This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 563: Because it’s less than 20mm, it’s naturally a gun

Chapter 563: Chapter 563: Because it’s less than 20mm, it’s naturally a gun

"Wasteland OL" Official Website.

During the peak offline period, a freshly made post swiftly topped the hot list and became the topic of heated discussion among countless players and backseat drivers.

Night Ten: "Big news!! Mutant prostheses discovered in Brocade River City!!!"

In the post, Night Ten had exaggerated the peril of the situation and how he cleverly countered and escaped death.

Moreover, the post included several restricted-level photos, which, despite being filtered by the System, still required age verification to view.

However, to Night Ten’s great disappointment, his post did not receive the chorus of "666" from his fans that he had hoped for.

Instead, there were boos.

Dinosaur Warrior: "Dude, you’re in god-level armor and it’s still a close call, that’s kind of lame!"

Cheerful Netizen: "Exactly!"

Thunder Mage Professor Yang: "I’d rather wear it myself! (Funny)"

Night Ten: "Damn! Easy for you to say, try soloing one yourself!"

Thunder Mage Professor Yang: "That’s easy to arrange, just give me a helmet, and I’ll show you. (Smirking)"

Night Ten: "#@%￥!"

Old White: "Haha, that mutant with the prosthetic body still got something, took a charged shot from a Gauss Rifle and still could run and jump, wielding half a chainsaw, bam bam bam, damaged several parts of our brother Night Ten’s power armor."

Quit Smoking: "Wait, I thought it fell by accident?"

Fang Chang: "Caught a truthful man."

Wild Wind: "(Sideways smile)"

Teng Teng: "(╯▽╰)"

Night Ten: "T.T"

Tail: "Wait a second... Si, did we run too far south?! (#ﾟДﾟ)"

Si Si: "I thought it was the southern part of Luo Xia Province... after all, the south of River Valley Province would be too obvious. (anxious)"

Meat Mountain Big Steamed Bun: "Indeed, too difficult. T.T"

Aah Aah Sesame Paste: "Ahaha... survival on a deserted island is quite fun too, patting head."

Crow: "Survival on a deserted island?! Where the heck did you guys run off to? Σ(°△°|||)"

Si Si: "Bugi Island, anyway we’re fixing the ship... By the way, here’s a crab as big as a small house, probably not a Crack Claw Crab, too bad I can’t upload the photo. (￣～￣;)"

Spring Water Commander: "Terrifying..."

Grandpa Ao: "Laughed, the pictures won’t even load, just making stuff up? Trash!"

The post was filled with a jovial atmosphere.

Although there were those who teased Night Ten for struggling even in power armor, most players recognized his strength.

Managing a counterattack after a face-to-face encounter is no easy feat. Theoretically, mutants surpass humans in strength, constitution, and agility, and while power armor offers significant damage reduction, it’s not invincible.

Apart from the teasing, most players focused their discussion on the game itself.

Specifically, the absurdly powerful mutants appearing on the new map!

Since the server had started, veteran players from the alpha test had experienced the terrifying combat strength of mutants.

If it weren’t for the crew of the Pioneer taking out those beasts in the plot, with just their manpower and equipment at the time, they probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against the mutants on Street No.76.

Back then, they had discussed on the forum that, considering their intelligence and physical attributes, the mutants could be comparable to level 40 or 60 monsters.

They are not like Crack Claw Crabs that charge forward when attacked; they are primate creatures with the ability to learn.

Not only do they make makeshift rifles and Molotov cocktails, but they also stuff cans with nails and gunpowder to create tripwire mines and the like.

And now, these mutants are not wielding those makeshift rifles.

They not only have vehicles specially tailored for their body shapes and modified prosthetic bodies, but they also have radio command and simple but effective tactical coordination.

The strength of these ten-thousand-strong mutant tribes is probably far more ridiculous than a hundred hundred-strong mutant tribes.

Of course, even in serious discussions, some off-topic, unserious content inevitably appears.

