The Tide and the Floor B4 Mission!

Lone Wolf studied the machine for a long time without figuring out how it managed to push past sixty horsepower. It wasn't because the mechanics were too complicated. In fact, it was quite the opposite—it was "too simple." It was so simple that he couldn't help wondering whether the game's development team had just gotten lazy. The operating principle of a locomobile wasn't complicated. At its core, it was nothing more than boiling water, with the piston's motion turning a crankshaft that drove a flywheel to output mechanical power. Looking at an engine, if cost-effectiveness was ignored, increasing power output was actually quite straightforward. You could increase cylinder displacement, add more cylinders, raise the pressure inside the cylinder, and so on. Yet what left Lone Wolf completely baffled was that the locomobile before his eyes was actually a single-cylinder engine! A single-cylinder locomobile pushing sixty horsepower? That was ridiculous. Lone Wolf suddenly asked, "What's the maximum horsepower of a single-cylinder diesel engine again?" Hearing the young professor's question, Brother Levin paused and answered instinctively, "I've heard of thirty horsepower." Brother Toilet Cable chimed in, "I remember thirty-five." Lone Wolf nodded. "Sounds about right." In his memory, there might have been ones at forty or forty-five horsepower, but those were uncommon; typical ones usually sat around forty horsepower. Agricultural equipment had no need for that much power, and massive industrial machinery requiring hundreds or thousands of horsepower wouldn't be using locomobiles in the first place. A single-cylinder locomobile reaching sixty horsepower? And weighing only five hundred kilograms? Lone Wolf couldn't help shaking his head. "I've never seen anything so absurd." Brother Toilet Cable chuckled. "First time for me, too." Brother Levin scratched his head and said, "Beats me. When we stripped that Legion light truck earlier, I couldn't figure it out either. The design concepts were practically identical, so why did their power units put out more horsepower than our knockoffs?" Picking up a belt, Lone Wolf examined it closely for a while, then suddenly muttered to himself, "...What is this?" Brother Levin blinked. "That... That's an engine belt, right?" Brother Toilet Cable nodded as well. "Looks like one to me." That was stating the obvious. Lone Wolf naturally knew the thing in his hand was a belt, but he couldn't identify the material at all. "It doesn't look like neoprene..." Unfortunately, he was neither a materials scientist nor an engine specialist. He only knew a bit about these fields through his research in automation design. "Not just the belt—the gaskets, rubber hoses, O-rings... all the rubber parts are made from materials I've never seen before. Is it just fictional lore?" Lone Wolf tapped the cylinder casing with a wrench. Hearing the metallic clank, his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Holy crap... This junk can't possibly be made of titanium-aluminum alloy, can it?" It didn't quite look like it. Yet it might be something similar. The more Lone Wolf examined it, the more astonished he became. The game's development team was pretty clever. By fabricating novel materials out of thin air, designs that were practically impossible in reality couldn't simply be dismissed as absurd. Stripped down to their essentials, the three pillars of modern technology were energy, materials, and information. It was like how many people understood IC design, but very few could actually fabricate a chip. The development team hadn't provided a solution; they had merely laid out a general direction. The deeper he dug, the more amazed he felt. Now he finally understood why that fellow Yan Feng was so obsessed with this game. "There's really something to this!" Watching Lone Wolf mutter to himself beside the machine, Brother Levin and Brother Toilet Cable exchanged a look, both wearing odd expressions. "Should we remind him it's just a game? Maybe whatever he can't figure out is just a line of code from Brother Guang." While the two of them could be stubborn at times, they were nowhere near this obsessive. Brother Toilet Cable scratched the back of his head. "Uh, let him figure it out on his own." He was a newbie, after all. It was normal. There were plenty of things everyone hadn't understood when they first arrived. Until a month ago, Spare the Blade was still pondering what kind of cement had been used on the wasteland's buildings to keep them standing for two hundred years without collapsing. Eventually, he'd gotten used to it. Besides, there were seven more of the same locomobiles right here. More than enough to keep the two of them busy for quite a while. ... Official Website Forum: [Announcement: The undying Bucky has joined the shelter. Hailing from Ideal City on the distant east coast, he aspires to become a great adventurer. However, due to a slime mold infection, parts