The official website of "Wasteland OL" was overwhelmed with exploding posts at a rate of ten pages per second!

Except for a small number of "geniuses" who accidentally guessed the truth, almost everyone was shocked by this astonishing fact.

The wasteland world is actually real?!

This game is too real... No, to be precise, this game wasn't a game from the start, was it?!

A significant portion of people had their brains crash directly.

And those whose brains didn't crash finally understood why the NPCs in "Wasteland OL" only had one life, and why there were so many strict, even bizarre rules in the Player's Handbook...

Quit smoking: "What the heck! What the heck heck heck heck!"

Night Ten: "Ah ah——???"

Wild Wind: "So that's it... It's a real world from the start. This means the calculation error in Planck's constant is likely due to the 'basic particle size', quite eye-opening. (bitter smile)"

Mole fleeing the canyon: "Can you speak human? (sweat)"

Wild Wind: "In human words... This game is just too real."

Edge Shoveling: "Pfft——"

tail: "Giao! So, did tail really save the world?! (shock)"

Fang Chang: "Strictly speaking, we all saved the world."

Night Ten: "Wait... So my partner isn't just two-dimensional?!(guilty)"

Old White: "Isn't that good? (grin)"

Fang Chang: "You're just realizing this now? (side-eye)"

Night Ten: "Gah!!! I've been stressing for nothing!"

Fang Chang: "It might not be a bad thing. At least you grew through the process."

Wild Wind: "By the way, when did you find out?"

Fang Chang: "It's been some time... Although I once thought she was AI, turns out she isn't."

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "…Complicated feelings, difficult to express."

I Max Black: "Come on, this blockhead is grinning ear to ear, and still claiming complicated feelings. (rolls eyes)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Shut up, you don't know squat!"

Debt Giant Eye: "Wait, so the people I killed in the game were... (guilty)"

Fang Chang: "Apparently real, but probably due to 'Cognitive Filter', mental stimuli beyond the tolerance limit are blocked. Except for players with a rich or overly sensitive inner world, fear and repulsion of death weren't that obvious."

Although most players have gotten used to dying in the game, not everyone can truly treat death as nothing and not be afraid.

In fact, every batch of newcomers has daring and particularly timid folks.

And this is related to real-life personality, experiences, etc.

Cognitive Filters can only blunt the senses and can't turn a coward into a hero.

However, despite Cognitive Filters being unable to do that, many players still grew through adventures, shedding dark, cowardly, and sneaky debuffs to become more courageous, sunny, confident, and kind-hearted and strong.

Midnight Chicken Killing: "Emmm... So I've got at least a three-digit body count on my hands?"

Spring Water Commander: "Regret it? (side-eyed smile)"

Midnight Chicken Killing: "Not really, most of them were Looter and mutants anyway. (chuckles)"

Edge Shoveling: "That being said, I might be the same."

Si Si: "Hmm... Thinking that those killed were either heinous villains or on the battlefield, it's indeed nothing to fuss about."

WC really has Mosquito: "Thank you, Player's Handbook! Thank you, Brother Guang! Otherwise, I would've been too scared to sleep. (praying hands)"

Night Ten: "I don't believe a word you're saying!"

Meat mountain big steamed bun: "Ew! If I didn't see the ID, I would've almost believed it!"

Pick up trash 99 level: "Brother Guang: Stop licking, it's pointless."

Makabazi: "Brother Guang: Mosquito's pointless, switch to Crow."

Less nonsense: "Agility system can't take it, but the Perception system can, right? (๑‾᷆д‾᷇๑)"

Crow: "Wait, what are you guys talking about???"

Debt Giant Eye: "There you go again, persecuting Crow. (funny)"

Teng Teng: "Though I don't understand, seeing Big Eyes' ID, it must be right. (*•ω•)✄╰ひ╯"

Debt Giant Eye: "What the heck, what did I do?!"

Elena: "(shivering.jpg)"

WC really has Mosquito: "Speaking of which, the open beta server is launching. Are you guys thinking of going? (mischievous smile)"

Fang Chang: "We'll see, I might not play often, but maybe I'll drop in for nostalgia."

