This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 546: It is an intangible AI, while I am tangible.

Chapter 546: Chapter 546: It is an intangible AI, while I am tangible.

Thanks to the relief materials and professionals from the Alliance, the new authorities of Giant Stone City resolved their urgent crisis and stabilized the more than five hundred thousand survivors within the city.

Starting a big commotion is not a difficult task.

Especially when the boss sitting on the chair is a pig, you just need to beat their heads with a stick vigorously.

However, running a settlement of hundreds of thousands of people is not a problem that a few sticks can solve.

Even the courtiers’ favored merchants have fled. What the Inner City Nobles left for the victors was nothing but a huge mess.

If the new authorities can’t solve the problems with bread and fuel, soon there will be a group of crybabies wailing the names of the lords.

Survival is an animal’s instinct, and this is understandable.

But to take all the credit for the lord’s men would certainly be degrading oneself.

A stable society, once established, operates under a set of established orders and rules, and this inertia is not anyone’s achievement yet is the achievement of every participant.

If Elder Sid did nothing, the broken pot could probably continue to be used. But unfortunately, this clever man is both naive and meddling. Occasionally he shakes the pot like it’s a dice cup, slapping a piece of gum on each chip and corner to deceive himself before continuing its shaky motion.

Now this pot has finally broken, just like the collapsed Stone Building.

The established rules and order have been shattered together, and the first problem facing the new authorities is to establish a new order.

The Alliance will provide some help, especially in the area of food.

It’s also thanks to the Manager’s generosity that the new authorities, after making some compromises with reality for the sake of unity, do not have to continue compromising the bottom line of human morality simply to stay alive.

They don’t have to resort to cannibalism to survive the winter and can properly bury those who were sacrificed.

But to get life back on track and to hold on to the fruits of victory, they will ultimately have to rely on themselves.

No one else can help them.

...

It was night.

In an office at the town hall.

In order to finish the accounting work for Giant Stone City Bank’s books as soon as possible, Alyssa added a single bed to the room and simply moved her bedroom here.

The folks at the Workers’ Association had planned to give Melvin’s mansion back to her, after all, she did help them a lot.

Doing what Bol should have done did not unite everyone, and fighting for the eight-hour workday did not work very well either, but fighting for a commonly upheld constitution was enough for them to carry this banner of justice.

Alyssa appreciated their kindness but did not accept it, simply picking some of her favorite clothes, household items, and keepsakes to take with her.

As for the rest, she asked the Workers’ Association to distribute them to girls of a similar height who had no beautiful clothes to wear.

"...My father would always buy me beautiful dresses, many of which I only wore once and never saw again. Although hanging them in the closet is pleasing to the eye, I’d be happier if they could help others in need."

Alyssa’s eyes were a bit red and swollen, but still, she managed a heartbreakingly brave smile.

Lovett felt a bit heartbroken.

Knowing that she must have cried a lot when no one was watching with such a big change at home.

Including himself, many from the Workers’ Association secretly treated her as their own daughter, but they were not her parents after all.

"...You really didn’t need to take it this far, we agreed not to do this kind of formality, we only take what we should."

The clothes were being sorted by the female workers of the Workers’ Association, most of whom worked in textile factories, and some were night-shift workers from the Delicious Food Processing Factory. They shared the same sentiment, finding it hard to hold a grudge against this young lady.

What made Lovett feel conflicted was that Bol had not robbed Mr. Stephen’s daughter and wife’s wardrobes. Accepting those items always gave him a sense of shame.

Alyssa shook her head earnestly.

"My father’s wealth should rightfully belong to all the residents of this settlement, and there’s no controversy about this. Maybe in the future, I might save up some money to buy it back, but not now. If I turn a blind eye to myself, then Giant Stone City would be nothing more than a place with a different set of lords—"

Lovett reflexively interjected.

"How could that be! We already have a constitution!"

Alyssa stared at him intently.

"You can only truly own it by adhering to it, otherwise there will definitely be people saying we’re just a new bunch of lords. There are many ’Kens’ in our ranks, right?"

Lovett was stunned for a moment and opened his mouth to say "Let them say what they want," but suddenly, he discovered another surprising fact that delighted him.

"You... have read that book, too?!"

He thought that a lady of her age, steeped in culture, would prefer to read poetry about love.

Actually, even Joey, the leader of the Militia Group, had no interest in Bol’s story, often taking things too seriously, saying that the Awakeners could never defeat power armor.

