The Administrator's Daily Routine

Early morning. Chu Guang enjoyed a rare lie-in, not stepping out of Resurrection Square until nine o'clock. He took a leisurely stroll over to the food street north of the outpost base, ordered two steamer baskets of soup dumplings, two baskets of xiaolongbao, and three cups of soybean milk, and then found a quiet corner table at Zhang Hai's noodle stall. Even though this breakfast was a massive bomb of carbs and calories, with his metabolic rate and digestive capability, it was barely a drop in the bucket. "One bowl of pulled noodles, please." A milky white steam drifted over the giant stockpot as a steady stream of diners came and went before the stall. Today, the noodle master Zhang Hai was as busy and fulfilled as ever. His head was practically buried inside the pot, and without even bothering to look up, he hollered across the simmering broth, "Coming right up! You want thin slices or thick cuts?" Chu Guang said with a smile, "Thin, please. Let me see just how thin your thinnest can get." Hearing a customer actively ask for thinner slices for the first time, Zhang Hai was immediately amused. "Hey, you must be joking. The thinnest cut I have here—" He looked up to see which funny guy was talking, but as his vision cleared through the white steam, he instantly froze. "Holy shit, Administrator?!" Because Chu Guang was not wearing his power armor, many people had failed to recognize him, including Zhang Hai. It was not until he saw that warm, spring-breeze smile that he was completely dumbfounded. The two spoke in Mandarin, so it did not draw the attention of the surrounding NPC patrons. Chu Guang gave him a discreet, keep-it-down look, then began tucking into the xiaolongbao he had brought over. A moment later, a steaming bowl of beef noodles was set on the table, heaped with slices of beef visibly thicker than silver coins. When the other players nearby saw this, they immediately started clamoring in outrage. "Holy crap!" "Damn you, Dahai, no sportsmanship at all!" "Why is there so little beef in my bowl?!" "Is that even reasonable?!" Watching the crowd jeer and heckle, Zhang Hai's old face flushed red. Usually, he would have fired back with a cheeky grin, but this time he had been caught red-handed playing favorites. "Quit your whining! Are you the Administrator? I... I just feel bad that he works his fingers to the bone for the Alliance and worry he isn't eating enough! Can't I treat him to a little extra?" Everyone was rendered speechless. Well, damn. That works too? Seeing the clever fellow looking so proud of himself, Chu Guang chuckled and shook his head. He pulled out fifteen silver coins, placed them on the table, and settled the bill first. "Thank you for the kind thought, but there's no need to treat me. I prefer straightforward business where money changes hands for goods... keep the change." Considering the generous portion in this bowl, paying triple the price ought to be more than enough, right? That amount of money was easily enough to buy two jin of beef. He had no desire to owe someone a favor over a few silver coins. "Well, thank you very much!" Boss Zhang pocketed the coins with a pained grimace, mentally lamenting that he had taken a terrible loss on this deal. If he could have traded it for the Administrator's favorability points, no amount of silver coins would have been too much to spend. In the end, two liang of beef had only fetched the price of three bowls of noodles. It was a loss all the way to grandma's house! Earning less was as good as taking a loss! Adding a splash of chili oil and vinegar to the noodle soup, Chu Guang ate at an unhurried pace, leisurely watching the fresh greenhorns bustling back and forth along the street. He could not help but reminisce about the past. Two years ago, this had been the Alliance's most bustling street, separated from Resurrection Square by nothing more than a crooked concrete wall. Now, two years later, while the street had seen further growth, it still lagged behind the sprawling, sparsely populated Changjiu Farm. With the founding of Dawn City, both the outpost base and Changjiu Farm had been incorporated into the new settlement as preserved historic names. The economic prominence of the outpost base's north street had gradually been superseded by Dawn City's North Street, where NPCs made up the vast majority. A few sentimental veteran players still kept their stalls here and maintained their cottages along the shores of Ling Lake, but most had moved their shops to the far more prosperous center of Dawn City. Yet Chu Guang still held a special fondness for this place. He could find nearly all the hometown foods he loved here, and the chattering rookies outside