This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 227: Although more money has been spent, it is a good thing.

Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Although more money has been spent, it is a good thing.

At the north of Changjiu Farm, an abandoned town.

Amid the howling northern wind, interspersed with light snow, the roadside branches gently swayed.

Hidden at the edge of the forest, a truck carrying a quadruple anti-aircraft gun aimed its barrels across the snow-covered plains to the north.

And beside the truck, Gray Wolf held binoculars and looked toward the north, his face betraying a hint of urgency as he muttered under his breath.

"This isn’t possible..."

Logically, once he fired the signal gun, a hundred-team should have set out from Far Creek Town and rushed to Changjiu Farm to help him fortify the fortress’s defense, and reinforcements and supplies would have followed, solidifying the entire "North Suburb" under the control of Chewing Bone Tribe.

However, it was now noon the following day.

Forget about a hundred-team; not a single figure had been spotted coming from the north.

A flicker of irritation crossed Gray Wolf’s eyes, feeling as if he had been deceived.

Obviously, Lion Tooth, who had provided him with the signal gun, had never intended to send any reinforcements. In fact, from the very moment they set off, he had considered Gray Wolf and his followers expendable.

But why?

Gray Wolf couldn’t fathom the reason behind Lion Tooth’s actions.

If that fool had information suggesting they couldn’t take this place, why agree to let him take the risk?

Even as a foreigner, he still represented a fighting force, and he considered his own strength to be considerable. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t understand why Lion Tooth would abandon him.

Liuding, standing beside him, did not show any surprise on his face.

Before they set off, Manager had told him that this mission might come to nothing.

Perhaps the Looters of Far Creek Town had no intention of sending reinforcements, for reasons beyond the battlefield.

With a submachine gun slung across his chest, Liuding checked the time on his VM device on his arm, and with a blank expression, spoke.

"It seems your ’reinforcements’ aren’t coming."

Gray Wolf swallowed hard.

"Maybe they were caught in a heavy snow..."

Ignoring him, Liuding knocked on the door of the truck and signaled to the player in the driver’s seat.

"Mission’s over."

"Time to retreat."

The player in the truck, "Ward’s Athlete Foot Sufferer Levin," yawned, started the light truck’s engine, and shouted into the rearview mirror.

"Work’s done, work’s done, don’t you dare fall asleep on me."

The nearly dozing "Ya Er, I Need to Go to Brother Ciso," jerked his head vigorously, and after regaining consciousness, clambered back into the truck, looking at the half-box of ammo and grumbled.

"Damn it."

"I’m so sleepy, I’m about to disconnect..."

Feeling sleepiness in the game was a first.

Wasteland OL’s operator always put extra effort in the strangest places.

Is being online for 24 hours reasonable?

Characters in the game need sleep, is that reasonable?

Taking the anti-addiction system to this extent is unparalleled!

...

He had hardly slept last night, and the morning’s work had piled up like a mountain.

There was no new movement in the north for the moment, and the next attack was likely to come from the northeast—the thousand-team led by Black Snake.

To guard against a surprise attack, Chu Guang deployed two patrol routes near the Central State Aerospace Ecology Experimental Base, using the old sites of Winter Willow Camp, Highway Town, and the Battery Factory as patrol points to search for potential threats from the northeast of Qingquan City.

The patrol tasks were to be shared by the guard team and combat professional players, not only to carry out the patrol itself but also to familiarize with the terrain of this generation in preparation for the upcoming battle.

By the way, Dilat’s rubber is really useful.

Not only for sealing components but also for making tracks crudely and brutally, replacing tires, so that light trucks can "fly" in the snow.

However, the poor quality of the installation is a problem, making the ride quite uncomfortable. Just last night, an intelligence system player was shaken to the point of vomiting.

After returning to the shelter, it was already noon, and Chu Guang hadn’t even eaten before collapsing into sleep, only to wake up and find it was already the afternoon.

"I’ll have to invert my sleep schedule again."

Shaking his groggy brain, Chu Guang, sitting up from the bed, glanced at his sweat-soaked shirt and then at the sheets and floor.

"...If someone sees this, they’ll definitely get the wrong idea."

No sooner had Chu Guang muttered to himself than a cheerful voice drifted over from the wall.

"Don’t worry, Master, Xiao Qi won’t tell anyone."

Who knows where that voice pack was pilfered from.

Is it the elder sister style today?

"Alright, you can be quiet now."

The voice stopped.

A pop-up appeared on the screen of the VM lying on the bedside table.

"QAQ"

"..."

