Chapter 1072: 'Online Meetup'

Chapter 1072: "Online Meetup in Real Life"

Nothing is more awkward than sudden silence.

Watching Ye Shi and Old Bai’s increasingly subtle expressions, Chu Guang gave a light cough.

"Say something, you two. Otherwise, I’m starting to feel pretty awkward."

You know it’s awkward too!!!

Ye Shi roared inwardly, his toes already digging a four-bedroom, two-living-room mansion inside his shoes.

This guy was the first NPC to appear since the closed beta server launched.

And also the NPC who felt the most like an NPC in the entire game.

They had wondered before why the operator upgraded the intelligence of all other NPCs but never upgraded this original one… yet it never crossed their minds that this guy had been a real person from the start.

Of course, the video later released by Principal Dr. proved that the other NPCs were real people too.

Ye Shi gave a light cough, breaking the silence among the three, and put on a carefree expression with a laugh.

"Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine… I’m not the most awkward one. At worst, I just said some wild stuff."

Some players used this guy as a tree hollow, venting about real-life matters.

After all, he was the only one whose setting allowed him to understand what players said, and as the manager of the Alliance, he was far removed from everyone’s daily life—like someone from an entirely different world.

Besides, with such high affinity that couldn’t be romanced, it had to be useful for something, right?

Some "pragmatists" had even treated him like a diary.

In short, those guys were probably so embarrassed by now they’d want to kill themselves.

If they weren’t too weak to beat this monster, they might have already gone for the throat.

Watching Ye Shi force a laugh, Chu Guang understood exactly what he meant by "awkward."

Actually, that was precisely why he hadn’t shown his face on the "closed beta server" these past few days.

Emmm…

How to put it?

It really wasn’t easy to face them.

Better give his cute little players some time to exercise their toe muscles.

"So… you’re A-Guang? The A-Guang from the group?"

Old Bai’s reaction was relatively normal—just an ordinary approach, like a shy young man meeting his online guildmates in real life for the first time.

"Yes." Chu Guang smiled faintly, looking at him and cracking a joke to lighten the mood. "No need to be so stiff. We’ve known each other for years. We used to play PUBG together, remember? Oh, and since it’s a rare chance, want to team up?"

"I’m fine with that." As he spoke, Old Bai had already sent a team invitation.

All three joined the party and switched voice chat to the team-only channel.

He thought Chu Guang wanted to whisper something to them, but instead saw the latter looking eager, as if he genuinely just wanted to have a good time playing the game.

Still, Old Bai was only surprised for a moment before he let it go.

Hiding from everyone he knew, bearing that enormous mission alone, and gradually understanding everything along the way…

What Ye Shi saw was only surface-level awkwardness, but what Old Bai saw was the ash-like exhaustion left after the candle burned out.

And that heavy weight was equal to the glory on his shoulders.

He might really be tired.

Old Bai’s throat moved, and a smile appeared on his face.

"How about the LV5 Leech Cave? I heard it’s good for beginners… By the way, what level are you?"

Chu Guang laughed heartily.

"Me? Haha, I just finished the tutorial, so of course I’m LV3 like you… Looks like we’ll have to rely on Ye Shi to carry us."

Ye Shi couldn’t help but complain.

"Damn! You’re the dog of a game designer. You could be any level you want with just a snap of your fingers."

Chu Guang smiled faintly and shook his head.

"That’s different. Directly leveling to max isn’t impossible for me, but then the game loses its meaning."

Ye Shi couldn’t help but retort.

"What meaning could it possibly have?"

"Why wouldn’t it?" Chu Guang smiled and said in a teasing tone. "For example… did you get together with Xiao Jiang because of psionic power, or because of the things you experienced together during your adventures?"

Ye Shi looked away awkwardly, suddenly blushing and speechless, as if something had crossed his mind.

Old Bai, on the other hand, thought seriously for a moment, then looked at Chu Guang thoughtfully.

"So… is that also why you chose to selectively withhold the truth about Project 404?"

"Yes," Chu Guang nodded, admitting it bluntly. "I’ve not only selectively withheld many things from you, but also from myself."

Ye Shi asked in confusion.

