This Game is Too Real

  Chapter 355 The darkness within the giant wall

   That voice was very close.

   Even if the surrounding is full of loud music, Fang Chang can still hear that the sentence is to himself.

The expression on   's face subconsciously became serious, he turned his head quickly, and saw the girl who was also sitting next to the bar.

   With the dim light, what caught my eye was a deviant short green hair.

   Even in Boulder, this striking hair color is extremely rare.

   She is not tall and thin. Under the fluffy bangs are a pair of pupils of different colors, and the left eye is obviously distorted, 80% of which are prosthetic eyes or electronic eyes. The delicate bridge of the nose and the chin are like a knife, or the crystallization of technology itself.

   Fang Chang’s gaze moved down and landed on her left shoulder, where a large piece of metal parts could be seen, similar to the style of Brother Wind.

   However, the metal arm of Gale is the handwriting of the Trailblazer after all, and it looks obviously much higher-end than the one on her.

  The girl didn't care about Fang Chang's "straight gogo" eyes, and continued speaking in a casual tone.

   "If you're interested in the three at table 12, I can help you find out about them."

  Table 12 is where the group of people that Fang Chang followed were sitting.

"What's your name?"

   "Dolly... your pronunciation is very strange, are you from another province?" The girl looked at Fang Chang, her eyebrows raised with a hint of interest.

  Dolly?

   What a strange name.

   "Fang Chang," after a pause, Fang Chang continued, "It doesn't matter where I come from... How do you plan to inquire about your proposal just now?"

"I know that dancer, her name is Nicosy, and she's one of the top... I can ask you anything, including her measurements."

   "That's not necessary."

   Fang Chang stretched out his hand and fumbled in his pocket. After a while, he found the smallest chip and flicked it into her hand with his thumb.

  Dolly clapped her hands to catch it, and used the light to see the number on the chip and the same color as her hair, and a hint of surprise suddenly appeared in her right eye.

   "...The boss is really generous."

  25 chips.

   If you were working in a factory, it would take you two weeks to earn that amount.

   Dolly's eyes couldn't help but become charming, and she looked at the handsome, gentle-looking guy in front of her with interest.

"What do you want to know?"

   "What are the identities of those three people, what did they do today, and..." Fang Chang's heart moved, "and ask for me if they know about the fire in the warehouse area last night."

   Dolly's eyes showed a hint of surprise, especially when she heard the last sentence, her eyes became slightly alert.

   "You shouldn't ask that, you're asking... a fool can guess who sent you."

   It is too difficult to go around in circles with the three-legged cat, so Fang Chang simply stopped acting and said with a smile.

   "It's okay, I've only said this to you today...Afraid?"

afraid?

  Dolly raised her eyebrows and got up from the round stool in front of the bar.

   The thin body twisted and quickly passed through the crowd and came to the side of booth 12.

  I saw her elbows resting on the back of the sofa, leaned close to the dancer's ear and blew a sigh of relief, naturally laughing and playing with her old friend, blending into the atmosphere.

   Watching her chatting and laughing with the dancer, the wine glass rubbing against her long index finger, she felt nervous for a while.

   He suddenly began to feel that trusting a stranger seemed a rash decision.

   What if this guy sells himself?

  Or...should pay a deposit first?

   Just as he was thinking wildly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

   He turned his face sideways and saw that the girl named Dolly was already sitting beside him.

   "Ask?"

   Dolly hooked her fingers, motioned him to bring her ears closer, and whispered with her thin red lips close to the past.

"...The name of the young man sitting in the middle is Alec. He is the security captain of the Vijay firm. His sister Sophie is Vijay's lover and works as an accountant in the cannery under Vijay's name. He is lucky today. , made a small fortune."

   "What wealth."

"He didn't say it, but he has been showing off, saying that with just his mouth, he can make those high-ranking dignitaries have a headache and be unable to eat for a day." Dolly's eyes flickered slightly, "My guess, he His boss gave him a sum of money to incite the workers to surround City Hall...and he should have taken a small deduction from that funding."

   means strike?

  Why do you want to strike your own work?

   Fang Chang was a little curious, he felt that he might have missed some key clues.

