If All Else Fails, Just Imagine You're a Missile

North of Dawn City. A crowd of refugees appeared in the patrol's line of sight. In fact, the sentries on duty had spotted them as early as when they passed Yuanxi Town. A group this large couldn't cut straight through the forest and had no choice but to follow the main road. While refugees trickled into Dawn City on a regular basis, a single group of over three hundred was a rare sight. Refusing to let his guard down, the patrol leader—an Arbiter rifle slung over his back—led five squad members forward to meet them, hailing them from fifty meters away. "Who goes there?" As he called out, he took a careful look at the crowd. There were men and women, the elderly, and children... They didn't look like marauders, but that was no reason to drop his vigilance entirely. The man leading the group took a few steps forward. "We're survivors from Xizhou City. Marauders destroyed our home... You said on the radio that you take in the homeless. We have nowhere else to go. We beg you, please take us in." "Xizhou City? There are living people left there besides marauders?" one of the patrol guards muttered in a low voice. Another guard murmured, "It does sound strange. Maybe the Fang clan doesn't have enough men to control the whole city... Aren't there still resistance groups active over there?" The patrol leader was just as puzzled, but he still reported the situation truthfully to his superiors through the comm unit hooked over his ear. He didn't have to wait long. Orders came down almost immediately: take them in. Having received his command, the patrol leader raised his voice. "We're willing to take you in, but on one condition: you must surrender all your weapons." A commotion stirred among the refugees. Clear hesitation showed in quite a few eyes. Giving up their weapons meant placing their lives entirely in someone else's hands. Yet the man at the front didn't hesitate for even a second before agreeing. "No problem!" "As long as you can guarantee our safety." These guards were far better equipped than they were. By comparison, their own pipe rifles were nothing more than glorified fire pokers; keeping them served no real purpose anyway. The patrol leader nodded. "That goes without saying." "The New Alliance shelters every resident who abides by order." "Please follow me." ... The Refugee Home was situated in the northwest district of Dawn City, nestled right against the resettlement village west of the farm, and not far from the trade station and commercial street to the farm's north. As a dormitory-style apartment complex meant to house displaced people, living space per person was modest, with four beds crammed into each room. Yet no one complained. A sturdy roof against the wind and rain, clean beds, fresh blankets, and every room even had a window. To homeless refugees, this place was practically paradise! Under normal circumstances, finding a straw-strewn livestock barn to sleep in was considered a stroke of luck; having a proper room of their own was beyond their wildest dreams. The staff at the Refugee Home hadn't anticipated the patrol bringing back so many people at once either. Over three hundred starving refugees sent the few on-duty workers scrambling to log identities, cook meals, and assign dorms. Facing a severe personnel shortage, staff from the nearby trade station—also under the Logistics Department—were temporarily reassigned to lend a hand, looking after the elderly, women, and children. "Shh, good boy." Looking at the child fast asleep in his mother's arms, Shuanghe gently patted his head, pressed a bottle of two-headed ox milk into the woman's hands, and spoke softly. "Take this." It was originally her dinner. Skipping a single bottle wouldn't hurt her. Tears welled in the woman's eyes, and her trembling hands reached out to accept it. "Thank you..." Shuanghe curved her lips in a warm smile. "No need to thank me. That was how the Administrator took us in back then, too." Though conditions back then hadn't been nearly this good. Careful not to wake the sleeping child, Shuanghe turned to assist the others, but a withered hand suddenly caught her arm. "W-Wait... On the road just now, we... we ran into a group of people. Eight of them, wearing black armor. I don't know if they belong to you, but they gave me a terrible feeling." *Black armor?* Shuanghe looked at her in surprise, then said seriously, "I'll report this to the Guard Corps right away." The refugees soon received the promised hot water and food. Though it was only bowls of green wheat porridge, it was incomparably better than the tree roots and bark they had been chewing on the road. There was even a faint scent of meat in the broth! Everyone devoured their meal ravenously. Once they finished eating, Luka would lead a team to register their identities and recommend or assign suitable jobs based on their skills. In the security station next to the apartments. The refugee leader sat on the couch in the reception room, looking visibly uneasy. Just ten minutes ago, he had been escorted here and told by the guards on duty that the Administrator of the New Alliance wanted to speak with him. Right then, the