This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 701 "Animal World" and "The Bible

Chapter 701: Chapter 701 "Animal World" and "The Bible

Jinkalon Port.

A drizzling rain washed away the dust on the streets, and wispy mists rose from the dark red cobblestones, rendering this harbor, not yet fully bathed in sunlight, hazy in the fog.

On the cargo ship by the dock, sailors were cleaning the deck while a merchant in a silk robe was checking the goods to be transferred to the warehouse with a harbor official.

After a brief period of disorder, order at the port had been restored—at least in the harbor area.

Institutions, including the police station, fire department, port authority, clinic, and court, had resumed their duties under the iron-fisted enforcement of the "Iron Men."

Having work to do and a salary to collect, after all, was far more comfortable than squatting in a warehouse without even a bed.

The "Dolphin" nuclear-powered submarine had docked once again, this time not only bringing supplies from Potato Harbor but also researchers from the research team.

Prior to this, the Burning Corps players had seized a large number of relics from the Governor’s Mansion that dated back to the Era of Prosperity and required valuation. The research team was the only entity interested in these "Holy relics" and legally allowed to purchase them from players.

Sometimes, Fang Chang couldn’t help but maliciously imagine whether these individuals might wield their "exclusive trading rights" to force down prices intentionally.

However, even if they did force prices down, he actually had no recourse.

These spoils of war were to be submitted as "task props," not freely traded commodities.

Even if the price offered was low, he would have to accept it.

Yet, the generous offer from the open-minded female researcher did not disappoint him; it was even higher than he had expected.

"...A total of 9.17 million silver coins."

Finally, after photographing and registering the last piece of war spoils, the researcher used her index finger to tap twice on the unfolded holographic screen, archiving the collected data.

"Shhh..."

Fang Chang, standing to the side, couldn’t help but suck in a breath of the moist air when he heard the amount. The researcher caught his reaction and cast an inquiring glance at him.

"What’s wrong?"

Concealing the glee on his face, Fang Chang pretended to speak seriously.

"It’s nothing... What I mean is, that’s too little. We went through a lot of effort to get these things. Could you possibly give us more?"

The researcher replied teasingly.

"For unexpected recovery items, we have a strict formula and auditing process. The effort you put in won’t affect their added value, so I advise you to give up."

"Okay."

Fang Chang gave up without hesitation.

This person was named Han Mingyue; she was a small ice pop retrieved by the Thorns Corps from the Great Desert Ruins and stationed near Pioneer City.

She was referred to as a small ice pop not due to her age, but because the Sleep Cabin showed her time as being less than a century, at 81 years.

Her background information spanned five pages on the official website, mainly edited by active players around Pioneer City.

Fang Chang had skimmed through it, distilling the key information into roughly three lines—

She was formerly a resident of the now defunct Bunker No.288.

Her specialty was data recovery and archival organization.

Probably influenced by the Thorns Corps leader Lama, she was currently engaged in sociological research on Poluo Province.

Both "Poluo Province" and "sociological research" were relatively niche fields within the research team.

However, because she was one of the few talents capable in this field, even with limited experience, Yin Fang had still sent her here.

Turning her attention back to the war spoils that filled half the warehouse, Han Mingyue extended her gloved right hand and picked up a silver-gray storage card from the shelf.

The storage card was only the size of a thumb.

Her eyes sparkled with thick interest.

"...But to tell the truth, I didn’t expect you guys to find this thing."

Fang Chang glanced at the tip of her finger, which looked like a storage card mixed among other colorful game cards.

"Is there something special about this card?"

"Special? It’s more than special!" Han Mingyue exclaimed with glee, "Let’s just say, the project I’m working on is missing only this piece of the puzzle... about the origins of the Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods."

The origins of the Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods?!

Interest instantly surged in Fang Chang’s eyes as he immediately said.

"I would love to hear more."

Han Mingyue didn’t speak; instead, she pulled out a holographic computer pen, connected it to the expansion interface, and inserted the slightly aged storage card.

Watching the pale blue holographic light beam with anticipation, Fang Chang thought he would see something astonishing, only to have his vision met by a robust yak.

