The Proper Use of a Ratman!

Changjiu Farm. A plump rat, following behind a smaller one, led a horde of rodents across the wasteland dusted with a light layer of snow. Soon, the guide stopped beside a field ridge. Standing next to a frozen-stiff bush, it squeaked frantically at the giant rat, its face full of grievance and injury. "Is it here?" The plump giant rat uttered human speech in a lazy drawl. Leaning its head down to investigate, it spotted an air hole hidden beneath the shrub. With a frantic flurry of its forepaws, it quickly excavated a drowsy marmot from its burrow. Yanked from its hole, the marmot burned with fury. It was just about to see which stupid creature dared disturb its hibernation when it was startled by the massive furry face looming right in front of it. *Aaaah!* *What kind of monstrosity is this?!* Before it could react, the plump rat slapped it across the face, then pummeled its head in a flurry of heavy thuds, battering the creature into total disorientation. Seeing this, the surrounding smaller rats squeaked excitedly in approval, dancing around like the little monkeys on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Qiangren Suonan couldn't understand a word his "kin" were squeaking, but he could sense that they were cheering for him, so he pounded away with even greater enthusiasm. Now the marmot was in true agony. At first it tried to fight back, but it swiftly discovered that neither its build nor its strength was any match for this meter-tall giant rat. It could only roll onto its back in the snow, exposing its belly and squeaking frantically for mercy. "Yield yet? Huh? I asked if you yield!" Qiangren Suonan pinned its head down, baring his incisors and letting out menacing hisses from his throat. "Chirp, chirp, chirp!" The marmot lay on its back, daring not resist any longer, doing nothing but begging for its life. Looks like it surrendered. Reading the submission in its eyes, Qiangren Suonan released his paw in satisfaction. Still, why did this marmot bark like a dog? Was that a game setting? Planting one foot on the marmot's belly, Qiangren Suonan surveyed the surrounding horde. Careless of whether they understood, he declared with grand bravado, "This guy has been defeated by yours truly and is officially my lackey from now on." "If anyone else bullies you, lead me to them." "The Great Horned Rat will back you up!" Watching the strutting giant rat, the rodents squeaked in celebration, showering him with adoration. Even if its vocalizations were a bit bizarre—sounding like those damned humans—it didn't matter. To them, this hideous beast was the strongest creature of this generation. Whoever defeated it was their king! The marmot felt deeply wronged. It had been sleeping soundly, only to get walloped for the first beating of the new spring for no reason whatsoever. Was this how a decent rodent behaved? Utterly devoid of martial virtue! And just like that, the rat army gained another member. Last time it had been a mutant squirrel; this time, an infiltrated marmot. Striding at the head of over twenty little rodents, Qiangren Suonan marched proudly across the newly raised field ridges, scouring for his next target. This was a method he had discovered recently. Taming these little beasts was actually quite simple: beat them until they yielded, beat them until they showed their bellies, beat them until they begged for mercy. In the animal kingdom, fists ruled supreme. Talking was useless; not only could the rats not understand, but they would also think his human speech was just annoying racket. Just look at the eyes of those female rats in the back. More than adoration—their eyes were practically shining with devotion! Recalling his reception when he first entered the game, Qiangren Suonan couldn't help sighing emotionally. *Ah, the world of mutants is so pure after all.* *Human-things, die-die!* Makka Pakka, who was plowing nearby, noticed the rodents near the ridge. Just as he was about to give thanks for nature's bounty, he recognized that the fat rat leading them was Qiangren Suonan. He released his grip on his holster and teased with a grin, "Brother Nan, what are you doing?" "If you've got nothing to do, come give me a hand plowing!" Qiangren Suonan rolled his eyes at him. "Piss off. Can't you see I'm busy?" Makka Pakka chuckled. "Bullshit, busy with what? Brawling with rats every day—when the hell are you going to awaken?" "You don't get it." Qiangren Suonan raised his snout, boasting proudly, "See that pack behind me? All freshly subdued minions of mine. Impressive, huh?" Makka Pakka gave a raspy laugh. "Impressive! Though I wonder if