This Game Is Too Real-Chapter 739: A Phase Victory

Dawn slowly rose from the horizon, and the dense snow atop Bloody Mountain Peak was also coated with a burning golden hue.

As the highest peak among Ten Peaks Mountain, the altitude here was about three thousand meters. The mountain was rugged and perilous, strewn with boulders, with only two or three narrow paths that could be traversed from the waist of the mountain.

Suddenly, a breeze swept through, and in the blink of an eye, two shadows stood atop that expanse of dense snow.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the two had left not a single footprint; no one knew how they arrived at that place.

"I remember the Stone Axe Family was your most proud creation, along with that guy, Ollon."

"That was a statement from the year before, and your database should have been updated."

"Oh? So, what is your proudest creation now?"

"The next one."

Gazing at the distant peaks, the Beast King calmly spoke those words.

The Stone Axe Family was still far from perfection.

Including Ollon.

But that was precisely why he existed.

In competition with those decayed old powers, he continually refined his creations until he ultimately broke the physical limits of organisms, achieving a physical ascension.

He would create a real "Beast King."

"An interesting notion, the best is always the next one," glanced at the Beast King, the Human Emperor lightly smiled and continued in a casual tone, "but I must remind you, you have lost one-third of the ground."

"It’s one in ten." The Beast King, expressionless, corrected that imprecise statement.

The Human Emperor shrugged slightly.

"In any case, I need you to hold out here for at least half a year until Alzu successfully turns the tide in the south."

"Half-year," with a subtly lifted corner of his mouth and an imperceptible chill, the Beast King continued expressionlessly, "this mountain range under my feet will be their endpoint."

"Don’t be too aggressive, my friend," the Human Emperor smiled faintly, "I’d rather have our plans proceed smoothly, not based on unfounded assumptions. An unexpected outcome may not necessarily be a surprise for us; it could be a risk, remember that..."

With those words, the figure beside the Beast King slowly dissolved into the blizzard.

The Beast King, glancing once at the two flags on the distant peak, slightly furrowed his brows and then disappeared as well.

...

As the Storm Corps planted their flags atop Broken Blade Mountain, the Battle of Broken Blade Mountain officially came to an end.

The Alliance rescued over a thousand survivors from caverns on the mountain, capturing thousands of tons of weapons, ammunition, and nearly ten thousand tons of food and various other supplies.

According to findings from the Storm Corps’ frontline troops, these mutants cultivated fungal crops within defensive fortifications as a supplemental food source.

Moreover, these brutes also utilized some basic manufacturing equipment to_modify weapons and even smelt ores.

The quality of these manufactured weapons was usually rough, and those DIY modified weapons were typically worse than before modification.

However, even so, compared to garbage lords who could not even handle chopsticks properly, these individuals’ skills could be considered agile.

Furthermore, they did not get discouraged by the inefficiency of weapon modifications but instead delighted in it, with a subset within the tribe even evolving into experts in this field.

Some high-caliber rifles, loaded excessively with chrome bullets, could even penetrate a 45mm hardened steel plate at a distance of 100 meters.

These things could no longer be considered mere guns, reaching the realm of cannons, and even human Awakeners would find them challenging to use without special exoskeleton equipment.

"They are evolving creativity, just like those mutants in the Great Desert, and the ones we encountered in Brocade River City..." messing with a massive gun as thick as his lower legs, Spring Water Commander pondered for a moment before throwing it back onto the cart storing war trophies.

"Can that also be called creativity?" I Max Black was unconvinced.

"Do not underestimate these fellows, creativity is the driving force for the birth of civilization, no matter the form of civilization, whereas knowledge is merely one of the products born from it."

While speaking, Spring Water Commander surveyed the production equipment within the cave with a hint of concern between his brows.

The trouble left by the Torch Church might be more than just a few encoded genes and several Nago fruits...

But regardless, this war ultimately ended with a grand victory for the Alliance.

Although some remaining mutants were still active in the mountain tunnels, just like the situation on Black Cloud Mountain, eradicating them was only a matter of time.

Of the ten strategic points on Ten Peaks Mountain, three were now in the hands of the Allied forces.

Currently, the Southern Construction Corps’ construction team was already heading towards Weifu Mountain to start digging tunnels and building concrete roads as well as railways through the mountains.

The gateway between Brocade River Province and Haiya Province would soon be opened!

The victorious news quickly traveled from the front lines to the rear and spread across the entire Weifu military base, and the Alliance’s Storm Corps became famous in one battle within the Allied forces!

