This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 653: The Celebration of the Tide’s End!

Chapter 653: Chapter 653: The Celebration of the Tide’s End!

"Print Plant Arson Case Sentence Announced"

[Suspect Mr. Sun pleaded guilty in court. Given that no severe consequences occurred and he has obtained the victim’s forgiveness, he was sentenced to three years in prison according to the Union’s Criminal Law. The court followed his and his employer’s wishes, enlisting him into the Southern Construction Corps to serve his sentence in construction at the Union Border...]

Zhang Hai Ramen Shop.

The diners, flipping through the newspapers, were chattering about the high-profile case that unfolded in court yesterday.

Also sitting in the ramen shop and browsing through the "Survivor’s Daily" was Big Eyes, who felt a shiver down his spine.

Though he wasn’t the loudest at the protest, he had indeed thrown a log onto the fire.

Sipping her noodles beside him, Elena made a jesting remark.

"It would have been so much better had you not fired that ’shot.’"

The young construction worker and brick sighed as well.

"Yeah, a good young man ended up behind bars because of it."

Feeling guilty, Big Eyes explained.

"I already said it was a blank... and I wasn’t the first one to start the commotion, anyway."

Man, this "Game" is really something.

A mere three-page newspaper could trigger such a chain of events, allowing him to even see the follow-up on the arson case in the "Survivor’s Daily."

By the way, perhaps sparked by the "Clear Spring City Daily," today’s "Survivor’s Daily" devoted a special column to Xiaoyu, clarifying a series of rumors that had stirred up storms across the city.

The writer was Dolly, who had worked for the "Survivor’s Daily" in Giant Stone City and had many fans, whether in Giant Stone City or the City of Dawn.

When people learned that Xiaoyu had lived in the City of Dawn for quite a while before becoming the Lair and had never harmed anyone, and that Xiaoyu’s real body was under tight surveillance on Floor B6 of Shelter No. 404, most of their concerns were alleviated.

As is well known, the Manager resides in Shelter No. 404.

If even the respected Manager isn’t worried about a sudden rampage, why should those living above ground?

As before.

The admirable residents of the refuge continued to lead the way for everyone, facing the deepest abyss head-on.

Since even those closest to danger weren’t afraid, there really was no reason for those standing behind them to fear.

In the noodle shop, not many were discussing the column about Xiaoyu. Instead, most were more concerned with the arson case from the night before and felt sympathy for the young man sent to the border.

Debt Big Eyes also felt quite guilty.

If only he had been a bit calmer that night...

Watching the disheartened Big Eyes pulling at his noodles, Zhang Hai laughed and said,

"You guys are really too idle! When there’s no activity, you think about causing trouble. You should learn from me and find something meaningful to do."

Debt Big Eyes scoffed,

"...Pff, as if pulling noodles is any fun."

Zhang Hai laughed again.

"Hey, don’t underestimate this skill of mine. I could pull a million bowls here and save up enough for a device even more impressive than a lithography machine."

A device more impressive than a lithography machine?

Debt Big Eyes was puzzled for a moment, not quite understanding what he was on about.

But that’s pretty normal.

Everyone has their own understanding of the Game, and the ways to play it certainly vary greatly.

Having finished his meal, Debt Big Eyes calculated the bill—two large bowls of beef noodles for exactly ten silver coins. He took out ten silver coins and slapped them down on the table generously.

"Settle up, no need for change!"

"Thank you, sir," Zhang Hai grinned, snatching up the silver coins and stuffing them in the drawer. "Come again next time, I’ll treat you to some more."

Elena, who was slurping noodles, let out a snort, almost choking on the noodles through her nose and quickly coughed a couple of times.

Big Eyes, feeling taken advantage of, rolled his eyes annoyedly.

"Get lost!"

Construction boy and brick: "Pft!"

Makabazi: "Hahaha!"

A joyful atmosphere permeated the ramen shop, with NPCs who didn’t understand Mandarin curiously looking over, not understanding what was happening.

However, joy didn’t necessarily depend on language for transmission. Seeing those interesting characters, many faces revealed knowing smiles.

After all, today was indeed a day worth being happy about.

To celebrate the victory against the Tide, to mark the end of a two-hundred-year struggle, celebrations were set to take place in various settlements of the Alliance.

It was said that the esteemed Manager would be seen at the upcoming medal ceremony.

Many hastened their slurping speed, planning to squeeze into the front of the plaza to catch a close glimpse of the Manager’s grace.

...

At nine o’clock.

With one hour left until the much-anticipated celebration officially started, the main streets of City of Dawn were already swarming with people.

