This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 513: An Adventure Without Regrets

Chapter 513: Chapter 513: An Adventure Without Regrets

Early November.

The East Coast had already entered winter, and although it hadn’t snowed like last year, the gloomy sky was still piled with thick clouds.

For the residents of Ideal City, today was undoubtedly a sad day.

Their hero never made it back home.

After a long and arduous wait, such an outcome had unfortunately arrived,

and many people simply couldn’t accept it.

At the news conference site.

The spacious venue was crowded with journalists from various media outlets.

Although Deputy Minister Wu Changnian had just gotten off the plane not so long ago, news regarding the matter had already been flying all over the city two days prior. So much so that while he was still dozing off in the sky, the people on the ground had already arranged his post-landing itinerary.

Taking advantage of the time left before the official start of the press conference, people began to whisper to each other in low tones.

"We spent billions on this, fought a localized war... and this is the result?"

"I don’t know what the Council is thinking."

"What can they think? By the time our people got there, they had already been gone for months."

"Alas."

"What really concerns me is that Enlightenment Society..."

"Indeed, replacing one’s memories... just the thought of it gives me the creeps."

"Is that really an organization founded by those with ’Blue Jackets’?"

"I just hope there aren’t any of those guys in the refuges of the Yúnjiānxíng Province."

"We shouldn’t pin our hopes on hope, the Council should do something to ensure those guys aren’t among us!"

The whispers grew louder and louder.

People were concerned not just with the fact that the Pioneer expedition turned up nothing and countless billions of investment went down the drain, along with tens of billions in the budget.

Most of them were even more concerned about that terrifying Enlightenment Society.

If the fruits of their labor could be snatched away in the future, then creating any value was pointless.

No one could accept coming home from work one day to meet a pair of unfamiliar eyes, let alone a bunch of little devils lurking in the shadows, secretly replacing oneself.

5000-plus kilometers away, which actually isn’t too far, there’s always a way if one really wants to get there.

Meanwhile, in the preparation room next to the conference site, Deputy Minister Wu Changnian, who had just deplaned and taken a car here, hadn’t even taken a sip of water before heading in the direction of the venue.

Carrying documents and following beside him, his office secretary pleaded earnestly.

"...Please, at least sit down and rest for a while!"

"No need, I’ve rested enough on the plane. From the Great Desert, to the Lion Kingdom, to the City of Dawn, and now here. There’s a Council meeting this afternoon, and I must deal with the press conference first... This is the task assigned to me by the Council." Wu Changnian opened his holographic computer pen and glanced at today’s schedule, feeling his scalp tingle.

He was just a deputy, and this level of busyness was beyond his expectations.

However—

Suddenly getting busy wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

This was a good omen, perhaps it wouldn’t be too long before he could take another step forward in his career.

With this thought, that slightly tired face perked up again. Although he had just wandered around, he was after all a hardened warrior who had been on the battlefield.

"The journalists outside look aggressive, I’m afraid they won’t let you off easy," warned the secretary with a wry smile, offering one last word of caution, but he was briskly shoved aside.

"Let them come then!"

The door burst open, and the lights flickered.

Just as Wu Changnian stepped up to the podium, before he could speak, a swarm of interview drones buzzed over and neatly arranged themselves in an arc facing him, promptly followed by a barrage of questions from all sides.

"Mr. Wu Changnian, how do you evaluate this rescue operation?"

"Deputy Minister Wu, we spent countless resources to build the Pioneer, sending out our best personnel into the wasteland, but in the end, we found nothing... Do you consider this a waste of resources?"

"Does the Council have nothing to say about this matter?"

"Will the downturn in Silver Wing Group’s stock price affect changes in its Council positions?"

"I’ve heard that only one person was rescued, and that person just happens to be the son of the CEO of Silver Wing Group, a member of the highest Council. I want to know if there was any bias in the rescue operation."

"Should we increase our interference with the powers of the shelters—"

"Enough! Silence!"

His resonant voice suddenly erupted, silencing the room in an instant, calming the chaos at the press conference for a few seconds.

