This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 339: Due to server network fluctuations, the silver coin trading platform is temporarily suspended for one day

Chapter 339: Chapter 339: Due to server network fluctuations, the silver coin trading platform is temporarily suspended for one day

Spacious tent.

The man dressed in extravagant attire paced back and forth within the tent, a hint of seriousness etched between his brows, as if wrestling with something.

At that moment, footsteps were heard from outside.

He, upon hearing the motion, promptly put a radiant smile on his face and stepped forward to greet whoever was at the tent’s entrance.

Almost at the same time, Chu Guang appeared at the entrance of the tent.

"Xavier! A salesman from the Firestone Group! It’s a pleasure to meet you, esteemed Leader of the Alliance!" he introduced himself with an enthusiastic, even extravagant voice, while quietly scrutinizing the man who had just appeared at the door.

Just like the rumors described, the leader of the New Alliance had a pair of deep obsidian eyes, handsome and young.

Most importantly, it was said that he had come from a shelter.

Such backgrounds weren’t rare in the Wasteland, although most leaders of Survivor Settlements were natives of the Wasteland; few of those settlements grew significantly large, populations exceeding ten thousand were unusual.

The real powers, such as corporations and academies, or even the Army in the west of the continent and the charlatans at the South Death Coast... their origins were more or less connected to shelters.

Yet what surprised him was that this man was an Awakener.

What had this guy been through?

"Chu Guang, Manager."

Chu Guang wasn’t particularly moved by Xavier’s enthusiasm, only giving a brief introduction of himself.

After all, he was an arms dealer who sold weapons to the Chewing Bone Tribe; it would be odd for him to show a jovial disposition.

Realizing his mistake in addressing him, Xavier’s expression turned a bit awkward.

However, being a seasoned businessman who had traded far and wide, his skin was naturally thick, and he quickly adjusted himself.

"Sorry, it was my mistake to rely on empiricism... Pleased to meet you, Manager of the Alliance."

Chu Guang looked at him and went straight to the point.

"State your purpose."

Xavier bowed slightly.

"Our group’s leader, Mr. Sigma, entrusted me to bring you congratulations, celebrating your triumph in this war and heralding an enlightened ruler for West State City!"

Congratulations were fine.

With one significant customer less, shouldn’t he be crying instead?

But the war was over, and now was the time for development.

Chu Guang didn’t want any complications, so he refrained from teasing his northern neighbor and simply said, with a half-smile,

"Also, send my regards to him."

"I will convey your regards!" Relieved inside, Xavier cleared his throat and continued, "Furthermore, in addition to congratulating you on your victory, Mr. Sigma instructed me before departure to redeem someone from you."

"Who?"

"Dylon, the Ten Thousand Leader from the 21st Ten Thousand Troops of the Army!"

"Oh, that one..." Chu Guang’s expression became somewhat subtle as he recalled the name.

"Yes," not realizing anything had transpired, Xavier continued trying to persuade, "After all, the war has ended for you, and you have no direct grudges with the Army. That man is useless to you, so why not trade him for some ransom? We can pay... half a million dinars for him, what do you think?"

500,000 dinars.

It certainly wasn’t a small sum.

Chu Guang was quite surprised – he hadn’t expected that they would spend so much to redeem Dylon.

If that guy was still alive, he wouldn’t mind exchanging him for some ransom, but unfortunately...

"Unfortunately, I’m afraid I cannot comply with your request."

Xavier was taken aback, clearly not expecting Chu Guang to refuse, and said anxiously.

"Do you think it’s too little? According to the standard for a Ten Thousand Leader, this price is already very fair—"

"Because he’s already dead," Chu Guang interrupted him, speaking indifferently.

"Dead?!" Hearing this, Xavier was greatly shocked, his complexion changing again and again.

Chu Guang was unfazed.

"That’s right, on the battlefield bullets do not have eyes, anything can happen, isn’t that normal? Since he chose to squat in the same trench with those Looters, he should have anticipated this day."

At this point, Chu Guang regarded Xavier with a scrutinizing gaze, "I’m quite curious as to why you would redeem him?"

"...That was Mr. Sigma’s order, he didn’t tell me more details," Xavier said, feigning composure, but his nervous expression had already given him away.

It was clear that he wasn’t completely in the dark.

Chu Guang gave a faint smile and did not continue to press him.

If the other party didn’t want to talk, asking more would be futile. One couldn’t just capture and interrogate a messenger.

