This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 354: Darkness Within the Giant Wall

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Darkness Within the Giant Wall

The voice was very close.

Even amidst the noisy music, Fang Chang could tell that the words were directed at him.

His facial expression unconsciously turned serious, and he quickly turned his head, spotting the girl sitting next to the bar.

Illuminated by the dim light, a head of unruly green short hair came into view.

Even in Giant Stone City, such a striking hair color was extremely rare.

She wasn’t tall, her figure slender, with messy bangs revealing a pair of mismatched eyes, the left clearly somewhat distorted—probably a prosthetic or electronic eye. Her delicate nose and chin seemed surgically enhanced or perhaps products of technology.

Fang Chang’s gaze moved down to her left shoulder where large metal components were visible, somewhat similar in style to Brother Gale.

However, Brother Gale’s metal arm was a handiwork of the Pioneer, evidently much more high-end than what she sported.

The girl, unconcerned with Fang Chang’s "straightforward" stare, continued in a casual tone.

"If you are interested in the three people at table 12, I can help you gather information about them."

Table 12 was indeed where the group Fang Chang was tracking was seated.

"What is your name?"

"Dolly... your accent is strange—are you from another province?" The girl looked at Fang Chang, her eyebrows arching with a hint of curiosity.

Dolly?

What a strange name.

"Fang Chang," he paused before continuing, "It doesn’t matter where I’m from... Regarding your earlier suggestion, how do you plan to gather information?"

"That dancer, I know her. Her name is Nicosi, she’s one of the top performers here," Dolly pointed to the dancer sitting at a booth, unabashedly adding, "You give me a tip, and I can ask her anything for you, even her measurements."

"That won’t be necessary."

Fang Chang rummaged in his pocket for a while before pulling out the smallest chip he had and flicked it into her hand with his thumb.

Dolly clapped her hands to catch it, using the light to clear the numbers and the color that matched her hair, and her right eye immediately showed a hint of surprise.

"... The boss is really generous."

A 25-point chip.

That would take about two weeks of work at the factory to earn.

Dolly’s expression became flirtatiously interested as she sized up the handsome and cultured-looking man before her.

"What do you want to know?"

"What identities those three hold, what they did today, and..." Fang Chang’s mind raced, "also check if they know about the warehouse fire last night."

A flicker of surprise crossed Dolly’s eyes, especially at the last part, her gaze becoming slightly cautious.

"You shouldn’t ask like that, asking that way... even a fool could guess who sent you."

Struggling with the convoluted jargon of United Human was too difficult; Fang Chang simply stopped pretending and said with a smile.

"It’s alright, today I only spoke this sentence to you... scared?"

Scared?

Dolly raised an eyebrow, stood up from the barstool.

Her slender body twisted, quickly moving through the crowd and reaching the side of booth 12.

She leaned her elbow onto the sofa’s backrest, whispered into the dancer’s ear, and naturally started joking and laughing as if with an old friend, blending into the atmosphere.

Watching her chatting and laughing with the dancer, Fang Chang’s forefinger rubbed the rim of his glass, his heart tensing.

He suddenly felt that trusting a stranger might have been reckless.

What if she betrayed him?

Or... should he have paid a deposit first?

As he was lost in his thoughts, someone tapped his shoulder.

Turning his head, he saw the girl named Dolly already sitting beside him.

"Did you ask around?"

Dolly crooked her finger, signaling him to lean closer, her thin red lips almost touching as she whispered.

"The young man sitting in the middle is named Alec, head of the security team at Vijia Commerce. His sister, Sophie, is Vijia’s lover and works as an accountant at the canning factory owned by Vijia. Today he got lucky and made a small fortune."

"What kind of fortune?"

"He didn’t specify, but he kept boasting that he could make the influential and privileged officials suffer by just flapping his lips and give them a headache bad enough to ruin their meals for a day," Dolly’s eyes twinkled slightly. "My guess is that his boss gave him some money to incite the workers to surround the town hall... And he likely skimmed a bit off the top of those funds."

Meaning a strike?

But why strike against his own work?

