Changjiu Farm.
The heavy snow had eased a little.
Inside and outside the perimeter walls, the blanket of pristine white snow was already deep enough to bury a person's shins.
Two guards carrying Arbiter rifles escorted four ragged prisoners of war, urging them to pile up a mound of earth in the clearing on the north side of the wall.
Inside the earthen mound, they packed branches, dry leaves, dried grass, and the like, leaving only small openings at the top and bottom before lighting a fire.
The flames gradually caught and burned upward from the bottom, quickly sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
"Why are we lighting a fire at the north gate?" The younger guard looked toward the officer beside him, his face full of confusion.
Wrench replied meticulously, "It is Lord Administrator's order. We just do as we are told."
To be honest, Wrench was muttering to himself inside as well.
With smoke this thick, weren't they worried about attracting nearby marauders?
Actually, marauders were manageable; what they truly feared was drawing refugees.
There was war in the north, and this year's winter was unusually harsh. Even the herds of deer knew to migrate south, let alone people.
November was right around the corner.
Things would be even harder to endure then...
Still, since it was Lord Administrator's command, he didn't dare ask too many questions. In any case, following orders was enough.
...
[Server Announcement: Due to stat balance adjustments required for new equipment, the "Scythe" series weapons will arrive in the NPC weapons shop in three days. Players currently unable to redeem their prizes, please bear with us.]
Fortunately, it wasn't a bug this time, and a clear fix time had been given, so the players weren't too anxious. Only a few players who had drawn a "Scythe" were clamoring for compensation on the forums.
However, very few paid them any mind.
After all, the odds dictated that most people were African Chiefs, while only a select few were European Emperors.
European Emperors wanting compensation?
Take a spear from this African Chief!
...
The next morning.
A dense crowd of players had gathered on the plaza of the outpost base for the first time in a while.
As was customary, after coming up from underground, many players would hang around for a bit to see if they could form a party or find a top player to carry them.
It was buzzing with excitement!
Elven King Fugui, carrying a hunting bow on his back, walked to the front of the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Anyone taking the 7:00 regular bus to Changjiu Farm? Agility-type player looking for a squad to do hunting quests in Yumu District! PM if interested!"
Elaina: "Huh? Old Wang? Aren't you running dungeons with Brother Mole?"
Elven King Fugui: "Not today. The greenhouse ruins are too grindy. Over a thousand damn moths! Holy crap, I just want to quietly be a hunter and slack off. Old Monk, coming along?"
Elaina: "I don't know anyone by that name. Go look for your 'Old Monk.'"
Elven King Fugui grinned and grabbed his arm.
"Old Monk, don't leave! Let's team up!"
"Get lost! I don't know you!"
The two walked off toward the north gate.
Overhearing their conversation, nearby players whispered among themselves.
"I heard a pack of mutated snow wolves spawned around Yumu District recently?"
"More than just snow wolves! Near that nuclear crater, I freaking saw split-claw crabs!"
"Holy crap?! Then I definitely need to steer clear."
"Speaking of which, how much does a snow wolf pelt go for?"
"In the NPC shop it's one silver coin more than a hyena pelt, but that doesn't matter! Tengteng Cottage is buying them in bulk for four silver coins each, and pelts as pure white as snow get doubled! Brothers, rush it!"
"Me, me, me! Count me in!"
A hyena pelt was only one silver coin, yet someone was offering four silver coins for a single snow wolf pelt—that was even more expensive than deer pelts used to be!
Hearing that the wealthy lady Tengteng needed them, savvy players had already swapped into hunting gear at lightning speed, strapping on hunting bows and hunting rifles.
Tail glanced at Sisi.
"Si! You know what time it is!"
Sisi sighed.
"Snow wolves today, right? Wait for me to go change my gear—"
"Snow wolves? Such weak creatures aren't worthy of Tail's attention!" Clicking her tongue, Tail took the Panzerfaust rocket launcher off her back, hoisted it onto her shoulder, and bragged proudly, "Hehe, look what I drew yesterday!"
Sisi: "Wait... don't tell me you want to go after split-claw crabs."
With sparkling eyes, Tail gave a thumbs-up. "Tail gives you a like!"
Sisi: "???"
The group heading to Yumu District grew larger and larger. Even a certain big white bear ambled over, raising a thick, fleshy right paw.
Yaya decided to tag along with the main force to join the fun.
Not to hunt, though, but because she had nearly picked all the mushrooms around Ling Lake Wetland Park.
In this game, mushrooms didn't seem to respawn daily, so she could only try her luck in a new zone.
Aside from those doing hunting and gathering quests, some players headed out for exploration missions. Wasteland OL had a wide variety of quest types—from delivering packages to moving bricks, from scavenging junk to running errands. Even without any combat, one could still earn silver coins and contribution points.
"Explore the fringes of Tianshui City... Search for new survivor settlements," Commander Spring, clad in his exoskeleton, rubbed his chin with his index finger as he looked at the quest log on his VM, eyes gleaming with interest. "This quest sounds pretty fun."
Although he was an Intelligence-type, he had an exoskeleton, so it wasn't a problem!
