All for Foreign Exchange

Late at night. Old Luka sent a message reporting today's revenue to Chu Guang. The fixed wage accounted for 2,000 CR. Since the Pioneer's Logistics Department had purchased the double-capacity value-added service, the workers had collected 255 tons of scrap in total, earning a commission of 1,275 CR—bringing the subtotal to 3,275 CR! On top of that, sales from breakfast, dinner, and late-night snacks had brought in an impressive 700 CR! Factoring in the daily 600 CR meal subsidy and deducting the 150 CR spent on supplies and ingredients, today's net surplus reached 4,425 CR. As for costs, the quest reward for every 100 kilograms of scrap was one silver coin, totaling 2,550 silver coins. Oh, and 2,550 event points. Spread across two hundred players, the individual earnings were still slightly on the low side, likely dragged down by some of the Intelligence-type players. Chu Guang hoped the young players would keep up the good work and reach even greater heights! "Adding yesterday's half-day balance of 1,200 CR, two days brought in a total of 5,625! Good grief, that's enough to buy eighteen assault rifles!" Even when his armory's reserves were at their peak, he hadn't possessed that many firearms. Chu Guang was itching to convert all the saved money into guns right now, put them up in the weapon shop for 400 silver coins each, and roll out a promotion: "Expansion-exclusive weapons: 1 event point deducts 5 silver coins, up to a maximum 50% discount." Once the first wave of players returned, they would practically jump out of their skins with excitement! The next time they went out, they would undoubtedly work even harder! Chu Guang felt he had thoroughly mastered the art of game studio sales promotions—all that research had not gone to waste. Leaning back in his computer chair, Chu Guang clasped his hands behind his head and pondered while staring at the ceiling. "Tomorrow is the last day before the shift rotation. The day after tomorrow, the new players come online, and the two groups will officially begin the handoff." "Fifty veterans leading 150 rookies... hopefully no trouble stirs up." Or perhaps... He should just go in person. The base had Xiao Qi, Xia Yan, Xiaoyu, plus plenty of veteran players. Nothing should go wrong! Just as Chu Guang closed his text document and launched a round of *Stellaris* to unwind, ten kilometers away on the Pioneer, Li De of the Logistics Department was staring blankly at the plates on his desk. "This... is the blue coats' pie?" His secretary, Wang Jie, replied: "It's a steamed bun." "And this one? The one with the translucent skin?" "Also a steamed bun... I heard it's called a soup dumpling. It's best eaten hot, dipped in vinegar." "And this flat one? A boiled bun?" "Uh, I heard this is called a dumpling." "???" Bizarre food. In Ideal City, no one wrapped fat and protein in carbohydrates in such a roundabout manner. Nor would any supermarket sell the food of refugees—that mutant meat. The lowest-tier employees and the unemployed survived on synthetic starch and minimal dietary fiber; mid-tier employees saw plant-based meat and nutritionally balanced set meals in their bowls. After all, the latter were the backbone of the Enterprise and the irreplaceable majority that machines couldn't substitute, so the Enterprise usually took their health into consideration. A step higher, employees could eat pre-war crops produced by CNC planting towers and synthesized meat produced through rigorous scientific formulas. Though still industrial products, besides nutrition, they placed greater emphasis on the dining experience. Senior employees and middle-management or higher enjoyed remarkably high dietary quality. Not only did they get to savor farm-raised meat with evenly marbled fat and eggs hatched from live poultry, but also pure natural milk. Using cooking equipment more precise than CNC machine tools, they could control ingredients' texture and flavor at the molecular level, transforming culinary craft into art through technology. Staring at the lump of dough before him, Li De fell into contemplation. This thing probably couldn't count as art; it was more like a cultural artifact. Then again, it was filled with mutant meat... Could it really be eaten? In the spirit of empiricism—so many had eaten it without dropping dead—Li De finally set aside his prejudices, picked one up, and took a bite. Then... A second bite, a third... Li De: "???" Holy shit?! This flavor was seriously addictive! ... The following day. Outside the outpost's west gate, guards huddled in the trench wearing matching fur coats, unique rifles slung across their shoulders. Square-shaped frames, matte black exteriors, thick receivers, and solid wooden stocks gave them a distinct Warhammer vibe. Even if someone swung one like a club, it wouldn't feel out of place at all. A bold, raw aesthetic of violence was embodied to the fullest. Yet its name was remarkably restrained, or rather, orderly. [Arbiter Type I] Standard-issue weapon of the Outpost Guard! "Fire!" Bang—! Fifteen