This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 652: This has nothing to do with being right or wrong, it’s simply their choice.

Chapter 652: Chapter 652: This has nothing to do with being right or wrong, it’s simply their choice.

Bugra Free State.

In the studio of a certain TV station, Mr. Hauser, dressed in formal attire, sat in front of a long table, shuffled a thick stack of news scripts, and began to broadcast today’s news program.

"Dear audience friends, welcome to Hauser’s Daily Observation program. I am your dearest Mr. Hauser."

"Just last night, the barbarians of Qingquan City shamelessly detained six law-abiding merchants from the Bugra Free State! Without a doubt, this is an outright act of banditry... Look, they claim to be enemies of the Looters, but what difference is there between what they’re doing and the actions of the Looters?"

"Just like when they plundered the wealth of the Giant Stone City residents, now they have extended their greedy claws toward us, the honest and loyal."

"Unfortunately, we have no trade relations with them, and poor Mr. Sindison can only pay for his carelessness... They should have been cautious in choosing their trading partners, as dealing with ruffians never ends well."

"Next, a brief news flash. Our beloved Mayor Otto has stated, in response to the Chief of the Great Rift Valley’s request, we will attempt to cooperate with the Alliance on the issue of ’Mutated slime fungus’... What?!"

Looking at the news script in his hands, Hauser, who was reciting by the book a second ago, suddenly widened his eyes and almost fell off his chair.

Cooperate with the Alliance?

What a joke?!

...

Mr. Hauser’s program was not popular in the Bugra Free State; it ranked low among the countless similar programs in terms of viewership.

Most citizens neither liked their mayor nor the obsequious tone of this buffoon, so his program was only popular among the Inner City Nobles of Giant Stone City who had fled to the Free State.

Sometimes, Alliance players would also watch his program for fun, occasionally sharing excerpts to the official Forum.

Interestingly, only today, Hauser’s reaction on the program strikingly matched that of the Free State citizens who had inadvertently tuned in.

Whether intentionally or not, the Alliance had more than once ruined good opportunities for the Free State, and the authorities’ propaganda had painted the Alliance as the "arch-enemy hindering their liberation from the rule of the Great Rift Valley" and the ruffians obstructing their companies’ business operations in Luo Xia Province.

And now, they were supposed to cooperate with these "ruffians"!

What a joke!

The scene at the press conference.

Faced with a sea of microphones thrust before him, Otto knew he couldn’t explain to his supporters and could only muster up the nerve to say,

"...That is the stance of the Great Rift Valley, I understand your dissatisfaction, but I have no other choice."

Upon hearing his explanation, the press conference erupted into chaos, and the mood became uncontrollable for a moment.

A man wearing a press badge forced his way through the crowd and tried to rush onto the stage but was stopped by a security guard in an exoskeleton.

Looking at the spineless mayor, the man yelled at him.

"Mr. Otto, do you know that just a few hours ago, the soldiers of the Alliance detained our merchants!"

Otto looked at the angry young man with a face full of helplessness.

"I know—"

"You don’t know!" The man angrily interrupted him, shoving aside the guard blocking his way, "You’re like a lapdog chasing after the Great Rift Valley! I’m really ashamed for you!"

His words had barely ended when he was handcuffed by the guards, his hands pinned behind his back, and he was led away like a hero amid cheers and applause.

The guards didn’t dare rough him up, wary of being pelted with water bottles.

Watching the increasingly agitated scene at the press conference, Otto sighed inwardly, but patiently tried to explain to these idiots.

"...Whether we can succeed or not, we must try to talk with the Alliance people, otherwise electricity prices will have to go up next year."

"Or let me put it another way, you wouldn’t want the opening advertisement for your fridge to go from 30 seconds to 45 seconds starting next year, would you?"

That was just a remark he made on the spot; no one knew if it would really come to that.

After all, the Chief hadn’t told him how much energy prices were actually going to rise, and how much of the costs the entrepreneurs would pass on to those little leeks.

While Otto was worn out from the citizens’ reprimands, Sigma, sitting in the top-floor office of the Firestone Group building, was watching the prosperous city district out the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the desolation etched into the skyline, with a grim expression.

