This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 376: Feint, Probe, and Shield!

Chapter 376: Chapter 376: Feint, Probe, and Shield!

Nearly five hundred meters long, its body was almost equivalent to two "Hindenburg" airships. And even the longest aircraft carrier from another world was just a little brother in front of this behemoth.

A 400mm short-barreled mortar, 12 100mm secondary guns, and 144 20~30mm anti-aircraft guns together comprised its firepower system.

The barrels decorated its massive body like a hedgehog, ensuring at least twenty anti-aircraft cannons would greet any attack from any angle.

In addition, there were those 7mm caliber machine guns hidden behind firing ports and what appeared to be hangars for carrying aircraft.

An airship?

This thing was simply like a flying "air battleship"!

Chu Guang had no doubts that it not only stockpiled a generous supply of ammunition and provisions but was certainly also equipped with a sufficient number of soldiers and crew members.

Otherwise, what was the point of such a large volume?

There must be something on it.

Looking at photos exchanged with the lives of players, Chu Guang was lost in thought.

He wondered if Giant Stone City could win against this unreasonable monster.

"Peaceful options can be basically ruled out... the enemy launched a pre-emptive strike destroying our communication devices, sent ground troops to attack our players, and immediately opened fire to shoot down our aircraft once they were in range."

"Their response was swift, and they acted decisively; they’re likely prepared with a corresponding invasion plan," said Chu Guang as he stared at the computer screen, involuntarily furrowing his brows and speaking to himself with a heavy tone.

"Tricky to deal with..."

Instead of saying ’tricky to deal with,’

It’d be more accurate to say there was no chance of winning at all.

With the Alliance’s current equipment, taking out a Looter force would be easy, but compared to a power that had long existed in the Wasteland, they were still too green.

Players could be resurrected, true, but man-power was only a part of war; without sufficient weapons, ammunition, and supplies, even numerous lives were given in vain.

People could hide in shelters, but production lines for weapons couldn’t. Factories, farms, mines... none of these could be moved.

Chu Guang wouldn’t forget how his players had to rely on the iron pipe rifles handmade by Boss Xia and how many casualties they suffered to barely take down an equal number of Looters.

Therefore, he could not let that thing fly over the City of Dawn no matter what.

Xiao Qi was watching Chu Guang’s face intently, sitting on the table without saying a word. Seeming hesitant about something, it started to speak but then paused.

"Master..."

Planning his next move, Chu Guang casually responded.

"What is it?"

"It just feels like it has more cannons on it than the planes in your hangar."

Chu Guang’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

"...You don’t need to remind me."

"Hmm... Xiao Qi isn’t trying to mock you, but as your assistant, I must remind you if you’re heading into a dead end. If all else fails... hiding in the shelters is also an option, isn’t it? The Administrator System hasn’t set a deadline for you to complete a certain task, right?"

Xiao Qi’s voice was very soft.

It unusually didn’t use the strange voice pack downloaded from another world’s internet but instead used the initial, monotone electronic voice it had when they first met.

However, to Chu Guang’s surprise, that theoretically emotionless voice somehow conveyed an unusual sentiment.

Rather than a "suggestion,"

It sounded more like—

A plea?

Chu Guang didn’t think it was his imagination or sentimentality, but it was precisely this that left him a bit puzzled.

He had never put himself in danger nor abandoned this "wastebasket," but it seemed to always lack a sense of security.

Nevertheless.

Chu Guang still didn’t plan to consider that last card.

It was easy to close that door.

But outside that door, there were already too many things he couldn’t let go of.

"We won’t lose."

"But..."

"The analysis of data on paper doesn’t determine the final outcome. We have many cards in hand; it’s far from the time to think about giving up."

Watching Xiao Qi, who seemed to want to say more, Chu Guang stretched out his index finger and gently rubbed the top of its head, his confident smile clearing the gravity between his brows.

"Trust me."

Xiao Qi stopped persuading.

After five or six minutes, it spoke up quietly.

"So... what do you plan to do?"

"Winning this war alone is not easy; we don’t even know how many cards the opponent holds. The pressing matter is to figure out the extent of the airship’s anti-air defense capabilities and their weaknesses, and then we can think about tactics,"

Chu Guang thought for a moment and then continued.

"Additionally, we must do everything possible to tether our neighbors to our chariot."

...

Rui Valley City.

