This Game Is Too Real

On the train heading to River Valley Province, Dora and little Koala leaned eagerly against the window, watching the ever-changing scenery outside. Dora's nose almost touched the glass.

From the picturesque oasis to castles integrated with mountains, and then to the endless desert, all the breathtaking views she saw were sights she had never encountered before.

The surprise and excitement on her face were no less than when she first saw the sea.

"This world... is so big!"

The overwhelming excitement left her with only these words at the tip of her tongue.

Repeating it over and over, Dora felt incredibly grateful for her unwavering decision to go to the skies with the Ancestors.

Though she occasionally felt lonely from never seeing her family again, witnessing these once-in-a-lifetime views made her feel she would have no regrets even if she died tomorrow.

The forest dwellers do not concern themselves with the length of life.

In the culture of the Doma people, a person's lifespan is determined from the day of their birth. Born from the Tree of Yenshof, they will ultimately return to the tree in another form.

Just like Dora.

The little Koala, born hastily over two hundred years ago, was seeing these magical sights for the first time as well.

Its astonishment was no less than Dora's, murmuring to itself.

"So that's it, this is the planet where my father once lived..."

"Luo Xia Province? It's not quite like the one in the database. The database described an endless expanse of automated farmland and irrigation systems... Such a vast area turning into a desert makes me really curious about the current state of the underground aqueducts."

It seems that a lot has indeed happened over the past two hundred years.

To it, it seemed like only a nap had passed...

In the same train compartment.

Night Ten and Pigeon sat across from each other.

At this moment, the bandages wrapped around the latter's head had been completely removed, exposing a face eroded by slime fungus.

Of course, it might be more accurate to say that it was originally shaped like the fruiting body.

But on reflection, it makes sense; how could a person live for over a century under normal circumstances?

The fruiting body of the slime fungus was repairing his body tissues while gradually replacing them with fungal tissues, similar to the biological prosthetics crafted by Xiaoyu.

When the replacement reached 99%, or even 100%, not a single original cell, nor even a DNA fragment, could be found on the user.

In such a scenario, he was indistinguishable from a fruiting body of the slime fungus, one could even say he was a fruiting body.

While Night Ten was scrutinizing him, Pigeon looked back with equal curiosity.

"...Incredible, this should be the first time we've met, yet you know me?"

Night Ten chuckled and replied.

"I've heard of you."

"But your expression tells me that your understanding of me is more than just hearsay." Pigeon slightly curled his lips into a smile, though it was somewhat unsettling.

Though he might look a bit ugly, he was a charitable man; otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the survivors' respect in the Camel Hump Kingdom.

"How should I put it, we have a unique way of communication in our shelter... Have you heard of psionic energy?"

"I've heard of it, read about it in newspapers," Pigeon said with great interest, continuing to look at Night Ten, "So you got to know about me through psionic energy... from your companions?"

Night Ten nodded.

"That's right."

"Incredible," Pigeon clicked his tongue softly a couple of times, speaking with some awe, "I have been researching mutant slime fungi and the mental capabilities it displays in Lost Valley for decades, yet until now, I haven't made any substantial progress... I didn't expect that you not only finished researching the subject I still can't fathom, but you're already applying it."

The envious tone was utterly genuine.

It was clear he truly admired it.

Seeing the expression on this guy's face as though the younger generation would overtake the old, Night Ten didn't know what to say.

Pursuing scientific research isn't like practicing cultivation.

Why would he think that shutting oneself away could outpace collaborative research?

Looking through the history of the United Human, only one "Professor" has been so capable.

Forget about him.

The conclusion Ph.D., who had been alive even longer than him, probably didn't have that skill level.

Yet Night Ten did not expose him but gently coughed and said.

"Not exactly finished; we only have a partial understanding of this psychic power. Regarding its application, we rely quite a bit on the wisdom of our predecessors too."

