This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 483: Rather Than an Experiment, It’s More Like a Grand Blueprint

Chapter 483: Chapter 483: Rather Than an Experiment, It’s More Like a Grand Blueprint

North of Dawn City.

On the bustling commercial street, dressed in maid outfits, Frost and Solar Eclipse stood at the entrance of Vine Cottage, smiling and watching the hustle and bustle of the street.

They had been in Dawn City for a while, having come from Ideal City.

Not only had the thriving city changed over time, but so had they, embraced and accepted by this city.

The black fluffy lining complemented the pleated white skirt perfectly, the holy white wrapping tightly around the metallic sheen of the thighs, outlining the curves and contours designed by human ergonomics.

Standing next to Frost, Solar Eclipse’s style was strikingly different.

Under the suggestion of the owner, Teng Teng, it chose a more mysterious black to match its "reticent" and "serious" demeanor.

Recently, they had upgraded their "Intellectual AI Plug-in" hardware, replacing their showroom mannequin-like features with faces almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans.

Although these additional hardware pieces were somewhat superfluous for the "A Series" android whose primary application was on the battlefield, this small change had greatly boosted their popularity in Dawn City.

Just like now.

Almost every passerby who passed by Vine Cottage would salute the duo standing at the doorway.

As polite androids, Frost always responded with a smile and a nod to each Dawn City resident who saluted them, a gesture of friendship.

As noon approached, the streets finally began to clear somewhat.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, Frost’s face broke into a satisfied smile, turning to Solar Eclipse beside it.

"Look, Solar Eclipse, all those eyes full of trust, admiration, and adoration... don’t you think it’s wonderful?"

During this time, they had tried many jobs, from bricklaying, dusting, and hunting mutants, but their favorite was, undoubtedly, here.

Here, they earned not only compensation but also appreciative glances from passersby.

"What use is that?" Solar Eclipse asked expressionlessly, its tone lacking any fluctuation and containing a hint of imperceptible doubt.

"How can it be useless?" Frost looked at it in astonishment, "Don’t you feel it? That throbbing sensation, the joy coming deep from within the CPU... it’s like... it’s like the entire Intellectual Plug-in is ablaze!"

Unable to comprehend these words, Solar Eclipse froze for a few seconds before finally saying blankly.

"Is it a lack of computing power?"

"On the contrary!" Frost’s face bloomed with an energetic expression, clenching its right fist, "Seeing those happy faces, I feel even more driven to work... oh, I’d love to own one, I’d work for him, and he’d just need to be responsible for being happy."

Solar Eclipse: "...?"

It found it increasingly difficult to understand this peculiar colleague. It really wanted to open up its AI core and see what strange codes were written inside.

However, what it found even more incomprehensible was why the engineer who produced this colleague had installed such an annoying "Intellectual Plug-in" in the A series android.

Unhesitatingly eliminating all potential security risks should be the duty of an android engaged in combat.

Emotions were nothing but a hindrance on the battlefield.

At that moment, the door of Vine Cottage opened, and a spring breeze-like smile and the pleasant sound of a wind chime floated through.

"You’ve worked hard."

Looking at the cute little one in front of them, Frost’s face revealed a proud smile, modestly saying.

"Not at all, it’s us who should be thanking you, thanks to the internship opportunity you provided, we’ve collected precious experimental data and materials."

Experimental data?

Materials?

Teng Teng frowned in confusion and asked cautiously in a low voice.

"It’s not some dangerous experiment, is it?"

"How could it be?" Seeing the suspicion on Teng Teng’s face, Frost quickly waved its hands, explaining with a smile, "It’s for eternal happiness and peace. It’s less an experiment, and more a grand blueprint... although it sounds troublesome, don’t worry, leave the tricky stuff to us."

Teng Teng was a bit baffled.

"Eternal... happiness?"

Frost smiled and nodded.

"Yes! Simply put, it’s to allow organic beings to live peacefully, happily, and securely under the protection of robots."

