This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 244 The Correct Use of Mouse People!

Chapter 244: Chapter 244 The Correct Use of Mouse People!

Changjiu Farm.

A plump mouse followed a little one, leading a group of mice scuttling across the wasteland coated with a thin layer of snow.

Soon, the little mouse leading the way stopped beside the ridges, standing next to a bunch of frozen stiff bushes, squeaking at the larger mouse with a face full of grievance and hurt.

"Is this the place?"

The plump mouse lazily uttered in human speech, leaned forward to peek, and saw the breathing holes hidden beneath the bushes. It then began digging frantically with its front paws, and quickly unearthed a groundhog that hadn’t yet woken from hibernation.

The groundhog was seething with anger, about to see which foolish thing had disturbed its winter sleep, when it got immediately startled by the huge face in front of it.

Ah! What the heck is this?

Before it could react, the plump mouse smacked it openly, hammering on its head, leaving the groundhog dizzy and disoriented.

Seeing this, the little mice around became excited and cheered on, chittering in utter chaos, much like the monkeys on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.

Bullying the strong couldn’t understand what these "fellow" mice were saying, but felt that they must be applauding him, so he hit even harder.

This was a tough time for the groundhog.

At first, it tried to fight back, but soon realized that in both size and strength, it was no match for the meter-tall large mouse, so it had no choice but to roll around in the snow, belly up, and squeak for mercy.

"Give up or not? Huh? I’m asking if you give up?"

Bullying the strong pressed down on its head, baring his incisors with a menacing threat in his voice.

"Chirp chirp chirp!" the groundhog rolled over, belly up, not daring to resist anymore, just begging for mercy.

It seemed to have submitted.

Reading that look in its eyes, Bullying the strong released his grip contentedly.

But why does the groundhog make noises like a dog?

Is it a game setting?

Bullying the strong stepped on the groundhog’s belly, looked disdainfully at the surrounding mice, and declared with great bravado, even if they couldn’t understand him.

"This guy is now my defeated underling, and from now on, he’s my little brother."

"If anyone else bullies you, lead me to them."

"The Big Horn Rat stands up for you!"

Watching the boastful large mouse, the other mice squeaked in celebration, offering their adoration.

Although its call was strange, akin to those damned humans, that didn’t matter.

To them, this ugly beast was the mightiest of their generation.

Whoever could defeat it would be their king!

The groundhog was extremely aggrieved, having been sleeping soundly only to be beaten out of the blue for the first thrashing of the New Year.

Was this a mouse’s doing?

Absolutely unsportsmanlike!

And so, the army of mice grew by one more member; last time a mutated squirrel joined, this time an infiltrating groundhog.

Leading more than twenty little mice, Bullying the strong marched triumphantly across the newly piled ridges, looking for his next target.

This was a method he had recently discovered.

Taming these little animals was actually quite simple: just beat them into submission, until they expose their bellies and start begging for mercy.

In the animal world, might is right; all other talk is useless. The more he talked, the less the mice understood, and they would just find his ghostly calls annoying.

Look at the eyes of a few female mice in the back.

It’s more than adoration, their eyes practically shine!

Reflecting on the treatment he received when he first entered the Game, Difficult for the strong couldn’t help but feel emotional in his heart.

Alas, the world of the Variants was simpler.

Human stuff, die!

Makabazi, who was plowing the field, noticed the mice by the ridge, about to thank nature’s bounty when he suddenly recognized the lead fat mouse as Difficult for the strong. He let go of his waist-held hand and teased with a smile,

"Bro Difficult, what are you up to?"

"Here to help me till the land with nothing better to do?"

Difficult for the strong gave him a blank stare.

"Scram, can’t you see I’m busy?"

Makabazi said with a laugh.

"Damn, busy with what, picking fights with mice every day, when will you ever awaken?"

"You don’t get it," Difficult for the strong lifted his nose and said proudly, "See that group behind me? They’re all the new underlings I’ve recruited. Impressive, huh?"

Makabazi chuckled and said,

"Impressive! Just not sure if they can block a burst from my short scythe."

Even if they were mutant mice, the kind that were up to half the size of a human’s calf, if one shot didn’t take them out, a second shot would.

