This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 613: Rebirth of Singular Point City

Chapter 613: Chapter 613: Rebirth of Singular Point City

Near the old resident resettlement site’s subway station,

two hunched mutants stood at the entrance of the subway station, surrounded by five young mutant warriors. They held a white flag in their hands, their faces filled with uneasy terror as they looked at the armored vehicles and mounted machine guns not far away.

The two elderly entities were priests from the Qi Tribe, one of whom was Gomo, and the other named Hank, a representative of the Ancestor Faction.

Unlike the Secular faction, the Ancestor Faction was among the earliest batch of mutants in Singular Point City. Their views, undoubtedly radical a century and a half ago, were now undoubtedly conservative to the point of regressing history compared to the current Qi tribe.

Rather than hunting humans as prey, they preferred to treat the part bred on farms as animals to be penned, and the remaining free people as slaves.

After all, most farm owners in the lands did the same, and villages like Town Of Hope, where more than half were free citizens, were rare.

They even opposed cannibalism, as there was food with higher nutritional efficiency, and they had promised those who didn’t want to become mutants that they, at least, wouldn’t be turned into pies... although this promise was actually meaningless, as the moment they won, those residents who didn’t want to become mutants had already lost all their powers.

Without external interference, any society’s conservative faction would inevitably age, and the Qi Tribe was no exception.

Even though the Ancestor Faction controlled a series of "advanced technology," including midwifery, it couldn’t change the fact that there were more and more new generations in the tribe and that the Secular faction, "more focused on mutant rights," was moving into the center of power.

However, now, all the warriors named by Jia En in the entire Qi Tribe had died in battle, leaving only the old, weak, sick, and the barely snoring young men.

The "Ancestor Faction," which advocated harmonious coexistence with humans, had thus regained influence.

But it was in an ironic way.

"...It’s useless, they won’t spare us," Gomo sighed, watching Hank, who was still hoping for negotiations.

There was a slim chance of survival if they fled from the city while the mist hadn’t cleared, but expecting those humans to spare them was incredibly naïve.

Gomo had just opened his mouth to speak when he was fiercely glared at by the former.

"Shut up! If it weren’t for Jia En’s foolhardy and you lunatics leading us into this mess, how could we have fallen into such a state!"

Gomo did as he wished, closing his mouth and his cloudy eyes, because at this point, nothing mattered anymore.

Perhaps too much time had passed, and the man had forgotten how they originally forced the remaining people to make a choice—

Either voluntarily become mutants or become livestock on a farm.

Once on this path, there was only blackness ahead, and they clearly had no chance of turning back.

It seemed the Alliance had made a decision.

A high-ranking officer walked to the front lines and spoke a few words to another officer in an exoskeleton.

The officer in the exoskeleton nodded, watched the senior officer walk away, then pulled out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and lit it with a lighter.

Seeing this scene, fear flickered in Hank’s eyes.

What kind of decision required a cigarette first?

He hurriedly stepped forward half a step, and seeing the warningly raised rifles, he shouted hoarsely.

"Wait, wait a minute! You may not understand, but we were humans before! We all strived for the same goal once! It was just that... a small problem occurred here, but it’s not entirely our fault, please spare our lives considering we once worked for the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, please, we are willing to accept any arrangement you propose—"

In his desperation to live, he almost lost all his dignity. The mutant youngsters by his side were softly panting, their faces full of struggle and hatred.

However, the officer in the exoskeleton was unmoved, calmly finishing his cigarette, crushing it under foot, and impatiently waving his hand.

"Fire."

He had given them the time of a cigarette to pick up weapons and continue fighting. Since they didn’t, they might as well die.

Negotiation?

What is there to negotiate with beasts?

The Chimera Armored Car’s barrels spewed flames, and a succession of tracer bullets instantly penetrated Gomo, who closed his eyes.

The old man turned into a pile of minced meat without uttering a sound, fell to the ground, followed by Hank, kneeling on the ground, and the still unconvinced group behind him.

The battle at the subway entrance quickly ended.

