Vault 404.
The Level B4 browsing room.
Having finally finished editing and uploading the update patch notes, Chu Guang was browsing the feedback from players and armchair gamers below the thread.
Passerby Melon Eater: "Why isn't there a version number?! When on earth is the update actually dropping?! (crazy)"
Little Angel Ayanami: "Trash dev, get to work! What happened to 'minor bug fixes'? Are you going to fix them or what?"
Hog Breeder: "Daddy!! Give me a closed beta spot!"
Thunder King Professor Yang: "Hijacking the thread for an ad! Ergonomic gaming pods! The base model comes with a reclining helmet cradle, and customizable options include vital signs monitoring, nutritional maintenance, assisted metabolic functions, and more—ensuring you'll never be woken by hunger or a bursting bladder ever again! Order now and get two free physical exams. DM if interested!! (grin)"
Raiden Shogun: "Holy shit, Professor Yang! Guys, be careful if you buy from him. This bastard is an armchair gamer—he hasn't even played this damn game."
Ye Shi: "Believe it or not, this guy actually counts as a veteran player. (funny)"
Fang Chang: "Instead of worrying about whether he's played the game, I think you should worry about what tricks he's pulling elsewhere. Better file a report with the police just in case. (side-eye)"
Thunder King Professor Yang: "Damn it! You guys are prejudiced!"
Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "Brother Guang, can you give me a helmet? I promise I won't cause trouble in the game. I just want to see how realistic it is. T.T"
Authentic Water Heater: "I-I-I want to ride a mammoth!!! QAQ"
Full and Idle: "Brother Guang, can you give out a trial pass? I just want to peek inside! Just one peek!"
Tail: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! That thing is huge!"
Meat Mountain Steamed Bun: "When we loaded that thing onto the ship back then, it almost tipped our boat over. (sweat)"
Teng Teng: "Speaking of which, this expansion is crazy far. After getting off the train, you even have to take a boat."
Yaya: "Dying once wastes half a month of playtime. As expected, the starter village is still the safest."
Stop Bullshitting: "Damn! You're being way too much of a salted fish!"
...
The White Bear Knights had brought two mammoths back from Mammoth State earlier, and they were currently being kept in Dawn City's zoo.
The wastelanders of River Valley Province had long grown accustomed to all manner of mutant species—after all, their respected Manager even kept a Deathclaw as a pet—but their children were still fascinated by these massive yet gentle creatures.
A baby boom had swept through the Alliance right after the Bone Chewer Turmoil ended, and those children had learned to talk by now.
The world in their eyes was completely different from the world their parents knew. Seeing those two furry little mountains, they found them novel and adorable, and some even wanted to climb up and play on them.
While some conservative, right-leaning survivors argued that the abuse of genetic technology was the root cause of the modern mutant scourge and that prehistoric beasts resurrected through genetic engineering shouldn't be exhibited in a positive light, there were just as many open-minded, left-leaning survivors who viewed the two mammoths as a symbol of friendship between Mammoth State and the Alliance.
The members of the Workers' Association were among them.
Beyond that, the two mammoths were wildly popular on the forum, nearly becoming the new mascots after Neko and Yu.
In the past, armchair gamers clamored for helmets mostly because they "wanted to see how realistic the game was," but now they had an additional reason: "I want to see the mammoths."
In addition to the new enclosure at the zoo, Dawn City had gained many things it never had before.
For instance, a second museum, an art gallery, a sports stadium, an exhibition hall for space station wreckage, and more.
Seeing all the changes these little players had brought to the game brought immense gratification to Chu Guang's heart.
A truly brilliant administrator was never someone like Wu Tuo—low on skill, high on ambition, bursting with ideas, and blindly confident. Instead, he established a sound framework for a systematic enterprise, allowing every person and resource within the system to perform their duties and fulfill their purpose.
If the Alliance had grown to its current scale and still required him to personally handle and deploy every single order just like in the early days, it would only prove that all his efforts had been in vain.
Xiao Qi sat on the pen holder, resting her chin on her hands and staring unblinkingly at Chu Guang.
"Speaking of which, Master hasn't updated the version number in quite a while."
Releasing his grip on the mouse, Chu Guang chuckled.
"Isn't that a good thing? In the past, my biggest worry was what would happen to the Alliance without me. Now I don't worry about that anymore. Even without our interference, this game will update itself."
"Still, Xiao Qi thinks it's too early for you to be thinking about things that far ahead... Ah, the number of sign-ups has surpassed thirty thousand! Amazing!" For some reason, Xiao Qi seemed reluctant to linger on the topic and abruptly changed the subject.
Chu Guang did not think much of it and merely smiled faintly.
"That number should be close to the limit... Thirty-five thousand is probably the most we'll reach."
Although Bolo Province had generated plenty of buzz on the forum lately, *Wasteland Online* was not confined to that single region.
