The instant he stepped into No. 81 Steel Mill, Chu Guang felt the surrounding temperature surge by several degrees, to the point that he even felt rather warm in his deerskin coat.
Looking up and forward, he saw two furnaces—one large, one small—sitting right in the center of the workshop floor.
The outer shells of these furnaces were cast from molds, and the interiors were lined with refractory materials such as silica to serve as acid linings.
One of them, a blast furnace equipped with a blower, was responsible for heating the scrap steel shoved inside to 1,300 degrees, melting it into molten iron; the other, a converter furnace elevated on a concrete base with six air tuyeres at the bottom, was responsible for blowing the 1,300-degree molten iron into qualified molten steel.
This process required no reheating.
The heat released by the oxidation process was enough to raise the temperature of the molten steel in the furnace from 1,300 degrees to 1,600–1,700 degrees. After adding a certain proportion of chromium according to specific ratios and completing the smelt, the converter was tilted to pour the molten steel into refractory molds, where it was repeatedly pressed by a pair of rollers.
To facilitate operations, the two had rigged numerous pulleys and slings across the ceiling, many of which had been salvaged from the abandoned tire factory; the quality was remarkably reliable.
For now, No. 81 Steel Mill was still just a small workshop. They had no way to accurately measure the carbon content inside the converter, and the underlying technology was merely the acid bottom-blown converter steelmaking process from the mid-nineteenth century, tweaked with "modern" know-how.
Although Chu Guang did not know much about steelmaking, his intuition told him that this setup looked far more professional than the crude blast furnace Old Bai had cobbled together earlier.
Especially that pair of rollers and the crude motor wound from copper wire attached next to them—even an amateur like him could see the merit in it.
At the very least, it looked way more reliable than pounding away with a hammer.
It just seemed to be missing a stamping press, making it impossible to produce seamless steel tubing. But with some effort, it shouldn't be too big a problem!
Brother Levin quickly shut the workshop door and led the Administrator over to their workbench, showcasing the fruits of their recent labor.
"Twenty-millimeter curved armor, forged to your provided measurements! This detachable steel plate fits seamlessly onto the front of the KV-1 exoskeleton and provides a steep slope over vital areas like your heart to deflect fatal blows. In addition, per your request, we designed two specialized keels for this armor, allowing for quick removal and replacement of new armor plates even if this one is completely wrecked!"
"According to our performance tests, this steel plate can perfectly withstand rifle and pistol rounds of various calibers—5mm, 7mm, 9mm, and so on—fired from any distance! With this strapped over your chest, you could withdraw unhurriedly even in the teeth of a hail of bullets!"
Chu Guang picked up the curved steel plate and weighed it in his hands, estimating it to be around fifty to sixty kilograms.
And that was just one face of the armor.
If a similarly sized curved plate were fitted to the back, the upper-body armor alone would likely weigh around a hundred kilograms.
Without an exoskeleton, wearing something like this would be virtually impossible. Even full medieval plate armor actually weighed only 25 to 30 kilograms, and even including horse barding, it rarely exceeded 45 kilograms.
Yet this was merely a breastplate.
"What about the other parts?"
Brother Toilet Cable, standing off to the side, piped up immediately.
"Right here! In addition to the front armor, we designed corresponding rear armor, as well as ballistic inserts protecting the torso! But for your safety, we still advise against standing on the front line of battle. After all, armor this flashy will definitely become the primary target of focused enemy fire."
Chu Guang smiled faintly.
What a joke.
If even you can think of that, wouldn't I have thought of it?
Up until now, Chu Guang only ever stepped in to snatch a kill and give the players a "cutscene" once victory was practically assured.
As for charging into the fray on the front lines, how could he bear to steal the players' thunder?
His job was simply to seize the right moment and blow the whistle.
However, this armor didn't look like something only he could use; it would probably work great for Meat Mountain Steamed Bun and Scavenger too.
Both of them had great stat profiles, with starting Strength close to 10. Once they leveled up a bit, they could easily shoulder the weight.
Since they were saddled with the clubfoot debuff, making it hard to operate intricate machinery or perform production occupation work, they were tailor-made to be tanks.
