Beta 0.3 Version Update!

A controllable fusion fuel rod! And it was manufactured by Mid-Continent Aerospace, perfectly matching the dimensions of the shelter's reactor! In the Enterprise expedition's camp, inside the temporary warehouse. Looking at that familiar fuel rod resting right at the center of the spoils, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed Chu Guang's face. He had never expected them to get their hands on something this good! "...We scavenged it from an abandoned Mid-Continent Aerospace research institute. We originally went in looking for supplies, but we never expected to find this thing," Heding, standing beside Chu Guang and serving as logistics officer, said with a smile. Chu Guang did not reply right away. Instead, he stepped forward briskly, drew a data cable from his VM, and plugged it into the reactor's interface. "Xiao Qi, check how much charge is left inside." A high-spirited reply came through his earpiece. "Roger that!" As a stream of data flashed across the VM screen, the remaining energy was quickly displayed in a pop-up dialog box. 63%! Looking at this number, the astonishment in Chu Guang's eyes grew even more pronounced. On the wasteland two hundred years after the apocalypse, finding a fuel rod with over fifty percent of its energy remaining was harder than ascending to heaven. As for what it could be used for? The possibilities were simply enormous! With a fuel rod, it meant an abandoned shelter could be rebooted, which meant he could open more branch bases and prepare more starting villages for his little chives—no, his little players! "It seems you're very satisfied with this," Heding said with a smile. Chu Guang collected himself and calmly unplugged the data cable. "Thirty-seven percent of the energy is depleted, but it's decent enough." Heding choked on his words, nearly sputtering. Just as he was about to say something, the Administrator before him swiftly moved past the topic. "Are these all exoskeletons?" Seeing Chu Guang look toward the pile of scrap behind the fuel rod, Heding cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes... taken from some attackers." These exoskeletons were clearly broken, though not completely ruined; they were still salvageable. From the ones that could not be repaired, valuable parts and high-grade electronic components had already been stripped. Judging by their silhouettes and labels, most of the models were "Round Shields" and "Flints." The former was Great Rift Valley equipment characterized by heavy rigid plating, while the latter was a lightweight copy of the former, designed and produced by the Flint Group of the Bugra Free State. "You ran into people from the Great Rift Valley?" A hint of surprise surfaced in Chu Guang's eyes. Heding shook his head. "Their combat discipline was terrible—just a bunch of marauders who happened to have that gear. My guess is they bought it from the Bugra Free State. Isn't that place a well-known black market throughout the central region? I hear they'll trade anything." A trace of surprise showed in Chu Guang's eyes, and he asked with keen interest, "Sounds like you know this area pretty well." Heding said as if it were obvious, "Isn't investigating the local situation before heading out just common sense? Unfortunately, there was too little information about you. I only heard this place was a farmstead, so I brought some Miner I exoskeletons. Who could have guessed that after getting here, the actual situation would be completely different from what I heard?" "Half a year ago this really was a farmstead, and technically it still is. Your intel wasn't entirely wrong..." Looking at the goods in the warehouse, Chu Guang remarked in admiration, "I didn't expect you to pick up so many good things along the way." This hardly looked like a rescue expedition. It was more like a treasure hunt. "Naturally. Our team's carrying capacity is limited; we wouldn't haul anything that wasn't worth keeping." Heding quipped, then continued, "In fact, aside from these exoskeletons, the crude KV-1 is the most common... Of course, the majority were marauders armed with pipe rifles. But once they saw our gear, they usually didn't bother coming close to waste our ammunition. They just kept their distance and moved in to scavenge the battlefield after we left." Chu Guang made a rough estimate of the goods' value. While not comparable to the top-tier items brought from Ideal City, they were still quite respectable. Thirty-some sets of "Round Shields" could probably be repaired, and restoring over a hundred sets of "Flints" wouldn't be an issue. Unlike the Miner series, these exoskeletons were originally built for warfare, roughly matching the "Vanguard" suits worn by the Enterprise soldiers. As a local power capable of resisting the expeditionary advance of both the Legion and the Enterprise, the Great Rift Valley's equipment had plenty of merits worth studying. Factoring in repair costs, Chu Guang valued