Chapter 816: People Always Create Gods in Their Own Image

Chapter 816: Man Always Creates God in His Own Image

Though tragic events abound across the wasteland, the scene where players are active is a completely different picture.

The "PVP" arena of Camp 101.

Two "Xia Guang II Experimental Edition" power armors were locked in a brawl, dazzling sparks flying wantonly between steel and steel!

As the only arena within the Alliance where "both rank and life are decided," this is a battlefield only players can tread.

Generally speaking, unless one wants to spar with a good brother, true high-level players rarely waste time here.

However, since the arena occasionally introduces experimental equipment, and signing up for testing earns a bounty and contribution points regardless of win or loss, the facility is quite popular among new players below the T3 tier.

At this moment, the two fellows wrestling here are the cream of the crop among newcomers!

The one with the red identification strip is [Summer Born] from the Abstract Legion, while the one with the blue strip is [Tiger of Litang] from the Climber Legion!

Since the II-type experimental Xia Guang replaced its front armor with ceramic steel, strengthening frontal defense at the cost of mobility, neither side’s bolter rounds could do much to the other.

After emptying all the bullets in their magazines, both red and blue sides almost simultaneously and tacitly drew their combat knives and short axes, entering the crowd-pleasing phase of close combat amid the roaring cheers of the audience.

The atmosphere of the entire battle surged to a climax with the adrenaline-pumping fight!

"Nice one, Summer!!!"

"Fuck him up! Smash him in the head!"

"Abstract Legion rules!!!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"Holy shit! Tiger, you got this?!"

"I'll fucking test you—"

The noise in the spectator area never ceased, and the arena was equally unquiet.

The red and blue sides wrestled passionately while chattering incessantly on the comm channel.

At first, Summer Born had the upper hand, unilaterally pressing Tiger of Litang down.

But due to an overly aggressive offensive rhythm, the bulky Xia Guang II lost balance for a moment. Summer Born stumbled and crashed into Tiger of Litang’s chest, and the latter seized the opportunity, swinging his short axe in a flurry of heavy blows.

If that axe had been a thermal cutting axe, Summer Born, bent over and ramming into Tiger’s chest, would likely have become a charred chicken—crispy on the outside, tender within—and his combat knife could never have pierced the ceramic steel front armor.

But unfortunately, there are no "ifs" on the battlefield.

Though the Abstract Legion’s combat prowess is utterly incomparable to the Climber Legion, which emerged victorious from the Heaven Battle, solo combat and legion warfare are also entirely different concepts.

Precisely because none of their teammates were reliable, the four leaders of the Abstract Legion each possessed rich battlefield survival experience and the ability to adapt on the fly.

The window for a counter-kill flashed by!

Just as the axe slammed heavily into his lower back for the second time, he seized the moment when his opponent’s center of gravity shifted behind him. With a sudden upward thrust of his arms and a push off the ground, he lifted the entire Tiger of Litang, who was pressing on him, and hurled him backward!

"I'll fucking—!"

Amid the gasps of the spectators, Tiger let out a reluctant roar, flipped head over heels from behind Summer, and crashed heavily onto his back.

"Boom!!!"

Dust billowed in waves. Dazed and disoriented, he tried to roll over and get up, but a combat knife was already pressed into the gap between his helmet and shoulder armor, and a palm was firmly clamped onto his head.

Panting heavily, Summer Born grinned savagely, pressing down hard on the guy’s helmet, and raised his eyebrows triumphantly.

"Don’t move! Stay put!"

"@#%!"

Tiger of Litang ground his teeth in fury, struggled a few times without success, and had no choice but to give up.

According to PK rules, if either side loses the ability to resist, the PK is deemed over.

The winner receives a bonus reward.

Once the judgment is made, if either side continues fighting, it is considered a violation and subject to penalties.

This rule was designed mainly to reduce equipment wear and tear.

Though the power armors in the arena are stripped-down, nerfed versions—for instance, swapping the ultra-long-lasting nuclear battery for a hydrogen battery sufficient only for one battle—the other components are still far from cheap.

The moment the verdict was confirmed, a line of text scrolled across the big screen.

[Match Over, Red Side Wins]

[Winner ID: Summer Born]

The spectator area outside the arena erupted in excited cheers, especially those who had bet and won, jumping up and shouting in exhilaration.

Standing in the midst of the crowd, Outlaw clapped his hands, wearing a sage-like smile, and commented eloquently.

