Chapter 934 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 934: The Frenzy of the Cornered Beast With the fall of Evernight Harbor, the allied forces composed of the Alliance and the Enterprises officially launched a second front to attack the Southern Legion’s colonies and even the mainland territories. As per the plan, the Alliance, aside from withdrawing several main player regiments from the Boro Province, will continue to deploy at least two hundred thousand troops to the front lines. Half of these two hundred thousand are Alliance citizens, and the other half consist of regulated individuals and volunteer Viranthians from various regions. Recently, the Alliance Representatives Committee passed a proposal to "raise the threshold for ID distribution," tightening the issuance of Alliance citizenship. However, as one door closes, another opens for the survivors eager to join the Alliance. Any wastelanders willing to fight for the end of the Wasteland Era can become honored citizens of the Alliance by serving in the Alliance army without major violations during their service. Although this is not the only fast-track means to citizenship, compared to first obtaining credentials from Ideal City, the South Sea Alliance, Academia, or the Science Committee, and completing education in designated institutions, fighting seems to be the most reliable route for the wastelanders. They do this fighting daily and have even modified their bodies for this purpose, equipping themselves with mechanical tendons and mantis blades. For the Alliance, military camps also serve as a suitable buffer zone. Through militarized management, basic education, and skills training during their service, the Alliance can help these wastelanders integrate into civilized society at a lower cost, teaching them discipline and providing them with a skill for survival. Though most wastelanders join the army seeking Alliance citizenship, not everyone shares this motivation. For instance, the majority of the Viranthian Expeditionary Force simply desires to change the fate of the Wasteland and the Viranthians. Changes at Galleon Port not only presented other possibilities to the Boro people rooted in the Red Earth but also profoundly influenced many in the Eastern Legion, Southern Legion, and even the New Continent’s Viranthians. They used to engage in slave trading there. Now, instead of declining after banning slave trade, Galleon Port has become the brightest gem on the Boro Sea. And Galleon Port is not an isolated example. Numerous real-world instances have kindled hope for the end of the Wasteland Era. Thus, they opt to take up arms and liberate their compatriots! Besides the Alliance’s deployment of over two hundred thousand troops, Enterprises also plan to send at least eight divisions to the front lines. Although fewer in numbers compared to the Alliance, Enterprises agree to shoulder more responsibilities in economic and logistical support. For instance, the Council provides funding, Alliance factories handle production, and the South Sea Alliance fleets and transport ships deliver supplies to the front lines. The Alliance's factories no longer resemble the small workshops of yesteryears. Although many factories can't compete with the mature production lines of Ideal City in terms of scale, after integrating various technologies and methods, Alliance industry parks in select fields have not only caught up with enterprise conglomerates but also made some advancements, especially in the fields of drones and biopharmaceuticals. Regarding the battles on the front line, Chu Guang isn't too concerned. The Southern Legion nowadays resembles a worm cut in half; without external support and missing the crucial people's will, failure is only a matter of time. As a manager, all he needs is to quietly await the victorious news from the front lines and be wary of desperate gamblers' “tricks.” In contrast, he is more interested in the gravity well in the southern seas; that contraption is genuinely a window to open on this planet. Chu Guang had even thought of what the next version update number should be. However, as the end of the month finally approached, he heard some bad news from an old friend up north. "...The deployment of the gravity well needs to be postponed." Outside Settlement Ten's military camp, having just disembarked from a research vessel, Yang Kai said this to Chu Guang after a brief exchange, with a slightly awkward expression. Chu Guang was visibly taken aback for two seconds after hearing this but didn't fault Yang Kai, instead expressing concern. "Is it a technical issue?" Yang Kai shook his head. "Not exactly." Chu Guang: "Then why the delay..." Yang Kai continued, "Our intelligence system obtained news that the Southern Legion's top brass have pinned their hopes on reversing their fortune on a wonder weapon named ‘Death Serum’... I assume you have heard of it?" Chu Guang slightly furrowed his brows and nodded. He hadn't just heard of it; his guard troops had been investigating the issue. However, due to the Southern Legion's robust counter-intelligence measures and the core strength of the Alliance being considerably distant from the Great Wasteland, progress had been slow. Honestly, he was skeptical about whether the ‘Death Serum’ could truly deliver the expected lethal effect. In the wasteland world, unlike in our reality, Wilrantians aren't the only products of genetic modification. Theoretically, nearly all inhabitants carry some genetic modifications. The widespread application of genetic technology has subtly transformed the human gene pool over a prolonged period, persisting throughout much of the Prosperity Era and only ceasing with the advent of the Wasteland Era. Ordinary people's genetic modifications were not as thorough as those of the Wilrantians. Because of this, many viruses that could wreak havoc on Earth are merely akin to a seasonal flu on the wasteland. Wagering on a virus seemed like madness to Chu Guang. Detecting Chu Guang's doubts, Yang Kai proceeded. "...I know what you're thinking. Indeed, most viruses on the wasteland no longer pose a deadly threat to the descendants of the Prosperity Era. But an artificially designed virus is a different story." "They can use techniques from the Prosperity Era to design a virus specifically targeting the descendants of that era—or to put it another way, a virus only harmful to old humans, ineffective or having limited effect on Wilrantians, mutants, those entirely generated via