Just yesterday, he had just met with a messenger from the Torch Church, and the instructions from the Great Rift Valley completely disrupted his plans.

Although the Free State was effectively under the control of the Firestone Group, even so, he could not brazenly defy the orders from the Great Rift Valley.

He understood very well.

Although the settlements of the Great Rift Valley were far less prosperous than the Free State, the gap in military strength between them was insurmountable.

But at the moment, what concerned him even more was something else—

"...There’s a rumor that the Alliance Managers have met with representatives from both the Academy and businesses consecutively, and representatives from the Army are also on their way to the City of Dawn,"

Standing in front of his desk, his confidant Xavier spoke respectfully.

Drawing his gaze back from the window, Sigma looked at Xavier.

"The Academy?"

Xavier nodded solemnly.

"Yes... And, I’ve heard that the Academy made contact with the Alliance even before the businesses."

Watching Sigma’s brows furrow, Xavier paused for a moment before continuing.

"It’s just a rumor, but I’ve heard... the Alliance is planning to create a Cross-regional cooperation organization dedicated to dealing with the Mutant mucor mother nest troubling various parts of the Wasteland."

"Taking into account their technology for manipulating Mucosal Entities, I suspect they’re planning to expand their influence outward under this guise."

The speculation was indeed reasonable.

If the Alliance truly had the ability to control the behavior of the Mutant slime fungus, then any territory under their management would effectively become their jurisdiction.

On corporate and academy land, they built a military base.

They really dare to dream.

Sigma smirked inwardly, but he didn’t take it lightly.

Those ancient survivor forces have a more than ordinary obsession with the "mutated slime fungus"—after all, those things once destroyed their world.

This is quite different from most survivors in the Wasteland.

If the Alliance were to establish closer ties with corporations and academies, the Free State would find itself with even less room to survive.

And that was not all.

What if the Grand Canyon were also swayed by the Alliance, and that old guy suddenly got muddled and said, "Jushi Inner City has joined the Alliance, so you should too." Now, that would truly be a split!

He certainly did not want to hand over years of hard work to someone else just because of a whimsical remark!

At this moment, the phone on his desk rang.

Guessing who was calling, Sigma touched his wristwatch, and soon a pale blue light beam rose from the desk.

Standing in the holographic light beam was Otto, who had just been at the press conference held by the authorities of the Free State a few minutes ago.

"I’m very sorry to disturb you at this time, Mr. Sigma. You must have heard that the Chief of the Great Rift Valley hopes we can cooperate with the Alliance on the ’mutated slime fungus’ issue... As usual, they are using energy as a bargaining chip to extort us, and I had no choice but to agree."

Watching Mayor Otto’s respectful demeanor, Sigma replied in a relaxed tone.

"You made the right choice; there’s no need for us to stand opposed to the Grand Canyon."

Seeing Sigma’s understanding, Otto breathed a sigh of relief and continued.

"What is your opinion, then?"

Sigma closed his eyes and thought for a long time. After a moment, he opened his eyes and spoke slowly.

"I have no objections. Just follow the Chief’s instructions and engage with the Alliance on behalf of the Free State authorities."

Although the Firestone Group’s several contacts with the Alliance had ended unpleasantly, the Free State had never formally engaged in official diplomacy with the Alliance as an entity.

Otto hesitated a moment before asking.

"Is this... really okay?"

Sigma replied succinctly.

"Showing a proactive stance on something the Chief cares about isn’t a bad thing, and through contact with them, we can grasp their movements. It doesn’t matter if they refuse to cooperate; at least we will have done what we should have."

"What about our citizens? There are not a few who oppose." Otto said cautiously.

The candidate for Mayor of the Free State was nominated by the Great Rift Valley, but it was the citizens who ultimately elected him. Because of the recent press conference, he had already lost a large number of supporters. If he appeared too compliant, his approval ratings could drop further.

His opposition even began to clamor about starting impeachment proceedings to drive him from office.

Knowing what Otto was worried about, Sigma, however, didn’t care and simply said.

"Don’t worry about this; I’ll help you convince the opposition."

