This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 269: Which Serious Players Remember the Official Names?

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Which Serious Players Remember the Official Names?

"...Though in hindsight it took a while, it all happened so fast in the moment. Through this and that maneuver, I flung a dagger straight at that tin can’s faceplate, catching it totally off guard! Seizing the opportunity, I pulled the pin and six grenades exploded in unison, engulfing both me and it in the blast!"

On the forum.

The Battlefield Atmosphere Group was vividly describing his heroic performance in combat, seemingly unconcerned about his own demise.

Unlike Edge Shoveling.

Brother Edge would be upset for not bringing his teammates back, but Old Soldier seemed indifferent to the death of his good brother I Max Black, only showing interest in researching various ways of dying.

Last time they fought the Chewing Bone Tribe, he rigged all his grenades with a suicide detonator on his clothes, but unfortunately, those Looters were too nimble, and he had no chance to use it.

This time he finally got his chance, which left him dancing with excitement.

However, due to the Battlefield Atmosphere Group’s average storytelling ability, he told the story for so long that not only the players but even the Backseat Drivers were confused.

Debt Giant Eye: "What exactly did you mean by this and that?"

Grandpa Ao: "I laughed. I’m just quietly watching your performance."

Escaping Mole of the Gorge: "I have a question—how did you kill it with hand grenades when a 37mm armor-piercing bullet couldn’t penetrate its armor?"

Gnome King Riches: "Right, I was about to ask that. Also, what the hell is a ’tin can’? Power armor? Or is it like Batch’s riveted breastplate?"

Night Ten: "What’s the new monster called again? I’m actually more concerned about that."

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Damn! Does no one care about me? Heartless!"

Elena: "Okay, okay, you’ve worked hard not being able to log in for three days. (Amused)"

Spring Water Commander: "Come on, cut the bull. I saw it all! Your grenades just left a scratch, no damage whatsoever. (Side-eye)"

Makabazi: "Hahaha, so real!"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Crap, Spring Water?! You’re down here too? (Surprised)"

Spring Water Commander: "Isn’t it normal for me to be here? The intensity of the fourth wave was clearly over the top, obviously plot-induced death."

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Heh, I thought you L. Y. B. would definitely make it back alive."

Spring Water Commander: "Roll on. (Roll-eyes)"

All 125 players KIA.

Since the beta test of "Wasteland OL" began, there had never been such a tragic battle.

Especially since many people had just gotten their game access and had only experienced what they call "100% real Virtual Reality Game" for half a day before the game got too real for them.

Ghost Catching at the Tombstones: "The reality is indeed real, but it’s too damn hard."

Ashes Mixed with Rice: "+1, during the fourth wave attack, at least 20 Crawlers barged into the building we Class C folks were in... how the hell do we fight that?"

Silver Daddy: "Class A’s situation was even worse, we got a blood-locking brute! Damn it, if it wasn’t for saving my dear son, I wouldn’t have died in vain."

Silver Hand: "Get lost, your own noobiness is the real deal, what does that have to do with me!"

Silver Sword: "Exactly! As if without us two, you wouldn’t have died in vain."

Silver Daddy: "%#&@!"

I Max Black: "Alright, stop arguing, who’s got it worse than me? I just logged on for less than six hours, it wasn’t even daylight yet, and I’m already offline again, and to add insult to injury, I got mocked by that dog, Battlefield!"

Edge Shoveling: "Hahaha, to be fair, yours is truly tragic. (Laugh crying)"

Such a large-scale battle was itself a hot topic, and almost everyone had started a thread on the forum. There were those who cried about it and those who cursed.

But more than anything, the discussion revolved around the several new Variants that appeared during the battle, especially that ’tin can’.

The two factory directors from Factory No. 81 kept muttering, how could a 37mm armor-piercing bullet possibly ricochet when it nearly penetrates a hundred meters deep!

"I gotta hit the john," exclaimed Ya Er, "That’s just ridiculous!"

Wode’s Athlete’s Foot Levin commented, "It’d be great if we could get a piece of the armor to study!"

WC’s Real Mosquito boasted, "Just wait ’til the fight starts, I’ll show you my latest research results. (Grins)"

"Heh," chuckled Ya Er.

"Blowhard," scoffed Wode’s Athlete’s Foot Levin.

Besides that ’tin can’, there were several other Variants that the players had never seen before.

