This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 637 Gaia

Chapter 637: Chapter 637 Gaia

North of River Valley Province, Origin City of Grand Canyon.

Inside that spacious conference room, an elderly man with graying temples and a dignified face sat alone in front of an empty long meeting table.

He was the chief of the Grand Canyon and the final member of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee.

No one knew exactly how old he was, not even himself. Memories of the old era had long been left behind in the distant past.

Gazing intently towards the south, a look of surprise gradually appeared on the old man’s face.

After a moment, he lowered his eyes, murmuring in disbelief, "...Did it really succeed?"

...

It wasn’t just the chief of the Grand Canyon who was shocked.

Yang Kai, a researcher dispatched from the Academy to the Alliance, also had a stunned expression on his face.

The spore cloud hanging over Qingquan City was slowly collapsing!

They had observed this lair for two centuries, and this was a miracle that had never occurred before!

But that was not all.

By analyzing the pheromones within the spore cloud, he could clearly hear the lair emitting a painful wail.

"...How did they do it?"

Was it some kind of special virus?

Or did they introduce a species that could restrain the "Mutated slime fungus"...

The genetic information contained in that creature’s gene pool almost exceeded the sum of all genetic information of the species on Earth, making it almost a godlike entity from ancient religions!

They didn’t even fully grasp that creature’s gene pool, so where could they find a species to counter it?

Yang Kai muttered under his breath, his face filled with disbelief and confusion, unable to fathom it.

He could not understand.

How had this new power, formed less than two years ago, managed to do what even the Post-War Reconstruction Committee couldn’t eradicate?

...

The spores accumulating inside Qingquan City were boiling, like a pot of scalding water.

Not only the city center’s lair but also the young Xiya, was roaring.

It felt its mother’s pain.

A terrifying force had invaded its body, slowly devouring it!

Amidst its anger, Xiya couldn’t help feeling a hint of fear.

What exactly was it?

Even its mother couldn’t handle it!

The spores floating beside it sent out ripples of fury.

The gray-green mist, like a raging torrent, centered around the North Second Ring Road, diffused along the streets, enveloping every spore and evolutionary body.

A silent scream echoed in the consciousness of every spore entity.

"Kill them!"

"Tear them all apart!"

Fuelled by that furious emotion, both the Eaters and the Crawlers emitted hoarse, piercing roars, like echoes stirred by those screams.

"ROAR!!"

Less than a kilometer away from the giant wall, the soldiers of the Punishment camp couldn’t help but show signs of panic on their faces as they watched the increasingly fierce assault of the Tide.

Gunfire had erupted for less than an hour, and 5000 men had already been reduced by twenty percent.

Two hundred-man squads were annihilated!

They witnessed firsthand as their brethren on the same front line were overwhelmed by a group of flesh-eaters.

Within mere breaths, the creature was torn into shreds by numerous claws, not a single whole bone remaining.

Those spore entities were like malevolent spirits.

And now they had gone mad, charging at them recklessly!

At the end of the day, they had only received three months of military training, unlike players who could die and respawn.

Some of the soldiers couldn’t suppress their fear, moving their feet back involuntarily.

As if sensing that fluctuation in morale, shouts from the Supervisory team came from behind them.

"Hold the line! No retreat!"

Simultaneously, two machine guns from the rear unleashed fierce firepower, accompanying the rat-tat-tat of strafing sounds, tracers like a spray of raindrops fell in front of them.

Bit clenched his teeth, grabbed his rifle, and led the charge forward. After shooting several Eaters that knocked down frontline machine gunners, he dragged one of the mutilated bodies away and crouched into the machine gun bunker.

He knew very well.

If they took even one step back, not only would the torrent of bullets in front of them also follow suit, but the artillery fire from behind would fall right upon their heads.

Retreating was certain death.

But if they held on, perhaps they could still live!

"Ah!"

Bit, holding the machine gun, gripped the trigger and sprayed bullets towards the Eaters charging towards him, while shouting to dispel his fear.