the contents of this warehouse at 1.5 million silver coins. In the New Alliance's stores, that amount of money could buy 1,500 tons of nutrient paste or 375 tons of corn. Of course, that was at retail price; wholesale rates, whether buying or selling, were an entirely different matter. "Is this everything?" Chu Guang asked offhandedly just in case, not expecting there to actually be more. "Of course not. There's one special trophy we put in the warehouse next door... Follow me." With that, Heding turned and headed for the door. Chu Guang rolled his eyes at his back for playing coy, but followed anyway. The door to the adjacent warehouse swung open. When he saw the iron behemoth standing inside, a look of astonishment instantly leaped into Chu Guang's eyes, rapidly turning into delighted surprise. "Holy crap..." Power armor! It was actually power armor! A protruding alloy breastplate radiated a grim, cold sheen. Faded serial numbers and digital camouflage paint were faintly visible across the silver-gray armor shell. A clean crack ran from its left shoulder down to the armpit, looking as though it had taken a strike from a massive blade. And on its right shoulder was stenciled a line: [Human Alliance—Defeat Is Certain] Chu Guang: ? Normally, shouldn't it say "Victory Is Certain"? Not noticing the subtle shift in Chu Guang's expression, Heding stood to the side and introduced it with no small amount of pride. "OD-10 power armor, codenamed 'Dragoon'! Standard issue for the Human Alliance Aerospace Forces Orbital Drop Troops. From the name, you can probably guess what this baby was built for." The power armor fielded by the Human Alliance military fell broadly into two major categories: ground combat models and aerospace models. The former prioritized firepower and armor, while the latter emphasized weight reduction and mobility. After all, the latter's mission was primarily to ride drop pods from high orbit, rapidly breaking through ground anti-air fire nets to deploy; excessive volume and tonnage would be a severe handicap. The OD-10 Dragoon belonged to the latter. Compared to the heavily armored T-10 "Champion" power armor, its lightweight design made it look far less cumbersome. Even so, that thick plating was not something ordinary light weapons could easily pierce. It would take at least anti-armor shaped-charge rounds! Having finished listing its strengths, Heding slowed his speech and lowered his volume. "Don't get too excited just yet. Just like those exoskeletons, aside from its main frame, micro-reactor, and fusion core, the rest of this power armor is either degraded or broken—" "Doesn't matter, as long as the reactor is good!" Chu Guang said offhandedly. Heding gave Chu Guang a surprised look, not expecting him to know his stuff. Then again, it made sense. He was the leader of the blue coats, after all—maybe even an old popsicle from two hundred years ago. It was hardly surprising for him to understand power armor. "...That's true. The most valuable micro-reactor and fusion core are still operational, and patching up the rest shouldn't be much of a problem. Even that slash mark can easily be fixed by welding a steel plate over it." "It's not meant to take on tanks solo anyway, and I doubt you'd use it for that." Power armor was the umbrella term for all nuclear-powered individual combat equipment. And the biggest difference between power armor and an exoskeleton lay precisely in the power source. Most exoskeletons relied on chemical batteries, whereas power armor was powered by nuclear fusion cores, enabling it to mount heavier plating and wield far more devastating firepower. That was why it was called "a tank that can drive down alleys" and "an infantry fighting vehicle that can climb stairs." So damaged plating didn't matter in the slightest. As long as the most valuable micro-reactor was intact and the fusion core slotted inside was safe, everything was fine! Looking a bit beat-up? Could you call that beat-up? That was the patina of history! Spin a dramatic, legendary backstory for it, and it could easily sell for several million silver coins! Chu Guang had no intention of using this thing himself. The azure power armor he wore was far better suited to represent his status as Administrator. Furthermore, the protective capabilities of his police-issue power armor were by no means poor; its resistance against light weapons might even surpass the Dragoon's, falling behind only slightly in mobility and firepower. Since he wouldn't be standing on the bleeding edge of the front lines, he had no need for those two traits anyway. Most importantly, his set was nearly brand new without a single scratch; there was zero point in swapping it for a second-hand, battle-damaged relic. Better to leave it for his lovely little players! "Where did you find this thing?" Coming down from his excitement, Chu Guang looked at Heding and asked. "That's a long story." Heding's gaze drifted into reminiscence, his tone laced