Looking at the hushed scene and confused faces, Wu Changnian took a deep breath and slowed his speech and tone before continuing.

"You have more questions for me than the bullets that have whizzed past my head, and I know you want to ask a lot, but Captain Lu Yang’s recording will answer some of your queries. We will upload the recording to Endpoint Cloud and preserve it in the museum for all to access... But before that, listen to me!"

He paused, his tone taking on a somber note.

"Today... I have a sad story to tell."

"A group of brave young men, carrying their ideals, set out on an expedition. They traversed mountains and rivers, crossed plains, forests, mountain ranges, and deserts. They did it not for wealth, nor for land or conquest... but for a legend that has circulated among us, one we’ve commemorated for a century yet never verified."

"Our civilization has stagnated; we fear the risks of the wastelands, fantasizing about an omnipotent savior lying in a Sleep Cabin in No.0 Shelter, awaiting Heaven itself to come to our feet... If no one goes there to have a look, we would never let go of that naive thought."

"I want to say he did a remarkable thing. Even if he might have guessed from the start that the outcome wouldn’t be perfect, he still did what he thought he ought to do. And to the very end, he had no regrets. So if you ask me if I have any regrets, if I would have second thoughts, my answer is no."

"Never!"

His voice was firm, his gaze intense.

Standing here, he didn’t resemble a man in his forties or fifties— even the deep wrinkles on his face seemed to be reinvigorated with the light of youth.

"Even if only one person was brought back, even if no one was brought back, this rescue mission was by no means meaningless for us."

"More precious than gold is trust; we’ve kept our promise, not abandoning any residents stranded out there. We’ve shown to those who doubted us our determination never to compromise; we’ve gained precious friendships along the journey...

"And most importantly, our courage!"

Looking at the drones before him, he saw through them to the faces beyond and the bustling city outside the floor-to-ceiling windows far away.

"We are worthy of our ancestors; the residents of No.6 Shelter and the Endeavour Colony Ship would be proud of our choices."

"We are worthy descendants of heroes!"

The venue erupted into applause.

At first, it was like a gentle drizzle and then a wild downpour.

Even the reporters who had come prepared with tough questions were moved by the atmosphere and couldn’t help but bring their hands together in applause.

At least at this moment, the applause was not for someone at the scene, but for themselves.

In the nearby lounge, Night Ten clapped his hands. Amidst his feelings of admiration, he couldn’t resist the natural urge to be a little sour.

"Wow, that sounds really nice."

He clearly remembered that those guys had considered giving up more than once. At least in his view, if the Manager hadn’t withstood the pressure and promised to end the War by the end of the year, today’s press conference might have been about the "disappearance" of the Pioneer.

By the way, he came to Ideal City by catching a "ride" with Deputy Minister Wu.

Not just him, but also Old White, Wild Wind, Mole, and so on.

Standing beside him, Fang Chang laughed and patted Night Ten’s shoulder, saying,

"You kid just loves to sing a different tune. Others are deputies of Ideal City, representing Ideal City, representing the Council. If he didn’t say it like that, tell me, how should he have said it?"

Night Ten thought for a moment and made an effort to pick a fault.

"At least emphasize our role a bit more."

"Our role doesn’t need any verbal emphasis; there will be people who remember our favor. Things that need reiterated usually aren’t that important," Fang Chang patted his shoulder and then looked at his good brothers, Old White and Wild Wind, with a smile, "Follow me, let me show you the results of my work these past few months."

The group entered the elevator and arrived at the observation deck on the top floor of the building.

Night Ten looked left and right and didn’t see anything, so he teased the guy.

"Don’t tell me your achievement from these past months is this rooftop."

Fang Chang didn’t speak, just checked the time on his watch, and then turned his gaze toward the Council Building in the very center of Ideal City.

"Over there."

As soon as he finished speaking, splendid lights and shadows converged on the wall of the building, forming an image of a bucket full of fried chicken and a large cup of black beverage.

Such a sight was not novel for the Real World, which has close cultural exchanges, but it was quite a novelty for the residents of Ideal City.

