This Game Is Too Real

The air in the conference room was quiet for several minutes.

Digesting the massive amount of information, Chu Guang, sitting at the conference table, remained silent for a long time.

After a while, he pressed his index finger to his brow, cleared his thoughts, and spoke.

"So... the Celestials, through the Enlightenment Society, extended a helping hand to the Southern Legion, providing them with a series of trump cards including the 'Death Serum' and the 'Seed of Gaia'?"

"Yes," Qi Liu nodded, saying earnestly, "Whether they are trump cards or not is up for debate, but we have solid evidence to prove that it's not technology that the Southern Legion possessed."

Chu Guang looked at him incomprehensibly.

"I don't understand, what are their motives... or rather, what exactly do they intend to do?"

Why are they giving this card to Teil?

Unless—

They do not wish for the Wasteland Era to end.

Or, they want the Wasteland Era to completely enter the Annihilation Era, taking the acceleration to its utmost.

Those are the only two explanations.

He couldn't think of a third explanation.

Qi Liu was silent for a while, then said.

"The reason why Celestials are called Celestials is because they do not recognize us as their kin, or rather... now ascended to another dimension, they have already drawn a clear line from us."

"Of course, the dimension I refer to here is not spatial, but existential."

Chu Guang pinched his forehead.

"Is there a more straightforward way to say it?"

Qi Liu went straight to the point.

"Have you heard of mind uploading?"

Chu Guang immediately reacted.

"You mean the kind from Shelter 101?"

In fact, it's not just Shelter 101; the Torch Church also uses a method similar to distributed computing, dispersing and storing thoughts in bionic chips, thus constructing a terrestrial 'Heaven' in the so-called 'Heaven.'

So... it's the same for the Celestials?

No wonder the Torch Church ran straight there!

Chu Guang felt a sudden epiphany.

Qi Liu, sitting opposite him, nodded and said in a deep voice.

"To complete the expedition to the colony five light-years away, many people in the Expeditionary Army abandoned their physical bodies long ago."

"We find it difficult to analyze their thoughts with human reasoning, but through years of observation, we've obtained some useful information... they are not our kin, and this is not their home."

"Their kin and home exist in their memories; they want to return to the era that belonged to the United Human, or to that infinitely prosperous era."

"Even though it seems impossible to us, as time can only move forward, not backward."

Chu Guang took a deep breath.

"So... they intend to destroy this planet?"

Qi Liu shook his head, then nodded.

"Haven't you ever wondered, since we have gravity well technology, why didn't we use gravity wells to remove the space debris in the early Wasteland Era?"

Chu Guang's pupils slightly contracted.

"Could it be..."

Qi Liu nodded.

"We've tried every possible method, including deploying gravity wells, and even today the Grand Canyon still retains a prototype gravity well. Unfortunately, when we activated gravitons to attempt a gravitational collapse of this planet, a force on par with ours interfered with our gravitational manipulation, and that force is located not far from us at the Lagrange point."

He paused, then continued.

"Sadly, there's no such thing as 'what if' in this world, but if we had succeeded in bringing that debris down, the fallout alone wouldn't have prolonged the winter for half a century."

Chu Guang's Adam's apple moved.

"Do they want to kill everyone on this planet?"

"At least eliminate most of them or regress the survivors to feudal eras or even the Stone Age, or simply turn them into animals," Qi Liu said in a calm tone, "Of course, they don't consider this genocide but a 'reset.'

Chu Guang: "...Isn't this just like the Enlightenment Society?"

Qi Liu nodded and said.

"That's why they get along with the Enlightenment Society and can also cooperate with Teil. Are you still surprised why the Celestials gave Teil the 'Seed of Gaia'?"

"I'm not surprised, just lamenting," Chu Guang sighed, "They clearly have these technologies that could actually do something for humanity..."

But one must admit that the position they stand in is indeed much higher than the Enlightenment Society's.

And their understanding of purging is even deeper, to the extent that they no longer even want the refuge residents who preserve some seeds of the old era.

Qi Liu shook his head and said.

"They are no longer human, so there's no point in dwelling on that."

Pausing for a moment, he brought the topic back to the issue of the "Seed of Gaia."

"Your research on Xiaoyu is actually very meaningful and is gradually getting on the right track. We didn't want you to go astray, so we kept the matter of the 'Seed of Gaia' hidden."

"After all, that technology brought tremendous disaster to us in the old era... At least from our point of view, the restart could lead you to a better future."

"But as it turns out, we were shortsighted. Some things indeed shouldn't be handled by kids, but even if hidden, you'll eventually find your own ways to uncover the secrets behind history, just as we tirelessly explored the future."

"Your Xiaoyu, or the Southern Legion's Teil... are actually Gaia-like lifeforms, and the latter was most likely born through the 'Seed of Gaia.' What was meant to happen has happened."