The combat power of mutant mice was basically equivalent to that of Mutant Cockroaches, both being the weakest Variants on the Wasteland, even more so than Hyenas.

After all, when Hyenas were starved, they could still hunt Eaters. When mice were starved, they could only fight desperately with cockroaches.

Upon hearing this, Difficult for the strong hurriedly warned him,

"I’m warning you, don’t even think about it! They’re all my pets!"

Makabazi chuckled and said,

"I’m just messing with you. How could I really do it? But you’d better mark them, or someone else might kill them thinking they’re wild monsters."

"Hisss... you just reminded me."

Difficult for the strong immediately noted this down. He’d have to mark his underlings in the future.

His painstakingly gathered mice.

He couldn’t let them be mistaken for monsters and farmed!

Evening came quickly.

Difficult for the strong wandered through the wasteland west of Changjiu Farm all day, bullying the smaller gophers and voles thanks to his large size. While completing quests, he also recruited some underlings.

If he ever bumped into a couple that were defiant, he’d thrust a dagger right into their bellies.

Yes.

The Mouse Sequence was different from other sequences; it didn’t come with the crampy hands and feet DEBUFF, and they were no weaker with tools than other players.

He even had Mosquito custom-make a pair of Rat-man gloves fitted with steel claws, much sharper than his original ones.

The troublemakers who were killed became food for the mice.

These mice were not picky eaters; they ate anything edible, whether it was their own kind or something else, never wasting a thing.

At those moments, Difficult for the strong would stand by generously watching.

Despite having a mouse’s body, he really couldn’t stomach eating such "wild taste."

Let alone eating it raw.

Of course, the whole day wasn’t all smooth sailing. While heading deeper west, he and his little brothers ran into a starved mutated hyena.

Spring had come.

Having starved all winter, the Variants too began to hunt.

This creature, clearly famished after a whole winter, turned green-eyed at the sight of so many small ones.

Fortunately, Difficult for the Strong had a pistol at his waist and took out the hyena, because if it had come to hand-to-hand combat, with his one-meter stature and subpar Attribute Panel, it wouldn’t have been certain he could win.

Seeing their leader had triumphed over the hyena, the rat-men worshipped him anew before pouncing on the corpse for a feast.

Difficult for the Strong, meanwhile, took out some dry food, sat at the edge of the field, and began nibbling away, watching his subordinates gorge themselves with satisfaction.

After the rat-men had eaten their fill, they gathered around the body, burping contently, squeaking away as they started their post-dinner activities.

There were those who argued, those who fought, and even some huddled together in pairs—it was quite the lively scene.

Watching his energetic little brothers, a sense of harvest joy suddenly filled Difficult for the Strong’s heart.

"It’s not been easy."

He took off the VR headset around his waist and glanced at it; the mission required the recruitment of ten rat-men.

Clearly, he had already exceeded the mission quota.

Surely the Manager would reward him handsomely!

But just then, Difficult for the Strong started to worry.

Having twenty or thirty rat-men for now was manageable, but once their numbers grew, hunting alone definitely wouldn’t be enough to sustain them.

And entrusting these rat-men to hunt for themselves was even more ludicrous—they were on par with cockroaches and would get pummeled in a confrontation with a hyena.

Despite their numbers, they were really just a ragtag bunch; they hadn’t lifted a finger all afternoon, their sole purpose being to make up the numbers.

Under normal circumstances, how are rats supposed to survive?

Obviously by gnawing at human granaries.

But could he gnaw at Changjiu Farm’s granary?

Obviously not.

The Manager was not just an NPC but had GM privileges and could "send players back home" with a click.

This wasn’t about regenerating a health bar or anything.

Violate server regulations and he could find his internet cable unplugged!

Moreover, as players only have one account, even without so many rules, he was reluctant to offend other players and tarnish his own reputation.

If he couldn’t gnaw on his own granary, then he could only eye others’ granaries.

Difficult for the Strong couldn’t help but look up with ambition toward the north.

Perhaps...

He should apply for a Sleep Cabin for saving progress from the Manager.

...

While Difficult for the Strong was considering how to con a Sleep Cabin from the Manager, Makabazi was sitting excitedly on a tractor in a nearby field that was being reclaimed, flooring the accelerator.

