"Why did you choose such a weird na?"
"Is it really that weird?"
"No, ’Greenhouse Farm’...if anything, it’s too proper, which is kind of weird."
"Damn! How is that my fault? Hey, I had already submitted my application when I realized I forgot to pick a snazzy na."
"What were you planning to call it?"
"QQ Farm."
"Ha."
Makabazi had found Edge Shoveling, a contact from the Forum, and together the two young players set out wearing beast skin coats, carrying wooden bows and spears, heading towards the east gate to start their hosteading adventure.
Chu Guang was curious as to why they were heading out the east gate instead of the west and why they were ard with bows and spears instead of hoes and axes, but after so thought, he decided not to intervene.
In the evening,
Chu Guang was too lazy to cook, so he strolled around the north gate and noticed that Crow had made a pot of deer at and mushroom soup. Therefore, he placed one silver coin on the table.
"I’ll have two bowls."
"Coming right up!"
Crow handed over two heaping bowls of soup with a sweet smile, warning Chu Guang,
"Careful, it’s hot."
The players nearby, holding their own bowls, instantly lost the aroma from their at as they watched, and they started to grumble.
"Crow Boss, you’re playing favorites!"
"Yeah! You weren’t gentle at all when you served !"
"Manager’s bowl has such a big piece of leg! I saw it!"
"Exactly, why do we only have one piece of at in our soup!"
"And it’s butt at!"
"Delicacies should not discriminate between the rich and the poor! My wife said so!"
Crow’s face turned red, and she scrambled to make excuses.
"What do you an ’butt at’? Am I that kind of person?"
And so what if I’m playing favorites?
Is it wrong to curry favor with an NPC? Dare you say you’ve never done it? Ha, calling out ’Respected Manager’ with every breath, and you have the nerve to criticize ?
At least I’ve triggered hidden quests!
"I don’t care, unless you give another bowl!"
"Keep dreaming!"
Chu Guang smiled like an old father and ignored the raucous players as he turned and walked through the north gate to Xia Yan’s little sister’s weapon shop.
After several renovations and rebuilds, the weapon shop had completely changed its appearance.
The forr mud walls had been replaced by neat red brick walls, which had been plastered inside and out; the floor had been laid with wooden flooring.
If it had still been the old, run-down hut, it probably would have been crushed by the snow by now.
It was clear the players were even more concerned for Boss Xia than himself; her hand-drawn CG images on the Forum had nearly made her a mascot.
No, should I say she already has beco one?
When Chu Guang arrived, Xia Yan was asleep at the table, with a crate full of freshly made bullets beside her.
Now that the players were all playing happily at the north gate, nobody had co to disturb her.
Chu Guang didn’t wake her, instead, he quietly placed the bowl beside her.
Then he found a chair in the room, sat down by the furnace, and tossed a log into the fire. He ward himself while savoring the delicious deer at and mushroom soup.
Sparks danced above the flas.
The scent of the soup slowly filled the room.
Her nose twitched while buried in her arms, and Xia Yan, who was waking up slowly, looked around hazily. Once she caught sight of Chu Guang sitting in the room, she beca completely alert.
Watching Xia Yan as she woke, Chu Guang casually remarked.
"You’ve definitely been more relaxed lately."
Having soone sneak up behind you for so long without noticing, and only waking up when you sll the scent of at—if this were out in the Wasteland, you’d probably not survive two episodes.
Caught red-handed, Xia Yan looked embarrassed, like a child who had done sothing wrong, burying her head and not daring to look at him, she said softly.
"I, I only slept for a bit after I finished my work, I wasn’t slacking off... When did you co in?"
"Just now," seeing Xia Yan’s nervous look, Chu Guang teased with a smile, "Are you that anxious?"
Xia Yan hemd and hawed for a while without speaking.
After thinking for a bit, Chu Guang spoke up.
