This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 474: Rescue and Fall

Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Rescue and Fall

The engines on either side of the wings emitted a pale blue arc light, gently lifting the massive "Tiger Whale" transport aircraft into the sky.

Under the envious gazes of many players, the transport aircraft switched to horizontal flight mode and sped off toward the north.

"Damn, once I have money, I’ll get one too," Outlaw Maniac enviously glanced at the departing meteor and headed off with his tricycle.

A thousand team under the First Army Corps took over Camp No.330, guarding those surrendered prisoners of war.

As the main force of the Alliance’s assault, they soon followed the Honey Badger Kingdom’s restoration army, continuing their march into the heart of Oasis No.3.

On the other side, atop No. 330 high ground.

Wu Kai’an, a reporter from To Distant Report, was walking across the messy battlefield, accompanied by a resident of the Alliance named "Sniper Bai."

Though the battlefield had been superficially cleaned, with bodies and severed limbs buried in the trenches, there were still massive amounts of unprocessed debris scattered about.

Such as bloody sandbags and the sand sticky with plasma...

Due to the high temperature and the scorching sun, the air was permeated with an unescapable stench of blood, occasionally stepping on dead people’s arms and legs.

Wu Kai’an swallowed his saliva.

He had followed corporate assault teams deep into mutant camps before and seen plenty of bizarre, bloody sights, but they all seemed pale in comparison to this.

This was a real battlefield...

"This is..."

Sniper Bai explained with a smile.

"No. 330 high ground, previously stationed here was a thousand team of an army corps and a hundred-person air defense team. The battle here was fierce; gunshots lasted all night long, and by dawn, the Death Legion’s three thousand brothers finally took over."

From that seemingly casual remark, Wu Kai’an sensed a hint of gravity and silently nodded.

Three thousand people fighting over a thousand, battling all night to gain control, and these three thousand were supposedly frontline units of the Alliance.

It looked like this army was tougher than anticipated...

"Speaking of which, didn’t the Council support you all with high-tech equipment? The flapping machine, the ’Seagull’ drones, ’Hellhound’ unmanned vehicles... why didn’t you use them?"

"Too few in number and too expensive," Sniper Bai made a helpless expression, "The Council’s support for us only totaled two billion Cr."

"Only two billion?! Isn’t two billion enough?" Wu Kai’an stared at the soldier, shocked.

His own monthly salary was just over ten thousand.

And that included attendance bonuses and reimbursements for various expenses.

"How could that be enough, it’s not just one person spending," Sniper Bai shook his head, "Let me do the math for you, fixing one kilometer of road costs about a hundred thousand, and a tactical missile is about the same; it’s like one missile fired, one road gone."

Wu Kai’an was dumbfounded.

"That... doesn’t sound like a lot."

Sniper Bai continued.

"Ammunitions are just one aspect; war expenditure isn’t just buying munitions. Not to mention upgrading tractor production lines – a real money pit – there’s also things like the soldiers’ food, drink, waste, fuel, and energy consumption... those are direct costs."

Wu Kai’an swallowed his saliva.

"Are there indirect costs too?"

"Of course!" Sniper Bai said matter-of-factly, "The Alliance has only about a hundred thousand people in total; ten percent of the population is mobilized to the frontline, jobs in the rear are hard to fill quickly, right? Things we can’t produce must be imported. Ah... our Manager is too concerned with appearances, hasn’t even felt comfortable telling you guys that we’re almost too poor to eat; managing the food for these prisoners too, headache."

As he spoke, this playful player started to believe his own words, incessantly shaking his head.

Listening, Wu Kai’an felt troubled, nodding.

"...Uh, I’ll relay your circumstances in the interview."

This was indeed a topic worth exploring.

But on second thought...

How did an ordinary soldier know so much?

He always had a feeling of being manipulated.

"Yeah, thanks." Watching "Mission Completed" pop up on his VM, Sniper Bai’s face broke into a pleased smile, appropriately ending this "heavy" conversation.

Good thing Awakening gave him some Intelligence attributes.

Memorizing these lines had exhausted him.

First mission accomplished.

One last task left from the Manager.

On their way to the small, dark room where Sorate was held, Sniper Bai deliberately took a detour, leading the journalist from Ideal City through a mountain hollow.