Resurrection Square never failed to keep things entertaining. For him, and for the vast majority of players in Wasteland OL, this place could truly be called where the dream had begun. A whimsical thought suddenly crossed Chu Guang's mind: when he retired in the future, maybe he could set up a stall here too. Making flatbreads or something like that. However, that notion lasted for barely two seconds before Chu Guang was amused by his own silliness. By the time he could put down all his responsibilities... That would probably be a very, very long time from now. *** Having eaten until he was about seventy or eighty percent full, Chu Guang bought another six baskets of buns and carried them over to Neko, feeding them to the beast as snacks. Just like Yu, the big girl had a special fondness for human food, especially junk food loaded with salt, oil, and sugar. He still remembered the last time he fed her cola; she had stomped her feet on the spot in sheer excitement, nearly tearing down the shed she slept in. After taking Neko for a trot around the lakeshore, Chu Guang hitched her back in the shed and headed toward the shelter. As he took the elevator down, he happened to see a guardsman carrying a plastic crate heaped with letters, which piqued his curiosity. "What are those?" The guard snapped to attention at once and answered, "These are letters addressed to you from the citizens of Dawn City, my Lord." Hearing that, Chu Guang's interest was instantly stoked, and on a whim, he said, "Letters for me? Let me see." He vaguely recalled Xiao Qi mentioning that ever since the Alliance building was completed, letters had been steadily arriving from all across the Alliance, a large portion of which were addressed directly to him. Given the sheer volume, the administrative staff in the building had not known how to handle them, so they had handed them all over to the Guards Corps. Lyu Bei, who was following behind Chu Guang, hesitated slightly before stepping forward to advise, "My Lord, please allow me to inspect them first to ensure there is nothing dangerous inside." Even though the letters had already undergone X-ray scans and ultraviolet sterilization, opening them was the only way to be completely certain. Chu Guang chuckled and made a lighthearted joke. "Are you worried someone slipped a razor blade inside and might nick me?" Lyu Bei replied in a low voice, "Not necessarily that, but it is always better to be cautious." Seeing that the young man was still uneasy, Chu Guang said, "How about this: you read them aloud for me. That way, I can test you on how well your literacy studies have been progressing." Hearing that the Administrator was going to test him, the young man immediately perked up. He pressed his right fist to his left chest and declared with vigor, "Yes, sir!" Chu Guang gave a pleased nod. He led Lyu Bei, who carried the crate of letters, down to Floor B4. After gesturing for him to take a seat, Chu Guang casually handed him paper and a pen. "It works out nicely. You can write the replies for me as well—I'll dictate, you write." Lyu Bei nodded eagerly, then pulled an envelope from the plastic crate, slid it open, cleared his throat, and read aloud with feeling: "'Respected Administrator, Sir, I am a bricklayer. On this momentous occasion worthy of celebration, I pay my respects to you, and I wish to share my joy! My wife and I are expecting our first child in one month. We have already bought all his clothes up to age five, as well as a baby cradle and toys... Now we count down the days, eagerly awaiting the arrival of that little darling into our lives. Once again, I offer you my highest respects. Thank you for giving us a home that shelters us from the wind and rain, and a job that allows us to afford so much.'" Lyu Bei read with deep emotion, his reverence written all over his face; the original author of the letter could hardly have sounded more passionate. Looking at the earnest young man, Chu Guang could not help but smile warmly. Once Lyu Bei finished, Chu Guang cleared his throat and spoke in a steady cadence: "'You are most welcome... I will do everything within my power to ensure that every hardworking person in the Alliance receives the decent livelihood and dignity they deserve, and that every child in the Alliance may grow up under the sunlight. Of course, this requires our collective effort.'" While Chu Guang dictated, Lyu Bei scribbled furiously. In no time, he finished drafting the reply, copied down the address, and set it aside. Next, he picked up a second letter, drew a deep breath, and read: "'...Just like the midday sun, your grace and majesty have driven away the cold night, restoring this land to its former glory! Please forgive my exaggerated