gene editing." "In such a scenario, all they need is for Wilrantians to get infected, spread across the globe, and then merely watch the Pandora's box release and escalate." Concerned that Chu Guang might still not grasp the severity of the situation, Yang Kai patiently continued. "Think about how the indigenous populations of the New Continent perished… I mean the old-era natives. Fewer than one in a thousand died from gunpowder; the majority succumbed to viruses brought by colonizers from the old world. Now, they're planning to do the same thing." However, this seemed far-fetched. Chu Guang pondered briefly and said, "Is such a thing technically achievable—effective on others but ineffective on Wilrantians?" "Just gain access to Wilrantians' genetic code," Yang Kai asserted, maintaining eye contact, “And according to our intelligence… the genetic data has already arrived at Avanti City; the preparation of this weapon is in its final stage." "So… you think this 'Death Serum' virus lab is in Avanti City?" Chu Guang rubbed his forehead, "This contradicts our intelligence; we believe the labs are scattered along the western coast of the Boro Province and the Southern Legion's colonies in the southern desert." Yang Kai continued. "There's no contradiction; they could have many labs—some collecting data at the frontlines, others compiling and analyzing it behind lines, much like assembling an aircraft with many collaborative production lines for the final assembly." "I understand, but how does this relate to our gravity well project?" Chu Guang shot an inquisitive glance at Yang Kai, who did not immediately respond but instead stared at him intently. Roughly ten seconds later, Chu Guang suddenly gleaned the unspoken answer from Yang Kai’s gaze and squinted slightly. "I see… You intend to erase Avanti City from the map?" The gravity well's activation will alter gravitational parameters around Earth, affecting the deployment of space-based orbital weapons. This seems to be the only explanation. The Academy was subtly suggesting—or perhaps urging—him to wield the weapon inherited from Boulder City during this nearly assured victory war. Yang Kai immediately leaned back in his chair, spread his hands to indicate he hadn’t explicitly proposed this, but quickly added a follow-up comment. "We must acknowledge that neutron annihilation is the most efficient method known… If this 'ultimate weapon' is ever fully assembled and spreads through countless Wilrantians leaving Avant City, billions of survivors worldwide could die." Chu Guang fixed his gaze on him. "There are millions of residents in Avant City, and counting the surrounding areas, there must be at least tens of millions. Not all of them are Wilrantians." "Yes, I understand, and it's not a good solution, but can we be blamed? We've already made every effort to recover those lost technologies… Had this situation not arisen, we would absolutely not support using that kind of weapon in warfare." Yang Kai sighed, straightening up in his chair. Crossing his fingers on his lap, he earnestly looked at Chu Guang and continued. "I hope you understand, this path wasn't chosen for them; they relinquished their rights to exist on this planet as humans. Therefore, you needn't feel too guilty." "I know making this choice is difficult. To save some, others must die… So we hope you consider carefully before deciding." Leaving with those words, Yang Kai stood up, slightly nodding in salute, and then departed to return to the research vessel. Chu Guang watched his retreating figure, squinting silently for a long moment. It was exactly like during the last "Torch Crisis." When the decision was too hard to make, these "old folks" had once again handed him the dirty coin. If there were irrefutable evidence that Avant City truly harbored such a superweapon, history might at worst judge him harshly and fairly. But now, there wasn't even a trace of evidence, just a vague hint from a B-level researcher at the Academy, not even giving him a chance to pass the buck. If he pressed that button, even if the Alliance won the war, it would likely lead to another crisis. Though Chu Guang hadn't witnessed the weapon's power firsthand, based on descriptions from various sources, it was said to surpass nuclear weapons, leaving not a single cell at the strike's core, and with impact capable of reaching the mantle. However, if the Academy had any definitive evidence rather than a baseless "possibility," a squad of paratroopers would be a far more efficient solution than firing a strategic weapon. Besides, there's no guarantee that after such a strategic deployment, the Legion wouldn't possess countermeasures. The Legion had disbanded, not disappeared. Chu Guang found solace in one thing: he still had a trump card up his sleeve. Otherwise, this matter would have been truly difficult to handle… Lightly tapping his index finger on the chair's armrest, he closed his eyes to compose his thoughts and quickly opened them again. "Xiao Qi." "I'm here, Master." The lively, spirited voice quickly sounded in his ear. Chu Guang could sense Xiao Qi was supporting him in her own way. However, this issue wasn’t daunting to him. He smiled slightly and continued. "Send a private message to the [Battlefield Atmosphere Group]." "Tell him it's time for our 'Consul' to take the stage." ... In the real world, inside a modest three-bedroom apartment. Having just finished a session, the battlefield enthusiast ordered takeout and sat before the computer, scrolling through forums while amusing himself with novices' antics. Just when he was laughing heartily, he noticed a small red dot in his private message inbox. Without giving it much thought, he clicked open the message. It was no minor issue. After reading its content, he was thoroughly shocked. "Holy crap?! Is this even possible?!" [Mission:] [Mission Brief: The cornered Southern Legion has stolen the Wilrantian genetic code stored in Triumph City, intending to develop a virus named "Death Serum" to eradicate all survivors except the Wilrantians, using it as a final weapon against civilization. If the Southern Legion's plan succeeds, billions of survivors may perish under its scheme. To prevent the worst-case scenario, the South Sea Alliance fleet is advancing towards Avant City, and the Alliance's orbital weapons are in position, ready for final reckoning.] [Mission Objective: By any means necessary, stop the Southern Legion's plan before it reaches an irreversible point!] To be continued...