This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 356: You provide the technology, we provide the manpower, this is of course a win-win situation.

Chapter 356: Chapter 356: You provide the technology, we provide the manpower, this is of course a win-win situation.

p.m.

Fang Changping lay on the bed, put on his helmet, and re-entered the game. When he opened his eyes again, he was met with a concrete gray ceiling.

Below him was a worn single bed.

He shifted his heavy head and a faint scent wafted from the squished pillow into his nose. The only drawback was the mix of machine oil in it.

He turned his face and saw the girl sitting beside the bed.

She was holding a screwdriver, tinkering with the parts of her left arm, unsure if she was changing the battery or the oil.

This game was always strangely realistic in unexpected places.

"You awake?" Dolly glanced at him as she noticed the movement on the bed.

Right now, she wore a washed-out sleeveless T-shirt. In the light of dawn shining through the window, he could vaguely see her fair skin, which made Fang Chang unsure where to rest his gaze.

"Uh-huh."

Seeing the man’s embarrassment, Dolly mischievously chuckled and teased, "You were sleeping so deeply, shouting wouldn’t wake you."

Fang Chang touched his nose, a bit embarrassed.

"Actually, I usually... don’t handle liquor like this. Let’s drink again next time."

Dolly laughed. "It’s okay, I’m not making fun of you."

Fang Chang: "..."

Damn!

That was the annoying part of this cursed game.

Drinking too much caused frequent disconnections; one blackout and it crashed, without a way to reconnect.

He couldn’t remember what had happened last night, only recalled seeing something in the pitch dark, yet seeing nothing.

Later, failing to log in, he went to the balcony to smoke and ended up feuding online with fellow group members.

Thinking about how he had been unconscious all night...

Fang Chang’s expression subtly changed, and he instinctively reached for his belt.

It wasn’t that he was worried the girl had done something to him; was he someone that feared taking a loss?

It’s mainly the fear of missing a kidney...

Watching Fang Chang fumbling around his waist, Dolly teased him and then continued, "Don’t worry, I didn’t touch your stuff."

Of course, Fang Chang wouldn’t say what he was actually searching for. He coughed dryly to shift the subject. "Where are we?"

"My place."

Though he expected it, a hint of surprise still surfaced in Fang Chang’s eyes.

Misunderstanding the meaning in his eyes, Dolly casually said, "Is it too shabby?"

Fang Chang glanced around. The less than 15 square meter single room was stuffed with many things.

There were not many pretty clothes, and mechanical parts and tooling equipment were placed beside pots and jars in the corner. "Do you need a bathroom, too? You might have to go outside for that," Dolly said as she saw him looking around.

Fang Chang shook his head.

"No... actually, by Wasteland standards, this place isn’t bad."

The space within the giant barrier was limited, and definitely couldn’t compare with the sparsely populated "North Suburb."

A proud smile tugged at the corners of Dolly’s mouth. "Exactly, it shelters from the wind and rain, doesn’t require squeezing with others, and the rent is only 52 chips a month. I really like it here. When I have time, I want to get a succulent and put it by the window."

Listening to her chatter, Fang Chang felt his hearing wasn’t quite up to the task, but he still made an educated guess based on his experience communicating with international friends. "Succulent?"

"Yeah, a plant with really thick leaves, said to absorb radiation," Dolly spoke with conviction as if she truly believed it.

The matter of absorbing radiation...

Fang Chang looked a bit dubiously.

It wasn’t that he wanted to argue; he truly doubted such a capability. If that plant really could do that, why not just plant a couple next to the reactor?

But then again, in Wasteland OL, he hardly ever considered radiation. According to the official website settings, although residual radiation was an issue, it wasn’t the main problem here.

Compared to slime molds, looters, mutants... there were many things far deadlier than radiation.

While Fang Chang was lost in his thoughts, the girl curiously looked at him.

"You don’t believe it?"

Fang Chang gently shook his head.

"No... actually, we have the same saying where I’m from."

