This Game Is Too Real-Chapter 1065 - 1065: Just Do It

[Remaining prison sentence: 232 hours (+168 hours)]
Perhaps to enhance the player's gaming experience, the player-specific prison cells in City of Dawn are quite intelligent, even updating the remaining sentence time on a palm-sized screen.
However, seeing that three-digit remaining time, Professor Yang fell into complete despair.
Why is this prison sentence getting longer and longer?!
Outside the barred gate, a player dressed in a rather avant-garde style was fidgeting with his VM while scratching his head with a bewildered expression.
"...Despite the wall between you, gee, it's amazing how you guys managed to get into a fight."
His ID is [Pig Reads Backward], with a sequence level of just twenty.
Originally, he planned to go to the Wandering Swamp for a quest and had even bought a train ticket, but suddenly received a new player guide commission from the Guard Team.
He didn't expect that he, once a follower behind the elite players, would one day become a high-level player in the eyes of NPCs.
With the thought of "how embarrassing," he immediately accepted this commission which didn't offer much of a reward.
What caught him off guard was encountering two forum celebrities here.
How to put it?
Professor Yang's game image was quite consistent with his long-standing impression of the guy, the sleazy vibe resembling the glasses guy from CS1.6, a buzz cut would make him look even more like him.
As for Lord Arrogant Brother... uh, sister?
If you remove that beastly aura, maybe she's a petite, well-mannered girl.
Could it be a misunderstanding?
"He started it! He... he molested me!" The iron bars clanged loudly, like being run over by a chariot.
Looking askance at Lord Arrogant, her hands gripping the bars, seemingly wanting to squeeze her face through the gaps, Professor Yang, now calm, made a "tsk" sound, the word "disgusted" visibly etched on his face.
[Pig Reads Backward] scratched his head, his index finger tapping the VM twice.
"Really? Even though you say that... the surveillance doesn't show that."
The surveillance in detention is managed by the AI; he's just a player here to help, naturally having no authority to view such things.
However, the incident was updated in text form on the mission interface.
To put it simply, this time Lord Arrogant provoked first, sticking his mouth out of the cell, turning a bend, and spitting towards the adjacent cell.
Of course, Professor Yang throwing a punch isn't exactly innocent either.
The events following roughly included Professor Yang missing his punch, getting his fist caught by Lord Arrogant, who then bit him ferociously.
Ultimately, the AI probably couldn't stand it anymore, called for guards, and added 7×24 hours to each of their sentences.
Seeing his plan thwarted, Lord Arrogant's face turned green.
"Sur-surveillance?! There's surveillance here?!"
[Pig Reads Backward] helplessly spread his hands.
"What's there to be surprised about? You're not the only player on this server; you should have some idea of the outrageous things players can do, right?"
Once upon a time, a prominent figure named Silver Daddy had told him that every brick of this detention center is a lesson from history.
Of course, that includes cameras.
Though it's rare for players over Level 10 to be banned, there's still a certain proportion of banned players during the newbie phase.
Most players gradually become normal after passing the newbie phase.
Even if you don't care about others' gaming experience, you should consider your precious account.
Lord Arrogant's dignity took a hit, his brow twitched, and the hand gripping the barred gate creaked.
"You... you're quite arrogant, aren't you? What's your name? What level are you?"
"Pig Reads Backward."
"Puhaha, how could someone have such a weird name? Pig Reads Backward... reversed is pig... Pah! You knave! How dare you mock me! Believe me, I'll slaughter you!"
"...That's just my name; you're the one insisting on reading it backward."
"@#%&!"
Feeling genuinely annoyed by the noise, Professor Yang sighed deeply, interrupting their conversation.
"Alright, alright, I admit defeat... So, tell me, what task have you been given?"
Level twenty.
For other newbies, this level might be considered elite, but in Professor Yang's eyes, who's clouded for five years, it's no different from children.
It's merely the entry-level of "normal players," not worth his attention yet.
His ambition is to become a top-level T0 player!
[Pig Reads Backward] scratched his head, eyes fixed on the mission interface on the VM screen.
