This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 67: Generators and Exoskeletons

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Generators and Exoskeletons

Outside the south gate.

Twenty yaks were being herded by nine well-equipped gunmen, and they stopped fifty meters from the south gate.

Without mutual trust, this was a safe distance for both parties.

There were quite a few players nearby, some chopping trees, others transporting stones. They all stopped their work and watched from a safe distance, whispering among themselves.

"Do you see that person’s arm, is it a prosthetic?"

"That’s not a prosthetic, that’s a mechanical prosthesis!"

"Damn, is there any difference?"

"The difference is... it’s more cyberpunk. And look at the guy second from the left, his entire eye is mechanical! I bet it’s not just a mechanical prosthesis, they definitely have implanted plugins or bionic organs!"

"Did you see their guns? Those scorpion-shaped barrels are so cool!"

"Woah, when can I afford such a cool weapon."

"Don’t dream too high, the game’s officials are just showing it off now. You won’t be able to afford it until at least Level 10."

The people in the commercial team eyed the Blue Jackets curiously.

They had traveled with their boss to many places, even as far as the bustling eastern coast, and had seen a number of shelters along the way—enough to count with both hands—but had never seen anything so bizarre.

"What are they doing?"

"Probably building houses."

"Don’t they live underground?"

"...Maybe they’ve had enough of that?"

"Probably got those jackets from scavenging."

List, on the other hand, was uninterested in what these people thought. His face was filled with impatience.

These country bumpkins always curious about everything, always wanting to take a look, not caring whether it is polite to stare at others.

However, the Blue Jackets they wore were somewhat intriguing; he’d never heard of a shelter near Linghu Wetland Park.

Still, seeing them struggle to build houses, it seemed they came from a lower-level shelter, probably accommodating between 1 and 100 people. Such shelters usually lack a fully self-sustaining ecosystem, at best they might have a few Sleep Cabins.

Either their food ran out, or the shelter’s power did, forcing them to come out and make a living.

List pondered that this might be a new location on his trade map.

Just then, Yu Hu trotted to the south gate and, seeing Chu Guang come out, said,

"Brother Chu, I’ve brought General Lee’s commercial team... be careful."

Scavengers from Bet Street didn’t know List’s full name.

For them, a figure like him was on par with a town mayor, hardly exchanging words. Brother Chu, on the other hand, was more approachable, having been neighbors with folks like them for a while and not turning his back on them after leaving.

"I will be careful."

Chuang Guang nodded, showing understanding, and then proceeded with a few players.

Seeing that the plot was about to trigger, the surrounding players quietly hushed down, those who didn’t were subtly pulled aside by other players.

"I always thought you were a Bet Street scavenger, seems I was mistaken," List said with a light smile, speaking in a pleasant tone, "It seems I made the right investment."

"I’m glad you think so," Chu Guang gestured for the players nearby to drop the sack on the ground, cutting straight to the point, "These are the goods you wanted, you can weigh them."

List gestured to one of his men.

The man, equipped with electronic eyes and mechanical prostheses, stepped forward, lifted the sack with his alloy-made right hand, then looked back at his boss and nodded.

A look of satisfaction spread across List’s face.

"Good, you’ve kept your promise. It seems I didn’t make this trip for nothing."

He gestured to a few other men to unload the goods Chu Guang ordered from the yaks’ backs and moved them beside the sack containing Blue Umbrella Mushrooms.

Among them, a 10KW power wood-burning generator was dismantled and packed in two boxes. Another item, nearly half a person tall, was a box containing the KV-1 power exoskeleton.

"The boxes come with a manual. We import directly from the factory, we don’t provide assembly services, we only guarantee that every part mentioned in the manual is in the box... actually, it’s not much, you can check it yourself on-site. The exoskeleton is already assembled; you can open it and try it out."

Even if he hadn’t mentioned it, Chu Guang would have done so.

After all, there’s no after-sales service in the wasteland.

First, he double-checked the parts of the generator with the manual, then he took the exoskeleton out of the box and put it on.

The device was unexpectedly light, weighing probably less than 30 kilograms, looking just like a skeletal frame.

You could say where it should show, it showed, and where it shouldn’t, it still showed; the only sturdy parts might be the humerus on the arms and the few alloy ribs protecting the chest.

"You better not hope it can stop bullets. The KV-1 power exoskeleton’s main structure uses aluminum alloy and a small amount of special plastics, featuring excellent lightness and power design. Twelve motor sets respond in milliseconds and provide an extra 200 kilograms of load for the user."

"Additionally, there’s a 12-hour battery life and an adaptive gait system... Of course, this is all basic, you can refer to the manual for specifics."

"If you really want to use it for combat, remember to attach some steel plates. I’ve seen mercenaries do that, but the downside is sacrificing some mobility."

Chu Guang studied the manual carefully.

In summary, this gadget was great for manual labor, with endurance at A, explosive power at C, and mobility being okay. In terms of basic protection, it was almost nonexistent, but the skeletal design provided room for imagination; one could weld on steel plates or weapons as needed.

It was kind of like the engine of a tank and the chassis of a tractor.

Maybe the latter was overproduced and couldn’t sell, so they simply modified and sold it cheaper to mercenaries or laborers.

Chu Guang guessed the cost of the gadget wasn’t too high; probably around the same amount Xia Yan hadn’t wasted here before, just save up some money to afford it.

Chu Guang couldn’t help but wonder if this thing was really worth 800 chips.

You should know that the chips issued by Giant Stone City still hold strong purchasing power.

