Why Not Build an 88mm Gun!

A bustling crowd packed the plaza of the outpost base. Although night had fallen across the wasteland and dawn was already breaking in the real world, many players who had just logged off rushed back from the forums to check out the new update. Debt-Ridden Big Eyes: "Bro, what class did you pick?" Construction Site Youth and Brick: "Heh heh, in a junk-collecting game, you've gotta take Scavenger, of course!" Xiao Xiao Xiao Bookworm: "I picked Soldier!" Jieyan: "Damn, bullets are so expensive! Has your shooting proficiency already reached level 3?" Xiao Xiao Xiao Bookworm: "Nah, but participating in three or more war mobilizations also qualifies you. Plus, ammo in the NPC shop is ten percent off." Jieyan: "Crying right now. I'm so jealous of veteran players!" Near the entrance of the guardhouse. Tail and Sisi dragged along a large white bear, forcing it to register for the Soldier class. Looking at the VM strapped to its arm, Meat Mountain Steamed Bun muttered aggrievedly in a small voice, "B-but I don't want to fight... I want to be a crafting and gathering player." Sisi put on a stern face. "How can you call it fighting? We're becoming a shield to protect everyone." Tail gave an energetic thumbs-up, her eyes shining brightly. "That's right! Rourou, show some manly spirit!" Meat Mountain Steamed Bun whispered, "B-but I'm a girl." Tail jumped in surprise. "Eeeh! If you didn't mention it, I would've forgotten!" Sisi stepped forward and gave the fur on its belly a tug, trying to psych the big white bear up. "Anyway, first shout, 'Orcs will never be slaves! Roaaar!'... Come on, come on, just try it once." Thoroughly embarrassed, Meat Mountain Steamed Bun raised a paw under the peer pressure. "Roar... roar... oh." The air fell awkwardly silent. Sisi and Tail exchanged a look, sighing in unison. "Tail, I give up." "Tsk, guess you're emergency food after all." Meat Mountain Steamed Bun: QAQ Not far away in the industrial zone. Ye Shi, who had just exited the shelter and registered as a Scavenger with the warehouse manager, happened to spot Mosquito. He walked over with a grin and clapped him on the shoulder. "Bro, what classes did you take?" "Artisan! Scavenger! And one more I haven't decided on yet," Mosquito chuckled. "By the way, why isn't there Inventor or Grandmaster at Arms? Makes no sense!" Ye Shi nearly choked. "Pfft, you think this is League of Legends—" Before he could finish, a faint tremor came from beneath their feet. The players chatting about the new patch in the plaza all wore startled looks, glancing around in confusion. "Holy crap! An earthquake?" "Are they testing a new system?" "Awesome! Even earthquakes are modeled now. This game is getting more and more realistic." The players didn't feel any panic at the sudden tremor; they merely marveled at how lifelike the game's physics engine was becoming. In stark contrast, the outpost's NPCs were terrified. At the north gate market. Qiu Cao, who had been tending her stall, pulled her younger sister Qiu Ye into her arms, holding her trembling shoulders with panic in her eyes. At the nearby nomad camp. The beasts in the livestock pens stirred uneasily. Elderly nomads knelt on the ground, muttering frantic prayers to the spirits. Perhaps their prayers worked? The shaking lasted only a short while before subsiding. The NPCs hurried off to check their buildings for damage, while the players debated what new stunt their developer, Brother Guang, was pulling. Just then, an excited shout echoed across the plaza. "Damn! Look at your VMs!" At the call, players looked down at their wrist units. "The VM? What's on it?" "A new quest! But it looks like only Soldiers, Hunters, and Scavengers got it!" Staring at his VM screen, Ye Shi opened the quest log and indeed noticed something new under the class missions tab. [Quest: Clear the Floor B3 Corridor] Surprise spread across Ye Shi's face. "A new exit unlocked on Floor B3?!" Mosquito was equally stunned. "What the hell?! I was just down there, how come I didn't see it?" Ye Shi said with an odd expression, "Maybe that area wasn't unlocked yet... Anyway, let's go check it out!" "Let's go, together!" ... With a new quest available, they naturally had to investigate. A few players quickly formed a team and ventured into the tunnel outside Floor B3 to scout. Sure enough, there were quite a few mutants lurking inside. However, a serious problem presented itself: everyone's weapons were stored in the Floor B1 prep room. According to the Shelter Resident Handbook, the shelter was a safe zone, meaning weapons could not be carried