This Man Is Unfathomable!

Official Website: [Update: Testing weather system; added "Snowy Weather."] [Announcement: Light snow will fall sporadically across the wasteland today. The development team warmly reminds all players to bundle up and avoid catching a chill.] Comment section below the announcement: "The official site posted another announcement?!" "All right, here I was thinking it was an actual content update." "The devs claim it's an update, but it's not a real one. Today they're just testing snowfall, tomorrow they'll test rainfall for you, hitting their KPI targets for another day of slacking off. (funny face)" "Where are you from, Chief Planner? It's still twenty degrees here; we're nowhere near cooling down!" "Snow is nothing. Once, in minus-thirty-degree winter weather, I rode a bike fifty kilometers up a mountain to see the snow, wearing only a single down jacket to keep warm. When I came back, not only did I not get frostbite, I was sweating profusely, totally unfazed." "Are you Gaia too? (funny face)" Chu Guang gave the comments below the announcement a brief glance. Finding nothing particularly substantive, he closed the page and opened the forum. Just as expected. At this moment, the forum was bustling with activity, almost serving as an extension of the earlier flea market back at the outpost. The twenty newcomers who had just entered the game had rushed straight to the official website almost the instant they logged off, eager to vent their impressions on the forum. Elven King Fugui: "New player reporting on day one! Words fail me—just look at those graphics, those special effects, that lighting! I'm going to praise this game to high heaven!" Proud Grandpa What Can You Do: "Throwing cold water here: the guy above is a shill hired by the dev team. Don't fall for it, everyone! I'll say it again, a game like this simply doesn't exist. It doesn't exist at all." Elven King Fugui: "Don't you get tired of this? Spouting off at everyone you see. Doing it once or twice is one thing, but spamming it every single day? (eye roll)" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "You must be new. That guy is the mascot of the Niuma group chat. Last time, he got muted for cussing out the mod and quit the group. Now he's running around the forum chasing clout. Just treat him like a joke. (grin)" Elven King Fugui: "0.0" Scavenger Lv99: "Damn it! Does anyone care about lizardman human rights? Bloody hell... right before logging off, I felt a bone-chilling cold run down my back, and I went stiff as if I were possessed. T.T" Spare the Life Under the Blade: "Nobody cares about you; you're the only lizard around. (smirk)" Fang Chang: "That's normal. Lizards are cold-blooded creatures. Don't panic; once summer comes, your prime will arrive!" Scavenger Lv99: "%¥&@!" Aside from players sharing their game experiences and insights, quite a few enthusiastic players were also brainstorming ideas for him. Every time he browsed these threads, Chu Guang felt like an emperor reviewing imperial memorials. Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Hand raised! I suggest the dev team consider setting up a designated trading zone in the game. Most games have features like consignment and stalls. Even if we can't hire NPCs to mind shops for now, could you at least provide a consignment shelf? That would be way more efficient than everyone crowding together and hawking their wares. After all, that little window of trading time right before logging off is way too short!" Guang: "This is indeed a solid proposal. I will bring it up at the next planning department meeting to lay out a flea market within the game for free player trading. At the same time, we will place a rentable locker in the shelter's buffer zone for players to consign goods." Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Awesome! ╰(*°▽°*)╯" Ye Shi: "Now it really feels like a game lobby. Why not add a commission board too, allowing players to post quests for other players? (funny face)" Guang: "No rush. Testing each system requires a step-by-step approach. As the game's content expands in the future, we will consider implementing a player commission panel." At the current stage, there simply weren't that many quests for players to carry out, nor were there that many players. Once there was more for them to do, a larger area of operation, and richer content, he could certainly consider rolling out that feature. Moreover, through the players' commission requests, Chu Guang would also have an easier time understanding and overseeing what these players were up to out in the field. Ye Shi: "Holy shit?! Brother Guang replied to me!" Guang: "..." Hadn't he been here all along? Lightning King Professor Yang: "The planner is here? Perfect timing. I've got a suggestion too: the food prices are totally unreasonable! Two hundred grams of air-dried meat actually costs one silver coin! The exact same price as three hundred grams of raw meat! Are you really not going to adjust that? It's completely irrational without an adjustment! I suggest changing it to one hundred and fifty grams of air-dried meat and three hundred and fifty grams of raw meat!" Guang: "Lore-wise, there are no fixed prices in the game; transaction values are influenced by multiple factors. Additionally, the NPC warehouse is designated strictly as strategic reserves, so prices fluctuate primarily based on strategic needs, and only secondarily on supply and demand." Guang: "'Wasteland OL' encourages trading among players. The prices you negotiate with other players represent the true 'market price' that reflects supply and demand." Lightning King Professor Yang: "What if I hoard goods? Like buying up all the food!" Ye Shi: "Holy shit, bro, how much money do you have? I can't even afford a gun!" Guang: "Not sure. Why don't you give it a try?" Guang: "We are also very curious to see what measures an NPC with full artificial intelligence and account-disciplinary authority would take to maintain in-game order. That will provide valuable data for the closed and open betas." Elaina: "A scalper dancing right in front of the dev