"To put it simply, since your sentence in the cell exceeds 168 hours, the system determines you might misunderstand game rules, so it assigns me to help you integrate into the game world sooner—"
"Hahaha, rules? They're made to be broken!"
Lord Arrogant crossed his arms over his chest, the rebellious look almost making his nostrils point to the sky.
"Just wait until I get out and slaughter you all!"
The guy's attitude sure attracts resentment.
Yet, [Pig Reads Backward] felt she might just be wanting to try out saying this line, so he didn't bother taking her seriously.
"Yeah, yeah, just wait until you get out and slaughter us all. So to leave this place sooner... how about trying the sewing machine?"
Lord Arrogant widened her eyes.
"Ah? Why on earth does Grandpa have to do such a thing?"
[The Pig is chanting in reverse] continued chanting mechanically.
"Bugra City urgently needs relief supplies, including bandages and tents for refugees. You all have been assigned to the production workshop for door curtains. Simply put, it's just putting zippers on two pieces of cloth, sounds simple, right?"
"So why the hell should I do such a thing—"
"You can reduce your sentence, you know."
"I! I! I want to step on it!"
The sturdy iron gate shook as if it had been hit by a Wild boar. Grandpa Ao's face was full of pleading and yearning as he gripped the iron bars.
The face, covered in snot and tears, startled [The Pig is chanting in reverse].
Could it be?
Hasn't he only been in jail for 24 hours...or not even 24 hours?
Most of the real-life detention centers are communal sleeping spaces, while this is at least a single room.
"Well, I'll go ahead and this..."
Ignoring the gaze that looked at him like a life-saving hero, [The Pig is chanting in reverse] turned to Professor Yang, squatting next door, with a hand marked by a line of "dog tooth marks," making his eyebrows twitch slightly.
This guy really bites tough...
"What about you? Is your hand okay?"
"Nothing major, just a small injury."
Seemingly unwilling to admit defeat, Professor Yang stubbornly tossed out those words.
Moving his neck, he warmed up by stretching his arms and legs, displaying a charmingly sinister smile.
"Just consider it a test from the Manager to me. It doesn't matter if it's a sewing machine or sand from the reservoir, bring it all!"
He will eventually step all of this under his feet!
This path to conquest—
Might as well start by stomping the sewing machine.
"Forget it… everyone goes through this phase." [The Pig is chanting in reverse] coughed, retracting his clenched toes, hurriedly opening the cell door for the two, "You two follow me closely, don't wander off later."
Looking at the two ready to flee at the first opportunity, he kindly added a piece of advice.
"…If you extend your sentence, you'll be serving time in a real prison."
Having barely obtained closed beta access before the public beta, getting sent to an actual prison during this time would mean goodbye to any thoughts of becoming the server's T0, spending a long time playing 'Iron Bars OL' instead.
The two troublemakers calmed down instantly, completely dropping their bad thoughts.
At least for now, neither of them had any other ideas…
…
As Grandpa Ao and Professor Yang pushed the sewing machine to the brink of smoking, the White Bear Knights, dispatched from the City of Dawn, re-arrived at the northernmost part of Central Plains Continent, nearing Molokova City by Ice Sea City.
In this bitterly cold land where the snow reaches the height of a person, rests the smallest Mutated slime fungus mother nest on Earth.
Its name is Momo.
Unlike other mother nests on this planet, it remains thoroughly inactive due to constantly being in a state of hibernation.
Falling Feather big shot had once brought Xiaoyu here with intentions to eliminate it, but eventually abandoned the notion like with the Baiyue Province mother nest.
According to Momo itself, the citizens of Molokova City had already relocated due to climate reasons before its arrival. By the time it awoke, it was already the 50th year post-landing.
Due to the excessively cold climate, it spends most of its time oscillating between half-dream and half-awake, contemplating "Mucor life."
Ultimately, it reached a conclusion—no matter how it evolves, it could never surpass sibling fungi landing near temperate zones, eventually becoming either their nourishment or getting eliminated by humans, hence choosing to give up, leaving world domination ambitions to the others.