"Why? Wouldn’t it be better to face everything together after being honest? Including open and sincere cooperation—"

"That’s the ideal scenario. The reality is 1 out of 776 failures… I’ve tried the methods you imagined, but they didn’t produce the expected results. As for why, there are many reasons."

Looking at this naive young man, Chu Guang glossed over those imperfect endings in as light a tone as possible.

After seeing 776 BEs, his biggest takeaway was: never assume that "if only… then…"

Every year of the Wasteland Era, the survivors living on the wasteland faced unprecedented situations.

Old Bai said thoughtfully.

"If I tell you what happened, then nothing will happen—right?"

"Exactly." Chu Guang smiled and nodded, a glint of approval in his eyes.

"I’m a bit curious about what kind of future that would be, but thinking about it, this is fine too… Suddenly, I’m not so curious anymore." Old Bai grinned freely and looked at Chu Guang. "But I really didn’t expect you to be A-Guang… So your real name is also Chu Guang?"

Chu Guang thought for a moment.

"How should I put it? Strictly speaking, in the β universe, I only know you all."

Ye Shi swallowed, suddenly remembering something, and quickly added.

"By the way, can you connect to this world’s internet from that world?"

Chu Guang smiled warmly.

"Of course. That kind of thing is ridiculously easy. I could even create a smurf account and meet you offline in real life. What do you think? Want to treat me to a meal?"

Faced with this shocking news, Ye Shi felt his mind momentarily in chaos, his hand unconsciously going to the back of his head.

"Let me think about it… Wait, holy crap… You mean… people from the wasteland can come here too?"

"And they can come over as 'players' to play a game of 'Real Life OL.' Scared?"

Watching Old Bai and Ye Shi, who were completely stunned, Chu Guang smiled and spoke softly.

"So it is best for you not to tell anyone else, lest it cause unnecessary panic."

He had no interest in assembling an immortal army in the Beta universe to conquer the world with the technologies of the wasteland... If he were to truly do that, Doctor Principle would likely think he had gone mad.

For such an endeavor was entirely meaningless.

To the people of the Human Federation era, the concept of "human civilization" had already been born within their consciousness.

Particularly for those who had survived the cataclysm at the end of the Era of Prosperity, their understanding of this concept ran far deeper... After all, that catastrophe had destroyed everything they once possessed.

These singular experiences ordained that they were highly unlikely to ruin the future of human civilization merely to become worldly kings.

Chu Guang was no exception.

Yet the Beta universe was, after all, still bound to its own historical trajectory; expecting the contemporary nations to lower their guard against the "morphogenetic field" was an impossibility.

The people living in this universe still required a bit of time to understand him, and to understand that human civilization behind the void, within the Alpha universe—a society both similar and distinct.

The open beta server of "Wasteland OL" served as a rather excellent medium.

Prior to this, it was wiser not to loudly proclaim that the people of the Alpha universe could descend upon the Beta universe with "immortal bodies."

As for speculation, such things had never truly mattered; anyone could put forward a conjecture of their own.

In any case, there would always be those whose imaginations ran wilder than the truth.

"Doesn't this mean we can bring things from the wasteland into reality..." Ye Shi murmured under his breath, his gaze toward Chu Guang gradually growing fervent, like a son beholding his adoptive father.

Chu Guang spoke with a faint smile.

"Naturally it is permitted, so long as a non-disclosure agreement is signed... And this is also the clearance reward I have left for you all."

Ye Shi: "I'll sign! I'd even sign an agreement to sell my own soul! Cough, wait, if I repeatedly leap back and forth between two worlds, wouldn't that mean immortality?!"

Chu Guang pondered for a moment, then spoke in a tone devoid of jest.

"It is possible, though you had best consider it prudently. Merely borrowing a clone temporarily is one thing, but as for a total crossover... I cannot guarantee that after you die in this world, the you reborn in the other world will still be you."

The soul was an abstract entity; it was, after all, nothing tangible or visible.

Even if one awakened psychic abilities, one could not truly capture its physical form, but could only brush against the echoes it left behind in specific locales.

To say nothing of repeatedly leaping back and forth.

Even crossing over just once was an unbearable weight for a lifetime to carry.

