This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 591: The Fog Rolls In

Chapter 591: Chapter 591: The Fog Rolls In

It was about a year ago, when the Sanctuary had just been built, that Zhao Yinyin began to hear an old man’s voice in her mind from time to time.

At first, she thought it was her own hallucination, but later she found that it was not so, as he not only answered her doubts but occasionally taught her some knowledge she had never known before.

When she was very young, her grandfather died, and sometimes she felt that the old man was like her grandfather, always very kind.

Latter on, the old man told her that he was the Saint Heir, and that it was himself who was enshrined in that Sanctuary.

Yinyin did not doubt his words. On the contrary, she had long suspected that his identity might be that of the Saint.

After all, apart from a true God, who else could be omnipresent and omnipotent, communicating with her in her mind?

Since then, she began to pour out all her troubles to the Saint without reservation.

Gods do not lie, nor do they gossip about the troubles of mortals everywhere.

There was no one more appropriate for her to confide in...

Just like always.

Huddled in the vacant room on the second floor of the pavilion, Yinyin told him all her troubles, including the conflicts with her good friend and the sorrow of her family’s ruin and the uncertainty of having no support in the future.

After wiping her tears, Yinyin murmured softly,

"...I’m sorry, I’ve been talking so much about myself; you might find it boring."

A long silence.

The kindly voice floated gently into her mind.

"How could that be, my child."

Although it was not exactly an inspiring consolation, Yinyin’s face showed a weak yet firm smile, and she cheered up a bit.

A moment later, she seemed to make some decision, and looked straight ahead with resolution.

"I really should apologize to Little Lamb..."

Standing in an unseen place, looking down on the little girl, Luo Gan smiled faintly.

So she’s still a child.

Worrying for so long over such trivial matters, which he himself would never do, as he would carry out decisions immediately.

"If you don’t want to do this, you actually don’t have to," he suggested.

Yinyin tilted her head.

"Why?"

Luo Gan wanted to tell her that none of it mattered anymore. The residents of this Sanctuary would soon die, and whether she did such things or not made no difference.

But after thinking about it, he ultimately did not say so.

Even the animals in the pen have the right to happiness in their final second; he did not kill people for the sake of killing.

So he chose a more gentle explanation.

"Time is a great healer; it equally heals all wounds. All will be well if you wait patiently."

Yinyin hugged her knees, buried her chin in between them, and muttered softly,

"So everything will get better, given enough time?"

"Yes."

The God protecting her gently nodded, though she could not see him, she was certain he was doing this.

Yinyin trusted him very much.

But she could not agree with this.

Because she clearly remembered, when she was troubled about whether or not to help Little Lamb escape this cage, he had told her himself.

Hesitating for a moment, she said softly,

"But... didn’t you tell me that many things can’t afford to be hesitated over, that leaving it to time to answer would always end in regret?"

... Uh, hm?

Had he said that?

Faced with a girl of pure countenance, Luo Gan couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

Among all the chess pieces he had chosen, this little girl was the youngest and the most special one.

Not because he had special feelings for her, but simply because unlike other believers, she always poured out every little detail of her daily troubles to him.

Most people revered the God and felt honored to have a "face-to-face communication with God," which only they could have.

Therefore, even Zhao Tiangan, this girl’s father who did not truly believe in the Torch faith, approached communication with a higher being with a humble and devout attitude, carefully weighing each word.

And he himself naturally used this awe to interact with these believers who only knew the basics, under the guise of the Saint.

Occasionally, he would even issue commands using their identities.

After all, although chips had been implanted in their brains, he could not just take over their bodies at will.

The full control over their bodies could only be achieved during "God Travel."

And this little girl seemed to regard him as someone to confide in.

She naively believed that Gods would not gossip about mortals’ affairs, so she told him almost everything.

Luo Gan permitted her behavior.

After all, a few words of communication did not use much computational power, and at a critical moment, this chess piece might come in handy.

That was why yesterday during the day, he used the knowledge of a wonderful hiding place as an excuse to coax this little one into the basement.