To the north in the Wandering Marsh was the Ice Sea City Special Administrative Region, to the east in Cloud Province was the Yunxia City Special Administrative Region, and to the south were ten planned settlements. Alliance players were already spread across the entire eastern half of the Central Continent.
In addition, the Alliance's Institute of Biological Research and Scientific Expedition were constantly dispatching research teams to Baiyue Province and various eastern provinces, and escorting those personnel required players as well.
Even though the concurrent player count was substantial, once spread across the various settlements, the number of players that could actually be spared was not particularly high.
Yet this war did not rely solely on players.
Thanks to the active involvement of a portion of the players in that region, the local survivors had spontaneously banded together, temporarily setting aside their grudges to form a united front.
Never mind thirty thousand players heading there.
Even if there were only three thousand, the Southern Legion wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance!
Closing the update announcement page, Chu Guang browsed the forum a bit longer and noticed that Fang Chang had started a new thread, discussing battle strategies with Mole and other players taking part in the expansion.
At present, the Burning Corps had already reached Tiandu by plane, while the Skeleton Corps' armored units had advanced into Elephant State and were pushing toward Cattle State, where Tiandu was located.
A good show would be starting soon.
Just as Chu Guang was happily lurking on the forums, Xiao Qi spoke up from the pen holder.
"Master, Minister Cheng Yan says he has an important matter to discuss with you in person. He's already arrived at the vault entrance."
Chu Guang glanced at the time. It was already midnight, and he wondered what could have made Cheng Yan so anxious. He said, "Have him come directly to the browsing room to see me."
Xiao Qi replied with energetic enthusiasm, "Right away!"
Leaving the reception to Xiao Qi, Chu Guang instructed X-16, who stood nearby, to brew two cups of coffee. He then went into the adjacent room to change into casual clothes.
Before long, the door to the browsing room opened, and Cheng Yan walked in with a solemn expression.
"Respected Manager, I apologize for disturbing your rest at this hour, but we just received word from the South Sea Alliance. While en route to blockade the ports in the western Bolo Sea, they were intercepted by an unidentified fleet and forced to alter their original plan."
*An unidentified fleet?*
Chu Guang was slightly taken aback, his expression quickly turning grave.
"Do we have any suspects?"
Cheng Yan reported truthfully, "The other side didn't initiate contact with us, and after a round of probing each other, nothing conclusive came of it. However, according to Li Minghui's deduction, their propulsion systems differ distinctly from the Southern Legion's vessels... In all likelihood, those ships belong to the Western Legion."
*The Western Legion...*
Hearing that unfamiliar name, Chu Guang furrowed his brow slightly.
A long time ago, he had heard from Vannus that the Legion had four Legatuses in total, divided into the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Legions.
The Northern, Eastern, and Southern Legions were all stationed on the mainland of the Central Continent, while the Western Legion was far away on the New Continent.
Because of the vast distance, Vannus had little intelligence on them, knowing only that the Western Legion's naval technology was relatively advanced and that their settlements were primarily concentrated along the eastern coast of the New Continent, though they also maintained a few ports on the western coast.
Truth be told, that ancient pact signed between the Enterprise and the Legion, witnessed by the Academy and the Great Rift Valley, contained a few loopholes.
The pact only stipulated that the Legion could not expand eastward past the Great Wasteland, but it never specified how far west they were permitted to push.
After all, the planet was round, and the Central Continent was not the only landmass; on the other side of the globe lay another somewhat smaller continental plate.
The tricky part now was that due to the ruined orbital environment, there were no aerospace assets capable of directly observing the New Continent. Furthermore, among the Alliance's traveling merchants, hardly anyone had ever been heard traveling that far.
Using psychic interference technology to drive away marine mutant species was something that had only developed in recent years.
In earlier years, ships sailing the waters south of the Central Continent had to rely either on crude methods like "black ironwood" or on the South Sea Alliance's sonar sensors. No one would take the risk of exploring completely uncharted waters.
For the Alliance, intelligence regarding the western continent was virtually a blank slate.
Noticing Chu Guang lost in thought, Cheng Yan suggested cautiously, "I was wondering... could the Enterprise have intelligence on the Western Legion? After all, Ideal City is situated at the easternmost edge of the east coast, which is at least closer to the New Continent than we are."
Chu Guang pondered for a moment before replying, "I'll ask... though I suspect they won't be nearly as enthusiastic about affairs outside Cloud Province as we are."
The Eastern Legion had already been kept in check by him, yet the Northern Legion and Western Legion had not declared their stance.
In fact, up to this point, Bannor could only represent the view of Triumph City. The Alliance possessed no direct diplomatic channels with either the Northern Legion or the Western Legion.
However—
Why would the Western Legion take an interest in the affairs of Bolo Province?
Those guys were far more distant from Bolo Province than the Alliance was.
Gazing at the swirling steam rising from the coffee cup, Chu Guang considered the situation in silence, his eyes suddenly flickering with realization.
