This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 259: The Engineer from the Corporation

Chapter 259: Chapter 259: The Engineer from the Corporation

In the mud pit.

The iron lump suddenly convulsed as if it had been electrified.

Its hands propped on the ground, and before it could rise, a gun was already pressed against the back of its head.

"Don’t move."

Xu Shun watched the figure intently, ready to fire at any moment.

"How do I get to ’North Suburb’?" A muffled voice drifted uninterruptedly from beneath the armor, making one wonder if that was the only sentence it knew.

"What exactly is this thing?" Staring at the person covered in steel plates, Yu Xiong furrowed his brow, "Is he human?"

"I don’t know."

Xu Shun crouched down to inspect the person’s armor and discovered that the helmet was actually welded to the breastplate.

Not only that, but the joints of the breastplate were riveted with a neat row of hexagonal rivets, making it impossible to find any mechanism to open it.

Then a question arose.

How would they handle defecation?

"Can’t take it off." Shaking his head, Xu Shun stood up and after glancing at his VM, said, "Let’s leave it to Lord Manager to decide."

If anyone had a way, it would be Lord Manager.

Yu Xiong nodded, summoned two guards to watch the figure, and then went over to the captives.

Four captives in total.

Aside from the six who had escaped, a total of fifteen people had been killed in the melee including their leader—the man named Uu Chou.

After the interrogation, it was learned that these were mercenaries from Giant Stone City, though they were not part of any mercenary group, just temporary workers who couldn’t find regular work.

The reasons why they couldn’t find work varied.

Yu Xiong wasn’t interested in these details, merely instructing that their hands and feet be tied and they be sent to squat by the wall, awaiting the Manager’s disposition.

The situation with the players and the guards was relatively optimistic, thanks to timely support, there were only minor injuries.

Including one guy who got shot in the leg.

Luckily, the bullet passed through his leg without hitting any bones or arteries, so the likelihood of him being disabled was low.

However.

With an injury like that, and being an unawakened ordinary person, his career as a mercenary probably had no future.

Emerging from a small alley, Meat Meat, with a face full of shame buried his head, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Sorry, I got scared as soon as I heard gunfire..."

"No worries, no big deal," Si Si patted White Bear’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

Tail, touching his chin, analyzed, "Could it be that something is missing on his back? Last time at the base lab, Meat Meat seemed quite brave."

Si Si was slightly surprised, then thoughtfully nodded in agreement.

"Eh, that might actually be possible."

"Don’t lose heart, Meat Meat! This place is just too cramped to show your strength, next time I will definitely ride you!"

Meat Meat, "Wait a minute, I feel like something is off—"

Si Si, "Illusion."

Tail, "Exactly! It must be your imagination!"

Meat Meat, "???"

Elsewhere, with the help of Teng Teng and Sesame Paste, Crow, who got stuck halfway in a wall, finally broke free from that pile of crushed concrete.

"Damn..."

Struggling to remove the helmet stuck on his breastplate, Crow, dizzy and disoriented, muttered, "That hit just now screwed up my network."

"Are you really okay?" Teng Teng asked worriedly as she eyed the almost caved-in breastplate, whispering, "Maybe... you should go back and save your progress."

"No need, no need, don’t worry, I’m fine!"

Swinging his head that had taken a thorough beating, Crow put on what she believed to be a reassuring smile and gave a thumbs-up, "Don’t worry, Teng Teng, I will definitely get you there safely!"

Teng Teng held her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

"How can I not worry with you like this..."

Crow, "Hey! You ungrateful woman, can’t you feel a little touched?"

Teng Teng subtly shifted her gaze.

"A little, maybe."

Well, though it’s an MMORPG, the feeling of being protected was quite nice.

Watching the two who were clearly close, Sesame Paste whispered, "Speaking of which, who was that person who helped us just now?"

Crow paused.

"Right, now that you mention it, I also remembered."

Teng Teng, "Maybe... Boss Xia?"

Crow looked surprised.

"Boss Xia?!"

"Uhm, just a guess."

Teng Teng quietly pointed towards a nearby street corner.

A blue-painted power armor and a nimble figure were approaching from the end of the street bathed in golden sunlight.

Behind Boss Xia was carried an LD-47s—"Scythe," a semi-automatic sniper rifle.

Cat Ears twitched slightly, and Sesame Paste’s face showed surprise.

"Manager?"

"Yeah."

Teng Teng nodded, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Seems like a plot has been triggered."

...

Meanwhile, Qian Lai, hidden beside the Double-headed Cow, emerged from the alley, brushing off dust from his clothes, just in time to bump into Chu Guang, a major figure from the North Suburb.

