This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 580.1: Escalating Conflict

Dawn City, Alliance Tower.

Sitting on the sofa in the reception room, Yi Chuan lifted his right sleeve, glanced at the time projected on his wrist, then pulled the fabric back down.

It was midnight.

He could be certain that in this newly completed tower, barely two months old, the only light still burning at this hour was in the reception room where he sat.

The thought that his colleagues were deep in sleep while he was still burdened with work made him yawn involuntarily. By all reason, it was hardly a time suited for discussions.

Yet, as the representative of Silver Wing Corporate Group and Enterprise’s ambassador to the New Alliance, listening to the voice of the New Alliance’s leadership was part of his duty.

So even though the timing was inconvenient, when he received the summons from the Administrator’s Office, he still dressed quickly and rushed over.

Of course, if after all his hurrying the esteemed administrator only wished to discuss something trivial, like subsidies for teachers, timelines for public schools, or a budget for runway repairs, then Yi Chuan would have sharp words to say.

If it turned out to be that sort of matter, he would complain to no end.

The thought made a smile tug at his lips.

On a personal level, he rather liked the man.

Though in New Alliance affairs that fellow was always calculating, never letting a chance to profit slip by, in private he was quite straightforward and easy to get along with.

Perhaps that was just human duality.

But it was precisely because of this that each time Yi Chuan met him in such a formal setting, he had to remain on full alert.

One careless slip, and he might find himself falling into a trap set by that man.

Just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside.

Yi Chuan, lost in thought, instinctively straightened his posture. When the knock came, he cleared his throat. "Please, come in."

The door opened and Chu Guang stepped in wearing casual clothes.

"Forgive me for disturbing you at this hour, but this is an urgent matter... I hope you understand that we had no choice but to bypass normal procedures to meet with you."

Closing the door behind him, he crossed the room and sat on the sofa opposite.

Seeing Chu Guang without his exoframe, Yi Chuan felt a flicker of surprise, he had half thought the armor was part of the man’s body.

Clearly, he had also just gotten out of bed.

The thought that he wasn’t the only one dragged from sleep to work made Yi Chuan feel a little better.

"I understand. Urgency calls for exception. Then, may I ask... what is so urgent?"

Chu Guang did not answer immediately. Instead, he produced a memory card, placed it on the table, and slid it across.

Frowning at the nail-sized chip, Yi Chuan asked, "This is...?"

Chu Guang spoke solemnly. "This cannot be explained in a few words. To avoid any misunderstanding, before we begin our discussion, I ask that you review this material first."

"..."

Yi Chuan shot him a doubtful look.

Urged on by Chu Guang’s gaze, he eventually asked nothing further. He took a folded pair of holographic glasses from his breast pocket, flicked them open, and set them on his nose. Then he slotted the memory card into the frame’s port.

A green light blinked. Data streamed across the lenses, filling his vision with dense patterns of light.

As he skimmed the material, Yi Chuan’s expression grew increasingly complex.

The origins of the Qi Tribe traced back to a Biological Research Institution of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee’s Technological Department in the Among Clouds Province, over a century and a half ago.

The first Mutant Humans to reach Brocade Lake Municipality were actually researchers from the Complete Human project team.

Their arrival had directly caused the fall of Singularity City.

From the perspective of an Ideal City citizen, seeing it for himself was deeply unpleasant.

For the Enterprise, that incident a century and a half ago was undeniably a black mark.

Even if the breakup of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee was not solely one faction’s fault, it was a fact that the Production Department had lit the fuse.

To that very day, Ideal City historians still argued that the Among Clouds Province Revitalization Act and its crude enforcement bore inescapable blame.

Though Ideal City had already reflected on that history, neither prettifying it nor burying it, the sudden surfacing of new evidence was still unwelcome.

Especially now, when they had resolved to inherit the spirit of those who had died in the Pioneer and boldly step out of Ideal City to correct a century of mistakes.

Tapping the side of his frame, Yi Chuan’s eye glinted through the reflected lens. He looked at Chu Guang with disbelief. "These... Are these true?"

Chu Guang nodded. "I cannot guarantee the intelligence is 100% accurate, but I can assure you it is based on impartial, objective investigation."

The data came not only from player reports gathered on the official forums, but also from his own Guard Corps’ investigations around Brocade Lake Municipality.

Yi Chuan leaned back and sighed, "Honestly, I was shocked. I don’t even know how to comment. Personally, I would prefer to believe there are misunderstandings here. After all, this is only an investigative report, many of its claims come from unverified rumors. I have not seen hard evidence in this material."

