"Motherfucker!"
"Those beasts got away."
Standing at the edge of the forest on the northeast side of Yumu District, Chu Guang held a pair of binoculars and gazed at Yuanxi Town several hundred meters away, unable to stop himself from cursing under his breath.
Over the past few days, the guard team's tracked vehicles had been patrolling the northern outskirts, hunting down the six fleeing hundred-man cohorts. Three of them had been wiped out, but more than half of the marauders had still managed to escape.
Chu Guang guessed that some of them had likely fled to Shiya's side and brought him word of Black Snake's defeat.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that this bunch would be so cowardly.
Instead of mounting an all-out attack, they had turned tail and run!
"Fight when they can win, flee when they can't—that's very much like those marauders," Vannus said, standing beside Chu Guang and observing through his own binoculars before continuing, "...though these fortifications look very much like the Legion's style."
The marauders had reinforced the ruins with timber, dug trenches across the streets, and erected barricades and bunkers.
The place had been transformed into a fortress.
On a three-story ruin, he even spotted an artillery emplacement reinforced with sandbags and timber.
Judging from the reserved concave firing port, it was likely meant for some kind of indirect-fire infantry gun.
However, the cannon there had already been removed.
"You can tell they withdrew in a hurry; they only had time to set a fire... Most of the fortifications weren't destroyed in time."
Chu Guang lowered his binoculars and lightly tapped the side of his helmet with his index finger.
"Column 1, advance."
"Copy that."
Standing five hundred meters ahead, Liu Ding received the order and signaled to the players beside him.
Upon receiving the command, five squads totaling fifty men immediately advanced, entering the abandoned town from five different directions.
Wearing an exoskeleton welded with steel plates, Lao Bai held an LD-47j light machine gun, sweeping the barrel past the windows along the street.
A two-meter-long lance was strapped to his back, though at this engagement distance, it probably wouldn't see any use.
"It's so quiet here."
"The marauders stationed here must have pulled out," Fang Chang said, glancing at a human skull by the roadside and warily looking around. "Doesn't look like there's a single living soul in the whole town."
Bloodstains formed grim graffiti on the walls, alongside crooked words and symbols.
It looked just like some wicked cult's ritual.
Unfinished corpses had been tossed by the roadside, filth was everywhere in the streets, and a chaotic mess covered the ground.
Ye Shi swallowed hard.
The suffocating atmosphere here felt oppressive.
He would rather go toe-to-toe with the marauders than explore a place that made him physically nauseous.
"Damn it, why does this feel like a horror game..."
Kuang Feng looked around and nodded expressionlessly.
"Yeah, Resident Evil meets Silent Hill... something like that."
It was too quiet all around.
Never mind living people.
Not even a rat was in sight.
The group continued forward along the route indicated on their VMs, coordinating with the other squads to sweep the town's outer perimeter.
After confirming there were no marauders, they pushed deeper along the main thoroughfare into the town's exact center.
There was a clock tower here with an open field of vision, the tallest building in town. The marauders had probably used it as a command post or something similar.
Pushing open the clock tower's wooden doors, Lao Bai, acting as the vanguard, stepped inside first, but he was quickly driven back out by the stench.
"Damn it..."
"What did you see?" Ye Shi walked over curiously.
"I suggest you don't look."
Lao Bai had barely finished speaking, but it was already too late. Ye Shi had stepped through the door, and the next second he was clutching the doorframe, retching violently.
Inside the clock tower hall, corpses were piled into a mountain.
The buzzing of flies roared like a tsunami, black shapes crawled frantically over the heap of bodies, and the blasting warm air carried a putrid stench of rot. It was as if every cockroach in town had gathered here; the small ones were the size of a fist, and the large ones exceeded a shoe...
Kuang Feng peered inside and paused slightly.
"This is just too..."
The visual impact alone.
Even with sensory filters, it still carried a dose of psychological horror.
It was practically a nightmare.
"...I feel like the open beta is nowhere in sight. If they don't turn the blood and corpses into green cubes, there's no way this passes review," Elven King Fugui said with a click of his tongue.
Elaina shot him an ambiguous look.
"Be confident. Drop the 'I feel like'."
...
After an hour of thorough searching, they essentially confirmed that the thousand-man cohort stationed in Yuanxi Town had retreated.
Moreover, they had left roughly three days ago, heading due north toward Xizhou City.