Qian Lai’s face showed surprise, clearly not expecting to encounter this distinguished individual here.

"Manager... Lord?"

Chu Guang looked at him and said.

"How are you holding up?"

"I’m okay, thanks to your subordinates, otherwise our losses today would have been more than just a cow."

Qian Lai admitted he had been reckless before.

These people were not weak.

Although they seemed unreliable, their insight and combat power were much stronger than he had imagined.

"You should say that to them."

Chu Guang nodded his head and walked toward the armored figure.

Beside the armored person, Xu Shun and two guards watched.

Until Chu Guang walked up, it repeated the same phrase like a broken record, sitting against the wall.

"How to go... ’North Suburb’."

"This is ’North Suburb’, and I am the manager here," said Chu Guang, looking down at it. "State your purpose."

The figure in armor reacted to his words and slowly lifted its head while clasping the helmet.

Chu Guang caught a glimpse of crimson through the mesh-like visor.

He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion.

He always felt these eyes looked familiar.

At that moment, with a "click," the armored figure detached the helmet from the breastplate.

As Chu Guang clearly saw his face, he was slightly startled.

Xu Shun and the surrounding guards, however, changed color dramatically, swiftly raising their rifles to aim at that rotten head.

"It’s a Crawler, sir!"

"Wait!"

Chu Guang raised his hand to stop the guards ready to fire, his eyes curious as he locked onto those crimson eyes and rotten face.

"Your name?"

It was peculiar.

A mucor species Variants speaking human language?

The rotting face breathed lightly, and no rational color was to be seen in those crimson pupils.

Chu Guang was slightly disappointed.

However, just as he was about to give up on this meaningless interaction, the rotting face slowly opened its mouth.

"Ba...Batch."

Seeing this being utter human words stunned the surrounding guards.

Including Xu Shun.

Although Outpost Base had some Variants that could speak, he knew those were the technology of the shelter, pets of Blue Jacket.

But a wild Variants of this type—especially a mucor species spontaneously speaking human words—was something he had never heard of!

"Batch?" Chu Guang stared at him, questioning further, "Your name is Batch?"

The person slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Chu Guang furrowed his brow.

This name...

It sounded somewhat familiar.

"The analysis results are out."

Floor B3 of Shelter No. 404.

Medical laboratory.

Coming out of the lab, Heya, with her silver hair, skillfully passed a VM-modified screen to Chu Guang, displaying a series of test results, including blood tests.

As the most authoritative expert on Variants within the shelter, Heya was likely the only one who could understand what had happened to this "Batch."

However, Chu Guang completely failed to comprehend the contents on the tablet.

"What exactly is his condition?" He feigned understanding for a moment before handing the tablet back to Heya.

Heya patiently explained,

"A ’Mutated Slime Fungus’ infection with an erosion rate of 67%. Such cases are quite rare because, according to my research, mucor species Variants should be predatory against other organisms. You remember, right? Crawlers are offspring of the slime fungus."

Chu Guang nodded, indicating he remembered.

"And him?"

Heya: "Symbiosis."

Chu Guang paused slightly.

"...Symbiosis?"

Heya sighed, her hands circling her forehead.

"I’m not keen on explaining basic knowledge... but right now, he is about half human, half converted into slime fungus. Initially, the slime fungus devoured most of his organs, but for some reason, it decided to let him live, morphing into organ-like offspring, taking over his original organs."

Evolutions of the mutated slime fungus could mimic the behavior and characteristics of the consumed beings, like Eaters, Crawlers, Martyrs, even Tyrants.

However, it was rare for it to replace the original organs and form a symbiotic relationship with the host.

Even for Xia Yan, who relished urban legends, this was unheard of.

Chu Guang pinched his brow.

"So, he is left with just a brain?"

"Perhaps three-quarters?" Heya hesitated, then speculated after a moment, "The infection stopped at the cerebellum, and at least half of the spinal cord has been replaced by offspring of the slime fungus."

Chu Guang: "How long can he survive?"

Heya: "Unknown; he might even live on indefinitely."

Chu Guang was taken aback.

"Live indefinitely?!"

Heya nodded.

"Yes... according to my research, the mutated slime fungus has no Hayflick limit, and over time, the organ functions formed by its offspring might further improve, becoming even more powerful than before. Of course, another possibility exists: if these slime funguses ’feel’ that the host is no longer necessary, they might decide to consume the remaining brain."

"Wait," Batch, sitting on the scanning bed, slowly lifted his hand covered in steel, speaking in a weak voice, "Is there any hope for me?"

Chu Guang looked at him unexpectedly.

"You’re awake?"

