Contamination Spreads in Silence

"No! You can't eat that fruit!" An argument broke out in front of a fruit stall on North Street. A generously endowed young woman stood like a mother hen shielding her chicks, keeping two girls—one older, one younger—behind her. In front of her, an unmistakably ferocious-looking stall owner glared back with daggers in his eyes, looking as though he wanted to swallow her whole. Seeing more and more onlookers gather, Shuang Xue, who didn't want to cause trouble for the Administrator, anxiously tugged at Yaya's arm. "Yaya, um... we won't buy it." Seeing Yaya and the fruit vendor locked in a standoff, Shuang Ye, hiding behind her sister, looked even more terrified. In a tiny voice, she said, "Please... don't fight." She had only been curious about what that green fruit tasted like and pestered her sister to buy one for her to try. She never imagined it would cause such an uproar. At the thought that she might have caused trouble for her sister, tears welled in her eyes. "It's not about whether you buy it or not!" Looking earnestly at Shuang Xue, Yaya bent down to pat her little sister's head. Soothing the little girl, she spoke softly. "...Big sister isn't picking a fight. There's a bad guy selling bad things in our settlement. Can we just let him keep harming people?" Shuang Ye blinked. "A bad guy?" "Uh-huh." Yaya nodded vigorously, then straightened up. Turning around, she grabbed a vivid green fruit from the stall, held it up high, and swept her gaze across the surrounding crowd before shouting at the top of her lungs. "Listen up, everyone! This fruit is poisonous! You must not eat it!" As soon as the words left her mouth, an uproar swept through the onlookers. "Poisonous?!" "What's going on?!" "Hiss... I think I saw people buy and eat some." "Nothing bad's going to happen, right?!" Hearing the murmurs around him, the fruit vendor's face instantly flushed red. He glared at her and bellowed, "You! Watch it, or I'll sue you for slander! This fruit was shipped from the south... How is it poisonous?!" Yaya huffed with satisfaction and proudly puffed out her chest. "I can tell whether it's poisonous at a single glance!" Teng Teng, who had been standing aside without saying a word, shot a sidelong glance at her rather dim-witted friend. Crossing her arms, she sighed. "You're going to get the opposite effect like this." "Uh-huh?!" "Makes sense," Jiu Jiu said, looking at the utterly baffled Yaya. Stroking her chin with a look of clever realization, her eyes darted about. "Whenever my brother has free time, he insists on dragging me along to grind levels, and it annoys the hell out of me... Is that what you call reverse psychology?" Teng Teng rubbed her forehead. "...It doesn't really have anything to do with reverse psychology." Yaya's talent only worked for herself. In her perception, poisonous things glowed green, but no one else could see it. Besides, her talent wasn't a hundred percent accurate either. There had been previous instances where players ate something she flagged and ended up completely fine. Perception was one of the most metaphysical stats in this game, a composite manifestation of all forms of insight, and Yaya's "Toxin Intuition" talent was the most metaphysical of them all. Almost as soon as Yaya finished speaking, the onlookers traded glances, and whispers quickly rippled through the crowd. "Poisonous?!" "That lurid green shade really does look pretty nasty..." "I think the girl's right!" "She's wearing a blue jacket!" "And she's stacked!" "Still... even if she's a vault dweller, isn't declaring it poisonous in a single sentence a bit rash?" "True. By the standards they carried over from the Era of Prosperity, way too many things on the wasteland are toxic. Hell, even humans might count as toxic!" "Shipping fruit all the way from Jinchuan Province isn't easy..." "We wastelander folks aren't fragile like them—can't eat this, can't eat that. If I'm starving, I'd even eat gnawers!" "Tsk, tsk. Whatever the case, crossing the last people you should cross on Alliance territory... this vendor's probably finished." Alliance residents naturally sided with their own; they didn't doubt Yaya's words in the slightest. However, survivors from other regions mostly sympathized with the vendor, especially the traveling merchants running small businesses across the wasteland. At least in the settlements they had visited, there weren't nearly so many rules and restrictions. Seeing that public sympathy seemed to tilt in his favor, the vendor—who had initially felt intimidated by the blue jacket—instantly regained his nerve. Staring intently at the fruit for a while, Jiu Jiu felt it looked familiar. Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed her face. "Ah... isn't this fruit the emerald fruit that Scavenger and his crew found down south?" Although there was no signal and no photos had been uploaded to the official website, going by the descriptions in the forum posts, this was undeniably the "emerald fruit." So... This emerald fruit and the "Na fruit" claimed by the vendor were actually the exact same thing? "Yeah, it really does look like it." Teng Teng was surprised to notice the resemblance as well. She promptly looked at the vendor, slapped a 100-silver-coin banknote onto the stall, and said, "Hey, give me a basket. While you're at it, eating two yourself wouldn't be asking too much, would it?" The vendor froze, his expression turning tense. "M-Me, eat two? Why should I eat..." He remembered the merchant who sold him the goods saying that eating one once in a while was fine, but eating two at once was guaranteed to cause trouble. "Oho? You won't even eat what you're selling?" Teng Teng smiled wryly. "By the way, the Alliance has a law: in circumstances where inspection isn't feasible, consumers have the right to demand the seller sample the product after purchase... You're not going to tell me you're already stuffed and can't even stomach an apple-sized fruit, are you?" In truth, as the Alliance grew larger, this loose rule had become somewhat outdated, much like selling prisoners of war to other settlements. The Institute of Biology under the Alliance had already established a Food Safety Inspection Section responsible for inspecting goods sold under the name of food in the market. They also identified toxicity in different parts of various mutant species, including multilegged beasts and yaoguai, researched more scientific methods for processing ingredients, restricted the distribution scope of certain products, or even ordered them pulled from shelves. Long ago, proving whether something was edible mostly relied on players "taking the lead" and testing it themselves. "You!" Seeing the onlookers who had initially supported him begin to look doubtful, the vendor's small eyes darted anxiously. His fierce face suddenly crumpled into a wailing grimace as he began to throw a tantrum. "You blue-jackets... ganging up to bully a traveling merchant from out of town! Have you no shame? Doing business here is practically impossible!" "Yuck! This guy is way too good at twisting the truth!" Pulling her eyes away from the subtitles on her VM screen, Jiu Jiu stared at the shameless vendor in shock and immediately said, "I'll go get my big bro!" With that, Jiu Jiu turned to leave, but before she took two steps, Teng Teng reached out and caught her. "Don't run to your brother for every little thing. What problem could that guy solve anyway?" With a sigh, Teng Teng looked sternly at the vendor, who was still digging in his heels. "I'll ask you one last time: are you sure you want to keep selling this? I can pay to buy all of it. But if testing reveals it possesses moderate or higher addictiveness, or severely endangers consumers' health, under current Alliance law you will face at least three years of penal labor. Depending on the severity, it could even carry the death penalty." Without even waiting to hear "death penalty," the vendor's face drained of color the moment he heard "three years of penal labor." He let out an awkward, dry chuckle. "I-Is that necessary? It's just selling a few fruits... just fruit." Working in a mine alongside marauders... He hadn't killed anyone, nor had he set fires. Besides, consuming small amounts of Na fruit was actually beneficial to the body; people struggling to survive could use it to relieve aches and illnesses. How had it suddenly become poisonous? Teng Teng stared at him as he tried to change the subject, giving a solemn nod. "We can't control what happens elsewhere, but this is our home. We built this place brick by brick. Don't expect us to turn a blind eye to what's right in front of us." These words drew murmurs of approval from many in the crowd. In particular, the vendor's cracking composure made people wonder if he was truly as pitiful as he claimed. Why didn't he dare take a bite? Was it really that hard to pick up one from his own stall and eat it? "Well said!" "I support her!" "These crooked merchants... won't even eat it themselves, yet dare put it on display!" "Exactly! Hey, fruit seller, eat two! Do that, and we'll back you up!" The vendor's face alternated between green and red. Just then, Frost arrived, leading Eclipse through the crowd. "I heard someone here requires assistance." Frost smiled warmly at the onlookers. "I am a member of the Celebration Self-Governance Committee. Please inform me of your dispute. I will conduct the fairest arbitration according to Alliance law, ensuring that no wrongdoer goes unpunished and no innocent is wronged." "No, no! I don't need arbitration!" Seeing her armband, the vendor's demeanor instantly shifted. Shaking his head, he blurted, "I won't sell these fruits anymore." With that, he pulled a cloth cover over the green fruits and began packing up his stall. "Ah... it's already over?" Frost's expression showed a hint of disappointment. Standing beside her, Eclipse cast an expressionless glance her way. "I do not understand. Isn't this an optimal outcome?" Frost muttered, "It is, but... it feels like a bit of a pity." Watching the vendor hastily pack up, Teng Teng fell into thought before speaking up. "We need to report this immediately..." Vault dwellers possessed no law enforcement authority. She couldn't simply smash or confiscate the stall despite the strange looks from onlookers just because Yaya claimed the thing was poisonous. Yaya nodded solemnly. "Yeah! This is a huge deal!" Hearing that, Frost's eyes instantly lit up, and her enthusiasm surged again. "A huge deal? Leave it to me! I will assist." Holding Shuang Ye's little hand, Shuang Xue hesitated for a moment before looking at Yaya. "Is it really that serious?" "Of