This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 503: How did you, a thick-browed Big Eyes, sneak in here?

Chapter 503: Chapter 503: How did you, a thick-browed Big Eyes, sneak in here?

Inside the elongated shuttle-shaped aircraft.

Sitting on a soft, comfortable seat, Li Ke was drinking coffee while overseeing the joint eradication operation against the Mutants by the Corporate and the Alliance through four scouting drones that were deployed near the Battlefield.

The gunfire did not last long.

Just as he finished his coffee, the last standing Mutant also fell at the steps in front of that ugly altar.

Next, it was time to clean up the Battlefield.

He placed the cup on the tray, which was automatically retrieved by a robot assistant nearby, and gave a bland comment towards the holographic memo displayed.

"Mediocre."

"The soldiers of the Alliance are a bit strange, their physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people, but since they are Residents of the refuge, that’s normal. Primitive equipment, primitive people’s combat style... I really can’t understand how the Beacon team lost to these people. The quality of the people from the Investigation Department is getting worse every year."

"As for the Corporate..."

Li Ke chuckled with a more obvious mocking look in his eyes.

"The AI core in the hands of these people is truly a waste... The presence of those bionic soldiers is even less than that of the old-era power armor, they really are regressing."

There was no need to mention the Army.

That outdated equipment was just hanging by a thread of inheritance.

Overall, the Academy, which had improved on the foundations of the Prosperity Epoch, was naturally stronger.

Of course, it was undeniable that the performance of the Alliance had indeed exceeded his initial expectations... If a full-scale war really broke out, with their fighting spirit, perhaps they could hold out a few months longer.

Content, Li Ke touched the holographic screen to turn off the memo and recalled the scouting drones he had deployed earlier.

At that moment, a gentle electronic voice floated from behind his seat.

"Sir, you have a call."

"A call? Here?"

"Yes, the Wandering Swamp has launched a patrol communication station."

Upon hearing "patrol communication station," Li Ke’s expression immediately became serious, and he sat straight up from his chair.

"Transfer it to me."

"Right away."

The communication signal quickly shifted from the Research Ship’s server to his personal terminal.

Li Ke tapped on the holographic window, and a hastily sketched bust outlined in pale blue quickly formed in front of him.

This was the Great Desert.

The signal was even worse than in the Luo Xia Province.

The person insisting on using video communication under such circumstances seemed to be one of those inflexible old-fashioned types from the Research Department.

"...I am Yang Kai, a B-level researcher from the Research Department, my recognition wavelength is in the communication code, please verify it later."

As soon as the communication connected, the person on the other end went straight to the point without any pleasantries.

"External Affairs Department Li Ke, B-class. What’s the matter?"

The holographic image flickered for a while.

"The project from Shelter No. 0 has been handed over to me."

Hearing this, Li Ke suddenly jumped up like a squirrel whose tail had been stepped on.

"On what basis?"

The tone on the other side of the communication channel remained calm.

"This is an order from Dr. Conclusion. Your External Affairs Department just do your assigned jobs."

Hearing it was actually an order from Dr. Conclusion, Li Ke deflated like a punctured balloon and grumbled resentfully.

"Dr. Conclusion... that person really has the time."

The person on the other side of the communication channel made no comment about this remark, only replying flatly.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

With that, the flickering shadow disappeared from above the holographic device...

...

The ground troops of the Corporate and the Alliance had finished cleaning up the Battlefield, and the discoveries within the "Black Stone" Mutant tribe were unexpected.

The comment by Yun Song’s drone operator had indeed become prophetic.

These gray-skinned Mutants had indeed dug deep tunnels, using the cave formed by the tunnels to protect the immature young and to cultivate edible fungi and farm fat and protein-producing Mutant worms.

The most surprising was a fluorescent mushroom growing on radioactive waste, which could seemingly accelerate the decay of iodine and cesium isotopes through a special biochemical process and transform some of the energy into light.

So far, it has not been proven whether this species utilizes fusion or fission to sustain its vital activities.

But merely accelerating the decay of radioactive materials was enough to be astonishing.

Yun Song and Old White each reported their findings in the Mutant tribe to their respective superiors.

After communication between the high ranks of the Corporate and the Alliance, the two parties decided to share this interesting research material.

The Iron Heart slowly crossed directly above the Black Stone tribe, anchoring about one kilometer away in an open space.

