This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 406 Preview of the New Expansion Pack and Communication from the East Coast

Chapter 406: Chapter 406 Preview of the New Expansion Pack and Communication from the East Coast

"I saw two infantry rushing over, and just before I knew it, I slid into a tackle. At the same time, I swung my claw and ’crack’ went their armor—split right down the middle into two pieces!"

Beside the bonfire,

sitting on the ground, the "Pick up trash 99 level" was vividly describing his heroic deeds on the battlefield. A group of second-hand recruits from the Death Legion sat around him, their eyes sparkling as they listened to him boast.

Although his exoskeleton hadn’t arrived yet, it didn’t seem to affect the Trash Older Brother’s ability to dominate with his nimble mouth and tongue.

"Damn!"

"Big Boss is awesome!"

"Awesome, awesome, Boss, can I ride next time too?"

Trash Older Brother casually stroked his nose with his claw, floating in his smugness.

"Next time for sure!"

Due to factors including his weight, body size, and the "hands and feet tied" debuff, Trash Older Brother didn’t participate in the airdrop; instead, he charged on the front lines with the Death Legion.

And he even served as a mount for Old Soldier Edge.

Although Trash Older Brother initially refused, seeing other Claws of Death obediently lying down, he too got curious about what it felt like to be ridden, so he gave in.

However, even though his body in the game was a lizard, his mind was still human, leading to a fighting style that remained very human-like and made him feel awkward in various ways as a mount.

For instance, even though a "forelimbs forward, tail raised" posture would suit his body, he couldn’t help but straighten up and curl his tail.

This made the person riding on his back quite uncomfortable, forced to lie flat like they were climbing a rock.

After listening to this guy’s boasting for a long time, Old Soldier Edge couldn’t help but complain.

"You, with your damn tackle, knocked me to the ground."

Debt Giant Eyes, sitting nearby, laughed teasingly.

"Why does Trash Older Brother always like to slide tackle?"

Elena replied in a joking tone,

"Maybe he’s envious of others’ crotches."

"Hahaha!"

Laughter erupted around them.

Trash Older Brother’s face turned red, though it wasn’t very noticeable.

"It’s just... that... wasn’t included in this setting. If it was, mine would definitely be bigger than yours!"

The young worker and Brick Eyes lit up.

"I believe that; I’ve seen it in mods for other games."

Debt Giant Eyes said, "Brother, let me borrow that line."

Awoken by the laughter, Nicole, who was napping on the ground, opened one eye and saw the noisy little figure, her nose letting out a "tsk" sound.

Too weak.

And not even armored.

She curled her robust tail and laid her head next to the exoskeleton that exuded a scent of blood, changing her position and going back to sleep.

Having had enough fun, Old Soldier Edge sighed,

"Ahh... I really should just ride my own mount. Apart from the riding experience feeling weird, the vibe is also strange. Although this guy’s a eunuch, underneath it all he’s still a man... This is the last time, brother. Next time, charge by yourself."

Trash Older Brother couldn’t help but burst out,

"You freaking! Who insisted on riding me?"

Laughter erupted again beside the fire.

Not far from another campfire,

Crow, who had been eavesdropping on those players, covered her stomach with laughter, and Teng Teng, sitting next to her, couldn’t help but curve her mouth, poking at the fire with a stick.

Dinner was beef stew with potatoes, both the beef and potatoes were army provisions captured from army camps.

The army and the Looters are different; they don’t eat people, at most they turn them into soap. The beef in the storage could be somewhat trusted.

This was guaranteed by Old Soldier, who got the meat by raiding double-headed cows from traders and folks nearby.

At that moment, Night Ten, holding a foam box, staggered over from the airship.

The Light Cavalry Exoskeleton had turned into bandages, and his current state made him look like a half-finished mummy.

It was a miracle he could walk without a cane.

"The Manager said we get an extra meal!"

"Manager’s food?!" Crow dusted off her hands, standing up with anticipation, "What is it, a duck?"

Often serving as a taste tester, no one knew better than her how many delicacies the Manager "hid."

"Hehe, ice cream! Seized from the airship!"