of his body have mutated into an alien variant. He is currently assisting Dr. Yin Fang with data processing work in the scientific expedition team.] [Under normal circumstances, Bucky will patrol around the shelter in armor. If you spot an alien creature that speaks human tongue, please do not harm it.] [Luka: Clear skies have lasted for nearly a month now. The snow on the surface has largely melted, and the busy farming season is fast approaching.] [Wrench: Deathclaw activity has been detected near Yuanxi Town, and three residents have tragically perished. The danger zone has been marked on the map. Please exercise caution when moving around!] [Bug Fix Patch: Seasonal system adjustment. Snowmelt has caused air humidity to rise; please keep warm.] Scavenger Lv99: "Holy crap! I knew it! No wonder I started getting disconnected every few minutes again!" Makka Pakka: "Hahahahaha! What a scrub!" Yaya: "Waaaah, is winter ending? Will we still get to see the snowman Xiao Yu built?" Elaina: "Administrator: If this winter doesn't end soon, mice are gonna start running through my granary. (Funny face)" Ye Shi: "Yaya! Did you guys make it?" Tengteng: "We're here! Just arrived tonight. Boulder City is so far away! It clearly looked like only twenty kilometers on the map, but it took us two whole days to get here." Tail: "And the gates actually close at eight o'clock sharp! Luckily we made it with ten minutes to spare. (`－д－；)ゞ" Sesame Paste: "That was close, just in the nick of time." Sisi: "Speaking of which, the city gates are so lively at night. Standing under that massive wall, it doesn't feel like the wasteland at all." Tail: "Big city vibes!" Tengteng: "We're resting for the night! Tomorrow we'll keep exploring the secrets of this city!" Ye Shi: "Hehe, glad you arrived safely." Fang Chang: "(Side-eye)" "..." Two full days had passed since the caravan set out. Two tons of spirit leaf had already reached Boulder City. Chu Guang learned from Shu Yu that Liszt had paid the full sum of one hundred thousand chips. Spirit leaf was indeed a hot commodity in Boulder City. Almost as soon as it was delivered to the warehouse, buyers showed up with chips in hand. To facilitate transactions, Shu Yu followed Chu Guang's instructions and opened an account at the Boulder City Bank. The massive sum of one hundred thousand chips would be handled via bank transfer. This was far safer than keeping it in a safe. In addition, the owner of Grey Squirrel Clothing Store had recently come looking for them again, hoping to purchase another batch of works of art, while hinting that it would be better if the quality of the stockings could be slightly worse. "Slightly worse quality?" Over the phone, after hearing Shu Yu's report, Chu Guang had a baffled expression. "I've never heard such a bizarre request." Shu Yu: "I found it strange too... but he didn't tell me why. He just asked if we could find a way." "Well, that shouldn't be hard. Devil silk production is limited anyway, and we already planned to develop some cheaper alternatives for the mass market." After pausing briefly, Chu Guang asked, "By the way, how is recruitment going?" Shu Yu: "As you instructed, I have recruited twenty-three employees for field and administrative positions. I offered them a two-month probation period at forty chips per month, increasing to one hundred chips per month once they become permanent." Staff salaries amounted to 2,300 chips. Adding the 800-chip monthly rent and a 400-chip expense budget, the office's monthly operating costs were already at 3,500 chips. That was no small sum. Converted into weapons, that could buy nearly thirty rifles. As expected, they needed to find ways to open up more revenue streams. "Have the employees' resumes been organized?" Shu Yu: "All organized!" Chu Guang said immediately, "Send them over for me to review." "Right away, my Lord!" Receiving the resumes sent by Shu Yu, Chu Guang gave them a quick scan. Strictly speaking, resumes didn't exist in Boulder City's job market. These profiles with attached photographs were simply brief interview records Shu Yu took down based on Chu Guang's instructions. For instance, asking what candidates had previously done and what special skills they had, then cross-referencing all gathered information after the interview. This effectively weeded out dishonest applicants. To Chu Guang's surprise, quite a few of them had worked in Boulder City's factories, and one resume caught his eye immediately. "Formerly a workshop director at the Boulder City Steel Mill... How reliable is the information on these resumes?" Having such talent handle desk work was truly a waste. Being in his forties was a bit on the older side, but in Chu Guang's eyes, that wasn't a problem at all. Shu Yu replied cautiously, "That... can't really be verified, so the resume information can only serve as a reference. But based on my impressions, he seemed quite experienced in management." Chu Guang nodded, then said, "Ask him for me if he'd be