This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 273 Everywhere is Full of Chips!

Chapter 273: Chapter 273 Everywhere is Full of Chips!

"Achoo!"

"Damn it... who’s thinking of me now."

North Fourth Ring, frontline.

The sporadic gunfire in the distance made Detwei, standing on the street, tense up his nerves.

He had a habit of sneezing whenever he got nervous.

The situation here was completely different from that on the western front.

The west was a pile of concrete rubble, a wasteland, while the buildings here were scattered like a forest, behind every darkened shop window seemed to hide a pair of crimson eyes.

It was clear that these country bumpkins were facing the Tide for the first time; the architecture and streets here were obviously not weathered by prolonged bombardment.

Without clearing an open area out of the ruins, one would have to fight the Variants in close combat within buildings and alleyways.

The endless stream of Variants attacking like a tide, holding up was nothing short of a miracle.

Detwei tightened the gas mask on his face and pulled out a pocket watch to check the time.

It was already noon.

As the elected representative, he was about to meet the lord of this area, the Manager of Shelter No. 404, on behalf of all merchants interested in this "emerging market" to the north.

Accompanying him were two other business partners and about a dozen bodyguards who had escorted them here.

Truth be told, it wasn’t a pleasant job.

Had it not been for the promise that he’d take the lion’s share, had it not been for Vijia Commerce’s monopoly on all the spoils of the western Battlefield, Detwei would not be willing to stick his neck out and venture into this wild land to explore the market.

Beyond the great wall, law-abiding people were a rare breed, dealing with those one had never met before meant having one’s head strapped to their belt.

What if this solitary leader chopped them off in a bad mood?

Such risks might be low, but definitely not nonexistent.

Especially the behavior of these Blue Jackets, always gave him the feeling that someone had taken over the nest.

Were they really Blue Jackets?

Or had they slaughtered all the residents of the shelter and stolen their coats to wear?

While he mulled over these thoughts, a man dressed in black military uniform with a rifle on his back came out from a nearby building.

Looking at Detwei, the man said,

"The Manager has agreed to see you; please follow me."

Detwei breathed a sigh of relief, his face breaking into a friendly smile as he politely said,

"Thank you very much."

After finishing, he signaled to his two partners with a glance and led them towards the building in front of him.

The Blue Jackets’ frontline headquarters were located on one of the floors of the skyscraper, where the view was better from above and the signal was clear, plus the spore cloud concentration was lower.

However, the Manager did not receive them at the headquarters but chose to have the meeting on the 20th floor in the office area.

Here, there were ready-made tables and chairs, aged and covered in dust, but still serviceable.

After climbing the stairs and passing through the corridor to the room, the three men immediately saw the Azure Power Armor and their faces showed surprise, which they quickly masked.

Detwei stepped forward first, bowing his head slightly and speaking with respectful tone,

"Honorable Lord of North Suburb, the Manager of Shelter No. 404, please allow me to introduce myself. I am a merchant from Giant Stone City, named Detwei. The two behind me are our business partners, Yang He and Teno."

"On behalf of our partners present and absent, I offer you our highest respect."

Chu Guang looked at the three men standing before him. Although he already knew their purpose, he did not make it explicit.

Revealing one’s own needs hastily was taboo; waiting for the other party to make an initial offer or show their hand made it easier to take the initiative.

This was his experience from his previous life.

"Welcome to the North Suburb."

Chu Guang unlocked his helmet visor, his face warm with a gentle smile, and spoke in a relaxed tone,

"You have come at a bad time, we’re dealing with the Tide, so we can only entertain you here. Please forgive any lack of hospitality."

"No trouble at all, I’m already very grateful that you could take the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me!" Detwei said with a beaming smile on his face.

This Manager seemed more amiable than he had imagined.

And this eased his mind.

Maybe this business would be much easier than he had thought.

Chu Guang continued looking at him,

"So, friends from afar, what brings you to the North Suburb? Surely you didn’t come all the way from Giant Stone City just to exchange pleasantries with me."

Detwei spoke respectfully, "Honorable Manager, we have come to ease your worries."

Chu Guang looked at him with interest.

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

Seeing that Chu Guang offered him the chance, Detwei immediately brought out the pitch he had been preparing all along.

"As you may have seen, the streets outside are filled with corpses, and they’re rotting and stinking! Now that it’s spring, it will only take a week before they turn into breeding grounds for plagues, attracting rats, roaches, and other troubles... In fact, when I arrived here, I found that the situation was already starting to get serious."