team—does this count as turning yourself in? (funny face)" Ye Shi: "Bro, if you ask me, you ought to buy quietly when the NPC isn't looking and stash it all in a rented locker. Then, when everyone's starving, pop it open with a flourish and blow everyone away. (funny face)" Makka Pakka: "Hahahaha, a true pro recognized by real geniuses." Lightning King Professor Yang: "Uh, I haven't gotten an alpha invite yet. Let's talk after I actually get one, haha. (awkward)" Damn it, he was just a backseat gamer who hadn't even played. Chu Guang had wondered why the guy would ask such an idiotic question in the first place. Guang: "...We'll talk when you get one, then." There was no need to be discouraged even without an invite. The closed and open betas would have far more slots, the content would be vastly richer than in the alpha, and the rules would be far more refined. These wild ideas might be useless now, but they would come in handy eventually. Lightning King Professor Yang: "I think my chances are decent. I've got a hunch I'll be picked next time. T.T" *Optimistic, aren't we?* Guang: "Keep it up." Just like yesterday, Chu Guang gathered several useful suggestions and pasted them into a document. For example, another player suggested that "transactions should be taxed, because no taxes isn't realistic." Chu Guang admitted that this was indeed an oversight on his part, but rushing to levy taxes right now was far too early. What would he do with all that money anyway? What in this shelter didn't belong to him? To date, he had only issued around twelve hundred game coins, which hadn't even depleted one-fortieth of his stock—not to mention that the merchant surnamed Sun would be delivering another batch in a couple of days. Taxes could certainly be implemented. They would siphon off currency during circulation and keep the earnings of life-skill players within a reasonable range, preventing in-game inflation caused by excessive player purchasing power. However, that would have to wait until players accumulated enough savings, geared up, could afford to open shops, and were in a position to snowball their wealth. While Chu Guang was browsing the forum, Xia Yan, sitting in the corner memorizing her manual, kept glancing toward him. It wasn't because he possessed any special charm, but rather that this man always gave her a sense of dread. Starting an hour ago, he had been staring at the screen with an "evil grin," scheming who knew what wicked thoughts. Remembering that she was sharing a room with a devil, Xia Yan decided to say something to divert his attention, desperately hoping he wouldn't turn his sinister plots on her. "...What are you looking at?" Chu Guang replied offhandedly without even turning his head. "None of your business." Xia Yan went quiet for a moment, then spoke up again. "...Can I ask you a question?" Chu Guang: "Ask." Xia Yan asked, puzzled, "Why do you guys insist on going outside? What I mean is, it's so safe inside the shelter, so why go up to the surface to build that kind of wall? Isn't it good just staying underground?" Chu Guang: "To survive." Xia Yan: "Is it impossible to survive here? The shelter has clean air, shields against rain, protects from the cold, and keeps thieves out... Come to think of it, where is your water purifier? How come I've never seen it? And facilities like hydroponics bays—I heard shelters are supposed to have all of that." Listening to her, Chu Guang felt an awkward pang. He had no idea how to explain it. He couldn't very well admit that, although he was the manager here, he hadn't fully unlocked all the permissions for the facility, could he? That would sound far too absurd! Chu Guang closed his eyes in contemplation for a brief moment, then said: "Perhaps you're right. Hiding underground is indeed a fine choice. What happens on the surface has nothing to do with us; it's not as if we caused it to end up like this. Even if floods rage outside, or another nuclear war breaks out, we can still remain safe and sound." Xia Yan: "Then why—" Chu Guang turned to look at her. "Yet perhaps some shelters were destined to be different from the rest. The people born there were never meant to run away, but to create and bring change." Leaving behind this thought-provoking remark, Chu Guang ignored her and went back to browsing the forum. His little players were still the best. Every single one was a talent, their words were a delight to read, and most importantly, their imaginations were boundless—understanding things even better than he did as the planner. Honestly. If he didn't borrow a few ideas from these little geniuses, Chu Guang would feel as though he were letting them down. [...In this world, what creature could possibly be more suited for harvesting than players?] Chu Guang finally understood why the first-generation manager had written those words on that slip of paper. With Chu Guang's parting words echoing in her ears, Xia Yan sat against the wall completely bewildered, yet secretly impressed. For some reason... The man's back suddenly seemed to tower with grandeur. Yet that sensation lasted less than two seconds in her heart before vanishing without a trace the moment her gaze dropped back to the notebook in her hands. This fellow was unequivocally a devil, actually forcing her to memorize such incomprehensible gibberish. And not just to her—the man showed not a shred of mercy to his companions either. He drove them into backbreaking physical labor, ordered them out to hunt, threw them into the vanguard as cannon fodder, and fobbed them off with useless bits of scrap metal that they treated like priceless treasures—even coming back to shower him with tearful gratitude. The fleeting thought that he might be a good person had to be the result of him subtly brainwashing her! Brain... brainwashing... Thinking of the rumors and eerie tales circulating in Boulder City, Xia Yan couldn't help but shudder. Drawing her shoulders inward, she looked at Chu Guang's back with an added measure of fear and apprehension. To manipulate human hearts to such a consummate degree... This man... Was utterly unfathomable!