You're Truly Too Generous!

"...How are you feeling now?" "Thank you... I feel much better." Waking from his coma, Shen Rui raised his head and saw a woman in a white coat standing in the ward, sporting rare long white hair. He then looked down at his left arm. Under his rolled-up sleeve, the limb was covered in fleshy reddish folds, looking like something rotting. At this sight, his pupils contracted slightly, and he held his breath involuntarily. Standing outside the ward window watching the show, several players who had yet to log off were chatting in hushed voices, eager for drama. "Are these the guys from the Enterprise?" "Why do they all look so sickly?" "Probably like that guy Bucky, got bitten by a gnawer on the way here." "...Damn, a Kirin arm?" "Looks pretty badass." "Damn, where do you get one of those?" "What do you want one for?" "To equip one, obviously! Heh, if it could shoot out tentacles dozens of meters long like in *Prototype*, that'd be sick!" "Holy crap, you've got some twisted taste!" Fortunately, the wounded in the ward couldn't hear them, nor could they understand what those idiots outside were babbling about. Otherwise, the blood pressure they'd finally managed to bring down would've spiked right back to the max. Looking at the tablet in her hands, Heya's eyes twinkled with excitement and curiosity as she spoke at a brisk clip: "Erosion rate: eleven percent. The mutant slime mold has replaced your left arm. Luckily, it's only the left arm. Your symptoms are relatively mild. I gave you an inhibitor, which can halt the further spread of the slime mold... and keep it from replacing your brain." "Can it be cured?" Although Shen Rui had deep doubts about the medical facilities here, the moment he heard the word "inhibitor," hope rekindled in the eyes of the man lying on the bed, as if he were grasping at a life-saving straw. Nobody wanted a lump of tissue that didn't belong to them growing on their body, especially when that thing was alive. However, Heya's next words plunged his mood straight into the abyss. "Incurable." "Every broodmother adopts a different evolutionary strategy, and we know absolutely nothing about the situation in Yongdong City." "You have two options right now: replace it with a bionic prosthesis, or... wait until you get back home and see if any doctor can help you." Heya actually preferred that he choose the former, because that meant she would acquire a fascinating specimen. Recently, the New Alliance had obtained a batch of bionic prostheses from Boulder City, and their quality was reasonably decent. However, the man lying on the sickbed didn't even hesitate before choosing the latter. "...No need, thank you." With a self-deprecating smile, Shen Rui rested the back of his head back against the pillow. Even if he were to get a bionic prosthesis, he certainly wouldn't do it outside Ideal City. Just then, the hospital door opened, and an officer from the commando unit walked in with hurried steps, accompanied by Chu Guang. "How are things here?" Without waiting for Heya to answer, Yun Song immediately stepped over to the freshly awakened Shen Rui and asked with grave urgency: "Are you guys feeling any better? Any discomfort anywhere? Or allergic reactions?" Shen Rui stared at his left hand for a moment, then looked at his unchanged right hand, seemingly comparing them. "I feel much better than yesterday. It just feels like part of my body doesn't belong to me." "Anything else?" Yun Song pressed. "Nothing else, really. Aside from my left hand feeling a bit awkward, it's not a big issue. I even feel confident enough to head back onto the battlefield!" The moment Chu Guang heard that, he hastened to dissuade him: "How can you say that? You've barely recovered from your wounds—you still need to recuperate!" How could he let a duck that was already in his mouth fly away? Could an ICU bed and specialized medicine be billed at the same price as regular care? According to the agreement he'd reached with the Enterprise commando captain, when the Enterprise caravan passed through next month, they would settle the expenses for these wounded men. Compared to these broke soldiers who also had a mission to attend to, a caravan laden with cargo returning home was naturally far fatter with grease. Heya found it strange and didn't understand why Chu Guang wanted to keep these burdens around, but seeing the hint in his eyes, she nodded in agreement. "I advise the same. Stabilizing the condition requires inhibitors, and producing inhibitors requires slime mold fruiting bodies as raw materials." "We only had one patient here before, so our pre-made stockpile is quite limited. Without enough medicine, relying on your own immune systems will hardly stop the slime mold from continuing its erosion." Yun Song's face took on a somber look. "Is there no specific medicine that can cure it completely?" "Not for now." Heya shook her head. "In fact, I only started researching this stuff this year... There was never any of this crap in the shelter where I was born." "I suggest keeping them here for observation for a while. Perhaps there will be a breakthrough." For now, this was the best course of action. In truth, being parasitized by mutant slime mold wasn't entirely bad. Looking at the bright side, at least regenerative ability and metabolic