words, but this is by no means flattery. Perhaps in your eyes, Doctor Edmond was merely a petty criminal, but I will never forget what happened that day at the Golden Dunes Cinema. My child and I were locked inside an iron cage, and no one cared whether we lived or died. Only you and the brave warriors under your command cared. I pledge to you my eternal loyalty!'" Where was the Golden Dunes Cinema? Chu Guang racked his brain for a good while, but the name did not ring a bell, nor did the unfamiliar doctor mentioned in the letter. Judging by the contents, however, it was not hard to deduce that the sender was likely a survivor rescued from marauders by his little players. While such an incident might have been nothing more than an ordinary daily quest to the players, to that survivor, it had meant having the trajectory of their entire life rewritten. The corners of Chu Guang's mouth involuntarily turned up. He decided to have Xiao Qi post the letter to the forums later. He was certain someone would step forward to claim this little Easter egg. If that kindhearted player stumbled across it, they would surely be delighted to hear how the story turned out. "Leave this letter with me. I'll pass it along to the one who truly deserves the thanks later, and let them decide whether to write a reply." "Understood, my Lord." Lyu Bei nodded loyally, set down his pen for a moment, and picked up the next envelope. This letter was concise and to the point. In fact, the very first sentence laid out the entire premise of the letter. "'March north, my Lord! At a single word of command from you, all of us are ready to offer up our hearts! The merchants from Bugra are the most unruly scoundrels. They are corrupting us with their wicked schemes, and the time has come to punish those insidious, deceitful wretches!'" As he read the letter, Lyu Bei's voice took on an impassioned, ringing tone, and he stole a glance at Chu Guang across the table. Evidently, the young man shared the exact same sentiment. Chu Guang reflected for a moment, then replied in a mild tone: "'The greatest humiliation you can inflict on a clown is not throwing them into a fire pit, but making them watch with their own eyes as we live better than them, stand more united than them, and grow more confident and powerful than them... That way, they will spend their days trapped in constant dread and regret over yesterday. I understand your concern regarding the north, but they are not our primary trouble—at least not right now.'" Although feeling a twinge of regret, the loyal young man had no doubt that the respected Administrator possessed far greater foresight than himself, so he found nothing amiss. After finishing the reply, he quickly opened another letter. But the moment his eyes landed on the salutation and the delicate, graceful handwriting, he felt a vague sense of foreboding. "'Dear Administrator, Sir, I have admired you for a long time. Having heard that you do not yet have children of your own, my heart has been unable to find peace for many days...'" Halfway through, Lyu Bei suddenly halted in acute embarrassment, stammering and stumbling, unable to squeeze out another word. Without even guessing, Chu Guang knew what the letter was about; eight or nine times out of ten, it was another round of creative nagging urging him to settle down and start a family. He could only chuckle and shake his head. These people. With nothing better to do all day, they poked their noses into business that wasn't theirs. With that kind of time on their hands, they would be better off raising a couple more pigs. "Go ahead and read it. I don't mind." "Well... alright, if you insist," Lyu Bei mumbled, lowering his head awkwardly and plowing ahead in a wooden monotone. "'I-if possible, I would like to bear your child. As many as you want! This is the heartfelt wish of a young girl from Dawn City. My address is—'" Chu Guang, who had just taken a sip of tea to wet his throat, nearly spat it out. Coughing, he cut Lyu Bei off mid-sentence. "All right, all right, that's enough." Lyu Bei dutifully folded the letter shut and asked in a timid whisper, "My Lord... so, do we reply to this one?" Taking a hasty glance at the time on his VM, Chu Guang promptly cut through the foolish question. "We cannot possibly answer every single person's opinions. That reminds me—we need an Office of the Administrator to centrally handle correspondence from Alliance citizens, and we should select meaningful questions to answer publicly through newspapers and radio broadcasts." "Furthermore, each department needs a dedicated office tasked with handling citizen letters, and they should hold press conferences when necessary to address public concerns, rather than