Falling Feather: "Speaking of which, I’ve seen another type of mutant here, the locals call them hybrids, kind of like half-orcs? They sometimes appear in survivors’ settlements, about human size, but without ding-dongs, or any primary sexual characteristics, actually."

Si Si: "?"

Fang Chang: "??"

Falling Feather: "Uh, why the question marks... can’t we discuss this? (anxious)"

Fang Chang: "Cough, it’s not that we can’t discuss it."

Si Si: "Just... how did you know?"

Tail: "!!! Go on, tell us more!

Falling Feather: "???"

Gnome King Riches: "As expected of Falling Feather, even Old Na had to say good fella. (Funny)"

Mole from the Canyon on the Run: "Although both are eating, they’re completely different, right? (Funny)"

Youth at the Construction Site with Bricks: "Hahaha, Big Eyes likes this."

Debt Giant Eye: "Yo! What about me?"

Elena: "Thank you, I’m offended. (Fist hard limited edition funny.jpg)"

Shelter No. 404.

In the viewing room on Floor B4, Chu Guang was sitting in front of a computer, reading a report submitted by Old White.

In fact, he had already learned the entirety of last night’s events from forum posts before receiving this report.

However, compared to Night Ten’s boastful narrative and the various backstabbings by his good brothers, the report written by Old White was obviously much more professional and meticulous.

It included not only the entire plan of action and its full sequence but also detailed their entire contact process with the Iron Tower Organization.

According to the Iron Tower members, the Torch Church did not immediately contact the local survivors after arriving in Brocade River City, but instead first sought out the local Mutant tribe "Qi".

This happened the year before last.

And in the last year, which is Wasteland Era Year 211, the year Chu Guang woke up in the Wasteland, the Torch Church sent Apostles to Qingquan City. They hired local mercenary forces through the intermediary White Shark at the Pirate Bay Tavern to search for Shelter No. 117 and the Black Box within it.

Currently, White Shark has been controlled by the Guards Corps, becoming one of the "informants" for the Alliance in Giant Stone City; naturally, this part of the intelligence was also unlocked.

Combined with the testimony provided by the Iron Tower Organization, everything generally matched up.

Including how the Torch Church later used Giant Stone City as a stepping stone to provide limited weapons and intelligence support to the Chewing Bone Tribe, not solely for the Black Box at Shelter No. 117, but also to carry out proselytizing activities simultaneously in Brocade River and River Valley.

However, those Looters were indeed useless as mud not sticking to the wall, and coupled with the harsh blizzards of the deep winter and losing the advantages of timing, terrain, and people as if in a haphazard ’Gourd Children Save Grandpa’ maneuver, they not only played themselves but also toughed out a "new Alliance" on a wasteland.

At that time, the Iron Tower Organization had tried to seek help from the aristocrats of Giant Stone City, but those folks disdained even the rural folks of the North Suburb, let alone those from the rural areas of other provinces.

According to Old White’s report, using the words of Li Jinrong, the envoys they sent to Giant Stone City did not even meet with the then city hall manager and were sent away by the gatekeepers.

However, it might also be because of the arrogance of those old aristocrats that the Torch Church also failed to get their attention. Instead, due to Giant Stone City’s focus on Southern interests at the time, the ambitions of those missionaries caught the attention of the "noble merchants" led by Wei Jia.

Many plantations in Brocade River Province were actually remotely controlled by business owners from Giant Stone City, which "to some extent" limited the Torch Church’s expansion plans.

However, with the rise of the Alliance and the decline of Giant Stone City and the old aristocratic powers, cheap agricultural products from the fertile dikes of Falling Leaves Province gradually infiltrated the Southern River Valley Province advancing with the frontlines, and this tiny restraining factor was quickly removed.

This happened out of the sight of the Alliance.

Now, the Torch Church has nearly brought the entire Brocade River Province under their influence, with the "Qi" tribe becoming the staunch allies of the Torch Church.

And this part of the intelligence basically matched the information Chu Guang had previously explored through the Guards Corps.

Not only that, but Li Jinrong also provided a clue that Chu Guang had not expected.

