This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 456.2: Ultimatum

On the forums...

As usual, it was a joyful and lively place.

Having picked up an SSSR-grade god-tier pet, Falling Feather excitedly shared his child raising experiences on the forum. A horde of single dogs, fueled by pure imagination, enthusiastically offered parenting advice.

Meanwhile, the little bitch Mosquito, got into a heated argument with several strength type players over whether the Destroyer Mark 2 should be equipped with a motor and battery.

The game ‘Battle Royale’ was now a massive hit in Ideal City. Even Ample Time was green with envy and started chasing after Escaping Mole to ask if he needed funding or venture capital.

Professor Yang and This_lord_is_arrogant_what_can_you_do had lost money and were in low spirits.

Especially the latter, after losing a massive bet of a cup of milk tea to someone else, he posted over a dozen threads on the forum demanding a refund and ended up getting muted for spamming.

Unexpectedly, many users pleaded on his behalf.

A significant number of bystanders expressed that the forum just wouldn't feel the same without its resident clown, like a watermelon without its rind. Without his antics, something just felt... missing.

Of course, aside from the shitposting, what truly interested players most were updates related to the new version.

It had been a week since Beta 0.4 version introduced the overseas trading system, and finally, some players had reached the sea at the edge of the map!

Tail: Woooo! The ocean! Tail saw it!

Yaya: The sea?! Where did you go?

Tail: Silvermoon Bay!

Quit Smoking: HUH?! How’d you end up over there?

Gale: Nice.

Sideline Slacking: I flipped through the entire official lorebook and couldn’t even find an entry for that settlement!

Tail: It’s in the far south of Oasis No.4! The biggest commercial city of the Camel Kingdom! There are tons of beautiful houses, yachts, and boats! This game’s map is seriously MASSIVE!

Sisi: Oh yeah, she’s right. It’s super massive!

Roshan: +1! You can even rent boats at the port! A sailor there said if you keep sailing south, you’ll find a group of islands!

Quit Smoking: 666!

Aside from Ample Time flying to the East Coast, it was probably the first time Wasteland Online players had discovered the ocean in-game.

The idea that there were still so many unexplored regions got everyone, both hardcore and casual players, excited.

Just then, a certain sewer god popped up.

Garbage: Hey bros, anyone wanna go see the sea? PM me fast! Let’s squad up and head south! (evil grin)

Make Me: Me me me!

Me Quiet: Veteran driver here! Take me with you!

...

Oasis No.9.

Northwest Frontline.

At the frontline command post, Spring Water Commander was frowning at a set of aerial recon photos.

“Something’s not right.”

Hearing his muttering, Escaping Mole, who was sipping tea at the opposite end of the command table, glanced at him. “What’s not right?”

“Look at these photos.” Spring Water Commander laid several photos on the table and slid them over. “These were taken by the Goblin Corps’ planes over the southeast of Oasis No.3.”

To obtain those photos, they had sacrificed two pilots.

But for precious intel, it was worth it.

Escaping Mole examined the photos and immediately looked shocked.

On the endless sand dunes, miles of trenches stretched across the landscape.

Behind the trenches, scattered campgrounds of the Army were visible.

Although the layout looked random and sparse, there was a hidden design to it. Any attack on one position would be met with fire from at least two, sometimes even three, directions.

“Damn, these camps are huge. There must be a ton of troops!”

Spring Water Commander shook his head. “Not just a ton. I estimate there are at least 10 divisions there!”

“10 divisions?!” Escaping Mole gasped as his eyes widened.

A division was made up of roughly 10,000 soldiers, so they had nearly 100,000 soldiers stationed on the border?!

Where the hell did the Army get that many men? And could their logistics even support it?

“And this is just what we can see. Their logistics convoys didn’t show up in the aerial footage, and must be stationed deeper in the desert,” Spring Water Commander added grimly. “We’re probably looking at the Army’s main force.”

Escaping Mole frowned. “You mean... the Clone Corps?”

Spring Water Commander nodded solemnly. “Yeah.”

Those mentally deficient clones might not be strong individually, but under the command of their officers, they fought like the undead, fearless, relentless, until the very last soldier fell.

