The Devil Moths' Nest

"Why'd you pick such a weird name?" "Is it that weird?" "Nah, Greenhouse Farm... It's more like it's overly serious, which actually makes it kind of weird." "Fuck! Can you blame me? Sigh, I'd already written up the application and submitted it before I remembered to give it a flashy name." "Out of curiosity, what were you planning to call it?" "QQ Farm." "Pfft." Makka Pakka met up with Edge Slacker, whom he had connected with on the forum. Dressed in hide coats and shouldering wooden bows and javelins, the two little players headed out through the east gate to start their pioneering expedition. Although Chu Guang was curious why they were leaving via the east gate instead of the west gate, and carrying wooden bows and javelins instead of hoes and axes, after thinking it over, he ultimately decided to leave them be. *** Evening came. Too lazy to cook, Chu Guang strolled over to the north gate and found that Yaya had stewed a pot of venison and mushroom soup. He placed a silver coin on the table. "Two bowls, please." "Right away!" Taking the bowls, Yaya energetically ladled out two hearty servings of broth with a large spoon, then handed them to Chu Guang with a sweet smile. "Careful, it's hot!" The players standing nearby holding their bowls saw this, and all at once the meat in their own bowls didn't taste as good anymore. Clamoring broke out immediately. "Boss Ya, you're playing favorites!" "Exactly! You weren't gentle with me at all when you handed me mine!" "There's a huge drumstick in the Administrator's bowl! I saw it!" "Yeah, yeah! Why is there only one piece of meat in our soup?!" "Right! And it's rump meat, too!" "Delicious food shouldn't be divided into high and low status! My waifu said so!" Yaya's face flushed, and she flusteredly retorted, "What do you mean rump meat! Am—am I that kind of person?" Besides, what was wrong with playing favorites? Was there anything wrong with sucking up to an NPC? Could any of them claim they hadn't buttered him up? Heh, calling him 'esteemed Administrator' this and 'esteemed Administrator' that—and they had the nerve to criticize her? At least she had triggered a hidden quest! "I don't care, not unless you give me another bowl!" "In your dreams!" Chu Guang smiled like a benevolent father, ignoring the rowdy players. Turning around, he walked through the north gate toward young Xia Yan's weapons shop. After several rounds of renovations and remodeling, the weapons shop looked completely different now. The original mud walls had been replaced with neat red brick walls plastered inside and out, and the floor was now laid with wooden planks. If it were still that rickety shack from before, it probably would have collapsed under the weight of the snow by now. It was clear that the players cared about Boss Xia even more than he did. Thanks to a few hand-drawn CG pictures on the forum, she had practically become the mascot. No, perhaps she already was one? When Chu Guang arrived, Xia Yan was asleep with her head on the counter, with a pile of freshly made cartridges resting in a wooden basket beside her. The players were all having fun by the north gate right now, so no one came here to disturb her. Chu Guang didn't wake her. He simply set the bowl down gently next to her. Then he found a chair in the room, sat down by the brazier, and casually tossed another piece of firewood into it. Warming himself by the fire, he sipped on the fresh, savory venison and mushroom soup. Sparks drifted up from the brazier. The aroma of the broth gradually filled the room. The nose buried in her folded arms twitched slightly. Slowly waking up, Xia Yan looked around blankly, but the moment she saw Chu Guang sitting in the room, she jolted wide awake. Looking at the awakened Xia Yan, Chu Guang said offhandedly, "You've really slacked off lately." Letting someone sneak right up behind her for so long without noticing and only waking up to the smell of meat—on the wasteland, someone like that wouldn't survive two episodes. Caught red-handed dozing on the job, Xia Yan looked thoroughly embarrassed. Like a child caught doing something wrong, she ducked her head, not daring to meet his eyes, and muttered in a small voice, "I... I only slept a bit after finishing my work. I wasn't slacking off... When did you come in?" "Just now." Seeing her on edge, Chu Guang teased with a smile, "Do you really need to be this nervous?" Xia Yan stammered for a while, unable to get words out. Chu Guang pondered for a moment before