Before retreating, the marauders had executed all the slaves, sprinkled insect eggs over their corpses, burned the supplies they couldn't take with them, and even set fire to the fortifications.
However, due to a lack of fuel, aside from the grain being burned, most of the wooden bunkers and barricades had survived.
Had they waited another half month, the entire town might have turned into a haven for mutant cockroaches and flies.
While those little critters lacked combat prowess and posed little direct threat to wastelanders, they were remarkably adept at spreading disease and stealing supplies.
Clearly, Shiya didn't want this fortress falling into the hands of the northern outskirts survivors, so he had attempted to deny them the town this way.
Chu Guang ordered the players to torch the clock tower, incinerating the mutants and corpses inside.
It was nearly thirty kilometers from here to the outpost. Transporting all these bodies back would be too difficult and not cost-effective.
The two active substance extractors were already running twenty-four hours a day, with production scheduled from the beginning of the month to the end.
At least for a while, there was no need to worry about resurrection coins.
Standing at the northern exit of Yuanxi Town, Wrench unrolled a map in front of Chu Guang and used a marker to draw several red X's along the contour lines.
"...It's nearly twenty kilometers from Yuanxi Town to the southernmost edge of Xizhou City, all hills and forests along the way. Although there are three pre-war highways, they are essentially abandoned. If they intend to move south toward us, their marching routes are quite limited.
"I suggest establishing an operating base in Yuanxi Town, erecting a wireless radio base station, and building outposts along the northern hills with radio sets and communication gear to closely monitor movements from the north!"
Chu Guang stared at the map for a moment, then looked toward the forest-covered hills to the north. Snow hanging from the treetops merged into a continuous blanket, and in the vast expanse of white, only a few abandoned high-voltage pylons and unidentifiable ruins could be seen.
The vantage point was good, and the surrounding terrain was open.
If they could build outposts on top of those hills, bringing an area of five or even ten kilometers within visual range shouldn't be an issue.
The only concern was the mutants in the forest.
Creatures like yaoguai, troglodytes, mutated brown bears, wild boars, apes, and even Deathclaws were highly likely to roam the woods.
Each outpost would need at least two machine guns, a 20mm autocannon, and two Panzerfaust rocket launchers deployed.
That should ensure the sentries' safety.
Nodding slightly, Chu Guang said,
"Good suggestion. How many people do you think should be stationed there?"
Wrench pondered for a moment and said,
"Three people stationed at each outpost, two shifts a day. Thirty men should be enough!"
Chu Guang picked up the marker, added three marks to the map, and handed it back to Wrench.
"I'll give you fifty men. Increase the outposts from five to eight, and keep a tight watch on this area!
"Report any situation to me immediately."
Sentry duty could only be left to the guard team; players couldn't do boring guard duty twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
When Chu Guang played games himself, he could camp a boss for a day, but he couldn't just stand guard forever.
However, he could issue quests tied to Yuanxi Town, diverting a portion of hunters, scavengers, scouts, and life profession players to operate in this area, keeping their numbers between twenty and ninety.
Coordinated with NPC fixed sentry posts, this should ensure complete security.
Clasping his fists, Wrench accepted the order.
"Yes, sir!"
The plains of River Valley Province were mainly concentrated on the northern and southern ends, stretching east to west like ribbons across the map, serving as transit corridors from the eastern provinces to the western provinces.
Like two corridors.
The vast area sandwiched between the two corridors consisted mostly of hills and gentle slopes, with only a few plains scattered here and there.
Most pre-war cities were located on these plains, or at least centered on them before spreading along contour lines into the hills.
The survivors of Qingquan City lived relatively comfortably largely because they were situated right on the transportation hub connecting east and west, blessed with extensive plains.
Unless heavy snow blocked the roads, caravans regularly passed through the northern or southern outskirts of Qingquan City, usually bringing plenty of good goods.
Yuanxi Town happened to sit at the northernmost point of Yumu District and the northernmost edge of this southern corridor.
Crossing the hills to the north and traveling another twenty-odd kilometers brought one to Xizhou City, controlled by the Fang clan.
Whether to protect the farmland and Changjiu Farm or to ensure open trade routes, this strategic stronghold of Yuanxi Town had to be brought under control.
"If I were with the Bone Chewer tribe, I'd wait until autumn before coming again."
Standing beside Chu Guang, Vannus glanced north and continued,
"Have you considered deploying a 100mm artillery piece on the hills? Its anti-armor capability is average, but it's more than enough to blow up infantry and break tracks."
