This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 217: Ninth Floor of the Greenhouse Ruins! With the First Perception System and Intelligence System Awakener in the Entire Server!

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Ninth Floor of the Greenhouse Ruins! With the First Perception System and Intelligence System Awakener in the Entire Server!

"Our enemies won’t wait in line until winter ends and then stroll up to our trenches,"

"They are Looters, best known for their surprise attacks. If they move fast, maybe by the time this blizzard is over, their army will have moved towards the North Suburb of Qingquan City."

"My judgment is... early January, and it’s even possible that it might be on New Year’s Day itself."

After inspecting the new recruits of the guard team, Chu Guang returned to the guard’s station at Changjiu Farm with Liuding, Wrench, and Vanus.

There was a bunker-style temporary command post here, covered with a thick layer of snow, accessible only through a dugout tunnel.

Among the supplies last seized from the Looters, there were a full hundred 100mm howitzer shells.

These shells each weighed 11 kilograms, containing two kilograms of warhead, packed with TNT and Black Gold.

The impact of these shells would likely be shocking.

Although it was unclear how many howitzers they possessed, just these shells were enough to keep Chu Guang alert.

These Looters aren’t easy to handle!

Currently, Shelter No. 404 had illuminated the process of producing Black Gold based on the information obtained from the elder forum members and the constant experimentation by 30 players with chemical-related jobs, but sadly, the output was not very high.

To develop a reliable form of heavy support fire before New Year’s Day was too challenging. The problems to be solved included not only the cannon barrel but also many other issues, including ballistics, which required more practical experience than theoretical knowledge.

Relying on heavy artillery in the war against the Chewing Bone Tribe might be less practical than hoping for Torpedo Mosquitoes to deliver.

Wrench and Liuding exchanged glances subconsciously, their expressions slightly bewildered.

What is New Year’s Day?

Although Vanus also didn’t understand what New Year’s Day was, he wasn’t focused on such trivial matters; his attention was on Chu Guang’s prediction of the next offensive by the Looters.

Staring at the paper map hung on the wall of the temporary command post, Vanus thought deeply for a long time before speaking.

"If it were me, I would choose to launch the offensive in mid-January,"

Chu Guang looked at him and asked,

"Reason?"

Vanus said,

"It’s out of caution. The snow on the roads will make truck movement difficult, and logistical pressure will be greater than anticipated. As the front line commander, I must firstly assume that you have preemptively evacuated all the plunderable survivor settlements in the North Suburbs and built up sufficient defensive fortifications, with the intention to fight us to the bitter end."

"At that point, our troops won’t be able to secure any resources locally and will have to rely solely on their carried supplies, facing a potentially prolonged siege."

His gaze locked on a desolate urban area in the northeast, Vanus continued,

"I would first establish an operational base, position the artillery, then send out mobile units to harass your positions with vehicle advantages, guiding the artillery bombing and launching multiple assaults to weaken your defenses before concentrating forces to attack from multiple directions simultaneously."

Liuding and Wrench unconsciously held their breaths.

If the Looters indeed acted that way, this battle was undoubtedly going to be more troublesome than imagined.

Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully.

"That sounds like a good strategy."

He certainly didn’t expect the members of the Chewing Bone Tribe to make a foolhardy charge towards his positions like the members of the Blood Hand Clan, and then get harvested by the players lying in trenches with automatic weapons like cutting wheat.

Those goblin-like creatures were very cunning, especially now that they had acquired some of the Army’s tactics—though only a small part.

However...

It was a pity that they were up against him.

This type of protracted assault might work on others, but against players with "three lives in three days," it was fool’s talk.

He only needed to defend the new industrial area located in the abandoned urban district, ensure the supply of weapons and equipment, and the Looters would soon experience the nightmare dominated by undead spirits.

If necessary, he could even abandon the large factories, dismantle the production equipment, retreat into the vast ruins, and then let the players leverage their individual combat strengths and engage the Looters in urban guerrilla warfare.

Noticing Chu Guang’s not-so-heavy expression, Vanus raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

"It seems you already have a plan?"

"Sort of."

"I’m quite curious, might I know what it is?"

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"There aren’t many days left anyway; you’ll know when the time comes."

There were many approaches he had considered, but the situation on the battlefield changed in an instant, and he couldn’t be sure which approach he would ultimately adopt.

After all, it also depended on which card the other side played.