"Starting tomorrow, I will pay you a daily wage... um, of 10 Silver Coins, with daily settlents for this month and monthly settlents from next month on. Every month I will give you a target, mainly concerning the crafting of ammunition and weapons. You can treat it as your task, and upon completion of the task, you can earn a bonus of 10% to 30% of your monthly salary. Also, your bonus will be linked to the profits of the weapon shop."
Xia Yan quickly asked.
"What if I don’t complete it?"
Chu Guang shrugged.
"It’s fine, we currently have a stockpile of 30 revolving rifles and over four thousand bullets, which should be enough for now."
The Blood Hand Clan had been annihilated, and the only threat in this region was now the Mutants of Street No.76, but they seed to have their own problems to face and hadn’t yet turned their attention to Linghu Wetland Park.
The sudden onset of winter was both a risk and an opportunity.
This natural barrier would buy Shelter No. 404’s residents so precious ti for developnt. Food, fuel, and building materials were key; weapon demand wasn’t as urgent by comparison.
Stealing glances at Chu Guang, Xia Yan quietly said.
"...To be accurate, there are actually 14 rifles left, we sold 16 recently, and there are just over 2000 bullets left."
Chu Guang said nonchalantly.
"No worries, there’s still a pile of junk in the stockpile we looted from the Looters, enough to keep those newcors entertained for a while."
"Why are you suddenly being so nice... even paying wages?" Xia Yan asked quietly.
In Giant Stone City, those big shots only showed sudden kindness when they needed these little people to go on a suicide mission.
Even though it was unlikely to find buyers in winter, Xia Yan was still a bit scared, given the deep impression this man had left on her.
"Because I think the ti is about right," Chu Guang said after so thought, "Not just you, but everyone working for , including Old Luka, will be rewarded, more or less. You don’t have to think of it as a handout; it’s the part you deserve after your labor."
In short, it’s ti to stimulate spending.
Relying on players to consu what other players produce is a bit difficult, so having NPCs buy what players produce can motivate the players to scale up production.
Xia Yan seed to understand as she nodded.
What she really wanted to say was that if he truly wanted to reward her, he could give her those white plastic cards, not too many, just one a day would suffice.
But she was too timid and just consoled herself.
Actually, Silver Coins were pretty good, too—10 Silver Coins... I heard that you need two chips to exchange for one Silver Coin, so thinking about it, isn’t my daily wage 20 chips? That’s 600 chips a month!
In Giant Stone City, an assault rifle only costs 150 chips, a month’s inco could buy four guns, becoming a true middle-class citizen!
Hehehe...
As she entertained this dream, Xia Yan amused even herself.
Chu Guang didn’t care about her silly expression and continued on his own.
"Besides, you will get a ’budget’ from the ’profits’ of the weapon shop, to issue tasks to the ’players.’ Just like I taught you, you can guide them to do so of the things you would normally have to do yourself. Like loading bullets into casings, oiling the gun chanisms, or even minding the store for you..."
"This part you are free to play with your imagination, anyway these little details are more familiar to you than to , your VM can help you edit, and if you don’t understand sothing, you can contact my assistant, Xiao Qi, through the VM. Finding things for others to do will also make your own work easier."
Sitting up straight and listening to Chu Guang, Xia Yan didn’t dare move or interrupt.
But that bowl of venison mushroom soup was just too tantalizing, and several tis she couldn’t help but sneak a peek, swallowing her saliva over and over again.
Noticing her little movents after finishing his instructions, Chu Guang smiled and said in a relaxed tone.
"Figure out the rest for yourself, I won’t say more. That bowl of venison mushroom soup is on , hurry up and enjoy it while it’s hot, there’s even a piece of venison leg in there."
Xia Yan imdiately picked up the bowl and started wolfing it down.
When she put the bowl down, her face was brimming with happiness, and, not minding the grease and soup all over her mouth, she couldn’t stop praising.
"Uh-uh-uh, it’s so delicious!"
