This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 225 How Did It Get Invested?

Chapter 225: Chapter 225 How Did It Get Invested?

"Hahaha! Awesome! 666! Your machine gun is just too damn exhilarating—no, too damn unbalanced!"

"Isn’t it only fair they nerf it?"

Sitting in the back of the truck at the gun position, Mosquito finished emptying a cartridge while excitedly yelling as he fiercely pulled the trigger.

Fully loaded with forty high-explosive bombs, after a burst, all you heard was a series of bangs, way more thrilling than fireworks.

Got to give props, the explosion effects and damage in the Game are just way too damn realistic!

Not like ’Tech Storm V’, where you spray a fist-sized anti-aircraft machine gun and it’s as weak as a damp squib—hitting someone and not doing a thing, just ridiculous!

"MMP! Can’t you save some ammo?" Brother Levin, who was sitting in the truck, cursed while looking in the rearview mirror.

That burst just now burned through half of their stockpile.

Was it worth it?

Forty men bunched up and running through the snow with no place to hide on either side. A single shrapnel shell could take out two—couldn’t he use controlled bursts?!

"What’s there to fear! Isn’t someone footing the bill for the ammo? How do we get new orders if we don’t run out? I’m helping you clear inventory!"

Mosquito snickered and turned his gaze to Brother Ciso beside him, continuing with a flourish.

"Bro, help me reload!"

"I’m gonna let another one rip!"

That last round took out at least four teams.

They weren’t dead, they were critically damaged!

No doubt about it, today’s MVP was definitely going to be him!

Mosquito was having a blast, but Brother Ciso, who had been waiting for a long time beside him, only heard noise.

Seeing that guy actually wanted to unload another cartridge, he was instantly infuriated.

"Beat it!"

"Get the hell down from there, it’s my turn now!"

Weren’t we agreed you’d just fire two shots to try it out?

You call that two shots?!

"Don’t panic, don’t panic, look how accurate I am, just let me fire one more burst!"

"Butt! You wanna shoot another burst?! I only brought 80 high-explosive rounds in total, one more burst and they’re gone!"

Mosquito and Brother Ciso continued their argument on the truck.

Debt Giant Eye, who had jumped off the cargo compartment earlier, was throwing up by the truck door.

"Ugh—"

This light truck with tracks moved fast but jolted around so much, going up slopes felt like flying in the sky, he felt like he’d thrown up everything he ate yesterday.

Taking down the LD-47j light machine gun from the truck, "Work Site Boy and Brick" slid the thick magazine into place and glanced over at Big Eyes brother, who was still throwing up.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"A man can never say... he can’t! Hang on, bro, I just ate too much just now—ugh!"

His hand had barely retracted from the door for a second before it leaned on it again.

Seeing that embarrassing guy, Edge Shoveling shook his head, chambering his assault rifle.

"Can’t count on this guy. Let’s go."

Debt Giant Eye: "Seriously?! What about brotherly loyalty?"

Edge Shoveling ignored him.

"Brothers, charge!"

"Target the north gate, quick! Let’s sandwich the enemy with our brothers at the front lines!"

Don’t let the anti-aircraft cannon snag all the fries!

Before Edge could finish speaking, Work Site Boy and Brick, a Strength Type, was already charging forward with the machine gun.

"Go, go, go!"

...

On the other side, Wang Tuo led ten of Looter’s elite men to the south gate of Changjiu Farm.

As per Gray Wolf’s instructions, he was to ambush and annihilate the defending soldiers fleeing from the south gate.

Yet, what frustrated him was that after making his way here, he waited a long time without seeing anyone sneak out of the gate.

Just as Wang Tuo wondered if the survivors in the farm had been wiped out by their brothers who had stormed in, he saw a flare shoot up into the sky.

A flare?

He was stunned.

"Boss, it’s the Big Boss’s signal flare!" a Looter pointed out right away.

"I’m not damn blind!"

Wang Tuo cursed, looking up at that clump of fiery red in the sky, his eyes filled with confusion.

He knew what that signal flare meant.

Gray Wolf had told him before they set out that it had been personally entrusted to him by the Centurion, with an agreement to call for reinforcements after the fortress was taken down.

But the fight up ahead clearly wasn’t finished yet, was it?

The gunfire had a crunching sound to it, instead growing more and more intense.

Just as he was trying to figure out what was going on, a truck from a kilometer away crossed the snowfield at an incredible speed and charged toward the frontline.