they can take a burst from my Short Scythe." Even for mutant rats that stood halfway up a person's shin, if one shot didn't finish them off, two definitely would. A mutant rat's combat strength was roughly on par with a mutant cockroach. The two were the weakest mutants on the wasteland, bottom-tier even compared to hyenas. After all, when a hyena starved, it could hunt gnawers. When a rat starved, it could only fight cockroaches to the death. Hearing that, Qiangren Suonan hastened to warn him, "I'm warning you, don't you dare! They're all my pets!" Makka Pakka grinned. "I'm just messing with you. Why would I actually shoot them? But you'd better mark them somehow, or someone else is going to farm them as wild mobs." "Hiss... you've got a point there." Qiangren Suonan made a mental note of it on the spot. He had to put some kind of mark on his underlings. He had worked hard to amass this swarm of rats. He couldn't let other players farm them for exp! *** Dusk fell before long. Qiangren Suonan had spent the entire afternoon roaming the wasteland west of Changjiu Farm. Relying on his massive build, he bullied smaller critters, specifically picking fights with marmots and field mice that were shorter than him. He recruited minions while completing his quest. When he occasionally ran into stubborn ones that refused to yield, he drove a dagger straight into their guts. Indeed. The Rat sequence differed from other mutant sequences. It had no debuff from lacking dexterity, and he could wield tools just as adeptly as other players. He had even commissioned Mosquito to craft a custom ratman cestus tipped with steel claws, far sharper than his natural ones. The troublemakers he killed became food for the smaller rodents. These rats were far from picky eaters. Whether it was their own kind or something else, as long as it was edible, they ate it, wasting nothing. Whenever this happened, Qiangren Suonan stood magnanimously aside and watched. Even though his body had turned into a rat, he still couldn't stomach this kind of "bushmeat." Let alone raw. Of course, the day wasn't completely smooth sailing. Pushing deeper west, he and his pack ran into a ravenous mutant hyena. Spring had arrived. After starving through the entire winter, mutants were beginning to hunt again. This beast had clearly gone hungry all winter long; seeing so many small morsels, its eyes glowed green with predatory hunger. Fortunately, Qiangren Suonan had a pistol tucked into his belt and blew the hyena away. If it had come down to close-quarters melee, with his one-meter height and dismal stat panel, he might not have won. Seeing their boss vanquish the hyena, the rats erupted into another wave of worship, then swarmed forward to feast on the carcass. Qiangren Suonan pulled out dry rations, sat beside the field ridge, and nibbled on his food while watching his subordinates gorge themselves. Once stuffed, the rats gathered around the carcass, burping and squeaking as they started their post-meal activities. Some bickered, some scuffled, and some coupled up into pairs—a scene of utter chaos and vitality. Looking at these energetic lackeys, Qiangren Suonan suddenly felt a warm sense of harvest. "Not easy at all." He unhooked the VM strapped around his belly and checked it. The quest required taming ten rats. He had obviously far exceeded the quota. Surely the Administrator would reward him handsomely! Just then, however, Qiangren Suonan hit a snag in his thoughts. Twenty or thirty rats were manageable for now, but once their numbers swelled, hunting alone wouldn't sustain them. And expecting these rats to hunt for themselves was an even bigger joke. They fought evenly with cockroaches at best; against something like a hyena, they would simply get crushed. Despite their numbers, they were nothing but a disorganized mob. They hadn't lifted a paw all afternoon, serving only as background decoration. Under normal circumstances, how did rats survive? By raiding human granaries, of course. Could he raid the granary at Changjiu Farm, though? Obviously not. The Administrator wasn't just an NPC; he held GM authority and could ban players on the spot. This wasn't some simple penalty like losing a bit of health. Violating server rules could get his cord pulled entirely! Besides, everyone had only one account. Even without all those rules, he wasn't about to piss off other players and ruin his own reputation. If he couldn't raid his own people's granaries, he would just have to pillage someone else's. Qiangren Suonan couldn't help gazing north with ambitious determination. Perhaps... He should apply to the Administrator for a hibernation