door opened. A suit of azure power armor stepped inside. Recognizing at a glance that this was the Administrator of the New Alliance, the man scrambled to his feet in shock, even preparing to drop to his knees in homage, but Chu Guang raised a hand to stop him. "No need for formalities. Just sit. I'm only here to get a sense of the situation." Chu Guang had come over to take a look right after wrapping up the military council that finalized the Northern Expedition. Truth be told, seeing the condition these people were in only solidified his resolve for the campaign. It wasn't entirely out of kindness or a soft heart. From a strategic standpoint, Boulder City lay to the south, making southward expansion face tremendous friction; the New Alliance could only build its strategic depth by pushing north. If the marauders were allowed to pillage and burn unchecked, the entire central region of River Valley Province would turn into a no-man's-land. No matter how fertile the soil was, someone still had to farm it. A guard on duty brought over an iron stool. Chu Guang nodded his thanks, sat down across from the man, and cut straight to the chase. "The guards should have already told you who I am, so I won't introduce myself. What's your name?" The man said respectfully, "My name is Zebra, my Lord." The corner of Chu Guang's mouth twitched, his expression turning slightly odd. Keenly catching the subtle shift on the Administrator's face, the man quickly added, "Please, bestow a name upon me, my Lord!" Chu Guang replied casually, "Hmm... Ma Ban, then." The man had no distinctive facial features—average height, average build, the kind of face lost in a crowd. Chu Guang had no idea what to name him, so he simply reversed the syllables of his name. Yet to Chu Guang's surprise, the fellow genuinely loved the new moniker, his face lighting up with delight. "Thank you, my Lord!" Chu Guang cleared his throat lightly. "Enough idle chatter. Tell me about the situation in Xizhou City." Ma Ban sat bolt upright on the couch, his expression turning solemn. "What aspect would you like to know about?" Chu Guang asked, "How many marauders are there, and how many survivors?" "The marauders... You mean the Fang clan? I'm afraid their numbers are considerable," Ma Ban said with a heavy tone. "At the start of the year, they only had ten thousand-man regiments. But once the snow melted, a great many marauders from neighboring provinces flocked to join them. Right now, there are probably twenty to thirty thousand of them." Chu Guang nodded. That figure lined up with what he had gathered from Brother Nan. To muster an army of tens of thousands on the wasteland meant the Bone Chewer tribe was a force to be reckoned with. Especially considering they hadn't just absorbed the equipment and commanding officers of the Legion's expeditionary force, but had also secured the backing of the Church of the Torch. This campaign would not be easy. Ma Ban paused briefly before continuing. "As for survivors... there should be quite a few as well. I personally know of four to five thousand, but the actual number is likely higher." "That many?" Chu Guang looked at him in surprise. "With so many of you, how did you evade the marauders' hunts?" Ma Ban explained, "Xizhou City's underground transit network connects underground shopping streets and residential areas. We know the terrain intimately, so we used the subways to run circles around the marauders. While their firepower far outmatches ours, they only managed to destroy our homes on the surface. The underground world is still under our control..." Only then did Chu Guang remember that Xizhou City was merely a small city cradled by mountains and rivers. It lacked ultra-dense residential towers, nor was there a broodmother spawning mutant slime mold. In other words, there were no gnawers there. Instead, other varieties of mutants roamed the ruins. "If you were holding your own against the marauders, why did you suddenly choose to leave?" A bitter look surfaced on Ma Ban's face. "Because of the rat plague... No one wants to abandon their homeland, but an outbreak of plague struck Xizhou City. We ran out of food, our neighbors had no surplus grain to spare us, and we were left with no choice but to flee." *A rat plague?* Chu Guang's expression turned subtly strange. Had Qiangren Suonan been keeping something from him? If memory served, he had ordered that fat rat to raid the marauders' granaries, not harass the local survivors. Of course, he might just be overthinking it. Piles of corpses naturally bred infestations of rats, insects, and pestilence. Even without Qiangren Suonan running around, Xizhou City wouldn't have lacked rats and cockroaches. The number of subordinates he could control was limited; one couldn't rashly pin every rotten deed done by rats onto his head. Still, that guy hadn't mentioned a single word about this on the forum... Just then, an idea crossed Chu Guang's mind. "You heard our broadcast?" When the New Alliance was first founded, he had ordered a radio station established to publicize their refugee resettlement policies, but there had been virtually no response. Very few survivor settlements