This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 365 Beta 0.3 Version Update!

And it was made by Central State Space, matching the dimensions of the refuge’s reactor!

Corporate expeditionary team’s camp, a temporary warehouse.

Looking at the familiar fuel rod in the center of the spoils, Chu Guang’s face briefly lit up with an expression of surprise.

He hadn’t expected to come across such an excellent item!

"...We got it from an abandoned Central State Space research institute. Originally, we intended to search for supplies, but unexpectedly, we found this thing." Standing beside Chu Guang, logistics officer He Ding said with a slight smile.

Chu Guang didn’t reply but quickly walked forward and pulled a data cable from his VM to connect it to the reactor.

"Xiao Qi, help me check how much electricity is left."

The response came energetically through the earpiece.

"Received!"

As a stream of data scrolled past on the VM screen, the remaining energy percentage soon appeared in the pop-up dialog box.

63%!

Seeing this number, the surprise in Chu Guang’s eyes grew even more discernible.

In the Wasteland, 200 years after the apocalypse, finding a fuel rod with over 50% energy left was harder than reaching the sky.

What’s the use of this thing?

The utility was incredibly vast!

With the fuel rod, it meant he could restart the abandoned refuges, and that also meant he could open more branches, preparing more Novice Villages for his little leeks—no, his players!

"It seems you are quite satisfied with this item," He Ding said smilingly.

Chu Guang composed himself and calmly disconnected the data cable.

"The energy has depleted by 37%, but it’s still okay."

He Ding was almost choked by this comment, and as he was about to say something, the manager quickly moved past the topic.

"Are these exoskeletons?"

Seeing Chu Guang looking towards the pile of tattered objects behind the fuel rod, He Ding coughed dryly and nodded.

"Yes... we got them from some attackers."

The exoskeletons were obviously damaged, but not completely ruined; they were still fixable.

For the irreparable ones, they had dismantled the valuable parts and high-end electronic components.

From the appearance and labels, the exoskeleton models were mostly "Round Shield" and "Firestone."

The former was equipment from the Grand Canyon, characterized by its thick, hard armor, while the latter was a lighter imitation version designed and produced by the Firestone Group from Bugra Free State.

"Did you run into people from the Grand Canyon?" Chu Guang asked with a hint of surprise.

He Ding shook his head.

"Their combat skills were poor, just a bunch of looters who happened to have the same equipment. I guess they bought these pieces from the Bugra Free State, which is a famous black market in the Central Region, isn’t it? I’ve heard they trade everything."

Chu Guang looked intrigued and asked,

"Seems like you know quite a bit about this place."

He Ding said matter-of-factly,

"Isn’t it common sense to investigate the local situation before setting off? Unfortunately, there’s little information about you all. I only heard this was a farmstead, so I brought some miner’s exoskeletons, but arriving here, I found the actual situation completely different."

"Six months ago, this was indeed a farm, and it still is now. There’s nothing wrong with your information..." Looking at the things in the warehouse, Chu Guang remarked admiringly, "Didn’t expect you all to have picked up so many good things along the way."

This didn’t look like a rescue mission.

It more resembled a treasure hunt.

"That’s natural, our team has limited carrying capacity; we wouldn’t haul anything unless it was valuable."

He Ding quipped and continued,

"In fact, aside from these exoskeletons, the most common were rudimentary KV-1s... of course, the most numerous were looters with iron pipe rifles, but they generally wouldn’t approach and waste our bullets when they saw our equipment. They would hide far away, waiting to clean up the battlefield after we left."

Chu Guang roughly estimated the value of these goods; although not as good as what they brought from Ideal City, it was still pretty decent.

About 30 sets of "Round Shield" and over 100 sets of "Firestone" could likely be repaired.

Unlike the "Miner" series, these exoskeletons were designed for combat, probably intended to match the "Pioneer" models worn by the corporate soldiers.

As a local force capable of holding back the army and corporate expansion efforts, the equipment from Grand Canyon had notable features worth learning from.

Considering the repair costs, Chu Guang estimated these items in the warehouse were worth 1.5 million silver coins.

In the New Alliance store, this amount could buy 1500 tons of nutrient paste or 375 tons of corn.