pod to use as a save point. *** While Qiangren Suonan was pondering how to swindle a hibernation pod out of the Administrator, Makka Pakka was sitting atop a tractor in the nearby reclaiming fields, stepping enthusiastically on the gas pedal. A long row of harrows hitched behind the tractor churned up the soil along with the thin dusting of snow. "Hahaha, holy shit! This thing works too damn well!" Wasn't this way cooler than Farming Simulator? Standing nearby, the little newbie smiled cheerfully. "Told you. Modifying it my way makes it work way better than what you had before." Though it wasn't high-tech—merely an optimization to the harrow behind the tractor—it more than doubled their plowing efficiency. As for the original harrow Mosquito made, it had probably been copied straight off the internet. It worked fine on previously cultivated fields, but fell flat when breaking virgin soil. It would often snag and stall, or fail to get a firm bite on the ground, sliding helplessly over the snow. With his suggested tweaks, those issues vanished instantly. Standing to the side, Mosquito said in pleasant surprise, "Holy shit, it really worked! Big bro, what line of work are you in?" [Wuliao Da Laohu] gave an embarrassed smile. "I grow tobacco." Before Mosquito could react, Makka Pakka on the tractor was so stunned he almost drove the vehicle right off the field ridge. "Holy crap?! Growing weed?! Is that tobacco growing of yours legit?" Tiger hastily clarified, "Don't talk nonsense! What weed? I work for a legitimate, proper tobacco company!" "Awesome!" Makka Pakka looked on with deep envy. Working at a tobacco company? That had to pay serious bank. Mosquito was equally envious, though for a completely different reason. "That's so sick! Working at a tobacco company, do you get unlimited cigarettes? Can you just smoke all the unbranded ones you want?" Tiger's expression turned melancholy. "Sigh, don't get me started. That's what I thought when I first entered the industry, until I became a sensory evaluation taster. Smoking every single day, several packs in a row, and having to write reports after finishing—only then do you learn what it feels like to wish you were dead." Makka Pakka: "Holy shit? There's a perk like that?" Tiger rolled his eyes. "Perk my ass! During that period, just looking at a cigarette made me want to puke, alright?!" It proved that turning a hobby into a job wasn't necessarily a recipe for happiness. Mosquito asked curiously, "Bro, how are your lungs holding up?" Tiger sighed. "Decent enough. I transferred to another post later. Now my daily job is dealing with tobacco farmers and heading out into the fields every day, which is actually pretty relaxing." Makka Pakka asked with curiosity, "How big are your tobacco fields?" Tiger thought for a moment. "I can't disclose the exact details, but the project I oversee spans several tens of thousands of mu at least." Makka Pakka: "Incredible!" Mosquito: "666!" No wonder he knew so much. This guy was an absolute pro! *** Meanwhile, north of Bet Street, along the edge of the Fifth Ring Road. Kuang Feng, Ye Shi, Lao Bai, and Jieyan were clearing buildings alongside Lone Wolf, who had just entered the game. Intelligence-types had a rough time leveling up, especially in the early stages. With three points in Strength, let alone shooting a bow or hurling a spear, they started wheezing after running just a few steps. That was why many teams were reluctant to take Intelligence-types in the early game. Low efficiency was a minor issue; the real problem was dragging the team down! That was lethal. Unless they had exceptional hands-on practical skills and could pursue production professions, leveling up was quite an uphill battle. Carried by veteran powerhouses, however, was a different story. In just a single day, Lone Wolf had jumped from LV0 to LV1. This leveling speed was practically strapped to a rocket. At this rate, hitting LV3 within four days would be no problem at all; he might even break through in three. While farming mobs, he could also do resource exploration quests and register as a scavenger to pick up scrap, boosting his contribution points to Citizen status and easily saving up two to three hundred silver coins. Once that was done, he could buy a VM, pick up a PU-9 submachine gun, and, funds permitting, equip a bulletproof vest stitched from devil silk. By that point, he would have basic self-defense capability. The sky outside was darkening. Laden with scavenged loot, the group withdrew from the abandoned high-rise. Today's haul had been pretty good. Between the scavenged goods and quest rewards, everyone averaged