The yak was running, its powerful muscles pulsating with the vigor of life, dust swirling around it, although the ground beneath its feet was not visible.

At that moment, the camera began to pull back from its foreground subject, gradually revealing the herd of cattle and the vast, endless grasslands behind it.

Then, a deep, compelling, and convincing commentary began to resonate.

"On the grasslands beside the Everflow River, the deadliest thing isn’t the claws of the Hyena or the teeth of the lion, but the running herd of cattle. Even the most ferocious beasts must give way before them..."

To be honest, as part of a documentary, these few brief scenes were quite stunning, and the narration entered in a proper and expected manner.

Especially considering that two hundred years ago these images might have been displayed through immersive virtual reality devices, the actual impact might have been more astounding than that of third-person holographic projections.

But...

What did this have to do with Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods?

Fang Chang was a bit baffled.

Standing next to him, Han Mingyue stared intently at the flickering holographic images as though she was looking at a relic.

"The original footage of ’The Mystery of Nature·Yak’... Although some of the data is still lost, this is the most complete storage card we have been able to find. It’s incredible how well it has been preserved! Please try to visit similar places more often in the future."

"I will, if conditions permit..." Dumbfounded by the name of the documentary, Fang Chang couldn’t help but ask, "I just don’t quite understand... What does this ’animal world’ have to do with Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods?"

Han Mingyue narrowed her eyes slightly, smiled, and said

"The herd of cattle running under the scorching sun... doesn’t it look familiar to you?"

Fang Chang was taken aback for a moment, then blurted out.

"...Tuo Ri Shen Niu."

Han Mingyue gave him an approving look.

"You catch on quickly."

What the fuck?!

Fang Chang was completely floored.

"But..."

Seeing his hesitant expression, Han Mingyue guessed what he was thinking without needing to ask, and with a slight smile, she said.

"You’re wondering how a science documentary became the origin of Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods, right?"

Fang Chang nodded with a peculiar expression.

"I may lack imagination, but I really can’t envision the whole process..."

"It isn’t that hard to understand, really. Just think of ’holographic tapes’ as ’things unexplainable by knowledge and experience,’ and you get it."

Looking at Fang Chang, who still had a puzzled look on his face, she paused for a moment before continuing.

"In ancient times, a forest fire or a bolt of lightning could elevate an intelligent or lucky primate to become the tribe’s seer or priest. But as people gradually learned how to make fire, they lost their awe of the flames that consumed everything, and as a result, professions imbued with sacred significance like seers, priests, and keepers of the flame, slowly faded away from the center of the historical stage."

Fang Chang slightly furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before saying.

"So what you’re saying is that someone used these science videos, like the one about the Blue Jacket... They fashioned themselves into roles like priests or seers, and beguiled the survivors of this land."

It wasn’t surprising he would think that, Han Mingyue said with a gentle tone.

"That’s a more power-driven interpretation, and such a possibility isn’t ruled out, but the evidence we have favors a completely different explanation."

"...What explanation?"

"It wasn’t a deliberate act by any one person, but rather a collective unconscious formation that took place over a long period of societal evolution."

Fang Chang looked a bit stunned.

"Formed unconsciously?"

"That’s right."

Han Mingyue slowly nodded her head, gazing at the intermittent holographic footage as she continued.

"An artwork can be completed by one person or a few, but a culture that is widely acknowledged by people usually forms spontaneously through the evolution of society. To understand the origin of the ’Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods’ in the Luo Province, we must start with the initial survivors who fled to this land."

Fang Chang asked, puzzled.

"Were there no native survivors on this land?"

Han Mingyue paused, looked at him strangely.

"Are you joking? During the Era of Prosperity, this was a protected ecological area... Aside from a few tourism workers and scientific researchers, how could there be anything like native survivors here? Would you want to sleep with lions and wild bulls?"

Fang Chang: "...?"

Seeing that Fang Chang was clueless, Han Mingyue sighed, turned off the screening of the "animal world," and slowly began to speak.

"It seems I need to start from the very basics when explaining this to you..."

...

