This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 287: Those who are self-aware usually don’t have bad luck, whether they are NPCs or players

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Those who are self-aware usually don’t have bad luck, whether they are NPCs or players

"Respected Manager, I am willing to offer my farm to the New Alliance!"

In the meeting room.

Standing before Chu Guang, Old Brown respectfully bowed his head, his wrinkled right hand twitching slightly as he placed it on his left chest to show respect.

Chu Guang looked at him somewhat surprised.

Good grief.

He’s that enlightened?

Hearing that Brown wanted to see him, Chu Guang thought he was coming to ask for the grain and biomass oil he had borrowed before, but it turned out that he was coming to surrender.

"Can you tell me what made you suddenly make this decision?"

Of course, because he wanted to stay alive—

But the clever Old Brown naturally wouldn’t say that.

With a slightly altered expression, he raised his head solemnly and with a serious look, and spoke in a cadenced voice.

"It was your speech, respected Manager."

Chu Guang carefully recalled his own speech. He couldn’t quite remember what he said that day, only remembering that he had made a pitch for his "nuclear soda."

Seeing that Chu Guang didn’t say anything, Old Brown continued.

"...Your inspiring speech at the ceremony was a revelation to me, as dull as I am, and made me deeply ashamed of my past actions. To survive, I have done many things I shouldn’t have, and I can’t claim that my actions were beyond my control, but I hope to lighten my sins this way."

"A new world free from oppression is also what I envision."

As he said this, Old Brown’s face was filled with devotion, but his heart was bitter.

In fact, it wasn’t just about survival; even if the New Alliance didn’t want his farm, he was barely able to keep it running.

During the recent Tide War, Shelter No. 404 had commandeered almost all the biomass oil from his storage, and after the war ended, there was no indication that they planned to return it.

Brown, of course, felt awkward to ask for it.

Without those, let alone running a farm, his head might have already been hanging on the chairs of the Chewing Bone Tribe, not even needing the Tide to act.

But this borrowing of grain and oil had left his storage empty enough for rats to run through.

Yesterday, he had his butler do the calculations, and found that just in the first two months of the year, he had already lost nearly ten thousand chips. The thought of still having to feed over two hundred slaves and more than forty servants gave him a headache as if it was splitting.

And it was just the beginning of the year.

What would happen by the end of the year?

Especially now, with the New Alliance being established, including the area from the North Fifth Ring to Yumu District within the Restoration Zone, and his farm located right within this range.

What was expected had come, after all.

Old Brown was not at all surprised by this result, rather, he felt relieved.

At least he wouldn’t be awakened by sounds outside in the middle of the night, no longer living in fear as he greeted the sunrise each morning.

He had had enough of those days!

Before Shelter No. 404 came to liberate the slaves, he volunteered to give his sinful farm to the great Alliance.

And this was the only way he could see to retain his last shred of dignity.

After listening to Old Brown’s passionate speech, Chu Guang smiled inwardly, not believing a punctuation mark of his ghost stories.

But this guy being so proactive did save him a lot of time.

"I’m glad you think this way, but we are not unreasonable people; we won’t take your farm away from you, it is your property. As long as you are willing to comply with our order and ackn...

paused, seeming a little confused by Chu Guang’s words, and timidly said in a low voice.

"Sir, I don’t understand what you mean."

He was more afraid of the Alliance Manager being polite and saying something unacceptable than of him taking over his farm.

If the New Alliance took over the farm, it meant he still had a way to live.

He was truly afraid; the last thing he wanted was for this Blue Jacket to verbally reject it and later set up a public trial for him, letting the slaves write his crimes.

That would have been truly done for!

Reading the gradually emerging fear in Old Brown’s eyes, Chu Guang guessed what he was thinking and, trying to ease the atmosphere, smiled and said.

"It is exactly what it sounds like. As long as you abide by the Alliance’s laws, release all slaves, and employ staff according to our specified minimum wage standards and labor treatment, as well as fulfill the duty to pay taxes, you can gain the protection of the law."

