This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 407: People Infected by Heroes

Chapter 407: Chapter 407: People Infected by Heroes

"Bro, the views just hit a million!!!"

In the real world, at a flat near the banks of Jiang City’s river,

Ye Jiu, wearing a breezy little T-shirt, had her legs propped up high, lounging in a reverse-leaning position on the soft living room sofa.

In her hands, she held the latest model long-life tablet, her face was filled with excitement, occasionally letting out a euphoric shout.

You wouldn’t guess from her lively demeanor that just a few hours ago, this girl had died.

About five hours earlier, her older brother had edited the combat footage into a 5-minute video clip and uploaded it to the Forum.

It included not only his perspective, but also those of other players in the group.

The smokescreen descending from the sky, the fire raining down, the entire clouds in the sky seemed to be ablaze. Especially from the first-person perspective facing the gunfire and barrage; the tracers freely crisscrossed, making one’s blood surge and heart pound just by watching.

Especially after the landing, the bombing of the front gun bays and the close-range "alley fight" inside the airship got her blood boiling.

Isn’t this way more intense than "Boruto"?

This five-minute video essentially became a recruiting ad for the Burning Corps, with the comment section below flooded with "big boss, take me with you" and "pleading for closed beta access."

If it weren’t for the short time she had been in the game and the slow upgrade pace of the game, plus the relatively high threshold to join the Burning Corps, she would have signed up in a heartbeat!

"Bro! If this was on B Site, you’d be famous by now!"

Ye Wei, who had just returned from picking up takeout, changed his shoes and casually responded to Jiujiu’s shouting.

"Posting it elsewhere runs a risk with moderation. Just let it sit on the Forum."

Sharing the joy of the game with the sand sculpture netizens on the Forum is routine for closed beta players. As for fame outside the game, Night Ten isn’t really interested.

Moreover, as Brother Fang Chang would say, it’s better to keep a low profile; stepping out typically invites various troubles.

Besides, this video isn’t suitable for wider distribution. Even with filters, it’s rated R, and wouldn’t pass moderation on other platforms.

Moreover, there seems to be a limit on coverage of "Wasteland OL" within the country. Though discussions in groups are largely unaffected, it’s nearly impossible to find related feeds on social media platforms like micro-blogging and short video media, and formal reports are nonexistent.

A hint of disappointment surfaced on Ye Jiu’s face.

"Eh, that’s too bad..."

"What’s there to regret, can views add to your attack power?" Ye Wei laughed as he set down the takeout on the table. "It’s almost six, I’m going online. I put the keys and some change in the shoe cabinet by the door. If you want to go out, remember to lock the door. If you buy snacks, pick up some for me too."

"It’s too hot, not going!"

As she spoke, Ye Jiu’s eyes suddenly darted around, she climbed off the sofa, hands propped on the backrest, and sneakily grinned.

"Speaking of which, bro."

Ye Wei looked at her with a resigned expression.

"What now."

Ye Jiu blinked and said,

"When you put on the helmet, you can’t feel anything happening outside, right?"

"Not necessarily. Any noise that can wake you from sleep can also pull you out of the game. But connecting is pretty fast," Ye Wei glanced at her, seeing the sneaky smile grow cautious, "Just to let you know, I always lock the door when I game."

"Darn! What about trust between people?" Ye Jiu complained loudly.

"Heh!"

Just kidding.

They were born of the same mother; how could he not guess her little schemes?

Ye Wei chuckled, though he would never mention the thought he’d once had about drawing a tortoise on her forehead.

He turned and went back to his room, shutting the door behind him and intentionally making the lock’s clicking sound loud.

Watching the firmly shut door, Ye Jiu rolled her eyes in exasperation and listlessly lay back on the sofa, continuing to watch the drama unfold on her tablet.

Time passed by seconds and minutes, and the sky outside the window grew darker.

Seeing that the number of closed beta players watering the Forum had halved, Ye Jiu suddenly felt an anxiousness, feeling uncomfortable no matter how she sat.

Finally unable to bear it, she reached for her helmet and put it on, but instead of a lush new world, all she saw was darkness devoid of light.

In that pitch-black center, a faint blue countdown appeared.

[Time remaining until resurrection: 57 hours, 23 minutes, and 11 seconds.]

Ye Jiu couldn’t help but clench her fist.

Darn it!

It had been so long since she died, yet there were still 57 hours left, the time passing so slowly!

Was this what Crow Boss meant by interrupting her reaction?!

Stupid game!

Such a long resurrection time was way too much!

Jiujiu, unable to sit still, felt a wave of gloom as she stared blankly into the blackness.

