Chapter 247 Paying the highest respect to these respectable people
Chapter 247 Paying the highest respect to these respectable people
Shortly after the big rat on the “motorcycle” set off with a group of rat brothers, a pioneer team of 500 refugees had moved from the temporary shelter to the Changjiu Farm. There
are currently about 1,500 refugees stranded in the temporary shelter.
Now that winter has come to an end, the snow is slowly melting and seeping into the soil. They can’t stay in the crowded dangerous building forever. That is neither safe nor hygienic, especially in spring, it is easy to become a breeding ground for germs.
Walking in front of the refugee team, Jiuli found Luca who was waiting at the east gate and shook hands with him.
”I was delayed on the road for a while and kept you waiting.”
Luca said gently.
”It’s okay. It’s snowy all the way. It’s not easy for you to come here. I feel relieved to see that you have arrived safely.”
After a simple greeting, Jiuli got straight to the point.
”Where do we start? Here? Or somewhere else?”
Last year, their camp was at the east gate and was destroyed by a blizzard. Now the debris left can still be vaguely seen on the ground.
Old Luca looked at Jiuli and said.
”According to the instructions of the manager, your home is at the west gate. Now the most urgent thing is to solve the housing problem. Bricks, cement and wood have been delivered to the construction site, and someone will guide you on how to build. After the house is built, we will assign you spring farming tasks.”
”Land is allocated according to households. Two people are set up as one household, and 10 mu of land is allocated. For each child in the family, 1 mu is allocated. For those who are sixteen years old and unmarried, 3 mu is allocated per person. After getting married, a new household is set up and 10 mu of land is allocated again.” ”
The land rights belong to Changjiu Farm collectively. It cannot be transferred or leased. It will be checked every quarter. Those who violate the rules will be expelled from the household registration and their land will be confiscated.”
”In the first three years, we will provide you with seeds and fertilizers, and you only need to hand over half of the harvest to us in return. At the end of the three years, if the land is not abandoned, the land allocated to the household will be completely taken care of by you. You only need to hand over 20% of the harvest, and the rest of the grain can be kept by yourself or sold to the granary.”
The refugees whispered, and everyone’s face was filled with excitement.
”Provide seeds?”
”And fertilizer!”
”Only half of the harvest is required… This is incredible.”
Not to mention them, Luca himself also found it incredible.
In the wasteland, allowing the farmers to keep 20% of the crops is already generous.
However, the administrator not only allowed them to keep half of the crops, but also generously stated that they would provide them with seeds, fertilizers, and professional guidance for the first three years.
”Refugees are refugees because they are rootless. The food grown on the land is one thing, and on the other hand, we need to use land and work to bind them to us, and don’t just think about profiting from trivial matters.”
”Each household contracts 10 mu of land. According to the statistics of 500 farmers, they can plant at least 5,000 mu. These 5,000 mu of land can not only allow more than 500 households to live well, but also provide food for thousands of people, so that the other part of the refugees staying in the factory can fill their stomachs and develop production.”
”The remaining 25,000 mu, part of it is operated by collective farms, mainly cultivated by prisoners of war. The other part is contracted and operated by residents of the shelter, and the food produced is purchased by the granary.”
The above is the original words of the manager.
Luca didn’t fully understand, but he had a new understanding of the kindness of that adult.
He sincerely hoped that these poor people could live a good life.
Such a kind heart is really rare in the wasteland.
After settling the Jiuli people and handing over the tools and building materials to them, Luca handed over the rest of the work to the foreman and guards, and returned to the farm alone.
In the office, the captain of the guard team, Wrench, was waiting for him there.
At present, Changjiu Farm is short of staff, especially in logistics.
In addition to standing guard, the guard team occasionally has to take on the task of communicating with refugees.
The same is what the administrator said.
This is a stopgap measure, and reforms will be made later.
After all, for refugees, a well-tailored black uniform and a large-caliber rifle on the back are far more convincing than a piece of paper full of words at any time.
To put it bluntly.
