The most awkward thing is when the air suddenly falls silent.

Looking at the increasingly subtle expressions on Night Ten and Old White, Chu Guang gently coughed.

"Just say something, so it doesn't feel so awkward."

You're aware of awkwardness too!!!

Night Ten roared in his heart, his toes already digging out a four-bedroom in his shoe.

This guy was the first NPC to appear since the game's launch in the closed beta.

And he was also the most like an NPC in the entire game.

Previously, they found it strange why the operator upgraded the intelligence of all NPCs except this original NPC... but never thought this guy was a real person from the start.

Of course, the video released by Doctor Principle later proved that other NPCs were also real people.

Night Ten lightly coughed once, broke the silence among the three, made a nonchalant expression, and laughed heartily.

"It's okay, it's okay... At least I'm not the most awkward, I just said some nonsense."

Some players would treat this guy like a tree hole to confide some things about reality.

After all, he was the only one who could understand the players from the set-up, and he was a Manager of the Alliance, distant from anyone's daily life, as if from a completely different world.

Besides, after maxing out affection points and not being able to date, it's gotta be worth something, right?

Some "pragmatists" had the same thought and used him as a diary.

In short, these guys probably feel so awkward now that they just want to kill themselves.

If it weren't for being unable to beat this monster, they probably would have resorted to desperate measures, right?

Looking at Night Ten, who was forcing a laugh, Chu Guang understood what he meant by awkwardness.

Actually, this was why he hadn't shown up on the "closed beta" side these past few days.

Emmm...

How can I put it?

Indeed, it's not easy to face.

It's better to give his lovely little players some time to train their toe muscles.

"So...you're Ah Guang? The Ah Guang in the group?"

Old White's reaction was relatively normal, just talking to him casually, like a typical young man who couldn't let go at the first offline meeting of a large online game guild.

"Yes." Chu Guang smiled faintly, making a joke to liven up the atmosphere, "No need to be so formal, we've known each other for years, and we used to play PUBG together. Right, a rare chance, want to team up?"

"I don't mind." As he spoke, Old White had already sent over the team invite.

The three of them all joined the team and switched the voice chat to a team-only channel.

He thought Chu Guang wanted to tell them something private, but saw the latter with an eager face, as if he just wanted to enjoy playing the game.

However, Old White was only surprised for a moment, then he figured it out.

Hiding from everyone who knows you, carrying that huge mission alone, and gradually understanding everything in the process...

Night Ten saw only the surface awkwardness, but he saw the exhaustion like ashes left after the candle burnt out.

And this heavy weight is as significant as the glory he bore on his shoulders.

Maybe he really was tired.

Old White's Adam's apple moved, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"How about the LV5 Leech Cave? I heard it's quite suitable for beginners... By the way, what level are you?"

Chu Guang laughed and said.

"Me? Haha, I just finished the newbie tutorial, of course, I'm the same LV3 as you... looks like Night Ten will have to carry the two of us."

Night Ten couldn't help but complain.

"Damn! You're the dog plan, isn't it just a matter of a finger to decide on your level?"

Chu Guang faintly smiled and shook his head.

"That's different, instantly going to the max level might not be impossible for me, but the game would lose its meaning."

Night Ten couldn't help but complain again.

"What meaning does it have?"

"How could it not?" Chu Guang smiled, using a teasing tone, "For example... Was it spiritual energy that got you and Xiao Jiang together, or the things you went through together on your adventures?"

Night Ten awkwardly looked to the side, suddenly blushing and lost for words, maybe remembering something.

Old White thought seriously for a moment and looked at Chu Guang thoughtfully.

"So... is this the reason you chose to retain certain truths about Plan 404?"

"Yes," Chu Guang nodded and straightforwardly admitted, "I selectively kept many things from you, and I also selectively kept many things from myself."

Night Ten asked curiously.

