This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 148 Everything Is For Foreign Exchange

Chapter 148: Chapter 148 Everything Is For Foreign Exchange

Late at night.

Old Luka sent a message to Chu Guang, reporting today’s income.

Among it, 2000 CR was a fixed salary. Thanks to the double production service purchased by the logistics department of the Pioneer, a total of 255 tons of garbage were collected, with a commission of 1275 CR. That added up to 3275 CR!

Then there was the income from breakfast, dinner, and late-night snacks, which unexpectedly reached 700 CR!

Adding the daily meal allowance of 600 CR and subtracting the cost of 150 CR for supplies and ingredients, today’s balance reached 4425 CR.

As for the cost, the task reward for every 100 kilograms of garbage was 1 Silver Coin, equivalent to 2550 silver.

Oh right, there were also 2550 Activity Points.

Spread among 200 people, the average earnings were still a bit low, probably pulled down by some players in the Intelligence System.

Hope the players can keep up the good work and achieve greater glory!

"Adding in the surplus of 1200 from half a day yesterday, the total income for two days is 5625! Man, that’s enough to buy 18 assault rifles!"

Previously, even at the height of his armory’s reserves, he never had so many weapons.

Chu Guang wished he could convert all the saved money into guns right now, then hang them up in the weapon shop for 400 silver coins apiece, and then start a promotion - "For expansion pack-exclusive weapons, 1 Activity Point can be used to deduct 5 silver coins, up to 50% of the total price."

He believed that once the first wave of players returned, they would definitely jump with excitement!

Presumably, the next time they went, they would definitely work even harder!

Chu Guang felt that he had thoroughly understood the game industry’s promotional activities—after all, he had learned from so many materials.

Leaning back in his computer chair, Chu Guang clasped his hands behind his head and gazed at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Tomorrow is the last day before the shift change, and the day after, new players will log on for a formal handover."

"50 old players leading 150 new players... I hope there won’t be any trouble."

Or maybe...

I should go there in person.

With Xiao Qi, Xia Yan, Little Fish, and so many old players here at the base,

There shouldn’t be a problem!

Just as Chu Guang closed the text document and opened a game of Stars to relax, Li De from the logistics department stationed on the Pioneer ten kilometers away was staring dumbfoundedly at the plate on the table.

"Is this... Blue Jacket’s meat pie?"

His secretary, Wang Jie, replied.

"It’s a bun."

"And this one with the transparent skin?"

"That’s also a bun... Supposedly it’s a soup dumpling. They say it’s best to eat it hot, dipped in vinegar."

"And this flat one? Boiled bun?"

"Uh, that’s called a dumpling."

"???"

Strange food.

In Ideal City, fats and proteins would not be roundaboutly wrapped in carbohydrates like this.

And there were no supermarkets that would sell the food of the dispossessed—the Variants’ meat.

The lowest-level employees and the unemployed survive on synthetic starch and a small amount of dietary fiber. Middle-tier employees have plant-based meat and some nutritionally balanced set meals in their bowls. After all, they form the main force of the enterprise and the majority that machinery cannot replace, so businesses usually start to consider their health.

The employees a step higher can eat pre-war crops from CNC planting towers and scientifically synthesized meat. These foods are also industrial products, but in addition to nutrition, they pay more attention to the dining experience.

As for senior employees and middle-level managers and above, the quality of their diet is quite high, with opportunities to taste evenly distributed fat in cultured meat and eggs hatched from live poultry, as well as pure natural milk.

With cooking devices even more precise than CNC machine tools, they can control the taste and texture of food at the molecular level. With the aid of technology, cuisine becomes an art.

Looking at the bun in front of him, Li De couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

This thing probably couldn’t be called art, but rather seemed more like a cultural product.

Wait, it’s stuffed with Variant meat...

Can you really eat it?

With the empiricist spirit that so many people have eaten it without issues, Li De finally let go of his prejudices and took a bite.

