This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 650: After all, as an old friend who has cooperated for a long time, I can’t give less than what I would give to a stranger, right?

Chapter 650: Chapter 650: After all, as an old friend who has cooperated for a long time, I can’t give less than what I would give to a stranger, right?

Late at night.

Sindison had just fallen asleep with a great mood, only to be woken up by a series of urgent knocks at the door.

He picked up his glasses from the bedside table, put them on, and frowned as he got out of bed, grumbling as he angrily walked toward the entrance.

"Knock, knock, knock... damn it! What time is it? Can’t it wait until tomorrow, for heaven’s sake!"

At this moment, Sindison hadn’t yet realized how serious the situation was, and didn’t even think about those possibilities.

After all, the news that the printing factory had caught fire hadn’t reached here yet, and his subordinates who had gone with the protest group hadn’t returned to report to him.

If he had received the news, he might have panicked momentarily, but that would likely have been the extent of it.

Whether it was bribing the printing factory’s staff or investigating the sources of those newspapers, his subordinates handled everything; he merely controlled it all from behind the scenes.

He had only met the contact a few times at most.

Could the Alliance’s Manager really have eyes everywhere, even on top of his head?

Furious, he yanked open the door.

Sindison was about to unleash a tirade but was taken aback at the sight that greeted him.

What he saw was neither his secretary nor a hotel waiter, but rather several stern faces and credentials practically shoved in his face.

The man leading them wore a military uniform and looked at him with icy eyes.

"We are from the Guards Corps. We suspect you are a spy from the Bugra Free State and allegedly involved in inciting destruction. Please come with us."

"A—a spy?!"

Sweat immediately broke out on Sindison’s forehead. Seeing the heavily armed elite soldiers at the door scared him witless, and his speech began to stammer.

"Wait, wait, is there some misunderstanding here? I’m just an honest merchant, how could I possibly be a spy—"

With conclusive evidence, the officer had no interest in wasting words and just gestured to his men.

"Take him."

Several soldiers entered in a single file, handcuffed Sindison in his pajamas, twisted his arms, and started marching him outside.

"Wait—let go! Ahhh! The Alliance’s soldiers are killing people! Help!"

The corridor echoed with cries akin to a slaughtered pig.

Sindison, who had never seen such a spectacle, was scared to a point where tears and snot covered his face, and his pants were even wet... although no one had actually hit him.

The officer looked disdainfully at the embarrassing spectacle.

Now he started to doubt; perhaps there was indeed some misunderstanding with this man’s situation, as a real spy trained well would never be this cowardly.

But what did it matter either way?

Even if he wasn’t a spy, the things he did hardly differed.

Once back, he would interrogate him thoroughly.

Awakened by the pig-like screams, one room after another in the corridor opened, heads poking out to watch the excitement.

The Wanderers of the Wasteland, who are generally not easily scared, since not everyone came from well-to-do settlements.

Watching the group of onlookers whispering among themselves, the officer gave a signal to a soldier beside him.

Understanding the cue, the latter pulled out an arrest warrant from his chest and waved it at the crowd, loudly proclaiming,

"This is an arrest warrant signed by the Alliance Court. We will publicly try the suspect within seven days; the court will announce the hearing date!"

"Dear guests from afar, rest assured that we will not wrongly accuse an innocent person, but we also will not let off anyone who disturbs our order easily. If you are curious about his crimes, you can apply to attend the trial."

The formalities completed.

He put away the arrest warrant and walked down the hotel stairs with his comrades, still holding Sindison who was continuously struggling and making noise.

At another hotel not far away, a similar scene unfolded.

The case involving the "Clear Spring City Daily" didn’t just implicate Sindison, the main planner, but also included six other merchants from the Bugra Free State.

With such a commotion, compounded by the previous street protests and the fire in the industrial area, news quickly spread throughout the city.

Since all those arrested were merchants from the Bugra Free State, even merchants who were merely passing through shook with fear, unclear about what exactly was happening.

Was it the beginning of a war with their northern neighbor?

Surely it couldn’t be that sudden.

Throughout the night, all the merchants from Bugra anxiously sought information, fearing the repercussions could extend to them...

...

The long night finally passed.

The next morning, in the editor-in-chief’s office of Survivor’s Daily, a cry of dismay suddenly echoed.

"All burned down?!"

Upon hearing that the newspapers printed yesterday were completely burned, Zhao Yigeng, the editor-in-chief of Survivor’s Daily, blurted out and then stood frozen, speechless.

Such an absurd thing had never happened before, even when the front line was less than fifty kilometers from the industrial area!