Although the official hadn’t updated the Variant encyclopedia in the database or given official names to the new creatures, this naturally couldn’t stump the imaginative players.

What’s an official name?

Who among serious players remembers official names?

Does anyone still remember what the official names for Skateboard Shoes, Vampire, or OBama are?

After gathering information discussed on the forum, Brother Fang Chang quickly summarized the data cards for the new species and compiled them into a strategy post.

This facilitated discussion and interaction among the players.

"Butcher: Also known as ’Fatty’, possesses extremely thick layers of fat, high health points, no armor, strength close to 9, size: L. Threat level falls between Eaters and Crawlers, attack method similar to the Eaters, with a nasty temper. Suspected special ability to throw its comrades, especially dangerous when it’s next to a Martyr, who becomes its hand grenade!"

"Plague Giant: Nicknamed ’Meat Mountain’, ’Giant’’, stitched together from countless pieces of flesh, five stories tall, a face the size of a balcony, legs as thick as bridge piers, but slow-moving. Has a large and a small mouth on its abdomen and head, capable of producing Eaters while on the move. Attributes: ?, Size: EX. Threat level unknown, suspected siege unit, weakness unknown, recommend fire attacks to inflict real damage!"

"Decaying Knight: Originally based on power armor, its rusty armor is covered with fungal mats, possess high health, defense, speed, and strength. Specialized in close combat, suspected level 60, extremely dangerous! Weapons vary, often equipping T-10 model chainsaws. Size XL, nicknamed ’Big Treasure Sword’."

"Queen: Resembles the Medusa from ancient Greek mythology, body covered in dark red fungal mats, tendrils as thick as fingers floating around its head, broad shoulders and a long waist with a skirt-like lower body with no leg structures, suspected of moving by slithering the tendrils under the fungal skirt, leaving a trail of dark red patches on the ground. Attack method unknown, threat level unknown, size: L, nicknamed ’Braids Sister’, ’Aunt Flo’, suspected to have a strong domination over surrounding Variants, perhaps the ’command tower’ of the Tide?"

"...Apart from more forms of the Variants, there are signs that the Mucor Variants under the Tide seem to have gained a degree of ’intelligence’."

"In terms of tactical choice, they don’t just charge blindly but launch multiple, dense waves of attack, knowing to expend ammunition through Cannon Fodder first before high-health units push forward together with a massive number of light units, also coordinating with high-mobility units to outflank."

"Although these are not particularly clever tactics, combined with their numerical advantage, they still pose a significant threat!"

"The truly cruel battlefield will probably be in the final showdown!"

"We need more powerful weapons and enough ammunition!"

Street No. 68.

Inside the temporary command center located at a street-front shop, Chu Guang, who just finished the combat meeting, was browsing the "Wasteland OL" official website on his tablet.

Indeed, these players are all talented, their practical experience hidden within those forum discussions.

Some contribute, some argue, and some summarize!

He was wondering what to name those unseen Variants.

Well, there they were, all ready-made.

"How embarrassing," he said with a tired smile as he swiped his index finger and tapped twice, copying and pasting the text from the post into the official website’s database.

Seeing dog plan’s update, the forum erupted into a cacophony of chatter.

They all meant one thing.

All that content they discussed for so long had once again been freeloaded by dog plan!

Chu Guang’s lips curved upwards.

Just then, he heard Xiao Qi’s voice.

"Master, it’s already two in the morning. You really should get some rest," the voice said, carrying a hint of concern.

Chu Guang put the tablet to one side and rubbed his dry eyes.

"I know."

Tide had a certain level of intelligence and would employ tactics flexibly, so they definitely wouldn’t sluggishly wait for the bulk of their forces to bunch up before launching an attack on his position.

Especially after last night’s air raid, which was likely to make them wary. Intelligence was the advantage they gained from evolution, as well as their Achilles’ heel.

If his guess was right,

There would be a tough battle to fight tomorrow.

...

Six in the morning.

Just as Chu Guang had predicted, roughly two thousand Eaters made their way across the expanse of ruins and reached Street No. 68.

They seemed to be planning to stop the engineers at the front line from continuing the construction of defenses, but, unfortunately, they had already missed their last chance the previous night.

The street had been cleared to make an open space, and large chunks of concrete debris had been moved to the side streets, used to restrict the width of the battlefield.

