This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 480.1: A New Life

Although Academy reinforcements never arrived in the end, Zhao Xiao actually received a piece of news from Old White that he could hardly believe.

He was free to go home.

...

It was a dark and windy night.

The empty camp lay in silence, devoid of life.

Fifteen minutes earlier, the Burning Corps had set up this area, but hadn't stayed for long. After leaving behind a truck and some supplies, they simply walked away.

Standing in the center of the camp, Zhao Xiao felt a swirl of emotions.

He hadn’t expected that Old White wasn’t joking with him when he mentioned he would let them go... He actually kept his word!

Not just him, but he also released Chen Yutong and the severely injured Wu Liangping, who lay unconscious in a cryo-pod... All of them were left.

As for Xuan Feng,

The New Alliance insisted that androids without cognitive plugins were classified as equipment, a stance that happened to match the Academy’s definitions. So his body and AI core weren’t part of the exchange.

Though it sounded like a technicality, Zhao Xiao couldn’t think of a way to refute it. It wasn’t just Xuan Feng either.

Even his sniper rifle and its accessories had been confiscated by that guy named Night Ten... Well, he hadn’t expected them to return his weapons along with his freedom anyway.

Although Zhao Xiao had regained his freedom, there was one thing he couldn’t wrap his head around. Why had the New Alliance and the Corporation released them?

And what confused him even more was why he wasn’t feeling any joy now that he was released!

Perhaps it was because of that bet...

Old White never mentioned the beer again. He just gave Zhao Xiao a congratulatory pat on the shoulder and a smile, but Zhao Xiao knew full well, he had lost.

Just then, Chen Yutong, who had been standing silently beside him, suddenly spoke. "I changed my mind."

Zhao Xiao blinked and turned to look at her. "You changed... your mind?"

Chen Yutong nodded. "Yeah. I plan to stay."

His confusion gradually turned to shock as Zhao Xiao stared at her in disbelief. It took him a while to force out his question. "Why?!"

Betrayal was a serious crime.

A defector from the Academy would be hunted endlessly with a bounty on their heads. The higher their rank, the higher the price on their head.

And every apprentice was obligated to report and document any suspected traitor’s behavior to their Internal Affairs Department for investigation.

Failure to do so would mean they were harboring a treat and would be dealt with accordingly.

Zhao Xiao instinctively reached for his waist, only to remember there was nothing there anymore. He slowly lowered his hand and sighed, "I don’t know."

Unbothered by his reaction, Chen Yutong gently shook her head like she hadn’t seen anything.

She turned away, gazing at the starry sky to the south, and murmured softly to herself, "Maybe... Maybe I just want to see it for myself."

She knew well enough that the New Alliance wasn’t some kind of heavenly utopia, but still she wanted to see what kind of place it was. She wanted to know what type of place made its followers hold their heads high and proudly tell them to come see for themselves.

At that moment, her curiosity about the New Alliance surpassed even her fascination with ancient ruins.

And of course, the delicious food was also a reason.

Having finally made up her mind, Chen Yutong felt as if she had laid down all the burdens she carried, and suddenly felt much lighter.

Rank, identity...

None of it mattered anymore.

She had already died once for the Academy. From now on, she planned to live for what truly interested her, and she would follow her heart.

She looked at Zhao Xiao. "Just tell the captain I died in battle. Also... Thank him for taking care of me all this time."

She paused here, then chuckled with some self depreciation, "Wait, forget that part. A dead person saying thanks is just weird."

Her squad captain probably didn’t know she had been captured anyway. Letting them believe she had died alongside the others in that battle wouldn’t be so bad.

As long as she didn’t disgrace the Academy, they wouldn’t bother pursuing a lowly E-class defector. Many missing Prospectors weren’t truly dead. Some might still be alive, just like that D-class Prospector Old White had mentioned.

As for saying thanks... She could say it in person one day, if the chance arose.

Zhao Xiao gulped once. His duty told him he should stop this traitor in front of him, but instead, he muttered, "... Take care."

After all these years of being teammates, he still couldn’t bring himself to enforce the discipline of the Academy.

He just hoped she wouldn’t regret her decision.

He would simply tell the rest she had died in battle.

Chen Yutong nodded, turned, and walked away from the camp without looking back. She left her back completely unguarded.

Not even ten minutes after she left, the sound of tracks crunching over gravel echoed faintly from the ground.

Zhao Xiao looked toward the northern edge of the camp and saw a familiar heavy tracked vehicle slowly roll into the silent clearing.

Driving it was Zheng Hao, captain of the Signal Squad.

Zhao Xiao’s face lit up with surprise, he hadn’t expected the captain to personally come for him. "Captain!"

Zhao Xiao ran over and threw his arms around Zheng Hao in a burst of emotion.

Zheng Hao patted the young man’s back before letting go. Looking into his face, his tight expression softened ever so slightly.

He had been agonizing over his decision throughout the journey, but at that moment, all his doubts vanished.

He was grateful for the choice he had made.

From the Academy’s perspective, the most cost-effective move might’ve been to quietly delete these E-class members from the roster, and expect the squad to erase them from their memories.

But he was not the Academy.

He was neither Dr. Conclusion nor the Chief Technical Officer. Those people were far beyond his reach.

He was just a selfish man. He was a lowly D-class member of the Academy, a disposable pawn shuffled around by the higher-ups.

Regardless of justification, those who died suffered their fate because of his actions.

If saving even one of them could lessen the weight of guilt in his heart, then it was worth it.

"They didn’t harm you, did they?"

Zhao Xiao shook his head quickly. "No! They were actually pretty nice. They didn’t even hit me."

"Good." A rare smile broke across Zheng Hao’s usually expressionless face. He gave Zhao Xiao’s shoulder another pat and let go. "They kept their word. I’ll remember this favor... By the way, did that Old White guy give you anything?"

"Yes! I’ve got it right here!" Zhao Xiao eagerly nodded and pulled a test tube from his pocket, handing it over.

Old White had asked him to personally hand it over to their captain.

Zheng Hao accepted the tube, his eyes lighting up. But when he glanced over at the cryo-pod nearby, the joy on his face faded into a more complex expression.

"Is there anyone else?"

Zhao Xiao fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No."

Zheng Hao said nothing more. "... Get him onto the truck. We can’t stay here. It’s time to go."

Zhao Xiao nodded without asking questions, helping the captain lift the pod containing Wu Liangping onto the back of the truck.

They then moved to the front, opened the doors, and climbed on board.

A note was taped to the steering wheel.

On it were several hastily drawn diagrams explaining how to start the truck, operate the headlights, and drive.

Zheng Hao took one glance, tore the note off, tossed it aside, and turned the key to start the engine.

Eventually, the truck rolled out of the camp.

As the camp shrank in the rearview mirror, Zhao Xiao suddenly spoke. "By the way... there’s one more thing."

Zheng Hao replied casually while driving. "What is it?"

"Chen Yutong... She was seriously injured. She thought she wouldn’t make it, so she gave the cryo-pod to Old Wu, who still had a chance of survival."

He had just made up the story.

It barely held together, but it avoided revealing that she was still alive.

After a pause, Zhao Xiao added, "She asked me to thank you... For taking care of her all this time."

Zheng Hao nodded. His expression suggested he might have guessed something, but he didn’t press further. "Mm. Got it."

Zhao Xiao heaved a quiet sigh of relief.

Some things felt suffocating to hold in. Saying them out loud made everything easier.

The truck drove about five or six kilometers and stopped near a mountain road.

Several Signal Squad members approached with rifles raised, but upon seeing the captain and their sniper in the truck, they all lowered their weapons in relief.

"Exchange complete."