5:00 PM.
Lying flat on his bed, Fang Chang donned his helmet and logged back into the game. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a bare concrete ceiling.
Beneath him was a battered single bed.
As he shifted the heavy weight of his head, a faint fragrance drifted from the crushed pillow into his nostrils. The only flaw was the sharp tang of machine oil mingled with it.
He turned his head to see the young woman sitting by the edge of the bed.
With a screwdriver gripped in her hand, she was tinkering with the components of her left arm, whether swapping a battery or replacing the lubricant.
This game was always surprisingly realistic in the strangest ways.
"You're awake?" Dolly glanced at him, noticing the movement on the bed.
She wore a washed-out, sleeveless T-shirt. In the morning light filtering through the window, a pale flash of skin was faintly visible, leaving Fang Chang momentarily unsure where to rest his eyes.
"Yeah."
Noticing his awkwardness, Dolly gave a sly chuckle and teased, "You sure sleep heavily. No matter how much I shouted, you wouldn't budge."
Fang Chang rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit sheepish. "Actually, usually... my alcohol tolerance isn't this bad. Next time we drink, I'll prove it."
Dolly smiled. "It's fine. I won't make fun of you."
Fang Chang was speechless.
*Damn it!*
That was the most annoying thing about this broken game.
Drink too much, and you'd suffer frequent disconnects. Once you blacked out, your client crashed entirely, and there was no way to reconnect.
He had no memory whatsoever of what had happened last night; he only remembered seeing something, and then seeing nothing, in the dark.
When he'd found himself completely unable to log back in, he had gone out onto his balcony to smoke a cigarette and argue with his group chat friends instead.
Then again, he had been unconscious the entire night...
Fang Chang's expression shifted slightly. Instinctively, he reached down to pat his waistline.
It wasn't that he was worried the girl had taken advantage of him—was he the type of guy who feared getting the short end of that stick?
He was mainly worried about waking up missing a kidney...
Watching Fang Chang rummage frantically around his hips, Dolly smirked and remarked, "Relax. I didn't touch your stuff."
Fang Chang naturally wasn't going to admit what he had just been feeling for. He cleared his throat to change the subject. "Where is this?"
"My place."
Though he had expected as much, a flicker of surprise still crossed Fang Chang's eyes.
Misreading his look, Dolly said nonchalantly, "Pretty shabby, isn't it?"
Fang Chang glanced around. The studio apartment was under fifteen square meters and crammed full of belongings.
There were hardly any nice clothes in sight. Beside the bottles and jars stacked in the corner lay mechanical components and polishing tools.
"Looking for a bathroom? Afraid you'll have to go outside for that," Dolly said, watching him look around.
Fang Chang shook his head. "No... honestly, by wasteland standards, this place isn't bad at all."
Space inside the massive walls was limited; it could never compare to the vast, sparsely populated northern suburbs.
A proud smile curved the corner of Dolly's mouth. "True. It keeps the wind and rain out, I don't have to cram in with roommates, and rent is only fifty-two chips a month. I quite like it here. When I get some free time, I plan to get a succulent plant and put it on the windowsill."
Listening to her chatter, Fang Chang felt his listening comprehension was barely keeping up, but relying on his experience communicating with international players, he managed to grasp the gist of it.
"A succulent?"
"Yeah. A plant with really thick leaves. I heard they absorb radiation," Dolly said with complete conviction, looking as if she genuinely believed the claim.
Absorbing radiation...
Fang Chang's expression turned subtle.
It wasn't that he wanted to be argumentative, but he was truly skeptical. If a plant actually had that kind of power, why not just plant two pots right beside a nuclear reactor?
Then again, he realized he rarely gave radiation much thought in *Wasteland OL*. According to the official website's lore, residual radiation was certainly an issue, but hardly the primary danger here.
Compared to slime molds, marauders, and mutants, there were far too many things far more lethal than radiation.
While Fang Chang's thoughts drifted, the young woman was watching him curiously.
"You don't believe it?"
Fang Chang shook his head slightly. "No... back home, we have sayings like that too."
