This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 580: Escalation of Conflict

Chapter 580: Chapter 580: Escalation of Conflict

City of Dawn, Alliance Building.

Sitting on the sofa in the reception room, Yi Chuan flicked back the cuff of his right hand and glanced at the time projected onto his wrist before pulling the sleeve down again.

It was midnight.

He could be certain that in this freshly constructed building, which was finished just two months ago, the lamp in the reception room he was in might be the only one lit.

The thought that his colleagues had all entered their dreams while he was still toiling away for work made him yawn involuntarily.

Logically speaking, this inappropriate time hardly seemed like the moment for discussing business.

However, as a representative of the Silver Wing Group and a corporate ambassador to the Alliance, listening to the voice of the Alliance leaders was part of his job.

Thus, even though the timing was bothersome, he had dressed and hurried over immediately upon receiving a summon from the Alliance Manager’s Office.

Of course, if after his rushed arrival, the respected Mr. Hauser only wanted to discuss some insignificant issue with him, such as subsidies for assisting teachers, construction periods for the compulsory schools, or the budget for airport runway maintenance, then he wouldn’t mince his words in response.

If that were the case, he would have a good reason to complain bitterly!

Thinking this, a smile unconsciously appeared on Yi Chuan’s face.

Personally, he quite liked that guy.

Although when it came to Alliance issues, that man always liked to haggle over every little advantage, Yi Chuan knew from private dealings that the man was only like this at work; in private, he was actually a very straightforward fellow.

Perhaps this is just the dual nature of people.

However, because of this, every time he met with him in such a manner, Yi Chuan had to be fully alert, not daring to take anything lightly.

The slightest distraction could potentially make him fall into a trap set by that guy...

At this moment, footsteps were heard from the corridor outside the door.

At the sound of knocking, Yi Chuan, who had been lost in thought, instinctively straightened up and looked towards the door, clearing his throat.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Chu Guang, dressed in casual clothes, pushed the door and walked in.

"I apologize for disturbing your rest at this hour, but we have encountered a sudden situation... Please understand that we had to bypass normal procedures to meet with you."

He closed the door behind him and sat down on the sofa across from Yi Chuan.

Seeing Chu Guang without his power armor, there was a flicker of surprise in Yi Chuan’s expression; he had thought that armor was practically attached to the guy.

It was obvious that he too had just gotten out of bed.

Realizing that he wasn’t the only one working overtime in the middle of the night, Yi Chuan felt somewhat relieved.

"I understand, urgent matters take precedence. So, can you tell me... exactly what is the urgent matter?"

Chu Guang did not immediately respond but instead took out a memory card and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it towards him with his index finger.

Staring at the card the size of a fingernail cap, Yi Chuan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"What is this..."

Seeing the puzzled look on Yi Chuan’s face, Chu Guang seriously said,

"This matter can’t be explained in just a few words. To avoid miscommunication, before we start our discussion, I hope you can read this information thoroughly."

...

Yi Chuan gave Chu Guang a skeptical look.

Under the latter’s urging gaze, he eventually did not ask any questions and took out a folded holographic eyeglass from his chest, lightly shaking it into place on his nose.

Then he picked up the tiny storage card and inserted it into the slot on the side of the eyeglass frame.

The green signal light flashed, and a stream of data flashed across the glass surface, densely packed light points engulfing the eyes behind the lenses,

After briefly browsing the information on the storage card, Yi Chuan’s expression gradually became complex.

The origin of the Qi Tribe can be traced back to the Biological Institute in the Province of Yúnjiānxíng by the War Construction Committee’s Technical Department a century and a half ago!

The first mutants to reach Jinhe City were actually the researchers from the "Perfect Life Form" project team!

And their arrival led directly to the downfall of Singular Point City!

As a citizen of Ideal City, seeing such information, naturally, Yi Chuan’s mood was far from pleasant.

After all, for enterprises, that incident from a century and a half ago did indeed count as a dark Chapter in history.

Even though the split in the War Construction Committee was not the fault of any one side, the fact that the Production Department was the first to light the fuse was also true.