After all, even if she joined in the madness with others, absolute safety was not assured, as there were some special guests in the manor.

But being in that empty basement was definitely safe.

Now it seemed that he might have done something unnecessary, potentially adding undue risk to the entire plan just to keep a chess piece alive a little longer on the board.

If she hadn’t gone to the basement, the Alliance might have taken some time to find the laboratory in the basement of the pavilion.

No matter how useful this chess piece was, the experiments in this Sanctuary were already completed. And surviving might not necessarily be true kindness for her.

To die in a dream is painless, while falling into the hands of Mutants would be a fate worse than death.

Thinking of this, Luo Gan sighed gently.

Indeed...

His practice was still not enough.

Of course, what concerned him more was actually another matter—why had he said, "Questions left for time to answer will ultimately only garner regrets."

Regrets?

Such a thing could never apply to him.

On this path, they had paid enough of a price and had offered everything for their ideal in the last moment.

He had no possibility of turning back now.

"I just feel that running away isn’t right... Saint Heir?" Seeing that the voice inside her head hadn’t appeared for a long time, Yinyin cautiously asked with nervousness.

She had nothing left.

If even the Saint Heir didn’t pay attention to her, she might truly fall into despair.

"Hmm, I’m here... I was just thinking about when I said that sentence. Sorry to have kept you waiting," Luo Gan said, smiling gently.

A relieved smile appeared on Yinyin’s face.

"It’s okay... You must respond to many people’s prayers every day, so it’s alright if you respond to me later. As long as you are still there."

Seeing that the young girl was still worried about him, Luo Gan couldn’t help but smile.

If she knew that it was he who had controlled her father to walk in front of the Alliance, only to be killed by that group of Soldiers, he wondered if she could still smile.

"The work of God isn’t as busy as you imagine."

Yinyin cocked her head.

"But wouldn’t a lot of people pray to you?"

He spoke in a gentle tone.

"My child, most people don’t really ask for God’s will. Before praying to me, they actually already have their own answers in their hearts... What they need, is probably just someone to push them from behind, like you entrusting everything to me for a decision. You are actually in the minority."

Hearing this, Yinyin couldn’t help but feel her face flush with a touch of shame as she softly said,

"Sorry... for the trouble I’ve caused you."

"No problem, I don’t consider you a trouble. On the contrary, I’m pleased to see your growth. You used to always ask for my opinion, but today you’ve made the decision to reconcile with a friend on your own. You’ve developed your own judgments. That’s good."

Yinyin asked, not understanding.

"Does God not wish for people to listen to Him?"

"If every single matter was decided by God, I might really die of busyness."

He said this half-jokingly. Coming back to his senses, Luo Gan clicked his tongue lightly.

After all, in saying so, he had contradicted himself.

But it’s no wonder, he was well aware that Pioneers were not real gods, nor was the Saint Heir. They just needed the guise of a deity in order to accomplish things that humans could not.

Of course, he was pleased that the residents here obeyed his will, but standing on the platform of an elder, he still hoped to teach the child something more precious.

It’s good to be obedient, but without one’s own opinions, one is forever a child. He hoped she would have her own opinions, even if this was utterly contrary to the doctrine he preached.

Perhaps the contradiction wasn’t in his behavior, but in the depths of his heart, he really didn’t wish for the young girl to die.

Let alone a living person.

Even if it was a plant in a pot, as long as time was spent watering it, anyone would hope it would thrive and not wither.

Apart from those apostles with shared convictions, this was probably the most he had communicated with mortals since entering the Holy Land.

After some thought, Luo Gan came up with a compromise.

That was to set this special little lamb free from the sheepfold.

Anyway, for him, being short one or two wasn’t a big deal, and the Alliance was unlikely to discover anything with a single specimen.

"If you trust me, I can show you a way."

Yinyin nodded earnestly.

"Yes! Tell me!"

Luo Gan spoke slowly.