Releasing all the slaves?

Mr. Brown said with a bitter smile.

"Sir, you might as well take my farm. There is land everywhere in the Wasteland, but without slaves, they are just piles of useless dirt; one cannot expect the crops to spring out of the ground by themselves."

People are never satisfied.

It’s as if the sky would fall just by giving staff a couple more days off or letting them leave work on time.

Can’t plant crops without slaves?

What a joke!

Chu Guang felt it was necessary to settle accounts with him.

"How many slaves do you have?"

Old Brown dared not conceal anything, but he truly wasn’t in the habit of counting his slaves daily. He cautiously responded,

"About two hundred or more..."

Chu Guang continued,

"How much land?"

Old Brown continued,

"The actual planting area... is about five hundred acres."

Five hundred acres?

That much?

Chu Guang looked slightly surprised.

He had previously estimated from the map that Brown’s farm had a planting area of about one hundred acres, and it turned out to be five times his estimate?

That discrepancy was somewhat outrageous.

However,

that could be figured out later; it wasn’t yet time to settle the acreage.

"Two hundred laborers for five hundred acres, don’t you think that’s a waste?" Looking at the utterly unaware Brown, Chu Guang spoke with grief and indignation.

A waste?

Puzzlement was written all over Brown’s face.

He didn’t feel the waste at all.

Slaves don’t need a salary; just feeding them is enough. The food for the slaves is cheap too; after harvesting the crops, scatter some buckwheat on the ground, or plant some yam in a corner of a wall. That’s their food, and whatever’s left can be sold cheaply to scavengers.

When slaves can no longer work, they’re either sold off or taken away to be dealt with.

"If I were you, I would sell the slaves, use the money to buy a few tractors, along with seeders and harvesters, save some money to build a water tower and irrigation channels for the farm. Barely twenty people are enough for just five hundred acres! Pay them some wages and bonuses, and they will work harder than any slave, even treating the farm as their own home."

"Can’t farm without slaves? That kind of thinking is problematic!"

Old Brown was stunned by Chu Guang’s words.

After a while, he murmured quietly,

"... Sir, 200 slaves might exchange for at most 200,000 silver coins, is that enough for what you mentioned?"

He hadn’t looked into how many silver coins or chips that equipment would cost; he just thought the Manager’s calculations were quite arbitrary.

Chu Guang said with a slight smile,

"It might not be enough, but it can’t be off by much. Seeing as you are sincerely joining the Alliance, we are willing to provide you with a loan at an interest rate so low it is negligible, to help you upgrade your agricultural tools and get through the initial transition period."

"Don’t worry about not being able to repay; we distinguish between personal and corporate debts. This isn’t Giant Stone City; bankruptcy won’t turn you into a slave here. As long as the accounts are in order, at most your remaining assets would be auctioned off."

Old Brown walked out of the reception room, dizzy and confused, unable to make sense of it all in his head.

He had been prepared to lose the farm, hoping only that the Managers would leave him some assets for retirement, yet he ended up receiving a loan?

And he could even continue to operate his farm.

His heart was filled with perplexity.

Was he actually coming out ahead in all this?

It was outrageous.

For such a self-aware feudal lord, Chu Guang did not make things difficult for him; he even encouraged him a few words and personally escorted him to the door.

Hoarding all wealth in the palm was the conduct of a miser, whereas appropriately allocating resources was what an Alliance Manager should do.

Chu Guang did not need farms but rather needed to ensure the production of food and industrial raw materials within his territory. If Old Brown was willing to embrace the new order proactively, he could certainly offer him a decent end.

If the propaganda tools were properly utilized, Old Brown’s deeds might even become an example for those smaller feudal lords outside the Restoration Zone.

Watching the figure disappear at the edge of the park, Chu Guang stroked his chin, pondering.

"...The New Alliance needs its own propaganda department."

Why not take a leaf from the Voice of Boulder City’s book and create a radio station for Dawn City?

Chu Guang’s eyes lit up, feeling increasingly the necessity of it.

