This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 586 This is Too Extreme

Chapter 586: Chapter 586 This is Too Extreme

The dead city lay sleeping beneath a yellowish-gray twilight, the pervasive radiation dust blurring the setting sun.

The towering skyscrapers stood like rows of tombstones, their empty windows showing not a hint of life, nor the former hustle and bustle of passing vehicles and flickering neon lights.

The white mist from his breath condensed into frost on the protective suit’s visor.

Now Eure finally understood why, before he went to the surface, his predecessors had reminded him time and again to wear his protective gear, and why the thousand cubic meters of nuclear fuel had been prepared.

His Adam’s apple moved as he squeezed out a few words.

"...Nuclear winter?"

Zhao Feiyu glanced at the sky.

"It’s not just radiation dust that’s covering us, but also the debris in orbit... Just six months ago, our space elevator fell apart, and I only found out about it yesterday."

The radiation dust spreading at the edge of the atmosphere and the debris scattered in near-Earth orbit obscured a large amount of visible light from reaching the surface.

Moreover, everything had regressed to before the Prosperity Epoch or even earlier, in terms of industrial scale, energy use, and methods of production.

This wasn’t just a problem of adding or subtracting thermal values; the planet’s ecosystem had already adapted to the production activities of the Prosperity Epoch, and now everything had been violently reverted.

No one knew when the planet would adapt again, especially with the world almost buried in dust.

Perhaps humanity should actively adapt to these drastic changes.

Interestingly, the life activities of "mutated slime fungus" were not affected by radiation, but rather shrank in scale due to the global cooldown.

Thanks to this, the United Human Army was able to deploy more military forces to the front lines, and the war finally saw the light of victory.

Zhao Feiyu briefly shared the news he knew, as well as the events happening in Brocade River City.

"The United Human is planning to establish a more efficient recovery and reconstruction agency, hoping to restore production in the shortest time and start to deal with the humanitarian disaster caused by the climate problem."

"The refugee settlement in Brocade River City will be converted into a survivor settlement. Some researchers and engineers will assist the residents who remained in the area and were unable to enter shelter facilities to start reconstruction work... Our jurisdiction has also been transferred from the Central War Research Institute to the local administrative organization, and we will probably work on disease prevention and medicine production methods."

"Although I personally think this is a good thing, it also probably means that reconstruction will become a long-term project spanning over decades... Tough indeed."

Zhao Feiyu cracked a smile, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but seeing no hint of humor behind that protective mask, he quickly reigned in his smile.

"... Even though it’s tough, I still believe everything will get better."

Seeing Eure still silent, he paused and then looked into the distance.

"I have a few tickets to the future here—okay, I won’t beat around the bush, they’re sleep cabins with a fifty-year lifespan. The United Human is grateful for our work all this time; the formula for the anti-radiation drug saved many lives, and so did the radiation neutralizers... Our work here is completed, we can enjoy the future now."

Eure gave a wry smile.

"What’s the point?"

Zhao Feiyu’s expression paused slightly and then he spoke with a laugh.

"Going there...well, nothing will happen, but in fifty years when everything is back to normal, all the unpleasantness will end with just a long sleep. Don’t you think that’s great? Of course, it’s not all good news; every three years now is a generation gap, and communicating with kids after a dozen generations – the gap might be even wider than between humans and dogs—"

"Do you believe it?" Eure looked at him, interrupting his fantasy.

Zhao Feiyu fell silent.

There was no need to answer that question.

No one had counted the number of people who died directly or indirectly in the war, but just by looking at those abandoned skyscrapers, it wasn’t hard to guess that the number was astronomical.

Return to the Prosperity Epoch.

If it were really that easy, why would the shelters have plans for hibernation spanning hundreds of years?

Seeing his senior in silence, Eure continued to ask.

"You’re planning to do what?"

Zhao Feiyu sighed.

"I’ve decided to stay..."

Eure didn’t speak, just listened quietly as he continued.