Standing on the edge of the crowd, from the shopping streets to the plaza, the view was packed with a sea of people, not even a spot to step on was visible.

These included local survivors from City of Dawn, others from Giant Stone City a dozen kilometers away, and even some who flew in from the distant Province of Yúnjiānxíng.

The population of this settlement was far more than the counted one hundred thousand; counting the floating population, it was at least twice that number.

"Giao! This place is way too crowded!"

Crow, her cheeks flushed with excitement in the middle of the crowd, occasionally tip-toed to get a view of the front.

At a height of 1.8 meters, it was quite easy for her to see ahead, while Teng Teng, who had come along, had already given up, leisurely sipping pearl milk tea while following behind Hua Hua in maid attire.

"Right, City of Dawn has gotten busier... it was just a small village before, and now it’s developed into this in just two years."

Speaking of which, milk tea shops have recently started appearing in the game.

Those newbies are all quite talented.

She didn’t realize before that selling milk tea could be such a money-making business.

Drinking that stuff in the game, no matter how many cups anyone flaunted, there was no need to worry about exceeding sugar intake, as characters simply refreshed after dying.

"Speaking of which, Teng Teng, can you even see the road in front?"

Looking at Teng Teng, who seemed completely engulfed by the crowd, Crow asked worriedly.

Teng Teng casually replied.

"It doesn’t matter; I’ve got you and Hua Hua leading the way."

Crow stared in surprise.

"Yikes! You woman, using me!"

Teng Teng stated righteously.

"How can you call it using? It’s making the best use of what you’ve got..."

Crow: "That’s even worse, come on!"

"Oh well, complain to the Dog Planner then, and while you’re at it, ask him to share half of your body with me, thanks."

Saying this, Teng Teng glanced inadvertently at Crow’s unreasonably large model. Although she muttered to herself that it was nothing to be envied, she couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly.

This wasn’t out of envy or jealousy, nor was it nitpicking—it was a critique purely from a perspective of realism—

How could it be so big in real life?

It’s so unreasonable!

Thinking of her own game character, Teng Teng, who wasn’t very concerned initially, couldn’t help but start gnawing on the pearls in her mouth.

However, Crow didn’t catch her mood and was still laughing awkwardly.

"Then never mind... Hehe, I’m actually quite happy with my character in the game, it feels completely different from reality."

"Tsk, edgy girl."

"!!! That’s too much!"

Unaware of their joking banter, Hua Hua worriedly turned back to look at her boss, Miss Teng Teng, thinking she was complaining about being unable to see, and then softly said,

"Miss Teng Teng, why don’t... you ride on my shoulders, then you should be able to see."

Imagining that scene, Teng Teng’s brows twitched violently.

"Hmm!"

"Hahahaha!" Watching Teng Teng’s expression as if she had been shot by an arrow, Crow held her belly, laughing so hard it hurt.

Seeing Crow’s exaggerated reaction, Hua Hua thought she had made some joke and looked puzzled again at Teng Teng.

"...Miss Teng Teng?"

"Blah, blah!"

With a slurp, Teng Teng sucked up her milk tea and stubbornly turned her neck to say,

"I prefer it... the air is nicer down here."

Crow: "Hahaha—Ouch! Why did you hit me?!"

Teng Teng, infuriated with embarrassment, reached forward again with her tightened small fist.

"This is for laughing at me!"

The playful scuffle on the street was just a minor episode in the bustle of the crowded street.

Not just the NPCs were gathering towards the square, but players also flooded to the busiest center of the city.

Seeing Night Ten looking around in the crowd, Jiang Xuezhou couldn’t help but poke him,

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing much, thought I heard a familiar voice." Night Ten scratched the back of his head, withdrawing his gaze from the sea of people.

It might have been an illusion.

Sometimes having too strong a perception wasn’t always a good thing, like sometimes, walking down the street, he felt like people were praising him from behind for his looks.

Seeing his distracted demeanor, Jiang Xuezhou couldn’t help but remind him,

"Don’t forget your task! You are my bodyguard now, you should pay more attention to me. If I run into any trouble—"

"How could that happen?" Night Ten laughed, "This is City of Dawn, there are at least a dozen drones flying overhead with wide-angle cameras, anyone causing trouble would be taken down in a minute."

Of course, he wouldn’t forget his job, serving as this guy’s guide and bodyguard during the Academy researcher’s visit, while also trying to glean some information about the Academy.

