This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 479: Let’s Make a Deal

Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Let’s Make a Deal

Chen Yutong showed little reaction, deeply contemplating, while the young man sitting beside him blushed unconsciously.

"Like, liking a girl? Why are we talking about this?"

Old White teased with a smile.

"It’s not about anything in particular. If you’re shy, we can talk about something else."

Seemingly unwilling to admit his shyness, Zhao Xiao fell silent for a while before opening up.

"I... come from Town No.13."

"What’s that?"

"An autonomous region managed by the Science Committee. Each autonomous region is different; some are tribal, some are kingdoms, while ours is the former, with roughly one to two thousand households."

Old White nodded.

"That’s pretty large."

A typical survivor settlement has about one to two hundred households, and fewer still might have only a dozen or so. It seems the Wandering Swamp wasn’t as desolate as he had imagined.

"Yes," Zhao Xiao seemed to be pondering where to start. After thinking for a while, he continued, "Every December, the Science Committee holds a 30-day assessment to recruit apprentices who have turned 12 and meet the standards from the various autonomous regions."

Old White thought for a moment and said.

"This apprentice... is that like an intern?"

"Intern?" Zhao Xiao paused, then nodded, "Sort of... Generally, each autonomous region can select one or two. After becoming an apprentice, you can enter the Academy, escape the harsh life of the swamp, and your family and the town receive a sum of money."

"So, you’re really one of the best out of thousands."

Zhao Xiao felt flattered and bashfully rubbed his nose with his index finger.

"That’s alright... But after entering the Academy, it wasn’t as perfect as I had imagined. The living conditions were indeed much better than in the swamp, but because we had to assist tenured researchers with some dangerous research topics, only about 73% of the apprentices survive to advance to G level each year. And it’s not until you reach G level that you’re truly considered a member of the Academy."

"That’s some strict selection."

"Yes..." Zhao Xiao sighed and said, "Sometimes I think it wasn’t easy for me to make it to E level."

"For your sweetheart?"

"Partly, yes. We were selected in the same batch of apprentices, and I promised her I would become a researcher... and then, get our parents into the Academy too."

Old White asked curiously.

"Aren’t you already a researcher?"

Zhao Xiao replied with a bitter smile.

"How could I be? I’m just a prospector... A researcher has to be at least Level D, and only after advancing to Level D, possessing at least one professional skill and passing the assessment, and having a tutor’s recommendation. But basically... mastering just one professional skill isn’t enough, a lot of apprentices advance each year, and most tutors demand mastery of at least three professional skills."

Old White joked.

"Skill inflation, huh."

Zhao Xiao nodded and sighed.

"Yeah... Moreover, as a prospector, you’re on the front lines and hardly have time to learn all that stuff."

Old White: "Why not consider living somewhere else? This Wasteland is pretty big, right?"

Zhao Xiao curled his lip and muttered.

"It’s all the same no matter where you go, and besides, despite my criticisms... I think the Academy is pretty good. Like you said, at least here I can find a reason to live on, rather than living a muddleheaded life like the other survivors, wallowing in the ruins."

Old White’s expression turned somewhat peculiar as he asked curiously.

"Why are you so certain that other survivors are resigned to degeneracy?"

"What else? Do you think corporations and armies have a future?" Glancing at a corporate pilot sleeping nearby like a pig, Zhao Xiao didn’t conceal his disdain and said without hesitation, "An idiot immersed in pleasure, a madman obsessed with war— if the future of this world were in their hands, that would really be the end!"

With that, he clenched the spoon in his hand.

"One day... we’ll reclaim all the relics, before the heritage of bygone days is squandered. By then, we won’t have to reminisce about the past. We will write a new history, venturing into the farther worlds to explore mysteries unimaginable in the olden days."

Goodness.

Is this some kind of "far-sighted ideology"?!

Old White looked at the young man in slight surprise.

These grand principles didn’t seem like something he could come up with on his own.

But perhaps it was precisely because he was young that he could speak them without any reservations.

Of course, what surprised him even more was the Academy.

When he first learned about it, he thought the Academy was simply a form of technocracy. He hadn’t realized it also had a deeper spiritual core.

Seeing the guy getting more and more excited as he spoke, Chen Yutong cleared his throat softly, interrupting his long speech.