Literacy education has only reached the primary stage, and most people can’t even recognize a few words, and they can’t remember the regulations at all.
Things like laws are far less important to them than a verbal order from the administrator wearing power armor.
This makes them feel safer than anything else.
At least in Qingquan City, the people of the wasteland recognize this.
”The transportation route to the Elm District has been restored. Currently, the transportation capacity and human resources are very tight. We can only guarantee the supply of 500 to 800 logs to the farm every day… This is under the premise that it does not affect the land reclamation work.”
”The manager said that land reclamation work is the first priority. I will arrange for people to handle these logs. Just hand them over to me after they are transported to the farm.”
Luca paused for a moment and continued in a serious tone.
”In addition, the brick factory has given priority to the production capacity to Changjiu Farm. We need to build at least 500 houses before the end of the month, and ensure that the three collective dormitories in the farm are completed, and the refugees in the temporary shelter are completely transferred here.”
Wrench hesitated for a moment and said.
”Is such a short time enough?”
They still need to prepare for spring plowing, and it may be difficult to spare many people.
However, Luca’s answer was beyond his expectations.
”At first I thought this task would be difficult to complete, but the diligence of the residents in the shelter exceeded our expectations… At present, they have completed one-fifth of the land reclamation task they are responsible for, and the remaining tasks can be completed in a week at most.”
”The manager said that if the situation is optimistic, they can solve another 10,000 acres of wasteland before the 20th.”
”Including the 10,000 acres of land reclamation task undertaken by the prisoners of war, there is no problem in completing the 30,000 acres of land reclamation task before the spring plowing.”
”In this way, the saved labor can all be involved in the construction of houses, and the resettlement of refugees can be accelerated.”
Luca unfolded a picture.
It showed a brick and wood structure house, the overall shape was square, and it looked ordinary, but it had all the necessary designs.
”This is a row house designed by the residents of the shelter. Each household is 36 square meters, with a brick and wood mixed structure. The amount of building materials required is not large, and the thermal insulation performance and safety are quite reliable.”
Wrench stared at the blueprint for a while. Although he didn’t quite understand it, he intuitively felt that the bricks and cement used in this kind of house are indeed much less than those brick houses in the farm.
After a long time, he couldn’t help but sigh.
”I would like to pay the highest respect and gratitude to these respectable people.”
Luca nodded with emotion.
”We really have to thank them, they have paid too much.”
War, natural disasters, famine, disease…
Even compared with the most difficult days in the past, this year’s winter can undoubtedly be called hell mode.
Without those blue coats, let alone those refugees from other places, there would be few people in the entire northern suburbs who could survive this winter.
This winter, no one died of hunger, and they even had a prosperous New Year.
This is almost unimaginable.
Of course, for Luca himself, his gratitude is much simpler.
If it weren’t for the bargaining chip of the administrator, he would probably have died under the gun of a guard long ago.
He doesn’t understand too many great principles, and even to this day he doesn’t understand the words of the administrator to him, “Stand up, don’t kneel.”
Luca only knows one thing, that he saved his life.
So this life is his.
…
Night.
The caravan heading to Boulder City settled in an abandoned office building.
They cleared the gnawers from the lobby to the corridor and came to the second floor of the office building.
A trip rope was tied to the exit of the safe passage. The caravan guard who was responsible for escorting Qian Lai and others back to Boulder City walked up to Xu Shun and Fang Chang and said to them.
”This is our safe house on the edge of the Fourth Ring Road. We will rest here for one night and continue on our way after dawn.”
His name is Luo Guang. He has been working for Lister for five or six years and is considered an old employee of the caravan.
The other two guards have worked for two years each. The man with a submachine gun hanging on his chest is called Wang Zhong, and the man with a bandage on his right arm is called Kaiya – these are what Fang Chang asked from Xu Shun.
Before coming here, the group was ambushed by a group of looters. The unlucky guy named Kaiya was unfortunately shot in the right arm.
Those goblins hiding in the ruins always appear unexpectedly and open fire without saying a word, not hiding their naked desires at all.