Fang Chang was curious, feeling he might have missed some crucial clue.

However, the task didn’t require him to delve into these trivial matters.

Identifying those people was sufficient.

"What about last night’s fire?" Fang Chang continued, asking about what he was most concerned about.

"It’s a delicate matter to inquire about, but he did tell my friend that he was sorry he couldn’t come here last night because something happened..." Dolly said these words with a touch of teasing, yet it was unclear what she was mocking.

"Thank you, the information you provided is invaluable." Fang Chang extended his index finger, gently swiped on the VM that appeared from his sleeve, and saved the recording.

[Mission (Side Quest) Completed]

[Reward: 120 Silver Coins, 100 Contribution Points, 500 points of "Giant Stone City" regional reputation...]

[Trigger Mission (Side Quest): Gather Intelligence, Write Press Release]

[Mission Requirements: ...]

Seeing the pop-up on the screen, Fang Chang raised his eyebrows with interest.

Write an article?

He was familiar with that.

"Don’t mention it, I hope you’ll frequent my business, as generous clients like you are rare." The girl curved her lips, exuberantly continuing, "Regardless of the secrets, as long as you bring the people here, I can pry anything out of their mouths."

Hearing this, Fang Chang chuckled and turned off the VM screen.

Wasteland OL had always harbored three unresolved mysteries: how deep was Shelter No. 404, how big exactly was Crow, and when exactly was Looter planning the public test release.

It was a pity that Ah Guang wasn’t in the game.

Otherwise, he would have really liked to bring his good brother here for a drink and to inquire about some insider information that ordinary people didn’t know.

"My questions are all asked, but I have a few personal questions."

"Go ahead."

The business for the day was done, and the girl wasn’t in a hurry to scout for the next target. She leaned her chin on her hand, watching him with interest.

"Your eyes are very distinct."

Dolly smiled with a quip.

"This come-on line is a bit too contrived... Plus, it sounds fake."

Normal people wouldn’t find her eye, which resembled that of a bionic, appealing.

However, she clearly misunderstood.

The "distinct" that this man spoke of was meant literally.

"No, I’m genuinely curious, where did you get your eyes and mechanical arm?" Fang Chang inquired with interest.

Getting an electronic eye and a mechanical arm was just plain cool, wasn’t it?

Especially since he used a bow.

He’d bet real places did such prosthesis enhancements, but it wasn’t just him who would be interested; other players would likely be the same.

As Fang Chang looked at her eagerly, Dolly paused for a moment, her expression gradually turning sour.

"Your order was finished, this counts as a second question."

She had intended to dismiss the man in front of her with that remark, but to her surprise, a 50-value chip spun and landed on the table.

Dolly’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth but didn’t say a word for a long while.

"...Are you serious?"

"It seems I gave too much," Fang Chang joked.

He suddenly found this NPC quite interesting.

"It’s too late!" Dolly swiftly reached out and pocketed the chip.

Fang Chang watched her, then continued.

"Now that you’ve taken the money, aren’t you going to reveal some of your secrets to me?"

Dolly was silent for a moment then gestured to the bartender, wiggled two fingers, and pointed at the top line of the drink menu.

Soon, two blood-red cocktails were placed on the bar.

"...Two ’Dragon Bloods,’ enjoy."

That pungent alcohol aroma made Fang Chang recall his apartment in the suburbs of Shanghai, that unlicensed black bar in the back alleys.

The taste of adulterated fake alcohol was really the same.

After all, the Night Queen was one of the top bars on this street—the people’s living standard in the Wasteland was indeed worrisome.

Or was it just supposed to taste like this?

Fang Chang intended to pay,

Yet the girl had already beaten him to it, handing the bartender the 50-value chip she’d received earlier.

With the 40 chips in change tucked into her pocket, Dolly picked up her own glass and lightly clinked it against the one in front of Fang Chang, then took a sip of the spicy "Dragon Blood."

"This isn’t exactly a secret... You’ve heard of Awakening, right?"

"Of course," Fang Chang replied, feeling a bit puzzled.

What did mechanical prosthesis have to do with Awakening?