Just then, a series of booms of cannon fire erupted from the other side of the street.

He was all too familiar with that sound—it was the Alliance’s 37mm cannon!

As if confirming his guess, armored vehicles pierced into the battlefield from the flank, flipping scores of Variants with their broad fronts and steel crash fences.

The 37mm machine guns mounted on top of those armored vehicles commenced firing, pulling a deadly web across the fragmented street with tracers thick as pythons.

The center of the Tide exploded in a cascade of black blood mist; the charging mucosal entities fell like wheat, and many Eaters were tragically blown to bits, losing half their bodies.

The originally precarious defense line saw its pressure slashed in half in an instant, and the morale of the Punishment camp climbed from rock bottom to halfway up the slope.

Seeing the armored vehicles and the dark skull insignias, many let out cries of joy, while others whistled.

"It’s the Skeleton Corps!"

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements!"

"They haven’t abandoned us!"

Not just the Skeleton Corps!

There were also the Militia Group of Giant Stone City!

The militia, donned in exoskeletons, led by series of power armor, followed the armored vehicles’ lead and pushed forward, launching a counterattack against the overwhelming Tide.

The cannons from the giant wall and the bullets from the Punishment camp had already annihilated a sufficient number of mucosal entities; some satiated Eaters attempted to bring nutrients back to their lairs as resources for breeding more fighters.

The Alliance, of course, wouldn’t let these creatures succeed—they had no intention of giving Xiya any respite.

Taking advantage of the weakened Tide, the Skeleton Corps, which had been waiting by the side, immediately collaborated with the Giant Stone City’s Militia Group to launch a counterattack.

Watching the uproar of gunfire echoing through the streets, Bit’s pupils dilated, followed by an expression of incredulous joy.

The same was true for the soldiers behind him.

Months ago, they had hated the tanks and armored vehicles of the Alliance to the core, as it was these very forces that had sealed off the slums beneath the great wall mercilessly.

Especially after being incorporated into the Punishment camp, almost everyone had despaired, believing they were doomed to die as cannon fodder for the Alliance.

However, what they hadn’t expected was that the Alliance didn’t follow through with that plan but instead fulfilled their promise—after they served their role as cannon fodder and held off the Tide’s advance, the Alliance and the Militia Group took over the task of attacking.

Only those who regain what they have lost can truly appreciate the value of life.

At this moment, those who survived the ordeal felt so grateful they could almost kneel.

Even the fiercest prisoners offered heartfelt praise.

"Praise the Alliance! Praise the great Manager!"

With the Militia Group’s infantry escorted to near the incubation rooms, after dealing with dozens of troublesome evolutionary bodies, the Skeleton Corps left behind only a hundred or so Awakeners to assist, while the rest of the players followed the armored forces down the main road towards the Death Legion at the edge of the North Second Ring Road.

According to news from the human radio broadcasting from the front line, the Death Legion had collided with the remnants of the 111th Orbit Airborne Division, which had been corrupted by mutated slime fungus.

Among them were dozens of Decaying Knights and even a Titan six stories tall!

Showing half of his head above the top of an armored vehicle, Mole grabbed a megaphone and shouted loudly.

"Full speed ahead!"

"Our guy at the edge has encountered a Titan! We can’t let that thing have all the fun!"

His resonant yell echoed through the communication channels.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

With the counterattack battle underway, the situation around Giant Stone City had been reversed.

Incubation rooms scattered along the Tide’s path functioned just like a "barracks" for the mucosal entities; once the fighters were annihilated, the multitude of bodies could only serve as raw material for nutrient paste.

The western front was nearly resolved, but the battle on the northern side continued.

Especially in the defensive line’s Section 06.

A total of 10 positions—front, middle, and back—were completely overwhelmed by the ferocious assault of the Tide.

The Burning Corps, dropped into the city center, had stirred up a hornet’s nest, and Xiya, as if mad, charged at the Alliance’s positions relentlessly.