"Oh. Sounds like you don't believe me." Dolly gave a short hum, turned her gaze away, and went back to tinkering with her nearly reassembled cybernetic arm.
Looking at the side of her face framed by short green hair, Fang Chang suddenly felt a flicker of sympathy.
He didn't know where the emotion came from.
Though he thoroughly enjoyed the game, as a veteran player he had always viewed NPCs as nothing more than lines of code, and rarely invested real sentiment in any character.
That was probably the biggest difference between him and players like Lao Bai or Edge.
His throat moved, and driven by some inexplicable impulse, Fang Chang spoke up.
"...Have you ever considered moving to a different environment to live?"
"A different environment? Isn't everywhere the same?" Dropping the screwdriver in her hand, she spoke casually, her profile and tone carrying a maturity far beyond her years.
For a moment, Fang Chang didn't know how to respond.
"Don't you have dreams? Like... something you've always wanted to do?"
"Something I want to do?" Dolly thought seriously for a moment before saying, "Does opening a bar count?"
"...I thought you'd say you wanted to open a café or a flower shop."
"A café? A flower shop? Does Boulder City even have shops like that?" Dolly asked, completely bewildered.
"No, it's just that back in my hometown, that's what drunken girls always say... Could you come with me later to find that doctor who sells bionic prosthetics?" Fang Chang sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a chip.
Only as the words left his mouth did he realize that the last chip in his pocket was white, stamped with a large numeral "1." His expression instantly froze in embarrassment.
Seeing the stark shift on his face, Dolly couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Reaching out, she took the chip, flicked it lightly with her thumb, and let it clatter into a tin box on the table.
"Sure. Not like I've got anything to do later anyway."
"Seeing as you were such a gentleman last night, I don't mind walking around with you for a bit."
***
Dawn City.
In Shelter 404, a sharp hiss of escaping air echoed from a cramped single room, followed by a loud yelp.
"Holy crap, I'm finally back to life!"
Sitting up from the incubation pod, Ye Shi grabbed the blue jacket hanging from the pod's frame, slipped it on, went to the communal showers for a quick rinse, and then headed down to the Floor B2 plaza.
Since it was peak login hours, the plaza was bustling with people by the time he arrived.
Among them were his acquaintances: Kuang Feng, Jieyan, and Mosquito were all there.
Walking over to greet the group, Ye Shi noticed Mosquito acting unusually furtive and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Go away, go away, don't interrupt my real business."
Before Ye Shi could roll his eyes, Jieyan beat him to the punch with a retort. "Bullshit, what real business could you possibly have?"
"...He's probably stalking that NPC named Pai. I heard him mention her earlier," Kuang Feng said flatly, looking at Mosquito with a rather strange glint in his eyes.
While players were occasionally thrown into the dark room for violating rules, it seemed Mosquito was the only one in there for this particular reason.
At least on their friend list, he was the sole offender.
Seeing Mosquito suffer another social death, the surrounding players chimed in one after another.
"...I remember now! Last time was the same, I heard Tail say this guy got caught red-handed!"
"I heard he threw himself straight at her!"
"And didn't even touch her!"
"So embarrassing!"
Jieyan stared at Mosquito in shock. "Holy crap, brother, are you a pervert?"
Mosquito's face flushed the color of pig liver as he fired back, "Piss off! I just... I just wanted to figure out how that fuel of hers was made!"
Without professional analytical equipment, he could only roughly deduce that the bottle of fuel contained several identifiable alkanes and alkenes; beyond that, he was completely at a loss.
Over the past few days, he had been searching everywhere for that NPC named Pai, but the girl seemed to have been frightened by him and hadn't shown up since.
Mosquito couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
Maybe he should have exercised a little more restraint back then.
The banter in the plaza passed like a gust of wind, quickly shifting to other topics.
Seeing that it was getting late, everyone began discussing where to go level up.
Ye Shi turned to Kuang Feng. "Where are we heading later? Meet up in Boulder City?"
Kuang Feng looked down at his right arm. "I'm going to get my arm attached first."
His current feeble strength always made him feel like something was missing.