Lovett suspected that guy had secretly read a bit of it and then projected himself into the role of Bol’s romantic rival—the Thousands of leaders.

Spielberg certainly wasn’t too fond of the folks from the Militia Group. After all, it was Phyllis who had him arrested back then.

But that did not stop them from being comrades.

Watching the surprised look on Lovett’s face, Alyssa smiled.

"I’ve just started reading it. Once I finish the work I have at hand, I’ll seriously start from the beginning all over again."

"Incredible!" Lovett’s eyes widened, and he rambled on, "I can’t believe you would like that kind of novel, but... you’re right, we do have some opportunists who’ve infiltrated our team. Maybe when this is all over, we should clean house."

Before he could finish his sentence, Alyssa cut him off.

"No, you can’t!"

Seeing Alyssa’s serious expression, Lovett paused, frowning.

"Why not?"

He wasn’t seriously considering doing it; it was just a casual remark.

Alyssa earnestly continued.

"Do you remember when the numbers of the Workers’ Association began to grow?"

Lovett carefully recalled.

"Spielberg was taken away..."

"Yes, Spielberg was taken away, and the second time was when you all learned of his sacrifice."

Alyssa looked at him intently and continued.

"Inside one person’s heart, there might reside Bol, Stephen, Ken... countless characters. Tangible strength cannot destroy intangible strength. Mr. Stephen captured Bol, so countless Bols appeared. Now that we have won, we could certainly silence Ken using Mr. Stephen’s methods, but they will not disappear; they will proliferate out of sight and one day replace us, reopening the casinos."

This was something she had only come to understand this morning, from her brother.

They must use a systematic approach to get this settlement back on track, rather than hoping only to retain those in the team with lofty ideals.

Thoughts can be disguised.

Haus was very skilled at it, able to tell lies seamlessly for over a decade, articulating words he didn’t even believe in.

If they hadn’t won, no one would suspect he was Giant Stone City’s best Mr. Good Guy.

Lovett murmured softly,

"They’ve become our ghosts... so that’s what it means."

Alyssa was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Yes... we just need to do what Bol would do and unite everyone."

Suddenly, she felt they were truly incredible.

Their cultural literacy was not high and they didn’t really understand every action of Bol, but they managed to do so with their simple beliefs.

Bol’s story was like a straw floating on the water’s surface, as they all clung to it, none letting go, their arms became the bridge...

After seeing off Lovett, Alyssa returned to her office and sat down at her desk again.

Today’s work had come to an end, and she had promised Lovett that she would rest early, but before sleeping, she still had to write a letter to the Alliance’s Manager, thanking him for extending a helping hand in a time of crisis.

The flame of a miracle was so faint that a breeze might extinguish it, yet he did not turn a blind eye; the ceaseless footprints imprinted on the snowy ground bore witness to the friendship between the New Alliance and New Boulder City.

Recalling the story of Awakener Bol, Alyssa felt a hint of regret.

She heard that Spielberg was drafting the story of the great revolution; the conflict between the Workers’ Association and the Inner City Residents had escalated to a critical confrontation, Awakener Bol was cast into prison by the nobles, accused of a non-existent crime of desecrating the Black Card... after all, for a century and a half, no one had ever broken that card.

The story was nearing the grand finale; it seemed Bol would not end up with that noble lady.

But, why?

It seemed everyone had concluded that there was no chance for the two of them, yet she felt that status and feelings were completely different matters.

While everyone agreed that no one is born noble or ignoble, they instinctively considered whether two people’s origins were a match.

There were also unions between Waste Land Wanderers and residents of the refuge, right? Even if their concepts differed by two centuries.

She thought it was unfair to label people without discussing the facts.

However, she had no intention of protesting with Spielberg.

To hold an author hostage with personal feelings was childish and impolite. Even fairy tales sprinkled with sugar couldn’t put just one child to sleep, let alone carry through an epic story with ups and downs.

She was no longer a child.

Rather, she was now an adult.

[...Thank you for your assistance in our time of need! The survivors of Giant Stone City will forever remember this friendship. In the future, we will fight side by side for our common ideals!]

The pen cap hesitated by her lips for a moment; at the last line of the letter, Alyssa sketched a small smile with the pen tip.

[^_^]

As she wrote the final stroke, her own lips couldn’t help but curve into a light smile.

The letter was complete.

If only she could receive a reply.