The massive "Steel Heart" gently lowered its altitude, casting a shadow from the air like a curtain, almost covering half the city district and the surrounding woods.

Approaching a five to six hundred meter range for a low-altitude hover, four thick anchor chains were thrown down from the airship, smashing into the ground below like cannonballs.

Anchor chains deployed.

With complete stability, a lift platform suspended by chains was lowered from the belly of the airship.

Soldiers clad in black cloaks marched down in neat formations.

They were well-trained with sharp eyes and top-notch equipment; in terms of presence and combat skills, they were clearly superior to the regular clone troops of the Army, and it was visibly so.

The signature black robes and the compact structure of the "Warrior" assault rifles in their hands highlighted their noble status—

They belonged to the Legion Airborne Combat Team.

Steel which conquered the skies.

And they, to conquer the ground.

"Move the supplies from the lift down, we need to establish a surface outpost before nightfall! If you don’t want to sleep in the forest, then move your ass!" bellowed the man in the black exoskeleton at the front of the formation, urging his soldiers to unload the materials from the lift.

His name was Rachel, and he was a Thousand Leader, responsible for the surface camp construction and conducting searches and patrols of the nearby areas.

Logistics personnel arrived at the surface with the second batch of supplies, quickly getting involved with the construction of the camp.

Apart from shovels and other tools, they also deployed two small diggers to the ground to work on earthmoving operations.

At the same time, two light armored track vehicles were also positioned.

The 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft guns mounted on the tracked vehicles could supplement the anti-air defense firepower and provide mid-range support fire for the infantry.

It wasn’t just to intimidate the nearby Wasteland Wanderers.

At the same time, it was to deal with dangerous Variants.

"Damn, finally can get off the airship and get some fresh air..." The man in the black military uniform walked over to Rachel’s side, squinting his eyes in good spirits.

He was the logistic officer of the "Steel Heart," named Finod, and he graduated from the same military academy as Rachel and, very coincidentally, ended up on the same airship.

It’s just that one went to logistics, and the other went to the airborne combat team.

"Speaking of which, why did they also bring down the excavator?"

"We need to stay here for at least three days; the enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light. Although there’s not much to fear from a bunch of savages, being more prepared never hurts... These were the exact words given to me by the staff, telling us to construct according to the standards of a third-level fortification. Anyway, you all be careful too."

"I will."

Rachel lit a cigarette, squinting as he watched the construction workers bustling around the camp, his thoughts, however, drifted back to the distant desert.

To be precise, to the oasis there.

It’s no exaggeration to say that life there was downright heavenly.

Not only was there an unlimited supply of fresh and delicious fruits, but also girls with curvaceous figures; even the life of a king couldn’t compare to theirs.

And here, apart from the damp air and poisonous plants, were the dangerous Variants and the Waste Land Wanderers as cunning as foxes...

At this time, an officer from the staff department descended to the surface following the lift.

He walked straight up to Rachel and spoke directly.

"Where’s Halec? Why hasn’t there been any news from that guy?"

Rachel shrugged his shoulders.

"I don’t know; we’ve launched the signal flares. He should have returned by now... unless something unexpected happened."

He tended to believe this guess.

Without reason.

Purely a soldier’s intuition.

The officer frowned and spoke decisively.

"We must find him."

Rachel asked.

"Can you confirm his approximate location?"

The officer flipped through the documents in his hands.

"The last report of his operational plan was yesterday morning when he was entering River Valley Province from Sunset Province, tracking a Commercial Team."

"Commercial Team?"

"The Commercial Team has a target we need to capture."

"Alright, a Commercial Team... I’m thinking, they can’t go far without a water source, whether it’s camels or Double-headed Cows, they need to drink their fill to travel."

Rachel pondered for a moment and looked back, his gaze settling on a stern-faced man.

"Vito, take some brothers and inquire at the nearby Survivor Settlement."

This guy was his most elite scout, skilled at using sniper rifles and traps; both his wits and eye for detail were impeccable.

Though he completely trusted him, Rachel still added an extra word of caution.

"Remember, report back to me immediately if you find out anything."

"Yes!"

With an expressionless military salute, the man named Vito quickly led his team towards the south.

The staff officer looked at Rachel.

"How soon can you get me information?"

"Not sure, but whether there’s news or not, I’ll contact you before evening."

The officer nodded and said nothing more, turning to go back up the lift, as if he couldn’t bear to stay on the surface for another moment.

