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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Little Prince of the Columbarium
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#Unread Messages (1)
「Electronic Ankle Bracelet: Does this streamer have no dick? No balls? I was all prepped to jerk off and he's not fucking! Oh, my poor Johnson is wilting away dead!」
「Hectopascal Kick: Honestly, he's got neither, you bastard lolololol」
「Life Sentence: You're laying out a girl for him and he can't eat her? Why can't he eat her? Things were going so well today...」
「100MillionLoan: lmaoooo good luck day drip lolol What was so lucky about it?」
「DontDripWithNick: Finding this stream alone is good luck. There aren't many BJs who can pull this off. Unless your TOM rating is sky-high, the AI can't react that realistically with zero delay. Plus, his improv skills are insane. Even veteran star streamers casually go "Lemme sort this out real quick" and kill the flow... If this guy's a real newbie, he's a comet streaking across the sky.」
「HalfDickHome: TL;DR gtfo」
「KoreaUSAlliance: Nick-dripping bastard talks as greasy as his nickname.」
[EyeSnowFox gifted 20 stars.]
「Matsumin: Definitely disappointing without the sex.」
「YeominROCK: Yeah, the world runs on sex and violence. Sex and violence.」
「Storm224: Sex, sex!」
「UnitedByBuddhistFaith: I'm a monk accessing an adult channel behind the abbot's back. AMA.」
「Hectopascal Kick: Get lost, fake monk」
「TeamLeaderKimMiyeong: Hold up, that Japanese-nicknamed guy's location shows Japan? Is he actually Japanese?」
「Matsumin: Yes. Matsumin is a real Japanese person. Using a translator.」
「Life Sentence: Foreigners on relay channels aren't rare, but he's not even a famous BJ topping the portal main page, and a Japanese guy's come all this way to hang out.」
「Matsumin: Korean VR adult streams are super popular in Japan. I think there are tons like me. In the VR era, Japan isn't a sex superpower anymore. Korea's the next-gen sex superpower. I have niche tastes, so I was browsing around and found this personal stream. In Korean terms, I got the 'vibe'.」
「Life Sentence: Hangeul pack lololol」
「YeominROCK: Back in my day, Japanese porn ruled, and now a Japanese guy's saying that... Feels weird.」
「TeamLeaderKimMiyeong: But is it okay for Japanese people to watch this stuff?」
「Matsumin: What do you mean?」
[EyeSnowFox gifted 20 stars.]
「TeamLeaderKimMiyeong: You guys freak out if we even bring up old history, demanding apologies and reparations. Weren't you pissed at that crazy character earlier that seemed nuts to us too?」
「Matsumin: I was pissed. But it's a story in a VR world, and more importantly, I came for sex, so it didn't matter. If anything, thinking of it as roleplay gets me excited. It's like an extension of cosplay and SM play.」
「OldSpice: Does a man's desire transcend history...? Sex will heal the world. Sex will bring peace to humanity.」
「Jjarappappa: No way...」
「Storm224: Matsumin, I acknowledge you as a true man.」
「Matsumin: I'm not a man. I'm a woman. Additional dox drop. (laugh)」
「Electronic Ankle Bracelet: Wha... what?」
「Matsumin: Actually, I was sens-sync'd with that Setsuna character earlier. Was expecting to get it soon, but disappointed.」
「AdolfWhoTura:!!!!!」
「BlackBroJajai: Oh fuck, words fail me. Chaos, destruction, madness—all here.」
「100MillionLoan: As expected of the original sex superpower. No matter how much Korea leads in content, we're behind in mental disarming. We bow in respect.」
「EekDta: Don't fall for it, it's a honeypot trap. Dox has errors for sure.」
[EyeSnowFox gifted 20 stars.]
#Intermission, Combat Will and Combat Fatigue (1)
Being overwhelmed by the enemy reduces combat will while increasing combat fatigue. When combat fatigue is high and combat will is low, the individual is considered gripped by fear. This triggers temporary debuffs to overall stats, along with increased chances of abandoning missions or defying leader orders. These penalties can be mitigated by the individual's willpower, combat skill proficiencies, community or personal traits, leader abilities, and so on.