That was the first stop of the Torch Church upon reaching Brocade River City, the "Champion" Biological Pharmaceutical Research Institute. And that place was exactly the coordinates provided by the Academy!

So what exactly is this research institute studying?

Now Chu Guang was increasingly certain that the Academy was using him to accomplish something.

Were they trying to use him to eliminate the Torch Church?

Or were they merely trying to divert his attention from Falling Leaves Province, the Great Desert, or other affairs?

Those guys were too cunning; he really couldn’t guess.

Sometimes Chu Guang even suspected that the accidental encounter between the Beacon team and the Burning Corps at the edge of the Wandering Swamp had been orchestrated by an invisible hand...

"Mutant prosthetics, huh..."

Touching his forehead with his index finger, Chu Guang, leaning back in his chair, pondered for a long while before suddenly speaking.

"Xiao Qi, help me contact Yibers."

Since he was undecided, why not ask the expert?

Almost at the same moment his words fell, a crisp, pleasant voice floated over.

"Sure, master... Ah, Yibers is still in the operating room. His assistant told Xiao Qi it might take about 15 minutes."

It must be a player undergoing surgery.

Chu Guang said,

"Tell him not to rush and to complete his work first."

"Understood!"

Sitting on the table, Xiao Qi playfully saluted.

Hearing that lively voice, Chu Guang couldn’t help but smile, and the solemnity in his brows somewhat dissipated as he stretched out his index finger to rub its little head.

"Can you make me a cup of tea?"

Enjoying the head massage, Xiao Qi happily nodded.

"Yeah! Leave it to Xiao Qi!"

Chu Guang always felt that smile wasn’t so simple, but he didn’t take it too seriously.

Before long, the door of the viewing room opened, and Crow, carrying a cup of tea, briskly walked in.

"Oho! Esteemed Manager, your sleepy tea is here!"

Hearing this off-the-cuff remark, Chu Guang almost choked on his own saliva but managed to maintain the dignity of a faction boss, nodding seriously.

"Thanks, just put it here."

It was getting harder to maintain composure in front of the players.

"Okay!"

Crow cheerfully crooked her mouth, swirling out of the room like a whirlwind.

It was clear the mission rewards were plentiful.

Chu Guang glanced at the black tea on the tray and sighed.

"Xiao Qi."

A figure sitting at the corner of the table feigned ignorance, tilting its little head.

"Hmm?"

Chu Guang: "..."

Never mind.

At least Crow was one of the more decent players who wouldn’t add strange things to drinks.

If it had been served by one of those "devoted sons," he definitely would have hesitated even with Xiao Qi spectating.

Chu Guang took a sip of the tea.

The black tea was mixed with some milk; the taste of the tea was faint, and it had a mild sweetness, different from the tea he usually brewed by himself, and also different from the tea Alyssa offered him.

Holding the teacup, he noticed a note under the tray with witty and sloppy handwriting.

"Black tea with sugar cubes and milk, hope you like it. Even if you’re busy, don’t stay up too late. Remember to rest. (^_<)"

This guy.

Chu Guang smiled and shook his head, feeling a warmth in his heart.

Even if the motive was to raise favorability and unlock hidden quests, the feeling of being cared for was quite pleasant.

He had been constantly in Giant Stone City until he returned yesterday and felt like a wound-up spring that hadn’t stopped for a moment.

He suddenly wondered if not just this cup of black tea was a form of consideration, but perhaps even telling him to wait for 15 minutes had some thoughtful meaning?

Although he couldn’t imagine Yibers being considerate, based on his visit to Huge Rock Military Industry, the prosthetic surgery usually didn’t require that person’s presence.

Standing in the operating room watching engineers "slice open" organisms was just a twisted hobby of some AI.

Shifting his perspective brought unexpected amusement. Chu Guang decided to set aside work issues for now while waiting for Yibers. Sipping the sweet black tea, he pondered his non-work-related memories from his time in Giant Stone City.