   However, the mission did not require him to investigate these irrelevant matters.

   Just identifying those people is enough.

   "What about the fire last night?" Fang Chang then asked what he was most concerned about.

"It's hard to ask this kind of thing, but he told my friend that something happened last night and I'm sorry I couldn't be here with her..." When she said this, Dolly's expression was a little teasing, But I don't know what he's teasing.

   "Thank you, the information you provided is very valuable." Fang Chang stretched out his index finger, swiped lightly on the VM exposed from his cuff, and archived the recording.

  【Task (branch line) completed】

  [Reward: 120 silver coins, 100 contribution points, 500 "Boulder City" area reputation...]

  【Trigger task (branch line): Summarize intelligence, write press release】

  【Task requirements:......】

   Looking at the pop-up window that appeared on the screen, Fang Chang raised his eyebrows with interest.

write an essay?

   This is familiar to him.

"You're welcome, I also expect you to come to take care of my business often, and there are not many customers with big money like you." The girl curled her lips and continued with a beaming smile, "No matter what kind of secret, you only need to bring people with you. Come to me, I have a way to pry it out of his mouth."

   Hearing this sentence, Fang Chang laughed and turned off the VM screen.

   "Wasteland OL" has been circulating three unsolved mysteries.

   How deep is Vault 404, how big is Yaya, and when is Gouguang going to be tested.

  Unfortunately, Aguang is not in the game.

   Or he really wants to bring his good brother here for a drink, and by the way, ask for some inside information that ordinary people don't know.

   "I'm done with my questions, but I still have some personal questions to ask."

   "Tell me."

   Today's performance was successful, and the girl was not in a hurry to find the next target. She leaned her chin on the back of her hand and looked at him with interest.

   "Your eyes are special."

   Dolly laughed and joked.

   "This approach is too deliberate...and it sounds fake."

  Normal people would not think her eyes like the androids are pretty.

   However, she was obviously wrong.

   When the man in front of him said "special", he literally meant it.

   "No, I'm really curious, where did you get your eyes and mechanical arms?" Fang Chang asked with interest.

   It's really cool to have an electronic eye and a mechanical arm, right?

   Especially he used a bow.

   He can bet that there is really a place where prosthetics can be modified, but he is only interested, and other players are probably the same.

   Looking at Fang Chang who was full of interest, Dolly was stunned for a moment, and her face gradually became a little unsightly.

   "Your order has ended, this is the second question."

   She wanted to use this sentence to get rid of the man in front of her, but what she didn't expect was that a chip with a face value of 50 landed on the table in a circle.

  Dolly's eyes widened and her mouth opened, but she didn't speak for a long time.

"……Are you serious?"

   "Looks like I gave too much." Fang Chang joked.

   He suddenly found that this NPC was quite interesting.

   "Late!" Dolly quickly stretched out her hand and took the chip into her arms.

   Fang Chang looked at her and continued.

   "Since you received the money, aren't you going to reveal some of your secrets to me?"

  Dolly was silent for a while, then suddenly waved to the bartender, shook two fingers, and then pointed to the top row of the wine list.

   Not long after, two blood-red cocktails were placed on the bar.

   "...Two cups of 'dragon blood', use it slowly."

   The pungent smell of alcohol reminded Fang Chang of his suite in the suburbs of Shanghai and the unlicensed dark bar in the back alley.

  The taste of fake wine blending is really the same.

  The Queen of the Night is also one of the best bars on this street. The living standard of the people in the wasteland is really worrying.

   Or is this the smell you want?

   Fang Chang intends to pay.

   However, the girl was already one step ahead of him and handed the bartender the 50 chip she had given her earlier.

   Putting the 40 chips for change in her pocket, Dolly picked up her cup and touched the cup in front of the long table, and took a sip of the spicy "dragon blood".

   "It's no secret... You've heard of Awakening."

"certainly."

   Fangchang feels a little strange.

What is the relationship between   Mechanical Prosthetics and Awakening?

   Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Dolly continued.

   "A serum produced by the giant stone military industry, the name is the same as this cocktail, it is called 'dragon blood'. As long as it is injected, there is a certain probability of awakening..."