With copious free time at disposal, it even developed "art bacteria," in the harsh winter it created its own unique music system and dances for self-amusement.
This was quite unexpected by everyone.
In sum, after confirming its danger level is controllable, the Alliance allowed it to continue living on its territory, replacing the ecosystem of Wandering swamp, which was totally destroyed.
Aside from the mother nest named Momo, there's also a special district jointly established by the Academy and the Alliance here, along with the adjacent "Area 4."
The former is the largest save point the Alliance has in Wandering swamp, while the latter is an industrial base belonging to the Aerospace Committee.
Especially the latter, for a considerably long period, this aerospace industrial base has played a very crucial role within the Academy and the Aerospace Committee's systems.
However, that was long ago.
Following the agreement between the Academy and the Alliance, engineers from Area 4 began relocating south, and this aerospace industrial base's strategic importance gradually got supplanted by the adjacent special district.
A part of the factories began supplying the Lagrange Point Space Station, while the rest of the factories fell into disuse during the production transition phase.
Gazing at the massive icy factory on the street ahead, and the spectacular mountain-like structural materials within the warehouse, the furry Meat Meat couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"These… can't be used anymore?!"
Approximately aged over fifty, the old engineer stood aside, from the corners of his mouth wafted white mist.
"Ah, they can't be used anymore, our head changed his mind, planning to directly build our Doomsday Ark at the Lagrange Point."
Sesame Paste also genuinely expressed admiration.
"It's a shame to let it go to waste like this… Feels too bad."
The tail earnestly nodded.
"Indeed indeed, such a pity!"
Upon hearing the two express regret, the old engineer shrugged indifferently.
"You can think whatever you want; if you feel it's a pity, hurry up and buy them all."
Though outsiders might find it regrettable, he didn't feel the same way at all.
If he had to choose between Dr. Conclusion's grand plan and his family having enough to eat and wear, he would undoubtedly choose the latter.
After all, even if he made the Ark as perfect as paradise, only a small number of people would actually be able to board it in the end.
It's said that there aren't even enough cabins on the Ark for the Academy's own people, let alone the Committee's external personnel.
Compared to that paradise he'll never reach, it's the arduous march on the pilgrimage that he truly feels.
Before the Alliance's special zone was established, he hadn't even tasted beef while he was responsible for building paradise.
Of course.
Now, as the planet enters a new era, it seems fewer people are willing to leave, and suddenly there are enough cabins on the Ark, while the Academy's leadership seems to be troubled by other matters.
But that is, after all, another matter entirely.
For him, once he's done with this factory and what's inside, his mission is over.
"Why not take these things to the Lagrange Point space station for assembly?" Meat Meat asked in confusion.
The old engineer shook his head.
"I don't know. Perhaps it's not cost-effective, and the designs for starships launched from the ground are entirely different from those assembled in near-Earth orbit. It's not as simple as just moving things from the ground up to continue working... I mean, do you intend to buy or not?"
Staring at the items in the warehouse, Si Si cross-referenced them carefully with the list on her tablet.
Stored here are mostly mining module hulls and unfinished reactors, among other things.
Along with the anti-gravity devices ordered from the Eastern Empire and the plasma propulsors purchased from Ah Bu Aerospace, all they would need is a warp engine and a basic life-support cabin to create a starship about the size of an Escort Ship, with basic faster-than-light travel capabilities.
Before arriving at this warehouse, her original plan was to purchase parts and leave, but the situation here was unexpected.
This place is almost like a Lagrange Point space station laid out on the surface!
No—
Not "like," it "is"!
This factory is almost a 1:1 replica of a Lagrange Point space station structure, redesigned for the standard gravity environment as a surface Star Harbor!
No wonder the Academy knows the layout of the Lagrange Point space station so well!
"Incredible... you've replicated a Lagrange Point space station on the surface?"
Surprised to encounter someone who recognized its value, the old engineer raised his eyebrows and uncharacteristically curled his mouth in pride.
"Replicating a Lagrange Point space station is a bit of an exaggeration, but this assembly workshop is indeed built to the specifications of a Lagrange Point space station. Including those mechanical arms for assembly and the plasma welding equipment. If you're interested, you could even use it to build a tank the size of a starship... of course, provided it can be driven out."
