This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 394: An SSSR Mount, Isn’t It Reasonable to Sell by Weight?

Chapter 394: Chapter 394: An SSSR Mount, Isn’t It Reasonable to Sell by Weight?

"You already have the gate access rights... oh, by that, it means the ’traitors’ outside are all dead now."

The rotting corpse-like figure emitted a laugh that sounded like sandpaper scraping a wall.

Crawling in the hall, the Mother of Dead Claw looked at the group of players standing before her and spoke with an easy tone.

Surprisingly, though she used the word "traitor" to refer to Yong’s, her voice betrayed little hatred for the betrayal.

She had been alive for over a century, maybe even longer. Over the long years, she had witnessed too much birth and death, and had long since reconciled with the past.

Tail tilted his head, not quite understanding, and asked,

"Traitor?"

"That’s something from over a century ago, about our past... enough to make a TV series of several hundred hours. You wouldn’t be interested," the Mother of Dead Claw said in an even tone.

"If you mean that guy who called himself Yong’s... I indeed killed it," Si Si glanced at the VM on her arm and continued speaking.

"Also, by the time I realized it, the Manager’s access had already come to me... I want to know, is this access bound to the VM?"

After she had killed Yong’s, a special signal suddenly appeared in the top right corner of her VM; selecting and connecting to it unlocked the function to connect to the shelter system.

That included opening and closing corridor doors.

That included adjusting the ventilation system in various areas.

And that also included the cameras in each room.

It was just like the console in an RPG Game, to the extent that she once thought she’d discovered a bug in the Game, unintentionally unlocking "Developer mode."

However, after some experimentation, she quickly realized that this authority wasn’t as magical as she’d imagined.

At least it wasn’t at the level of a bug.

Complex functions were difficult to fully execute through the VM; perhaps it required a terminal device with a more abundant UI or auxiliary smart devices.

Otherwise, even if you had the access rights, only a few of the simplest operations were possible.

Furthermore, the access could be transferred.

Combining this with the task in the taskbar, "Obtain access rights of Shelter No.79," it seemed once she had the complete access rights, Mr. Dawn would likely take the Manager access away.

After all, in the setting, the shelter was a communal respawn point for the players, from this point of view, it was unlikely they would allow a player to hold onto the shelter’s managerial power.

But this peculiar experience still felt quite entertaining for her.

In response to the girl’s question, the Mother of Dead Claw replied with a casual tone.

"Strictly speaking, the access rights of a shelter are associated with life characteristics, and only life characteristics that pass multiple elements of cross-verification are the real key... The VM is merely your terminal to connect to the shelter system."

"VM, bionic chips... Hardware capable of recognizing life characteristics can all serve as carriers to connect to the shelter system."

"I see," Si Si nodded thoughtfully and continued, "So... does the shelter’s access get inherited by the person who kills the Manager?"

The Mother of Dead Claw smiled and said.

"You misunderstand the rules, the correct explanation is, if the life signal of the access holder disappears from within the signal collection range and no successor is designated, the Manager’s access is inherited by the closest terminal device holder."

"Your VM is one of the terminals; it records your life characteristics, even though you’re not on Shelter No.79’s registration list... By principle, you belong to the residents of the shelter."

The rules sounded somewhat convoluted.

However, Si Si still tried to understand it.

To put it simply, if there’s no designated successor, whoever’s VM is closest before death inherits the access...

What kind of Big Escape rule is this?

Seeing the odd expression in Si Si’s eyes, the Mother of Dead Claw gave a faint smile and continued nonchalantly.

"I know what you want to say, such rules certainly have loopholes. If there is no designated successor, the scenario you mentioned happens... The Manager’s access will be inherited by the person who killed him."

"The original shelter Manager designated me as the next Manager at the last moment of his life, but perhaps out of distrust for me or for other reasons, he did not transfer all the access to me. Instead, he split the access into many parts and established rules for inheritance."

"He wanted us to decide our own fate, including whether or not to continue our experiments."

"The irony is, though he made many preparations for the future, in the end, it turned out to be entirely meaningless. The very thing he was most worried about still happened; before we could cultivate a morally perfect leader, we first obtained the ability to spawn demons..."

At this, the Mother of Dead Claw paused for a moment, then continued in a softer voice.