Chu Guang remained silent, simply watching him, waiting for him to continue.

Detwei paused for a moment, then continued in a serious tone,

"This situation is not uncommon on the western front and can even be called a tactic of the Tide... We refer to this as the Plague Offensive. Even when the Militia Groups of Giant Stone City win, they get overwhelmed by the plagues and rat infestations that follow the end of the war."

Chu Guang looked at him and said, "So you’ve come to help me deal with these troubles?"

Detwei immediately said,

"Of course! The Tide is a common enemy of all survivors in Qingquan City, we can’t just stand by and watch you guys get into trouble."

"We can offer you affordable and efficient medicines, and besides that... we can also handle those corpses on the battlefield for free."

The former might make a small profit, but not much.

The latter is Detwei’s real purpose.

Handling the corpses for free, that’s fine.

Chu Guang chuckled inwardly but didn’t call him out. Instead, he watched the man before him with interest.

"How do you plan to handle them?"

Seeing that the Manager before him was interested in his proposal, Detwei was overjoyed and continued with a steady voice.

"We’ll hire a team of experts from Giant Stone City to collect the corpses, then transport them to the fifth ring and load them onto double-headed cows, and then take them elsewhere for disposal."

Chu Guang asked, "Like to Giant Stone City?"

"Uh, of course! Giant Stone City is a good choice... we would process the bodies a bit, turn them into something useful... after all, both the transportation team and the corpse recycling experts are expensive, and we have to earn a little to subsidize the travel costs. That way, we can also minimize the losses."

Detwei didn’t really want to reveal where these corpses ended up, especially not to the man before him. He didn’t want him to realize that the corpses of Eaters could be sold for money, although at very low prices.

But Chu Guang had already mentioned Giant Stone City, obviously knowing something. If Detwei continued to play dumb, he would be treating the other as a fool.

All Detwei could do was pray internally that the Manager before him was not familiar with the specific market conditions.

However...

Was that possible?

Chu Guang looked at Detwei, who was blatantly lying, and couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Minimize the losses?

If his men hadn’t gone to the front lines to understand the market value, he might have actually been fooled by Detwei.

"No, no, my friend," Chu Guang shook his head, "how can we let a friend suffer such a loss? I will find a way to deal with these bodies myself, you needn’t worry about it."

As soon as Detwei heard this, he became anxious and quickly said,

"Please don’t say that. For the sake of our friendship, we’re willing to show some sincerity and ask you to give us this opportunity."

Chu Guang said earnestly, "But that would make me feel bad. When I feel guilty about something, I have a hard time sleeping."

Having a hard time sleeping, sure.

Detwei almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

That’s just too fake!

By now, Detwei knew that this guy understood that these corpses could be turned into bargaining chips. Otherwise, why would he refuse to agree to their offer of dealing with the corpses for free?

Taking a deep breath, Detwei slowly said,

"How about 5 chips per ton?"

Chu Guang replied with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"How can that be okay? It’s already costing you enough to take away these troubles for us; how could we in good conscience let you pay us on top of that?"

Sure enough!

He knew!

Detwei’s brow twitched violently.

He could now be sure that this man knew perfectly well that the bodies of Variants could be sold, and he probably had a grasp on the prices as well.

Otherwise, this guy wouldn’t have assumed that the money would be paid to them by Detwei’s side.

Beating around the bush had lost all meaning.

Detwei looked up at Chu Guang and admitted frankly,

"My lord, I confess that we can make a bit of money by dragging these corpses to Giant Stone City, but it’s all hard-earned cash. These corpses are certainly not light, and taking them from the battlefield to Giant Stone City costs a fair amount."

"5 chips per ton is the highest price we can offer. The shipping costs we pay per ton are well above that, and if we pay any more we just wouldn’t see a profit... I hope you can understand."

"Of course, I understand. I just can’t bear to see you lose money," Chu Guang smiled warmly and sincerely, "How about this, then? I can propose an even more sincere offer from our side."

Detwei had a bad feeling, but he still managed a smile and said bravely,

"Please, tell me."

Chu Guang continued.

"You just said you had a way of turning the bodies of Variants into something useful. Then why not do it right here, in the North Suburbs, instead?"

Detwei was stunned.

"Here... in the North Suburbs?"

"Yes," Chu Guang nodded and continued with a smile, "We can produce bullets and shells, so naturally, we can produce nutrient paste and fertilizer too. Instead of dragging raw materials around, why not turn them into lighter, more valuable commodities right at the source before taking them away?"

Detwei’s face reddened.