Right then, Ye Shi suddenly remembered a crucial detail.
"Speaking of which... to install that thing, they have to take off your arm first, right?"
Kuang Feng nodded. "Yeah."
Wasn't that obvious?
Ye Shi eyed his right arm with a weird expression. "Then what are you gonna do... with the arm they chop off?"
Kuang Feng froze.
That was a question he hadn't considered.
After a moment of silence, his expression turned rather strange. "...Find a place and bury it, I guess."
***
Floor B4, the reading room.
Sitting before the computer, Chu Guang leaned back into the sofa and stretched thoroughly.
"Finally done."
Perched on the desk, Xiao Qi cheerfully held up two toothpick-sized thumbs, cheering him on, "Master is amazing!"
Chu Guang gave it a tired look. "Thanks for the praise. It'd be even better if you could help me out a bit more."
Though the little fellow could accurately relay every order to the appropriate department, creative tasks remained a blind spot beyond its capabilities.
Especially when it came to rule design.
Chu Guang had read in the history of the People's Federation that during the early Era of Prosperity, "AI-ism" had flourished across the planet for a time.
Its adherents believed that the root of all problems in production relations and distribution systems lay in the ugliness of human nature.
Human happiness was inherently derived from the suffering of others, they argued, and the only solution was to establish a society governed by AI, replacing all administrative branches with artificial intelligence.
Yet the movement had declined by the mid-Era of Prosperity. Historians had offered numerous assessments, with several objective views citing "insufficient software and hardware infrastructure" and "extreme material prosperity inclining people toward maintaining the status quo."
Chu Guang reserved judgment on those views, but he had still drawn a lesson from history.
Never let tools replace thinking, and never let the hand replace the brain. Never expect a flawless method to exist that could resolve every future problem.
Looking at the nearly five-megabyte text file on the screen, Chu Guang's face relaxed into a gentle expression.
The newly established New Alliance administrative apparatus comprised twelve departments in total, spanning production, economy, transportation, logistics, and residential life.
He had also laid out detailed designs for the fundamental strategies and policy directions of every single department.
This hadn't been invented out of thin air, of course, nor was it a blind copy of the other world's experience.
For instance, when establishing the Department of Education, Chu Guang hadn't relied on the players' wild forum ideas, but had instead consulted parents, teachers, and students for their suggestions.
For wastelanders with an average life expectancy of only thirty-five years, reaching seventeen meant that, statistically speaking, half of one's life was already over.
For players living in an era of peace, however, seventeen was an age where the best days were still ahead, and waiting for the anti-addiction curfew to lift required patient endurance.
If he adopted a blanket policy modeled on developed planets—setting the minimum working age and mandatory years of basic education too high—the Alliance's educational level might rise, but underprivileged families would only be plunged into deeper poverty by the cost of schooling.
Chu Guang had chosen a middle path: gradually increasing the minimum working age and compulsory education duration year by year, while allocating a portion of funds to subsidize high-achieving students.
In other words, scholarships.
Whether adults attending night school or full-time students, anyone with outstanding grades could receive a subsidy.
While this money wouldn't make them wealthy, it was enough to supplement household expenses.
Education was merely one facet among the many issues he had considered, and such long-term investments would only yield returns down the road.
Among all the departments, the one Chu Guang poured the most energy into was the industrial branch directly tied to production.
For other departments, he offered broad guidance on policy direction and framework at most. But when it came to specific manufacturing challenges, he consulted industry experts and laid out detailed production capacity targets for every stage.
While developing productive forces couldn't solve every problem, it could solve ninety-nine percent of their immediate ones.
Thanks to the two-hundred-million-silver-coin infrastructure plan and the two-hundred-million-chip loan, there was plenty he could accomplish now.
"...Speaking of which, I still need to draft a procurement list later."
Chu Guang pinched the bridge of his nose. After pondering for a moment, he looked over at Xiao Qi sitting at the edge of the desk and instructed, "Pass a message to Old Charlie. Tell him to meet me at two o'clock this afternoon in his Merchant Guild office."