And this was precisely the reason why many residents of "Vault 404-Beta" hesitated over whether to return—

It was highly probable that they were not crossing back, but were dying in this world, only for another self to be generated anew in another universe.

Much like an android uploading its consciousness into a circuit board.

If it were for the sake of saving civilization, they would naturally be willing to pay this steep price... After all, they had all volunteered to follow the Professor in participating in the Project 404.

But if it were merely to return home...

There truly seemed to be no necessity for "suicide."

After all, their home over there had long ceased to exist; at most, they could only find the descendants of their descendants, or a spiritual continuation.

Rather than saying they wished to return to the Alpha universe to live a good life, it was truer to say they merely wished to look upon the world they had saved, to see the lives of the younger generations in the new era.

Strictly speaking, the Beta fission-clone who inherited the identity of the "Professor" had not resolved this problem, but had simply cast the question to the residents of "Vault 404-Beta" for their own contemplation.

This was indeed something they ought to ponder for themselves.

However, in the spirit of ensuring no one was left with regrets, the merciful and kind Chu Guang had still devised a compromise, which had already been handed over to Doctor Principle to execute.

The project was codenamed "Homecoming."

The researchers stranded in the Beta universe would not need to die once more; instead, they would lie within specially crafted life-support pods, journeying to the Alpha universe through the morphogenetic field just like the players.

And they would return precisely in the capacity of players.

Truthfully, Chu Guang occasionally found himself admiring his own ingenuity.

Though he did not comprehend those intricate technical principles, he could use his bizarre imagination to weave those complex elements into marvelous displays.

In fact, in the middle of the year, he had even attempted to have the research personnel on the Beta universe side leap to the Alpha universe, and then use similar technology to leap back, thereby exploiting a bug in the void.

Regrettably, however, this attempt to exploit the bug did not succeed; the conscious entity seemed capable of leaping only once, unable to infinitely fission within the same universe like a chain reaction.

This was likely the very reason why the Professor had launched Beta fission-clones into multiple Beta universes.

Beholding the silent Ye Shi, Chu Guang smiled and continued.

"If you merely wish to live a little longer, there is actually no need for such trouble; just lie into a cultivation pod in this world and suspend the metabolism of your physical body on the reality side."

Ye Shi asked in astonishment.

"Such a thing can be achieved as well?"

Chu Guang nodded with a beaming smile.

"Of course it can, though it is still far too early for you... Wait until you have seen off your loved ones, and you are of an advanced age ready to lie in a coffin before speaking of it."

Lao Bai looked at him and continued the inquiry.

"Setting aside our matters for now... What are your plans for the future?"

Chu Guang smiled and reflected for a moment.

"Me... Perhaps I shall continue to be my game planner? I do not know; things too far in the distance are not yet decided in my mind, perhaps I must take some time to think it over slowly. In any case, the affairs of the Alliance have already been gradually handed over to the citizens of the Alliance themselves."

"As for now, I only wish to quietly play a game."

...

The open beta server of "Wasteland OL," at the city gates of Boulder City.

Mercenaries styled in punk fashion and wastelanders drifted to and fro in the ruin-themed bazaar.

Traders, dressed in decent attire, stood beneath unkempt corrugated iron sheds calling out their wares; upon haphazard tables lay weapons, armor, spare parts, medicine, synthesis materials, and all manner of daily necessities or supplies, while iron cages to one side held different contents depending on the server.

Sometimes it was humans, sometimes it was mosaics.

On the whole, the modeling here was rendered with fair accuracy; whether it was the militia yawning in front of the checkpoint, or the "untainted by the mire" Distant Wind Grand Hotel, all were carved from the exact same mold as the reality of the Alpha world.

The sole alterations lay in the scale of the bazaar and the slums, and that the currency of transaction was no longer chips, but the Y-coins circulating across the entire server.

The generative AIs and AI trainers of the Ideal City had added a massive volume of Level 10 to 30 quests to the outer city of Boulder City.

Not only so, but referencing a series of works such as "The Awakened Bor," they had linked this vast sea of side quests onto a grand axis named the "Great Boulder City Revolution," weaving an epic main storyline and a sprawling quest tree that branched out like the wasteland itself.