"Of course, not everyone is qualified to inject dragon blood. After all, I heard that it is not cheap. Over the years, the tide, the giant stone military workers who assisted the militia in recruiting mercenaries, will conduct a simple physical examination on the recruits, and one of them The item is to test the fit of dragon blood."

   "If you pass, you will have the opportunity to inject one for free. Once you are successfully awakened and just show good qualities, you will have the opportunity to become an employee of the Jushi Military Industry and live a life of worry-free food and clothing."

   Fang Chang looked at her unexpectedly.

   "Are you awake?"

"No." Putting down the wine glass in her hand, Dolly's eyes were covered with a haze, "Even if you pass the physical examination, it does not mean that you will be able to wake up. The success rate of dragon blood is 50%, and the probability of 40% is completely unresponsive. …”

   "And the remaining 10% will cause irreversible damage to body tissues... In the words of those bastards, this is also an awakening, but just like mutation, not all mutations are good."

   Fangchang's Adam's apple moved, and he suddenly understood why the girl in front of him was so opposed to this topic.

   Obviously, her arm and left eye were taken away by the "dragon blood"...

  There is also a new alliance of serum that induces awakening, but the success rate of that thing is a mystery. It must have a certain potential to use it, and this potential is difficult to measure stably.

   That kind of potion is useless to the player, and it should be an item used to increase the level of NPC in the setting.

  Fang Chang's own understanding is that players and NPCs are completely different power systems.

   So the evolutionary route is completely different.

but……

   The serum of the new alliance, although the probability of awakening is not high, but no one has heard of side effects.

   Can you even try two more injections?

   "I seem to have asked a question that makes you sad."

   "It's okay, I know you're not interested in that dragon's blood, after all, a rich person like you wouldn't need that." Dolly smiled self-deprecatingly, and nodded her left arm with her right index finger.

"My left eye and this arm were made by Boulder military workers. The Boulder Bank generously provided me with a loan, for which I had to pay them 50 chips every month until I was 40 Years old. And this broken thing is not as easy to use as I imagined, it will malfunction from time to time, and it will stop if I don’t pay the money on time.

   Fang Chang was silent for a while.

   "Sorry for reminding you of something sad."

  Although he really wanted to sympathize with the girl in front of him, what should he say?

   is disabled again, owes huge debts, and looks like an orphan...

   I always feel that there are too many elements.

   "You don't have to pity me," the girl curled her lips mockingly and touched his glass with her index finger, "If you're really sorry, just accompany me for a drink."

  …

   ghetto.

  Old Bai and the two players followed the woman's footsteps into Black's house.

The environment inside    is not rich, but it is much better than the shacks in the slums.

  Empty wine bottles were stuffed next to the shoe cabinet in the hallway, and a cardboard box was thrown on the ground, revealing recycled bullet casings.

   "My name is Mary, how about you?"

   "Old Bai." As he said that, Lao Bai gave the Killing Brother of the Perception Department a look and asked him to go to the second floor to take a look.

  Dog stuff went to the utility room next door, and according to someone's confession clues, found a locked safe inside the moldy ammunition box.

   is also based on someone's confession, there is an unspent deposit hidden there.

   "Old... White? A very rare name."

   Although the woman was surprised, she didn't say much.

   She took a candle from the cabinet, lit it in an aluminum tray, brought it to the low wooden table in the living room and put it down, adding some dim light to the dark room.

   Unlike in the giant wall, there is no electricity in the slum, and people who can afford it will use candles or kerosene lamps to illuminate, and most people sleep as soon as it gets dark.

   After all, there are no guards here, and the gangs in the neighborhood just hate people making trouble on their doorsteps, but that doesn't mean they'll be bored enough to check the names of every corpse.

  This is a real land without owners. The people who live here are like weeds, and the spring breeze blows again.

   The number of murders and accidents is nothing compared to the number of hapless people who freeze to death or starve to death or scavenge the wasteland every year.

   Sitting down on the sofa, Mary looked at Old Bai, who was sitting opposite, and seemed to be hesitating about how to speak.

   Lao Bai didn't waste time, turned on the translation function of VM, connected the headset, and then said.