Of course, these were retail prices, and buying or selling wholesale would be a different matter.

"Is this all the stuff?"

Chu Guang asked casually, just to make sure, but unexpectedly, there was indeed more.

"Of course, there’s more. There’s a special piece of loot we stored in the nearby warehouse... come with me."

Saying this, He Ding turned towards the door.

At this showstopper tactic, Chu Guang rolled his eyes behind him but nonetheless followed.

The door to another warehouse opened.

When Chu Guang laid eyes on the hunk of metal standing in the middle of the warehouse, his eyes quickly flashed with astonishment which soon turned into excitement.

"Fuck..."

Power armor!

It was actually power armor!

The protruding alloy breastplate emitted a chilling cold light; the silvery-gray armor shell faintly displayed faded numbers and digital camouflage paint.

There was a neat crack running from its left shoulder down to the armpit as if it had been slashed by something.

And on its right shoulder, there was a line from the United Space Army—

[——Doomed]

Chu Guang: ?

Shouldn’t it normally be "Victorious"?

Not noticing the subtle change in Chu Guang’s expression, He Ding stood by, proudly explaining.

"The OD-10 power armor, codenamed ’Dragon Cavalry’! It is the standard issue equipment for the United Space Army’s orbital airborne troops. From the name, you should guess what it’s used for."

The power armor issued by the United Army came in two main types, one for ground battles and the other for space and aerial combat.

The former emphasized firepower and armor protection, the latter stressed lightweight design and maneuverability.

After all, the latter’s role often involved riding in drop pods, quickly breaking through ground fire from high orbit to deploy; larger size and weight would be disadvantageous.

The OD-10 "Dragon Cavalry" belonged to the latter.

Compared to the heavily armored T-10 "Champion" power armor, its lightweight design made it appear less bulky.

Nevertheless, its thick armor was not something that could be easily penetrated by ordinary light weapons.

At least armor-piercing bullets would be required!

After highlighting the advantages, He Ding slowed his speech and volume, then continued.

"But don’t rush into excitement, like those exoskeletons, except for the main structure, the micro reactor, and the fusion battery which are in good condition, other parts are either aged or broken—"

"No problem, as long as the reactor is fine!" Chu Guang said indifferently.

He Ding gave Chu Guang a surprised look, not expecting him to be so knowledgeable.

But then, it made sense.

After all, he was the leader of the Blue Jackets, perhaps even an old-timer from 200 years ago.

His knowledge of power armor wasn’t surprising.

"...That’s right, the most valuable parts, the micro reactor and fusion battery, still work; other areas can be fixed quite easily. Including that tear, just welding a steel plate over it is entirely feasible."

"Anyway, this thing isn’t meant for a tank duel, I suppose you wouldn’t be doing that."

Power armor was a general term for all nuclear-powered individual combat gear.

The biggest difference between power armor and exoskeletons lied in the power source.

Exoskeletons mostly used chemical energy batteries, while power armor was powered by nuclear fusion batteries, thereby allowing for sturdier armor and more powerful weapons.

That’s why it’s called "a tank that can enter alleys," "an APC that can climb buildings."

So, the armor damage didn’t really matter; as long as the most valuable micro reactor wasn’t damaged, and the fusion battery plugged inside it was intact, everything would be manageable!

Does it look broken?

Can that be called broken?

That’s called the marks of history!

Craft a bizarre and convoluted story around it, and effortlessly sell it for millions of silver coins!

Chu Guang did not plan to use this for himself.

The suite of bright blue power armor he wore better represented his status as a Manager.

Moreover, the protective performance of his police power armor wasn’t bad, its protection against light weapons might even be stronger than the "Dragon Cavalry," it just fell short in mobility and firepower. Since he wasn’t on the front line of the battlefield, he wouldn’t need those.

Additionally, his suit of power armor was virtually brand new, without even a scratch, so switching to a second-hand battle-damaged one seemed unnecessary.

Better to leave it for his beloved players!

"Where did you find this thing?" Coming back from his excitement, Chu Guang looked at He Ding and asked.

"That’s a long story."

He Ding’s eyes drifted into remembrance, his tone complex, perhaps wistful.