interested in working at the steel mill in the northern outskirts. We can offer triple his previous wage." Shu Yu replied seriously, "I'll ask him for you. However... from what I've observed, the locals are quite reluctant to leave the great walls. Aside from highly mobile mercenaries and the desperately poor, very few people accept field assignments that might take them outside Boulder City." "That's fine. Just ask; don't push him." Chu Guang paused for a moment before continuing, "In the future, you can visit Boulder City's job market more often, either yourself or by sending someone, or simply set up a permanent booth there. If Boulder City's factories can't absorb their surplus talent, we can absorb it for them." In short: poach people whenever possible. Not just talent, but also decommissioned second-hand equipment—anything Boulder City didn't need, the northern outskirts could gladly take. This way, Boulder City shed its unemployment, balanced its severely skewed job market, and unloaded surplus industrial capacity. Even if he took a slight loss, Chu Guang felt it was no big deal. What was internationalism? Naturally, it was sacrificing oneself for others. Instantly catching the Administrator's drift, Shu Yu smiled knowingly. "Understood, my Lord." Chu Guang nodded in approval. "Good, as long as you get my point." Though he looked young, this fellow Shu Yu was surprisingly competent and saved him a great deal of work. After hanging up, Chu Guang browsed the official website. As usual, the forum was buzzing today. Mole Squad and Edge Squad had already arrived at Junktown. They had encountered a nest of multipeds along the way, but fortunately, it was a close call without casualties. All twenty-odd multipeds were slain. They harvested the only valuable parts—the gallbladders and hides—and then continued on their journey. There had even been a little side episode. Even though the caravan guards warned that multiped meat was inedible, Old Na tried roasting a leg out of curiosity. It turned out that one really shouldn't eat random things on the wasteland. Even with nearly twenty points in Constitution, she ended up leaning against a tree dry-heaving for half an hour... Aside from Mole Squad and Edge Squad, other players weren't idle either; everyone had tasks to handle. Brother Spring was running scientific expedition quests and had gathered a lot of valuable data for Yin Fang. Scavenger was grinding in the wilds near Yuanxi Town, pushing to break past the Level 10 threshold. Then there were the lifestyle players, who helped design the irrigation canal on the north bank of Ling Lake as well as the underground drainage system for Changjiu Farm. Currently, Spare the Blade's engineering team was in the middle of intensive construction. What surprised Chu Guang the most was Qiangren Suonan, whom he had sent north earlier. After dawdling the whole way, this rat-man fellow had finally arrived safely in Xizhou City with his rat underlings. Although many rats had fallen behind along the way, it wasn't a problem for him. Upon reaching his destination, Qiangren Suonan used his superior martial arts and underhanded tricks to beat the local rats until they scattered, surrendered, and hailed him as the Rat King of Xizhou. Having conquered his domain, Qiangren Suonan didn't stop there. Once familiar with the terrain of Xizhou's southern outskirts, he quickly used the radio, hibernation pod, battery, and small generator he had brought along to establish a secure foothold in the southern district of Xizhou City. After establishing contact with the shelter's signal tower, all the map data he had explored along the way was synced to the server via his VM. According to Qiangren Suonan's post, conditions there could only be described with two words: "desolate" and "miserable." A lingering stench of decay hung over the ruins. Corpses were casually discarded in the streets or hung from overpasses and streetlamps, some with signs insulting the resistance tied around their necks. Rats, cockroaches, and hyenas were everywhere in the alleys. The entire city was like hell on earth! "...The Bone Chewer tribe's Fang clan has looted everything they could grab. Apart from a few survivors who organized a resistance force, only they remain in the entire city." "Given the marauders' habit of living meal-to-meal without planning ahead, they probably wouldn't last long. But perhaps the Legion's think tank played a role, because they've begun driving some captives into the fields to farm. Supposedly, as long as they grow food, they won't be eaten, so the captives are working like mad in the fields." "I really couldn't bear to nibble on their crops, and the ram horn potatoes buried in the dirt don't taste good anyway. So I told my little brothers to hold back and feast once the harvest enters the granaries." "Furthermore, the city isn't completely under the Bone Chewer tribe's control. Although they destroyed every surface survivor settlement, they didn't conquer