   "Your friend took a commission that shouldn't have been accepted."

   "Is he still alive?"

   "Alive, but probably spend the rest of his life in prison."

   "Prison?"

   There was a hint of confusion in the woman's eyes, but she didn't bother much about this issue.

   It was obvious that she didn't care that much about Blake's final fate.

   The man would occasionally bring back some money, but he would never be lavish on her.

  If this meal ticket is gone, she has to make plans for tomorrow as soon as possible.

   This situation is not uncommon in the slums, not everyone can show the courage to look directly at hell, and relying on the strong is also an option.

   "Ask any questions."

   She put her legs on her knees, leaned slightly against the shabby sofa, and looked at Old Bai who was sitting opposite.

   Lao Bai didn't go around in circles, and put the previous one hundred chips next to the candle.

   "What did he say to you before he left?"

   Mary stretched out **** to hold the chip, and said with her red lips.

"He said we were going to make a fortune and had a generous client who gave him a large amount of money for the advance deposit alone. He also said that he had deposited the money in the bank and would take me with him when the commission was completed. Go and live inside the giant wall."

   When she said this, she didn't have any longing in her eyes, after all, her ears would have calluses when she heard those words.

   That guy can't save any money and can't stand life in the city.

   But the man in front of her gave her the opportunity to live a good life.

   "Did he mention who the client is?" Lao Bai continued to ask.

"A man named Bit is an old acquaintance of his. He lives in an apartment on 71st Street in Boulder City. The rent there is not cheap. I heard that he has 2,000 chips a month." When she said this, Mary's eyes A trace of envy floated up.

   "Have you seen that bit?"

"Of course, completely different from the rude Blake, he is a polite man, not only has a gentle manner, but also has clear eyes, and is said to help the big people in the city to do business. If only that guy could learn from him, we don't have to Live in a stinky ditch."

  Mary couldn't help complaining, while Lao Bai silently wrote down the clue.

   It seems that Blake wasn't quite telling the truth.

   He and the man named Bit didn't meet by chance, and they didn't meet at any Pirate's Cove tavern at all.

   In addition, Lao Bai sent a message to Fang Chang in the city and asked him to go to the apartment on 71st Street.

   But unexpectedly, Fang Chang didn't reply to his news?

  Look at this guy is not offline...

   Laobai's expression is a little weird.

   After waiting for a while, he guessed that there was something wrong with Fang Chang, so he sent the message to another teammate who was still online.

   The news came back very quickly this time.

  【Kidney Fighter: Received! I'll go check it out! 】

  【Old Bai: Confirm the target location first, be careful not to startle the snake. 】

  【Kidney Fighter: Understand! 】

   Hope he really understands.

   Withdrew his index finger from the screen, and Lao Bai looked at the woman sitting opposite the candlelight.

   "...Do you understand what business that bit is doing?"

"He seemed to have said..." With her index finger on her chin, Mary thought for a while, "Arms? I remember he said that southern farmers need heavy machine guns to deal with rough-skinned mutants, and large-caliber weapons are there. Very popular."

   There was a hint of surprise in Lao Bai's eyes.

   Was it an arms dealer who attacked them?

   This is the most unlikely thing.

   "...Could it be a giant stone military worker?"

   Killing Dagger, who came down from the second floor, happened to hear it.

   Looking at the translation on the VM, he exchanged glances with the dog thing who was walking out of the door next to him.

   "This is incredible...hh, but it doesn't make sense logically," the dog muttered, confused, "I heard that the negotiation between the new alliance and Boulder City is not a concession on the arms sale?"

   Killer nodded with a subtle expression.

   "...I heard that too."

  The weapons of the new alliance no longer enter the market of Stone City, and Dawn City does not prohibit the weapons of Stone City.

   In exchange, Boulder City opened up markets in other areas, and gave each other preferential tariffs with Dawn City.

  Anyone has reason to resent them, but the arms dealers in Boulder have no reason to hate them.

   He couldn't help thinking in his heart, if only Elder Fang were here.

   That guy has a lot of crooked guts, and he can definitely analyze a bunch of fallacies.

   "...Who is that big man? Is it a giant stone military engineer?" Lao Bai didn't interrupt, staring at the woman in front of him and continued to ask.