Looking down at the swarming crowd below, Wu Kai’an’s face showed surprise, just as he was about to ask about their identity, Sniper Bai, acting as a "guide," continued.

"Those are clones... The Army produced them through cloning technology; they age eight times faster than normal humans."

Wu Kai’an looked at him and asked.

"What do you plan to do with them?"

Sniper Bai answered smoothly.

"Usually, Survivor Settlements catch them and bury them right away; they can’t work and tend to fight, just a pure waste of food. But the Manager said, they are just a group of pitiful people used by others... so he’ll probably keep them if conditions allow."

Wu Kai’an nodded.

"Can I take a photo?"

Sniper Bai nodded promptly.

"Sure, go ahead."

The drone flew over the hollow, took several pictures of these clones, then returned to Wu Kai’an’s side.

For the rest of the journey, Wu Kai’an didn’t speak again but fell into deep thought.

Walking beside him, Sniper Bai also kept quiet, as his mission had just been completed...

...

Inside the pitch-black barracks.

Listening to the footsteps at the door and the sliver of light leaking through the gap, Sorate slowly raised his head.

A strange man stood at the doorway.

The reason he was considered strange was that, from his attire to his demeanor, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a soldier about him.

A flicker of confusion appeared in Sorate’s eyes as he furrowed his brow and said,

"Is there something you need?"

"Hello, my name is Wu Kai’an, a reporter from ’To Distant Report.’" Wu Kai’an skillfully introduced himself and sat down on the chair opposite Sorate with a smile.

Sorate glanced at the drone behind him.

"’To Distant Report’... what is that?"

Wu Kai’an replied with a smile,

"It’s a media outlet in Ideal City, with a history of two hundred years. Besides the paper newspaper, we also operate our own client and even a virtual space on Endpoint Cloud, serving as one of the windows through which residents of Ideal City learn about the world outside..."

"Oh."

It sounded similar to the ’Triumph Newspaper’.

Sorate suddenly seemed to think of something, and then he smirked coldly.

"Are you here to mock me?"

Wu Kai’an explained with a chuckle,

"Why would we? We’re just one of the participants in the war, wanting to understand your perspective on this war and your opinion of your opponents as an enemy."

Sorate leaned back in his chair and said coldly,

"I don’t have any opinions."

As a professional journalist who had traveled nearly ten thousand kilometers to be there, Wu Kai’an certainly wasn’t going to give up just because of that response.

Detecting a hint of resentment behind those eyes, he continued in a gently probing tone,

"Don’t you feel even a bit of resentment?"

Perhaps because his words struck a nerve, they had a better effect than expected.

Leaning back in his chair, Sorate snorted through his nose and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Resentment... Heh, indeed I’m resentful. I should never have believed all that nonsense spouted by Griffin."

"So, you believe that the reason for your failure was a misstep in command?" Wu Kai’an, fixing his gaze on Sorate’s eyes, asked intently.

"One aspect, yes," Sorate responded dryly.

"And the other aspect? Because of the weapons supplied by corporations to the Alliance?" Wu Kai’an asked eagerly, his interest unabashedly evident.

However, upon hearing his words, Sorate didn’t erupt in anger like McCullen; instead, he cracked a self-mocking smile.

"You mean those weapons? Heh, maybe they were somewhat useful... but what defeated me were not merely weapons."

This response took Wu Kai’an by surprise.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he continued,

"Then... what do you think it was?"

"What? It was the infantry who dared to abandon their supply wagons to march twelve hours, crossing a hundred and fifty kilometers of mountainous terrain off-road, and still boldly assault the high ground without any artillery support. It was the paratroopers who, lacking air supremacy, reinforcements, or even clear knowledge of the ground troop deployments, still dared to leap forward... Those insane individuals were tough to handle. Had I known they were this formidable, I would surely have deployed differently."

Sorate cursed under his breath.

However, his wary eyes couldn’t help revealing a trace of admiration.

Those guys were truly tough people.

Not just in terms of ability, but the entire troop, from the soldiers to the officers, had tapped into their potential to the utmost.

Their will to fight had reached a level of unity, ready to pay any price for victory, achieving feats in both tactics and strategy that were nearly miraculous for humans.