Lately, the Alliance seemed to be planning to build a special zone near Ice Sea City or in Ice Sea City itself under the Science Committee, and the Manager had hinted to him more than once to chat more with her about that settlement, to see if he could dig up some inside information.

But to call a spade a spade, this guy was pretty cowardly; he had never panicked like this when descending into ruins, but in a safe area, he became overly suspicious.

"What if! Even if there are cameras, they only work after the fact," Jiang Xuezhou said, his face turning red as he argued, "I am, after all, a researcher at the Academy, do you know how many people on Wasteland covet the treasures we have? Can’t you be a little more serious?"

"Okay, okay, respected Miss Researcher..." Night Ten looked at him helplessly and continued, "Where would you like to go next?"

Jiang Xuezhou looked down and thought for a moment, then softly said, looking to the side,

"Let’s head to the square first... Isn’t there a medal ceremony?"

"That?..." Night Ten snapped back to reality, laughing, "No worries, I can have my good buddy cover for me."

The electronic medals, which can be showcased in the forum highlights, were already issued at the expansion pack settlement.

Although according to custom, there’s a more formal medal ceremony in the game, hosted by the Manager awarding physical medals to outstanding players, attending this ceremony isn’t mandatory. Considering the large number of players being awarded, and the limited chance to shine for each, it’s acceptable to have it mailed to one’s own "coffin plank."

It’s very user-friendly.

Night Ten had attended every medal ceremony before, but this time he just couldn’t be bothered; he left the showing off to the newbies.

However, seeing his unconcerned expression, Jiang Xuezhou furrowed his brows.

"How can that be okay! You barely escaped from the digestive tract of the Lair, how can you let someone else have such a great opportunity to shine?"

"Uh, the situation wasn’t actually as dangerous as you think..." Seeing Jiang Xuezhou’s furrowed brows, Night Ten said in a somewhat guilty whisper, "Of course, it’s all thanks to the equipment you gave me... It worked really well, thank you!"

Jiang Xuezhou slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.

"Hmph, that’s a must. I became a researcher before I was twenty, a rare genius even across the entire Academy."

Really?

Night Ten looked at her in surprise but did not continue the topic.

Because her expression was becoming more and more disdainful.

"You really want to see me go up on stage and get that medal, don’t you?"

Jiang Xuezhou said matter-of-factly.

"Of course! This isn’t just for your honor; I’m also part of it, you know?"

Being stared at by those bright eyes, Night Ten suddenly felt his heart rate increase and hastily avoided her gaze.

"Alright, alright... I’ll go, okay?"

Sheesh!

It’s just going up on stage to accept an award.

What’s the big deal!

Although Night Ten didn’t think it was a big deal, seeing Jiang Xuezhou happy about his agreement made her smile brightly.

"That’s more like it. You should seize such opportunities from now on! Seriously, can’t you be a bit more ambitious? I even have to worry about this for you!"

Night Ten looked at her helplessly.

"What use is that?"

"How can it be useless?!"

Jiang Xuezhou stared at him earnestly, rambling on like a machine gun.

"Do you really want to spend your life doing such dangerous missions? Life is very fragile, and good luck won’t last forever! Accumulate some merits now, so in the future you can mix into the management and stop doing those dangerous and dirty jobs... Hey, I’m seriously talking to you, would it kill you to listen to my advice?"

Night Ten initially wanted to explain that he was actually quite satisfied with his current life, but upon reflection, he realized it wasn’t easy to explain, so he gave up on persuading her and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah... you’re right."

To a player, adventure is a reward, and death is merely a return.

He figured that even if he made it to the so-called "management," he probably wouldn’t give up his current thrilling life.

However, for NPCs who only live once, it was understandable that they would feel worry and fear towards death.

People from the Academy, unlike other Waste Land Wanderers, not only suffer from severe paranoia because "components are expensive," but also have an almost fanatical obsession with K points, G points, and promotions.

Simply put, they are hardcore grinders.

That actually makes sense.

With their way of doing things, Little D Grade is just like cannon fodder; without making it ashore, you can never feel truly safe.

Either escape or climb up, constantly being ordered around by the instructors towards an early grave.

Watching Jiang Xuezhou inexplicably happy that he had finally "behaved," Night Ten scratched the back of his head, not understanding.

Was he just cared for by a cardboard person?

To prevent them from giving up, Brother Guang really tries hard...

-

(Thanks to the alliance leaders "Major Cleanup Overthrow" and "Spicy Cocoa" for their rewards!!! The updates have been a bit unstable these last few days, sorry brothers, the year is finally over, and I’m about to leave my hometown to prepare the next map.)