This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 651: The Rebel in the North

Chapter 651: Chapter 651: The Rebel in the North

"You can’t offer less than outsiders for old friends, right?"

Chu Guang had initially thought so, but when he saw the 10 billion Cr acquisition proposal, he was still stunned for a moment.

To buy with money...

Am I the type to be bought with money?!

In the meeting room of the Alliance Building, Chu Guang and Yi Chuan sat in front of a round conference table.

Thinking that the Manager was put off by the low amount of money offered, Yi Chuan cleared his throat and continued in a low voice,

"The price is still negotiable... Besides, apart from the official amount, we can also make a private deposit into your personal account."

This was not uncommon in the Province of Yúnjiānxíng, where many big shots from various settlements had bought luxury mansions with views of the cloud sea in Ideal City. Even in Giant Stone City of Clear Spring City in River Valley Province, far beyond an official partnership, many big names had sent their families there.

However, since the settlements were so far apart, these so-called nobles could often barely scrape together enough Cr to achieve a lifestyle barely above average in Ideal City.

The Alliance was an important strategic partner of corporations, of course not comparable to Giant Stone City.

The two parties had signed a currency exchange agreement very early on, the strategic significance of which naturally exceeded that of ordinary corporate partners in Province of Yúnjiānxíng.

At least in Yi Chuan’s view, this wasn’t a taboo topic. However, after hearing his suggestion, Chu Guang’s expression turned serious.

"Mr. Yi, how long have we known each other?"

Yi Chuan was taken aback,

"Almost half a year... What’s wrong?"

Chu Guang said with deep regret,

"Do you think I am that kind of person?"

Seeing his expression, Yi Chuan was momentarily dumbfounded.

Before Yi Chuan could speak, Chu Guang continued,

"Our Alliance indeed lags behind, unable to match your prosperity, but I would rather stay with my comrades."

"Such divisive words should not be spoken again!"

Yi Chuan nodded with an awkward smile,

"Sorry... That was presumptuous of me, it’s just one option we offered, no offense intended."

Chu Guang sighed and went on,

"I understand, solving problems with money is the easiest way, any problem that can be solved with gold coins isn’t a problem; but what we are discussing now is a new matter that might decide the future of this very planet under our feet... Let me ask differently, would you sell immature products to your clients?"

Yi Chuan shook his head instinctively,

"Definitely not."

Chu Guang looked at him earnestly and said,

"We feel the same."

"We have embarked on a completely new path in our research on the ’Mutated slime fungus’, and we have high hopes for it. We hope it can end the Wasteland, and we hope it can bring us a better, more harmonious future... In our envisaged new world, the ’Mutated slime fungus’ will no longer serve as a weapon but as a medium to help us understand ourselves, understand the universe."

"Because we pin so much hope on it, we don’t wish to burn ourselves out prematurely while it is still imperfect."

Yi Chuan nodded in understanding but still couldn’t help asking,

"But... wouldn’t involving more scholars and experts be more helpful in achieving your dream?"

Anticipating his response, Chu Guang sighed and said,

"Yes, but we are acutely aware of the unreliability of human nature. We must be vigilant against it being used for other purposes. Whether good or bad intentions, it could lead to unpredictable consequences... You must have seen what Brocade River Province has become now."

Yi Chuan looked at Chu Guang, speechless.

"So... In what form do you wish to proceed with the cooperation?"

"At least not in this way of outright acquisition," Chu Guang gently pushed the proposal on the table back and continued, "I can tell you our bottom line."

Yi Chuan nodded seriously,

"Please, go ahead."

Chu Guang raised three fingers,

"First, the Lair is non-transferable, ’Xiaoyu’ must stay within the Alliance, and it must be located in our shelter—only then can the Lair’s absolute control be guaranteed."

"Second, to prevent new mutations, we will not cultivate new sentient hosts to avoid losing control of the hosts."

"Third, we will extend a helping hand to areas that need the Lair eradicated, but the aid plan will be primarily based on the opinions of our researchers and must be led by our people."

"Other than these three non-negotiable points, everything else is open for discussion."

In simple terms, Xiaoyu was like the Alliance’s "Great Panda."