"The theories of Conclusion Doctor are indeed so... however, I never thought that much about it. I was lucky enough to pass the exam at the age of twelve, and then I entered the Academy. Actually, I think the way you live is quite good, without such strict level restrictions. Life offers more than one path, even if you don’t become an explorer or a researcher you can still live well."

"That kind of survivor settlement doesn’t exist, wherever there are people, there are levels; it’s just more subtle at most," Zhao Xiao said disbelievingly. "I think it’s better to have levels and promotion paths clearly laid out, so everyone can rely on their own abilities."

Old White smiled and said,

"You make some sense. It’s pretty much like the Game; as long as the server continues to operate, there will definitely be a distinction between veteran players and newbies. Social strata won’t disappear just because someone chooses to ignore them."

"Server? Operating?" Zhao Xiao asked curiously.

Old White cleared his throat lightly and explained,

"What I mean is, even in the Alliance, there are levels, such as Contribution Levels... probably similar to your classes, like G, F, E level researchers corresponding to the three levels of citizenship. Above that, there are also ’knights’ and so on."

"Is that so?" Zhao Xiao looked proudly at Chen Yutong.

The latter didn’t speak, but his expression was clearly a bit disappointed.

It seemed that his aspiration was just a fleeting misunderstanding.

Old White paused for a moment, then continued,

"However, we wouldn’t feel superior to others just because our Contribution Level is higher."

"That’s impossible, anyone can talk big," Zhao Xiao said without hesitation, his expression clearly full of disbelief.

Chen Yutong glanced at the lunch box in his hand; unlike Zhao Xiao, who instinctively chose to doubt, he simply asked,

"Why?"

The question was somewhat difficult to answer.

Old White couldn’t help but fall into thought.

From a realistic point of view, this was just a game after all.

There are certainly games that intentionally create player conflicts to incite competitive spending, but Wasteland OL obviously wasn’t one of them—it didn’t even have a recharge portal, let alone that it was still in the closed beta phase. Such issues, even if they did exist, definitely weren’t common.

Most veteran players were actually quite willing to help newbies, even if sometimes the newbies acted a bit silly. But everyone had been through that phase, so they could somewhat understand.

As for the relationship between players and NPCs, it was relatively harmonious as well. NPCs didn’t care whether they were "citizens" or "knights." These titles also didn’t grant refuge residents any privilege to feel "above" others.

On the player side, even a Mosquito who had made meritorious deeds for the Alliance could still be sent to the cooler for a timeout if they violated server rules.

Old White had felt it before.

Rather than saying that these titles were an identity, it would be better to say they were a form of honor, or a kind of recognition from the collective.

"There’s no standard answer to subjective questions, I can’t answer you. Everyone has different views. When you have the chance, you can confirm with your own eyes what kind of place the Alliance really is."

Packing away his finished lunch box, Old White smiled and continued,

"By the way, I have some good news for you. It looks like your teammates haven’t given up on you—they’re following right behind us, about five kilometers away."

This was the news Wild Wind had told him before he logged off.

Chen Yutong looked at him nervously, while Zhao Xiao’s lips curled up smugly as he said matter-of-factly,

"Of course! I told you, the Academy wouldn’t abandon us!"

Old White smiled and then continued,

"Let’s make a bet, then."

Zhao Xiao: "Bet on what?"

Old White said casually, "Bet on... whether the Academy will come to rescue you before we cross these mountains and enter the desert."

Zhao Xiao: "Haven’t they already arrived?"

"Just following behind doesn’t count," Old White said with a smile, "People who don’t know any better might think your guys are seeing us off."

Zhao Xiao stared at Old White.

"What about the wager?"

He certainly wasn’t naive enough to think that just because the Academy’s people had arrived, this man would simply let him and his fellow captives go.

Just like their sniper had said, they still needed him to take bullets for them.

To his surprise, however, Old White just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"If they fight their way over here, I’ll let you go."

Based on his experience, if neither side was willing to acknowledge the conflict, then denying casualties and captives was a very likely scenario.

Having reached this point without encountering the Academy’s pursuers, the road ahead was most likely clear as well.

Even if he misjudged the situation, it didn’t matter.

Letting a captive go and capturing two more would do.