Seeing his confusion, Dolly continued.

"Huge Rock Military Industry produces a serum called ’Dragon Blood,’ the same name as this cocktail. There’s a certain chance of Awakening if injected..."

"Of course, not everyone is qualified to get a Dragon Blood injection—it’s said to be quite expensive. Year after year, during the Tide, Huge Rock Military Industry helps the Militia Group recruit mercenaries and conducts simple medical checks on candidates, one of which tests the compatibility with Dragon Blood."

"If you pass, you have a chance to get an injection for free. And if you successfully Awake and show exceptional qualities, you might become an employee of Huge Rock Military Industry and live a life without worry about food or clothing."

Fang Chang looked at her in surprise.

"Did you Awaken?"

"No," setting down her glass, a shadow crossed Dolly’s eyes, "just passing the medical check doesn’t mean you’ll definitely Awake. The success rate of Dragon Blood is 50%, there’s a 40% chance of no reaction..."

"And the remaining 10% cause irreversible damage to the body... According to those bastards, this is also a form of Awakening, only it’s like a mutation, and not all mutations are beneficial."

Fang Chang’s Adam’s apple bobbed; he suddenly understood why this girl was so resistant to the topic.

Clearly, her arm and left eye were lost to that "Dragon Blood"...

The New Alliance also had serums that could induce Awakening, but their success rate was a mystery and you had to have certain potential to use them. However, that potential was hard to accurately measure.

Those drugs were useless for players; they were supposed to be props for enhancing NPC levels per the setup.

Fang Chang’s understanding was that players and NPCs operated within completely different power systems.

Thus, their evolutionary paths were entirely distinct.

However...

Although the Awakening probability of that serum from the New Alliance was not high, he had not heard of anyone suffering side effects.

Could even an extra dose or two be tried?

"I seem to have asked a question that upset you."

"No worries, I know you’re not interested in that ’Dragon Blood,’ considering someone wealthy like you wouldn’t really need it anyway," Dolly said with a self-deprecating laugh, tapping her left arm with her right index finger.

"My left eye and this arm were fitted by Huge Rock Military Industry. The bank in Giant Stone City generously provided me with a loan; I have to pay them back 50 chips every month until I turn 40. Yet this damn thing isn’t as good as I imagined, malfunctioning every now and then, and it shuts down if I don’t pay on time. Sometimes I think... that I should have just died."

Fang Chang was silent for a while.

"Sorry to have brought up such a sad memory."

Although he wanted to sympathize with the girl in front of him, well, how should he put it?

Disabled, deeply indebted, and seemingly an orphan too...

It just felt like a bit too much.

"There’s no need for your sympathy," the girl said with a twisted smirk, tapping his cup with her index finger, "If you really feel sorry, just have a drink with me."

...

The slums.

Old White and two players followed the woman into Black’s house.

The place wasn’t opulent, but it was much better compared to the shacks in the slums.

There were empty bottles crammed next to the shoe cabinet at the entryway, and a cardboard box on the floor exposed recycled bullet casings.

"My name is Mary, what’s yours?"

"Old White," he replied, giving a glance to the Perception-affiliated Kill dagger to check the second floor.

Dog Brother moved next to the adjacent storeroom, according to someone’s testimony, and found a locked safe in a moldy ammunition box.

Also according to someone’s testimony, it contained unspent earnest money.

"Old... White? That’s quite a rare name."

The woman was surprised but didn’t say much else.

She took a candle from the shelf, lit it on an aluminum tray and brought it over to the low wooden table in the living room, adding some dim light to the dark house.

Unlike inside the giant walls, the slums had no electricity; those who could afford it used candles or kerosene lamps for lighting, and most people just went to sleep as soon as it got dark.

After all, there were no guards here, and nearby gangs only cared to prevent trouble at their doorsteps, not to check the name of every corpse.

This was truly the Land Without a Master, and those living here were like wild weeds, regrowing with each breeze.

The numbers killed by murder and accidents paled in comparison to those who froze or starved to death each year, or those lost while scavenging in the Wasteland.

