This Game Is Too Realistic

"Good brother, I'm leaving the task of promoting the artworks to you!"

"Heh, didn't you ask Light if you could create a female character? Here's your chance to try on women's clothes!"

"Try the black stockings too!"

"And don't forget Teng Teng's artworks!"

"Get lost!"

The sound of someone's frantic shouting came from the runway at the airport, amidst the laughter and farewells of the crowd, as the doors of the Orca transport plane slowly closed.

The drum-shaped engines emitted a deep blue arc of light downward, lifting the massive body off the runway before jetting off into the horizon.

Carrying the goodwill and blessings of the residents of the River Valley Province, that trace of blue shadow disappeared eventually.

Anyway, only more will be coming in the future.

Outside the airport, Dori clasped her hands in front of her chest, silently mouthing her blessings.

After the plane vanished, she quietly turned and left the crowd.

Old White, Night Ten, and Gale stood outside the crowd. They wore an exoframe and two exoskeletons respectively, and accompanying them was an Alpha Dog transport vehicle, making a rather lavish lineup.

Walking up to Dori, Old White tapped his helmet twice and unlocked his visor.

"We will take you to Boulder Town... But, are you sure you won't wait here for him to return?"

"I need to get back to work," Dori said softly, looking at the exoframe in front of her and whispering, "Um... I can't afford to pay that much."

Old White laughed, "Don't worry about the payment, that guy has already taken care of it, we'll ensure your safe arrival."

Dori paused. "How much did he give you?"

"At least three meals' worth," Old White grinned, "Talking about money hurts feelings, buddy. And don't think about paying for him, we don't accept that from others."

Seeing that Old White put it that way, Dori, though still a bit embarrassed, accepted their kindness and nodded gently.

Before leaving, Ample Time had told her that those three were his good brothers.

In his absence, if she encountered any trouble, she could contact them.

Meanwhile, at the airport.

Staring in the direction where the plane disappeared, Yi Chuan was stunned for a while before turning to Chu Guang and asking, "What was he shouting just now?"

He seemed to hear something about 'getting lost'.

"What does 'get lost' mean?"

"Uh... It's a way of saying goodbye," Chu Guang coughed dryly, his expression strange. "In Shelter 404, we only use this word with our best friends."

Yi Chuan's face showed a flash of realization. "So 'get lost' means goodbye. Your language is really strange."

Shouting it out loud must be a way to express intense emotions and the unwillingness to part with a friend.

This I've got to remember.

"It's been 200 years... Accents change, it's normal. Every family has its difficulties, let's not discuss this anymore." Fearing that Yi Chuan might take it to heart, Chu Guang quickly changed the subject.

Repeating that strange pronunciation in his mouth, Yi Chuan nodded. Aside from memorizing the pronunciation, he didn't take it too seriously.

The world is so big.

There are countless shelters.

Compared to those bizarre plans and schemes, Shelter 404 seemed quite normal to him...

...

In a small town on the northeastern border of Sunset Province, next to a hill-like coal mine, a row of shacks was situated.

One side was for slaves, the other for temporary workers.

"Wake up, get up, it's time to work. Damn it, you sleep like a pig, do you still want your wages?" A calloused hand continuously slapped his face.

Pangolin, who just logged into the game, opened his eyes.

The scorching sun pierced through the gaps in the wooden wall, landing on his face. However, the face that greeted him was not a pretty one but a sunburned soul.

The man was the overseer of the coal mine.

The wrinkled skin made Pangolin think of mutants, his eyes subconsciously flashing with a murderous intent.

The miner, intimidated by the stare, instinctively stepped back, but quickly remembered he was the overseer and glared back fiercely. "What are you looking at? Are you working or not?"

The guard at the door, his revolver slung at his waist, glanced over here with an implied threat as clear as the shining silver on the trigger of his revolver.

However, Pangolin didn't take him seriously.

As a third sequence agility type awakener, even lying on his back, he had at least three ways to subdue those fools.

But... He wouldn't actually do that.

"Of course I'll work." Shaking his groggy head, Pangolin crawled out of his sleeping bag, picked up the mining pick resting by the shack, and walked towards the small hill nearby.

Watching the man's departing figure, the overseer breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with his sleeve only then realizing his sweat had stained his clothes.

There were two types of people working in the mine.

The first were the slaves of the mine owner, the other, day laborers.

The former was easy to manage. According to the laws of the Golden Lizard Kingdom, a slave owner had the right to dispose of their slaves in any manner as long as they can provide a valid contract as proof.

However, the latter was more complicated.

Some were hiding from enemies who wanted them dead, others were merchants or mercenaries who lost their belongings to raiders and barely escaped with their lives.

It was like that man earlier.

That look...

It's as if he climbed out of a pile of corpses...

At this moment, as Pangolin walked towards the mine, he was unaware of what the ugly, overseer thought of him. His mind was busy calculating how many Golden Lizard coins it would take to reach Oasis No.9.

They were in a place called Third Town. The origin of the name was unknown. All he knew was that it was located at the northeastern frontier of Sunset Province, at the southernmost edge of Oasis No.8. Along with the oasis, it belongs to the territory of the Golden Lizard Kingdom.

The area was rich in coal and iron mines, as well as the most common commodity in the wasteland, slaves.

The locals themselves didn't capture slaves, but there were always travelers who lost their possessions for various reasons and couldn't afford the travel fees to leave the desert. They end up selling themselves to nearby mine owners or the local wealthier landlords.

The place was probably like the precursor to the Red River Alliance. Only, due to the low output value, it hasn't developed a proper currency system.

Additionally, the level of development was quite low, unlike the southern part of Sunset Province where one could buy nutrition paste. The town's only generator was at the mine, and the most advanced piece of technology might be an automated vending machine converted into a punch clock robot.

The cheapest food was dry black bread, which costs about one gold coin per pound. Milk was the next cheapest, so affordable that locals drank it like water.

Pangolin calculated that to reach Oasis No.9, he would need to prepare two weeks' worth of water and food for two people.

Even if he ate bread every meal, including the cost of fresh water, he would need at least 32 Golden Lizard Coins.

A day's work paid four Golden Lizard coins. As an awakener, though he was of the agility type, his strength wasn't low, and pushing himself to earn six coins shouldn't be a problem.

"... That means I need at least five more days."

"Wait, that's not right, I almost forgot to calculate daily expenses... I can actually save only 2 to 3 coins per day." Pangolin counted on his fingers and suddenly realized, even if he went all out in mining, it would still take him nearly two weeks to save enough for travel expenses.

"Damn game, who plays this crap?!"

Cursing, he swung his mining pick violently against the rock wall.

Damn!

The sparks that flew startled the nearby miners, who quickly dodged to the side.

This guy wants to collapse the mine!

Better stay away from him!

Perhaps it was the exaggerated action, or perhaps his expression was too terrifying, but unconsciously, Pangolin was left alone in the mine section.

Turning his grief into strength, he now seemed like a real monster. Soon, the sounds of his mining filled the air, quickly filling a whole mining cart with ore.

After working hard all day, Pangolin, utterly exhausted, emerged from the mine and received his day's wages from the annoying overseer.

The overseer initially wanted to skim a little off the top, but the murderous look in his eyes frightened him so much that he didn't dare reach for it.

Weighing the pitiful six coins in his hand, Pangolin couldn't help but feel sentimental.

Compared to these bloodsuckers, their administrator was far too kind! He was basically an angel!

The minimum hourly wage in the New Alliance was one silver coin.