Chu Guang casually closed the dialogue box that popped up on the VM, skillfully stripped off his clothes, and tossed them into the basket by the door.

Grabbing the towel hanging beside the basket, he quickly wiped the metabolic waste from his body, changed into clean clothes, then headed to the bathroom on B3 to freshen up. After that, he took a turn and continued to the medical laboratory on the same floor.

Upon seeing Chu Guang at the door, Heya raised her eyebrows gently, her expression hinting at mild surprise.

"You’ve ’leveled up’ again?"

This was a new term she had learned from Chu Guang.

Like "player," it was one of those words that was difficult to comprehend just by listening to the pronunciation.

"Correct."

Lying down on the scanning bed willingly, Chu Guang said succinctly.

"Let’s begin."

"Wait a moment! I need to put away the samples."

Stopping her work, Heya skillfully took the slide from the microscope, carefully stored it in the low-temperature sample vault, and then briskly walked over with enthusiasm.

Compared to the tissue slices of the Claw of Death, the gene samples preserved in the shelter were obviously more interesting.

To her, this place was like a treasure trove of infinite potential.

It was wonderful to be awake after 20 years today!

Approaching the terminal next to the bed, Heya used her index finger to tap a few times on the touch screen, skillfully starting the device.

The scanning device activated.

After a short wait, the updated Attribute Panel quickly appeared in front of Chu Guang.

[

ID: Chu Guang

Gene Sequence: Manager (Stage 2)

Level: LV.15→LV.16

--Basic Attributes--

Strength: 17

Agility: 11

Constitution: 16

Perception: 12

Intelligence: 14→15

]

Intelligence was increased this time.

Chu Guang closed his eyes to feel it for a moment, but perhaps because he was already smart enough, he did not have a very direct sensation.

Standing next to the terminal, Heya, on the other hand, had a look of surprise written all over her face.

Neurons were non-regenerative cells, and logically, once a human brain matured, it would not grow new neurons.

At least not naturally.

However, the changes occurring in him now were upending her understanding.

Without the aid of medication or other assistive devices, a fully developed body was able to grow twice consecutively!

This was not growth based on exercise.

Instead, the way his genes expressed had fundamentally changed.

In fact, nearly all the residents within the shelter, similar to Chu Guang, exhibited many confounding and perplexing conditions in their DNA expression.

"Incredible... your growth rate is astounding! I seem to recall that it’s only been a little over a week since your last physical examination? Last time, it was the immune system, metabolic functions, and bones... So this time, it’s the neurons? That’s preposterous!"

Chu Guang did not feel much himself, in fact, he felt he had been slightly neglecting his training during this period.

"Is it quick?"

Heya nodded solemnly with a serious expression.

"Of course, otherwise, I wouldn’t use the word incredible."

Chu Guang gave her a puzzled look: "Why do I feel like you use that word frequently?"

Heya was taken aback.

"Do I?"

Not wanting to waste time on an unimportant matter, Chu Guang steered the topic back to the issue of the gene sequence.

"So, is growing quickly a good or a bad thing?"

After pondering for a moment, Heya said,

"It’s hard to say, the definition of good or bad varies depending on the perspective."

Chu Guang: "What do you mean?"

Heya: "In short, an individual’s growth helps to improve their survival rate in the environment, but conversely, an overly complex way of gene expression is not conducive to inheritance... Do you understand what I’m saying?"

In fact, this wasn’t such a big issue.

It was said that during the distant Prosperity Epoch, a significant number of people had abandoned conventional social relationships, relying entirely on technological means to reproduce.

Especially with the flourishing of bionic partners and virtual reality technologies, this societal change was accelerated.

After all, who could resist a character that would never fall apart?

Especially when that character could step out of the screen.

"I guess so, but I’m not sure if what I understand is the same as what you’re trying to convey."

In essence, it’s hard to ’hit the jackpot’?

Chu Guang, sitting on the edge of the scanning bed, fell into contemplation.

So the question was,

Does this count as a good thing or a good thing?

...

There’s a benefit to getting up late. At dusk, the North gate market is at its liveliest, and as soon as you open your eyes, there’s food to eat.

The bonfire standing at the North gate had gone out, but the festive atmosphere was in no way inferior to last night.

In fact, it was even more exuberant.

Those popular festival snacks had been preserved and continued to shine and sizzle in the market.

And the prey that players had racked their brains to collect from the Wasteland, as well as the unused ingredients, greatly enriched the local residents’ menu.

It seems food is always people’s top pursuit.

And only after having their fill do people start to think about other things and how to improve their lives.

While Chu Guang was strolling through the market, he noticed people from the Frost Spear clan selling black and red dyes made from insect glue.