He'd find a Perception-type player later to act as his frontline scout—even a total newbie would do. In any case, even if they couldn't win a fight, he could definitely run for it.
Thinking this, Spring immediately headed toward the weapons shop, intending to use the 200 silver coins he had painstakingly saved up to buy a handy weapon.
Preferably an assault rifle.
After all, that little pipe gun with its six-round capacity looked far too mismatched with this utterly badass exoskeleton of his.
However, to Spring's surprise, when he arrived at the weapons shop entrance, he found a dense crowd gathered around.
There were just as many people here as in the plaza.
Looking closer, he realized—an auction was being held?
And the item being auctioned was actually the Administrator's combat armor!
"...Currently up for auction is the modified KV-1 exoskeleton armor once worn by Lord Administrator himself. Although there are some scratches on the surface, they do not affect its performance at all; if anything, they merely demonstrate its reliability. Lord Administrator said that he no longer needs it, but it is far from ready to retire. He hopes it can continue contributing to our great cause and help others in need, which is why he asked me to find it a good home."
"Starting bid—200 silver coins!"
Boss Xia was reading straight from the script in a flat, deadpan voice.
After finishing, she picked up a small wooden gavel nearby and gave the table a proper whack for show.
Recently, Xia Yan had just learned pinyin, so Chu Guang simply had her host the auction on the grounds of practicing her spoken language.
Though her pronunciation was halting and lacked presence, the players didn't care in the slightest.
Who cared whether Boss Xia was holding a little wrench or a little leather whip?
All they cared about was Lord Administrator's badass armor!
The moment the gavel struck, someone immediately raised a hand and bumped the bid up, skipping the incremental skirmishes and driving the competition straight into a fever pitch.
Edge Slacker: "400!"
Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "I bid 410!"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "I'll add another 50!"
Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Dammit! When the hell have you ever actually used the gear you buy?!"
Edge Slacker: "Exactly! You hoard every f*cking thing! What's the point?!"
Makka Pakka: "Carry this troublemaking Mosquito out!" (voice cracking)
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Nonsense! What do you mean 'hoard'? I'm about to start leveling up recently, okay?! And why are you butting in, Old Ba? You can't even afford it!"
Makka Pakka: "You're the f*cking Old Ba!"
Standing outside the crowd, Spring was completely dumbfounded.
How were these guys so loaded?
Dropping three hundred coins just like that!
The auction was an absolute uproar.
The penniless players couldn't afford it anyway, so they happily crowded around cheering, watching the drama, and enjoying the spectacle.
Xia Yan yawned, finding them nothing but noisy.
What was so great about this armor that it was approaching her entire monthly base salary?
Wasn't it just a KV-1 with a few plates of steel welded onto it?
Granted, she couldn't afford it either, but last night she had seen with her own eyes Chu Guang scratching away at it with a dagger, plausibly insisting that his "players" loved this aesthetic and claiming that "every scar is a medal of honor."
Only a fool would buy his nonsense.
She tapped the gavel a second time. Just as Boss Xia figured it was time to wrap things up, a hand suddenly shot up.
"Five hundred!"
*Whoa!*
The surrounding players gasped, eyes going wide.
Five hundred silver coins!
Who the hell had that kind of cash?!
Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, the person raising their hand was Fang Chang from the Ox and Horse Squad.
Brother Mole, who had been about to add one silver coin just to disgust Mosquito, pulled his half-raised hand back. Seeing it was Fang Chang, his nose practically skewed in fury as he lamented indignantly:
"Dammit! Didn't you promise you wouldn't compete with me?"
Edge Slacker: "You're an archer, what the hell do you need heavy armor for?!"
Makka Pakka: "Carry him out! Carry him out!"
Fang Chang smiled sheepishly and looked at Brother Mole.
"Sorry, brother, I'm not buying this heavy armor for myself. A few of us pooled our money together to buy it for our squad's tank. Next time something good comes up... I definitely won't compete with you!"
Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Like hell I believe you!"
Makka Pakka gleefully fanned the flames: "Hahahaha! Brother Fang Chang is a beast! Mole's fur got plucked completely bald! Hahaha!"
Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "%¥#@!"
Old Bai cupped his hands politely and said, "Apologies, brother! We'll definitely repay this favor next time!"
Mole sighed and shook his head. "Whatever, whatever. Just hold up your paddles earlier next time so I don't waste my expressions."
Seeing Fang Chang place the bid, Mosquito backed off as well.
He could have bid higher, but there was no point.
They were all in the same Ox and Horse group chat—what was the point of fighting over it?
Besides, he couldn't outbid them anyway...
Watching Old Bai change into the Administrator-replica armor on the spot, Spring, who had been spectating from the side, suddenly felt like his own orange-yellow exoskeleton wasn't sweet at all anymore.
How could a "mass-production model" bought off the shelf at a weapons shop compare to an "ancient heirloom" forged in the fires of battle?
Those scars were like medals of honor...
Spring zoned out staring at it, and even after the crowd around him dispersed, he still hadn't snapped back to reality.
Just then, someone tugged at his arm.
"Bro? Did you disconnect, bro?"
