This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 288: Fierce Battle in the Jungle

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Fierce Battle in the Jungle

Greenery climbed over every street, every tall building.

Dense vines and tree roots criss-crossed, skyscrapers tilted in disarray, and concrete walls teemed with cracks and moss.

It was hard to imagine this once was a bustling urban district.

The primeval forest seemed to have merged with the city, although many districts of Qingquan City resembled this scene, none was as staggering as this.

Looking around, each frame resembled a world-famous painting! Every shot appeared as a masterpiece!

Was this the pinnacle of human modeling technology?

Unable to resist, Fang Chang captured the scene with his ear-mounted camera, the sight before him was so stunning that it couldn’t help but bring a hint of gravity to his eyes.

How were they going to get across?

The group was only the last kilometer away from their mission location.

Yet this short kilometer, laid out before the undulating rubble, seemed so far out of reach.

"According to the background information... This is one of the core business districts in the East District of Qingquan City, and the giant dome directly in front of us is our target for this trip," said Old White, clad in a Light Cavalry Exoskeleton, while referring to the pre-war map.

Quit Smoking curiously asked,

"What’s that over there?"

Wild Wind, "Zoo."

Its full name was "Qingquan City Third Ecological Conservation Park," and its structure was similar to the artificial biospheres they encountered before at the Central Continent Aerospace Experimental Base, except with a different usage.

One was to provide research support for outer space colonization; the other was for the surrounding citizens to enjoy and play.

Technically, the former was certainly more advanced.

But in terms of scale, the latter was much larger.

Night Ten said with a subtle expression, "...I suddenly have a bad feeling."

"So do I, stay alert and be ready for combat," Old White turned off the display screen on his arm and took off a bundle of nylon fiber rope from his waist, tossing it to Wild Wind standing next to him.

"It’s time to work."

Work, naturally referred to the Archaeological Group’s hidden task.

Actually, it might not be considered hidden; it was only because the task had higher requirements for Job Level, leading to only their group meeting the criteria to take on the mission.

As for the reward of the mission, it was quite generous—if they could lock down the exact location of Shelter No. 401 and successfully control that area, they would receive a total reward of 5000 Silver Coins!

Of course, that was the most optimistic scenario.

Since intelligence on that area was blank and clues about Shelter No. 401 were limited to the possibility of its being beneath the zoo or adjacent subway station, if they scanned the map with a VM only to find that Shelter No. 401 didn’t exist, or faced dangers like Dead Claws and had to retreat, they would only get an intelligence reward.

However, Old White thought that wouldn’t be much of a problem for them.

He was a man who had "first-killed" the Claw of Death.

Although it was after the Eaters’ main force had heavily injured it...

Ropes were thrown down from the half-collapsed high-rise.

Old White skillfully descended the rope to the slope below, after confirming it was safe, the rest of the squad followed suit, descending to the ground one by one.

Quit Smoking, clad in heavy KV-1 armor, held a wood cutter to clear the path in the front, followed by Old White who had already switched off the safety of his LD-47; Night Ten, the Perception System specialist, walked in the center of the group, followed by Fang Chang holding the "Dawn" Compound Bow.

Wild Wind released the Y-1 Firefly Quadrotor UAV and set a follow route on the tablet, maintaining a certain flying height.

The group ventured deeper into the dense forest.

Boots stepped over the moist concrete debris, making creaking noises, and the air was filled with the wetness of the forest, mixed with rustling leaves and the chirping of insects.

Everyone’s nerves were on high alert—or rather, they were excited.

The rustling sounds always made them feel as if something was lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

However, the road had been without danger.

Aside from encountering a few Hyenas wandering in search of food, it was just a Python dangling from a branch that gave them a start.

The Python was as thick as a trunk, its silver color creeping from the mouth corners up to the eyes, looking like a clown’s painted smile.

Coiled on the branch, it was probably asleep until it opened its eyes and stared, and only then did Night Ten sense its presence, promptly alerting the group.

"What a catch, perfect for soaking in liquor!" With a single cut, Quit Smoking beheaded the snake, joyfully picking it up and stuffing it into the backpack on the back of his KV-1, covering everything in blood.

