Around three in the afternoon.
Chu Guang returned to the outpost on the surface above Vault 404 with Ye Shi and the game they had hunted.
This expedition had been fairly rewarding. Though the two mutant hyenas looked a little skinny, each weighed forty to fifty kilograms.
As one of the main sources of meat for wasteland survivors, mutant hyenas were the most cost-effective prey. They yielded more than ten times the meat of mutant rats, were fairly numerous, and often appeared in groups of three to five. Most importantly, the risk of food poisoning was relatively low.
However, without guns, ordinary scavengers found it difficult to defeat these pack-hunting mutants with cold weapons alone.
"Two mutant hyenas, and... one piece of good news and one piece of bad news." Chu Guang tossed the prey down at the sanatorium entrance and looked at the approaching players.
Old White was the first to ask.
"What's the good news?"
Chu Guang answered.
"Northwest of Wetland Park, following the elevated road out of the city, there's an unfinished construction site. We found a large quantity of limestone used for construction there, probably the kind treated through desulfurization. There were also some abandoned wheelbarrows. They should be usable after a few repairs."
Joy appeared on Old White's face, and he clenched his fists excitedly.
"That's great!"
He had been worrying about where to find raw materials for making calcium carbonate cement. He hadn't expected the problem to be solved so quickly.
And with ready-made materials, no less!
However, Fang Chang, standing beside him, felt that things were not so simple.
"What's the bad news?"
Chu Guang continued.
"Beyond Wetland Park's east gate, following 76th Street, there's a mutant camp. My rough estimate puts their numbers at over twenty."
The three players exchanged glances, unable to grasp what that meant.
Noticing his companions' confusion, Ye Shi hurriedly added an explanation from the side.
"Mutants are a hostile faction! They're powerful fighters, and most importantly, they eat people. We need to be careful!"
Chu Guang nodded.
"That's more or less what I meant."
Rather than being frightened after hearing that, the three players looked eager to give it a try. However, Chu Guang quickly poured cold water over their enthusiasm.
"Those mutants aren't something we can handle right now. Their levels are at least above 10. Making contact recklessly would not only get us killed for nothing, but expose our location."
"From now on, no one is allowed near 76th Street, and no one may leave through Wetland Park's east gate until the threat has been eliminated!"
The players were all fairly obedient.
Though they were curious about what mutants looked like, the Administrator, who held GM privileges, had spoken. They did not dare disobey his orders.
Being thrown into solitary confinement was one thing.
But losing the favorability they had worked so hard to gain would be miserable.
It looked like he did not need to worry too much about the players.
After briefly inspecting the morning's work, Chu Guang focused on figuring out how to deal with the prey they had just caught.
He had eaten this stuff before, but he had always bought it from barbecue stalls on Bette Street. He had never processed one himself.
Chu Guang had only heard that freshly caught prey needed to be bled immediately, otherwise the meat would turn gamey and foul. As for exactly how to bleed it, or how to handle it afterward, he did not really know.
For the past five months, he had mainly earned chips by scavenging. He did not have much hunting experience.
After all, hunting was far too dangerous for a lone traveler.
In any case, after killing the prey, he had cut open its main artery, but he still felt that the blood had not been fully drained.
Just as Chu Guang was pondering this, Gale walked toward him.
"Respected Administrator."
"What is it?"
"Could you give me some of the prey's blood?"
"Blood? What do you need that for?" Chu Guang asked.
Gale explained.
"I need it to verify some hypotheses."
Without giving it much thought, Chu Guang picked up his short knife, chopped off one of the mutant hyena's front legs, and tossed it to Gale.
"Take it."
"Thank you!"
After thanking him, Gale left mysteriously.
Though Chu Guang was curious, he did not ask further.
Around dusk, every player returned to the sanatorium. Just from Old White's expression, Chu Guang knew that today's haul had to be substantial.
Chu Guang had wanted to ask about it, but before he could speak, Old White impatiently opened his mouth.
"Respected Administrator, under your wise guidance, the outpost's cement kiln has basically been completed. Once the cement dries tomorrow, we can begin test-firing the first batch of cement!"
"Very good."
Chu Guang nodded approvingly and encouraged them.
"Thanks to all of you, we have taken another step toward the great goal of reviving the Human Alliance! I hope you'll keep up the good work. The organization will remember your contributions."
Chu Guang felt that he was getting better and better at selling dreams.
However, the players did not seem to care whether he was selling dreams or not. It seemed they had found new joy in the labor of rebuilding their home.
Wasn't that what sandbox games were all about?
Watching their home improve bit by bit was part of the fun. Being among the first to experience such epoch-making immersive virtual reality technology was already a blessing in itself.
Of course, Chu Guang was delighted that these players were enjoying themselves.
The shelter was simply too poor right now. He truly could not offer them any tangible rewards, so he could only keep selling dreams and handing out some imaginary currency for the time being.
After logging off.
The Ox-Horse Club became lively again.
Recently, quite a few night owls had adjusted their schedules to something more normal.