Sorate was well aware that he had not lost because of command, nor did he lose to any Awakeners or power armor. Those things were indeed strong but not invincible, similar to their much-lauded Conqueror tanks.

Both he and Griffin had made the correct decisions based on the intelligence at the time, considering even the possibility that plans might not achieve expected results.

Even if he were to do it all over again, he might not be able to do any better.

His real grievance against Griffin and the now-deceased McCullen was the lies they had spread in the ’Triumph Newspaper’.

There were no bounteous military glories and treasures everywhere here; their adversaries were not a tribe of natives easily slaughtered, but a true warrior race, shedding blood needlessly for a never-ending war.

Many promising young men had perished, including his protege Simond and the air defense team’s Yote...

He should never have brought them here!

A hint of disappointment surfaced in Wu Kai’an’s eyes.

He hadn’t heard the parts he wanted to.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Before coming here, he had captured enough impactful photos and gathered more newsworthy material.

Instead of their allies’ bravery, strength, and their own might during the war, residents of Ideal City were more inclined to understand their tragic heroism, their sacrifices, and other empathetic aspects, followed by the cultural phenomena born amidst the ruins that were novel and harmless.

As for the image of the beacon of civilization, "Big Brother," or the head of the family, that honor should belong to the Supreme Council.

Having been in the media for so many years, he understood his audience better than anyone. Most people’s demand for information essentially wasn’t about actual data, but about the satisfaction it provided. As a competent media professional, he ought to show his clients what they wanted to see.

Wu Kai’an silently made a decision in his heart to appropriately shorten the segment about Sorate in the interview...

"Thank you for your cooperation... Is there anything else you would like to add?" Wu Kai’an, having lost interest in this prisoner of war, gave a simple sign-off with his statement.

Sorate replied with a cold smile,

"I haven’t cooperated with you... By the way, if you hear any news about truce negotiations, could you please let me know?"

Wu Kai’an thought for a moment and said,

"There’s no news about that yet... However, the Alliance diplomats have reportedly promised on other Ideal City media outlets that they will end the war by the end of the year."

By the end of the year, huh?

Sorate was slightly startled.

Although he did not agree in his heart, he still slowly nodded to indicate his understanding.

This sounded like bragging...

However, it was also possible that the Alliance no longer wanted to continue the fight.

Either way, it was good news for him.

If things went quickly, he could return to his manor by the Sorate River before next spring...

...

In the northern part of Luo Xia Province, in the wilderness north of the mountains.

A few vultures were tearing at the corpse of a mutated hyena when they suddenly heard a noise along the ground and alertly flew towards the sky.

Shortly after, a heavy tracked vehicle wide enough to occupy two lanes appeared from behind the misty wilderness.

The swamp soil hanging on the tracks revealed its origin.

The man sitting in the co-driver’s seat stared at the tablet in his hands, wearing a yellow-gray camouflage jacket, sporting a very short crew cut, and his unkempt chin was covered with stubble; a scar the length of an index finger marked his right cheek.

If not for the badge on his chest that read "Class D explorer," no one would think he was from the academy, and might instead mistake him for a mercenary active in this area.

However, this was not exactly a misunderstanding.

Although he was an academy recruit, he did not spend much time in the academy during the year.

Like other unfortunate Class D explorers, he and his "Beacon" squad were almost always either exploring relics or on the way to relics.

His name was Zheng Hao, belonging to the academy’s Investigation Department containment plan group, serving as an explorer and combatant as the badge indicated.

More than twenty of his squad members were on this vehicle, half were bionics, and the other half were bionic people with over 50% bionic modifications.

"Boss, how much longer?" asked a young man looking out the window from his seat behind him, idly.

His name was Zhao Xiao, an E-level explorer from the containment plan group.

They were originally exploring a biological research facility from the Human Alliance Era, seventy kilometers away, when they suddenly received a command from their superiors to head to the wilderness beyond the swamp and retrieve a special research material from the map coordinates.

The photo provided by the superiors was of a propeller-driven plane, a model from the Falcon Kingdom known as the "Eagle Type" fighter.

Honestly, he had no interest in that old relic; he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the orders from up above.

"It’s just ahead." Sitting in the co-driver’s seat, Zheng Hao replied tersely, not really wanting to engage the energetic young man.

Compared to the E-level personnel, he knew a bit more about the situation.