course!" Yaya nodded firmly, speaking with grave seriousness. "The Alliance isn't that small settlement it used to be. If someone brought this here to sell, it means this stuff is already circulating among us." Teng Teng nodded in agreement and remarked casually, "Agreed. When you see a cockroach in the room, it means countless others are already crawling where you can't see them." ... Just as Teng Teng had guessed, when she, Yaya, and Jiu Jiu arrived at the nearest guard post, the guards were already swamped with headaches over this exact matter. Several vault dwellers had pointed out that this "Na fruit" was the same thing as the "emerald fruit" discovered in the south, carrying severe latent hazards. Unfortunately, they had no immediate way to prove it. The toxicity of Na fruit didn't manifest right away. Its cloying, honey-like sweetness possessed a deceptive quality, and consumers would even feel "stronger" for a period of time. For that very reason, the Alliance's usually effective standard corrective mechanisms had stalled in the absence of a unified consensus. Fortunately, the issue had been caught in time. Beyond its conventional corrective mechanisms, the Alliance possessed another special mechanism—namely, the player mechanism. The residents of Shelter 404 would respond to the shelter's mobilization at a moment's notice, whether for sudden warfare or daily peacekeeping. Xiao Qi promptly relayed the Administrator's directive to the guard posts and the Celebration Self-Governance Committee: pull Na fruit from all Alliance market shelves, issue a unified recall for products already sold to customers, and register anyone who had consumed it. The Alliance's Institute of Biology would observe their subsequent symptoms and collect their metabolic waste for processing. According to clues reported on the official website by Scavenger Lv99, humans and livestock that consumed Na fruit wouldn't fall ill immediately, but they would lose resistance to diseases. Furthermore, the excrement produced over a subsequent period would contaminate the soil, rendering the land barren. It remained unconfirmed whether this effect could be neutralized through technological means, but the two points of "lowered immunity" and "soil contamination from feces" were alone enough to command serious attention. Drones patrolling above the Alliance were already deployed, and players dispersed among the crowds began receiving quests one after another. This concealed hazard of a food product— Had to disappear from the Alliance's markets! "...Na fruit." Looking at the updated text on his VM, Fang Chang stroked his chin with interest, deep in thought. With a camera hanging around her neck, Dolly leaned in curiously to take a look. "What are you reading?" "This is our... uh, work log," Fang Chang explained in terms she could understand, then put away the VM. "A batch of harmful fruit appeared on the market under the name Na fruit. Seems traveling merchants brought it from the south. Does my lovely Miss Reporter have any leads on it?" "Na fruit?" Dolly blinked and shook her head blankly. "It's the first time I've heard of it..." Fang Chang offered a faint smile. "Is that so? Looks like the trade hub of the southern plains of River Valley Province has shifted from Qingquan City's Third West Ring Road to the northern suburbs. Looking at it from that angle, it's not necessarily a bad thing." Though it also meant greater challenges. "Is that fruit... very dangerous?" Dolly asked worriedly. "Yeah," Fang Chang nodded, glancing at the bustling crowd in the distance, his words succinct. "Let's hope this stuff doesn't follow our trade routes west to Sunset Province. We barely just resolved their food crisis." Perhaps... The Alliance needed to take the initiative. ... At the same time, in the Alliance's banquet hall. Having just concluded his speech announcing the start of the festivities at Triumph Square, Chu Guang proceeded straight to the banquet hall to receive delegations from various parties, including enterprise representatives. The Alliance's victory concerned not only its own future, but also the future of the entire region east of the Great Desert for the next ten or even twenty years. Therefore, regardless of whether they had participated directly or indirectly in the expedition to Sunset Province, the vast majority of survivor settlements trading with the Alliance took advantage of the celebration to dispatch representatives, bringing blessings from afar. Chu Guang was familiar with most of these representatives. For instance, Minister Wu Changnian from Enterprise, Prince Winter from the Lion Kingdom, and Princess Afni of the Honey Badger Kingdom, who hadn't left the Alliance at all. Aside from those familiar faces, there were also delegations from survivor settlements that had yet to establish diplomatic relations with the Alliance, marking the first time Chu Guang had met people from those places. One example was a place called Trash City, located slightly southeast of the Red River Alliance. With no official contact previously, they had sent a councilor this time. Another example was Dam City, a settlement in Yuema Province east of River Valley Province with a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Its castellan had sent his own son. The young man was named Zhou Xianlin. The name