He thought this fellow would only be able to speak one sentence.

"I administered an inhibitor, suppressing the activity of the slime fungus invading the nervous system," Heya said, looking at Batch sitting on the scanning bed, "Whether there’s hope or not, I’m not sure how to answer that. If you want to return to your original form, it’s probably impossible, but if you’re willing to undergo mechanical prosthesis, the genetically modified organs could be completely removed and replaced with biomechanical prosthetics."

This was indeed what she had undergone.

Bionic prosthetics not only prolonged life but were also far more reliable than the original biological organs. Yet, Heya knew full well that replacing most parts with technology was not something everyone could accept.

Chu Guang softly coughed.

"There isn’t a black box that produces bionic organs in Shelter No. 404... but if you think about it from another angle, aren’t the organs in your body a kind of bionic organs as well? Moreover, they can evolve proactively."

Heya looked at Chu Guang, surprised, and after pondering for a while, nodded and spoke.

"Now that you mention it, there really is something to that."

Batch wore a painful expression on his face.

"This feeling is not good at all."

Chu Guang, "Does it hurt?"

Batch shook his head, "Not really, let alone pain, I’ve lost all sensation; I can’t even feel that I’m still alive."

Chu Guang, "What exactly happened to you?"

Batch was silent for a moment, then he sighed softly.

"That’s a long story..."

It happened in the winter of Wasteland Era Year 211.

Back in Ideal City, Batch had just received his diploma and was planning a graduation trip when he received a letter from a close friend from afar.

In the letter, Luo Hua described a nice place called Qingquan City in the central part of the Central Continent, in the far west.

There lived a group of nice people from Shelter No. 404, which had just been unsealed. Recently, they had become permanent business partners with a company.

Of course, the most crucial thing was the astonishing delicacies and culture there. Those in Blue Jackets had many cooking methods he had never seen before and could even turn the hard-to-swallow Variant meat into delicious dishes.

In Batch’s view, delicacies should be associated with technology. Those Wasteland Wanderers could barely cook food properly, let alone know what delicacy meant or have any sense of culture.

However, the letter still piqued Batch’s interest, as he was about to go moldy from boredom in Ideal City. Life here, though orderly and as predictable as code on a holographic screen, lacked essential errors.

Thus, urged by his good friend, he set the destination of his "graduation trip" to the central part of the River Valley Province, stepping into the western wasteland with thoughts of exploring the unknown.

However, what he didn’t expect was that this trip was filled with continual surprises from the beginning...

"...My father was a wine merchant; I initially came to the western part of Yunjian Province with the merchant team he sponsored. From then on, I started traveling alone. I hired guards, guides, and a doctor, making thorough preparations, advancing along the tracks of the Pioneer, everything went smoothly as planned, but just as I was passing through Yongdong City, an accident occurred."

"There wasn’t a single person there, like a dead city. The survivor settlement that should have appeared on the map, no one knew where they had all gone. Out of caution, we decided to withdraw from the city. However, at that moment, we suddenly encountered an attack by thousands—perhaps tens of thousands of Eaters."

Batch took a deep breath.

"When I was toppled by the Eaters, I thought I was surely dead, but when I woke up later, I found that all the Eaters around, including my teammates, had disappeared... I always thought it was a nightmare, until I found a mirror, and then I realized that the real nightmare had just begun."

Batch’s Adam’s apple moved, and he continued speaking.

"Since then, I have become like this."

Heya and Chu Guang exchanged a glance, unable to hold back a remark.

"This is too bizarre."

Chu Guang nodded.

"Indeed."

As he heard the first part of the story, Chu Guang had already figured out the identity of this Batch—he was the engineer friend that Luo Hua from the Pioneer wanted to introduce to him.

However, as for the second half of what Batch said, Chu Guang still harbored some doubts.

Accidents where players unfortunately perish in tunnels were not uncommon, but he had never heard of a player being parasitized by a Mucor species Variant.

Just as Heya had said, the first reaction of the mucor’s fruit body to captured prey was to consume it directly, turning it into nutrients for spore production.

It was the first time he’d heard of someone being turned into one of their "own" by the mucor.

Batch grimaced wryly, his head bowed as he continued.

"Anyway, after that incident, the Variants seemed to lose interest in me. The mucor species treated me as one of their own, and those mutated hyenas wouldn’t bother attacking me unless they were extremely hungry—and even then, they’d only eat a hand...or maybe a leg. But it doesn’t matter because I can’t feel pain, and the lost limbs would slowly grow back within a week or two, stronger than before. Eventually, the hyenas couldn’t bite through me anymore, and I ended up looking like this."

Limb regeneration?!