"Oh oh oh! Can it be used to recreate a Pioneer?" the tail exclaimed with bright eyes.
"Pioneer? Uh... what's that?" The old engineer was puzzled for a moment.
Having lived his entire life in Area 4, his understanding of the Wasteland was limited to knowing there was an Alliance to the south.
"A huge land fortress, our friends drove it from the East Coast all the way to the center of the world... Never mind, let's talk about the factory instead."
Putting away the tablet, Si Si directed her gaze toward the massive factory in front of her, eyes glowing intensely.
"We've changed our minds. If possible, we'd like to buy the entire factory."
The production capacity at the Lagrange Point space station is limited, especially as it's currently busy fulfilling a large order from the Academy, and even if she placed an order immediately, it might be queued until next year.
In that case, they might as well take matters into their own hands!
Anyway, they weren't looking to build those gigantic Colony Ships capable of accommodating tens or even hundreds of thousands, making multiple star system jumps, but rather a supersized "Research Ship" with faster-than-light cruising capabilities.
This type of small civilian starship, carrying fewer than a hundred people, should be feasible to produce directly on the surface without relying on the Lagrange Point space station's production facilities!
Who knows, by the time the Lagrange Point space station fulfills the Academy's order, their civilian starship might be ready.
"Buying the whole thing?" the old engineer stared at her in astonishment, dumbfounded. "I... I can't make that decision, may I ask what your plans are?"
Si Si did not hide her intentions, smiling as she shared her plan.
"We plan to move the entire factory to No.1 Settlement of the Death Coast and integrate with resources in the Southern Coastal Industrial Zone to create a new aerospace industrial park, specializing in medium and small-sized civilian starships for mining and transportation."
"As my friends said, it would be a waste to let these resources go to waste when they could still be useful... Who knows, we might just catch the wave of the Solar System Revival Plan."
The old engineer looked at her in shock, then scratched his head, unsure whether he felt content or ashamed.
"I'm not too familiar with this Solar System Revival Plan... but if you're interested in the production equipment here, I can discuss it with the relevant person in Area 4. As long as you can afford the price, I don't see a problem."
These devices would only rust if left here, selling them to someone who needs them isn't a loss.
The Academy has decided to let the "Doomsday Ark" be completed by the Alliance's Lagrange Point space station and even sent technicians there, a policy reversal is not very likely.
At least for now, the Alliance has not gone back on its promises.
Especially when the cooperation is mutually beneficial.
"Okay, please do."
Si Si pulled a business card from her parka, smiling as she handed it to the old engineer.
"By the way, we also plan to take the workers and management staff here with us. If you're willing to relocate to the scenic seaside with your families, we're willing to pay triple your current salary along with a minimum settlement allowance of thirty thousand silver coins for each employee."
Hearing such generous terms, the old engineer was so thrilled that he couldn't close his mouth, almost wanting to rush to the plant manager's house and drag him over to sign the contract.
Of course, this was only an exaggeration.
The specifics of the acquisition and relocation plan would require several meetings before they're finalized.
But Si Si wasn't in a hurry.
After all, she also needed some time to prepare on her end.
Though White Bear Bank is financially strong, considering the return period of aerospace projects and issues with reserve requirements, even she had to be cautious of potential liquidity risks.
The best way would be to bring more people on board to share this business venture.
Such as Bull Horse Group, Baiyue Corporation, Huge Rock Military Industry, and others.
If they could bring Fang Chang on board, the success rate of the entire plan could increase by at least fifty percent!
Considering the potential jobs and economic development that the project might bring, the authorities in Death Coast will surely be interested in this investment.
Besides tax reductions and land, the local authorities might also introduce a loan with interest so low it can be ignored!
It's completely possible!
Holding Si Si's hand with sincere gratitude, the old engineer immediately took her business card to contact the factory director and relevant managers.
Having worked in his position for over twenty years, he had never been so passionate about his career as he was today.