The onrushing Eaters’ army met head-on with the defense lines players had built throughout the night.

Especially as they arrived just at the perfect time, coinciding with the peak period of shift change for players who had been working the night shift; those who hadn’t logged off just stayed, ditched their shovels and picks, took up their rifles, and returned to positions behind cover.

In addition to the 600 players online, there were nearly two hundred guards.

The two thousand plus Eaters charging in might have seemed fierce, but facing the sudden burst of steel and fire, they quickly turned into piles of corpses.

By the window.

Makabazi crouched at the window, took a glance outside, and exclaimed in amazement,

"F*ck! Why are all the Eaters coming? What about the big guy we discussed on the Forum for half the night last night... Damn, what’s this thing?"

Makabazi was completely stunned as he watched Mosquito and two new players carry a two-meter-long gun barrel and mount into the room.

"Recoilless gun!" Mosquito grinned, "A Carl Gustaf replica! Fires 88x250 mm shells, and for now, I’ve designed two types: armor-piercing and high-explosive. Penetration of 350 mm homogeneous steel at maximum depth—powerful stuff!"

Counting on his fingers, Makabazi was suddenly shocked.

"Holy sh*t?! Can it pierce a Tiger tank?!"

Mosquito rolled his eyes.

"Duh, the Tiger is an antique from World War II, don’t compare it to stuff from a different era, okay?"

Before composite armor came around, projectiles using the "Monroe effect" to damage targets, just toyed with tanks.

Never mind the Tiger tank, even the Ratte would have to kneel.

You didn’t even have to go modern.

By the latter stages of World War II, many tanks simply couldn’t withstand armor-piercing rounds and essentially stripped bare, which led to the spreading notion that armor was useless and everywhere were lighters with thin skins and heavy filling.

Whether or not you were clothed, one shot would penetrate, so it might as well be without clothing—at least you could run faster.

The principle of armor-piercing rounds isn’t complex; through the focusing effect of shaped charges, a high-temperature, high-pressure metal jet is concentrated into a line, enabling internal pressure to focus on one point and penetrate the enemy’s armor.

Since centrifugal force would weaken the metal jet’s power, bullets normally rely on tail fins for stability and are fired from smoothbore guns.

The advantage of this kind of armor-piercing shell is that its penetration capability does not diminish with distance; whether at 100 m or 1000 m, the penetration depth is pretty much the same. Unlike the 37 mm "Heavy Cavalry Gun," which struggles to penetrate 100 mm at 100 m, and at 1000 m it’s practically scraping.

For the fuse aspect, taking advantage of predecessor’s experience, Mosquito skipped right over the mechanical fuses from the World War II era and opted for a piezoelectric fuse. That is, attaching a piece of recycled piezoelectric ceramic to the projectile, using the pulse current generated by the piezoelectric response to detonate the detonator, thereby initiating the metal jet.

Compared to Factory No.81, which allocated all its skill points to cannon and material technology, Goblin Technology had put all its skill points into rocket and dynamite technology.

Including propellants and explosive charges, Mosquito had almost evolved to an expert level.

Although many of the formulas were stolen from the internet, Mosquito was somewhat of a prodigy for being able to produce such things in the Wasteland.

Makabazi swallowed his saliva and silently prayed in his heart.

He hoped that in real life, he would stick to selling furniture and not do anything outrageous.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a nearby building.

Vanus, holding a telescope, was gazing at the Bell Tower several kilometers away, and at the bridge pier under it, of which only a silhouette could be seen.

"The spore cloud is spreading to both sides..."

"It seems the Variants are planning to detour."

Chu Guang, fully armed, squinted his eyes.

"Have they tasted sweetness?"

"Perhaps," Vanus pondered for a moment before continuing, "That previous battle might have made them realize we have enough firepower, and a frontal assault on our positions stands little chance of success!"

Chu Guang had already considered the possibility of flanking maneuvers.

The hunter squads composed of Awakeners were scattered on both sides of the front, searching for Crawlers and Tyrants within the region.

In the Wasteland, the options for routes of action were actually quite limited, it turns out, these offspring couldn’t penetrate everywhere like their released spores.

In the face of obstacles, the survivors found it troublesome, and so did they.