through the buffer room. Yet aside from the shelter, there was no other entrance that led directly to the outer door of Floor B3. In other words, they couldn't bring their weapons down! They couldn't fight mutants barehanded, could they? Except for Strength-types or a certain lucky Intelligence-type with cybernetic modifications, hardly anyone could go toe-to-toe with mutants in melee combat! Fortunately, the dev dog seemed to have noticed this oversight and patched it quickly. Now, players could submit a request via their VM to "Carry Weapons Through the Shelter." By checking off bound equipment in their inventory, they could carry them through the buffer room blast doors into the shelter. However, once players carrying weapons entered the shelter, their facility privileges were temporarily locked. In principle, they only had transit rights and had to leave the restricted area promptly. In this state, players could not return to their rooms, draw or use their weapons, or enter the living quarters to use any facilities. If they lingered for more than five minutes, the VM would issue a first warning, followed by a second warning at ten minutes. If they failed to leave within fifteen minutes, it would be treated as a minor violation; they would be kicked from the game, locked out of logging in for ten minutes, and any equipment brought into the shelter would be confiscated as contraband. Under normal circumstances, traveling from the Floor B1 buffer door to the Floor B3 buffer door took only three minutes, so fifteen minutes was more than generous. Furthermore, the Administrator had dragged two vending machines over from Vault 117 and placed them in the prep room outside the Floor B3 buffer room. Instead of drinks, however, these vending machines stocked ammunition and bandages. The ammo came in two varieties: cheaper reloaded rounds and higher-quality stamped factory rounds. If players needed supplies, they didn't even have to bother running back to the surface; they could purchase them right at the Floor B3 exit. It was remarkably convenient! ... While the players engaged in firefights with the mutants in the tunnel, Chu Guang was inside the Floor B3 warehouse, inspecting the items produced by the black boxes. A hibernation pod and a VM lay beside the output ports of the two black boxes. Both were still warm to the touch, which felt miraculous. The VM was self-explanatory—identical to the ones he had found on Floor B2. In all likelihood, those VMs had been manufactured by the very black box before him. As for the clone hibernation pod... Yin Fang stroked his chin, studying it for a moment before offering his appraisal. "This thing resembles a simplified hibernation pod." Chu Guang asked, "What do you mean by a simplified hibernation pod?" Yin Fang replied, "Simply put, an organism lying inside doesn't stop metabolizing. It merely induces a state of deep sleep... Hmm, it seems to have scanning functions as well." As they spoke, a pale blue window materialized in Chu Guang's vision, floating above the pod. It seemed that in the Administrator System's eyes, items manufactured by black boxes within the shelter were equally recognized as part of Shelter 404. Now, the system was exercising its interpretative authority. [Item: Clone Hibernation Pod] [Description: Features organism scanning, genetic profiling, and DNA expression monitoring. Within signal range, data can be uploaded to the shelter's central server.] It was a save point! After reading the description, Chu Guang immediately formed his conclusion. A pity. This device lacked clone incubation capabilities; it could only help players log off and save their gene sequence development progress. It seemed the black box for producing incubation pods wasn't on this floor. Then again, that made sense. If it were on this floor, why would they have crammed incubation pods into all six hundred rooms? They could have just had him manufacture them on the spot. Just as Chu Guang was feeling a touch of regret, the warehouse door opened, and Heya walked in briskly. Approaching him, she praised enthusiastically, "Your infirmary is fantastic! Not only does it have a dispensary, but it also has a specimen bank. It's practically a miniature medical laboratory! The functionality is far more complete than the infirmary back in Vault 117! Could I borrow it for my work?" "Of course. It was prepared for you in the first place." Seeing Heya so satisfied with her working environment, a smile touched Chu Guang's lips. He loved diligent employees most of all! "Thank you! I plan to launch a new research topic