Disturbed by the smell of the blood, Night Ten stepped aside with disdain.

"Yuck, you’ve become just like Old Na."

Quit Smoking chuckled.

"Snakes and insects are different, can they be the same?"

Fang Chang curiously asked.

"Is this thing useful?"

Wild Wind broke in, "A rational analysis, alcohol causes protein denaturation and inactivation, snake wine’s only use... is that it’s useless."

Old White cleared his throat.

"Alright, we’re never going to settle this debate... Let’s move on."

Collecting materials was also part of hunting monsters.

Some prey could be traded in at the Hunter’s Guild or the warehouse for money and Contribution.

Such as the three Hyenas that Fang Chang shot.

However, considering their current high-yield mission, it wouldn’t be cost-effective to waste time on dealing with prey, given the long distance to the City of Dawn.

The Bull and Horse team pressed on.

After passing through a large area of undulating dense forest and architectural gaps, the group finally arrived near the moss-covered "giant dome."

Here the streets were relatively spacious; a collapsed high-rise conveniently lay between the zoo and the subway station.

Several skeletons lay beside the metal barriers of the security checkpoint, making everyone instantly on guard.

Old White made a hand gesture to Fang Chang beside him, signaling him to cover, and then pointed to his headset before lowering his body with a rifle in hand, cautiously approaching.

There were blunt force trauma wounds as well as sharp weapon piercings on the chests and heads of several corpses – clearly not the work of wild beasts.

"Judging by the decay... it should be within ten years."

Or possibly twenty.

He was not a professional doctor; he only knew some simple first aid measures like stopping bleeding, bandaging, and sewing up wounds.

"These people were gnawed on by wild beasts after death, there are multiple chew marks on the bones... However, the fatal wounds were from arrows."

Listening to the voice coming through the communication channel, Fang Chang looked towards Old White’s direction and frowned slightly.

"Arrows?"

"Yes... I don’t see any bullet marks here," Old White searched around and suddenly frowned, picking up a half-buried rusty badge from the ground, "What’s this?"

The vegetation was dense, the light here was dark, but with the mottled light, one could still clearly see the outline of a triangular base and flames drawn on it.

Torches?

A hint of surprise appeared on Old White’s face.

That was something from several versions ago; back when Shelter No. 117 had just defeated the Chewing Bone Tribe, the NPC store had listed 37 "Torch" Mind Interference Instruments that were snatched from Black Snake, capable of controlling Variants through brainwaves.

Although some players with Intelligence System had developed a pet-centric playstyle, players in combat professions with high intelligence were too few, and most intelligence players followed the life skills profession path, so this playstyle never really had much presence.

If he remembered correctly...

This should be the symbol of the Torch Church.

But why would it appear here?

Just as Old White was puzzled, two whooshing sounds suddenly came from one side, with two arrows aiming straight at his chest and head.

Clang clang!

Despite the arrows’ lightning speed, when they struck the Light Cavalry’s composite armor and helmet, they only left a shallow scratch.

"Damn!"

Old White, ambushed, jolted in shock and without hesitation, raised his gun barrel and pulled the trigger towards the direction the arrows came from.

Pop pop pop—!

Bullets whizzed through the tree-laden street.

Large chunks of wood splintered in the dark shadows, followed by two piercing screams from within, and soon something fell from the trees.

At the same time, Fang Chang and the others from Night Eleven’s group also immediately noticed the situation on Old White’s side, promptly setting up their rifles to fire and cover the ambushed Old White.

"Old White! What’s happening over there?" Fang Chang rapidly asked.

"I don’t know! I didn’t see what that thing was... but I think I took down two. Wild Wind, can you see anything?"

Wild Wind, with closed eyes, shook his head and then opened his eyes.

"Visibility is too poor from up high, the drone can’t see anything."

Several more whooshes sounded, and arrows continued to shoot out from the shadows, chasing after Old White. At that moment, a Molotov Cocktail was suddenly thrown, and amidst the chaos, flames erupted instantaneously.

"Fuck!"

Engaged on three fronts, Old White swore under his breath, returned fire while rapidly retreating over a dozen meters, and moved behind a collapsed concrete block for cover, vigilantly observing his surroundings.

