Lü Bei spent about ten minutes reporting his full day's work to Chu Guang.
"...Led by that gatekeeper named Tris, we entered Camp 101 and were received by the local survivors."
"It's a camp tucked deep inside the subway tunnels, home to about two or three hundred people. The survivors live in square barracks, and the perimeter is surrounded by greenhouse plantations, generators, water purifiers, and biogas digesters."
"The situation there is completely different from Hope Town. They're entirely self-sufficient in supplies, and everything is run in an orderly fashion using scientific methods."
"Tris took me on a tour of their greenhouse plantations. There were many hydroponic tanks growing rice, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers... and carbon-fixing devices or something similar, where they synthesize part of the carbon dioxide into starch and glucose to balance the CO2 levels in the air."
"In short, the situation there is quite astonishing. The locals call themselves 'the Sheltered,' though they aren't shelter dwellers themselves, but wastelanders who received help from them."
"The blast door to Shelter 101 sits at the deepest part of the camp. The shelter residents taught them knowledge, and their duty is to report the outside situation to the residents inside."
"According to them, their camp was originally on the surface. Later, to escape the chaos of war, the shelter residents lent them the supply transit area outside the entrance, which eventually grew into the camp they have today."
"When talking with them, I could tell they have very deep feelings toward the shelter residents. Shelter 101 is like a sacred place to them, and the people living inside are more like mentors."
After listening to Lü Bei's debrief, Chu Guang stared at the notes he had jotted down and pondered for a long time before nodding thoughtfully.
"...I see."
He pretty much understood.
Put simply, Camp 101 served as the surface "spokesperson" nurtured by Shelter 101.
Enlightened by the shelter dwellers, these spokespersons acquired knowledge absent on the wasteland, even gaining pre-war production methods and tools.
Yet while enjoying the conveniences brought by pre-war civilization, they also bore the duty of "guarding the door" for the shelter.
One had to admit, it was a clever approach.
Among the shelters Chu Guang had encountered so far, whether Shelter 117 or Shelter 401, both had fallen victim to the reserve and arrogance of civilized men.
In contrast, the blue jackets of Shelter 101 had adopted a much more cautious strategy—selecting worthy individuals to cultivate, enlightening ignorant wastelanders, teaching them to use cutlery and books, and instructing them in math and physics to view the world through a rational lens.
This not only ensured their literacy and technical proficiency, but also aligned their worldview, values, and ideology closely with their own.
Through this method, the residents of Shelter 101 spent negligible costs to gather the intelligence and resources they needed, all while avoiding the trouble that might arise from direct contact with local survivors.
Camp 101 was both the seed they had sown on the surface and their buffer zone against the wasteland.
If it failed, they could retreat underground at any time, resetting the clock twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years into the future to try again.
And if it succeeded, this seed would grow into a towering tree, establishing a stable, enlightened regime across the wasteland...
Their historical mission would be fulfilled.
"...I didn't get to see any residents of Shelter 101," Lü Bei said cautiously, leaving this part for last. "The elders of Camp 101 told me that until they confirm the world outside is safe, they won't advise the shelter residents to open the door. Even though I tried my best to explain that we already drove away the marauders, they just wouldn't believe me."
"Later, at my insistence, they brought me to the blast door of Shelter 101. But the residents there wouldn't listen to my explanation either, telling me to communicate through the people of Camp 101 instead."
At this point, Lü Bei felt thoroughly disgruntled.
He felt like a ball being kicked back and forth between both sides.
These people really didn't know what was good for them!
Hearing the youth's complaint, Chu Guang immediately guessed his thoughts and chuckled.
"They aren't worried about the marauders. They're worried about us."
Lü Bei froze for a moment.
"Worried... about us? But why would they worry about us?"
Chu Guang explained patiently, "Marauders can wear blue jackets too, and they can even wear our VMs. A vital signs monitor isn't particularly advanced tech in itself, nor is it exclusive to shelters."
"On first contact, they can only rely on intuition to judge whether our intentions are friendly. But ultimately, they need to see with their own eyes whether what we say matches what we do."