"We were tracking a message from Pioneer when we stumbled upon a distress signal. The person sending the signal claimed to be a resident of the refuge, captured by a band of Looters, who demanded he repair this antiquated armor they had found somewhere."

"Of course, he couldn’t fix it, but cleverly deceived those Looters, coaxing them to help gather parts to ’fix the power armor,’ which he used to assemble a radio and send out the coordinates and a distress signal from the Looters’ den."

"Typically, that would be useless, but since we saw it, we couldn’t just watch civilized people thrown into a boiling pot by barbarians."

"Since we were passing the refuge anyway, our captain planned to bring that unfortunate guy here. It didn’t take much effort to deal with those Looters armed with pipe rifles; however... regrettably, we couldn’t save him, only this power armor."

Having said this, He Ding’s expression turned rather regretful, clicking his tongue.

"He was hung at the entrance of the Looters’ den; by the time we found him, he had been dead for several days. Who knows what he did to anger those Looters—you wouldn’t want to know what his body had become... If only he could have held on for another two or three days, we actually meant to bring him here."

"..." Chu Guang was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

But the regret was definite.

Residents of the refuge often received higher education, whether they were old-timers from 200 years ago or the newer generation.

Heya and those residents of Shelter No.117 were prime examples, each being excellent "biologists" who had made outstanding contributions in their research on "mutated slime fungus."

Allowing such people to be used by uncivilized barbarians was a loss to all humanity!

Thinking the Manager was mourning the deceased, He Ding didn’t continue on this topic but returned to discussing the power armor.

"Including this power armor and the previous spoils of war... if you’re interested, I can sell it all to you for 1.5 million silver coins."

Hearing this number, Chu Guang, without a moment of surprise, almost instinctively spoke out.

"Deal!"

The asking price for the items in the warehouse earlier was exactly this figure.

Thinking this way, getting the power armor was like getting it for free!

Why hesitate?

"Don’t rush," He Ding said with a smile, implying something, "This is a friendship price."

Seeing the expression on his face, Chu Guang immediately understood the meaning and his face also showed a curious smile.

"So... how can I earn your friendship?"

He Ding glanced at the door and lowered his voice as he continued.

"I’ve invested in a food processing factory in the Province of Yúnjiānxíng, dedicated to providing easy-to-carry self-heating meals and a variety of canned foods for the province and mercenaries. However... not everyone can afford what we produce, it would be nice to have a fast-food product that’s cost-effective, easy to cook, can be stored for a long time, and also tastes good."

"Supply issues can’t be neglected, it’s not just about survival but also about morale."

"Let’s be honest, I’m quite interested in your instant noodle cakes. You mentioned they can be stored for a long time, are inexpensive, and don’t require preservatives, which seems far more interesting than compressed biscuits... including that hot pot recipe, I would like to learn it."

Seeing the unabashed eagerness in his eyes, Chu Guang was slightly startled but almost laughed.

Is this like trading instant noodles for power armor?

However, he didn’t let his disrespectful expression show and instead pretended to ponder for a long while.

"...Is our friendship going to be a one-time thing, or long-term?"

Hearing this, He Ding immediately assured.

"Of course, long-term. Neither of us are greedy people. Long-lasting business is sustainable, isn’t it?"

Hearing this, Chu Guang smiled.

"No problem! As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll have someone take you to our factory for a tour!"

Of course, he didn’t believe a mere promise held much weight, especially when made by a profit-seeking merchant.

But as an excellent salesman, he couldn’t let his customer feel shortchanged.

After all, whether it’s instant noodle cakes or hot pot base, they might need some contemplation, but they’re definitely not complex matters.

I hope Mr. He Ding won’t be too surprised when visiting the factory tomorrow...

...

To help these friends who had come from afar resolve their troubles, Chu Guang had been busy from sunrise until sunset, barely resting all day.

However, the day’s gains were quite rewarding.

Besides the pre-war power armor, the exoskeletons from the Grand Canyon, and the fuel rod with 63% remaining energy, He Ding also persuaded Yun Song to leave 5 logistics personnel to help build the G9 assault rifle components and ammunition production line.