Everyone present had a look of shock on their faces, except for one person who looked normal, as if nothing had happened.
That person was Fang Chang.
Isn’t it common sense in RPG games to encounter robbers while doing business?
The production team asked you to bring a gun, so they will naturally give you a place to use it.
Don’t be stupid in basic operations.
He didn’t find it strange at all, but felt that the group of people was too weak.
”Safe house?”
Xu Shun glanced around, and at the mold in the corner and the fungal carpet formed by the mutated slime mold, he didn’t feel that there was any safety here.
Qian Lai, who was standing aside, grinned and said.
”Don’t be nervous. Those gnawers won’t jump out of the ground. Even if there is a small hatchery on the roof, a large number of them won’t suddenly appear. As long as they are used properly, the gnawers wandering in the corridor will become our cover.”
There are at least hundreds of gnawers in the lobby on the first floor. When they came up, they only killed a dozen of them, and there are still a lot of them left.
If there are predators who plan to attack them, they have to clear out the gnawers from the lobby to the safe passage like them.
Even if the predators don’t fire a single shot, the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground will be heard by the people on the second floor.
As long as someone is left to stand guard near the exit of the safe passage, it can basically be guaranteed to be foolproof.
Qian Lai patiently said to the two rookies who had never been far away: “It’s dangerous to light an open fire here. I’m afraid we have to spend the night in the dark. Did you bring dry food?”
Xu Shun said.
”I brought it.”
Qian Lai nodded.
”That’s good. There’s no place for you to make a fire and cook here.”
The caravan’s dry rations were nutritional paste. Although there were also wheat cakes, they were frozen hard and no one wanted to eat them.
Xu Shun took out the warmed steamed bun from his arms, then reached into his backpack and took out the pickles in a jar. He cut the steamed bun with a knife, poured some pickles on it, and then put it in his mouth and took a bite.
The caravan guards around him looked at him curiously, whispering in low voices.
”Why is this bread white?”
”Strange food.”
”I’ve seen it in their market… but it’s very expensive. One piece costs 4 chips!”
Hearing this, the other two guards showed surprised expressions on their faces, and their eyes looking at Xu Shun also showed a hint of envy, as if they were looking at a local tyrant.
4 chips for a meal!
This is too luxurious!
Fang Chang was eating steamed buns, which he finished quickly. He walked to the window and sat down. He took out the small notebook in his pocket and took a look at it in the weak moonlight outside. There were
densely written small words on it, which were all his experiences along the way. He planned to update it on the forum after logging off.
The situation in Qingquan City was completely different from that in the northern suburbs.
They encountered at least two attacks by predators along the way. The
first time was five people, who shot at them with iron pipe rifles, but three were quickly killed and the remaining two fled.
The second time there were a little more people, a total of twelve, the size of a ten-man team.
Kaiya, who was sitting against the wall, treated his wounds with alcohol and cursed in a low voice.
”What a bunch of bastards! They bully the weak and fear the strong!”
Xu Shun looked at him and asked.
”Why are there so many looters?”
Kaia muttered, “They are everywhere. Those empty buildings may have a pair of eyes hidden in a window. They can see where bullets can’t reach. They have probably been targeting us since the moment we entered the city.”
Xu Shun suddenly said with vigilance.
”If they surround us…”
Kaia chuckled.
”Relax, man. Not all looters will become like the Bone Chewing Tribe, just like not all cancer cells will eventually become tumors. At least one-third of the looters were mercenaries before. They either killed their employers or harmed their companions. They couldn’t go back to Boulder City, and they couldn’t muster up the courage to start a new life. In the end, they just went all out and became bandits. How capable do you expect such scum to be?”
Wang Zhong, who was sitting at the side, interrupted and said, “We are lucky. We only met small-scale businessmen. If we met big businessmen, it would be troublesome.”
Xu Shun: “…What do you mean?”