"Not bad, not bad—has about a third of the style I had when I dominated the arena back in the day."

[Wake Up and Tired], standing nearby, rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"Stop bragging! And you, what level are you now? Is it fun comparing yourself to newcomers?"

Outlaw chuckled.

"Isn’t this comparing to me at the same stage? When I dominated the arena, I was still a newcomer!"

Wake Up and Tired: "You only won a few times, how the hell did you dominate?!"

Outlaw: "Doesn’t matter! I had a high win rate!"

Wake Up and Tired: "@#%!"

[I’ll Go Die First], who had stopped clapping, sighed and looked at the two helplessly.

"...If you have time to argue, why not go down and practice a round?"

Because some players’ outrageous antics were too shocking, the player spectator area and the NPC spectator area had been separated since Beta 0.6.

The former is mainly open to idle players who come to watch the fun, while the latter’s audience consists primarily of researchers, engineers, and trainees from Camp 101.

Thus, the NPC spectator area is far quieter than the player area. Not only do they need headphones to hear the sounds of battle, but the atmosphere of discussion is also more academic.

"The hardness of the ceramic steel armor is somewhat beyond expectations..."

"Hmm... Ten consecutive bolter rounds left no damage, and it even blocked a portable armor-piercing round with 350mm penetration."

"This thing is like a walking tank..."

"The fact that the armor-piercing round failed to penetrate is probably due to the spaced armor, not entirely the ceramic steel’s credit."

"Not necessarily—we’d have to dismantle the armor plates near the impact point to confirm."

"I’m wondering what kind of individual equipment could destroy this thing from the front..."

"Is it too early to think about that now?"

"Not too early. Technology diffusion is inevitable. I’m sure the Legion is already considering this. We need to anticipate their solutions and devise countermeasures before they find one."

Sitting in a corner of the spectator area, headphones on, Xia Yan stared thoughtfully at the notebook in her hand.

As the designer of the entire armor set, her focus was not on any single module but on the overall system.

Having crafted equipment for players since before the Alliance was born, she understood their combat styles better than anyone here—and knew better how to help them maximize their advantages in specific battlefield environments.

And this was precisely what Chu Guang had once said to her: "the unique and irreplaceable talent that only she possesses."

Ever since she understood this, she had never again been lost over her "lack of awakened gifts" or "inability to find her own worth."

Through observing the battle just now, new inspiration had already taken shape in her mind.

Only that vague inspiration was still abstract in her thoughts for the moment.

She needed some time to organize it into something concrete and integrate it into the original design plan.

"...Sorry, I still need a bit more time. Can you wait for me a little longer? Ten minutes... uh, maybe half an hour, but no more than an hour!"

Grabbing her messy, fiery red hair, Xia Yan lifted her head from the screen, looking apologetically at Elisa sitting across from her, with a pleading expression.

Because of their similar fields of study, Elisa had grown close to Xiaoyu, and thus had also become good friends with her.

But recently, Xiaoyu and Pai had been busy with projects related to the exchange in Dawn City, so the two of them had been going to the cafeteria together these past few days.

Noticing the furrowed brows that revealed Xia Yan's distress, Elisa smiled gently and said in a soft voice.

"It's fine. I'm not very hungry anyway."

"Thanks!"

After hastily saying this, Xia Yan plunged back into her work of conceptualizing.

And Elisa, sitting across from her, did not disturb her thoughts, quietly savoring her aromatic coffee as before, while flipping through the unfinished book in her hands.

The reason she chose to read here was not because she was particularly interested in power armor combat, but simply because the coffee here was free and unlimited, occasionally accompanied by leftover cookies and pastries from the cafeteria the day before.

Since resigning from the Boulder City Crisis Committee, she had been living an ordinary life, with a monthly living expense of about a thousand silver coins.

Thanks to the scholarships established by the Alliance's education department and the local authorities of Boulder City, she could study the knowledge she craved here without worry after everything was over.

Though her life was not frugal, since the money she spent was not earned by herself, she still adhered to a principle of saving wherever possible, especially on non-essential expenses.

She believed that the esteemed Administrator would surely not mind a young girl without independent financial means taking a little advantage of him.

And she wouldn't freeload for nothing.

Once she had learned enough, she would repay his help to her and to Boulder City with her vast knowledge.

In the past, she had been weak, knowing only the surface of many things without understanding the reasons behind them.

But now it was different.

