This Game Is Too Real-Chapter 762: Turning Point in the Southern Front

Zhang Ruowen had never imagined that within the short span of just five minutes when their sonar system was paralyzed, ten steel King Crabs had climbed onto the deck of the destroyer.

Although the Reefs destroyer was well-armed, its 150mm naval gun couldn’t possibly fire on itself.

The point defense system and torpedo launchers were just as useless against the "King Crabs" standing on the deck.

Looking at the 20mm gun barrel pointing straight at the bridge, Zhang Ruowen knew the defeat was inevitable. He didn’t continue with any meaningless resistance and led the officers and soldiers aboard to surrender.

They would be sent to the prison on Anle Island, where they awaited trial by law.

Watching the South Sea Union sailors board the deck to disarm them, Zhang Ruowen remained silent for a while before addressing the massive steel crab standing on the deck.

"May I ask a question?"

Having captured such a large ship, Midnight Chicken Killing couldn’t hide his pleasure and promptly replied.

"Go ahead."

Zhang Ruowen continued,

"How did you manage to approach us in such a short time?"

He was well aware of the Union’s King Crab armor. The North Federation’s staff department had conducted detailed studies on the Union’s equipment and even developed adhesive bombs specifically designed to counter individual armors based on Union frogman tactics.

From what he understood, the Union’s "King Crabs" only had maneuverability and not cruising speed, especially underwater where they could barely swim faster than the Variant Humans.

The sea area here was not just vast—if it were said that they had been lying in ambush under their ship from the beginning, that would seem too coincidental. Besides, at such proximity, even the best camouflage would be detected by sonar.

There was only one possibility: they had waited silently in areas with poor sonar detection accuracy and then quickly advanced near the Reefs destroyer after the EMP strike.

However, with their speed, that was absolutely impossible.

Zhang Ruowen couldn’t fathom the answer.

But Midnight Chicken Killing smiled and said,

"What’s so hard about that? Just make a big underwater propulsion device, grab hold of that thing, and you’re all set."

They had run into a similar problem during their last encounter with the Variant Humans outside Coral City.

Because the King Crab’s underwater cruising speed was so slow, once separated from the ships, they could only wait to be retrieved by friendly forces and couldn’t evacuate from the battlefield or move quickly on their own.

If they were to equip the King Crab with a large propeller, it would make the entire suit too bulky.

The Union’s Logistics Department, responding to players’ needs, put out a tender to industrial circles seeking a solution.

Goblin Technology won the bid, and Mosquito Brother solved the problem with just 10,000 silver coins.

The method was simple: take a large battery and a propeller, shape it like a firework, and the King Crab just had to hold onto it.

When fighting, they would just toss it aside, and once the fight was over, they would pick it up and move on—an economical and practical solution.

After hearing the Union’s method, Zhang Ruowen was stunned for a moment, then a wry smile appeared on his face.

"So that’s how it is."

It wasn’t a complex method at all; rather, he had overcomplicated the matter.

They had not lost this battle unfairly.

"Speaking of which, I also have a question for you." Looking at the bitter-smiling captain, Midnight Chicken Killing suddenly said.

Zhang Ruowen: "What’s the question?"

Midnight Chicken Killing glanced in the direction of Shazhou Island, where plumes of smoke were slowly rising along the coastline—the aftermath of the 150mm naval gun bombardment.

However, upon closer examination, the shells had not hit the city itself but had exploded next to it.

"Did you deliberately miss?"

Zhang Ruowen was silent for a long time before he slowly said,

"After all, the people living there are my compatriots."

...

While the entire crew of the Reefs surrendered, the battle on Shazhou Island was nearing its end.

The last hundred Mutants wearing special exoskeletons were trapped in a can factory on the outskirts. They relied on the walls of the factory for cover, and the situation of offense and defense had reversed.

A trace of panic finally broke through the stern expressions on their faces.

One ear-missing Mutant, gasping for breath, approached their leader and said in a low, breathy voice.

"Boss, these humans, they are tough to deal with."

The one referred to as boss also had a heavy expression, with thick chunks of flesh and blood clinging to his solid chestplate, some belonging to himself and some left behind by the humans.

Before boarding the landing ship, Charles told them the island was filled with weaklings—they could do as they pleased once they landed, for as long as they desired.

However, after landing on the beach, they realized things were not as simple as they had thought.

The islanders were no less formidable than the ones they had encountered in the northern mountains, even more fierce and cruel, and better trained!