The drop pod was then lowered.

Five long, bar-shaped engineering vehicles drove onto the open space in three vertical rows, their wheels retracted, and the chassis lowered the supports to complete deployment.

Nearly a hundred personnel wearing Miner’s Exoskeleton busied between the supply pile and the campsite foundation, ferrying metal scraps dismantled from the Mutant tribe to the engineering vehicles’ feed ports, quickly processing them into panels used to construct the campsite.

These standardized panels, made primarily of aluminum and iron alloys, were about one inch thick, porous and lightweight in texture, but not compromised in strength. They could serve as insulated walls for the camp rooms or be filled with sand to build shooting shelters and exterior walls of the base.

As the battle concluded, the players also joined in the camp’s construction.

In less than three hours, a campsite covering 20 acres, nearly the size of two football fields, began to take shape.

The pod was lowered once again.

The logistics officer from the Iron Heart quickly stepped forward, stopping before Chu Guangmang, glowing with pride as he snapped to attention and saluted.

"Report! Respected Manager, as per your instructions, we have completed the construction of the external walls of the camp. Next is the construction of the barracks, which is expected to be completed within 24 hours!"

"Good job," Chu nodded approvingly and continued, "Carry on with your work, don’t mind me."

"Yes!" The logistics officer positioned his right fist against his chest, then strode vigorously towards the construction site.

Watching the young man’s departing figure, Wu Changnian glanced around the bustling construction site and said with a smile, squinting his eyes.

"How about it? The technology of Ideal City is decent, isn’t it?"

Chu Guang sincerely remarked,

"It’s quite good, it’s just a bit expensive. It would be great if there could be a discount."

Wu Changnian cleared his throat.

"This... you need to discuss it with a representative from the Silver Wing Group. The council can’t intervene in the operations of the Production Department, and I can’t make decisions regarding order issues."

Although regretful, Chu Guang still nodded.

"Understood."

This system, named "Campsite Workshop", consisted of five powerful engineering vehicles and was somewhat akin to the modular production workshops on board the Pioneer in that both were designed for the special environment of the Wasteland and were manufacturing tools.

It was like another kind of Black Box, indiscriminately ingesting metal scraps, digesting the digestible parts, and DIYing them into the shapes needed by the users.

Combined with the cruising capability of the Iron Heart, theoretically, Chu Guang could deploy the mobile base anywhere they could fly to.

He had recognized this feature and decisively imported this system from the Silver Wing Group.

Despite the high cost of the system, amounting to sixteen million Cr, Chu Guang had still painfully parted with the money to place the order.

As a modular production tool, its functions obviously weren’t limited to producing materials needed for setting up camp.

The five engineering vehicles could also process the input materials according to the provided blueprints into basic weapons including rifles and protective gear like bullet-proof armor.

Though the production efficiency was low and the energy consumption, material use, and implied loss costs were not trifling sums, as a set of "camping equipment," it was still very useful.

Previously, the Iron Heart dealt with supplies during expeditions by enslaving people and carrying a large amount of processing tools and machine tools.

Using the five engineering vehicles could easily replace a production team of over five hundred people, saving a lot of precious space on the airship.

Unfortunately, the Alliance only had one "Void Aircraft Carrier."

Otherwise, Chu Guang would definitely plan to buy several more sets from Ideal City.

Just then, some individuals from the Adjudicator came down, including the Weilante People, and walked toward them.

Chu Guang suddenly noticed the look in McCullen’s eyes as he viewed those engineering vehicles.

Both he and the Captain beside him, Adria, had faces unmistakably filled with envy.

The Army’s industrial capabilities were not weak, and their manufacturing of heavy equipment was also impressive, but they barely managed the manufacturing of precise equipment.

Such devices, even if available, were not something that could be equipped on an airship.

"Has the entrance to the No.0 Shelter been found?" As Adria approached the representatives of the Alliance and Corporations, he asked with a smile.

Wu Changnian responded succinctly.

"We need to find the crew of the Pioneer first; only they know the entrance to the shelter. If you are in a hurry, you can head back first."

Of course, Adria wouldn’t leave, he smiled and continued asking,

"Didn’t you retrieve an employee? Doesn’t he know the entrance to No.0 Shelter?"