"Why? Wouldn't facing it together openly be better? Including open cooperation—"

"That's the ideal situation, the reality is a failure rate of 1/776... It's not that I haven't tried the methods you envisioned, but they haven't produced the expected results. As for why, there are many reasons."

Looking at the naive young man, Chu Guang used a relaxed tone to lightly brush over those imperfect endings.

After experiencing 776 BEs, the biggest sentiment he had was never to think "if only... then..."

Every year of the Wasteland Era, the survivors living on the wasteland faced unprecedented situations.

Old White mused.

"'If I tell you what happened, then nothing will happen,' right?"

"That's right." Chu Guang nodded with a smile, a gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

"Although I'm a bit curious what that future would be like, thinking about it, the present is quite good as is... suddenly I'm not that curious." Old White laughed freely and said to Chu Guang, "But I really didn't expect that you're Ah Guang... so your real-world name is also Chu Guang?"

Chu Guang thought for a moment.

"How should I put it? Strictly speaking, in the Beta Universe, I only know you guys,"

Night Ten swallowed and suddenly remembered something, then continued.

"By the way, in that world, can you also connect to the internet in this world?"

Chu Guang replied with a smile.

"Of course I can. It's ridiculously easy. I could even create a small account to meet you offline. How about it, want to treat me to a meal?"

Faced with this astounding news, Night Ten felt his mind was a bit chaotic, and his hand unconsciously reached the back of his head.

"I'll think about it... wait, damn... you mean... people from the Wasteland can come here too?"

"And they can even come and play 'Reality OL' as 'players', isn't that shocking?"

Seeing Old White and Night Ten completely stunned, Chu Guang chuckled and softly said.

"So it's best if you don't tell others, to avoid unnecessary panic."

He had no interest in building an immortal army in the Beta Universe, and then using Wasteland's technology to conquer the world... if he did, Doctor Principle would likely think he'd gone mad.

Because doing so would be meaningless.

To the people of the Human Alliance Era, the concept of 'human civilization' had already been born in their consciousness.

Especially for those who had experienced the catastrophe at the end of the Prosperity Epoch, their understanding of this concept was more profound... after all, that catastrophe destroyed everything they once had.

These unique experiences destined them to be unlikely to sacrifice the future of human civilization to become worldly kings.

Chu Guang was no different.

However, the Beta Universe was still in its historical process, and it was impossible to expect the contemporary nations to relax their vigilance against the 'Morphogenesis Field'.

The people living in this universe still needed some time to understand him and to understand the human civilization that was both similar and different behind the void concerning the Alpha Universe.

The open beta test of 'Wasteland OL' was a good medium.

Before that, it was better not to widely publicize that people from the Alpha Universe could descend into the Beta Universe as the 'Immortal'.

As for speculation, that's nothing; everyone can present their own guess.

After all, there are always people whose speculations are more exaggerated than the truth.

"Doesn't this mean that it's possible to bring someone from the Wasteland to reality..." Night Ten muttered, looking at Chu Guang with gradually heated eyes, as if a son meeting his godfather.

Chu Guang smiled and said.

"Of course it's allowed, as long as you sign a confidentiality agreement... and that's also the reward I've left for you upon completion."

Night Ten: "I'll sign! I'll even sign a contract selling myself! Cough, wait, if I keep hopping between the two worlds, doesn't that mean I can live forever?!"

Chu Guang thought for a moment and said in a non-joking tone.

"You can, but you'd better think carefully. Borrowing a clone temporarily is one thing, but as for fully crossing over... I can't guarantee that after you die in this world, the you who is reborn in another world is still you."

The soul is an abstract thing, after all, it's not something you can see or touch.

Even if one awakens spiritual energy, it cannot truly capture the entity, only come into contact with its echo left in a specific place.

Let alone repeatedly hopping back and forth.

Even just hopping once is a weight life cannot bear.

And that's also why many residents of 'Shelter 404-Beta' are hesitant to go back—

They are likely not crossing back, but dying in this world and then generating another self in another universe.