"Dr. Conclusion said the time has come, and our Chief Technical Officer thinks so too."

"Perhaps from now on, we should face that shared past more honestly."

Chu Guang watched him intently.

"We need practical help, not verbal comfort."

He originally thought the Academy would evade the issue, but the next words of the Director of the Investigation Department took his breath away.

"That's exactly why I'm here."

"From now on, we will be opening up all our research on gravitons to you, including anti-gravity technology—"

"These are technologies once mastered by you, corporations, and legions, but never truly possessed."

"As for that research ship, don't dismantle it after you find it; there's no point."

...

The deep, dark space.

A broken starship silently hovers in orbit, surrounded by scattered debris of various sizes and fully-suited spacesuits, blending with the surrounding ruins to form an artificial asteroid belt.

This is the geosynchronous orbit, 36,000 kilometers from the equator.

It is also the most remote edge of this blue wasteland, almost untouched by scavengers.

Due to its distance from an oxidizing environment, these remnants of the old era bear few signs of time, and the emblem and badge of the Human Alliance Sky Army remain clearly visible.

However, the glory of the past has long been covered in dust, just as the bustling ruins have become insignificant.

But today is different from the usual, as a silver spaceship approaches slowly from afar, uncovering the edge of the coffin...

Research ship cockpit.

A man with a blank expression quietly observes ahead, with pale blue light dots reflecting in his pupils.

Watching the coordinates getting closer, he opens the communication module and calmly says.

"...This is Luo Yi, I have approached the coordinate position and am about to enter the communications interference zone."

After a long pause, a reply mixed with electrical noise comes from the distant deep space.

"Received, continue moving forward."

"Yes."

Without more conversation, the man reaches out and turns off the communication module, entering a state of complete radio silence, then opens the throttle of the plasma engine, propelling the research ship forward.

The pale blue plume jets out, pushing the research ship closer to the nearby "artificial asteroid belt."

The raging metal storm becomes denser, with metal fragments of various sizes moving at terrifying speeds on regular or irregular orbits.

They collide, breaking into smaller fragments in the vacuum, or releasing scattering sparks.

If entering this field unprotected, even a Titan would be turned to shreds!

Yet as the research ship sails into this area, something unexpected happens!

The once-rampaging fragments seem to have grown eyes, veering off their original paths, actively making way!

That miraculous scene is as if an invisible hand is protecting the research ship, pushing away the deadly debris and wreckage around it!

This wasn't some supernatural force; it was the deflection shield at work.

Of course, using this power comes at a cost.

As the flying debris rebounds, the energy in the shield capacitor rapidly depletes!

[Warning! Shield capacitor remaining: 50%!]

[Warning! Shield capacitor remaining: 45%!]

[...]

The energy bar is being consumed rapidly!

Although the reactor's energy flows continuously into the shield capacitor, it still cannot keep up with the consumption rate!

The man glances at the holographic interface but shows no emotion on his face.

He seems unconcerned for his safety or appears confident in passing through this perilous "waters."

And as fate would have it.

When the shield's capacitor residual approaches 3%, the research ship barely stops next to the broken starship.

Almost simultaneously, the number of debris striking the deflection shield plummets, and the flashing red warning light suddenly turns green!

The energy from the reactor refills the energy bar of the shield capacitor, and the man reaches out to the holographic screen, locking onto a relatively safe insertion point, switching the plasma engine to breakpoint jet mode, letting the navigation system autonomously design a landing path.

Crisis averted.

Gently approaching the docking point, the research ship glides like a canoe breaking through the storm, steadily heading toward the dock welcoming it.

Access point locked.

The research ship successfully "anchored."

"I have successfully landed."

Having already closed the communication module, he chose not to report the good news to the space station at the Lagrange point, only murmuring these words to himself before unfastening his seatbelt and floating towards the buffer cabin.

The inner gate slowly opened, and several cold corpses quietly floated inside the buffer cabin.

[The buffer cabin has been opened, the external air pressure is below the safety threshold, please wear full protective gear...]

The man did not spare the corpses a glance, nor did he pay attention to the safety warnings floating in front of him. He just shouldered the jet backpack, then pushed aside the safety cover on the wall and punched the red button.

"Woo——!"

The red alert light turned on, accompanied by a piercing alarm as the heavy outer hatch slowly opened.

The air inside the buffer cabin was instantly evacuated, and the corpses floating inside were blown outside the cabin as if pulled by a rope.

The man standing inside the cabin was no exception.

Except he voluntarily floated out of the cabin with the airflow, and at the moment of exiting, he placed his hand on the edge of the hatch, using the momentum to flip himself around.

The fluid movements were as smooth as a pre-programmed sequence.