Chu Guang looked at him. "I was just planning on that. By the way, how far can your Legion artillery fire?"
Vannus thought for a moment and replied,
"The effective range is eleven kilometers, though sometimes it can reach thirteen. With rocket-assisted projectiles, the range could potentially double, but looking at the shells you captured, they seem to be all standard high-explosive rounds."
Earlier, during the attack on the Pioneer, the two howitzers he used were standard Legion 100mm artillery pieces deployed in the Yumu District forest, firing at Changjiu Farm more than ten kilometers away.
It was just that those two guns hadn't accomplished much.
Not only were most of the shells intercepted by the higher-tech point defense system, but they were eventually locked onto by drones and blown to high heaven by Enterprise employees using two metallic hydrogen shells.
Truth be told, though, compared to the Enterprise's expensive, high-maintenance tech gear, cheap, durable, and brutally powerful large-caliber artillery was actually better suited for the wasteland environment.
After all, using good stuff like metallic hydrogen against marauders was a terrible waste.
It was like swatting cockroaches with a submachine gun.
After leaving Wrench, Liu Ding, and the guard members behind, Chu Guang led the players back home.
A whole winter of relentless militarization had finally carved out room for development.
Now that spring was here, if they didn't start farming, they would starve.
Back at the shelter, Chu Guang opened the shelter system and navigated to the Administrator Allowance page to check his reward points.
Thanks to the players' diligent labor during this period, the reward points spent on the festival earlier had replenished considerably, now sitting at a solid 271 points.
"Time for another delightful blind box unboxing."
After careful consideration, Chu Guang selected 2 advanced blind boxes, 5 intermediate blind boxes, and 21 beginner blind boxes.
With a slight vibration in the walls, the alloy doors slid open, and the rewards from the blind boxes were soon delivered along the conveyor belt.
Looking at the items on the conveyor belt, Chu Guang's face lit up in surprise.
"This is..."
It was a pitch-black exoskeleton patterned with blue lines. Its shape resembled the Type 5 exoskeleton, but it was considerably bulkier, a full size larger than the Type 5.
To make an imperfect but vivid comparison: if the Type 5 was a basketball jersey, this one was American football padding. Heavy composite plates hung across the chest, and scale-like armored plating covered over 90% of the body.
[Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry" Police Exoskeleton: An improved version of the Type 5. Compared to the Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeleton, it offers superior ballistic protection. It not only withstands small arms fire, but also provides a degree of resistance against explosive shockwaves and shrapnel.]
"Now this is something."
Intrigued, Chu Guang slipped into it and flexed his limbs.
The power source was likely an azide compound or solid-hydrogen chemical battery, with an operational endurance of twenty-four hours under normal use.
Compared to nuclear-powered power armor, this thing was far better suited for everyday wear; once depleted, the battery could simply be recharged without scouring everywhere for cold fusion cores.
As for the other advanced blind box, the reward was rather ordinary: an EMP grenade.
So far, among everything he had gotten from advanced blind boxes, this was the least useful.
The intermediate and beginner blind boxes yielded decent goods, including two healing injectors, two boxes of bandages, a box of antibiotics, and a large quantity of canned goods, rations, and seasonings.
"Shame there were no seeds this time."
It would have been perfect if he could unlock a few more high-yield crops!
After checking his rewards, Chu Guang sat down in his office, booted up his computer, and browsed the official website.
Today's little players were, as always, walking right on the edge of the law.
The two factory directors of No. 81 Steel Mill were fiercely debating with armchair players over whether to convert the 20mm autocannon into a 37mm rapid-fire gun to increase explosive payload and achieve greater blast effects.
Meanwhile, Mosquito had sketched a diagram with a pencil that only he could understand, showing off a new piece of equipment under development by Goblin Technology—the "Crab Chariot," featuring split-claw crab shell armor, a wood-burning engine for propulsion, an 88mm short-barreled mortar, and a 20mm autocannon!
Although everyone roasted whether this contraption could withstand a single tank shell, Mosquito stubbornly insisted that this was precisely the gear suited for the wasteland's needs.
"Where are we gonna get that much steel to build tanks? And this is the wasteland, brothers! How many tanks are out there for you to fight?"
"What we clearly need is a heavy vehicle capable of rapidly mowing down soft targets and traversing rough terrain. It doesn't need insane armor, as long as it stops bullets."