"Unfortunately, you guessed correctly. He was driven away by a group of shameless bandits before he could find the entrance to the shelter."

Detecting the unfriendly tone in Wu Changnian’s voice, Adria remained unruffled, and McCullen’s face also showed no expression.

The orders had been given by Griffin.

He was also angry about being outmaneuvered by that guy.

If it hadn’t been for chasing that corporate employee, he wouldn’t have fallen into the hands of some Wasteland Wanderers, nor would he have lost his aircraft.

"I’m very sorry about what happened with the Pioneer, it was Griffin’s own initiative. We will strictly control our people to prevent similar incidents from happening again," said Captain Adria, feigning concern. "Oh, almost forgot to ask, has the Pioneer been found? Are the crew members still okay?"

Wu Changnian stared at him.

"Our people have already gone to the coordinates you provided, and they better all still be alive."

Adria shrugged his shoulders.

"I sincerely hope they are safe."

The Pioneer had previously been controlled by the Army.

However, including Lu Yang, the passengers were not captured by the Army but had moved out before the Army took control of the Pioneer.

Other than Luo Hua, who was sent to seek help from the Alliance, the rest of the employees hid under Lu Yang’s leadership and were not found by the Weilante people.

As the days of war approached, Griffin did not waste time in the Great Desert, so the task of searching for those people was subcontracted to the Dark Stone Tribe.

According to the descriptions of captured Mutants, those big-nosed humans had set the price of "one corporate employee for ten human women."

But so far, those Mutants clearly had not found the missing corporate employees, otherwise, they would have already claimed their reward from the Weilante people.

Regarding the issue with the Pioneer, the Army blamed everything on Griffin.

As for McCullen, he didn’t know much. Whatever he could disclose had already been disclosed while he was captured.

The fate of the crew members of the Pioneer did not concern the Army; they were only interested in the No.0 Shelter discovered by the Pioneer.

The Academy felt the same.

Disregarding Captain Adria’s insincere courtesy, Wu Changnian turned and walked towards the corporate settlement.

McCullen glared harshly at Chu Guang but said nothing and left with Adria.

At that moment, a long shuttle-shaped aircraft reduced the arc of light from its bottom jets and slowly landed in the center of the camp.

Its name was Comet 300, a research ship independently manufactured by the Academy based on the blueprint remnants of the Prosperity Epoch. Equipped with an ecological cycling device and an anti-gravity device, theoretically, not only could it travel to any corner of this planet, but it could even fly to outer space.

However, the environment in outer space was much worse than on the ground. Unless there was a special mission, it generally wasn’t flown there.

Just as he had finished clearing the battlefield, Old White glanced at the science-fiction-styled research ship and suddenly realized it was slightly different than the one that had landed in Falcon City.

At that moment, a man and a woman stepped out from the opened hatch.

Old White was surprised to find that he actually recognized one of them.

The person obviously noticed him too and walked over.

"Meeting again."

As he approached Old White, Zheng Hao looked over the power armor on him and a hint of surprise crossed his face. "Dragon Cavalry?"

"Pretty knowledgeable."

Zheng Hao pursed his lips.

"I’ve seen plenty of remnants of those things, and there are plenty scattered around the nuclear bomb crater beside the Grand Canyon."

"Really? I must go take a look someday," Old White said with a faint smile, then continued, "What about you? What brings you here?"

"Thanks to you and that sample, my team and I have been transferred from the Investigation Department to the Research Department, now working under Class B researcher Professor Yang Kai. He is in charge of the investigation of the No.0 Shelter... He’s inside that research ship."

Zheng Hao’s expression was complex as he spoke.

The Beacon team had suffered heavy losses in that battle, and many of his brothers had died.

Moreover, since it was an unrecognized battle, the families of his deceased brothers didn’t even receive full bereavement funds. He had taken out some of his own G points to buy necessities for their families.

Chu Guang understood the expression on his face. Old White said nothing, just skipped the unpleasant part of the conversation.

"About that shelter... will you be the one to go, or will that B-level researcher?"

Contrary to Old White’s expectations, the man before him shook his head.

"Neither."

As he spoke, Zheng Hao looked towards the girl next to him, who was reserved and had long black hair.

"Let me introduce her, Jiang Xuezhou, a Level D researcher... She used to be in my team, and now she’s at the same level as me. Yang Kai is her mentor, and it was thanks to her connections that we were able to successfully transfer that sample."