  Mary looked blank.

   "I don't know... maybe?"

  Time passed by, and before you knew it, the candle had already burned out.

  According to the information listed on the VM, Lao Bai then asked a lot of questions, and it was completely dark outside the window.

   "...I already understand the basic situation, thank you for your cooperation." Lao Bai reached out and clicked on the VM, turning off the dim light of the screen.

   "Is it over?" Mary's expression was slightly lost.

   Laobai nodded.

   "Well, if there is a need, I will contact you again."

  Reluctant to just give up, she didn't get up to see off the guests, but looked out the window.

   "Look, it's already dark outside. If you enter the city after seven o'clock, you will have to pay twice the city tax... If you don't mind, you can stay here for one night and go back after dawn."

   That voice seemed to carry some kind of hint, or an invitation.

   Lao Bai was slightly stunned.

  This game…

Is    really suitable for all ages?

   Intuition tells him that whether he chooses yes or no at this time, it will not affect the story behind the game.

   Just like what he had chosen in The Witcher 3.

but……

   Will there be a black screen skipping here?

   At this time, a knock on the door from outside broke the suddenly ambiguous atmosphere in the living room.

   "...80% of them are the drinking buddies of that bastard, I'll go take a look."

   Hearing the sound from outside, Mary muttered and got up from the sofa.

   At this moment, she suddenly noticed the old white sitting on the sofa, her expression was a little embarrassed, and she whispered.

   "...Well, can I trouble you not to make a sound?"

  Although Black probably won't be able to come back, if she can't leave here immediately, she still has to take care of some face.

   This also makes it easier for her to find a home.

   Lao Bai nodded, showing understanding, and gave the two teammates not far away a look, signaling them to avoid it.

  Mary breathed a sigh of relief, twisted her graceful body, and reluctantly walked to the door.

  The sound of turning the doorknob came, and then the door creaked open, and it seemed very quiet amid the shaking candles.

   There was a voice coming from the door, but I couldn't hear it clearly.

  Old Bai took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

   However, at this moment, a loud "bang" made him bounce off the sofa reflexively, and at the same time clenched the submachine gun hidden under his clothes.

   The gun went off more than once.

   By the time he arrived at the door, Mary had fallen in a pool of blood, her body was filled with bullet holes, and the entrance was scarlet.

   The two men standing at the door were stunned, apparently not expecting that there were other people in the room.

   The man holding the pu-9 submachine gun immediately aimed the smoking muzzle at Lao Bai.

   However, Lao Bai was obviously one step ahead of him, and the dagger that came out of his hand directly pierced his forehead.

  The huge kinetic energy lifted the muzzle, and a chug shuttle swept the ceiling.

  Old Bai stepped forward, stretched out his hand and pulled the dead man with the dagger in his head into the room along with the living one, and kicked the door.

  The corridor was pitch black, and the ground was covered in sticky blood.

   The man who was caught by his neck was completely frightened and said with a trembling trembling voice.

   "Don't, don't kill me... I, I am also under orders, if I knew that you were still alive, I would definitely not dare to swim in this muddy water.

   He apparently mistook Old White for Black.

   Brother Killer and Brother Dog, who heard the gunshots, also rushed out of the room and looked at the two corpses on the ground with surprise written on their faces.

"what's the situation?!"

   "Old Bai, are you alright?"

   Why did you suddenly fight?

"fine."

   Lao Bai pressed the man to the ground and aimed the submachine gun at the back of his head.

   "You, you're not Blake?" the man pleaded in a trembling voice, incoherently, "Don't... don't kill me, please, the door is so dark, I can't see anything."

   "Who sent you here?" Lao Bai said solemnly.

   The man said tremblingly.

   "Our eldest... He said that the Awakened who lived on our street screwed up and offended the people who shouldn't, he asked us to come here to clean up..."

  The street outside was quiet.

  Every household closed their doors and windows, and not a single one came out to watch the fun.

  Old Bai noticed the tattoo on the neck of the man he was pressing under him.

   That pattern looks like a dagger.

   He didn't care about the gang, let alone the dagger gang.