Well, this guy not only knew that the corpses of Variants could be sold for money, but he also knew what those Variant corpses could be turned into.

And then he watched Detwei put on a show for so long...

This cunning Blue Ground Squirrel!

Detwei lowered his head, coughing lightly with embarrassment.

"...Manufacturing equipment worth tens of thousands of chips is too expensive. Starting a factory outside the great walls also involves risks that we need to consider."

Chu Guang nodded slightly.

"I understand. After all, your knowledge of us is still stuck in last winter, so it’s only natural to have concerns."

Detwei looked up, hope brimming in his eyes.

"So, you mean you agree..."

"My meaning is, you lack a true understanding of our situation."

Chu Guang looked towards Xu Shun, who was waiting to the side.

"Take these three friends for a tour of our industrial zone. They can stay at the Long Endurance Farm inn tonight where the air is cleaner."

Which places were suitable for a visit and which were not open to the public had already been explained to the guards.

This young guard had always performed well; Chu Guang trusted that he knew what to do.

"Right away, sir!"

Standing to the side, Xu Shun snapped to attention and saluted. He then looked toward Detwei and his party and politely said,

"Please follow me, all three of you."

Detwei looked at Chu Guang with a puzzled face, not understanding the nature of this act.

A tour... of the industrial zone?

This was a completely unexpected addition to the itinerary.

An industrial zone in the North Suburb?

Could a few small workshops even be called an industrial zone?

Chu Guang could guess what Detwei was thinking, but he did not resolve the confusion in his mind.

Some things were futile to explain with words alone.

Actions spoke louder than words.

"I don’t like wasting time on arguments that lead nowhere, especially not at this critical juncture."

"I offer you two choices—either buy this waste for twenty chips per ton and take it where you want or consider setting up a factory here. The corpses outside are yours to deal with as you see fit, free of charge. You just need to pay taxes legally."

Looking at Detwei, who stood still, Chu Guang said in a gentle tone,

"There’s no need to rush your decision."

"It’s fine if you give me an answer tomorrow."

...

For Chu Guang’s proposal, Detwei could not think of a single reason to refuse.

Although he did not believe that the rural folk of the North Suburb could comprehend what a fully integrated industrial setup meant, let alone build a so-called industrial zone, it would be foolish to decline a free tour.

Looking is free, after all.

And since I’m already here.

They boarded a truck on the south side of the Garden Street Metro Station and drove along the abandoned highway until they reached the intersection of Street No.76 and Linghu Wetland Park, where the road ahead suddenly became smooth.

A trace of surprise flickered in Detwei’s eyes.

But a greater surprise awaited.

The truck continued north and stopped near the abandoned tire factory.

As Detwei and the guard named Xu Shun climbed out of the truck and stepped into the "North Suburb Industrial Zone," he immediately realized how absurdly wrong his initial assumptions were!

The clang of metal was constant, tall chimneys belched smoke, trucks laden with goods traversed the yard, and workers in uniform busily loaded and unloaded at the entrance.

It was like a clock wound tightly.

Everything here was unbelievably orderly.

Three pairs of eyes widened in unison.

Standing next to Detwei, Teno swallowed hard, managing to eke out a word.

"This place..."

"Is this the North Suburb?"

The other partner didn’t speak but his eyes were clearly filled with the same shock.

Compared to Giant Stone City’s industrial area, this place was undeniably more compact, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, see what they were lacking.

"Ahead is List’s factory."

"List?!" Detwei looked at Xu Shun in surprise, "He’s here too?"

Xu Shun looked back at him, a bit taken aback.

"You know him?"

Detwei cleared his throat and said,

"Not personally... but I’ve heard of him."

The business circle in Giant Stone City wasn’t very big; there were only so many locally well-known merchants, and of course, he knew of capable merchants like List.

Even though List may not know him.

Xu Shun nodded and did not say more.

"Besides the military factories and those involving sensitive technologies, I can take you to see the other factories."

Yang He, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly spoke.

"Would it be possible to see your power station?"

Xu Shun nodded.

"No problem."

Since they were considering setting up a factory, the power supply was undeniably one of their main concerns.

The production line that had been running steadily was most afraid of a sudden power outage, especially if it lasted an entire day, where bad luck could mean the entire assembly line’s products would have to be given away for free.

However, after seeing the power station planned by these people, the trio immediately dispelled their concerns in this regard.

The "Blue Jackets" clearly had some real skills.

Not only was the power station’s planning faultless in their eyes, but the substations and the rest of the electricity distribution facilities were even more impressive.