Apart from Crawlers, Variants like Eaters and Butchers found it difficult to climb over obstacles like cliffs and ruins, and could only use a ladder approach, where the ones in the back stepped on those in front and forcibly squeezed their way upwards.

This also led to their main forces being confined to the main thoroughfare of the Changling Overpass wreckage.

Chu Guang: "The scattered soldiers along the branch roads can be handed over to the Awakeners, I’ve sent out at least two hundred people to help them prune their branches."

Vanus gave him an unexpected glance.

He was becoming more and more certain that Shelter No. 404 was inhabited by officers from the Human Alliance Era, otherwise, it would be hard to explain their abundant martial virtue.

This scenario was not uncommon.

In the shelters, there were ordinary people as well as elites from various professions.

Even in the earlier years, there were some connections between the Army and them, and some of the equipment was inherited from that prosperous era.

But that was all two hundred years ago.

...

The grey-green cloud mass slowly moved forward, already touching the edge of the defensive line.

Chu Guang instructed the players underneath him to build fires among the ruins, using flame and smoke to disperse the foul-smelling spores.

Although there was no evidence to prove that this would weaken the combat power of the Variants, it would at least provide higher visibility for the frontline soldiers.

Among the gray fog, a rust-stained power armor emerged.

The decaying heavy armor was covered in a dark red fungal carpet, and in its hand, it held a massive chainsaw, advancing with heavy steps.

The chilling aura of murder and oppression came over them; the guards crouching behind the barricades couldn’t help swallowing their saliva.

Their instincts told them.

The monster in front of them was very strong!

Only the faces of the players showed eager expressions, a difficult boss meant a challenge, constantly bullying Eaters had no freaking point.

Mosquito had Makabazi move out of the way and, excitedly commanded his newly acquired underling "Death Bringer" to mount the recoilless gun at the window.

"Hurry up! Load the HEAT round!"

Makabazi froze.

"What, what’s a HEAT?"

Before Mosquito could speak up, Soul Chaser, standing to the side, said impatiently, "Armor-piercing round! The one with the tube in front – that shell!"

The wooden box was pried open.

The two individuals, one in front and one behind, hoisted the shell and slid it into the back of the cannon.

Makabazi instinctively moved several meters aside, crouching in front of another window, not daring to get too close – he only dared to watch from a distance.

He wasn’t afraid of death.

But being killed by his own people – that would be a huge loss!

Mosquito, however, didn’t pay him any mind. Excitedly, he forcefully turned the handle on the rear winding gear, closing the activator at the back of the barrel and pulling out the safety pin.

The cannon barrel was aimed at the power armor.

Commanding the life-seizing barrel, Mosquito, standing to the side, picked up the rangefinder telescope and called out softly.

"200 yards reticle!"

"Fire!"

Behind the barrel, thick smoke and sparks sprayed out as the 88 mm caliber shell hurtled forward, stabilized by six tail fins, shooting straight toward the power armor.

Just as the shell was about to hit its target, Mosquito was excitedly clenching his fists when the "Decaying Knight" suddenly raised its right hand, which was holding the chainsaw.

In a flash, too quick for the naked eye!

Everyone saw only a shadow flash by. The incoming, ferocious rocket was split into two by the chainsaw’s fierce strike.

Makabazi: "What the f*ck?!"

Soul Chaser: "Are you joking?!"

Death Bringer: "What the hell?!"

Mosquito’s eyes bulged in disbelief as he saw his proud creation bisected before him, as if his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets.

What the hell kind of move was that?

Cutting a rocket with a chainsaw?!

Since an armor-piercing round relies on a metal jet to inflict damage and doesn’t travel at high velocity, being split in two meant it was effectively a dud, causing no damage whatsoever.

As the crimson gaze locked onto him, Mosquito felt a chill run up his spine.

Although they were two to three hundred meters apart, the distance offered him no sense of security.

"Switch rounds! Quick, damn it, switch rounds!"

Inside the room, the two subordinates fumbled and jammed another shell into the barrel.

Load, aim, fire – all in one go.

The shell, like a javelin, shot toward the power armor, but just like before, it was casually bisected into two halves by the chainsaw.

Shouts came from downstairs.

"Damn, Mosquito, can you do it or not?"

"How come both shots were duds?"

Mosquito shouted back angrily.

"Piss off, were those duds?!"

From beneath the clunky helmet, gray-green smoke trailed out, and the crimson pupils seemed to hold a hint of mockery.