   A more savage and cruel predator than this group of villains, he killed three figures at least in Xizhou City.

   What really surprised him was the **** of the entire city by that huge military-industrial group...

   Whether it is inside the giant wall or outside the giant wall.

   Every part seems to revolve around a core hidden beneath the surface of the water.

  Those people can decide the life and death of everyone, even a group of people, just like manipulating chess pieces.

   and without any hiding.

  Old Bai suddenly and unexpectedly discovered that there might not be any real order here.

   or civilization.

   The lights inside the giant wall are bright, maybe it is darker than the wasteland outside the giant wall...

   Seeing the silent voice behind him, the man seemed to be wrong, thinking that the man behind him was weighing whether it was worth offending the Dagger Gang for a woman.

  Thinking of this, he wisely lowered his voice.

"...Friend, the light here is very poor, I didn't see your face, if you let me go, I'll say that the unlucky guy who shot you was stabbed in the head by that woman... Our boss won't bother this."

   "...But if we both explained it here, this matter will definitely not be the end of it."

   Old Bai didn't quite understand the first sentence, but the latter sentence did.

   He laughed.

   "Good guy... was threatened."

   Lao Bai stretched out his hand to lift the man, turned the face to himself, and said with a smile.

   "Now you see clearly."

   The man's face was pale, and his eyes were filled with horror.

   Just when he thought he would be silenced, he was thrown to the ground.

   "It's time to withdraw."

   Lao Bai didn't look at the man again.

   and his teammates next to him made a gesture and walked out of the **** house.

   At this moment, the screen of the VM on his arm flickered slightly.

  【Kidney Fighter: I arrived at the destination, but the apartment was separated by guards... There were a lot of people surrounding it, and I heard that there was a murder. 】

   Not very surprised, Lao Bai typed back a message.

   [80% of people are already cold, you come back first, see you later in the save point. 】

  【Kidney Fighter: OK】

   took a look at the square icon, and since he hasn't replied to his message yet, Lao Bai can't help but be a little worried.

   I'll be offline later and ask.

  …

  After Lao Bai and his party left, Blake's home.

   The man who found himself unexpectedly alive struggled to get up from the ground.

   He felt that except for his trousers, the rest of his body was cold.

"Oh shit……"

   He cursed, vented his fear in swear words, and limped towards the door.

  The door opens.

   A cool breeze blew on his face.

   For a moment, he felt so good to be alive.

   At this moment, a group of people appeared in his sight.

   Looking at the man at the head, a trace of surprise appeared in the man's eyes, a pleasing smile appeared on his face, and he greeted him in three steps.

   "...Master West, why are you here?"

   The man in front of him is the boss's confidant, and he is also the leader of the street.

   West glanced at the door behind him and frowned.

"What happened?"

  The man immediately told the truth about what happened just now, and even added fuel to it.

  West listened quietly, suddenly a question.

   "Do you remember what that person looked like?"

   "Remember! Of course I remember!"

The    man nodded quickly, with excitement flashing in his eyes, and said fiercely, "I can recognize that face even if it is burnt to ashes. As long as I see him again, I will definitely recognize him!"

  Wade nodded, glanced at the men standing beside him, then turned and left.

  The quiet night was broken by a gunshot.

   Not long after, Black's house caught fire, engulfing the three bodies.

at the same time.

   Town Hall in the outer city.

  The light is on in the conference room.

  Dulong faced his staff with high spirits, and vividly described the genius plan about the 200 million chip loan.

   Deputy Director Jaeger's face was filled with confusion.

   He didn't know what the madness was going on in front of him, let alone what ecstasy soup the group of gophers poured into this guy.

   But if you ask him to pick a problem with this plan, he really can't think of it for a while.

   After all, such a thing has never happened in the past two hundred years.

  Melvin, the head of the bank sitting at the table, frowned constantly and loosened his brows.

   He also had concerns in his heart, but he couldn't ignore the temptation of that cake.

   A loan of 200 million chips...

  Although it is not without risks, it is much safer than lending money to traders and mercenaries.

   After a long time, he nodded.

   "...though there is no such precedent before."

   "But that sounds like a good idea."

   (end of this chapter)