This meant that not only did Chu Guang get all the spoils of war from Ideal City to the River Valley Province, but the spoils obtained by Yun Song’s group before they returned to Ideal City would also be sent to the New Alliance first to be exchanged for silver coins.

With these spoils of war, Chu Guang could sell them to players for silver coins recovery or to neighbors to earn foreign exchange.

As for the "aided construction" of the weapons and ammunition production line, it was like finding free money!

Besides, these distant friends would also pay a daily medical fee of 500 silver coins for 20 injured personnel.

This cost included regular injections of inhibitors and three meals a day.

Until they were picked up by their own people.

10,000 silver a day, 300,000 a month, Chu Guang wished they could stay here for a year.

Though that was impossible...

After dinner, Chu Guang returned to the shelter alone.

Boss Xia and Little Fish had gone to school, Yin Fang was in West State City, and Heya was cloistered all day in the medical lab; Chu Guang looked around the empty browsing room, feeling it was oddly quiet.

Just then, a pleasant sound drifted from an ornament on the table.

"Master, if you feel lonely, Xiao Qi can keep you company."

Chu Guang replied mechanically.

"Okay."

Xiao Qi: "Woowoo, that’s so perfunctory!"

Chu Guang: "Then... okay then?"

Xiao Qi: "Hehe, it sounds fake, but it feels much better!"

Chu Guang: "..."

Although being easily pacified is somewhat a plus, isn’t this guy a bit too much for an AI?

Looking at the figurine posing shyly covering its face, Chu Guang resisted the urge to roll his eyes and sat down at his retro-styled laptop.

I haven’t played games in a long time.

Thinking about whether to relax for a while, his hand unconsciously clicked on the forum.

Sure enough, in his subconscious, Wasteland OL, the game he designed, seemed a bit more fun to him.

Although the war had ended, and the Alliance had entered a stable development period, he hadn’t introduced any new activities in the game for a while, but players had unexpectedly uncovered many fun aspects he hadn’t imagined.

Some followed the commercial teams on adventures to the distant Brocade River Province, bringing back views of the southern jungles and basin plains to the forum, others visited the legendary city of sin in the north, Bugra Free State.

Some players even started dating random NPCs.

However, Chu Guang was quite skeptical about how long they could last, given their completely different language, cultural backgrounds, and mindsets.

As for whether they would reveal the secrets of the game, Chu Guang wasn’t worried at all.

Whenever any player asked him about it, his response was frankly admitting—"This is undoubtedly a completely real world," and he took the opportunity to remind the players to watch their behavior and others’ opinions of them, hinting that "favorability" might affect the triggering of quests.

It’s funny, the more he emphasized it, the less people took his words seriously.

After all, as long as they still needed a helmet to log into the game, it was impossible to convince others who also had to wear helmets to enter the game.

The speculated truth wasn’t important, and something that only one or two people believed in, whether true or false, wouldn’t affect anything.

Just like last night, today’s forum had remained as lively as ever.

Apart from those minor posts, the commercial team from the company had, unsurprisingly, become the hottest topic on the forum these past two days.

The last time Pioneer passed through Qingquan City, many players had made a small fortune by seizing the "historical opportunity," making those who missed the opportunity and newcomers to the game envious.

Now that the company’s people were here again, although not the same group, it did not dampen the players’ enthusiasm.

The silver coins were practically walking into their pockets.

How could they let this opportunity slip away?

Mr. Bamboo Shoot at the village mouth, "Mommy, open this shady shop for so long, finally wait for a wave of fat sheep!"

Construction boy and brick, "Bros, let’s go for xiaolongbao, hotpot, and grilled crayfish!（Triumphant）"

Makabazi, "Damn! I went to their camp during the day and peeked, why do the arrivals from Dragon Land seem so poor this time!"

Elena, "It doesn’t matter if they are poor, they’re still from the East Coast, don’t act like a mosquito isn’t meat! （Funny）"

King Riches, "I don’t know why, when others say this, I don’t feel anything, but when you say it, my stomach churns. （Funny）"

Tail, "Oh! Pass it on quickly! Old Na is gonna feast on the mosquito! Ψ(｀∀´)Ψ"

Teng Teng,

There really are mosquitos in WC, "Are you persecuting me too????"