But its significance was not only for viewing; it also had the potential to unlock the ’Blind Boxes’ sealed by the ’Mutated slime fungus’ on the Wasteland for over two hundred years.

The relics unlocked in the center of Qingquan City were enough to trigger a technological boom in the Alliance, and there are many more such relics across the Wasteland.

Not only in the Central Continent, not only on the land.

The Alliance could share the research outcomes for the benefit of all mankind, but for the benefit of the Alliance, Chu Guang must keep this Xiaoyu at Shelter No. 404.

The human technologies of radio, psychic interference, and quantum computers could allow Xiaoyu to overcome "self-limiting factors" and "insufficient computational power," among various other natural constraints, establishing "sub-stations" across the planet.

As long as Xiaoyu’s main body remained in the refuge, these global sub-stations would also be safe and controllable.

Hearing the conditions Chu Guang had laid out, Yi Chuan opened his mouth, unexpectedly deep into such matters, especially since the corporation’s knowledge of Xiaoyu was still limited to a series of smokescreens released by the Clear Spring City Daily.

After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help but ask,

"What about the data-sharing agreement we signed earlier regarding the research on ’Mutated slime fungus’?"

Seeing the concern in Yi Chuan’s eyes, Chu Guang said with a smile,

"Of course, it’s still valid. We merely hope to lead this entirely new technological path ourselves before the technology matures."

He paused, looking at the relieved Yi Chuan, and continued,

"It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the ultimate future, but currently, it’s the most promising route we’ve found to solve our immediate problems. I trust our scholars and technicians, and I’ll support them to proceed without any interference until the end."

Looking at the content typed on the holographic screen, Yi Chuan pinched his brow with his index finger and sighed after a long pause,

"I will report your request to the council... But to be honest, I can’t think of a better alternative than 10 billion Cr. Perhaps you could give me a hint or suggestion."

Enterprise and Army, Academy, the two major forces, differ most on the topic of the Lair as they don’t hold much land, just a thriving Ideal City.

The Province of Yúnjiānxíng does have Lairs, but those are not on Enterprise’s own territory.

Also, given the self-limiting expansion they discovered in ’Mutated slime fungus,’ the sparse population and wild variants in the Wasteland are not enough to support their crazy propagation like two centuries ago.

In other words, Enterprise is interested in Qingquan City’s ’Mutated slime fungus’ as it would unlock large unexplored areas. However, they don’t really need to solve the issue of Lairs in Province of Yúnjiānxíng.

That’s also why the council prefers to negotiate a fair price with the Alliance.

Compared to them, the Army, desperate for control over the slime mold and having vast territories but clueless about their own land problems, wants the technology even more.

The Lairs perched on Weilante People’s territory are far more numerous than those in the Wandering swamp, Province of Yúnjiānxíng, and River Valley province combined...

Now as Academy and Enterprise had approached, news was spreading, and representatives from the Army might soon arrive at City of Dawn.

Negotiating alone with those madmen would hardly yield much concession unless he pulled Enterprise and Academy together...

Chu Guang pondered for a moment, then suddenly said,

"We could establish a multilateral, cross-regional cooperation committee focused solely on resolving issues related to ’Mutated slime fungus.’"

Yi Chuan hesitated and then asked,

"Like the Post-War Reconstruction Committee?"

Chu Guang shook his head,

"Not exactly. This committee would have no administrative authority and only focuses on issues related to ’Mutated slime fungus.’ All parties could present their demands in the meetings and discuss openly with other members to seek common ground."

If a consensus could be reached on the agenda regarding ’Mutated slime fungus,’ cooperation in other areas could also commence based on this trust foundation.

After thinking for a moment, Yi Chuan seemed to realize the advantages of establishing this committee, his eyes brightened as he spoke,

"That sounds like a great idea! Including those demands you mentioned earlier, I’ll relay them all to the council!"

Chu Guang smiled, then stood up from the conference table along with Yi Chuan, who was also rising, and extended his right hand towards him,

"Hope our cooperation goes smoothly!"

...

