This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 296 White Bear Knights!

Chapter 296: Chapter 296 White Bear Knights!

North of Dawn City.

Changjiu Farm Trading Station.

Standing next to a "Electric donkey" truck full of goods, Sisi stroked her chin in thought for a long time before suddenly striking her right fist into the palm of her hand.

"How about Panda Trade Group? We’ve got both bears and cats."

Meat Meat, who was sitting on the ground, shook her head like a rattle-drum.

"NONO, even so, panda is a bit too far-fetched, isn’t it?"

What Sisi didn’t expect was that not only Meat Meat but even Tail raised a hand to object.

"Objection plus one! Neither Tail’s nor Sisi’s name is mentioned!"

Sisi: "Uh, I think if you add your own name it’ll be fine, I really don’t mind."

Tail spoke seriously with a sense of importance, "How could that work! We must think of a name where everyone gets a spotlight!"

"Umm..." Sesame Paste raised her hand and said softly, "I should say, I’m just working odd jobs... It’s okay not to consider me."

Although playing with everyone was joyful, compared to establishing a mercenary guild to become a space pirate and conquer the universe, she still preferred a more leisurely play style.

For example, riding a motorcycle to deliver goods to various Survivor Bases was quite nice.

You could see the different sceneries of this vast world, meet many people you couldn’t encounter in real life, and make money.

It’s just that the transportation in this game was too expensive. She had to save up a bit.

"Three votes against one? It seems I’ve lost," Sisi sighed, "Speaking of which, can’t we just think of a name while on the road?"

"The importance of ritual, the importance of ritual. You woman, have no sense of romance. If we don’t think of a good name before hitting the road, what do we tell Looter when we run into one?" Tail said with an old-fashioned air, suddenly her eyes lighting up, "How about Tail’s Adventurers?"

Meat Meat: "Wait, what about me? And you just said everyone should get a spotlight a second ago."

"Ah heh, I forgot."

Sisi cleared her throat lightly.

"Such a hassle... Then let’s call it Meat Meat Knights. We take turns riding Meat Meat, we’re all knights of Meat Meat. From now on, Meat Meat is the leader, perfectly solving the problem."

The big white bear looked up with a paw, crying and laughing: "Hold on, although, although I don’t mind playing the mount, it’s still too weird!"

"Exactly, Tail finds it odd too, it’s as if Meat Meat is a piece of m[beep beep——]."

With a serious face, she censored an exceedingly dangerous statement and took advantage of Meat Meat’s distraction. After a moment of pondering, Tail suddenly lit up and said.

"How about White Bear Knights?"

Perhaps they had been struggling with this issue for too long, or perhaps it sounded quite cool when pronounced, even Meat Meat didn’t object this time.

Just like that, the White Bear Knights were officially founded.

Using the remaining money, Sisi bought a "Maxim-II" machine gun.

Different from the Maxim that shone in the Tide, the managers of Factory No.81 adapted the air-cooled design similar to that of the MG42, redesigned the interchangeable barrel according to the combat environment of the Wasteland, and stepped up the caliber to 10mm.

10×100mm machine gun bullets have added X-4 fiber to their propellant, ensuring that a single bullet’s penetration is no less than that of a large-caliber 12.7×108mm DShK heavy machine gun bullet.

These are more than adequate for suppressing those tentacle-like multilegged beasts encountered along the way, as well as the vast, high-health, high-attack monsters.

The workers sent by Factory No.81 not only welded them to the roof of the vehicle but also armored it with bulletproof steel plates.

Every time she dealt with the manager of Factory No.81, Sisi couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at how increasingly "buffed" the lifestyle players in the Game were becoming.

"And don’t forget the rocket launcher!" Tail grunted as he hoisted a wooden box onto the vehicle, which contained three RPG fragmentation and armor-piercing grenades.

An electrically driven armored transport vehicle complete!

The cat ears atop her head twitched slightly as Sesame Paste looked at the cargo-loaded vehicle with some concern.

"Speaking of the electric truck... is the battery life okay?"

There were no charging stations in the Wasteland.

Based on real-world experience, the battery life of electric vehicles didn’t seem very long.

Sisi patted her shoulder.

"emmm... considering it’s a sci-fi game battery, though I don’t know what a solid hydrogen battery is, it can easily make a couple of round trips, so don’t worry and use it."

The actual distance to Red River Town from here was within one hundred kilometers; for farther destinations, just preparing a spare battery or a generator would suffice.

Not only were there no charging stations on the Wasteland, but there were also no gas stations. For small-scale transport not involving a tanker truck, a fuel vehicle wasn’t actually the best choice. After all, biomass fuel had to go through a series of processing and refinement to become gasoline, but wood that could generate electricity was everywhere.