After a full year of study, she was no longer the person she had been back then...

"...Excuse me, are you Ms. Elisa?"

Hearing a voice from beside her, Elisa realized that her fingertips had been frozen on the bottom corner of the next page for a full ten minutes without turning it, and the tens of thousands of words that had flashed through her mind could fill a book.

Realizing she had been daydreaming, her cheeks flushed. She cleared her throat to compose herself, then looked up at the staff member standing by the table.

"Yes, that's me... Is there something you need?"

The staff member smiled and said.

"There's a gentleman at the door looking for you. He says he's your friend and has something to discuss with you."

During equipment testing, aside from authorized Vault dwellers, non-staff or non-students of Camp 101 could not apply to enter the arena to watch.

But Camp 101 itself was quite open; anyone could come in as long as they registered at the guardhouse.

Hearing it was her friend, Elisa's first thought was Mr. Joey.

His child was also studying at Camp 101, and when he occasionally came to visit his child, he would also drop by to see her.

"I understand."

Without thinking too much, Elisa closed the book she had been reading and looked at Xia Yan sitting across from her.

"I'll step out for a moment."

Xia Yan, busy staring at the screen, nodded hastily. Already deep in her zone, she didn't even have time to look away.

"Mm-hmm! Have a good trip! Ah no, remember to come back later!"

"Don't worry, how could I leave you to eat dinner alone... I'll be back soon."

Amused by Xia Yan's flustered manner, Elisa couldn't help but smile.

Not wanting to keep Mr. Joey waiting, she didn't linger any longer. She stood up, left her seat, and walked out of the arena's viewing area.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the arena, two men, one tall and one short, stood one behind the other.

Compared to the tall one in front, the shorter one was clearly much younger, possibly even underage.

And because of that, lacking experience, his nerve and confidence were far thinner than the man in front.

"...Mr. Zaid, is this really a good idea?" The young man nervously glanced toward the entrance, finally unable to hold back, lowering his voice.

Zaid had lied to the staff at the door just now. They were not actually friends of Ms. Elisa; they had never even met the lady.

Although Mr. Zaid had managed to fool the inexperienced young man with his smooth talk and polite manners—so much so that the latter didn't even ask for their names before going inside to fetch her—such a lie wouldn't hold for long.

He was very worried now that the young lady, upon seeing their unfamiliar faces, would simply call the guards over...

Zaid glanced at his impatient follower and said in a very low voice.

"Relax. We're not bad people. We'll just explain and apologize to her later."

Seeing the guy's nervous look, he paused and added another sentence.

"People who do great things usually don't get hung up on trivialities. A lady of her ability and ambition wouldn't bother with such minor details. As for you, with that sneaky look of yours, I'm really afraid the guards will throw you out."

The young man's name was Sawa, and like him, he was a Snakefolk. He was also a follower Zaid had picked up not long after arriving in Dawn City.

Hearing Zaid's words, Sawa quickly stopped looking around, but his face still wore that tense expression.

"But... can't we use another method? Like sending a letter to formally arrange a meeting or something."

"Do you think I haven't tried?"

Zaid retorted calmly, then continued.

"And we don't have time to wait any longer. The window of opportunity is closing. Torn between external and internal forces, the Empire won't hold out much longer. We must gain the Alliance's support, and to do that, we need to contact the Alliance's Administrator."

Ever since he took the advice of some Vault dweller and changed the Equality Society into the Family Society, he had indeed recruited quite a few members and sponsors.

Especially after hearing that members of the Family Society addressed each other as family, with equality, love, and mutual aid regardless of differences, quite a few residents of Vault 404 happily opened their wallets, supporting their cause without expecting anything in return.

Yet even so, relying on such "impromptu" support, they were still far from matching the Federation formed by the residents of Golden Gallon Port.

The scales of the two were not even on the same level. The latter not only had the support of the residents of Fries Port but also the backing of the giant Baiyue Company.

Zaid actually wanted to be patient, because some things couldn't be rushed. He had even spent a long time serving tea and water at a breakfast stall just to meet a big shot, so he wouldn't mind spending a few months pulling noodles in Dawn City.

But a series of recent events had made him restless.

On one hand, Laxi's performance had exceeded his expectations. The Dawn City edition of the *Survivor's Daily* had for the first time reported on the recovery achievements of Mammoth State.

On the other hand, the Imperial court had been foolish beyond his expectations, making almost every possible mistake and charging headlong down the wrong path.

