Alpha 1.1 Update! And a New Respawn Point!

"NOOO! I don't believe it! I don't accept this! This isn't real!" Inside the newly renovated third-floor living room of the Shelter 404 Boulder City Agency... Upon seeing the photos Sisi had risked her life to take, Tengteng let out a shrill, heart-wrenching wail as her illusions shattered. Leaving those parting words behind, she bolted back into her room like a gust of wind and slammed the door shut with a heavy bang. The kerosene lamp on the wooden coffee table flickered gently, casting long shadows of the mutant fruits and squirrel biscuits piled on the iron plate. The four people sitting around the table exchanged blank looks. Blushing, Sesame Paste murmured, "Actually... isn't it kind of pretty?" She had meant to say this to comfort Tengteng. Now, however, it seemed she had taken a little too long to get the words out. Sisi wore a delicate expression. "Mmm... I can't deny that, but this sort of aesthetic probably isn't the effect Tengteng was going for." "Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks this outfit is boldly designed," Yaya muttered in a low voice after staring at the photograph for a moment. "And here I was reflecting on whether my mind was in the gutter." A lightbulb went off in Tail's head. "Could it be that Tengteng actually has talents she hasn't discovered yet?" Sisi cautioned, "You'd better not say that to her face." "Awoo!" Tail barked. Looking toward the tightly shut wooden door, Sesame Paste asked worriedly, "...Are things really going to be all right?" Sisi replied, "Mmm... are you talking about Tengteng, or Lao Bai, Fang Chang, and the others?" "Eh?" Sesame Paste blinked. Yaya immediately caught Sisi's drift, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, Tengteng is very magnanimous! She won't hold a grudge!" *Really?* A faint, imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Sisi's mouth. She quietly stood up from the sofa, stretched lazily, and said, "I'm getting a little sleepy, so I'll log off first." *A lie.* She wasn't sleepy at all. She mostly just wanted to go to the forums and watch the drama unfold. The bedtime chat came to an early end. In-game, it was already nine in the evening, which meant it was exactly nine in the morning in the real world. Having been lying down since six yesterday evening, it was about time to get up and stretch their legs. Sesame Paste picked up a plate of squirrel biscuits and stood up. "I'll take some to feed Rourou." Because Rourou was a "pet," the bear could only stay with the two-headed oxen. It wasn't allowed to roam the streets freely, nor could it stay in the residential quarters. Fortunately, this place wasn't far from the storage yard; otherwise, it would have been far too pitiful. Tail, who had been sprawling over the table yawning and preparing to go to sleep, perked up the moment she heard about feeding Rourou. She sprang to her feet, her eyes sparkling. "I'll go with you!" ... On the official forum. Today was as lively as ever. Brother Mole was colorfully narrating anecdotes from their journey in a thread, complete with several hand-drawn illustrations of his own. While passing Garbage City, they had encountered a band of mercenaries claiming to be from the Bone Chewer tribe. Not only were they wielding Legion weapons, but they even had a Conqueror tank. Due to the language barrier and various other factors, it wasn't until after capturing these mercenaries that the players realized the group wasn't from the Bone Chewer tribe at all, but merely impostors. The reason they had claimed to be from the Bone Chewer tribe was to extort passing merchant caravans. As for that "Conqueror" tank, it was actually made of wood... Aside from Brother Mole's posts, there were plenty of other fascinating threads. Elaina and Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes were having a cross-server discussion on cooking techniques, while Makabazi was sharing how he used his "Plant Whisperer" talent to communicate with flora. Having never heard of anything so bizarre, Bored Tiger Puncher was calling it utter nonsense. Other threads discussed the cultivation of tobacco and corn, debated how to construct a piston-driven aero engine using simple materials, and shared tips for the efficient synthesis of RDX and polyisobutylene. Right at that moment, a new thread popped up on the forum. Tengteng: "@Baijuguoxi @Lai Ri Fang Chang @..." Ye Shi: "What's up? Why the tag? If you missed me, just say so. (Dog face)" Tengteng: "Miss you my foot! Draw your weapon! (╯‵□′)×╰ひ╯" Lao Bai: "?" Fang Chang: "??" Gale: "???" Ye Shi: "!!! ∑(°Д°ノ)ノ" Elaina: "Gasp! What did you guys do to cute little Tengteng? (Dog face)" Elven King Fugui: "Shocking! Is this a distortion of humanity or a collapse of morality? (Dog face)" Just as everyone was scratching their heads over the post and guessing what had happened, Yaya suddenly chimed in. Yaya: "Hahahahaha! Check this out, guys! o(＊≧▽≦)ツ [Image] [Image] [Image]" Yaya: "Huh??? It failed review last time, but it actually got approved this time?" Mole Escaping the Canyon: "Holy crap! Isn't this way more explicit than what I draw?!" Indebted Big Eyes: "(Nosebleed)" Commander Spring: "Pardon my ignorance, but is this content that can be viewed without paying?" Tengteng: "You bunch of horny degenerates! That outfit wasn't meant for that kind of setting, okay?! Doesn't it look weird to you at all?! (╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻" Ye Shi: "Uh? Though it was an accident, I kind of feel... it's surprisingly fitting?" Tengteng: "Go die! (Rage)" Ye Shi: "QAQ" As it turned out, serious conversation could never ignite the passion of the peanut gallery quite like some raunchy humor. A few photographs caused the number of pre-registered players to surge dramatically. It was even more effective than a promotional trailer! Although Boss Ya promptly deleted the post under Tengteng's fierce threats, the goofy netizens, with their lightning-fast reflexes, had already saved the pictures. While the forum was inundated with crazy replies, the private group chat of the Ox and Horse Club was equally boisterous. Ye Shi: "Damn it! Didn't that goddamn NPC say Tengteng's artwork was bought by nobles from the inner city? Why did it end up in a nightclub?!" Gale: "I thought back carefully, and that NPC never actually said that. (Side-eye)" Fang Chang: "Blame me. Selling it to the inner city was just my speculation... I figured mercenaries wouldn't buy clothes that hinder movement, and outer city residents couldn't afford them, so only the inner city nobles could have bought them. I really didn't expect it to end up in a nightclub. This was my mistake. (Awkward)" Fang Chang truly was to blame for this. He had gotten carried away while writing his guide and bragged too hard. If he hadn't raised expectations so high, the disappointment wouldn't have been this bitter. Hopefully, Tengteng wouldn't be too dejected. Still, when one thought about it, it made sense. Soft power required hard power to back it up. Boulder City had been the undisputed top dog of the southern River Valley Province for a century. In their eyes, not just the northern outskirts, but all survivor settlements throughout the province were nothing more than bumpkin villages. Unless those clothes were worn by merchants from Ideal City. Yet Fang Chang had a feeling that doing so would be even harder than convincing the people of Boulder City's inner city to accept novelties. Lao Bai: "Massive social suicide scene. I don't even dare to show my face. (Awkward)" Ye Shi: "@Light, Brother Guang, save me! Tengteng is on a murder spree! Quick, drop an announcement to distract everyone! QAQ" Light: "Okay. (Side-eye)" Lao Bai: "!!" Fang Chang: "!!!" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Holy shit?! Is Ah Guang your real dad?!" Gale: "Ah Guang is lurking as expected. (Side-eye)" Ye Shi: "Papa Ah Guang is awesome! (Surprise)" Jieyan: "Holy crap, you're sucking up so hard I can't even watch!" Ye Shi: "Piss off! How is this sucking up? This is heartfelt gratitude!" Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: "Barf barf barf!" Closing the chat group, Chu Guang logged onto the forum to take a glance, gaining a general idea of what had happened. Although it deviated slightly from the script he had envisioned, how should he put it? He didn't think this was entirely a bad thing. While the artworks of Tengteng's Cottage hadn't conquered the hearts of the inner city folk, they had at least conquered Boulder City's nightlife. Even the nobles of Boulder City's inner city couldn't spend every single night acting pretentious. Even emperors occasionally snuck out of their palaces to have fun, let alone the courtiers. It was just that, in most cases, they kept it hidden from ordinary people. Furthermore, there were those mercenaries and merchants who had struck it rich through trade. If the players' "artworks" became popular among them, these goods might spread far beyond Boulder City to even more distant regions. That would be a much broader market. And this was a decent start. "Seeing as you called me Papa, I might as well release the announcement a day early." Looking at the Ox and Horse Squad being hunted down by Tengteng, Chu Guang couldn't help but chuckle and clicked his mouse. Just as the spectators and perverts on the forum were feverishly passing around the photos Sisi had taken, a new announcement suddenly popped up. [Wasteland OL Closed Beta Server Alpha 1.1 Version Update Announcement.] Without the slightest warning. Every update of *Wasteland OL* arrived completely out of the blue. One second, everyone was sharing "study materials"; the next second, all eyes were instantly glued to this bombshell news. [Major Updates: 1. Closed beta player capacity increased to 1,500. 