The Alliance, on their part, were relentless as well, with Goblin Corps planes circling through the shattered skyscrapers, intermittently raining death from above.

Artillery from the rear continued to fire non-stop, delivering shell after shell into positions now overflowing with mucosal entities.

Although the positions were nearly submerged in the boundless Tide, no matter how Xiya urged her mucosal entities to advance, she could never completely seize those battlefields.

The sound of resistance never ceased; even with more than half their numbers fallen, the players did not retreat but pushed forward relentlessly.

Inspired by the Residents of the refuge leading the way, the NPCs of the Alliance also unleashed astonishing will to fight, surging forth towards the positions.

The battle situation entered a deadlock.

Every street had become a meat grinder, both sides using every means they could think of to fight for every inch of ground in front of the last line of defense.

And just then, something happened that no one had expected.

The mucosal entities that had been surging towards the positions like a tide suddenly retreated!

Whether they were Eaters thrown into the fray as cannon fodder or Decaying Knights wielding large weapons.

They turned around almost simultaneously like the ebbing tide and hastily retreated along the road they had come from.

Standing in the middle of the defensive area at position number 4, "Kakarot", panting heavily, changed the magazine in his rifle and swiftly glanced out of the building’s window at the street.

Seeing those Eaters retreating, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

"What’s going on?"

The Tide was retreating?!

Last year, when the Tide came, they had gone through several days of fierce fighting, pushing back to the indefinitely reproducing mother entity’s side and had only ended the Tide by killing it.

He was just getting into the thrill of the kill.

Why were these entities starting to run back?

Standing next to him, Kevin, who had lost a leg, also showed a face of disbelief as if the sun had risen from the west.

"Did Xiya chicken out?"

Watching the mucosal entity continuously withdrawing from the building, "Kakarot" subtly shook his head.

That’s when Brother Quanshui’s voice came through the communication channel.

"... Mosquito Brother reported seeing mucosal entities retreating to the North Second Ring Road. I guess the brothers in the Burning Corps... can you believe it, they actually succeeded?"

When he said this, Spring Water Commander’s voice couldn’t help but carry a hint of emotion.

Honestly, although he agreed with Brother Fang Chang’s "bodyguard plan," he was skeptical about that guy’s plan to raid the city center.

Maybe he didn’t understand the game deeply enough.

In his view, for a game still in closed beta, the Dog plan had no reason to let them take down the big boss in the city center.

Wouldn’t it be appropriate to add a blood-lock cheat?

Turned out, the Dog plan was so generous, everything really became possible just as he had figuratively described.

If they could also take down Xiya, from then on the Tide might well become history.

At least for Qingquan City.

"What should we do now?" "Kakarot" tapped his helmet and asked in the communications channel.

After a moment’s contemplation, Quanshui responded without hesitation.

"Follow them!"

Kevin next to him was stunned.

"Chase them? Now?"

"Yes!" Spring Water unhesitatingly said, "Now is the best opportunity. The Death Legion has already reached the edge of the North Second Ring Road, and the Skeleton Corps is also advancing towards the North Second Ring Road. If we can hold off those little guys’ retreat, we can wipe them all out!"

"Hehe, I like this idea!"

"Kakarot," grinning, loaded his rifle, switched to the whole team voice channel, and bellowed.

"Brothers! The Tide is retreating—it’s our time to counterattack!"

"It’s time to change our BGM!"

As if coordinating with his call to attack, the broadcast originally blaring noise suddenly played that familiar tune—the sound of the bugle call!

As the clear melody passed through the battlefield shrouded in gunsmoke, the players, whose strength was nearly depleted, suddenly erupted with astonishing morale as if their blood had awakened!

The thunderous roar even dispersed the grey fog accumulated on the street.

The players, as if injected with steroids, rushed towards the retreating mucosal entities.

"Kill!!!"

"Roar!!!"

Soldiers of the First Army Corps standing on the battlefield were stunned, staring wide-eyed at the residents of the refuge, who had gone into a frenzy and were chasing after the mucosal entities.

