This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 211 Wartime Regulations!

Chapter 211: Chapter 211 Wartime Regulations!

On the streets of Giant Stone City, doors and windows tightly shut, rattled loudly in the wind.

There were no pedestrians in sight, only a line of ragged poor pushing carts of snow to dump outside the city.

In the slums by the outer wall, collapsed shanties were everywhere. Disheveled people braved the howling blizzard, searching through piles of snow for missing relatives and friends. Others stood numbly next to their fallen shelters or knelt on the ground praying.

Tilted by the wind, a wooden pole lay unattended at the entrance of the slum. Two loudspeakers, tied on with wire, intermittently emitted an annoying, slick tone.

"...Hello, dear listeners, hello there, this is Voice of Boulder City, and I’m your beloved host, Mr. Hauser."

"Just ten minutes ago, a sudden blizzard swept through the southern part of River Valley Province. This blizzard is expected to last two hours, but don’t worry, faced with the towering walls, neither the surging ’Tide’ nor the howling cold wind can cause us any harm! Under the great leadership of our Lord Mayor, we are invincible!"

"However, our neighbors aren’t so lucky."

"Although the heavy snow has obscured our view, making it impossible to see inside our neighbors’ homes, I can imagine what a pitiful sight it must be."

"If your house has collapsed, please don’t be sad, the Hotel Wind From Afar always welcomes you!"

"This will be your second home!"

...

The sudden blizzard threw the North suburb of Qingquan City into chaos.

Especially the young players hunting in Elm District were lucky to have GPS and compass functionality on their VMs, or they would hardly have made it out of the forest.

The area was littered with trenches and dugouts left by the army; a careless step could land you in a ditch, occasionally touching a corpse not yet fully devoured by Hu Wolves, Hyenas, and rats...

Overall, the players weren’t too adversely affected by the blizzard.

Even when someone occasionally ran into trouble, they could send a distress signal via the map, and nearby players who saw it would typically rush over to help enthusiastically.

However, compared to the optimistic players, the situation for the NPCs wasn’t so rosy.

Two wooden houses of the tribe collapsed, as did a cattle shed.

Chu Guang issued missions, asking Teng Teng, who frequently interacted with the tribespeople, to send them two boxes of bandages and called on players with medical or veterinary experience to help rescue the wounded and livestock.

As for the conditions at the riverside brick factory and the industrial area, they were relatively good.

Since they were all brick buildings, the impacts of the blizzard were minimal. The workers all stayed inside the factory where it was much warmer than outside, so there wasn’t much of a problem with keeping warm.

However, the situation at Changjiu Farm was somewhat dire.

Although the "foam houses" built with the help of Pioneer were all fine, and the brick houses built afterward were also intact, reaching the refugee camp at the east gate presented a scene of utter devastation.

The houses of the Nomads, being wooden, mostly had decent resistance against the blizzard.

But the shanties inhabited by these refugees, mostly made of debris like aluminum sheets and steel bars picked from the Wasteland, couldn’t even withstand a slightly stronger wind without being blown violently about.

Faced with this sudden onslaught of a blizzard, the shanties in the entire refugee camp could only be described with the words "completely wiped out."

The entire camp was as if flattened!

"Is this our new home?" Looking at the chaotic camp before him, a man standing at the entrance of the camp had his face frozen in bewilderment.

The ruins of the shanties.

Trash buried under the snow.

And the injured lying on stretchers...

Standing behind the man were a group of villagers carrying large and small bags. They came from the Winter Willow Camp, many having just narrowly escaped death under the Looter’s knife, still bearing wounds and only hurriedly bandaged.

After spending a night recuperating at the New United Gas Station, they were arranged in the first group bound for Changjiu Farm.

However...

As they walked here, bracing the sudden blizzard while harboring dreams of a new life, they were met with such a sight.

Their anticipation for a new life inevitably clouded over.

"So where is the camp?"

"Maybe it never existed..."

"I start to miss my cabin, I just added a fireplace to it... Damn."

"Stop thinking about it, we can’t go back there anymore."

As the villagers from Winter Willow Camp stood silently, bewildered by the scene before them, the refugees already at the chaotic camp were also sizing them up.