Anyone with sound mental faculties would hardly make completely opposite decisions on a series of issues, yet that Wutuo had miraculously achieved this feat.

Generally, it's not easy to write a perfect test paper, but it's also quite difficult to get everything wrong.

"...Can that Ms. Elisa really get in touch with the Alliance's Administrator?" Sawa looked at Zaid with confusion, still carrying a trace of disbelief.

The latter, too weary to explain further, merely stared impassively at the doorway and said in a flat tone.

“Whether it works or not, we have to try.”

Though his words were thus, in his heart he held great confidence that this matter would succeed.

Like a certain Mr. Rat who wrote *Red Earth*, he too had studied the materials from the Great Transformation of Boulder City, and his research went far deeper than the former’s—at least, in his own view, there was no doubt about it.

After all, while the former was still focused on the cultural dimension, he had already dissected the very core of the old and new regimes and the transfer of power during that great upheaval!

The ultimate victors were never idealists; those who overthrew the inner-city nobles were all masters of human nature, cunning to the extreme.

Especially that woman named Alisa—she was anything but simple!

Not only was she the daughter of Melvin, the former president of Boulder City Bank, but she was also a member of the Crisis Response Committee jointly formed by the Workers’ Union and the Militia!

That committee was no small thing.

The current high-ranking officials of Boulder City’s local government were essentially all inherited from that committee.

Whether it was the City Hall or the Militia!

To remain unscathed amid the shift of old and new powers, preserving herself and her family behind her—this alone testified to her skill!

And that wasn’t all—

He had also learned that during the Crisis Committee era, this Lady Alisa had overseen the liquidation of the inner-city nobles’ assets and the bankruptcy restructuring of Boulder City Bank!

That was a masterstroke, and the part he admired most.

Having done all this, she had effectively severed ties with her past! Henceforth, her political enemies could no longer attack her for her origins!

Even the stains on her past would become shining medals!

Whether it was carrying out this task flawlessly or successfully winning the trust of other Crisis Committee members to take on the work herself, it all proved her brilliance and depth of cunning!

On the surface, she lost all her property, but in reality, she gained something closer to the essence—

That was power!

Even if she ultimately chose to fade from the core of Boulder City’s power after everything ended, to Zayed it seemed more like a retreat to advance.

By pursuing advanced studies at the Alliance’s highest institution, she added the Alliance’s brand to herself, and also gained an extra halo over her Crisis Committee colleagues.

If she stepped forward in the future, she would move from the power core of Boulder City’s small pond to the power core of the entire Alliance.

And even if she stepped back, she could, with the Alliance’s brand and her achievements during Boulder City’s Great Transformation, easily stand above her former colleagues!

Not to mention the strong connection she held with the Alliance’s Administrator!

That was a rumor Zayed had overheard—that Alisa and the Alliance’s Administrator often exchanged letters.

Though this tidbit was unreliable, just some drunkard’s boast in a Boulder City tavern, the reactions of others laughing along suggested it might well be true.

And if that were the case… then this Lady Alisa’s future was not to be underestimated!

Zayed didn’t know much about the Alliance’s power structure, so he could only understand it by analogy with the Empire’s court.

He tried to imagine: if he were the Emperor, he certainly wouldn’t refuse such a queen—one with formidable abilities and the capacity to bring ample resources to the royal family.

Provided she wasn’t too old, past childbearing age.

Thinking this, a smile of certain victory gradually spread across Zayed’s face.

Now the only thing he needed to figure out was how to prove his value to Lady Alisa, to make her investment worthwhile.

If he could cling to the thigh of the Alliance’s future queen, it would benefit not only his Family Society but also the new nation the Family Society would establish in the Province of Boro!

Just as Zayed was lost in these thoughts, the person he yearned for finally appeared at the entrance of the arena.

But the moment he confirmed that figure was Alisa, he stood frozen, dumbfounded, mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

She looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, completely overturning the image of the shrewd, unfathomable queen he had held in his mind.

This person…

Is that Alisa?

Could there be some mistake?!

All his plans were thrown into chaos. Zayed stared at her in bewilderment until she, followed by the arena staff, drew near.

Looking at this unfamiliar man and his cowering lackey behind him, Alisa’s face showed a faint displeasure, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

This opening gambit of deception had already reduced her first impression of him to zero.

“I don’t know you, nor do I recall anyone here sharing my name.”

“I need an explanation.”