Even today, many views within the historical circles of Ideal City still argue that the "Province of Yúnjiānxíng Revival Act" and its brutal enforcement are inextricably linked to unshirkable responsibilities.

Although the residents of Ideal City have reviewed that period of history and did not try to beautify it or hide it like it was some young girl, with so much time having passed, unearthing new clues suddenly still made one feel somewhat displeased.

Especially since they had just decided to follow in the footsteps of the Pioneer, planning to correct the mistakes of a century and confidently step out from Ideal City...

Yi Chuan lightly tapped his index finger on the side of the frame, the reflective glass revealing an eye as he looked incredulously at Chu Guang who spoke with an inquiring tone,

"Is all this... true?"

Chu Guang nodded.

"I can’t claim that this information is one hundred percent accurate, but I can affirm that it’s the result of objectively certified investigations."

This included not only data investigated and compiled by players on official forums but also intelligence collected by his Guards Corps during visits around Jinhe City.

Yi Chuan leaned back in the sofa and sighed softly.

"To be honest, when I saw these things, I was shocked... to the point where I didn’t know what to make of them."

"From a personal emotional standpoint, I lean towards the presence of some misunderstandings here. After all, this is just an investigation report, and most arguments are based on rumors whose authenticity is questionable. At least here, I haven’t seen any concrete and compelling evidence."

His wording was very cautious.

He neither affirmed nor completely denied the information, instead using a flexible statement.

After a pause, Yi Chuan continued.

"From the standpoint of the Supreme Council, we apologize for incidents that happened one hundred and fifty years ago, but this isn’t part of the Council’s work. Our authority represents the collective will, but regarding what that will entails might be better explored by the academic community and the public."

"If today’s meeting is to ask us about our opinion on this documentation, my view is... you should have summoned the media, not me."

Seeing Yi Chuan’s solemn expression, Chu Guang could guess that the guy had probably misunderstood, thinking that he intended to fleece them again, hence the defensive stance right from the start.

What a joke.

Am I that superficial?

With a helpless expression, Chu Guang patiently continued.

"You’ve misunderstood. I am not trying to pressure you with this information, nor am I trying to claim any compensation on behalf of the survivors of Brocade River City... We have no right to speak for others, and what we want to discuss with you isn’t about the past, but the present."

"...the present?" Yi Chuan stared at him, a hint of confusion slowly emerging in his eyes.

The documentation he held seemed to be all old debts.

Chu Guang nodded.

"One hundred and fifty years ago, the Production Department launched a raid on the Biological Institute in the Province of Yúnjiānxíng, overseen by the Technology Department. This caused the technicians of the ’Perfect Life Form’ project team to flee with their experiment data—many of the mutants in the Wasteland today sprung up from that time―"

Yi Chuan angrily interrupted him.

"That statement is biased! The Vellante Laboratory on the West Coast is also a research institution for ’Perfect Life Form,’ and in terms of time, the Army had control over similar research units much earlier than we did!"

"I’m not saying we are without fault, but saying ’mutants were created by us’ is utterly irresponsible conjecture! In fact, we have been exterminating those beasts, and in this past century, at least half of the bullets fired were aimed at mutants!"

"I know, please let me finish," Chu Guang patiently continued, "Of course, we understand that the ’Perfect Life Form’ project wasn’t managed by a single research institution. Besides enterprises, armies, and academic facilities controlling research institutes, there might be other unauthorized labs secretly continuing that incomplete research, which is why there are so many derivative species of mutants."

"If it were merely a group of science fanatics shaking reagent bottles inside a shelter, I’d think, despite the risks of their research, the experimentation itself had controllable risks... But now, a group of lunatics has quietly expanded the scale of this experiment over twenty years, pushing forward their research by any means necessary."

Yi Chuan frowned deeply.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Chu Guang placed a computer stylus on the table, his index finger lightly tracing through the deep blue light beam, and several holographic images floated up in front of Yi Chuan.

The central image was from an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Next to it, there were several players’ first-person view combat videos.

These videos were transmitted back to the City of Dawn through signal relays before being hijacked by the electronic warfare operations of the Torch Church.

Gazing at those ferocious and distorted faces, as well as the walking corpses that surged like a tide, Yi Chuan couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

"What exactly are these... Eaters?"