As for Si Si and her team, they returned to the hotel in the special district to wait for news.
Standing by the fireplace in the snow-view suite, Meat Meat shook off the ice and snow clinging to her fur and turned to look at Si Si, who was sitting on the sofa sipping tea, and asked in confusion.
"Speaking of which, do we have that much money?"
Clearly, Meat Meat wasn't the only one worried about this; Sesame Paste also showed a worried expression.
Although she didn't fully grasp business matters, she could tell the difference between purchasing parts and a factory.
It's not about the money.
She's mainly concerned that the final quotation might exceed their budget and become unaffordable.
"Don't worry about the money."
Putting the cup back on the tray, Si Si smiled faintly and said.
"If our plan is only to serve ourselves, then of course the money has to come from us."
"But as long as our plan benefits the alliance in the long run and accomplishes something, we won't even have to spend the money ourselves, others will naturally pay for it."
Tail's eyes lit up, and she gave a thumbs up.
"Wow! So this is what it means to be ahead of the version? Sounds so Fang-like!"
"I guess... but what is Fang-like supposed to mean, it's clearly my idea."
The voice carried some playful displeasure, but it quickly faded as Ah Wei continued with "That's my Si! Super impressive!"
Sesame Paste was momentarily unsure whether to be surprised by how easily Si Si could be placated or by Ah Wei's quick-witted response, showing a helpless smile.
"Indeed... very impressive."
The heartfelt compliment was unexpected; she hadn't thought someone else would pay the bill.
"Overpraised... It's really not something difficult to think of, even if we don't do it, other players coming here will surely discover the business opportunity."
Si Si smiled humbly, although her pride was still evident in her eyebrows.
Clearly, she appreciated the compliments from her close friends.
"But what if it fails?"
Meat Meat scratched her head, caught in her usual dilemma, even though it was a valid concern.
How to transport so much equipment to the South, reassemble it, and integrate the productivity overlooked by the academy with the Death Coast local industrial chain.
Any mistake in a single link could lead to the failure of the entire plan and millions of silver coins down the drain.
While Si Si was contemplating how to respond, Tail Captain standing behind the sofa spoke up with an experienced tone.
"Meat Meat, no plan on this Earth is guaranteed to succeed; only after doing it is there a 1/777 chance of success. Not doing it will always be zero."
Si Si looked at Ah Wei in surprise.
"Incredible... Who would have thought that besides driving, Ah Wei could occasionally say something philosophically insightful."
Tail smiled sheepishly.
"Haha, I copied it from the forum!"
"No wonder."
Seeing everyone support going through with it, Meat Meat finally stopped dwelling, her furry face now full of determination.
Speaking of which, she almost forgot... the self from a long time ago.
Back then, she was still a newcomer; even with a larger figure than Trash Lord and ridiculous initial attribute panel, she was timid beyond being strong.
She originally thought, having drawn a super rare SSSR card, she could finally make a mark in the game world, doing what she couldn't in the real world as a hero, only to find that things she couldn't achieve in real life couldn't be accomplished in the game either.
Misfortune didn't stop there.
"Lucky people" would almost certainly face jealousy and insults from small-minded individuals if they "don't make enough effort." At one point, she even became more hesitant, considering passing the helmet to someone else if possible...
Though she tried overcoming her psychological barriers alone and not falling behind others, she repeatedly failed against her inner fears... Until one daring person climbed onto her back.
'... If you're afraid alone, then let's charge together!'
Later on, by the time she realized it, she had become a legend in River Valley and Luo Xia Province, the Nightmare feared by countless Looters in the Wasteland.
It wasn't just that—
She realized that she had overcome not only those faded game fears.
The timid real-life self, who couldn't even make eye contact with others, had gradually become braver.
You really don't need to think too much.
Ignoring the real world where you only have one life, if you're afraid in the game, you really played it for nothing.
Bravely do what you decided!
"Okay, okay, I got it. Since you all decided... let's do it!"
Seeing Meat Meat suddenly become energetic, a surprised expression appeared on Tail's face.
Returning to her senses, she gave a delighted thumbs up.
"Wow! Let's do it!"