Night Ten opened the box, handed one to her, and glanced at Teng Teng, somewhat embarrassed, he gave her the biggest one.

"Thanks."

Though she effortlessly took it, there wasn’t the slightest hint of discomfort from her.

Although she’s only five feet in the game, she’s definitely not that in reality.

Night Ten, struggling to find a topic, blurted out,

"That... where’s my sister? The one named Jiujiu."

Teng Teng took a moment to consider how to describe her, but before she could start, Crow unguardedly blurted out,

"Dead... Ah, it was too sudden. I just sensed something was wrong when a rocket launcher whizzed past, and the whole wall blew up... and then, she was shattered too."

Nibbling her ice cream, Teng Teng rubbed her temple with a headache and mumbled a bit indecipherably,

"...you didn’t have to describe it in such detail to the family."

Night Ten was indeed taken aback, but he wasn’t too sad, just a bit embarrassed as he waved his hands.

"No worries, no worries. Looks like taking care of that little girl... caused you some trouble."

"Not at all. She’s actually very capable and brave. You should trust her more. And since she managed to get a closed beta slot, she must be at least 18 years old. You shouldn’t always treat her like a child."

Although Teng Teng spoke teasingly, she couldn’t help but lecture a bit more.

But Night Ten didn’t find it nagging. He just scratched his head, looking more like a student being punished, nothing like his usual demeanor.

Realizing she was lecturing again, Teng Teng caught herself and shifted the conversation.

"Speaking of which, where’s Old White? Haven’t seen them anywhere."

Night Ten sighed and made a helpless gesture.

"Dead."

Both Teng Teng and Crow involuntarily gasped.

"Dead?"

"Old White... I remember he’s supposed to be professional, right?"

In this game, players of any profession exist, but no one hangs it on their lips and emphasizes it daily. She just vaguely remembered hearing someone say that Old White had been a soldier.

Though he had already switched careers.

"Hey... anyone playing this game for a few months can hardly be called an amateur."

Night Ten smiled helplessly and sat down next to the campfire.

"And don’t underestimate the other side... those soldiers in black robes aren’t weak, whether it’s their equipment, training, or physique. Fighting them is somewhat tricky."

In peacetime, even with maximum training time, it was impossible to wake up to the sight of death hanging over one’s head like in this game.

He remembered Old White telling him not to put too much faith in so-called professionalism and not to be overconfident about it. After all, professionalism is a relative concept, not an absolute one.

A non-swimmer thrown into a wild river who flaps around a few times and survives without being washed away or eaten by fish can also count as a swimmer.

Even a professionally trained swimmer wouldn’t brazenly claim that no river could kill them.

Surviving such a deadly battle was a bragging right, but dying in one was no surprise.

Night Ten felt it was a surprise that he had survived.

Perception-type Awakeners, when enhanced to the Third Order of Sequence—after the Second Awakening, often had combat power inferior to those of the Strength, Agility, and Constitution types.

Especially at extreme firefight distances where there’s no time to prepare, just like Crow said, high perception could predict danger but it didn’t mean she could avoid it.

Before parachuting, Night Ten hadn’t thought he would come down from that airship alive, since his specialty was mid-to-long-range sniping.

The people sitting around the campfire talked about what happened during the fight, lamenting how things could have been better so their teammate wouldn’t have died.

However, no one was too upset about it.

Since revival was possible, death was not a taboo topic for the players. After all, they could see each other again three days later, maybe even sooner.

Of course...

Everyone tacitly avoided the topic of NPCs.

War definitely had casualties.

Different from them.

Those people, once dead, truly wouldn’t appear again...

Squatting next to a foam box Night Ten had brought over, Debt Giant Eye dangled a popsicle in his mouth, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"Fuck, this thing is actually pretty good! Can I have another?"

Night Ten gestured dismissively.

"Scram, scram, scram, just order some takeout offline, this is a trophy, one per person! I have to distribute to others too."

Brother Quanshui, also standing and biting into a popsicle, couldn’t help but lament.

"Damn, even popsicles, fuck, these big-nosed guys live too damn well..."

The construction site youth with a brick chuckled.

"What’s the big deal, it’s ours now, isn’t it?"

...

The night gradually deepened.