speaking up. "Starting tomorrow, I'll pay you a daily wage of... hm, ten silver coins. Settled daily this month, and monthly starting next month. Each month I'll give you a quota, mainly for producing ammunition and weapons. You can treat it as your quest. After completing the quota, you can earn a bonus of ten to thirty percent of your monthly pay. In addition, your bonus will be tied to the weapons shop's profits." Xia Yan hurriedly asked, "What if I don't finish it?" Chu Guang shrugged. "Doesn't matter. In any case, we have thirty revolver rifles in stock right now, plus over four thousand rounds of ammunition. That's enough for now." With the Bloodhand Clan wiped out, the only remaining threat in the region was the mutants on 76th Street. However, they seemed to have their own problems to deal with and hadn't turned their gaze toward Ling Lake Wetland Park yet. The sudden bitter winter was both a risk and an opportunity. This natural barrier would buy the residents of Shelter 404 precious development time. Food, fuel, and building materials were what mattered most; by comparison, the demand for weapons was not as urgent. Peeking at Chu Guang, Xia Yan murmured softly, "...To be precise, it's actually fourteen. Sixteen rifles were sold recently, along with over two thousand rounds of ammunition." Chu Guang replied nonchalantly, "No problem. There's still a heap of scrap captured from the marauders sitting in inventory. That's plenty for the newbies to play with for a while." "Why are you suddenly being so nice... even paying me wages?" Xia Yan asked softly. In Boulder City, the big shots only showed sudden, bizarre bursts of benevolence when they needed little people like her to go die for them. Although the chances of finding a buyer in winter were slim, Xia Yan was still somewhat fearful; after all, this man had left an indelible impression on her. "Because I think the time has come," Chu Guang said after thinking it through. "Not just you, but Old Luka as well. Everyone who works for me will receive compensation, whether more or less. You don't have to look at it as a reward or charity; it's the portion you deserve after contributing your labor." Simply put, he needed them to stimulate consumption. Relying solely on players to consume what players produced was a bit difficult. Having NPCs purchase what players produced in appropriate amounts could encourage players to expand production. Xia Yan nodded, half-understanding. She actually wanted to say that if he really wanted to pay her, he could use those white plastic tokens. It wouldn't even need to be a lot—one a day would be fine. But she was timid, so she could only comfort herself. Actually, silver coins were pretty good too. Ten silver coins... She heard that two chips could only be exchanged for one silver coin. Thinking of it like that, wasn't her daily wage twenty chips? A monthly salary of six hundred chips! In Boulder City, an assault rifle only cost 150 chips. A single month's income could buy four rifles—she'd be a bona fide middle-class townsperson! Hehehe... Daydreaming like this, Xia Yan amused herself. Chu Guang ignored the silly grin on her face and continued on his own. "Besides that, you'll receive a 'budget' from the weapons shop's 'profits' to issue quests to the 'players.' Just like I taught you before, you can guide them to do things you would normally have to do yourself. For example, loading gunpowder into cartridge casings, oiling the receivers, or even minding the store for a bit..." "You have free rein over how to handle this part. After all, you know the ins and outs of these minor chores better than I do. Your VM can help you edit quests, and if there's anything you don't understand, you can contact my assistant, Xiao Qi, through the VM. Finding things for others to do in moderation will also make your own work easier." Sitting upright and listening to Chu Guang, Xia Yan didn't dare move or interrupt. However, that bowl of venison and mushroom soup smelled so good that she couldn't help peeking at it several times, swallowing her saliva again and again. Noticing her little gestures, Chu Guang wrapped up his instructions, smiled, and said in a relaxed tone, "Figure out the rest yourself; I won't ramble on. That bowl of venison and mushroom soup is my treat. Drink it while it's hot—there's a piece of venison shank in there." Xia Yan instantly picked up the bowl and wolfed it down. When she set the bowl down, her face was full of bliss. Ignoring the grease and broth