Around 1942, a German pilot had to undergo six long months of basic training and two months of aeronautical courses before earning a chance to enter an A/B flight training school to train in light aircraft.
Only after exceeding a hundred flight hours would they receive their pilot's certificate and flight wings badge.
Even after that, they had to attend a C-level flight school to train on various aircraft types before they could fly twin-engine fighters or reconnaissance planes to the front line.
However, as the war took a turn for the worse and supplies like fuel and aircraft ran short, the situation quickly changed. After hearing Göring's report, the mustachioed dictator simply ordered the disbandment of C-level flight schools, and the light aircraft in B-level schools were subsequently replaced with gliders.
Supposedly, by the end of the war, the average German pilot had only 160 hours of flight training before heading to the front.
160 hours was still a bit much.
In Mosquito's eyes, 80 hours of training was more than enough. The remaining 80 hours could be logged over the enemy's head.
It would save some ammo and electricity, too.
Gliders weren't particularly fast.
As long as they stayed calm and followed his instructions, there wouldn't be any major problems!
Spending the entire morning, Mosquito explained the fundamentals of flight to his little disciples.
A few players who had flown gliders in real life or played flight simulators chimed in from time to time to add a comment or two.
To help them get a firmer grasp, Mosquito dragged his only four trainer aircraft out of the hangar, letting the aspiring skyfarers sit in the cockpits one by one while he walked them through the controls.
Although many of them were touching an aircraft for the first time and felt completely lost, all they really had to do was step on the throttle pedal to the floor, pull back on the stick once the speed crossed the white line, and take off, right?
When strafing ground targets, just align the reticle with the mark and adjust fire using tracer rounds.
It sounded simple enough.
After lecturing all morning, Mosquito's throat was parched.
Just then, two players coated head to toe in mud walked over from beyond the airfield.
Mosquito took a look at the pair. He actually recognized them.
One was Makka Pakka and the other was Shangshan Da Laohu. Both were farming players who spent every day toiling in the fields, and rumor had it they had already ground their farming level to 5.
Although the reward for reaching Level 10 in farming was very tempting, few players had the perseverance to bury their heads in farm labor day after day.
As for players like these two who turned *Wasteland OL* into a literal farming simulator, they were rarer still.
Just as he was about to ask what they wanted, Makka Pakka raised his hand with a grin.
"Coach! Can we train with you?"
Shangshan Da Laohu chimed in, "Brother! Carry us!"
"Sure, all are welcome!" Mosquito chuckled, in no way inclined to turn down leeks offering themselves up to be harvested, though he couldn't help feeling curious. "By the way, aren't you two busy in the fields every day? What made you want to learn to fly?"
Besides, both were Strength-types.
Why the hell would a Strength-type fly a plane?
Wouldn't blasting artillery in the artillery squad be way more fun?
Meeting Brother Mosquito's curious gaze, Shangshan Da Laohu grinned and said, "We're planning to buy a plane to spray pesticides!"
Makka Pakka nodded excitedly. "Same here!"
Mosquito stared blankly. He was just about to mock them for using his invention for such an uninspired pursuit, but then he quickly remembered that in real life, light gliders and biplanes were often used for crop-dusting...
Scratching the back of his head, Mosquito swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
"Alright... I might as well teach you along the way."
Makka Pakka was thrilled and wrapped an arm around Mosquito's shoulders.
"Thanks, bro!"
"Fuck! Can you wash your damn hands before touching me?! You got mud all over me!"
Breaking free, Mosquito brushed off the mud and rolled his eyes at the smirking Makka Pakka. "What do you want to learn? Just how to fly? Or train on the other modules too?"
Makka Pakka: "What other modules do you have?"
Mosquito: "Tons. For ground attack, there's low-altitude strafing, trajectory correction, dive-bombing—"
Before Mosquito could finish, Shangshan Da Laohu nodded vigorously. "We'll learn it! We want that too!"
Makka Pakka gave him an odd look. "We're not going to the front line. What do we need that for?"
Shangshan Da Laohu said excitedly, "Who said you only need it on the front line? It works for spraying pesticides too! Besides, what if wild boars or other mutants wander into the fields? If we can't catch them on foot, we'll just hop into the plane and blast them from above!"
Makka Pakka was utterly stunned.
"Holy crap! Badass!"
Stunned along with Brother Makka was Mosquito standing beside them. Just a second ago he had thought they lacked ambition, but it turned out he had underestimated them.
With a delighted expression, Mosquito grabbed Brother Tiger's shoulders, oblivious to the mud, and gave them several enthusiastic claps.
"Just for that mindset of yours, you're officially my apprentice! Don't worry, brother, I'll train you two into ace pilots!"