with a touch of complexity and emotion. "While searching for traces of the Pioneer, we intercepted a distress signal. The caller claimed to be a shelter resident taken captive by a band of marauders, who demanded that he repair this antique they had scavenged from who-knows-where." "Naturally, he had no idea how to fix it, but he cleverly bluffed the marauders and tricked them into gathering parts to 'repair the power armor.' Then he used those components to assemble a radio, broadcasting the coordinates of their hideout along with a distress signal." "Normally, that wouldn't have amounted to anything, but we happened to intercept it. We couldn't just stand by and watch civilized folk get thrown into a boiling pot by barbarians." "Since we were passing near the shelter anyway, our captain intended to bring that poor fellow along to your place. Wiping out those marauders armed with pipe rifles took hardly any effort, but... unfortunately, we couldn't save him. We only recovered this suit of power armor." At this point, Heding clicked his tongue, a look of genuine regret on his face. "He was strung up right outside the marauder camp's entrance. By the time we found him, he had been dead for quite a few days. The fellow somehow enraged them, and you really don't want to know what they did to his body... If only he had held out for two or three more days. We had fully planned to bring him here to you." "..." Chu Guang was left speechless, unsure of what to say. Regret was unavoidable. Shelter residents were almost all highly educated, whether they were old popsicles from two hundred years ago or members of the new generation. Heya and the residents of Shelter 117 were prime examples; every single one of them was an outstanding biologist who had made significant contributions to the study of the mutant slime mold. Allowing a bunch of uncivilized savages to treat people like that was an outright loss for all humanity! Assuming the Administrator before him was mourning a fallen compatriot, Heding did not dwell on the subject and pivoted back to the power armor. "Including this power armor and all the salvage from before... If you're interested, I can bundle the whole lot and sell it to you for 1.5 million silver coins." Hearing that figure, Chu Guang didn't even pause to register his delight before blurting out: "Deal!" That was precisely the baseline price he had estimated for the goods in the previous warehouse alone. Looked at that way, this suit of power armor was essentially free! Was there any reason to hesitate? "Don't be in such a rush," Heding smiled meaningfully. "This is a friend's price." Seeing his expression, Chu Guang instantly understood what he meant, and an amused smile curved his lips. "Then... how do I earn your friendship?" Heding glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. "I invested in a food processing plant back in Yunjian Province, dedicated to providing portable self-heating meals and a wide variety of canned goods to the province and mercenaries. But... not everyone can afford the things we make. It would be ideal if there were an instant food that was cheap, convenient to cook, had a long shelf life, and tasted reasonably good." "Supply logistics can't be taken lightly. It's not just a matter of survival, but of morale." "To be blunt, I'm very interested in your instant noodle cakes. You mentioned they keep for a long time, cost very little, and require no preservatives. That sounds far more intriguing than compressed ration biscuits... and I'd also like to learn the recipe for that hot pot base." Looking at the barely suppressed eagerness in Heding's eyes, Chu Guang froze for a second, nearly laughing out loud. Trading instant noodles for power armor? However, he showed none of his amusement, instead feigning deep contemplation for several moments. "...Is our friendship a one-time deal, or long-term?" Hearing this, Heding immediately gave his assurance. "Long-term, of course. Neither of us is greedy, and only sustainable business lasts. Isn't that right?" Chu Guang smiled. "No problem! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll have someone take you on a tour of our factory!" He certainly didn't think a verbal promise held much weight, especially one from a profit-driven merchant. Yet as an excellent salesman, he could never let his client feel shortchanged. After all, whether it was noodle cakes or hot pot base, it might take a bit of thought to develop, but neither could be called complex. Hopefully, during tomorrow's factory visit, Mr. Heding wouldn't be too shocked... ... To help these friends from afar resolve their troubles, Chu Guang stayed busy from morning until sunset, hardly resting the entire day. Yet in return for his efforts, the day's harvest was remarkably gratifying. Beyond the pre-war power armor, the Great Rift Valley exoskeletons, and the fuel rod with 63% energy remaining, Heding had also convinced Yun Song on his behalf to leave behind five