The greatest difference between the Prosperity Epoch and the old era was not just in the generational gap in science and technology, but in every aspect, from the way people produced and lived to the ideas of culture and thought, which underwent unimaginable, earth-shattering changes.

Among these, the most typical was the administrative reorganization.

Thanks to the free migration of the population, the extensive development of outer space, and the global integration of ethnic groups, people’s attachment to land was no longer as intense as in the old era. They identified more with being "human" than with their own bloodlines and even began to research whether the honor of "born human" should be bestowed upon AIs with "social attributes."

The people living on this planet were completely ready to embrace the future, only a faster-than-light (FTL) engine away from stepping into the cosmos.

In this context, in pursuit of more efficient land resource allocation, the United Human had early in the Prosperity Epoch abolished the old era’s administrative divisions and replaced them with more suitable new regional divisions.

For instance, Luo Xia Province was a product of this "enclosure movement."

Where once lay a vast desert, now stood farmland transformed by desalination devices and infinite energy, capable of satisfying the dietary needs and taste preferences of the vast majority of the global population.

The situation in Poluo Province was similar, though its planning direction was the complete opposite of the once uninhabited Luo Xia Province.

In the old era, before the United Human was established, the world’s largest slum and the utmost disparity between the rich and the poor could be found there.

If Luo Xia Province was an untouched wasteland, Poluo Province was then a ruined land spoiled by its locals.

It was precisely because of this that, after several setbacks, once the United Human was finally established and the four major industrial zones in the central part of Central Continent and the space elevator project began, the area immediately experienced a long-lasting and unprecedented "great population migration."

A massive number of the poor, in pursuit of a better life, left their impoverished homes and rode on maglev trains, wave after wave, over the Zobar Mountain, heading toward the dreamland in the central continent, where, together with immigrants from other administrative regions, they accomplished a miracle in the history of United Human—a super metropolis built around the space elevator.

Conversely, with the exodus of people, Poluo Province, under the influence of the population siphon effect, experienced a grand "deurbanization" movement.

In fact, similar situations occurred not only in Poluo Province, but here the phenomenon was particularly shocking in macro data due to many historical problems.

According to the available data, by the middle of the Prosperity Epoch, the population of Poluo Province had dwindled to only 0.3% of what it was at the end of the old era, creating a stark contrast to the Eastern and Western Provinces, which still retained a considerable number of "economically beneficial urban clusters."

Considering the high maintenance costs for local public facilities with minuscule usage rates, it was better to give the locals some money and a train ticket and let them move to the central city cluster to enjoy life, rather than letting them live in "valuably decaying houses."

The United Human authorities simply designated Poluo Province as an "Ecological Conservation Area," and under the banner of "We want to establish not only a heaven for humans but also a heaven for animals," they hastened this unprecedented deurbanization movement to its conclusion with administrative intervention.

By the middle and later period of the Prosperity Epoch, the deurbanization movement in Poluo Province had ended prematurely under the active intervention of the United Human, leaving less than fifty thousand people remaining on three million square kilometers of land, mostly consisting of tourism professionals and researchers.

After the demolition of most outdated urban buildings and shanties, the United Human restored this land—which stretched across tropical, subtropical, and temperate zones—back to nature, preserving only a few cultural sites, tourist areas, self-drive tour routes, and scientific research facilities.

The maglev rails built for the population migration were also dismantled one after another as the migration goals were reached, with only a few underground lines left that did not impede the migration of wild animals.

It was like a huge wildlife park.

This place had been demolished long before entering the Wasteland Era...

Having briefly summarized the events that took place on this land during the Prosperity Epoch, Han Mingyue paused for a moment before continuing.

"...What followed should be obvious. The war broke out, the space elevator collapsed, and the good life was shattered. The super-city located in the central part of Central Continent became a hell on Earth that even the Post-War Reconstruction Committee was powerless to address."

"Numerous survivors from the four major industrial zones flocked to the surrounding administrative divisions, such as Luo Xia Province and Poluo Province... Due to the ’ecological preservation’ status of Poluo Province, this piece of land became the sole survivor of the war. Even Luo Xia Province fell prey to a Lair, but not a single one appeared on this 3 million square kilometer territory."

Fang Chang looked at her in surprise,

"Not a single one?!"