Rachel never quite understood these people; he, on the other hand, quite enjoyed the feeling of his feet on the ground.

At this moment, standing beside him, Finod suddenly said.

"Do you think that Halec might have run into someone from the enterprise?"

Rachel narrowed his eyes.

"Hard to say, but I’d hope so. The quicker we finish, the sooner we can return."

"That’s probably a bit difficult."

"What do you mean?"

Finod looked around and then spoke in a softer voice.

"It seems our Captain isn’t satisfied with just intercepting enterprise reinforcements... I’ve heard that he plans to conquer River Valley Province."

"Conquer... River Valley?"

The cigarette fell unconsciously to the ground, and Rachel opened his mouth in surprise.

This plan was indeed a bit fanciful.

He didn’t doubt the capabilities of the Steel Heart and General McLennan, but it was quite unclear what the purpose of doing this was.

This place was tens of thousands of miles away from the territory of the Army.

Seeing his shocked expression, Finod said in a low voice.

"I was just as surprised, but this is the Captain’s decision. You’d better give up any idea of leaving here any time soon... And don’t tell anyone, and especially don’t tell anyone it was me who told you."

Rachel composed himself.

"I’ll keep it under wraps."

The extinguished cigarette butt lay on the ground, and Rachel glanced at it with a hint of regret before stepping on it to snuff it out.

Thinking of the task given by the staff, he was about to take a few people for a walk around the camp when, at that moment, the air raid alarm sounded in the sky.

The piercing siren startled everyone.

Rachel’s face also showed a hint of surprise, but now was not the time for hesitation.

Even though he didn’t think anyone could pose a threat to the Steel Heart, he still carried out his duty, ordering his men loudly.

"Air raid!"

"Find cover! Quick!"

Soldiers and construction workers within the camp ran swiftly, dropping behind cover.

Series of dense cannon fire came from above, and Rachel could tell they were salvos from the 100mm secondary guns.

Lying behind an unfinished blast shelter, he took out a telescope and glanced at the distant sky. Through the gap in the treetops, he could barely make out a spot.

Beneath the clear sky, streaks of orange flames lined up, and the thick smoke from the explosions formed an impenetrable wall.

However, still, 5 planes billowing black smoke broke through the first round of salvos with expert flying skills.

Their fate was already sealed.

The enemy seemed to realize this too and simply gave up the pointless evasive maneuvers, charging straight towards the airship, and before the second round of anti-aircraft firepower could arrive, they emptied all the rockets mounted on their wings.

The planes were blown to bits without any surprises, but those dozen or so rockets, trailing thin plumes, headed towards the airship.

Rachel had a strange feeling.

She always thought that the rockets fired from those planes seemed more significant than the planes themselves...

However, it was only a little significant.

In front of the Iron Heart, such attacks were laughably ineffective, like toothpicks against an elephant.

Completely ignoring the dozen or so rockets, after destroying the remaining five planes, the airship stopped firing and let the rockets hit itself.

The rockets were about to strike.

Yet, at the moment they came within 20 to 50 meters, they acted as if they’d hit an invisible wall of air.

Most were deflected off course; a few exploded on the spot.

Scattered fragments didn’t harm the airship at all; the fortress in the sky didn’t flinch, and only a layer of thin smoke slowly wafted towards the airship before being blown away by the air currents.

The players hanging from parachutes were full of astonishment in their eyes.

"...It can’t be fake."

The latest Goblin Technology developed airborne rocket that couldn’t even inflict a scratch.

Was that thing just now a shield?

But...

Although the explosives were deflected and the fragments did no harm, the thick smoke from the rocket’s explosion was blown onto the airship.

Blood seeped from his abdomen, and though he was almost fatally wounded, it didn’t stop him from thinking.

"Does this mean only low-speed objects can approach?"

Looking at the anti-aircraft gun pointed at him but not firing, the player pondered for a moment, detached his VM and camera-equipped headset, and tied them to the parachute.

Then he drew out his dagger, decisively cut the parachute cords, and let the wind carry away the parachute as he free-fell towards the forest.

The VM could always be found by other players.

Bringing back intelligence would make it worth it.

They hadn’t expected to return when they took off.

Anyway, with his condition, he most likely wouldn’t survive, and being revived only to be thrown in prison was worse; better to end himself now and move on to the next round.