Apart from players assigned patrol duties, those settled in at the camp began logging off one after another.

And as these offline players took the news of the battle back to another world, the forum was as lively as a festival.

The settlement of battle rewards would be delayed until the spoils were tallied, but bringing down such an airship would surely be a substantial sum.

Manager’s rewards never disappointed them.

They just hoped that when the flood of rewards came, the silver coins wouldn’t plummet too harshly.

Although the rewards hadn’t arrived yet, the scores for the battle were already in.

The highest group score went to the Burning Corps.

Whether it was destroying the ammunition depot or capturing the 400mm main cannon, they played a decisive role in the battle; and as the enemy completely lost their long-range firepower, the Alliance’s rocket artillery could finally deliver a steady output till the end.

The best pilot was Falling Feather.

Whether it was the difficulty of flying or the mission’s difficulty, his performance in the battle was witnessed by all players.

Especially that last extreme deceleration Cobra maneuver - not only did it amaze the players, but it even left the enemy and ally NPCs stunned.

Of course, this included the transport plane pilots like the Pigman Brothers, who were equally excellent. Without their smoky rapid advances providing cover, the Burning Corps’ airborne forces would not only have suffered over fifty percent casualties, but also would have had a hard time even getting twenty percent of their troops safely to the ground.

As for the best commander, there was no suspense.

While drafting a detailed battle plan, he managed to command both the air and ground, maximizing the efficiency of the support artillery. Naturally, the honor went to Commander Spring Water.

Due to the battle involving over ten thousand participants, each performing different tasks and fighting at various battle positions, the Game Official no longer set an "MVP for the whole field."

Instead, each corps selected their own MVP, based on the players’ performances in regional battles and task completion efficiency, to decide who would get additional reward bonuses.

This was similar to the previous battle at Pine Forest Gorge.

For the mixed thousand teams and NPC legions’ MVPs, the Game Official decided based on scores.

Tail: "Oh! Finally finished, it was so tough! Though I didn’t get the MVP, it was still nice! (*´ﾟ∀ﾟ｀)ﾉ"

Meat Mountain Big Steamed Bun: "It was tough for me, okay! QAQ"

Si Si: "Oh, Meat Meat, you worked hard, carrying Ah Wei that far. Next time, remember not to run so fast; we couldn’t keep up."

Sesame Paste: "Hahaha... Meat Meat seemed terrified, but he’s doing much better than before."

Since the corps leader served as the chief commander and couldn’t take care of the frontline, the best fighter from the Old Soldiers had gone "pangolin", so the Storm Corps’ role on the battlefield became more of a guard unit, hence they weren’t as prominent as the other corps.

However, their accomplishments were also remarkable.

Of course, the most outstanding performance undoubtedly came from the Burning Corps.

With less than two hundred men landing safely, facing an enemy ten times their size and familiar with the terrain, achieving nearly a 1:3 casualty rate was brutally effective.

Especially fighting to the last man.

Their high morale and combat spirit completely baffled the enemy and allowed the Jungle Corps to rapidly assault the lower cabins of the airships.

After seeing the official battle reports and the battle footage uploaded by Night Ten, the mindless spectators on the forums shouted praises, declaring it more thrilling than a Hollywood blockbuster!

Of course, quarreling was inevitable.

Lord Arrogant Brother: "500 people only killed 751? Heh, and they dare call themselves elite? My uncle was on a mission in the Golden Triangle, just four people in his squad wiped out an entire village! Killed close to a thousand. It left Southeast Asia trembling, and later, with unclaimed bodies, no one spoke of it again; those who know, know."

Night Ten: "Is your uncle Iron Man or Batman? (joking)"

Elena: "Good thing your uncle went to the Golden Triangle and not the Wa State; not even special forces would survive, the Buddha would be missing a relic. (joking)"

Gnome King Riches: "Mike Tyson would have ended up as a Teddy there. (joking)"

There Are Indeed Mosquitoes: "Brother Guang, please, just give the Proud Brothers a chance, they’ve been on the waiting list for a year now! T.T"

Old White: "What do you want to do with our favorite on this forum? (sideways smile)"

Wild Wind: "Brother Guang says: Little kids shouldn’t play this game, wait a bit longer."