That loving gaze gave Teng Teng goosebumps.

This game was becoming increasingly unsettling.

Fortunately, she was just an ordinary fashion designer. As long as she didn’t trigger something by mistake, she shouldn’t get involved in those troublesome matters.

"That, your work for today is done... Hua Hua has just returned from the Iron Axe Tribe, she can take over the reception of customers."

Recently, the sisters from the Iron Axe Tribe improved the weaving technique of Devil Silk. Without compromising the quality of the final products, not only did they make the fabric feel softer, but they also reduced the unit labor time by 10 to 20 percent.

She had specially sent Hua Hua there to fetch some samples back, to see if they could be integrated into the design she was currently working on.

Thinking about it made her nostalgic.

The initial silk reeling and weaving processes were all improved by her based on real-life experience and taught to those Wasteland Wanderers, and now those Wasteland Wanderers’ weaving skills had long surpassed hers.

And she could now focus more on the design areas that interested her.

Recently, Xiaoyu and her crew had traveled thousands of kilometers to the islands in the Southern Sea Area. Apparently, her artworks were very well received there.

"Are you sure you don’t need our help anymore?" Frost asked, looking at Miss Teng Teng with a touch of disappointment.

"No need, you have your own things to take care of," Teng Teng said as she pulled out some silver coins and handed them to Frost, smiling, "This is your compensation."

"Oh! It’s wages!"

Frost’s eyes lit up as it held the coins above its head to examine them closely before satisfactorily pocketing them.

"Well then, if you need us again, please make sure to contact us... Oh, and I need to return the clothes you lent us."

Saying this, it started to pinch the skirt, preparing to take the clothes off.

Seeing its action, Teng Teng’s cheeks swiftly turned as red as apples, and she quickly reached out to stop its indecorous behavior.

"No need, no need, keep the clothes... you can keep them!"

Are the customs in Ideal City this open?

To undress in the street without warning...

Inexplicably, images flashed through her mind, and her face grew hotter. She felt too embarrassed to continue the thought.

However, Frost seemed completely unaware of how shameful his behavior had just been.

But when she heard Teng Teng was going to leave the eye-catching equipment for her, a burst of delighted light sparkled in her eyes.

"Really? I am so embarrassed!"

"Don’t mention it, it’s the reward you deserve," Teng Teng said with a blush and a timid smile. Curious, he whispered a question, "By the way, do you also... casually change clothes like this in Ideal City?"

"Casually change clothes?" Frost paused slightly, a bit puzzled. "We don’t wear clothes in Ideal City."

"Not wear?!"

Frost nodded as if it were a matter of course.

"Yes, the initial appearance coating is printed directly onto our skin. If we want to change to a different style, we can install a holographic appearance plug-in and use holographic images to mimic the effect of clothing."

"Ah... that really is convenient." Teng Teng tried to imagine it, his heartbeat accelerating once again.

Was Ideal City really such an impressive place?

With a smile, Frost nodded.

"Yeah, it’s very convenient, isn’t it? However, bionic individuals with silicon appearance materials are still prohibited from going out into public places without covering, as the social norms in Ideal City are not that liberal."

I see.

Relieved that he had almost misunderstood Ideal City as a strange place, Teng Teng let out a breath.

"Uh, I think that’s quite good..."

"Really?" Frost tilted her head, not understanding. "It’s funny that humans feel embarrassed about plugins they installed because they liked them... Humans are strange."

Taking advantage of Frost’s introspective musing, Teng Teng quietly slipped back to his cottage and closed the shop door.

Watching the petite figure disappear amidst the chime of the wind bells, a touch of satisfaction appeared in Frost’s smile.

"That’s really nice."

This should be quite easy to maintain.

It’s a pity that in Ideal City, their ideals are too avant-garde, and there’s a long way to go before people will accept them.

But the life of an AI is eternal.

It has plenty of time to deal with this matter.

"... Just let organic beings live under the protection of robotic servants, and they will create more and more beautiful art, and the world will be filled with love and peace. What do you think, Eclipse?"