What’s the point of good deeds if they remain anonymous?

That’s called being a naive person!

He couldn’t always let others spout non-facts.

The Waste Land Wanderers from Boulder City and the southern region of Qingquan City had the right to know the truest facet of the New Alliance and Dawn City.

In summary, he also needed to gather some good storytellers to reclaim the long-neglected ground of propaganda!

...

The next day, the working group sent by the New Alliance entered Brown Farm. With the assistance of the guards, they began to liquidate the farm’s assets.

The main focus was on the slaves and land.

One was a matter of principle and the other a matter of taxation; both were of utmost importance. As for Old Brown’s personal wealth, Chu Guang had no intention of seizing it from him.

As long as it was in the territory of the New Alliance, it didn’t matter whose hands it was in.

For the work group that came to transform his domain, Old Brown was quite cooperative, but he was stunned when he saw who the person was.

"Luka... Mr. Luka, hello."

Last winter, when he went to Outpost Base, he didn’t recognize this face until he later inquired about the situation at Changjiu Farm and learned that Luka had been a slave who had escaped from his estate.

When Old Brown first heard of this, he was shocked into a cold sweat.

He remembered feeling so furious that he almost executed the guard who had let Luka escape. However, considering it might worsen the situation, he thought better of it and refrained.

Seeing Luka standing in front of him, Old Brown was unnervingly nervous, feeling like a fish on the chopping board.

He even began to regret not packing up and fleeing.

However, Luka did not make things difficult for him and calmly looked at him.

"Hello, Mr. Brown."

"Following the orders of the Manager, I am here to supervise the transformation of the farm. We will take the slaves here to Changjiu Farm for education and reconstruction and compensate you once after evaluation by our commissioner."

"Following this, I need to ensure that every single person here has obtained the status of freedom, remember, every single person. Unlawful restriction of personal freedom is a serious crime; you are now a Citizen of the New Alliance, I hope you keep that in mind."

He had already been reborn, and as far as the past was concerned, Luka had long stopped pursuing it and found it meaningless.

Moreover, this was a task by the Manager, and Luka, who considered himself more loyal than anyone, would definitely not mix personal feelings into it.

Brown nodded like a pecking chicken, his face filled with accommodating smiles.

"I assure you! I will do my utmost to cooperate with your work!"

Luka nodded.

"It’s best to be so."

Twenty guards clad in black coats, marching in unison, formed two lines and stepped into Changjiu Farm.

Standing next to the huts, the serfs looked bewilderedly at these people, utterly confused by what was happening before them.

They didn’t yet realize that their fates were about to be transformed dramatically.

Meanwhile, the farm guards stationed around the enclosing wall cast envious glances at the rifles on the backs of the guards.

"No wonder they could defeat the people of the Chewing Bone Tribe... with this gear, I feel they could even match up with Boulder City."

Although they had never been to Giant Stone City, the neat and uniform formation, uniforms, and the bright bayonets and rifles on their backs were already the limit of their imagination.

At that moment, someone continued speaking.

"I heard that the strongest ones aren’t these guys."

"There are even stronger ones?"

"Those in Blue Jackets are all Awakeners! These ones in black coats are just guards keeping order."

All of them are Awakeners?!

Impossible!

Not many believed this statement.

A hundred or two was acceptable, but all being Awakeners, that was too exaggerated!

After all, awakening required not just effort but also a high talent. Many people could not awaken until their death, while some suddenly did through a life-and-death experience.

"Speaking of which, now that Old Brown has surrendered, what’s going to happen to us?"

"Probably we’ll just disband right here. If I were the manager for the New Alliance, I wouldn’t allow such a large, uncontrolled armed group to exist on my territory."

"But they didn’t bother with those mercenaries, did they?"

"It’s different, mercenaries are mercenaries, and a Slave Owner’s guards are another matter... anyway, there’s a difference."

"If it really ends in disbandment, I might just join the army. Whoever I serve, I serve; I can’t do anything else anyway."

"Yeah right, with your shabby, crummy look? Passing a physical exam?"