While Chu Guang was discussing the details of the "Symbiotic Slime Mold Research Committee" with representatives of the Enterprise on behalf of the Alliance, Sindison, locked in a small dark room, was undergoing interrogation by the Guards Corps.

What surprised the interrogator was that even before they started, Sindison, who had just been asked to take a seat, had already confessed everything.

And it wasn’t just Sindison.

The other six suspects did the same.

They were merchants dealing in nutrient paste and fertilizer raw materials, planning to bring in a batch of substrate remnants and sell them to Free State during the peak of the Tide period. However, the Alliance authorities suddenly issued an official document stating that substrate remnants would no longer be sold.

And it wasn’t just this time; they would not sell them in the future either.

Seeing the duck that was almost in their hands flying away, these merchants immediately flew into a rage. They had already found buyers, and now the Alliance informed them that they weren’t selling anymore.

Thus, Sindison came up with a plan to instigate the City of Dawn’s public sentiment by using the Clear Spring City Daily in order to pressure the Alliance authorities.

However, he clearly underestimated the internal cohesion of Alliance society. This tactic might have had a slight effect on the former Giant Stone City, but for the survivors of the City of Dawn, it would only backfire.

Staring at the interrogation record filled out on three pages of paper, the two sitting at the interrogation table exchanged a glance, one of them couldn’t help but ask as he looked at Sindison,

"... all this for that?"

Sindison nodded tentatively, trying to explain,

"This... isn’t a small matter; it’s a deal worth several billion."

Several billion Brush yuan, which translates to about ten million Dinar, or about a million silver coins in Alliance currency.

The two interrogators didn’t know what to say and exchanged looks again, communicating with their eyes.

’Is there a chance he’s lying?’

’The testimonies of several suspects are similar, and no other evidence was found in the room... It’s highly unlikely.’

"Damn it... all this fuss over such a trivial matter; I thought it was a major case."

’&%$#@!’

Seeing the increasingly grim expressions of the interrogators, Sindison grew even more frightened and finally could not suppress his fear, cautiously asking,

"Brothers... I, I am not a spy."

The interviewer on the right, his face grim, said,

"The existing evidence indeed doesn’t prove you’re a spy, but your actions have had an extremely adverse impact, causing significant losses to the property of Alliance citizens."

The other interviewer continued,

"Last night, the protesting crowd burnt down Tujia Printing Factory’s warehouse, and today the entire city’s newspapers are out of stock, with estimated losses probably amounting to millions of silver coins. Even if you are not a spy, you can’t escape the charge of incitement to destruction."

When Sindison heard that the protesters had set fire to the printing factory, cold sweat broke out on him; this was completely different from the scenario he had envisioned.

He dared not think what would happen if he fell into those people’s hands. What panicked him even more was that now, it seemed, everyone knew he had been taken from the highway town motel.

In other words, they already knew who he was...

"I admit liability! I’ll pay!" Sindison pleaded, clutching his cuffed fists together, "I’m willing to pay double the compensation, just let me leave here...I promise I’ll never do such a thing again!"

The interrogator chuckled disdainfully at him.

"Regretting now? What were you doing earlier?"

Another interrogator mockingly said.

"Incitement to destruction is a public prosecution case; there’s no settlement, financial compensation can exempt you from labor, but you can’t escape a sentence of over ten years. If you were really a spy, maybe you could’ve pleaded for leniency. You did this foolish thing for a few million, we want to help you find an opportunity to redeem yourself, but there’s nowhere to start."

Having caught but a tiny mouse after a whole night, both were filled to the brim with unspeakable frustration, venting it all on him.

Seeing that pleading was useless, Sindison completely tore off his mask of compliance and desperation, roaring at the two men in front of the interrogation table.

"I am a trader from the Bugra Free State, I’m not your citizen, you have no right to arrest me! I...I want to see your Manager!"

Watching his disgraceful state, the two interrogators smirked.

"You want to see the Manager?"

"We don’t care where you are from. Even if you were a relative of the Army Marshal, if you commit a crime on our land, you are subject to the law."

Fear filled Sindison’s eyes, but he still couldn’t help but threaten.

"Are you not afraid of causing a diplomatic dispute?"

