After Chu Guang left, the hall on Floor B2 erupted with shouting and hawking.
Xiao Xiao Xiao Bookworm called out, "Any Perception-type rookies? Veteran driver squad! Frontline Strength-type LV3, one Agility and one Constitution for DPS. Perception-types just focus on scouting enemies—don't worry about anything else. We'll carry you all the way to glory!"
Midnight Chicken Slaughter shouted, "Any Strength-types want to party up? Let's chop wood together! I'll grind you up to LV1 in a single day!"
Fountain Commander cursed, "Damn it! Does nobody want Intelligence-types? I'm shaking with rage!"
Elven King Fugui replied, "Bro, it's not that we don't want to carry you; we don't even know how Intelligence-types level up!"
Elaina chimed in, "I can teach you how to be funny."
The most sought-after newcomer was naturally the white bear. However, there was only one bear, and she was quickly swindled into playing tank.
After that, the most popular recruits were the Perception-types, who provided the greatest party utility, followed by the easiest-to-level Strength-types, and then the versatile Agility-types and Constitution-types who could fill any role.
The most miserable remained Intelligence.
In the current version, although production occupations showed signs of rising prominence, not every production job required Intelligence.
Granted, higher Intelligence provided a slight boost to skill learning speed, but in the early game, that bonus was hardly noticeable.
Jobs like moving bricks, plastering, digging dirt, hauling rocks, and firing cement actually still demanded Strength.
Just when the Intelligence-type players were hovering in helpless despair, a five-foot-tall Intelligence-type girl stepped forward, raising her petite hand.
"This is Tengteng Cottage, recruiting newbie apprentices willing to learn tailoring! Intelligence-types get priority, come sign up!"
To the flock of little Intelligence-type rookies, it felt as though a bright beacon had just lit up their gloomy world.
"Mama, I saw an angel!"
"Coach! I want to learn tailoring!"
"Wuwuwu, starting today, needles and scissors are my life!"
"Wait, can Strength-types apply?! I suddenly feel like production occupations are pretty fun too!"
"I think intuition is really important for making clothes—I'm a Perception-type!"
"Nonsense! Tailoring definitely needs Agility! Working fast is king!"
Not only the Intelligence-type rookies, but newcomers from the other branches came rushing over as well.
Soon, it wasn't just newbies; even veteran players sporting VMs came crowding in to join the fun, begging to ride the rich girl's coattails.
Submerged in the crowd, Tengteng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, waving her hands in a fluster.
"Don't all come to me! I-I-I can only take three people!"
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Tail rubbed her chin and clicked her tongue.
"Damn it, the bear got snatched."
Standing beside her, Sisi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Stop cursing and hurry up and find a big thigh to carry us."
"A big thigh?"
Antennas seemed to sprout atop Tail's head.
Craning her neck to look around, Tail's eyes suddenly lit up, locking onto a certain pair of long legs that couldn't squeeze into the square.
"Si, you're a Constitution-type, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm faster—Agility-type!"
Smacking her right fist into her palm, Tail stared at Yaya in the distance, eyes gleaming.
"Her, it's got to be her!"
Sisi gave Tail a skeptical look.
"...Can that girl actually pull it off?"
"Definitely! She's bigger than the two of us put together!"
"...Are we even talking about the same thing?"
"Big means power!"
Watching Tail bounce and trot away, Sisi sighed.
"She's completely lost her mind."
...
Having tossed the task of mentoring the newbies to the veteran players, Chu Guang spent his freed-up time dealing with the captives rescued from the marauders' dungeon.
There were thirty rescued captives in total.
Earlier, Chu Guang had instructed the warehouse manager, Luka, to register their identities, inquiring how each of them had been captured, what they had done beforehand, and whether they had any specialized skills.
In addition, they asked where they came from, if they still had family on the wasteland, and whether anyone was willing to ransom them back.
All of these were necessary procedures.
Chu Guang needed to decide their assignments based on their backgrounds.
Naturally, if anyone expressed a desire to return home, he would generously let them go. While he wouldn't provide travel expenses, he certainly wouldn't force them to stay.
Forced melons weren't sweet, nor did they quench thirst. Moreover, these slaves couldn't possibly be stronger, better fighters, or harder workers than the players.
What Chu Guang needed was heartfelt loyalty.
Only sufficiently loyal NPCs could serve as his assistants, helping him guide the players into playing the game "correctly."
Although Old Luka was illiterate and had only learned some basic pinyin, the VM possessed a recording function, and dictations could be transcribed to text for archiving.
"My Lord."
Seeing Chu Guang approach the warehouse, Old Luka, who had been lecturing the survivors on minding the rules, stepped forward respectfully to greet him.
Chu Guang glanced at the survivors.
They were clad in ragged padded coats and leather jackets stripped from the marauders. Most were sallow, malnourished, and gaunt as skeletons.
Chu Guang had previously had them camp by the brick kiln, but recently moved them inside the outpost, permitting them to build shacks to live in between the southern gate wall and the trench.
Every day, Luka boiled a pot of green wheat porridge for them, tossing in two liang of raw meat and one jin of Chinese cabbage taken from the marauders, finely chopped—which to them was a supreme delicacy.
Indeed, it could truly be called a delicacy.