"Heh!"

Listening to his companions’ uninhibited laughter around him, Liu Wuyue’s face was filled with indignation. He hated those in Blue Jackets for taking over the farm, and hated these people’s indifference to the farm’s fate, utterly disgraceful to the grace Brown had shown them!

Such disloyalty!

Finally, he couldn’t help but curse softly.

"We’ve given them so many offerings, and now they want to snatch the farm from us? Blood Hand wasn’t such a bastard!"

In the past years, he had barely managed to evolve from a slave to a guard, becoming a named person, now finally in a position to lord over those slaves. And someone now tells him, they’re free?

What a joke!

He didn’t want that!

An older guard looked at him.

"Blood Hand... that pack of wolves didn’t stop harrying us, and we gave them far more food than we ever gave to those in Blue Jackets."

Liu Wuyue stubbornly said.

"But at least they didn’t take our farm!"

The older guard shrugged.

"Maybe, but what does that have to do with me? That’s Old Brown’s farm, not yours or mine. Maybe he struck some deal with the New Alliance, maybe money or something else, but whatever it is, it has nothing to do with you or me."

He had a good impression of the New Alliance.

Unlike most of the guards here, who had come from the East as Waste Land Wanderers and not as guards who were promoted from slaves, serving Old Brown was not about loyalty but merely about making a living.

During his journey, he had seen many Slave Owners, but this was the first time he had met idealists willing to give back freedom.

Although he had never met that manager, he was deeply impressed by this adult’s kindness.

Perhaps he would join the army later.

Just like the other guards said, serving someone is still serving; besides pulling the trigger, he couldn’t do much else, might as well save the bullets for those Looters and Variants.

Liu Wuyue was so angered he couldn’t utter a word, as a conflict seemed imminent. Liu Jiuyue, who stood by, quickly stepped up to pull him back.

"Let it go, brother, don’t be impulsive."

Fighting in front of the guards wasn’t a good idea.

This place was already under the New Alliance’s territory.

As the head of the farm guards, Liu Zhengyue also felt conflicted at the moment.

He thought Old Brown was simply intimidated by those in Blue Jackets.

Perhaps the members of the New Alliance never really planned to bother with them, nor did they value their small territory; all of this was the result of Old Brown’s presumptuous decisions.

Furthermore, they had always been providing food to those in Blue Jackets – those people wouldn’t just abandon them, would they?

But now, it was useless to say anything.

Their master had already gifted the farm to the New Alliance; the only consolation was that they could continue to cultivate this land.

However, there were no longer any slaves to command.

At the grain drying yard.

All 217 slaves were brought here and stood in two rows on the open space, staring blankly around, including at the guards with rifles on their backs.

They didn’t know that these people were here to rescue them, nor did they know what was happening beyond the enclosing wall.

They watched as Old Brown walked in front of them.

This man, who had always bossed them around imperiously, today spoke politely and treated them like humans.

"The New Alliance has been formed. Thank God for the great Manager. From now on, you are free! I am no longer your master, and you are no longer anyone’s slaves."

"Live well in the new era."

"It’s all over now."

After dropping this statement, Old Brown hurried away, soon replaced by a work crew led by Luka, who began their duties with the guards’ collaboration.

Many slaves recognized Luka, but the changes in him made them all afraid to acknowledge him.

However, Luka didn’t put on any airs; he patiently approached them and preached the Manager’s thoughts and will.

And the only personal message he conveyed—

Loyalty!

It was the Manager who saved you, so you must remember and adhere to loyalty!

After hearing this, the initially anxious slaves breathed a sigh of relief.

For the vast majority of them, the notion of loyalty, easily explained in a single word, was far simpler to understand than concepts like equality and rescue.

Seeing that these people finally grasped the Manager’s thoughtful intentions, Old Luka’s face finally broke into a reassured smile.

Whatever the cost, the outdated relations of production had to be abolished.