Lines of advertisement flashed across the screen.

[Ken Fried Chicken’s first store is open now! Exotic Delicacies await your arrival!]

[Store address: ...]

Initially, Night Ten didn’t understand what was written, but he burst out laughing after turning on the VM for translation.

"Pfft! Ken Fried Chicken, alright, that’s a really old joke."

"Indeed, quite an old joke," Wild Wind couldn’t help but comment.

"Haha, it shows that I’m not young anymore," Fang Chang said with a chuckle.

Old White laughed and teased,

"Damn, you’re moving everything from the Real World into the Wasteland."

"It’s just about complementing strengths," Fang Chang touched his nose with his index finger and continued, "Fried chicken and cola are just the first step to test the waters, followed by steamed buns, baozi, pancakes, dumplings, and ready-to-cook dishes. The business plan includes fast-food brands like ’Mr. Little Rice’ and others. Our intention is to form a matrix of these Alliance foods in Ideal City, one that carries added cultural value."

"We just need to set the standards and quality control. The actual store operations can be franchised and cooperated with other food and catering companies, produced and sold locally... Currently, this business model suits us best."

After all, the Alliance can’t deploy too many staff to the corporate side. One reason is the difficulty in integrating into the local society, and the other is the potential of taking away local job opportunities.

Providing only the concept and creativity was Fang Chang’s plan from the start. Just label the "fried chicken" with the Alliance tag, and when the residents of Ideal City think of that crispy deliciousness, they will recognize and favor the stores certified by the Alliance companies.

If the operation goes well, the Long Moon Group will open up a market worth billions for the Bull Horse Group in Ideal City.

Once the market is opened and the residents of Ideal City embrace the culture of City of Dawn, some lifestyle players could go to Ideal City to open their stores.

Everyone could benefit from this. There was no doubt it was a win-win situation.

As for the business blueprint that Fang Chang outlined, it all went over Night Ten’s head. He scratched the back of his head, failed to grasp it, and simply gave up.

To be able to play the Game to this extent, amongst everyone he knew, Brother Fang Chang was indeed unique.

He admitted he wasn’t cut out for this and simply decided to lie low.

After talking about Bull Horse Group’s future business plans, Fang Chang suddenly turned his gaze to Night Ten, asking with interest,

"Oh right, Old White mentioned that you’ve recently gotten to know a researcher from the Academy? What’s that all about?"

He had always been interested in the Academy in the swamp.

Legend had it that the place had even more black tech than corporations, but it rarely made it into the Wasteland.

According to the official setting, if one wanted to buy top-level equipment, it seemed necessary to figure out how to pry open the doors of the Academy.

Maybe Night Ten could become the opening they needed.

Yet, looking at those gossip-filled eyes, Night Ten was completely confused.

"What situation?"

Patting Night Ten’s shoulder, Old White laughed and said to Fang Chang,

"You underestimate this guy. It’s not just the Academy’s researchers; even old ladies from corporations are interested in him."

Reminded of the small incident that happened on the plane, Wild Wind nodded slightly, his expression ambiguous.

"Though I feel there’s a difference... maybe they just want to adopt a godson."

Night Ten: "???"

Fang Chang looked at Night Ten in surprise.

"Holy shit, you’re not cool, bro... not telling your dad anything."

"Get lost! I don’t even know what you guys are talking about, I... I never thought about dating an NPC."

Seeing Fang Chang’s smile, which clearly didn’t look like he had listened to his explanation, Night Ten, with a flushed face, quickly shifted away from this bizarre topic and then turned the fire onto the guy in front of him.

"Cut the crap, when are you heading back?"

Fang Chang said straightforwardly,

"I’ll head back with you guys in a bit."

Night Ten was stunned and looked at him incredulously,

"Just like that? You’re leaving?"

Fang Chang looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, why not?"

"It’s nothing," Night Ten scratched the back of his head, "I’m just a bit surprised."

Guessing what he was surprised about, Fang Chang laughed and said,

"I’ve arranged everything here, and the daily operation of the Long Moon Group is in the hands of professional managers. There isn’t much we need to worry about. This cooperation plan is more of a trial run since Ideal City has never had such direct business cooperation over such a distance before, so I spent a bit more time here."