"Oh, seems like you don’t believe it," Dolly remarked and then shifted her gaze away, continuing to work on almost completing the mechanical arm.

Watching the green short-haired profile, a sudden compassion stirred within Fang Chang.

He didn’t know where this emotion came from.

Although he enjoyed the game just as much, being a professional player, he always regarded NPCs as mere data and rarely felt affection for any character.

That was probably the biggest difference between him and people like Old White and Edge.

His adam’s apple bobbed, and almost impulsively, Fang Chang spoke, "Have you ever thought about... living in a different environment?"

"Change the environment? Isn’t it all the same?" she said nonchalantly, discarding the screwdriver in her hand, her profile and voice carrying a maturity that didn’t match her age.

Fang Chang didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

"Don’t you have any dreams? Like... something you want to do?"

"Something I want to do?" Dolly pondered seriously for a moment and said, "Does opening a bar count?"

"...I thought you would say you’d like to open a coffee shop or a flower shop."

"Coffee shop? Flower shop? Are there such shops in Giant Stone City?" Dolly was confused.

"No, it’s just that back in my hometown, I always hear drunk girls saying that... Can you come with me later to find that doctor who sells bionic prosthetics?" Fang Chang sighed, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a token.

However, just as he spoke, he realized that the last token in his pocket was white, with a big "1" written on its face value, and his expression turned awkward.

Watching the drastic change in his expression, Dolly couldn’t help but chuckle.

Reaching out, she took the token and flicked it with her thumb, tossing it into the iron box on the table.

"No problem, I’m free later anyway."

"Considering how gentlemanly you were last night, I’ll hang out with you for a bit."

...

City of Dawn.

Shelter No. 404, a narrow single room burst with a hissing sound of air escaping, followed by loud yells.

"Damn, I finally came back to life."

Night Ten, sitting up from the cultivation chamber, picked up the Blue Jacket hanging at the head of the chamber, put it on, hit the communal showers, and then headed to B2 floor’s square.

It was peak time for logging in, so by the time he got there, the square was crowded.

Including his acquaintances, Wild Wind, Quit Smoking, and Mosquito were also there.

After greeting everyone in the morning, Night Ten noticed Mosquito looking sneakily and couldn’t help but ask curiously,

"What are you up to?"

"Go away, go away, don’t interrupt my serious business."

Before Night Ten could roll his eyes, Quit Smoking had already beaten him to the punch with a complaint.

"Man, what serious business could you possibly have?"

"...He’s probably squatting for that NPC called Pai, I’ve heard him mention her before," Wild Wind said expressionlessly, watching Mosquito with a slightly weird look in his eyes.

Although players occasionally got put in the penalty box for hacking, it seemed he was the only one with the same reason?

At least in the friends list, he was the only one.

Seeing Mosquito socially dying again, the surrounding players jumped into the conversation.

"...I remember now! Last time, I heard Tail say that this guy got caught red-handed."

"I heard he leaps at people!"

"And he didn’t even touch them!"

"So embarrassing!"

Quit Smoking looked at Mosquito in surprise.

"Holy cow, bro, are you even right in the head?"

Mosquito’s face turned the color of liver, and he retorted,

"Buzz off! I was just... trying to figure out what that oil is and how it’s made."

Without professional analysis equipment, he could only roughly infer that the bottle of fuel contained some recognizable alkanes and alkenes, but the rest was clear as mud to him.

These days, he had been looking for the NPC called Pai, but the girl seemed to have been scared off by him and never showed up again.

Mosquito couldn’t help but regret.

Maybe he should have been a bit more restrained back then.

The topic in the square blew over like a gust of wind and then switched to something else.

Seeing it was getting late, everyone started discussing where to go and level up next.

Night Ten turned to Wild Wind.

"Where are we heading? Meeting up in Giant Stone City?"

Wild Wind glanced at his right hand.

"I need to attach my arm first."

This feeble strength always made him feel like something was missing.

Just then, Night Ten suddenly remembered something crucial.