According to a colleague from the External Affairs Department, on their way to Luo Xia Province, they discovered a mucosal entity of mutated slime fungus inside the cockpit of a crashed "Eagle Type" fighter.

It was well known that mucosal entities couldn’t exist in isolation; there was bound to be a mobile parent body or lair nearby.

Retrieving the propeller-driven plane was only part of the mission.

Their real task was to search for that bizarre parent body.

According to the researcher who reported the situation, it might be a lifeform they had not encountered before, and a deeper investigation could lead to a significant discovery.

Just then, a faint blue arc flashed across the distant sky, and Zheng Hao suddenly raised his head, squinting towards the front.

The driver, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"It’s the plasma engine’s wake."

"Right," Zheng Hao nodded, his expression cautious, and said, "It’s likely corporate people."

Although he rarely had direct contact with the people from the East Coast, his instinct told him that nothing good happened where those people were.

It wasn’t just the captain who was alert.

Hearing the word "corporate," everyone in the vehicle suddenly became serious. The previously restless young man even showed an eagerness to engage.

Turning off the screen, Zheng Hao stuffed the tablet into an overhead compartment, picked up the nearby tactical helmet, put it on, then took out a tactical backpack from beside the seat and looked back at his fully prepared teammates.

"Xiao Jiang, release the drone, search the ten-kilometer sector area ahead...mark all exposed potential threats."

"Got it."

The short-haired woman in the back row of the vehicle gently nodded her head, touched the right side of her temple with her index finger, then closed her eyes.

Golden strands blended into her black hair.

At the same time, three triangular small drones deployed on the top of the tracked vehicle, their swallow-tail wings ejected brief flames, and one by one shot into the sky, turning into streaks of afterimages racing towards the south.

Her name was Jiang Xuezhou, an E-level personnel like Zhao Xiao.

However, her position was not that of an explorer but rather a half-rank higher researcher. She served as the technical advisor and drone operator for the team, and also held the highest rank besides the captain and vice captain.

Everyone quietly awaited her report.

At that moment, Jiang Xuezhou, with her eyes tightly closed, suddenly twitched her eyebrows, sharply raised her head, and rapidly reported in an even tone.

"Found a suspected mucosal lifeform! The target is 3.7 kilometers directly north of us, shaped roughly like a human. Beside it is a...human?"

Surprise appeared on her face, though she had not opened her eyes yet.

Sitting next to her, Zhao Xiao also wore an incredulous expression.

"A human?! Are you sure?"

The predatory instinct toward other organic forms was nearly hardcoded into the DNA of mutated slime fungus.

These entities were originally designed to clean up other organic forms, especially the vulnerable parent bodies which could hardly allow living creatures to exist nearby.

Zheng Hao furrowed his brows.

"Are you sure it’s a human and not a mucosal entity disguised as one?"

"I’m eighty percent sure... He’s wearing clothes, there are no obvious wounds on the clothing, and the exposed skin doesn’t show signs of mucosal erosion," Jiang Xuezhou paused slightly, her expression subtly shifting, "He ignited a flare."

"What’s he trying to do?" Zhao Xiao immediately asked.

Jiang Xuezhou spoke quickly: "He’s waving it in his hand, seems like he’s trying to attract attention...wait, a corporate transport plane is approaching them! That person is a corporate employee! They are together!"

Zheng Hao’s expression sharpened slightly.

He didn’t know why the corporate people were interested in that parent body, just like he didn’t know why the mutated slime fungus’s parent body appeared near the Wandering Swamp.

He only understood one thing.

That was his prey.

He absolutely couldn’t let those East Coast thieves cut in!

"Shoot it down!" Zheng Hao decisively ordered.

"Ah..." Jiang Xuezhou was slightly startled, his expression troubled, "But... I’m operating a reconnaissance drone."

"Fly straight at it! Aim for its engine nozzle and crash into it!"

His delicately arched eyebrows twitched slightly, and although Jiang Xuezhou felt a pang of pain for the equipment, he knew this was not the time to be sentimental about gear, so he followed the captain’s orders.

Moments later, she took a deep breath, and with slightly parted lips, she continued.

"Target hit... the left engine of the aircraft is on fire, it’s making an emergency landing."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the weight that had been hanging in their hearts finally fell.