Behind the tractor, a long line of harrows turned the soil, over alongside a thin layer of snow.

"Hahaha, fuck! This thing is way too useful!"

Isn’t this much cooler than Farming Simulator?

The newbie standing beside said with a laugh,

"I told you, just modifying it like I suggested would definitely be more useful than the one you had before."

Although it wasn’t technically sophisticated and was just an improvement to the harrows behind the tractors, the efficiency of tilling the fields grew more than twofold.

As for the harrow that Mosquito had made, it seemed to have been directly ripped from the internet. It worked fine on already reclaimed fields, but it was useless when facing fallow land. Sometimes, it would get stuck while dragging or fail to grip the ground firmly, skidding over the snowy ground.

Following his suggestion, the previous issues were immediately resolved.

Standing by, Mosquito said in amazement,

"Fuck, it really works! Big bro, what do you do for a living?"

[Bored Hitting Tigers]smiled shyly.

"I grow tobacco."

Mosquito hadn’t reacted yet, but Makabazi, driving the tractor, was so shocked he nearly steered the tractor off into the ditches.

"Fuck?! Growing tobacco?! Are you serious about what you said about growing tobacco?"

Tiger hurriedly said,

"Don’t just blurt out anything; I’m legitimately employed at a tobacco company."

"Awesome!"

Makabazi said, his face full of envy.

Working at a tobacco company?

That must bring in a good sum of money.

Mosquito also looked envious, but for a different reason.

"Isn’t that too cool, working at a tobacco company? Do you have endless cigarettes to smoke? Can you just smoke the unbranded ones?"

Tiger suddenly looked melancholic.

"Ah, talking about it brings tears. When I first started, I also thought so—until later, when I became a taste tester. Smoking all day, going through several packs, and after smoking, I still had to write reports. That’s when you would understand what it means to yearn for life or death."

Makabazi: "What? There’s such a good deal?"

Tiger rolled his eyes.

"Good deal my ass! There was a time when I felt like puking at the sight of cigarettes!"

It turned out that turning a hobby into a job isn’t always a happy affair.

Out of curiosity, Mosquito asked, "Big brother, are your lungs okay?"

Tiger sighed,

"It’s alright; I changed positions later on. Now, I deal with tobacco farmers every day, running around in the fields, quite relaxing actually."

Makabazi asked curiously,

"How big are your tobacco farms?"

Tiger thought for a bit and said,

"I can’t say specifically, but the project I’m responsible for covers tens of thousands of acres."

Makabazi: "Awesome!"

Mosquito: "666"

No wonder he knew so much.

This was too strong!

...

Elsewhere, to the north of Bet Street, on the edges of the Fifth Ring Road,

Wild Wind, Night Ten, Old White, and Quit Smoking were leading the freshly joined Lone Wolf brothers in sweeping through a building.

Intelligence System players had a hard time leveling up, especially in the early stages. With only three points in strength, they could hardly shoot arrows, throw spears, or even run without getting winded, which is why early on, many teams were reluctant to take Intelligence System players.

Low efficiency was a minor issue, but holding back the team was a serious matter!

That could be fatal.

Unless you’re a player with exceptional manual skills who could take the route of life skills professionals, leveling up might be a bit of a challenge.

Having a strong player to lead the way was a different story, though.

In just one day’s time, Lone Wolf’s level jumped from Level 0 to Level 1.

The speed of leveling up was like blasting off on a rocket.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be a problem reaching Level 3 in four days, and it might be even possible to get there in three days.

While hunting monsters, I just might as well take up a resource exploration mission, pick up the Scavenger job, do some garbage collection tasks, and level up to Citizen, with a light and easy goal of saving up a couple hundred silver coins.

At that time, I’ll just hop onto the VM, buy a PU-9 submachine gun, and if the conditions allow, even get a bulletproof vest sewn from Devil Silk. Basically, that would give me the ability to defend myself.

As the sky outside gradually darkened, a group of us, carrying the loot we had scavenged, withdrew from the deserted high-rise.

The haul for today was pretty decent.

The stuff we scoured plus the mission rewards gave us an average earning of around 100.

In the current version of the Game, if we’re not at war, making that much daily is really good. If we weren’t bringing along newbies, Old White and the rest of us could actually make even more.