"Speaking of... don’t you have to remove an arm to attach that thing?"

Wild Wind nodded.

"Yeah."

As if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Night Ten gave a weird look at his right hand.

"So what are you going to do with the arm you take off?"

Wild Wind flinched.

He hadn’t considered this question.

After being silent for a while, he said with a subtly delicate expression,

"...Maybe I’ll bury it somewhere."

...

Floor B4 consultation room.

Chu Guang, sitting in front of the computer, leaned back on the sofa and stretched languidly.

"I finally got it done."

Sitting on the desk, Xiao Qi excitedly raised two thumb-sized thumbs up, cheering him on.

"Master is awesome!"

Chu Guang gave it a tired look.

"Thanks for the compliment, it would be nice if you could help me out a bit more."

Although this little guy could help him convey each order accurately to the right department, some creative tasks were still beyond its capabilities.

Especially in the design of rules.

Chu Guang had read in the history of United Human that during the early Prosperity Epoch, "AI-ism" once flourished on this planet.

Its followers believed that the root cause of problems in the relations of production and distribution systems lay in the ugliness of human nature.

Human happiness inherently required deriving benefits from the suffering of others, and the only solution was to establish a society governed by AI, where artificial intelligence replaced all administrative departments.

However, this movement declined by the middle of the Prosperity Epoch, and historians had given many assessments, some objective views including "insufficient hardware and software conditions" and "extreme prosperity of material goods led people to prefer maintaining the status quo" among others.

Chu Guang had reservations about these perspectives, but he still managed to glean some lessons from historical experience.

That was never to let tools replace thinking, hands replace brains. Never expect a perfect method that could solve all future problems.

Looking at the nearly 5mb text file on the computer screen, Chu Guang’s face relaxed.

The newly established Alliance Management Organization consisted of 12 departments, covering fields from production to economy, to transportation, logistics, and resident life.

He had also made detailed designs for the basic strategy and policy routes for each department.

Of course, it wasn’t that he made them up out of thin air, nor did he copy the experiences from another world completely.

For example, when establishing the education department, Chu Guang referred more to suggestions from parents, teachers, and students rather than the wild ideas players posted on the forum.

For residents of Wasteland with an average lifespan of only 35 years, many had already lived half their statistically significant life by age 17.

But for players living in peaceful times, this age meant the good days were still ahead, and they had to patiently wait to disable the anti-addiction system.

If a one-size-fits-all approach were taken at this time, adjusting the minimum age for work and mandatory education time to the standards of developed planets, the educational level of the Alliance might improve, but less affluent families could be impoverished by education.

Chu Guang took a moderate approach, gradually raising the minimum age for work and the duration of mandatory education, and allocated some funds to subsidize students with excellent academic performance.

This was what was called a scholarship.

Whether it was adults in night schools or full-time school students, as long as they performed excellently, they could receive a subsidy.

Although this money was not enough to afford them a wealthy life, it was sufficient to help with household expenses.

Education was just one of the many issues he considered, and this long-term investment would need to be evaluated for returns in the future.

Chu Guang still invested the most energy in the industrial department, which was directly related to production.

In other departments, he mostly guided the routes and basic frameworks, but when it came to specific production issues, he even made detailed plans for each stage of production capacity, after consulting experts from various industries.

Although not all problems could be solved by developing the productive forces, at least it could solve 99% of the current issues.

Thanks to the two billion silver coins earmarked for the infrastructure plan and two billion in loan chips, he now could do a lot of things.

"...speaking of which, I still need to draw up a procurement list later."

Chu Guang pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering for a moment before turning to Xiao Qi, who was sitting in the corner of the desk, and instructed.

"Tell Old Charlie for me, ask him to wait for me at two in the afternoon at the Merchant Guild’s office."

"Okay, master," seeing the tired expression on Chu Guang’s face, Xiao Qi said with a bit of worry, "Although it might sound a bit naggy, do take care of your health."