This wasn’t any kind of advanced technology.

But to plan every single wire and each generator set in such an orderly way was not something just anyone could accomplish.

Glancing at his VM on his arm, Xu Shun cleared his throat and introduced to the three astonished visitors, "Currently, our main power supply comes from thermal power generation, with the vast timberlands in the Elm District to the north and the vegetation in the nearby urban areas providing more than enough for the power station’s consumption for a decade or more."

"In addition to that, there are the biogas pools and gas-fired power stations under construction, as well as fuel generators prepared for the Cam Trees."

"In the future, we will consider improving our current energy structure through diversified power generation methods."

Detwei looked at Xu Shun with a slight surprise, "You’ve also planted Cam Trees?"

There must be at least three or four hundred people working in this Industrial Zone, right?

Where did such a large population come from in the North Suburb?!

Could it be the refugees from the north?

But even if they took in all the refugees... how would they solve the food problem?

So many people have to eat, right?

"The planned area is five thousand mu," Xu Shun glanced at his VM and answered truthfully, "Not just Cam Trees, we’ve also planted corn, potatoes... and other high-yield crops."

"In a moment, I will take you to the hostel at Changjiu Farm."

"Once we’re there, you’ll naturally see."

...

If the industry area in the North Suburb had monopolized Detwei’s surprise and astonishment for the coming month, then the situation at Changjiu Farm was enough to astound him from the start to the end of the year.

The endless terraces, swathes of seedlings, and the tractors, Double-headed Cows, and refugees tilling the fields.

The level of mechanization wasn’t high here, but Detwei could visually feel the pursuit of advanced productive forces and a better life.

This was something he had never seen in other Survivor Settlements.

Of course, what interested Detwei the most was the food here.

The dish that made him stick his tongue out seemed to be called Mapo Tofu, and then there was that stewed pig’s trotters with soybeans, potato roasted Double-headed Cow beef...

The flavors were simply unbelievable!

He was in the grain trading business.

He had long coveted the food processing business of Vijia Commerce.

But as much as he envied, without thousands of mu of Farms and thousands of serfs to sweat and bleed for him, he could not afford the expensive land rent, nor did he have the capital to open a large factory spanning dozens of mu in Giant Stone City.

What he needed, he could find right here.

That very night.

Staying in the hostel at Changjiu Farm, lying in the warm bed, Detwei couldn’t fall asleep no matter how he tossed and turned, staring motionlessly at the beer on the bedside table as if in a daze

At last, he made up his mind, rummaged a palm-sized communicator from his bag, and dictated an over-a-thousand-word message to send to his partners in Giant Stone City.

He hadn’t thought of hogging the opportunity all to himself.

Buying off the two little partners who came with him wouldn’t cost much.

Biting the bullet to borrow some funds from the bank, buying equipment and personnel wasn’t too difficult.

But he wanted to hit it big.

The opportunity here wasn’t just about those bodies and nutrition paste, a few tens of thousands of chips could no longer satisfy his appetite.

To do this, to become the biggest grain supplier in Giant Stone City and even Qingquan City!

If he could leverage the strength of these people, he truly believed he had that chance.

He had even thought of a name for the company.

Detwei Commerce!

The factory would be Detwei Food Processing Plant!

The name was catchy and instantly associated with him; he’d make money and gain fame.

Thinking this, the corners of Detwei’s mouth twitched into a smile.

"This sounds much better than those stupid names like ’Good Taste’ and ’Especially Good Taste’!"

Click.

Send!

Two light beeps sounded.

A "Delivered" popup appeared on the communicator’s screen.

Waiting for his partners’ replies, Detwei fiddled with the palm-sized screen with his forefinger, softly re-reading the message he had composed.

[...The situation in the North Suburb is astonishing; the local survivors, with the aid of the Residents of the refuge, have built power stations, water towers, and a relatively complete logistics system. They transport materials by truck, use cement to repair abandoned roads, cast excess steel into rails laid on the ground, and on the wilderness have built new settlements and tilled vast expanses of land into farms...]

[We must admit that the towering walls and ruins have obstructed our view, and our knowledge of this place has remained the same as it was a year ago. Yet in less than half a year, they have achieved what ordinary Survivor Settlements would not have been able to achieve in a decade.]

[My viewpoint is that, while transporting the good stuff here to Giant Stone City would surely make a profit, if we process them right here into nutrition paste and organic fertilizers, we could make far more.]

[Opportunities are everywhere here! Opportunities are chips!]

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