Before that, most of the company’s cooperation with the outside world was conducted indirectly.

For example, the company’s corporation collaborated with the traders from the Province of Yúnjiānxíng, trading resources needed by Ideal City, while the traders would take the products of Ideal City to more distant places in exchange for what they needed.

This was undoubtedly a significant change.

As for the impact it might have on the future, it remained unknown at present.

By the way, just a few days ago, Fang Chang had completed those courses at Yunjian University.

Although it was just some superficial knowledge, it was enough for him to digest for quite a while.

When he had the chance in the future, he would come back for further studies, aiming to get that diploma.

"The CEO of As Promised Group, Li Shuyue, is also full of confidence in this," Wild Wind remarked with emotion. "She also believes it will be a historic moment... After more than a century, the direct business of Ideal City has expanded beyond the Province of Yúnjiānxíng once again, and the residents here have finally left this fortress to step back into the Wasteland. From the sound of it, she’s quite grateful to us."

"It sounds a bit like the beginning of a new story."

Fang Chang laughed.

"Doesn’t it?"

Because of an expedition, the stalled history began to move forward, and each one of them was a witness to this moment. In the distant future, when people looked back nostalgically on that old version, they would surely remember the names of these participants.

Night Ten suddenly snickered mischievously.

"Right, I almost forgot to ask, what’s your relationship with that Li Shuyue?"

Fang Chang rolled his eyes.

"No relationship whatsoever... and a warning for you, don’t go spouting nonsense, especially not over there. I’m a married man now."

Night Ten: "Dang! You’re still so particular even in the Game!"

"You don’t understand," Fang Chang shook his head and said solemnly, "The reason why true love is precious is that it only happens once."

"Blegh, blegh, blegh!"

As Night Ten leaned against the wall to vomit, Fang Chang turned his attention to Old White, who was watching them with a smile on his face.

"By the way, Old White, what mission did the Manager give us this time?"

Old White grinned and said,

"One thousand cubic meters of helium-3, waiting for us in a research facility in Brocade River Province to be reclaimed."

Fang Chang took a sharp breath.

"That’s a lot..."

"Based on the energy consumption in the real world, assuming the unlocking of third-generation fusion technology, one thousand cubic meters of helium-3 would be enough to last Earth for one year. In the Game," Wild Wind thought for a moment and shrugged, "given the energy consumption levels of the Alliance, I’d say it’s enough to last until server shutdown."

Even for Ideal City, the energy consumption for a year would not exceed this figure.

It was easy to imagine that this was a tremendous fortune!

"That’s a bit exaggerated to last until server shutdown," Fang Chang, surprised yet amused, looked up at the sky, "our end is up there."

"Stop kidding around, how long do you plan to rest?" Old White slapped his buddy’s shoulder and said with a smile, "The Manager has given us plenty of time; even half a year would be no problem."

"How long to rest?" Fang Chang paused for a moment, "Didn’t I say, I’m returning with you guys this time—"

Night Ten rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure? You won’t stay to spend some time with your Dolly?"

A rare blush crept onto Fang Chang’s usually calm face, and he coughed awkwardly, looking away,

"Give me a few days..."

Watching Fang Chang suddenly turn "bashful," Night Ten felt goosebumps all over and turned his face uncomfortably toward the sky.

"Darn it... I really want to throw this guy off the rooftop!"

As Night Ten twisted in envy, Old White laughed heartily and patted his shoulder vigorously.

Standing to the side, Wild Wind gave the kid a sideways glance.

"...Wasn’t it you who insisted on bringing this up?"

...

It had been a week since the "No.0 Shelter" incident.

More than five thousand kilometers away across the Great Desert, those who had not yet evacuated were still busy, performing cleanup work on the battlefield and wrapping things up.

Although some quick-footed players had already returned to the Alliance, some even going as far as the easternmost part of the Central Continent, Chu Guang, as a Manager, had not left yet.