Zhao Xiao looked at him in astonishment, and seeing that he didn’t appear to be joking, a serious expression took hold of his face.

"Then what do you want from me..."

"Getting something from you is fine," Old White laughed a little, then after pondering for a moment, said, "Hmm, let me think... If I win, you just owe me a beer."

A beer?!

Zhao Xiao was stunned, his complexion turning slightly red.

That dismissive attitude was humiliating.

But a wise man does not quarrel with his immediate situation, so Zhao Xiao still clenched his teeth and nodded.

"Deal... but you better keep your word."

Old White said calmly.

"Don’t worry, I’ve said that I don’t need those things with you."

...

In the Promice Northern Part, near a nuclear crater, a row of shabby tents sprawled across the wasteland.

This camp was unnamed, and it might not even exist in the same place by next year.

The scavengers who lived here were like nomads chasing after pasture, setting up tents and campfires wherever they found garbage.

Should misfortune befall someone, the ghouls that lingered around the crater would naturally take care of the unfortunate soul’s remains.

Those who "fell" into the life of scavengers didn’t particularly care whether their corpses ended up in the mouths of ghouls or variants.

After all, neither had a particularly graceful way of consuming their meals.

Buyers interested in either the garbage itself or the scavenging skills possessed by these people naturally had a way of finding them.

One early morning.

Guste, over fifty years old as usual, got up early, intending to take his "Excavator No.1" to the nearby ancient battlefield to dig up some valuable treasures.

Just as he was about to shoulder his basket and head out, Aqiang, the bald man from the neighboring Earth Warrior Group, suddenly came looking for him.

"A few big buyers from the settlements are hiring."

Hearing about a big deal, Guste immediately narrowed his eyes and sat down on the bench by the door, knocking his pipe against the sole of his shoe.

"What kind of work?"

"Salvage operation."

"Location?"

"The north side of the mountain range in the North of Luoxia Province."

Guste frowned at the vague description.

"Why don’t you just say it’s the Wandering Swamp."

Digging up treasures from the Human Alliance Era right under the Academy’s nose was basically asking to shorten one’s lifespan; in their eyes, scavengers were not much better than looters, even more detestable.

He would not dare to stretch his business into the Academy’s territory even if you gave him ten thousand guts.

The bald man chuckled.

"It’s not in the swamp itself, just on the edge."

Guste eyed him suspiciously for a while, then continued.

"How many people is he hiring?"

The bald man spread out his right hand.

"At least five hundred, and they also need professional equipment and experience in dismantling large machinery."

"Five hundred?!"

The old man’s eyes widened in surprise, smacking his lips.

"That must be a biggie... what exactly are they planning to dismantle?"

The bald man shook his head.

"That, I don’t know... But they promise us, as long as we can dismantle it and transport it to West State City, they’ll pay us a total of one million silver coins."

One million silver coins?!

Hearing this number, Guste’s heart leaped.

That was not a small amount, equivalent to nearly a thousand tons of wheat!

Of course, no one would exchange silver coins for wheat when one could purchase it cheaper at Oasis No.8 in Luoxia Province to the west.

What really attracted them was the Alliance’s KV-1 Exoskeleton, metallic hydrogen batteries, "Electric Donkey" light trucks, and various other large engineering devices.

For those who lived on scavenging, the straightforward and cost-effective industrial products manufactured by the Alliance were exactly what they needed.

"Sounds interesting..." Guste stroked his chin, his eyes betraying his interest, "Are those people still in the camp?"

Seeing the excitement in the old man’s eyes, the bald man said with a smile.

"They’re still here, let’s go together. This job is too big for one salvage team to handle, we can work together and earn more."

Guste glanced at him, humming noncommittally.

"Let’s wait and see when we get there."

...

In the center of the scavengers’ camp.

Looking at the throng of ragged beggars before him, the Lost Rookie standing beside Corner Old Six couldn’t help but mutter.

"Can we really rely on these beggars?"

Sniper Bai also couldn’t help but whisper a complaint.

"+1, just worried that when it comes time to dismantle one plane, we end up with parts for two."

Corner Old Six was taken aback.

"Wouldn’t that be good?"

"Good my ass," Sniper Bai rolled his eyes, "Can it even fly?"