But the Corps regrettably played the clown this time.

Although their combat skills were actually decent and their fierce attacks did indeed cause significant casualties among the mutants, the fact that they initiated an attack without coordinating with their allies was also true.

Had they won, it might still have been okay, but the key issue was they did not win and almost had the position at Black Cloud Mountain taken back by a counterattack from the mutants.

Even General Babita from the West Winds Empire didn’t know how to spin this one...

...

The Storm Corps handed over Broken Blade Mountain’s position to the 100th Mountain Division of the Corporation.

The next peak on Ten Peaks Mountain was the tallest and simultaneously the most dangerous, known in ancient times as Snow Peak, but the Waste Land Wanderers called it Blood Peak.

It was said that the Blood Hoof Clan, entrenched there, was the largest and most mixed group of mutants on Ten Peaks Mountain.

They would breed some odd and grotesque "ugly things."

Unlike those "short things," these humanoid creatures were extremely dangerous, and most survivors would rather take a detour than pass near them.

However, while regular merchants could bypass them, the Allied forces couldn’t afford to place supply lines above enemy heads.

The position was to be attacked by the Academy’s Alpha Special Mobile Force.

After witnessing the "strength" of the Army and corporations, it seemed that friends from the north couldn’t help but want to show their hand as well.

At the same time, the Iron Heart had already arrived at the edge of Weifu military base, parking not far from the Loyalty ship.

On the other side, inside the operation command center at Weifu military base, the room was bustling with people.

Corporate officers had arrived early and occupied the conference table; astonishingly, one division brought five to six members, second only to the West Winds—who had lost ten thousand of their thirty thousand troops.

It was said the lunch boxes distributed at noon were free, prompting even the "Thousands of Leaders" to attend for appearances.

The Academy’s Alpha Special Mobile Force sent only one commander, two people from Free State’s "Hound" special forces, and other command members from the Male Lion, Honey Badger, Hump, Golden Lizard, and Falcon Kingdom were present, making up a total of more than twenty representatives from various survivor forces.

The Army’s representative, General Lucien, was the last to arrive.

Seeing the tardy General Lucien, Lin Shangwen remained silent, but the two officers sitting beside him exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

One of them tore off a piece of paper, folded it into a paper airplane, and winked at a colleague beside him.

"Watch closely, I’m only demonstrating once."

As he said this, he gently tossed the airplane, intentionally throwing it under the table without reaching to pick it up, instead he exaggeratedly coughed.

"...That doesn’t count, let me try again."

The other representatives of the survivor forces weren’t aware of last night’s phone call and naturally didn’t understand his performance art.

However, corporate officers got it, each suppressing a laugh.

Including Lin Shangwen’s aide, who couldn’t help but grin; it was Lin Shangwen himself who subtly coughed to remind the paper folder of the setting.

Lucien’s brows twitched fiercely, he darkened his face and didn’t look at them, instead taking his seat.

The commander of the Alpha Special Mobile Force glanced at him, his emotionless pupils seemed to perceive everything, yet made no comment.

The two commanders from Free State exchanged looks and whispered, seemingly weighing something.

Sensing the atmosphere at the conference table was turning against the Army, General Babita from the West Winds Empire sensed an opportunity to perform, wearing a smile in hopes of winning over Lucien.

However, after several attempts without acknowledgement from Lucien, he had no choice but to drop the matter.

Seeing everyone had arrived, Vanus at the conference table gathered his files and stood up.

"Then, let the meeting begin—"

His words had barely faded when he was interrupted by a voice from the conference table.

"Wait a moment."

Vanus looked towards the source of the voice, seeing General Lucien, whose face bore no sign of surprise.

"Do you have a question, Mr. Lucien?"

Lucien stared intensely at Vanus, studying him for a long while, but Vanus, expressionless, simply returned his gaze steadily.

Seeing Vanus unmoved, Lucien suddenly smiled, his previously tense expression seeming to relax.

However, only his expression relaxed; his tone remained as stringent as he asked each word distinctly.

"Where is Chu Guang?"

Vanus responded.

"Manager Mr. Chu Guang is currently receiving a report from General Li Jinrong and inspecting the military base."

Evidently unsatisfied with the answer, Lucien squinted and inquired,

"For such an important meeting, why isn’t he the one presiding?"

Vanus continued meticulously.

"Exactly because it’s important, he entrusted it to a professional like me."

"Professional?" Lucien laughed mockingly, his face unsympathetic.