"Are you saying that in the Human Alliance Era, someone already mastered the method for large-scale application of psionic energy?" Pigeon's expression shifted slightly, and after a gentle sigh, half-joking and half-serious said, "Honestly, I don't know whether to feel comforted or disappointed."

"There's honestly nothing to be disappointed about, compared to what we lost from the Prosperity Epoch, this loss is trivial."

Night Ten didn't comment but continued in a chatty manner.

"Additionally, we call this psychic energy 'Morphogenesis Field.' If you follow the news, you might see it mentioned in newspapers. If you're interested, you could join us."

Pigeon seemed tempted, but he didn't immediately respond.

His gaze fell on Night Ten's wrist, suddenly steering the conversation elsewhere.

"Is this... an Academy prosthetic?"

"Yes."

Night Ten rolled up his sleeve, displaying—or showing off—the technological achievement of Jiang Xuezhou, smiling as he said.

"Ingenious design, isn't it?"

There's only one flaw, but it's unnecessary to mention it here.

"Indeed impressive," Pigeon remarked approvingly, pausing for a moment before saying, "A long time ago, I thought the Academy was beyond saving, those who only reused predecessors' ideas were bound to decay in the swamp; however, it seems I was too narrow-minded... Even after I left, so many talents emerged."

"Haha, not necessarily talents, but he's really talented in the mechanical field."

Night Ten chuckled modestly, understating for someone else before looking at Pigeon and saying.

"Do you have any thoughts? I bet you didn't suddenly show up just to see the guests at South Gate Two."

As he said this, his gaze shifted to the window, where the two "kids" were still enthusiastically glued to the window, eagerly admiring the scenery outside the train.

"Naturally," Pigeon chuckled, putting down his teacup and looking at Night Ten, "Actually, I'm here for you."

Night Ten was taken aback.

"Me?"

Pigeon nodded, retrieving a neatly folded copy of Survivor's Daily from his coat, unfolded it, and placed it on the table.

Night Ten cast a glance at the newspaper headline, recognizing it as the news covering his interview upon returning to Earth, discussing the formation of an exploration team beyond the Solar System.

He didn't expect this guy to be interested in that.

Fixing his gaze steadily on Night Ten, Pigeon continued.

"...I heard you plan to recruit volunteer explorers worldwide, is that true?"

Night Ten smiled awkwardly and said.

"It's just at the proposal stage, the final approval still needs the consensus of all representatives of the Sticky Community."

"This is a very good proposal, and I believe it won't be too difficult to pass... from my observations of your Managers," Pigeon nodded approvingly, "by the way, does your ship need a biologist or a materials engineer? I mean a professional one."

Night Ten shook his head.

"Not at the moment, do you have any recommendations?"

He said this casually.

But what he didn't expect was that the old monster sitting opposite him broke into a brilliant smile and said something completely unexpected.

"What do you think of me?"

Night Ten: "...?!"

What the hell?

...

Unexpectedly picking up a big shot on a trip, Night Ten was stunned by this surprising windfall.

A scientist who has lived for over a century, and whose lifespan is seemingly infinite, able to keep working until Wasteland OL shuts down!

There was no reason to refuse, and Night Ten immediately agreed without a second thought.

Although Pigeon joked about being out of touch with the times due to his age, Night Ten didn't take this modest compliment seriously.

A scholar of such caliber, even if they don't reach the SSSR level, is rare enough to be of SSR level.

Moreover, this expert had no special demands regarding treatment, only requested to have a cabin onboard as a laboratory and to bring along his Little Red and the Titan from the Lost Valley.

Compared to the Life Tree in Baiyue Province that excels in seeding, Little Red is better at integrating metal materials and evolving "regenerative armor" based on that.

According to Pigeon, he could help repair the damaged hull of the Hunter and enhance its defensive capabilities.

With the addition of Little Red and Pigeon, the Hunter gained two layers of boosted defense and in-battle healing buffs!

Night Ten couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Just this one gain made the latter part of the journey worthwhile!

Just as the train passed through Lion City in Luo Xia Province, heading towards River Valley Province, a strange event occurred far off in the City of Dawn in River Valley Province.