Recently, Far Creek Town Hunting Ground opened up, and I heard it has Death Claws. A lot of high-level players have gone over there to forge new paths.

Fang Chang glanced over at Lone Wolf after checking the mission progress on the VM.

"Leveling up is pretty fast up until level three, but after that, it slows down."

Lone Wolf lamented, "This Game really demands a lot of grinding."

Old White nodded in deep agreement, "It really is a bit of a grind. I’ve been stuck at level 13 for almost two weeks now."

Night Ten sighed.

"You’re fairly lucky, I’m a Perception Type, and ever since hitting level 11, my progress bar has been stuck like it’s jammed."

Quit Smoking chimed in, "Hey, listening to your Versailles-level troubles is painfully enviable, the kids who haven’t awakened are going to cry."

Wild Wind suddenly spoke up, "Maybe we need to challenge higher-level monsters."

Night Ten asked, "Like what?"

Wild Wind replied, "Mutants or something."

Night Ten was shocked, "Damn, isn’t that difficulty a bit too high?"

Old White suddenly sighed softly, "It would be great if Fang Chang was here."

Wild Wind agreed, "Definitely, that guy has an understanding of the version that no one can match. With him, our leveling speed would absolutely be faster."

Night Ten said enviously, "That bastard, hogging all the good stuff for himself!"

Old White smiled and said, "He’s always been pretty lucky. You forgot about the time we played Battle Royale, and he would land with a 98K every time. Every time Ah Guang would gather some junk, he’d already be fully equipped. Enough chit-chat, it’s getting dark soon, let’s hurry back for dinner and then log off. Tomorrow night, we’ll still meet up online at seven. Let’s push hard and aim to get our brother Lone Wolf up to level three in one day."

Night Ten exclaimed, "Alright!"

Wild Wind acknowledged, "Received."

Quit Smoking added, "Okay!"

Watching the enthusiastic bunch, Lone Wolf’s face showed emotion.

"Good brothers, thank you!"

Old White laughed, "No thanks needed, otherwise it’d seem like we’re strangers!"

Quit Smoking added, "Exactly, we’ll have lots more to rely on you for in the future!"

Night Ten, with a playful smirk, suggested, "Maybe you can first help us improve the brick factory. There’s a growing demand for bricks, and our orders are backed up till next month."

The never indebted Professor Lone Wolf, his face serious, replied,

"Okay! Brothers, rest assured!"

"As soon as we log off, I’ll think of a solution!"

...

As night fell, the North Gate of the Outpost Base.

Silver Daddy, with snot and tears, begged his good buddy, chasing him from outside to inside the gate.

"Good brother, I was just kidding! Give me another chance, I swear I won’t dare do it again."

Silver Sword coldly shook off his hand.

"Ken, I trusted you once, and you made me lose so badly."

Silver Hand exclaimed, "Damn it!"

At the entrance of the sanatorium.

After a hearty meal, the little players were lining up to return to their nests, and the square was noisy with chatter.

Crow Boss, with her hands clasped, prayed religiously,

"Dear planners in heaven, I hope the water bill doesn’t go up today."

Teng Teng glanced at her and commented,

"You’re dawdling too much. Under normal circumstances, ten minutes is definitely enough."

"No way it’s that fast! Ah, but if it’s Teng Teng—"

Teng Teng’s face instantly turned red as she tiptoed and covered Crow Boss’s mouth.

"Alright, alright, you don’t have to speak anymore!"

Crow Boss whimpered pitifully.

The players around them excitedly egged on,

"Keep going! Say more!"

"Crow Boss, don’t give up!"

Even though the "save point" at the Outpost Base now also had about a hundred Sleep Cabins and the baths were recently fitted with water pipes and basic solar panels, everyone still preferred to take a shower back at the Shelter.

Even though the price of water that the big picture tried to control kept going up.

Actually, there was no helping it.

Even if the players wanted to stay on the surface to log in and out more conveniently, it just wasn’t possible with the lack of Sleep Cabins. That hundred units were always filled to capacity every day.

If you wanted to save the game but didn’t snatch a cabin spot, you still had to return to Shelter No. 117.