2. Tide System! ] [ Optimizations: 1. Expanded NPC shop inventory; neural link equipment is now available for purchase. The most basic reconnaissance rover requires an Intelligence attribute of over 15. 2. In-game season transitions into spring. Vegetation and wildlife will increase, and nights will no longer be safe! 3. Minor bug fixes. 4. ... ] ["Tide" System Detailed Explanation: Favorable environments within the urban ruins will lead to rapid proliferation of mutant slime mold. Once spore concentrations in the air reach a certain threshold, stable incubation chambers will undergo probabilistic mutations, forming new broodmothers. The Tide is projected to occur within the next two weeks. Players, please prepare yourselves; this may be the severest test since the server opened!] [New NPC Arrival: Hunter Yu Hu from Bet Street will be joining Shelter 404. As an experienced and calm hunter, he is proficient in trap-making and tracking quarry.] [Additionally, the Hunters Guild is officially established, with Yu Hu serving as its first president. Congratulations to all hunter players—you now have your own organization!] [Developer's Log: Alpha 1.1] Light: "Hello everyone! This new update was quite hard-won. We originally planned for version 1.01, but thanks to our potato supplier coming through, we now have more potatoes... and by that, I mean server resources." "In short, 400 lucky players will emerge with this new version. The announcement granting closed beta access will come slightly later, expected to be revealed after the server goes live tomorrow." "The entire team at the *Wasteland OL* production studio promises you that although we are still in our early startup phase, we will do our utmost to provide our beta testers with the fullest possible gameplay experience and make the game world as complete as can be. The much-anticipated open beta will arrive in the final phase of development." "In fact, we already have a concrete schedule, but as it involves corporate trade secrets, it cannot be disclosed just yet." "Next regarding the new version: we have introduced an entirely new concept to the game—the Tide. While players primarily faced other wastelander factions during the early game, the real threat comes not only from armed wastelanders, but also from terrifying mutant creatures. Having remained dormant all winter, they are ravenous—whether Deathclaws or slime molds." "During the Tide, mutant slime molds will reproduce frantically. High concentrations of spores will even form fog-like spore clouds in the air. Excessive inhalation will lead to respiratory infections and even tissue lesions. Players with low Constitution are strongly advised to wear gas masks when venturing deep into the urban ruins, and Constitution-type players should not let down their guard either." "Searching and purging is the only way to end the Tide. We cannot count on them vanishing into thin air, nor can we sit by and watch them destroy the home we built with our own hands." "Thus, the 'Hunters Guild' was born!" "Take up the Hunter profession, track down spore emission sources, and eliminate potential dangers to earn handsome rewards and unlock rare achievements and medals!" "Intelligence regarding broodmothers, incubation chambers, and mutant slime molds has been updated in the official website database. For more gameplay details, please explore them in-game!" ... On the first day the new version went live. The number of hunter players instantly doubled. Aside from life-profession players who remained indifferent, virtually all combat-profession players took on the hunter profession, registering as members of the Hunters Guild. As the president of the Hunters Guild, Yu Hu did not disappoint the players' expectations. Using the budget allocated by Chu Guang, he recruited experienced hunters from Bet Street to teach players hunting and tracking skills, organizing them to conduct search missions in the Qingquan City