To him, it seemed these humans were utterly helpless.

The hefty armor stepped forward, and from the ruins behind, more Variants began emerging from the gray-green fog.

Decaying Knight raised the one-meter-long chainsaw held in its grasp and swung it forward from a distance, a muffled growl emanating from under the helmet.

The sound seemed to say—

"Slay them all!"

As if responding to the call to charge, the Crawlers behind let out excited howls, their hefty limbs propelling them forward in a frenzied dash.

The imposing Tyrants also began to stride forward, alongside the Eaters, moving with great strides.

The machine guns deployed in nearby buildings opened fire first, rattling madly as they swept across the incoming Tide.

Players and guards crouching behind cover, as if by unspoken agreement, gripped their weapons tightly, their nerves taut.

"Here they come!"

At that moment, a series of sonic booms pierced through the sky.

The Decaying Knight in the midst of the Tide was about to advance when something hit its chest like a truck collision; its body shook violently.

Black blood sprayed out from its back, and large patches of fungal mat fell from its armor as the Decaying Knight looked down at its once-invincible breastplate, the crimson light seeping from the helmet’s slits contracting slightly.

The breastplate, equivalent to 400mm of homogenous steel, had been blown clear through!

So fast!

Where did that attack come from?

The crack spread from the hole, revealing swathes of dark red flesh, and Decaying Knight quickly looked up, scanning the horizon for the source of the attack.

But before it could even raise its head, another sonic boom followed sharply.

A long nail pierced directly into its forehead, blasting the helmet – along with its head and shoulder pauldron – to pieces!

The Decaying Knight fell heavily to the ground.

The Tide’s momentum noticeably halted, and while the Variants’ advance did not stop, their formation was clearly in disarray.

Some force had been governing them until now, and the aura it provided collapsed along with the fall of the power armor!

Chu Guang on the rooftop coolly stowed his Gauss Rifle away.

Two original "Long Nail" fin-stabilized bullets, with a muzzle velocity of Mach 5 and kinetic energy of 140,000 joules, were specifically designed for anti-armor.

Not to mention an aging power armor - even a freshly manufactured new armor wouldn’t stand a chance against a single shot.

To be cautious, Chu Guang didn’t save his precious original ammunition; he fired once at the chest and a second time at the head to ensure maximum destruction of the mucosal entity inside the armor.

There was another round reserved for the lower body, but it seemed unnecessary now.

From afar, a mournful howl echoed through the gray-green fog, as if venting wrathful emotions.

Chu Guang gazed in that direction, but unfortunately, countless tall buildings made it difficult to determine its exact location and distance.

Was that the "Queen" the players spoke of?

Based on his observations and deductions, the Lair couldn’t command every Variant in real-time; otherwise, why would they need to travel from the city center? Just by summoning the Eaters from every building, it would be a terrifying number.

Moreover, it would be indefensible!

In short, the essence of the Tide was not the mucor entities like Eaters or Crawlers, but those "routers" capable of driving mucor entities and providing them with information services.

The Decaying Knight he had just killed was one such "router," its "status" in mucor society probably akin to that of Thousands of leaders.

"And that ’Queen,’ might very well be the commander!"

Chu Guang momentarily ignored the voice and looked down at the battlefield below.

He extended his index finger and lightly tapped his helmet.

"Artillery group, start 500 meters in front of our position and progress with a barrage to suppress the street."

"Anti-aircraft cannons, lower your barrels and fire!"

Excited shouts came through the communication channel.

"Roger that!"

The mortar positions were the first to open fire, with a whistling sound soaring across the battlefield and bursting into flames on the ground ahead.

The fire and shrapnel tore out a vacuum zone in the midst of the tide, and this wave of assault was brutally cut into two!

At the same time, the two quadruple anti-aircraft guns on the rooftop began strafing across the entire frontline position.

20mm high-explosive bombs rained down instantly, washing from the frontline of the battlefield to the rear, with shards of blasted rocks even flying into the backs of the players’ shelters.

Only a few crippled Crawlers and Tyrants and struggling Eaters remained on the ruins.

The players hunkered down in the forward positions, their pupils shining with a green light as they looked at them, like seeing multiple experience packs with low health.

"For Brother Quanshui’s revenge!"

Someone took the lead in shouting, and soon, a chorus of voices followed.

