Triumphant Return! And a Victory Banquet!

In the evening, as the last covered wagon rolled out of Bet Street's north gate, the survivors of Shelter 404 sang songs of victory on their way home. The residents of Bet Street watched blankly as the victors disappeared at the end of the street, many still in a daze from the cannon blast that morning. Just like that... It was over? Not a single person had died. The most seriously injured was merely an unlucky guard whose cheek was scratched by splinters sent flying by the cannon shell. Once the invaders breached the gate, they hadn't burned, killed, and pillaged like marauders either. Instead, they had headed straight for the castle in the center of Bet Street—just as Zhao Shu and the others had said, they were here to teach the old mayor a lesson, and as long as everyone stayed indoors, nothing would happen to them. As for the old mayor, who was now missing, nobody cared about his fate. Everything that had happened to him was self-inflicted; if anything, he was better off dead, never to appear before their eyes again. As for the spoils those people had carted away, Bet Street's residents felt nothing about it either. Whether it was the food from the granary or the weapons from the armory, those were all the old mayor's property. He had never shared any of it with them, so naturally they felt no obligation to mourn his loss. "Where do you think the mayor went?" "No idea. Doesn't seem like anyone saw him leave the castle." "Maybe he disguised himself as a scavenger and snuck off." "I think he was beaten to death by those bluecoats." "I heard the bluecoats rarely initiate violence. The mayor's family must have really pissed them off." "The new mayor is the old butler?" "Not a bad choice, but he's so old... Can he manage?" "What I care about right now is the grocery store... If the grocery store is gone, where are we supposed to trade for salt from now on?" Hearing the residents' chatter, Old Charlie cleared his throat and stepped forward in front of everyone. "The grocery store will operate as normal. I will arrange for a dedicated and conscientious shopkeeper, so there is no need to worry. Your lives will not be disrupted in any way by what happened today; if anything, things will be better than before." "Celebrate this day. The tyrant who oppressed you has been overthrown, and from now on, no one will sell you inferior goods. The grocery store will be run by the neighborhood office, and profit will no longer be its primary objective. I give you my word on that." A neighborhood office? What was that? Bet Street's residents exchanged glances. It was the first time they had ever heard such an awkward term. In fact, it was the first time Old Charlie had heard it as well. Still, what it was called didn't really matter. A name was just a label. What truly mattered was how things were done. The crowd of residents clustered together and chattered for a while without reaching any clear conclusion, eventually dispersing to attend to their own business. ... Meanwhile, at Shelter 404's outpost. Having returned home, Chu Guang instructed several Strength-type players to help unload the supplies from the wagons and carry them into the warehouse and granary, sorting and storing them properly. Over ten tons of grain, along with more than a dozen pelts and a large quantity of seasonings. Looking at the nearly packed granary, Chu Guang experienced the joy of robbing the rich for the very first time. This felt ridiculously good! Should he... just go ahead and take down the local tyrant next door too? Just as Chu Guang was wavering between Lawful Neutral and Lawful Evil, Old Luka, standing respectfully to the side, reported to him. "My Lord, while you were away, Brown Farm sent an envoy over." Pulling his gaze back from the brimming granary, Chu Guang looked at Luka. "An envoy? What did he say?" Luka nodded. "He brought a message from Mr. Brown. He said that to thank you for your contributions to the survivors of the northern suburbs, he is willing to present a shipment of supplies as a gesture of gratitude. This includes 5,000 kilograms of ram horn potatoes, 5,000 kilograms of sugar beets, and 5,000 kilograms of corn. At the same time, he expressed a desire to establish friendly trade relations with us." Chu Guang looked slightly surprised. "They're really going all out." He had originally planned to take a stroll by the gates of Brown Farm after capturing Bet Street to drop some subtle hints that he was short on food. He hadn't expected them to be so proactive, volunteering to deliver grain before he had even uttered a word. Just then, Chu Guang recalled the Boulder City broadcast he had heard on the radio in the mayor's study, and his expression turned somewhat strange. Did that mean he should thank that radio host for spouting nonsense? Luka nodded and said with genuine feeling, "They truly spared no expense. That much grain... wouldn't be cheap if bought." In previous years, merchants from Boulder City would come to the farm to buy grain by the wagonload. While the wholesale price fluctuated, even when it was cheap, 15,000 kilograms of grain would still cost over a thousand chips. Moreover, corn and sugar beets were pricier than ram horn potatoes and green wheat. After all, the latter were food for "servants," while the former consisted of high-quality staple grain and raw material for sugar production, both requiring a longer cultivation cycle. Chu Guang guessed that eighty percent of these supplies had likely been prepared for the Bloodhand Clan. Now that the Bloodhand Clan was gone and he