While the players were whispering to each other, Guste, the old man, was also discreetly sizing up the three outsiders.

Three sets of Type Five "Light Cavalry" exoskeletons.

Such gear was not too uncommon in some city ruins, but new ones like these could only come from two places: They were either knock-offs, or from a refuge.

Many years of scavenging had made it possible for him to distinguish between the two.

Without doubt, all three were Alliance soldiers!

Noticing the concern on the faces of the two, Guste flashed a toothy grin, respectfully saying.

"Respected sir, don’t judge us by our tattered clothes, but when it comes to picking up trash... Each person here is an expert."

A bald man next to him echoed the sentiment.

"That’s right, our ancestors have been scavengers for generations, from the United Human Space Sky Guard Ship to old popsicle cans, as long as it can be exchanged for money, we’ve considered it!"

The Space Sky Guard Ship wasn’t bad.

Watching the translated subtitles on the tactical goggles, the Lost Rookie’s eyes suddenly showed a look of surprise.

"Wow, what a Wasteland version of the Beggar’s Sect."

"Hisss..." Sniper Bai took a breath of cold air and stroked his chin, "Now that you mention it like that, I suddenly think they might be competent."

"Never mind that! We’re already here, so let’s just try them out! It’s not us who will be to blame if it doesn’t work."

Interrupting the debate among his teammates, Corner old six stepped forward and addressed the several experienced scavengers in front of him.

"We’ve already discussed our needs. We require at least five hundred experienced scavengers to help us recover a large piece of equipment that has become stuck. We’re offering one million silver coins. As for how you divide it up, that’s for you to discuss... I hope you can elect a representative who has the authority to speak on your behalf."

After exchanging glances and whispering among themselves, the scavengers seemed to have come to a decision. The eldest of them, who had spoken first, continued the conversation.

"No problem, sir. As long as you’re willing to pay, we guarantee to deliver the item to you, and we promise not to breathe a word about it to anyone else. If I may ask... could you tell us what the object is that we’re recovering? So we can determine which tools we need."

The request seemed quite reasonable.

Corner old six hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"It’s an aircraft."

Guste hesitated to ask.

"What’s the specific model?"

"The aircraft is over twenty meters long, about six or seven meters tall, and weighs just over twenty tons. It has two plasma engines... That’s all I can say; knowing too much isn’t good for you."

Hearing these specifications, a trace of surprise appeared on Guste’s face.

This description...

Could it be the corporate Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft?!

Sensing what might be involved, the old man didn’t dare to ask more and quickly ended the topic, bowing respectfully.

"Understood... Then, sir, when do we depart?"

This was a matter between major powers, something these few scavengers couldn’t afford to mix up in.

As the Alliance Soldier had said, knowing too much wasn’t in their best interest.

Seeing that the old man didn’t pry further, Corner old six breathed a sigh of relief and immediately responded.

"Right now, if possible! The sooner, the better!"

Guste grinned and said respectfully.

"Orders acknowledged! I guarantee that our service will satisfy you!"

Corner old six nodded.

"I hope so."

...

Under the guidance of the three players, more than five hundred scavengers left the camp and set off towards the mountain range in the northern part of Luoxia Province in an imposing procession.

Some were driving three-meter-tall bulldozers, some were leading patched-up robots, while others were pulling double-headed cows or pushing their own rundown carts... The tools in their hands were mostly DIY or second-hand goods bartered from merchants, with hardly any two alike.

Watching these scavengers, Lost Rookie’s heart was filled with doubt, but having come this far, he could only choose to trust them.

Meanwhile, after nearly five days of trekking, Old White and the group escorting the pilot had finally emerged from the mountains to the vast expanse of yellow sand.

"Eeehmm..."

Gazing at the air distorted by heatwaves in the distance, Xiaoyu, who was in the middle of the group, let out a slightly tired whimper.

The temperature south of the mountain range was noticeably higher than in the north, and the dry climate made the moisture-loving creature decidedly uncomfortable.

Falling Feather patted its little head, offering words of comfort.

"Just hold on a little longer, we’re almost there."

"Eek!"

The comfort seemed to have an effect, as Xiaoyu let out a happy sound, the tentacles at the back of his head undulating with joyful ripples like seaweed.