And then...

The second bite, the third bite...

Li De: "???"

Holy shit!?

This flavor is somewhat addictive!

...

The next day.

At the Western Entrance of the Outpost Base, the guards squatting in the trenches were wearing uniformly styled fur coats, each shouldering a uniquely shaped rifle.

The square-shaped body, black shell, heavy breech mechanism, and pure wooden stock made it look quite a bit like something from Warhammer.

Even if someone swung it as a blunt weapon, there would be no sense of incongruity.

The use of bold and rugged aesthetics was perfectly embodied in this weapon, yet its name was quite understated, or one might say orderly.

Arbiter Type I.

The standard weapon of the Outpost Security Team!

"Fire!"

Bang—!

Fifteen gunshots rang out in unison; the bullets hurtled toward the targets a hundred meters away with aggressive intent, shattering the trunks near the targets.

The Security Team’s Captain Wrench’s expression was slightly embarrassed.

Fifteen targets, ten missed. The most embarrassing part was that he himself had missed, the bullet whizzing into the forest, lost to sight.

The most critical issue was, the Manager was standing right at the doorway watching.

"Reload!" Captain Wrench yelled out.

The guards quickly pulled the bolts, dumping the hot cartridge cases into the snow and taking aim at the targets again, waiting for the command to start a new round of shooting.

"This power is pretty strong?"

Using a wooden telescope to observe the lined-up tree trunks pierced through at a hundred meters, Chu Guang’s face bore a trace of surprise.

The power felt stronger than the 7mm pipe rifles that List sold him.

Is it really a replica?

"You told me you wanted as big as possible, didn’t you? Since the receiver was built so thick, I figured it’d be a waste not to make use of it. I just increased the length of the cartridge and the amount of powder. Now it uses a 7x70mm rifle cartridge, which is 20mm longer than the original," Standing beside him, leaning on a cane, Xia Yan cast a teasing glance at him, "How about that? Big enough for you?"

"Big enough it is," Chu Guang mused, "it’s just that the hit rate is a bit... touching."

But actually, it didn’t really matter.

These guards weren’t meant for the front lines anyway. There was no need for them to hit targets 100m away; that was a job for the players, the ones who could holler.

All they needed was a loud warning shot to the sky!

If he hadn’t been worried about jamming the breech, he would have even considered switching their smokeless gunpowder for the cheaper black powder. It was louder and smokier, which looked badass.

Lately, there had been an influx of players choosing life-career roles, and everyone was living a bit too zen. In the next version, Chu Guang planned to recruit more players from Company B to scavenge through the trash.

And invite more players from Company P to start some fights.

"It’s probably an issue with the bullet composition and the barrel design. Within 50m, it’s fine, but the spread of the shots gets too wide past 100m. I’ll think of a way to fix this..." Seeing Chu Guang looking at her with a puzzled expression, Xia Yan paused slightly, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, it’s quite clean," Chu Guang said with a smile, nodding at the confused Xia Yan, "I’m just impressed that you’ve been so proactive lately, actually taking the initiative to consider these things for me. As your boss, I’m relieved."

"It’s not like I’m thinking about you; don’t flatter yourself!" Face turning red, Xia Yan glared fiercely at him and shuffled away with her crutch.

Chu Guang just chuckled and didn’t pursue her, brewing his expression for a moment before heading straight out the Western Entrance of the Outpost Base and finding Wrench crouched in the trench.

Climbing out of the trench, Wrench looked up at the Manager guiltily, head hung low and ears red, as if he wanted to explain.

"Sir, I..."

"Lift your head! Puff out your chest. You are the security guards of the Outpost Base, defenders of order and justice."

After reprimanding him, Chu Guang nodded in approval when he saw the Security Team Captain standing up straight and lifting his head.

After a brief pause, he continued.