Zheng Hao continued to give orders.

"Keep tracking the main body’s location! Also, mark the crash site and any nearby survivors."

Jiang Xuezhou closed her eyes and nodded in acknowledgment, her knitted brows indicated she was still distressed about the burning funds; thus, she did not speak.

Zheng Hao didn’t mind and continued to the pilot.

"Old Song, continue in the current direction, proceed to the location marked on the map and stand by! Xiao Zhao, take your spotter and find a suitable sniping position near the mission coordinates."

"Received!"

Old Song, gripping the steering wheel, nodded, and sitting behind him, Zhao Xiao excitedly responded before eagerly pulling a sniper rifle, about one and a half meters long, from his suitcase and skillfully attaching what might soon be needed accessories.

Zheng Hao then turned to the other team members.

"Pay attention, all units, we are dealing with Corporate Employees, and no courtesy is needed towards those bandits. Check your gear and prepare for a firefight... Group C remain in the vehicle on standby under Old Song’s command, groups A and B follow me!"

A uniform response echoed in the vehicle.

"Yes, Captain!"

After glancing over his teammates, Zheng Hao nodded in satisfaction, then opened the vehicle door, and with a wave of his large hand, he commanded.

"Move out!"

At the same time.

The Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft that was spiraling down was in chaos, the shrill alarm bell echoed loudly, and the cabin flickered with the red light of the warning system.

Night Ten, who hadn’t fastened his seatbelt, was thrown against the ceiling, fortunately, Wild Wind, quick to react, grabbed him by the collar with the strength of his exoskeleton, forcefully pulling him back and preventing him from getting bruised and battered in the cabin.

After re-securing himself to his seat, a disheveled Night Ten muttered a complaint.

"Damn it! I knew the ’Dog plan’ would definitely—woo woo woo!"

Sitting next to him, Wild Wind, with a swift move, covered his mouth.

"Shut up or it’ll kill you!"

From the cockpit, the pilot screamed in alarm.

"The left engine is on fire! Damn it, something hit us!"

Old White couldn’t help but curse.

"Damn, doesn’t your aircraft have a radar?!"

The pilot, drenched in sweat and clutching the steering yoke tightly, tried to maintain balance using the only remaining engine.

"I don’t know! The radar was supposedly on, in theory even a sparrow shouldn’t escape my sight... Damn, what is happening?!"

Not knowing was still fine.

It gave them a new understanding of the unreliability of Corporate’s non-combat personnel.

Seeing the chaotic pilot, Old White gritted his teeth and completely gave up his last bit of hope for him.

Turning to his teammates behind in the cabin, who were all shaken up, he yelled.

"We’re under attack from an air defense missile, enemy numbers, and types uncertain! All units check your gear, prepare for a forced landing! Once on the ground, spread out immediately and find cover outside the cabin!"

The sound of creaking metal rubbing sounded much like everyone’s gritted teeth, and the war-ready shouts rang through the trembling cabin air.

"Yes!"

Whoever it was.

They would make the scoundrel who launched this unjust attack pay!

Not far away, on the open ground.

Falling Feather, flicking a light stick, dazedly watched the spiraling fall of the Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft, his joyful smile instantly froze on his face.

The past couple of days had been incredibly tough for him.

Surrounded by barren mountains and wild ridges, dangerous Variants were everywhere, not to mention the clingy little one next to him who wasn’t making things any easier.

He had barely closed his eyes for the past two days, only daring to sneak a little sleep when Xiaoyu wasn’t paying attention.

He thought he was finally going to return to the shelter to have a big meal and a good sleep.

But why did the aircraft suddenly fall?!

"Damn!"

Angry, he threw the light stick to the ground and cursed, pulling out the 9mm pistol strapped to his waist.

Although he didn’t know what happened.

The way that aircraft crashed, it definitely wasn’t a normal flight accident; it must have been hit by a missile or something else in the engine.

If it was the Army that shot down that aircraft, he was probably seen by those people as bait for encirclement.

The most urgent task now was to move away from the area before those "big noses" completed their encirclement.

"Xiaoyu, we need to go!"

Being dragged by the arm, Xiaoyu tilted his head in confusion, not knowing what had happened, but mimicked Falling Feather and shouted in acknowledgment.

"Damn!"

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