"Once you’re off work, you can go check out the North Gate; it’s becoming quite the lively spot, I bet you’ve never been there."
Chu Guang stood up from his chair, placed the empty bowl on the wooden table next to the brazier, and counted out 10 silver coins to leave by the side of the bowl.
"After you finish drinking, help wash it too."
"Thanks for everything during this ti."
It wasn’t until Chu Guang had stepped outside that Xia Yan, still holding the bowl, snapped back to reality after a good while.
"!"
What word did that devil just say?!
She couldn’t rember if it had happened before, but she was very clear on how cold-blooded and heartless this man’s thods were.
Not only was he ruthless to enemies, but he also didn’t spare his own people.
She had seen with her own eyes how he ordered the bodies of fallen soldiers to be thrown into the furnace and burned alongside their enemies, not even leaving a grave for them.
Such a ruthless man showing kindness to her must have an ulterior motive!
However, for so reason, Xia Yan suddenly felt that she wasn’t as scared of him as before.
How to put it?
When the man threatened to throw her out to fend for herself if she didn’t work properly, she did find it quite frightening.
But it seed that after living together for a while, he hadn’t actually kicked her out.
Sipping her soup in small gulps, Xia Yan found herself at a loss for any trash talk.
Forget it.
After all, he hadn’t done anything particularly terrible to her.
This venison soup is quite delicious.
Considering he treated to soup, I might as well wash his bowl as a favor.
...
After leaving the weapon shop, Chu Guang found Old Luka and inford him about his wages.
Old Luka, a slave for most of his life, looked utterly bewildered when he heard his master was planning to pay him.
Chu Guang was too lazy to explain what wages were again, and simply said,
"Think of it as a reward."
"Keep it to buy so food or necessities, go to the carpentry hut to get so furniture, support the players’ businesses, or save up to build yourself a decent house."
Upon hearing the word "reward," Old Luka was moved to tears, and imdiately wanted to kneel down, but rembering the master said that the people of Shelter No. 404 must not kneel, he promptly placed his right fist over his chest.
"Thank you for your generosity, Master."
If this thought made him feel better, Chu Guang couldn’t be bothered to correct his perception.
After discussing work-related issues, Chu Guang went on to ask about the training of the two new warehouse managers.
It had to be said, these survivors with serf experience had a natural suitability for service positions like "warehouse managent."
After all, for them, at Brown’s Farm, these positions were high-status roles available only to the top among serfs.
A step higher would only be the farm owner’s servants, butlers, and soldiers.
But those people couldn’t really be considered serfs, and not exactly slaves either, they were more like servants with so status. Most of them followed in their fathers’ footsteps, and only on very rare occasions, a serf would be selected to work in the master’s house.
Therefore, both valued the opportunity in their hands greatly and learned quickly, and they were expected to be officially in charge within a few days.
Chu Guang was confident in Luka’s work ethic. After a quick inspection, he turned and returned to the sanatorium.
As he pondered whether to play the newly downloaded ga at the shelter or spend so ti with Xiao Qi on the third floor, a commotion suddenly ca from the direction of the north gate.
A familiar scene seed to play out before him.
He saw a little player who had lost a leg, lying on a stretcher, carried by two other players who hustled in from the north gate, panting heavily.
Chu Guang recognized him.
If he rembered correctly, it should have been in the afternoon.
This guy, along with Makabazi, cheerfully singing songs, carrying wooden bows and javelins out of the east gate.
At the ti, he had wondered why they were leaving from the east gate and if they had taken the wrong path. Now it seed, they hadn’t mistaken their direction but instead were heading toward their deaths from the start.
Chu Guang displayed a bizarre expression, activated the system, and opened the player list, indeed finding that Brother Ba’s icon had turned gray – he was clearly gone.
He approached and looked down at Edge Shoveling, who lay on the stretcher, his consciousness teetering. Chu Guang, with a frown, asked,
"What’s happened to you?"