After the decline of civilization and the end of the severe cold, the first to conquer the cities was the lush vegetation, followed by those mutated slime fungi.

"Be careful on the road," Frost River said softly as she waved from her stand, smiling as she sent her blessings to the adventurers.

This was the third group of residents from the refuge that she had sent off today to form a Commercial Team.

The trading station here had always been frequented by merchants from Red River Town, including large commercial teams like the Horseshoe Iron Business Group.

But recently, the residents of the refuge started to show up more.

They would usually choose to purchase the stable-priced LD-47 rifles and 7mm full-power bullets as trade goods, and Red River Town, being relatively "closer" to Dawn City with its robust demand for weapons, was their first choice for a stop.

Frost River skillfully operated the VM with her index finger, signing off on the purchase order and uploading it. These data would be checked by management staff on the same day and count as her performance for the day.

Meanwhile, once the data was checked, it would automatically sync to the central server of the refuge, where processors lost in calculation would verify it against data submitted by the storage department and production units, managed by AI that was close to complete artificial intelligence.

If even a single bullet was missing, it was possible to check where along the chain it was lost and who was responsible for that part of the process.

The highly AI-centric management mode technically replaced many mid-level managers who required experience, flattening the entire management hierarchy.

Moreover, this system had relatively low professional requirements for front-line workers. They only needed to master the foolproof operating process of the VM, be familiar with the specific job responsibilities, and they could ensure the stable operation of the whole system.

At the same time, managers could access the most authentic "first-hand data" and formulate specific macro strategies based on the most accurate conditions.

At present, the literacy rate of the New Alliance is less than 30%, even after six months of literacy classes and evening school education.

This was also a reform method Chu Guang drew from the "Future City Administration" technology of the Human Alliance.

In the era before the Prosperity Epoch, to complete this system might involve hundreds of programmers working overtime for a year or even longer.

But for Xiao Qi with its near-complete artificial intelligence, it required only a bit of communication time with the Manager.

...

Beta 0.2 version went online on the fourth day.

The number of players participating in the Merchant System had reached 417, while nearly 657 had joined the Legion System. The rest were either players who had already established a fixed genre or were casual, Buddhist-style players and newcomers whose conditions were not yet met.

A game can’t have everyone grinding away, but it can make those who can grind do so even more.

Chu Guang was gratified to see that the previously deformed prices had finally returned to normal.

Now, the indigenous people could also enjoy delicacies from a different world, while the life career players, who had been spoiled by combat professional players, were finally stepping out of their comfort zones, upgrading equipment, expanding production, and developing markets as applicable.

The "endgame gear" on display in NPC shops—the Light Cavalry Exoskeleton—sold 40 sets in just three days, and the 50,000-value "Electric donkey" light trucks had 12 transactions.

The number was still rising.

Chu Guang had already arranged for staff to expand the production of "Electric donkey" and had increased investments in Bachi Aluminium Factory and List Factory by increasing loans.

In the future, A3 space aluminum alloy and solid-state hydrogen batteries would be cheaper.

Having resolved the players’ issues, Chu Guang could finally free his hands to deal with matters concerning the future of the New Alliance...

The browsing room on floor B4.

Employees wearing VMs carried in boxes of neatly packaged books from outside, and, as per Chu Guang’s request, they sorted the books into two main categories—science and social science—as much as possible, and placed them on the empty shelves.

These books came from Shelter No. 401.

After the reactor shut down at Shelter No. 117, the books inside were either taken by the Torch or burned by escaping residents or nearby Waste Land Wanderers.

Fortunately, a significant number of interesting books were found in the recently discovered Shelter No. 401.

Looter was not interested in these things.

Thanks to the negotiations of that old popsicle, Sun Zewen, these quality "fuels" miraculously survived.

At least a portion did.

And it was all the better for it.

These fuels could finally "burn" correctly in the right place.

Currently, the sorting of books was handled by employees of the Merchant Guild.

This was the department with the highest literacy rate in the New Alliance at the moment.

And Old Charlie was in charge.

"Respected Manager, a total of 2,490 books were brought from Shelter No. 401; among them, there are 217 social science books, 332 science books, 641 engineering and application books, and 110 popular science books, biographies, novels..."

"Among them, there are 31 related to agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry, and related to food processing..."

Frost Snow nervously nearly bit her tongue several times.

This was her first time entering the heart of the New Alliance—floor B4 of Shelter No. 404.

It was also the first time she saw the Manager without power armor.

"You’re doing well, you’ve done a very good job," Chu Guang commended with a nod.