Li Shudong swallowed his saliva, his eyes filled with surprise and awe, and then gradually filled with boundless respect.

They were true warriors!

Unafraid of death and unknowing of fatigue!

Under the inspiring overwhelming fighting spirit, he felt his own blood boiling and uncontrollably shouted out that cry which he himself didn’t understand its meaning.

"Kill!!!"

...

As the Storm Corps and the First Army Corps began their pursuit, the counteroffensive battle at the North suburb of Qingquan city fully erupted.

While Xiya was exhausted dealing with the pressure of attacks coming from two directions and struggling to direct the entities to defend, Falling Feather and Xiaoyu’s devouring of the Lair gradually drew to a close.

The increasingly weakening consciousness no longer sounded pleas but fell into a dark abyss amid venomous curses.

Falling Feather felt his consciousness merging into Its body, flowing through Its veins and spreading throughout Its entirety.

Gradually, he could sense more than just Its body but also that which lay beyond it.

The millions of spores floating in the air felt like his antennae.

Through those floating neurons, he could vaguely perceive each of the mucosal entities.

They were all Its children.

Including Xiya.

And including the fungal mats that covered the walls.

He clearly saw Xiya—Its most beloved child before Its death—looking up at him with eyes filled with terror.

As if he were a terrifying monster.

At this moment, a word he had only seen in novels suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Could this be... possession?"

This seemed the most fitting description.

Realizing this, Falling Feather quickly fell into ecstasy.

Ignoring Xiya, who feared him, he tried to focus all his spirit to merge his consciousness into that vast sea of consciousness.

Just then, a bright white light suddenly burst into his consciousness.

Accompanied by a loud boom, he felt his body being sucked away, forcibly pulled into a vast, boundless darkness.

Suddenly losing sensory contact with his body, Falling Feather panicked for a moment, thinking he had overplayed his hand and was being retaliated against by the Lair.

Fortunately, at that moment, a light, whispering voice drifted into his ears, immediately calming his restless heart.

"Yi Wu!" ("Don’t be afraid, I’m here too!")

Falling Feather took a deep breath and looked toward the bright white light floating beside his consciousness entity.

"Xiaoyu?"

"Yi Wu!" ("Yes!")

"Where am I?"

"Yi Wu." ("This is Its memory.")

"Its memory..."

Repeating these words, Falling Feather suddenly realized they had ingested not only Its body but also Its memories.

Thinking this, Falling Feather couldn’t help but feel a bit of curiosity, wanting to see what secrets lay deep within the Lair’s memory.

At that moment, small dots of light suddenly appeared beside him in the darkness, soon transforming the endless darkness into a vast, boundless starry sky.

Floating amidst the colorful starlight, Falling Feather’s eyes widened—even though he was merely an abstract consciousness entity here without real eyes.

Gradually, a bright star emerged from that expanse of stars.

Beside that star hung a beautiful planet.

It was like a meticulously crafted piece of art.

The earth glowed red like twilight, the sea was a vibrant green.

Boundless rainforests spread throughout the world, a flourishing array of species thrived here.

The wonders did not end there.

The boundless rainforest was not made up of trees, but huge "mushrooms."

The "animals" active on this planet were fundamentally different from Earth’s animals.

They sprang from the soil beneath their feet and upon death returned to the dirt, only to begin anew in the cycle of life.

Every living thing fed on Its hair, without the need for conflict or strife, and could play and frolic all day.

Here, there was no concept of a food chain, only a nearly perfect circle.

In a sense, whether they ran on the ground, flew in the air, or grew from the soil,

everything on this planet was Its mucosal entities, achieving eternal harmony through the ages.

All things were nurtured by It, and all things, in turn, nurtured It.

Gazing at that beautiful planet, Falling Feather couldn’t help but be mesmerized for a moment.

Is this the "beehive"?

It seems...

Not as terrifying as imagined, perhaps?

"Who is It?"

A distant voice came from the depths of his consciousness.

"It has no name."

"After you came, you called It Gaia."

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