Even though Chu Guang had set the priority for producing Sleep Cabin black boxes to the highest level and arranged for someone to press the button to ensure continuous work all day, there was still a significant gap in the Sleep Cabin inventory.

Theoretically, to meet the log in and out needs of all players, at least 900 Sleep Cabins were needed.

Moreover, even if there was a black box, it couldn’t run 24 hours a day nonstop.

Not wanting to break the devices, they had to rest for two or three hours a day at a minimum.

Thinking about the respawn point, Chu Guang, carrying Xiao Qi down from the elevator, started walking towards Shelter No. 117.

At that moment, he suddenly spotted a nondescript large rat darting in front of him.

Looking down, it turned out to be the Manager.

Chu Guang looked at him with a caring gaze, speaking with a gentle tone,

"What’s up?"

With a respectful bow, the large rat spoke,

"Respected Manager, I have completed the task you assigned!"

Chuang Guang was taken aback at first, then surprise spread across his face.

That quickly?

After checking several players’ VM activity records and the drone aerial photos, Chu Guang quickly realized the fellow had not bragged.

He hadn’t just completed the task, he had exceeded it!

Chu Guang’s expression was subtly complicated.

He obviously couldn’t say that he had been too busy lately to think of a proper reward, so after pondering for a moment, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"You’ve done well."

"Having a Variant as a staff member is undoubtedly a huge help to our enterprise."

"Besides silver coins and contributions, is there anything else you want as a reward? Feel free to speak up."

Difficult for the strong was taken aback and immediately overjoyed. He quickly said,

"Sir, I don’t need anything else; I just hope you could give me a Sleep Cabin!"

Chu Guang looked at the man curiously.

"A Sleep Cabin? What do you need that for?"

Difficult for the strong continued seriously,

"I want to go up north! Beyond Far Creek Town to West State City! There’s no interference from other players there, and without the rules that bind us in enemy territory, I can more easily snowball, unite the local Mouse People, and strengthen the power of the Rat-man!"

Damn?

That’s actually a pretty good idea.

After hearing Brother Hard’s words, Chu Guang’s eyes lit up, but he still cautioned prudently.

"The power output of a Sleep Cabin is 1KW, you’ll need to prepare a generator for it. Getting all this equipment to West State City won’t be easy; you need to think it through."

Difficult for the strong said earnestly, "Please rest assured, I will take care of it!"

He had already ordered a "Hell Breath" from Mosquito; at worst, he would order another, smaller, wood-fueled generator.

As soon as the snow on the ground thinned out a bit, he could set off immediately!

Chu Guang nodded and said no more.

"Alright then, go to Changjiu Farm tomorrow and find Luka; he will give you a Sleep Cabin."

"Additionally, I have another task for you. When you go to see Luka, get a radio as well and bring it north to West State City to set up a communication base."

"This task is crucial; please, handle it with the utmost care. After completion, you’ll be free to move around in West State City, and I will also arrange new tasks for you periodically."

Difficult for the strong was thrilled,

"Thank you! Respected Manager, I will make good use of it!"

Sleep Cabins aren’t anything groundbreaking.

Once there were enough Save Points equipped with Sleep Cabins, Chu Guang considered allowing players to buy Sleep Cabins and install them in their own small houses.

But that’s for later.

For now, resources are limited, the interests of the community come first, and public facilities take top priority in resource allocation.

After all, this affects the gaming experience of the vast majority of players.

Returning to the Manager’s Office with Xiao Qi, Chu Guang sat in the office chair and turned to look at the wall to one side.

The wall was covered with many screens, all of which were modded by Yin Fang using VM.

Sixteen small screens formed one large screen, displaying a map with numerous little green and blue dots flickering on it, creating a distribution map of players and NPCs.

Some represented players without VM, others were historical positions marked by drones.

With this map, Chu Guang could easily gauge how many players were in an area, how many tasks to assign, and the proportion of function-specific NPCs required—whether additional personnel needed to be sent there.

What comforted Chu Guang was that this new batch of gamers had more enthusiasm than he’d expected.

Out of three hundred people, half had joined the reclamation army, and over ninety percent of them were Strength Types.

The other half, though not engaged in reclamation, had been pulled to pass on the fire, grinding out progress in the tunnels or scouring the buildings along the fifth ring.