"Give up everything here and seek refuge with the people of the Alliance, then leave this place of strife behind completely. I think considering you’re still a child, they would take it into consideration."

Yinyin looked at him puzzled, with disbelief and astonishment twinkling in her big eyes.

"But... aren’t the people of the Alliance bad guys? They killed my father, and I heard... they want to tear down Your Church."

Watching the little girl strenuously assert those people as villains, Luo Gan suddenly let out a loud laugh, almost crying tears of amusement.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have those things anymore.

Only when those surprised eyes turned into confusion did he slowly continue to speak.

"Listen, you might not understand because of your age, but when you grow up you will realize... Those things you’re talking about now don’t matter at all."

Yinyin gazed into the empty space with wide eyes.

"How can that be..."

Without explaining to her, Luo Gan continued earnestly,

"This settlement is caught between two behemoths, and in fact, so are all the settlements on this land. No matter what they choose, their end will not be pleasant. If you want to survive, the only way is to get as far away from here as possible."

Biting her lip, Yinyin squeezed out a sentence.

"But why join the Alliance... Can’t you take me with you?"

Luo Gan’s expression paused slightly, and after a long silence, he ambiguously said,

"Our place still needs a little time..."

If she was just driven into another sheepfold, it would be pointless; even if other Pioneers would look after her for his sake, the experiments that needed to be done would definitely proceed in due course.

Confusion and incomprehension filled Yinyin’s eyes.

"Time?"

Luo Gan nodded and said patiently,

"Yes... It’s a massive project."

"Building a new kind of human, a new society, all these take a very long time to construct. We will make this utopia as perfect as possible, and for that, we need to commit life, courage and determination. I know that in the future it will be Heaven, the whole world will be, but not now... Can you give me a little time?"

He didn’t know why he was seeking this child’s approval, and even used a conciliatory tone of voice to do so.

Actually, there was no need for him to do so; after all, everything was already decided, and her shaking her head wouldn’t change the fate of this habitation one bit.

But still, he did it.

Perhaps...

He was only trying to convince himself.

Yinyin looked towards the empty space with a half-understanding, slightly nodded her head, and squeezed out a smile on her face.

"Sure... even though I don’t quite understand, you wouldn’t harm Yinyin, right?"

There was silence in the air for a while.

Only after a moment did a voice respond.

"Mm, I promise I won’t harm you... thank you."

He did not look into those innocent eyes, merely leaving a few words in a barely audible voice before quietly hurrying away.

That smile caused a pang of pain in his heart.

Though he had long discarded that thing.

This might be his only regret since entering the Holy Land.

Indeed, his training was still insufficient.

Yinyin could feel he had left, even though she had not heard a farewell.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she jumped off the chair, ready to go outside and find Little Lamb to clear up last night’s misunderstanding, when she heard a creaking sound from the floor outside the door.

After all, this villa was an old building; wooden floors show their age like that.

She blinked in mild surprise, quickly walked to the door, and pulled it open to see that familiar face not far from the entrance.

Little Lamb was staring at her, her hands clutched around a handful of chocolate candies, a gift from the brothers and sisters of the Alliance last night.

She had kept Yinyin’s portion from yesterday, never finding the right moment to give it to her until just now, when Chen Yutong had given her another handful during the blood draw, telling her to share it with her good friend, and she had finally mustered the courage to come over.

She had just reached the door when she overheard the voices inside the room...

"...Yinyin?"

"Little Lamb?"

Yinyin looked at her, bewilderedly, her expression flickering between panic and vigilance, as if she had been caught in a guilty act, confusedly saying, "Why... why are you here?"

"The brothers and sisters from outside gave me some chocolate, and I thought I’d share some with you..."

Little Lamb looked at her nervously, swallowed, and continued,

"Who were you talking to..."

Yinyin’s complexion turned slightly pale.

The Saint Heir had told her that she must never let the people from the north know she could communicate on her own, for with their hatred towards the Torch, they would certainly not spare her.

"I..."