"Moths! Loads of them! And one was so huge, nearly the length of my arm! Their teeth, like scissors!"
The expression on Edge Shoveling’s face was sowhere between excitent and terror, his emotions clearly agitated as he gesticulated wildly in the air.
"We went to the neighborhood northeast of Linghu Wetland Park on the map, where there’s the ruin of an artificial greenhouse! We originally planned to see if there was anything useful inside. But after we struggled to enter through the safe passage, as soon as we reached the exit, we saw a row of cocoons hanging on a web! We were stunned at that mont, just as we were trying to figure out what they were, Makabazi who was at the front got pounced on by the moths!"
The one carrying the stretcher, Construction Worker with a Brick, was all ears, and when he heard the last bit about being gnawed on, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
"Gnawed, you say?"
"Yes! Just gnawed!" Edge Shoveling gasped for breath, too agitated to care about his bleeding wound, and continued, "Seeing there was no escape, Brother Maca took off his VM and threw it to . I didn’t dare to look back and just dashed for the safe passage like my life depended on it! I was almost out when two giant moths bit into my legs..."
"Thankfully, these insects can’t stand the cold, so I rolled and crawled out of the safe passage. The moths didn’t chase after , and the two that bit my legs didn’t have much strength left. I stabbed them several tis with my dagger and finally killed them, but my leg... only half of it was left."
Half a leg left and still talking...
Edge Shoveling spoke so vividly that Chu Guang, listening by the side, couldn’t help but twitch his brows.
It was a good thing that excessive pain was blocked; had it been any other survivor, they might have been in so much pain they couldn’t breathe from the first bite.
"Devil Moths."
Chu Guang took a deep breath, glanced at the bloody stump of his leg, and imdiately made a grim diagnosis.
"You’ve lost a leg, and even the bone is gone; this isn’t an injury a cultivation chamber can heal. Without ’limb regeneration’ traits, no matter how strong your healing abilities, it’s useless. Do you understand what I an?"
The most humane course of action was to kick him offline, lock his login, and then send him straight into the furnace.
Whether he was dead was actually irrelevant; without a consciousness entity’s access, the clone was just an empty shell with no intellect, and whether it was alive or not didn’t affect the recovery of active substances.
Edge Shoveling obviously understood the subtle hint from the respected Manager, a longstanding tradition of Shelter No. 404, so he nodded at lightning speed.
"I know! I understand, respected Manager, but if I must die, can I choose the way I go out?"
It was a reasonable request.
Chu Guang nodded.
"No problem, how would you like to die?"
Edge Shoveling gave an embarrassed smile, speaking shyly,
"I want to try out the gallows at the door... heh heh, just curious."
Chu Guang: "..."
It was the first ti he’d heard such a strange request.
Well then.
If they could leave a complete corpse, it would also make it easier for him to handle the recovery.
...
And so, Edge Shoveling, who had just been carried into the base, was now carried by two players to the gallows outside the north gate.
"Hang on, let think of a cool line to say, I want to die like a hero—"
"Cut the nonsense and go down!"
"I ga—"
The two players dealt with him swiftly, sending the limp-necked Edge Shoveling to the corpse room.
His equipnt and VM would be stored in the buffer room’s storage locker, and in three days, he’d be back as good as new.
Chu Guang went to the Third Floor of Outpost Base and found Xiao Qi.
"Northeast of Linghu Wetland Park, a nest of Devil Moths has been discovered."
"Devil Moths?"
"A kind of insect variant. I need you to mark three skull flags on the map for , those creatures are tough to deal with."
Xiao Qi skewed the cara slightly.
"Should we prohibit players from entering the area?"
"That’s not necessary, just a warning," Chu Guang thought for a mont and continued, "The restrictions for Street No. 76 can be lifted as well, but keep the danger signs."
"I’m curious to see how these players will tackle this tricky problem."
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