Combat fatigue lingers for a period even after combat ends, continuing to affect the individual. The higher it rises, the slower it decreases. At critical levels, it stops decreasing naturally and can cause semi-permanent mental disorders in severe cases. Thus, managing combat fatigue is a core aspect of community personnel management.
Like other stats, combat will and combat fatigue are hard to discern without sufficient 「Insight」 rank. Viewing precise estimates requires Insight rank 10 or higher.
#Journal, Page 37, Camp Roberts
The U.S. government announced a new containment strategy via address. A blockade line stretches along the western borders of Idaho-Nevada-Arizona and the Mexican border, under constant intensive satellite and air reconnaissance. The gist: any unauthorized vehicle movement will be engaged and destroyed by air force assets. They'll start with warning shots, but who knows if that'll hold. Various manned/unmanned aircraft and gunships are being deployed in droves. The Army's deploying massive numbers too, of course.
This address, broadcast to huddled refugees, felt like outright intimidation from their perspective. The primary goal was likely psychological reassurance for residents east of the line, but it surely factored in threats to survivors and camp refugees west of it.
The spokesperson listed off the deployed gunships' specs and armaments to assure blockade efficacy. These aircraft (AC-130), comparable to mid-sized passenger jets, can fly 4,000 km one way, 8,000 km round trip, armed with multiple autocannons and howitzers. Floating artillery batteries, essentially. They explained its long loiter time and sustained firepower make it ideal for containment.
The same address mentioned a limited mobilization order in effect, with purchase limits on certain strategic goods. Still, true to America's abundance, controls weren't too strict. Limiting personal vehicle use in safe zones alone seemed to secure massive daily fuel reserves. Only a nation that guzzled oil in peacetime could pull that off. Air and sea trade routes remain free of infected variant threats for now. Quarantine precautions needed, but resource supply didn't seem dire.
Some refugees couldn't hide their dismay upon hearing this. Dreamers of escape, no doubt. Exhausted refugees needed delusions. The U.S. East Coast had become a terrestrial paradise in their minds. Not entirely wrong. Compared to other nations, the normally functioning American East was paradise.
Some raged. The U.S. government too selfish. They'd escape someday and make it there no matter what.
But if the announcement held, no vehicles allowed. Instant takedown. Could you cross a danger zone teeming with infected variants on foot? Even succeeding, you'd face the military-blanketed blockade. Safe zones no better— no ID to prove yourself. You'd hide there too, miserably. Lucky not to get shot by cops or military.
In the end, the camp was the best bet for survival.
#Journal, Page 38, Camp Roberts
Unpleasantness in San Miguel aside, the lack of food and supplies for wintering remained unchanged. The U.S. military admitted the prior op was hasty and reckless, planning improvements.
Refugee volunteers would now receive basic training. Camp Roberts was a training facility pre-outbreak, so back to basics. But Lieutenant Capston was skeptical. Might work with more time. Visible results from days of crash course? Doubtful. Real cold incoming soon. Supplies urgent, time limited.
New op rule added: No compensation if accompanying U.S. soldier doesn't return. Performance-based rewards still apply. Posters plastered everywhere.
Volunteer training was basic. Limited live ammo, mostly tactical movement and morale drills.
Still, it became critical for U.S. officers. Per battalion command, officers train assigned volunteer groups. For future supply runs, take your trainees. Compare results each time: rewards for top performers, penalties for flops. That was the new op rule core.
「AI Help (Insight Rank 8): You can choose which officer's group to join. Per your insight, best picks are Captain Markert or Lieutenant Robert Capston.
Captain Markert, senior company commander, wields max influence and likely cuts corners to meet quotas. Missions with him safer than others. But as experienced, he's a severe racist. Those with 「Racism」 values easily mistreat and insult other races. Hard to gain his favor, even with big results. Flattery and negotiation skill might yield more than expected.
Lieutenant Capston is morally upright but low influence. Intolerant of corruption, often ostracized. Duty-focused, so higher chance of volunteering for riskier missions. Pick him for fair treatment and trust proportional to effort—but survival harder.
Who do you choose?」
「Player's Choice: Join Lieutenant Robert Capston's group.」
I naturally went with Lieutenant Robert Capston. Exactly what I wanted. Not even joking about harassment from a racist like Captain Markert. Even if it meant some extra risk.