"I will transfer the shelter’s access rights to you... but before that, could you fulfill one small wish of mine?"

Although there was a more direct method, like simply killing it, the task didn’t require them to take care of this creature as well.

Si Si asked straightforwardly.

"What wish?"

If it wasn’t too much trouble, she could fulfill it.

"I want to meet your Manager, just to satisfy my curiosity, a video call is fine too... You can do that, right?"

Si Si nodded.

"That’s a reasonable request, I’ll convey it to him."

...

"A Death Claw two floors tall... It’s unbelievable, you actually slaughtered such a remarkable creature? I mean, before you slaughtered it... couldn’t you let me study it first?"

Shelter No. 404.

The library on Floor B4—or rather, Chu Guang’s office.

When Hera heard about the events in Shelter No.79, her eyes widened in amazement.

Only her reason for being shocked seemed somewhat different from that of an ordinary woman her age.

Patiently listening to the complaints of the "Alliance’s Chief Biologist," Chu Guang closed the file he had just finished organizing and sighed.

"Aren’t the evolutionary bodies in Qingquan City enough for you to study?"

While the players were tackling Shelter No.79, Chu Guang, as the planner, had not been idle either.

Although he wasn’t on the frontlines, he was keeping up with the players’ progress.

Including the experimental logs recovered by the players, the strategy posts compiled by them on the Forum, and their analysis of the storyline and speculation about the experimental accidents, he had Xiao Qi help organize them into files, both electronic and paper, which were archived in the servers and library of Shelter No. 404.

Although the plan ultimately failed, after all, it was an attempt by the people of that era to preserve their civilization.

Once it all comes to an end and the declining civilization enters a new era, he would send these archives and records to the museum for posterity to evaluate.

Her direct response to Chu Guang’s statement was,

"Of course it’s not enough! The mutation of slime fungus is not an isolated process but the collective result of interactions with the external environment. Evolutionary bodies are just a subset of the entire vast system. To understand the whole system, we need more clues..."

Listening to Heya’s endless chatter, Chu Guang pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling slightly headachy.

Ever since he had come to this world,

He had increasingly felt that his nine years of compulsory education and 3+4 years of higher education were no longer sufficient.

"Sorry, I didn’t quite understand...could you simplify that a bit?"

She stopped mid-speech, and after a light sigh and a pause, Heya continued,

"...In short, research on non-mycorrhizal variants can promote mutual understanding with the research on mutated slime fungus... Do you understand now?"

Although he was still somewhat confused, it was a marked improvement from before.

Looking at Chu Guang, who was nodding thoughtfully, Heya couldn’t resist adding another complaint.

"...However, such a perfect research specimen, a living fossil who had lived for over a century, was right in front of you, and you actually killed it."

Such a waste!

That’s simply a crime against nature!

Looking at Heya, who was visibly outraged, Chu Guang gave a faint smile and continued,

"That creature was too dangerous. Keeping it might have been of some use, but we couldn’t bear the risk of it getting out of control, so I ordered it to be dealt with."

After a pause, he added,

"As for the research specimen you mentioned, there’s no worry about that. We just took out the uncontrollable mother, but there is another one in Shelter No. 79."

Heya’s eyes instantly brightened like a lamp, and she leaned heavily on the table,

"Really?!"

Seeing Heya’s intense gaze, Chu Guang shifted back slightly and nodded lightly,

"Mmm... Moreover, its identity was beyond my expectation. I never thought the Great Antler God actually existed; I always thought that was just a myth."

The Manager of Shelter No. 79 had become the spiritual pillar of the Wasteland Wanderers of River Valley Province.

Although this sounded strange, it wasn’t hard to understand.

In the eyes of the studied clones, those researchers who could "transfer their consciousness into the body of a Death Claw" and could arbitrarily control their life and death, weren’t they equivalent to gods?

The "gods" tried to create an "emperor" among them, continually bringing down disasters to weed out the weaker individuals, and allowing those who passed the environmental selection to continue to breed, propelling the steady evolution of their species... If you used a religious narrative style, this wicked experiment could totally be interpreted as a myth.

Later, some clones and experimental subjects escaped with that "Yong" character, naturally carrying this memory and their genetic traits with them, transmitting them generation after generation...