Led by Quit Smoking, people who used to stay awake until dawn now went to bed punctually at ten every night and got up punctually at five in the morning, all just to watch those damned admins pull stunts.
Ye Shi: Mutants! New faction update! The Administrator encountered a mutant settlement on 76th Street! It has been confirmed that mutants are a hostile faction!
Ye Shi, the first to log off, eagerly appeared first and ignited the group's gossip frenzy.
Mutants?! What do they look like?
Why hasn't the official website updated yet?
Holy shit! Now that there's a hostile faction, closed beta should be coming soon, right?!
Damn, I want to play so badly!
A string of messages immediately exploded into view.
Ye Shi continued typing.
I still don't know what they look like. I didn't see them either! But don't panic, everyone. The official website will definitely update information about mutants. I'm waiting for news too!
Quit Smoking: Where are the other three? Why are you the only one online today?
Ye Shi: No idea! Old White seems to have gone to study cement, Gale probably has class this morning, and I don't know about Fang Chang. That guy has always been pretty mysterious.
(Ye Shi, Enemy of Young Women, was muted by the group owner for one hour.)
Old White: Call me Old White one more fucking time! (Furious)
Spare Me: Hahaha, good muting!
Damn, There Really Are Mosquitoes: So excited... Just two more days, and I can join the test!
Tomato Scrambled Eggs: +1 (smirk.jpg)
Quit Smoking: Damn it! Mute these two showoffs too! This is infuriating! I was the one who preregistered first! T.T
Ye Ao Nai Wo He: Sigh, hopeless. Truly hopeless.
Even now, this guy called Ye Ao Nai Wo He still did not believe that nonsense about a "fully immersive virtual reality online game," much less the claim that it was "100% real."
He and his supporters still firmly believed this was some absurd rumor-spreading stunt cooked up by the damned admins together.
Long Days Ahead did not appear in the group today. Instead, he updated his experience from today's trial on the official forum—
Or rather, a handwritten gameplay journal.
Today was the third day of closed beta. The charcoal kiln provided us with a large amount of charcoal, and with the successful firing of grass-ash cement, we built a larger cement kiln under Old White's leadership. If tomorrow's test firing succeeds, we will obtain more reliable building materials to construct our home.
I really have to praise the development team. This game has given me an experience that no game currently on the market has ever given me. Especially when the cement kiln was completed—the sense of achievement that came with it was simply addictive beyond belief!
There was not much testing content today. We mainly tested the game's sandbox system.
However, one thing worth noting is that the Administrator revealed to us today that there is a mutant tribe at the end of 76th Street. It has been confirmed as a hostile faction, and all players must avoid it carefully. But the Administrator did not reveal more information about the mutants. As of now, the official website has not updated any mutant photos either. Perhaps the plot has not reached that point yet.
If there is new intelligence, I will update it in the thread immediately. I also ask all wasteland friends looking forward to open beta to keep following this thread!
"Wasteland friends" was what the preregistered players called themselves.
Although there were only around forty people at the moment, all of them were active—no, even fanatical users. Before long, they had piled dozens more replies onto the thread.
Chu Guang quietly lurked without taking part in the players' discussion.
Still, as usual, he wrote down good suggestions in his notebook and marked particularly imaginative players in the backend.
If there were new player recruitment plans, users with high loyalty would receive top priority. As for those who liked to argue and stir things up, he would put them on hold for now. Rather than letting them come in and cause trouble, it was better to have them serve as atmosphere boosters online.
To put it bluntly, if you were here to cause trouble, why should he let you in?
Because your face was big and your brain underdeveloped?
At the current closed beta stage, Wasteland OL was more like a private server, and one run by admins with absolute authority for people they knew. There was no chance for anyone to cause trouble. Moreover, by gradually raising the preregistration requirements, players who obtained game access would treasure the opportunity all the more.
As for the open beta stage, that would be even easier to deal with.
Naturally, open beta had its own way of being handled.
When the time came, he could simply fence off a patch of land as the beginner village. Without a certain level or honorific title, players would not even get to see him.
Chu Guang realized that he had unconsciously become more and more devious.
When had that started?
Forget it.
There was no point thinking about such things.
After shutting off the computer, Chu Guang opened the system and checked today's daily quest rewards.
Quest: Chop down ten trees. Reward: 1 reward point Quest: Kill one mutant creature. Reward: 3 reward points
"Not many quests completed today."
That only added up to four points.
After a struggle in his heart, Chu Guang ultimately could not resist. He opened the Administrator stipend and threw all four reward points into basic blind boxes.
The alloy door opened.
The conveyor belt rolled.
Looking at the four lollipops lying at the end of the conveyor belt, Chu Guang nearly blurted out a heartfelt curse.
But just then, a translucent holographic pop-up suddenly appeared above one of the lollipops wrapped in pale gold.
Like a label—
Enhanced Chocolate-Flavored Lollipop: Strength increased by 10% for 10 hours.
Chu Guang: "?"
What?
Before you continue