They needed only three people to block a street, and three squads could surround their hundred-man team. But the Mutants who came ashore were like headless flies on the streets, neither finding the human females nor seeing the weaklings Charles spoke of.

"What do we do now?" a Mutant muttered with an indescribable panic in his voice.

Just as the atmosphere of fear permeated with silence, a black iron can the size of a soda can was thrown in through the window, clanging as it rolled on the ground.

Before the Mutants could react, the can erupted in a blinding red flame, spewing dazzling sparks and dense white smoke.

Memories of fear surged instantly through their brains, and their faces twisted in horror.

Incendiary bombs!

They seem to have returned to the cave on Ten Peaks Mountain!

Those guys... are people from the Alliance!

At the same time they were astonished, the crackling of gunfire and more incendiary bombs came killing in along with the bursting flames!

The flames of war ignited instantaneously!

Dense explosion arrow rounds rained down like droplets on the mutants inside the factory, stirring up a whirlwind of bloodshed.

"ROAR!!"

A Mutant Centurion let out an angry roar and fired a grenade launcher toward the entrance.

The thick smoke and shrapnel from the explosion engulfed the person who had entered.

A trace of ecstasy spread across its face, but before it could bellow in excitement, a towering figure strode through the smoke, stepping into the factory door.

The figure was clad in a streamlined suit of power armor, holding a massive bomb gun, exuding a fearsome killing intent and fierceness.

Even through a layer of helmet visor, it could feel the threat of death conveyed by the gaze.

It opened its mouth, attempting to use its roar to dispel the fear in its chest, but as soon as it opened its mouth, an explosion arrow that flew straight at it poured into its cheeks.

"BANG!!!"

The burst of flesh and brain matter was smeared on the wall by the metal jet that penetrated the skull.

The man who had effortlessly killed it then aimed at the next target, pulled the trigger and fired, providing cover for his comrades to advance into the factory.

"...It’s head’s not coming back; it’s not one of those mutants from Broken Blade Mountain. This is a regular variant."

"Whatever it is, just kill it and it’s done!"

"Purge the factory area, leave none alive."

"Roger!"

Old White, clad in Dragon Rider Power Armor, personally led eleven players donned in "Xiaguang" power armor into the paper mill.

The roar of the bomb gun echoed within the factory, along with the mutants’ angry roars and wails.

The battle of twelve against a hundred had no suspense, an absolute slaughter.

The Alliance has always taken no prisoners with mutants, so there was no holding back whatsoever.

After a futile resistance, the last squad of a hundred was also annihilated.

After the battle on the island concluded, Old White also received good news from Brother Chicken; sailors from Anle Island had taken speedboats to board the Reefs destroyer.

According to the retrieved communication terminal cache data, the Anle Island fleet had successfully locked on to the location of the North Island fleet, syncing it with the Alliance air force while pushing up all three attack nuclear submarines.

The two Thunder Aircraft that had just landed at Potato Harbor took to the skies again, flying towards the coordinates provided by the Anle Island fleet, ready to provide laser guidance for Ring Island’s roadbed missile launchers.

However, unfortunately, the enemy had not foolishly stayed in the same place waiting for the Alliance’s aircraft and submarines to arrive, having moved position early on.

Considering that the old coordinates might be new "bait," General Li Minghui, after communication with the Alliance’s front-line command, ultimately gave up on the pursuit and pulled back the three submarines.

After all, those three submarines are the strongest card of the South Sea Union, and they cannot afford a single mistake.

Plus, the spoils of this battle were already rich enough. Besides the cargo ship turned landing craft, they had even successfully captured a Federation destroyer; there was no need to be greedy for more battle results.

Now, the North Federation only had four vessels left – one battleship, one cruiser, and two destroyers.

The South Sea Union, on the other hand, had one cruiser and four destroyers, and also three attack nuclear submarines.

With the submersible carrier soon to be complete and the "railgun nemesis" – the Meissner effect armor – about to be equipped on cruisers, it wouldn’t be long before they could plan a final decisive battle, to completely kick Charles and his lackeys out of the Southern sea area, no need to expend their strength right now.

After the battle was completely over, Fang Chang led people to the island’s center to soothe those unwilling residents, while Old White and his army brothers cleaned up the battlefield.

A total of 10 players died in the battle, 2 seriously wounded, 20 lightly wounded.

The lost equipment included 14 "Type Five" exoskeletons and four "Type 6" exoskeletons.

As for the power armors, they only had some minor scuffs, not even requiring repair.

Objectively speaking, the exoskeletons designed by the North Federation for mutants did have some tenacity, at least much stronger than the "I reckon armors" that the mutants knocked out for themselves.

