This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 665: The Players’ Port

Chapter 665: Chapter 665: The Players’ Port

Southern sea area and the Baiyue Strait junction.

The rolling waves made a rustling sound, and as far as the eye could see, there was a tranquil and peaceful scene.

However, the survivors living in this area were well aware that beneath the seemingly quiet and pleasant scenery, turbulent undercurrents were hidden.

The Haiye Province to the northeast was ravaged by a plague, and the southern sea area to the east was no less troubled.

The war between the Southern Islands Federation and Shelter No. 70 had been ongoing for more than two months.

The underwater troops of the former had occupied the underwater settlement of Shelter No. 70 and had taken control of the entrance to the shelter.

However, the shelter was ultimately a permanent refuge capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion, and even the fall of the Tiangong Space Station hadn’t taken it down, let alone the Southern Islands Federation still using quinine acid as mines.

For the shelter, sturdy as a turtle shell, the navy of the Islands Federation was powerless and could only blockade the entrance.

However, though they had lost control of the main entrance, the residents of Shelter No. 70 had not surrendered but relied on advanced diving equipment to wage guerrilla warfare against the Islands Federation at sea, seizing opportunities to attack the federation’s fishing boats, cargo ships, patrol boats, and even the sea mining stations, snatching supplies while weakening the federation’s maritime strength.

The two sides had been at a standoff for a full month, and neither could do anything to the other, and it was foreseeable that the deadlock would continue...

As usual, the patrol boat of the Southern Islands Federation sailed to the eastern exit of the Baiyue Strait, searching for Shelter No. 70’s submersibles to prevent them from reaching the survivor settlements and ports along the coast of the Poluo Province for supplies.

Muda, carrying an assault rifle, stood at the bow, pulled out his binoculars for a look in the west direction, saw no sign of boats, and then waved toward the driver inside the cabin.

"Go forward a bit more!"

"Alright!" The bare-armed driver responded and skillfully switched to the forward gear.

Feeling the hot wind blowing in from the sea, Muda turned his gaze toward the shore covered in dense rainforest and squinted slightly.

He had heard that two centuries ago, that place had been a steel jungle. Lines of hundred-meter-long cargo ships formed a continuous line in front of the concrete ports, crowding the port with stacks of containers as far as the eye could see, just like the towering gantry cranes lining up endlessly.

It wasn’t just hearsay.

He had seen that scene in some pre-war posters and pamphlets.

But he didn’t believe it was true.

If that era had been so prosperous, why did they flee from the shore to that isolated island?

Wasn’t living there good?

However, just then, a voice from his teammate came through the communication channel.

"We have a situation in our direct north!"

Direct north?

Muda was slightly stunned because he was looking in that very direction, where nothing was visible but the dense forest and some scattered concrete debris.

Just then, a shadow suddenly covered the dense jungle above, and he instinctively looked up at the sky, his pupils shrinking instantly.

He saw a massive object emerge from the clouds and descend in altitude. Its color was similar to the thin clouds, yet it stood out awkwardly against the patch of blue sky.

"... An airship?!"

Before the sailors on the speedboat could even feel surprised, they saw a string of black dots fall from the airship, opening parachutes mid-air.

Seeing clearly what was hanging on the parachutes, Muda’s face slightly changed, and he grabbed the radio and yelled into the communication channel.

"Get away from the shore!"

His judgment proved correct.

At the same moment the two speedboats moved away from the shore, the parachutes had already neared the edge of the jungle and suddenly exploded into bursts of fire.

The flames falling from the sky turned the shoreline rainforest into a blazing inferno.

Mutant monkeys with sharp teeth howled as they fled deeper into the forest, and lizards and crocodiles that had been near the remnants of a discarded drainage pipe let out miserable cries before turning to ashes in the burning flames.

The fire was still burning...

Feeling the hot wind blowing from the shore, the federal sailors aboard the speedboat watched in stunned silence as the lush coastline was cleared in just a few minutes, leaving a space filled with charred wood and dead trees.

"Were those incendiary bombs?"

"What happened..."

Muda stared blankly in that direction, unsure of how to handle the situation before him.

A gunman standing on top of the cabin nervously lifted the heavy machine gun welded with a gun shield, guarding toward the sky but without any confidence to threaten the airship.

At the same time, another voice came over the communication channel from the captain of a speedboat.

"Damn... what’s the deal with those guys? People from the Church?"

Muda swallowed hard.

"It doesn’t seem like it..."

Just as his words dropped, another set of black dots hanging from parachutes descended towards the coast, where flames were still not completely extinguished, at an even faster speed.

This time, there was no explosion.