logistics personnel to help build a production line for G9 assault rifle parts and ammunition. This meant Chu Guang had not only secured all the loot the expedition had gathered on their journey from Ideal City to the River Valley Province, but any future spoils Yun Song's team acquired before returning to Ideal City would also be prioritized for exchange into silver coins with the New Alliance. Chu Guang could then turn around and sell those spoils to players to soak up silver coins, or export them to neighbors for foreign exchange. As for the arms and ammunition production line "aided" by the Enterprise, it was practically a free windfall! On top of that, these guests from afar would pay 500 silver coins per day in medical fees for each of the twenty wounded soldiers. This fee covered regular inhibitor injections and three meals a day. Right until they were retrieved by their own people. At 10,000 silver coins a day, that was 300,000 a month. Chu Guang wished they would stay for an entire year. Though that was impossible... After dinner, Chu Guang returned to the shelter alone. Boss Xia and Xiao Yu had gone to school, Yin Fang was in Xizhou City, and Heya spent her days shut away in the medical lab. Looking around the empty recreation room, Chu Guang felt an unusual pang of loneliness. Just then, a pleasant voice floated over from an ornament on the desk. "Master, if you're feeling lonely, Xiao Qi can keep you company!" Chu Guang replied out of habit, "Okay." Xiao Qi: "Waaah, so perfunctory!" Chu Guang: "Then... okay, sweetie?" Xiao Qi: "Hehe, even though it sounds fake, it feels way better!" Chu Guang: "..." While being easy to appease was technically a virtue, wasn't this creature's intelligence a bit superfluous? Looking at the figurine covering its face in bashfulness, Chu Guang suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and sat down before his retro-styled laptop. Come to think of it, he hadn't played any games in a long time. While debating whether to relax for a bit, Chu Guang's hand on the mouse instinctively navigated to the forums. Evidently, in his subconscious, *Wasteland OL*, which he had designed himself, was still the more interesting option. Although the Alliance had entered a period of steady growth following the war, and he hadn't cooked up any major new content for a while, the players had actively uncovered plenty of unforeseen joys in areas he had never anticipated. Some players had tagged along with caravans to adventure in the distant Jinchuan Province, posting scenery of the southern jungles and basin plains to the forums; others had ventured north to the Bugra Free State, laying eyes upon that legendary den of sin. Some players had even begun dating bystander NPCs. Though Chu Guang highly doubted that people with entirely different linguistic, cultural backgrounds, and mindsets could stay together for long. As for whether the game's secrets might leak, Chu Guang wasn't worried in the slightest. Whenever a player asked him, his answer was always an open admission—"This is unequivocally an entirely real world"—along with a reminder for players to watch their words, conduct, and reputation among others, hinting that "favorability" might influence quest triggers. Amusingly, the more he emphasized it, the less anyone took him seriously. After all, as long as they still needed a helmet to log in each day, it was impossible for them to convince others who also needed a helmet to enter the game. Speculated truths mattered little; whether one or two individuals believed it completely changed nothing. Just like the previous night, the forum was as lively as ever. Setting aside scattered miscellaneous threads, the Enterprise expedition had undisputed claim to the hottest topic on the forums over the past two days. When the Pioneer had passed near Qingquan City last time, many players had struck it rich by seizing "a historic opportunity," earning the envy of those who missed out and the newcomers who joined later. Now Enterprise people had arrived again. Even if it was a different contingent, it did nothing to dampen the players' burning enthusiasm. Silver coins were practically walking straight into their pockets. How could they let them get away? Master Wang Selling Bamboo Shoots at the Village Entrance: "Holy crap, after running a rip-off shop for so long, we finally caught a flock of fat sheep!" Construction Site Youth and Brick: "Brothers, bring on the soup dumplings, hot pot, barbecue, and crayfish! (Smug)" Makka Pakka: "Damn! I checked out their camp during the day, why do these Celestial Dragons look so broke?" Elaina: "Even if they're broke, they're from the East Coast. A mosquito is still meat! (Funny)" Elven King Fugui: "For some reason, when other people say that, I feel nothing, but when you say it, my stomach churns. (Funny)" Tail: "Whoa! Spread the word! Old Na wants to eat Mosquito! Ψ(｀▽′)Ψ" Tengteng: "Blushing..." WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "How am I getting targeted even for this???" Yaya: "Come on duck, can't you guys be nicer to our friends? Less scheming, more sincerity, and you can still get rich duck. (@′ω｀@)" Indebted Big Eye: "Do you have any shame saying that?! A hundred Cr for a bowl of mushroom soup!" Drum Hair Washer: "Exactly! You're the biggest rip-off of all!" Yaya: "Th-that was a misunderstanding duck! How long are you going to hold onto that! QAQ" Watching his little players pool their wits to brainstorm terrible schemes, Chu Guang couldn't help but wear the smile of a proud father. Truly worthy of the chives he had nurtured. Not only did they contribute their strength when he needed them, but they also took the initiative to help him fleece outsiders. Still, fleecing required finesse. This time, he had proactively negotiated the rules of engagement for the players, setting the trading currency in advance. The players no longer had to slave away trying to earn foreign exchange. By leveraging the home market advantage, earning the silver coins from the NPCs' pockets amounted to the same thing! When those NPCs ran low on silver coins, Captain Yun Song would naturally bring the treasures carried from the East Coast or the loot seized from marauders to exchange with him for cash. If they really ran out of funds, Chu Guang would introduce them to lucrative commissions that players couldn't handle yet, or have them contact headquarters to wire funds. As long as it didn't conflict with their primary mission and the risk wasn't excessive, he believed they wouldn't mind lending their allies a hand. This way, the players earned silver coins, the Enterprise expedition solved their logistics problems, and the New Alliance gained goods from Ideal City along with a thriving economy. This was an absolute win-win! At the thought, a joyful smile spread across Chu Guang's face. Double-clicking the mouse, he opened a previously created folder. Inside lay the patch notes for the Beta 0.3 update. Originally, he had intended to release them as soon as brother Fang Chang unlocked the black market. Yet plans could not keep up with changing circumstances. With the sudden arrival of the Enterprise personnel, the original announcement had become somewhat outdated. In the new version, players would have more progression paths and equipment options. Meanwhile, the player faction would engage in far more frequent exchanges with other wasteland powers. Just as he had once told Luka, they were no longer a small village or a lone settlement of survivors. They were an alliance composed of countless survivors! After spending some time editing, Chu Guang posted the revised announcement on the forum. [Beta 0.3 Version Update: Massive Influx of High-Tech Equipment and Bionic Prosthetics!] [New Equipment: "Round Shield" Exoskeleton. Boasting light weapon protection comparable to the Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry" exoskeleton, this armor designed for warfare can adapt to the vast majority of wasteland battlefield environments... Priced at 30,000 silver coins!] ["Flint" Exoskeleton. Benchmarked against the Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeleton, this is a lightweight derivative of the "Round Shield" exoskeleton, featuring superior mobility and extended endurance... Priced at 15,000 silver coins!] [New NPC "Logistics Officer Heding": Hailing from Ideal City, Heding is the logistics officer of the Enterprise expedition. He harbors no lofty ideals, only a desire to make money, so please do not waste his time.] [New NPC "Expedition Captain Yun Song": Captain of the Enterprise's 26th Commando Unit. A career soldier who departed from the East Coast and traveled far into the western desert to reinforce the Pioneer.] [New NPC "...": ...] [VM Event Store: Limited-time sale on high-grade bionic prosthetics and organs, purchasable with silver coins. Supplies are limited, act quickly!] [Note: Bionic organs from Ideal City fetch a high price in Boulder City, making them excellent choices whether for trade or personal use. However, please mind the equipment drop mechanics. In the event of an accidental character death, remember to have teammates recover your items and schedule surgery promptly.] [New Contribution Tier: "Knight"] [Upon reaching 100,000 contribution points, players may advance from "High Citizen" to "Apprentice Knight." After attaining "Knight," players may purchase and own a suit of power armor from the NPC shop, and the land ownership cap is increased from 500 square meters to 1,000 square meters.] [...] Reviewing the contents of the update announcement, Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction. "The Pioneer has run into trouble. If things go south, I might have to mobilize the player corps again, so the 'Pioneering' system will have to wait for the next version..." "This will do for Beta 0.3 for now." There was quite a lot of content in this update. Surely no one would accuse him of slacking off now.