His words were cautious. He neither endorsed nor rejected the report, leaving himself room to maneuver.

After a pause, Yi Chuan continued, "From the standpoint of the Highest Council, we regret what happened 150 years ago. But this is not the council’s work. Our authority is to reflect the collective will, and what that will means is perhaps better left to scholars and the public to debate."

"If your purpose today is to ask our opinion of this report, then my opinion is... you should call a press conference, not me."

Seeing Yi Chuan so guarded, Chu Guang could guess easily enough, this fellow assumed he was once again trying to wring concessions, and so had put up his defenses from the start.

As if I’m really that petty...

Chu Guang made a helpless expression and said patiently, "You misunderstand. I’m not here to pressure you with this report, nor to demand compensation on behalf of survivors in Brocade Lake Municipality... We don’t presume to speak for others. What we want to discuss isn’t the past, it’s the present."

"The... present?" Yi Chuan blinked, confusion filling his mind.

The report looked like nothing but old debts.

Chu Guang nodded. "A century and a half ago, the Production Department struck the Technological Department’s Biological Research Institution in Among Clouds Province. The Complete Human project team fled with data, and many of the Mutant Humans in the wasteland today trace back to that incident."

Yi Chuan cut him off angrily, "That’s a biased claim! The West Coast’s Wislander Labs were also facilities for Project Complete Human, and the Army controlled research long before we did!"

"I’m not denying our faults, but to say Mutant Humans were created by us is reckless! The truth is, we’ve been exterminating those beasts for over a century, half our bullets have been fired at Mutant Humans!"

"I know. Please, hear me out." Chu Guang pressed on calmly. "Of course we know the project wasn’t limited to one facility. Apart from those run by the Enterprise, the Army, and the Academy, there were likely private research sites as well. That explains the many breeds of Mutant Humans."

"If it were just mad scientists in shelters tinkering with test tubes, even if dangerous, the risk was at least controllable. But now, some lunatics have spent 20 years secretly expanding the experiment, advancing it by any means necessary."

Yi Chuan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Chu Guang placed a stylus on the table, swiped his finger across its blue beam, and several holograms floated up.

That was drone footage. There was also player combat footage from helmet cams.

All relayed back before the Seagull drone was hijacked by the Torch Church’s electronic warfare.

Yi Chuan’s throat bobbed as he saw twisted faces and endless tides of the walking dead. "What is this... Are those Crunchers?"

"Nope. There’s no doubt about it. They were living people. Now, they’re half-dead." Chu Guang pointed and continued, "Have you ever seen a Cruncher wearing clothes?"

Yi Chuan said nothing, eyes locked on the images.

Chu Guang continued, "This settlement is called Pinecone Ranch. The Torch Church seized it. Using a hallucinogenic fungal crop called Na Fruit. They turned the residents into puppets to aid their experiment of Project Complete Human."

"You call this an experiment?!" Yi Chuan gulped. "What kind of experiment is this?"

Chu Guang shook his head. "Sadly, I don’t know. We tried to investigate, but our people were trapped the moment they went in. We fell into a trap laid by those fanatics. We had thought their alliance with Mutant Humans was about harnessing their combat power. But it’s clear now, all of it is to advance the project itself."

"Torch... you mean that Torch? Do they link to the Enlightenment Society?" Yi Chuan muttered.

Chu Guang thought for a moment before he replied, "I doubt it. Their difference is like wasteland Mutant Humans of the desert versus those of the east coast. One is an extension of the old Federation’s Project Torch, designed for extreme contingencies. The other was likely inspired by it."

"They share a belief that the world must be destroyed, not mended. But their methods differ. One seeks to use pre-war neutron annihilation technology. The other bets on unfinished singularity technology, replacing old humanity with new humanity, step by step rebooting the world."

Even the most extreme ideals split into moderate reformists and radical revolutionaries.

The Enlightenment Society was the radical one. They outright denied wastelanders the right to exist.

Yet in outcome, the elitists were ironically more conservative, still imagining a human-led society ruled by chosen elites.

The Torch Church was different.

They wanted a true species-level ascension, a complete leap from old human shells into new ones.

Old humans might live in their utopia, but only as livestock without rights.

Only the chosen new humans would live there as gods.

The Spirit Interference Device was prepared for that goal.

In the old days, breaking down minds required endless propaganda. They needed Mr. House-like broadcasts, and a whole apparatus of manipulation. It was both expensive and hard to achieve.