"No doubt, they were alive, at least they used to be... but now, they should be considered the living dead."

Watching Yi Chuan’s incredulous expression, Chu Guang continued.

"When have you ever seen Eaters wearing clothes?"

Yi Chuan didn’t speak, his eyes fixated on the holographic screen.

Watching his silent friend, Chu Guang continued.

"The name of this settlement is Pine Cone Wood Farm, occupied by the Torch Church. They’ve turned the residents into their puppets using an addictive fungal crop called Nago to assist them in completing the experiment of the ’Perfect Life Form.’"

"You call this an experiment?" Yi Chuan’s Adam’s apple moved, and he spoke with difficulty, "... what kind of experiment is this?"

Chu Guang shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I do not know either. We tried to investigate, but our people were trapped as soon as they entered, falling into elaborate traps set by those madmen."

"It’s embarrassing to say, but at first, we thought their alliance with the Mutants was merely targeting the Mutants’ combat power. But now, it seems that everything was set up for the ’Perfect Life Form’ itself."

"The Torch... is it that Torch? Could it be related to the Enlightenment Society?" Repeating the name to himself, Yi Chuan muttered.

Chu Guang pondered for a moment and offered his opinion.

"I am more inclined to believe there is no connection, their differences are like those between the Mutants of the Great Desert and those of the East Coast. One is a continuation of the pre-war era’s United Human-prepared Torch Plan for the most extreme circumstances; the other seems to be inspired by the Torch Plan."

"Their goals have a common theme, which is the belief that the world ought to be destroyed once, rather than being reformed on the basis of the old order. However, there are fundamental differences in their specific execution policies, one favors utilizing old-world Neutron Eradication Technology, while the other pins hopes on the incomplete Singularity Technology of the Prosperity Epoch... replacing the old humans with new ones, gradually completing their world reboot plan."

Even the most extreme ideals could distinguish between relatively moderate reformists and relatively radical changers.

In methods, the Enlightenment Society was obviously more radical, directly denying the survival rights of the Waste Land Wanderers. However, in the end, it was those elitists who were more conservative.

At least they believe the new world should still be ruled by humans, led by elites whom they recognize, not by becoming some new type of humans.

But the Torch Church is different.

What they want to accomplish is an ascension at a species level, completely transitioning from the shells of the Old Humans to new ones.

Even if the Old Humans could live in their depicted Utopia, they would only serve as politically powerless livestock.

Only the chosen New Humans could live in the Utopia as gods.

The Mind Interference Device was prepared for this very purpose.

In the distant past, making people selectively or completely give up their brains required countless Mr. Hausers’ bombardments along with a whole systematic process. Despite the enormous costs incurred, a few minor errors could still lead to untenable results.

With Nago’s help, they could easily turn settlements into breeding farms or planting gardens without saying a word.

Yi Chuan couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

If he had been reluctant to get involved in the dispute between the Alliance and regional Survivor Forces ten minutes ago, the information he had seen made him realize that he must report this immediately to the Supreme Council.

Mind Interference Technology was no secret; it had made big news back in 2113 and was nothing compared to the Singularity Technology like the Perfect Life Forms.

However, he hadn’t anticipated that such an antiquated technology would have a second coming in the Wasteland.

He suspected the Council hadn’t anticipated it either.

After all, whether it was Brocade River Province or Haiya Province, both were too far away for the Council...

Seeing that Yi Chuan remained silent, Chu Guang continued to speak.

"The Pinecone Farm is a microcosm of the settlements under the jurisdiction of various districts of the Torch Church. Similar incidents are commonplace not only in Brocade River Province but also in Haiya Province. The settlements might look ordinary on the surface, but their cores have long been replaced with puppets of the Church... and now, the green plague is spreading north."

"Nago was originally a tropical crop, but the Torch Church has modified it to thrive even in subtropical regions... If they continue this dangerous experiment, the fall won’t be limited to Brocade River Province; even the Eastern Provinces and the Province of Yúnjiānxíng might not be spared. Or do you believe you can prevent your Residents or neighbors from consuming it?"