Standing on top of the research ship, the man glanced back at the corpses being swallowed by the profound darkness and then looked indifferently at the imposing wreckage of the starship ahead.

The awe felt from admiring this colossal object up close was far more impactful than gazing from afar.

[The "Hunter" cruiser] was still clearly visible on the armor's shell, not faded by time.

Compared to that era of boundless prosperity, people struggling on the wasteland were as insignificant as cockroaches.

Nourished by the decaying bodies of giants, surviving in the darkness, weren't they just like cockroaches?

However——

All of this will soon end.

The man stood for a while, admiring this grand monument, and then pressed the button in his hand.

"Sss——"

The jet backpack emitted a spray of white mist, propelling him towards the nearby entrance.

You've been waiting for this.

Comrades.

...

[Since the Poluo country's authorities declared war on the cockroaches, the pesticide content in the Everflow River has surged. Many cockroach and other insect corpses float on the river surface, prompting birds to eagerly peck at them, causing severe ecological disruption.

Currently, this irrational war continues, and due to the absence of an ecological system, Red Soil once again plays the role of a decomposer. According to aerial photography by meteorological drones, areas in Buffalo State, Elephant State, Wolf State, and Snake State, where Red Soil had stopped expanding, are showing signs of enlargement again.

To address the freshwater resource crisis caused by excessive chemical content in the Everflow River water system, the Jin Galun Port authorities have introduced desalination devices from the South Sea Union for emergency use, and are negotiating with Anvo, the Poluo country's ambassador stationed at Jin Galun Port, concerning the ecological destruction.

Due to Red Soil expansion compressing arable land and resulting in a reduction in grain and cash crop yields, analysts worry this might lead Sava to continue declaring war on Red Soil, sparking a larger ecological disaster.

Mayor Yoder urged the media not to incite panic, stating that declaring war on Red Soil is scientifically impossible and utterly ridiculous, adding that the Family Meeting has no reason to do so, nor would they ever.

However, this statement seems to have had no effect, instead exacerbating panic and causing Jin Galun Port citizens to stockpile water and food.

—— City of Dawn Edition of the "Survivor's Daily"

]

City of Dawn.

North Street of Linghu Wetland Park, Chu Guang, who was sitting at a ramen stall waiting for breakfast, was flipping through a newspaper. Unexpectedly, the first page revealed a large cockroach, which immediately made him close the newspaper with a face that said "old man, subway, mobile phone."

Sitting opposite him was Cheng Yan, the foreign minister of the Alliance.

Seeing the expression on Chu Guang's face, Cheng Yan knew he had seen some news, so he jokingly said.

"There are no fools in Poluo Province, especially not in Jin Galun Port. I have been there before, and the impression those people gave me is that even the paperboys on the street have thousands of get-rich ideas in their heads."

Chu Guang shook his head, pulled two chopsticks from the bamboo tube on the table, and wiped them with a napkin.

"Fools can't do much harm, but it's the overly smart people doing stupid things that scare me."

Several days had passed since he met with the Dean of the Academy's Investigation Department. During this time, nothing particularly significant happened in the Alliance, and with little news to report, the "Survivor's Daily" again put Tiandu's trivial matters on the front page.

Perhaps because Dolly took some people to develop in the Great Desert and the Bartoya Province, the City of Dawn editorial board's level had dropped yet again. They didn't even bother choosing the photos carefully, using mutant cockroaches from Qingquan City.

Where in Poluo Province would you find such big things?

However, since the "Survivor's Daily" is not an official organization of the Alliance, he couldn't just keep paying them visits.

The last time he went, he almost made the president cry.

As he threw the napkin into the trash can, a young man rushed over with their ramen.

"Ramen's here! Enjoy!"

"Thank you," Cheng Yan nodded with a smile at the energetic young man, then looked at Chu Guang, who had already started eating, and tentatively asked, "You really don't plan on doing anything about it?"

Doing something about it...

That word again.

Chu Guang was really too lazy to answer this question and threw a clove of garlic into the noodle soup, ending the topic with one sentence.

"It'll cause an ecological gap."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yan didn't press further and smoothly shifted the topic.

"What about the war prisoners? Both Tiandu and the Mammoth Nation have expressed their desires for us to hand over Guryang to them, though conflicts exist between them... they are technically our allies."

"Guryang?" Chu Guang frowned, "Isn't that guy in West Sail Port?"

Cheng Yan chuckled bitterly and said.

"He was indeed there initially, but whether it was Zayed rubbing the Eastern Empire's emperor the wrong way or some other reason, the Eastern Empire moved Guryang to Jin Galun Harbor and left Akbar with them."

That sly fox...

Chu Guang chuckled and shook his head, instantly seeing through Salen's little trick.

This guy wants to use borrowed power to strike his puppet, and this time he plans to use the Alliance's hand.