Brother Tiger gave a shy smile and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Actually, no need to go that far. Ace pilot might be pushing it—regular pilots are fine."
Mosquito chuckled.
"How could that be? Whatever others get, you get too!
"Every student who graduates from my school will be an ace pilot! Our diploma is an Ace Pilot Diploma!
"Don't worry, everyone will get their certificate when the time comes!"
Makka Pakka: "Holy shit! You can do that?!"
Shangshan Da Laohu: "Awesome!"
"Keep it down, keep it down, hehe."
Looking at his two new apprentices, Mosquito's face beamed with a smile.
Who would have thought so many players in this game were eager to learn?
He had made up his mind.
It seemed no one had set up a training academy in this game yet. The military academy and literacy classes were filled with NPCs giving and attending lectures; with the language barrier, very few players bothered to join in.
However, how could anyone be a hardcore player without learning real skills?
Since everyone else had overlooked this market, he might as well be the first one to test the waters!
In the future, everyone graduating from his program would be an "ace pilot," and he would be the principal of ace pilots!
...
After the morning training concluded, Mosquito dismissed the group and took his four senior apprentices along to find high-level players to carry them.
Lately, everyone had been grinding corps levels, forming parties to farm high-contribution quests in an effort to push their corps to Level 10 before the new expansion, advancing from Tier F to Tier E.
It was also a chance to build team synergy.
Unlike other MMORPGs, this game had no pay-to-win gear in the true sense, nor did it feature Dragon Sabers that dealt 999 damage per swing or immortal armor with +99% lifesteal. While levels and equipment raised both the floor and ceiling of a player's combat capabilities, they never conferred absolute invincibility.
Even in the expansion's best-in-slot Heavy Cavalry exoskeleton, taking a high-explosive anti-tank shell to the chest would still send a player straight to the respawn queue. And even a formidable Awakened would drop dead from a bullet to the head.
Rumor had it that shield technology existed in the pre-war era, with various shields developed against different weapon types.
For instance, the nitrogen shield on the Administrator's hammer could effectively deflect or absorb bullets, explosive fragments, and thrown projectiles.
But that was NPC equipment after all.
As everyone knew, NPC equipment was just for show; by the time players could buy it in the shop, who knew how many patches would have passed.
Therefore, for players intending to head to the front lines, chemistry with teammates was far more critical than simply grinding sequence levels.
As for solo players who disliked fixed teams and had no interest in socializing, they weren't left without options either.
The gates of the First and Second Corps were open to all players Level 5 and above. Many single-player-minded gamers also chose NPC corps, keeping a low profile on ordinary days.
Although NPC corps focused primarily on defense, during wartime they would also issue missions to reinforce the front line or transport supplies, offering merits and medals upon completion.
If someone discovered a knack for command during battle, they could leave after the campaign with their teammates and accumulated merits to establish their own corps.
Chu Guang had designed gameplay loops allowing nearly every type of player he recruited to find their own fun.
Managing the indigenous using the methods of indigenous people, and managing the players using the methods of players, had always been his guiding principle.
Preparing for the Northern Expedition wasn't limited to combat-class players; lifestyle players were likewise actively gearing up for the upcoming expansion in their own ways...
...
On the outskirts of Red River Town.
Outside the perimeter wall of the Horseshoe Chamber of Commerce's station, a truck laden with cargo slowly passed through a wooden sentry post.
Unlike Qingquan City, Red River Town had no unified large survivor settlement. Mine owners and chamber bosses each claimed their own territory, closing their gates and living their separate lives.
However, compared to the local slave owners, most itinerant merchants and mercenaries preferred staying within the estates of the chamber bosses.
Both were equally ruthless, but between having one's wallet emptied by unscrupulous merchants and waking up in the dead of night to finding a collar and shackles clamped on, people were naturally far more terrified of the latter.
Few people visited the slave owners' compounds, while guests arrived in endless streams at the gates of the major trade chambers.
Over time, these merchant compounds evolved into waystations, and as the resident population swelled, they gradually took on their current appearance.
"Horseshoe Town" was one of the larger survivor settlements around Red River Town, and the closest one to Qingquan City.
Yet it fundamentally differed from traditional survivor settlements.
Most small to mid-sized survivor settlements were xenophobic to varying degrees.
Here, however, outsiders accounted for eighty percent of the total population.
Perhaps even more!
Sitting in the driver's seat, Sisi kept observing the passing pedestrians.
Judging solely by clothing, skin tone, and demeanor, it was impossible to tell who was a local and who had come from elsewhere to trade.