Elsewhere, beneath the airship, in the unfinished camp, cheers and victorious whistle rose.

Rachel also stood up from behind the blast shelter, put away her binoculars, and dusted off the exoskeleton armor on her breastplate.

At that moment, a voice came through her headset.

"How are the casualties in the camp?"

The communication was from the airship’s staff.

"None... What just happened?"

Without even counting, Rachel confidently answered, knowing well her subordinates wouldn’t be felled by a mere bit of falling dust.

"Thirty airplanes approached us."

"Airplanes?" A hint of surprise flickered in Rachel’s eyes.

"Just a bunch of grasshoppers learning to fly, not worth the concern... I have a task for you. We’ve discovered a parachute in the forest to the south; send someone to retrieve it," the staff officer ordered.

"That pilot seemed to have chosen suicide," Rachel reminded.

Although not entirely clear, she indeed saw the pilot cut the parachute cords.

The officer continued.

"I know, but before he died, he hung something on the parachute; we need to find out what it is."

Rachel sighed with impatience.

"Alright... I’ll find it."

...

Karting Post Station.

Next to the chaotic campsite, nomads knelt and prayed, some dealing with the bodies on the ground. The village chief of Mudka clutched a faded pipe, puffing away with a furrowed brow full of worry.

Merchants sensing danger quickly packed their belongings, preparing to leave this troublesome place, their haste resembling that of refugees.

Undecided mercenaries gathered together, chattering about the situation.

"Why has the Army come here?"

"Don’t know... I always thought they were fighting up north."

"Are you talking about the Expeditionary Army? Weren’t they wiped out last year, or where did the Chewing Bone Tribe come from?"

"Those crawling cockroaches... Nothing good ever happens when they’re around."

Tail played with the VM in hand, attempting to translate some valuable clues from the conversations, but unfortunately heard nothing substantial.

At that moment, Si Si came back from the direction of the well.

"Ah Wei, we’re setting off now."

She carried a water jug in each hand, with a pair strapped over her shoulders, a stark contrast to her slender frame.

She seemed indifferent, hanging the hefty jugs onto the truck.

"Uh? I thought we were waiting here for Brother Quanshui and the others," the burly White Bear, who was removing his armor, asked in confusion.

"Yes, but we can’t stay here any longer."

Meat Meat tilted her head, not quite understanding.

Si Si gestured with her chin to a nearby tent.

People there were watching them.

But the moment they exchanged glances, those people swiftly looked away.

"So what you mean is, they might betray us," Sesame Paste mused.

"After seeing that airship, most people would think so; I can’t imagine anything that could hurt it."

After a pause, Si Si continued.

"Besides, even if they don’t actively betray us, the Army will definitely come here asking about missing soldiers... A few dinars would be enough to bribe them."

As soon as she finished speaking.

A series of artillery fire erupted in the distance, creating another commotion in the camp.

This was already the second time today... But unlike the previous instance from two hours before, several rounds were fired in succession this time.

Looking in the direction where the airship was unleashing its firepower, Si Si’s brow furrowed with a hint of unease.

More promptly than her.

Tail, craning his neck to look into the distance, was the first to spot the black dots emerging from the thick smoke, exclaiming in shock.

"Giao! That looks like our plane!"

"Uh-huh... I guessed as much," Si Si turned to the VM screen, where thirty IDs appeared on the nearby player list.

But almost instantly, only five remained online.

"Wait," Tail’s expression changed abruptly, "doesn’t this mean... someone has already taken the new version of the intelligence to the official network?"

Si Si was taken aback and hadn’t yet come to her senses.

However, Meat Meat seemed to have caught on and showed a look of disappointment, though it wasn’t very obvious due to his thick fur.

"Damn it... we found it first."

"Is now really the time to be saying that?" The cat ears on her head shook uneasily, and Sesame Paste urged with a wry smile, "We should hurry up and discuss where to go next."

Even without that airship, after the commotion earlier, it wasn’t suitable for them to stay here any longer.

After discussing for a while, the group decided to move to the forest area east of Rui Valley City.

It was a valley, easy to hide in, and maintained a safe distance of twenty kilometers from the airship.

They would wait there for the Storm Corps, who were on their way, until they received new orders.

They also planned to recover the pilot’s dropped VM as they passed through the southern suburbs of Rui Valley City.

If they could find it...

...

Having determined their next destination, everyone stopped wasting time and hurriedly packed up.