Suddenly, a strange thought emerged in her mind.

"Do people also experience this after death?"

In a pitch-black room, awaiting the resurrection countdown...

She took off the helmet, feeling the draft of cool air from the air conditioner, and stared at the helmet in her hands deep in thought for a long time before finally shaking her head in resignation.

The question was too profound.

Besides, it seemed a bit too early for her, having just graduated...

...

Waste World.

The dawn rose from where the sea met the sky, and Ideal City, located on the East Coast, finally greeted the first light of dawn on this wasteland.

At the same time, a video eerily similar to the one circulated on the "Wasteland OL" Forum also appeared in the streets and alleys of Ideal City.

A cafe with cyberpunk decor.

Several men in crisp suits sat in front of a holographic projection device, watching images projected within a pale blue cube and exclaiming in amazement from time to time.

"Shh..."

"...Almost three thousand people died in that battle, that’s just too tragic."

"Those people in black robes are from the Army, right?"

"Are those even humans? They’re like beasts..."

"Iron Heart, wasn’t that modified from an escort ship from the Human Alliance Era?"

"Exactly, and it was a poor modification..."

"Iron Heart appearing east of the Great Desert, the West Coasters really have some nerve, what are they up to?"

"Even more incredible is that the Waste Land Wanderers actually shot down that thing!"

Compared to the video made by Night Ten, the version edited by Xiao Qi focused more on the overall battlefield, capturing the whole battle from start to finish.

Since it was intended as a documentary rather than a game promotional CG, it not only highlighted the bravery of the various Army troops but also emphasized the savagery of the Army and the casualties suffered by the alliances.

And the hard-won victory!

A battlefield with tens of thousands of participants.

With over a thousand action cameras and Hummingbird drones on standby throughout, the footage available for editing was overwhelmingly abundant.

Considering the high tolerance for gruesome images among the wasteland’s people, the video only had a simple filter applied and was not censored.

As a result, the shock experienced by the citizens of Ideal City, along with the harsh reality of blood and brutality that confronted them, was not only more intense than that felt by the players on the forum but even surpassed that of many players who had fully participated in that battle...

As the survivor settlement closest to the pre-war era, the degree of information technology in Ideal City was the most advanced on the entire wasteland.

Local residents used clothes, glasses, wristbands, and various other smart wearable devices, and even bionic chips implanted in their cerebral cortex, all of which could serve as mediums for receiving information, connecting to a local network called "Endpoint Cloud."

This was a micro local area network, primarily serving the residents of Ideal City.

On the interconnected Endpoint Cloud, any news with "viral elements" could quickly spread to every corner of the city under the enhancement of algorithms.

Within just one morning rush hour, the Battle of Rui Valley City between the Alliance and the Army became the hottest topic in Ideal City.

The video was provided by a corporate friendly partner, allegedly uploaded privately by a liaison officer.

However, alternative rumors circulated that it was intentionally leaked by a senior executive within the company to pave the way for corporate intervention in the continental Central Region’s affairs.

Regardless of the speculation, it no longer mattered.

Now, the "Endpoint Cloud" was seething with outrage.

Although the residents of Ideal City despised war, nobody was against spending some money to teach those greedy wolves a lesson.

In corporate circles, whether or not the employees supported a decision did not affect the major shareholders’ choices, but propaganda and mobilization were still essential.

If an individual could be compared to a gear in a vast machine, then propaganda and mobilization were its lubricant.

Even without it, the machine could still operate, but the wear and tear and energy consumption would greatly increase the operating costs.

People needed to know where the bullets they produced were sent and who would wear the clothes and bandages they made.

In a just war, even a worker on the assembly line would screw the bolts faster.

Kang Mao Group Building, an office styled in understated luxury.

Kang Le, sitting at his desk, toyed with a wine glass he had gotten from an old friend, Luo Yong, while listening to his secretary’s report.

"...Endpoint Group will vote in favor of our Proposal No. 771, but in exchange, they want us to take on more responsibilities in aid."

"How much more exactly?"

"At least thirty percent."

Upon hearing the secretary’s answer, Kang Le just smiled faintly.

"Heh, they sure are greedy."

The secretary standing in front of his desk was not human but rather a bionic person produced by the Kang Le Group. Named Galaxy, model C-100, it was used as an office assistant and health consultant.

Although the entire Ideal City was discussing the western front’s battle situation, Kang Le was unconcerned about how the Waste Land Wanderers and the Army fared on the front lines, nor did he care about the fate of the crew aboard Pioneer.