"It’s normal to miss the target when you’ve just received your guns; practice makes perfect. I’ve seen all the training you’ve been doing. Don’t beat yourself up over it, but remember not to get complacent!"

Wrench quickly responded.

"Of course not, sir!"

Chu Guang nodded, brushed off the snow from Wrench’s shoulder, and continued with a resolute look in his eyes.

"Tomorrow, I’ll take you all on a long trip; it will be your first mission. You’re the captain of the security team, remember to observe and learn."

"Also, later go to the warehouse and claim 14 VMs for your fellow brothers. You should know how to use them; I don’t need to go into more detail."

Including the one Wrench now wore on his arm, there were a total of 15 VMs that Chu Guang had asked Xiao Qi to edit specifically for the security team’s use. These could identify players’ IDs directly through the map and report any violations straight to Chu Guang.

If a violation was confirmed, Chu Guang would dispense punishment based on the facts.

Although currently, the players in the test server were relatively friendly, as more people joined various issues would inevitably arise.

Guns could only intimidate new players with low levels and dependent refugees; higher-level players still needed to be deterred with permissions.

Wrench replied with full vigor.

"Yes, sir!"

...

The fourth day after the launch of version Alpha0.7.

Early in the morning, Wrench led the 15-member Outpost Base Security Team, neatly lined up at the north gate.

Their continuous days of training bore some fruit.

Leaving aside their combat prowess, at the very least, their posture and formation now looked disciplined, no longer slouched and sloppy.

With daily meals of fish and meat, and with the consistent satisfaction of horned tubers and green wheat, their complexions looked far better than when they had first emerged from the Looter’s dungeon.

Lu Yang, who came from the Pioneer to escort workers to the Action Camp for their shift change, looked in surprise at these guards standing in formation with rifles on their backs.

Their gear was makeshift, with cumbersome rifles and packed luggage on their backs, and they wore coats made from mutant reindeer hide, barely achieving a semblance of uniformity.

The only piece of high-tech equipment they possessed on their bodies was probably the vital signs monitor strapped to their arms—the common VM seen in shelters.

Unexpectedly, however, what stood out was their discipline.

Yet, Lu Yang couldn’t help feeling they didn’t look like shelter people; they resembled Wasteland wanderers more closely. Those clad in Blue Jacket from the shelters generally looked cleaner and more refined, resembling middle to upper corporate employees, and didn’t appear cut out for hardship.

But these men were different, their faces clearly marked by tough times.

As Lu Yang pondered, the two Marine soldiers behind him chatted on the communication channel.

"What did you have for breakfast?"

"Went to Blue Jacket’s and grabbed a couple of buns."

"Holy shit, what time did you go down?"

"Five o’clock."

"Badass!"

Lu Yang coughed and scolded in the communication channel.

"Quiet."

The two Marine soldiers immediately shut up and turned off their mics.

At that moment, Wrench caught Lu Yang’s eye and walked over with his rifle slung, standing to attention and giving a crisp military salute.

"The Manager has ordered me to wait for you here. He will come up with his people at eight o’clock sharp. Before that, he needs some time to mobilize his residents."

Lu Yang nodded and replied,

"I see, no rush."

The departure time he had agreed upon with Chu Guang was indeed eight o’clock in the morning.

But today, the road conditions had been smoother than expected, and he and his subordinates arrived at their destination half an hour earlier than anticipated.

"Please allow me to take you to the reception room to rest for a while."

Lu Yang shook his head, declining.

"No need, I’ll just wait here."

Wearing power armor, it didn’t really matter where he waited.

The heavy snow outside couldn’t touch him anyway, nor could it make him feel the slightest bit cold.

Wrench nodded, didn’t insist any further, and turned back to join the line, standing together with the brothers of the Security Team.

Meanwhile, on the second underground floor of the shelter, it was bustling with activity.

A one-of-a-kind newcomer’s celebration was reaching its climax.