Being able to sort these books into general categories was already quite an achievement, he wouldn’t demand his subordinates do things beyond their capabilities.

Yet not only had they completed their tasks within a few days, but they had also exceeded expectations by further subdividing the books into more specific fields.

Honestly, even Chu Guang was somewhat taken aback by this.

He had originally planned to scan these books with Xiao Qi’s help and categorize them during his free time while reading.

It seemed Old Charlie had been quite concerned and saved him a lot of time.

Chu Guang planned to select some books with relatively low barriers and easy reading difficulty as primary education materials from among them.

This task would likely involve the old man again.

Old Charlie had been a town mayor and a school principal on Bet Street before, and he understood the actual situation of these indigenous people better than any expert.

Chu Guang planned to make him the Education Minister of the New Alliance once the Merchant Guild was on the right track.

Of course, that was if he was still willing to work.

After all, for the Wasteland, the old man was of advanced age.

"Um, that..."

Seeing that the young girl in front of him had more to say, Chu Guang spoke with a gentle tone.

"Is there something else?"

"Mr. Charlie said... to remind you to take care of yourself. You are the Manager of the Alliance; your health is more precious than these books," Frost Snow said softly.

Chu Guang was momentarily startled, then laughed.

"Haha, thank him for his concern for me, and by the way, give him a message from me: I’m still young; this bit of work isn’t too much for me."

What a joke.

This new job was much easier than his previous job in sales!

With Xiao Qi’s help sorting out spreadsheets and monitoring abnormal data, he could grasp the most accurate data on every aspect of the New Alliance, from industry to economy, just like players from Company P with a "god’s-eye view," and even find inspiration from the cultural products of parallel worlds in his spare capacity.

Chu Guang used to work himself half-dead in sales, force himself to drink with clients, and occasionally even face unwanted advances due to his youth and good looks.

He would probably never touch alcohol again in his life.

Unless he encountered a "simpleton" like Luo Hua again, who was terrible at the game but loved to drink, then he might have a sip just to extract some information.

As for usual times?

A bit of sparkling water or mushroom soup would suffice.

However, Frost Snow didn’t know what Chu Guang was contemplating; she just felt that the Manager, who worked tirelessly for everyone, was incredibly gentle.

Under his management, everyone had moved into warm brick homes, no longer had to face painful decisions for survival, and didn’t have to wander aimlessly in the wilderness.

And it seemed he never did anything for himself.

Not only did they continue to live in burrows left from a previous civilization, but even the abandoned sanatorium where the New Alliance was announced had only undergone simple repairs.

He really wished he could take slightly better care of himself.

A touch of reverence couldn’t help but appear in the longing eyes, as the young girl felt embarrassed to disturb his work any further, lowered her head in respect, and turned to help her colleagues sort the books.

It took some time to put all the two thousand books on the shelves, but looking at the room which finally resembled a reading area, Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction.

In his eyes, these treasures were even more precious than a Black Box.

The Black Box solved immediate problems, but these could solve problems of the future. And compared to the incomplete data collected by survey teams from the ruins’ storage devices, each book here could correspond to a specific domain.

"The foundation for science and engineering disciplines is too high, cultural arts are not immediately necessary, so let’s start with popular science readings and also settle on the textbooks."

"Education is a plan for a century; the earlier it starts, the better."

"Then comes social science... Using 20 points of Intelligence to outsmart the AI of Stars is too wasteful; I occasionally need to recharge my own knowledge."

"In the future, grassroots managers should undergo specialized study and examinations."

"As for the players..."

As for whether to open it up to the players, Chu Guang pondered for a long time and ultimately decided to adopt a more cautious strategy.

Firstly, "not exposing that this is the real world" is the absolute bottom line.

The First Generation Manager had hinted at this to him many times, and Chu Guang had also gleaned the underlying risks through practice.

Exposing one’s own needs in interaction is very dangerous, equivalent to extending one’s neck for others to grasp.

Whether it’s Backseat Driver or players, there are no shortage of experts in various industries and fields. What they lack is simply the experience of "building the Wasteland." Chu Guang could let people in slowly as needed; there was no point in complicating things for himself for a mere 0.1% BUFF.

The players had already done their best within their capabilities, just like those Indigenous People who helped him organize the books.

What about research into high-end technology?

Who was more suitable than the old popsicle vendors from the Prosperity Epoch and their children and grandchildren to conduct scientific research?

Reclaiming the legacy of the Prosperity Epoch itself did not require so many people; the residents of the refuge were completely adequate. According to Yin Fang’s description, the strategy adopted by the Academy was similar.