around one hundred coins in earnings. In the current game version, outside of wartime, this kind of daily return was already very impressive. Had they not been carrying a newbie, Lao Bai and the others could have earned even more. A hunting ground had recently opened near Yuanxi Town with rumors of deathclaws, and many high-level players had rushed over to pioneer the area. Checking his quest progress via his VM, Kuang Feng looked at Lone Wolf and said, "The first three levels come pretty fast, but things slow down after level three." Lone Wolf remarked with feeling, "This game is such a grind." Lao Bai nodded in deep agreement. "It really is. I've been stuck at level 13 for almost two weeks." Ye Shi sighed. "You've got it easy. I'm Perception-type, and ever since I reached level 11, my progress bar feels frozen." Jieyan chimed in, "Man, hearing you guys humblebrag hurts so bad. This unawakened child is about to cry." Kuang Feng suggested, "Maybe we need to challenge higher-tier mobs." Ye Shi: "Like what?" Kuang Feng: "Mutants and the like." Ye Shi was stunned. "Holy crap, that's way too hard, isn't it?" Lao Bai let out a quiet sigh. "If only Fang Chang were here." Kuang Feng: "Indeed. No one understands the patch meta better than that guy. If he were here, our leveling speed would definitely jump another notch." Ye Shi said with envy, "That bastard, hogging all the good stuff for himself—damn it!" Lao Bai smiled. "That guy's luck has always been absurdly good. Remember when we used to play PUBG? He'd find a Kar98k every single time he touched down. By the time Ah Guang scrounged up a bunch of junk, Fang Chang was already fully kitted. Anyway, enough chatter. It's almost dark. Let's head back, grab some food, and log off. Same time tomorrow at seven p.m. Let's push hard and try to get our brother Lone Wolf to level three in a single day." Ye Shi: "Got it!" Kuang Feng: "Roger that." Jieyan: "Okey-dokey!" Looking at the enthusiastic crew, Lone Wolf felt deeply touched. "Thanks, brothers!" Lao Bai laughed. "Thank what? Don't treat us like strangers!" Jieyan: "Yeah, we'll be relying on you plenty in the future!" Ye Shi grinned playfully. "How about helping us optimize the brick factory first? The demand for bricks is growing crazy fast. Our orders are booked all the way through the end of next month." Professor Lone Wolf, who never liked owing favors, nodded earnestly. "Alright! Don't worry, brothers!" "As soon as I log off, I'll start brainstorming!" *** Night deepened at the outpost's north gate. Silver Daddy gripped his buddy's arm, snot and tears streaming down his face as he chased him from outside the gate all the way inside. "Brother, I was just kidding! Give me a chance! I'll never dare do it again!" Silver Sword ruthlessly shook off his hand. "Get lost! I finally trusted you once, and you made me lose this thoroughly!" Silver Hand: "Damn it!" At the entrance of the sanatorium. Well-fed players were queuing up to return to the vault, filling the square with noisy chatter. In line, Yaya pressed her palms together, praying with a pious expression, "Almighty Game Dev, please don't let water fees go up again today." Beside her, Tengteng gave her a sideways glance. "You're just taking too long. Under normal conditions, ten minutes is plenty." "How could ten minutes ever be enough! Well, for you, Tengteng—" Tengteng's face instantly flushed crimson. She stood on tiptoe and clamped her hand over Yaya's mouth. "Enough, enough! You can stop talking now!" Yaya: "Mmph, mmph!" The players nearby egged them on with glee. "Keep going! Keep going!" "Go, Boss Ya! Don't give up!" Although the outpost's save point now housed around a hundred hibernation pods, and the washrooms had recently been fitted with plumbing and a budget solar setup, everyone still preferred taking showers down in the vault. Even with the macro-regulated water prices climbing steadily. In truth, there was little choice. Even if players wanted to stay on the surface—which made logging back on far more convenient—there simply weren't enough hibernation pods. Those hundred pods filled up completely every day. If one wanted to save and couldn't snag a pod, they still had to head back down into the shelter. Even though Chu Guang had bumped the resource allocation for the black box manufacturing hibernation pods to top priority and assigned dedicated workers to press the button around the clock, there was still a substantial gap in the pod inventory. Theoretically, satisfying the log-on and log-off demands of every player required at least nine hundred hibernation pods. Moreover, even a black box couldn't run twenty-four hours