Jiang Xuezhou eyed Old White warily and nodded cautiously.

"Hello."

She had seen this man through the drone’s camera; many of her peers, including her close friend Chen Yutong, had died at the hands of him and his team...

Although she knew that they were each fighting for their own cause, and that there was no clear right or wrong, she still couldn’t trust the person in front of her.

Zheng Hao looked at Old White.

"The Alliance should have sent you, right? When you go down, could you look after her for me?"

Old White made a helpless expression.

"As much as I’d like to help you, I’m not involved in this operation."

"Not you?" Zheng Hao looked at him in surprise.

Before getting off the research ship, he heard that the Alliance was sending a powerful Awakener to enter the shelter with them.

He had guessed that it might be Old White.

However, Old White told him it wasn’t him.

Did the Alliance have stronger Awakeners?

"Yes, another person..." Seeing Zheng Hao’s surprised face, Old White smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll talk to my good brother—"

"No need," Jiang Xuezhou cut him off, warily watching him speak, "I can take care of myself just... don’t bother yourself with the extra concern on my behalf."

With that, she politely nodded her head and turned to leave the place.

Watching his colleague’s retreating figure, Zheng Hao’s expression turned slightly awkward, and he coughed lightly.

"Sorry, that day... she lost a close teammate."

Old White shrugged.

"It’s okay, I understand. But don’t expect me to apologize, we showed as much restraint as possible, you were the ones who fired first."

Zheng Hao silently nodded.

"I know... I’m not saying it’s your fault, rather it’s me... well."

He suddenly didn’t know how to continue, pondered for a long time, and finally, it turned into a sigh.

This damn confidentiality...

There were words he could only keep to himself.

Understanding his predicament, Old White said nothing, just encouragingly patted his shoulder and then turned to walk away.

...

It wasn’t just Old White who coincidentally met an acquaintance.

The Storm Corps brothers were there, too.

Seeing the Old Soldier stealthily approaching, I Max Black pointed at the guy’s nose, shouting excitedly.

"F*****! Pangolin?!"

The shout startled the Old Soldier, who instinctively looked around before realizing I Max Black was speaking in Mandarin and breathed a sigh of relief.

"MMPD, can’t you not call out my cover like that in public!" cursed the Old Soldier, who was irritated that his mission was nearly compromised.

I Max Black looked nonchalant and said with a grin.

"Don’t worry, brother won’t sell you out... But how did a burly guy like you slip here?"

The Old Soldier sighed.

"Ah, it’s a long story. I came here all muddled."

The Spring Water Commander looked at him strangely, having a vague idea but not yet certain, so he cautiously asked.

"Among the two representatives sent by the Army to investigate No.0 Shelter... could you be one?"

The Old Soldier gave a shy smile.

"You guessed right."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

I Max Black: "F*****!"

Grave Catching Ghost: "6666!"

"Kakarot" couldn’t help saying: "Damn... To undercover like you, I’m at a loss for words."

Originally, the Corporate, Army, and Alliance were to send two representatives each, the Academy one, but the Army ended up including this guy, effectively making three representatives from the Alliance side.

The Old Soldier sheepishly laughed.

"Life is full of surprises, I never thought those big noses would send me... speaking of which, do you have the thing that saves files? Save one for me quick, I’m scared I might die out there."

The Spring Water Commander coughed.

"There’s one on the airship."

The Old Soldier blinked.

"Holy! I have to go up to the airship?"

The Spring Water Commander gave him a weird look.

"What else? It’s so troublesome to bring down sleep cabins everywhere... Moreover, I suggest you come later at night, the earlier slots might be hard to grab."

Saving wasn’t just lying down and punching a card; it took several hours to load.

Usually, everyone would save in batches. Once the people in front finish, the next ones to save would have to drag the previous person out of the cultivation chamber.

So if you choose to sign off at a public saving point, sometimes you might wake up to find yourself lying on the floor.

I Max Black suggested with a grin.

"Why don’t you sneak out tonight? The brothers can cover you."

Looking at that unreliable guy, the Old Soldier hesitated for a long time but finally bit the bullet and agreed.

"Alright!"

...

Later that evening.

Old Soldier carefully went to the bathroom, locked the door, and then pulled off a "Kakarot" by climbing out the window of the WC and sneaking off to the Alliance’s airship away from the area designated for the Army representatives in the camp.