Most of their gazes were filled with suspicion and vigilance.

Although they occasionally welcomed newcomers, never before had they seen so many arrive at once, easily over a hundred people.

"Has the disaster become this severe?"

"Chew-bone... Chaos is spreading."

"The big deer is up again, I pray for our peace..."

With his tribesmen, Nine Searches, rescuing their fellow citizens, frowned upon the sight of these new refugees and turned back to the camp to find his brother.

In the crowd.

Ma Shan, shivering with cold, his lips trembling and his eyes filled with despair.

"I told you long ago... we should have fled south. Now, everywhere is hell, we have no way out anymore."

The soldier in the exoskeleton had said he would take him to see the Manager, but, to this point, other than a few questions from the guards, this matter seemed to have been forgotten.

Perhaps the Manager did not want to see him.

Entry into the refuge had become hopeless, his heart filled only with despair.

The cold north wind cut across his face like a knife, and feeling the stares from behind, Ma Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed as if his neck had been frozen.

"... maybe, I should go find the Manager."

After all, he had represented the Winter Willow Camp and agreed to the refuge’s relocation plan.

Hearing his son’s words, Ma Zhanqiu slowly shook his head.

"When everyone is unfortunate, looking for someone doesn’t work."

No one was obligated to save them.

Only they could save themselves.

After a moment of silence, he turned to look at the villagers, and with a hoarse yet fairly loud voice, he exclaimed,

"It looks like warm beds and hot soup will have to wait a bit longer."

"Wounded, elderly, and children look after the luggage, everyone else follow me."

"Our saviors have run into trouble, we need to go help them!"

Survivors from Winter Willow Camp joined the search and rescue work.

And thanks to their addition, soon more people buried under the snow were dug out.

Many were still breathing, though faintly, yet they were alive but had been frozen stiff.

They were carried to the temporarily dug trenches, which provided some shelter from the blizzard.

The guard squad had established a temporary aid station on the trenches, gathered the injured for treatment, and helped those with fractures to immobilize the affected limbs.

Due to the truck breaking down on the road, Chu Guang was delayed for a while, and the latter part was a walk to the Long Endurance Farm.

Upon arriving at the farm, he quickly found Luka, who was commanding the search and rescue efforts at the east gate.

Coincidentally, Guard Leader Wrench and the person in charge of the Refugee Camp, Jiu Li, were all here too.

Without any pleasantries, Chu Guang went straight to the point,

"How’s the situation?"

Luka looked solemn and spoke gravely,

"Sir, the disaster situation at the Refugee Camp is very serious, nearly all the shanties have been destroyed. I’ve already arranged for the workers at Long Endurance Farm to drop their current tasks and assist in the search and rescue effort. Currently, 7 people are confirmed dead, 21 injured, and two are unaccounted for... it’s more danger than good luck."

Chu Guang’s mood slightly darkened.

Standing beside them, Jiu Li quickly added,

"Sir, the old camp is no longer habitable. I earnestly request you permit us to enter the farm; we can assure you, we won’t be any trouble."

Before Chu Guang could speak, Wrench looked at Jiu Li and spoke on his behalf,

"Even if you enter the farm, there aren’t enough rooms to house you. The new apartments are still under construction; even if you came in, you’d only be able to sleep on the open ground, which wouldn’t solve any problems."

Jiu Li anxiously said,

"At least the enclosing walls could block some of the wind..."

"How could that be?" Wrench shook his head, "Even the roof of our guard station was blown away; I just had it retrieved."

Jiu Li faltered, wanting to say more, but Old Luka, seeing this, also gave advice from the side.

"What Wrench said is the truth, even if we allowed all of you in, it wouldn’t make the situation any better."

What Wrench said was indeed the truth; Long Endurance Farm simply couldn’t accommodate so many people.

The scale of the Refugee Camp had grown from the initial 187 people to now nearly 300. Add to that over a hundred households from Winter Willow Camp, and the population could well exceed 500.

The dormitories left by the crew of Pioneer for them had only 200 single rooms, of which more than half had already been rented by players active in Long Endurance Farm and the Elm District area, as places to log out. The other half was allocated to those who had found work at Long Endurance Farm,

The two buildings of "Home of the Refugees" apartments currently under construction had only a little over 400 rooms in total. Even if construction on a third building started immediately, it would not be until next spring at the earliest that it could be put to use.