a day without stopping. To keep the machine from breaking down, it had to rest for two to three hours daily. While contemplating the spawn points, Chu Guang carried Xiao Qi out of the elevator and strode toward the vault. Right then, he spotted a dusky-gray giant rat scurry in front of him. Looking down, he saw it was Brother Nan. Chu Guang regarded him with a benevolent gaze, speaking in a warm tone. "Is something the matter?" The giant rat bowed and spoke in a reverent voice, "Honored Administrator, I have accomplished the mission you assigned me!" Chu Guang was momentarily taken aback, surprise surfacing on his face. So fast? Pulling up the activity logs of several players' VMs along with aerial drone photos, Chu Guang quickly found that this guy wasn't boasting at all. Not only had he completed the mission, he had vastly overachieved! Chu Guang's expression grew somewhat subtle. Naturally, he was too embarrassed to admit that he had been so busy lately he hadn't yet thought of a suitable reward. After a brief silence, he gave a light cough and began, "You have done exceptionally well." "Securing the aid of mutants will undoubtedly prove a tremendous boon to our cause." "Aside from silver coins and contribution points, is there any specific reward you desire? Feel free to speak your mind." Qiangren Suonan paused, then surged with wild ecstasy, hastily replying, "My Lord, I don't need anything else—I only hope you can grant me a hibernation pod!" Chu Guang shot the fellow an odd look. "A hibernation pod? What do you want that for?" Qiangren Suonan answered with complete seriousness, "I want to head north! To Xizhou City, further past Yuanxi Town! There won't be other players interfering there, and without the constraints of rules on enemy territory, I can snowball much more easily—rallying the local rats and expanding the might of the ratmen!" *Holy shit?* *That's actually a great idea.* Hearing Brother Nan's plan, Chu Guang's eyes lit up, but he still offered a cautious reminder. "A hibernation pod draws one kilowatt of power; you'll need to prepare a generator for it. Transporting that kind of equipment all the way to Xizhou City won't be easy. You'd better think it through." Qiangren Suonan replied resolutely, "Rest assured, my Lord, I will solve that!" He had already ordered a Hell's Breath engine from Mosquito; at worst, he would commission a smaller wood-fired generator on top of it. Once the snow on the ground thawed a bit more, he could set out immediately! Chu Guang nodded, saying no more. "Very well. Go find Luka at Changjiu Farm tomorrow; he will issue you a hibernation pod." "In addition, I have another mission for you. Collect a radio station from Luka and take it to Xizhou City directly north of us, where you will set up a communication relay base." "This mission is crucial, so proceed with the utmost care. Once completed, you may operate freely in the Xizhou City region, and I will issue you new objectives periodically." Qiangren Suonan rejoiced. "Thank you, Honored Administrator! I will definitely put it to good use!" A hibernation pod wasn't some awe-inspiring, unattainable technology. Once the save point had enough pods, Chu Guang had already considered allowing players to purchase their own to install inside their custom-built houses. That, however, was a matter for later. For now, resources were limited, and the collective interest superseded all else; allocating resources to public infrastructure remained top priority. After all, this directly impacted the gameplay experience of the vast majority. Carrying Xiao Qi back to the administrator's office, Chu Guang took a seat in his chair and swiveled toward one of the walls. The wall was lined with numerous display screens, all modified by Yin Fang using VMs. Sixteen small screens were joined into a single massive display, showing a map overlaid with densely packed green and blue dots that outlined the distribution of players and NPCs. For players without VMs, historical locations marked by drones were displayed. Through this map, Chu Guang could easily track how many players were in each sector, how many quests should be distributed, the ratio of functional NPCs present, and whether additional personnel were needed. To Chu Guang's gratification, this new batch of newbies was even more driven than he had anticipated. Out of three hundred players, half had thrown themselves into the reclamation campaign, and over ninety percent of those were Strength-types. The other half, while not clearing land, had been recruited into carrying the torch—either grinding progress in the tunnels alongside veteran players or sweeping