Friends from Afar

"Are you a bottomless pit?!" Staring at the wreckage strewn across the table, Dolly goggled in utter disbelief. A skewer of lizard meat as long as a forearm and as thick as two fingers, crammed full of tail meat charred to a savory reddish-brown, cost three chips. She was stuffed after just one, yet this guy had downed four whole skewers! Dolly couldn't help letting her gaze drift downward. She was dying to figure out where everything he'd eaten had actually gone! "Didn't you tell me to make myself at home?" Fang Chang calmly dabbed his mouth with a napkin, savoring the expression on her face for a moment. Pondering briefly, he offered his critique: "The flavor really is mediocre. It's miles behind what we have back home." The lizard meat was supposedly imported from the south; word was the farms down there raised edible lizards. There was crocodile meat too, which tasted quite a bit like chicken when you bit into it. Then again, prices here were truly not cheap. A simple dinner like this had already cost twenty chips. Fang Chang couldn't help thinking that investing in an Old Street Barbecue joint here in Boulder City would probably turn quite a profit. While the vast majority of residents didn't have that kind of spending power, the mercenaries could certainly afford it. Looking at the pile of wooden skewers on the plate, the corner of Dolly's mouth twitched, and she painfully reached into her pocket. Fang Chang, however, had already tossed a green chip with a denomination of twenty-five onto the waiter's tray. "...Bring me two more beers and another skewer of lizard meat. Keep the change." "...Right away, sir." Looking at the green chip on the tray, the waiter silently rolled his eyes. *Keep the change, huh.* *There wasn't any change coming to you anyway!* Watching Fang Chang pay the bill, Dolly froze. Only after quite a while, when the beers and the skewer arrived, did she murmur in a small voice: "Didn't we agree that it was my treat... Why did you pay for me?" "Treat me after you get your first paycheck. Better save the chips in your pocket for your rent and loan payments." Taking a sip of the beer, which tasted as watery as plain tap water, Fang Chang looked at Dolly's pouting cheeks and teased with a smile, "Besides, being treated with the chips I gave you feels like I'm losing out." "T-That was money I earned!" Dolly argued, her face flushing red. "How can you say it's your chips treating you?!" Seeing her amusing reaction, Fang Chang couldn't help chuckling out loud. "Right, right, of course." He had never imagined that one day he could become friends with a string of data. Still, leaving that thought aside, the experience was quite fun... ... The northern outskirts of Qingquan City. At the interchange of the interprovincial highway, a dense, dark column of figures was slowly approaching from the distance. Rather than a caravan, it was more like an army unit. The man at the head wore light gray power armor, heavy steel and composite materials arming him from his toes to his teeth. The Gauss rifle gripped in his hands rested across his chest like a greatsword. Of the more than a hundred people following behind him, aside from twenty sets of power armor, the rest were clad in Vanguard exoskeletons, holding Black Swan assault rifles. Unlike the crew aboard the Pioneer, they were the Enterprise's Army—genuine soldiers. Judging from the bullet scars and scratches etched across the vehicle hulls and armor, their journey had clearly not been smooth sailing, marked by many fierce battles along the way. And far more than just one or two! Just then, the man in the lead raised his right hand, and the column behind him came to a slow halt. Not far ahead of him stood a suit of azure power armor. The man stared at the power armor for a moment. If he remembered correctly, the model was named "Order," a police armor from the People's Federation era. Behind that power armor stood dozens of soldiers in Type 5 exoskeletons, which were likewise police gear from the People's Federation era. Such equipment could usually only be found in shelters. The man was about to speak. Before he could, the suit of power armor before him raised its visor of its own accord and spoke in a booming voice: "Welcome, friends from the East Coast. I am the Administrator of Shelter 404 and the Administrator of the New Alliance. You may call me by my name, Chu Guang, or by my codename, Dawn." Seeing the other party open his visor, the man leading the column tapped the side of his helmet twice and retracted his own visor as a gesture of sincerity. Just as Chu Guang had anticipated, beneath the helmet was a strong, resolute face. He was younger than expected, looking to be only in his early twenties. "Yun Song, Captain of the 26th Commando Team, Enterprise Department of the Army." "We departed from Ideal City to head for the western wasteland and reinforce the Pioneer. As for our purpose here, we have already informed your side over the communication channel." "We need to replenish our supplies, stay here for a few days, and then resume our march." Captain Yun Song's manner of speaking was blunt and direct, carrying a distinct military bearing completely unlike the engineers Chu Guang had previously dealt with. Chu Guang swept his gaze over the troops behind him. There were around one hundred and twenty to thirty fully armed soldiers. The remaining thirty to fifty people were likely logistics personnel, with only a few carrying self-defense sidearms like pistols. In addition, there were nearly ten half-track vehicles, presumably loaded with supplies. As for the twenty to