Most players entered the Game with an entertainment mindset and were not here to learn.

As Wild Wind had joked long ago, if this technology were used by bosses at work, he’d rather just sleep honestly.

Chu Guang would consider exposing players to some technology as the Game progressed as a reward to them, but all within the premise of "not exposing the nature of the world."

This actually wasn’t difficult to handle.

Previously, Chu Guang got inspiration from the different strategies taken towards him by various governments; those people seemed to treat this game as the first contact between an extraterrestrial civilization and Earth’s.

And it was a contact that was more than neutral.

With limited information, they couldn’t explain how the helmets appeared at their doorsteps, nor could they explain the website and the Game server’s "godlike" power.

Would it be strange for technology that Earth doesn’t understand to appear in a high-level civilization’s game?

Of course not.

Chu Guang could even guide them to interpret the "Game" as a "benevolent enlightenment" from an extraterrestrial civilization to Earth’s civilization.

They would carefully speculate their limits, reduce meaningless trials, and keep tight-lipped about extraterrestrial matters, treating the "players" who were enlightened by the high civilization as treasures— even as strategic resources to be held in the palm of their hands.

They would even allocate a portion of the budget, covertly inflating the price of silver coins, and, like him, use macro means—either gently or aggressively—to encourage players to apply for "labor visas" to participate in the game of high civilization. They sought to learn well the knowledge and experience in dealing with the apocalypse from our neighbors beyond the Solar System. Then, they would return to build their country and benefit society.

Just like how he spared no expense in encouraging players to work for the Pioneer and strictly constrained them from causing trouble with those they could not afford to offend.

In fact, if Chu Guang were a bit more unscrupulous, he could also lure them like a swindler, saying "this is your dream, and also your future," making them follow his rules in reality as well.

But that would be another path not yet envisioned.

The art of management lies in guiding, not commanding; putting too much force is not a good thing.

Looking at the rows of bookshelves before him, Chu Guang couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile, as if he saw a full deck of playing cards.

"...Should I throw out a bit of bait now?"

Or should I wait until the next round of "closed beta" before the dividend distribution?

As Chu Guang pondered which technology or fundamental scientific knowledge was suitable for baiting, footsteps were heard outside the activity door.

Yin Fang, with a tablet sandwiched under his elbow, walked into the browsing room.

Judging by the expression on his face, Chu Guang anticipated that something good had happened, and he spoke with a pleasant demeanor,

"I guess there’s been progress with the fuel rods."

"You should have intentionally guessed wrong to give me a sense of achievement."

Yin Fang joked and handed the tablet to Chu Guang.

"We found refuge-compatible model fuel rods in the underground warehouse of a propulsor assembly factory, with 67% energy remaining. They should last a very long time. Your so-called Legion is on their way back; they’ll take care of delivering the goods to Shelter No.401, and then I’ll go install... Wait, did you move all the books from Shelter No.401 over here?"

He noticed the bookshelves in the browsing room were crammed with books.

Previously, when he came here, he hadn’t seen a single one, and had even suspected that the First Generation Manager here was an uneducated bumpkin.

"It’s more convenient this way... Next time, I will pretend to guess wrong. Like, by asking you if you’ve found your sweetheart or something?" said Chu Guang, playfully teasing.

"Let’s not. The relics of the former civilization are more interesting to me."

Although initially a semi-threatening attitude had gotten him into the refuge, over time, Yin Fang had gradually felt that this guy in front of him was actually quite easy-going.

Simply put, he had no airs about him.

Unlike the technical bureaucrats at the Academy who, at first, knew a thing or two about technology, but later turned into arrogant overlords, pointing their noses at others, those like him who actually did the work had little room for promotion.

This guy in front of him was different.

Although completely ignorant of basic knowledge, making one wonder if he had ever received basic education in the refuge, his respectful attitude towards knowledge was quite comforting to Yin Fang.

He glanced at the browsing room, particularly noticing the coffee machine by the wall and said with envy,

"The environment here is too good."

"Do you want to move your office here?"

"No need. I’m not comfortable around others... Can I take a coffee machine? There are so many anyway." Yin Fang had his eye on the coffee machine in the corner last time he was here, but he hadn’t had the nerve to ask.

Chu Guang smiled and said,

"The coffee trees have just been planted, what’s the point of taking a machine now... Never mind, if you want it, take it."

Yin Fang hugged his favorite machine with a look of sheer joy on his face.

"Thank you so much!"

A coffee machine from the Human Alliance Era remained a piece of rare high-tech in this era; it was capable of automatic drying, roasting, deacidifying, and grinding, and could simulate various processed flavors based on demand.