"Are you done trying it? I must remind you that the battery life is only 12 hours, you don’t need to keep it on all the time. Turn off the power when you’re not using it, consider it a workout," List urged Chu Guang as he seemed to endlessly fiddle with the device.

He understood that every extra second he spent here was a cost of time. Since the trade was already complete, it was almost time for him to leave.

"I’m done... I’m quite satisfied," Chu Guang nodded, turned off the power, and took off the exoskeleton.

This gadget could be sold to players in the future.

He believed that with their creativity, they could make interesting use of it.

He planned to organize a commercial team to bring in a batch of goods from Giant Stone City, hopefully trading the leftover Blue Umbrella Mushrooms for a better deal than what he got from List.

List had no idea what Chu Guang was thinking at the moment. To him, the 20 kilograms of Blue Umbrella Mushrooms seemed like half a month’s output of the survivor base, and it probably cost several lives to procure.

Getting so many good things in exchange for a wood-powered generator and an exoskeleton made this trip worthwhile for him.

"It’s been a pleasure doing business! By the way, is there anything else you need? I still have some good stuff left. Salt, weapons, and some daily necessities, take a look, there’s probably something you can use. Even if you don’t need it, perhaps your companions do."

As List spoke, he intentionally raised his voice.

However, to his surprise, the people around didn’t react at all to his words, and continued to watch the spectacle with interest.

"What’s that NPC saying?"

"I don’t know, who cares what he says, just watch it like a movie without subtitles."

"Awesome, our manager got a set of exoskeleton!"

"Work hard, maybe we can get him a full set of power armor next, wouldn’t that look cooler than the exoskeleton?"

"Gotta say, the game really nailed the details. The players’ actions drive the game’s progress, advancing the game speeds up the prosperity of the base, and even the NPCs get better gear, it’s all interconnected!"

"Please, developers, start the public test soon! I’ll go straight to V10!"

List’s face was filled with confusion.

"?"

What were these people even talking about?

Surely there was someone interested in what he was selling?

Chu Guang stifled a laugh, coughed lightly, and spared List from his awkward situation.

"We can have a good talk about the trade."

"However, I don’t have many chips left, so I’m afraid we’ll have to barter."

"No problem," List, regaining focus, continued, "Bartering is exactly what I was hoping for."

Besides the previously ordered generator and exoskeleton, List’s commercial team had plenty of good stuff.

Like some bolt-action rifles of 9mm or 7mm.

Chu Guang realized that much of what this guy sold likely consisted of surplus and parts discarded by the Giant Stone City Military Industrial Complex, bought cheaply and then modified in small workshops.

For example, the barrels of the 9mm iron tube rifles were clearly the same model as the 9mm pistol Xia Yan used previously, even the rifling matched.

The receiver was even more interesting.

The receiver of the 9mm iron tube rifle was highly similar to that of the 9mm pistol, almost identical gas-operated mechanisms, with the former lacking only a piston. It was essentially semi-automatic modified to automatic, with an extended barrel, and unlocking at 90 degrees.

Using game terminology, the jam rate was reduced, accuracy at medium range improved, and the power slightly increased at medium and close range.

The barrels and receivers of the 7mm iron tube rifles were almost identical to the 7mm assault rifles Xia Yan repaired, with the same concept: changing from automatic to bolt-action, from continuous fire to single fire.

Anyway, fire rate didn’t mean much to rural survivors; what mattered more to most Wasteland Wanderers was that it was cheap, easy to use, and powerful.

After some selecting, Chu Guang bought two of each caliber of the bolt-action iron tube rifles.

Although List initially insisted on a price of 200 chips per unit, when Chu Guang revealed the "secrets" of these two models and explained that a well-made assault rifle cost only 150 chips in the stores, List finally yielded.

By the way, he got the price from Xia Yan.

"You don’t know... what we go through to transport these goods from Giant Stone City! The ruins are teeming with countless variants and bandits, and here I am, offering it to you for just 150 chips. Is that too much? Not at all!"

"We like to do business with honest people. The assault rifles labeled 150 chips on the shelf, their receivers, and barrels are worth at most 50 chips, and your cost? At most only 30 or even 20, since I don’t expect you to use the best parts, most likely just surplus from the production line."

"That’s slander!" List’s face turned red, clearly hit a nerve.

Chu Guang smiled and said,

"I’d rather call it a rational analysis. By the way, migrating reindeer are different from hyenas; they don’t belong here, nor do they venture deep into the city area, but move southeast along the edge of Qingquan City. Let me guess... wild beast skins must sell well at your place, right? Why don’t you bring some deer skins back, they should fetch a good price."

If it was just for a few pieces of junk, there was no need to go north. After all, in a city full of ruins, one could obviously find much more valuable stuff.

List said with a stiff expression,

"I know, you don’t need to tell me."

"How about 8 deer skins for 4 rifles plus 120 bullets? I remember last time you gave me 30 bullets per gun."

"Heh, last time the price was still 200 chips. Forget it, the least I’ll take is 12!"

"12 skins? Are you talking about hyena skins? If it’s deer skins, then you might need to add another 2 kilograms of coarse salt."

"Who the hell wants hyena skins! You’re crazy, greedier than a vampire!" List grumbled, but that was the only complaint he made.

Those living in the Inner City, the fine ladies and rich young women, always yearned for beautiful furs and the adventurous stories behind them. And those big shots were always eager to display their luxury and prominence with these hard-to-get rarities.

These deer skins would definitely be popular back home.

Thinking this, he finally nodded his proud head.

"I need to see the goods first."

Chu Guang nodded with a smile.

"Certainly."