gunshots rang out in unison. Bullets flew with murderous intent toward the targets a hundred meters away, splintering the tree trunks near them. Guard Captain Wrench wore a slightly embarrassed expression. Ten of the fifteen targets were completely missed. Most embarrassingly, he had missed as well; his bullet whizzed off into the forest, vanished without a trace. Most critically of all, the Administrator was standing right by the gate, watching. "Reload!" Wrench roared at the top of his lungs. The guards quickly pulled their bolts, ejecting red-hot casings into the snow, and aimed back at the targets, awaiting the order for the next volley. "The firepower is quite something, isn't it?" Peering through wooden binoculars at the row of pierced tree trunks a hundred meters away, Chu Guang wore an expression of mild surprise. This felt considerably stronger than the 7mm pipe rifles Liszt had sold him. Was this really just a knockoff? "Didn't you tell me the bigger the better? The receiver was made so thick anyway, so I figured it'd be a waste not to take advantage of it. I just lengthened the cartridge case and increased the powder load. It now fires a 7x70mm rifle cartridge, twenty millimeters longer than before." Standing beside him on crutches, Xia Yan gave him a teasing glance. "Is that big enough for you?" "Big enough, sure," Chu Guang remarked with feeling. "It's just that the accuracy leaves something to be desired." Actually, it hardly mattered. These guards weren't meant for the front lines anyway. There was no need for them to hit targets a hundred meters away; when the time came, the players would just charge with a "Ura!" Fired into the sky as a warning shot, as long as it was loud enough, it did the job! If he hadn't been worried about fouling the receiver, he would have swapped their smokeless powder for even cheaper black powder—not only loud, but produced thick smoke that looked immensely badass. Speaking of which, too many production-occupation players had been recruited recently, making everyone's days a bit too zen. For the next version, Chu Guang planned to bring in more Bethesda gamers to scavenge scrap, and more Paradox gamers to start wars. "It's probably an issue with the bullet material and the barrel rifling. Within fifty meters it's fine, but beyond a hundred meters, the shot dispersion gets quite large. I'll figure out a way to solve it..." Seeing Chu Guang staring at her with a strange look, Xia Yan paused slightly. "Is there something on my face?" "No, it's quite clean." Looking at the puzzled Xia Yan, Chu Guang smiled and nodded. "Just thinking you've been a lot more diligent lately, actually taking the initiative to consider things on my behalf. As your boss, I'm very gratified." "Who's considering things on your behalf? Don't flatter yourself!" Her face flushed, Xia Yan glared at him fiercely, then hobbled away on her crutches. Chu Guang chuckled, not bothering to chase after her. After gathering his composure, he walked straight out the west gate and approached Wrench in the trench. Climbing out of the trench, Wrench looked at the Administrator with guilt, his head lowered, his face flushed as he fumbled for an explanation. "Sir, I..." "Head up! Chest out! You are the guards of the outpost, the defenders of order and justice." After barking the rebuke, Chu Guang watched the guard captain snap back to attention with his head held high, only then nodding approvingly. Pausing for a moment, he continued: "The guns were just handed to you. It's completely normal to miss on your first try. Practice a few more times and you'll find the feel for it. I see your training; there's no need to blame yourself, but you must not slack off either!" Wrench hurriedly replied: "I wouldn't dare, sir!" Chu Guang nodded, brushed the snow off Wrench's shoulder, looked into his determined eyes, and said: "Tomorrow, I'll be taking you on a long trip. This will be your first mission. You're the captain of the guard—watch and learn." "Also, in a little while, go to the warehouse and collect fourteen VMs from the storekeeper to distribute to the rest of your men. You already know how to use them, so I shouldn't need to explain." Including the one Wrench currently wore on his arm, all fifteen VMs had been customized for guard duty with Xiao Qi's help. They could directly identify player IDs using the map and report rule violations directly to Chu Guang. If a violation was confirmed, Chu Guang would issue penalties based on the facts. Although the closed-beta players currently on the server were relatively well-behaved, as numbers grew, various problems were bound to crop up. Guns could only deter low-level novices and affiliated refugees; higher-level players still required administrative authority to keep them in line. Wrench responded forcefully: "Yes, sir!" ... The fourth day of Alpha 0.7. Early in the morning, Wrench led the fifteen outpost guards in a neat formation by the north gate. Several consecutive days of drills had produced results. Even if their combat capability remained