possessed radio receivers, and even if they had one, not everyone was allowed to listen to it. Old Leech had a radio in his castle, for instance, but he would never hook it up to a loudspeaker for all the survivors to hear. This had to be the first time a large wave of immigrants had been drawn in by the *Voice of the Alliance*. "Yes," Ma Ban nodded gratefully. "Your broadcast gave us the resolve to make the journey. Although everyone wondered at first whether it was a smoke screen put out by marauders, we had no other options left... Thank you for honoring your word." "Don't mention it. What I promise, I deliver," Chu Guang paused, then added, "Do you know anything about radios?" Ma Ban answered at once, "A little." Chu Guang followed up, "Are you literate?" Ma Ban: "I can read and write." *Splendid.* A pleased smile spread across Chu Guang's face, and he gave an approving nod. "Very good!" Right now, Chu Guang needed a capable local to help coordinate with the resistance members in Xizhou City, preparing the ground for the New Alliance's military offensive next month. However, the Northern Expedition wasn't something he could share with outsiders just yet. Chu Guang pondered for a moment, deciding to test the man's capabilities first. "In a little while, staff from the Logistics Department will contact you. Cooperate with them to complete the identity registration for the new residents." Hearing that, Ma Ban's heart leaped with excitement. *Holy hell.* *Is he promoting me?!* Thrilled, Ma Ban nodded emphatically. "I'll do everything in my power to assist!" Chu Guang rose from his chair and smiled. "Good. I look forward to your performance!" ... Official Website Forum: [Updated Landmarks: East District Plantation (Specialties: Brain Mushroom, Muscle Pill): The Mind Interference Tower has been rebooted. Hunting iron-backed apes within three kilometers of the Third Ecological Park is strictly prohibited. Violators will be fined 100 silver coins per kill. Shelter 401: (Recommended newbie mobs: Gnawers, wild boars, gray monkeys) (Hunting Ban: Iron-backed apes within three kilometers; violators will be fined 100 silver coins.)] [Alliance Developments: The Refugee Home has admitted 397 refugees from Xizhou City. The New Alliance has captured production equipment for the 'Variable-Temperature Coat,' now available for purchase in NPC shops. The 'Northern Expedition Plan' will commence within 30 days! Objective: Xizhou!] [Today's Recommended Recipes: Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Salt-Grilled Bird Wings] Tail: "Eeeek! Did the map update right as Tail left?!!! ∑(°Д°ノ)ノ" Sisi: "Northern Expedition... Are we getting another expansion?" Luo Yu: "I just got my VM! This is way too exciting!" Lightning King Professor Yang: "Hahaha, it's going up, it's going up! (Excited)" Stop Bullshitting: "What what what? What's going up?" Lightning King Professor Yang: "Silver coins! Everyone knows that opening new maps and dropping expansions makes the currency market surge! And that Variable-Temperature Coat sounds badass! Plus, with war right around the corner, silver coins are definitely going to pump. (Smug)" Stop Bullshitting: "Bah, I thought you meant water levels were rising. Scared me into rereading the announcement. (Cursing)" Makabaka: "I'm relieved. Doesn't affect my farming!" Gale: "Not sure how to roast this, but 'Variable-Temperature Coat'... isn't that just the blue coat?" Elaina: "Understood. No more worrying about newbie clothes bursting off when heading out. So this is bad for Teng Teng's Cottage? (Funny)" Elven King Fugui: "Shorting Teng Teng stock! (Funny)" Teng Teng: "Wait, did you guys only buy clothes from me because you had no other choice? QAQ" Ye Shi: "No way! Teng Teng's clothes look great! Last time we went to Boulder City, Brother Fang Chang stared at them for ages. (Funny)" Elaina: "I feel like neither of you is right in the head, but I don't have proof. (Funny)" Teng Teng: "(＊·ω·)×╰ひ╯" Fang Chang: "(Too scared to speak.jpg)" Although it wasn't a formal version patch, the announcement still sparked lively discussion among the players. The blue coat was actually available for purchase! As one of the early perks for beginners, the blue coat—with its adaptive temperature control and breathability—was practically the only piece of black technology players encountered during the early game. Barring extreme freezing or scorching conditions, a single blue coat was all a rookie needed for clothing. Previously, however, supplies had been strictly limited to an average of three sets per person. Once ruined, gear couldn't be repaired or repurchased. As a result, most players couldn't bear to wear their blue coats on long journeys, always swapping outfits before a fight. Back before cotton cloth became available, everyone ran around draped in animal pelts, looking more like marauders than the actual marauders. The Mind Interference Tower was even more intriguing. From its description, it could broadcast psychic suggestions at specific mental frequencies to mutants, transmitting negative emotions to drive them away. The lower a mutant's intellect, the stronger the effect, while higher-intellect creatures could interpret a wider range of emotions. Thinking about it carefully, the thing was an absolute miracle tool! If fear could herd wild mobs outside safe zones, couldn't feelings of joy gather them into designated areas? *Holy crap.