Quietly reading from start to finish twice, ensuring nothing was amiss, Alyssa earnestly stuffed it into an envelope.

After finishing this task, she exhaled deeply, stretched languidly in triumph, hopped down from her chair, and the growing drowsiness led her to bed.

The bed here was much smaller than at home but still spacious for her.

Changing into her favorite pajamas, she carelessly stuffed the envelope under the pillow, then yawned and crawled into bed.

The bed was hard and cold, without the scent of lavender or the fragrance of sunlight, yet it was easier to fall asleep than usual.

And, actually, it wasn’t very cold here.

The city hall had wall heaters, a thin mist formed on the windows, and it was much warmer inside than out.

Rubbing her cheek against the edge of the bed covers, the cold, hard bedding soon warmed under her body heat.

Life without "everything" was not as difficult as she had anticipated, and at this moment, her heart felt incredibly grounded and secure.

She fell asleep with dreams.

Sweet dreams, fragrant and sweet...

...

The next day’s sunrise rose, and the survivors of Giant Stone City together with the rescue workers of the Alliance faced the first day after the long night.

The large pots that had been at the city gates were now scattered across each community of the settlement; before dawn, a milky mist had begun to rise.

After completing the census of the city residents and their addresses, the Home of the Refugees distributed disaster relief materials directly to mobile kitchens set up at various dining points.

This reduced the time for people to queue, helped to prevent the spread of contagious diseases, and also reduced the difficulty of management.

In the matter of settling refugees, Luca, the lord of City of Dawn, could be said to have rich experience, even before the Alliance, he helped Chu Guang with this work.

And his experience amounted to this one phrase:

That is, let those with strength have work, and those without strength, don’t wander.

When a group of people stayed in a fixed location, it was clear who did what and when, and where they went.

With patrols by the Militia Group and drones, along with surveillance installed on the huge walls, security risks could be minimized.

At present, all production activities in Giant Stone City had halted, leaving a large number of able-bodied people idle.

Just feeding them isn’t enough; we need to find them something to do, to channel their surplus energy into the right place.

The new authorities promised that although there would be no salary for participating in construction, new housing would be allocated on a priority basis, and the food provided to the construction crew would be superior to that of the typical mobile kitchen at relief stations.

Those who worked would definitely eat more than those who didn’t.

Despite the lack of pay, with food and accommodation provided, and a house at the end, it was a much better deal than Lord Weijia’s check factories.

With money now essentially worthless and, following the encouragement of the Workers’ Association, most workers from the settlements joined the construction crew, as did some physically fit citizens.

At the same time, the redevelopment plan for the settlements was officially launched.

The Alliance Bank provided a special loan of 500 million silver coins to the new authorities of Giant Stone City, which would be used exclusively for housing renovation in the settlements.

According to data collected by the Alliance, over two hundred thousand residents of Giant Stone City were living in drafty shanties with sewage flowing everywhere.

In the slums outside the giant walls, nearly a hundred thousand survivors of complex backgrounds were also in dire need of unified resettlement.

The new authorities, with the support of the Alliance, planned to construct a series of apartment buildings made from precast concrete slabs and broaden several major thoroughfares.

This was happening within the settlements.

And outside the settlements, the Alliance had made corresponding plans.

Chu Guang intended to choose a relatively safe and convenient route from the underground transit lines near North Suburban Linghu Wetland Park to Giant Stone City, clear it, and make repairs.

In the future, the commute between Giant Stone City and City of Dawn would be reduced to less than two hours, and without the harassment of Looters.

The Alliance would also connect the power lines to Giant Stone City, incorporating the four settlements in River Valley Province into a single power grid!

A power grid fueled by nuclear fusion!

The future of Giant Stone City was still very bright.

Here, with an ample number of skilled workers and engineers, complete infrastructure and means of production, it could become the largest processing and manufacturing hub in the Alliance, complementing Dawn City, which was the raw material production base and heavy industry centre, forming a closed loop.

The wealth generated by the real economy would spawn a batch of tertiary industries—genuine third sector services for the workers.

The VIP rooms of the Night Queen Bar would likely become a thing of the past, but the residents of Giant Stone City would have access to bars, libraries, and cinemas that everyone could afford...

"Honored Lord of Qingquan City, Manager of the Alliance, it is a pleasure to meet you!"

Atop the helipad on the top floor of the Boulder Military Industrial Building, a massive Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft was stationed, with a row of fully armed soldiers standing by.