Vanus didn’t pry any further, just shrugged his shoulders.

His status after all was just a prisoner of war.

If Chu Guang sought his opinion, he would express his thoughts and offer advice to refer to. But if Chu Guang didn’t intend to inform him, it truly wasn’t his place to ask too many questions.

Nevertheless, Vanus was still curious about how this man planned to proceed.

After all, the enemy possessed 100mm howitzer cannons, the actual number of which was unknown.

Moreover, the number of Looters exceeded 1000, the number of their vehicles unknown, they held an absolute advantage in both equipment and manpower.

They weren’t ordinary Looters, and after the previous two encounters, this man in front of him was clearly aware.

The odds were actually not high.

Yet his expression, unflinchingly calm, was truly baffling.

Just then, a knock came from the door of the temporary command post.

After obtaining permission, a guard dressed in a black coat entered from outside, his right fist pressed against his chest in a military salute.

"Report!"

Chu Guang spoke concisely.

"Speak."

The guard said.

"Our scouts sent to the north to explore have encountered a patrol team of Looters in Far Creek Town, to the north of Changjiu Farm. They are suspected to be from the Chewing Bone Tribe!"

Upon hearing the report, Chu Guang looked slightly surprised and immediately turned to the map on the wall.

Far Creek Town is about 20 kilometers from Changjiu Farm, adjacent to the north side of Elm District, and administratively it is the southernmost township under the jurisdiction of West State City, close to the Xicheng District of Tianshui City.

The distance wasn’t very near, but it certainly wasn’t far.

However, what puzzled Chu Guang was why these Looters would appear in Far Creek Town?

Judging by the march routes of these Looters, their base should clearly be in the northeast of Qingquan City or the south of Tianshui City.

Could it be...

They had moved?

Staring at the map, Vanus’s expression gradually grew more grave.

"Manager, although I hate to say this... we need to prepare for the worst."

Inside the temporary command post, four pairs of eyes turned towards him.

Chu Guang had a vague idea of what was coming, but he didn’t speak, waiting instead for him to continue.

Vanus paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled a cloud of white air.

"The army to our immediate north, and those Looters in the Southern Suburb of Tianshui City, are clearly not the same group."

"What you will be facing might not be just one thousand team..."

"But two."

...

[Wartime Regulations Day 14]

After verifying the information on the VM, Old White casually wiped off the sticky fluid and fallen moth fibers clinging to his steel arm guard.

"The difficulty of conquering level B9 turned out to be surprisingly low."

"After all, this place houses the reactor; it doesn’t have breeding tanks, and the area isn’t very large," Fang Chang put away his mechanical composite bow and casually remarked.

Four days ago, he had reached Level 10, becoming the first Agile-type Awakener in the entire game.

Just as Old White had guessed, his primary attribute received an increase of five points, while each of the four secondary attributes increased by one point.

With agility now at a total of 17 points, he had almost triple the reaction speed of an ordinary person and dynamic vision.

The skill he acquired was also highly satisfactory to him—similar to the Bullet Time in Max Payne!

This didn’t mean he could become faster, but with the agility attribute bonus, he could make everything around him move in slow motion when his attention was highly focused.

Perhaps if his agility was high enough, there might come a day when he could see the trajectory of a bullet.

In any case, for a shooter, this could be described as a divine skill.

Praise be to the planners!

Since unlocking Bullet Time, although his teammates didn’t have a tangible feeling of its impact, Fang Chang felt invincible.

The mission was in its final stage.

As Old White carefully searched the corners of level B9 with a combat knife, he eliminated the still not fully dead Devil Moths.

Walking behind, Night Ten, seeing no chance to shoot, casually asked.

"What do you think we’ll find on level B10?"

Wild Wind thought for a moment and said,

"I don’t know, but one thing is certain, the Devil Moth’s lair is there."

Night Ten: "Will there be moths as large as mutants?"

Wild Wind: "From an evolutionary standpoint, it’s unlikely; overly large volumes are not suitable for arthropod survival... at least not with Earth’s oxygen content and gravitational environment. But, that’s not absolute. The Wasteland is not a normal natural selection environment, and besides, this is the ’Game.’"

Saying this, Wild Wind suddenly paused and looked up ahead.

"But... this game is too realistic."

The group halted, facing a closed door.

Judging by the sign similar to the one on the Floor B3 Power Room and the markings on the VM map, this should be the reactor.