"Damn... this caliber must be 20 millimeters." Picking up a rifle from the ground, only as tall as an average person, Killer Dagger used his thumb to gauge the barrel’s diameter and couldn’t help but click his tongue.

The gun, while still resembling an assault rifle and with a classic housing structure – even stamped metal parts – clearly could no longer be considered a gun; just in terms of caliber and power, it had reached the category of a "cannon."

Receiving the "big gun" handed over by Brother Shabi, Kidney Fighter played with it in his hands, then leaned it and the other captured weapons against the wall.

"Except for the mutants themselves, probably only Strength Type beasts could handle this thing."

"But what I’m actually more interested in is their exoskeleton..." Squatting next to a mutant’s corpse, [All the good names are taken by dogs] stared at the steel plate hanging on the guy.

The two-finger-thick armor steel plate made up its breastplate, and facing the explosion arrows from the bomb gun, this guy actually took four shots head-on!

As for the other pockmarked and unpenetrated areas, they seemed to be the traces left by rifle and machine gun bullets.

Clearly, the majority of the bullets that hit the mutant’s chest were blocked, and this was also the reason they could charge into the city under the gunfire on the beach.

If it were Aquatic Variant Humans or the Grey Wolf Army of the West Winds Empire, they’d probably be dead before even touching the shore.

In fact, from the moment the Alliance’s transport plane made a priority landing and was deployed, the outcome of this battle was already sealed.

On the shoreline.

Forty Iron Crabs lurking around the coastline gradually crawled onto the beach.

From his amphibious individual armor, Midnight Chicken Killing jumped out and strode toward the direction of the city district; his fully steel-plated figure startled the guards who were helping to clean up the battlefield, thinking that the mutants had returned.

This guy was much more exaggerated than the mutants—probably only his head wasn’t made of iron.

Victory was like a bumper harvest, brother," he said with a wide grin, looking at the military equipment piled up on the ground.

Old White, having unlocked the visor of his power armor helmet, gave him a frustrated expression.

"It’s all a bunch of junk, those pieces of equipment ordinary people can’t handle at all," said the Killer Dagger, touching his chin thoughtfully.

"Making a fixed mount should be no problem, but the ammunition is different from our 20mm rounds...hiss, thinking about it, it really is a bit useless."

All the good names had been taken by dogs, nodded in agreement.

"The most valuable things are those batteries in the exoskeletons, though it’s also solid hydrogen storage, the battery they designed has an energy density much higher than the models we currently have in service."

Ground Model: "Damn, the equipment used by the mutants is even better than ours!"

Picheng Paratrooper: "Traitor! Damn traitor!"

Xiao Xiaosha Chong: "...That way of putting it sounds strange."

While the players were figuring out how to recycle these spoils of war, Fang Chang, in the very center of the island, also saw those survivors setting up tents.

The Overlord Transport Aircraft dropped tents, sleeping bags, and other life necessities that had already been prepared onto the island.

More than seventy thousand residents urgently evacuated into a few square kilometers of land, tents crammed together, with the entire open space so crowded no roads were visible, and almost no place to stand.

Due to the lack of meticulous planning and preparation in advance, the chief of the guard bureau, Du Men, was overwhelmed. He could only lead his men to put out fires everywhere, but all the hustle still resulted in chaos.

Fortunately, the friends from the Alliance arrived, and only then was the situation here stabilized.

Listening to the distant sounds of artillery and gunfire, as well as the crying of babies and the loud and messy quarrels in the camp, the faces of the survivors were filled with unease and panic.

Finally, when the sounds of artillery and gunfire had subsided, some people began to get up, wanting to return home.

At the entrance to the refugee area, a group of survivors walked up to the checkpoint and asked the guards and the soldiers of the Alliance stationed there.

"Sir, has the war ended? When can we go home?"

"My baby needs a diaper change, and needs to be fed, there’s no place for that here..."

"Damn it, someone took a dump in my tent!"

Seeing several guards beside the checkpoint looking helplessly towards him, Fang Chang sighed and raised his right arm to shout.

"Quiet, quiet! Please listen to me!"

The voice from the helmet speaker drowned out the noisy sounds and subdued the clamorous crowd.

Once the raucous noise subsided, Fang Chang continued to speak in a patient tone.

"The war has ended, but we can’t let you immediately return home—"

"Why?!" he was cut off by an anxious voice before he finished speaking.

It was a mother holding a child, dressed in pajamas with messy hair, clearly rushed out from her home during the evacuation.