Luckily, tomorrow’s headline was no longer a worry, but unfortunately, today’s update was probably not happening.

Faced with this unprecedented situation, Zhao Yigeng didn’t know how to handle it.

Just as he was agonizing over it, there was a knock at the door.

Thinking it was probably an editor delivering a draft, he reflexively looked up and called out.

"Come in."

The door opened.

However, seeing the man who walked in, Zhao Yigeng jumped in shock, springing up from his desk.

The secretary standing in front of the desk was equally shocked, eyes wide open at the man at the door, unsure where to place her hands.

It took Zhao Yigeng three seconds to quickly straighten himself up and he hurriedly squeezed out a hurried yet fervent smile towards Chu Guang, stretching out his right hand to greet him.

"Lucky to meet you, respected Manager sir, what wind has blown you here? You see, I have nothing prepared."

Holding the editor-in-chief’s hand and shaking it, Chu Guang let go and said with a smile.

"You’re too polite, I was just passing by and decided to drop in for a look, I hope I’m not interrupting your work."

"Not at all! Little Wang, quickly make a cup of tea for Manager sir... Manager sir, please take a seat!" Zhao Yigeng said excitedly, his face flushing as he gestured Chu Guang towards the couch.

"Okay, right away!" The secretary called Little Wang hurriedly ran to the teapot nearby, almost spilling water on the filing cabinet due to her flustered movements.

Chu Guang, feeling a bit embarrassed by their enthusiasm, coughed lightly.

"There’s no need to be so nervous. I... I won’t sit down, I’m afraid I’d end up having to replace it."

Dropping this joking remark, Chu Guang then looked at the secretary, who had just placed the tea properly on the table, and said kindly, "You’re called Little Wang, right? Could you please step outside for a bit, the editor-in-chief and I have some matters to discuss."

Both of them were taken aback.

However, Chief Editor Zhao reacted quickly.

With frantic gestures, the secretary called Little Wang hurriedly left the office, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Out in the hallway.

Little Wang soon noticed the guard who always followed closely behind the Manager also standing there, his heart suddenly pounding.

What had Chief Zhao done?

To have the Manager visit in person...

Not just Little Wang standing in the hallway was worried, the most nervous was certainly Zhao Yigeng still inside the office.

As excited as he had been earlier, now he was equally apprehensive.

The Manager’s tone always made him feel as if being interrogated, yet after pondering for a while, he couldn’t figure out what he might have done wrong to offend such a dignitary.

As he was feeling uneasy, Chu Guang slowly spoke.

"I came here actually to inquire about something, is there any content about the East District of Qingquan City in today’s newspaper?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yigeng instantly relaxed and quickly replied with a smile.

"None! Rest assured! After receiving the news of military control in the East District of Qingquan City, I immediately notified the editorial department to suppress that piece of news—"

Chu Guang: "Who told you to suppress it!"

"Ah..." Zhao Yigeng, taken aback by the rebuke, opened his mouth, finding it impossible to shift the blame, and nervously shook his head, "No, that didn’t happen."

Although the Alliance had invested considerably in the media, it rarely interfered directly with media operations, generally just marking a business scope for them to operate within.

For instance, Survivor’s Daily, though collectively owned by the refuge, the refuge had never sent a representative from the refuge’s higher-ups to meddle in the newspaper’s management.

Zhao Yigeng was the top authority at Survivor’s Daily.

Blocking the news was a decision he made based on the documents from above and his own political instincts, the order had indeed been issued by him, truly no one directed him to do so.

However, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it as there were immediately upcoming celebrations, followed by a funeral.

Even if they were to report the news from the East District of Qingquan City, it would have to wait until those two more noteworthy events were over, wouldn’t it?

Moreover, it was also necessary to see if the Alliance authorities intended to keep the matter confidential.

Seeing that Chief Editor Zhao had completely failed to grasp the issue, Chu Guang sighed and patiently continued.

"Military control is there to prevent unrelated persons from entering and finding themselves in danger, where the cause of death would become difficult to ascertain. It’s not just the Mucosal Entity there, there are also Variants, and even Mutants or Looters might have roamed there! We have enough safeguards to ensure ’Xiaoyu’s’ safety, but if someone dies inside, even if not at the hands of Xiaoyu, people will subconsciously blame it on the entity, leading to irrational panic."

"The Residents of the refuge are exploring ways to coexist with the harmless Mucosal Entity, and Qingquan City’s East District will lift the military control when appropriate..."