ruins. More than two hundred hunter players split into over fifty squads, setting off from Huayuan Street Subway Station in three different directions to conduct a carpet search between the Fifth and Fourth Ring Roads of Qingquan City, scouring for spore emission sources. The combat power and regeneration of slime-mold mutants were positively correlated with atmospheric spore concentration. When spore clouds thickened enough to dim sunlight on the surface, even broad daylight would cease to be safe. Nipping the Tide in the bud was unrealistic; most mutants forming the Tide originated from mature broodmothers, which were typically situated in the city center—the oldest of which had existed for over a century. However, if mutating incubation chambers could be found and destroyed before they developed into new broodmothers, it would dramatically reduce spore concentration in the northern outskirts, weakening the Tide's intensity and the gnawers' combat capabilities. This was Heya's deduction. It was also the first assignment Chu Guang had entrusted to the Hunters Guild. While combat-profession players advanced into Qingquan City, the exit of Shelter 404's Floor B3 was a hive of bustling activity. Several Strength-type and Constitution-type players were hauling handcarts, moving incubation pods from the shelter out into the tunnel beyond the exit. These incubation pods lined up in front of the outpost gate. Not far from them sat a newly assembled truck. This was Goblin Technology's latest creation. Because the benefactor who placed the order was the respected Administrator, the truck had received a surprisingly normal name: the "Electric Mule." As the name suggested, it was a purely electric truck. Externally, it was largely modeled after the Legion's light truck, except the cargo bed was lengthened and the locomobile was replaced with a battery pack and electric motor. The vehicle featured a conventional configuration with a steel cabin and a wooden body. Weighing an impressive 4.3 tons, it had four wheels and a body nearly five meters long. The motor output reached a maximum of 80 horsepower, with a rated payload capacity of 1.8 tons—though overloading it to 3 tons was hardly an issue! In addition to zero emissions, excellent range, and low noise, the vehicle boasted superb off-road capabilities, with a high ground clearance well-suited for rugged terrain. Furthermore, mounting fixtures reserved on the front of the vehicle could be used to weld on bulletproof plating and machine guns. The wooden sides of the cargo bed were designed to fold outward, making it easy to mount a quad antiaircraft gun. Whenever needed, this medium transport truck could instantly transform into a technical! Beyond its imposing appearance and versatile utility, the truck incorporated substantial technical sophistication. The energy storage unit was a series battery pack composed of 102 KV-1 solid-state hydrogen batteries, weighing a total of 102 kilograms, installed at the rear of the bed for convenient swapping. This was also the first order Liszt's Factory had received from the shelter since starting production! Unlike fuel-powered trucks, electric trucks had a relatively simpler structure. The core technology was mostly concentrated in energy storage, whereas the propulsion components posed little technical challenge. Consequently, apart from the battery, the other parts—including the motor—were essentially "independently developed" by the various workshops and factories in the industrial zone. If the truck had one drawback, it was that replenishing its energy was inconvenient. Unlike wood-burning locomobiles, the truck's "Battery Pack No. 102" was costly, with a production cost of 12,000 silver coins for a single set. Moreover, the electricity outside the shelter relied primarily on thermal power generation, which ultimately boiled down to burning wood. Until the energy infrastructure improved, adding an extra energy conversion step meant electric trucks actually consumed more firewood. Still, considering the ventilation inside the tunnel, this was an inevitable choice. After all, they couldn't operate wood-burning trucks underground. If they did, everyone would suffer carbon monoxide poisoning before driving very far. "How much does this truck cost?" Putting down an incubation pod, Silver Sword wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and looked toward the nearby truck, sighing in admiration. Standing beside him, Silver Father grinned cheekily. "No clue, but I know for sure you can't afford it." Silver Sword barked, "Damn it, why would I