Quit smoking: "Hahahahaha."

The forum was filled with a cheery atmosphere, but alas, Proud Brothers was still the same as before, showing off and then running away, never giving anyone a chance to retort.

Fang Chang, "Speaking of which, Old White, what happened to you?"

Old White, "Isn’t it normal? It’s just a shame about the gear, sigh... huge losses."

Edge Shoveling, "What’s there to fear, Army gear is kept in the Alliance’s reserve, separate from personal gear. (grinning)"

Wild Wind, "That might be true, but whether there are reserves is another matter. (glancing sideways)"

Edge Shoveling, "Uh, yeah, seems like it. Your exoskeletons aren’t cheap."

Fang Chang, "It’s not even about money anymore, it’s all about the refresh chance and fate. Speaking of which, Old White, did your contribution break ten thousand?"

Old White, "Yeah, it should have after this battle."

Spring Water Commander, "Awesome! Bro, let me touch that Dragon Cavalry when you get it."

Old White, "What’s so rare about that, it’s not even original gear, just a battle-damaged version; I think it might not even be as useful as the exoskeleton."

Edge Shoveling, "Damn! Don’t give it to me!"

Night Ten, "That’s too mundane!"

Old White didn’t think he was bragging Versailles-style.

If it were really useful, would the Manager go without wearing it?

The other players also had an idea, but still, it was the first full power armor server-wide and they couldn’t help but feel envious and genuinely impressed.

The systems for Contribution Points and Silver Coins are entirely different.

At smaller base values, the Contribution Points rewarded by missions could be more than the Silver Coin awards, but as levels increase, although the Silver Coins rewarded by missions rise, the Contribution Points hardly increase.

Rewards over four digits in Contribution Points are usually only available in wars or upon discovering special relics.

One hundred thousand Contribution Points—that’s a six-digit number.

Even for someone who had played from the server launch until now, that was pretty amazing.

Such honor was even more dazzling than a medal.

A true hero of the Alliance.

As the players were discussing, Ah Guang, the planner’s ID and post suddenly popped up on the forum.

And it was highlighted and pinned on the homepage.

Ah Guang, "Thanks everyone for the support of the expansion pack event! Our server has safely passed the most dangerous moment, and the triumph celebration and award ceremony prepared for the warriors will be held in 5 days! At the same time, the new expansion pack ’Endless Sand’ will also be launched, please look forward to it! (grinning)"

"Additionally, to commemorate yet another victory of our alliance and the server’s first ten thousand-man battle, the ’Wasteland OL’ operational team unanimously decided to erect a monument beside the Fallen Leaf Camp near Falling Leaf Ridge!"

"Until the end of the operation, any player who died in action may leave their name on the memorial."

"However, considering the realism of the Game and to care for other players’ immersion, there will be restrictions on the length and format of the names on the monument; special characters, emojis, and numbers are not allowed. This name will be recorded as a ’Memorial Title’ and won’t be usable as a game nickname anymore."

"Moreover, you cannot write other players’ nicknames on the monument, and if you use your own nickname, you renounce that nickname."

"The battle reward settlement will be completed within a day, and the points raffle event will celebrate in 5 days."

"Let’s toast to victory! Although drinking in broad daylight doesn’t quite seem right. (laugh)"

After the post was made.

The comments section below instantly boiled over.

A monument!

And it’s going to be in the new player village that’s yet to be publicly tested?!

Sounds...

Rather interesting!

Quit Smoking, "Wait, what does ’not usable as a game nickname anymore’ mean?"

Canyon Fleeing Mole, "It means if you use your real name on the wall, you can’t use that game name anymore, and no other new players can register that nickname, it’s basically a dead name."

Fang Chang, "Got it! It’s a rename card! And it’s a Golden Legend! (amused)"

Quit Smoking, "What what what?"

Fang Chang, "Literally! If you leave your name on the wall, you’d have to pick a new one for yourself, right? You can’t say you’re on the wall but still alive, can you?"

Debt Giant Eye, "Damn, that’s possible?!"

Tail, "Wow!!! That sounds fun, can I use my real name?