Before anyone could react and understand what had happened, they heard the thunder-like sound of artillery from ahead.

Yes.

That was the sound of artillery.

Wang Tuo was certain he hadn’t misheard, having been a mercenary with Gray Wolf up north, he was too familiar with what that sound meant.

Those thunder-like booms made his heart pound with fear.

He didn’t even have time to think about how those survivors had managed to drive the truck across the snow as fast as a plane, when two headlights lit up the southern road, growing rapidly closer.

Soon he saw a light truck driving straight toward them.

Reinforcements!

Wang Tuo, lying in ambush by the roadside, was shocked and instantly looked at the comrade beside him carrying a rocket tube.

"Blow their damn truck up!"

He absolutely couldn’t let it reach the stronghold!

"Yes!"

The Looter, with his not-so-shabby combat readiness, immediately took the Iron Fist Rocket Launcher off his back, crawling beside the snowdrift at the roadside, getting ready to fire when the truck got closer.

However, just as he was getting the tube ready to position, the truck coming from the opposite side, as if it had sprouted a third eye, aimed its roof-mounted machine gun directly at him, the muzzle spraying flames in an instant.

Da-da-da—!

A net of orange-yellow trajectories was woven.

In the blink of an eye, the Looter carrying the tube couldn’t even react before a string of blood mist burst from his body, torn apart by the hailstorm of bullets.

The Looters crawling in the snow were petrified by this scene.

Especially Wang Tuo, who had no idea how his side had been exposed.

Drones?

Or, Awakeners?

Whatever it was, the enemy had clearly discovered them. The truck came to a steady halt in the middle of the road, three hundred meters away, its headlights facing them.

If they didn’t do something, they were all going to die here!

"Scatter!"

Wang Tuo yelled out loud, picked up the tube that had fallen to the ground, and was the first to dash toward the reverse slope.

"Go around from the reverse slope!"

Almost immediately after his words fell, a deadly hail of bullets swept across, and two more Looters who failed to evade in time went down.

The vehicle-mounted machine gun’s rattling fire lifted strings of exploding snowflowers on the snowy ground.

No longer caring about the lives and deaths of his subordinates, Wang Tuo, carrying the rocket launcher, grit his teeth as he sprinted forward along the reverse slope.

The three hundred meters distance was beyond the range of the Iron Fist Rocket Launcher; he needed to get within a hundred and fifty meters, or even a hundred meters, to ensure the cumbersome warhead could effectively hit its target.

Just then, however, the truck-mounted machine gun suddenly ceased fire.

Was it reloading?

Wang Tuo was slightly surprised but didn’t give it much thought, taking the opportunity to charge forward.

But at that moment, his facial expression instantly froze.

There, right in front of him, a power armor wielding a Warhammer was quietly staring at him.

What the power armor was holding in its hand wasn’t important anymore.

Wang Tuo made his choice in one second.

Dropping the rocket launcher in his hands, he raised both hands above his head and knelt on the snow, utilizing the power of Awakening and shouted loudly.

"I surrender! I Surrender!"

Chu Guang, just about to strike, was taken aback, the words that had been brewing to his lips were pushed back.

Well, damn.

He had charged all the way here.

And now he surrendered?!

...

"I surrender!"

Facing the blinding headlights, Gray Wolf raised his hands and walked voluntarily toward the north gate of Changjiu Farm.

The battle surrounding them had ended, and the dense bullet marks on the wall showed just how brutal the fight had been mere minutes ago.

Looking at the severed limbs on the ground, and the snow mounds soaked in blood, Gray Wolf felt a bone-chilling coldness.

The guards approaching him had cold eyes.

Gray Wolf could feel that they wished he’d pick up the gun on the ground, so they could shoot him on the spot, fair and square.

Gray Wolf couldn’t help but feel fortunate. It seemed he had bet correctly. The dignity of civilized people made them unwilling to execute prisoners, much like those from the Grand Canyon.

In other places, even if he surrendered with his hands up, he would probably still end up hanging at the city gates.

Such a devastating defeat, coupled with the prematurely launched signal flare, meant certain death if he returned. If he didn’t go back, there was nowhere else to go in the surrounding area, and the knee-deep snow wouldn’t allow him to get very far.

Surrender was the only way to survive.

At the very least, he wouldn’t be thrown into a boiling pot or freeze to death in the snow.

"I surrender."

Worried that these people might shoot, Gray Wolf, with his hands raised, repeated himself, continuing to address the person who seemed to be their leader.