uncertain, their posture and formation at least looked the part, no longer slouching and disorderly. With fish, meat, ram horn potatoes, and green wheat filling their bellies every day, their complexions looked worlds better than when they had first walked out of the marauder dungeons. Lu Yang, who had come from the Pioneer to escort the workers for the shift change at the operational camp, cast a surprised glance at the guards standing in neat ranks with rifles on their backs. Their equipment was crude—clunky rifles slung over their backs, packed travel gear, and coats made of mutant reindeer pelt—only barely achieving uniformity in attire. The only piece of high-tech gear on their entire bodies was probably the vital signs monitor strapped to their arms—the VM commonly seen in shelters. Yet their discipline was unexpected. Still, Lu Yang felt they didn't look like shelter dwellers; they resembled wasteland refugees. The blue coats of the shelter were mostly fair-faced and clean, looking more like mid-tier Enterprise employees, not the type who could endure hardship. These men, however, clearly had hardship written all over their faces. While Lu Yang was lost in thought, the two marines behind him were chatting over their comms channel. "What did you have for breakfast?" "Bought two steamed buns from the blue coats." "Holy crap, what time did you go down?" "Five in the morning." "Badass!" Lu Yang coughed and barked over the comms: "Quiet." The two marines instantly shut their mouths and muted their mics. At that moment, Wrench made eye contact with Lu Yang, slung his rifle, stepped forward, stood at attention, and gave a sharp military salute. "The Administrator instructed me to wait for you here. He will bring everyone up at eight o'clock sharp. Before that, he needs a little time to rally his residents." Lu Yang nodded at him and said: "Understood. No rush." The departure time he and Chu Guang had agreed on was indeed eight in the morning. It was just that the journey had gone smoothly today, allowing him and his men to arrive half an hour ahead of schedule. "Allow me to show you to the reception room to rest for a while." Lu Yang shook his head and declined politely. "No need, I'll just wait here." Wearing power armor, waiting anywhere was essentially the same. No matter how hard the wind and snow blew outside, it couldn't touch him, nor would he feel the slightest bit of cold. Wrench nodded, didn't press the matter, turned back to the ranks, and stood with his fellow guards. Meanwhile, Floor B2 of the shelter was bustling with excitement. The version's orientation assembly was reaching its peak. Wearing blue coats, wide-eyed rookies emerged from their rooms and followed the broadcast's guidance to the plaza before the B2 elevator. Bewilderment resonated through the crowd. Almost no one could believe their eyes—that everything before them was real. Yet the reality was right there in front of them! An almost completely authentic world! And they stood here as living, breathing human beings, inhaling the air, hearing the roaring clamor around them, feeling the blood surging in their chests. The damn devs hadn't lied! *Wasteland OL*— Was utterly mind-blowing! "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" "Is this... is this really Shelter 404?!" "Damn! These walls are rock solid! No clipping at all, and these textures are so freaking realistic!" "Hahahahaha! Unbelievable! To think I'd actually get to play a fully immersive VR game in my lifetime! Wait for me, boys—once I log off, I'm doing a handstand while taking a dump!" "Bro, remember to livestream it!" "Need help? I'll ship you a bottle of fish oil!" "Damn, you guys are serious?" Just like the previous waves of newcomers, the rookies gathered on the B2 elevator plaza danced with excitement, touching everything, looking all around, bumping into walls, jumping in place, as if performing some grand ritual. Dozens of veteran players who hadn't managed to snag expansion tickets stood to the side, critiquing the scene while reminiscing about their own bygone days. Chu Guang was also observing the players, ready to handle any sudden incidents. To his satisfaction, there seemed to be no pants-strippers among this batch. It seemed this group of rookies was relatively reserved. Of course, it was also possible that after guidance from forum veterans, they already understood the game's core rules, having reached the level of armchair experts before even logging in. For instance, *Wasteland OL* allowed only one account per person, which stayed with them from closed beta to open beta and couldn't be deleted; if abandoned, the operator would reclaim it and reserved the right to reassign it. Right then, Chu Guang noticed a player in the crowd suddenly let out a strangled "Gah!" and flop backward onto the ground. Startled, Chu Guang said in a low voice: "Xiao Qi." Beside him, Xiao Qi tilted its camera upward. "What is it, Master?" Fixing his eyes on the system interface only he could see, Chu Guang asked thoughtfully: "Can being too excited cause