"This world isn't black and white. Those who drive off marauders aren't necessarily champions of justice; they could just be another gang of marauders. It's only natural for them to be wary."
"That's why I repeatedly urged you before you set off: be prudent before expressing our intentions, don't rush them into making a decision, and show them more patience. If they hesitate, suggest that they come visit us and see for themselves."
On the other end of the line, Lü Bei pondered for a moment before speaking thoughtfully.
"I understand. So we should invite them to send some representatives to visit our settlement."
A student worth teaching.
Pleased to see the boy catch on, Chu Guang smiled and nodded.
"Invite several people over. Remember, this is an invitation, not a demand. We need electrical engineers and hydraulic engineers here."
"You can even tell them that I plan to build a dam to the west and southwest of Sixin District to divert overflowing lake water north into the Tianshui tributary to irrigate nearby land... It will be a long-term project, and we need their help."
Painting a vision was part of the art of management; the New Alliance needed to find common ground with local survivors.
Although hydraulic engineering was not top priority for Daybreak City's construction, as the settlement expanded, it was something that would have to be tackled sooner or later.
Lü Bei said excitedly, "Understood!"
Chu Guang nodded approvingly. "Now that you understand, go ahead."
Chu Guang had always been pleased with this diligent, loyal young man and intentionally groomed him.
For instance, entrusting him with this mission was partly meant to nurture his capabilities.
As for ability and pedigree, those were never an issue; Chu Guang didn't believe in bloodline theories at all.
Once a person reached that position, they would naturally grow into it.
Among the core personnel of the New Alliance, the only ones who truly carried prestigious backgrounds were Yin Fang, Heya, and Old Charlie; most of the others originated as wastelanders.
Take Luka, for example. He started out as a farming serf who knew nothing about logistics management, but now he handled everything assigned to him in an orderly fashion.
There was also Shu Yu, whom Chu Guang had dispatched to Boulder City—initially nothing more than a vagrant.
In fact, Chu Guang himself was the same. Back in Alpha 0.1, when the game began, he didn't even have a dog and nearly got chewed up by one. Now he had everything.
After hanging up, Chu Guang didn't bother going out to eat. He fished out a can of braised pork from his luggage and ate dinner with steamed buns while browsing the forum on his VM.
The official website was as lively as ever today.
Coincidentally, while he was having dinner, his little players were eating too.
Except due to the time difference, they were having breakfast.
Tail: "Waaaah... Tail clearly already ate in the game, why do I have to eat again in reality! QAQ"
Sisi: "Isn't that just common sense..."
Tail: "I'm trembling with rage! Why haven't they developed an incubation pod where you just lie down and don't have to worry about anything! Eating, brushing teeth, showering, using the toilet is such a drag! Aaaah! (ノ｀Д)ノ"
Sisi: "Uh, you mean the kind with tubes inserted into you... I'll pass."
Tail: "?"
Aoao Sesame Paste: "That said, even if there were such a pod, the anti-addiction system wouldn't allow 24-hour online access anyway."
Meat Mountain Steamed Bun: "Aha... Hahaha..."
"..."
Talk about hooked.
Looking at the discussion, Chu Guang was left speechless, unsure how to even roast them.
The morphogenetic field equipment wasn't under his control. Incubation pods... maybe they existed, but whether they did or not didn't really matter. The helmets were already enough. If woken up by a full bladder, one could just use the toilet and jump back in; finding an out-of-the-way spot to lie down and log off was basic routine for players.
Although pods might let players focus more on the game world, he still hoped his little players would eat well and live well in reality.
Even if it was the world's only fully immersive virtual reality game, you couldn't drain the pond to catch the fish.
Closing the thread, Chu Guang continued browsing the forum.
Most players were focused on tonight's expansion settlement and the lottery prize pool, but some had turned their attention to Xizhou City, the newly unlocked map.
Such as Brother Fang Chang.
Just like his previous trip to Boulder City, upon arriving at Camp 101, Fang Chang immediately conducted a detailed investigation and shared his summarized intel on the official website without holding back.
"Shocking! A High-Tech Town Hidden in the Tunnels! Impressions of Camp 101!"
Seeing the headline, Chu Guang clicked in at once.