Looking at this man at his wit’s end, the two interrogators laughed heartily.

"Diplomacy? We have nothing to discuss with you."

"If you aren’t satisfied, let your military try their luck."

Upon hearing this, Sindison deflated like a punctured ball and slumped into the chair, his eyes filled with bleak despair.

Of course, the Free State’s military wouldn’t deploy for such a small character. Even if his confidants outside could hire mercenaries who were paid to do jobs, those scattered troops definitely wouldn’t be a match for the Alliance Army.

It was said that long ago, when the Army tried to hire mercenaries from the Free State to attack the northern part of the Alliance, they were beaten badly.

It was rumored those guys didn’t even encounter the Alliance’s Regular Army.

The two were simply not on the same level.

This prison, it seemed, would be his home for now...

Elsewhere, the Grand Canyon, Origin City.

A man sitting quietly in a reception room looked down through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the settlement, a trace of derision on his lips.

Obsolete, depressed, repressive, moribund, like a drowsy sunset... he could find all the negative descriptions and accurately apply them to this settlement.

The settlement known as Origin City was once the earliest settlement on the Wasteland, even older than Ideal City on the East Coast.

However, with the dissolution of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, the glory days of this settlement were no longer visible, leaving only a faint afterglow lingering in the desolate land.

The settlement was like an old man with one foot in the coffin, exuding a frown-inducing stench of decay.

But upon seeing the Chief Secretary, wearing a white robe coming out of the room, the man’s face showed a respectful and modest nod.

The Chief Secretary stared back emotionlessly, like a priest, in a solemn, unemotional voice said:

"Please come with me."

The man nodded slightly again, not speaking, and followed him through the open door into a meeting room with an obsidian long table.

An old man with white hair and beard was sitting at the head of the table.

That old man was the master of the Grand Canyon.

The man bowed slightly, politely saying,

"Respected Chief, may I ask for your instructions?"

The Chief, called such, didn’t speak immediately but said in a kindly tone,

"Please sit down."

The man nodded his acknowledgement, pulling out a chair at the end of the table to sit.

His name was Otto, the Mayor of the Free State, a position akin to a lord of a typical survivor settlement.

The previous mayor was impeached for covertly supporting the Army’s atrocities in Luo Xia Province; the newly appointed Otto was an unmistakable proponent of the Enterprise faction—namely, a faction that supports the Free State parliament’s push for management reforms.

Although continuously accused of taking under-the-table money from the Firestone Group, in the eyes of many citizens of the Free State, he still remained an approachable leader.

And the same was true for the Chief seated at the meeting table.

Compared to the previous mayor, who was defiant and colluded secretly with the Army Eastward Expansion Faction, he appreciated this humble young man more.

He was young, capable, courageous, with clear eyes burning like torches.

The old man didn’t like the company that had once betrayed the War Construction Committee nor did he approve of those rebels’ decisions, but he acknowledged that there were aspects worth learning from them.

Watching Otto sitting humbly at the meeting table, the old man slowly began,

"I heard that the Lair in Clear Spring City has been eliminated by the Alliance. It appears to be a newly established young faction, their leader being the Manager of Shelter No. 404."

Otto respectfully nodded.

"I’ve heard about this too."

The old man’s face revealed a satisfied smile as he slowly continued to speak.

"It appears that you haven’t forgotten your mission; I’m relieved. The ’mutated slime fungus’ is one of the major threats in the Wasteland. Over the past years, we have made many attempts, but regrettably, even until the dissolution of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, we were unable to truly eradicate it..."

Otto respectfully listened to the old man recount tales of the old days, yet he harbored a hint of indifference and disdain.

In his view, the Two Hundred Year War was foolish enough, a bunch of people ruining two worlds over some inexplicable belief, and everyone had to suffer together.

What had become of things now was incurably stupid.

A group of people, already lying in their graves, refused to bring failure and disgrace into their tombs for reflection, instead continuing to meddle and dictate to the younger generation.

Plainly put, he didn’t care about any ’mutated slime fungus,’ nor did he have any interest in worrying about those Wasteland Wanderers outside, let alone understanding why their lives mattered.

Why not just let them die?