"Though the situation is terrible, many people need my research, and in this era, I have my family and friends. I can’t just drag everyone into the future with me. Life is only so long, and I want to spend the remaining time with them."

He paused, then looked at Eure.

"I know it might sound selfish, but I still hope you will go."

Eure replied bluntly.

"Because I’m a loner?"

"No, not for that reason," Zhao Feiyu said with a bitter smile. "Well, I’ll just tell it like it is - the United Human wishes us to send a few researchers to the future, because as you can see, this crisis isn’t going to end immediately. If everything is over in fifty years, we’ll all be delighted, but if not... we need someone to carry our progress forward."

Eure was silent for a long time and then sighed.

"Then I’ll go take a look at that beautiful new world for you."

...

Eure finally chose to go into the future.

He wasn’t even clear on why he made that decision.

Perhaps it was a faint fantasy about the world fifty years from now, or maybe he was purely desperate about the current situation.

Anywhere would be fine, as long as it wasn’t the present.

Since the people of the future might need him, and the people now needed someone to help their kids in the future.

Then he might as well go to the future.

After all, he had no descendants.

And he was emotionally detached from his parents.

His generation of young people were all like this, caring more about self-worth and the resonance of kindred spirits than blood ties and tradition.

Having made all mental preparations, he calmly lay in the Sleep Cabin, just like the many explorers who headed into the future, embarking on a one-way journey through time.

However, even with his mental preparation, what happened next was beyond his expectations.

And beyond that of Chu Guang, who was quietly observing from the side.

When Eure awoke, he was not facing the Wasteland of fifty years later, but nearly two centuries in the future.

"Year 2320..." sitting on Chu Guang’s shoulder, Xiao Qi opened her eyes wide, whispering in shock, "That means... he’s slept for a full 191 years?! Shocking!"

"191 years in the Wasteland Era... right after Torch just came out of Shelter No.117, right?" Chu Guang glanced at Xiao Qi, "Speaking of which, haven’t you already gone through the entire memory? Why are you still surprised?"

Xiao Qi’s expression froze, shifting her gaze subtly to the side.

"Eheh... it adds to the atmosphere, ya know."

Chu Guang: "..."

What kind of atmosphere is that...

"Alright, alright, let’s not dwell on the details, it’s almost over... wuwuwu, I really want to stay a bit longer with my master."

"Aren’t you always by my side?"

"That’s not the same!"

"Is there a difference?"

"Of course, there is! One is on the outside, the other on the inside... um, how to describe it?" After a moment’s thought, Xiao Qi’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she said with a shy smile, "It’s like the master has entered Xiao Qi’s body... hehe."

Chu Guang: "...?"

The still image resumed moving.

Without asking, Xiao Qi pressed the play button, and Eure sat up from the Sleep Cabin, looking around blankly.

After a brief conversation with the staff members standing by, he learned that he had slept for nearly two hundred years, and his facial expression was as complex as an overturned jar of mixed flavors.

Humans cannot fulfill promises that exceed their lifespan.

Let alone a group of people.

He should have expected this, but the current situation still took him by surprise.

The fifty years of cryogenic sleep, the promised pension and honors... all of it had vanished along with the collapse of the United Human.

They had entered a new era,

one which the people born into it called the Wasteland Era.

In fact, following the United Human, an organization called the Post-War Reconstruction Committee was formed, and his predecessor had served there for a while.

The research institute’s staff brought him his predecessor’s notes, and in them, he found a letter left for him by his predecessor.

"... Mr. Eure, I’m sorry for letting you sleep for so long. I’ve been hesitating whether to thaw you on your 80th birthday, but then I remembered what you said, you wanted to see a beautiful new world, and that might take a bit longer..."

"Now it’s 2174, the 45th year of the Wasteland Era, and as for when you’ll read this letter, I’m not sure... maybe 2229? But I hope it’s never—no one should sleep that long."