"The split-claw crab's shell fits this requirement perfectly! With eight mechanical legs, it can stride across trenches, deep pits, and bunkers like a spider, paving roads for our frontline troops and providing direct fire support! Even a Deathclaw would have to scurry like an insect before an 88mm mortar!"
Contour Outline Chef: "No idea what you're saying, but it sounds badass."
Lightning King Professor Yang: "How do you plan to coordinate eight mechanical legs? And what if one breaks? If you ask me, just slap tracks on it, or give it huge tires like an off-road buggy!"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Heh, none of your business! Daddy has his ways!"
Highland Security: "You guys better hurry up and roll out an airplane. Wouldn't a piston-engine propeller plane be way better than this? It can strafe, it can scout, and it's more than enough to blast some bandits."
Siberian Big Ivan: "Just build an airship! Huge payload, dropping explosives by the ton!"
WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Fuck off! Easy for you to say, come in and build it yourselves!"
Ya'er I Wanna Go to the Restroom: "To be fair though, a wooden plane is worth a shot. I recall the British Mosquito bomber was made of wood and glue, something even furniture factories could produce. Only the engines, landing gear, and connecting parts used metal. It carried a 4,000-pound bomb load, flew super fast, rivaling a Bf 109, though it was a bit hard on pilots."
Brother Levin: "The Russkies' Po-2 biplane was made of wood too, and it served for half a century."
Elaina: "Bedcheck Charlie? (funny face)"
Watching the chatter among the players, Chu Guang felt deeply gratified.
Airplanes.
Now that was a good thing.
Build a runway at Changjiu Farm, and flying to Xizhou City shouldn't be a problem.
When the time came, they could snap a few aerial photos to get a clear picture of the Bone Chewer tribe's Fang clan troop deployments in that area, making it easier to counter future attacks.
Maybe they could even find an opportunity to launch a counteroffensive.
However, there was no rush for that.
The most critical moment had passed. Shelter 404 had spent the entire winter on war footing, and what it needed most now was development.
Once February arrived, a large wave of merchant caravans would pass through Qingquan City, and the buff from being a Permanent Enterprise Partner would soon come in handy.
Before that, he needed to make thorough preparations to seize this historic opportunity.
"With the grain seized from Black Snake, feeding another three hundred people shouldn't be an issue."
"Although it's a month ahead of schedule, right now is when hands are needed most."
"The shelter needs more life profession players, especially players with real-life farming experience."
"Time to release Alpha 1.0."
Filtering these players wasn't difficult.
Pre-registrations were approaching 100,000. Selecting 300 players based on questionnaire tags like "agriculture-related profession or major," "farming inclined," "management/simulation game enthusiast," and "hardcore grinder" would be more than easy.
He didn't need all three hundred of them to obediently work the fields.
That was neither realistic nor in line with game logic.
But as long as one in ten, or even one in twenty, was like Brother Maka—itching to spend twenty-four hours a day in the fields—it would be enough for Chu Guang.
Ideally, these players could combine their real-world experience to improve farming tools and cultivation techniques, bringing them to the wasteland.
Now the industrial zone could already manufacture locomobiles independently, and Mosquito was even building a crab chariot. Building two tractors before spring plowing began shouldn't be much of a problem.
Combined with other cheap, practical tools, as long as they could handle a third of the production goals, they would already be a huge help to the Administrator!
After pondering for a moment, Chu Guang opened a text document and typed out a line:
[Alpha 1.0 Version Update Announcement!]
[Major Updates:
1. Closed beta player cap increased to 1,100!
2. Added professions such as "Farmer" and "Merchant"; agriculture and commerce systems fully upgraded!
]
[Optimizations:
1. Expanded Quest Content: Gameplay area expanded to Yuanxi Town and its surroundings, with more mutants available to hunt. Please exercise extreme caution, as Deathclaws roam the area. With full loot drops upon death, low-level players should proceed carefully!
2. More NPCs and Unique Traveling Merchants: Beginning in February (game time), merchants from the eastern and western provinces will pass through Changjiu Farm.
3. Enhanced Ecosystem: Starting with the new version, players can capture mutant offspring and tame wild animals to make them pets. They will become your trusty assistants, whether tracking prey, hauling cargo, or plowing fields... Further gameplay features await player discovery.
4. Minor bug fixes.
...
]
[New Expansion: "Swords into Plowshares" is now live!]
[Round B testing will begin once the expansion is unlocked. Stay tuned for more new content, maps, and features!]
Chapter 239