He didn’t believe a mere cannon fodder team of "Thousands of Leaders" could have any insight.

But discussing rank seemed petty, so he merely laughed and switched to another line of questioning.

"Then what about him? As the supreme commander of the Allied forces, what is he doing?"

Vanus stated simply,

"In Mr. Manager’s words, making you sit here is his job. If you feel you are unqualified for this job, you may raise this early, and we will communicate with your superiors to arrange another person capable of handling it."

Lucien stared intensely at him, but eventually said nothing more, settling obediently at the conference table.

Vanus nodded to him slightly, without saying much more, only clearing his throat.

"Then, the meeting now begins."

...

In a corner of the Weifu military base, at the entrance of a three-story concrete building, Chu Guang, accompanied by Li Jinrong, was inspecting the frontline research institute.

This place stored specimens sent from the frontline.

These included specimens from the Stonehorn Clan, as well as from the Rock Axe Family, which had just been defeated by the Storm Corps, and that enormously large fellow who kept shouting "Ollon."

It had not been easy to transport that fellow from the frontline; the Company had deployed a Tiger Whale Transport Aircraft for the task.

Currently, the research team from the Company and the Alliance were dissecting the specimens, attempting to uncover their secrets.

After entrusting the place to Heya, Chu Guang took Li Jinrong and Lu Bei, along with others, to visit the largest mess hall in the military base.

Walking along, Xiao Qi spoke with a hint of worry in its voice.

"Are you sure it’s okay to leave that meeting to Vanus?"

Chu Guang had previously shared with it the Army’s views on Vanus and the other Weilante People who chose to stay with the Alliance, before coming here.

Though Vanus was capable and his loyalty to the Alliance commendable, Xiao Qi always worried that him hosting the meeting might provoke dissatisfaction from the Army.

Hearing the concern in Xiao Qi’s voice, Chu Guang gave a faint smile and spoke softly to it.

"Like Yin Fang, he is an expert in his field, best at strategic deployment and coordination between different types of troops. Entrusting him is the best choice. As for the Army, their opinions are certainly important, but not so important that we need to consider the personal emotions of every individual. If they can’t overcome this minor issue, it only shows that Lucien isn’t cut out for this job, and I would suggest their Marshal consider a replacement."

Chu Guang knew his own strengths weren’t in deploying a single battle or orchestrating every single war, similar to how his players knew what type of games were fun but might not necessarily be able to produce games that catered to most people’s tastes.

The best choice was to leave the specific tasks to the professionals.

As for himself, he was content with being the mascot of the Allied forces, with no need to personally deploy every machine gun position or command every battle.

Doing so would not only give soldiers headaches but likely the generals as well.

With this time, he’d rather stroll around the Survivor Settlement to see how well his players had developed the area.

Seeing Chu Guang’s satisfied smile, Li Jinrong guessed that he was in a good mood and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My lord, there is something... not suitable for discussion over the phone, I need to report it to you in person."

Chu Guang: "Speak, no need for formalities."

"It is..." Li Jinrong paused, searching for the right words, then continued with hesitant tones, "Recently, the Expeditionary Army from the West Winds began cultivating land north of the Wei River. Initially, we didn’t think much of it, only their special training methods, but later it seemed... they got a bit mixed up."

As soon as he mentioned the Expeditionary Army of the West Winds Empire, he wore a peculiar expression.

Ever since their arrival, he had wanted to complain: those folks hardly seemed like they came for combat, but rather like they were here to tell jokes.

Not to mention the ten thousand men who lost their way to Baiyue Province, just the twenty thousand who made it to the frontline didn’t look like they knew how to fight.

Especially after a recent defeat, General Babita decided to issue a bunch of farm tools to his troops.

Initially, he really didn’t want to interfere, but the area they cultivated became increasingly vast, covering forty to fifty square kilometers along the riverbank, all claimed by them.

Some of this land was originally meant to be allocated to the soldiers participating in the construction of the Weifu military base by the Southern Construction Corps, causing some friction between the two sides.

Knowing that the farming tools in these people’s hands had been sold to them by the Residents of the refuge, Li Jinrong couldn’t decide if this was indeed the Manager’s intent, so he took this chance to ask.

Chu Guang was also surprised for a moment but didn’t say much.

"If they really aren’t good at fighting, letting them farm in the rear isn’t a bad thing."

He heard that the Expeditionary Army of 30,000 had performed well at Baiyue Strait, having built a second port under the leadership of his players, Fried Dough Stick Port.