Regenerating limbs evolving?!

Damn.

That’s some impressive ability.

After hearing his story, Chu Guang’s face was filled with astonishment.

He would bet that if given the choice, many players would want to swap lives with him. This "Sequence," aside from being ugly, seemed almost invincible, as long as his brain remained intact.

"Are you jealous?"

"Not really..."

"No, I can feel it," Batch shook his head with a bitter expression, continuing, "You don’t understand this feeling. Since then, I’ve never been back to a human Survivor Settlement. And when I see people, I have to hide far away—they simply don’t believe I’m human, even if I tell them it was an accident. They would drive me away."

Chu Guang: "...Then this armor you’re wearing, it couldn’t possibly be self-made, right?"

Batch: "I encountered slave traders when I entered River Valley Province."

Chu Guang: "Slave traders?"

"Yes," Batch nodded. "That guy was the only good person interested in me along the way. He said he wanted to take me to Wandering Swamp to sell to the Academy for research. I thought maybe the Academy could actually figure out what happens to my body; getting sold to them didn’t seem too bad, so I went with him."

"That person found a blacksmith to make a set of steel armor for me so I could enter the Survivor Settlement without attracting attention. However...plans never keep up with changes. His slaves revolted for some reason and hanged him from a tree."

"I had no idea how to get to the Academy, and when I asked the slaves, they didn’t know either; they just wanted to go home. I had to continue the journey alone. At that moment, I suddenly remembered that Luo Hua told me about a place called Shelter No. 404 in Qingquan City. So, I kept heading west, but as I walked, my physical condition suddenly worsened, and my consciousness started to blur... It’s hard to describe that sensation; it felt like there was a rope separating my soul and my body."

Heya interjected.

"That must have been when the mucor entered your nervous system. In a bit, I can perform a minor surgery to stop the mucor from further spreading into your nervous system."

"Thank you," Batch inhaled deeply, his eyes pleading as he looked at Chu Guang, "I ended up remembering only the North Suburb of Qingquan City and then kept walking until I got here... That’s my whole story. I don’t know what to do now; can you help me?"

"I’ll certainly help you; your friend Luo Hua is also my friend, and he has helped me a lot. Besides, the incident happened on your way here—I couldn’t just ignore you." Chu Guang then looked at Heya, "Besides replacing bionic organs, is there a way to restore him to his original condition?"

Bionic organs are too expensive.

Switching an eye or a limb would be manageable, but replacing everything from blood vessels to skin—a full set—would be more than most magnates in Ideal City could afford.

Many resources are irreplaceable, much like nuclear fusion; there’s a whole dimension of difference between "usable" and "creatable."

Heya shook her head.

"His immune system has been completely replaced by the offspring of mucor. Strictly speaking, it’s not that he accepted those mucor; rather, the mucor allowed him to keep his brain and control a body that had turned into a Variant. Rather than replacing bionic organs, I would actually recommend swapping bodies entirely... how about transferring the head into a culture dish first?"

Batch clasped his head in agony.

"I might as well die..."

Heya’s eyes lit up, about to persuade him further, when Chu Guang, sensing her intentions, coughed lightly to interrupt her words that were almost at her lips.

"I think a mechanical body might not necessarily be more optimistic than your current situation. For now, just live here for a while; there’s nowhere else you could go in your condition."

After a pause, Chu Guang continued.

"By the way, you just mentioned a graduation trip... What was your major?"

Batch: "Materials science engineer."

Chu Guang exclaimed, "Materials science engineer? What specifically did you study?"

Batch’s expression became subtly complex.

"Carbon nanomaterials direction... but don’t expect too much from my professional ability; I probably know more about liquor and food."

His diploma was faked.

This situation was not uncommon in Ideal City, especially for someone like him who never intended to pursue this profession; there was no need to worry about being exposed.

Batch originally planned to take over his dad’s wine business and expand the market outside Yunjian Province after his travels. Now, not only could he not return, he dared not let his dad know he had turned into this monstrosity.

He was sure his dad would not waste money on a mechanical prosthesis that couldn’t reproduce and would undoubtedly choose to have another child instead.

"It’s okay, everything goes from unskilled to skilled. You just lack some experience, and I can provide you with an internship opportunity," Chu Guang clapped him excitedly on the shoulder. "As for the wine, don’t worry, we don’t just have grape wine here, there are far more interesting things... Can you still drink in your current state?"

"Of course, my taste is still normal..." Batch said quietly, feeling guilty, "What do you plan to have me do?"

Chu Guang didn’t reply but pressed something on the VM, and soon footsteps were heard from outside. Yin Fang walked in.