Players, who had been eagerly ready, finally waited for the interlude CG animation to finish, and then they grabbed their weapons and rushed into the subway station to begin the final cleaning operation.

Clearly written on the VM mission panel—

Not a single survivor from the Qi tribe shall be left.

That was their original intention, especially after seeing the great achievements of those beasts...

"Who the hell ever strived toward the same goal as you?"

Kicking the bloody, unrecognizable corpse, a player spat coldly on it, clutching his rifle and continuing forward...

...

While various army teams advanced from each subway entrance toward the underground transit network of Brocade River City, the First Thousand Team of the First Corps of the Alliance had already reached the eastern outskirts of Brocade River City.

In order to accommodate the survivors rescued from the Qi tribe, as well as those liberated from the Church’s rule, the Alliance needed to expand the Pine Wood Farm and rename the expanded farm Singularity City.

There was a ready-to-use Mind Interference Device, which would help those caged pitiful people integrate into human society sooner.

According to the agreement reached between Chu Guang and Frost, Singularity City’s management was to be handled by him, and the Alliance was only responsible for defense and security.

Until the local survivors completely weaned off Nago and became individuals with full behavioral capabilities, Chu Guang did not intend to make Singularity City the sixth settlement incorporated into the Alliance. The cooperation model between the two would refer to the current cooperation model between the Luo Xia Province countries and the Alliance.

Although enterprises and the Academy were all eagerly hoping he would take over this mess immediately, of course, Chu Guang could not agree to them.

He didn’t know what the Academy was thinking; those people enjoyed playing secret politics, making it hard to guess what they were really up to. But the ideas of the Council Chu Guang understood very well.

Once the Alliance fully took over this settlement, everything that happened here would be an internal affair of the Alliance. The Council would be able to completely shake off the responsibility that had lingered for over a hundred years and even Frost would end up working for him. By then, if anything was mishandled, they would still have room to retreat.

At least until the Council cleaned up their act, Chu Guang couldn’t possibly use the fruits of the Alliance citizens’ labor to pay for their past mistakes.

Only by uniting his own people could he unite others, and any unity that sacrifices the interests of one’s own people is always fleeting.

After all, both the supported and supporters knew clearly in their hearts that such unprovoked kindness would never last long.

And the things that are not meant to last are not worth maintaining.

At the northern gate of Pine Wood Farm.

Not long after the sign for Singularity City was erected, a dense crowd appeared from the north, a long line stretching like a snake.

Some people carried bulging backpacks, while others drove several carts pulled by Double-headed Cows. They were coming from the direction of Hope Town, as if fleeing disaster.

The Centurion on duty here, named Zheng Liushu, immediately went up to meet this tide of refugees.

Before he had a chance to speak, Mayor Ma Hechang, who led them, voluntarily confessed his identity. Then he grabbed Zheng’s arm, bursting into tears about how the Torch Church and those Mutants had oppressed them.

"...The land in Hope Town can’t produce food anymore, and we heard that you would provide refuge for those oppressed by the Torch. Please take us in too!"

Mayor Ma Hechang hadn’t entirely told the truth; the reason he led the townspeople to flee here wasn’t just because the land polluted by Nago couldn’t grow food anymore.

Although that was indeed also true.

Hope Town’s real farming was mainly relegated to Old Man Kong’s farm and a handful of individual farmers; his choice was largely speculative.

The fog outside had cleared, and the morning gunfire had stopped.

Anyone could see that the Alliance had triumphed in the conflict with the Torch Church, becoming the new masters of this land.

Unlike the permissive Torch Church’s approach to plantations, the Alliance planned to rebuild Singularity City, focusing on the city as the center to restore the land corroded by Nago.

The distance from Hope Town to Singularity City was still significant, and it was uncertain when the Alliance’s poverty relief efforts would reach them; plus, what if they charged him with an accomplice’s crime by then?

Coming over to surrender now was undoubtedly the best choice.