The Eaters there were like ants in number, not only a natural training field but also a potential jackpot of rich resources.

Among the three hundred newbies, Chu Guang was particularly interested in two players.

One was "Bored with Beating Tigers."

The other was that Professor Wang—or rather "End-of-the-world Lone Wolf."

Chu Guang had been watching the former gamer on the forums for a while; he often shared his farming experiences with other players and posted photos.

After observing for some time, Chu Guang didn’t think twice before tagging the player in the backend, and when it was time for the farming version, he pulled him straight into the game.

And this Tiger Brother indeed did not disappoint him; as soon as he came in, he upgraded two tractors produced by the Mosquito and Factory No. 81.

Now the efficiency of farming has doubled, and it’s safe to say that it’s been a great help!

The Professor Wang that follows was a pleasant surprise for Chu Guang.

The professor only joined the cattle and horse group last week, and when Chu Guang peeked at the screen, he learned that he was a colleague of Wild Wind and also a professor in Mechanical Engineering and Automated Design.

For such professor-level reserved players, especially those in applied fields, Chu Guang did not hesitate at all. He immediately marked him and included him in the Alpha 1.0 version.

Tiger Brother chose the Strength Type.

While this Lone Wolf Brother, like Wild Wind, chose the Intelligence System; it’s very likely the latter advised him on his choice.

Although so far, Lone Wolf is still leveling up with the cattle and horse squad and has yet to demonstrate his expertise in the Game, Chu Guang is not in a hurry.

To improve the productivity of a region, you must first have a thorough understanding of the region.

Companies in Africa have to conduct research before setting up factories, let alone in two completely different worlds.

Chu Guang is very satisfied with Professor Wang’s current pace.

If he came in and started giving unsolicited advice without understanding the situation here, it would give Chu Guang a headache.

"Not bad!"

"He truly is the one I chose!"

After glancing over the action record on VM, Chu Guang revealed a pleased expression, feeling as if everything was under his control.

"It seems like the Alpha 1.0 version is running well, and new players have officially entered the mainline of the Game."

"Next, there are only two core tasks left for the shelter!"

One is the major development of Rhombus Lake. North Shore, and the other is to attract investment for the new industrial zone.

Attracting List to open a factory was just the beginning.

Once he gets a taste of the benefits, many more capable merchants will come running over with their surplus equipment and talent.

Plus, with the Commercial Teams from the East Coast, as long as Chu Guang can create a stable environment for them, they will bring the money to his doorstep.

If one day in the future Shelter No. 404 somehow conflicts with Giant Stone City, Chu Guang will have an extra card to play.

Of course, cooperation would be the best outcome.

While a fight could result in overnight riches, in the long run, the returns wouldn’t be as stable as farming.

"The solid hydrogen battery is at least D+ level technology and, judging by its chemical energy storage and utilization methods, it might even be a C-level!"

"Although it’s not as advanced as the metallic hydrogen battery, which includes multiple B-class technologies and a few A-class technologies, it’s still far better than the ’old methods’ from the real world!"

"Paired with the Black Box obtained from Shelter No.117, if things go well, within two versions, most Level 10 Intelligence System players should be able to use the Neural Connection Device, allowing for an 8% proliferation of exoskeletons among players and a 15% rate among the guard squad!"

Now that there are more players, Chu Guang has to make decisions from a broader perspective, minimizing micromanagement on a local scale.

Giving one player a piece of equipment does little to improve the overall strength of the shelter.

Only when a piece of equipment occupies a certain proportion among the player community can its impact on the shelter’s overall strength be realized.

And productivity is the key to it all.

It must be said, this spring has arrived just in time!

As Chu Guang was planning the shelter’s future, Xiao Qi’s voice suddenly came from the side, pulling him back from his daydream.

"Master."

Chu Guang: "What is it?"

Xiao Qi spoke in a soft voice.

"Xiao Qi doesn’t want to disturb your rest, but there’s new information from the two junior players you sent to Giant Stone City and Red River Town, Master."

-

(This month I’ve updated 250,000 words, which really isn’t short, brothers. No more lofty promises; at least 6K per day, aiming for 10K. I’ll keep working hard next month!)