Thinking of this, Chu Guang’s expression suddenly took on a strange twist.

Since the legend of the "Great Antler God" could be traced back to an experiment in a shelter...

Could Luo Xia Province’s "Spirit of the Sand Sea" also be related to some unknown secret experiment?

The more Chu Guang thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

It seemed necessary to organize a group of folklorists to collect the strange and curious folklore of the wasteland.

Perhaps behind some casual clue, there might be an unimaginably big fish hidden.

As Chu Guang contemplated where to place this new NPC, possibly in a small tavern, Heya was staring intently at him, continuing,

"...I plan to make a trip to Shelter No.79! Have you secured the access rights there? Give me authorization!"

Chu Guang: "I haven’t completely secured them yet, but it’s just a matter of going through the process... I’ll go with you, as I have some business to attend to there as well."

Heya said with a slight smile, "Good! By the way, after you’ve dealt with the things there, what do you plan to do with that shelter?"

Chu Guang pondered for a moment and replied,

"...I haven’t decided yet, I’ll have to see what useful things are there before deciding."

Heya cheerfully said,

"If you haven’t figured out how to manage it, you can give it to me as a lab. Besides the Death Claws, there are also quite a few other Variants there that are excellent research materials! I’ve recently trained a few competent researchers, and I plan to send them there for internships..."

Hearing this suggestion, Chu Guang’s eyes lit up.

"That’s not a bad idea, I’ll consider it!"

Although the specifics of Shelter No. 79 were still unknown, according to what Yong had said, the energy stored there was enough to keep the shelter running for 5 centuries.

Compared to the paltry energy reserves of Shelter No. 404, the reserves of Shelter No. 79 could be described as "incomprehensibly rich."

Shutting down the facility would allow for the recovery of the nuclear fuel, while if the shelter continued to operate, it could serve as a facility for biological research and a respawn point for players.

It’s a choice between "Energy coins +10086" and "Sociology +10, Respawn point +1."

After only a brief consideration, Chu Guang unhesitatingly chose the latter.

He still had a fuel rod in his possession which he hadn’t used, so he wasn’t really short on fuel rods for the shelters.

But the research facilities in the shelter, along with respawn points to recruit more players, were exactly what he needed!

Not only that, but the Death Claw of Death bred in Shelter No. 79 could also serve as a fine "biological transportation vehicle."

Good for travel, good for fighting, and particularly durable – indeed, quite a useful tool!

Combining the related technology recovered from Shelter No. 401, the Blue Jackets rescued by players from the East District of Qingquan City had successfully reverse-engineered the Torch Church’s "Mind Interference Device," and the "Neural Connection Device" could be produced using the Black Box recovered from Shelter No. 117.

While mass production was impossible, limited production was not a big issue.

Strapping one onto the neck of a Death Claw would not pose a problem for training it as a mount!

The "Nicole" tied in the park was the perfect example—every time Chu Guang visited the East District of Qingquan City, he would ride it, even while wearing his power armor.

It was already proven that the Death Claw of Death could be tamed by technological means.

With the research data on the Death Claw of Death preserved in Shelter No. 79, perhaps he could get Heya to help with research on a larger lizard more suitable for riding.

Thinking of this, a meaningful smile appeared on Chu Guang’s face.

This powerful and unbalancing "SSSR mount"...

Would selling it for 50,000 silver coins be too cheap?

Indeed, it seemed better to sell it by weight!

...

Rui Valley City, Fallen Leaf Camp.

When the Battlefield Atmosphere Group dragged a wooden board with the head of the Claw of Death back to the camp in the twilight’s dying glow, every soldier on gate duty and every survivor inside the camp was shocked.

He was covered in blood, like a devil that crawled out of hell, his right hand clutched a hemp rope slung over his shoulder, his left hand holding a bloody axe—this one he’d bought from Si Si for 20 silver coins at a steep price.

He tossed both the axe and the rope on the ground and looked nonchalantly at the sentries poised at the entrance, speaking offhandedly,

"Dead Claw—"

"I killed it!"

He wanted to say something cool, but his command of the United Human language was too poor, and he only knew a few phrases.

Murmuring and whispers spread at the entrance.

The soldiers clad in black robes looked at him suspiciously, clearly not believing their eyes.