Through a narrow transparent window, Wild Wind could see the cylindrical reactor inside the room.

A reactor that had been operating for two centuries and was still working.

Even in a game, this was incredibly hard to believe.

It seemed unlikely that it was just boiling water.

"Is this a tokamak or a stellarator?" Night Ten curiously asked.

Wild Wind thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Doesn’t look like either... from the outside it seems plain, even smaller than a nuclear fission reactor."

And way too many!

Night Ten chuckled.

"Maybe the operator just doesn’t want to bother anymore... I thought they would design it to be way cooler."

"It actually makes sense, given the pre-war society portrayed in the game, with controlled nuclear fusion increasingly replacing fossil fuels, even encroaching on chemical batteries in some fields. Their understanding of energy technology is like a black box to us; it’s probably more straightforward than we imagine, making the simplicity more reasonable."

Wild Wind was curious about what kind of brainwave the operator used, given that it touched on his area of expertise,

However, he was a rational man and wouldn’t risk his teammates’ lives on a whim.

Moreover, he didn’t have the capability to dismantle it.

To destroy the first barrier that blocks neutron rays, you would need at least a few hundred kilograms of dynamite.

This thing isn’t made of tofu.

Just the alloy door leading to the reactor chamber was at least half a meter thick, not to mention the walls, which were even part of the load-bearing structure.

It might not even scrape the surface of the reactor if this floor were to be blown up.

At that moment, Wild Wind suddenly felt a slight stabbing pain in his forehead, followed by a burning sensation spreading throughout his body, causing him to frown.

Standing nearby, Night Ten also seemed to react similarly, and exaggeratedly screamed, grabbing his right arm.

"I giao, my Power of the King! That boiling feeling... it’s coming!"

Fang Chang looked at him speechlessly.

"Can’t you be a bit more normal?"

He steadied Night Ten with one hand, while Old White, noticing Wild Wind’s condition, paused slightly, his expression instantly turning joyful.

"Goodness, we’ve awoken two today!"

The first Intelligence System and Perception System players were born server-wide!

The Cow and Horse Squad all entered the Hall of Fame!

This achievement was simply unbeatable!

Fang Chang’s face was also filled with excitement, but they were in a devil moth nest right now, clearly not the moment to be distracted with joy.

"Thrilling! Anyway, let’s go back and save first."

As expected, the forum was likely to be bustling for a while today.

Following Fang Chang’s suggestion, after feeling out the door on the next floor, the Cow and Horse Squad departed from the Greenhouse Ruins, heading back toward the Outpost Base.

As they escorted their teammates to the entrance of the Outpost Base, Old White, standing under the concrete wall, suddenly stopped.

"Before logging off, I plan to visit the industrial area, you guys go back and save first."

Night Ten curiously asked.

"Industrial area? What are you doing there?"

Old White explained with a smile.

"I’ve been using LD-47 for a while, but I always feel like it’s not bringing out the Strength Type’s advantages. I plan to visit the steel factory to see if I can order a couple of Strength Type compatible devices to boost our squad’s firepower."

Wild Wind and Night Ten exchanged looks.

Fang Chang, however, understood his intent and was immediately interested.

"I’ll go with you! I don’t have anything else to do after logging off anyway."

Old White gave a hearty smile.

"Alright, let’s go!"

...

New Industrial Zone.

At the entrance of Steel Factory No. 81, as soon as Old White and Fang Chang entered, they saw Midnight Chicken Killing discussing something with Brother Ciso.

"I want a chainsaw, can you manage that?"

"Manage a hammer, where am I supposed to get you a battery?"

Facing Brother Ciso’s scorn, Midnight Chicken Killing still didn’t give up.

"Burning oil would work."

Hearing this nonchalant statement, Brother Ciso almost spat out, continuing his interrogation.

"Do you have a diesel engine? Do you have diesel?"

It was absurd not to find a diesel engine in all the Wasteland.

These days, he had been troubled by this issue a lot.

Midnight Chicken Killing was slightly stunned, not expecting it to be so complicated, and scratched the back of his head.

"Then... I guess I’ll buy an axe."

"..."

Brother Ciso looked helpless.

A short axe with a wooden handle was just 10 Silver Coins, even after a price increase.

Deducting costs for raw materials, labor, electricity, etc., the profit margin was only 10%, earning just 1 Silver Coin.

Selling axes was less profitable than selling more bullets!