It was a technique brought from the Survivor Settlement in the north. The raw materials were some small insects that were not rare on the Wasteland, though this technique had never found its use until they came here.

When the Frost Spear people discovered during the festival that the Blue Jackets had a demand for paint, they immediately crafted this product.

As it turned out, the dye performed exceptionally well, especially in permeating silk fabrics. Once dyed, it wouldn’t fade even after repeated washing.

Moreover, the Iron Axe Tribe had gained some experience in their spinning work, and new varieties of products that Chu Guang had never seen before emerged at the stall of the sisters Autumn Grass Autumn Leaf.

Such as some beautiful accessories, durable gloves, scarves, or socks.

Some of the goods were obviously taught to them by Teng Teng.

The thriving market helped boost the morale of producers, and the circulation of goods as rewards for production further stimulated creativity. This motivated people to improve tools and methods, thereby promoting the overall prosperity of the Survivor Base.

Walking in the market, Chu Guang could feel very clearly that the negative impacts brought by the harsh winter and the Wartime regulations were slowly fading away.

The sprouts of prosperity seemed to arrive even earlier than spring.

On almost every person’s face, he could sense that robust vitality and the anticipation and longing for life tomorrow.

Something that was hard to see on the Wasteland.

Passing by a barbecue stall, Chu Guang bought a few skewers.

The greasy and fragrant smell of the meat plunged into his nostrils, making him, who hadn’t eaten all day, terribly tempted; one bite was simply satisfying.

Just as Chu Guang was pondering whether to drink something or not, he chanced to hear a familiar hawking voice coming from the mushroom stall nearby.

"Fresh Devil’s Frozen, folks!"

"Just made, hurry up and buy!

Is the mushroom stall open for business?

It seems this winter is indeed passing by.

Surprised, Chu Guang looked towards Crow Boss’s stall.

Unfortunately, the mushroom soup that numerous NPCs and players yearned for was not there. Instead, there was a large bucket.

Next to the large bucket, on a wooden table, there were several delicate bowls, containing a crystal-clear gelatinous substance that looked just like jelly.

Chu Guang remembered that it was probably Teng Teng’s masterpiece, boiling the Devil pupa into a gel, making something like Jelly Brady, which tasted peculiarly good and wasn’t as stomach-turning to look at as the Devil pupa.

After the New Year event, the kind-hearted Teng Teng seemed to have passed this skill to Crow, who, smelling the business opportunity, promptly set up her stall.

The only pity was the portion size was really too small.

If only it were half her size.

The hawking didn’t last long, and, unsurprisingly, a large group of players gathered around the mushroom patch.

"Yikes! Is Crow Boss’s mushroom stall opening?!"

"Yikes! It’s not mushrooms!"

"Damn it, what’s the difference between this and hanging a sheep’s head but selling dog meat?"

"Where’s the mushroom soup? I want to see Kali’s mushrooms!"

"Wuwuwu, I can’t see Crow Boss swallowing Big Mushrooms anymore, what’s the point of a mushroom stall without the talent!"

"Wait a minute, the jelly seems pretty good too?"

"Buddy, I’ve just had a bold idea—"

"Shoo!"

The red-faced Crow scooped up a bowl of Devil’s Frozen and threw it over; the player hit by it cheered, picked up the bowl and ran off.

Crow, regaining her breath, only then realized she had been tricked and immediately felt regretful.

How careless! Giving away a bowl on the opening day, what a loss!

But as much as they teased, the crowd did take care of Crow Boss’s business.

After all, that was the first meal many players had in the game, the starter pack’s five Copper coins was just enough to buy a bowl.

That bowl of mushroom soup carried their memories of distant versions, even more ancient than the history of the North gate market.

The little player, after finishing his meal, quickly returned the bowl, apologized with embarrassment, and cheekily said it was tasty and that he dared to do it again next time.

The other players took out their money, ready to pay for nostalgia.

However, when they learned the price, everyone was stunned.

"Wait a minute, isn’t one Silver coin too expensive for a jelly?"

"Right! Your bowl is only as big as half an apple; isn’t that too little?!"

"I treated Crow sis as a brother, and she took me for a tycoon."

"Too dark, too dark!"

Seeing the crowd’s complaints and the chorus of grievances, Crow immediately became anxious and argued.

"The ramen next door sells for Ten Silver coins a bowl; is it that outrageous for me to sell this for one Silver coin?"

Zhang Hai, who was pulling noodles at the stand nearby, heard these words and immediately took offense, glaring over.

"What bullshit!"

"When have I ever charged that much?"