The silhouettes crashed directly onto the dark coastline, kicking up clouds of dust.

Muda instinctively took out his binoculars, looked toward the coastline, and soon saw a scene he would never forget.

One by one, "jet-black exoskeletons" emerged from the dust.

Their steel and polymer materials covered every inch of their skin; streamlined assault rifles were held in their hands, and black goggles completely covered their facial expressions.

The exquisite land combat gear was something Muda had never seen before, and he couldn’t help but speculate about the identities and purposes of these individuals.

As he watched the group ashore, those people also noticed them floating far from the coast.

Lifting a fist to signal caution to his teammates, Killer Dagger walked to the shore and lightly tapped his helmet with his index finger.

"Unidentified NPCs discovered at sea, requesting instructions."

After a brief wait, Elder Fang Chang’s voice came through the communication channel.

"...We didn’t accidentally hit them, did we?"

Taking out his binoculars and glancing at the sea, Killer Dagger chuckled and said,

"Probably not, but it looks like they were quite startled. The two machine guns on the speedboat are pointed at you guys."

Those tiny tubes less than 20mm were like a dream if they hoped to bring down their airship. It was precisely for this reason that he didn’t take the threat seriously at all.

Elder Fang, who was standing inside the airship’s bridge, had also noticed the situation on the sea but didn’t say much.

"I understand, ignore them and continue the mission."

"Received."

He touched the side of his helmet and Killer Dagger disconnected the communication.

After one last glance at the two speedboats on the sea, he shifted his gaze away and motioned for his brothers to continue advancing towards the edge of the rainforest...

...

The first thirty players deployed at the forefront on the coast were all brothers from the Burning Corps.

Their mission was to establish a temporary beachhead on the coastline with the support of air-dropped incendiary bombs, to suppress the nearby variants while ensuring the materials and machinery on the airship could be deployed smoothly.

After confirming the safety of the vicinity around the landing spot, Killer Dagger reported the ground situation to Fang Chang.

After the airship stabilized, it lowered ropes and a gantry crane, followed by waves of players carrying large and small packs along with the construction materials to the ground.

Compared to the players wearing exoskeletons from the Burning Corps, this group was a completely different picture.

Their chatter was nothing like that of survivors on the Wasteland; they were more like a flock of free-range ducks, noisy tourists.

"The sea!"

"Dog plan is awesome!"

"Hahaha, I finally saw the sea in the game!" One player rushed to the beach, excited like a 200-pound child.

Another person excitedly dove into the sea, seemingly wanting to verify whether the seawater was just a texture or a real model.

There were no surprises.

The beach in "Wasteland OL" looked as realistic as those in real life, aside from the crabs that could tear off one’s nose and various bizarre variants.

Less than an hour after the first wave of players landed, the first casualty had already occurred. An Intelligence System player was dragged into the sea by a sea snake as thick as a calf that had wrapped around his ankle.

However, this did not affect the players’ enthusiasm for the new map at all.

Holding his nose, missing a chunk of flesh, a player, who had been playing the game for less than three months, was excitedly shouting.

"Holy crap! This light! This water! It’s freaking awesome!"

Watching the noisy beach and the newcomers mingling with lone Variants, Gnome King Riches spoke with a sense of emotion on his face.

"Sometimes I’m really envious of these rookies. I’m not even surprised by new maps anymore."

Strictly speaking, reaching Level 10 shouldn’t really count as being a rookie anymore.

But compared to the old players who had been adventuring in the Wasteland since the Alpha test, these players, still excited, were indeed no different from rookies.

Elena gave Brother Fu Gui a comical look.

"It means you’re almost used to this brutal Wasteland."

"Ha ha, maybe so!"

Gnome King Riches laughed and removed the Mechanical composite bow hanging beside his backpack, casting his gaze toward the rainforest where the flames were gradually dying out.

"Let’s go, we should set off too."

"OK."

Watching Brother Fu Gui, who was already prepared, Elena expertly chambered her assault rifle and chuckled again, adding another line.

"Let’s start with the task of finding a water source, and prepare the ingredients for dinner as well."

Hearing the latter part of Old Na’s words, Brother Fu Gui involuntarily shivered, secretly praying in his heart.

I hope we don’t encounter anything bizarre...

...

As the excitement of unlocking the new map passed, these players who had just stepped onto the new map had gradually settled down and were deeply involved in building the camp.

Some were responsible for clearing the dead branches and charred remains on the ground, some for organizing the living supplies and building materials unloaded from the airship, and others specifically for setting up tents and building simple defensive fortifications.

Of course, these works were not done for free; every task had its corresponding reward, and completing the tasks would earn them Silver coins.

