"It dropped! It dropped!"
"They didn't loot the bodies after killing people?"
"This caravan event is basically handing us loot for free!"
After losing two Mutated Hyenas, the three happily gained four Raider corpses.
As they watched the caravan gradually depart, they looked at it as though it were a charity organization.
Lin Tang sighed. "I really shouldn't have been thinking about a Zero-Cost Purchase. This caravan is even more charitable than those Bodhisattva ladies on Twitter."
"Come on, come on! We're done! Let's hurry home and open the loot!"
Before leaving, Thin Dog glanced at the Raider Camp. There were probably fewer than twenty Raiders inside, and three of them differed greatly from the others in height and skin color.
They looked very strong.
"There are elite mobs in the camp. They won't be easy to fight. Let's wait until they come out and spread apart, then pick them off one by one."
"Let's go home first. We've already gained plenty from this trip."
The three dragged and carried the four Raider corpses back to Calamity Base step by step.
They even encountered a Mutated Blood Deer along the way, but when they rushed at it, it immediately ran away on its four swift legs.
Only then did the three realize that without ranged weapons, agile Mutated Creatures like this were very difficult to catch.
A journey that normally took only half an hour took them more than an hour.
"Whew... We're finally here."
"This game's Physical Strength system is way too realistic. It really feels like I'm moving things myself."
Lin Tang said, "Still, the game thankfully nerfed Pain Sensation and fatigue. I'd say they're only about ten percent. You can feel them without them having any negative effect on your body. Just right. Big thumbs-up to the game designers."
Thin Dog said, "For real. Otherwise, I'd definitely just want to lie down right now."
Demon Fox carried a box of broken electronic items over to Cheng Shaofeng.
"Lord, can these electronic components be used?"
The voice beside him pulled Cheng Shaofeng back from browsing the web.
He focused his gaze and saw a large box packed full in front of him.
He called out in his mind, "Zero, scan it. How many sets of electronic components are in this box?"
The scan was complete within seconds.
Zero said, "Master, if they are placed into the Clone Production Pod, five sets of electronic components can be extracted."
Well, damn!
These players had brought back so many supplies right away?
Cheng Shaofeng was extremely surprised. In theory, supplies in the wasteland were incredibly scarce. He had thought this task would take the players several days, but before even half of the first day had passed, they had already gathered three portions of Biological Raw Materials and five sets of electronic components.
It was far beyond his expectations!
Sure enough. Many hands make light work. I need to get the next batch of players in here as soon as possible.
Seeing Demon Fox's expectant expression, Cheng Shaofeng cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Soldiers! You've done very well! You have obtained five sets of electronic components, enough raw materials for the base to produce five Clones. Since you turned in two more sets of electronic components than the mission required and made an outstanding contribution toward summoning new soldiers during the base's early stage, you will receive an additional reward."
Cheng Shaofeng's gaze shifted to a large sack of beans he had brought back from Salt Well Town.
"Each of you will receive an additional two jin of beans."
Demon Fox raised his left hand to his chest and gave a soldier's salute.
"It is my honor to serve you and the base, Lord!"
Cheng Shaofeng said, "..."
"Go, soldiers. You only need one more unit of energy to complete the mission. New challenges await you afterward!"
"We obey your orders!"
Demon Fox carried the beans and seriously turned to walk back to his teammates.
Thin Dog and Lin Tang: (;д)
"Big Bro Thin Dog, I remember that among the three of us yesterday, there seemed to be someone who said he wouldn't suck up to NPCs because he couldn't bring himself to do it. I forgot who it was. Can you remind me?"
Thin Dog curled his lip. "It wasn't me, anyway."
Lin Tang said, "Not me either. Hey! Hu Da, who was it again?"
Demon Fox, who had always been calm, flushed slightly.
"Who sucked up? Can things in a game be called sucking up? This is strategic flattery. Yes! That's what it is!"
After that, he started talking about favorability, information gathering, role-playing, and other things no one could understand, making Thin Dog and Lin Tang burst into laughter. Calamity Base was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
After laughing at Demon Fox,
Thin Dog hurriedly asked, "So how many electronic components did it count as? Was it enough for three sets?"
Demon Fox curled his lips into a smile and snapped the fingers of his left hand.
"I admit there was an element of gambling, but I won the bet! That box of scrap had a full five sets of electronic components! Not only can we turn in the mission, but the NPC also rewarded us with six jin of beans to eat. Now that you mention it, I really am hungry."
"I'm hungry too. Let's boil some water and cook the beans."
"Huh? This extra reward came at just the right time. That NPC is pretty smart. He saw we had no food and gave us a reward. He's such a nice guy."
The three had already decided that it was perfectly reasonable for the base to sell food to its soldiers.
Over there, Cheng Shaofeng also let out a sigh of relief.
Six jin of beans only cost 7.2 yuan in Salt Well Town. Those two extra sets of electronic components could fetch at least thirty yuan or so.
"Still, with electronic components this broken, the caravan from Myriad City would probably only pay scrap-collector prices. This entire box would be worth thirty yuan at most, not even enough to buy a Mutated Hyena. Giving them six jin of beans is already pretty generous."
At that moment, Cheng Shaofeng realized another problem.
He had too few rewards to offer the players.
Merit Points were only a temporary measure. He could not keep giving them out forever. Without corresponding functions for Merit Points, players would not receive positive feedback over a long period of time, and they would become less motivated to complete missions.
He recalled the several uses for Merit Points Lin Tang had mentioned that day and began making plans.
"I can first use Merit Point missions to exchange for the players' supplies, then use those supplies to buy goods from Salt Well Town, and finally take a portion of those goods to reward the players."
He had already noticed that the players all spoke Chinese and knew nothing about this world's language, making it difficult for them to trade with the people here. He could completely serve as the base's merchant, buying low and selling high, using the players' money to purchase new supplies and then rewarding the players with them.
"That way, the more supplies the players obtain, the richer I become!"
Wasn't that much safer than scavenging?
Having made up his mind, Cheng Shaofeng lifted a box of electronic components and prepared to pour them into the Clone Production Pod for extraction.
He asked in his mind, "Zero, I actually have a question. Our base's nanotechnology is so advanced, so why do we still need to collect electronic components to make Clones? Why not just get raw materials like zinc, iron, and nickel, then have the nanorobots make the electronic components themselves?"
Zero said, "Master, our base's technology can indeed manufacture electronic components. However, the base currently lacks sufficient electricity. Many high-precision nanorobots remain dormant. Only after increasing the base's electrical capacity can new robot functions gradually be unlocked. Once you unlock nanorobots capable of independently manufacturing electronic components, you can produce electronic chips with different functions for the players' Clones, granting the Clones more initial attributes."
"Hiss... Does that mean they could break free from the shackles of flesh and ascend into machines?"
Zero said, "Um, that will depend on the choices you make later. More information about the base can only be obtained after your energy level increases."
"Fine."
Cheng Shaofeng poured the box of electronic scrap into the Clone Production Pod.
His gaze suddenly swept across a silicone product among the scrap. He pulled it out, pressed a certain spot, and it made a sound that could make someone die of embarrassment.
"Mm~ Mm~ Ah~ Ah!"
It was like some bastard in a group chat deliberately sending an ordinary-looking video to lower everyone's guard, only for the background audio to be the lewd sounds from that sort of film, causing everyone to die of embarrassment on the spot in public!
The three players eating beans looked over in surprise.
But Cheng Shaofeng was not embarrassed. Instead, his brows knitted together.
"This belongs to Wu Jie."
More later.
Before you continue