The baby nestled in her arms cried with a yi yi ya ya sound, whether from hunger or being frightened by the earlier gunfire.

Understanding her feelings at this moment, Fang Chang patiently continued to speak.

"This is for your safety, those guys are man-eating mutants; they have no intention of conducting a public security operation against you, they start off with looting, burning, and killing. In the battle, they naturally would disregard the methods."

"We need to clear the explosives left in the city, especially some anti-infantry mines and unexploded grenades... those guys do not maintain their weapons well, those things are toys for us, but they are indeed deadly for you. Just a small mistake can send your whole family away, are you sure you want to go back now?"

His words half said, the scene had already quieted down completely, and no one interrupted him anymore.

The people here were after all well-educated; though not as meek and manageable as the survivors of Jin Galun Harbor, they were still reasonable.

After all, no one wants to joke with their own and their family’s lives.

Whether it was the mother anxious to feed her child or the survivors who argued for a tent exchange, they all quieted down.

Of course, their demands still existed. Solving these issues was exactly what Du Men and the other guards should be doing.

Fang Chang paused for a moment, then continued to say.

"In addition, we must confirm that no straggling mutants are hiding in any buildings in the city. You wouldn’t want to come home just to see a big surprise, would you? Alright, everyone go back to your tents, we will solve your issues one by one."

Under his persuasion, the crowd gathered at the checkpoint eventually dispersed, and the guards standing at the checkpoint finally let out a sigh of relief.

The night seemed to return to silence once more.

Looking in the direction of the city and at the thick smoke on the outskirts of the city, the guards standing at the checkpoint couldn’t help but remember the past.

The era of Shelter No. 70 didn’t seem so bad.

Although most of the power and wealth were in the hands of the residents of Shelter No. 70, at least at that time, they were without worries about food and clothing, unlike now not only living without water and electricity but also being involved in a war that wasn’t their own.

The young guard couldn’t help but mutter a complaint in a low voice.

"Why... why do bad things always follow us; is it wrong for us just wanting to live our own lives?"

Fang Chang, who happened to hear the complaint, thought for a moment before saying offhand.

"That’s normal, because... you don’t care."

The guard was stunned, looking at him puzzled, unable to understand why he would say such a thing.

How could they possibly not care.

They cared about their destiny more than anyone else, whether drafting that shared constitution or now taking up arms for it.

Charles wanted to move the North Island troops to Shazhou Island to replace them in protecting their families, and they stepped forward without even thinking.

However, that person continued to speak.

"... whether it’s Charles or Li Minghui, as long as the stability on Shazhou Island isn’t affected, it doesn’t matter... am I right? Before you finally started to feel the pain, all of you were thinking this way, weren’t you?"

"Actually, from your own perspective, choosing your constitution or Charles both seem like viable paths; the difference is only whether you hold fate in your own hands or entrust it to someone you trust. Both choices are actually not wrong, but the problem is that you are indifferent to your own fate, whatever it is... Since that’s the case, you’ll have to be prepared for the hardship of indifference."

Obviously, the survivors of the Southern sea area were not as resilient as those from Poluo Province; Charles only had to lift a finger, and they couldn’t stand it.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Intuitively, enduring hardship seems more difficult than enjoying luxury, with the latter being much easier than the former. However, the reality is that many things are actually "counterintuitive."

"I don’t mean to be facetious; I’m just trying to solve your confusion. I’m glad you could stand with us. We will definitely not let you down, especially since the Manager watches over us all... Besides, cheer up, at least your homes are still there, and you’ll be able to go back in no more than a couple of days."

Looking at the young man who remained silent, Fang Chang comfortingly patted his shoulder, then left the security checkpoint to his team leader and went to deal with other matters.

...

On the "Wasteland OL" Official Website, during peak hours for logging in and out, an unexpected piece of news suddenly updated on the Forum.

[Progress on the Southern Front: The Southern sea area front has completely advanced to the middle of the sea. Southern front players, please keep pushing hard, strive to land on Haiye Province soon, and meet up with players from the Northern front.]