someone to disconnect?" Xiao Qi: "Uh, generally speaking no, but it's not absolute. For example, if excitement causes the clone body to go into physiological shock, the consciousness link naturally severs... but the probability of that is extraordinarily low. Can someone really get so excited they go into shock?" Chu Guang: "..." Physiological shock... fair enough. Chu Guang checked the player list to see who the unlucky fellow was, and paused slightly upon seeing the name. Jieyan? Well. In this guy's case, it was understandable. An exam score of 80 was decent, right on the threshold of the second tier, yet he had missed the draw for several versions before finally getting in. Then again, what if he took off the helmet and stayed hyped in real life? Would he go into shock in reality too...? Chu Guang was suddenly a little worried about him. Not far away. With arms crossed, Tail shook her head in disappointment, speaking like an old veteran: "Tsk, this batch of rookies is underwhelming. They're all human!" Sisi shot her a sideways glance. "Are humans not enough for you anymore?" Tail protested, "I mean, aren't there more fantastical creatures? Like skeleton warriors, slimes, or tentacle monsters! By the way, if character customization becomes available, I want to be a tentacle!" Sisi sighed. "Classic Ah Wei." She felt she was seeing a side of her friend rarely shown in daily life. ... Meanwhile, up on the surface. Tengteng was busily rummaging around in her cottage. Yaya stepped inside, looked left and right, and finally spotted Tengteng beside a wooden machine, head buried in a crate. "Tengteng! We're about to leave... Huh? What's this cloth?" Staring at the soft, lightweight fabric on the table, Yaya picked it up curiously. Tengteng turned around, her face instantly turning bright red, and lunged forward to snatch it away. "Are you a p-pervert?!" Yaya: "?" "Anyway, I'm not done making this one yet! Wait until it's finished. Ah, right, the quest! The Administrator told me to bring some clothes over... Help me grab a few." Watching Tengteng turn back to rummage through the boxes, Yaya tilted her head in confusion, but stepped up to help. During their chatter, Yaya learned that these clothes were made of devil silk. Tengteng had been studying how to weave devil silk into fabric lately, and her reeling and weaving techniques had finally yielded results. Though the treadle loom was primitive, the woven fabric was serviceable. Cloth woven from devil silk didn't provide much warmth, but it was exceptionally tough. Ordinary steel shears couldn't cut it; only the mandibles of a devil moth could manage the tailoring. Tengteng had used the silk fabric to make a dozen T-shirts, though they looked fit only to be worn as undershirts. "Why are we bringing these, anyway?" "I heard they can be exchanged for rewards!" "Huh? Really?" Yaya's interest was piqued. She happened to have gathered a few pretty mushrooms yesterday, and non-poisonous ones at that. "Wait for me! I'll go back and grab some stuff!" "Ah, will you make it in time if you go back now?" "Wait for me! I'll be quick!" After all that back-and-forth scurrying, by the time the two rushed frantically to the north gate, the group was already preparing to set out. "Administrator! These are the clothes I made over the past few days... Do you think this is enough?" Panting for breath, Tengteng held up the garments, asking timidly. Chu Guang had no complaints about the clothing's quality. After all, he had no idea what kind of products the crew of the Pioneer preferred. Preparing this much in such a short time was already impressive. At least it was an attempt. Chu Guang nodded approvingly. "Well done. Good work." Tengteng smiled shyly. Just now, her VM had chimed with a quest completion notification, awarding her 100 event points. At the same time, the next quest immediately triggered— [Quest: Sell clothes woven from devil silk to crew members of the Pioneer.] [Reward: For every 1 CR earned, exchange for 1 silver coin and 1 event point.] Looking at the quest log, Tengteng's eyes sparkled. She hadn't expected to earn event points before even reaching the new map, let alone unlock a quest tied to it. This was an absolute jackpot! ... Due to Brother Makka's unfortunate demise and Scavenger being unable to leave the respawn point, only 198 players were heading out for the shift change this time. No matter. When the time came, Chu Guang could easily come up with an excuse to pick the player who had collected the most scrap over the past three days to stay for another rotation. Once all the players had completed a rotation, he would tally everyone's collection volume over three days and adjust the expansion rules, changing the across-the-board quota distribution into centralized sign-ups and merit-based selection. This would not only improve scavenging efficiency but also allow players who weren't particularly interested in scavenging to pursue other work they preferred. Like kneading dough, wrapping dumplings, or running a barbecue stall. As long as it helped