But the Old Soldier didn’t care about their looks.

Before returning, he intentionally found a mutated hyena, threw away his weapon, and fought the beast barehanded, getting his fair share of scrapes and bruises.

He didn’t need to craft a perfect lie, just needed to play the part of a strong, silent man, and make it look good enough.

As for the rest,

people would naturally fill in the gaps for him.

Not far from the camp, survivors had gathered at the gate, throwing curious glances his way.

Expressions varied from one person to the next, some envious, some jealous, and some even whistled, unable to resist cheering him on.

That was a monster that even a legion’s hundred-man squad couldn’t handle.

And now it had been taken down by a Waste Land Wanderer born the same as them!

In the crowd not far away, the Battlefield Atmosphere Group saw many familiar faces.

Including the apprentice who had peeled potatoes with him, the squad member who had gotten lost, and the only one whose name he recalled, Li Ba.

At this moment, likely noticing the commotion at the gate, the camp’s person in charge, Coleway, emerged.

"What are you all gathering around here for? Is all the work done?"

At the crack of a whip, the survivors blocking the gate scattered.

Carrying a whip, Coleway walked up to the gate and saw the blood-soaked "Pangolin," then glanced at the head on the wooden board. An expression of surprise crossed his face.

That calf-sized head was just too shocking, especially the hideous face, which must have endured too much pain than life could bear before dying.

The gate fell silent for a full five minutes.

As if hit with a petrification spell, Coleway finally gathered his wits and stared intently at the Battlefield Atmosphere Group, squeezing out a sentence from his throat.

"Did you do this?"

The Old Soldier nodded coolly and confidently.

"That’s right!"

Although it wasn’t all his doing, he had contributed to the DPS!

Round it up a bit, and it’s not wrong to say it was his doing.

Though Coleway had his doubts, seeing the man drenched in blood, he really couldn’t think of any reason to question him. Still, he couldn’t believe that the monster that cost him so many men had been taken down by the native in front of him.

"I will report your achievement, you go to the river next to us and wash the blood off your body..."

Speaking thus, Coleway turned to one of the sentries, nodding toward the hunter.

"Give him a bar of soap."

The rifle-toting sentry snapped to attention and saluted.

"Yes sir!"

...

It took only a few minutes to smear the blood on himself, but over an hour to wash it off. The Old Soldier discovered it was quite the hassle and yet unavoidable.

He had hacked at his neck wildly, mangling the scales as if chewed by a dog. It would have been suspicious if there were no bloodstains at all!

At last, having scrubbed off the sticky blood, the sky was completely dark.

As he walked toward the camp, the Old Soldier organized his thoughts, considering how he would boast later.

Just then, a soldier clad in a black robe approached him.

"You’re the Pangolin."

The Old Soldier paused for a couple of seconds before responding.

"Yes... what’s up?"

The black-robed soldier continued.

"Come with me."

While the Old Soldier was puzzled, there was no use overthinking at this moment, so he followed the man.

Watching the soldier lead him away from the camp, towards the depths of the forest, the Old Soldier couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

That Coleway...

He wouldn’t be trying to keep the glory all to himself, would he?

Surely he wouldn’t be that despicable!

Lost in his thoughts, the flicker of campfires emerged ahead, revealing another camp beyond the tree line.

Unlike Fallen Leaf Camp, everyone here, whether on guard duty or patrolling, was a soldier wearing a black robe and heavy bulletproof armor.

Undoubtedly—

This was the base of the Army’s Space Marine Corps!

With a mix of shock and awe, the Battlefield Atmosphere Group followed the soldier forward, passing the guards at the entrance to the campsite and silently taking note of the defenses.

Soon the two reached the center of the camp, where an elevator stood waiting.

"Get on."

Upon hearing the soldier in the black cloak’s voice, the Old Soldier obediently stepped onto the elevator, his heart so excited that he mentally exclaimed holy sh*t.

What a big shot!

Was he being invited into the "Crystal Tower"?!

Before he had much time to contemplate, the elevator started.

Pulled by several iron chains, the platform slowly rose, inching closer to the towering steel fortress until it entered completely.

At the end of the elevator was a large hall, unbelievably spacious, with an overall arrangement similar to the U-shaped ports where submarines docked, and the several rolling shutter doors next to it were probably garages.