The lighting here was terrible!

And the opponent was hiding in the dark.

If it was just arrows, he wouldn’t be worried.

Though the Light Cavalry exoskeleton was not known for its defensive capabilities, it could still handle a volley of bullets, let alone primitive weaponry.

However, the fear was that the enemy might have other weapons.

Such as Molotov Cocktails...

Old White had long since learned how cunning the hostile NPCs of Wasteland OL could be – even hyenas in this game could circle around for an ambush, targeting weaknesses. Not to mention people.

"Shit, how did I completely fail to spot them?!" Night Ten gripped the Pu-9 Submachine Gun tightly, staring intently at the dense foliage-covered street ahead.

The line of sight here was narrow; sniper rifles were of no use.

Wild Wind spoke calmly: "Maybe the enemy has high concealment attributes, and your passive Perception failed. This kind of thing has happened before, right? Don’t rely too much on panel attributes... Besides, what about your Killing Intent Perception?"

Night Ten’s brows were deeply furrowed.

"Now I feel it! It’s coming from all directions!"

Wild Wind: "..."

Fang Chang made a decisive call.

"Old White, there are too many of them! Retreat!"

"Okay."

Old White swapped the magazine of his rifle and left the cover.

Just at that moment, several small dots of light suddenly appeared in the shadows beneath the dense forest.

Fang Chang swiftly fired an Explosive Arrow towards the sources of light. With a "boom," scattered fragments flew into the forest, and soon several dark figures fell from the trees.

Yet at the same time, fire arrows shot out from the woods, forming a dense, impenetrable net, covering Old White and the members of the covering team retreating behind him.

The fire arrows didn’t cause much damage but revealed their exact locations.

"Rawr!!"

Monkey cries echoed from the jungle, shadows swinging with long arms through the forest; Fang Chang’s pupils contracted, finally making out who was attacking them.

No—

Not people.

But a troop of monkey-like creatures not more than 1.5 meters tall, with arms that hung down to their ankles!

In their hands were not only bows and arrows but also short spears made of rebars, hammers tied with concrete rocks, and various knives and blades of indeterminate origin.

Night Ten aimed at the approaching monkeys and pulled the trigger. The submachine gun’s sudden burst of fire meant that four or five monkeys were knocked from the trees within one breath, crashing heavily to the ground.

However, soon more monkeys emerged from the shadows, baring their bloody canine teeth and brandishing a bizarre array of cold weapons as they closed in on them.

Monkeys?!

Quit smoking aimed and fired his gun, his face etched with disbelief.

"Damn! Monkeys in Wasteland OL can use tools?!"

"Who knows, maybe someone taught them..."

Wild Wind calmly aimed his rifle and picked off the monkeys chasing Old White one by one, covering Old White as he retreated back to their midst.

The sound of gunfire was incessant in the woods.

The flashing muzzle flashes repelled the encirclement of monkeys time and again.

After suffering heavy casualties, the monkeys seemed to finally realize these people were not to be trifled with, and the pace of their attack gradually slowed.

The group fought as they retreated and quickly pulled out of the streets near the zoo, shaking off the pursuit of monkeys near a collapsed commercial plaza.

"I was wondering why there were no Eaters here... turns out a bunch of monkeys have taken over this place!"

Collapsing onto a concrete block, Night Ten took a deep breath and checked the ammunition in his submachine gun.

Two magazines left!

Since it was a scouting mission, considering the low likelihood of encountering large-scale combat, they only brought the standard amount of ammunition needed for regular fights.

If it were just a group of monkeys, it wouldn’t be so frightening, but the key point was that these monkeys not only used tools but were also familiar with the terrain, seemingly fearless, and likely mutated.

This situation was getting tricky!

Fang Chang: "We should have called Pick up trash 99 level."

Stowing away the drone in his backpack, Wild Wind caught his breath while casting a glance at Old White.

"Do we continue?"

"...There are too many of them, and we’re short on hands, let’s retreat for today," Old White said, looking at the iron plate engraved with the Torch in his hand.