Although it was but a lightly spoken promise, upon hearing these words, Otto’s face, which was still tense, suddenly showed a look of great relief.

"With your word, I’m relieved!"

Everyone in the settlement knew that Mr. Sigma was the true master of the Free State.

The Firestone Group not only controlled the most profitable business of the entire Free State, but they also had direct or indirect control over more than 90% of the media in the settlement.

As long as this influential man made a move, he needn’t worry about any opposition; those people would know to keep their mouths shut...

While the Bugra Free State’s society was abuzz with the "Sindison case" and "Mayor Otto the bootlicker of the Grand Canyon," the "Industrial Arson Case" being tried in the Dawn City Court was similarly attracting widespread attention from all walks of life in Alliance society.

The case was heard at noon.

The Dawn City Court’s audience gallery was packed to the brim, with people standing even in the last row of the aisle. There were spectators of various statuses.

The original trial process would not have been so rapid, but due to the defendant’s decisive guilty plea and a clear and evident chain of evidence, the trial was expedited under pressure from all sides.

At this moment, a young man in his early twenties stood in the dock. His features were firm, and his posture was military, not like a criminal, and it was clear at a glance that he was from the military.

And so he was.

His name was Sun Yong, a soldier from the First Army Corps who had enlisted during the war in the Luo Xia Province last year, and he had joined the army for a simple reason—to follow in the footsteps of that distinguished leader.

Most of the soldiers from the First Army Corps were like that.

They generally didn’t have much education, either being slaves rescued by the Alliance from the Looter’s hands or refugees sheltered by the Home of the Refugees.

He regarded the Manager as something more important than life and honor. Thus, when he heard someone dare to insult his revered leader, he was immediately blinded by rage.

Now that he was calm, he thought that he really shouldn’t have been so impulsive.

For whatever reason, he should not have taken out his anger on those he was supposed to protect.

Not only had he targeted the wrong people,

he had almost caused even more severe consequences...

Watching the young man standing in the dock, the judge also felt somewhat reluctant, but still dutifully performed his duties.

"Do you understand the wrong you’ve committed?"

Sun Yong nodded.

"I understand."

The defendant had already pleaded guilty.

Next came the sentencing.

The judge sighed and continued to speak.

"Do you have anything else you want to add?" he asked.

Sun Yong shook his head.

"No."

The lawyer sitting at the defense bench kept making eye signals to him, attempting to remind him to say something in the hope of leniency, but he didn’t even glance that way.

To err is to err.

He didn’t want to shirk responsibility for his crimes; he was willing to accept the judgment of the law.

Seeing that the defendant had no further words to add, the judge prepared to announce the verdict.

Just then, a voice suddenly arose from the spectator seats.

"Mr. Judge, I would like to say a few words on behalf of my soldier..."

Wrench, who had decided not to speak, ultimately couldn’t help but open his mouth; however, as soon as he stood up, a stern rebuke came from not far away.

"Mr. First Army Corps Commander, be mindful of where you are standing; this is the Alliance’s courtroom, not your military camp! Aside from the defendant’s defense attorney, no one else can speak on his behalf."

Wrench immediately looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Old Charlie, who was also standing in the spectator seats.

Facing Wrench’s perplexed and questioning gaze, Old Charlie just calmly met his eyes, not furrowing his brow.

Others were intimidated by his status and did not dare to speak up, but Old Charlie was not afraid of him.

"I—crap! That’s not what I meant! I’m standing here as a citizen... I am an Alliance citizen as well, what’s wrong with expressing my opinion?!"

Watching Wrench argue with a rough voice, Old Charlie continued to speak, expressionless.

"You are an Alliance citizen, and I am an Alliance citizen too! My position is right here, no one should interfere with the majesty of the law."

As Wrench was frantically scratching his head and unable to outtalk the old man, the young man standing in the defendant’s box suddenly spoke up.

"Commander, I have realized my mistake, I have let down the Manager and all the guys... I should be punished by the law, please don’t plead for me anymore."

Turning his gaze away from the dumbfounded Wrench, Old Charlie looked toward the young man standing at the defendant’s bench and nodded in approval.

The kid understood righteousness.