Elena, who was eating noodles, lifted her head and couldn’t help but make a snide comment.

"You really haven’t charged that much, but the way you slice your meat, it’s thinner than paper."

Zhang Hai glanced over indifferently.

"What do you know? This is the real deal."

The diners heard this and burst into a chorus of complaints.

These scammers are too much!

Hang them from the street lamps!

Holding a skewer of freshly bought roasted wild boar meat and watching the bickering little players, a fatherly smile crept onto Chu Guang’s face.

This is nice.

Looks like I need to find excuses to hold more celebrations in the future.

Just after the crisis in the "North Suburb" is resolved!

If things look up, the celebration for the spring ploughing might even be combined with a triumph ceremony.

However, all these splendid visions for the future hinge on driving out the jackals to the north.

Otherwise, it’s all just empty talk.

After biting off the last piece of meat from the skewer, Chu Guang wiped his mouth and eagerly headed to the next stall.

...

After dinner, Chu Guang strolled down the streets for a while.

Not until the sky had completely darkened did he return to the shelter, to his office, and sat down to start planning the work that needed to be done.

Usually, at this time, most people would have logged off, but today, many were still online.

It seems that everyone had nothing better to do during the extended New Year’s break—might as well lie down with a helmet on.

Today, the average online duration for users had increased by at least 20% compared to the previous days.

The key indicator of player "grind levels," the total number of silver coins distributed, had also increased by 13% from yesterday.

Although more money was being spent, it was a good thing.

According to the economic system of "Wasteland OL,"

the rewards players received from tasks and orders were directly proportional to the value they contributed to the community.

Generally, for every silver coin a player earned, they brought 1.5 to 4 silver coins’ worth of value to the shelter.

Even if the silver coin came from the market or other player trades, the value remained—it just shifted from the warehouse to the market, providing a basis for future transaction taxes in various forms.

As the players with life skills consumed the inventory, the circulated currency would return to the shelter, thus creating a healthy cycle.

Aside from the flourishing market,

Chu Guang also noted that following last night’s battle, 5 new Awakeners had emerged.

Up to now, the number of Awakeners on the server had risen to 27, just three shy of forming three full ten-man teams.

"One step closer to forming an ’Awakener platoon,’" Chu Guang’s lips curled into a smile, his face beaming with pleasure.

One Awakener can take on three people, right?

By the same logic, a platoon of Awakeners beating up a battalion shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Even though the Looters might have Awakeners and possibly even some bizarre creatures, it wasn’t a big deal.

His little players not only had a higher purity, but their evolution direction was stable, and most importantly, produced in large quantities.

A life lost every three days—bring it on, scared?

After reviewing the macro data reports, Chu Guang then opened the report uploaded from Changjiu Farm.

Among the spoils of war this time, there were about 101 Ripper Rifles, an additional 21 submachine guns, and 32 assault rifles, as well as 9 Iron Fist Rocket Launchers and various Molotov Cocktails and grenades.

According to the spoils of war tallied by the NPCs, with Xiao Qi’s assistance, Chu Guang settled the player rewards using a predefined formula.

The war objectives differed between defense and offense modes, so kills contributed slightly more war points in offensive mode.

Naturally, the MVP was the "Anti-aircraft cannon" team, tallying 42 kills, nearly forty percent of which were personally reaped by Mosquito, leading directly to the collapse of the attacking side.

When that barrage from the machine guns swept over, the Looters who had taken the encircling wall were scared stiff, and they surrendered not long after jumping down.

So much so that when the "Edge" squad charged up, they were left fighting shadows—the battle had already ended by the time they reached the door.

However, although the kills were claimed by Mosquito, the points were still tallied as a team score.

In other words, Brother Levin and Brother Ciso, who acted as driver and loader, would also receive rewards based on the points.

Including the points from their squad mission, each of them received 480 silver coins in rewards, as well as 200 Contribution points and 1000 regional reputation points.

In addition to this, three life-profession players finally received their first Silver Medal in their gaming careers!

Even though it was a basic medal.

But it was also an achievement unlocked.

Finally having finished all his tasks, Chu Guang leaned back in his office chair and stretched.

Just as he was pondering which game to gather material from next, a post on the forum suddenly caught his eye.

The title of the post wasn’t catchy, even quite ordinary, yet the discussion was surprisingly heated.

"A very ordinary morning, about my friend’s life"

[Poster: Stop B.S.ing]

-

(Please, I took half a day off to sleep. The efficiency of writing late into the night is too low, and it’s hard to concentrate. I’ll get some rest and continue writing—only got 6K done today...)