buy this thing? Can't I just ask out of curiosity?" Silver Hand chimed in, "I'm more interested in knowing where these incubation pods are being sent." Silver Sword pondered for a moment. "Probably Shelter 117!" "Shelter 117?" Silver Hand looked surprised. "Why send them there?" Silver Father said, "Are you dense? Aside from the hundred-odd rooms on Floor B2, does Shelter 404 have any room left? If the operators aren't opening a new server, they have to move the new players' respawn point to another shelter!" Silver Hand exclaimed, "Holy crap, does that mean we're the last batch of players in Shelter 404?" Silver Sword countered, "Not necessarily. If they open Floor B4, that's another six hundred bros... But damn, this game is too realistic. Even the respawn points have to be hauled over by veteran players." Silver Father sighed, "Yeah, it's crazy realistic... I have to play the game and play daddy at the same time. I've never had to worry this much playing other games." The moment those words left his mouth, he received two fierce glares. Getting mad just thinking about their usernames, the other two decided to give this troll the silent treatment for an hour. ... All four hundred incubation pods were lined up in the tunnel. The "Electric Mule" medium transport truck would ferry them in eight trips, carrying fifty pods per run, to Shelter 117 beneath Huayuan Street Subway Station. Thanks to the players' continuous efforts, the tunnel connecting Shelter 404 and Shelter 117 was completely cleared, with all mutant creatures and incubation chambers along the path eliminated. The seven-kilometer tunnel took an hour to walk on foot, but riding an Iron Horse 60 at an average speed of thirty kilometers per hour took only ten-odd minutes. New players would take Shelter 117 beneath Huayuan Street Subway Station as their respawn point. There was a controlled fusion reactor there, and wireless power transmission facilities could supply energy to the incubation pods. Shelter 117 possessed comprehensive living facilities, and its underground passage connected directly to Shelter 404, making travel exceptionally convenient. In addition, the save points at the outpost and Changjiu Farm had been equipped with two hundred sleep pods, as well as communal bunkhouses for resting, easily meeting players' logging-off needs. As for managing the rookies, there was no cause for concern. After acquiring administrator permissions for Shelter 117, its entire management system was linked to Shelter 404's main server. Chu Guang had delegated part of his authority to Xiao Qi. The cameras inside the shelter had virtually zero blind spots. As long as they remained within the shelter's signal coverage, he could monitor the situation at any time. If any accident occurred, Xiao Qi would notify him immediately. To ensure absolute safety, Chu Guang had even granted it emergency handling authority. In the event of special infractions of moderate severity or higher, Xiao Qi could cut power to specific incubation pods in accordance with management regulations before reporting the "malfunction." The entire process would complete within two to three frames, noted in the shelter management regulations as a "circuit breaker mechanism." To put it bluntly: pulling the plug. It took an entire morning of cooperation between players and NPCs to finally deliver the four hundred incubation pods to Shelter 117 and install them into individual rooms. Once that was done, Chu Guang immediately activated the synthesis sequence to begin generating the players' clones. These four hundred rookies would log in three days from now, half as combat professions and half as life professions. Fighting mutants tested not only the shelter's combat strength, but also its logistical capacity. Chu Guang needed not just a large force of combat players to hold the front line, but also a steady flow of bullets and artillery shells delivered to the front. Only then could the rear remain secure. Chu Guang held high hopes for this fresh batch of leeks. Looking at the blast door of Shelter 117, clad in the previous administrator's powered armor, he smiled with satisfaction. "Barring any surprises, this should be the last batch of players before the beta test." "If using other shelters as respawn points works out, I can focus on searching for shelter leads in the future." Right then, Xiao Qi's voice came through the comms channel. "Master!" Before Chu Guang could ask what was wrong, Xiao Qi followed up urgently. "The players you sent to scout the Fifth Ring Road seem to have discovered something incredible..."