hence we have a proposal here, which we hope you will seriously consider."

"If you neither want to become food for the Looters nor want to flee far away, consider moving to our place."

The moment these words fell, a buzz spread through the reception room, the expressions on the faces around varied and were quite a spectacle.

Especially Brown.

He almost wrote the word "dreaming" across his face.

Move to your place?!

Insane!

Brown’s heart filled with anger and humiliation. These treacherous, shameless wretches! How dare they... well, he didn’t even know how to criticize them properly, but hadn’t they accepted his tribute and should at least do something?

Holding a slim hope, he had rushed here through heavy snow.

Only to hear such an absurd proposal!

Ignoring these vivid expressions, Old Luka continued in a calm tone.

"We understand, moving is not an easy task."

"But compared to the two choices and the possible consequences, I think you should seriously consider, our genuinely sincere proposition."