Truth be told, as the game planner, he felt a bit embarrassed being the last to learn intel about the new map.
Unlike other games where the dog planner leaked insider info to veteran players.
Like Lü Bei, Fang Chang combined the translator with his own understanding to explain Camp 101's background in detail.
However, unlike Lü Bei, Fang Chang narrated from a player's perspective, differing not only in style but also in what caught his eye.
"...Camp 101's tech level is very high. Lore-wise, they are a group of wastelanders educated by the shelter. They possess traits of both blue jackets and wastelanders, and I even suspect they are hybrids of the two."
"According to them, residents of Shelter 101 only send a handful of people out when necessary. Sometimes to collect resources, sometimes to gather wasteland samples, or collect data, but they rarely stay long."
"They have no currency, nor even the concept of property. Instead, they use various points, and their living standard is determined by job classification and role contribution."
"For instance, general employees receive standard living rations, while technical employees receive certain consumer goods on top of standard rations. In addition, periodic KPI evaluations determine bonus ration percentages..."
"Of course, this is information I deduced from dialogue; it might not be fully accurate. Compared to Hope Town, this place is more like a haven made up of a 'lucky few.'"
"They have several unique technologies. They can make drones very compact and convert carbon dioxide into food. It's unclear how they do it, but one thing is certain: without currency, Camp 101 probably won't be able to trade freely like Boulder City."
"However, this doesn't mean they have no trading needs. For example, energy, food, and freshwater are precious locally. Although we need these too, we can exchange our surplus with them."
"I speculate that trade with Camp 101 might proceed through more official channels. For example, lifestyle players running factories could hire Camp 101's higher-educated engineers to mass-produce products the New Alliance previously lacked. Or perhaps they might open a new NPC shop in our territory to exchange high-tech products for resources."
Brother Mole: "So you're saying Camp 101 isn't a map meant for players?"
Fang Chang: "You could say that. Mainly because there isn't even a shop on this map."
Ye Shi: "Brother Fang Chang expresses deep disappointment: there isn't even a bar where people strip as they dance. (Smug)"
Fang Chang: "Get lost, when the hell did I ever go to that kind of bar?"
Makabazi: "Hahahaha! You're exposed, bro!"
Teng Teng: "You guys are so dirty. |·ω·`)"
Brother Mole: "What about quests? Don't get off track! Are there any quests on the new map?"
Fang Chang: "Didn't see any. VM signal is terrible here... and generally, newly unlocked maps don't trigger quests right away, do they?"
Gale: "To be fair though, the education level here is truly something else. They even have their own school. I took a curious peek, and they were actually teaching advanced mathematics."
Scavenger Lv99: "Holy crap?! They even have a university?"
Ye Shi: "Pfft, you're so bored."
Gale: "No, just curious... and what surprised me even more was that the students in the classroom were quite young. Normally, unless someone is an exceptional prodigy, we don't recommend exposing them to such specialized content so early."
Yaya: "Quite young... how young? 0.0"
Gale: "Around twelve years old."
Ye Shi: "Holy shit!?"
Lightning King Professor Yang: "Awesome!"
Lao Bai: "Twelve... I don't even remember if I was in seventh grade or sixth grade back then. (Crying laugh)"
Elaina: "Learning calculus at twelve? What do they learn at sixteen, rocket science? (Smug)"
Elven King Fugui: "If I give them my calculus homework, does that count as mooching off the developer's computing power? (Smug)"
Ye Shi: "You're wicked. (Smug)"
Ya'er I Wanna Go to the Restroom: "6666! @Brother Levin hahaha, our thesis is saved!"
A chorus of engineering and science players called it genius.
Math major cloud players chimed in: no need for middlemen; post homework directly on the forum, one silver coin per problem, fair price, no deception.
Once they saved enough silver coins, they planned to upload their thesis topics into the game and have NPCs ghostwrite them.
Scrolling to the bottom of the thread, Chu Guang couldn't help but marvel. His little players were true talents—they could actually come up with the idea of having NPCs ghostwrite homework and papers.
Look at their lack of ambition. Even their dreams were so timid.