In the New Alliance’s Restoration Zone, human freedom would be protected by law, fulfilling Chu Guang’s promise to those who supported him.

serfs and 41 servants were automatically granted the status of wards and sent to Changjiu Farm for rehabilitation lasting from one to six months.

During this period, the New Alliance would provide them with food and educational opportunities, and their obligation was to learn at least one employable skill.

Whether it was operating a sewing machine or engaging in construction, they needed to find a job they could handle.

In addition, they needed to study the laws of the New Alliance and accept new ideologies.

Once rehabilitation was completed, everyone would automatically receive the status of a New Alliance resident and decide their future for themselves.

They could certainly continue to farm.

But not for others – for themselves.

...

Taking over Brown Farm was something Chu Guang had intended to do personally, but due to more pressing matters, he had entrusted it to Old Luka.

Today marked the third day since the formation of the New Alliance. At exactly 8 AM wasteland time, the first batch of Exalted players who received closed beta access finally logged on.

The newly produced Cultivation Chambers, Chu Guang temporarily placed them in Shelter No.117.

As there were no private rooms on Floor B4 suitable for placing Sleep Cabins, and it involved the most central area of the shelter - the control server terminal.

This was a "developer" function, which Chu Guang naturally could not open to the players.

Although Shelter No.404 lacked additional space, Shelter No.117 still had 100 "luxury single rooms" available.

In the bug-fix for Beta 0.1, Chu Guang had converted all 500 rooms in Shelter No.117 into double bedrooms, doubling the population limit of Shelter No.117 to now accommodate a thousand people.

The first batch of players for the B-round testing was provisionally set at forty people.

Meanwhile, the exploration plan for Shelter No.401 and the reactor fuel rods was also underway, currently led by Yin Fang’s scientific expedition team.

In the square of Shelter No.117.

At this moment, everything was incredibly noisy.

Most people had put on their helmets just to try it out, never expecting it to actually work.

All their anticipation and nervousness settled in this moment, bursting forth like a gushing spring of joy and excitement, as if reborn!

Blue Jacket muttered, "Hahaha! I’m in! I’ve finally made it!"

Ice and Fire Brother announced, "Everyone, quiet down and listen up. All of us here are the best of billions, so speak with some backbone!"

"Roar! Let’s all toughen up! Is the Dog Planner here? Light a new cigarette for daddy!"

"Damn, brother, you rock!"

Falling Feather kept pinching his face.

"Huh? Doesn’t this game have a character customization or gender selection phase?"

Clear Wind stared blankly around.

"The modeling is flawless, not a single crack to slip through, and there are differences in light, shadow effects, and temperature. This game... is too real!"

Dressed in azure power armor, Chu Guang watched quietly with his most loyal guards as these newbies cried, laughed, yelled, and jumped around excitedly.

He was long accustomed to players’ artistic displays and understood their excitement, but the guards beside him were still somewhat unaccustomed.

Chu Guang coughed lightly, speaking softly on the communication channel.

"Cryogenic Reawakening Syndrome, hibernation for more than two centuries... It occasionally happens, don’t be too surprised."

He had just made up the symptoms, and no one could disprove it anyway.

The guards in exoskeletons, of course, didn’t doubt the words of the Manager at all. In their eyes, the Manager’s will was the truth, and they nodded loyally.

Not that they showed any surprise on their faces.

Just like in previous versions.

Chu Guang gave these excited new players enough time to celebrate, allowing them to fully vent their excitement and excitement.

Meanwhile, old players planning to do the "Pass the Torch" quest mostly stood at the edges of the hall, observing and critiquing the newbies, making their selections.

Most of them had been through the same process.

And some were even more exaggerated than these newcomers.

Watching the newbies marvel was one of the staple shows of the "Wasteland OL" beta tests.

"These newbies are no good," Tail said with his arms crossed, shaking his head as if he knew better, "No one even took off their pants!"

Si Si gave Tail a side-eye.

"Your comment is dangerous, you know."

Old players accompanying the newbies were mainly between levels 8 to 11, but some who had just passed level 5 also came to take apprentices.