If they all died, there wouldn’t be any Wasteland left.

However, seeing the old man’s approving look, Otto still reluctantly echoed a statement for the sake of his supporters.

"...This is indeed a remarkable achievement, they have much we could learn from."

The old man slowly nodded his head, his cloudy eyes staring at the young man before him.

"I’m glad you think that way... let me cut it short, I’m worried I’ve been daydreaming too long and my time isn’t worth consuming your precious youth to wait."

He paused, then continued in a gentle tone.

"I have a request for you."

Otto sighed internally, knowing another demand was coming, but still maintained his respectful expression and humble demeanor as he responded.

"Please instruct me."

The old man slowly began to speak again.

"You and the others are all survivors from the River Valley Province, but I’ve noticed you’re not very close, which is unwise. I hope you can get along more harmoniously and cooperate more on issues that affect all of humanity... Like now, this is a good opportunity."

Otto paused, then said with a bitter smile,

"We... do not oppose cooperation, but whether they are willing is hard to say."

It was the same as before; the old man never considered the current state of affairs.

The Bugra Free State and the Alliance are competitors in regional matters, with diplomatic relations that have never been harmonious, even somewhat contentious.

Not to mention whether they could establish friendly relations with the Alliance; in their diplomatic strategy, the Alliance was not even worth befriending.

Its existence was a mistake from the start.

The Bone Chewing Chaos should have destroyed everything from the central to the southern part of the River Valley Province like a wildfire, clearing the way southward for the Free State, who "couldn’t do it themselves."

The former mayor even had plans ready to meet with the Army’s Eastward Expansion Faction in Qingquan City.

But just because of this Alliance that appeared out of nowhere, sheltering refugees and consecutively defeating the Chewing Bone Tribe and the Army’s faction, their plans went completely awry, and billions in investments went down the drain.

Although Otto was not a supporter of the Army, and his political views completely contradicted the previous mayor’s pro-enterprise faction, they shared one thing: the desire for true freedom.

The survivors of Bugra refused to be puppets of a tomb.

However, whether seeking help to the west or to the east, the Alliance dominating the southern part of River Valley Province remained their biggest obstacle.

Otto wished the Alliance would explode into fireworks tomorrow; how could he possibly establish cooperation with those Wasteland Wanderers on a topic they didn’t care about at all?

They would even prefer to contact the Torch Church to the south!

But these were things he couldn’t say, and saying them would be meaningless anyway.

That old fool was too old; he could neither accept anyone else’s views nor care about what others cared about. His cloudy eyes only held delusions of his dying days and an unrealistic longing for the past.

His greatest sin was living too long.

People shouldn’t live that long.

"We should at least try, right?"

Unaware that the young man before him was internally cursing, the old man gently smiled and continued speaking.

"Give it a try; consider this a task I’ve set for you. If you pass this test, I will increase the energy quota supplied to you over the next five years by 15%. Of course, if you can’t complete it, I can only regretfully adjust the energy prices for the next three years... I hope you understand that I’m using this method to persuade you, as the supervision is necessary."

The Bugra Free State had its solar, wind, and geothermal power facilities, but relying solely on these renewable sources wasn’t enough to support the total consumption of the settlement.

The Grand Canyon supplied over 70% of the energy consumption, which is one reason this city that never slept was able to rise from the Wasteland.

Separated by over a dozen generations, he didn’t understand how the young folks thought nowadays or what means to use to communicate with them, but using energy as a bargaining chip to make them obey had always been a good idea.

A century and a half ago, the poor needed energy to start fires and keep warm; today, their children needed energy to support lavish lifestyles.

Regardless of how they used the energy, he saw it all the same: moderate rewards and punishments could motivate the youngsters.

This method had never failed him.

These legacies ultimately belonged to them; he was merely guiding them appropriately.

Just as the old man anticipated, the young fellow slowly bowed his head and said respectfully,

"I’ll remember your teachings; we’ll give it a try."

The old man’s face showed a relieved smile.

However, he failed to notice that as Otto bowed his head to speak those words, he also involuntarily clenched his fist hidden under the table...

This humiliation.

One day, he would return it twofold!

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