That would be lacking in vision.

"If you’re here for Dylon, this trip is doomed to have been in vain."

Xavier forced a strained smile onto his face.

"How could that be... just having the honor to meet you in person means this trip wasn’t in vain."

He paused, then continued.

"Mr. Sigma also instructed me on a third matter, now that the trade routes between the north and south are restored..."

"We hope to sign a trade agreement with you!"

...

Outside the tent.

The visiting group’s resting area.

Button had gone to the nearby construction site, toured the drainage system of Dawn City, and had been shaking his head since he returned.

"...There’s a major problem with their construction plan. It might not be apparent now, but with the summer rainfall in West State City from previous years, by July it’s bound to be a disaster!"

"...Is it really that serious? I’ve never heard about the Survivor Settlement in West State City getting flooded," Yuan Feng expressed with hesitant skepticism.

They were here to visit, not to nitpick someone else’s home. Although he trusted Button’s professional expertise in environmental engineering, he did not approve of causing unnecessary issues.

"A settlement of five thousand or even ten thousand people can’t be compared to one with only two or three hundred, can it? Unless they plan on resigning themselves to soaking in water."

Eventually unable to hold back, Button slapped his thigh and stood up.

"I have to see their Manager again! I have to make this clear to them!"

Out of respect for the significant gift they had received, it would be both emotionally and rationally unacceptable to ignore what he had seen.

He could just spend a little time helping them redesign the plan.

After all, it wouldn’t be that difficult.

Button headed toward the Manager’s tent, while the rest of the visiting group continued to discuss their findings in Dawn City.

The ability to erect 1000 emergency shelters in a single day was indeed a marvel of the New Alliance’s production efficiency.

However, strong production capacity did not equate to advanced productive forces.

Objectively speaking, there were considerable issues with the design and safety of those aluminum houses, which did not seem to be the work of a shelter.

The hills around West State City cut down the wind, so it would be fine for temporary use.

But over time, problems would certainly emerge.

The group debated vociferously, with only one "mascot" not participating.

The energetic Pai was now playing with her new toy, thoroughly enjoying herself in the barracks.

She quickly mastered the trick to controlling the drone and, using her portable tablet, programmed a simple control interface to connect the drone to her VR glasses.

The thin, cicada-wing-like propellers trembled, and the silver-white sphere shot into the sky.

Through the perspective of the drone, Pai gazed down at the vast lands of West State City, her face filled with wonder and amazement.

"It’s unbelievable!"

Unfortunately, the Hummingbird drone had average endurance; given its fist-sized volume, one could imagine the limit of its battery capacity.

After bringing the drone down, Pai took off her glasses with a sense of longing still in her eyes and couldn’t help but harbor a touch of yearning.

"Tianqin, what do you think the City of Dawn will look like?"

Seated in the chair, Tianqin didn’t respond, as quiet as a wooden figure.

Pai stared at its cloak, suddenly struck by a thread of curiosity.

Come to think of it, she had never seen what it looked like.

When it emerged from those giant doors, it was already draped in a cloak that covered its entire body, never interacting with anyone else.

Such a beautiful name it had too...

Pai whispered.

"May I take a look?"

Tianqin didn’t speak.

Pai continued in a low voice.

"...If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes."

Still no response.

Summoning her courage, Pai carefully reached out and gently lifted a corner of the thin cloak.

Contrary to its starry-sounding name, beneath the shadow lay a face plain and unremarkable, like a mannequin in a dilapidated shop window.

The only difference was that its eyes moved and were staring straight at her.

"Is there something you need?"

That was the first thing Tianqin had said since leaving the shelter.

Pai swallowed nervously, shook her head, and quickly withdrew her hand.

Looking at the face once again covered by the cloak, she said in a somewhat guilty whisper,

"I’m sorry..."

Tianqin looked at her, seemingly puzzled by something.

After a moment, it spoke earnestly,

"There is no need to apologize; you haven’t done anything that requires an apology."

At these words, Pai, who had been tense, relaxed and a happy smile spread across her face.

"I’m glad you’re not angry with me."

Angry?

Tianqin looked at her and said nothing.

Yet another thing it didn’t understand...

...

Elsewhere.

After meeting with the representative of the Firestone Group, Chu Guang returned to his tent.

The negotiations with the Firestone Group were unsuccessful.

Although Chu Guang wasn’t opposed to putting aside conflicts for the time being, the "trade agreement" proposed by the other party made him roll his eyes.