"Yes," Han Mingyue nodded her head, "Apparently, the residents of the colony didn’t see the need to pay special attention to this ’zoo.’ Moreover, without concrete buildings as breeding grounds, this place isn’t suited for rapid fungus proliferation."

She paused and then continued.

"Because it wasn’t specially graced by a Lair and the climate was rather comfortable, many survivors chose this place as their first refuge... According to my research, at least tens of millions of people must have successfully fled here."

"It’s obvious that this land, which had been de-urbanized, couldn’t support such a large population. Food, medicine, energy, housing, and even safety became scarce commodities. To compete for a chance to survive, people began to imitate the wild beasts of this land, casting aside the reserve of civilized man in hunger."

"At first, it was just poaching. Then it escalated to robbery, and even cannibalism... I might be putting it mildly, but according to the data I’ve collected in the Great Desert, this place likely entered a state of complete disorder and became Wasteland before the Eastern Provinces and Western Provinces that were under the care of the War Construction Committee."

Imagining that apocalyptic scene, Fang Chang unconsciously swallowed.

"What about the local military?"

Han Mingyue replied succinctly.

"The United Human Army was formed in an extremely short time. There were places that needed ’firefighting’ everywhere, and they also had to maintain a frontline five light-years away. You can imagine how few could be spared for this ’zoo’... According to my research, some troops did enter the area, but the order they could maintain was limited to a few temperate regions along the east and west coast of Poluo Province."

"Moreover, having lost organization and supplies, their survival became an issue. You can’t expect those people to keep the scales of order tipped indefinitely; they themselves were on the scale, and it was a feat they were not toppled more quickly."

She paused and continued.

"What the military did at that time is not the focus of my research. Returning to what I was saying, this 3 million square kilometer land probably became Wasteland earlier and also evolved from a disorderly society to an orderly society sooner. In this process, large and small settlements were born. These settlements, in the form of tribes, spread along the banks of the Everflow River and gradually expanded outward..."

"Due to the barrier of the Jubar Mountains and the Poluo Sea, Variants and most other non-human entities did not migrate to this area, and aquatic Variant Humans also halted to the east of the Baiyue Strait. The local survivors mainly faced pressure from wildlife and a few Variants."

"Although civilization had undergone systemic regression, a considerable amount of knowledge and technology from the old era remained. This group, with low literacy but rich survival skills, expanded their territory much faster than primitive people did. They quickly formed feudal kingdoms of varying sizes, not unlike the survivors in Luo Xia Province."

"And in this process, not only did their population expand rapidly, but they also found something to anchor their souls..."

Speaking of which, Han Mingyue took the storage card from the computer pen and flashed it in front of Fang Chang.

"Faith."

"Whether it’s worshiping abstract gods or dogmas, before the enlightenment movement of the classical period, it is almost the only tool to unite the ignorant masses. It can temporarily make people give up pondering ’who I am,’ ’where I come from,’ ’where I am going,’ restrain primal instincts, and maintain the operation of a huge system like gears."

Fang Chang’s Adam’s apple moved.

Although he had expected it, he was still a bit shaken when he heard the experts untangle the matter.

"So, ’Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods’ is a lie?"

Han Mingyue spoke in a relaxed tone.

"It can’t be called a lie, it’s more like a coincidence... There were a lot of holographic projection devices left here, mainly to introduce the wildlife of Poluo Province to tourists. Relying on energy storage devices, it’s very likely that they operated for quite a long time during the first fifty years of the Wasteland Era. It’s understandable that they were regarded as divine by the second and third generations of survivors who opened their eyes in the Wasteland. After all, their parents who could explain over and over again only had an average lifespan of less than thirty years."

"Imagine yourself in the shoes of those survivors; you’re someone who has lived in a world of ice and snow from the day you were born, curled up with your father’s relic at the ticket counter of some cultural hall to avoid a blizzard."

"At that moment, the AI detects your presence, and before you, an endless, warm grassland appears. Then, a majestic voice begins to recount the stories of the old days. The past Poluo Province was a paradise where even a mouse could live a rich and eventful life..."