Putting people into shelter only provides temporary relief and doesn’t solve any underlying problems. It mainly offers them psychological comfort.

Chu Guang pondered for a moment, then looked towards the Wrench.

"Do you have a paper map of the North Suburb of Qingquan City with you?"

"Yes, sir."

Wrench immediately took out a map from his chest pocket and handed it to Chu Guang with both hands.

Chu Guang unfolded the map, searched it for a while, and finally locked on to an abandoned department store not far from the new industrial zone.

His cattle and horse team had previously discovered a personal shelter there. It was where they found Boss Xia’s workbench.

Chu Guang remembered clearly that there were two underground parking levels, offering vast space where radiation and Mucor species variants had been cleared before.

Although more variants might have spread there recently, the number should not be large and they would not be difficult to clear out.

Most importantly, this department store was not too far from here, only about five kilometers, and near the new industrial zone. This might provide some work opportunities for part of the population.

The only flaws might be the ventilation and sanitation issues, but these would seem minor in the face of severe blizzards.

Before next spring, Chu Guang planned to temporarily settle the refugees there. Although the conditions were not excellent, they were definitely better than leaving them to fend for themselves in the wilderness.

After drawing a circle on the map, Chu Guang handed it to Jiu Li standing beside him and instructed,

"This area near Changjiu Farm is all wasteland with nothing but short withered trees and shrubs, uneven muddy ground, and no shelter from wind or rain, lacking enough materials for you to build a camp in a short time."

"We don’t know when the next snowstorm will come. Building a new camp is not a wise choice. Before the end of winter, we must utilize the ruins left by the pre-war society to establish temporary shelters. I know this won’t be easy; variants, diseases... many issues need to be overcome, but this is the only option available to save more lives."

"I need you to organize people to take the refugees to the designated area on the map. I will arrange for the security team to assist you in establishing the temporary shelter."

"Subsequently, a batch of wood will be sent there, and I will arrange people to assist you in producing fuel. I will do my best to solve the food issue; the ration standards will be the same as they are here. I can’t guarantee how good, but I assure you that no one will die of hunger or cold."

Although heavy-hearted, Jiu Li also understood that this was the most realistic choice.

He bowed slightly and said respectfully,

"Thank you for your generosity, sir."

Whether calming the refugees’ emotions or arranging the relocation needed time, Jiu Li did not delay. He soon left with the map and the manager’s promise.

Chu Guang asked Luka to go and assist him, and after giving instructions, he did not idle. He immediately used the manager’s authority to post a task with no threshold restrictions on the task channel.

The task would also be posted at the warehouse entrance, directed at newcomers who had not yet earned VM credentials.

[Task: Changjiu Farm needs wood!]

[Posted for: All players]

...

Outpost Base.

A group of newcomers gathered in front of the task bulletin board by the warehouse entrance, their eyes almost bulging out as they stared at the line on the list.

[Task: Changjiu Farm needs wood!]

[Requirement: Cut down trees marked in the designated area and drag the cut trees to a specified location for loading]

[Reward: Two silver coins per tree, 5 Contribution Points, 10 regional reputation points (Changjiu Farm)]

The surrounding area buzzed with voices, all filled with surprise and disbelief.

"Damn, two silver coins for one tree?!"

"And 5 Contribution Points plus 10 reputation points!"

"Mother, is this some kind of limited-time event? Why are the rewards so high?"

It was well known that a level 0 hardworking player could only earn 10 silver coins a day.

After reaching level 3, daily earnings would gradually increase to about 15-20 silver coins.

The reason was due to the game mechanism, where contribution points played a bigger role than silver coins in the early stages. Only when a citizen level was reached would monetary gains increase substantially.

The operator’s explanation was that only those who made sufficient contributions to the shelter deserved to enjoy the fruits of previous efforts and own more "social resources."

Normal daily tasks, chopping a tree would only award 5 copper coins, and even less for smaller tasks.

But now, the reward had quadrupled!

And there was no upper limit on earnings!