I Max Black and Graveyard Ghost, who were already waiting there, quickly threw a sack over him and then hoisted him into a hanging cabin, stealthily getting him aboard the airship.

Although Old Soldier thought the sack was completely unnecessary, needing their help, he refrained from resisting and let I Max Black do as he pleased.

The Sleep Cabin required several hours to collect data.

Fortunately, he was used to spending a couple of hours squatting in the restroom anyway, so a few extra hours wouldn’t raise any suspicions.

At the same time, in the captain’s quarters aboard the Iron Heart.

Chu Guang, who had returned to the airship, stared at the tattered cloth spread out on the desk, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

"A symbol of the Torch Church?"

Standing across the desk, Old White nodded solemnly.

"I found this mark on that Mutant Priest... and there were similar symbols on the altar too."

Leaning back in his chair, Chu Guang closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"The Death Coast is in the southern part of Brocade River Province, at least five or six thousand... It’s too far by any measure."

Following a straight line, one would still have to cross over insurmountable natural barriers like Zobar Mountain, making it hard to imagine the Torch Church could extend their reach this far.

A thought suddenly came to Old White.

"Is it possible... that it’s not that the mutants are followers of the Torch Church, but that both the mutants and the Torch Church are devotees of some larger organization?"

Chu Guang replied succinctly,

"That sounds even more far-fetched."

Old White gave a wry smile.

"Indeed..."

If such an organization was so vast as to affect both the mutants in the central part of the Great Desert and the Death Coast in the south of the Central Continent, they would have heard some rumors.

Staring at the symbol on the tattered cloth, Chu Guang fell into deep thought.

He leaned towards another possibility—

that these mutants and followers of the Torch Church were independently and simultaneously influenced by some special entity.

It could be a large organization, as Old White suggested, or a piece of technology with miraculous power.

Or perhaps, it was merely an abstract concept.

However, whatever it was, anything with such power to bewitch was inherently dangerous.

Reflecting on the history of Shelter No.117 and the various rumors surrounding Wang Yi, who self-proclaimed as Saint Heir, Chu Guang closed his eyes and pondered for a long time.

The last time he felt such a foreboding unease was upon learning that the Weilante People had planted a nuclear bomb in Luo Xia Province.

"The source of this symbol... must be thoroughly investigated."

Old White concurred,

"I think so too... I recommend maintaining an outpost in the Great Desert, even putting aside these significant leads; there are still many things here worth reclamation."

Chu Guang nodded, drawing a line in the air with his index finger, unfolding a holographic map.

"Not just the Great Desert, the investigation in the south will commence simultaneously... After this incident, I will assign you a task."

Hearing about the hidden assignment, Old White’s eyes lit up, and he immediately responded,

"Please, command me!"

Chu Guang continued,

"There’s a coordinate in the south, where we need to recover some nuclear fuel. I need you to take a few people there for retrieval."

"Some Residents of the refuge are currently pioneering in that area; you can seek their help."

Old White clasped his hands together, his eyes bright,

"Yes!"

...

The night was deep.

Not far from the camp, in a dilapidated factory building spanning thousands of acres that housed a massive land fortress.

With its steel shell showing deep indentations and its undercarriage’s tracks completely shattered, its mechanical arms and production workshops were all severely damaged, a condition that could only be described as bleak.

Judging from the collapsed wall next to it and the bullet holes in the wall, it had crashed through the factory wall before engaging in fierce firefights with pursuers here.

A few beams of light shone on the dusty wreckage, and the android soldiers closely inspected the various damages and gaps on the land fortress.

Standing not too far away, Su Ming couldn’t help but curse softly.

"Damn these big-nosed bastards!"

It was clearly the Weilante People who had doomed it to this ghastly state.

Thinking of those indifferent Weilante officers, Su Ming wished he could drag those big noses from the camp and punch them squarely on their faces.

Standing nearby, Gu Wei spoke with some emotion,

"Do you remember what it looked like when it first left Ideal City?"

Another assault squad member remarked,

"... I don’t recognize it at all."

"Hopefully the people inside are alright."

Yun Song glanced at his Geiger counter, found the radiation dust levels exceeded standards, and gestured for everyone to close their helmets and activate the internal circulation systems.

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