sounded quite cultured, and he looked scholarly—a rare sight on the wasteland. Upon meeting Chu Guang, he grasped his hand, stammering with incoherent excitement. "Your speech... was simply magnificent! I... forgive me, I don't know how to express how thrilled I am! With an outstanding administrator like you, no wonder you achieved such an astounding miracle in just a year! We intend to learn from your experience. Once I return, I'll rename our settlement the Dam Alliance!" "Thank you. The Alliance has many exceptional people. A miracle is a miracle precisely because it cannot be accomplished by a single individual." Seeing the fervent glow in the young man's eyes, Chu Guang felt a trace of quiet concern beneath his pleasure. Holding his hand, he spoke earnestly. "...I am glad you hold our achievements in such high regard, but I hope you will not copy us blindly. Although we inhabit the same wasteland, the problems we face are different." Zhou Xianlin nodded vigorously, elated. "Understood! I will engrave it on my heart! Our top priority is wiping out the remnants of the Bone Chewer tribe... Those marauders scurrying all over the place are utterly detestable!" Looking at the flushed youth, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel he resembled Samer, only not quite as sharp. It seemed he had acquired another unexpected little fanboy. However, considering many others were waiting, Chu Guang didn't linger for an extensive heart-to-heart with the young man. He merely patted his shoulder and moved on to the next delegate. He hoped the young man truly understood the importance of uniting survivors, rather than merely harboring hero worship for the strong. Take Enterprise, for instance: purely in terms of scale, Enterprise far surpassed the Alliance, and the trump cards they inherited from the Post-War Reconstruction Committee were beyond imagination. Yet let alone on the wasteland, even in the pre-war world, blindly copy-pasting Ideal City's system would inevitably collapse normal social order. Because Ideal City itself was a one-in-a-million anomaly. If the entire populations of Vault 6 and the Zhiyuan colony ship hadn't cast identical, unanimous votes under those extraordinary circumstances, Ideal City would never have existed. Even a single dissenting vote, even if the minority had ultimately bowed to the majority, their ideal would surely have run aground... Having finally seen to all the representatives, Chu Guang prepared to take a short breather. Yet barely had he sat down when Xiao Qi's voice sounded in his ear. "Master! Your players discovered a batch of suspected toxic fruit at the celebration. It seems to be the same emerald fruit reported by player 'Scavenger Lv99.'" Hearing the crisp voice, Chu Guang frowned slightly. Xiao Qi had previously reported the findings of his players in the south. Although he hadn't taken part in the forum discussions, he had kept an eye on subsequent developments regarding both the "Na fruit" and the mutant tribe named "Qi." However, compared to other matters, this issue held lower priority, lagging behind the Alliance's "Large Aircraft Project" and the nuclear fuel located in Jinchuan Province. Compared to a mutant tribe seven or eight hundred kilometers away and a sudden crop popping up, there were far too many matters requiring Chu Guang's direct attention within the Alliance. Economically, he needed to maintain orderly debt growth while keeping inflation from economic expansion in check. Industrially, he had to guide substantial surplus defense production into civilian channels while gathering input from industry representatives to eliminate resource waste and drain during the economic transition. Administratively, he needed to further define the jurisdictional boundaries and responsibilities of various departments and posts; matters previously handled by expedient shortcuts now had to follow proper procedure. Furthermore, he had to carefully weave elements suited for the wasteland era into the "AI Municipal Administration" concept born in the Era of Prosperity, minimizing administrative slowdowns and friction. Not to mention military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs... A mountain of tasks awaited. And once all that was done, he still had to translate those same rules into game mechanics to prepare a new version of Wasteland OL for the players. The Alliance was entering an unprecedented golden age of development. Practically every day, hundreds of people chose to stay and join their cause. Confidence in the Alliance was at an all-time high, both among its own citizens and neighboring survivor settlements. Even those who loathed or feared the Alliance from the bottom of their hearts had to admit it had achieved a near-impossible miracle, one that wouldn't fade away anytime soon. As the Alliance's Administrator, Chu Guang was well aware of his primary duties at this juncture. Yet what he could not ignore was that the "Na fruit" had quietly crept from the south right under his nose. A foul contamination was spreading in silence... After a moment of contemplation, Chu Guang immediately instructed Xiao Qi. "Send a sample over to Heya. Tell her to set aside whatever she's working on—I want to see the test results on that thing as soon as possible!" A spirited response quickly chimed in his ear. "Understood!"