dumping every single letter onto my desk... I need to go speak with someone about this. Today's break is over. Let's leave it here." He had almost forgotten about this matter. Back when the printing factory fire had occurred, Chu Guang had already contemplated setting up a more official public communication channel; they couldn't always rely on newspaper reporters coming to interview them. The Representative Council was currently refining the relevant legislation. The Alliance authorities needed to do their part in tandem. Staring blankly at the Administrator as he reeled off a string of instructions before rising and heading out the door, Lyu Bei stood clutching the envelope, unable to process what had just happened. So this letter... What was he supposed to do with it? Standing by the coffee machine, Yin Fang had witnessed the entire scene. He chuckled, remarking in an amused tone, "No offense intended, but that fellow can be surprisingly bashful at times." Though only at times... *** Where the Sea of Polo met the Southern Sea, a cargo ship with towering smokestacks was slowly navigating through a wide strait. Dense jungle lined both shores, flanked by craggy coastal reefs. The broken concrete quays made it obvious that a thriving port and city had once stood here, but now, nothing remained except the persistent chirping of insects and the occasional cry of apes. Standing on the deck, a woman wrapped in a cloak looked completely ill at ease. Her name was Misa. Barely in her early twenties, she had brown hair and had worked as a teacher in Port Kingallon before the catastrophe struck. Though she had grown up in a port city, she had never ventured this far from home. "This place is..." "Baiyue Province." A pleasant voice came from behind her. Misa turned around and saw a pair of lively cat ears gently swaying in the sea breeze, belonging to a perky, adorable face that was smiling at her. Some of the mercenaries and sailors on board referred to her as an emissary of the Silver Moon Goddess. Misa could not help feeling a little timid, but curiosity still prompted her to ask softly, "...What kind of place is it?" Walking over to the ship's railing, Sesame Paste narrowed her eyes at the tropical strait, brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and explained in an easy, storytelling tone: "...To its northeast lies Haiya Province, to its east is the Southern Sea, and to its northwest it borders Sunset Province. Over the Zhuobar Mountains are Oasis No. 4 and Silver Moon Bay. On the map, it looks like two teeth clamped together, top and bottom, with a strait running between them." This had once been a premier holiday resort area of the Human Alliance, home to several economically booming tourist cities. However, in the fifty years following the Three-Year War, all traces of human habitation had gradually vanished with the passage of time. Listening in rapt fascination, Misa asked curiously, "Are we going to make port here?" Sesame Paste replied with a slight frown of regret, "Mm, probably no point. We did go ashore to check once, but we didn't find any survivors—only dangerous mutant creatures and deadly venomous insects." Perhaps the big developer hadn't finished making this part of the map yet. Back then, they had taken a small skiff along the shoreline, found no suitable port to dock at, and turned back without exploring any deeper. Supposedly, the Camel Hump Kingdom had once planned to incorporate this territory into its realm and had even attempted to establish colonies along the coast. In the end, however, they had succumbed to the mutants, poisonous bugs, bizarre infectious diseases, and crushing financial burdens, and were forced to abandon their settlements here. Listening to the divine emissary speak of the land, Misa found her curiosity satisfied, yet an inevitable pang of disappointment washed over her. Just moments ago, she had been wondering if they could bring all the Moon Clan people from Polo Province here to build a new homeland. Now it appeared matters were far from that simple. "You know so much," Misa remarked with heartfelt admiration once she had finished listening to the history of the land. Seeing the envy and reverence shining in the girl's eyes, Sesame Paste scratched the back of her head sheepishly and offered a modest smile. "Well, we do travel around a lot." Perhaps because she was also a teacher in reality, she felt quite a bit of goodwill toward this NPC girl. Though she had not spoken with any intention of boasting, Misa felt even more envious after hearing those words. Traveling... That was something she had never dared dream of. Only those with a home could call venturing far away 'traveling.' For someone homeless like her, even