If a game were really that powerful, why bother ghostwriting papers? Wouldn't copying solid hydrogen technology back be far better?
Still, it was evident that world governments hadn't disclosed the "true identity" of Wasteland OL's operator, even deliberately obscuring related clues.
After all, announcing something as preposterous as an "extraterrestrial civilization" would yield no benefit other than causing needless panic, and might even provoke an unknown entity.
However, official agencies maintaining a cautious stance helped Chu Guang immensely.
Even though people on the forums constantly told eerie "ghost stories"—like claiming Wasteland OL was actually a real world—everyone just laughed it off and never took it seriously.
Things like the double-slit experiment or measuring the gravitational constant were child's play that anyone could conduct; slightly more complex experiments were merely niche at best.
Not to mention Wasteland OL had explicitly stated in its promotional material that the game was based on a dreamscape system, constructed from players' subconscious and cognition.
Everything players saw in the game was what their subconscious believed they could see.
Logically speaking, a person inside a box could imagine the outside world all they wanted, but they could never use the rules inside the box to prove the existence of a world outside.
The only way to prove a world existed outside the box was to open the box.
Of course, Chu Guang wouldn't do that.
Whether firsthand truth or secondhand truth, knowing too much was never a good thing.
Yet when circumstances permitted, he would try to open up secondhand truths, using a relatively gentle approach to help his players gain more benefits in reality.
Not just money and honor.
Even status.
After reading the thread from beginning to end, Chu Guang pondered briefly and formed his judgment.
"...Fang Chang's suggestion has merit. Camp 101's social structure is closer to a miniature utopia; engaging with them should be handled through more official channels."
"However, we shouldn't just bring in technical personnel—we should also bring in educational talents wherever possible."
Synthesizing Lü Bei's and Fang Chang's reports, the New Alliance's survey of Camp 101 was already quite comprehensive.
The only thing that puzzled Chu Guang was how this "small yet refined" utopian society had managed to survive on the wasteland.
Still, that wasn't the main point.
The point was that they possessed many technologies worth introducing, which happened to be precisely what the New Alliance needed.
Swiping his index finger across the VM screen, Chu Guang said, "Xiao Qi, organize the clues in my memos and update the official website database with the intel on Camp 101."
"Alright, Master!" Xiao Qi's energetic reply came by his ear.
Chu Guang nodded, glanced at the time, and seeing it was almost eight o'clock, added, "Right, what about the expansion pack settlement? Are you done on your end?"
"Uh..."
That energetic voice suddenly turned somewhat strange.
"Xiao Qi has finished it... but Master, are you sure this is really okay?"
Chu Guang paused slightly. "What do you mean..."
Xiao Qi didn't answer, silently transmitting the settlement spreadsheet over.
Seeing the striking string of digits on the sheet, Chu Guang nearly choked on his own spit.
"One hundred million?! Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero?!"
Xiao Qi said aggrievedly, "How could I... and Master, the reward settlements from previous campaigns included points too. This war lasted so long, the average player score is almost 40,000..."
Chu Guang said anxiously, "Even so, that's only..."
Halfway through the sentence, he stopped short.
This war had raged for two months, with new players joining every day; the player count was no longer the initial sixteen hundred or so.
Now the server had nearly three thousand players.
Moreover, not only frontline players earned points, but rear-guard players engaged in production earned points as well.
A line of text popped up on the screen:
[QAQ]
Chu Guang: "..."
Xiao Qi whispered, "How about... diluting the reward pool?"
According to past precedent, each point was worth 0.05 silver coins.
At a hundred points per lottery draw, some might win an exoskeleton worth 2,000 silver coins, while others only received a discount coupon or a lollipop.
If total points reached 100 million, then to maintain the drop rates, the total cost of the reward pool had to be at least 5,000,000 silver coins.
Below that figure, drop rates would dilute.
Originally, Chu Guang had expected the total points issued at the end of this expansion to be around 20 million, allowing him to keep the reward pool's cost under 1 million silver coins.
He hadn't anticipated it quintupling.
"My oversight... this war was far too expensive." Chu Guang laughed wryly, opened the system interface, and checked the points he had saved up.