Trying to put himself in that situation, Fang Chang imagined for a while but couldn’t really relate, eventually shaking his head.

"...No matter what, I would never consider myself a descendant of mice."

A lion or a tiger, perhaps.

Han Mingyue chuckled at his quip.

"Of course, humans can’t possibly be descended from animals, but you could totally have taken it as something to worship, akin to the Great Antler God... Never overestimate yourself. The only reason you haven’t done so is simply that you have received a good education and truly understand what you have learned."

The unexplainable holographic images were just the beginning.

When miracles become reality, they are no longer just miracles, but prophecies descended from the gods.

Moreover, the scenes in those holographic images eventually became reality.

In the 50th year of the Wasteland Era, the cold winter ended, and the ecological environment of Poluo Province gradually returned to its state from half a century ago.

For those living by the Everflow River at that time, this was undoubtedly the manifestation of their worshipped totem.

Although the end of the cold winter was a normal climatic change, and had nothing to do with their prayers...

"I know," said Fang Chang with heavy emotion, "but when you put it that way, it turns out that ’Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods’ was really a man-made division."

At the end of the day, two hundred years is too short a time to allow a group of people to evolve naturally into a new species.

Unless it’s something engineered like the Weilante People or the Variants.

Without the help of scientific power, they would need at least a thousand years of racial isolation to develop clear characteristic differences between the Sun Clan and Moon Clan.

Like someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, Han Mingyue corrected his imprecise statement and continued.

"To be precise, it’s a limited scope of self-identification formed under collective unconscious behavior. You’ll find that their skeletal features are not much different from those survivors who fled to Luo Province. Excluding the impacts of nutrition, air humidity, and light exposure, you might say they are of the same kind."

Fang Chang nodded thoughtfully.

Actually, not to mention other players.

Even he himself occasionally projected his Earthly experiences subjectively, but upon closer thought, he knew that reality and games are completely different dimensions.

The state of Poluo Province is probably what you’d call a "classic start."

That is, without the interference of Survivor Settlement residents, strategic weapons, Mutant mucor mother nests, Mutants, and other extraordinary forces, it was a typical Wasteland formed purely from the collapse of order.

As for the Empire of West Winds, it was but a fleeting wave in the rise and fall of empires.

Had there been no external force interfering, the survivors here might have continued traditions for hundreds or even thousands of years, until an accidental "Renaissance" or a "great historical discovery" of the past allowed them to find new spiritual sustenance and replace the gradually outdated "Thousand Tribes and Thousand Gods" theory.

But the opposite extreme was also possible: the local survivors might have fallen into another kind of spiral through long cycles. By constantly learning from the past cycles, they could use oak planks and nails to seal the loopholes that could break the cycles, thus establishing a governance theory with a more eternal structure and stricter logic, stopping the flow of the Everflow River permanently.

As for which possibility was more likely, that was anyone’s guess.

After all, only that which had happened was the inevitable in history.

And what the future held, only the people of the future would know.

In any case, for the scientific expedition, they were an excellent observation sample.

Han Mingyue put the storage card containing the "Original Doctrines" into the collection box and looked spiritedly towards the port outside the warehouse, saying,

"...If nothing goes wrong, there should be traces of early survivor settlements or refuges nearby. This could help me complete parts of my project that I haven’t touched on before, the impact of the remaining order during the three-year war period on the evolution of Poluo Province’s Wasteland society."

Upon hearing Han Mingyue’s words, Fang Chang instinctively opened his mouth.

"Are you referring to Lowell Camp?"

"Wait, Lowell Camp is actually here?!" Han Mingyue’s eyes widened in surprise, then she excitedly said, "That’s great! Could you take me there?"

Fang Chang nodded.

"No problem."

As the Stage 2 offensive had been moved up, the camp was currently under their control. Before the Empire of West Winds really took action, they estimated they could enjoy a period of calm.

If there was going to be scientific research activity, now was the best time.

Just as Fang Chang was about to call for a vehicle to take her there, Game came walking in their direction.

His pace was brisk, and his face was filled with seriousness. Before Fang Chang could ask, he spoke rapidly,

"Something’s happened at Lowell Camp!"

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