A burly white bear or lizardman charging across the field clad in heavy plate—just picturing the scene was awe-inspiring enough.
A 20mm steel plate was more than enough to let those two beasts crash behind enemy cover before small arms fire could chew through the armor.
Chu Guang inspected the rest of the protective gear, including the helmet. It covered more than ninety percent of his front and one hundred percent of his vital spots.
With the Nitrogen Power Hammer, he didn't need to charge into ferocious crossfire; he only needed to guard against surprise attacks at critical moments.
"Total armor weight is 220 kilograms. It's twenty kilos over spec, but that's no big deal." Chu Guang set down the armor piece and looked at the two players. "Can I test it?"
Brother Levin and Brother Toilet Cable nodded in unison, faces brimming with excitement.
"Of course! We're already prepped!"
"Please, by all means!"
What was the point of crafting gear if you didn't test it out?
With that, Brother Levin and Brother Toilet Cable strained to hoist the hundred-kilogram chest armor onto a wooden post serving as a target dummy, then scrambled out of the way to avoid stray ricochets.
Chu Guang gauged the distance—about thirty meters. Drawing the 10mm silver revolver from his hip, he aimed at the chestplate and pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
A thunderous roar echoed through the workshop as lightning-bright muzzle flash erupted. The chestplate hanging on the wooden post looked as if struck by lightning, toppling backward along with the post.
Who knew this gun packed such a punch!
The two players' eyes went wide, and they rushed over to inspect it. When they saw the bullet embedded in the steel plate, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It penetrated, but didn't go all the way through!"
"The slug's construction is solid—didn't ricochet at all. It just pancaked flat... Hiss, that's hot!" Reaching out to touch the bullet, Brother Levin jerked his fingers back as if shocked.
It didn't hurt much, but it looked like he was getting a blister.
Walking over to inspect the armor plate lying on the ground, Chu Guang gave a satisfied nod.
"You've done well. It seems your steel mill is officially on the right track. The quest completion reward has already been issued to No. 81 Steel Mill's enterprise account—two hundred silver coins in total!"
"In addition, for your outstanding individual performances, in my name as the Administrator, I award each of you an extra twenty silver coins and two hundred contribution points."
Hearing the Administrator's words, expressions of sheer delight and excitement bloomed on the two players' faces.
They hadn't expected bonus rewards for this quest!
"Thank you, Lord Administrator!!"
"We'll definitely keep working hard! We'll make No. 81 Steel Mill bigger and stronger!"
"Good, ambitious!" Chu Guang cleared his throat, collected his expression, and continued sternly, "Next, I have two important tasks for you."
"Currently, the outpost lacks heavy armor, as well as the seamless steel needed to produce gun barrels. I need you to manufacture ten sets of chest armor weighing under thirty kilograms each. They must fit standard-build vault residents and will mainly target Strength-type residents."
"In addition, I need you to produce ten 7mm seamless steel tubes capable of withstanding the chamber pressure generated when firing rifle rounds."
"Specific quest details and rewards have already been updated on your VMs. Please check them promptly."
Brother Toilet Cable and Brother Levin snapped to attention, roaring with high morale,
"Mission guaranteed!"
Very good.
Chu Guang nodded approvingly, parting with a few standard reminders like "mind workplace safety."
Then, donning the fully protected modified exoskeleton and slinging the great hammer over his back, he exited the furnace-like steel mill.
Outside the workshop.
The swirling snow had paused briefly, and the distant sky was deepening into dusk.
It was now off-duty hours for the NPCs, and the outpost's weapons shop was closed.
Having received her daily wage and shut up the weapon shop, Xia Yan hobbled along on her crutch, wandering curiously toward the market by the north gate.
Gazing at the dazzling variety of wares displayed across the stalls, her eyes widened in astonishment.
Naturally, the ones most astonished were the players.
They had never seen Boss Xia leave her weapons shop, let alone stroll over to the north gate market.
"Holy shit, the weapons shop lady came out?"
"Awesome! NPCs can buy player items now?!"
"Wait, hasn't the Administrator always been buying stuff? I saw him sneaking snacks over here ages ago!"