Honestly, Ma Hechang had no other options, being a Nago addict himself. If the Alliance later prohibited the cultivation of Nago on this land, even if he could withstand it, other residents might not be able to quit.

Since Hope Town was already a mess, selling it for a good price to the new landowners before it collapsed completely was the best for both himself and his fellow villagers.

Of course, convincing the town’s residents to abandon their homes was not easy, and he had expended quite some effort to complete their ideological work.

Zheng Liushu, tired of hearing their grievances, finally waved his hand to let them pass.

Although this settlement was not originally intended for them, the Manager’s command was clear—

Anyone who felt they needed shelter was a target for its care, and anyone who voluntarily left was no longer to be sheltered.

Perhaps once they had enough of life here, they would leave on their own.

"Think it over before you enter. This settlement is actually an AI-managed refuge. Its function is to help rescued survivors gain the ability to sustain themselves and to help those who can’t quit Nago on their own to quit it... It’s best if you can quit it on your own without needing to come here."

Watching the survivors head toward the main gate, Zheng Liushu felt it his duty to give a final reminder.

Upon hearing this, many people hesitated, and after a while, a hand tentatively raised from the crowd.

"Do they provide food here?"

Zheng Liushu nodded.

"They do, but you’ll have to work every day."

Then another person immediately asked.

"Does it cost money?"

Zheng Liushu shook his head.

"No need."

Hearing there was such a good deal, the survivors all showed relieved smiles, heading toward their new future home.

Instead, Mayor Ma who had begged tearfully for a long time still lingered, holding a round burlap-wrapped bundle in his arms, a calculating smile on his face.

Honestly, Zheng Liushu didn’t like this guy.

New to the area, he didn’t know much about Hope Town, but he had heard that most settlements here had cooperated with the Torch Church.

However, he didn’t see the need to trouble a pitiful refugee, so he spoke in a business-like tone.

"Is there anything else?"

Ma Hechang quickly nodded, smiling as he spoke.

"Yes, there is, sir. I have something to offer you!"

Hearing this, Zheng Liushu immediately turned serious, thinking the man was trying to bribe him, and quickly stepped back.

"I don’t want your stuff, put it away!"

"No, no, no, this must be given to you." Ma Hechang insisted, stepping forward as he unwrapped the bundle in his embrace.

At a glimpse of the contents of the bundle, Zheng Liushu instinctively held his breath, and the nearby soldiers did the same.

Wrapped in burlap, there lay a bloody severed head.

Frowning slightly, he turned to Ma Hechang, his tone serious.

"...What do you mean by this?"

Seeing that the sir didn’t understand, Ma Hechang hurriedly wiped the blood off the head with his sleeve, explaining.

"Sir, this, this is a Mutant’s child."

Zheng Liushu paused, his frown deepening.

"How do you have a Mutant’s child?"

Ma Hechang continued, tremblingly.

"It, it’s different from other Mutants; it’s mixed-blood... Occasionally, a Mutant’s offspring inherits more human genes, like a mule born from a horse and a donkey. We allowed it to trade with us before, but now the situation has changed. We’ve completely severed ties with them."

His main point was actually only the last sentence.

But it looks like the head was too impactful, and he might have overdone it a bit...

"...Alright, we’ve heard enough."

Zheng Liushu looked once more at the bloody head but ultimately said nothing and gestured to a soldier nearby.

"Bury it."

The local people’s hatred towards the Qi Tribe wasn’t his to judge, but they did have the right to do so.

Besides, for a Mutant, he wasn’t interested in differentiating what specific differences existed between mixed and pure blood.

It had already rotted anyway.

It must have been dead for several days.

The soldier nodded and stepped forward to take the head.

Seeing this, Ma Hechang was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly asked.

"Sir... Won’t you hang it up?"

Zheng Liushu replied impatiently.

"We usually only hang the mastermind to show to the public, and after the body starts to stink, we take it down and burn it. What’s the point of hanging it?"

Ma Hechang nodded, finding the reasoning sound, yet still not entirely reassured, he couldn’t help advising the officer before him.