"My body is getting worse; even after replacing it with bionic organs, the remaining parts are still aging, and things have been a real mess lately. The fools from fifty years ago didn’t fight enough, and now they’ve started again... Not surprisingly, the War Construction Committee has been dissolved, and now it’s companies, academies, and armies; nobody knows what the future will hold."

"Ah, you might be confused reading this. Where should I begin to explain to you... in short, the War Construction Committee is the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, the one I told you about before, the one established for more efficient reconstruction. You can consider it as a continuation of the United Human, as it successfully inherited all of United Human’s bad habits. Of course, it had its good sides, but none of that matters now, the best times are over, yet again."

"I never thought I’d be lucky enough to live through two apocalypses. Now, we stand together with the survivors of Singular Point City; it’s the refugee settlement that was next to the research institute before, and it has developed quite a bit now. A few days ago, researchers who fled from the East Coast joined us, and I saw their work... honestly, their ideas are nothing short of fantastical."

"Like them, I believe as long as humans remain humans, they will repeatedly make the inevitable mistakes... To solve all problems once and for all, we can only make humans into another strong, long-lived, intelligent, and docile new species, known as Perfect Life Form! It’s a rare opportunity, how about adding cat ears to the new humans? Haha, just kidding, don’t take it seriously."

"Those guys are brave enough to use unstable experimental reagents directly on themselves. But the results have been unexpectedly amazing, and now we possess ’vibrant physiques’; next, we need to think about how to engrave more excellent qualities into DNA."

"You might think I’m crazy, and I kind of think so, too, but... this is the only thing I, as a researcher, can do for my fellow human beings."

"Let’s put aside the research for now and talk about something happy. The unity demonstrated by the residents of Singular Point City has given me hope. They gave up their illusions in a very short time and decided to be their own saviors. There are signs of improvement in winter as well, and maybe soon we’ll be able to plant more crops outside... Things are looking up; maybe in another fifty years, everything will get better."

"I’m sorry for extending your sleep without your permission, but please believe I meant well. I’ve always felt guilty about taking you, who had just entered society, to Brocade River City, and you ended up spending all your time in the lab until the last day before the end. It’s a shame we can’t go back to those days, but at least for the future, I hope you can live in a beautiful new world... If possible, I’d like to apologize in person, but after thinking, I decided to tell you all this in a letter."

"I’m too old to travel through time, and this letter might be the last piece of information I leave in this world."

"I wish you a happy life in the new world."

"To my dear friend."

"— A friend who chose to stay in the past."

Eure read the letter from beginning to end, then fell silent for a long time before taking a deep breath and putting away both the notes and the letter.

Now, he truly was alone in this world.

The only connection he had left with this world was probably the letter in his hands and the unfinished research of his predecessor.

Standing behind him, an old man said softly,

"Your friend was a respected researcher."

Eure turned to look at him.

"You are..."

The old man whispered.

"Luo Gan, from Shelter No.117."

Hearing this name, Chu Guang’s face showed a surprised expression, but Eure’s expression remained unchanged, showing no hint of warmth at the mention of the word ’shelter’.

After more than two hundred years...

Even if the language hasn’t changed at all, even if they are both human, can they really still be considered the same species?

"Do you know my predecessor?"

The old man shook his head, then nodded.

"I was born in the shelter and only recently escaped from that prison; naturally, I could not have known someone from over a century ago."

He paused and then continued.

"However, if I had the chance to meet him, I think we would have become very good friends."

Eure looked at him with curiosity.

"Why do you think that?"

Luo Gan smiled gently.

"Thought itself is a subjective act, and scientific research even more so. I understand his research and thereby understand the man himself."

"Is that so..."

Eure, appearing thoughtful, listened as Luo Gan slowly spoke again.

"As long as people remain people, they will repeat the same mistakes... We deeply agree with his viewpoint; on our journey, we’ve seen too much irredeemable foolishness, either devouring humans whole or devising schemes to consume them."

There was no surprise on Eure’s face, just a faint comment.

"Has it become like this outside?"

He was not at all surprised.

Rather, when he learned it was two hundred years later, he already had an idea of what the outside world was like.