Some residents living in the City of Dawn claimed they saw transparent paper planes in their homes.

These were finely folded paper planes, about the length and thickness of an index finger.

Some people saw them on their balconies, watching them leisurely fly by from the sky; others saw them in their bedrooms, watching them fly past the window; and some bizarrely claimed their child saw it fly through the wall of their bedroom.

Initially, the claim about the paper planes was just a rumor, much like an urban legend.

However, due to the counter-espionage awareness cultivated during wartime among the City of Dawn residents, some reported the sighting to the security bureau after discovering it, which brought the issue to light and even made it into publications like the Goblin Observation Report, a non-mainstream newspaper.

Strangely, nearly 70 people claimed to have seen the "paper planes," yet no one successfully photographed them.

There was even someone who took a photo, but nothing appeared on it.

This incident quickly drew the attention of the Guards Corps, linking it to the recent missing pens incident.

Although there's no direct evidence to prove any connection between the two incidents, they indeed happened around the same time.

Especially after the Guards Corps' investigation, the sample numbers and the occurrence area of the "missing pens" incident highly coincided with the "paper planes" event.

In other words, the occurrences of this phenomenon were in double digits, all happening within the City of Dawn.

In the Manager's Office of the Alliance Building, Lu Bei reported the investigation results to Chu Guang with a serious expression.

After a brief pause, he cautiously expressed his opinion.

"I'm wondering... could these strange occurrences be the work of celestial beings?"

Looking over the report repeatedly, Chu Guang offhandedly asked.

"Have we suffered any substantial losses because of it?"

Lu Bei shook his head and said seriously.

"So far, no substantial impact has been discovered... except for those missing pens that can't be found. However, it's hard to say whether it's some reconnaissance means we're not aware of."

It's precisely because of this lack of understanding that the Guards Corps is on high alert.

After all, the impression that the celestial beings have left on Earth's various Survivor Forces is extremely shocking.

This group didn't even bother with a greeting and went straight to "destroy you, what concern is it of yours"—a stance unbearable for anyone.

Especially after the Hunter incident, the Sticky Community has completely abandoned negotiating with celestial beings and the Enlightenment Society, preparing to unite and eradicate this pest once and for all.

Now, both sides are gearing up for war, making it hard for anyone not to be on edge at the slightest disturbance.

Chu Guang pondered for a moment and suddenly said.

"I don't think they have such capabilities. And honestly, if they could create some reconnaissance drone that passes through walls, why use it in the City of Dawn, particularly in residential areas, instead of in Dawn City or our space elevator?"

Lu Bei frowned and said.

"Then... could it be communicating with spies hidden in the City of Dawn?"

Chu Guang shook his head and said.

"There's a possibility, but it's not very high. Even if this communication method could avoid our interception, it would cause too much commotion. As it stands, it attracted our attention almost immediately."

Lu Bei fell silent.

This has actually been discussed in several rounds at the Guards Corps meetings, with intelligence officials at various levels offering similar opinions, thinking it unlikely that the two "phenomena" are related to celestial beings.

However, the question arises.

If it has nothing to do with celestial beings, who else could pull off such an act?

At least, according to the Guards Corps' knowledge of major Survivor Forces, none had the motive or capability to do so.

But at this moment, Lu Bei suddenly had a flash of insight, a thought emerging from his mind.

"Could it be related to the South Gate Two incident?"

This time, Chu Guang didn't outright deny his speculation but instead fell into contemplation.

"I've actually been suspecting this all along."

These unexplainable "phenomena" seem to have started after the Hunter returned.

As Chu Guang was pondering, Lu Bei suddenly received a communication request.

And it wasn't just Lu Bei who received the message.

Xiao Qi, who was squatting in a pen holder, also received the message and climbed out, his face changing.

"What happened?" Seeing Xiao Qi's change in face, Chu Guang immediately asked.

Xiao Qi, pressed for time, hastily said, "The research team's in trouble!"