Chu Guang had not strictly restricted the levels for the "Pass the Torch" quest and had not even required combat professional players; the only requirement was to own a VM.

At the same time, with the update to the Legion System in Beta0.1, many old players planning to establish independent legions were also here recruiting.

However, these veterans usually had stricter recruitment criteria than solo players, mainly targeting like-minded hardcore players.

There were many ways to play "Wasteland OL."

Although it targeted hardcore players who could grind, it wasn’t "just" for hardcore players.

A too-serious server atmosphere would make the game niche, which is why Chu Guang had always emphasized on the official website that "Wasteland OL" was meant to be a casual "fun-oriented MMORPG."

Holding a wooden board, Debt Giant Eye shouted excitedly, his demeanor reminiscent of an old grandpa picking up kids at a kindergarten gate.

"The Death Legion is recruiting! We have the highest casualties and most medals. We go where it’s dangerous! The only requirement is to follow orders in team combat, don’t fear death, and experience the most realistic firefighting scenes with Fire Brother!"

Edge Shoveling couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Is that how you advertise?"

Debt Giant Eye chuckled.

"You don’t get it! Didn’t you see those newbies’ eyes light up?"

The young construction worker and Brick raised their hands.

"I stand with Big Eyes! It’s better to be clear with the newbies than to have conflicts inside the legion!"

On the other side, Mole Old Brother’s "Skeleton Corps" and Spring Water Commander’s "Storm Corps" were also recruiting, but both were a tad strict.

Speaking of uniqueness, there certainly was some—the former was focused on German stick equipment, offering an engineer shovel upon joining. The latter promoted individuality, allowing members to wear whatever they desired.

Quite a few newbies had seen Mole Old Brother’s posts on the forum, especially the fact that he was an unemployed painter, which attracted some pretty hardcore players to sign up with him.

Apart from Death Legion, the noisiest recruitment undoubtedly belonged to Mosquito Brother.

This guy was the epitome of performance art, standing in the square in his flamethrower trooper gear, shouting at the top of his duck-like voice.

"Burning Corps is recruiting! T0 big shot will have you swaggering and soaring! The corps has air support and artillery, and if you join now, you also get a 10% discount voucher for Goblin Technology! No expiration date!"

Spring Water Commander shouted, "Damn, Mosquito, I thought you were a lifestyle player!"

Canyon Escaping Mole retorted, "Exactly! Why are you joining in the racket over here? And you call that thing an air force?"

Makabazi chimed in, "Yeah! Your crappy plane is less like an air force than my Little Brother Bullshitter’s thing!"

Little Brother Bullshitter, "???"

Ignoring everyone’s ridicule, Mosquito chuckled and said, "Hehe, who said I was a lifestyle player! Have you ever seen a lifestyle player who’s the first to kill a BOSS?"

Standing nearby, the Battlefield Atmosphere Group and I Max Black simultaneously rolled their eyes.

This guy.

He just stole a last hit, and he brags about it every day!

Mosquito coughed.

"Enough nonsense, I’m here to help Old White recruit. We initially planned to name it Ox and Horse Corps, but that sounded too lame. Since we all played Warcraft together before, we renamed it Burning Corps."

So, it was several big shots from Ox and Horse group.

No one else teased Mosquito about duping new players.

Everyone was well aware of the combat prowess of the Ox and Horse squad.

However, it was unexpected for everyone, including Mole and Spring Water, that Old White and his group didn’t recruit new players themselves but had Mosquito do it for them.

These damned Europeans, have they received another hidden quest?

Not giving them a cut is just too unfair!

Apart from the newly formed legions, there were also merchant players on the square, trying to attract newbies to join their groups by sweet-talking.

The square was noisy with chatter, leaving newbies baffled to find out that these old players were even busier than them.

Just then, a scream rang out from the crowd.

Unprofessional Anti-League, "Damn! Why is my nose flat?"

Players around turned their heads to look toward the entrance and immediately burst into laughter.

Wow.

A straight-walking...Pigsy?

There was no mistaking that nose and ears!