Looking at Chu Guang approaching, Yibers’ face beamed with a radiant smile, and he walked forward, extending his right hand for a firm handshake.

"...I am truly honored to finally meet you today, especially as I see the shadow of a man on you."

Removing his power armor’s helmet visor and hearing this unexpectedly cordial greeting, Chu Guang raised his eyebrows with interest.

"Who?"

Yibers said with a smile.

"The person Mr. Fang Ming always mentions!"

"His designer?"

"Yes," nodded Yibers appreciatively, "you both have similar shadows, but actually, you are completely different."

Chu Guang spoke indifferently.

"Well, that’s normal; it’s hard to find two completely identical people in this world."

Although the players from Shelter No. 404 had already tread every corner of Giant Stone City, this was Chu Guang’s first visit to this settlement.

And his purpose for coming here was very clear—to obtain a particular item.

An item he had to have.

Yibers laughed and released his hand.

"Maybe because of that concern, it wanted me to observe you from a distance, to control the pace of our contact... In fact, you had its approval long ago, but merely being approved is not very useful; it has its own mission and rules."

Having already heard about Fang Ming from Xiao Qi, Chu Guang was not too surprised by what he said.

"It’s right. In the Wasteland, you shouldn’t trust anyone easily. And certain things are destined to be done by the residents of Giant Stone City on their own. Until they completely abandon the old order, nobody can help them."

Yibers heaved a sigh.

"Is that so? But I think there might be more efficient ways; perhaps this is the difference between me and Mr. Fang Ming."

For instance—

Just slay those stupid pigs on the spot.

It actually wouldn’t be difficult.

But the mastermind cannot get over that hurdle.

Even though I’ve hinted to it that I could cleverly accomplish this task for it, like tossing that hitman into the sewers like yesterday’s garbage and get rid of those nobles; after all, it has been fed up with those uncreative "clients" for a long time.

Regrettably, it refused.

Chu Guang, noting the smile on Yibers’ face, always felt something was off about it, but couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

"Fang Ming is an AI, what are you?"

"It is an intangible AI, while I am tangible..."

Yibers tapped his chest where his heart would be, then with a slight smile extended his right hand again.

"Let’s reintroduce myself, Chairman and President of Giant Stone City Military Industrial Complex, Yibers, a general-purpose biorobot, designed by Fang Ming. Originally, I was supposed to serve the Black Card residents, since they bought me, but now that the Stone Building has collapsed, theoretically I am free."

AI designed with an independent "personality"?

What’s the point of that?

Chu Guang paused for a moment but didn’t let it show on his face, reaching out his hand crisply.

"Chu Guang. By the way, you look just like a person."

I’ve heard that designers often project a part of their "personality" onto the AIs they create, but this man seems to be even more human-like than Fang Ming.

At least he talks more.

Yibers smiled and said,

"That’s your illusion, having life and death is what makes one human, like my respected father... Mr. Fang Ming can be considered a human, while I am merely a toy created out of his boredom and loneliness, and to meet the demands of the Inner City residents."

"My AI core has been operating for over a hundred years, well past its expiration date, so it’s bound to act up occasionally. If I say anything strange, don’t be too surprised."

Pausing, Yibers suddenly looked behind himself—at the bionic person with a pitch-black mirrored face and a breastplate engraved with the X-16 number.

"By the way, let me introduce you. This is X-16, Huge Rock Military Industry’s masterpiece of the past few years—a universal bionic person. It can perform a variety of tasks, and as a replacement for the now-obsolete X-15, in human terms, it’s like my daughter."

Chu Guang felt an aura similar to that of Tianqin from her, but in terms of combat power, X-16 was probably not as formidable as Tianqin.

After all, in actual combat, Tianqin had annihilated a hundred-man mercenary team, while the combat record of X-16 remains unknown.

What Chu Guang was concerned about was something else.

"Giant Stone City can produce AI cores?"

"AI cores are something that can be dug out of the city like iron ore, not very difficult to repair, and we occasionally buy some from the hands of mercenaries using those plastic cards."

Yibers smiled at Chu Guang and continued,

"Let’s talk business. Including myself, X-16, and everything at Huge Rock Military Industry... it’s all yours now. Thank heavens, there’s finally a change of pace. I don’t know since when, but our engineers and designers haven’t been able to come up with anything new. Maybe things will be different in your hands."