Players could stand on the side of the reformers, earning order points by completing a series of quests to unlock landmarks including the "Survivor Daily Press" and the "Inner City Ruins," altering the map as well as the mental and external countenance of the NPCs while driving the reformation of Boulder City.

Beyond this, players could also take the stance of the inner city, suppressing the growth of order points by completing a series of quests to halt the progress of the expansion pack.

Or they could stand in the position of a wastelander, helping neither side.

Having paid the fee for the mercenary group, Fang Chang headed straight for the gates of Boulder City.

Perhaps the programmers of the Ideal City could not fathom why entering a city required payment, or perhaps it was to accommodate the players' gaming experience; the classic one-chip entry tax had been abolished, the gates no longer closed after the sun dipped below the horizon, and the Level 50 militia, repeatedly yawning, did not cast so much as a glance at him.

Without lingering in this place, Fang Chang made a straight line for the Queen of the Night Bar—which, during the era of the Black Card rule, had been the largest information distribution center in the outer city of Boulder City, and was also the place where he had first encountered Dolly when she was still an information broker.

It was precisely eight o'clock in the evening, and the bar was packed with scantily clad dancing girls and patrons seeking pleasure.

Craning his neck for a long look before the bar counter, Fang Chang's gaze searched through the crowd for a long while, yet he did not catch sight of that familiar figure.

Just as he was lost in confusion, a waiter approached him, a smile on his face as he asked.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

"I'm looking for a lady named Dolly."

"Dolly? We don't have anyone by that name here."

"I know, she's not an employee of yours—she's an information broker in this place."

The moment Fang Chang's words fell, the warmth hanging on his NPC face cooled at a visible pace.

"Ah... a mercenary, are you? Tch, this city's crawling with your kind. Let me give you a sincere piece of advice: don't come here causing trouble if you're not ordering a drink."

Watching the waiter turn and walk away, Fang Chang stood frozen for a long moment. When he snapped out of it, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"The NPCs in this game are oddly realistic..."

Maybe he was too impatient. He'd subconsciously treated the NPC in this game like a real NPC, charging straight to the point to achieve his goal, so much so that he'd tossed aside all the gaming habits he'd cultivated in the closed beta. The result was the opposite of what he'd intended.

Come to think of it, it made sense.

What bar would give a warm welcome to a "nosy gossip" lurking around their establishment, prying into private affairs?

It was like cockroaches in the kitchen.

Considering that even the shadows had their own ecological balance, the staff usually turned a blind eye and let it slide. But showing up with a fresh face and bluntly asking about it was practically rubbing their noses in it.

At the very least, he should have ordered a drink and asked the bartender, or bought a dancer here a drink...

Fang Chang took a deep breath, calming his restless mind, and walked over to sit at the bar counter.

"One... no, two glasses of lemonade..."

The bartender glanced at him, silently deducted 20 Y-coins from his account with a look, then, as if by magic, produced two glasses of lemonade and set them on the counter.

Fang Chang picked up one of them, tilted his head back, and took a sip.

The moment he set the glass down, a flash of emerald green caught the corner of his eye—a swaying, fluffy ponytail like a succulent in midsummer.

"You looking for me?"

Her enchanting gaze was like a cat's. She had somehow taken a seat at the bar, her pale cheek resting against a metallic, cold-looking hand and arm.

The instant he saw that face, Fang Chang felt his vision blur, as if he'd been transported back years ago.

"Dolly..."

Overcome with emotion, he instinctively reached out his right hand, wanting to touch hers.

But an invisible air wall stood between them. His index finger hovered forever a centimeter away, never able to make contact.

The sudden movement startled Dolly. The composed expression on her face instantly twisted into shock, and she leaped off the barstool like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Hey, hey, hey... what do you think you're doing? I'm an information broker—I don't do that kind of thing."

Behind the bar, the bartender kept repeating the motion of wiping a glass, utterly ignoring the commotion at the counter.

The other NPCs around were the same.

It seemed that, as background props, they hadn't triggered any dialogue or stepped into the storyline.

"Dolly... I... I see. The memories weren't implemented, so this is just a cloned mirror image." The expressions on Fang Chang's face shifted constantly—one moment pained, the next relieved, or muttering strange things to himself.