"Make sure you don’t go easy on those people; they’ve caused us a lot of harm."

"Don’t worry, our Manager has plans."

"You could build a frame, hang them on it, drill a small hole in the skull, insert a wick, and let it burn slowly for days."

"We will suggest it to the Manager."

"If you could hang that frame here, that would be good... but of course, I’m just suggesting." Feeling the officer’s impatience, Ma Hechang felt embarrassed to ask if they needed help with anything else here, and quickly shut his mouth and left.

As he watched the man walk away, the soldier on duty nearby couldn’t help but click his tongue.

"This guy has so many issues. We should just build him a theater and put two chairs in it, inviting him to sit and enjoy the show."

His name was Yang Gaoshan, and he was also a refugee who had survived the Bone Chewing Chaos.

Unlike Old Zheng, who had become a centurion, he had previously worked on the assembly line at a munitions factory, having joined the First Army just a few months ago.

"Maybe his family members died in this disaster?" suggested the slightly taller soldier next to him.

His name was Wu Pangfei, originally from near Falling Leaf Ridge. He was conscripted by the Army, but after being rescued by the Alliance, he enlisted.

Yang Gaoshan looked at him, unable to understand.

"What did he do himself? Just wait around? Beg us for refuge after everything had ended? Then start ordering us around? I’m not saying he isn’t pitiable, but I’m asking what right does he have to make demands? Did he fight alongside us, or provide us with food or ammunition? Or is he a citizen of the Alliance?"

He agreed that they should help these unfortunate people out of a sense of morality, but he despised that guy’s entitled attitude.

There was no contradiction in that.

Zheng Liushu casually mentioned to his subordinates,

"People are like that, you treat them well, and they expect better. The moment you fall slightly short of their saintly expectations, they think all your previous goodwill was just a sham. Don’t bother about it, we didn’t come here out of a love for helping others, although it turned out that we did help some."

Whether it was to end the ruins of the Wasteland or to secure the safety of the Alliance, none of it was about charitableness.

Yet Yang Gaoshan was still resentful.

"These unfortunate people... I really don’t find them pitiable at all, nor do I think they are innocent. It looks like they had no choice, but what event in the past 150 years wasn’t a choice of their own making? They’ve created such a mess that even from 800 kilometers away. You can smell the stench. If it were up to me, I’d let them fend for themselves. We have our own mountain of problems to deal with in our own home!"

Zheng Liushu sighed.

"You’re going too extreme. If our Manager really did that, their problems would eventually become our problems."

Yang Gaoshan immediately responded,

"I’m not saying the Manager isn’t doing a good job. I will always be loyal to his decisions. I just think these people aren’t worth saving."

"In West State City, there are guerrillas fighting side by side with us; in the desert, there are resistances swearing to never surrender; the workers of Giant Stone City stood up. But them? They regularly provide slaves to the mutants! Begging us to return their little princess to them! As if all of this is our fault!"

"The only one still resisting, that what-you-call-it Iron Tower, even comes from the neighboring province to the south! How can that Mayor dare to represent his townspeople and make demands to us?"

Zheng Liushu didn’t respond, honestly, he didn’t particularly like Mayor Ma either. Nearby, the old soldier lightly coughed and spoke,

"So, we will only do what we must. The Manager didn’t ask us to indulge them, nor to take them and provide for them, but rather to let them rebuild their homeland here. Let’s drop this topic now... though, I still have some doubts about bionic people. Are those things really reliable?"

In his early years, he had been a mercenary in Giant Stone City. At first, he fought for the Alliance because they gave him stakes, and he truly joined the Alliance and transferred to the regular army due to a funeral.

Having lived in Giant Stone City for a long time, he was more concerned about the potential risks of bionic technology than the survivors from the City of Dawn.

Yibers was a bionic man, and that guy had caused no small amount of harm while serving the nobles.

The Dragon Blood Potion was his masterpiece.