Absek has been dismissed by the committee, and though Tiandu is nominally still an ally of the Alliance, it has actually drifted apart from the City of Dawn.

Anyone can see that the Family Meeting is the Eastern Empire's puppet, including the Family Meeting itself.

Zayed, however, is not honest, seeking the benefits of the Eastern Empire while wanting to continue gaining benefits from both the East and West of the Alliance.

The United Federation in Tiandu is nearly a corpse sewn together by him in the committee's chair as the perfect evidence.

Salen knew that I could see through this, and it would be impossible for me to abandon the Mammoth Nation ally and give Guryang to Tiandu, hence he readily handed the tool over.

And if I truly handed this tool Guryang to the Mammoth Nation, I'd have reached the goal of striking the Poluo Country; Zayed would have to realize that wanting everything is impossible.

As for me killing Guryang, it poses no loss to the Eastern Empire.

Salen is a Weilante, but more so a political animal, who at most cares about face than abandoning any fellow compatriots like the "Weileftists" do.

Chu Guang actually already knew the answer but threw this question to Cheng Yan nonetheless.

"You are the foreign minister of the Alliance; what's your opinion? There's only one Guryang; who should he go to?"

Cheng Yan spoke in a low voice.

"I heard that Poluo Country's 'Iron General' Grov has a large part of the Southern Legion's old force under his command, and they possess a multitude of Southern Legion's weapons, some received from the Eastern Empire's hands, and others are captives from the North Wind Operation."

Chu Guang: "So?"

Cheng Yan's pupils slightly flickered.

"Grov is currently confronting the Mammoth Nation in the north, and if Guryang is handed to Tiandu, the Mammoth Nation might be in jeopardy."

The one who could take Guryang, Laxi, is already dead.

The current leader of the Mammoth Nation is Laxi's assault team leader Shava; although he's quite capable and has been on the battlefield, he's ultimately from an internal affairs background and not truly commanding talent.

Though Grov had an easier time on the southern line, the North Wind Operation shows he has actual abilities, or he wouldn't be commemorated on the Southern Legion playing cards.

"Are you suggesting to kill Guryang?" Chu Guang asked casually, uninterested in circular talk.

Grov is roughly akin to Griffin, just a regional commander, and whether he should die is Poluo person's business; the Alliance aims at major targets in Yavente City, and at least they'd be a four-star Ten Thousand Leader.

Like the General Affairs Director, for instance.

As for a three-star Ten Thousand Leader, whether he receives capital punishment or life sentence, it's up to the Poluo people to decide; he isn't exactly eager to interfere.

"I'm not suggesting that, quite the opposite," Cheng Yan quickly shook his head, "The Jin Galun Harbor court will undoubtedly sentence him to death, but killing a naked commander offers us no real benefit."

Pausing, he lowered his pace, speaking swiftly in a voice only two people could hear.

"I suggest placing the trial court in Mammoth City... precisely because legally speaking, Mammoth City's survivors also participated in the confrontation with the Southern Legion's war and were the main force on the battlefield. They have the right to try Guryang, and by now, even more than Tiandu."

Looking at the spirited Cheng Yan, the emotionless Chu Guang's face suddenly broke into a smile.

"Good, no need to circle so much, just lay out your ideas directly."

Cheng Yan smiled with embarrassment.

"I wasn't going in circles... just wanted to clarify my reasons for doing this. You can certainly see that Guryang is essentially a tool handed to us by Salen. If you really can't part with the Tiandu connections, it's also acceptable to have him executed in Jin Galun Harbor."

Pausing, he added.

"Of course, I must remind you, false friendship won't yield any utility. Any sweet words from Zayed are certain not to come true; he'll only try to fleece us."

"A small trickster wants to fleece me; he's a bit too green," Chu Guang chuckled softly, pushing the empty bowl aside, "Your ideas are good, since you've already decided, go ahead with them."

Cheng Yan smiled slightly, knowingly acknowledging.

"Understood."

Affairs in Poluo Province are just part of the post-war order, and Chu Guang isn't eager to play this hand personally.

In contrast, what's more intriguing is Absek, who encountered him at the Human Meeting, and recently staged "Ah Bu Aerospace" in Potato Harbor.

This guy's retired and still can't stop himself from embarking on another entrepreneurial journey.

If he actually succeeds, it might change the Conservative faction's view of Poluo people within the Alliance.

Of course, he hopes this individual can have a positive influence on Poluo within the Alliance, teaching them self-respect, self-love, and self-strength.

Since they've left Poluo Province, there's no need to constantly seek a paternal figure or act out.

On another note, what concerns Chu Guang more is the celestial beings.

If he doesn't break this sharp sword suspended at the Lagrange point, he can't sleep peacefully.

Especially now that the Legion has disbanded.

The burden originally on Julius now falls on him.