Turning his head, he saw it was Mosquito.
Spring immediately grew alert and pulled his arm back.
"What do you want?"
Mosquito chuckled. "Nothin' much... just wanted to ask if you're interested in installing Administrator-style armor? I can mod it for you!"
Spring swallowed hard.
"How much?"
"Not expensive at all! Just cost price, 200 silver coins!"
*The hell you mean not expensive?!*
However...
Gritting his teeth, Spring ultimately brought up his VM, preparing to pay.
"200, right? Are you sure it'll be just like that one?"
Mosquito thumped his chest in guarantee.
"Absolutely! Would I lie to you? Something like that takes me minutes—*cough*, of course, it'll still take me a little time to craft. But rest assured, if you're not satisfied, Goblin Technology offers a full refund!"
Spring: "..."
He had a sinking feeling he'd approached the wrong guy.
Still, it shouldn't be too big a deal.
Brother Mosquito had said he could return it if the product didn't match the description, so he might as well try it out first...
...
Before eight o'clock, the morning mist gradually dissipated.
Most of the players in the outpost base had dispersed as well, heading out to attend to their own affairs.
With the curtain falling on the "Land Voyager" expansion, everything seemed to have returned to normal.
The anglers carried their fishing rods toward the lakeside, while Brother Chicken Slayer, the logging fanatic, led a flock of newbies merrily off to chop trees.
Most hunters headed to the new hunting grounds further north, while scavengers grabbed woven sacks and set off for the "ninety percent new" 76th Street.
Having just wiped out the mutant tribe, a massive area had opened up. Those high-rise residential buildings and street-level shops looked like treasure vaults to junk-scavenging players!
During all the years the mutants occupied it, very few wastelanders would have dared venture in to scavenge, so there was probably plenty of good loot to be found.
As for the hardcore players, they set their sights on more challenging objectives.
Old Bai, now equipped in pseudo-power armor, outfitted himself with a halberd-like poleaxe and bought a steel helmet from No. 81 Steel Mill.
Fully geared, he looked even more like a tin can than the Administrator.
As long as he coordinated well with his teammates, maintained positioning, drew lines of fire, and deployed smoke, taking on a few devil moths would be a piece of cake!
Once fully prepped, the group marched toward the entrance of 76th Street in high spirits, determined to grind it out to the end against the devil moths on Floor B1 of the greenhouse ruins.
Brother Mole had originally planned to head to the greenhouse ruins too—last version, he and his squad had pooled money to buy the exploration rights to the second floor from the Ox and Horse Squad.
However, just now, he had suddenly received a quest issued by Lord Administrator himself: clear the subway entrance 1.2 kilometers from Brown Farm!
According to the quest description, the entrance to Vault 117 was hidden inside the subway.
As long as they could find it and clear out all the mutants along the path from the subway entrance to the vault blast door, they would receive a reward of 1,200 silver coins and trigger the next phase of the storyline.
Of course, this mission was no walk in the park.
It was expected to contain at least four crawlers and over two hundred gnawers. The quest recommended a party of at least four to six players at Level 6 or above, and strongly suggested bringing a Perception-type player for reconnaissance.
A 1,200 silver coin reward!
The moment Mole heard that number, his eyes turned into the shape of silver coins.
Without another word, he immediately grabbed the "Black Swan" G9 assault rifle he had just pulled from the draw and dragged Mosquito, who was squatting in his workshop preparing to work, off to plan their grand scheme together.
Makka Pakka had initially intended to join the commotion, but right then, he also received a quest from Lord Administrator.
Arriving on the first floor of the sanatorium, he found the Administrator waiting there.
Though usually a troll who lived for the memes, when facing an NPC with an affection meter, Makka Pakka immediately put on a "reliable" expression and spoke with utmost respect:
"Lord Administrator, you sent for me?"
Chu Guang nodded and lifted a bag of corn seeds from beside him.
These seeds were an improved early-maturing variety he had purchased from the Pioneer. While their yield wasn't astonishing, they had a short growth cycle and weren't overly demanding regarding climate. With adequate fertilization, they could mature in seventy to ninety days.
The bag weighed about five kilograms, easily enough to plant two or three mu. At the very least, it would yield around six hundred kilograms of corn, and optimistically, perhaps up to nine hundred kilograms.
"The first floor of the greenhouse ruins has already been cleared, and the cultivation tanks there can be put to use. I happen to have some seeds here, and I need you to plant them for me."
"This mission concerns the food security of the vault and is crucial to our future development. I hope you will treat it with utmost seriousness."
"If the emergence rate is good, I will assign you even more important tasks. You can consider these seeds a test."
Hearing that he had land to farm—and that good farming would unlock follow-up quests—Makka Pakka's eyes instantly lit up. Without hesitation, he nodded vigorously.
"Leave it to me, Lord Administrator! I will treat these seeds as my very life!"
Chu Guang chuckled internally, though his face remained solemn.
"Good. I leave it in your hands!"
[Quest: Sow the corn and tend to the crops.]
Seeing the updated quest on his VM, Makka Pakka straightened his back in excitement.
"I will not fail the mission!"
Chapter 166