This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 492.3: Spoils Of War

Standing atop a tank turret, Elf Wang raised his binoculars, glanced into the distance, and clicked his tongue.

Groups of prisoners were arriving at the west gate of Bist Town, where their commander was negotiating with an New Alliance officer assigned to receive those who surrendered.

He looked around but didn’t spot any big-nosed Wislanders, nor any of the battle junkies.

“No one can defy the tide of history... Just wait and see,” Escaping Mole narrowed his eyes, trying to sound profound, though even he wasn’t sure what he meant.

Leaning against the tank, a newbie suddenly muttered in awe, “One shell could rack up a serious kill count right now...”

Escaping Mole rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and then your account’s gone. Better sell off your silver coins first.”

Silver coin prices had always fluctuated wildly.

No one really knew what was being sold off, but every transaction seemed to be in the billions.

The newbie probably didn’t have much, but a thousand or two thousand CNY worth wouldn’t be hard to obtain.

He froze. “Wait, they actually ban accounts for that kind of thing?”

Escaping Mole shot him a strange look. “This is a closed beta, man. The helmets were handed out via lottery. If your beta access gets revoked, it’s not like that’s unfair.”

The newbie laughed bitterly, “Damn, that’s harsh.”

Jumping down from the turret, Elf Wang patted him on the shoulder with a grin. “Of course it is. According to the setting, every NPC in this game is permanently deleted upon death. Even if the devs didn’t come for you, we would.”

“Yep,” Irene nodded with a subtle smile. “... If we keep fighting, the expansion pack results will be delayed.”

“And the Corps’ collective scores will get penalized.”

“Might even miss the year-end ‘Tide’ event.”

“Yikes, no way!”

Seeing everyone glaring at him, the newbie quickly laughed and waved his hands. “I was just joking around, of course I wouldn’t screw over the team!”

He really was just making wild imaginations.

After all, the tank keys were with the commander, and those level veterans wouldn’t indulge his nonsense.

Not to mention, his silver coin stash was only worth a few thousand CNY.

Escaping Mole gave him a long, meaningful look, but said nothing.

Still, if a player suddenly sold all their gear and cashed out their silver coins, even a half-decent developer team would know something was up.

Though no one dared try, he couldn’t help but wonder... Would the developers use their powers based on suspicion? Or would they bait and ban?

Thanks to the linked system, any troll who ruined others' gameplay would vanish from the forums as soon as their account got locked. Whether such players existed or not... No one could really say.

Sunlight streamed over the streets of Falcon City that afternoon.

To most of its residents, the sunshine had never felt so bright.

The war, sparked by a few people's ambition and stupidity, was finally over.

Many had set out at dawn with woven baskets, hoping to scavenge potatoes or wheat from the untended fields to make porridge. They hadn’t seen sunlight outside the city in a long time.

Ever since the Wartime Act and Mobilization Order had been issued, commoners without titles needed special paperwork just to leave the city.

Worried that families might flee to other oases or hide in forests to avoid conscription, the nobles would rather have them starve in the city than let them leave to survive.

Thank the heavens. It was finally over.

No one knew what the future held, but at least... They were free now.

Of course, not everyone left the city just because of hunger. Many were escaping the chaos left in the war’s wake.

With the militia, city guard, and royal guards all disbanded, law and order in the city quickly deteriorated.

There’s always someone ready to loot and pillage, especially when the strong could rule over the weak. If someone managed to smuggle a rifle back from the frontlines, they could easily become the general of a few blocks.

The discharged soldiers returning home added another layer of instability.

But surprisingly, the chaos didn’t last long.

Maybe the New Alliance soldiers simply couldn’t stand watching those thugs bully the weak, they acted swiftly.

They did two things.

First, they gathered representatives from various trades in the city to form a Civilian Regulation Committee, then selected some young, capable ex-militiamen and armed them with weapons seized from the guards. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Second, they dealt swiftly and harshly with the looters and thugs, those who committed violence in broad daylight, and handed them over to the newly formed committee for punishment.

...

Inside the castle court.

