Two More Rookie Players

No matter what, this meat was definitely inedible.

Chu Guang sighed and reluctantly tossed the meat aside.

"If only we had a refrigerator."

The blue umbrella mushrooms in the mutated leech nest...

He had to get his hands on those things, no matter what, for the generator.

But it was only the second week of September. Lister's caravan would not come through this area until the end of the month, so there was no point thinking about it now.

He could not exactly wait until the end of the month to start stockpiling food.

Besides, with the shelter's current financial situation, there was no way they could afford a luxury item like a refrigerator...

For three days, Chu Guang had basically gone out hunting early in the morning, returned around noon or in the afternoon, cooked a pot of meat for the players, then squatted in a corner of the sanatorium by himself to keep figuring out food-smoking techniques.

His routine was so fixed and regular that he was practically an NPC.

Although his research into smoked meat was still not going very smoothly, the good news was that the players had all performed exceptionally well these past few days.

Chu Guang did the math.

Over those three days, he had earned a total of 7 reward points.

Though he would soon have 10 if he saved up a little more, after giving it some thought, Chu Guang ultimately bet all his chips on the basic blind box.

Fortunately, it was not just lollipops this time. He had also pulled out a bottle of soy sauce.

He did not know the brand, but it could at least improve the players' meals.

Chu Guang put away the soy sauce as though it were a priceless treasure.

Still...

That said, his cooking skills were truly nothing to write home about. He could only manage to cook food through.

The players had found it rather novel the first time they ate it—authentic flavors, completely natural and pollution-free, with a unique charm compared to takeout fast food. But eating this stuff every single meal was more than anyone could bear.

"Stew every day... I'm about to puke from eating it," Ye Shi said miserably, sitting on the ground with a bowl in his hands.

At first, he had been quite excited to discover that this game let him eat food. But now, he was gradually realizing just how painful eating could be.

Every meal was stewed meat, or mush made from green wheat.

Even if his mouth could take it, his ass was about to give out...

Fang Chang took a bite of the greasy foreleg meat and pondered with a furrowed brow.

"Maybe the taste system hasn't been fully developed yet. Otherwise, even if there isn't much salt... it shouldn't taste like this."

It was neither salty nor bland. It was just greasy!

And it had a slightly bitter taste, too.

It was worse than green wheat porridge...

"The gamey smell is too strong. You need cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic to blanch it and get rid of the odor. It'd probably taste better then," Old White consoled him. "Just make do with it. This is the wasteland—where are we supposed to get that stuff? There'll definitely be tasty food later!"

Fang Chang rolled his eyes at him without saying anything.

Ever since being appointed "construction foreman," this guy had become increasingly good at viewing things from the game developer's perspective. He was even proactively selling them on future promises.

But that was true enough...

Since realism was the selling point, it was not unreasonable to position seasonings as luxury goods. They might even have to pay to enjoy them later.

Ye Shi sighed and muttered under his breath.

"I hope the next update adds seasonings... I'm willing to pay RMB for them."

Gale chewed his meat slowly and did not join the conversation between the three.

He did not care much about the taste. Instead, he was thinking about how to improve his fish traps.

When the conversation suddenly died down, Ye Shi looked at Old White and casually asked.

"How's your cement coming along?"

Old White took a sip of soup before answering.

"The quality still needs improvement, but I feel like we're getting closer and closer to success."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely, no joke! And it's not just cement. Fang Chang and I have also been researching brickmaking lately. The lack of molds is a real pain, though. The bricks we fire don't look very good... but they should still be usable."

Ye Shi asked hesitantly.

"Can't you make molds out of wood?"

"Heh, you think it's that easy?"

Fang Chang shook his head and continued, "This isn't like chopping down trees. If you want to make those neat square ones, it's entirely a matter of craftsmanship."

Fang Chang had not expected it either.

He was a top-tier player, a hardcore survival master who could build a house in half an hour in The Forest, yet he had been tripped up by such a basic problem in this game.

Of course, that also had to do with how excessively hardcore the settings of Wasteland OL were...

Ye Shi and Gale exchanged looks, then looked at Old White and Fang Chang with helpless expressions, indicating that they could not offer any help.

They were both theory types. Their practical skills were not exactly zero, but they were not much better than that.

Although they had caught quite a few mutated leech larvae these past few days and made countless traps following wilderness survival experts in short videos, they had not caught a single fish.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

The lakeshore was full of fish-eating birds. The stupid fish had long since been snatched up and eaten. The fish that remained were all crafty ones that would not fall for traps at all. They would eat the bait and slip away.