Crow: "Wow... you guys are opening the map way too fast.!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ"

Makabazi: "+1, Crow hasn’t even left Novice Village yet. (slippery)"

Crow: "??? What the hell, I’ve traveled far too, you know?"

tail: "Woah woah woah, Brother Fang Chang is so fast! I feel sorry for Miss Dolly! (✪ω✪)"

Night Ten: "Damn, making a way where there is no road, not bad. (slippery)"

Si Si: "Sorry, my Ah Wei is off his meds again. (o__）"

Fang Chang: "No worries, I don’t care. I’m used to it; nobody roasts me as brilliantly as my brother does. (side-eye)"

Night Ten: "Translation, Fang Chang: I’ve noted this in my little book. (slippery)"

tail: "Big big brother, I was wrong...(||ﾟДﾟ)"

Crow: "Wait, wait, where exactly is Shazhou Island? You guys have the map so big, I’m getting dizzy. T.T"

Old White: "It’s to the northeast of Potato Harbor! About a few hundred nautical miles away, welcome to come play! Just treat it like your own home! (bared teeth)"

Less Bull Pulling the Calf: "Sea fishing map updated, brothers, let’s go!!"

Runaway Mole from the Canyon: "Thirteen islands left eight, on our side, Ten Peaks Mountain has already been cleared, brothers on the Southern line need to push harder. (slippery)"

Midnight Chicken Killing: "Pushing hard, pushing hard. ’ - ω - )"

The breakthrough progress in the Southern sea area expanded the players’ activity area by adding an island.

And on the Forum, discussions not only focused on this newly-named Shazhou Island, but a lot also centered on the battle itself.

In particular, lifestyle players with a background in military technology were especially interested in the performance of the Alliance’s various new equipment in the battle.

Although most of the technology was implemented by Alliance engineers and tech workers, many pieces of equipment still bore the traces of their ingenious ideas.

WC truly has Mosquitos: "This was the Thunder Aircraft’s first combat deployment, right?"

Falling Feather: "??? Holy crap, wasn’t I the first?"

WC truly has Mosquitos: "Yours doesn’t count, your opponents were a bunch of Mutants, what’s the difference between using Thunder and operating W-2? The kill efficiency might not even be as good as W-2!"

Falling Feather: "%￥#@!"

WC truly has Mosquitos: "@Feng Qing @Gui Gui, come out and talk, how do you feel? (suggestive)"

Gui Gui: "Yikes! Why are you using that emoji."

Feng Qing: "Uh... overall, very fast? And indeed, the Plasma Engine is much stabler than a jet engine by a large margin. If you compare them, it’s like the difference between an electric car and a tractor."

Gui Gui: "Indeed! But there seems to be not much difference in top speed? I actually feel like the Lingyun Fighter is a bit faster at its limit."

Falling Feather: "That’s normal, our Plasma Engine is just getting started. It’s just like when steamships first came out and got utterly outclassed by sail; but given time, the gap widens."

Spring Water Commander: "Right, that makes sense. Actually, you also have to consider limitations due to the atmospheric environment. I remember the setting mentioned that the Plasma Engines of the Human Alliance Era were initially developed in outer space, the atmospheric craft only made it to the jet engine stage? Blindly learning from the Human Alliance experience is actually not advisable."

Dinosaur Warrior: "Learning is fine... but what on earth are you trying to do? (sweat)"

WC truly has Mosquitos: "Kids, don’t worry about it, just play your game. (side-eye smile)"

Dinosaur Warrior: "I damn well don’t have a helmet... big brother, I’m a student, can I borrow it to play for a few days? T.T"

WC truly has Mosquitos: "... Yeah, my bad, went too far."

In addition to the Thunder Aircraft, the "Dragon" missile from Huge Rock Military Industry performed exceptionally.

The "Sea Dragon" designed by the engineers of Shelter No. 70, which carried an EMP warhead, managed to knock out the radar and sonar systems of the Reef No. with one hit, creating a crucial opportunity for the Jungle Corps’ capture plan.

Also, this battle was probably the first time since "Wasteland OL" opened that the three branches of the military—naval, land, and air force—worked together in a joint operation!

Although it wasn’t as thrilling as the battle at Ten Peaks Mountain, the equipment used and various tactical and strategic details in the battle were far more numerous.

Not only were the players enjoying themselves, but even Chu Guang, far in the North, expressed his sincere admiration for the brilliance of the entire battle after reading the battle report.

"... Shazhou Island has been captured, if radar stations and missile launchers are deployed on the island, it would further restrict the activity space of the North Island Fleet."

In the captain’s room of the Steel Heart.

After reading the battle report, Chu Guang’s gaze moved to the world map on the wall, where a red dotted line drawn in the middle of the Southern sea area had just been filled in as a solid line.

Just minutes ago, there was also good news from the shipyards of Anle Island, hoping the Alliance Air Force could work with them on testing the "Conch" mother submarine.

The day of the decisive battle was drawing ever closer!