Chapter 481.2: This Is Your 'Punishment'

Technically, under a century-old treaty, Sunset Province, once part of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, was under the Great Rift Valley’s control.

But after supporting the unreliable Bugra Free State as a proxy, the Great Rift Valley clearly lost interest in the wasteland’s mess and became a passive megashelter under their Divine Shield System, even ignoring the Bonechewer Clan right under its nose.

So, with the Great Rift Valley unwilling to intervene in the Sunset Province, and the Academy unwilling to abandon the grain-rich Golden Lizard Kingdom, it made sense for a mid-tier figure with authority to be sent as mediator.

C-class was too low and an A-class was too valuable to risk capture or death. In the end, the mediator had to be a B-class member.

Then came the coincidence.

Little Feather, piloting the Dragonfly transport craft, and a converted companion, happened to arrive at the edge of the Wandering Swamp while chasing after Falling Feather earlier.

Such a commotion wouldn’t go unnoticed by local survivor camps. If the camps belonged to the Scientific Committee, they would surely report the sighting deep into the swamp, to the Academy.

If the event were categorized as collateral war fallout, then it logically fell under the responsibility of the war mediator, likely that same B-class Researcher.

That’s when the B-class researcher saw Little Feather and sent the Signal Squad to retrieve it.

Chu Guang even speculated that if the Cutlass fighter pilot had survived, the Academy would’ve used him as a bargaining chip.

And upon discovering the Mother Body was in the hands of the Enterprise, rather than risk derailing the war mediation mission, the B-class Researcher chose a cautious path, avoiding a full military clash between the Golden Lizard Kingdom and the New Alliance-Enterprise squads.

Alternatively, the kingdom may have refused to act, pressured by the New Alliance’s military presence in the Sunset Province.

All this may have just been a string of coincidences.

Even Chu Guang, who had pieced it all together, found it both ridiculous and amusing.

What really surprised him, though, was Old White.

“You kidnapped one of their Researchers?!”

“Ahem, she’s a Prospector... and we didn’t bring her back, she followed us on her own after we left her by the truck.” Old White awkwardly explained, even using the name of the Burning Corps to share the blame with his buddies.

According to Ample TIme, it was simple, just a hidden side quest triggered by meeting the favorability threshold, an Academy Prospector Defection event.

But saying that to an NPC wouldn’t help.

He remembered Yaya joking on the forums.

Yaya: If you asked an NPC, “Hey, what’s my favorability score with you?” they’d just stare at you coldly and reply “No such thing” or “I’m not that kind of person.” I tried it with the administrator.

Still, from the dev posts, favorability clearly existed. It was just that the NPCs didn’t know it.

Worried that the administrator might question her motives and treat her as a prisoner of war, Old White carefully said, “Respected Administrator... I think there’s no need to be overly concerned about a discarded E-class Prospector. The Academy thinks she’s dead. She has no reason to remain loyal to them. Her knowledge and experience are exactly what the New Alliance needs.”

He admitted to a small personal bias while speaking on her behalf.

But it wasn’t about being smitten like Night Ten joked. He wasn’t one to let hormones guide his values. He didn’t even have those kinds of thoughts.

If Zhao Xiao had stayed, he would’ve pleaded for that guy too.

The reason was simple.

She stayed because she trusted him, because of the ideal he painted of the New Alliance. He didn’t want to betray that trust. He didn’t want someone who longed for the New Alliance to end up disillusioned.

Call him simple-minded, or muscle-brained from too much gaming... He wasn’t as meticulous as Ample TIme. Sometimes, he just followed his heart.

If she ever acted against the New Alliance or turned out to be a spy, he’d see her punished without hesitation.

But if she did nothing wrong, and was punished just for suspicion, he couldn’t accept that.

Looking at Old White in the hologram, Chu Guang found it oddly entertaining.

It was the first time he’d seen such a cautious look on that fella’s face.

Though he’d never seen Old White in real life, it was the same guy who always insta-locked top lane, jumped to Pochinki in

PUBG

, and laughed through any losing streak. He was a true manly man, a

Tryndamere

in real life.

Maybe that was too abstract. It would be better to call him a man with no ill intentions.

In short, the stupid embarrassed look didn’t suit his face.

Chu Guang smirked.

Well...

I’ll play along.

“You’re overthinking. Just an E-class Prospector. It’s not worth my paranoia.” Chu Guang raised his chin slightly and looked down at the player before him. “Hold your head and chest high. I won’t blame you for your personal feelings, but your hesitation makes me question your loyalty!”

Flustered, Old White rushed to explain, “That’s not what I meant...”

“Doesn’t matter,” Chu Guang cut him off with his voice firm. “You’re not in any state to remain on the frontlines. I order you to leave the warzone. Take Falling Feather’s return flight to Dawn City headquarters, and rest for three days. That’s your punishment.”

After a pause, Chu Guang softened his tone and looked sincerely at the man who thought of him as an NPC.

“The New Alliance doesn’t judge by blood or origin, whether they’re a Wislander, a swamp Researcher, or a wandering scavenger... Even former enemies, if they sincerely unite under the New Alliance banner, we treat them equally. You’re a Corps Commander of the New Alliance! Others may doubt us, but you must not.”

Old White found himself unable to meet the administrator’s eyes for a moment and responded in shame. “Yes.”

Strange.

This was just a game, so why was he so immersed? Was it a perk from his genetic sequence?

Seeing his friend like that, Chu Guang stopped teasing the guy.

He cleared his throat and continued, “Don’t worry too much. Just treat it as a vacation. Let the Prospector go back with you. This is a warzone, she doesn’t belong here anyway. Take her around, let her get to know our New Alliance... Work can wait.”

Hot damn.

It really is a hidden quest!

Old White, who had feared he was being demoted, sighed in relief and cupped his fist. “Yes, sir!”

Three days wasn’t long. It was simply a rotation.

He didn’t like leaving his brothers, but he trusted them to handle things well without him.

Chu Guang, unaware of Old White’s inner thoughts, assumed his point had been made and ended the call, satisfied wit himself.

As the hologram vanished, Chu Guang leaned back and couldn’t help but laugh, “Hahahaha! Interesting!”

Perched on the pen holder, Little Seven cupped its cheeks, confused but curious. “Is this like using a fake girl avatar to catfish your roommates?”

“Get lost! Who the hell does that?” Chu Guang glared at Little Seven and flicked the nosy figurine into the pen holder.

Whether he’d done that before, he couldn’t remember. Campus life was a long time ago.

Ignoring the pitiful clinking and begging from inside the pen holder, Chu Guang leaned back comfortably.

The crash incident had reached a temporary conclusion.

Though the New Alliance’s troubles were far from over, and the Academy’s meddling might shake things up in the Sunset Province, that was the reason he existed as the administrator.

He would lead the young New Alliance to stand firm against those ancient, decaying empires.

Chu Guang’s eyes drifted toward the calendar on his desk.

Maybe one day, he would let those four kids sucked into the massive vortex called Wasteland Online in on the secret that the Dawn in-game and their ‘doggy developer Light’, were the same person.

Then, he would watch their shocked expressions.

But it was too early for that. Even he had only scratched the surface of the truth.