Gale could only comfort himself by thinking that he would fatten up the fish in the lake first. Maybe once they let down their guard, he could catch them next time...

Just then, a commotion came from the direction of the sanatorium.

The Administrator was walking over with two dazed-looking guys in tow.

There was no need to ask.

Those expressions, as though they had been shocked for an entire year, were definitely from rookie players entering the game world with a helmet on for the first time.

Ye Shi sighed silently to himself again.

Why were there two more guys...

"Let me introduce everyone. These two are our new members... Tomato Scrambled Eggs and Damn, There Really Are Mosquitoes."

What the hell kind of names were those?

Chu Guang held back the urge to complain. After all, he was an NPC in the game.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Scattered applause rang out.

The closed-beta players sitting in front of the large pot set down their bowls and clapped in welcome, though their attitude was clearly far from enthusiastic.

But the two newcomers did not mind.

They had not yet recovered from the shock of what was before them.

At Chu Guang's instruction, they sat beside the bonfire supporting the large pot, staring blankly at the white steam drifting from it.

The humid heat and scent of meat washing over them...

This was way too damn realistic!

Seeing that the newcomers had not moved for a long time, Old White took the initiative to start a conversation.

"What are your attributes?"

Damn, There Really Are Mosquitoes was the first to snap out of it.

"I'm in the Agility type."

Then Tomato Scrambled Eggs came to his senses as well.

"I'm Constitution... You guys have already started eating?"

"The Administrator originally planned to hold a welcome ceremony, but it looks like it got screwed up... so he told us to eat first," Ye Shi said with a helpless expression. "You just woke up, right? Want some?"

Mosquito swallowed.

He accepted a bowl filled with big bones and soup. After taking a sip, his pupils widened in shock.

"The sense of taste... Holy shit, this game can really let you eat!"

Fuck!

This was too awesome!

"Not only can you eat, but you'll get low blood sugar if you don't," Fang Chang sighed. "I honestly don't think it needs to be this realistic. Or they could at least make it taste a little better."

Tomato Scrambled Eggs stared at the bowl without taking a bite. After hesitating for a long while, he asked.

"This... what kind of stew is this?"

Old White replied.

"Meat."

"Meat? What meat?"

"Mutated hyena... Actually, we don't know whether that thing counts as a wolf or a dog. Anyway, it's a mutant."

Upon hearing that, Mosquito instinctively moved the bowl away from himself and nearly spilled the soup.

Tomato Scrambled Eggs was different.

Not only did he not move away, he leaned closer and took an interested taste. But after that taste, his brows furrowed even tighter.

"Why's it so gamey... Didn't you drain the blood?"

The players exchanged looks.

"No idea."

"The NPC brought back all the prey."

Old White suggested.

"If you know how to cook, you can discuss it with the Administrator. Anyone with a skill gets put to good use."

Tomato Scrambled Eggs' expression immediately turned eager.

"Really? Then I'll give it a try later."

"What about carpentry? I know carpentry!" Mosquito hurriedly asked.

"Carpentry?" Old White's eyes lit up as he stared at him. "You know carpentry??"

Mosquito froze, then smiled awkwardly.

"I do... My family sells furniture, the kind that's all handmade from solid wood. If you're interested, you can add my QQ. I'll give you a discount—"

"Perfect!" Old White excitedly stood up. "I happen to need someone to make molds. Come help me out!"

"?"

It was not just Old White who stood up. Fang Chang got to his feet as well.

Before Damn, There Really Are Mosquitoes could figure out what was happening, the two of them had each grabbed one of his arms.

"Wait, I haven't even finished my soup—"

Watching the two drag him toward the construction site, Mosquito looked utterly bewildered. He had just been about to protest when Old White cut him off before he could finish.

"Eat my ass. Wouldn't it be better to have the chef make another pot this afternoon??"

Fang Chang added.

"Exactly! Buddy, take my advice. That stuff really doesn't taste good! Let us show you how this game works."

Mosquito: "...%*&#!"

Tomato Scrambled Eggs stared blankly at his fellow newcomer being dragged into the woods and swallowed.

"This game... is it legit?"

Ye Shi and Gale exchanged looks.

"More or less."

"Probably?"

Tomato Scrambled Eggs: "..."

Why was that a question?!