A smile appeared on Falling Feather’s face.

This kid was too easy to appease.

Night Ten glanced at Xiaoyu and muttered softly.

"Mother... Those tentacles give me the creeps."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Falling Feather said,

"I felt the same at first, but you get used to it after a while."

Zhao Xiao, walking not too far away, looked in surprise at the entity coexisting peacefully with humans, feeling his worldview being shaken.

But right now, he no longer had the leisure to digest the astonishment in his heart.

After five days of travel, they had reached the edge of Luoxia Province, and a few dozen kilometers further they would soon see Oasis No.8.

Owing a beer was a trivial matter.

What Zhao Xiao found unbelievable and unacceptable was... had he really been abandoned by the Academy?!

Noticing the NPC’s dispirited expression and being aware of that bet, Night Ten stepped forward and teased,

"Don’t be so down. Look at it from another angle... It’s not necessarily that the Academy gave up on you."

Zhao Xiao looked up at the annoying guy in front of him, not understanding why he would suddenly offer comfort.

But he quickly realized he had thought too much.

Night Ten then continued in a mocking tone,

"Maybe they just canceled your identity."

"You..." Zhao Xiao gritted his teeth, glaring at him but eventually swallowing back the retort "bullshit".

Beggars can’t be choosers,

Zhao Xiao consoled himself in his heart.

At that moment, from the midst of a distant expanse of yellow sand, billowing dust suddenly rose.

Looking at the commotion in the distance, Zhao Xiao was slightly startled, and hope suddenly ignited in his heart.

He suddenly remembered that the Golden Lizard Kingdom seemed to be a "prospective member state" of the Scientific Committee, akin to an affiliate to the Academy.

Those people might very well be reinforcements from the Golden Lizard Kingdom!

Even though the combat power of those feudal armies was weak, their numbers were significant. Even if each could only spit once, they could drown this group of foes.

However—

This joyous mood didn’t last in his heart for even two seconds before trucks appeared behind the sandstorm.

Clearly, that was not the army of the Golden Lizard Kingdom.

The mood plummeted not only for Zhao Xiao but also for the Beacon team that had been following behind all along.

In the back row of the track vehicles.

Jiang Xuezhou, with his eyes tightly closed, moved his lips slightly.

"Alliance reinforcements! At least three hundred... no, maybe even four hundred men."

The medic sitting beside him gave a wry smile,

"Is it that serious?"

Zheng Hao, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke,

"These people aren’t here to guard against us... they’re most likely meant to intimidate the Golden Lizard Kingdom."

The Alliance couldn’t possibly be unaware of the relationship between the Golden Lizard Kingdom and the Academy.

Although their preparations were entirely superfluous, the Alliance was so eager to bring their pilots home that they had prepared for war with the Golden Lizard Kingdom.

Thinking about this, Zheng Hao’s feelings became somewhat complicated.

Old Song, sitting in the driver’s seat, looked at the captain.

"What do we do now?"

Rescuing the captives had become impossible.

They could only watch helplessly as those people strolled around under the Academy’s watch and then swaggered back home.

Zheng Hao was silent for a long time before he slowly began to speak.

"Report the situation to our superiors... and wait for news."

They had left the signal tower’s coverage area, but they could relay the message by launching drones as signal repeaters.

Jiang Xuezhou nodded.

She was about to launch the signal relay when her brow twitched slightly, and her forefinger pressed against the temple’s edge.

"There’s a strange communication request... it must be from those people."

Zheng Hao immediately said,

"Patch it through to me."

At the same time the order was given, a light blue hologram screen unfolded in his field of vision, revealing the face of an unfamiliar man.

Zheng Hao was seeing this man for the first time.

But looking into the man’s eyes, he had a strong sense of familiarity... They had locked eyes several days ago!

"I am the Old White, commander of the Burning Corps," the man in the hologram said.

Without introducing himself, Zheng Hao stared at him and said,

"What do you want to say?"

"Nothing much, just that you archaeologists are not really the fighting type. It’s unfortunate that your superiors have sent you to provoke us."

A slight sinking feeling came over Zheng Hao.

It seemed the captives must have done something.

However, he couldn’t understand why this person wanted to contact him or why he would reveal this information.