going to a new place was merely wandering aimlessly. "Then where will we be getting off the ship?" Sesame Paste replied gently, "There's a cluster of artificial islands in the Southern Sea where quite a few survivors assisted by shelter residents live. We plan to try our luck there first, or at least purchase some supplies. If they aren't willing to take you in, we'll continue taking you to Yunjian Province on the easternmost edge of the continent." Misa looked at her with profound gratitude, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I truly don't know how to thank you all." Sesame Paste gave an embarrassed smile. "Don't mention it. It's not like we had any specific destination in mind anyway." While the two were chatting, an alarm suddenly blared across the ship. Sesame Paste paused, startled, and immediately escorted Misa back into the cabin, warning her strictly not to come up. Once that was done, she grabbed her gear and rushed to the deck to assemble with the others, finding Tail standing with one foot perched on the ship's bulwark. "What happened?" With a solemn look on her face, Tail squinted slightly, gazing out toward the distant horizon. "It's pirates." Sesame Paste blinked in surprise. Standing nearby, Rou Rou wore a helpless expression and couldn't help but complain, "How could there be so many pirates?" As the group spoke, two speedboats bearing flags rounded the crags of a reef and bore down on their freighter. Compared to the Rou Rou, the speedboats were as tiny as bath toys, but in terms of technology, their electric drives were clearly superior. Inside the bridge, Sisi narrowed her eyes slightly. She noticed that these two speedboats were not hung with black ironwood used to repel sea beasts. They had presumably employed some other method or technology. One of the speedboats pulled ahead. A man who looked like a soldier stood at the bow and hailed the deck of the freighter: "You are entering Federation territorial waters! Who are you?" Federation? Rou Rou and Sesame Paste exchanged a bewildered look, their eyes full of confusion. 'Since when did a Federation pop up here?' 'No idea...' When they had visited last year, there had only been a handful of island settlements. Did the map factions respawn or something? The girl and the bear were utterly baffled. However, Tail, standing proudly by the railing, was not baffled in the slightest. On the contrary, she seemed to have tuned straight into the same wavelength, shouting back at the man at the top of her lungs: "Whoa! Friends from the Federation! We are the White Bear Knights!" The man on the speedboat visibly froze, blurting out instinctively, "What the hell is that?" Having stepped onto the deck at some point, Sisi reached out, yanked the shouting Tail back, cleared her throat, and called out: "We are merchants from Silver Moon Bay. We intend to pass through the strait en route to the ports in eastern Mid-Continent. Please grant us permission to dock here to replenish fresh water and provisions." The man eyed her suspiciously, but finding no obvious flaws in her explanation, he spoke up again: "...I suppose that's fine, but let me make one thing clear: we only accept dinars and Cr here. None of those coins with animals stamped on them." Coins stamped with camels presumably referred to the currency of Sunset Province. Due to their gold content, size, and the issuing realms' national power, those coins generally only circulated locally; once past Silver Moon Bay, very few people recognized them. Sisi nodded in understanding. "No problem." "Follow us. Watch out for reefs and sea mines," the man tossed out, then turned back into the cabin and steered the speedboat to swing around in the water. Rou Rou glanced at Sisi inquisitively and asked in a low voice using Mandarin, "Why didn't we just tell them the truth?" "Tell them we have nearly a thousand refugees on board? I'm not sure they wouldn't drive us right back out." Looking in the direction the two speedboats were heading, Sisi narrowed her eyes slightly. Something about this place felt off. She had a nagging premonition that this trip to Shelter 70 would not be nearly as smooth as she had envisioned... Rou Rou scratched the back of her head. Standing to the side, Tail spoke to her with utmost seriousness, "This world is very sinister, Rou Rou! What if they find out we're pirates wanted by the Xilan Empire? They might turn us in for that 3.6 billion Berry bounty!" "You've got the currency unit completely wrong, and our bounty isn't anywhere near that high!" Rou Rou shot back, caught between tears and laughter, though she understood Sisi's caution. After all, this was not a settlement they were familiar with. It was always better to play it safe...