Watching Zhao Yigeng nodding like he was mashing garlic, Chu Guang stopped mid-sentence, frustrated as if trying to forge iron into steel, and said,

"I’m not saying this for you to nod the few hairs on your head, but to have you write these things in our newspaper! You need to interview people worth interviewing, there are experts at the Alliance Biological Research Institute far more professional than me. Then you need to tell our citizens why we do this, the benefits, the risks, whether we have considered these risks, and what preparations we have made for them... but what have you done?"

"Does East District of Qingquan City cease to exist just because it’s not in the ’Survivor’s Daily’? Do people stop caring about the things you don’t report? There are always people who will care about the things we don’t, and unite those we fail to!"

Although Chu Guang’s wording was measured, under his own authority and momentum, it pressed down on Zhao Yigeng like a mountain.

Even though Chu Guang had no intention to trouble him and had even considered his face, sending his subordinates outside before he spoke.

Looking at Zhao Yigeng, hanging his head like a child who had made a mistake, too afraid to breathe a word, Chu Guang sighed and continued in a softer tone.

"People trust us, and what we need to do is to respond to that trust, not always expect them to understand our difficulties unconditionally. Moreover, as I see it, what difficulties are there to speak of that could be harder to deal with than the Army and the Tide? It’s just some people being too clever for their own good, willingly handing over their position to others, no different than deserters!"

Zhao Yigeng looked down with an expression of deep regret and remorse, wishing he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

He was aware of the issue with the ’Clear Spring City Daily,’ but due to its ridiculous content, he had never taken that clown seriously.

However, the problem lay exactly there. As ’Survivor’s Daily’ did not report news from East District of Qingquan City and a series of other publications failed to mention it, it made ’Clear Spring City Daily’ the only newspaper daring to speak out.

Fortunately, their preparation was not adequate either.

If those guys had been better prepared and fine-tuned the proportion of truth to rumors just a bit more convincingly, the outcome might have been drastically different...

The more Zhao Yigeng thought about it, the more frightened he became, and cold sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.

He had realized the seriousness of the issue.

Excusing the critique, Zhao Yigeng, keeping his head low, said in a heavy tone,

"This was an oversight in my work... I’m sorry, I have let you down!"

Seeing that he had realized his mistake, Chu Guang felt slightly less angry and patiently continued,

"You should be apologizing not to me, but to all those who believed in you. The battlefield of public opinion is right there, if you don’t seize it, our enemies will rush forward. We have top-notch warriors from the Wasteland, who step onto the battlefield with noble ideals, unafraid of death, and I don’t want them to come home only to read third-rate newspapers, turning all their efforts into a joke for our foes."

Even the notably proud Academy acknowledged that the achievements made in Spring City were miraculous, a fact that should have been a source of pride.

They should have been lighting celebratory bonfires, not their own printing press.

Even the Army hadn’t managed to blast his factory, yet it got lit by one of their own during a peaceful period.

Just when Chu Guang was calming down, his fists involuntarily clenched again.

Zhao Yigeng trembled as he watched him, internally reflecting on what he might have done wrong that upset the Manager.

Just then, a commotion in the hallway outside caught their attention, a voice familiar to Chu Guang, intriguing him.

"What’s wrong with the report I wrote! The analysis on the safety of the central city’s Lair by the head of the Alliance Biological Research Institute Professor Heya, why can’t it be published?!"

That shrill voice, like an angry kitten, instantly told Chu Guang it must be some girl with green hair.

It wasn’t that he recognized her voice, he just knew too well the writers under him, none could produce such a sound.

Sure enough, another voice soon responded.

"Haha, the head of the Alliance Biological Research Institute doesn’t represent the Alliance’s stance."

"But that professor is the deepest researcher in this field!"

"I know, but science is one thing, reality is another, we can’t always trust science—"

"What are you saying?! If we don’t trust science, are we supposed to believe in the Great Antler God?"

"You can always trust the Manager, hey, why don’t you get it? You are a reporter for the ’Survivor’s Daily,’ have some vision!"

"...The ’Survivor’s Daily’ I’m familiar with isn’t like this."

"So you’re gone, aren’t you? Either way, before the festivities, don’t report news that could cause controversy, it won’t help whoever you show it to, that’s what Mr. Editor-in-Chief says!"

"When can it be reported then?!"

"After the memorial for the fallen soldiers... A few days after the festivities should be fine."

"Are you crazy?! To delay until a week later, how is that news?"

Watching Chu Guang’s face grow darker and darker, Zhao Yigeng, listening to the argument outside, also began to lose his composure,

particularly at hearing "So, you’re gone aren’t you?"