"How is that the same? The Administrator is the lead planner's favorite child! Besides, didn't you hear the devs say that the other NPCs' code was modeled off his source code? Clearly, his AI evolved, so the other NPCs got smarter too! At this rate, maybe all NPCs will be able to buy our goods later!"
"Damn, now that you mention it, why does this feel like a raising sim?"
"Ummm... raising the Administrator? Actually makes sense. He's this smart now, so at least half the credit belongs to us."
"..."
Sometimes Chu Guang really wished his hearing weren't so sharp, or people might misunderstand and think him petty.
As heaven was his witness, wasn't he selfless enough?
Someone as principled as him was practically an extinct species on this wasteland!
"Here."
A voice drifting beside his ear interrupted Chu Guang's thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw Xia Yan, her crutch tucked under her arm, holding a skewer of roasted deer leg in one hand and generously offering another toward him.
"Last time you treated me to soup; this time, roasted deer leg is on me!"
With a crutch under her arm and roasted deer leg in hand, the posture was rather comical.
Chu Guang smiled and took the skewer.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Still, as your boss, let me give you a piece of advice: you'd better be frugal with your wages."
Xia Yan took a bite of roasted meat and blinked.
"What's 'frugal'?"
"Don't you have a habit of saving?"
"Saving?"
"Forget it." Chu Guang blew on the piping-hot deer meat, gently tore off a small piece with his teeth, chewed thoughtfully, and after swallowing, said unhurriedly, "Pretend I didn't say anything."
Xia Yan: "?"
Having lived in comfort for so long, he had almost forgotten those days on Bet Street.
The vast majority of people on the wasteland lived day to day; how could they possess any concept of savings?
There was no telling which day the chips you hoarded would end up in someone else's pocket, so you might as well enjoy each day as it came.
Just then, a player sprinted over from the distance, shouting excitedly as he ran:
"A ton of people are coming from the north! They're heading south along the elevated highway out of the city—roughly fifty or sixty... maybe sixty or seventy! They're leading a few camels and cattle, too! Can't confirm who they are!"
The players near the market entrance immediately broke into heated discussion.
"Could it be a caravan?"
"Holy crap, more merchants?!"
"Didn't they say the last wave was the final one for the winter?"
"Who knows? Strictly speaking, the wave before last was supposed to be the final one, but another came after, didn't it? Nothing weird about it!"
Watching the chattering 'players', Xia Yan glanced at her VM and saw no notifications. Tilting her head, she sneaked a look at Chu Guang's face and noticed his expression growing solemn.
Even if she wasn't great at reading the room, she could guess that something bad was brewing.
Gulping down the rest of her roasted deer leg at lightning speed, Xia Yan tightened her grip on her crutch and asked in a low voice,
"What happened?"
"Most likely nomads."
"Nomads?! What are they doing coming to Qingquan City at this time of year? The snow is already this heavy." Xia Yan looked startled.
She had heard rumors about nomads, though none of them were particularly good.
"No idea. This year's snowfall came suddenly, over a month earlier than usual. War, famine, Tides... Qingquan City isn't unique in facing them, and the Central Continent has more than just River Valley Province."
Nomads on the wasteland did not refer to pastoral herders, but rather displaced wanderers who had lost their homes and survived by hunting and scavenging.
They typically heralded disaster, chaos, and ill omens, yet they were not like marauders who overtly plundered, burned, and slaughtered.
Perhaps one day they would find a suitable home, settle down, and walk a lawful path.
Or perhaps they might suddenly stumble upon a cache of weapons, let malice sprout, cast aside moral boundaries, and fall completely into chaotic evil.
Of course, the latter was quite rare—like buying a lottery ticket, where maybe only one or two out of ten thousand struck it rich.
Back then, Liu Zhengyue of Brown Farm had mistaken Chu Guang and his men for nomads wandering into the area because Chu Guang had brought so much dried meat to trade for grain.
Who would have thought he would truly run into them now...
"Head back to the shelter and stay there for now."
If they kept advancing, they would definitely spot the brick factory in the northwest corner of Wetland Park.
Wasting no time explaining further to Xia Yan, Chu Guang looked toward the players at the market entrance and raised his voice:
"Everyone, fall in."
"Grab your weapons and follow me out to meet them!"
Chapter 108