Zero tariffs, exploration rights, and mining rights.

As if they were living in a dream!

Just those three demands alone crossed his bottom line, and he saw no tangible benefits in the myriad of conditions and promises they offered.

To put it simply, what was there to gain from trading with the Bugra Free State?

A bunch of armaments?

The New Alliance wasn’t short on weapons, to begin with, and there were no wars to fight recently.

The immediate priority was to shift the surplus military production capacity to civilian use, ensuring the food supply and reserves for the settlement.

From this perspective, doing business with the farm owners to the south clearly made more sense than dealing with the arms dealers to the north.

"...As such, let’s discuss a more official trade agreement once we have built enough trust between us," Chu Guang flatly rejected Xavier’s request after hearing their demands.

And Xavier had no more to say, expressing regret before taking his leave.

Chu Guang could sense that the other party wasn’t very sincere about this trade agreement.

Especially after hearing of Dylon’s death, this feeling became even more apparent.

The Ya Clan was destroyed, and the disintegration of the Chewing Bone Tribe was only a matter of time.

However, too many mysteries still clung to this rotting corpse.

How could a looting group garner the support of both the Torch Church and the Army?

There were certainly secrets here that he did not yet understand.

Unfortunately, since Golden Tooth and Dylon were dead, he could only try to investigate through other prisoners of war...

At the entrance to the tent.

Chu Guang happened to see Button waiting there and quickly resumed his friendly demeanor, smiling warmly.

"What can I do for you, friend from Camp 101?"

The elderly man didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"The drainage system in Dawn City needs to be redesigned; following the current construction plan, this place will undoubtedly turn into a pond by July!"

Turn into a pond?

Was that an exaggeration?

Upon hearing this, surprise crossed Chu Guang’s face, and he immediately took it seriously.

"Could you elaborate?"

"I came here precisely to discuss this matter with you!"

Button did not hold back and shared his findings with Chu Guang, including the past precipitation data for West State City and aspects of the drainage system’s design that had been overlooked.

After listening carefully to his suggestions, Chu Guang discreetly sent a task to the Alliance’s chief designer, "Spare people under the knife."

Much of the New Alliance’s city planning was done by players, and while 21st-century design concepts were sufficient for the Wasteland, it was inevitable that some mistakes would occur due to direct application.

Interacting more with the experts from the Wasteland would not only be greatly beneficial for the future development of the New Alliance but would also help the players in their personal growth.

"The design of the drainage system certainly can’t be neglected! Would you mind discussing the specific improvements with our designers?"

Unexpectedly honored by Chu Guang’s valuation of his opinion, Button’s face showed joy amidst the surprise, and he promptly assured, thumping his chest.

"No problem! I’ll stay here for the next few days. I’ll help you think of a way, see if we can improve the design plan."

Chu Guang was delighted at the offer.

"That would be fantastic, thank you so much for your help!"

Button grinned sheepishly, "It’s no trouble, just a small matter. As for the visiting delegation, I’ll have to trouble you to look after them!"

Chu Guang replied with a smile, "Of course! Leave that to me!"

...

At the work site in Dawn City.

The sewer construction was halted.

Squatting on a concrete block, Spare people under the knife stared at the blueprint filled with circles and dots, so intently that he was nearly scratching his scalp raw.

He had just received a task; the Manager called him over and introduced an old man who was said to be a researcher in environmental engineering.

At first, Spare people under the knife didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was just another scene in the game.

However, what he didn’t expect was, right after the Manager had introduced the old man to him, the old man started scrutinizing his blueprint, bombarding him with non-stop pointers and comments.

VM solved the communication problem.

Someone critiquing his blueprint made Spare people under the knife immediately displeased, and he quickly got into an argument with the old man.

However, after arguing for a while, he suddenly began to realize that the other party might actually be making some sense.

And not just a little sense.

This was quite embarrassing...

Makabazi, passing by, couldn’t help but approach out of curiosity.

"What’s wrong, brother?"

Spare people under the knife sighed.

"I don’t get it..."

He recounted what had just happened to Makabazi.

Makabazi scratched his head, looking utterly puzzled as he said.

"So basically... an NPC thought there was something wrong with your design plan? And now the sewer construction has been halted?"

"Yes." Spare people under the knife nodded earnestly.

Makabazi was astonished.

"Holy shit, what does an NPC know?"

"Not... This NPC is different from the others, he said something substantial," sighed Spare people under the knife.