That was a mess Silver Wing Group needed to worry about, and they should be the ones in over their heads.

Compared to that, he was more concerned about the Proposal No. 771 being pursued by Kang Mao Group—"Allowing Bionic Humans to Participate in Public Affairs."

Currently, the public utilities and construction development in Ideal City were within the scope of business of Ideal Group. The municipal system’s digital services, on the other hand, were provided by Endpoint Group, which specialized in manufacturing intelligent equipment and cloud services.

If bionic humans were allowed to participate in public affairs, it would mean that the Kang Mao Group, engaged in medical devices and bionic engineering, could carve out a slice of the business that originally belonged to Ideal Group and Endpoint Group.

Naturally, the shareholders of Endpoint Group and Ideal Group would not agree with this, especially the latter whose objections were particularly strong.

So much so that its shareholders even proclaimed at the board meeting, "Today we allow bionic people to participate in public affairs, tomorrow could we also be granting them citizenship rights?"—this kind of strong and unreasonable argument.

The progress in promoting Proposal No. 771 had not been smooth, and aside from the support from Kang Mao Group, the other four major competitors mostly held a reserved opinion.

However, recently there seemed to be a glimmer of change.

The exploration program of Silver Wing Group encountered setbacks, forcing the corporation into direct conflict with the Army, and thus had to make concessions on non-core interests in exchange for the support of Kang Mao Group in the reinforcement proposal.

Additionally, owing to the favor given to the arms dealers of Chang Ge Group, Kang Mao Group now held at least three votes. The previously almost impossible to pass Proposal No. 771 now no longer seemed uncertain.

Seeing that opposing it had become meaningless, Endpoint Group now came forward mentioning the affair of Proposal No. 771, apparently to curry favor on one hand and likely save some money on the other.

Standing in front of the desk, Galaxy spoke in a gentle human voice.

"...Actually, we don’t need to bother with them, we already have more than half of the votes, the passing of Proposal No. 771 is no longer uncertain."

Kang Le just smiled lightly.

"Though that’s true, isn’t a 4:1 resounding victory more gratifying than a close win of 3:2?"

Galaxy’s pupils flickered slightly, he analyzed and calculated for a few seconds, then spoke.

"If we secure four votes, I believe Ideal Group would probably abstain, and the final result wouldn’t be 4:1, but 4:0."

Hearing this, Kang Le laughed out loud.

Leaning back in his chair, he spoke contentedly.

"That’s interesting, the more you talk about it, the more I’m looking forward to seeing the frustrated faces of those old fossils."

Galaxy looked slightly puzzled at his boss.

"But, what purpose does this serve?"

"The meaning lies in showing our unity."

With corners of his mouth turning up slightly, Kang Le stood up from the chair, spiritedly continuing.

"Moreover, concerning Endpoint Group’s request, I don’t see it as a bad thing; on the contrary, it could be an opportunity for us... an opportunity to demonstrate our technological strength."

Looking at his facial expression, surprise flickered in Galaxy’s eyes.

"Are you planning to send bionic humans into combat?"

"Why not?"

Picking up the bottle on the desk, the man filled an empty wine glass with red wine.

Swirling the blood-like liquid gently, and looking at his reflection on the glass wall, a faint smile curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Having living people participate in war is far too barbaric, this is not the way of civilized people...we should have done this a long time ago."

Galaxy thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

"The correct judgment, according to the calculation results, this can reduce casualties by more than 74% and also presents the highest chance of victory... So, how many units do you plan to deploy? I will calculate the estimated cost based on the results."

"The specific aid plan is still under discussion, but we have already made a commitment to our allies to send the first wave of a forerunner team, including the first batch of reinforcements and supplies, within five days. Subsequent aid will arrive continuously over a month."

Pausing for a moment, Kang Le narrowed his pleasantly comfortable eyes, and continued speaking in a relaxed voice.

"West is No.0 Shelter, north is the Grand Canyon... The chairman of Chang Ge Group was right:我们应该在南部 River Valley Province增加our影响力. However, their plan to devour this piece of cake alone is a bit too greedy."

Galaxy nodded knowingly, softly suggesting.

"Based on your needs, apart from mass-produced bionic humans, I recommend deploying ’Frost,’ the A-130 model is our latest developed combat bionic human, equipped with an information processing chip that is compatible with a variety of weapons."

Turning his chair away from it, Kang Le casually said.

"That’s acceptable."

...

In comparison to the extremely affluent Ideal City, the standard of living for residents in Giant Stone City was undeniably much poorer, naturally, they couldn’t afford those high-end intelligent wearable devices, nor were there any network service providers.