"Did you need something? I’m quite busy."

Standing at the door, Yin Fang wore a clearly impatient expression.

Recently, his players had recovered many valuable materials from the ruins, and he had been busy analyzing valuable clues from those materials.

This guy was so busy that he even ate in the lab, probably hadn’t showered for a while, his hair was messy, and his beard unshaven.

However, Chu Guang didn’t mind these details.

"Let me introduce a new colleague. This is Batch, a bit scary-looking, but a good guy."

Yin Fang stared at Batch for a while.

"A Crawler?"

A bitter expression crossed Batch’s face.

"It was an accident. Do I really look like a crawler?"

Yin Fang nodded oddly.

"A bit."

Watching Batch sink into despondency, Chu Guang coughed lightly.

"Don’t judge a book by its cover... Besides, he’s a Class D explorer from the Academy. Aren’t you always looking for people from the Academy? He is from the Academy, though it’s a thing of the past."

"Hello, Mr. Batch," Yin Fang extended his right hand—a prosthetic from the Academy—graciously. "What’s your specialty?"

"Winemaking, and... I know a bit about materials," Batch slowly raised his heavy steel arm, barely managing a handshake, and cautiously added, "but only a little."

Yin Fang’s eyes lit up.

"Materials? That’s great!"

Chu Guang looked at him.

"Do you have any new discoveries?"

"Absolutely! It’s about some materials from Central State Space, some data about aerospace materials that need repairing. I desperately need an expert in materials science, which would greatly accelerate my progress." Yin Fang excitedly looked at Batch. "Can I trust your expertise?"

Batch really wanted to say he couldn’t, since he didn’t quite believe in his own level, but those expectant eyes made it impossible for him to refuse.

Ever since he became this monster, everyone he met wanted him to stay as far away as possible.

This was the first time someone didn’t care about his appearance and openly expressed needing his help...

Batch nodded and cautiously replied.

"Though I’d like to say that winemaking and trading suit me better... I can give it a try."

"That’s great!"

Chu Guang clapped the fellow on the shoulder happily.

"Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time. Besides work, you can also try those things you’re interested in. Meanwhile, we’ll do our utmost to find a way to revert you back."

Batch gave a bitter smile.

"Hopefully."

He had planned to use Shelter No. 404 as the starting point for his journey.

But now, it seemed his graduation trip had prematurely ended...

Academy, corporations, army, and the old pops from the shelter... The NPC lineup of Shelter No. 404 was increasingly substantial.

As Chu Guang settled this distant friend, the ten Iron Horse 60 Camels machines purchased from Giant Stone City were finally delivered to the industrial area of Outpost Base.

Eight of them went to Steel Factory No. 81, and two were sent to Goblin Technology.

According to the received tasks.

Steel Factory No. 81 needed to retrofit four of them into large tractors with 60 horsepower within two weeks and fit them with a four-row deep subsoil sower.

Aside from that, the irrigation channels on the north shore of Rhombus Lake and the mechanized mill required for the granary would take up two.

Observing the compact and tightly designed device in front of him, Lone Wolf, helping out at Steel Factory No. 81, showed a surprised expression.

"Is this a pot-carrying machine?"

Brother Ciso and Brother Levin exchanged a glance, puzzled.

"Is there an issue?"

Lone Wolf shook his head.

"No, it’s just that these are quite rare."

Pot-carrying machines, consuming vast amounts of timber, were mostly phased out in the seventies, only used in a few rural and remote areas.

In his memory, common ones were 8 to 12 horsepower, rarely above 20, let alone a 60 horsepower one comparable to a fuel engine.

But...

It did fit the Wasteland quite well.

"The wood consumption for this machine must be huge."

Brother Levin chuckled, "No worries, what we have plenty of here is timber. From inside the city to the outskirts, everywhere you look; we chopped a bunch when clearing land, it’s good to use some up!"

Brother Ciso added, "Right! But lately, we’ve also been researching internal combustion engines."

Lone Wolf exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you have oil here?"

Brother Levin: "In theory, there’s a type of crop that produces oil."

Brother Ciso: "Right! Although we aren’t growing it, the Manager says he could help us borrow some from our neighbors!"

Borrow a bit, not bad.

Lone Wolf looked toward the pot-carrying machine.

"Can I take it apart and study it?"

Brother Levin readily agreed.

"No problem! We intended to dismantle it to study the inside components anyway."

"Right!" Brother Ciso nodded excitedly, "The Manager said it’s okay to take it apart, as long as we can put it back together!"

Excitement flickered in Lone Wolf’s eyes.

He was curious.

How realistically could this epoch-making MMORPG developer create in detail?