Perhaps because of the black tea in his hand, Alyssa first came to mind.

That young girl occasionally asked him some management questions during her free time and, as a token of appreciation for his troubles, she would politely offer him her personally brewed black tea and often share some overbaked cookies with him.

That polite and lovely girl was quite popular among everyone.

Especially the aunties in the city hall’s kitchen treated her as their own daughter, often teaching her various cooking skills. And for these skills she never encountered before, she learned them happily without any signs of fatigue.

Being studious was an admirable trait.

Chu Guang always had a feeling that she might become a remarkable person in the future.

Especially when he found out that she was determined to go to Camp 101 with Little Fish and Pai to learn more, he was even more convinced of this.

They seemed to have formed a deep friendship at the festival; Little Fish even mentioned introducing Boss Xia to her.

Alyssa was also curious about how mercenaries lived.

Perhaps they would become good friends.

Thinking of Boss Xia, Chu Guang suddenly felt a bit guilty.

According to Little Fish, she was working on something impressive and had even skipped the festival to give them a surprise. She hadn’t described exactly what it was, but Chu Guang guessed it most likely had to do with power armor.

Perhaps last time, he shouldn’t have jokingly asked her to make a set of power armor, but clearly, she took that request seriously.

He rarely forced someone to do something beyond their capabilities, whether it was the indigenous people of this world or players from another world.

That once playful, food-loving, and lazy person becoming so diligent and studious to the point of missing such an interesting festival was something he had never expected...

"It seems I have disturbed you."

The sudden voice came from the table, and Yibers, with half of his body bathed in holographic light, bowed slightly.

His eyes, a mix of deep blue and light, carried a hint of teasing.

Setting down his tea, Chu Guang looked at him.

"No, I was waiting for you."

"Is that so?" Yibers smiled lightly, speaking in a refined and courteous tone, "Then what, esteemed manager, do you require?"

Chu Guang didn’t respond but lightly swiped his index finger in the air, passing along the combat footage captured by the Burning Corps to him.

Staring at the pitiful mutant corpses soaked in blood plasma, a strange expression appeared on Yibers’s face, as if appreciating an amusing piece of art.

His index finger rubbed his chin, he mused to himself with interest.

"Ah... the taste of blood, what was it that I said?"

Not wanting to deal with his eccentricities, Chu Guang got straight to the point.

"As for these prosthetics, I want to hear your thoughts."

"... With only photos and no physical body, it really is hard to make out much." Swiping right on the photo, Yibers commented with interest, "But the design is very creative, even specifically... it seems specifically tailored for mutant traits."

What he implied was that this thing wasn’t captured but actually originally installed.

This revealed that the power behind the mutants not only possessed reliable prosthetic technology but also had the capacity to produce such technology.

Chu Guang couldn’t help but frown.

What worried him was not the technology held by the enemy but the implications behind this technology.

The Torch Church had clearly not begun to explore how to use prosthetic technology to enhance mutants only after their arrival in Brocade River Province.

This set of combat gear was evidently well-improved.

Those fanatical lunatics had most likely been mingling with mutant tribes in other areas of the Wasteland for some time.

They provided mutants not only with food and breeding beds but also systematically made them stronger with prosthetic transformation technologies.

Watching Chu Guang’s facial expression, Yibers smiled slightly and said,

"It seems that little issue couldn’t escape your notice. I won’t bother reminding you."

Chu Guang looked at him and asked,

"Hmm, I will pay special attention... By the way, how are those pieces of equipment you were developing for me coming along?"

"I was just about to report on that matter to you."

Yibers raised a finger, traced it lightly in the air, and soon a pale blue light gathered to form a uniquely designed rifle.

Simultaneously, a label appeared beside it giving a simple introduction to this special gear.

The entire rifle looked quite bulky and heavy, and its unique foregrip and handguard design made it resemble the P90 in reality.

However, its magazine was not inserted on top of the gun but in front of the trigger, like most conventional rifles.

Its most striking feature was naturally its caliber, a full 19 millimeters! It was capable of firing the legendary .75 caliber ammunition!