For the sake of more Awakeners and greater economic benefits, he had exploited the awakening potential of consumers at the expense of their disability rate. And until Giant Stone City Bank and its issued stakes went bankrupt, many were burdened with hefty loans, struggling to survive in harsh conditions.

Zheng Liushu thought for a moment and said,

"That guy is far from reliable, but he’s just suitable for them."

The old soldier questioned,

"Perfectly suitable?"

"Yes."

Recalling the content he had heard at the work meeting before departure, Zheng Liushu continued,

"The Kang Mao Group provided biorobots with a routine lifestyle. They would wake up precisely at six o’clock every morning, start work at seven, take an hour break at noon, continue working until five in the afternoon, and then have two hours of reading class before lights out promptly at ten in the evening. They would do assigned tasks at designated times, and there would be corresponding punishments if they violated the rules."

Although the punishment was not severe, it was just being confined to a dark room.

Yang Gaoshan counted on his fingers, then said, puzzled,

"...Why do I feel like this work schedule actually sounds quite good?"

Wu Pangfei was also stunned.

"What about their slacking off? Are we just supporting them for nothing?"

"Supporting them for nothing? How could that be, we’re not a wishing machine," Zheng Liushu said with a smile, "We’ll build a railway to this place and supply them with the materials needed for production, help them get rid of those greenish things, but they also have to plant some cash crops for us, or else what do you think I meant by work?"

Yang Gaoshan couldn’t help but ask,

"But what if they’re still lazy?"

Zheng Liushu replied with a light smile,

"Don’t think that biorobots can’t see through such small tricks; those guys are actually very clever."

Although management did not need their involvement, it had been mentioned in the previous work meeting about Singularity City.

To ensure productivity enthusiasm, the AI named Frost had set three life standards. The lowest was basic subsistence, aimed at players who continuously failed to meet their KPI assessments. The mid-level provided sufficient nutrition, and the highest level was a prosperous life.

If the trade between Singularity City and the Alliance resulted in a surplus, Frost would deduct the part used to improve productivity and purchase some consumer goods to improve living conditions, proportionally provided to the residents living at mid-level and high-level standards to encourage production.

Having pondered for a while, Yang Gaoshan reluctantly said,

"How do I feel that this still seems a bit too good..."

Zheng Liushu shrugged his shoulders.

"Let’s see after some time; it’s too early to say anything now."

This guy obviously oversimplified the situation.

The survivors in this settlement were not ordinary people, but were addicts of Nago, who occasionally entered the "God Travel" state.

Among them were ten thousand "Primitive Men" who had just been rescued from cages.

To prevent everyone from entering a collective withdrawal reaction, which would completely halt production work, Singularity City would somewhat lift the restrictions of the mind interference device on people and plant a small amount of Nago, gradually reducing supplies until the Alliance’s Biological Institute found a medical treatment plan.

Due to the many special circumstances, Alliance laws were not fully applicable here, and they did not hold the status of Alliance citizens.

Wu Pangfei spoke, "Is there no specific timeframe?"

After some thought, Zheng Liushu answered,

"I don’t know, at least until the problems in Haiye Province are resolved, I suppose we will need such a buffer zone... But the Manager said if anyone wants to leave here, register their biological information, let them go and never come back."

Fundamentally speaking, Singularity City was a large-scale containment facility managed by AI, which prevented numerous Nago-infected people from flooding into and disrupting the existing order of the Alliance. At the same time, it minimized the local survivors’ demand for resources to an acceptable low.

A one-time-only entry restriction was necessary to prevent people from treating this place as a sanatorium, coming in for a few days of fasting whenever they felt unhappy. That wouldn’t be acceptable.

However, honestly speaking, even though he trusted the Manager’s decisions and believed this arrangement was the best option for those giant infants, he still harbored slight doubts.

He who lived in City of Dawn was indeed unclear about what Yibers was like, but he knew all too well about Frost...

Hope Town Ruins.

The entire street was desolate, not a soul in sight, completely devoid of any signs of life.

But judging from the situation on the street, the people here had left unhurriedly, carefully scavenging everything they could take with them.