If these guys could contribute to the rebuilding of the Weifu City area, it indeed wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Attacking Ten Peaks Mountain was a short-term tactical goal, eliminating the Torch Church was a mid-term strategic need, but ultimately, "Reconstructing the Wasteland" was what the Alliance ultimately needed to do, and do long-term.

Whether it was opening up new territories in Baiyue Province, rebuilding Brocade River Province, or reconstructing all areas of the Wasteland such as Poluo Province, the Southern Sea Area, and Haiya Province, all were included in this long-term goal, only in different sequences.

"But how should we deal with land ownership?" Li Jinrong asked about the issue most concerning the soldiers.

Among the Southern Construction Corps, many were criminals reformed from punishment camps, and others were refugees from nearby areas or volunteers who had relocated from other regions of the Alliance.

Apart from a few motivated by the ideal of rebuilding the Wasteland, the thoughts of most were more pragmatic.

That is, the land promised by the Alliance.

Many no longer had a place in their hometowns and were hoping for a new start.

The Alliance had promised them, to help them establish their own homes in the southernmost part of Brocade River Province.

However, the sudden influx of a vast number of outsiders left many feeling out of place, especially since these newcomers began to encroach on their living spaces.

The most typical instance involved the Expeditionary Army of the West Winds Empire, who, though ostensibly here to fight, focused on the fertile land north of Wei River.

Then there were Mafu Town and other Survivor Settlements.

These guys couldn’t take the train to the frontline, yet they rode horses and drove ox carts to trade on the frontline; they even took over deserted villages.

From the Alliance’s perspective, this was a good thing, but from the standpoint of grassroots members, the view was completely different.

They welcomed the pansies from Ideal City and the Academy, were indifferent to the Weilante People from the Army, and disliked to the point of annoyance the Rat People from the West Winds Empire and those外来行商 who came to steal business.

As the leader of the Southern Construction Corps, Li Jinrong found himself caught between the upper levels and the grassroots.

He had to fulfill his responsibilities while considering the feelings of his subordinates.

Of course, the most critical factor was the attitude of the Manager.

Thus, he chose a less sensitive point of entry to sound out Chu Guang’s opinion.

Chu Guang could discern Li Jinrong’s considerations and difficulties with a mere glance, but he chose not to clarify directly, instead smiling as he spoke.

"Of course, calculations should be made as they ought to be made. The Wasteland is never short of land; whoever reclaims it owns it... That said, this perspective is not fair towards you all, considering the significant effort you have put into this military base."

Li Jinrong hurriedly explained,

"I dare not... This is what we ought to do."

Seeing his nervous demeanor, Chu Guang smiled and said,

"There is nothing that should be, if I have promised that the finer aspects will emerge from the society of the Alliance, I will surely provide ample reward for your contributions; don’t worry about that."

"There is more than one river in Brocade River Province, with hundreds of Tianshui tributaries, large and small, and plenty of arable land. Moreover, not everyone in the Alliance is just a farmer; the future wilderness of Weifu will become a settlement. The land you are standing on will be known as the ’Long Endurance Farm’ of Weifu City. After all I have said, you should understand my point, right?"

Li Jinrong’s expression turned serious as he nodded earnestly,

"I understand!"

"You understand nothing," Chu Guang said, laughing and patting his shoulder, speaking earnestly, "I hope you can look further ahead, not just cling to those small, immediate benefits. Fighting with refugees over land and squabbling with traders over stalls, is this what you should be doing?"

"Do not think that I know nothing about what happens in the refuge. I am not blind to the friction between the Expeditionary Army soldiers, the Mafu Town residents, and the disputes over a piece of land by Wei River and a house in Kun Town. It’s all quite amusing to me."

"Remember your name; you are part of the construction corps. Your task is not only to build a military base but to provide land for those who want to farm and a trade environment for those who want to trade. They will eventually leave, but not everyone will. You must make those who stay grateful to us and let those who leave take their respect for us back to their homes."

"And you will gain not just honor but also a new settlement, a homeland for a fresh start! Aren’t many among you unable to return to Giant Stone City? Some have made mistakes in City of Dawn and cannot face their families and friends there. Including yourself, you can’t return to Haiya Province, and while it’s not your fault, having once been a part of the Iron Tower Organization, you can’t deny that their failure has nothing to do with you!"

"Don’t say the Alliance or I haven’t given you opportunities. The land beneath your feet is your City of Dawn; your current task is the same as what we initially did—establishing a new order on a lawless Wasteland, a better order!"