However, although the medium for broadcasting information switched from holographic screens to paper, it didn’t affect people from experiencing the relentless bravery from the text.

And from it, they received almost the same impact and emotion.

Thanks to Hal’s writing skills, and thanks to the Alliance’s support for the news industry.

With the follow-up reports of the Survivor’s Daily, the feats of various armies of the Alliance were also spread throughout the streets, and those valiant.names became the heroes frequently mentioned by the people.

Especially that leap from a nearly kilometer-high sky.

Stories about the Burning Corps could be heard in pub endforeach day.

"It’s brutal..."

"I wouldn’t take such a dangerous job no matter how much money they offered!"

"There’s no choice, someone has to sacrifice; the firepower of Iron Heart was just too fierce! I heard people say that the Burning Corps had already suffered more than half casualties before they even landed, and if it weren’t for a plane that suddenly attacked, destroying the airship’s engine, they might have been wiped out before hitting the ground."

"That pilot’s name... did you hear about it?"

"I know, I’ve read the newspaper! It seems to be called... Laughing River?"

"The newspaper had his photo; he looked like a gentle and easygoing man."

"Ah..."

Although the war had ended two days ago, the discussion’s intensity hadn’t declined.

At a small roadside tavern, a few men with bare torsos sat around a table, drinking and lamenting the fierce battlefront conditions.

Thanks to those heroes.

They were able to sit here leisurely drinking watered-down beer after a day’s work, without having to worry about the floating steel fortress in the sky for tomorrow.

However—

Not everyone was enjoying the clear skies after the clouds had dispersed.

From that heated atmosphere, Dolly only felt suffocated.

Every word floating from people’s mouths, whether light or harsh and low, felt like salt on her wounds.

Like a burning iron.

Sitting in a corner of the tavern, she took a deep breath, left the chips and untouched glass on the table, and hastily escaped under the puzzled gaze of the owner.

The next day.

Survivor’s Daily newspaper office was bustling as usual.

Editors, who were busy writing and arranging pages, almost wanted to bury their heads in the mountains of paper.

As they had first-hand information from the front lines, all the subsidiary publications under the newspaper were selling out just like the main issue.

Despite the newspapers being printed daily, they still couldn’t satisfy people’s appetites.

Now it wasn’t just the residents of the outer city.

Even the noble lords of the inner city were eyeing their newspapers, even sending servants to the doorstep of the newspaper office just to know about the front line a second earlier than others.

And the current situation of the Iron Heart.

Hal also wanted to know how the Alliance planned to handle the Iron Heart seized from the Army, but the message sent from the Alliance Office in Stone City didn’t mention anything about the Iron Heart.

He didn’t even know if that airship was still operational.

That must be a secret within the Alliance, and Hal felt it awkward to inquire further.

Also, these two days, he had been trying to get news about Fang Chang, even asking Shu Yu, the head of the Alliance Office in Stone City.

Unfortunately, there was no news from Shu Yu either, who only mentioned he would inform him as soon as there was any.

As Hal was worrying, a letter suddenly floated onto his desk.

After glancing at the few lines on the envelope, his expression slightly froze, and he looked up at Dolly standing in front of the desk.

This was probably the first resignation letter he had received since taking office.

And it was from the newspaper’s "star reporter."

"You’re resigning?"

Dolly slowly nodded, her slightly hoarse voice breaking the silence.

"I plan to go... to the City of Dawn."

Hal knew why, but still tried to retain her.

"I’m trying to get the news for you... Can’t you wait patiently for a while?"

Dolly didn’t speak, but her face said it all.

Seeing that she had no intention of changing her mind, Hal sighed, put the resignation letter into the drawer, and said softly,

"I’ll keep this letter for you... We’ll decide when you come back. If you need travel money, I can advance you next month’s salary—"

"No need."

Dolly gently shook her head, beneath her swaying green short hair, a tear tracked down from the corner of her right eye.

Though not very noticeable, it was still heartbreaking to see.

The newspaper office was silent, not even the sound of flipping papers could be heard.

The editors here knew that young man from the shelter, an intelligent lad whose optimism and positivity influenced many and he was always helpful.

They had never imagined that one day he would become a part of the news material of the newspaper.

Only one survivor out of five hundred...

The odds were indeed too slim.

Watching the petite figure disappear through the door, a look of sorrow spread across Hal’s face, he sighed and pulled out the strong liquor from the drawer.

Although it wasn’t time to drink during the day, he still unscrewed the cap,

Muttering softly to himself in his mouth,

"War... this damned war."

He felt like writing a poem again.