"Right away, Master!" Seeing the exhaustion on Chu Guang's face, Xiao Qi added with concern, "Though I might sound a bit naggy, please take care of your health!"
Chu Guang smiled and gently rubbed Xiao Qi's head with his index finger, offering a reassuring expression. "I will."
Just then, a light breeze swept in from the doorway of the reading room.
Spotting Chu Guang playing with the doll on his desk, Pai curled her lips into a smug smile. "How is it? The gift I gave you isn't bad, right?"
"Thanks for the gift. It's a great stress reliever, adds a lot of fun to my dull daily work," Chu Guang joked. "And what about the drone I gave you? Do you like it?"
"It's fantastic!" Pai nodded in satisfaction, showing off proudly, "I modified it a bit, and now it flies even faster!"
Chu Guang looked at her with mild surprise, not expecting the young girl to possess such skill.
Still, his surprise was fleeting.
Unlike Camp 404, which leaned heavily toward industry and military prowess, Camp 101, guided by Shelter 101, had likely dumped all its "skill points" into education and archaeology.
Not only was this girl extraordinarily gifted, but she also had access to pre-war black technology.
If talent and capability could be quantified, she was probably in the same league as Heya from Shelter 401.
"Um..." Pai glanced left and right, suddenly turning somewhat bashful, and whispered, "About Xiao Yu... have you spoken to her?"
Chu Guang nodded. "Yes. I spoke with her family, and she's very eager to pursue further studies. If your side has no objections, I'd like to send a few more people over for academic exchanges as well."
Xiao Yu was a sensible child. Chu Guang remembered that when he had brought up the idea, she had only thought about it briefly before obediently nodding in agreement.
He could tell she was reluctant to part with everyone in the shelter, but he could also see her deep-seated desire to grow and become stronger.
She wanted to help everyone more, not just sit behind a counter counting money.
With the New Alliance growing larger by the day, the bank could no longer focus solely on balancing the ledgers; it had to consider how to guide the invisible hand so that every silver coin performed its intended function.
This involved a wealth of knowledge unfamiliar to her. Though she had accumulated practical experience on her own, she still needed systematic education.
That included advanced mathematics and sociology.
With professional guidance, she could avoid many detours.
As for Xiao Yu's family, though they had been worried initially, once Chu Guang promised to ensure her safety, both her parents and her older brother were put at ease.
The wise and mighty Administrator never broke his word.
No one across the northern suburbs doubted that fact, whether NPC or player.
Hearing Chu Guang's reply, Pai was so thrilled she nearly leaped into the air. Patting her chest, she guaranteed, "Don't worry, I already told my teacher! Everyone's thrilled! They even told me to bring back plenty of local specialties when I return, hehe... especially chocolate and coffee! Oh, right, and those meat buns that squirt soup when you take a bite! They're so delicious!"
Chu Guang smiled. "That's easy. When it's time for you to head back, I'll send an entire truck of local specialties with you!"
Chu Guang had expected Pai to accept with delight.
To his surprise, however, the young girl shook her head with a solemn expression, turning down the offer.
"While that offer is very tempting, we can't take your gifts for nothing."
"My teacher says mutual reciprocity is the only way to maintain a lasting relationship. We have to provide you with some help in return."
Looking at the astonished Chu Guang, she continued in all seriousness, "The problem is, we don't have money, nor do we have surplus resources to spare for you. It'd be great if you could propose a plan."
Hearing this, Chu Guang beamed with joy. Wasn't this the exact opening he had been waiting for?
The New Alliance was rich in resources, and the players' imaginations and creativity were endless; there would always be something that appealed to these scholars, engineers, and archaeologists.
So what if they weren't interested in black stockings, white stockings, or art pieces?
Didn't he still have a mountain of gourmet food?
Beyond the dazzling array of consumer goods, there were also research specimens required by Camp 101 and the shelter behind them.
Even monstrously powerful beasts like Deathclaws could be hauled in by his brave little players, provided the silver coins and contribution points were generous enough!
Chu Guang let out a hearty laugh. "That's simple! While we don't practice a rationing system, we do pay compensation to those who provide labor."