speed would increase, while pain perception would be dulled. It was equivalent to a portion of one's bodily tissue gaining resilience comparable to a mutant's. Or, one could think of it as a "biological prosthesis" with self-repair capabilities. It was just that using a living organism as a prosthesis was psychologically unacceptable to the vast majority of people. ... Leaving the ward, Yun Song stopped and looked at Chu Guang beside him, speaking with a hint of embarrassment. "I've troubled you regarding those wounded men." "No trouble at all, just a small favor." Chu Guang smiled. After a brief pause, he continued, "By the way, I didn't ask during dinner earlier—did something happen with the *Pioneer*?" Hearing this question, Yun Song fell silent, seemingly hesitating over whether to disclose the situation. Seeing his reaction, Chu Guang guessed that this shouldn't be an inviolable secret, so he pressed on: "The crew of the *Pioneer* are important partners to us. Our residents want to know if they are safe. That matters a great deal to us." Looking at the serious expression on the Administrator before him, Yun Song remained quiet for a moment, then sighed softly. "Truth be told, our *Pioneer* ran into some trouble after pushing deep into the wasteland. They released a 'Migratory Bird' to transmit a final message to the Enterprise, after which all contact was lost." "Upon learning that they were in trouble, we immediately dispatched reinforcements to the west while scanning for their signals along the way. Unfortunately, we haven't found a thing. It's as if they've vanished..." "We suspect two possibilities: one is that their communications equipment suffered a malfunction, and the other is that strong signal interference exists in the local area. In either case, it seems our only choice now is to continue westward, deep into the desert, to discover anything new." From Sunset Province to the easternmost coast of the continent spanned thousands of kilometers, crossing multiple megacity clusters and ancient battlefields. Without the backing of satellites and a communications network, signals transmitted from the *Pioneer* could hardly reach Ideal City directly. As part of the ancient battlegrounds, outer space was currently blanketed by erratically drifting orbital debris and automated defense weapons; launching satellites and keeping them operational was practically impossible. This was also why most survivor factions rarely utilized satellites even if they possessed the launch technology. As for the "Migratory Bird" system, it was a disposable communications tool designed by the Enterprise for itinerant merchants and expedition teams. Its characteristics were lightweight compactness and ease of launch—essentially a cheap, long-endurance drone capable of completing a low-orbit circumnavigation of the globe to evade ground radar before releasing its stored data once it re-entered Ideal City's communications range. Chu Guang had heard about this system from Luo Hua before and had even felt tempted to procure one. However, because the Migratory Birds were hardcoded to fly only toward Ideal City, and there was no precedent for exporting the system to other survivor factions, he had dropped the idea after inquiring. "Can you tell us what kind of trouble it was?" Chu Guang felt that the man in front of him must know some inside details. And sure enough, Yun Song's next words confirmed his suspicion. "The Legion!" A shadow passed over Yun Song's eyes. "Those ridge-nosed bastards are like crows clutching rotten meat in their beaks—they want to peck at everything they see. Our guess is that survivors or a caravan from Sunset Province spotted our land fortress and leaked the news to the Legion." At this point, the commando captain couldn't help swearing under his breath: "Two hundred years! It's always like this. They only care about Shelter 0 whenever we decide to look for it." "What exactly is inside Shelter 0?" Chu Guang couldn't help asking curiously. Although he didn't expect this grunt to answer a question that even Lu Yang, the supreme commander on the *Pioneer*, couldn't answer, he wanted to hear other people's perspectives. Yun Song shook his head. "Who knows? Maybe a superweapon, maybe an unfinished piece of technology. Nobody knows who started saying that a treasure capable of reviving civilization is hidden there... Honestly, if you ask me, the whole thing might've been an exaggerated rumor, a hoax from the very start." "It's not like that hasn't happened before. Some treasure worshipped like a sacred relic by a bunch of wastelander scavengers turns out to be nothing more than a water purifier. Life in Ideal City is already good enough as it is. What does it matter if we don't find Shelter 0? Even in the most prosperous eras, life was still just three meals a day." Although his conviction to reinforce his comrades didn't waver in the slightest, he clearly put no faith in the rumors surrounding Shelter 0. That tale had been told for two hundred years. If an underground shelter could really solve all problems, the world wouldn't have ended up in this state in the first place. Seeming to realize he had strayed off-topic, Yun Song stopped venting his thoughts on the legend and brought the subject back: "Got off track. Regardless of that legend, I have to wipe