After all, back in the dungeon, let alone having clothes to wear, even a plump rat or cockroach was considered a feast.
Where could they have ever eaten piping-hot food?
"Why are there only twenty-five left?" Chu Guang counted the headcount and noticed people were missing, turning to ask Luka.
Luka kept his head lowered and said, "Five of them didn't make it... When they were brought back, many carried severe wounds, some even crippled. I found some medicinal herbs to bandage them, but they still didn't survive. This old servant took it upon himself to send their remains into that incinerator. Please punish me, My Lord."
Taking it upon himself? That was more than fine.
Chu Guang found that Old Luka and Xia Yan were polar opposites: one was so sensible and considerate it made one's heart ache, while the other wouldn't budge an inch unless chased from behind with a whip.
"No need, you did the right thing," Chu Guang nodded and continued, "Have all these survivors' identities been cataloged?"
Luka nodded. "They're all cataloged!"
The audio had been organized into data and uploaded to the computer. Xiao Qi pulled up the files, compiled them, and forwarded them to Chu Guang's VM.
Chu Guang's VM was different from those of the players and NPCs. His had administrator-level maximum privileges and could directly connect to the mainframe of Shelter 404, maintaining signal coverage as long as he didn't stray too far from the outpost.
Browsing the roster and records on his VM, Chu Guang gained a general understanding of the survivors' identities.
Two of them were formerly serfs from Brown Farm, two were hunters from Bet Street, while most of the rest came from survivor communities near Qingquan City's northern suburbs or were drifters wandering nearby.
"...Zhao Shu and Yang Ergou?"
Tsk.
What kind of names were these?
Still, Chu Guang finally understood what the survivors of Bet Street did once they ran out of zodiac signs and common animals.
When they ran out of names, they could just pad them with numbers.
Hearing the Administrator call their names, the two skinny survivors hurriedly stepped forward, speaking timidly.
"Here, My Lord."
"How did you two get captured by the Bloodhand Clan?" Chu Guang stared at them, asking curiously. "Didn't your Old Leech—I mean, the mayor—pay protection money to the Bloodhand Clan?"
The two looked utterly bewildered.
"Protection money..."
"W-we don't know."
"My Lord, how could the mayor ever talk about such things with us?"
"Yeah... We were caught last month while hunting out in the wild."
It seemed these two youngsters had never pondered why the marauders of the Bloodhand Clan spared Bet Street.
Brown Farm had decent military power, and supplying goods was likely just buying peace. But Bet Street, with its handful of guns and crumbling walls that couldn't even keep out rats—taking it down probably wouldn't even require a single decurion.
Still, it seemed protection money and ransom were two different matters; paying tribute offered no guarantee of their safety while scavenging outside, and Bet Street's mayor had no intention of ransoming them back.
Chu Guang studied them for a moment before speaking.
"Do you have family in Bet Street?"
Both nodded repeatedly.
"We do."
"Very good. I'll give you two choices now: one is to return and reunite with your family, and the other is to stay and work for me."
The two exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and looked toward Chu Guang.
"My Lord, I want to stay."
"M-me too."
Chu Guang smiled at them. "Are you sure?"
Both nodded in unison. "We're sure!"
In winter, hunting game was extremely difficult, and they knew very well how little food remained at home. Going back now meant another mouth to feed—and a ravenous one at that—which would only make things worse for their families.
Here, they had shelter, a warm fire, and food; they were already more than content. Even if they were to return, that would have to wait until next spring.
Chu Guang knew clearly what they were thinking, but he didn't mind.
Whether they returned home bearing tales of Shelter 404's benevolence or stayed here to help build the outpost, both served a purpose for him.
Turning to Luka, Chu Guang asked, "Among these serfs from Brown Farm, is there anyone you know?"
Luka replied subserviently, "Rest assured, My Lord. I am your servant; regardless of where they come from, I will treat them equally."
Chu Guang chuckled. "You only need to tell me whether you know them or not."
Luka hurriedly nodded. "Both of them. I know their names, though we didn't talk much."
Chu Guang nodded and continued, "Keep those two here. Show them the ropes of warehouse management. Once they're competent, the granary and warehouse will be handed over to them."
"Once this matter is handled properly, I'll assign you more important duties."
Delighted to be entrusted with greater responsibilities by his master, Luka nevertheless kept his head bowed meekly and promised solemnly, "Yes, My Lord! I guarantee I will train them until they're thoroughly obedient. If they do anything poorly, I am willing to share their punishment!"
Serfs from Brown Farm were easy to train; they were the most compliant.
Looking at the remaining survivors, Chu Guang pondered for a moment before saying, "Have the rest pack their belongings and set out with fuel, food, and other supplies."
"While the snow has stopped, I need them to camp by the riverbank to the northwest. There's a brick kiln there, and I'll arrange work for them at that site."
When the time came, he could pick two sharper survivors to serve as foremen, issue them VMs, and put them in charge of communicating with players and leading the rest in their labor.
The VMs had a built-in tracking function that was passively active at all times, so Chu Guang wasn't worried at all about them losing the precious devices. Breaking one was also no easy task.
Luka nodded respectfully and took his orders.
"Yes, My Lord!"
Chapter 103