Sitting on the couch, Mary looked at the sitting Old White across from her, seemingly hesitating on how to start a conversation.

Old White didn’t waste time, turned on the VM’s translation function, connected his earpiece, and then spoke.

"Your friend accepted a job he shouldn’t have."

"Is he still alive?"

"He’s alive, but he’ll probably spend the rest of his life in jail."

"Jail?"

A flicker of confusion crossed the woman’s eyes, but she didn’t dwell on the matter.

It was clear she didn’t particularly care about Black’s ultimate fate.

The man would occasionally bring home some money, but he never spent much on her.

If she lost this meal ticket, she would need to quickly plan for tomorrow.

This wasn’t uncommon in the slums; not everyone could muster the courage to face hell directly. Depending on the strong was also an option.

"Go ahead and ask any questions."

She crossed her legs and leaned back on the worn-out sofa, looking at Old White sitting across from her.

Old White didn’t beat around the bush and placed the hundred-value chip next to the candle.

"What did he tell you before he left?"

Mary pinched the chip between two fingers and parted her red lips.

"He said we were going to get rich, that a generous patron had given him a hefty sum as an advance payment. He also said that he had deposited the money in the bank and would take me to live inside the giant walls once the job was done."

"When she said this, there was no longing in her eyes; after all, she had heard those words so many times that her ears could have developed calluses."

"The guy simply couldn’t save money, and he absolutely couldn’t stand life in the city."

"However, the man in front of her now seemed to present an opportunity for a better life."

"Did he mention who the client was?" Old White continued to ask.

"A man named Bit, an old acquaintance of his, living in an apartment on 71st Street in Giant Stone City. The rent there isn’t cheap, I heard it’s 2,000 chips a month." As Mary said this, a hint of envy appeared in her eyes.

"Have you met this Bit?"

"Of course, he’s nothing like the crude Black; he is a polite man, not only well-mannered but also with a clear and clean gaze, known to do business for some big shot in the city. If only that guy could learn from him, then we wouldn’t have to live in a sewage drain."

Mary could not help but complain, while Old White silently noted this clue.

It seemed that Black hadn’t entirely told the truth.

He and this Bit were not mere acquaintances, nor had they met at the Pirate Bay Tavern.

Besides, Old White sent a message to Fang Chang in the city, asking him to check out the apartment on 71st Street.

However, what was unexpected was that Fang Chang, the bastard, didn’t reply to his message?

It doesn’t look like he logged off...

Old White’s expression turned somewhat strange.

After waiting a while, he guessed Fang Chang must be occupied with something, so he sent the message to another team member who was still online.

The reply came quickly this time.

[Kidney Fighter: Received! I’m heading there now!]

[Old White: First confirm the target location and be careful not to startle the snake by beating the grass.]

[Kidney Fighter: Understood!]

He hoped he truly understood.

Pulling his index finger back from the screen, Old White looked at the woman sitting across from the candlelight.

"...Do you know what kind of business Bit is involved in?"

"He seemed to have mentioned..." Placing her index finger against her chin, Mary pondered for a while, "Weapons? I remember he said the farmers in the south need heavy machine guns to deal with the tough-skinned mutants, and large-caliber weapons are very popular there."

A look of surprise appeared in Old White’s eyes.

Were they attacked by arms dealers?

That was the least likely possibility.

"...Could it be Huge Rock Military Industry?"

Kill Dagger, coming down from the second floor, happened to overhear.

Looking at the translation on VM, he exchanged glances with Dog Brother, who was just stepping out from the next door.

"This is serious... but, logically, it doesn’t make sense," mumbled Dog Brother, confused, "I heard that the New Alliance made concessions in their negotiations with Giant Stone City over arms deals, didn’t they?"

Kill Dagger subtly nodded.

"...I heard so too."

The New Alliance’s weapons no longer entered the market of Giant Stone City, while City of Dawn didn’t ban weapons from Giant Stone City.

In exchange, Giant Stone City opened other market areas and mutually provided tariff concessions with City of Dawn.