In the course of their conversation, he even felt as if he had gone back to his time in the classroom.

Whether it was design concepts or design approaches, the academic and professional level displayed by the other party made him doubt whether the person standing in front of him was really an NPC, or a "professor" in disguise.

It made him nostalgic.

How many years had it been since he started working?

Although in the fields of civil and urban planning, he couldn’t exactly be called a master, and he hadn’t engaged in frontline work for some time, there was absolutely no question about his experience.

The more Spare people under the knife thought about it, the more bewildered he felt.

A game company.

Do they really need to be so professional, even about something so minor?

Makabazi scratched his head again.

"What do we do now?"

He had absolutely no clue about design or construction; he wasn’t even in this field in reality. As a Strength Type, all he knew was that great strength led to miracles.

Anyway, with so many gaming overlords around, he didn’t need to think about too much.

"Nothing much to do, let’s just modify it according to his method for now," sighed Spare people under the knife, patting his trousers as he stood up. "Gather the heads of the support construction team for a meeting."

"I have a new work assignment."

...

The next morning, at dawn.

In the North Suburb of Qingquan City.

Amidst the drumbeat of the band and the cheers of the people, a train laden with victory and glory, trailing its long whistle, arrived at the station north of the City of Dawn.

People holding flower baskets tossed petals at the train, celebrating the triumphant return of the soldiers.

The boys chased each other around the edges of the crowd, laughing and playing, taking turns playing the noble Soldiers and the evil Looters in their war games.

The roaring sound of the train made for a perfect accompaniment.

Although the real battlefield was far crueler than any script they could imagine.

The girls mostly stood beside their parents, eyes full of curiosity and yearning as they watched the train.

Frost River, standing beside her father, tugged at Frost Snow’s sleeve and whispered, her mouth curving into a smile.

"... Do you feel your heartbeat speeding up?"

Frost Snow’s face turned red, and she glared at her sister, but her eyes did not stray from that train.

The youngest, Frost Night, blinked her eyes, not quite understanding what her elder sisters were discussing.

The guards of the City of Dawn formed a long line beside the railway, maintaining order at the scene, asking the crowd to keep a little distance from the tracks to prevent accidents.

However, this could not restrain the wave-like enthusiasm of the residents of the City of Dawn.

The war had ended!

It was undoubtedly an epic victory!

Those barbaric Barbarians could no longer threaten the peace and prosperity of the City of Dawn.

Praise the Alliance!

Praise the Manager!

Thanks to those brave warriors who ventured out, they cut down the evil with their swords—

Each and every one of them was a hero!

Standing in the train’s engine room, looking out at the joyful faces outside the window, Chu Guang couldn’t help but reveal a gratified smile on his face.

He gently patted the train driver’s chair.

"Slow it down a bit; let our soldiers enjoy the joy of victory a little longer."

The train driver nodded with a smile.

"Alright, sir!"

The prolonged whistle sounded, and the train gradually slowed down.

Meanwhile, in the other bustling carriages behind...

"Woohoo, is this the capital of the New Alliance?" Pai, pressing her face against the window, eyes brimming with excitement, wished she could stick her head out fully.

Seeing this, Yuan Feng quickly reached out to pull the restless girl back and scolded her.

"Behave yourself! Have you forgotten what your teacher told you? You represent the image of all residents of Camp 101... Do you want to embarrass everyone?"

Pai sulked, pouting her mouth, and sneakily glanced aside.

"It’s not just me..."

Indeed, it wasn’t just her.

Compared to the players’ behavior, she could already be considered relatively restrained.

For instance, a certain tail, not only pressed his face against the window, but even squished his nose out of shape.

"My Giao! Little Fish! Wah, my cute Little Fish, you must have missed Tail so much!"

Sitting nearby, Si Si sighed softly.

"Ah Wei, wake up, your Little Fish is obviously going to greet the Manager, right?"

"I don’t care! I just want to kiss Little Fish!" Tail yelled out.

Hearing this, White bear, sitting opposite the two, immediately got upset, his eyebrows raised... although it wasn’t very obvious.

"Shut up! Little Fish is clearly mine!"

Tail was startled.

"Ew! You ungrateful Meat Meat, how could you do this to Teddy!?"

"What the heck is Teddy? Stop randomly pairing me up, geez!"

"Stop fighting, guys... maybe split it half and half?"

The ill-at-ease cat overhead swayed as Sesame Paste tried to soothe the squabble between the human and the bear.