From the end of the last Tide until now, apart from occasionally drawing a beginner or intermediate blind box, he had saved most of his points, accumulating only around 1,500 points to date.
Fifteen advanced blind boxes...
He had originally intended to save up twenty to draw all at once, but it seemed he couldn't wait any longer.
He could only hope to pull some good items.
Otherwise, he would have to find a way to harvest leeks again...
...
At the same time, inside Camp 101's administration center, an air purifier hummed softly.
A grey-haired old man sat in a chair, his eyes half-closed in contemplation, looking as though he were asleep.
His name was Horne, the Mayor of Camp 101, responsible for the camp's major and minor affairs as well as the appointment of various commissioners.
Half an hour ago, the representative sent by the New Alliance had extended an invitation for them to visit their settlement.
Camp 101 had no commissioner specifically in charge of foreign affairs; the largest faction they had previously encountered was the Bone Chewer tribe.
As for survivor communities of several dozen or a few hundred people, like the Fine Weather Cooperative or Happy Home, there was no need to deliberately contact them.
Camp 101's tradition was to let specialists handle specialized issues. Yet what troubled Horne was that he couldn't find anyone suitable to consult on this matter, so he had summoned all the commissioners instead.
Slowly opening his eyes, he scanned the assembled commissioners.
"What do you all think?"
Seeing the mayor look toward him, the education commissioner hesitated for a moment and answered in an uncertain tone, "A very polite boy."
This statement drew nods of agreement from several others.
Although the four bodyguards were excessively curious and had even accidentally wandered into their classroom, Lü Bei, as the representative, had indeed been very polite.
That was precisely what puzzled them most.
The ones who looked most like shelter dwellers behaved completely contrary to their expectations.
Horne sighed softly.
"I wasn't asking for an appraisal of the kid. What I want to know is, what do you think of the New Alliance?"
The security commissioner thought for a moment before speaking.
"They are very powerful. It took them only two months to end this war."
While the war raged outside, Camp 101 hadn't been completely oblivious; they had been secretly monitoring the situation all along,
using surface-mounted cameras and short-range drones.
The New Alliance's weaponry didn't boast particularly high technical sophistication, but it was abundant.
Overwhelming firepower and continuous airstrikes had helped them win this war.
If asked to evaluate them, he had only one verdict:
This survivor faction was formidable!
The production commissioner said in a low voice, "...Yet they use child labor. That boy must be a soldier."
The education commissioner replied, "Most outside survivor settlements are like that. After all, their average life expectancy is only thirty-five years. We can't expect them to be like us, taking up key posts only after turning forty."
Standing to the side, Tris suddenly spoke up. "Perhaps they sent a young man simply to demonstrate goodwill."
Though not a commissioner, as a "gatekeeper," his standing in Camp 101 was not low.
Lü Bei had made a favorable first impression on him.
Most Awakened on the wasteland walked around with their noses in the air, yet that youth was remarkably courteous.
Not sending an aggressive envoy to flex dominance at least indicated an intention to get along peacefully.
This sentiment resonated with many in the room.
"I think we should visit their settlements—not just Daybreak City, but their capital as well... that place called Dawn City."
"Indeed, preferably to meet their administrator. Shelters are not all alike..."
Horne pondered for a long time, then spoke.
"I think so too. We cannot remain isolated forever, let alone hide underground forever... Besides, they've expanded their territory right to our doorstep."
The crowd murmured in hushed tones.
At this point, the education commissioner asked, "The problem is... whom should we send?"
Horne considered for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"They sent a child. We might as well send a child too."
The security commissioner hesitated. "Isn't that... too dangerous?"
"Naturally, we can't send just one person. Industry, economy, population... we have too little intel, and there is too much to investigate."
The production commissioner nodded. "I recommend that too. At least two or three specialists should go."
The security commissioner frowned. "What about safety? The hazards outside aren't limited to marauders... Don't forget what price we paid just collecting samples from the nearby forest."
They were short on hands...
Gently pressing his brow with his index finger, Horne leaned back in his chair, pondered for a long time, and reached a decision.
"I will submit a request to my Lord to arrange a bodyguard for them."
Chapter 335