He wanted to wipe out those useless pieces of junk mainly because he was bored and frustrated with those who refused to strive for progress.

A typical example of this was the Tiger Whale assault rifle, which initially had an improved model called X-3, with a shortened receiver and a caseless design.

However, the more advanced X-3 failed to replace the outdated X-2.

The superficial reason was simple: X-2 had higher production, cheaper costs, and more stable performance, but the deeper reason was that Giant Stone City, by its very nature, was a closed and stagnant society with no drive to expand or innovate, whether internally or externally.

If people don’t even know where they are going, you can hardly expect AI to figure it out; these weapons were, in fact, designed by human engineers, with AI only assisting in administrative work.

Following the standards of the old age, he let his engineers self-indulgently improve generation after generation of the X-series bionic people.

As for weapons development, it was completely halted once the shareholders of Huge Rock Military Industry felt they had enough.

Even if there were improvements, it was geared towards cost reduction and efficiency.

The Militia Groups occasionally recovered evolutionary bodies from the Tide, handed them over to Huge Rock Military Industry to analyze the structure and design philosophy of the pre-war devices. But they hardly ever actively sent out troops to explore the Lair in the city center, like the Post-War Reconstruction Committee did.

The Alliance was entirely different.

They may have trouble just defending themselves, but they still persistently sent people proactively to explore the city center! Even though they were slow and clumsy, and had to pamper the egos of loads of fools, they were actually doing it!

He could see the turnaround he was looking for in these Blue Jacket folks!

Getting rid of those drag-along fools, the future of Huge Rock Military Industry was brighter than ever!

Ah...

His intellectual plugin was burning!

Electrical currents surged through his CPU. Yibers suddenly thought of something and slapped the back of his head.

"Ah, right, X-16, you take it. It’s just what you need for a bionic bodyguard. While fixing it up, I just came up with some new ideas... about X-17."

Without waiting for Chu Guang to answer, a mischievous smile appeared on Yibers’ face.

"Do you need me to install some extra plugins for you? The capabilities of a universal bionic person are more comprehensive than you imagine, and they can have many practical utilities installed, not just for outdoor use, but indoor, too."

At first, Chu Guang didn’t understand what he meant, but after looking at his meaningful smile, he instantly got it and almost choked on his own spit.

"...No, that won’t be necessary."

Watching Chu Guang’s slightly embarrassed expression, a trace of disappointment flashed across Yibers’ face.

"I thought you old sticks in the mud might be interested... Have you heard? I’ve researched it, during the Prosperity Epoch the best-selling bionic person wasn’t the universal type, or the military type, but the companion type designed as ’sex dolls’!"

Chu Guang: "..."

What kind of cyber setting is this!

But, when you think about it, it makes sense.

Ideal City retains some aspects of the Prosperity Epoch, an era when people probably had even more freedom than corporate citizens, each person a strangely shaped key and lock.

It would be difficult for traditional families to accommodate two souls with explosively large amounts of information. Daily arguments would involve "what to eat," "what to watch," and possibly even "what model of prosthetic body to use" and "whether to travel to Mars."

It’s just too complicated.

By contrast, paper people are clearly much more convenient; they are entirely loyal to the purchaser, and not only can their appearance be customized, but there is also a wide variety to choose from.

"...So what?"

Yibers chuckled and said,

"So what are you bashful about? I’m not joking; can average humans even withstand your strength? Honestly, X-17 conceptually is tailored for you, because I’d bet X-16 won’t last long before breaking down... if you don’t hold back, one day you will become a monster."

X-16 stood motionless, not reacting to this statement.

"Let’s discuss that when the time comes."

As Yibers continued to rattle on, Chu Guang ended the topic with a head full of black lines.

What in the world!

It’s so random!

He didn’t mind personal topics, as he was a normal person, but he didn’t like going off on tangents when discussing serious matters.

"...Instead of that irrelevant stuff, what I’m more concerned about is the legacy left behind by the Post-War Reconstruction Committee," Chu Guang said seriously to Yibers, "those airplanes, bombs, and ’weapon.’"

"Weapon" seemed to be some kind of keyword.

Putting away the playful expression, Yibers bowed slightly, as if returning to normal.

"Please follow me."

Leaving these words, he turned around and walked toward the elevator next to the tarmac with Chu Guang...

-

(Thanks to the "Silent36" for the alliance leader’s reward!!! It’s winter; everyone, take care of your health T.T)