Fang Chang, "Uh, although I don’t recommend exposing your privacy in the game, there are so many people with the same name in real life, and it’s not like it’s your social security number, so it probably doesn’t matter."

Construction Boy and Brick, "Just asking, is it too late to die now? T.T"

Old White, "Forget it, wait for next time. Besides, I think dying hardly gives you a chance to get on the wall. (grinning)"

Quit Smoking, "Awesome!! The game actually introduced a name change card!"

Pick Up Trash 99 Level, "Decided, my name will be Wu X Zu."

Night Ten, "Dude! Aren’t you afraid of being sued for infringement! (amused)"

Everyone was discussing the monument.

Since the game’s launch, people had been suggesting a nickname changing feature, though it was never implemented by the administrators.

Now that feature was available, but it seemed no one really wanted to change their nickname.

Although many nicknames were chosen for a bit of fun, like "Makabazi" and "Don’t Bullshit Me," they still carried some sentimental value after being used for a while.

With Xiao Qi’s help, Chu Guang quickly compiled the list everyone submitted.

However, upon seeing the list, his eyebrows couldn’t help but twitch repeatedly.

Li Lei, Han Meimei... these were relatively normal.

Using celebrity names might involve personal rights issues, but since a different world isn’t governed by Earth’s laws, turning a blind eye to it wasn’t too bad.

As for names like Old Six, Old Eight, and weird ones like Ultraman or Ollie, those were a bit too much, prompting Chu Guang to have Xiao Qi stamp them as "Failing Review" and send them back for those jokers to rewrite.

Busy well into the late night.

Chu Guang finally came up with a more detailed list.

2,934 "fallen" residents of the refuge, including their life stories, brave performances in battle, and cause of death.

This list would serve as news material to be published in the ’Survivor Daily’, ’City of Dawn Daily’, and other media under the Alliance’s flag, and edited for broadcast on stations like ’Voice of the Alliance.’

At the same time, this was also the proof the Alliance would offer neighbors and allies when asking for compensation.

Chu Guang thought that Giant Stone City might not be willing to pay up easily.

But considering long-term benefits, businesses on the East Coast would still likely contribute something.

After all, having an ally who could "really step up when needed" and "win after stepping up" was something one would surely want to reciprocate.

It couldn’t let people lose heart.

Besides the players, three thousand-man teams composed of mercenaries, the First Army Corps, and the Guards Corps also suffered significant casualties.

Especially the artillery squadron of the First Army Corps.

The alliance had deployed 30, 100mm cannons on the eastern artillery positions, and almost all were annihilated, with the artillery regiment reducing its personnel by sixty percent.

The loss of the equipment was regrettable, though many had been seized from the Chewing Bone Tribe.

What pained Chu Guang the most were the soldiers who had perished, many of whom had been with him for a long time; some were even promoted from the original guard corps.

However, in this world, there is never a perfect solution.

War has always been like this.

Were it not for the "Morphogenesis Field" technology within Shelter No. 404 that could project a player’s consciousness into a new body, even an exhilarating victory would be overshadowed by the heavy casualties...

...

While Chu Guang was tallying the casualties, the captured army engineers were working under the lights on the airship’s wings, using cranes to lift the broken wings and insert them into the reinforced joints.

These repairs were only seen as emergency measures; the durability of the refurbished wings certainly couldn’t compare to new ones.

However, replacing the entire wings would have to wait until returning to City of Dawn.

The army’s engineers had promised Chu Guang that they would fix it within five days, at least making the airship operational and ensuring a cruising speed of 20 knots.

A cruising speed of 20 knots meant a five-hour journey back to City of Dawn.

If repaired within five days, catching up with the triumph celebration in five days’ time wouldn’t be difficult.

Chu Guang intended to ride the airship back.

As for other players, they could freely decide whether to take the airship, travel alone, or find someone to accompany them.

Outside the bridge’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

The night-shrouded ground was left with only occasional lights, the distant horizon already faintly tinged with a gray outline.

Without realizing it, they had busied through the entire night, and it was almost dawn outside.

Sitting next to a control terminal, Chu Guang stifled his fatigue and yawned as he connected a VM under Xiao Qi’s guidance.