Yi Chuan looked at Chu Guang earnestly and said, "I understand your concern, this matter is indeed of great importance... I will report it to the Supreme Council right away!"

Chu Guang nodded, gazing at him just as earnestly.

"I’m glad you understand the urgency, but reporting is one thing; we need to let more people know about their schemes and do something about it simultaneously. If we let the Council debate for a month and another wave passes, it might be too late for the entire Brocade River Province."

Hearing Chu Guang’s words, Yi Chuan’s face showed a troubled expression.

Acting before the Supreme Council’s decision was against protocol.

"...You know that’s impossible. Even if I wanted to help you, as a diplomat I wouldn’t have the authority."

Chu Guang did not give up because of what he said, and continued.

"Then do something within the limits of your authority. We don’t need military assistance; the Alliance Army is second to none, but we need your support on the technical front! Specifically, we need an electronic warfare specialist!"

The reinforcements sent to Pinecone Farm were already en route and would arrive soon.

However, if they could not dominate in electronic warfare, their smart weapons would fail to achieve full combat efficiency.

Unfortunately, hacking wasn’t Xiao Qi’s specialty; it was only an assistant AI.

Even though the shelter boasted absolute defense in the area of information security, it was thanks to the protective programs running on the shelter’s servers; Xiao Qi could only access those resources.

Besides, Xiao Qi’s main body was in the shelter, separated from the frontline by a distance of eight hundred kilometers, making it too difficult for an MT to go up against high ping and interference.

He needed an electronic warfare specialist on site to tackle the issue.

Including providing safety precautions for the drones.

Including dragging out that Bishop named Luo Gan from the so-called Holy Land...

Hearing Chu Guang’s request, Yi Chuan fell into deep thought, then suddenly, as if struck by an idea, his eyes brightened and he sat up straight.

"That can be arranged; there’s a specialist in electronic warfare in City of Dawn!"

Chu Guang immediately asked,

"Who?"

Yi Chuan, with a keen gaze, said,

"Solar Eclipse!"

"A-110 model bionic person, each one an expert in electronic warfare!"

...

Just as Chu Guang and the company’s representative had completed their meeting, not far from the farm, a large group of Mutant Warriors also assembled in the urban area of Jinhe City.

A burly half-cybernetic mutant strode heavily in front of Jia En, bowing with folded hands and said solemnly,

"Kulu, assembled!"

Behind him, a sea of green heads buzzed, filling the vision with an overwhelming number.

These Mutant Warriors, most of whom had received cybernetic enhancements, varied in extent.

Some had an iron heart installed, some had their forearms replaced with alloy steel, or had cannons or chainsaws attached to their arms.

Unlike the ragtag forces led by Ogur.

Kulu’s soldiers were the elite of the Qi Tribe, filled with ’Big Guys’ like Pito.

The Qi Tribe’s honor had been lost by those spineless creatures; they had actually lost to a group of cowardly, weak sheep!

Kulu swore that he would reclaim the honor that belonged to his clan!

Jia En looked at Kulu expressionlessly and slowly nodded, then turned to the dense crowd of Mutant Warriors behind him, raising his voice and shouting loudly.

"Our allies are in trouble!"

"Those who trouble them, and those who killed our brothers, are the same group!"

"Head to Pinecone Farm!"

"The survivors there, they are our food!"

Rousing this group of bloodthirsty beasts didn’t require much rhetoric, merely directing their aspirations was sufficient.

Their thirst for blood and brutality ignited in an instant, and deafening cheers rang through the urban area littered with ruins.

The Mutants, swinging their weapons, roared out their battle cries.

"Aoaoao!"

"Eat them!!"

...

Large groups of mutants set off from the east district of Brocade River City, converging towards the Pinecone Wood Farm.

At the same time, a majestic Iron Airship also set sail from City of Dawn, pushing towards Brocade River Province.

Initially, this was a mere infiltration mission involving just twenty people; however, as stakes heightened from all parties, the scale of the conflict escalated.

That settlement of fifty thousand inhabitants unknowingly found itself at the eye of this brewing storm.

The Torch Church clearly hadn’t foreseen such an outcome.