smeared around her mouth, she praised without end, "Uuuu, it's so good!" "After work, you can go check out the north gate. It's getting livelier over there. I doubt you've ever been." Chu Guang rose from his chair, casually placed his empty bowl on the wooden table beside the brazier, and counted out ten silver coins next to it. "Once you finish yours, wash mine too while you're at it." "Thanks for all your work during this period." Even after Chu Guang walked out the door, Xia Yan held her bowl, unable to snap out of her daze for a long time. "!" What word did that big monster just say?! She couldn't remember if he had ever said it before, but she knew full well how ruthless and stone-hearted this man's methods were. He was not only vicious toward enemies, but utterly merciless toward his own people. She had seen with her own eyes how he ordered the bodies of fallen soldiers into the furnace to be burned alongside enemies, not even leaving them a grave. For such a ruthless man to suddenly show kindness to her, he definitely had an ulterior motive! Yet for some reason, Xia Yan suddenly felt she wasn't as scared of him as before. How should she put it? When this man threatened to throw her out to fend for herself if she didn't work properly, she had indeed found it terrifying. But after spending some time together, it seemed he had never actually kicked her out. Sipping the remaining soup in her bowl in small mouthfuls, Xia Yan couldn't think of any bad things to grumble about him for the moment. Whatever. He hasn't really done anything outrageous to me anyway. This venison is actually delicious. Seeing as he treated this grand auntie to soup, I'll go ahead and wash his bowl for him later. *** After coming out of the weapons shop, Chu Guang found Old Luka and explained the matter of wages to him. Having been a slave for most of his life, Old Luka wore a completely bewildered expression upon hearing that his master intended to give him money. Chu Guang was truly too lazy to explain what wages were all over again, so he simply said, "Just think of it as a reward." "Keep it to buy food or daily necessities, buy some furniture at the woodworking shed to support the 'players'' businesses, or save it up to build yourself a decent house." Hearing the word 'reward,' Old Luka was moved to tears. He wanted to drop to his knees right then and there, but remembering his master's rule that people of Shelter 404 were not allowed to kneel, he immediately placed his right fist over his chest. "I am grateful for your generosity, Master!" If thinking that way made him feel more comfortable, Chu Guang couldn't be bothered to correct his mindset. After concluding his work instructions, Chu Guang asked about the training progress of the two new warehouse managers. It had to be said that these survivors with serf backgrounds had an innate adaptability for service-oriented positions like "warehouse management." After all, to them, back at Brown Farm, only the elite among serfs ever had a chance at such jobs. Any step higher, and there were only the plantation owner's personal servants, housekeepers, and soldiers. Those people could no longer be considered serfs, nor could they be fully considered slaves—they were more like privileged retainers. Most of them inherited their roles from their fathers, and only on rare occasions would a serf be selected to work inside the master's manor. Therefore, both of them cherished this opportunity immensely and learned remarkably fast. It likely wouldn't take more than a few days before they could strap on VMs and formally take up their posts. Chu Guang was quite reassured by Luka's work ethic. After a brief inspection, he turned and headed back to the sanatorium. Just as he was pondering whether to return to the shelter to play the game he had newly downloaded or go up to the third floor to keep Xiao Qi company, a sudden commotion came from the north gate. A scene like this felt oddly familiar. A player missing a leg lay on a stretcher, carried by two other players who jogged in through the north gate, huffing and puffing. Chu Guang recognized him. If he remembered correctly, it was during the afternoon. This guy had gone out through the east gate alongside Makka Pakka, both of them shouldering wooden bows and javelins and happily singing songs. At the time, he had wondered why they were taking the east gate and whether they had taken the wrong way. In retrospect, they most likely hadn't taken the wrong way at all—they had simply set out