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Not me, let the beginners take on the open beta, the closed beta is still the best! (grin)"

WC really has Mosquito: "Not necessarily, the open beta has its own fun too. (funny)"

tail: "Dolly!!! Gu hehehehehe...(///ω///)"

Fang Chang: "…?"

Si Si: "???"

Night Ten: "Wait, you can't do that! (horrified)"

WC really has Mosquito: "Gagaga!!! I'm going to blow up all your paper waifu! (mischievous smile)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "@#%$!"

"..."

...

Wandering Swamp, the biting cold winds blow.

Even though it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the hot monsoon has nothing to do with this frozen land.

Looking at the official announcement on the VM screen, Grandpa Ao stood on the corpse of a mutated wild wolf, stunned for a few seconds, then raged angrily.

"What the heck! The open beta server isn't the same as the closed beta server?! So this grandpa has to level up again? Trashy dog plans, come out and eat my spit——uh uh!"

Before she finished her sentence, Professor Yang next to her swiftly covered her mouth.

"Keep quiet! Don't really get dog——bah! Get the planner to hear——ah ah ah!!! Are you a dog! Let go of my hand!"

Professor Yang, whose hand was bitten, made a pig-like scream.

Even through leather gloves, it couldn't stop the Strength Type mad dog's serious bite.

But come to think of it, doesn't this game have pain blocking?

Does this guy have such low pain tolerance?

[Pig is flipped] scratched his head, watching the two clowns wrestling in the snow.

"Your point of critique is odd, shouldn't you be glad you got the closed beta helmet before the open beta?"

It's been half a year since Sister Ao and Professor Yang took the "Transcend Fire" quest from him.

Currently, he's a 27-level Agility-based Strongman, while the two disciples have respectively leveled up to 12-level cow horse and 11-level wheelchair, barely past the novice stage.

Over the past six months, he has been keeping an eye on the open beta announcements and the arrangements for the closed beta server.

And from his understanding, as soon as the open beta news was released, the reservation channel was shut down.

For anyone wanting to get into the closed beta server after that, it's truly a matter of luck.

Speaking truthfully.

He used to think this game was too real, taking off the filter would make it even more so, he never thought that this wasn't a game at all but a filtered reality.

Grandpa Ao was stunned for a moment, releasing her right hand pressing Professor Yang into the snowpile, looking blankly at him, and asked.

"Hmm? Why? What's there to be glad about?"

Before Pig brother could speak, Professor Yang coughed out the snow from his mouth, straightened his frozen and shivering body, and angrily berated with a can't-believe-it expression.

"Idiot, only in the closed beta server can you earn Silver coins! The open beta only earns Y coins, get it?!"

How did this fool even get the helmet?

Thinking that smart and capable himself ended up in the same batch with her in the game, Professor Yang couldn't help but clench his fist.

What a waste!

Such a waste!

[Pig is flipped] looked at him with a subtly odd expression.

"Emmm... Although your point of celebration is odd, it does count as one of the advantages of the closed beta server."

Grandpa Ao's gaze moved back and forth between the two, she reached out to scratch her head chaotically.

"I don't get it. What's a Y coin? Is there a difference?"

She knows about Silver coins; idiots are willing to collect them at auction, but what about this Y coin?

Just say it straight.

She hasn't paid attention to the open beta at all.

Pig brother shrugged and said.

"The difference is that no one collects Y coins in reality..."

Actually, that's not entirely accurate, someone might still collect them.

Currently, it's the only fully immersive virtual online game on the market, with other potential competitors lacking even related development tools.

There will always be affluent top players looking for shortcuts to save time on grinding and farming gold.

However, Y Currency is purely game currency, and can't be used at auctions, merely for entertainment.

"That's right, cough cough... So, now you understand the value of closed beta qualifications, right?"

Seeing Professor Yang's face light up with pride, Grandpa Ao clicked his teeth disdainfully and turned his gaze to Brother Pig.

"Oh... so you mean the NPCs in the closed beta are actually real people, right?"

"That's right!" Brother Pig gave a thumbs up and said with a smile, "So don't just go around killing people."