”That’s what I mean.” Kaiya pinched out a bullet with tweezers and shook it in front of him, grinning and saying, “Steel ball, about 6mm… Thank God, if it was lead bullet, my arm would probably be useless.”
Wang Zhong laughed and teased.
”Then I can just replace it with a mechanical arm.”
Kaiya rolled his eyes.
”Come on, I can’t afford it.”
That kind of expensive equipment is not something that people like him dare to think about.
Lister and most of the people here are temporary employees. Only a few can become core employees and serve the caravan for life – and this is also the motivation for their struggle.
Looking at the subtitles that appeared intermittently on the VM, Fang Chang thought for a long time and continued to write in the small notebook under the moonlight.
[…Mercenary is a very common profession in Boulder City, and most of those who engage in this business are poor people. 】
【At the same time, the serious oversupply of the private armed market has led to extreme involution in the mercenary industry. Most mercenaries must risk their lives to earn a pitiful amount of money to make a living, and this is also the root cause of the chaos in Qingquan City…】
【At least one of them. 】
He closed the notebook in his hand.
Fang Chang was about to log off, but for some reason, he suddenly had a vague intuition in his heart.
It was as if he was being stared at by something.
Putting the pen in his pocket, Fang Chang’s hand unconsciously touched the mechanical compound bow against the wall.
After awakening, he has 7 points of perception.
Although it is not high compared to perception players, it is 140% intuition compared to ordinary people.
Coupled with the experience accumulated in battle, his actual perception of danger is not weaker than that of low-level perception newbies.
Noticing the movement of his hand, Luo Guang cast an inquiring look at him.
”Did you find anything?”
Fang Chang didn’t understand what he was asking, but he could guess it from his expression, so he nodded silently.
The three guards and Xu Shun beside him immediately became alert and tightened their weapons, while Qian Lai hid in a safe place.
He knew his own fighting ability, and he also believed that these people could successfully deal with the looters without him having to do anything.
Everyone was quietly on guard.
At this moment, Fang Chang’s hand had already moved.
He raised the mechanical compound bow, an explosive arrow was buckled on the bowstring, and after counting the seconds silently for a few seconds, he shot an arrow cleanly and neatly at the window across the corridor.
Across a distance of dozens of meters, the arrow exploded with a flash of fire the moment it shot out of the window, and the steel balls sandwiched in the paper shell flew around, and soon there was a miserable wail and the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground outside the window.
”Enemy attack!”
”It’s the looters!”
Kaia chased towards the window opposite, and the other two watched the corridor and the door of the safe passage.
If you don’t take the elevator, that’s the only way to get up.
The looters downstairs heard the exchange of fire and immediately rushed up from below.
Luo Guang, who was standing at the entrance of the corridor, held a submachine gun in his hand and fired at the looters who rushed in. Two of them were killed on the spot. The other one was lucky enough to hide behind the bunker and tried to fight back. However, he was hit by an arrow in the forehead before firing two shots, and fell backwards with dilated pupils. Just
as Xu Shun was aiming and preparing to shoot, Fang Chang had already put away the compound bow.
The battle was over.
”There are still three minions who haven’t come up yet!”
Kaiya, who was standing by the window, raised his rifle and fired two shots at the fleeing backs. Seeing that he couldn’t hit them, he put the muzzle back and spat.
”Damn it, let these bastards run away!”
Carefully approaching the entrance and exit of the safe passage, Luo Guang confirmed that the looters had retreated, and then squatted down to check the bodies.
”…I’m afraid they are the same group of people we met during the day. They have been following us.”
Kaiya couldn’t help but curse.
”What do these idiots want to do?”
Wang Zhong laughed and teased: “Maybe they are starving.”
Everyone chuckled.
Although it was a close call, everyone was still on edge.
Luo Guang patted Kaiya on the shoulder.
”We still have a long way to go tomorrow, and we will probably reach Boulder City at noon. I’ll sleep for a while and come to replace you in the second half of the night.”
Kaiya gave him a reliable look.
”Okay, boss.”