Not just the newbie players, even many old players above level 6 were tempted by such expansive rewards.

Canyon Running Mole: "Could it be that the AI made a mistake when posting the task? This income is way too unreasonable. Will Strength-types skyrocket? We urgently request for planning to add tasks that allow Agile-systems to quickly earn money too!"

Spring Water Commander, "+1, Intelligence System is going to cry."

Midnight Chicken Killing, "Logging convoy is moving out, anyone joining? DM me quickly."

Kakarot, "Brother Killing Chicken, count me in! Hahaha, I am a Strength-type!"

Gnome King Riches, "Brothers, let’s go! Before the Dog Plan notices this bug, let’s push our silver coins to the sky!"

Spare People Under the Knife, "Man, I’m going to work my liver out!"

Quit Smoking, "Let’s do this!"

A group of players surged toward Elm District.

Especially the Strength-type players, they were as excited as 200-pound children. All the logging axes in the store were sold out, and they swore to make a break for the sky.

Unlike previous logging tasks, this one specified a logging area, and NPCs marked the trees; only the marked trees would yield rewards.

The development area was about 10 acres, displaying a rectangular area on the map. Pine trees and cypress trees over 30 cm in diameter and higher than 10 meters were all marked.

Three guards and eight NPC laborers set up a temporary camp next to the logging area. They used simple cutting devices like saws to process the timber, and loaded it onto trucks in sections, transporting it to the Long Endurance Farm and a temporary shelter in the abandoned department store.

Kids must be wondering, what if I make my mark on a slightly thinner tree?

Of course... Heck no.

That would be way too bold.

As long as the NPCs are blind enough, they surely won’t find out...

Within the 10-acre range, the NPCs sent by Chu Guang had placed a total of 6,000 marks.

The entire task was scheduled to last one week.

However, what Chu Guang didn’t expect was that, within just three days and without modern tools like chainsaws, his little players had used just axes to clear all 6,000-plus marks!

At two silver coins per tree, in just three days, Chu Guang had issued a total of 12,000 silver coins!

A total of 170 players participated in this task, averaging an income of 70.5 silver coins each.

The top performer, Midnight Chicken Killing, broke two axes alone, contributing 120 trees and earning 240 silver in three days. His logging level rose from 5 to 6, and Chu Guang even entertained the thought of awarding him the achievement of Forest Destroyer.

At this rate, Brother Killing Chicken might just become the second awakened in the shelter.

Strength-type is now the strongest version confirmed!

...

Long Endurance Farm.

Temporary Office.

Looking at Chu Guang sitting behind a wooden desk, Luka cautiously reminded him.

"Sir, we now have enough timber, and our fuel reserves have returned to your set reserve level, but food remains a major problem."

"The weather is getting colder, and the game available for hunting is dwindling. We currently have nearly two thousand mouths to feed, and at the current rate of consumption, our food may only last until the end of this month..."

After listening to Luka’s report, Chu Guang fell into deep thought, gently tapping his index finger on the table.

Two more months, and the first batch of corn will mature at Greenhouse Ruins.

The actual planting area is about 40 acres, with an estimated yield of 700-800 kilograms per acre, which amounts to around 30,000 kilograms.

The seeds sold by Pioneer are guaranteed to produce results.

Once the breeding in the shelter’s B3 layer planting area is completed, and the entire Greenhouse Ruins are fully exploited, a new batch of seeds will soon be planted.

However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

He could freely print money, but after all, he couldn’t exchange printed money for food.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Guang said.

"We need to hold on for two more months."

"As long as we can last until the end of January next year, victory will be ours!"

There was no more food to scavenge in the surroundings. Chu Guang even sent people to check Brown Farm, and their granaries indeed had little left; the farmer had not hidden the truth from him.

It was getting harder to find game in the forests of Elm District, and in the city... even the rats were almost exterminated.

Those Mucor species Variants are ultimately inedible, even if they are turned into active substances, those paste-like fluids can’t be absorbed by the digestive system.

If they did not intend to cross ethical lines,

there was only one option left...

Sitting at the desk, Chu Guang pondered for a long time, and finally made a decision. He opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper, and wrote six words —

"War Time Management Regulation."

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