"...Could it be arms?"
Cheng Yan froze, his expression shifting slightly. "You mean... the Western Legion is exporting arms to West Sail Port?"
"It's more than just exporting arms. It might very well be 'project subcontracting'..." Clicking his tongue softly, Chu Guang took a sip from his coffee cup and set it back on the table. "I should have realized this might happen."
The Southern Legion's relations with the civilian officials of Triumph City had completely soured, making it virtually impossible for them to rely on Triumph City for logistical support.
Now, the Eastern Legion had explicitly stated they would not take part in this campaign, meaning the temporary port southwest of Sunset Province near the Zhuobar Mountains and the transport corridors across the Great Wasteland would remain closed to the Southern Legion.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural for the Southern Legion to seek other partners.
He could even guess that the Southern Legion's high command had undoubtedly promised certain benefits to the Western Legion's leadership.
For instance, a thirty-percent share of the spoils from the "new colony."
Just like the cooperation forged between the Alliance and the Enterprise on the space elevator project.
Whether one liked to admit it or not, survivor factions with shared ideologies were natural allies.
Cheng Yan asked earnestly, "...The South Sea Alliance wants our advice on what they should do next."
Chu Guang thought for a brief moment before speaking.
"They didn't openly announce their presence and chose instead to operate in the shadows, which means they don't want a direct conflict with us either. Since they're playing dumb, let's play along. We won't expose their little trick."
Cheng Yan frowned. "Are we going to leave them alone?"
"How could we? Are our submarines and sub-carriers just for show?" Chu Guang chuckled, a subtle chill lacing his voice. "I hear the Polo Sea has quite a few sea monsters—like... a Kraken that fires torpedoes. A transport ship sunk by a Kraken can hardly be pinned on us."
Cheng Yan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help giving a thumbs-up. "That's a great idea!"
Chu Guang smiled and shook his head without a word.
*What great idea...*
*Isn't that just standard procedure?*
He believed Cheng Yan could have come up with that idea on his own even without his prompt.
Yet people always had their own little calculations, and this man was no exception.
When an individual's prestige reached a certain height, the people around him—whether out of respect, reliance, or other motives—would subconsciously lower their own posture.
The vault dwellers were somewhat better, but the Alliance wastelanders almost all behaved this way to some degree.
Apart from research-related positions, the only wastelander who displayed his talents without reservation was probably Xiao Yu.
Many people, including Lyu Bei, had only recently changed their form of address from "My Lord" to "Sir" after Chu Guang's repeated insistence.
Chu Guang could sense the restraint in Cheng Yan's heart, but he did not point it out. He simply laid out the subsequent assignments, told him to handle the matter flexibly, and concluded the meeting.
Pushing certain matters too hard would only backfire.
Cheng Yan had always done fine work, whether on his diplomatic mission to Golden Gallon Port or to the Eastern Legion.
Chu Guang did not want him misinterpreting this as dissatisfaction with his performance...
"Master, Xiao Qi feels that your survivors are still quite dependent on you," Xiao Qi said with a touch of smugness as she watched Cheng Yan leave, lightly swinging her little legs over the edge of the pen holder.
Looking at the little creature tilting her nose up with pride, Chu Guang reached out and tapped her little head with his index finger.
"I know... but I don't consider that something to be proud of."
"Hmph, as long as Xiao Qi is happy, that's what counts!"
Smoothing her ruffled hair, Xiao Qi uncharacteristically refused to yield to him, answering back with a playful retort.
A moment later, however, the smug smile at the corners of her mouth drooped. For some reason, her tone grew cautious, and her swinging legs went still.
"So... can you not leave?"
With his index finger still hovering over the little creature's head, just about to nudge her back into the pen holder, Chu Guang froze.
"What are you talking about?"
Hugging her head with both hands, Xiao Qi mumbled, "Well... Xiao Qi is worried that one day you'll be just like that person—dropping a line like 'from now on, they are all me,' and then wandering off on your own to who knows where."
Seeing Xiao Qi's sudden melancholy, Chu Guang was briefly taken aback, taking a moment to recall whom she was referring to.
It was the creator of "Fang Ming."
Back when the operational authorization for the space-based weapon was delivered, the AI named Fang Ming had spoken at length about his creator.
Perhaps due to an AI's sensitivity, Xiao Qi had seen a similar shadow in Chu Guang.
Chu Guang remained silent for a while. Instead of teasing the little creature as he usually did, he gently picked her up and placed her onto his shoulder.
"Even the computer buried beneath the inner city ruins specifically designed to calculate the future couldn't predict things with one hundred percent accuracy... Developments often drift far from what we originally envisioned, and the unexpected is the rule rather than the exception."
"So don't always worry about things so far away. At least for now, I'm still right here, and we're both still very young."
"Even if I do go somewhere far away in the future, I'll take you with me."
Chapter 854