Though such a caliber was outrageous for an automatic rifle, because it was not 20 millimeters, it naturally counted as a rifle.

Realizing the caliber hadn’t been listed wrong, Chu Guang was shocked.

Goodness!

A bomb gun?!

"...XB-1 heavy rifle, a new product from Huge Rock Military Industry! Of course, our products are naturally top quality!"

Watching Chu Guang’s expression, Yibers explained further with a flowing tone and continued,

"It’s worth mentioning that because the ammunition for this rifle employs a rocket propulsion principle, it accelerates a second time after leaving the barrel, hence there’s about 10 meters of safe distance... In simple terms, being too close can reduce its impact. A range of one hundred to three hundred meters is just right, slightly farther doesn’t matter much."

"Its damage mode is also different from traditional rifles. You might think it resembles a grenade, but it’s actually similar to the directional release of a metal jet, like an armor-piercing bullet."

"I don’t recommend equipping it on ordinary people. Although it’s a second acceleration, it isn’t a recoilless gun, and the recoil is not small. If you don’t want to be disassembled by the vibration, it’s best paired with a heavy exoskeleton or power armor, or maybe an Awakener focused on muscle enhancement."

"Similarly, I don’t recommend it for attacking ordinary humans either, as much of the metal jet would exit through the back or the back of the head... This is too wasteful. It’s like using artillery to hit a mosquito, not efficient at all."

"However, on the contrary, for fighting mutants, or variants with strong regenerative abilities, I dare say there isn’t a more perfect product on the market! You could even use it against light vehicles, penetrating 20mm steel plates in one shot."

"Because firing it results in three distinct sounds, making it considerably noisy, how do you feel about the name ’Roarer’?"

Hearing Yibers’ question, Chu Guang, still immersed in shock, came back to his senses and immediately said,

"I have no objections... But let’s change the heavy rifle to bomb gun."

Yibers paused, his eyes lit up, and he said joyously,

"That’s a great name, very descriptive!"

Chu Guang’s expression was subtly complex.

This was no longer just descriptive; it was almost exactly the same.

"...It seems we really get along well, serving you is indeed the greatest honor of my life," Yibers stated, looking at the silent Chu Guang, then lavished a bit of flattery, "By the way, this weapon has just passed laboratory testing. If it’s convenient, I’d like to see how it performs in actual combat on the battlefield before deciding how to design ’anti-mutant exoskeleton’ and ’anti-mutant prosthetics’."

"That’s easy to say," Chu Guang said immediately, "I plan to dispatch Jungle Corps to Brocade River Province to support Burning Corps’ operations."

"They will cooperate with your experiments, and if necessary, you can use the terminal I provided you to give them side mission orders."

"Of course, whether to complete the side missions is up to them, so you’d better exercise this authority with caution."

Hearing this unbelievable offer, Yibers stared agape at Chu Guang, astonished.

Seeing the AI dumbfounded and silent, Chu Guang frowned slightly and asked,

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, I mean... thank you, this is fantastic!" Yibers clenched his fists enthusiastically.

For more than a hundred years, nobody had ever offered him such significant support, not even dear Mr. Fang Ming had loosened the reins of command for him.

Yet this generous lord had done so without hesitation!

This was the first time he had felt such respect for an organic being... Maybe he should give him X-17.

No, better not, he hoped this lord would stay with him a little longer, that sort of thing had to be done in moderation.

Observing the continually shaking holographic image of Yibers, Chu Guang’s eyebrows knitted tighter, and a strange expression flashed in his eyes.

Xiao Qi quietly expressed her concerns in his ear,

"Master... Is this guy really okay?"

To be honest, Chu Guang didn’t know.

The AI of this world was too advanced for him, and to catch up with those old things, he was still slowly learning and understanding.

Maybe Yibers could be a trial.

This individual was entirely AI-designed, and in a way, unique in the Alliance.

"...Keep a close eye on him."

Sitting at the desk, Xiao Qi silently nodded.

"Alright."