"A thousand team is stationed at Far Creek Town, and I’m just an insignificant mercenary, a Cannon Fodder sent here to scavenge."

"You’ve won. Killing me is meaningless; my death would be of no consequence to Lion Tooth. But if you give me a chance to live, I might be able to help you win."

Wrench, in his exoskeleton, stepped forward.

Only half of the composite material bulletproof plate on his chest remained, and embedded in that half were two crushed bullets.

Wrench stared at him for a bit, then shifted his gaze away from his face to a teenager nearby with blood on his face.

"Take him to see Manager," he said.

The teenager looked at Gray Wolf with a face full of hatred and, although he wished to tear him to pieces, he nodded in compliance with the order.

"Yes."

Gray Wolf obediently walked ahead, arms raised, not making any suspicious moves.

He knew the one behind him was waiting for an opportunity to shoot, and he surely wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

They passed through Changjiu Farm and arrived at the southern gate.

Two trucks were parked there, surrounded by fully armed people, and sitting on the ground were the ambushers he had sent to intercept the garrison.

Judging by the relaxed expressions of the armed survivors, they didn’t encounter much resistance and might have arrived after the fight had ended, so much so that some even looked a bit... uh, disappointed?

To Gray Wolf’s embarrassment, among the kneeling prisoners, he spotted his own trusted man, Wang Tuo.

Wang Tuo, with his head in his hands, also saw him.

Their eyes met.

Both felt awkward and unconsciously looked away.

At that moment, a deep blue power armor approached them.

Upon seeing the power armor, Gray Wolf finally understood why Wang Tuo wasn’t injured.

Damn, they even had power armor.

What was the point in fighting?

Even the most powerful Awakeners were flesh and blood and couldn’t compete with power armor, except perhaps real "monsters" like the Claw of Death or the Crack Claw Crab Queen.

Chu Guang didn’t waste words and went straight to the point when looking at him.

"Name."

Gray Wolf said respectfully with his head lowered.

"Gray Wolf, sir."

"Centurion? Or a strategist?"

"A Centurion, sir."

Before Chu Guang could ask any more, Gray Wolf said respectfully and without hesitation,

"With all due respect, Lord of Qingquan City... Manager, I am in awe of your and your subordinates’ valor. I know I’m no match for you. Please give me a chance to turn over a new leaf."

Turn over a new leaf, indeed.

Chu Guang stared at him for a while and found the man somewhat amusing, chuckling,

"I don’t dislike sensible people. If you had come to me with your men to surrender from the start, I might even have offered you a seat. But don’t you think it’s a bit late to be saying these things now?"

Gray Wolf said with his head still lowered.

"Sir, I am but a mercenary, a fighter of foreign blood to the Chewing Bone Tribe; even if I admire your—"

"It’s now in the wee hours, not the time for jokes, so don’t waste my time," Chu Guang interrupted impatiently, staring at him, "You now have two choices: go over there and squat, or say something that makes you seem useful."

Then find somewhere else to squat.

But working in a brick kiln would be a little bit more comfortable than clearing roads in heavy snow.

Gray Wolf didn’t dare hesitate or make any demands, quickly disclosing everything he knew.

As Vanus conjectured, the Looter thousand team stationed twenty kilometers away in Far Creek Town and the Looters who attacked Winter Willow Camp and the battery factory were not the same group; they were led by a Thousands of leaders named Lion Tooth.

Since Lion Tooth’s thousand team lacked enough vehicles, their marching speed was slow, and their southern advance lagged behind Black Snake’s.

It wasn’t until the first blizzard of the Southern River Province arrived that they barely made it to Far Creek Town, where they had to stop their southward progress to camp and avoid the storm.

"...Black Snake had many vehicles, perhaps even an Army tank, so they moved much faster than us. They arrived at the Suburb of Tianshui City half a month earlier than planned."

"Originally, after passing through Tianshui City, they were supposed to head east along the plains corridor of the Southern River Province to raid Red River Town and expand their territory eastwards. But they didn’t play by the rules and continued south, reaching for North suburb of Qingquan city... This was the domain awarded to Lion Tooth by the leader."

"Their actions infuriated Lion Tooth, especially as they rejected the invitation to hunt together after the merge, intent on going it alone."

"So you struck first?" Chu Guang asked, looking at him.