Crow, "You ducks, can’t you be nicer to friends? Less schemes, more sincerity, and still make a fortune.

Debt Giant Eye, "You have the nerve! 100Cr for mushroom soup!"

Cylinder Washing Machine, "That’s right! You’re the blackest, you know!"

Crow, "That, that was a misunderstanding, Duck! How long are you going to remember it! QAQ"

Watching those cunning little players coming up with all sorts of shady ideas, Chu Guang couldn’t help but show a fond fatherly smile on his face.

True to the sprouts he had raised.

Not only would they contribute their strength when he needed it, but they also actively helped him fleece others.

However, fleecing had its own rules.

This time, he had already helped the players preemptively negotiate the rules of the trade and determined the currency for transactions.

The players no longer had to struggle to earn foreign exchange.

They could just take advantage of the local market and earn the silver coins from those NPC’s hands just as well!

Once those NPCs started running low on silver coins, the Captain named Yun Song would naturally bring the good things from the East Coast or the spoils from the Looter to trade for money.

If they really ran out of money, Chu Guang would introduce them to some high-rewarding, player-handled commissions, or have them call home for money.

As long as it didn’t conflict with their own tasks and the risk wasn’t too high, he believed they wouldn’t mind helping their allies.

Thus, the players would make silver coins, the company’s commercial team would solve their logistics issues, and the New Alliance would gain commodities and economic prosperity from the Ideal City.

Of course, this was a win-win situation!

Thinking of this, a pleased smile floated across Chu Guang’s face, and he clicked his mouse twice, opening a previously created folder.

Inside lay the Beta0.3 version update announcement.

Originally, as soon as Brother Fang Chang unlocked the Black Market, he had planned to release this document.

But unexpectedly, the plan couldn’t keep up with changes, as the sudden visit by the company made the original update announcement seem outdated.

In the new version, players would have more development routes and equipment options. Meanwhile, the forces to which the players belonged would engage in more frequent exchanges with other forces in the Wasteland.

Just as he once told Luka, they were no longer just a small village or a survivor settlement.

They were an alliance composed of countless survivors!

After spending some time editing, Chu Guang updated the modified announcement on the forum.

[Beta0.3 Version Update Announcement: Added a large amount of high-tech equipment and bionic prosthetics!]

[New equipment: "Round Shield" exoskeleton, featuring light weapon defense comparable to Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry" exoskeleton, designed for war and suitable for most battlefield environments in the Wasteland... priced at 30,000 silver coins!]

["Firestone" exoskeleton, a lightweight version of the Type Five "Light Calvary" exoskeleton, part of the "Round Shield" series, offering higher mobility and longer endurance... priced at 15,000 silver!]

[New NPC "Logistics Officer Heding": From the Ideal City, Heding, logistics officer of the commercial team. He isn’t driven by any grand ideals; he just wants to make money, so please don’t waste his time.]

[New NPC "Captain Yun Song of Commercial Team": Captain of the Company’s 26th Assault Team, a professional soldier, has embarked from the East Coast to assist Pioneer in the Western Desert.]

[New NPC "...": ...]

[VM Event Store sells high-quality bionic prosthetics and organs for a limited time, transactions available with silver coins, hurry while stocks last! ]

[Note: Bionic organs from Ideal City could fetch a good price in Giant Stone City, whether as trade goods or for personal use. But beware of the equipment drop mechanism, if a character dies unexpectedly, make sure to have teammates help recover and book surgery in time.]

[New Contribution Point Level: "Knight"]

[Once contribution points reach 100,000, one can advance from "High-Level Citizen" to "Apprentice Knight." After reaching "Knight," players can purchase and own a set of power armor in the NPC store, permitted land ownership will increase from 500 square meters to 1000 square meters.]

[...]

Looking at the contents of the update announcement, Chu Guang nodded satisfactorily.

"Pioneer has run into trouble, might have to mobilize the player army, ’Pioneering’ system will have to wait for the next version..."

"Beta0.3 will just have to do for now."

There was quite a bit in this update.

Shouldn’t hear anyone saying he was slacking anymore.