Seeing Yinyin’s look of tension and fear, Little Lamb vaguely guessed something but remained silent, instead, she gently stepped forward and hugged her.

Yinyin, taken aback by the sudden embrace from Little Lamb, stood frozen, not comprehending.

"...Eh?"

"It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone..." Looking at the lost and helpless Yinyin, Little Lamb raised her head and gave a reassuring smile, whispering in a soft voice, "It’ll be our little secret... okay?"

Miss had always taken good care of her.

She didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but now it was her turn to report for her.

"...Little Lamb." Yinyin stared at the girl two years her junior, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

There was regret, grievance... and many emotions she could not articulate but felt heavy in her chest.

It wasn’t just because of the hurtful things she said the night before; she had suddenly realized that the one who truly deserved her trust and cared the most about her had always been right by her side.

What was shameful, though, was that all along, she had never truly respected this clumsy friend, not even considering her as a friend in her subconscious but just as someone to tease the servants with, using Little Lamb’s unique status.

Otherwise why did she, knowing she could not escape, so unhesitatingly drag her into those actions that could lead to reprimand?

She had always led her around, treating her like a pet, never asking about her own feelings, whether she really wanted to leave this place, whether she needed a "hidden spot nobody knows about" to hide away for a while.

Even after what had happened last night, she hadn’t shown any concern, only restless about the shift in her status and losing her only friend after everything else was lost.

As the tears suddenly broke through, Little Lamb, unaware of Miss’s thoughts, just comfortingly patted her on the back.

"It’s okay... Little Lamb will be with you."

After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, a green-gray fog began to envelop the outside.

It was a hue Yinyin had never seen before, and the dense obscuration it brought was ominously thick.

Also noticing the change outside, Little Lamb stopped her gentle patting, muttering to herself.

"The fog is rolling in..."

Suddenly, a faint creak came from the direction of the stairs.

Yinyin, keeping secrets, immediately looked that way but saw nothing but an empty hallway.

Was it an illusion?

Just as she thought this, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a wet footprint slowly appearing around the corner of the stairs.

It was as if a boot that had just tramped over grass had stamped there.

At the sight of the footprint, her heart leaped to her throat.

...A ghost?!

...

The fog appeared abruptly and unnaturally in the afternoon, swiftly engulfing the entire pine cone wood farm.

People gathered at the entrance to the estate showed panic on their faces, fearing the Alliance had activated the Mind Interference Device and that the events of the previous night were about to unfold again.

Overseers, serfs, and the estate’s servants all scattered and fled to their homes to hide, hurriedly locking themselves in.

And if they didn’t have a lock, they would use a piece of rope to tie family members separately to posts or next to cooking stoves.

This, however, saved the players a lot of trouble.

With monsters that could spawn anywhere, it was indeed dangerous to have so many people together.

But no one was complacent.

The sudden rise of this green-gray fog was clearly a trick by the Torch Church; all the players at the gate swiftly donned their helmets and gas masks, spreading out to keep watch for any unforeseen dangers.

"What’s with this fog...?"

"Poison gas?"

"Not likely...it seems like breathing isn’t affected."

"It just stinks a bit."

"And this is just too damned green!"

They whispered over the communication channel.

Falling Feather glanced at the sky. Where the clouds once were, now all he could see was a halo of shit-green light.

The air was as thick as jelly, with a damp, moldy smell like clothes that had been left out for far too long without a wash.

Then, a call from the Iron Heart came through the communication channel.

"...This is the Iron Heart airborne command center. We see you’re surrounded by thick fog. Report your situation immediately!"

Old White, with his rifle in hand and standing at the entrance of the manor in his power armor, spoke with a grave expression.

"Everything here is normal for the moment. Can you estimate the extent of the fog? Is it just us, or is the whole area covered?"

"The foggy area is roughly a thousand square kilometers. You are right in the center of it."

"I suspect this is the doing of the Torch... Can you send a plane to help us check? Focus on the area between the Pinecone Farm and Jinhe City Urban Area."

