Please Have Some Self-Respect!

"Thirst... water..." Not knowing how long she had been unconscious, Xia Yan gradually came to, feeling ravenously hungry while her throat felt as dry as if a branding iron had been shoved down it. Her arms felt as heavy as lead. Her blurred vision seemed veiled by a layer of fog. She struggled to push herself up from the floor, but after one attempt, she gave up. That was until her gaze landed on a plastic bottle and a wrapper not far away. Lunging forward violently, Xia Yan snatched the plastic bottle. Without caring what liquid was inside, she tilted her head back and gulped it down noisily. Her thirst was instantly relieved. After pouring the last drop into her mouth, Xia Yan tossed the bottle aside. Then, like a starving ghost, she grabbed the plastic wrapper from the ground and ripped it open. Instinct told her there was food inside! However, when she saw the dark, blackened thing within, the ravenous hunger on her face froze in visible bewilderment. *What is this...?* She leaned close to sniff it. At least it didn't stink. After a moment of hesitation, Xia Yan finally steeled her resolve and cautiously took a small bite. The instant it touched her lips and teeth, her expression froze, and then her pupils dilated violently. *This!* *What kind of taste is this?!* In one breath, she shoved the entire blackened piece into her mouth. Having completely devoured it, Xia Yan licked her lips, craving more. She didn't even spare the plastic wrapper, turning it inside out and licking it clean. Just then, the alloy door in front of her opened. Xia Yan looked up and saw that man standing in the doorway. "Awake?" Instinctively shrinking back in fear, Xia Yan quickly glanced down at her clothes, then braced herself and nodded. "Yes." "Tasty?" Though she wanted to show some backbone, her mouth refused to cooperate. "Tasty..." Chu Guang smiled faintly. "Want more?" "Yes." Xia Yan nodded vigorously. Pleased with her response, Chu Guang gave a nod. "What you just ate is called chocolate." "Starting today, you work for me. You do whatever I tell you to do." "In exchange, I can provide you with safe lodging and food. In addition, if your performance satisfies me, I'll give you another piece of that." Xia Yan had never eaten chocolate before; she had only heard that it was an extremely popular delicacy before the war, as well as a luxury enjoyed by high society in Boulder City. "...That's what chocolate tastes like?" Her forefinger subconsciously brushed against her lips. Staring blankly, Xia Yan felt regret gradually creep into her eyes. *Damn it!* *If I'd known, I would have eaten it slower!* Naturally, Chu Guang couldn't guess what she was thinking. If he knew, he would have rolled his eyes. *It's just a piece of chocolate...* *Is it really that big of a deal?* "Indeed," Chu Guang said, looking at Xia Yan sitting on the floor. "So, what's your answer?" "I'm willing." Xia Yan agreed without hesitation, not even asking what Chu Guang planned for her to do. After all, she had no choice to begin with. Having lost half a leg, even if she made it back to Boulder City, her end would be nothing more than rotting away in an alleyway of the slums. Just like a rotting orange peel. No one would care in the slightest. As long as one could live, naturally no one wanted to die. At least she didn't possess that kind of suicidal resolve. Xia Yan turned her head away, closed her eyes resignedly, and whispered, "E-even though I haven't tried it before, it should be fine. I know what you want... Just be gentle." "Huh?" Chu Guang blinked in surprise. But having traded crude jokes for years, he was no novice; seeing her expression, he instantly realized her mind had wandered down the wrong track. Straightening his face, he said sternly, "Miss, please have some self-respect. I'm having a very serious discussion with you about work." *If you keep this up...* *I won't be able to stay serious either.* Hearing Chu Guang's words, Xia Yan froze as well. *What?* *Didn't this guy capture me and bring me back just to bear his children???* Her pupils shook violently. As she finally separated her wild imagination from reality, her face flushed the color of pig liver. Turning her head away in mortification, she stared at the crack in the corner of the floor and snapped through gritted teeth, "Just kill me..." Chu Guang: "???" *What the hell?