"How about this: you send a few engineers over to help us improve our production methods, and in exchange, we'll pay you in silver coins!"
"Whenever you see something you like, you won't even need to consult me—just buy it directly from our stores using silver coins!"
Pai wrinkled her cute little nose, falling into deep thought.
"Hmm... that does sound pretty good. But... everyone has their own duties. It might be hard to spare the manpower."
"Especially since the marauders are gone now, we plan to move the camp back to the surface. There's just too much work to do."
Every person in the camp had an assigned post, and their living standard "score" was determined by their position.
Having heard Pai's concerns, Chu Guang explained patiently, "That problem is easily solved. Our people can help you construct your camp, supply the materials you need for daily life, and even cook for you. That alone will free up a huge portion of your workforce."
"That way, you can focus on what you're skilled at and passionate about. All you need to do is share a portion of that saved time with us to help us build better lives."
"You can think of it as... complementary advantages. Pass along what I said to your teacher; he'll definitely understand the concept I'm describing."
Camp 101 had previously attempted to recruit local survivors, but the scale of cooperation had been limited, never progressing beyond menial chores.
Chu Guang was confident that once they understood the full picture of the New Alliance, the residents of Camp 101 would certainly recognize the appeal of his proposal.
Pai stroked her chin, mimicking a thoughtful pose, and nodded with partial comprehension.
She rarely paid attention to administrative matters; what Chu Guang discussed lay well outside her area of expertise.
However, memorizing a message word for word was hardly a challenge for her.
"I'll pass your proposal along to everyone at the camp... Oh, right."
Remembering something, Pai retrieved a stack of papers covered in dense notations and symbols from her pocket and handed them to Chu Guang.
Puzzled, Chu Guang took them and flipped through the pages. Though he recognized every single character, he couldn't make heads or tails of the content.
"...What's this?"
Pai looked away awkwardly, speaking with a touch of embarrassment. "It's the component ratios and synthesis pathway for that fuel. It's nothing particularly amazing... but I did spend some time working it out."
At that, she let out a soft huff through her nose.
"Didn't some rude guy look down on me earlier? Now that guy ought to realize just how shallow his knowledge really is."
At an age prone to stubborn pride and showing off, having been belittled naturally drove her to prove herself.
While chemically powered engines were practically ancient relics, given her grasp of mechanics and aerospace, formulating a high-efficiency fuel was hardly a tall order.
Chu Guang stared at the documents in his hands in surprise, not anticipating this unexpected windfall.
What surprised him even more was that the young girl had handed over such valuable material so freely, holding nothing back.
"I... will pass it along to him."
Having Xiao Qi translate it shouldn't be difficult, and Yin Fang could help with any obscure technical terminology.
Pai nodded in satisfaction.
Soon, however, she remembered that she shouldn't let that rude guy off too easily, so she added, "Oh, and don't make it too easy for him. Just show him one page every once in a while."
Her tone turned righteous. "My teacher said you can't just copy the answers; you have to use your brain to figure out how the answers were derived!"
*Good grief.*
*That's brutal.*
Chu Guang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He nodded and laid the papers before Xiao Qi. "Alright... I promise not to let him have it easily."
Having secured that promise, Pai finally left, content and satisfied.
Watching her lively silhouette disappear beyond the reading room door, Chu Guang couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Compared to handling relations with Boulder City, interacting with lovely people like her was far more relaxing and pleasant.
Yet as Administrator, he couldn't decide whom to ally with or cut ties with based purely on personal preference. More often than not, he had to make judgments in the collective interest.
He suddenly found himself missing the "crew" aboard the *Pioneer*.
Half a year had already passed; he wondered if they had achieved their dreams.
Noticing the look on Chu Guang's face, Xiao Qi, sitting before the documents, asked curiously, "Master, what are you thinking about?"
Pulling his gaze back from the doorway, Chu Guang answered offhandedly, "I was thinking that place might actually be a true utopia."
It was just too small.
Even smaller than the shelter behind them, capable of housing only two or three hundred people.
Against the backdrop of the entire wasteland, that spark of light was barely enough to count as a flame...
Chapter 356