thirty cargo-bearing two-headed oxen and mutated donkeys, they didn't look like they had come all the way from Ideal City; they had probably been acquired along the way. Showing no change in demeanor, Chu Guang kept a warm, welcoming smile on his face. "Welcome. The Alliance's gates are always open to its friends!" "This is no place to talk. We've prepared a welcoming banquet for you all." "Please follow me." Back when the Pioneer built Changjiu Farm for the shelter, one of the conditions was that when the Enterprise's reinforcements passed through the northern outskirts of Qingquan City, the shelter would provide rest and lodging for the Enterprise's personnel and troops. Seeing that the Administrator before him was honoring the agreement, Yun Song's brow relaxed slightly, and a faint smile broke through his tense face. "Thank you." "Think nothing of it." With his usual easy smile, Chu Guang said in an unhurried tone: "We are friends. Lending a hand to friends in need is only natural!" ... Shuguang City did not prohibit armed wastelanders from entering, but it did impose requirements on the size of armed contingents and the types of weapons they bore. Ordinary mercenary groups and caravan escorts could come and go freely, for instance, but any armed force exceeding fifty people had to register and declare prior to entry. Excess ammunition and explosives had to be deposited at the trading post next to North Street and could not be brought into Shuguang City; they could be retrieved upon departure. While the ammunition in holstered or slung weapons wasn't checked, safeties could not be disengaged carelessly, and gun barrels had to be kept pointed down at all times, especially in the streets. Drones patrolled the skies above Shuguang City. If any violation was detected, the guard team would deploy within ten minutes, and depending on the threat level, arrest missions would be issued to nearby players. For these soldiers arriving from afar, their numbers, equipment, and organizational nature were all clearly beyond ordinary parameters, so their entry process naturally couldn't be treated like that of common mercenaries. However, the Enterprise was a partner of the New Alliance, and Chu Guang generously granted them military transit rights. As for their staging ground, he designated the barracks next to the airfield. Since the 2nd Corps had been deployed to Xizhou City on duty, plenty of ready-made barracks were available for use. Arriving at the gates of the barracks, many soldiers showed expressions of immense relief. It was obvious they had endured a grueling ordeal along the way. Surprise evident on his face, Yun Song repeatedly compared what he saw with the tablet in his hands. On the screen was a photograph taken by the Pioneer. On the barren wasteland stood only a single concrete wall and a few makeshift barracks hastily assembled from foam boards. Yet the scene before him didn't just differ slightly from the photo; it bore virtually no resemblance to it whatsoever. Orderly rows of barracks stood across the clearing. Beside a straight runway sat several wooden hangars and an array of 100 mm artillery pieces, while a reinforced steel communications tower rose not far off. Looking southwest, one could see brilliant lights blazing against the night sky. Though the full layout of the survivor settlement couldn't be discerned, the glittering silhouette alone made it obvious that it was a thriving settlement, likely home to no fewer than ten thousand people. The stark contrast left Yun Song frozen in his tracks. He couldn't resist turning to Chu Guang beside him. "Is this... really Changjiu Farm?" He wondered if he had somehow taken a wrong turn. Guessing what astonished him, Chu Guang chuckled. "That name is history now. Its current name is Shuguang City." "As for the farm, it's merely a corner in Shuguang City's northwest. We reclaimed the wasteland along the north shore of the lake into farmland. If you had come here half a year earlier, you could still have seen the track ruts left in the soil by the Pioneer." "Now, however, it's covered by endless fields of rice and corn." Yun Song said nothing, but the shock in his heart was plainly written across his face. If this had happened around Ideal City, he wouldn't have found it so strange. Thanks to trade with the Enterprise, quite a few survivor settlements across Yunjian Province had developed fairly well. Settlements around Yunshang City and Yunxia City in particular were filthy rich, relying on crisscrossing trade routes and pre-war legacies. Yet such a miracle had actually occurred deep in the inland wilderness! It was nothing short of incredible! Still, now was not the time to dwell on that. Reining in his astonishment, Yun Song looked at Chu Guang and said seriously: "We have twenty wounded in our ranks. Before settling the rest of us in, could beds be provided for them to rest?" "Wounded?" Chu Guang looked at him with slight surprise. Yun Song nodded, his face turning grim. "While passing through Yongdong City, we were ambushed by a pack of slime mold organisms disguised as survivors... Four brothers were left behind there forever, and twenty others contracted varying degrees of infection during the battle." "Their symptoms are very unusual. Aside from irritability and rage, they exhibit increased appetite, lethargy, uncontrolled violent outbursts, and various other signs." "Lacking specialized medical equipment and personnel, we cannot treat their condition. Without cryo-stasis equipment to ease their suffering, all we can do is administer regular doses of sedatives." "Carrying them along will be a burden on the road and dangerous for them as well, so we intend to leave them in your care for now." "In July, an Enterprise caravan will return from the west and transport our wounded back to Ideal City. We'll have to trouble you to look after them for a while... Naturally, we will pay you compensation." Listening to the commando captain's words, Chu Guang's expression subtly shifted. *Slime mold disguised as survivors?