"Do you think I'm dumb? How could I just go around killing people?" Grandpa Ao rolled his eyes, "But speaking of which, your newcomer's mental fortitude isn't bad, actually not scared? I was quite shocked."

"Haha, really? My mental fortitude is average," Brother Pig laughed embarrassedly, "But I guess I'm the type who might be scared alone, but if there's someone more scared beside me, I'll puff up my chest... How should I describe it? Like the mindset of an old dad taking care of kids? Not sure if you can get what I mean."

"I see, I see, like an old dad... Pfft! Hey! What do you mean by that, you guy? I'll kill you!" Originally nodding, Grandpa Ao suddenly realized he was being teased, and instantly got embarrassed and angry, baring his teeth.

Looking at the tooth-baring kid, Professor Yang sitting in the snow pouted.

"Caring about such things... Are you a child?"

Grandpa Ao suddenly turned back to glare at the defeated foe sitting on the ground, baring his canine teeth.

"Say that again?!"

"..."

Professor Yang was clearly unconvinced, but unfortunately, the Intelligence System isn't good at hand-to-hand combat.

At least not before accepting cybernetic enhancements.

"Alright, alright, both of you say a bit less, it's going to be dark soon."

Brother Pig didn't mind the chattering screams, first smiling and calming Grandpa Ao, then reaching out to pull Professor Yang from the ground.

"We need to move the prey back to the nearby settlement... anyway, time to hit the road."

The noisy chatter blended with the wind and snow of the Wandering Swamp, with the sound of a rumbling train passing by the railway not far away.

It was a train traveling from the northernmost area of the continent to the southern Death Coast.

Heavy carriages were filled with packaged heavy equipment and machines.

As the Academy prepared to leave the old world, they would gradually embark on new missions on this planet...

The story of "Wasteland OL" didn't end with the arrival of a new era, whether it was the players' or the NPCs' stories—they all continue.

...

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, another six months had passed.

In the past six months, many things happened both in the Solar System of the Alpha Universe and that of the Beta Universe.

First, the Alpha Universe—here in the Wasteland.

After a year of turmoil, with the help of the Alliance and other Survivor Forces, Bugra City finally emerged from the shadow of civil war and joined the family of the new era with a new appearance and the identity of a new order defender.

On the other side, President Li Minghui of the South Sea Union finally wished to end the wartime state, throwing the troubles of the Presidential Mansion to his successor, enjoying a laid-back life of blowing fish if there's anything and drinking if there's nothing.

At the same time, Chu Guang also exited the historical stage.

But rather than saying he exited, it's better to say he returned to where he should have been.

Just as he said more than once—

"...Shelter No. 404 is just a disaster relief agency, and now that the Wasteland Era has ended, we have fulfilled our role and obligation as a disaster relief agency."

"From now on, the Alliance will legally select a true and professional 'Leader' to fulfill the Alliance's obligations as the head institution in the new era in a limited time..."

It was a complex and rigorous selection process, even more rigorous than the process in the Welch Alliance, and the details will not be elaborated here.

In short, a young man named Gu Ning from Death Coast, recognized by most residents of the Alliance, replaced him on the historical stage.

He was a young man full of vigor.

His eyes sparkled with light, just like many young people living in this era.

And it wasn't just about light.

He also amassed rich work experience from the locality to the City of Dawn, with the finesse expected of a mature politician, and can hear the voices of ordinary people in the Alliance while balancing the obligations the Alliance shoulders.

Even though he hadn't fought life and death on the battlefield for the Alliance, hadn't made remarkable achievements, and had no prominent lineage or background... precisely because of that, he also had no chance at all to usurp the victorious achievements of Alliance citizens.

Of course.

What truly ensures this is not entirely his humble origin, but those who uphold the dignity of the law.

The Alliance's Guards Corps and various armies will keep an eye on his every move for the citizens of the Alliance.

Not just the Guards Corps and various armies, but Chu Guang and the players of Shelter No. 404 will do the same.

He just no longer meddles in the affairs of the Alliance and has handed over the Alliance Building to those who built it, not disappearing from this universe.

With his personal prestige and the influence he holds in the hearts of ordinary people in the Alliance, he can still exert influence in various sectors of the Alliance without holding any specific position or directly commanding any army.