While Sisi scrutinized the NPCs, the NPCs lining both sides of the street were scrutinizing them just as closely.
Especially the truck and the cargo piled high in its bed drew sidelong glances from dozens of mercenaries and traders.
"Why doesn't this truck have an exhaust pipe?"
"Probably runs on batteries."
"An electric truck?! What if it runs out of juice on the road?"
"Running short hauls shouldn't be an issue... I recognize that rig. It's called an 'Electric Mule,' built by those blue coats from the northern outskirts of Qingquan City."
"The blue mole rats from the shelter? No wonder they look so soft and tender."
"Wait, did you say an Electric Mule?! The one that costs fifty thousand silver coins a pop?"
"Looks like it!"
Fifty thousand silver coins!
Mercenaries who had visited Dawn City held their breath in unison, envy washing over many of their faces.
In the northern outskirts of Qingquan City, two hundred silver coins could buy an assault rifle!
That kind of money was enough to outfit a hundred-man unit!
What provoked even greater envy—and outright covetousness—was that the bed was loaded with a full haul of light and heavy weapons and ammunition, easily worth twice the truck's value, if not more.
What surprised them most of all was that the cab of this heavily laden truck was occupied by two young girls.
Female mercenaries weren't unheard of on the wasteland, but these two belonged to an entirely different aesthetic.
How on earth had they made it here in one piece?!
"I... I feel like so many people are staring at us," whispered Sesame Paste from the passenger seat, adjusting the steel helmet hiding her cat ears.
"Relax. Let them look if they want to. This is a safe zone; we just need to mind our own business."
Gripping the steering wheel, Sisi glanced out the window.
Although Rourou's sequence level wasn't high and her combat prowess was hard to boast about, her hulking physique was immensely intimidating.
Confronted by a massive, armor-clad polar bear, even an Awakened would think twice and give her a wide berth.
Add to that the 10mm Maxim II mounted on the roof and Tail's restless hands constantly sighting targets in every direction, and it was more than enough to deter anyone with bad intentions.
Their journey had been fairly smooth.
On the rare occasion they met travelers on the same path, the others usually went out of their way to avoid them.
The only real threat they had encountered was a pack of jackals that approached them under cover of darkness.
At the time, only Tail and Rourou were logged in, which made the situation genuinely perilous.
Fortunately, Tail reacted fast enough. While Rourou bared her teeth and intimidated the lead wolves creeping forward, Tail scrambled onto the roof, grabbed the machine gun, and unleashed a barrage of fire.
After leaving behind a dozen corpses, the pack quickly scattered.
To be fair, wolf meat tasted awful.
No matter how it was prepared, there was always a rank, gamey odor.
Later, they sold the carcasses to a purchasing depot in Junk City, traded with local peddlers for some supplies, and got back on the road.
"Whoa whoa whoa! So this is Red River Town?!"
"It's totally different from Boulder City! Nobody's even scared of me!"
From the moment they crossed the sentry post, Tail and Rourou had been looking around in excitement.
Square mud-brick houses lined both sides of the street, vendors crammed under roadside awnings hawking wares, armed mercenaries navigated the narrow alleys, and merchants holding leashes haggled furiously with buyers, spit flying.
On the other end of the ropes were sometimes tracked robotic chassis, sometimes oxen draped in burlap sacks, and sometimes humans—or perhaps androids.
Everything here felt entirely novel to them.
The development team of *Wasteland OL* wasn't just making a game!
They were creating an almost entirely real world!
This was just too awesome!
Listening to Rourou's chatter in the voice channel, Sisi wore a slightly awkward smile.
"Uh, I think they actually are scared, they just don't dare mess with us... How about you tie a leash around your neck and hold the other end yourself?"
Rourou immediately protested, "Wait, that'd look way too weird! At least have someone else hold the leash for me!"
Sesame Paste: "...?"
Sisi: "?"
The only one who failed to catch what was wrong with that sentence was Tail, who was still standing on the roof, utterly absorbed in the joy of unlocking a new map.
"Si! Speaking of which, if it's called Red River Town, how come we didn't see a single river the whole way here?!"
Sisi: "Maybe there was one before the war?"
Tail: "Oh! So that's it! By the way, I heard there are tons of bugs here, even giant ones dozens of meters long!"
"B-Bugs?! Where?!"
High-strung, Sesame Paste nervously gripped the revolver under her seat and peered out the window, but saw nothing.
Tail: "Not right here! I read about it on the forums!"
Sisi: "Oh! Very impressive."
Tail: "Dammit! Sisi, you're being so dismissive!"
"I'm driving, you know. The road is too narrow here... Give me a second." Placating the energetic Tail in a motherly tone, Sisi couldn't help letting her thoughts drift to the official website.