the asses of the brothers on the *Pioneer*. If they can still push forward, we'll give them a hand. If they've suffered heavy losses, we'll bring them home." "Since those beasts from the West Coast are itching for a fight again, we might as well settle old scores and new ones all at once!" As he said this, a distinct trace of hatred surfaced in Yun Song's gaze. Chu Guang pondered inward. It seemed the relationship between the Enterprise and the Legion was truly far from harmonious. It wasn't just a matter of mutual dislike; there were almost certainly deep historical grudges involved. He had no intention of entangling himself in the conflict between two "Fallen Empires," but doing favors for the Enterprise clearly yielded far more benefits. Both the Enterprise and the Legion were quite far from here, so the chances of being directly retaliated against by either side were minuscule. Qingquan City wasn't the Great Ravine, after all. Giant cities blanketed in slime mold were hardly rare on the wasteland; nobody was going to send an expeditionary army just to pick up a worthless rock. Therefore, after merely two seconds of contemplation, Chu Guang spoke in a generous tone: "Our friends' troubles are our troubles. If there is anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to say the word." Yun Song cast Chu Guang a grateful look. "I was just about to bring that up! We expended far too much ammunition on our way here. We urgently need to replenish bullets, as well as light and heavy anti-armor weapons. For the latter, we're not too picky—as long as infantry can carry them, they're simple to operate, and they have decent accuracy and range, that's enough!" A smile appeared on Chu Guang's face. "That's easy to arrange. Weapons are the one thing we don't lack here. However, as for the bullets... that might be a bit tricky." "Is it a caliber mismatch?" Yun Song frowned. "Yes. Our rifles fire a 7mm full-power cartridge. Both the case length and primer don't match your G9 'Black Swan.' Opening a new production line right now would take too long, unless you're willing to stay here for half a month before heading out." "Half a month... that's far too long," Yun Song said with a conflicted look. "That's already the fastest scenario. Setting up a new production line requires extensive preparations, especially when manufacturing an entirely new product." Looking at the brooding Yun Song, Chu Guang offered an empathetic proposal: "So, I have a suggestion: you could try our LD-47 rifles." Yun Song froze for a moment. "The LD-47?" Chu Guang nodded. "Yes. It's a combat-proven weapon; we just won a major victory with it. Although the enemy wasn't an official Legion formation, they were puppet forces trained by Legion officers and equipped with standard-issue Legion gear." "While this weapon isn't high on precision, has a simple receiver structure, and supports fewer modular attachments, it makes up for it with ample firepower and a low malfunction rate. It performs remarkably well in desert environments. Many caravans arriving from the west love our weapons." Yun Song frowned and said, "However... our targeting-assist plugins are only compatible with the G9 assault rifle. Using non-standard equipment could severely degrade our soldiers' combat effectiveness." Hearing this, Chu Guang felt a surge of helplessness. Can you people not fight without wallhacks and aimbots? Then again, it made sense. If a cheater who used aimbots every day suddenly had their hacks banned, anyone could see the glaring gap in skill before and after. Regarding the commando captain's concerns, Chu Guang explained patiently: "Combat effectiveness doesn't necessarily have to come from weapon accuracy alone; superior firepower is an advantage in its own right. Now that you can obtain logistical supplies from us, you won't need to conserve ammunition anymore, so your combat effectiveness won't actually suffer." "Besides, this is merely a backup option. On top of temporarily using our weapons, you can also leave a portion of your logistics personnel behind with us to help set up an ammunition production line for the G9 'Black Swan' assault rifles." "Though our industrial base is somewhat primitive, we boast abundant resources. Manufacturing some bullets won't be an issue. Once matching ammunition is in supply, we will immediately dispatch an armed transport convoy to your coordinates. You can swap back to your original gear then!" Hearing Chu Guang's proposal, Yun Song was visibly stunned. Not because the proposal was overly fanciful, but because he hadn't expected their ally to be so remarkably considerate. Not only were they lending their own weapons first, but they were also willing to set up a factory for them—and as soon as new ammunition was manufactured, they would ship it right to them! What kind of angelic teammate was this?! "Thank you!" Yun Song said with profound gratitude. "You're truly too generous!" Although Heding was in charge of logistics, Yun Song couldn't think of a single reason to refuse the Administrator's proposal. Hesitating for even a second right now would be a show of distrust toward an ally and a betrayal of such generosity! Chu Guang, on the other hand, felt slightly sheepish, especially hearing him praise his generosity. "Like I said, no need to be so polite," Chu Guang