* *Has the broodmother in Yongdong City already grown to that level?* What surprised Chu Guang even more was that even professional soldiers armed to the teeth with advanced technology had been caught off guard by the slime mold fruiting bodies there. If he remembered correctly, Baki, who ran the aluminum plant in the northern suburbs, had also been parasitized in Yongdong City. "I'll have my doctor take a look at them," Chu Guang said seriously. Although he held little hope for a small clinic out here, Yun Song still nodded. "Much obliged." ... The welcoming banquet was held in the barracks. These grunts were hardly picky about their dining environment. If anything, after enduring so many days of sleeping in the wind and dew, just having a table to eat at was bliss enough. To say nothing of the rumors about gourmet food. Back when they had first crossed the border of River Valley Province, many had already been brimming with anticipation. And right now, that anticipation had certainly not been betrayed. More than twenty round tables were arranged across the open ground. The center of each table was hollowed out, cradling a large pot within. Beneath each pot lay a bed of stones holding scorching charcoal embers. The broth rolled with boiling bubbles, and the rising white steam carried an enticing aroma that had everyone seated around the tables constantly swallowing their saliva. Thinly sliced meat and an assortment of meatballs were laid out in wooden frames on the tables, accompanied by chopped cabbage, dewy bean sprouts, mushrooms, cubes of tofu, instant noodle cakes, and more. Looking back and forth between the pot and the ingredients on the table, an Enterprise soldier seated at the table couldn't contain his curiosity: "...What is this? How do we eat it?" "Hot pot. It's a pretty common way of eating around here. You just toss the ingredients in like this, boil them until they're cooked, scoop them out, and eat." Smiling, Lü Bei gave a demonstration from his seat. Using his chopsticks, he picked up a slice of beef sliced paper-thin, swished it through the simmering pot a couple of times, fished it out, dipped it in a saucer of sauce, and popped it into his mouth. Seeing him eat with such relish, the other soldiers around the table had their appetites thoroughly whetted and began following suit. The two groups chatted as they ate, the lively atmosphere rising like the white steam from the pots. At first, everyone was a little reserved. Once a few slices of beef and swigs of beer went down, however, familiarity quickly settled in, and the floodgates of conversation swung wide open. Watching how voraciously the guests wolfed down their food, a guard corps soldier at the table asked curiously: "By the way, don't you guys have hot pot where you're from?" Word had it that Ideal City was an exceedingly wealthy place, hailed as the utopia on this wasteland closest to the Prosperity Era. Compared to it, their neighbor Boulder City was as insignificant as a speck of dust on a diamond. Even if rumors tended to exaggerate, watching these guys devour their meal like starved beasts made it impossible for Lü Bei to imagine just how rich that place could actually be. Several Enterprise soldiers exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison. "No idea. I'm an F-grade employee." "I'm an E-grade myself. Once I get back, I should be able to make D." "The security branch gets bumped half a tier in benefits, but the Cr they pay is only enough to buy ordinary food." "Back home, we don't really fuss over cooking methods, though we're not short on protein and fats." "Restaurants serve the food already processed, and the flavors usually aren't this heavy." Right then, an Enterprise soldier who had been too busy stuffing his face to join the conversation finally came up for air, blurting out an envious curse: "Damn it... Do you guys eat like this every day?" Lü Bei gave an embarrassed smile. "Not every day, obviously... Just once in a while." Who could handle eating hot pot every single day? Even if your stomach could take it, your backside couldn't. There were plenty of good things on Shuguang City's North Street, and the New Alliance treated its soldiers well, so they didn't have to keep gorging on the exact same dish. Hearing their allied comrade say this, the Enterprise soldiers with envious faces finally looked somewhat mollified. *As expected.* *Even for food this delicious, nobody can afford it every single day...