"Understood."

With the fog so thick, visibility on the ground must be poor, and Old White didn’t have high hopes for what they’d see from the sky either.

What he truly feared was the mutants taking advantage of the opportunity to slip out of the city.

However, what concerned him most was how exactly this thick fog had formed.

Suddenly, Falling Feather standing beside him lightly held his forehead and whispered,

"...It’s spores."

Quit Smoking was stunned and looked at him in surprise.

"Spores?!"

"Uh-huh..." Falling Feather nodded gravely and continued, "They’re similar to the spores of the ’Mutated slime fungus’... Xiaoyu told me."

Although Xiaoyu didn’t rely on spores for information exchange or reproduction, it was, after all, developed in the environment of Spring City and understood the spores of the common slime fungus quite well.

However, after hearing his explanation, the players all showed surprised faces, especially Quit Smoking, who looked at him incredulously.

Spores?

Why would there be spores in Jinhe City?

There’s no lair here at all!

Killer Dagger swallowed hard.

"Wait a minute... if I don’t get it, I ask, didn’t your symbionts all die?"

"I kept one inside myself, the biotech prosthesis that boosts HP recovery... And don’t say weird things. What ’my symbionts’? That’s Xiaoyu’s!" Falling Feather glared at him disapprovingly.

Killer Dagger smiled sheepishly.

At this moment, Old White interrupted their conversation.

"This isn’t the time to talk about this... The situation has changed, we need to evacuate key NPCs and equipment from here for now."

Suddenly remembering his hundred thousand silver coin mission, Falling Feather hastily said,

"Just remember to take Little Lamb with you, right."

"Of course, she is a key research material. We can’t leave her behind no matter who else we leave."

Quit Smoking then asked,

"What about the local residents?"

"There are forty or fifty thousand people here... It’s impossible to evacuate everyone, and it’s even more dangerous outside the Enclosing Wall."

Glancing at the houses outside the manor, Old White continued with a heavy voice,

"Let’s just do our best."

Just then, behind them, a deafening boom sounded, followed by a barrage of gunfire.

Old White turned sharply to look behind him, his face slightly changing.

It’s coming from the villa’s direction!

...

In the lush green jungle, green heads bobbed around, their sinewy muscles adorned with orange ammunition and grim weapons.

Kulu stood in front of this group of mutants, eying the fog-enshrouded plain before him, bloodthirst flickering in his pupils.

The dense fog, too putrid for the frail Old Humans, was a refreshing fragrance to his nostrils.

Amid that fragrance, he already smelled slaughter and death...

The night before, he’d unfortunately suffered defeat in battle, losing not only countless underlings but also half an arm.

Ordinarily, a useless individual like him should have been chopped up and thrown into a pot, but the Tribe leader forgave his stupidity and even let him off leniently.

Moreover, the Church installed a mechanical hand in place of his lost limb and implanted numerous mechanical prostheses into his body, increasing his destructive power significantly.

To compensate for the losses his foolishness had brought to the Tribe and to repay the Church for the chance to return to the battlefield, he volunteered for this mission and vowed to bring back fifty thousand bowed heads for Lord Jia En.

As a tribute to the brothers who had died the night before and the sacrificed Apostles and Executioners.

As the fog thickened, a cruel smile spread across Kulu’s face. The Church hadn’t lied to him.

Under the cover of the fog, the once-insurmountable plain would open wide for them.

Even if the airship above knew they might be hidden in the fog, they wouldn’t know where to bombard.

At that moment, a light explosion sounded in the distance.

That was the assault signal.

Kulu took a deep breath, letting the scent fill his lungs, the blood in his veins boiling like lava.

He raised his mechanical arm, and with the gun that resembled an axe handle in hand, he roared with a rough and barbaric voice,

"Kulu says, chop up those two-legged beasts—"

"Not one shall be left!"

—

(Thanks to the alliance chiefs "Fishing alone in the snowy Yangtze" and "Digging graves at midnight" for the rewards!!!)

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