A swarm of little players dressed in Blue Jackets, with their eyes wide as saucers, emerged from their rooms, following the broadcast’s instructions to gather in the square in front of the B2 elevator.

Confusion resonated among the crowd, with nearly everyone unable to believe their own eyes, questioning whether everything before them was indeed real.

But the truth was right there in front of them!

This was an almost entirely real world!

And they were all standing here in the flesh, breathing the air, listening to the bustling noises around, feeling the blood surging through their veins.

The damn developers didn’t lie!

Wasteland OL—

It was freaking awesome!

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!"

"Is this really Shelter No. 404?!"

"Damn! This wall is so solid! Can’t phase through it at all, and these textures, they’re just too damn real!"

"Hahaha, badass, badass, never thought I’d get to play a fully immersive Virtual Reality Game in my lifetime! Wait for me, guys, I’ll shit upside down when I log off!"

"Bro, remember to stream it!"

"Need help? I can send you a bottle of fish oil!"

"Damn, you guys are serious?"

Like the waves of newcomers before them entering the game.

The newbies standing in the plaza in front of the B2 elevator were dancing with excitement, touching here and looking there, some even bumped into walls, and others hopped on the spot as if they were part of some grand ceremony.

Dozens of old players who hadn’t managed to snag an expansion ticket stood aside, judging and reminiscing about their lost youth and the past.

Chu Guang was observing these players too, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.

However, what pleased him was that there didn’t seem to be any "pants-droppers" among this batch of new players.

It seemed this group of newbies was rather reserved.

Of course, it’s possible that, following advice from old players on the forum, these newcomers had a fairly good understanding of the Game’s basic settings and had reached Backseat Driver level even before entering the Game.

For example, in Wasteland OL, each person can only create one account, which will stay with them from closed beta until open beta; it cannot be canceled, and after retiring from the game, the operator reserves the right to take back the account and reissue it to someone else.

At that moment, Chu Guang happened to see a small player in the crowd suddenly cry out "Gah" and fall backward to the ground.

After a slight startle, Chu Guang spoke softly.

"Xiao Qi."

Xiao Qi, who was following beside Chu Guang, raised the camera.

"What’s up, Master?"

With his gaze lingering on the system interface that only he could see, Chu Guang mused.

"Can being too excited cause disconnects?"

Xiao Qi: "Uh, generally speaking, no, but it’s not absolute. For example, if the excitement leads to a physiological shock in the clone, naturally the connection of the Consciousness Entity would be interrupted... But such probability is really small, can someone really get that excited to the point of shock?"

Chu Guang: "..."

Physiological shock, really now.

Chu Guang glanced over the player list, wanting to see which unlucky soul it was. Just as he caught sight of the name, he paused briefly.

Quit smoking?

Well, that’s somewhat understandable. An 80 score is decent, hovering on the edge of the second-tier score, and it took so many version draws for him to get here.

But then again, what if he took off his helmet and continued to be excited? What to do?

Could he actually go into shock in reality as well...?

Chu Guang suddenly worried for him.

Not too far away.

Tail, with arms crossed, shook her head in disappointment and said with an air of weary experience, "Tsk, this batch of newcomers is no good, all just humans!"

Si Si glanced at her sideways: "Humans are no longer enough for you, huh."

Tail grumbled, "What I mean is, aren’t there more fantasy creatures? Like skeleton men, slimes, or tentacle monsters! By the way, if I could customize my character, I would want to be a tentacle monster."

Si Si sighed.

"As expected of Ah Wei."

Somehow, it felt like seeing a side of her one wouldn’t normally see.

...

Meanwhile, on the surface.

Teng Teng was busily rummaging in the hut.

Crow stepped inside, glanced around, and eventually found Teng Teng with her head buried in a box next to a wooden device.

"Teng Teng! We’re about to leave... huh? What’s this piece of cloth?"

Curious about the soft and light-feeling piece of fabric on the table, Crow picked it up in her hands.