Anyone would have a reason to hold a grudge against them, except the arms dealers of Giant Stone City.

He couldn’t help thinking that it would be great if Brother Fang Chang were here.

That guy’s convoluted ways of thinking could definitely produce an array of skewed theories.

"...Who is that big shot? Huge Rock Military Industry?" Old White didn’t interrupt but kept questioning the woman in front of him.

Mary looked perplexed.

"I don’t know... maybe?"

Time ticked away second by second, and before I knew it, a part of the candle had burned away.

According to the information listed on the VM, Old White asked many more questions, and it had gotten completely dark outside the window.

"...I’ve already understood the basic situation, thank you for your cooperation," Old White touched the VM, turning off the faint light of the screen.

"Is it over already?" Mary’s expression was slightly disappointed.

Old White nodded.

"Yes, if needed, I’ll contact you again."

Not willing to give up just yet, she didn’t get up to see him out. Instead, her gaze drifted towards the window.

"You see, it’s already dark outside, and after seven o’clock, entering the city requires double the entrance tax... If you don’t mind, you could stay here for the night and leave when it’s light."

Her voice seemed to carry a certain hint or perhaps an invitation.

Old White was slightly stunned.

This game...

Is it really suitable for all ages?

His intuition told him that, at this point, choosing yes or no wouldn’t affect the game’s later plot.

Just like the choices he had made in "Witcher 3."

But...

Would there be a black screen skip here?

At that moment, a knock on the door from outside broke the suddenly suggestive atmosphere in the living room.

"...It’s probably that bastard friend of mine again; I’ll go check."

Hearing the noise outside, Mary muttered and got up from the sofa.

Then, she suddenly noticed Old White sitting on the sofa and said in a slightly embarrassed, quiet voice.

"...Uh, could you please keep quiet?"

Though Black probably wouldn’t be coming back, if she couldn’t leave here immediately, she still had to preserve some dignity.

This would also make it easier for her to find another place.

Old White nodded in understanding, gave a look to his teammates not far away, signaling them to step aside.

Mary breathed a sigh of relief, twisting her graceful body, and walked reluctantly to the door.

The sound of the door handle turning was heard, then the door creaked open, appearing very quiet in the flickering candlelight.

Voices could be heard from the doorway, but they were not very clear.

Old White took a deep breath, calming himself down.

But just then, a loud "bang" made him reflexively leap up from the sofa while gripping the submachine gun hidden under his clothes.

The gunfire was not just one shot.

When he reached the doorway, Mary was already lying in a pool of blood, her body riddled with bullet holes, the entrance blood-soaked.

The two men standing by the door were stunned, clearly not expecting someone else to be in the room.

The man holding the PU-9 submachine gun immediately aimed the smoking muzzle at Old White.

However, Old White was quicker, his thrown dagger piercing directly through the man’s forehead.

The huge kinetic force raised the muzzle, and a burst of shots scattered across the ceiling.

Old White took a quick step forward, grabbing both the dead man with the dagger in his head and the one still alive, pulling them into the room and kicking the door closed.

The corridor was pitch black, the floor sticky with blood.

The man whose neck was seized was thoroughly terrified, his shaking voice trembling.

"Don’t, don’t kill me... I was just following orders. If I had known you were still alive, I definitely wouldn’t have meddled.",

He clearly mistook Old White for Black.

Hearing the gunfire, Kill Dagger and Dog Brother also rushed out from the room, their faces filled with astonishment upon seeing the two bodies on the ground.

"What’s going on?!"

"Old White, are you okay?"

Why did they suddenly start fighting?

"It’s nothing."

Old White pinned the man to the ground, aiming the submachine gun at the back of his head.

"You, you’re not Black?" The man’s voice trembled as he pleaded, his words incoherent, "Don’t... don’t kill me, please. It’s too dark at the door, I didn’t see anything."

"Who sent you?" Old White asked sternly.

The man spoke shakily.

"Our boss... he said, an Awakener living on our street messed things up and offended someone we shouldn’t have. He sent us here to clean up..."

The street outside was silent.