smiled and continued. "If you need it, our soldiers can even share the same trenches with you!" There hadn't been any fighting lately, and quite a few players were bored out of their minds. Following their old friends from the Enterprise out for a tour wouldn't be a bad idea. Earning some casualty compensation to support rear-area construction would benefit everyone. However, perhaps because he felt Chu Guang was being too generous, Yun Song felt too embarrassed to accept in the end and shook his head: "That won't be necessary. This is a grudge between us and the Legion. If those people find out you took part in this war, it might bring trouble upon you." Pausing, he continued in a solemn tone: "I'll brief the logistics staff about weapon production. However, we can't let you do us such a massive favor for nothing." "Along the way to River Valley Province, though we ran into plenty of trouble, it proved a blessing in disguise as we captured a heap of battle trophies. Aside from that, we brought along trade goods when we set out to barter for supplies." "I'll give you an inventory list. Whatever catches your eye, feel free to pick it!" *Feel free to pick?* *There's a deal like that?* Joy showed on Chu Guang's face. However, he didn't let the delight cloud his judgment. He understood the principle of keeping a stream flowing steadily. With that Heding around, he would definitely block such an overtly unreasonable arrangement. What Chu Guang needed to do was make the trading rules more advantageous for the Alliance on a win-win foundation. "Wouldn't you be getting the short end of the stick? We aren't the type to take advantage of our friends." Chu Guang paused briefly and suggested: "How about this: based on our own needs, I'll assess a fair price for your goods and convert it into silver coins for you. You can use those silver coins to purchase the supplies you need in our market." "In the future, whenever you acquire more battle trophies, you can continue bringing them here to sell." Hearing Chu Guang's proposal, Yun Song agreed without hesitation, answering readily: "No problem!" ... Transporting a ton of dry rations from Ideal City to the 26th Commando Team was unquestionably cost-ineffective. And paper currency like Cr only carried purchasing power in the coastal provinces; once in the heartland of the Mid-Continent, it wasn't even as useful as the Legion's dinars. After all, the latter were at least made of gold. For the Enterprise, there were two solutions. One was to carry the production lines on their backs, so that no matter where they went, they could eat food from home and sip authentic coffee and tea, while showing off the "light of civilization" to the barbarians out west along the way. The *Pioneer* was a product born of this philosophy. Beyond searching for Shelter 0, Lu Yang and his crew had never been stingy about lending a helping hand to wastelanders along their route, building a reputation for the Enterprise and blazing trade routes while on their journey. However, even for the Enterprise with all of Ideal City's might, constructing a nuclear-powered land fortress was no easy feat. Such a marvel was reserved strictly for the favorite son. As for grunts like Yun Song, they naturally had no access to such luxuries. Thus arose the alternative solution: outsourcing logistics to "trustworthy" traveling merchants. Before an expedition team departed, in addition to preparing ammunition and basic supplies, the Enterprise would allocate a budget for the expedition to procure trade goods in the local market. These trade goods typically featured "high added value"—such as fast-acting specialized antibiotics, bionic prostheses that seamlessly replaced original limbs, and high-tech wares that the vast majority of survivor settlements across the wasteland couldn't manufacture. The accompanying traveling merchant was responsible for managing these goods, bartering with survivor settlements along the route for as much ammunition, daily necessities, and consumer goods as possible, while also collaborating with the captain to maintain team morale. The latter was especially vital. Although Enterprise professional soldiers were generally more polite and "civilized" than mercenaries, that was strictly predicated on having their bellies full. If military pay couldn't be spent, and they had to subsist on nutrient paste day in and day out while clutching a stack of useless paper, there was no telling who their rifle barrels might end up pointing at. Of course, in exchange for risking their lives, the Enterprise offered traveling merchants substantial perks. The expedition team would sacrifice a fraction of their "efficiency" to provide escort and protection for the accompanying merchant and his goods while ensuring mission success. That was better than any insurance policy. Soldiers armed to the teeth with high-tech equipment were practically invincible so long as they didn't run into "entities beyond comprehension." And even if they did encounter them, they boasted the highest survival rates! Consequently, banks in Ideal City were far more willing to grant lower-interest loans to traveling merchants who accompanied expedition teams. Heding was just such a merchant. This wasn't his first time collaborating with Enterprise personnel. However, heading west into