Just like when the Diamond Lake Outpost Base was first established.

Only back then, the players who collected Silver coins from the Manager had now become the person editing tasks for other players and distributing rewards.

Apart from the life-profession players, the combat professional players weren’t idle either.

The airship had just stabilized when the Bull Horse Group issued an exploration task to search for a water source, offering rewards ranging from 50 to 1000 Silver coins for finding a safe and reliable freshwater source.

Not just finding water sources, discovering nests of dangerous Variants also came with corresponding rewards.

And if one could eliminate a Variant nest, the reward would start in the four digits!

As depicted in the poster posted at the Dawn City Airship Inflation Station ticket counter, opportunities were everywhere here! Silver coins were everywhere!

As long as one seriously worked, at least earning back the airplane ticket money was no issue!

While the players onshore were busily engaged, the "Federal sailors" on two speedboats were all dumbfounded.

Especially the Coast patrol captain, Muda.

This series of baffling actions left him momentarily uncertain about what these people were planning to do.

After pondering for a moment, he commanded over the communication channel.

"Boat Group One, return to the Circular Island Port and inform the port authority of the situation here... tell them an airship arrived in the eastern region of Baiyue Strait with about two to three hundred people coming off it, and we are unable to determine their identities or motives."

The response quickly came through the communication channel.

"Received!"

After a pause, Muda continued his orders.

"Boat Group Two, follow me and move in closer."

The driver in the captain’s cabin responded with a nod.

"Yes!"

Two speedboats took different routes, one heading east while the other moored in the shallow waters near the shore, where three men disembarked.

The players along the shore quickly noticed these newcomers and cast curious glances at the three NPCs.

Following Fang Chang’s order, the Killer Dagger, who was clad in a "jet-black exoskeleton", took another teammate and approached the three men.

"Who are you?"

Facing the approaching soldier, Muda cautiously responded.

"Federation, and you?"

"Alliance!" After unhitching his helmet’s visor, the Killer Dagger responded with a hearty laugh, "Our names do sound quite similar."

Hearing "Alliance", Muda was briefly taken aback.

He had indeed heard the name from merchants in the Silver Moon Bay, said to be a rising survivor force in the southern part of the River Valley Province, at least two or three thousand kilometers away.

What were these guys doing here?

As he puzzled over this, the Killer Dagger continued smiling and speaking.

"Right, we need to linger here for a while. Won’t that affect you guys?"

Standing behind Muda, two sailors exchanged glances, sporting odd expressions.

Stay here for a while in this godforsaken place?

Are these guys crazy?

Like his two subordinates behind him, Muda was also stumped by the soldier’s question and fell silent for a long time.

The Baiyue Province was a land without masters, and this beach was no exception. Although federal speedboats patrolled these waters frequently, it indeed wasn’t federal territory, and island residents generally avoided this dangerous area.

At least, he hadn’t heard of any federal plans to construct new facilities on this land.

Glancing at the weapons in these people’s hands, Muda slowly began speaking.

"I have no objection. You can stay as long as you like, just don’t hinder our work... However, don’t blame me for not warning you, the Variants here are dangerous. Even with your decent equipment, camping here is definitely not a good idea."

A pleased smile once again appeared on the Killer Dagger’s face.

"That’s great! I hope we get along well! By the way, where’s your settlement? Or the nearest port? If it’s convenient, we might trade some goods."

Muda’s expression subtly shifted as he lifted an arm, pointing in the direction of the southern sea area.

"Over there..."

"Over there?" the Killer Dagger said with interest, following the direction pointed to by Muda, "Where? I can’t see it."

"...Of course you can’t see it from here. You’d have to head approximately a hundred nautical miles southeast," Muda said irritably, looking at the not-so-clever individual.

The Killer Dagger gave an embarrassed laugh.

"That’s quite far."

"We welcome you to our port for trade. If you manage to catch some game, you can sell it to us. But don’t think about bringing that thing there; don’t even think about it if you don’t want trouble."

Wanting to spend not a second longer in this dangerous place, Muda pointed to the inflatable airship floating in the sky and hastily concluded this brief exchange with a warning statement.

"That’s all I have to say. We need to leave now. Have fun here... I hope I can still see you in a few days."

"Definitely!"

Taking that as a blessing, the Killer Dagger laughed heartily and waved to the three NPCs who had returned to the speedboat.

"Bon voyage! Visit us when you can!"

Watching the man on the shore waving goodbye to them, Muda chuckled inwardly.

I hope you’re still able to laugh in a few days...

-

(The latter half is not written, got a bit busy today...)

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