to court death from the very start. With a strange expression, Chu Guang brought up the system interface and opened the player list. Sure enough, Brother Pakka's icon was already grayed out, clearly dead as a doornail. Stepping forward, Chu Guang looked down at Edge Slacker, who lay on the stretcher on the verge of losing consciousness, and asked with a frown, "What happened to you?" "Moths! Tons of moths! And each moth was huge—almost as long as my arm! Their teeth are like scissors!" The expression on Edge Slacker's face was hard to read—whether excitement or terror—but he was extremely agitated, flailing his arms wildly in the air. "We went to the residential compound northeast of the wetland park on the map! There was a ruin of an artificial greenhouse there! We originally planned to check if we could find anything useful inside. After spending quite an effort crawling through the emergency corridor, we'd barely reached the exit when we saw a long row of cocoons hanging from webs! We were stunned. Just as we were about to examine what they were, Makka Pakka, who was walking in front, got chewed up by moths that pounced on him!" Carrying the stretcher, Construction Boy and Bricks had been listening with perked ears. When he heard "chewed up," he couldn't help gulping. "Ch-chewed up?" "Yes! Chewed to bits!" Edge Slacker panted, disregarding his bleeding wound as he continued agitatedly, "Seeing there was no way out, Brother Pakka took off his VM and threw it to me. I didn't dare look back and sprinted for dear life toward the emergency corridor! But just when I was about to burst out, two giant moths clamped their jaws onto my leg..." "Fortunately, these insects can't stand the cold. I scrambled and rolled out of the emergency exit. The moths behind didn't chase me out, and the two giant moths latched onto my leg ran out of strength. I stabbed them a few times with my dagger and finally killed them. But my leg was eaten down to half a stump." Eaten down to half a stump, huh... Edge Slacker narrated vividly, while Chu Guang's eyebrows twitched as he listened. Thank goodness excessive pain was blocked in the game. Any other survivor would have been in too much agonizing pain to breathe after the very first bite. "Devil moths." Chu Guang took a deep breath, glanced at his mangled severed leg, and promptly delivered a terminal diagnosis. "You're missing a leg, and even the bone is gone. This isn't an injury an incubation pod can heal. Without the 'Limb Regeneration' trait, no amount of resilience will help. Do you understand what I mean?" The most humane thing to do was kick him offline, lock his login, and toss him straight into the incinerator. Whether he was dead or alive didn't really matter; without a consciousness plugged in, the clone was just a mindless empty vessel. Alive or dead, it wouldn't affect the recycling of active substances. Naturally, Edge Slacker understood the Administrator's hint—this was an old tradition in Shelter 404. He nodded at lightspeed. "I know! I get it, respected Administrator! But if I must die, can I choose how I go?" That was a reasonable request. Chu Guang nodded. "No problem. How do you want to die?" Edge Slacker smiled shyly and said bashfully, "I'd like to try out that Gallows of Justice outside the gate... Hehe, I'm kind of curious." Chu Guang: "..." It was the first time he had ever heard such a bizarre request. Ah well. Leaving an intact corpse would also make it easier to recycle. *** And just like that, Edge Slacker, having just been carried into the base, was carried right back out to the gallows outside the north gate by the two players. "Wait, let me think of a cool line! I want to die like a hero—" "Cut the crap, down you go!" "Urk—!" The two players dealt with it briskly, sending Brother Slacker, neck crooked, off to the morgue. His gear and VM would be stored in a locker in the airlock. Three days later, he'd be good as new. Chu Guang went up to the third floor of the outpost and found Xiao Qi. "A nest of devil moths has been discovered northeast of Ling Lake Wetland Park." "Devil moths?" "An insect-type mutant. Mark three skulls on the map for me first; these things aren't easy to deal with." Xiao Qi tilted its camera. "Should we forbid players from entering that area?" "No need, a warning will suffice," Chu Guang said after a moment's thought. "The restriction on 76th Street can be lifted as well, though keep the danger markers." "I'm curious to see how these players will handle this thorny problem."