Clearly, they had no plans to return.

This town had been completely abandoned.

However, at the moment, two uninvited guests were standing at the town entrance.

"Has this village been abandoned?"

"It seems so."

"What a pity, there’s so much cultivated land." Star River, touched by the deserted battlegrounds, showed a hint of regret on his face.

Standing next to him, Falling Feather felt the same, though he also understood the choice of the people here.

"There’s nothing much to pity. The land wouldn’t have supported normal crops anymore... whatever grew would be infested with Nago’s mycelium."

Star River looked at him, puzzled.

"Hasn’t the lair been destroyed?"

Falling Feather nodded.

"That’s true, but those mycelium won’t just disappear; they’ve only devolved from the third stage to the second stage."

Star River sighed.

"Stepping on a cockroach only to scatter its eggs everywhere."

Falling Feather said.

"But on the bright side, at least its spread won’t further increase. As long as we plant enough Cam Trees and scorch the land with synthetic oil, the remaining ash might even serve as fertilizer... just like those lands rolled over by a Flame Weeder."

"Is that so..." Star River nodded thoughtfully, then curiously continued, "By the way, bro, what exactly are you looking for here?"

They had just happened to meet on the airship, and he had followed without asking.

Falling Feather scratched his head.

"A person... well, not exactly a person."

Star River blinked.

"...What is it, then?"

Not knowing where to start, Falling Feather sighed and simply said.

"When I first came here, I mistook that guy for a mutant, but the more I think about it, he was actually just a poor soul affected by disaster... I want to at least apologize to him."

Could there be a side quest involved?

Perhaps something like the Mutant’s Treasure.

If possible, it wouldn’t be bad to recruit him as an assistant.

He didn’t really like teaming up with other players, preferring to explore the Wasteland alone. If Star River hadn’t insisted on thanking him for the help he had previously provided, he would have preferred to come here quietly on his own.

Unaware of his reluctance to have him around, Star River was still racking his brain, earnestly trying to help him come up with ideas.

"Do you remember his name?"

Falling Feather: "I didn’t ask at the time."

Star River sighed.

"Then there’s nothing that can be done, the whole Hope Town has been refreshed, it’s even difficult to ask an NPC, sorry... why don’t you mention the developers on the forum?"

Falling Feather thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Never mind, I don’t want to bother them with personal matters."

Perhaps it was just a minor episode during the One hundred thousand silver coins quest, or maybe he missed a potentially rewarding side quest.

That’s how non-saveable RPGs are.

What’s missed is missed.

However, no matter what, he was quite satisfied with this adventure and, miraculously, he had survived.

Though he was very close to dying.

While there was no extra medal for clearing it in one life, he still felt a sense of accomplishment.

After all, dying was the norm in this land, surviving was the exception.

"Give me a moment."

As Falling Feather pulled out his dagger and walked towards the town gate, Star River, startled, asked.

"What are you doing? Is it convenient?"

"Ah, never mind, just wait here for me."

Standing alone at the town gate, Falling Feather thought for a moment, then carved a line with his dagger in a conspicuous place.

Because it was meant for an NPC.

He used United Human language.

"Were you the one who warned the people here that day? Thanks, my friend. Without you, even if we had arrived in time, few might have survived."

"My name is Falling Feather. If you see this line, could you leave your name next to it? When I pass by here next time, I’ll check it."

Just after carving this line, Falling Feather suddenly regretted it.

He would bet if other players saw this, by the time he came back, all kinds of weird translations in United Human language would be added.

Like, "Laughing River was here," and stuff.

With a wry smile, he crossed out that line and wrote instead.

"Forget I said anything. We’ll meet again if it’s meant to be, I’ll ask in person."

Putting away the carving knife, Falling Feather nodded in satisfaction, marking the end of this adventure.

Once this year’s Tide was over, he planned to pick up a new quest from the tavern and venture to even more remote places.

Picking up the rifle leaning beside him, he stepped over the wheel tracks at the road entrance and met up with Star River, who was waiting nearby.

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