Although they hadn’t achieved their objective, this mission couldn’t quite be called a failure.

At the very least, they had clarified the situation near their target.

And they had also discovered a piece of interesting intel.

Fang Chang sighed, his expression one of regret.

"It would have been nice to capture one... even a dead one."

Just then, Quit smoking, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his hand weakly.

"You mean... this?"

Every pair of eyes turned to him, and they saw his backpack wide open, holding a monkey that had breathed its last.

The team from Shelter No. 117 finally got a close look at the monster they had been fighting for nearly half an hour.

This monkey had very long arms, small eyes with dark green pupils, resembling a misshapen potato speckled with tiny green beans. The most striking feature was its teeth—not only were they terrifyingly long, but two elongated canines also protruded over its lips.

The most peculiar aspect was that although the monkey’s body was covered in black fur, there was no fur on its back; instead, it bore a layer of black scales, stretching from its neck to the base of its tail.

Night Ten exclaimed in surprise.

"Damn! Nice work, bro, when did you snag this?"

Quit smoking sheepishly chuckled.

"While we were retreating, I happened to stab one to death with a fire spear. It seemed a shame to just throw it away, so I just picked it off and stuffed it in my backpack."

Night Ten couldn’t help but praise: "That’s really slick! You’ve made a great contribution!"

Quit smoking: "Hehe."

Fang Chang went over, took the monkey from Quit smoking’s hand, and tried to cut its back with a dagger, only to find the skin wasn’t breached, his face immediately showing a look of surprise.

"This thing can withstand cuts?"

Wild Wind thoughtfully stroked his chin.

After a long pause, he finally gave an assessment.

"It would make pretty good gloves."

Meanwhile, at the edge of that vine-covered egg-shaped building, atop a tower constructed from wooden planks and steel bars, stood a man clad in a beast skin coat.

His face smeared with dark green mud, he held in his hands a telescope made of human bones with drilled holes, and around his neck hung a garland of vines for camouflage.

The monkeys around him were very reverent... or rather, afraid of him, as if there was something on him that inspired fear in them.

Watching the unwelcome visitors disappear from sight, he cursed under his breath, shooing away the monkeys that had gathered at his feet, and he put away the telescope.

"Useless bunch!"

Two exoskeletons!

And those guns in the hands of the Waste Land Wanderers!

Clearly, they were valuables!

At this thought, a glint of greed flashed in his eyes.

It was a shame they didn’t manage to capture those people!

...

Forum official website.

[Monster Compendium Update:

1. Ironback Monkey: Black fur, black scales on the back, active in groups, capable of using basic tools and open flame, proficient in shooting cold arrows, suspected of having night vision abilities, highly mobile in the jungle, recommended for players Level 8 or above to hunt.

2. Silver-Mouthed Snake: Silver-white patterns stretch from the corner of the mouth to the eyes, able to store 120ml of venom at the base of its fangs, venom glands throughout its body, not suitable for consumption.]

[East District of Qingquan City New Intel: The East District of Qingquan City is a primeval forest, the vegetation of which is far denser than other areas for certain reasons.]

[New intel on Shelter No. 401: Torch Church is suspected of being connected to it.]

As the Ox-and-Horse Squad returned, the official website’s database was updated with the intelligence they had gathered in the East District of Qingquan City.

A new map!

And new Variants!

Many players were filled with curiosity about that rarely-trodden domain.

Tail: "Got it! The new map is the high-rise building version of the Elm District!

Si Si: "The number of incomprehensible creatures has increased again."

Elena: "Eek! Poison glands all over the body, is it that scary? (funny)"

Gnome King Riches: "What do you want to do, I advise you not to even think about it. (funny)"

Fang Chang: "Regarding the new map, let me share my opinions. Shelter No. 401 in the East District might become the next Novice Village. The progress in strategizing this map is likely to directly affect the speed at which closed beta qualifications are distributed!"

Wild Wind: "Yeah, the game’s testing progress follows the main storyline. There’s a limit to the shelter’s capacity, and once it’s reached, United Human’s support for the New Alliance will also pause, which is very realistic."