Pointing a gun at Halec, who was tied up like a rice dumpling, Si Si secured him to the back of the "Electric Donkey" truck.

Seeing his pale, bluish face, she roughly guessed what he was afraid of and gave him a faint smile.

"Don’t worry; the roads here are bad, so we can’t drive fast. But if you intentionally dawdle, you’ll bear the consequences."

Halec’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he kept his mouth shut out of fear.

At first sight of that airship, he had indeed fantasized that these people might be scared enough by the might of the Army to release him.

But now, he had abandoned all such fantasies.

These people were all crazy...

They didn’t care about the consequences of their actions at all.

Satisfied with the expression on the captive’s face, Si Si added an extra knot to the rope.

Having finished this task, she was about to carry the severely injured and unconscious Luo Hua onto the truck with Tail, when the NPC named Kaliman approached with his dozen guards.

Stopping what she was doing, Si Si eyed the approaching group and was about to ask what they wanted when Kaliman, who was at the front, took the initiative to speak.

"Are you planning to return to Qingquan City?"

Before Si Si could reply, he continued to offer an invitation.

"We could travel together."

"No need." Si Si didn’t even think about it before decisively refusing the invitation to travel together.

Kaliman hesitated for a moment.

"Do you doubt me?"

Si Si spoke plainly.

"Not at all, there’s just no need. Besides, we’ve known each other for less than 24 hours; I have no reason to trust you."

Kaliman fell silent for a moment, then nodded his head.

"I understand... My apologies for being forward. With your capabilities, you indeed do not need us."

He had only witnessed the latter half of the previous battle, but it didn’t prevent him from reevaluating the seemingly frail girl in front of him.

She was an Awakener.

He didn’t give up, though.

After taking a deep breath, he carefully considered his words, then spoke again.

"I apologize for selectively hiding my identity out of safety concerns; please allow me to introduce myself properly. I indeed come from Oasis No. 9 of the Lion Kingdom, but I am not merely a merchant—I am the king’s son."

"What?" Si Si was startled.

Tail, who was standing beside her, had her eyes light up.

"Whoa, a prince! So you must have lots of wives, right?"

"In reality, it’s not as impressive as you think."

Despite not understanding what the short-haired girl meant, Kaliman guessed what she was thinking from the surprised expression on her face.

He smiled bitterly and continued.

"My father has many children, and I am just one of them. Besides, I’ve already voluntarily given up my right to take part in the trials and to succeed the throne. Now I am merely a subject."

He paused before continuing.

"However, even though I’ve given up the throne, my loyalty to the kingdom remains clear as a diamond; the Spirit of the Sand Sea can testify to my oath."

Si Si looked at him doubtfully.

"Why are you telling us this?"

If it had been a day earlier, she might have listened to this guy’s story with great interest, but their journey had already been spoiled.

At least temporarily spoiled.

Kaliman looked at her seriously.

"We have a common enemy, and we need your help!"

A look of surprise spread across Si Si’s face.

Was she getting involved in the main storyline now?

Just then, a short cough suddenly came from the truck, interrupting her thoughts.

Hearing the cough, Sesame Paste, who was closest, immediately ran over and agilely climbed into the truck.

Looking at the injured NPC on the stretcher, she asked with concern in her not-so-fluent United Human language.

"Are you okay?"

"Chu Guang... cough... where am I?"

His voice was weak as he spoke with dry, cracked lips, like a flickering candle in the wind.

Fortunately, thanks to the two bags of glucose and saline solution Si Si had hung for him, his condition was much better than it was yesterday.

"This is Rui Valley City, 150 kilometers away from Qingquan City. We planned to bring you back once your condition had stabilized..."

Luo Hua didn’t speak; his gaze shifted from the unfamiliar face in front of him and slowly landed on the VM on her arm.

Seeming to recognize the device, he relaxed a bit.

Then, he suddenly clenched his teeth, lifted his heavy arm, and unraveled the bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

Blood seeped out faintly.

"Hey, don’t move around..."

Startled by his sudden movement, Sesame Paste quickly tried to stop him, but as soon as she touched his hand, she realized she was holding a bloodstained card.

"... We found it."

"Found it? What did you find?" A stunned Sesame Paste asked subconsciously.

He didn’t explain.

Instead, with a voice growing fainter, he spoke on his own.

"Give this... to him."

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