Like uploading one's mind onto a circuit board as a bionic person.

If it were to save civilization, they would of course be willing to pay this steep price... after all, they volunteered to follow the Professor in participating in Plan 404.

But if it's just to go home...

It seems there's indeed no need to 'commit suicide' for that.

After all, over there, they no longer have a home; at most, they can find the descendants of their descendants, or a spiritual continuation.

Rather than wanting to return to the Alpha Universe to live well, it's more like they just want to see the world they've saved and how the younger generations live in the new era.

Strictly speaking, the Beta Fission Body, which inherited the 'Professor's' identity, didn't solve this problem; it just handed it over to the residents of 'Shelter 404-Beta' for them to contemplate.

That's something they should indeed be pondering themselves.

However, based on the principle of not letting anyone have regrets, the kind and gentle Chu Guang has come up with a compromise and has already tasked Doctor Principle with it.

The project is codenamed 'Homecoming'.

The researchers stranded in the Beta Universe no longer have to die again; instead, they can lie in specially designed life-sustaining pods and travel to the Alpha Universe through the Morphogenesis Field just like the players do.

And they return as players.

To be honest, sometimes Chu Guang admires himself quite a bit.

Even though he doesn't understand those complex technical principles, he can use his bizarre imagination to play around with these complex things.

In fact, in the middle of the year, he even tried having the researchers from the Beta Universe jump to the Alpha Universe, and then jump back using similar technology, attempting to exploit the void's bug.

Unfortunately, this bug-exploiting operation wasn't successful; it seems consciousness entities can only jump once and cannot undergo infinite fission in the same universe like a chain reaction.

This might also be the reason why the Professor launched the Beta Fission Body to multiple Beta Universes.

Looking at the silent Night Ten, Chu Guang smiled and continued speaking.

"If you just want to live a little longer, there's no need to make it so complicated. In this world, you can just lie in a cultivation chamber and pause the metabolism of your body in reality."

Night Ten asked in surprise.

"Is such a thing possible?"

Chu Guang nodded with a smile.

"Of course it's possible, but it's too early for you... wait until you've sent your loved ones off, and you're old and ready to lie in a coffin."

Old White looked at him and continued speaking.

"Let's not talk about our matters... do you have any plans for the future?"

Chu Guang smiled and thought for a moment.

"As for me... maybe continue being a Game designer? I don't know, I haven't thought about things that far ahead, maybe I'll take some time to think slowly. Anyway, I've gradually handed over the Alliance's affairs to the citizens of the Alliance themselves."

"As for now, I just want to quietly play a game."

...

Wasteland OL open beta server, at the city gate of Giant Stone City.

Punk-styled mercenaries and Waste Land Wanderers were coming and going in the market amidst the ruins.

Dapper-looking itinerant merchants shouted under shabby iron roofs, with weapons, armor, parts, medicines, synthesis materials, and various daily necessities or supplies displayed on the scruffy table, while nearby cages held different things depending on the server.

Sometimes people, sometimes mosaics.

Overall, the modeling here is quite authentic. Whether it's the militia yawning at the checkpoint or the Hotel Wind From Afar "emerging from the mud unsullied," it's like a mold copy of the real situation in the Alpha World.

The only change is the scale of the market and the slum, and the currency for transactions is no longer chips but the universally circulated Y Coin in the server.

Ideal City's generative AI and AI trainers added a massive number of Level 10 to Level 30 quests to Giant Stone City's outer city.

Not only that, but they also referred to a series of writings like Awakener Bol, linking this massive amount of side quests into a main axis called the "Great Revolution of Giant Stone City," weaving an epic-like main storyline with a sprawling task tree resembling the Wasteland.

Players can stand on the side of the reformers, complete a series of tasks to earn Order Points, and unlock a series of landmarks including the "Survivor's Daily News Agency" and "Inner City Ruins," changing the map and the spirit and appearance of NPCs while driving the change in Giant Stone City.