"I genuinely suggest you consider more modern equipment."

Just as he was about to find an excuse to send Brother Killing Chicken away, he suddenly saw Old White and Fang Chang at the door.

His eyes instantly lit up, and Brother Ciso immediately dropped Midnight Chicken Killing and went to greet them.

"Hey, Brother White and Brother Fang Chang, what brings you here?"

These two were big customers!

Lately, the progress in the Greenhouse Ruins seemed to have pushed to the eighth floor? Or was it the ninth?

Although the Ox and Horse teams had never disclosed exactly how much the reward was, based on the difficulty of the maze, one could guess that it was at least a four-digit number.

Seeing Brother Ciso decisively abandon him, Midnight Chicken Killing was stunned.

Seriously?

Watching the familiar faces approaching, Old White smiled heartily and said,

"I’m planning to make some equipment. Do you have anything with a bit more power?"

"Something with more power... What do you mean? We have hand grenades and even replicate Iron Fist Rocket Launchers with great firepower!"

"What I mean is not those disposable explosives," Old White tried to explain with his hands, "Do you have guns with a larger caliber?"

While they were talking, Old White’s gaze suddenly fell on the quad-cannon behind Brother Ciso in the workshop that was still being assembled.

At that glance, Old White couldn’t take his eyes off it and immediately walked over, touching the thick, long barrel.

"Wow, this is 20mm, isn’t it?!"

Seeing someone interested in his work, Brother Ciso smiled slightly, confidently saying,

"20mm Quad Anti-aircraft Cannon! Three types of ammo available, we call it the ’Sky Ripper’ or simply ’The Ripper’!"

That name sounded quite imposing.

Old White continued, excitedly,

"How much?"

Brother Ciso was taken aback, coughed, and said,

"That’s an NPC order... For pricing, one cannon costs 3000 Silver, an armor-piercing bullet costs 20 Silver, just so you know."

"What?! 3000 Silver?" Old White’s eyes widened.

Just this one cannon, and the price was equivalent to 1.5 sets of the Miner Type I Exoskeleton!

And that price for the armor-piercing bullet was outrageous, one bullet equivalent to 20 shots of 7mm, firing three could buy an Iron Fist Rocket Launcher!

Although they had pushed through four floors lately and even taken down the crucial floor B9, the money earned shouldn’t be wasted like this.

After learning the price, Old White immediately dismissed the idea of buying one and felt embarrassed to ask if it could be cheaper.

Seeing the expression on Old White’s face, Fang Chang’s mind ticked, and he walked forward to examine the weapon box for a while, then suddenly said,

"Why is this cannon so expensive?"

Just then, another factory manager, Brother Levin, walked out from a nearby workshop.

Hearing Fang Chang’s question, he casually answered,

"It’s a cannon, isn’t the high cost obvious? Just that weapon box in front of you costs at least 2000 Silver, not to mention the barrel and other parts."

Fang Chang thoughtfully said,

"What if we need a model... that only fires single shots? Without such a complex mechanism, perhaps even switching to a bolt action and manual loading."

Brother Ciso and Brother Levin both paused briefly.

"A bolt action... bolt?"

"Manual loading?"

Seeing that they didn’t seem to grasp his idea, Fang Chang continued,

"I might not have described it accurately before, simply put, remove the fully-automatic mode and create something similar to a bolt-action rifle. It should be easily handheld or mounted on the ground—"

"I see what you mean, omit the buffer and automatic firing mechanism, right?"

Brother Levin interrupted Fang Chang, thoughtfully stroking his chin,

"But such a gun would be heavy, right? And the recoil isn’t small, it probably needs a fixed tripod... Are you sure it would be useful?"

This thing was ultimately a cannon, not a gun.

If shock-absorbing and buffering mechanisms were removed, making it a shoulder-fired weapon, firing once would probably ruin the shooter’s shoulder.

Unless the cannon shell was made shorter, to the size of a bullet.

But then, the 20mm caliber seemed a bit excessive, it would have to be changed to 12mm.

However, after hearing Brother Levin’s concerns, Fang Chang and Old White exchanged a meaningful glance, simultaneously revealing meaningful smiles.

Might be difficult for ordinary people.

But were they ordinary people?

"Just fit a bipod and a stock for me, no need for a fixed tripod."

Old White knocked on the welded breastplate of his exoskeleton, revealing a reassuring smile,

"Don’t worry, I can handle it!"