the heart of the Mid-Continent was a first for him. Barring any surprises, it was also destined to be his most memorable trip. "...I may have underestimated you, respected Administrator." Holding an inventory list, Heding suddenly sighed as he handed it to Chu Guang. "Is that a compliment?" Chu Guang asked with a chuckle. "You could say that. After all, we rarely do business in 'silver coins.' Seeing you chatting so pleasantly with our captain, I should've been on guard, but I still got caught off guard." Heding shot Chu Guang a meaningful look, clearly having seen through his intentions. The New Alliance didn't possess sufficient reserves of Cr. If trade was conducted in silver coins, it meant they could purchase the goods in their hands at "cheaper" rates. In return, his pockets would end up stuffed with a pile of inexplicable scrap paper. He wasn't worried that those silver coins wouldn't buy anything; rather, his concern was that this local currency could *only* be used within the New Alliance to buy items priced in silver coins. Evidently, his captain hadn't considered what they were supposed to do when they pulled out of here. Could they really expect to exchange the silver coins back into Cr and take them away? In the end, they would either leave with a pile of scrap paper, or with loads of timber and ore that they had no idea where to use. Or... Leave the money behind as a local investment? Chu Guang maintained a pleasant smile, not feeling the least bit self-conscious about Heding seeing through his scheme. "This is good for both of us, isn't it?" "Of course, I don't deny that." Heding offered a faint smile and said nothing more. Though the other party had played a few clever tricks, he truly had no grounds for complaint. Whether from his standpoint as a logistics officer or from his own personal perspective. He hadn't risked his life accompanying Enterprise soldiers on a long journey for charity. It was to strike it rich. Since the man was willing to resolve a mountain of logistical headaches for him and had promised him personal perks as well... Why would he bother blowing the whistle? ... The next day, the streets of Boulder City were bustling with activity as people gathered in groups of three and five, chattering incessantly. "...An Enterprise delegation has reached the northern outskirts?" "For real?!" "Must be true, there are photos!" "Photos? Where?" "In the newspaper! Go see for yourself!" People from the Enterprise coming to Qingquan City was massive news. Although they had never been to the East Coast, many had heard of Ideal City. It was precisely because they had never been there that curiosity surged in so many hearts upon hearing the news. As for how this news had spread, it all traced back to the recently sensational *Survivor Daily*. At one chip per copy, the newspaper wasn't cheap. Yet unlike other newspapers in Boulder City, this paper didn't operate on a subscription-plus-mailbox-delivery model. Instead, it was sold outside taverns, general stores, and similar storefronts. Poor folk who couldn't afford to buy a copy could stand by the doorway and browse through it, learning about the latest happenings in town. Because the partner taverns and shops had already received perks from the newspaper, the shopkeepers wouldn't chase away people who only read without buying. After all, having so many people gathered together chatting made the storefront look lively. With the recent economic downturn making small businesses hard to run, such bustling crowds were becoming an increasingly rare sight. Of course, compared to ordinary onlookers enjoying the show, those even more shocked were Mayor Dulong of City Hall, President Mo'erwen of the Boulder City Bank, Weijia, and a whole slew of trading firm bosses and factory owners. Especially when they saw the headline photo in the *Survivor Daily* and the accompanying caption, they were stunned to the point of disbelieving their own eyes: *Enterprise Delegation Arrives in Qingquan City's Northern Outskirts!* *Accompanying Soldiers Launch Joint Operations with Alliance Guards Corps?* *Head of Delegation Reaffirms Everlasting Friendship with the Alliance??* *Extends Warmest Greetings to the Alliance's Administrator???* "What utter bullshit!" His eyes bulging into the size of large chips, Mo'erwen stared at the newspaper in his hands, his face the very picture of dumbfounded bewilderment. Unlike the others, he was a man of the world. In his youth, he had traveled to the East Coast with a caravan and witnessed the splendor of Ideal City. That place was the closest thing to heaven in the Prosperity Era on the entire wasteland. Before that towering metropolis, even the immense Boulder City was as insignificant as a slum. The Enterprise had plenty of friendly partners along the East Coast, but at most they offered modest trade discounts and sold some useful equipment; he had never heard of those arrogant bastards showing such favor to anyone! Mo'erwen swallowed hard, at a loss for what expression to make, let alone how to describe his feelings at this moment. Envy? Jealousy? Wary apprehension? Unease? Probably all of the above... Yet above all was disbelief. Instinctively, he refused to believe the garbage printed on this newspaper; he simply couldn't. And yet that photo... It didn't look fake at all!