Word had it that if one kept heading west, leaving River Valley Province and entering Sunset Province, an endless sea of sand stretched out beyond.
It sounded far more magnificent than this place.
"I'll have to go see it if I get the chance."
Horseshoe Town's trading post wasn't far from the main gate.
Sisi parked the truck beside the unloading zone, pushed open the door, and hopped down. Speaking in broken Human Alliance language, she exchanged a few words with the staff nearby. Soon, several porters came over to help unload the cargo from the truck.
The man overseeing cargo settlements was dressed in a leather jacket, with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck and a rolled cigarette dangling from his lips.
Sisi noticed his left arm was a mechanical prosthetic, though the mottled rust suggested it had seen long years of service.
Before walking up to the cargo, the man conscientiously pinched out the cigarette and tucked it back into his pocket, apparently intending to resume smoking it later.
"LD-47 rifles, 88mm mortars, 20mm light lances, KV-1 exoskeletons, and ammunition—all things we desperately need. But before I appraise your cargo, I need to know what you want in return. Slaves? Ore? Physical goods? Or vouchers?"
The VM translated some of the keywords.
Combining that with her own comprehension and the guides on the official website, Sisi caught the gist of what he said and replied in concise terms:
"Ore. On hand."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Did you bring an order sheet?"
Without a word, Sisi pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it over.
Before setting out from Dawn City, she had browsed other players' forum posts to get a sense of local market rates in advance, calculating the materials they intended to purchase and drawing up a list.
Compared to picking and choosing on the spot, haggling in half-baked Human Alliance language with locals speaking heavy dialects, only to be pegged as amateurs and ripped off or trigger unnecessary misunderstandings, she felt this approach was far more efficient.
The man glanced at the list and frowned slightly.
"Copper, nickel, zinc, and sulfur are easy enough, but platinum... we don't have that in stock. You'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. Or I can settle the platinum portion in vouchers, and you can take them to the nearby mines to pick it up yourself."
Sisi knitted her brows, considered it for a moment, and shook her head.
"Deliver the rest on hand. Send the platinum to the New Alliance's military base."
The man took another surprised look at her.
"You're with the New Alliance?"
Sisi answered succinctly, "Yes."
With a trace of wariness creeping into his eyes, the man said nothing more, accepted the list, and called over his porters to begin loading the goods onto their carts.
Walking back to the truck, Sisi looked at her teammates and said, "Change of plans. They're out of platinum, so we'll have to stay here for the night."
"We're staying here?!" Tail's eyes sparkled as she asked.
"Of course we're going back to the nearby save point... Besides, could you even sleep here? It's so noisy," Sisi sighed helplessly.
Tail opened her VM and started checking the map, apparently still unaware of where their military base was located.
Sesame Paste asked curiously, "What is that platinum used for anyway?"
Sisi answered casually, "An order from the chemical plant. It's likely a catalyst for producing acid, probably meant to ramp up nitric acid production."
Tail: "Producing acid?"
Sisi: "To make smokeless powder."
Rourou looked at Sisi in surprise.
"You actually know about that?"
Sisi's expression turned a bit awkward.
"Ummm... I didn't originally.
"Play this game long enough, and you end up learning everything."
...
At the same time.
In the center of Horseshoe Town, at the chamber headquarters.
The man sitting in the office frowned slightly as he reviewed the inventory list handed to him by his subordinate.
"Sulfur, copper... and platinum. Our stocks have all hit bottom?"
The subordinate standing before the desk nodded.
"Yes. Most of it was bought up by caravans coming from Qingquan City."
The man pondered for a moment, stood up, walked over to the wall, and studied the map hanging there for a long time.
When his gaze fell upon Xizhou City north of Qingquan City, a glimmer of pleasant surprise suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his fist tightened instinctively.
"Fantastic!"
The New Alliance was making a move against the Bone Chewer Tribe!
If they succeeded in capturing Xizhou City, the Snake Clan stationed in TS City would be caught in a pincer, flanked from front and rear.
When that time came, the pressure on Red River Town would be significantly relieved.
Of course, he saw far more than just that.
If the war machine in the northern outskirts of Qingquan City went into full gear, they stood to make an absolute fortune!
"Sir?" the subordinate asked softly, looking at his back.
Pulling his eyes from the map, the man offered no explanation to his subordinate, issuing only a brief command:
"Increase our inventories of sulfur and copper. You may go."
Fighting to contain his excitement, the man returned to his desk, retrieved a communicator from a drawer, and dialed the mine owner who had supplied them all along.
"My friend.
"Our chance to strike it rich has arrived!"
Chapter 301