Eclipse’s gaze flickered slightly.

"I think the front line is where we should be."

Frost elegantly shook her head.

"That won’t do, we need to represent our employer and foster the friendship between the employer and the Alliance. Besides, there are already over two hundred bionic soldiers at the front. They’ll handle the job."

Eclipse’s eyes flickered again.

"Work log updated, according to employer’s information, today a flight will return from Luo Xia Province, carrying a T-series bionic person from the Academy."

"T-series?" asked Frost.

Eclipse explained.

"Similar to our A-series, they continue the sequence numbering from the Human Alliance Era, and the employer wants us to observe."

Interest sparked in Frost’s eyes.

"Interesting, let’s go have a look."

...

Meanwhile, at a spacious runway on the northeast side of Dawn City’s airport, a Tiger Whale transport aircraft smoothly landed.

Falling Feather, carrying Xiaoyu, had just exited the plane when he was ambushed at the airport by Mosquito Brother.

"My good brother! You’re finally back! Hahaha, I didn’t lie, right? Was that ejector seat comfortable? Didn’t hurt your butt, did it?"

Watching Mosquito Brother approach while trying to cozy up, Falling Feather immediately tensed up, his expression wary.

"Get lost, who’s your brother? What do you want..."

"Damn, that’s cold!"

Faced with Falling Feather’s resistant expression, Mosquito Brother feigned a mournful howl, but within two seconds, the pained expression swept from his face, replaced by an embarrassed smile.

"Did I hear your daughter knows how to fly a plane?"

"She’s not my daughter, Xiaoyu is just Xiaoyu."

Falling Feather corrected him seriously, but Mosquito Brother clearly wasn’t listening and continued with a chuckle.

"It doesn’t matter! Can it perform that stunt again? Last time was too quick, I didn’t get a chance to record it."

Hearing this unreasonable request, Falling Feather instantly rolled his eyes.

"Get lost! What if something goes wrong? Will you pay for it?"

"Come on, what could possibly go wrong! It even knows the Yin McMahon maneuver!"

Watching the pleading Mosquito Brother, Falling Feather waved dismissively.

"Go away, there’s no room for negotiation!"

On the other side, stepping onto the ground, Chen Yutong, having traveled so far from the Wandering Swamp, curiously looked around and muttered softly,

"This is the Alliance?"

Old White answered with a smile.

"Yes, seems pretty desolate, doesn’t it?"

"How so? Compared to the survivor settlement in Wandering Swamp, this place is already bustling." Chen Yutong genuinely remarked.

While on the plane, she had seen the panorama of the City of Dawn.

Distinctively designed houses lay across the wilderness, extending into roads and alleys that merged southward into the high-rise ruins of the northern suburbs of Clear Spring City, westward bordered by boundless farmlands, with a railway stretching north into the forests. An old-fashioned train puffed smoke as it bustled through the busy trading stations.

This city was like a tender shoot sprouting from rotting wood.

Young yet full of hope.

What amazed her most was that just a year ago, this place had been a barren wasteland with nothing, inhabited only by wild beasts that devoured raw flesh and bloodthirsty, cruel mutants and looters.

"...it’s just unbelievable."

Looking around, Chen Yutong made Old White suddenly curious.

"What’s it like in the swamp?"

"Simple, efficient," Chen Yutong quickly replied, "Dr. Conclusion taught us to create more results with limited resources. The settlements under the Scientific Committee mostly adhere to the principles of energy saving and conservation. Although some survivor settlements have many people, they look very desolate from the outside. Compared to them, the Academy covers a larger area, but has relatively fewer people."

While speaking, her gaze landed on a warehouse nearby with its doors wide open.

Following her gaze, Old White saw a peculiarly shaped lump of iron.

That was the "Non-powered Armor" Mosquito had created himself.

Ever since he last helped Mosquito Brother get out of it, it had been discarded in the airport warehouse and hadn’t been touched.

Grass was nearly growing under that rusty armor.