The ’Survivor’s Daily’ founded by Hal in Giant Stone City indeed was gone, but ultimately, the Inner City that killed it, vanished as well.

This guy really doesn’t think before he speaks!

Zhao Yigeng cleared his throat and said,

"I will go and explain things to my colleagues in the editorial department..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the office door swung open, and Dolly, carrying a draft, burst in energetically.

Following her was Yang Yan, who worked in the same office and was also her supervisor.

She had been planning to argue with the chief editor but stopped short when she saw Chu Guang was also there. In that instant, both were unexpectedly taken aback.

"Mr. Manager?!"

"You, how come you’re here?"

Chu Guang didn’t reprimand them; instead, he coughed lightly.

"I don’t want to meddle in your debate, but let me interject from a personal standpoint; I always believe in science, and I recommend you do the same... but it’s not mandatory."

Looking at the stunned Dolly, he continued in a gentle tone,

"May I see your report?"

Heya had not mentioned to him that she had accepted an interview with Survivor’s Daily; in her view, it might have seemed too trivial a matter.

And indeed, it was.

Just like Chu Guang himself, who initially didn’t pay much attention to the issue of Clear Spring City Daily that Old Charlie had brought, considering there were far more important matters at hand.

Moreover, Chu Guang always encouraged the Blue Jackets to set aside their reserve and communicate more with the Waste Land Wanderers, not to assume the Wanderers knew nothing and consequently say nothing.

The fools of the Enlightenment Society had isolated themselves in this way. Humanity held a natural reverence for knowledge and experience, but no one liked arrogant people.

Looking up at Chu Guang standing in the room, Dolly nodded absently and handed over her draft.

After Chu Guang took it, he glanced over it.

It clearly articulated the issues he had previously discussed with Chief Editor Zhao, and it was described from an objective standpoint.

And that was what pleased him the most.

Survivor’s Daily served not only as a channel for the Alliance’s general public to access information but also as a source for other local newspapers and private media within the Alliance. If misinformation began at the source, it would certainly deviate drastically by the end.

"Well written."

Giving a word of praise, Chu Guang handed the draft back to Zhao Yigeng.

Seeing Chu Guang’s satisfied expression, Zhao Yigeng quickly took the draft with both hands and solemnly swore,

"I will immediately arrange for it to be featured on the front page of the next issue!"

As he spoke, Zhao Yigeng glanced at Yang Yan, standing behind Dolly, and signaled with his eyes.

The editor snapped back from his daze and straightened up.

"I’ll contact the printing factory right now, and tell them not to rush on reprinting yesterday’s issue!"

"Not just the front page, for such a significant event, one page isn’t enough!" Chu Guang said to the surprised Dolly, continuing in a friendly tone, "I hope we can dedicate one issue... at least three columns to clarify all misunderstandings thoroughly and to eliminate all concerns of the residents of the Alliance about Xiaoyu!"

Hearing this delightful news, Dolly clenched her fists in excitement, at a loss for how to express her gratitude. Just then, she remembered something else and quickly took the opportunity to ask,

"Wait, honorable Mr. Manager, is Xiaoyu the name of the creature in the lair at the refuge? I heard it understands United Human language... may I interview it?"

Heya had not promised her but suggested she seek the Manager’s opinion, even though getting an appointment with the Manager was very difficult.

"Of course, Xiaoyu is quite an interesting creature; actually, many people have met it...before it became the lair. Oh, and you could bring some sweets as a gift when you meet."

Chu Guang said humorously and then turned to Chief Editor Zhao, continuing,

"From now on, stop making wild guesses about your reading comprehension. Instead of trying to figure out what I might be thinking, just do your job well."

Secrets crucial to the collective interests of the Alliance would be entrusted to respective individuals for confidentiality; there was no need for wild guesses based on pure imagination.

Zhao Yigeng immediately straightened up, standing tall like a soldier giving a military salute.

"Understood! I will definitely heed your teachings!"

"I’m not an expert in this field; you should learn more from those journalists who come from Giant Stone City; progressive voices are valuable everywhere. Alright, I won’t stay here any longer; you keep busy with your work, and I need to go do my work too."

Chu Guang smiled and nodded, then gave Lu Bei, standing by the door, a look and left with this loyal young man.

Next, he had to meet with representatives from the corporations.

The Academy’s representatives had already delivered him a gift astonishingly generous; he wondered what kind of surprise the council would present...

After all, they were old partners who had cooperated for a long time.

They surely couldn’t give less than outsiders, right?

—

(Thanks to "miku_jiang" for the Alliance Leader reward!!!)

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