Additionally, players can side with the inner city, complete a series of tasks to suppress the growth of Order Points, and stop the progression of the expansion pack.

Or they can stand on the side of the Waste Land Wanderers, helping neither side.

Having paid the mercenary guild's fees, Fang Chang headed straight for the gates of Giant Stone City.

Perhaps the programmers of Ideal City couldn't imagine why entering a city would require a fee, or maybe to accommodate players' gaming experience, the classic entrance tax of one chip was scrapped, and the gates didn't close after sunset. The Level 50 militia, repeatedly yawning, didn't even glance at him.

Not lingering there, Fang Chang headed straight for the Night Queen Bar— the largest information hub in Giant Stone City's outer city during the Black Card rule, and also the place where he first met Dolly, who was an information broker back then.

It was 8 PM, and the bar was packed with scantily clad dancers and patrons looking for entertainment.

Craning his neck to look around the bar, Fang Chang's gaze wandered through the crowd for a long time but couldn't find the familiar figure he was looking for.

As he was feeling puzzled, a waiter approached him with a smile and asked.

"Sir, may I take your order?"

"I'm looking for a lady named Dolly."

"Dolly? We don't have anyone by that name here."

"I know, she's not your employee, she's an information broker here."

As soon as Fang Chang finished speaking, the enthusiasm on the NPC's face visibly cooled down.

"Oh... a mercenary, huh? Tsk, this city is full of them. Let me give you a sincere piece of advice: don't come here causing trouble if you're not ordering a drink."

Watching the retreating back of the waiter, Fang Chang was stunned for a long time. When he finally snapped back to reality, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"The NPCs in this game are quite realistic..."

Perhaps he was too eager, and he subconsciously treated the NPCs in the game as real NPCs, diving straight into the topic to achieve the goal, leaving behind the gaming habits he had developed in the open beta server, which resulted in the opposite effect.

It makes sense, too.

Which bar would welcome a "busybody" spying on personal privacy in their establishment?

Just like cockroaches in the kitchen.

Considering the ecological balance within the shadows, the staff usually turn a blind eye, but barging in with a new face and asking directly is truly attention-seeking.

At least order a drink and chat with the bartender, or at least buy a drink for one of the dancers here...

Fang Chang took a deep breath to calm his restless mind, then walked over to the bar and sat down.

"A glass... no, two glasses of lemonade..."

The bartender gave him a glance, deducted 20 Y Coins from his account with a mere look, and then, like performing a magic trick, placed two glasses of lemonade on the bar.

Fang Chang picked up one of the glasses and took a sip.

At the same time he set the glass down, a charming green figure caught his eye, the swaying, fluffy tail of hair like a succulent in midsummer.

"You looking for me?"

The alluring gaze resembled a cat's; she sat at the bar at some point, her fair cheek leaning against her hand and arm with a metallic texture.

The moment Fang Chang saw that face, he felt a ripple in his vision, as if he had been transported back many years.

"Dolly..."

Overcome with emotion, he instinctively reached out his right hand, wanting to touch hers.

However, an invisible barrier stood between them, and his fingertip remained a centimeter away, unable to touch her.

The sudden movement startled Dolly, and the relaxed expression on her face momentarily turned to surprise, like a cat with its tail stepped on, she jumped off the bar stool.

"Hey, hey, hey... what are you doing? I'm an intel dealer, I don't do those things."

The bartender behind the counter kept polishing the glasses, ignoring the commotion in front of the bar.

The other NPCs around were the same.

It seemed like they, as background characters, did not trigger any dialogue or participate in the story.

"Dolly... I... I see, the memory isn't implemented, so it's just a clone's reflection after all." Fang Chang's expression kept changing, sometimes in pain, sometimes seemingly reassured, or mumbling strange things to himself.

Frightened by this yandere-esque behavior, Dolly shivered and took a few steps back.