Teng Teng turned around, her face red, and snatched it back.

"Are you, are you... curious?"

Crow: "?"

"Anyway, I haven’t finished this one yet!" Teng Teng exclaimed. "Wait until I’m done, oh right, mission mission, the Manager has asked me to bring some clothes over... help me carry some."

Watching Teng Teng turn back to rummage through boxes and wardrobes, Crow tilted her head in confusion but still went to help.

In casual conversation, Crow learned that these clothes were made of Devil Silk.

Teng Teng had been studying how to weave Devil Silk into fabric, and the process of silking and weaving had finally produced some results.

Although the foot-operated loom was a bit outdated, the fabric produced was usable. This fabric made from Devil Silk wasn’t very warm, but it was sturdy enough.

Ordinary steel scissors couldn’t cut it; only the mouthparts of a Devil Moth could do the job.

Teng Teng had made about a dozen T-shirts from these silk products, but they only seemed suitable as underwear.

"What’s the point of bringing these?" Crow asked.

"Apparently, they can be exchanged for rewards!"

"Ah? Really?" Crow found herself interested.

Just yesterday, she had picked some beautiful, non-poisonous mushrooms.

"Wait for me! I’ll go grab something!"

"Aren’t you cutting it a bit close going back to get stuff now?"

"Wait for me, it’ll be quick!"

With the back and forth hustle, by the time they both hurriedly made it to the North gate, the team was about to set off.

"Manager! The clothes I made these past few days... Do you think they’re enough?" Breathing heavily from running, Teng Teng held up the clothes in her hands and asked shyly.

Chu Guang was not picky about the quality of the clothes; after all, he didn’t know what kind of products the Pioneer crew members would like.

In such a short period, it was good that she could prepare these.

It was an attempt nonetheless.

Chu Guang nodded approvingly and said.

"Not bad, you’ve worked hard."

Teng Teng smiled shyly.

Just now, her VM had received a mission completion prompt, rewarding her with 100 event points.

At the same time, the next mission triggered immediately—

[Mission: Sell the clothes woven from Devil Silk to the Pioneer crew members.]

[Reward: For every 1CR earned, convert to 1 Silver Coin and 1 Activity Point.]

Looking at the quest log, Teng Teng’s eyes shone brightly.

She had not expected to earn activity points before going to the new map, and she had even unlocked new map-related missions.

This was a big win!

...

Due to brother Maca’s accidental death and Trash-kun, who couldn’t leave the respawn point, there were only 198 players heading for the shift change.

But it doesn’t matter, when the time comes, Chu Guang would casually think up a reason to pick the player who collected the most trash in these three days to stay and do another round.

After all the players had done a round, he would tally up the total gathering amount from players within the three days and adjust the expansion pack’s rules, changing the task assignment method from equal distribution to targeted registration and selection on merits.

In this way, not only would the efficiency of trash picking be improved, but also those players whose interest in picking trash wasn’t that strong could choose to do other work they were more interested in.

Such as kneading dough and making dumplings or running a barbecue stand.

As long as it could help Shelter No. 404 earn "foreign currency," they could get Activity Points.

This wave Chu Guang called it light industry wool gathering!

As long as they could get that industrial mother machine back, any amount of sweat would be worth it.

By the way, earlier when Crow came to him with cash to exchange, besides giving her Silver Coins, Chu Guang also supplied her with the corresponding Activity Points afterwards.

Watching the scattered assembly of players, Chu Guang raised his voice and shouted with a loud voice.

"Everyone, assemble."

"Our allies are waiting for our support; let’s not keep them waiting too long."

"Now, move out!"

The procession set off mightily, the line even longer than the first time they had set out.

Three-quarters of the nearly two hundred person group were newbies, still not over the excitement, wanting to touch everything they saw along the way.

In reality, many of them hadn’t even seen snow yet, but in the Game, it was already snowing heavy flakes!

Lucky it was snowing.