Luo Gan nodded gently and continued.

"We do not want to pessimistically think that this is a curse encoded in our genes, but most of my companions and I are tired."

"Since leaving Shelter No.117, we’ve been searching for the seeds that can hatch miracles. The first stop was Giant Stone City, then other settlements... However, after traveling more than eight hundred kilometers, we didn’t even catch a glimpse of hope’s shadow. Instead, we lost quite a few excellent people."

"Singular Point City is our last stop. We agreed that if it’s no good here, we’d give up."

Eure asked.

"Did you give up?"

Luo Gan laughed and said.

"Almost... We had already given up when we saw those green-skinned monsters. Even if those old priests still had a sliver of human decency and respect for knowledge and let us go alone, it wouldn’t change the fact of their decadence."

"Outside the research institute are the Cannibal Ghosts..." Eure looked at the envelope in his hands, stroked his chin, "Does that mean... the predecessor’s research failed?"

For some reason.

There was no sense of regret in his heart, instead... he felt somewhat pleased.

In this way, the choice he made wagering his life was not meaningless; though this wasn’t a beautiful new world, there was still something he could do.

Like now.

"The meaning was clasped in his palm.

"I think it can’t be considered a failure, just incomplete," Luo Gan continued, "He gave New Humans a robust physique, but he also planted the seeds of violence in their genes. He planned to solve this problem in the future, but unfortunately, the seed germinated before he could tackle the issue... If only we had woken up earlier and encountered him sooner."

"That timid soul holding the key kept urging us to wait, to have faith in a United Human that couldn’t even save itself, as if by dutifully following orders and leaving everything to our children, we could resolve all the problems."

"Then we watched, helplessly, as the flame flickered and died out until the boundless night engulfed this Earth, and no matter how far we went, miracles were simply out of reach... Whether it was light-years away or decades into the future."

At this point, Luo Gan turned his gaze toward Eure.

"We plan to end this meaningless journey and continue his research, and if possible, I hope you can help us."

"To complete that unfinished Perfect Life Form?" Eure pondered for a moment and said bluntly, "Understood, I’ll help."

Luo Gan looked at him with surprise, then a smile crept across his wrinkled face.

The smile retracted, and he reached out his right hand gravely.

"Thank you for joining us. The vessel headed toward the new world has gained another skilled sailor."

"You’re welcome."

Eure grasped his right hand and shook it.

"My thoughts are the same as yours. If waiting over two hundred years can’t bring a new world, another two hundred years will be the same."

"If I must be the oar for this ship, I’ll do it."

After this handshake, Luo Gan bid farewell to Eure and followed the other members of the Torch to the south. The Torch had reached an agreement with the local Mutants, "Champion" biopharmaceuticals would help them research prosthetics to strengthen Mutants, and in return, the Mutants were to fulfill their obligation to assist with their experiments.

The Old Priests of the Qi Tribe were all survivors from Singular Point City; led by the Ancestor Faction, they held an unusually high regard for knowledge and scholars, a tradition that continued from the heritage of Singular Point City—it had been a long time ago that a group of technicians had come to their aid.

Although the new generation of Mutants from the Secular faction superstitiously believed that the brains of the intelligent were more delectable, after witnessing the formidable power of the modified prosthetics, they had, on rare occasions, reached consensus with the Ancients from the Ancestor Faction—at least not to consume those researchers.

The experiments proceeded methodically.

When Luo Gan returned, it was 19 years later—in the year 2339, the 210th year of the Wasteland Era, and one year before Chu Guang awoke.

Contemplating the profound change over time, Chu Guang suddenly sighed.

Resting his elbows on his knees, Xiao Qi sitting on his shoulder turned her face to look at him.

"What’s wrong, Master?"

Chu Guang replied succinctly.

"Nothing much, just feeling a bit sentimental seeing the transformations of this land through the memories of a trivial character."

The scene continued to flow.

In this meeting, Luo Gan had uploaded his mind onto a circuit board, and the meeting place had shifted from reality to the "Holy Land" within the Virtual world.