focusing on the wasteland's ecological environment and species. That equipment will be immensely helpful!" A bright smile appeared on Heya's face as she added cheerily, "It would be even better if you could lend me some samples." Ummm... Samples here probably meant mutant specimens, right? Before Chu Guang could reply, Yin Fang stepped forward excitedly, staring intently at her. "Wait a moment, pardon me for asking... do you have cybernetic implants?" Heya blinked in surprise, then nodded slightly. "Yes..." "Eyes? Hands? Or internal organs as well? Incredible... Could you let me study them?" Seeing Yin Fang's fanatical expression, Heya turned pale and hid behind Chu Guang in alarm. Chu Guang sighed, looking helplessly at his other employee. "You know, you look like a total pervert right now." Yin Fang looked bewildered, then turned back to Heya. "You're... not a bionic android?" "I merely have a higher proportion of bionic organs." Standing behind Chu Guang, Heya glared at him frostily. Standing between them, Chu Guang couldn't help rubbing his forehead. This guy really lacked tact. Who goes around asking people if they're androids! Not far away, Xia Yan, standing beside Xiao Qi, muttered quietly, "Too close." Xiao Qi tilted its camera, looking up at the weapon shop owner in confusion. Noticing Xiao Qi's gaze, Xia Yan glanced down at it. "What are you looking at me for?" "Xiao Qi is just curious." "Curious about what?" "Xiao Qi wants to know what strange thoughts are running through your little head again. By the way, 'strange' specifically refers to matters related to reproduction." Xia Yan blushed furiously, glaring at it with murderous intent. "Y-you cleaning robot! What nonsense are you spouting?!" The term 'cleaning robot' seemed to hit a sore spot for Xiao Qi. It spun in place with indignation. "You, you, you! Xiao Qi has decided not to speak a single word to you for the next twenty-four hours!" Watching the "wastepaper basket top" twirling in place, Xia Yan rolled her eyes. As if I care! Just try not asking me to carry you upstairs next time. ... On the first day of the new update's launch, the forums were flooded with rave reviews. Previously, quests were either dumped onto the public board in a messy pile or individually pushed to a single player's VM. Every day, players had to agonize over which ones to take, which ones to skip, and who was cutting under-the-table deals with the dev dog. Although Wasteland OL was still in a closed beta phase of feeling its way across the river, many players were clearly taking it seriously, treating it as their second home beyond reality. Here, they had the righteous Administrator Shuguang, the adorable Xiaoyu, the tsundere Boss Xia, the dedicated Old Luka, the friendly hunter brother who dropped by often, Dr. Yin who could attach his face to an ass, and the newly added SSSR card. After getting sick of fast-food games and tiring of being milked like cash cows by publishers, occasionally experiencing a slow-paced, zero-grind, zero-pay-to-win casual game felt wonderful. Best of all, you could lie down and play all night, and the next morning you wouldn't feel the slightest bit sleepy—you could greet the rising sun completely refreshed. A game like this probably couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Official Website: [Announcement: Shelter 404 Floor B3 Exit Unlocked! A richer underground labyrinth is now open to players!] [Guards Vice Captain Liu Ding: 237 people enlisted today. Salutes to you, warriors defending peace!] [Xiaoyu: The rumbling steel mill relocation is almost finished~ I heard a new outpost will be established soon, so there will probably be lots of fun workshops!] [Guards Captain Wrench: Who on earth invented that bicycle? It's so useful! I have to award him a medal!] [Wasteland Tip: Traces of Deathclaw activity were spotted yesterday in Yumu District. Hunters in Yumu District, please proceed with caution. Although Deathclaw meat provides buffs, remember never to eat it raw—make sure it's fully cooked before tasting!] [Today's Recommended Menu: Egg Drop Sweet Rice Wine, Salt and Pepper Corn Cakes] Forum: Construction Site Youth and Brick: "Hahaha, this new patch is awesome!" Kakarot: "Damn it! Two more days, the wait is killing me!" Howling Sesame Paste: "Waaaah, I've already embedded my helmet into my pillow!" Jieyan: "?! What kind of weird setup guide is that? Wait, how did you even pull that off!" Makka Pakka: "By the way, will the Floor B3 planting area open to players? I feel like we could grow some crops there!" Cut the Crap: "Bullshit, that's clearly a fish tank!" Makka Pakka: "You're the fish tank! Your whole family is a fish tank!" Zhang Hai: "Damn it, can you guys type a bit slower? I can't read anything!" Kuang Feng: "Compared to the planting area, what interests me most in the new patch is the power room. I'm very curious whether the developers modeled their controlled fusion reactor on a Tokamak or a stellarator, whether it uses magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, or the less common electrostatic confinement, and what the ignition mechanism is. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any detail on that front. Disappointing." Ye Shi: "Developer: Sorry, we really didn't think that far ahead. Why don't you come build one for us? (Funny)" Elaina: "+1. Since the rifles are modeled after CrossFire, I reasonably suspect the reactor was copied from Overwatch. (Funny)" Battlefield Atmosphere Team: "Literally shaking and crying. Is my grand EVE not worthy?" Proud Grandpa What Can You Do: "Tokamak and stellarator my ass, pure nonsense! Someone in my family is an academician at the Institute of Physics. I won't name names, too much classified stuff involved. Anyway, he told me that whenever you see fusion reactors in games, just laugh it off—they're riddled with flaws!" Kuang Feng: "Before the universe, we are all frogs at the bottom of a well. In my humble opinion, naive ideas are not laughable; what is laughable is the arrogance of those who consider themselves mature, believing that a single glance out of the well means they have seen the entire sky." Ye Shi: "Holy crap, Kuang Feng is actually getting serious! He's speaking words I can't even understand! (Funny)" Old Bai: "If I recall correctly, Kuang Feng teaches physics." Kuang Feng: "(Side-eye)" Elaina: "Can't you guys be nicer to our forum mascot? How do you know he isn't telling the truth? (Funny)" Elven King Fugui: "Elaina is ruthless. You already labeled him the mascot, yet you're still playing dumb. (Funny)" Makka Pakka: "Hahahahaha!" A cheerful atmosphere filled the forum. Unsurprisingly, Brother Grandpa bolted right after showing off, giving nobody a chance to mock him directly. Everyone speculated that the guy had failed to snag a closed beta slot yet again and had run to the forums to vent. Speaking of which, Brother Guang was quite mischievous: he had quietly gifted all pre-registered players a forum badge displayed on their profile pages by default. Now everyone knew that while the guy was busy trashing the game, his body had been honest enough to hit the pre-registration button—classic little-brother behavior. ... The next day. Every player carrying a VM received a server-wide announcement. The abandoned tire factory situated between the outpost and Changjiu Farm had finally completed its overhaul. Heavy industrial facilities, including No. 81 Steel Mill, had also finished relocating. Because it was less than five kilometers from the outpost, no separate base was established; instead, it was treated as an extension of the outpost. Inside the newly constructed workshop, Ya'er I Wanna Go to the Restroom, Who Will Smell My Athlete's Foot, and WC Really Has Mosquitoes gathered together. The three most criminally inclined players on the server were engaged in a heated debate. Toilet Cable: "We need an anti-aircraft weapon!" Levin: "Ideally something cheap and easy to build!" Mosquito: "And it has to engage both air and ground targets!" Levin: "Why don't we build an 88mm gun!" Toilet Cable's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs-up. "That could work!" The two immediately turned to Mosquito, only to find that he wasn't on the same wavelength this time. "I object! An 88mm gun is neither cheap nor easy to build, okay?!" Levin: "We didn't say we had to make an exact replica. Can't we modify it?" Toilet Cable: "Exactly! Worst case, we make an 88mm caliber smoothbore cannon—it can still be called an 88mm gun!" Mosquito couldn't resist roasting him. "How the hell is that an 88mm gun! Can it even hit planes?" Toilet Cable: "How do you know ours won't hit?!" Mosquito looked to the sky and sighed, suddenly putting on a righteous face. "For the future of Shelter 404, it seems our paths must diverge." Brother Levin eyed him warily. "Out of curiosity, what are you planning to cook up?" Mosquito's eyes gleamed. "A Fliegerfaust rocket launcher! I'm planning to upgrade the nine launch tubes to twelve! With that fiber stuff that boosts propellant detonation velocity, I think it'll be brilliant!" Brother Toilet Cable: "..." Brother Levin: "..." Did that thing ever shoot down a single plane in history?