"Awesome, after Catwoman, now there are pig people too?"

"Pal, can you eat pork?"

"Ugh, the dog planner’s wicked sense of humor!"

"HAHAHA, bro, I’ve seen your doujin!"

Unprofessional Anti-League, "%￥#@!"

Standing in the square, Chu Guang too looked surprised.

Especially after he checked the little player’s attribute panel.

[

ID: Unprofessional Anti-League

Gene Sequence: Constitution System

Level: LV.0

——Basic Attributes——

Strength: 5

Agility: 3

Constitution: 7

Perception: 5

Intelligence: 5

Talent:

Pigman: Acquires a pig’s nose, ears, and tail (Messed up, pigs and humans have a gene similarity of 83%, however, the fusion did not go as smoothly as imagined... Maybe next time I should try with a cat).

Accelerated Recovery: Has a healing speed bonus of 133%~150%, hunger accumulation speed also receives a 200% bonus.

Just like the earlier sesame paste.

This player’s gene sequence was not classified as Variant but rather under the Constitution System, with an attribute panel following the standard template of 3 agility and 7 constitution, the rest being baseline values of 5.

It was fortunate, indeed.

After all, the claws of lizards and white bears were somewhat usable, with the most debuff being fingers being a bit uncoordinated.

But pig’s hooves...

Other than being braised in soy sauce, Chu Guang really couldn’t think of any other use.

"Forget it, I’ll leave the specific gameplay to the players themselves."

Chu Guang coughed lightly, walked up to the group of players, skillfully blocked a hand that tried to reach for his chest, and activated his talent "Mind Intimidation," forcing the cheeky player to instinctively back off.

He waited for everyone to quiet down.

Responding to those expectant gazes, Chu Guang solemnly read the opening speech he had redesigned for the Beta version.

"Welcome back to the surface, lucky survivors! I am the manager of Shelter No. 404, and I am also a manager of the Alliance.

"Here, I have two important pieces of news for you. The good news is the war is over, and the bad news is our world has been completely transformed."

"However, things here are not as bad as you might think; thanks to the efforts of your predecessors, they united the indigenous people of the surface, defeated the savages threatening us, and successfully established our first outpost on the wasteland."

"According to the resolutions of the top levels of the United Human, a unified front for the revival of human civilization has been established, and we have formed a new alliance. Soon, restoration zones will spring up like bamboo after rain until we recover everything we lost."

"You are living in this new era, more fortunate than billions of others. After celebrating the joy of rebirth, I need you to quickly understand the current situation and then fulfill your pledge under the flag of United Human—"

"Rebuild our home."

In setting, the players were old popsicles who had been in sleep cabins since the Human Alliance Era.

Although sleep cabins did not have freezing functions.

After speaking in Chinese, Chu Guang recorded it and backed it up on the server.

There will be newcomers joining the game every day, and he cannot be present every day to be a repeat machine.

Later, Chu Guang would instruct a trustworthy guard, wearing Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry" exoskeleton, to come here in his stead to perform this task—

Replay his recording.

Or repeat the speech he had given.

After the opening animation ended, Chu Guang handed the time over to the veteran players.

In the lively welcoming ceremony, the newcomers found their respective organizations, excitedly holding the starter packs prepared by the manager for them, ready to step into this mysterious wasteland world to experience how realistic this 100% virtual reality game could be.

With the care of veteran players, the record for the fastest death created by Quit Smoking Brother might not be refreshed so soon.

Meanwhile, the server’s strongest force, the NiuMa Squad, was gradually approaching the eastern part of Qingquan City—a region rarely ventured by people.

Standing on a half-collapsed skyscraper.

Fang Chang, holding a telescope, looked at the vast forest interspersed among steel and concrete ruins, his face filled with shock.

"This is just too astonishing..."

(Thanks to the alliance leader "Di San Xian Gai Van" for the reward!! This Chapter is just shy of 10,000 words, consider it as making up for yesterday. I will make up for the previously owed updates, it’s too uncomfortable not having any drafts T.T.)