"Did you specifically contact me to mock us?" Zheng Hao furrowed his brow and asked.

"I’m not that bored."

Old White chuckled before continuing,

"I heard you’re outside the Academy’s signal tower coverage. Let me lay it out in the open... Let’s make a deal."

"What deal?"

"We’re interested in your treaded vehicle."

Zheng Hao paused, then sneered,

"Oh, and?"

"Leave the vehicle behind, and you can take the captives."

"Heh."

Zheng Hao laughed.

Leaving it behind would be possible.

He admitted that his team wouldn’t match up to those well-trained soldiers, much like how they couldn’t outdo his team of experts when dealing with Variants.

But to think they would actually leave the "Reindeer" treaded vehicle behind was sheer fantasy.

Its off-road ability wasn’t something a few trucks could compare with.

Predicting his reaction, Old White continued with a smile,

"Don’t be hasty in your refusal. I can also give you twenty rifles and a truck..."

Zheng Hao spoke with a stern face,

"What use do I have for that junk?"

Old White laughed and replied,

"No use, but you’ve been following us for so long... are you content to return empty-handed?"

"Don’t you want to win for once?"

Zheng Hao laughed in a self-deprecating manner and spoke in a lower voice,

"By win, do you mean leaving behind a treaded vehicle and only getting a few E-level captives and rifles in return?"

"What if I add a sample of the tissue from organism number X-277, the "Mutated slime fungus" variant?"

Zheng Hao was momentarily stunned, a fervor flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t let the excitement cloud his judgment. He stayed on guard as he stared at this man named Old White.

"You would... give it to us?!"

Old White smiled as he stood in the hologram, shaking a test tube in his hand containing several tissue fragments,

"Ah, our allies authorized me to provide you with a sample of the mother’s tissue. After all, the mutated slime fungus is a common enemy. If you can make progress, it will benefit us too."

Of course, it wasn’t an enterprise that authorized him, but the Manager.

And the tissue fragments in that test tube were certainly not freshly collected samples, nor were they collected from Little Feather.

They were extracted from the Lair on floor B6 and airlifted to the vicinity of Oasis No.8 along with other soldiers of the Burning Corps via a transport plane.

But it should be enough to fool this prospector.

The Academy wouldn’t believe that the Alliance somehow kept a lair that can be casually researched.

Just look at the spectacle of the "Tide" in Qingquan City every year to know it’s something even the Post-War Reconstruction Committee couldn’t handle.

Besides, this was the desert; there was no lair nearby.

Zheng Hao’s gaze locked on that test tube, silently activating the image recognition program. After receiving an 87% match, his breathing quickened.

Without a doubt, it was a fragment of the mother or the lair’s tissue!

He thought he’d never ascend to the rank of researcher in his lifetime, and was quite content to keep his status as a Level D prospector.

Yet now, the opportunity was laid out before him once more...

Countless biological laboratories would open their doors to him, hundreds of mentors would extend their olive branches, inviting his team and projects into their laboratories, and he and his members would move from the promiseless Investigation Department into the prosperous Research Department!

As for the loss of a mere "Reindeer," no one would care—the academic heavyweights would rush to foot the bill for him!

More importantly, this was an achievement beyond the scope of the mission!

No one else could take their credit!

"... What are the conditions of the loss?"

Hearing this response, Old White’s lips curved into a smile.

"Simple. We’ll keep the captives, props, and the truck for your escape in the camp. You send someone to bring the treaded vehicle over, and then take the truck away from our side."

Zheng Hao asked cautiously, "How do I know you won’t renege on your word?"

"We have no reason to do that. If we wanted to kill you, we would have done it by now. Or are you doubting our ability?"

Seeing the man remained silent, Old White continued,

"Moreover, I have to tell you, although I have authorization from my superiors, this isn’t a trade between the Alliance and the Academy, but between the Burning Corps and the Beacon Team. So, I hope there won’t be any locators or surveillance on that treaded vehicle... From your perspective, you wouldn’t want today’s incident to be known to irrelevant people, right?"

Zheng Hao was silent for a long time before slowly speaking,

"I hope you will keep your word."

Old White nodded with a smile,

"We will."

"And I always have a feeling that we will have many opportunities for cooperation in the future."