It was said that during the Prosperity Epoch, large supermarkets of the Human Alliance would supply freshly picked coffee fruits to meet the more personalized needs of customers.

For Yin Fang, owning a high-tech coffee machine was an even more amazing find than uncovering fuel rods for a fusion reactor.

Such privilege was enjoyed only by B-class researchers at the Academy!

Watching Yin Fang’s infatuated expression, Chu Guang’s own expression became somewhat odd.

He had heard that middle-aged men might pour their emotions into some strange things, like teapots, fishing rods, or even electric plugs.

But this guy was only in his early twenties, right?

"Is coffee really that good?"

"You don’t understand, tasting the delights of olden times is one of the precious few pleasures left..." As he stroked the coffee machine, Yin Fang’s face showed a rare hint of melancholy, "I’ve spent my life chasing the remnants of the past civilizations, digging them out of the ruins, and sorting them into categories. I’ve even dreamt of that era..."

"However, the depressing truth is, the further I go down this path, the clearer it becomes... it’s impossible to go back."

Chu Guang fell silent for a moment, said nothing, only patted the guy’s shoulder lightly.

"No need to dwell on the past."

"We’re still here."

"We are the continuation of those times."

...

In the jungles of East Qingquan City.

The Bull and Horse Squad, fully equipped with exoskeletons, was cautiously progressing along the overgrown streets while escorting fuel rods.

They had just experienced a battle.

A group of Looters stationed near their mission objective not only had refused to surrender but had also opened fire on them.

However, getting rid of those barbarians hadn’t taken much effort.

After handing over the rescued captives and the remaining Looters to the NPC soldiers who were changing guard, they continued towards Shelter No. 401 with the boxes containing the fuel rods.

It had to be said, exoskeletons were incredibly useful.

Even for a Strength Type, carrying a hundred-odd kilograms of fuel rods over mountains and through ruins would be exhausting.

But when attached to an exoskeleton, apart from a slight increase in energy consumption, there wasn’t the slightest feeling of being burdened with weight.

Walking in the center-front of the team, Quit smoking hesitated for a long time before finally giving in to the urge to speak his mind, which he had been holding back the entire way.

"Guys, I—"

"Alright, stop right there. This mission’s earnings will have a 15% deduction from your share, which the four of us will split, okay?" Interrupting him, Old White said helplessly.

He had long noticed the matter heavy on Quit smoking’s mind.

Sure enough, after hearing those words, Quit smoking heaved a sigh of relief, and his expression visibly relaxed.

"Thank you."

A ten thousand silver coin Light Cavalry.

Currently, there were only 40 sets available in the server, with another 60 sets hanging in the NPC stores, each account limited to purchasing one set.

His own savings certainly couldn’t afford it, after all, he had been playing the game since the "Land Yachting" expansion.

Although back when everyone played the game they would also gift each other with equipment and such, this piece of gear was just too valuable, worth a couple of hundred thousand RMB when converted.

He simply couldn’t afford that.

"What’s there to thank for," Night Ten replied, rolling her eyes, "We’re still counting on you to beef up and be the Main Tank."

"Don’t take it too seriously," Fang Chang patted Quit smoking’s shoulder, "We just took advantage of being early in the game and got ourselves a bit of a head start. You should be thanking Ah Guang more than us."

Wild Wind:"I agree, don’t put too much burden on yourself over the game, and don’t bother calculating how much your gear would cost in real money."

Quit smoking sniffed, refrained from any more awkward pleasantries, and simply etched his teammates’ care for him deep in his heart.

"Two more kilometers until we reach the safe zone. This mission should unlock a new base which will serve as a Novice Village for the newbies..." Old White pointed on his VM, confirming their location, "Two options, go straight to shortcut through the abandoned theater directly towards Ecopark Station Three, or backtrack the way we came."

Wild Wind touched his nose.

"Normally, taking shortcuts is the standard way to jinx things."

Fang Chang:"Then we better play it safe."

However, just then, Night Ten suddenly tightened her grip on her sniper rifle.

"No need to choose anymore."

The other four immediately went on alert.

Old White looked at her sternly and asked,

"What have you found?"

"Killing intent..." Night Ten swallowed, keeping a cautious watch over their surroundings, "Faint... but I can feel it."

The streets were eerily quiet, with no signs of anything amiss.

Yet Night Ten’s instincts were seldom wrong.

Killing intent implied the enemy had already spotted them.

Old White’s face turned grim, he gestured for them to spread out, and whispered sharply,

"Prepare for battle!"

—

(Thanks to "Laplace12351131" for the Sterling Silver Alliance!! Awesome!)