Just like how Doctor Conclusion influences the Academy.

That's the power of people's hearts.

Its power not only surpasses all human-known weapons, but also possesses the energy to move mountains and fill seas.

However, unless absolutely necessary, Chu Guang does not intend to use this energy lightly.

After all, barring any accidents, he fears his lifespan might be longer than the old man of the Grand Canyon.

200 years...

Who knows what kind of thoughts or appearances people will have then.

He can't just drag out and beat someone up simply because his great-great-great-great-grandson doesn't look like him.

If people are still identical after so many generations, that would be strange!

He would certainly not, due to such trivial matters, rashly pull out the hammer hanging behind him to smash everything to bits.

Except in one situation—

One day in the future, if the people who take the scepter from his hand do not bear the responsibility equal to their power, but instead, through caprice and wantonness, become a clawed monster, using the scepter bestowed upon the alliance citizens to weave a cage of enslavement.

"If one day in the future, the alliance citizens call my name as Vellante people call Julius... I will return like lightning and smash everything here to pieces."

On the day of transferring governmental duties, in the Manager's Office of the Alliance Building.

Looking at the alliance's first leader Gu Ning standing respectfully before him, Chu Guang smiled, patted his shoulder, and said these words in a non-joking manner.

Gu Ning nodded slightly, his face of clear conscience showed no fear, and he meticulously replied.

"I will remember your teachings... If that day truly comes, I will call your name with them."

"Hahaha!" Chu Guang laughed heartily, retracting his hand from his shoulder, "You best pray that day doesn't come, for my hammer would first smash upon your head."

Gu Ning smiled slightly.

"If I'm truly incompetent to that degree, dying by your hand would rather be an honor."

Though saying it with a smile, Chu Guang could tell he was serious.

With nothing else to instruct, Chu Guang put away his humorous expression, leaving his last encouragement.

"Work well, don't just talk. Also, remember to pass these words to your successor and let him continue passing them down."

Gu Ning sincerely nodded, remembering these words.

"I will pass it word for word, moreover... may I make an unreasonable request?"

"Go ahead."

Gu Ning paused for a moment, looking at Chu Guang earnestly.

"Although the alliance authority no longer establishes the Manager position, I wish to keep this 'Manager's Office' for you, as a part of the building's history... and as a spur for me, and encouragement for others. As for me, I will work elsewhere, after all, there are still many vacant rooms here."

This is not only his thought but also many people's thought.

For instance, the Corps Commander of the Guards Corps.

Not sure if it was his illusion, when learning he might sit here in the future, he felt the young man's gaze towards him was quite murderous.

Actually, not just Lu Bei, he also felt the office chair was too hot to sit on.

Better to leave it as a relic.

Chu Guang didn't think much, hearing this interesting proposal, he just chuckled.

"You should ask others' opinions, not me. Regardless of whether you keep the office for me or not, I won't come back... my work is already done."

"It's up to you from now on."

Watching his back gracefully walk towards the door, Gu Ning slightly nodded, lowering his voice to murmured.

"Yes, but as a survivor once assisted by you... We want to always remember."

At least in his heart, he is forever the alliance's Manager.

And only that person is worthy of this title...

...

In the last month of the New Era year, as the management position was officially removed from the Alliance Building's establishment, an era has ended.

On the other side, the player body in the Beta Universe also reached the end of the year 2026.

Seeming to finally complete its last task, the mysterious spaceship hovering in Mars' orbit suddenly vanished into thin air, suspectedly passing through a hyperspace passage to five light-years away South Gate Two.

And the discussion regarding what exactly is hidden in South Gate Two sparked an online frenzy.

Meanwhile, after half a year of preparation and promotion, the public test server for "Wasteland OL" was finally launched!

Thirty million virtual reality helmets were quickly sold out, and offline experience stores run by various agents were crammed to explosion.

On the opening day, nearly thirty million players worldwide overwhelmed the major servers in an instant.

Facing the immersive light and shadow, and the perception and touch hardly different from reality... everyone was deeply shocked.

This game—

It's simply amazing!