everyone; a portion of the population survived." "Those people call themselves the Resistance. They hide in sewers and air-raid shelters, waging guerrilla warfare in the ruins, which has caused the marauders no small amount of trouble. Although the Fang clan dispatched two one-thousand-man units to hunt them down, they've achieved very little; the environment is like a maze." "The leader of the Fang clan seems to intend to secure a firm foothold in Xizhou City before pushing south to expand their territory. I'm trying to contact the local survivors. Their numbers are small and their equipment is poor, but their morale is high. If we can provide them with a little help, they might be able to tie down trouble from the north for us." "Finding them isn't too hard—I have over a hundred little brothers now. The only thing giving me a headache is... how do I get them to trust a talking rat? Damn it, why did it have to be a rat! If only I were a cat!" The post stretched for a full three pages. Chu Guang read Qiangren Suonan's post to the end and summarized the information in his mind. Although Xizhou City had fallen beneath the iron hooves of the Bone Chewer tribe, it had not been entirely conquered. Many survivors were still putting up fierce resistance. Because Xizhou City held a massive hoard of plundered spoils and slaves, the Fang clan—planning to make Xizhou City their staging base for pushing south—could not simply ignore the resistance organizations. They had to allocate significant manpower to deal with them. This would be a war of attrition. Before resolving their internal troubles, they wouldn't be able to spare their full strength to continue south. Looking over the compiled intelligence, Chu Guang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Previously, conditions in Xizhou City had been a total blind spot to him. No one knew when the northern marauders would come again; one could only deduce from probability that it might be after the autumn harvest. Based on Qiangren Suonan's report, Chu Guang could now basically confirm that for at least three months, the Bone Chewer tribe to the north wouldn't have the bandwidth to target him. After organizing the intel from the post, Chu Guang drafted two intelligence-gathering quests, listing [Qiangren Suonan] as the quest giver. However, Chu Guang didn't post them immediately, instead scheduling them to publish tomorrow morning. That would make it look less deliberate. "...If we can establish contact with the local survivors and support their resistance movement, that might be a solid idea." Chu Guang rubbed his chin thoughtfully. South of Shelter 404 lay Boulder City, leaving little room for southward expansion, and the situation inside Qingquan City was complex. To expand, going north was the only viable choice. Xizhou City was a prime target. Whether in manpower or resources, it held substantial reserves. The only problem now was that the player count was still too low. With their strategic depth expanding, 1,100 players were clearly no longer enough. "If only we could open Floor B4!" This was the farming phase; whether growing crops or hauling bricks, they needed more hands. Glancing at the late hour, Chu Guang shut down the computer with a tinge of regret and headed to his room to sleep. That night. He had a very, very long dream. In the dream, countless strangers whose faces were blurred kept calling him "Papa, Papa." Annoyed by the calls, just as Chu Guang was about to ask who their mother was, he suddenly woke up. Opening his eyes and feeling the damp, sticky heat on his back, Chu Guang immediately guessed what had happened. Unsurprisingly, he had leveled up again. "...That was totally out of nowhere." Muttering, he sat up in bed and stretched his limbs, adapting to his enhanced body. His strength felt unchanged, and his cognitive speed seemed the same as before, but his reaction time felt faster than before, and his eyesight was slightly sharper. So this time it was Agility? Just as Chu Guang was trying to recall what on earth he had done yesterday, a pale blue floating window suddenly popped up before him after a long absence. And the text inside that floating window truly showed him the meaning of out of nowhere. [Mission: Tide!] [Briefing: According to air quality monitoring data, the concentration of active mutant slime mold spores in the atmosphere has reached a critical threshold. The probability of a new broodmother forming is as high as 97%. This will be a severe trial for the survivors of Qingquan City.] [Requirement: The "Tide" will arrive within two weeks. Repel the onslaught of the "Tide," search for and eliminate the broodmother north of the Third Ring Road, and completely resolve the crisis of the Tide!] [Reward: Clearance for Floor B4 of Shelter 404] [Available Reinforcements: "200 Incubation Pods" × 2] Reading the quest interface from start to finish, Chu Guang froze where he sat. Good grief. This trouble couldn't have arrived at a more convenient time.