Several bruised and bloodied men knelt on the ground, hands and feet tightly bound with rope.

Nearby stood a few elderly people, women, and children, brought in as victims and witnesses.

Standing with the Burning Corps players were the representatives of the Civilian Regulation Committee. Some were tailors, some stone masons, some butchers. A few even held Ripper rifles in their hands.

Clearly, it was their first time in the palace. Everyone looked nervous, uneasy, not daring to glance up at the king on the throne.

If the New Alliance soldiers hadn’t insisted they stand there, they probably would’ve knelt beside the criminals.

Ignoring the men on their knees, Old White looked toward the old king. “... In the New Alliance, robbery is a felony. The maximum sentence is classification as a marauder. They would be stripped of all personal freedoms, political rights, and even human rights, condemned to labor in the mines like cattle until death.”

Then, he turned away from the king and looked at the civilian representatives. “How are such cases handled in your kingdom?”

The group hesitated, but the butcher stepped forward with a scowl. “According to Falcon Kingdom law... public execution by beheading.”

Hearing they were to be beheaded, the kneeling men immediately screamed like rats caught by the tail.

“Wait! I’m a noble! I was personally granted the title of baron by His Majesty... The law doesn’t apply to us!”

Old White wasn’t surprised.

Aside from the small fry, only those exempt from military service, typically minor nobles, had the means to exploit people in the current state of things.

Those men had stayed silent out of pride. But once their lives were on the line, they were quick to flaunt their noble titles.

All five were barons.

King Morgott looked at them, black lines forming on his forehead. These men were a disgrace.

Old White shook his head. “Beheading is too bloody... It’s uncivilized.”

The kneeling men started to cheer, until Old White’s next sentence sent them straight into a pit of despair. “Hang them then.”

Realizing they were doomed regardless, the barons turned to the king. “Your Majesty!”

“Spare us, Your Majesty!”

Looking at the nobles begging pitifully for mercy, the old king sighed. He wanted to tell them they were begging the wrong man.

But he had no choice, after all, they were his nobles.

Turning to the Corps Commander, he whispered, “They just bullied a few commoners... Is that really worth a death sentence?”

One had to respect the master even if the dog messed up.

No matter how disgraceful, they were still his men. He had already surrendered, what more did they want?

Besides, he didn’t understand why the New Alliance was doing all this. Was it to win over the people? To humiliate him by putting on an elaborate show?

There was no need. A defeated king had no dignity left.

Still...

That Civilian Regulation Committee unsettled Morgott.

Though it was normal to grant titles to war heroes, he had always been wary of granting power to anyone outside the nobility.

Now, these commoners had not only been given authority, but weapons.

They might stay obedient for now out of fear of the crown. But taking those guns away later would not be easy.

The thought gave Morgott a headache. A little postwar unrest didn’t worry him, such chaos would pass like a storm.

But what the New Alliance was doing filled him with unease.

It felt like they had buried a powerful bomb right beneath his feet...

Old White chuckled. “This is the administrator’s order. Do you object?”

King Morgott fell silent for a long time, then shook his head. “No. Proceed.”

As soon as he spoke, the civilians around the prisoners dragged the barons out of the hall, ignoring their cries for mercy.

Clearly, they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, perhaps even before today.

There was no mistaking the private vengeance in the way they were hauled off.

Old White didn’t stop them. He tacitly allowed the vigilante justice.

Though he liked the administrator’s style, he knew the administrator wasn’t doing this in the name of justice.

It was about stripping power from this castle and handing it to the people outside, those who had always been trampled upon.

Then, using the transfer of power, completely tear apart the alliance between citizens and nobles...

As a way to destroy the Falcon Kingdom’s war potential, it was more effective than blowing up their factories. After all, those conscripts weren’t going to march off to die for their masters on their own.

Listening to the fading howls and curses outside the palace, King Morgott sighed and shut his eyes.

Even with a million grievances in his heart, what could he say?

He was nothing more than war loot for the New Alliance. Everything they were doing was simply the disposal of a spoil of war...