* Just flip the Mind Interference Tower to run in reverse, and farming mobs would become ridiculously convenient! They might even broadcast improper psychic suggestions to make certain creature populations breed faster! Aside from the major news of the purchasable blue coats and the Mind Interference Tower, the community's conversation centered mostly around the Northern Expedition. Anyone with eyes could see it. A new expansion was coming! Commander Spring: "Hahahaha! I f*cking called it! The Corps System overhaul was totally laying the groundwork for the new expansion! (Smug)" I'm the Darkest: "Awesome, totally awesome." Brother Mole: "By the way, Lao Bai, what doctrine did you guys pick?" Lao Bai: "Light Infantry." Brother Mole: "Holy crap, I thought you'd go with Motorized! (Surprised)" Fang Chang: "Your understanding of the meta isn't quite there yet. The Corps System standardizes Alliance equipment; it doesn't restrict private gear. In other words, we can buy our own rifles and ammo out of pocket with silver coins." Brother Edge: "Damn, then what the hell are your logistics points good for?" Fang Chang: "They're useful! Who said they aren't? For instance, unlocking the 'Special Operations' branch under the Light Infantry doctrine gives a -50% discount on light infantry equipment costs. Do you know what half price means? Just 25 logistics points gets you a 'Light Cavalry' set, which includes a Type 5 exoskeleton! Even though it can only be used during wartime or special missions, it has no contribution level requirement, and wear and tear is covered by the Alliance." Of course, damaged equipment had a replenishment cooldown, and the higher-tier the gear, the slower it took to replace, so players still had to treat it with care. Dying was no big deal—just three days on cooldown. But ruined gear lowered campaign performance ratings. In other words, it deducted money. Lao Bai: "Besides the Light Cavalry set, the 'Heavy Cavalry' set also carries the light infantry tag. The original cost is 200 logistics points, but after the discount it's only 100 points. Buying it from the shop requires Senior Citizen status plus a hundred thousand silver! Redeeming it with logistics points is way cheaper than buying it with silver coins! (Grin)" A corps gained 1 scale and 1 logistics point per level, equivalent to 10 members and 10 points. At Level 3, a corps could already redeem a set of Light Cavalry exoskeletons. Every ten levels marked a tier milestone. Advancing from Tier F to Tier E awarded an extra 10 skill points; dumping them all into logistics added 100 logistics points, enough to redeem a full Heavy Cavalry set directly. Leveling a corps was vastly easier than advancing an individual player's genetic sequence. Fang Chang had studied the EXP curve: the only real bottlenecks occurred when promoting between tiers. Before the Northern Expedition kicked off, reaching Level 10 to advance to a Tier E corps wouldn't be difficult at all, provided one didn't slack off too hard. In short, compared to Mass Assault, the Special Operations branch of the Light Infantry doctrine was tailor-made for small-scale corps pursuing an elite path. Yet if players were willing to self-fund part of their military expenses, buying their own ammunition and basic gear to forcibly inflate their numbers, the game developers wouldn't interfere. As long as they could minimize combat losses and achieve greater battle results, offsetting out-of-pocket costs with handsome rewards, players taking that route wouldn't necessarily earn any less. Brother Mole: "Sigh, rich folks, can't mess with them... I'll stick to Mobile Warfare like an honest man." Indebted Big Eye: "Mass Assault right branch is the GOAT! The devilish 25-infantry block! Real men fight with bayonets! (Funny)" Brother Edge: "Piss off, stop causing a ruckus. Let me think before deciding." WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Hahaha! Is that even a question? I'd blindly pick 'Superior Firepower'! Lao Bai, requesting to leave the team. I'm going solo!" Lao Bai: "Approved." WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Damn! Heartless! You didn't even try to talk me out of it!" Lao Bai: "Why bother? You don't fight on the front lines anyway. Sticking with us only holds you back. Providing fire support from the rear suits you just fine. (Smirk)" Gale: "Agreed!" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Goblin Corps is recruiting pilots and gunners! Agility-types prioritized for pilots, no restrictions for artillery gunners. DM me to apply!" Luo Yu: "Me me me! Can a LV3 newbie join?" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "No problem! Guaranteed hands-on training until you master it! (Grin)" ... Mosquito wasn't joking. The next day, around a hundred newbies stood on the airfield runway adjacent to the military camp. While many wandered about anxiously before leaving, the majority chose to stay. Mosquito counted heads. Seventy-one in total. Fifty of them were Agility-type rookies aiming to become pilots, while the rest were here to fire artillery. Not bad! Full of spirit! Mosquito looked over the rookies with glee, cleared his throat, and bellowed: "Those who've flown planes stand on the left, those who haven't stand on the right!" A newbie raised a hand. "Coach! Do gliders count?" "I've skydived!" "I've played War Thunder!" Delighted with the title the newcomers gave him, Mosquito grinned. "Then let me rephrase: those who've flown in real life stand on the left, those who haven't stand on the right, and those who've flown in video games stand in the middle!" The crowd shuffled into new positions. After a loose, messy scramble, a few people remained on the left, while the right was completely deserted. Mosquito nodded in satisfaction. Flying in games counted as flying. A foundation of 0.1 was still slightly better than a pure 0; at least it prevented common-sense blunders. Like getting knocked offline by pulling too many Gs. Or landing with live aerial bombs still mounted just to save ammo. What? Asking if they could fly the plane back? Did that matter to Goblin Corps? Naturally, he would prepare full kits for the pro gamers who knew how to pilot, while cutting as many corners as humanly possible on the planes for the rookies to keep crash expenses to a minimum. If all else failed, he could always attach a parachute to the battery and electric motor. Once they had their fun, they could just beg the Army to go pick up the wreckage. "Regardless of whether you know how or not, I'll teach you from scratch. These things aren't jet fighters; flying them isn't actually hard. The only hard part is bringing a plane that took off back down in one piece." "Not a big issue, though!" "If you're really clumsy, just imagine you're a missile! I believe that after dying a few times, even a dog tied to the control stick would figure out how to fly!" Excitement sparkled across the rookies' faces. *Imagine ourselves as missiles?* *Now that sounds thrilling!* Standing nearby, Duo Ming reminded him in a low voice, "The roster cap for a newly formed corps is only ten people, right?" Counting Zhui Hun, Sha Shen, and Quan Jia, their newly established Goblin Corps already had five members. Constrained by the roster cap, they could recruit at most five more. Yet Mosquito merely rolled his eyes at the comment. "Don't be so rigid. Ten is just the official headcount. The others won't be able to use the Corps System equipment, but who said we can't recruit reservists? Is a month not enough for our corps to hit Level 10? Once our level is high enough, we can pull them onto the active roster one by one!" *Holy crap?* *You can do that?* Duo Ming was left stunned. This guy's grasp of the game meta was simply unreal. Mosquito remained utterly nonchalant. Level 10 might be a slight stretch. Still, he considered himself at least half a Tier-0 player; hitting Level 7 or 8 shouldn't pose any problem! Besides, leveling a corps wasn't nearly as tough as personal sequence progression—running high-contribution quests in a squad made the EXP climb quickly. Mosquito brimmed with confidence in both his ability and his wealth. What was more, just yesterday, he had received an advance payment on a production contract for thirty airplanes! The New Alliance military had tasked him with modifying the WX-2 to increase its ceiling and operational range, ensuring it could provide at least ten minutes of effective air support over a battlefield a hundred kilometers away. Ten minutes? They were vastly underestimating him! The solid-state hydrogen batteries in this game were practically a cheat code. Conventional batteries carried oxidizers inside their cells, whereas this technology drew oxygen directly from ambient air, effectively replacing the entire cathode with a thin membrane. All the saved internal volume could be packed with reducing agent. And hydrogen, acting as that reducing agent, had an energy density nearly 2.7 times that of gasoline or diesel! It was well-known trivia that real-world batteries couldn't hold a candle to gasoline—the latter outstripped them by an entire order of magnitude. In *Wasteland OL*, however, things were completely different: the energy storage efficiency of batteries manufactured by NPC factories blew fossil fuels out of the water! Because of that, Goblin Technology's aircraft had embarked down a development path unimagined in reality. "An order of thirty planes is far too modest! Let's first put in an order for a hundred motors and a thousand battery packs!" Standing off to the side, Quan Jia was struck dumb. "Holy crap?!" "Did the advance payment cover that much?!" Mosquito chuckled. "Who says I have to rely on the advance? Can't I pay out of my own pocket?" Naive! Once the planes were built, wouldn't the orders roll right in? Duo Ming gave him an admiring thumbs-up. "Badass!" *Damn, this guy is loaded!* Basking in the adoring gazes of his underlings, Mosquito said smugly, "A glider's payload is way too small, and it's a full hundred kilometers from here to the southernmost tip of Xizhou City!" "How could small planes ever be enough? If we're doing this, we're going big!"