Thunder Mage Professor Yang: "Damn, big shots, go for it! Hurry up! Our happiness depends on you guys! T.T"

Riding a Donkey to the Market: "+1, waaaaa, I want to play too. QAQ"

Fang Chang: "Don’t be anxious, guys, we’re going all out to strategize the new map!"

Old White: "Academic research teams have increased the task rewards based on the intelligence we’ve recovered. We’re planning to organize another strategizing session, but there are too many Variants active locally. Just a few of us might not be enough. Any brothers willing to join?"

Pick up trash 99 level: "Me Me Me, Brother Old White, take me with you! I’m also a member of the Burning Corps! (excited)"

WC really has Mosquitoes: "Need air support? My plane’s fixed! You just signal with flares, and leave the rest to me. (wink smile)"

I Max Black: "Damn, that thing can still be fixed?! Wasn’t it blown to bits?"

Looter: "Don’t listen to his nonsense, our wastrel boss just built a new one, and this time it’s equipped with a gyroscope and pitot tube; it should be able to land... (sigh)"

Midnight Chicken Killing: "Hand up! The Jungle Corps requests to join the fight! (proud)"

Picheng Paratrooper: "Paratrooper One, ready!!!"

Xiao Xiaosha Chong: "Heh heh, we’re best at wild battles. (naughty smile)"

Old White: "Solid! You guys are in! (grinning)"

...

Shelter No. 404.

Manager’s Office.

Just as the players were chatting all over the Forum, Chu Guang stared at the iron badge with a torch on it that he was holding, equally lost in thought.

"Shelter No. 401 was opened fifty years ago?"

Standing beside him, Yin Fang nodded.

"According to the intelligence we’ve collected, that seems to be the case."

Chu Guang continued.

"The Torch left Shelter No. 117 twenty years ago... That means they had their eyes on 401 already back then."

"What exactly is stored there?"

If he remembered correctly, the Black Box in Shelter No. 117 mainly contained production of bionic organs, it shouldn’t include the so-called "Mind Control Device"; and Heya, who woke up after a twenty-year slumber, had never mentioned anything related to that device.

It was obvious that the Variant control technology held by the Torch Church, which dominated the southern Death Coast, was not taken from Shelter No. 117 but recovered from other shelter facilities.

And that place might very well be Shelter No. 401.

Finding a treasure chest only to learn someone else might have gotten there first twenty years ago wasn’t great news for Chu Guang.

Yin Fang shifted his posture, arms crossed, and said somewhat helplessly, "Three-digit shelters are already classified. No public records exist to trace them. And after two centuries, I could only pinpoint its approximate location through some indirect clues."

After a pause, Yin Fang continued.

"However, while investigating Qingquan City’s third ecological reserve, I did find some rather interesting things."

Chu Guang: "What things?"

"Out of the twenty biology professors who received admission tickets to Shelter No. 401, seventeen had held academic lectures in that ecological reserve. Although the original papers are no longer accessible, the ticket information confirms that these lectures frequently mentioned something called ’Resonance Theory’."

Chu Guang frowned: "Resonance Theory?"

Meeting someone’s expectant gaze, Yin Fang said helplessly.

"Don’t look at me like that. It’s my first time coming to River Valley Province for archaeology. I’ve never heard of these baffling things before. But the good news is, we can at least confirm now that Shelter No. 401 is near that ecological reserve."

Chu Guang pondered for a moment.

"It seems we’re going to have to take a look."

Yin Fang shrugged: "That was my suggestion too. Anyway, we’ve confirmed there’s something there, why not send your people to check it out?"

Just a bunch of monkeys.

Could they really upset the order?

Not even Tide was a match for these guys in Blue Jackets, as far as Yin Fang was concerned, clearing out a bunch of animals was just a matter of time.

At that moment, footsteps approached from outside the door, quickly followed by a knock.

"Come in."

The door opened.

The person who entered was Heya.

Chu Guang looked up and saw her excited expression, so he curiously asked.

"Did something good happen?"

Without any suspense, Heya exclaimed.

"About that inducible expression serum you asked me to research."

"The results are out!"

-

(A big thank you to the "Little Fatty Winter Hotpot City" alliance leader for the reward!!)