"Hey... do you understand human speech? A pervert interested in the smell of motor oil? Thanks for not disliking my mechanical arm, but it'd be better to call a girl if you're in heat."

Fang Chang shook his head, gazing deeply at that familiar yet unfamiliar face, flashing a smile he thought was charming enough to give someone goosebumps.

"I'm only interested in you. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Fang Chang, your husband—"

[Warning: Continuous non-courteous contact, NPC "Dolly" current favorability -100, favorability level: Disgust]

[Warning: Favorability level below neutral (-10~10), unable to trigger quest.]

When Fang Chang snapped back to reality, the lemon water he ordered was already splashed on his face.

He blinked blankly, staring ahead, realizing that familiar figure had vanished.

Gone...

"...Is this what a breakup feels like? Even though I was mentally prepared, it still hurts a bit."

Slicking his wet bangs back into a slick hairstyle, Fang Chang sighed with a look of sorrow, plopping down on a stool at the bar, speaking to the bartender behind the counter.

"A glass of your strongest drink."

The bartender silently nodded, performing an elaborate maneuver before placing a crystal glass on the table like magic, lighting the high-proof alcohol with a match.

A pale blue foxfire flickered on the clear, distilled spirit, with a spherical ice cube at the bottom, resembling a piece of art.

And the light blue holographic window, convenient for open beta players' game experience, also appeared before Fang Chang.

[Expense: 150Y currency]

[Received: Spring of Burning]

[Description: Flames descended from the sky and conquered the Burning Steel, a toast to true warriors! (In commemoration of the Burning Corps conquering the Iron Heart)]

[Effect: All attributes -50%, duration 10 minutes.]

[Note: Do not attempt in real life.]

By the way, at this time, isn't the Iron Heart still floating in Luo Xia Province?

But oh well.

Fang Chang nostalgically smiled, inserted the metal straw from the tray into the flaming liquor, and downed the blazing flame and clear spirit in one go.

It was a peculiar sensation.

As if what he drank wasn't a fiery spirit, but a ball of warm hearth.

"...Even though it's a virtual reality game, did they manage to simulate the feeling of being drunk?"

"This dull feeling is quite like the closed beta, but it feels like something's missing."

Just as Fang Chang was savoring that peculiar feeling, a familiar voice suddenly appeared before him.

It was none other than Debt Giant Eye's alternate account—Rich Tiny Eyes.

"Fang Chang?"

Fang Chang looked up, surprised, at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Hearing this question, "Big Eyes" immediately wore an embarrassed expression on his face, chuckling.

"What do you mean what am I doing here, you know exactly why... When it comes to nostalgia servers, everyone thinks of the Night Queen Bar in the Giant Stone City, right?"

Ever since the inner city collapsed, this bar disappeared along with that street of neon glitz outside.

Looking at Big Eyes, with a "you know" expression, Fang Chang pressed his temples with a slight headache.

"No... normal people aren't this detailed, right? I think you should apologize to normal people."

"Alright, alright, stop the nonsense, I know you're all high and mighty," Debt Giant Eye draped an arm over his shoulder, leaned in, and wiggled his eyebrows, "I mean, aren't you curious whether the open beta or closed beta is more realistic?"

"...Is there really any need to be curious?"

"Normal people would be curious!"

"Go on, apologize to normal people!"

Seeing this guy clearly drunk, Debt Giant Eye crossed his arms, sighed deeply, and said shaking his head.

"No more bullshitting, you go ahead and drink, I'm off to explore."

"Go on, go on," Fang Chang made a shooing gesture, then suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to Big Eyes heading to the second floor, "By the way, did you turn on the accelerator?"

Big Eyes was taken aback.

"Accelerator? What's that? Isn't it just put on the helmet and play?"

Fang Chang's gaze suddenly shifted from disdain to affection, and his tone softened significantly.

"Never mind, it's nothing."

Debt Giant Eye: "…?"