"Can you control it?"

The voice of Xiao Qi came from within the VM.

"Woo woo... sorry, Master. The level of electronic integration here is too low, I can only connect to the radar and shield systems. I am able to adjust the power output of the energy system, but it seems that shifting gears needs to be done manually..."

Though it was an expected issue, Chu Guang still sighed.

"It’s okay, just connect to the radar and shields for now."

Xiao Qi energetically replied, "Okay!"

Once the systems were connected,

Chu Guang quickly checked the "Steel Heart’s" radar and discovered it was much more advanced than he had imagined.

As a mobile radar station, its detection limit could reach 1200 kilometers, although at that distance, the signal was already very fuzzy, good only for detecting larger targets while small aircraft would be of no effect.

However, for the Wasteland, this was already impressive.

Accompanying the shift of the monsoon, naturally ionized clouds formed massive clutter to swamp the radar signals.

Radiation, while not the primary threat nor the main cause of the Wasteland, did not mean its impact on the planet was nonexistent.

Besides the environmental effects themselves, other factors, such as out-of-control satellites in low orbit and jamming devices, reduced the "effective detection radius" of the Steel Heart’s radar to only 100-150 kilometers.

To further improve this figure wouldn’t be too difficult, one would simply need to convert a gun bay into a "radar array."

However, the necessity of such a move seemed minimal.

Most survivor forces on the Wasteland, lacking not just beyond-visual-range strike capability but even aircraft as well, the Steel Heart only needed to be wary of some unexpected black technologies.

While Chu Guang was interestedly fiddling with the radar, Xiao Qi’s voice suddenly came again from the VM.

"Master, the airship’s communication system has received an unidentified communication request, coming from the due east ... Shall I connect?"

The east?

Chu Guang paused for a moment, then his heart immediately leapt as he said,

"Connect immediately!"

Communication connected.

Accompanied by the noisy sounds of electricity, intermittent conversation sounds came from the other end of the communication channel.

The quality of the signal on the opposite side was quite poor, and it was unclear what was being used as the signal node, but Chu Guang still managed to make out the words.

"...This is Enterprise."

"If you have any respect left for the ancient covenants, immediately cease the invasion against our allies and release the Pioneer and its crew. Otherwise, this will be regarded as a declaration of war, and we will respond mercilessly with war."

Ancient covenants?

Chu Guang slightly furrowed his brows, the diplomatic phrasing hinting at something unusual.

It seemed that something he was unaware of had transpired two centuries ago.

However, that was not the main point.

When he heard the latter part of the sentence, despite his seriousness, his tightly locked brows couldn’t help but show a hint of amusement.

Regarded as a declaration of war?

They were already nearly blinded with rage, how could that not be considered formal combat?

Yet, it was unexpected that the magnates of the East Coast would refer to themselves as allies.

There had been no alliance, strictly speaking, the coalition led by Shelter No. 404 was merely Enterprise’s permanent partner.

Regardless of the reason, at least in the face of the army’s threat, they indeed regarded themselves as allies on the same front, deterring the army.

Even if just verbally.

Chu Guang, looking at the screen featuring Xiao Qi, asked,

"Can we respond to their signal?"

Xiao Qi considerately said,

"Yes, you can, Master. Just speak directly, and I’ll record it and send it for you!"

Watching the signal light brighten on the upper left corner of the tablet, Chu Guang cleared his throat and began with a solemn and clear voice.

"...This is the Alliance; you are one step too late."

"To prevent further escalation of the conflict, we were compelled to launch a preemptive attack, and the airship has been captured by us."

Only the sizzling of electricity remained on the other side of the communication channel.

It was unclear whether they were confused or had not heard.

Chu Guang glanced at the screen and, seeing that Xiao Qi had popped up an emoticon doing an okay gesture, knew that the other side had probably heard.

After a moment of brewing emotions, he continued with a slightly heavy tone.

"However, we paid a heavy price for this, with thousands of lives lost."

"Even if not for us, who were unwillingly drawn into this conflict, not for the survivors from Falling Leaves and River Valley provinces—"

"If you can hear our voices, now while you still can, please send reinforcements immediately!"