Chu Guang laughed and rubbed Xiao Qi’s head with his index finger, revealing a reassuring smile on his face.

"I will be careful."

At that moment, a gust of wind blew at the doorway of the browsing room.

Watching Chu Guang fiddling with the doll on the table, Pai proudly curled her lips.

"How about it? Do you like the gift I gave you?"

"Thank you for your gift. It’s very relaxing and has added a lot of fun to my tedious daily work," Chu Guang joked, "What about the drone I gave you? Do you still like it?"

"It’s absolutely fantastic!" Pai nodded in satisfaction, boasting, "I’ve modified it a bit, and now it flies even faster!"

Chu Guang looked at her with slight surprise, not expecting this young girl to have such a skill.

But his surprise was only momentary.

Unlike "Camp No. 404," which focuses heavily on industry and military, the "Camp 101" guided by Shelter 101 probably allocated all their "skill points" on education and archaeology.

Especially since this guy was not only extraordinarily talented but also used ancient black technology from the pre-war era.

If ability and talent could be quantified, she might be on the same level as Heya from Shelter 401.

"Um..." Looking around, Pai suddenly became a bit shy and whispered, "About Little Fish... have you talked to her?"

Chu Guang nodded.

"Yes, I’ve spoken to her family, and she herself is very willing to continue her education. If you have no objections, I hope to send a few more people to your place for an exchange."

Little Fish was a very sensible kid. Chu Guang remembered that when he mentioned this to her, she thought about it for a moment and then nodded obediently.

He could feel that she was reluctant to leave everyone in the shelter, but he could also see her deep desire for growth and strength within.

She wanted to be able to help everyone more, not just sit at the counter and count money.

The New Alliance’s numbers were increasing, and the bank had to consider not only balancing the accounts strictly but also how to utilize the invisible hand to make each silver coin serve its intended purpose.

This involved a lot of knowledge she was unfamiliar with. Although she had summarized some experience from practice, she still needed systematic study.

Including some mathematical methods and knowledge of sociology.

If there were professional guidance, she could avoid some detours.

As for Little Fish’s family, although they were initially very worried, upon hearing Chu Guang’s promise to ensure her safety, both her parents and her brother were reassured.

The wise and martial Manager always kept his word.

No one in the "North Suburb" doubted this, either NPC or players.

Hearing Chu Guang’s words, Pai was so excited she almost jumped up and, patting her chest, she guaranteed,

"Don’t worry, I’ve already discussed this matter with my master, and everyone is very happy. They even told me to bring back more local specialties when I return, hehe... especially chocolate and coffee! Oh, and that meat bun that oozes juice when you bite into it! It’s simply delicious!"

Chu Guang said with a smile,

"That’s easy, when I go back, I’ll send you a truckload of local specialties!"

Chu Guang thought Pai would happily agree.

However, to his surprise, the young girl shook her head solemnly and refused the gift.

"Although this offer is very tempting, we cannot just take advantage of your generosity."

"My master said that reciprocity is the long-term strategy for interacting with others, so we must offer you some help as well," she said with all seriousness.

Chu Guang looked surprised as she continued,

"However, we don’t have money, nor do we have spare resources to share with you. It would be great if you could provide a plan."

Hearing this, Chu Guang couldn’t help but be delighted as he had been waiting for these very words.

The New Alliance was rich in resources, and the creativity and ingenious ideas from the players were endless, ensuring there would always be a few things to cater to the tastes of these scholars, engineers, and archaeologists.

It didn’t matter if they weren’t interested in silks or artworks.

There was still a whole lot of delicacies, wasn’t there?

Besides the dazzling array of consumer goods, there were research specimens needed by Camp 101 and the shelters behind them.

Even monsters as formidable as the Claw of Death could be procured by his brave little players, provided the silver coins and contribution points were right.

Chu Guang, with a hearty laugh, said,

"That’s easy to manage! Although we do not implement a rationing system, we do pay those who labor."

"How about this? Send a few engineers over to our side to help us improve our production methods, and in exchange, we’ll give you silver coins!"