* ... Taking some time, Chu Guang explained the local situation to Xia Yan as she lay on the floor. Video games were hardly popular in the wasteland, and explaining things using the concept of players would only confuse her. Chu Guang couldn't be bothered to cast pearls before swine, so he simply put it into terms she could understand. "To put it simply, my subordinates and I intend to establish a survivor settlement on the surface, drive out the mutants, take in refugees, and restore order to this region." Upon hearing Chu Guang's words, Xia Yan wore an expression of blatant disbelief. How arrogant did someone have to be to make such an unrealistic claim? Restore order? Over the past two centuries, countless people had attempted it, yet not a single one had succeeded. Instead, the mutants entrenched in the city only grew more numerous, as did the mutants elsewhere, steadily squeezing the survivors' living space until conditions worsened year after year. "Do you think restoring order is as simple as putting up a wall?" Her pride stung, Xia Yan spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "You really ought to visit Boulder City. There are countless people there far stronger than you, yet even they can only linger on the fringes of the Third Ring Road. What do you think you can accomplish?" "Naturally, I have my plans," Chu Guang replied calmly, looking at her without having ever worried about such objections. "I never intended to achieve this goal in a few months. I am well aware that this will be a protracted campaign, and I am prepared to sacrifice several generations to see it through." *How annoying.* *It's just background lore, can't you let me finish my lines?* Naturally, Chu Guang knew restoring order wasn't something that could be done with mere words, nor did he arrogantly believe he was invincible just because he had killed a few broke marauders living in the outer suburbs. Yet this was his persona. Or rather, the game's setting. At the very least, he had to make the players feel this NPC was the real deal. However, the woman before him had clearly only caught the latter half. *Several generations?* Xia Yan shrank back nervously. *S-so it really is about having babies after all.* "Back to the topic," Chu Guang cleared his throat lightly and continued. "You know how to assemble firearms, right? As well as maintain parts and the like?" Xia Yan nodded. "Yes, that's basic knowledge." "Very good." Chu Guang nodded. "Starting now, you are the weapon shop's proprietress." "Huh?" Xia Yan looked utterly bewildered, not understanding what he meant. Because when Chu Guang uttered that term, he didn't use the language of this world at all, but Mandarin from a parallel world. "The weapon shop's proprietress," Chu Guang repeated, enunciating each word as he looked at her. "That is your job. Simply put, you will sell firearms and maintain guns. If anyone asks what you do, that's what you tell them." "Sell guns?" Xia Yan asked blankly. "To whom?" "To the residents of the shelter." "Ah???" Xia Yan became even more baffled. "Aren't those people your subordinates?" "They are, but they're a bit different from the subordinates you have in mind," Chu Guang paused, then continued. "Simply put, we've just crawled out from underground and need to concentrate our forces to accomplish big things. Given our scarcity of supplies, we are temporarily running a planned economy where everyone works together and eats from the same pot. "Once the survival crisis is resolved and various resources begin to show a surplus, they will need to take the initiative, step out of their comfort zones, and push forward. When that time comes, our settlement will adopt a different set of rules. Things like food, medicine, weapons, and other resources will no longer be free. "Since you mentioned Boulder City, you must know about chips, right? It's the same principle." Clearly, this woman had no idea what he was talking about. Any survivor on the wasteland with even a shred of education could at least scrape by as a lackey for some local landlord, much like old Charlie waiting out his days in Bet Street. If they possessed a technical skill, they could land a position in a factory, tending boilers, compounding pharmaceuticals, or repairing power armor for the big shots. Only the destitute would engage in trades where they traded their lives for cash. Just like this Miss Xia before him. On the wasteland, mercenaries were never a glamorous profession; they were merely cheap cannon fodder without welfare or allowances. Yet Chu Guang didn't mind. All he needed was a tool who could execute his orders. Knowledge? Experience? Competence? All of it could be learned. Pausing, Chu Guang looked at her and said, "The language our people use is a bit different from that of the people on the surface. But that's not a big problem. I'll teach you a few simple lines for daily communication. "All you need to do is follow my instructions."