Not wanting his inauspicious start upon landing to be poor, remembering the task the Manager had entrusted him with—to show her more of the Alliance’s positive aspects—Old White coughed lightly and explained.

"The Manager has let us build the Alliance in our way, he didn’t specify how... so occasionally there are players who do some superfluous things due to their wild ideas."

"I actually think it’s quite good... whether it’s useful shouldn’t be decided by instinct, like you said, who knows about the future."

Looking at what was probably a scrapped heap of iron, Chen Yutong’s face showed a teasing smile.

Old White sensed a hint of envy in her eyes, although he didn’t know why there was anything to be envied.

"Are you hungry? I know a great place."

A gleam of anticipation immediately flashed in Chen Yutong’s eyes.

"Is it braised pork? Or maybe hot pot? Kebabs?"

Old White smiled and gestured with his hand.

"None of those, it’s ramen, a type of noodle dish... Nevermind, you’ll find out soon enough."

Chen Yutong eagerly followed by his side, muttering continuously.

"Ramen? What an unbelievable name..."

Thinking about finally being able to taste genuine Alliance delicacies, she swallowed subconsciously, igniting a hint of anticipation in her heart.

Not long after the two had walked away, two bionic humans arrived at the airport belatedly.

Standing next to the Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft, Frost craned his neck eagerly and glanced around, not spotting the target he was looking for, so he randomly grabbed one of the staff members.

"Where are the Academy’s bionic humans? Take me to them quickly."

The surrounding airport staff exchanged glances, bewildered by his question, but one clever fellow immediately reported back to his superior.

After receiving a permission to continue, he led the two bionic individuals to a warehouse at the corner of the airport.

A hundred-person team was stationed there, on high alert.

Under Frost’s expectant gaze, the staff member opened the large warehouse door.

In the center of the warehouse stood a cubic steel frame, with a bionic human whose arms had been replaced with Mantis Knives fixed in the center, every joint firmly locked in place.

Glancing at those intimidating Mantis Knives, the staff member swallowed nervously and said.

"It’s right here... this thing is dangerous, we can only keep it locked up here until it’s disassembled."

Frost couldn’t wait to step forward and scrutinized the bionic human locked on the frame.

Suddenly, a hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

"Isn’t this still the initial version?"

Standing beside him, Solar Eclipse nodded.

"Yeah."

Xuan Feng remained silent, staring intensely at the oddly dressed counterpart in front of him, his shoulders suddenly shrugging forward.

The frame made a creaking sound, startling both the nearby staff and especially the soldiers, who quickly flicked the safeties off their rifles.

Unresponsive, Frost reached out his index finger and pressed it against its chest, pityingly gazing at the poor fellow.

"Why would there be such hideous AIs in this world, with nothing but a string of soulless numbers flowing beneath their cold shells... Can such a thing even be called intelligent?"

Triggered by these words, Xuan Feng slowly raised his head, staring at the bionic human before him, and his tightly closed mouth finally moved.

"... If you dare, let me go."

The sharp Mantis Knives tilted slightly, the mirror-like blades reflecting a fierce cold light.

Feeling that silent fury and challenge, Frost stood before it unresponsive, turning to look at Solar Eclipse on the side.

"Let’s go, Solar Eclipse, the legendary Academy is nothing special after all."

Solar Eclipse nodded.

"Okay."

"..."

As the two bionic humans turned and walked towards the door, Xuan Feng’s body violently trembled, but unfortunately, the sturdy metal frame did not loosen a bit from his struggle.

It was the first time.

Its AI core felt such intense anger...

...

Linghu Wetland Park.

The north gate of Outpost Base.

Standing behind the ramen stall, Zhang Hai was dropping noodles into the pot when, through the white steam, he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

"Yo, an unexpected visitor..." As soon as he began to speak, Zhang Hai’s eyes suddenly fell on the woman next to Old White, his smile taking on a teasing hue.

Before he could tease, Old White coughed.

"Two bowls of beef noodles."