Every household had their doors and windows locked, and not a soul came out to watch the commotion.

Old White noticed the tattoo on the man’s neck he was pressing down.

The design resembled a dagger.

He didn’t care about any gangs, and he certainly didn’t take the Dagger Gang to heart.

He had killed at least a three-digit number of more barbaric and vicious Looters in West State City.

What genuinely surprised him was that huge military group’s dominance over the entire city...

Both inside and outside of the giant wall.

Every part seemed to revolve around a core hidden beneath the surface.

Those people could manipulate lives like chess pieces, dictating the fate of individuals and even groups at will.

And they did it without any concealment.

Old White suddenly realized that perhaps there was no real sense of order here.

Or perhaps civilization.

The lights inside the giant wall were bright. Perhaps it was even darker than the Wasteland outside...

Hearing no response from behind him, the man might have misunderstood, thinking the person behind him was weighing whether it was worth offending the Dagger Gang for a woman.

Thinking this, he lowered his voice smartly.

"... friend, the lighting here is poor; I didn’t see your face. If you let me go, I’ll say the unlucky guy who shot at you was stabbed by that woman... Our boss won’t interfere with this."

"... But if both of us end up accounted for here, this won’t just end like that."

Old White didn’t quite understand the first part, but he understood the latter.

He chuckled.

"Wow... being threatened."

Old White grabbed the man, turned his face toward himself, and said with a smile.

"Now you can see clearly."

The man’s face turned pale, his eyes filled with terror.

Just as he thought he was about to be executed, he was thrown to the ground.

"It’s time to withdraw."

Old White did not look at the man again.

He made a sign to his teammate and walked out of the blood-stench-filled building.

At that moment, his VM on his arm flickered.

[Kidney Fighter: I’ve reached the destination but the apartment is cordoned off by security... there’s a big crowd, they say there’s been a murder.]

Old White wasn’t particularly surprised and typed back a message.

[People are probably dead already; come back, and we’ll meet at the save point later.]

[Kidney Fighter: OK]

Glancing at the icon of Brother Fang Chang, who hadn’t yet responded, Old White couldn’t help but worry.

He’d ask offline later.

...

After Old White and his group left, inside Black’s home.

The man who unexpectedly survived struggled to his feet from the ground.

He felt that aside from his pants, which were warm, everything else on him was cold.

"Damn it..."

He cursed, channeling his fear into a dirty word, and limped towards the door.

The door opened.

A cool breeze touched his face.

For a moment, he felt good to be alive.

Right then, he caught sight of a group of people.

Seeing the leader of that group, a look of surprise flashed in the man’s eyes, and he promptly put on an ingratiating smile, hurrying forward.

"... Lord West, what brings you here?"

The man before him was the boss’s right-hand man and also the head of this street.

West glanced at the door behind him, his brow furrowing.

"What happened?"

The man immediately recounted the recent events truthfully, even embellishing a bit.

West listened quietly, then suddenly asked.

"Do you remember what that man looked like?"

"I remember! Of course, I remember!"

The man nodded eagerly, excitement flashing in his eyes, and said fiercely, "I’d recognize that face even if it were burnt to ashes. Just let me see him again, and I could definitely identify him!"

West nodded, glanced at his subordinates beside him, then turned and left.

The peaceful night was shattered by a gunshot.

Not long after, Black’s house caught fire, engulfing three bodies.

Meanwhile...

The city hall in the outer city.

The conference room was brightly lit.

Duron was animatedly explaining his genius plan involving a two-billion chip loan to his staff.

Deputy Director Jaeger looked puzzled.

He didn’t understand what had gotten into the man before him, nor did he know what the Ground Squirrels had fed the guy.

However, he couldn’t find any immediate fault in the plan.

Such a thing had never happened before.

Sitting at the table, the bank president, Melvin, continually furrowed and then relaxed his brows.

He harbored doubts but couldn’t overlook the enticing opportunity.

A loan of two billion chips, although not without risks, was far safer than lending money to merchants and mercenaries.

After a long while, he nodded.

"... Although there has never been a precedent."

"It does seem like a good idea."

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