Although he had taken some detours, with proper reform inside, he could still become a pillar of society upon release.

Whispers filled the court.

Right at that moment, another voice that made him frown arose.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Judge, I am the party concerned... Although I hold no title, I think I should be entitled to say a few words!"

A middle-aged man, dressed properly, stood up from the bustling spectator seats and walked onto the corridor aisle.

Seeing that the bailiff maintaining order in the court did not stop him, he smiled and continued to speak.

"Truth be told, I was truly frightened that night, especially when I saw the warehouse on fire. It was as if I saw your bravery on the battlefield amidst the flames."

Sun Yong said, his face red with embarrassment.

"I’m sorry..."

"No, in fact, it’s me who should be saying sorry," Wang Tu sighed and turned to the crowd in the spectator seats.

"I’m the manager of Tujia Printing Factory. I’m sorry for letting you down; I did not thoroughly check the newspapers sent out from the warehouse and allowed some nonsensical things to mix in, resulting in no newspapers for you to read today, forcing you to spend your time here... After giving it a lot of thought, I realized there was a significant safety hazard."

"Just a few coins could let three sheets full of lies circulate at every newsstand in the city; thank goodness they were just paper, not a bomb or something else."

He paused as he looked at the murmuring crowd and then continued.

"I reflected all night long. Over the past year, all I’ve thought about is how to increase the productivity of the printing factory, how to improve production efficiency, save costs, and make more money... But I’ve always overlooked the most critical issue. My factory isn’t just a mere machine; it’s part of this society. Its duties should not be limited to production; it also has social responsibilities that inherently belong to it."

"Thank you for making me realize this. Before causing a more significant problem, this lesson isn’t a very bad deal for me... besides, insurance has compensated for my financial loss. I will add an additional inspection process to the warehousing steps to ensure that similar situations will not happen again."

"Moreover, I think this isn’t just my problem. I’m just a printing factory owner; I can carefully verify each order, but you cannot expect me to check whether every single order is truthful or not. At the very least, we should have a media rating agency that grants higher ratings to those who tell the truth! If there is no representative willing to make this proposal, I will do it. If I am elected, it will be my first proposition!"

Applause erupted from the spectator seats.

Looking at his supporters, Wang Tu smiled and nodded, then turned to the judge and spoke earnestly.

"Mr. Judge, I know there is no possibility of a settlement in a public prosecution case, but could you, considering that all of us bear undeniable responsibilities and that we have all realized the issue at hand, consider reducing his sentence a bit... After all, the fire did not result in any casualties; it only burned some paper."

"I think this isn’t just my thought alone. If, because of my negligence, a young man who should have been dedicating his fervor to a greater cause sacrifices his youth, and I don’t have to bear any responsibility... this guilt will accompany me for life."

Livelier applause broke out in the venue.

His speech had moved at least some people, even the business owners who originally supported a harsh sentence softened their stance.

Merely sentencing harshly was meaningless.

This wasn’t the Middle Ages where executions were needed to deter criminals, and besides, which man in the wasteland was genuinely afraid of death?

If the rules were not perfected, the problems they worried about would occur time and again, the contradictions lurking beneath the surface would become increasingly sharp, and this was just the beginning.

"Well said!" Wrench clapped vigorously in approval, his hands turning red.

This guy could talk circles around him!

A real talent!

Old Charlie didn’t clap, and his expression remained unchanged, but when he looked at the guy who owned the printing factory, a few traces of surprise showed on his face.

He didn’t know whether that guy was playing political speculator or not.

But at least just then, with just a few words, that guy managed to win the favor of soldiers, citizens, and people from all walks of life without offending other business owners.

"Order! Order!"

The judge tapped the gavel twice, and when the noisy scene subsided, he continued to address the person standing in the well of the court.

"By existing law, I should not accept your suggestion."

Regret showed on Wang Tu’s face.

Indeed.

All he could do was to plead for mercy.

However, at this moment, the judge paused, then continued.

"But I must admit, there are many details in this case that cannot be ignored, which our current laws do not cover."

With that, he turned his gaze to the crowded audience.

"I’m not mistaken in thinking that legislation is the work of the representative assembly, and some of you here must be representatives, I’d like to hear your opinions."