"Whatever you like, you don’t need to consult me. Just buy it directly from our store with silver coins!"

Pai wrinkled her cute little nose, pondering.

"Um... that does sound good. But... everyone has their jobs to do, and it might be difficult to spare any hands."

"Especially now that the Looter is gone, we plan to move the camp back to the surface, and there’s just too much to be busy with."

Every person in the camp had their designated position, and their "score," which dictated their living standards, was determined by their position.

After listening to Pai’s concerns, Chu Guang patiently said,

"This is an easy problem to solve. Our people can help you build the camp, supply the materials needed for your daily lives, and even cook for you, which alone would save you a lot of manpower."

"In this way, you could focus more on the things you are good at and interested in, and all you’d need to do is dedicate some of the saved time to us to help us live a better life."

"You can understand this as a kind of... complementing each other’s strengths. Tell this to your master; he will surely understand the concept I am trying to convey."

Previously, Camp 101 had also tried to recruit some local survivors, but the cooperation was limited, merely at a menial level.

Chu Guang believed that once the residents of Camp 101 fully understood the situation of the New Alliance, they would definitely see the appeal of his proposal.

Pai touched her chin, appearing to be contemplating, and nodded somewhat understandingly.

She rarely concerned herself with these matters, as what Chu Guang was suggesting was beyond her area of expertise.

However, writing down a full sentence was not a difficult task for her.

"I will pass your suggestion on to the folks at the camp... Oh, right."

Suddenly remembering something, Pai took out a stack of papers filled with dense symbols from her pocket and handed it to Chu Guang.

Chu Guang took it, puzzled, flipping through it. He recognized each character but didn’t understand any of it.

"...What is this?"

Pai subtly looked to the side, somewhat embarrassedly.

"It’s the ratios of the components of that fuel and the synthesis pathway, although it’s nothing particularly amazing... but it did take me some time to figure out."

At this, her nose twitched slightly.

"There was an impolite fellow who underestimated me before, now he should realize how shallow his knowledge was."

It was, after all, an age of showing off and proving oneself. Being underestimated, she naturally couldn’t help but want to prove herself.

Though the chemical power engine was considered an antique, given her understanding of mechanics and aerospace, concocting a high-efficiency fuel wasn’t a difficult task for her.

Chu Guang looked at the data in his hands, amazed by this unexpected gain.

What surprised him even more was that this young girl had given such valuable information to him without any reservations.

"I... will pass it on to him."

Having Xiao Qi translate it shouldn’t be too hard; difficult technical terms could also be handled by Yin Fang.

Pai nodded, satisfied.

However, she soon remembered not to let that impolite fellow get it too easily and added another line.

"Right, don’t let him get it too easily either, just show him one page at a time."

With that, Pai spoke assuredly,

"My master said, you can’t just copy the answers; you have to work your brain and think about how the answers came about!"

Good grief.

This was really torturous.

Chu Guang smiled wryly and nodded, placing the document in front of Xiao Qi.

"Alright... I promise not to let him get it too easily."

With this promise, Pai finally walked away satisfied.

Watching her joyful figure disappear at the viewing room door, Chu Guang couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.

Compared to dealing with the relationships with Giant Stone City,

interacting with these lovely people indeed made him feel more relaxed and happy.

However, as a manager, he could not base his decisions on personal preferences on who to break off or form ties with; many times, he had to make judgments based on the collective interest.

Suddenly, he found himself missing those "crew members" on the Pioneer.

It had been half a year, and he wondered whether they had achieved their dreams.

Noticing the expression on Chu Guang’s face, Xiao Qi, who sat with the document, curiously asked,

"Master, what are you thinking about?"

Chu Guang, retracting his gaze from the door, casually said,

"I’m thinking, that might truly be Utopia."

Except that place was too small.

Smaller even than the shelters behind them, only able to accommodate two to three hundred people.

Compared to the entire Wasteland, such a glimmer was not even a flame...

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