Shelter 404 earn "foreign exchange," they could earn event points. Chu Guang dubbed this tactic "fleecing with light industry"! As long as he could buy that industrial mother machine, no amount of sweat was wasted. By the way, when Yaya had come to him with banknotes to exchange for cash, Chu Guang had not only given her silver coins but had also credited her with the corresponding event points afterward. Looking over the loosely assembled players, Chu Guang raised his voice and shouted in a booming tone: "Everyone, fall in!" "Our allies are waiting for our support. Let's not keep them waiting too long." "Move out!" The massive contingent set off, the column stretching even longer than the first time. In this nearly two-hundred-strong force, three-quarters were rookies. They hadn't come down from their excitement yet, wanting to touch everything they saw along the way. In the real world, many of them hadn't even seen snow, yet heavy goose-feather snowflakes were drifting all around them in the game! Fortunately, it was snowing heavily. In any other season, the road would be crawling with mutant cockroaches and rats, basin-sized flies, and fanged hyenas. Touching things recklessly, losing an arm would be a minor misfortune; losing a life would be a catastrophic loss. Watching these seemingly dim-witted blue coats, the two marines trailing behind Captain Lu exchanged glances. "Are these guys going to be all right?" "Why do they look so goofy to me..." "Compared to the last batch, they really don't seem very bright." Lu Yang was secretly puzzled as well, though he didn't dwell on it. Although he hadn't personally witnessed the blue coats' work enthusiasm, he had heard his colleagues in Logistics talking about it. Those people worked like their lives depended on it, looking as though they wanted to scrape up the very soil beneath their feet. Perhaps an excess of optimism just looked like this. Whether they were smart or not, as long as they did the job well, it didn't matter. They traveled without incident. Arriving at the operational camp before ten o'clock, the guards and players stood by in the center of the camp, while Chu Guang met with Old Luka. Seeing his master, Old Luka rushed over excitedly to deliver the good news. "Master, yesterday we earned a full 4,530 CR!" A hundred and five CR more than the day before? Chu Guang looked at him in surprise. "That much?" Old Luka nodded excitedly. "Yes, Master, that much! Thanks to your idea, snacks like the buns and dumplings contributed at least 800 CR! Those folks in grey coats buy a ton to take back with them every time! Especially this morning—even their department chief came over to buy buns!" That Li De? Chu Guang really hadn't imagined that guy would be interested in their snacks, let alone be so generous. Still... A human stomach had its limits. Counting on small-scale street food to strike it rich was never going to be realistic. Looking on the bright side, earning nearly ten thousand CR in three days was undeniably a fantastic start. Maybe they could earn the hundred thousand without losing a single life? Worth a shot, at any rate. Just then, Victor from the Logistics Department walked over toward them. "Excuse me, are you the Administrator of Shelter 404?" Chu Guang nodded at him. "I am. And you are?" Victor gave a friendly smile and said: "My name is Victor. I work in the Logistics Department, mainly handling the work arrangements for the laborers! Our chief sends his regards and asked me to pass along his greetings." Chu Guang returned a friendly smile. "Please convey my greetings to him as well. Tell him his old friend thinks of him often." Victor smiled and continued: "I will! Also, there's one more matter I need to inform you about, regarding the new salvage site—" Mid-sentence, sirens suddenly wailed aboard the nearby Pioneer. Hearing the shrill blare of the alarm, the players in the camp wore startled looks. "What's going on?!" "Did we trigger a storyline quest?!" "Awesome!" All three men were caught off guard. Chu Guang was the first to recover and turned to Victor. "What happened?" "Hold on a moment... I'm asking." Without noticing Chu Guang's expression, Victor pressed his earpiece, turned his head aside, and established contact with his colleagues in Logistics. Gradually, his expression grew grim. Hanging up the communication, he looked at Chu Guang and took a deep breath. "Roughly six kilometers from us, in the forest to our northwest, an unidentified armed group is advancing straight toward us. There are quite a few of them, well-armed and well-equipped. They don't look like wasteland refugees." Chu Guang said sternly, "Anyone running around outside in this damned weather is definitely up to no good! Do you need me to send people ahead to scout—" Victor waved his hands frantically. "No, no need, our scouts are already on it. In fact, that's our assessment as well—their heading is far too deliberate; they're clearly coming for us!" Pausing, Victor added with an ugly expression: "I hate to say it, but we might be in trouble."