Gray Wolf nodded and said,

"Before the snow melts, Lion Tooth plans to establish a bridgehead in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City, allowing the large army to cross the snowfields. I am the vanguard sent by Lion Tooth, but now it seems... I was probably just treated as cannon fodder."

Chu Guang chuckled.

"So, you’re saying you were coerced?"

Gray Wolf gave a bitter smile and said,

"My lord, before I joined them, I was just a mercenary trading my life for money. Many of my subordinates, like me, are outsiders to them. Our lives are trivial to them, and being treated as cannon fodder is not uncommon."

Chu Guang chuckled again but did not take his spiel seriously.

Reasons like these were inconsequential.

Who cares whether he was eager for quick success, volunteered to come to Qingquan City, or was sent as cannon fodder to deliver his own life?

Chu Guang did not bother to verify such insignificant details for veracity.

There were more pressing matters to focus on.

Such as—

"You mentioned that Black Snake might have a tank? What does the tank look like, how thick is its armor, what caliber is it, and what’s its tonnage? And... what powers it?"

Hearing this barrage of questions, Gray Wolf looked bewildered and immediately said,

"I haven’t seen it... it’s just that Lion Tooth often complains, saying the leader actually bestows that guy with a tank, while he didn’t even get an armored vehicle."

After a pause, Gray Wolf said seriously,

"You have to be careful, my lord. That Lion Tooth is a cunning fellow. Though his name has ’lion’ in it, he’s more like a hyena. Moreover, the Ya Clan he belongs to is a direct line of the Chewing Bone Tribe, and West State City to your north is the stronghold of the Ya Clan!"

After hearing Gray Wolf’s words, Chu Guang gained an initial understanding of the Chewing Bone Tribe’s strategic deployment in the southern River Valley Province.

Actually, it was not much of a deployment.

These Looters, who lived off plundering like barbarians, would just seize whatever they could, merely holding the tools of civilization.

After pondering for a bit, Chu Guang continued,

"Now, I offer you a chance for redemption. Write down and mark on the map everything you know about the equipment, personnel numbers, supply counts, patrol routes, and all defensive installations including trenches and dugouts, of the thousand team stationed in Far Creek Town."

Gray Wolf nodded respectfully.

"Yes, my lord."

After having that man taken away, Chu Guang continued to interrogate several other prisoners separately. The information obtained from them did not differ much from what Gray Wolf had provided.

Summarizing the intelligence gathered, Chu Guang called Vanus to the temporary command center at Changjiu Farm and casually tossed him the notebook.

"You guessed it right, we’re facing two thousand teams now, probably amounting to two or three thousand men."

"Fortunately, they are not united as one."

"The Lion Tooth stationed to the north has about 1,500 men under his command, and there may be reinforcements further north. Black Snake to our northeast does not have many people, around 1,000 or so, who we’ve already hit hard before. The problem is that Black Snake has a lot of vehicles; they might be able to muster twenty or thirty trucks, and there might even be one of your Army’s tanks."

Vanus immediately asked,

"Which model of tank?"

Chu Guang answered,

"I’m not sure."

Vanus shook his head.

"The tanks carried by the Expeditionary Army are mainly of three types: one is the Conqueror No.5 Light Tank, used against infantry, another is the Conqueror No.10 Heavy Tank, which supports infantry and takes on anti-armor roles, and the last one is a support variant, using the Conqueror No.10 chassis, but with the main gun replaced by a 100mm howitzer."

Chu Guang asked,

"If it’s one of the latter two, can a 20mm cannon penetrate it?"

Vanus fell silent for a moment.

"It should be able to break the tracks, I’m not certain."

Chu Guang: "..."

"Actually, tanks aren’t that hard to deal with, especially if there’s only one. What you should be worried about now isn’t the tank itself, but..."

After a pause, Vanus looked at the map on the wall.

"The enemy to the north isn’t likely just a forward team dispatched to build a bridgehead at the ’North Suburb’."

Chu Guang frowned.

"You mean that Gray Wolf is lying?"

Vanus shook his head and said,

"Not necessarily lying, he might just be unaware. After all, if I were the commander, I wouldn’t share all my plans with him."

His gaze lingered on the map, moving from Far Creek Town to the Suburb of Tianshui City, and Vanus continued thoughtfully,

"If I were the commander, knowing that my opponent is tough to deal with and my allies are unwilling to cooperate, this battle would likely result in heavy casualties."

"I have two options."

"Either inform the higher-ups."

"Or force them to strike first."

-

(Next Chapter around noon)