"Hehe, you got it."

Zhang Hai skillfully yanked a large lump of dough, tossed it on the cutting board and flattened it out. With some pulling here and there, like magic, he turned the oval dough into flying thin noodles.

Standing in front of the stall, Chen Yutong stared blankly at the noodles in his hand, utterly fascinated.

What is this?

Magic?!

"How’s the situation on the front lines?" he asked with a smile as he threw the finished noodles into the pot.

Old White responded in a casual tone,

"Not bad, I heard the Skeleton Corps and Storm Corps are close to pushing to the Army’s main base in Luo Xia Province. Looks like there’ll be not much for us to do next."

Typical players wouldn’t ask such questions, but a player who used their real name as their ID obviously wasn’t typical.

With continuous updates to the game and new players entering, the noodle stall owner, who never appeared in the forums, had somehow become one of "Wasteland OL’s" urban legends.

Some even said he was an official plant.

But Old White knew better.

This guy, like them, had started out as a newbie and had his fair share of embarrassing moments.

Maybe he thought using a gun was no fun and had turned to a lifestyle profession.

"Pretty impressive, these youngsters," remarked Zhang Hai, "in just one year, they can handle battles involving thousands of men with ease."

Old White responded with a laugh,

"Why don’t you join in?"

Zhang Hai sighed,

"Count me out, spare me at my age."

"What are you afraid of? It’s just a game...speaking of which, how old are you in real life?"

"Not telling you."

"Come on! Getting shy?"

"It’s not important. Anyway, it’s good for the youngsters to gain some experience, haha."

The two didn’t know each other in real life.

But Old White’s instincts told him that the person in front of him must have spent some time in the military, or at least for a while.

However, this brother was probably different from him; he must have left the forces some time ago, clearly having adjusted to a peaceful life.

Two bowls of beef noodles were quickly served.

Chen Yutong grabbed the chopsticks eagerly but hesitated and then froze.

"How do I use these?"

"I’ll show you."

Old White patiently demonstrated.

She was undoubtedly a product of the Academy, for Chen Yutong watched carefully just once and quickly grasped the knack of using the utensils.

"Incredible... you guys actually eat like this on a regular basis,"

As she gingerly tasted the noodles, Old White smiled and asked,

"Is it good?"

"Yes! Super...delicious!"

Chen Yutong nodded excitedly, unable to find the right adverbs to express her genuine joy. She just puffed up her cheeks, taking small breaths as she nibbled on the noodles.

Watching her eager yet fearful of getting scalded expression, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Old White’s face.

Standing behind the stall, Zhang Hai, winking and grinning, teased,

"How did you two meet? Tell me about it."

"Tell your sister."

Old White rolled his eyes and slapped a paper currency on the table,

"I’m paying now."

"Man, what era are you living in to still use paper currency? Can’t you just do a transfer?"

"I need some change, it’s useful."

Zhang Hai was about to ask what for when he saw Chen Yutong beside them, and suddenly, as if he understood, he gave a knowing smile, turned, and started flipping through the drawer for change.

There’s only one denomination of a hundred in paper currency within the Alliance, the rest being coins. For players accustomed to electronic payments, getting change wasn’t convenient.

However, after searching for a while, Zhang Hai counted out the exact amount in silver coins and lined them up on the counter.

Looking at the stack of coins lying on the wooden table, Chen Yutong asked curiously,

"What are these?"

Old White explained with a smile,

"Money, currency, it’s used to exchange for things. For instance, a bowl of noodles like this only costs four silver coins. Don’t you have G points over there?"

Chen Yutong hesitated, then shook her head,

"G points can’t be traded, only used on the electronic platform run by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. How do you use these?"

Although Old White didn’t quite grasp the difference between "trading" and "using," right now he wasn’t concerned with these minor details.

Today’s main task was to teach her how to adapt to her new life.

Looking at the puzzled face of Chen Yutong, Old White smiled and said,

"This is simple, I’ll teach you how to use it in a bit."