Sitting next to them, Si Si sighed, a look of helplessness on her face as she reminded them,

"... I get how you all feel, but going against an NPC’s wishes or harboring ill intentions toward them can get you kicked offline, you know."

At that moment, a gentle electronic sound filled the carriage.

It wasn’t United Human language.

It was Mandarin.

"Dear players, hello. The train is about to arrive. The residents of the New Alliance are eagerly waiting to welcome our triumphant return. I hope everyone will be mindful of their words and actions, and avoid being too extravagant, as to not tarnish our group’s image."

"Due to the one account per person rule, accounts that have been socially death-knelled cannot be deregistered, so please try to act like a normal person, at least while you’re going through the story!

Immediately, Tail stopped pressing his face against the train window.

"Eh? Was that the planner’s voice just now?"

Si Si glanced up at the speaker on the train’s ceiling.

"... Who knows."

The train arrived at the station.

Flowers.

Applause.

And cheers!

All surged forth like a tidal wave!

Feeling that effusive welcoming, the players who stepped out of the carriage momentarily felt dazed.

It was as if...

They were real heroes.

No, it wasn’t as if, it was more like they truly were!

They had protected a part of the world!

That sense of honor and spiritual satisfaction, never felt before in any other game, sprouted in their hearts like budding seeds.

This deep, soulful feeling of achievement was something cold numbers and the bland text of a game completion notice couldn’t rival.

Staring at the flowers forcibly stuffed into their hands, the construction site lad and the brick-lover muttered in a daze,

"This game is too realistic..."

"Thank you!"

Elena gratefully accepted the flowers from the little girl with a smile and a polite thanks.

Watching the blushing girl disappear into the crowd, he looked at the flowers in his hand before curiously sniffing one up close.

Ultimately, he couldn’t resist and plucked a petal to taste it.

Emmm...

Not bad?

Peeping this from the side, the mole who narrowly escaped the canyon gave Old Na a surprised look.

"Ew! Are you not letting even flowers go?"

As if it were only natural, Elena responded,

"What if it gives you a buff?"

How would you know if you never tried?

Isn’t that how they found out monster meat gave Constitution buffs?

The mole couldn’t help but make a snarky comment.

"There’s no freaking BUFF!"

That guy must be insane!

On the Flower-bordered train platform, Chu Guang emerged with a smile on his face as he looked at Boss Xia, Little Fish, Yu Hu, Old Charlie, Luka, and everyone else.

"I’m back."

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, honorable Manager, We’ve prepared a banquet to celebrate your victory," Old Charlie said reverently.

"It’s good to see you safe and sound," Little Fish sighed with relief as she looked at the unscathed Chu Guang.

Clasping the pale-yellow flowers in her hand, the shy girl ultimately couldn’t bring herself to give them to him.

"Thank you."

Seeing the supportive crowd, Chu Guang smiled and nodded.

His hands were almost too full to hold any more, but he still reached out to gather everyone’s flowers.

He’d plant them near the sanatorium when he got back.

Observing the blue armor scattered with colorful petals, Xia Yan whispered,

"Don’t you get hot wearing that metal monstrosity every day? Summer’s almost here."

Chu Guang smiled slightly, a bit smug as he said,

"That’s what you don’t get. This armor has built-in climate control, warm in winter, and cool in summer. Want to try it on?"

Xia Yan’s face reddened.

"You... stop talking nonsense."

Chu Guang: "...?"

He racked his brain but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that comment.

The listener must be the one with the issue.

The triumph celebration continued from day into noon.

And the celebratory banquet and revelry lasted well into the evening.

The amount of fine wine and food consumed today probably added up to tons.

Even Old Luka, a proponent of frugality, couldn’t say much on this occasion.

They were celebrating a shared victory.

After tonight, those gathered for survival would stand even more united than the day before.

As the night deepened, the enthusiastic players began to log off one by one.

But the lively atmosphere was far from over, it was simply transferred to the official forum online.

While they were enjoying themselves in the game, those outside the game were busy too.

The market for Silver coins had heated up.

Astonishing buy orders kept appearing, and mysterious big spenders, as if possessed, were throwing money around to buy up Silver coins from the hands of players.

Witnessing the price showing signs of irrationality, the game officials finally intervened.

And they released not one, but two public announcements.

[Due to server network fluctuations, the Silver coin trading platform will temporarily close for one day]

[Special event: The special war trophy auction event officially begins!]

[(Details Link)]

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