had become the most threatening power in the region, the farm probably wanted to seize this opportunity to build friendly ties with him. At the very least, they didn't want to become enemies. Chu Guang had no qualms about accepting this "token of gratitude." Looking at Luka, he asked, "When do they plan to deliver the goods?" "If the weather is clear, they will arrive tomorrow at noon. If it snows, they might be delayed a bit." At this point, Luka paused for a moment and reminded him, "In addition, My Lord, as you may have noticed, our granary is already full. Furthermore, as the base's grain reserves grow, I suggest constructing dedicated silos for several of our primary stored varieties. That would both prolong the preservation time of the crops and save space." Previously, the base had little grain, and since the weather was turning cold, they had merely erected a shed to shelter it from wind and rain, piling the grain inside. Now that the outpost's population was expanding and food reserves were catching up, making do in such a makeshift manner was no longer viable. To store food long-term, they had to consider not only waterproofing and pest control, but also moisture prevention, fire safety, and a host of other issues. After hearing Old Luka's suggestion, Chu Guang nodded. "A good suggestion. I will assign manpower to assist you. Right now, I have a task for you. I need you to draw five hundred jin of raw meat, ram horn potatoes, green wheat, cabbage, and Chinese cabbage from the granary, along with five barrels each of beer and red wine brought from Bet Street, and deliver them to the outpost's north gate." "There will be a banquet tonight to celebrate our victory at Bet Street." "All food and alcohol brought to the north gate market will be sold at half price!" Old Luka bowed his head in acknowledgment. "As you command!" ... [Event: Victory Banquet] [Description: The guns and cannons of justice have put an end to Bet Street's tyranny, and our warriors have made a glorious, triumphant return amidst the applause and cheers of the local residents! Celebrate the victory—all gourmet food and drinks at the north gate market's discount stall are half price! The proprietress of the weapon shop reminds you: fine wine may be good, but don't overindulge!] At 6:00 sharp in the evening. A grand evening gathering was held at the outpost's north gate to celebrate the daytime victory. The warehouse NPC set up discount stalls at the north gate market, laying out half-priced food on tables for the players to browse and purchase. As the first in-game event since the launch of *Wasteland OL*, both new and veteran players were ridiculously excited, throwing themselves into it with two hundred percent enthusiasm. Of course, that was mainly because the food was half off! Previously, one silver coin could only buy 300 grams of raw meat; now it only took five copper coins. There were also ram horn potatoes and green wheat, as well as newly updated cabbage, Chinese cabbage, and so forth, all available for next to nothing. If they didn't buy now, when would they? It was fortunate that the discount stalls' slow restocking speed capped the players' purchasing power, or else with food this cheap, it would have been snatched clean the moment the event began! "Wow, Sis, Sis! The food at that stall is so cheap! There are even vegetables!" Having slipped away to join the commotion, Qiu Ye ran back to her sister in excitement, tugging at her arm. "I'll go tell everyone in the tribe!" Qiu Cao looked at her younger sister with concern. "Can we buy those things?" Qiu Ye nodded eagerly. "We can! I asked the stallholder! As long as you have those little coins, anyone can buy!" "Then... go and come back quickly." "Mm! Leave it to me!" With her sister's permission, Qiu Ye didn't linger for a second, sprinting back toward the tribe like the wind, terrified that if she ran too slowly, nothing would be left when she returned. Watching her sister run off into the distance, Qiu Cao fished out the coins saved in her pouch and counted them: eleven silver coins and twenty-four copper coins in total. "At half price... that can buy more than twenty kilograms of grain." A joyful smile appeared on Qiu Cao's face. Fortunately, she had persuaded the chief to save the money they earned. Now, they could trade for so much more food. No one should starve to death this winter. While the sisters, Qiu Cao and Qiu Ye, were still worrying about whether their tribe would go hungry, the players on the other side were already complaining that their stomachs were too small. "Dammit! Why can't Tail have two stomachs?!" Holding skewers in one hand and a glass brimming with beer in the other, Tail's cheeks bulged like a hamster's. It was a wonder she could speak while chewing. Watching her friend's total lack of manners, Sisi took a sip of red wine and gave her a sideways glance. "Tail, do you know you look just like a middle-aged uncle right now?" Finally gulping down the food in her mouth, Tail let out a burp and turned her head, utterly nonchalant. "We're already in a game world! If I still have to diet, how is this any different from that garbage game *Earth OL*? Food this delicious isn't something you can eat every day! Sisi, you're way too serious, loosen up and go wild!" Sisi: "..." This girl. The moment she entered the game, she completely let herself go. In reality, she was actually quite ladylike. Not far away, a certain white bear was happily chomping down on a whole roasted catfish. The sight of him feasting drew envious glances from nearby players. Of course, the most