Looking thoughtfully at Li Jinrong, Chu Guang took his hand off his shoulder and stared deeply into his eyes as he said,

"This is my greatest expectation for you, for your group, and for the entire Southern Construction Corps."

"I’m sorry..." Li Jinrong, looking ashamed, lowered his head and spoke reflectively, "I have failed your expectations."

So many unifying elements were already present here, yet they did not embrace these opportunities.

From this point of view, it wasn’t the West Winds Empire’s Expeditionary Army or the country bumpkins from Mafu Town who were misguided, but rather themselves who could have done something.

Only at that moment did he realize where the problem lay.

"Haha, it’s not that severe! Everyone recognizes your merits," Chu Guang laughed and looked around, "to tell the truth, this military base is well-built, the facilities are impeccable, but there’s still room for improvement based on this foundation."

Li Jinrong spoke earnestly,

"After I return, I will gather the Army’s officers to thoroughly review and strictly enforce discipline from top to bottom!"

Chu Guang advised,

"It’s not just about enforcing discipline. Besides making demands, you also need to address the concerns of those at the grassroots. The Southern Construction Corps is not a real army, after all; aside from a few who came with ranks and organizational roles, most are here to pioneer new lands. These people will likely shift careers locally after two or three years. Seeing those refugees come to pick their peaches, it would be odd if they weren’t anxious. You need to take care of their concerns."

"As for example, the devices used to construct the military base are still here, and now that the military base has been completed, you can take those people who are now idle and refurbish the nearby infrastructure, build some houses while paving the roads, and assign them to the pioneers who have shed blood and sweat in developing this land. That way, they won’t feel anxious about those outsiders who reap the rewards without contributing, and they will understand and cooperate with your work better."

"Such things can’t rely solely on encouragement and mobilization. First, you must unite your own people before you can unite others."

If the purpose of the House of Luminescence was to assimilate a vast and unstable populace of Waste Land Wanderers and help those who have been estranged from civilized society reintegrate, then the Southern Construction Corps was Chu Guang’s attempt to actively push the Alliance to expand outward.

When utilized correctly, it could turn those who underwent labor reform in "punishment camps" and "POW camps" into units similar to "Pioneers" in "Civilization 6," forging more strongholds for the Alliance.

Baiyue Corporation was a similar entity, with only the name, active principal, and operational model and logic being different.

It was a strategy players had gradually figured out in the rotation of versions, suited to their style of play.

Chu Guang truly hoped that the NPCs of the Alliance could also be active like the players, actively seeking paths to rebuild civilization.

But having been a Manager for so long, he had also come to understand the difficulty in this.

There was no question of their loyalty, which also extended to the unity and equality he advocated—they were, after all, mostly beneficiaries of this ideology.

And it wasn’t just loyalty; their belief and ideals were close to fanatical, to the point where they almost wished to elevate him to a divine status akin to the Great Antler God.

Yet when he mentioned that the ultimate goal of the Alliance was to end the Wasteland Era, whether it was Lu Bei who followed him, Wrench who guarded the borders of the Alliance, or Luka who diligently occupied the position of city leader, all showed a perplexed expression.

Just like real NPCs.

He could feel that their perplexity wasn’t with the idea of the Alliance or distrust in his words—otherwise, they wouldn’t have followed him this far.

To many, it seemed like the Wasteland Era of the Alliance had already ended.

Why end something that doesn’t exist?

They had even secured recognition from ancient survivor forces like the Army, Academy, and Company, and respect from other younger survivor forces.

Sticking to the current methods seemed fine; seeking new ways implied unnecessary risks.

And the only ones who truly understood him, apart from players, seemed to be only a few like Yin Fang, Heya, Old Charlie, and Vanus...

For some reason, Chu Guang suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for that marshal of the Army.

Though he didn’t know what kind of life that guy led, if he really had lived up to the Army’s claims, those Weilante companions who were initially by his side were likely gone...

Whether it was Vanus presiding over the meeting or Lucien sitting gloomily at the table, they were merely descendants of that guy’s companions.

He hardly dared to think how difficult it must have been to play this game without those brave little players...

Watching General Li Jinrong’s silhouette walking into the distance, Chu Guang sighed softly.

"Xiao Qi, our work is long and arduous."

Seemingly catching the emotion in his voice or perhaps empathizing with him, Xiao Qi murmured softly by his ear.

"Yes, Master."

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