high-rises along the Fifth Ring Road. The gnawers there were as numerous as ants, making the area not only a natural leveling ground, but also a rich source of salvageable supplies. Out of the three hundred newbies, two players received Chu Guang's special attention. One was [Wuliao Da Laohu]. The other was Professor Wang—or rather, [Doomsday Lone Wolf]. Chu Guang had been keeping an eye on the former player on the forums for a long time, often seeing him exchange farming tips with others and post photos. After observing him for a while, Chu Guang immediately flagged him in the backend system and recruited him without hesitation once the version shifted toward agricultural needs. And Brother Tiger had certainly not disappointed him; the moment he arrived, he overhauled the two tractors produced by Mosquito and the No. 81 Steel Mill. Plowing efficiency had more than doubled, which was an immense help! As for Professor Wang, he was a purely unexpected delight for Chu Guang. The professor had joined the Ox and Horse chat group only last week. Lurking in the chat, Chu Guang learned that he was Kuang Feng's colleague and a professor in mechanical engineering and automated design. For an academic applicant of this caliber, especially in applied fields, Chu Guang had shown no hesitation, immediately flagging him for the Alpha 1.0 release. Tiger had chosen Strength-type. Brother Lone Wolf, like Kuang Feng, had chosen Intelligence-type—likely on Kuang Feng's advice. Although Lone Wolf was still grinding levels with the Ox and Horse Squad and had yet to display his professional expertise in the game, Chu Guang was in no rush. To improve a region's productivity, one first had to understand that region thoroughly. Even setting up a factory in Africa required field research, let alone stepping into an entirely different world. Chu Guang was very pleased with Professor Wang's current pacing. Had the man started barking orders and handing down directives right off the bat before grasping the local conditions, it would have given Chu Guang a massive headache instead. "Not bad!" "Truly worthy of being chosen by me!" Reviewing the activity logs on his VM, Chu Guang wore a satisfied expression, feeling that everything was firmly under his control. "Looks like the Alpha 1.0 version is running smoothly, and the new players have formally integrated into the game's main storyline." "Next up, only two core tasks remain for the shelter!" One was the major development on the northern shore of Ling Lake, and the other was attracting investment to the new industrial zone. Bringing Liszt in to open a factory was merely the beginning. Once that merchant tasted sweet profits, more capable caravan leaders would soon follow, bringing surplus equipment and talent. Combined with caravans from the eastern coast, as long as he created a stable environment for their growth, they would deliver money right to his doorstep. If Shelter 404 ever clashed with Boulder City in the future, this would give him another card to play. Of course, cooperation remained the ideal path. While a war could bring overnight riches, in the long run, the returns were never as steady as farming. "Solid-state hydrogen batteries are at least a D+ tier technology; depending on their chemical energy storage and utilization methods, they might even rate as C-tier!" "Though they can't match metallic hydrogen batteries, which encompass multiple B-tier technologies and a handful of A-tier ones, they're still far superior to the 'old methods' back in reality!" "Paired with the black box acquired from Vault 117, if things look promising, within two versions we should be able to equip most LV10 Intelligence-type players with neural connection devices, bring exoskeleton adoption among players to eight percent, and reach fifteen percent in the guard team!" Now that the player base had grown, Chu Guang had to make decisions from a broader perspective, cutting down on local micromanagement. Giving a single piece of equipment to one player did little for the shelter's overall strength. Only when an item achieved a significant presence throughout the player population would its impact on the shelter's total power be felt. And productivity was the key to everything. It had to be said, this spring had arrived at the most opportune moment! Just as Chu Guang was mapping out the shelter's future, Xiao Qi's voice piped up beside him, pulling him from his reverie. "Master." Chu Guang: "What is it?" Xiao Qi continued in a soft voice, "Xiao Qi hates to disturb your rest, but there's fresh news from the two little players you sent to Boulder City and Red River Town!"