consumed by envy was a certain lizard. Though both were mutant players, one was outside feasting and drinking, while the other could only stare longingly from inside the shelter. Scavenger had been idling in the shelter for a while now. Every day when he logged on, he did nothing else besides wandering aimlessly around Floor B2—touching this, peering at that, working out, or waiting for his friends to feed him. When 6:00 a.m. rolled around, he logged off right on schedule, freshened up, and headed to work. While in the game, his physical body in reality was essentially in deep sleep. Putting the helmet on at 10:00 every night and waking at dawn energized for work meant that even if he couldn't do much in-game, the instant-sleep function alone was top-tier. To liven up the celebration, Mosquito lit some homemade fireworks in the open ground near the north gate. Whether something went wrong with the formula or his lighting posture was off, a skyrocket flew straight into Tengteng's stall. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Mosquito was merely chased for hundreds of meters by a murderous Tengteng brandishing scissors. In the end, the uproar concluded with Mosquito tearfully buying up all the scorched dog-skin coats. Aside from that little episode, most players enjoyed the banquet in a relatively normal manner. Production-occupation players took advantage of the discounted ingredients, pulling out all the stops to cook the wasteland's specialties into edible dishes. The normal options included white oak-roasted venison steaks, while the less conventional featured pine nut and rat tail soup and salt-roasted devil moth pupae. Well, devil moth pupae were indeed edible; it was just that eating insects required a bit of courage. The entire north gate was filled with the aroma of good food. And not just food, but fine alcohol as well. Ten waist-high oak barrels were set up beside the discount stalls, flanked by hanging wooden cups, next to a sign that read: [Beer: 2 silver coins per cup. Wine: 10 silver coins per cup. Now 50% off!] [Note: Limited to one cup per person per purchase. You may purchase another after finishing. Waste is strictly forbidden! Violators will be fined!] The cups were wooden vessels scavenged from the old mayor's castle, each holding about 330 milliliters. Like the food at the discount stalls, all drinks were half price, and players who had taken part in the daytime raid on the local tyrant were even treated to a free cup. Even if someone didn't drink, that was fine—they could sell their cup to other players. Still, it was doubtful anyone could resist the chance to savor fine alcohol in a game. Even if one got dead drunk here, it wouldn't affect work the next day. Some players stumbled around tipsily, and a few went so far as to lie flat on the ground, twitching every now and then—presumably struggling with their network connection. "Fuck! I demand the game company add a pain tolerance slider!" "Exactly! You can't even feel the buzz! What's the point of drinking?" "*Hic*..." As two plastered players babbled, nearby, Yaya stuck out her tongue, cupping her drink with a scrunched-up face. "*Blech*, turns out alcohol is bitter!" Tengteng glanced at her. "You've never drunk in real life?" Yaya shook her head like a rattle-drum. "Allergic to alcohol... But seeing how nasty it tastes, I don't feel like I'm missing out anymore." Qiu Ye, who had run back to her village earlier to call everyone, now came dashing back leading the tribe. Taking in the bustle and splendor of the celebration, the nomads' eyes were filled with curiosity, astonishment, and deep envy! Roast meat! Baked flatbreads! And alcohol! This was simply sheer luxury! Not far away, the Cow and Horse Squad, along with high-level players like Brother Mole who had teamed up to raid the "greenhouse ruins," were hauling their loot back in covered wagons. Gazing at the lively scene at the north gate, the group was momentarily stunned. Soon, the VMs strapped to their wrists buzzed with an event pop-up, leaving them completely dumbfounded. "Holy shit, what's going on?" "Victory Banquet?!" "A war broke out?! What the hell, by the time I get back, it's already over?!" Seeing his baffled acquaintances, Spare the Life Under the Blade, munching on skewers and drinking beer at the north gate, chuckled. "It's over! Bet Street is our turf from now on!" Snapping back to his senses, Ye Shi immediately asked, "Our turf? Holy crap, did any god-tier gear drop?" Spare the Life Under the Blade shook his head. "Nah, but the quest rewards weren't bad—fifty silver coins. Not sure if the war rules changed or if offensive and defensive rewards were always different. There wasn't an auction this time; they just handed out cash and contribution points, plus a gacha roll. The gacha was kinda fun, though there wasn't anything good in it. Probably shoved in by the devs to test the lottery system, who knows." Old Bai glanced at the big fistful of skewers in his hand, clearly more than someone could finish in a hurry. "Don't you have work during the day? Why haven't you logged off yet?" Spare the Life Under the Blade grinned. "Tomorrow's Saturday, what the fuck kind of work would I have?" "You even get weekends off!" Old Bai said enviously. "That's awesome." "Few tasks, little pay, nothing exciting. Sometimes I feel like it makes no difference to my workplace whether I'm there or not." Downing beer and eating meat, Spare the Life Under the Blade suddenly let out a long sigh, expressing the heartfelt wish of many players: "If only we could stay online twenty-four hours a day!"