At the same time, Luo Gan brought new information.

They had established a Theocratic kingdom in the south, governed by the Torch Church.

Under the rule of the "Holy Land," people no longer quarreled over meaningless things, wholly devoting themselves to rowing on the ship toward the new world.

Furthermore, he brought significant research findings from the southern laboratories—a type of fungal organism called Nago.

"With the effect of the Mind Interference Device and Nago, we’ve successfully achieved a strife-free Utopia within a province’s radius."

Eure asked casually.

"What about the Perfect Life Form project? Is there still a need to continue?"

Luo Gan gazed at him with piercing eyes.

"Of course we must continue; the Utopia of the Old Humans is just a temporary achievement, ensuring our experiments won’t be hindered."

"Our ultimate destination is a harmony and shared prosperity that can be realized without the need for Nago and Mind Interference, which means we must break free from the bodies that imprison our souls and become a species higher than humanity."

Eure nodded in understanding.

"I see, what should I do next?"

Luo Gan went on.

"Solve the issue of Nago struggling to survive in low-temperature, dry environments. We need to spread it to farther Lands, not just in Haiye Province."

"I’ll supply you with some samples... The situation is different now, surrounding Survivor Settlements will gradually join us. From now on, you are an Apostle of The Church, and I, who have entered the Holy Land, am a Pioneer."

"I’m not interested in reciting prayers; it will take up my valuable research time," Eure said impatiently.

Politics was what he hated the most.

He didn’t need any political power; he just wanted to purely do what he deemed worthwhile.

Ironically, it seemed he could never escape these chains; for a long, long time, he had been tossed and turned with the small boat beneath his feet.

Fortunately, his new superior understood him well.

Luo Gan laughed heartily and spoke amiably.

"Don’t worry; it’s just a nominal title that won’t take up much of your time."

"With this identity, our plans will proceed much more smoothly; all settlements within the diocese will cooperate with your experiment."

"Whatever the experiment may be."

This time, an intrigued expression appeared on Eure’s face.

"That sounds rather intriguing..."

At that moment, he suddenly understood why they had failed time and again.

It wasn’t that they lacked the opportunity to do things right, but rather that they chose the wrong method, attempting to rebuild their civilization from the material level using human means.

Perhaps this approach was wrong from the start.

The Prosperity Epoch was a unique case in the history of United Human, and precisely because it was so rare, it was considered a miracle.

Trying to rebuild Heaven with human methods would more likely repeat human errors.

But God was different.

Replacing humanity with divinity wouldn’t repeat human mistakes.

Of course, he was well aware of the thorns that must litter this path, that people would die because of it, but would not doing so result in fewer deaths?

Perhaps even more would perish.

Rather than letting those ignorant fools die for pointless reasons, it would be better to make their deaths meaningful.

A bright smile flashed across Eure’s face.

"I understand. Leave it to me... By the way, after a few more years, I’ll follow you to that Holy Land."

Luo Gan smiled warmly and nodded.

"Welcome."

Eure bowed slightly and exited the Holy Land.

Gazing down at his inner monologue, Chu Guang, standing aside, let out a light sigh.

"This is too extreme."

...

Pine Cone Wood Farmhouse, an annex to the Zhao family estate.

Quit Smoking, cradling the machine gun, yawned.

"When do we have to guard here until?"

Fang Chang, who had just gone offline to peek at the official forum, said offhandedly.

"It looks like the Goblin Corps has bagged all the work; mutant reinforcements probably won’t be coming. Tonight should be quiet, but we can’t let our guard down."

Quit Smoking said with a pained expression.

"Damn! Won’t this damned thing even leave us some soup?"

The Killer Dagger was raised.

"Hmm? Who’s calling me brother?"

Good Dog: "%￥#@!"

Little Lamb, warming herself by the fire, stretched her small hand toward the flames, exploring the warm outline with her palm and fingertips, amusing herself by searching for the edge that wasn’t too cold or too hot.