There was still a lot of work here waiting for him.

In the previous conflict, the Alliance had captured one hundred and twenty disciples of the Enlightenment Society, who would be taken back to City of Dawn for trial by the court there.

Although they were residents of the refuge, the Alliance would not be lenient because of their origins; they would be treated the same as any other prisoners in terms of sentencing.

However, which laws to apply as the standard and the sentencing details for different levels of personnel would need to be discussed by the legal workers of the Alliance and the public.

But one thing would not change.

Even though they too were victims misled by the Enlightenment Society, they still needed to take responsibility for having been the devil’s accomplices.

They would be sentenced to more than ten years’ imprisonment and would undergo labor reform during their incarceration, undertaking obligatory work for welfare institutions like Home of the Refugees and Industrial Worker’s School, helping the survivors rescued in the Wasteland in medical and educational fields. Depending on their behavior during their sentence, they might be eligible for a reduced sentence.

Extraordinary contributions during their sentence would also be taken into account for mitigating their punishment.

Punishment was a means, not an end. The knowledge, skills, and experience possessed by the residents of the refuge were a valuable asset, also a legacy left by United Human.

The intransigent part had already died on the battlefield, but for these prisoners who wavered in the face of death, Chu Guang felt it was worth giving them a chance to reform.

Aside from the placement of these hundred-plus prisoners, there was another important issue that had to be addressed before heading back.

It was the stranded airship beside the camp.

Though the buffer airbags and parachutes had slowed down the airship’s descent and the impact on the ground, they did not leave the structure of the airship unaffected.

Especially the wings on both sides.

When the external armor was destroyed to reduce weight, the connection between the wings and the airship was damaged, causing them to break off during the fall.

Even if the anti-gravity device was functioning normally, this guy was going nowhere.

Luckily, the five base trucks could manufacture the parts needed to repair the airship’s wings and propeller engines, and the work was almost complete over the week.

By comparison, the condition of the Adjudicator was much more dismal.

Although Chu Guang didn’t ask, just seeing Captain Adria’s face was enough to guess that thing was in a terrible state.

In the last two days, players planning to return on the Steel Heart were hanging around nearby, building a forward outpost for the Alliance in the Great Desert and searching for traces of the Enlightenment Society.

However, they did not find any clues about the Enlightenment Society; instead, they discovered quite a few Mutant Nests hidden in the ruins.

As a result, nearly one hundred sixty more survivors were added to the camp of the Alliance.

With the previous ones, the number of survivors in the camp now neared three hundred.

What was complicated was that this might just be the tip of the iceberg of this hellish landscape; in the areas yet unexplored by the Alliance, there could be countless similar tragedies...

...

Near the Industrial Building.

A sharply angular concrete slab stood on the steps of the main entrance to the building. Carved into the stark face of the slab were rows of names familiar to Chu Guang.

The Company had taken the relics left by the employees in the wreckage of the Pioneer.

Before setting sail for the return journey, the man named Yun Song and his Assault Team No.26 found a piece of concrete nearby to use as a monument, carving the names of the crew of the Pioneer as a memorial.

A more durable and more beautiful monument was still being made and wouldn’t be delivered from Ideal City to the Alliance until next month, and then from the Alliance to here.

In the past few days, Chu Guang visited this place every day to look at those familiar names, to see the place where they once fought.

He actually remembered them all.

The seemingly cultured Luo Hua was actually a drunkard, but he wouldn’t refuse a good mushroom soup either. The quiet and beautiful bodyguard Ais liked fluffy things... like Meat Meat, and she was even willing to spend money on it.

The waterwheel driver Yuan Hao liked to eat buns and once bought more than fifty to share with his colleagues, marking the start of the "light industry" of the Alliance. The cunning old head of logistics, Li De, still made payments by the rules... and there were many, many more interesting people.

To earn more Cr, Fang Chang and Mole Old Brother wrote a lot of guides, and sometimes Chu Guang would sneak a peek and learn a thing or two on the sly.

As for Lu Yang.

He was a man full of justice, his decisiveness, bravery, and kindness were impressive and enviable.