The Old Soldier looked around in amazement, wishing he could capture everything he saw and share his shock with netizens on the forum straight away.

Regretfully, he did not even have a VM, let alone a camera.

Two soldiers came over and searched him, patting him down thoroughly from head to toe before allowing him to pass through the airlock of the buffer room.

After going through several doors and corridors, he was led to a room laid with red carpet and opulently decorated.

There were quite a few people standing there.

And only one was seated.

That person’s identity was undoubtedly the one the legions’ soldiers referred to as the Captain of Iron Heart—General Mclen.

The Old Soldier stealthily sized him up.

The man appeared to be just over forty, with sharp facial features, a prominent nose bridge, a robust and imposing figure, and eyes like an eagle hunting chicks, still maintaining his physical fitness despite his high position.

He might well be an Awakener!

While the Old Soldier was discreetly observing the man seated in the chair, that man was also sizing him up.

With a hint of interest in his eyes, General Mclen spoke.

"Are you Pangolin?"

"Yes, sir."

The Battlefield Atmosphere Group gave a response while secretly thinking.

What if he pulled off an assassination like Jing Ke against King Qin and decapitated the man before him—would the expansion pack end before it even started?

But...

That would be somewhat difficult.

Although an Awakener himself, he certainly wasn’t faster than a bullet.

Within seven steps, guns were fast and accurate, not to mention that there were at least a dozen guns hidden here that could riddle him with bullets in a few seconds.

If only he had an exoskeleton...

General Mclen stared at the earnest, mute, and reticent native hunter before him and continued with interest.

"Tell me, how did you kill that monster."

"...Your artillery wounded it, I trapped it with a snare, gouged out its eyes, bled it, and then chopped off its head," responded the Battlefield Atmosphere Group in the clumsy language of United Human.

The narration was crude, but General Mclen hadn’t expected a barbarian from the wild lands to speak eloquently like a minstrel anyway.

Nodding approvingly, he said.

"Not bad, a true Warrior."

"From today, you are the first Centurion of the Retinue Army, and your men will be promoted to Centurions... You may go back later and tell them the good news."

Speaking indifferently, General Mclen then turned his attention to the side.

"Additionally, the rewards I mentioned."

As he finished speaking, a soldier walked in, holding an iron chain and leading 10 slaves.

Barefoot and wearing simple dresses, their hair colors, heights, and builds varied, with facial features that could pass for pretty.

Their exotic faces clearly did not belong to survivors from nearby but seemed more like those brought in by the legion from other places.

Like from the desert.

The Old Soldier was momentarily stunned, greatly shocked.

He had thought the game designers would reward him with 10 robust men, never expecting to be tested with such enticing bait.

Was this a cost-free experience?

General Mclen watched with satisfaction the bumpkin-like expression on the native’s face.

He didn’t mind if his subordinates were greedy or lustful; in fact, people with flaws were often easier to manage.

If somebody showed no interest in wealth or lust, he’d be suspicious of their ulterior motives.

After all, such a person could only be one of two types: either a saint completely detached from base desires or someone with ambitions far beyond ordinary mortals.

"I am a man of my word; they are yours."

Seeing Coleway signalling to him, the Old Soldier quickly bowed his head and responded robustly.

"Thank you, sir!"

The meeting lasted merely ten minutes.

Although General Mclen was intrigued by the native hunter who had slain the Claw of Death, this was just a small diversion on his military campaign.

If that native truly possessed the Talent for leading troops in battle, he wouldn’t mind promoting him to be the Leader of the Thousands of the Retinue Army.

After letting "Pangolin" leave, General Mclen turned to Coleway, his eyes showing a trace of appreciation.

"It seems not all natives here are wastes; occasionally, we see a capable individual or two."

"Unearth more of this kind of talent."

"We need to cultivate our own forces in the Southern River Province, and these individuals are good seedlings worth nurturing."

Coleway bowed his head and accepted the order respectfully.

"Yes!"

-

(Thank you to "Golden Legend Bear Shiny", "Rain Often Light", "Three Joys Twice Happy", "Peerless Little Swordsman", "Clear Mayfly", "Chen Ci Old Tune", "Evil is Also Cold" for their leader-tier rewards!!!)

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