* ... Because time was tight and preparing a sit-down dinner for over two hundred people on short notice was impossible, Chu Guang had been struck with inspiration and decided to treat them to hot pot instead. A meal where food could be cooked as you ate wasn't much hassle to prepare; ingredients could even be sliced on the fly, and the hot pot base was already pre-made. As for seating the guard corps soldiers alongside the Enterprise troops who had come from afar, that was Chu Guang's doing as well. The primary reason was to foster camaraderie between both sides and dispel any lingering wariness. Naturally, there was another reason: borrowing their prestige. Long ago, Chu Guang had heard that the nobles and wealthy merchants of Boulder City were the Enterprise's number one bootlickers. The entire industrial system of the outer city—and even the layout of several city blocks—had been adapted in imitation of the Enterprise. Goods from Ideal City, especially high-tech products, often commanded astronomical prices in Boulder City's inner city. Were it not for their reluctance to abandon local profits coupled with the immense distance, those nobles would likely have run off to the East Coast to enjoy luxury long ago. Thinking of this, Chu Guang, seated at a dining table, couldn't help a subtle, knowing smile from creeping onto his lips. If a photograph of this appeared on the front page of tomorrow's *Survivor Daily*, he wondered what those inner-city nobles would think. *Enterprise Delegation Arrives in Northern Outskirts Alongside Army 26th Commando Team, Engaging in Friendly Exchanges with Alliance Guard Corps.* He had even come up with the headline for the newly established newspaper. "What are these noodles made of?" Tossing another cake of instant noodles into the pot, the commando team's adjutant couldn't help asking. Noodles were simple enough that Ideal City had them too, but deep-fried noodles like this were something he had never seen before. Though deep-fried carbs sounded utterly unhealthy on paper, eating them was surprisingly addictive. Simmered in the spicy broth, the flavor was absolute perfection! Perhaps because he was famished from the march, his mouth hadn't stopped moving since the first bite. This was already his third bowl! "...It's an instant food. You can boil it in hot pot or steep it in boiling water. You all arrived in such a rush; had you let us know a day or two in advance, I could have prepared a much richer spread," Chu Guang said with a smile. It was evident that the Enterprise hadn't invested much budget into them. Even their logistics had been outsourced to wasteland traveling merchants. The man seated to Yun Song's right was the merchant traveling with the army. His name was Heding, and he introduced himself as a humble merchant roaming the wasteland. Still, anyone capable of managing the logistics for an expeditionary force was hardly an ordinary traveling merchant. "...Cooking while eating—I've never seen such an unusual way to dine." Chewing slowly, the merchant named Heding wore a look of keen interest. He looked as though he had sniffed out a business opportunity. "Nowhere else has this?" Chu Guang asked casually. "There are similar things, but none with flavors this bold..." Gulping down some beer, Heding shifted topics and looked at Chu Guang. "Could I ask about the seasoning recipe? Of course, I'm willing to buy it." Chu Guang smiled. "It's no great secret. If you're interested, feel free to chat with the cooks later." Heding shook his head and said in a jesting tone: "In all my years doing business, the very first lesson I learned was that free things cost the most. Please, give me the chance to do business properly—cash on delivery." Chu Guang glanced at him with mild surprise. It seemed this fellow wasn't easy to fool. Then again, it made sense. Most of the crew aboard the Pioneer were engineers; it was only natural they didn't know how to do business. This man was a bona fide merchant who had clearly dealt extensively with survivor settlements outside Ideal City. The tricks Chu Guang had pulled off time and again probably wouldn't work on him. Chu Guang replied readily, "No problem! But let's discuss it after the banquet." Heding smiled and said, "Thank you for granting me this chance. In fact, it isn't just the hot pot... I'm quite interested in these instant noodle cakes as well." "While the nutritional value doesn't seem high, I suspect they aren't hard to preserve and provide a huge amount of calories. If paired with some dehydrated vegetables, they might prove remarkably popular among mercenaries and caravans." *Not bad.* *This guy really has something!* Chu Guang looked at him with growing surprise. Granted, it wasn't something difficult to figure out. Still, to sniff out the business opportunities in his bowl before the meal was even over proved this guy was definitely something else. Chuckling heartily, Chu Guang said, "You saw right through it!" "Our instant noodles' biggest buyers really are mercenaries, followed by long-distance caravans." Heding leaned in with interest. "Could you elaborate?" "Gladly!" Chu Guang found himself hitting it off quite well with this man, particularly when discussing investing in factories, expanding sales channels, and tapping into the Yunjian Province market. Just then, however, Chu Guang noticed that Captain Yun Song seemed somewhat absentminded as he ate, so he asked with concern: "Is it not to your liking?" "No, your food is delicious, and thank you for your hospitality," Yun Song sighed, staring at the beer bottle on the table with a trace of worry in his eyes. "I'm just worried about my wounded brothers." Chu Guang could sense how he felt, yet not knowing what else to say, he offered what comfort he could: "Rest easy. Our hospital may not have the facilities yours does, but our doctors and biologists are consummate professionals. Especially regarding research into broodmothers and slime mold—we've been dealing with those damn things for a long time." As he spoke, the VM on his arm flashed, and a notification popped up on the screen. Chu Guang tapped to open it and found a message sent by Heya: [Inhibitor administered. The wounded are stable.] A flicker of surprise lifted Chu Guang's brow, and a pleasant smile immediately spread across his face. "...Speak of the devil, good news has arrived."