Startled by his yandere-like demeanor, Dolly trembled and took a few steps back.

"Hey... do you even understand human speech? A pervert who's into the smell of machine oil? Thanks for not hating my mechanical arm, but if you're in heat, you'd better just call a lady of the night."

Fang Chang shook his head, gazing at that familiar yet unfamiliar face with deep affection, flashing what he thought was a smile so handsome it would give anyone goosebumps.

"I'm only interested in you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fang Chang, and I am your husband—"

[Warning: Repeated non-polite contact. NPC "Dolly" current affinity -100. Affinity level: Disgust.]

[Warning: Affinity level below Neutral (-10 to 10). Unable to trigger quests.]

By the time Fang Chang snapped back to reality, the lemonade he'd ordered earlier had already been splashed across his face.

Bewildered, he blinked a few times, staring blankly ahead. The familiar figure had vanished.

Gone...

"...So this is what heartbreak feels like. I was mentally prepared, but it still stings a bit."

He slicked back his wet bangs into a pompadour, let out a long, melancholic sigh, and plopped down onto the barstool beside him, calling out to the bartender behind the counter.

"A glass of the strongest drink you've got."

The bartender nodded silently, performed a flashy series of moves, and, as if by magic, slapped a crystal glass onto the table while lighting a high-proof liquor with a struck match.

A pale blue foxfire flickered atop the clear, transparent distilled spirit, while a spherical ice cube rested at the bottom of the glass—like a work of art.

At the same time, a pale blue holographic pop-up, designed to enhance the gaming experience for open beta players, appeared before Fang Chang.

[Purchase: 150 Y-coins]

[Obtained: Burning Spring]

[Description: Flames descending from the sky conquered the burning steel. To the true warriors! (In commemoration of the Burning Legion's conquest of the Heart of Steel)]

[Effect: All stats -50%. Duration: 10 minutes.]

[Note: Do not attempt in real life.]

Come to think of it, at this point in time, the Heart of Steel was still drifting around the Sunset Province, wasn't it?

But whatever.

Fang Chang smiled wistfully, picked up the metal straw from the tray, plunged it into the dancing flames, and downed the fiery blaze and the clear liquor in one gulp.

It was a strange sensation.

As if he hadn't swallowed scorching alcohol, but a warm hearth fire.

"...Even though this is a VRMMO, did they really simulate the feeling of being drunk?"

"This sluggish sensation is just like the closed beta, but something still feels missing."

Just as Fang Chang was savoring that peculiar feeling, a familiar voice suddenly appeared before him.

It was none other than—

Big Eye's alt account: Small Eye the Rich.

"Fang Chang?"

Fang Chang looked up, surprised to see him.

"How did you end up here too?"

Hearing this question, "Big Eye" flashed an embarrassed grin and chuckled.

"What do you mean, 'me too'? Aren't you just asking the obvious... When it comes to the nostalgia server, wouldn't any normal person think of the Night Queen Bar in Boulder City?"

Ever since the inner city collapsed, this bar had vanished along with the neon-lit street outside.

Watching Big Eye, who wore an expression that screamed "you know what I mean," Fang Chang rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"No... normal people aren't that detailed. I think you owe normal people an apology."

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense. I know you're aloof," Debt-Eyes said, draping an arm over his shoulder, leaning in with a wink. "Tell me, aren't you curious which is more realistic, the open beta or the closed beta?"

"...Do I even need to be curious about that?"

"Any normal person would be curious!"

"Apologize to normal people right now!"

Seeing that the guy was clearly drunk, Debt-Eyes sighed, crossed his arms, and shook his head as he spoke.

"Enough bullshit. You drink here. I'm going exploring."

"Go on, go on," Fang Chang made a shooing gesture, then suddenly thought of something and looked up to call out to Big Eyes, who was about to head upstairs. "By the way, did you turn on the accelerator?"

Big Eyes was taken aback.

"Accelerator? What's that? Don't you just put on the helmet and play?"

Fang Chang's expression suddenly shifted from disdain to concern, and his tone softened.

"Nothing. Never mind."

Debt-Eyes: "...?"