If it were another season, they would encounter Mutant Cockroaches or rats, as well as those basin-sized flies, and Hyenas baring their canine teeth.

A careless touch, and losing an arm would be the least of their worries, losing a life would be a costly mistake.

Watching these not-so-smart Blue Jackets, two marines following behind Captain Lu exchanged glances.

"Are these people okay?"

"I feel they’re rather silly..."

"Compared to the last batch, they don’t seem very bright."

Lu Yang had his doubts but didn’t think too much about it.

Although he hadn’t seen those Blue Jackets’ enthusiasm for work first-hand, he had heard colleagues from logistics mentioning it.

They worked like their lives depended on it, as if they wanted to scrape off the ground itself.

Perhaps overly optimistic behavior is just like this.

No matter how smart they are, as long as they do the work well, that’s all that matters.

They moved on in silence.

Making it before ten o’clock, the group reached the Action Camp where the guards and players were standing by at the center. Chu Guang saw Old Luka here.

Spotting his master, Old Luka eagerly approached him with excitement to deliver the good news.

"My lord, we earned a total of 4530 CRCR yesterday!"

More than yesterday by 105 CR?

Chu Guang looked at him with surprise.

"That much?"

Old Luka nodded excitedly.

"Yes, my lord, that’s the amount! Thanks to your idea, those delicacies like steamed buns and dumplings contributed at least 800 CR! Those guys in grey coats, they buy a lot at once to take back! Especially this morning, even their chief came over to our place to buy buns!"

That Li De?

Chu Guang really couldn’t imagine that guy being interested in their snacks, much less that he would be so generous.

But...

There’s a limit to a person’s stomach after all.

Counting on this small business to make a fortune is still a bit difficult.

But to look on the bright side, earning nearly ten thousand CR in 3 days is undoubtedly a good sign.

Maybe by the time comes, they could earn a hundred thousand without a single death?

It’s worth a try anyway.

Just then, Vite from logistics approached the two of them.

"May I know if you are the Manager of Shelter No. 404?"

Chu Guang nodded at him.

"Yes, that’s me. May I ask who you are?"

Vite smiled warmly.

"My name is Vite, I work in logistics, mainly responsible for arranging the work of the laborers! Our chief cares a lot about you, he asked me to send his regards."

Chu Guang smiled back politely.

"Please extend my regards to him as well. Tell him, his old friend misses him."

Vite smiled, and then continued.

"I will! Also, there’s one more thing, I need to inform you about the new gathering site—"

Right in the middle of their conversation, a siren suddenly went off from the Pioneer.

At the sound of the prolonged alarm, players in the camp showed surprised expressions on their faces.

"What happened?!"

"Could it be triggering a plot??"

"Exciting!"

The expressions of the three of them froze in unison.

Chu Guang was the first to snap back to his senses, asking Vite.

"What happened?"

"Please hold on... I’m asking."

Not noticing the expression on Chu Guang’s face, Vite pressed his headset and turned to contact his colleagues in logistics.

Gradually, his expression turned serious.

After hanging up the communication, he looked at Chu Guang and took a deep breath before speaking.

"About 6 kilometers from us, in the northwest forest, there’s an unidentified armed group heading straight for us. They are numerous, well-armed, and they don’t seem like Wasteland vagrants."

Chu Guang gravely said, "Anyone wandering around in this damn weather can’t be good! Do you need me to send someone to scout ahead—"

Vite hastily waved his hand, "No, no, our people are already on it. Actually, we’ve made the same judgment; their purpose is too clear, they’re obviously coming for us!"

After a pause, Vite continued with a troubled expression.

"I hate to say it, but we might be in trouble."

-

(Thanks to alliance leader "Drizzt_Maxs" and others for their rewards~~~~)

(I took some medicine yesterday and slept a long, long time; I almost thought I had time-traveled, but then I woke up. It’s the beginning of the month; please give a vote, thank you!)

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