As soon as his words fell, a cacophony erupted from the audience.

Some shouted not guilty, some shouted for a reduced sentence, and others shouted for community service... The scene was more like a bustling market than a courtroom.

Especially Wrench, who screamed the loudest, red-faced and agitated.

Old Charlie looked on with a head full of black lines at this crude commotion, but couldn’t really say anything, after all, Alliance law did grant judges some discretion in sentencing, and if the judge asked for the audience’s opinion, his actions were theoretically legitimate.

Although in theory, judges should not be influenced by public opinion, in reality, how could they not be affected?

The laws of the Alliance are made by the assembly of representatives, born from among the citizens, and those clauses are projections of the will of the citizens.

Watching the noisy audience, the judge had to bang the gavel again and loudly addressed the crowd.

"Innocence is not an option!"

"However, I do agree that the defendant’s sentence should be reduced appropriately... This is considering the proactive forgiveness of the party that suffered damage, no casualties caused, and the defendant’s good attitude in admitting guilt."

Looking at the cheering audience, Sun Yong’s face was filled with astonishment.

And when his eyes met with the smiling Wang Tu, a pang of guilt arose on his face, and he embarrassingly lowered his gaze.

At that moment, the guilt in his heart was far deeper than when he had calmed down the night before.

If that man had been even a bit arrogant or had cursed at him, or even thrown something at him, he would have felt somewhat better.

Yet that man, like himself, longed for the Alliance to become greater and more beautiful, his self-righteous justice did not punish any evildoers who deserved it, but merely hurt a fellow citizen...

Standing among the jubilant crowd and looking at Wrench who was raising his eyebrows at him, Old Charlie sighed and was at a loss for words; he shook his head and walked out of the courtroom.

He had expected Wrench to come here and was prepared to maintain the dignity of the law with a stern face throughout, but he hadn’t anticipated a dark horse coming out of nowhere.

There was nothing he could say about such a result.

After leaving the courthouse, Old Charlie used the VM to report the situation on the scene as it was to Chu Guang, and hesitantly gave his opinion.

"I don’t know if this is right."

Looking at the somewhat troubled Old Charlie, Chu Guang who had just reached a cooperation intention with the business was in a good mood and smiled.

"This has nothing to do with right or wrong; it’s simply their choice."

Seeing Chu Guang’s smile, Old Charlie misunderstood and hesitated for a moment before asking.

"May I take that to mean... you are quite satisfied with such a result?"

Chu Guang said with a smile.

"It’s not about being satisfied, but I’m indeed relieved. Of course, it has nothing to do with the outcome of the judgment... Do you remember the very first rules on this land? They were the terms I wrote in the VM. There were only three short sentences: No murder, no robbery, no theft."

Old Charlie nodded.

"Of course, I remember that. It wasn’t that long ago, after all."

Chu Guang continued in a light-hearted tone.

"Yes, not long ago, those clauses turned into something far too complex to be contained in just one book. They started to propose solutions to our existing problems, actively taking on more social responsibilities... I very much agree with what the small merchant said, it is not a losing deal. A small fire has brought about social progress and avoided bigger problems in the future."

"I’m relieved they didn’t take long to realize that only those who discipline themselves can achieve true freedom."

He was very clear, the all-capable Philosopher King described by Plato in ’The Republic’ could not possibly exist; it’s just that too many of the Alliance survivors had too many unrealistic expectations of him. Fortunately, he was clear about himself; he knew he was just an ordinary human being.

In fact, he had always been guiding the residents of the Alliance to address certain issues on their own.

Whether it was selecting representatives from various industries and later from different social strata, or letting players initiate proposals on the forum, it was something he had been doing all along.

Even if some proposals weren’t mature, what did it matter?

For some issues, he had no better solution either.

Someone would propose, someone would improve, and things would gradually get better.

Old Charlie gave a wry smile.

"Maybe I haven’t made the transition of thought yet... Perhaps it is indeed time for me to retire."

Watching the self-deprecating old man on the screen, Chu Guang spoke with a chuckle.

"You don’t have to force yourself to change; conservative opinions are also indispensable."