Unfortunately...

Many of them were no longer around.

"... When I saw Luo Hua, I actually thought that you might have encountered an accident, and this rescue might not yield any results. But I still told my partners that our friends were in danger and that we had to go and bring them back."

"We’ve climbed over deserts, crossed valleys, marched two thousand five hundred kilometers, beaten what was considered unbeatable foes... It’s just a pity we still couldn’t bring you back in the end."

"For a moment, I thought about killing those captives to avenge you, even though those disciples weren’t the murderers, they had aided and abetted. But I quickly thought that if you were still alive, you would stop me, telling me that this isn’t vengeance but purely venting anger, meaningless and ugly..."

He sighed softly and placed a bunch of wild flowers in front of the tombstone.

"The right choice is always the hardest, and if we do not rectify the mistakes that have been made and are still happening, the Wasteland Era will never end."

"You were a group of remarkable Adventurers."

"Thank you for having come."

The Iron Heart has been repaired, and tomorrow it will sail back.

However, I will come back to visit you again.

Withdrawing his gaze from the tall concrete monument, Chu Guang turned and walked down the steps when suddenly there was a movement from the side.

Chu Guang stopped and looked to the side, seeing Lama standing there.

He remembered this brave girl; when everyone else was silent, she was the first to stand up and provide many important clues.

Seeing through the expression on her face that implied she had something to say, Chu Guang spoke in a gentle tone.

"Is there something you need?"

Lama hesitated for a moment, but the resolve in her eyes did not waver. She bit her lower lip, remaining silent, and knelt on one knee on the ground.

Chu Guang sighed.

He was not accustomed to survivors doing this at every turn.

"Stand up and speak."

Hearing that unmistakable tone, Lama silently stood up and, after a short pause, slowly began to speak.

"Respected Manager, I... want to stay."

Chu Guang could probably guess her concerns and patiently said,

"Going to the Alliance allows you to start a new life. There are many survivors like you there, and people won’t care about your past."

"I believe you, but... I still want to stay here," Lama said softly after a long silence, "There are still many people here who haven’t been rescued."

Chu Guang looked at her unexpectedly, not anticipating her to have such consciousness.

His expression gradually grew serious, and he asked once more with a serious tone,

"Are you sure about this?"

Lama nodded earnestly.

"Yes... This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; I’ve thought about it for a long time. I am very grateful to you for saving us, and if possible, we want to do something too."

After she saw those girls who had been rescued by the Alliance from the Mutants’ nest, when she thought about the countless other mutant tribes on the Wasteland just like the "Blackstone" tribe, the idea to stay took root in her heart.

Even though fighting was not easy, nobody was born an Awakener; without taking the first step, one will always remain a lamb inside the pen.

In fact, it wasn’t just her idea.

It was a common thought among many of the survivors who had been saved.

Their thinking was even simpler: instead of starting anew in an unknown place, why not begin right on this very land underfoot.

Here, there was an abundance of fresh water and sources of food, and houses already built. Even if one did not become a warrior, one could tend crops or raise insects. Even though life here was accompanied by danger, where on this Wasteland was safe?

At least here, they wouldn’t have to endure the strange stares of strangers...

Surprise transformed into admiration, and Chu Guang nodded at her, saying contentedly,

"I’m glad you think that way. I will leave some weapons for you, enough for you to protect yourselves. We will also leave some people to act with you, and we will send supplies periodically. If you encounter trouble you can’t solve, you can seek their help. Although they have their own missions, they will also be happy to take on challenges beyond those missions."

"Additionally, if the tools from Pioneer can still be used, try to salvage them for reuse. To be of help to others even after retirement, that person would be relieved... Remember to occasionally visit here and clean the grave, and just say thank you to him."

Lama nodded her head and respectfully said,

"I will heed your teachings."

"It’s hardly that, just a suggestion."

Chu Guang turned his gaze toward a stone monument not far away.

He had entertained a similar thought before.

The Company memorialized those brave individuals in their own way, just as the Alliance would honor those companions...

"From now on,"

"This place will be called Pioneer City."