The moment they learned from the Bishop that the Alliance’s airship was heading towards Brocade River Province, the apostles at Pinecone Wood Farm visibly paled.

They initially planned to deal a small lesson to the Alliance up north by exploiting these infiltrators into their ranch for a fascinating experiment.

But they hadn’t anticipated those stubborn northerners. Seeing the infiltration mission failing, they literally flipped the table.

They weren’t afraid of a military clash with the Alliance and didn’t believe an organization that had only been established for a year could be a match for them.

However, they clearly weren’t prepared for an immediate war, and nobody expected the Alliance to send an airship just as the Tide was about to hit.

Eight hundred kilometers away, it would probably take until tomorrow morning for the airship to arrive here.

But they weren’t naive enough to think that the Alliance had only airships at their disposal...

Four Apostles, anxious like ants on a hot pan, desperately discussed countermeasures while not far away, the estate was riddled with the noise of gunfire.

In the underground lab of the guest pavilion.

Night Ten pulled out the dagger stuck in the forearm of a Torch Church "Executioner," binding his limbs with plastic zip ties while disarming him.

VM data copy completed.

Night Ten pushed the captive into a room equipped with a Mind Interference Device, gun pointed at his head threateningly.

"Turn this thing off!"

Wu Zhe grinned, laughing lightly.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I’m just a soldier... I have no idea how to turn this off. Why don’t you try blowing it up?"

Night Ten didn’t waste words, kicking him in the stomach.

Enduring the piercing pain in his forearm, Wu Zhe gritted his teeth, smirking coldly at Night Ten, thinking it a pity.

If he could somehow make this guy blow up the Mind Interference Device beneath Pinecone Wood Farm, that would technically complete his mission.

In fact, only minutes ago, Night Ten seriously considered blowing the place up, but after reviewing the data downloaded from the terminal, he immediately dismissed the thought.

Simply turning off the Mind Interference Device wouldn’t revert the people outside to normal, just as smashing a monitor wouldn’t turn off a computer.

The Mind Interference Device influenced subjects to enter a "God Travel" state, but it was the emitted Band 03 signal that truly transformed the local residents into "Eaters."

The device had already embedded frenzied information into their brains. Once in the "God Travel" state, they turned into the grotesque beings currently terrorizing the area.

The severity just varied.

Unless he input a different band signal through the Mind Interference Device to reprogram those affected by Nago, they might sporadically return to normal and then relapse into madness - it’d be better to maintain their current state.

At least in this shared God Travel state, they wouldn’t turn on each other.

As Night Ten glared at the uncooperative captive, teeth gritted, he hoisted him up and walked out of the lab.

Wu Zhe grimaced in pain, simply closing his eyes, not saying another word.

Little Lamb, a small girl, stood trembling at the door, unsure of what to do as she watched the two emerging from the lab.

When her eyes met Night Ten’s, she quickly looked away, embarrassed and dare not face him.

Optical camouflage only worked when moving slowly, and moving between areas with different lighting would reveal significant discrepancies.

Clearly, she had seen the man.

Yet, under the threat of the Executioner, she kept quiet and might have even confessed to being alone, then watched as that man with a rifle touched her inappropriately.

But Night Ten didn’t blame her for not making a sound to alert him.

Truthfully, her calling out would have made things more complicated, not only jeopardizing her but also alerting the enemy, which would undermine his advantage of turning the situation with his Talent.

"The situation has changed, I need you to stay down here for a while... Make sure you keep an eye on Yinyin, don’t let her hurt herself, but don’t get too close either."

Upon hearing this, despair and misery flickered in Little Lamb’s eyes, but ultimately, she said nothing, only silently nodding.

Betraying those who had helped her, she had no room to complain about being left behind...

Seeing the self-righteously misunderstood look on the little girl’s face, Night Ten chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

"What are you thinking? I’m not leaving you here; just stay here for a while... If you’re tired, take a nap. I’ll come back soon."

Little Lamb asked softly,

"Where are you going..."

"To wipe out those bastards!" Night Ten grinned, leaving behind what he deemed a stylish silhouette as he walked towards the staircase.

Wu Zhe, hanging in his grasp, sneered and curled his lips.

Wipe them out?

Really full of bullshit!