The flames gave her face a rosy glow.

Even though a lot had happened, her emotions had stabilized.

Those big brothers in armor were really nice people; they not only drove away the bad guys and healed Yinyin and the others but also gave her some very fragrant and sweet chocolate.

The corpses in the annex had been cleared, and although the bloodstains on the walls and floors were a bit scary, she was used to them by now.

She was safe now.

Safer than ever.

Yinyin sat beside her, wrapped in a blanket, motionless since awakening, unresponsive to anyone who spoke to her.

Little Lamb had accepted the chocolate for her but had not eaten it, keeping it for her.

Hoping she would get better soon.

At that moment, a tall sister walked over.

Chen Yutong glanced at Yinyin, who was curled up, her eyes lifeless, and a look of concern and worry crossed her face as she turned to Little Lamb.

"Is she feeling any better?"

Little Lamb shook her head slightly.

Just then, Yinyin suddenly lifted her head.

"Daddy..."

"Hmm?"

Although Chen Yutong didn’t hear clearly what the little girl said, seeing that she finally responded, she immediately squatted beside her.

"Are you feeling okay now? Is there anywhere that doesn’t feel right?"

Yinyin shook her head and continued to look at Chen Yutong, saying softly,

"My daddy... is he alright?"

Chen Yutong fell silent.

Guessing something from the sister’s expression, tears welled up in Yinyin’s eyes, and she continued to ask in a trembling voice,

"Then... what about brother? And sister... and the butler?"

The silence already said everything.

Big tears fell from her cheeks as she clutched her knees and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Why..."

Little Lamb gently touched her head and whispered,

"Don’t be sad..."

Yinyin, her eyes brimming with tears, bit her lip and couldn’t utter a word, even less did she know how to face her friend.

She had thought about helping her escape this cage, but that was out of compassion, pity, or kindness, never imagining it would happen this way.

Without her father...

What was she going to do now?

Understanding the worry in Yinyin’s eyes, Little Lamb comforted her in a soft voice,

"Well, even though our house might not be as big as this one, it should still be pretty large. I will ask my daddy to take care of you."

Yinyin looked at her.

That cold gaze made Little Lamb feel that her friend had suddenly become a stranger, so alien that it frightened her for a moment.

"You’re feeling pretty satisfied now, aren’t you... You’re finally free."

Little Lamb looked at her in astonishment, not understanding why she would say that.

Yinyin clearly didn’t understand why she said such things either, nor did she understand why she lashed out at Little Lamb.

After all, she was her best friend.

But Yinyin didn’t want to apologize and turned her neck away stubbornly.

Chen Yutong sighed.

To be honest.

Her father was at least ninety percent responsible for what this settlement had become, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he had brought it upon himself.

He already possessed absolute power, yet he sought more, and right then, someone conveniently threw a tempting bait in front of him.

Overconfident in his abilities to an almost arrogant degree, he bit the bait without hesitation, even fantasizing about scheming against the Church thousands of miles away with the chips in his hand.

However, he never imagined that they did not even regard him as a person, leaving not a name but just a casual number in the experiment logs.

But...

She still couldn’t help feeling sympathy for this child.

Touching the little girl’s head, Chen Yutong said softly,

"In this world, there are many things beyond our control... they have little to do with our efforts and choices. Even if you hadn’t wandered into that basement today, even if you had done nothing, tonight’s events would have occurred just the same."

"I don’t know if saying this makes you feel any better, but... at least don’t be hard on yourself or those around you. You are victims, and you’re not the one to be blamed. Your friend was very brave to save you, and if it were me, I would say thank you to her."

Chen Yutong said this while looking at Little Lamb, speaking softly,

"Can you come over with your sister for a moment? I might need your help."

Little Lamb looked worriedly at Yinyin, who had turned her face aside silently, and though she didn’t want to leave her alone, she nodded sensibly.

"Sure... I’ll help."

Chen Yutong bent her lips slightly into a smile and stood up, bracing her knees.

"Come with me."