They never broke morale.

Machine-gun fire or artillery barrages wouldn’t force them to surrender. That was what made them terrifying.

Once their numbers reached a certain number, their combat effectiveness would far exceed that of any militia or auxiliary force.

Spring Water Commander remembered back when he was just messing around on the forums. When the Pioneer first reached the outskirts of Clearspring City, Shelter 404 encountered a clone commando squad sent by the Army.

That squad was led by Vanus and had around 2,000 troops. They established a forward position in the Elm District and shelled the Pioneer’s temporary base.

To eliminate those clones, the Pioneer had to throw everything they had at them. They even used a tactical nuke. Only with the help of players were they finally able to take them down.

Now they faced 10 divisions... Far stronger than whatever Vanus led!

They were also fully armed and supported.

Spring Water Commander had a bad feeling... Their real war might just be beginning.

On the other side, at the new industrial zone of Dawn City, Chu Guang, who had been inspecting their operations, suddenly received a transmission from the Burga Free State.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t officially sent from those who governed them, it was passed through an informant on behalf of General Griffin.

The message was very short.

Excluding the salutation and signature, there were only two lines.

[You are hereby ordered to return the Heart of Steel and all prisoners within thirty days, and withdraw your troops from the Sunset Province.]

[This is an ultimatum!]

Chu Guang glanced at the transmission and chuckled. He didn’t take their so-called warning seriously at all and casually passed it to Lu Bei, who was following beside him.

Thirty days?

An ultimatum?

The New Alliance wasn’t built on fear.

From the very start of the war, Chu Guang had never expected the other side to stop halfway. He was sure Griffin would do everything he could to persuade the higher-ups in the Army to send reinforcements.

Until the pack of wolves were thoroughly beaten and forced to abandon their unrealistic fantasies, the war would not end.

Just knocking down a few soldiers wasn’t enough. The New Alliance would inevitably have to clash directly with the Army’s main forces.

And that opportunity was just around the corner!

Walking half a step behind Chu Guang, the commander of the First Corps, Wrench, said in a deep voice, “According to intelligence from the frontlines, the Army has deployed over 100,000 troops on the border, including units directly commanded by their officers. They should be the Clone Corps. I don’t think this is just to show off... They may be preparing for a decisive battle before the autumn harvest.” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Chu Guang wasn’t fazed by Griffin’s bluff. Calmly, he replied, “A decisive battle? It’s just their final bluff.”

If they truly had confidence in winning on the battlefield, they wouldn’t have sent some ridiculous ultimatum, they would simply come and take what they wanted.

Who sends a nuclear warhead at their enemy and then politely offers them a chance to surrender?

It was obvious that the joint forces of the Army and Falcon Kingdom, even though they had completed a strategic retreat before the New Alliance could cut them down, were in a dire state.

The Falcon Kingdom had thrown all its manpower to the frontlines, to the point where their normal society could barely operate.

Since the Army lost their supply line from the Bugra Free State, they could only beg for reinforcements from their homeland.

Even if clones were cheap to maintain, they still needed food in their stomachs and bullets in their rifles.

If their operation to take down the Lion Kingdom had succeeded, if the Army had occupied Oasis No.9 and then marched north to take down the Golden Lizard Kingdom, reopening the northern trade route, they might have plugged their supply gap by trading slaves and resources for gear in the Bugra Free State.

But now... Not only had their operation failed, even their fallback strategies were ruined.

Trying to support such massive logistics with the limited power of a kingdom was basically wishful thinking.

Of course Griffin knew that. But knowing didn’t mean he could do anything about it.

After pushing so aggressively into enemy territory, they were paying the price.

The 100,000 troops stationed on the border and that threatening transmission... Rather than a genuine ultimatum, it was just a bluff to buy time, hoping to pressure the New Alliance into abandoning their offensive and switching to defense.

“So... What’s our next move?” Wrench respectfully asked.

Chu Guang stopped at the entrance of a factory and looked at the rows of tanks parked inside. The corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. “Our enemy gave us 30 days to respond.

I think that’s way too generous, we don’t need that long.”

“Since we’re such good friends, I figure... Two weeks should do.”