"Kill them!"

"Ula!"

"Aooo aooo aooo!"

The charge whistle blew.

More than five hundred players rushed out of the shelters, brandishing bayonets, engineer shovels, short axes, and mace clubs, and charged over the scorchingly hot rubble.

They employed the most primitive and direct method to spear through the Variants on the ground and chop them into mincemeat.

The black blood and fungal clumps formed a sticky swamp, and the captives from the Army such as Vanus, Vedes, and Kevin, watching from the rooftop, were utterly stunned.

Kevin turned to Vedes and whispered.

"... Are they really ’Blue Jacket’?"

Vedes’s Adam’s apple moved.

"Perhaps."

On the other side were the young officers of the guard, who, at this moment, were also filled with surging emotions and boiling blood, wishing they could stand alongside the residents of the refuge and fight shoulder to shoulder.

It wasn’t just morale that was contagious.

It was also the will and determination to fight.

Chu Guang reached out and gently tapped his helmet, calling softly.

"Xiao Qi."

The vibrant voice came through.

"Here, Master."

Chu Guang, "Did you get that on tape?"

Xiao Qi, "Already edited! Do you want to upload it now?"

Huh?

So considerate?

Chu Guang’s face revealed a satisfied smile.

"Upload it."

Recording the players’ highlights in the game was also an important part of the planner’s job.

Moreover, the recorded videos could also serve as promotional content.

Two joyful tasks together, isn’t that double the happiness?

After the battle ended, Chu Guang asked Wrench to tally up the casualties and ammunition usage.

Because of the pre-battle saturation of firepower, the players who rushed in were mostly just finishing off the job, so aside from three minor injuries from twisted ankles, there weren’t even any severe injuries.

Over 11,000 bullets were used, along with 66 rounds of 88mm mortar shells and 270 rounds of 20mm high-explosive bombs. The expensive cost was painful, but it was a necessary expense.

Steel and gunpowder had almost washed the entire street clean, piling the killed Variants into small mounds on the ground.

Chu Guang suddenly remembered a report Heya had shown him before.

According to her research, these mucor spores, in addition to organic matter, also had high levels of sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Thinking of this, Chu Guang pondered.

"It would be nice if these bodies could be utilized."

Not just as active substances.

Even turning them into fertilizer would be good.

Leaving them here to rot, there’s a chance that the mucor might come back and recycle them.

Unfortunately, the "mutated slime fungus" is somewhat toxic, and directly burying its spores in the ground does not enhance the soil’s fertility; instead, it causes the plants’ roots to die and become diseased.

At this juncture, Chu Guang thought that perhaps Giant Stone City and Red River Town both had special techniques for making nutritional paste, and even Eaters were squeezed for their nutrition paste.

If the Variants could be made into nutrition paste, wouldn’t it be possible to deactivate the mucor while retaining its nutrients?

Then, by pouring the synthesized nutrition paste into the soil, wouldn’t it have an effect similar to that of organic fertilizers...

But then the problem arises again.

Nutrition paste itself is a kind of food...

Realizing this operational blind spot, Chu Guang fell into thought.

So why not directly include the nutrition paste in the recipe?

While Chu Guang contemplated how to make a profit from these Mucor species Variants beyond Resurrection Coins, several kilometers away in the dense fog, a number of Eaters were dragging carcasses into a deserted building, feeding the growing breeding chambers.

The flesh-colored fungal mats had taken on a dark red tinge and had spread beyond the chambers, filling the entire corridor.

Standing at the corridor’s window was a tall figure, with crimson pupils staring at the high-rises to the north, tentacles floating behind it trembling slightly.

It was angry.

Cilia on the mycelial mat writhed, seemingly spreading ripples of rage, and the Variants gathering around it growled restlessly.

Murder rose in the fog.

The hoarse voice repeatedly intoned a clear and intense note of anger.

"... Purify..."

...

(Thanks to the alliance master ’Fanxiang’ for the reward!!! Yesterday’s update was a bit lengthy, and I was in such a hurry to upload it that I didn’t get a chance to write a postscript, sorry... Also, I had a nightmare last night where I was rushing to submit a draft, and I accidentally uploaded the outline instead, scaring me awake. But the worst part isn’t that I was writing in my dream; it’s that I have no recollection of what I wrote T.T...)