Fang Chang returned to the window and sat down. After confirming that the crisis was resolved, he calmly glanced at the small notebook, then stuffed it back into his pocket, closed his eyes, and prepared to go offline.
Xu Shun walked over to sit next to Fang Chang.
Of course, the manager had told him that when his residents were sleeping, he must do a good job of keeping watch and not let anyone get close.
Luo Guang glanced at Fang Chang, who had his eyes closed, and then at Xu Shun, who was sitting next to him, and asked in a low voice.
”Is he asleep?”
Xu Shun nodded and said.
”Yes.”
According to the agreement, Fang Chang would come to replace his shift at around 3 a.m., and he would not wake up during this time.
”Enviable psychological quality,” Luo Guang grinned and continued in a low voice, “I just wanted to tell him that those two arrows were beautifully shot.”
Among the mercenaries in Boulder City, few people would use bows and crossbows if they could choose. After all, the output of such weapons is unstable, and the maintenance is much more difficult than that of guns.
Only some awakened people, considering their own upper limit, will choose weapons that can better play their physical advantages.
However, most of them are mainly throwing objects.
For example, throwing knives, javelins, and grenades are the most common.
Although he is not as discerning as Captain Han Long, Luo Guang is already certain in his heart that this sleeping master is an awakened person!
Xu Shun nodded and said.
”I will convey it when he wakes up.”
Luo Guang made a gesture that it was okay, then covered his face with a hat, leaned against the wall, and snored after a while.
The room became quiet.
As if the previous battle did not exist.
Xu Shun glanced at VM.
There was no signal here, and the only signal that could be retrieved was the short-range signal from Fang Chang’s device.
”The edge of the Fourth Ring Road… If we can reach Boulder City tomorrow, this place should be stuck in the middle.”
Xu Shun muttered to himself and made a mark on the map.
This area can be used as a signal transfer station, and caravans from the northern suburbs to Boulder City can also stop here.
However, there are predators around, so we must be cautious.
…
No words were spoken that night.
The next morning, the group continued on their way.
As they got closer and closer to Boulder City, Fang Chang unconsciously quickened his pace, and the excitement in his heart was beyond words.
Boulder City, which has always been the setting of the official website!
The largest survivor settlement in Qingquan City!
Soon, he will use his eyes to confirm what kind of surprises the game production team has prepared for the players!
Turning a corner and standing on a straight twelve-lane elevated road, the excitement on Fang Chang’s face was gradually replaced by shock.
A towering wall, as high as a twenty-story building, stood like a dam between two skyscrapers that reached into the sky.
The pressure of the giant was overwhelming.
Even a kilometer away, it could be clearly felt!
”Seeing that giant wall is like seeing the Stone City. The road ahead will be much easier,” Qian Lai smiled with relief, “Finally, there is a warm mattress to sleep on. You can stay at my house. Although it is not big, the environment is definitely much better than the hotel!”
Xu Shun, who was also shocked by the scene in front of him, couldn’t help but speak.
”How many tons of cement does this take?”
Qian Lai said with a smile.
”Who knows? Besides, it’s not all cement. Maybe there’s some garbage or discarded concrete blocks mixed in. Anyway, it has some history. This giant wall is mainly to deal with the threat of alien species and the ‘wave’, but to be honest, the wave hasn’t threatened the corners of the stone city for a long time.”
Xu Shun: “Incredible!”
”Indeed incredible, but I heard that this settlement was built in the image of the ideal city… but the specifications are far worse.”
At this point, Qian Lai, who squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, paused for a moment, and looked at the giant wall with a trace of yearning.
”I hope to go to the ideal city one day.”
Xu Shun: “… Ideal City?”
Qian Lai: “Well, our boss went there once and said that it was the place closest to the pre-war society in the entire wasteland… Although I bet he doesn’t know what the pre-war society was like.”
Xu Shun didn’t quite understand.
For him, who grew up in the northern suburbs, the pre-war period was a very vague concept.
He only heard that people in that era had endless honey and milk, and clean water that could be drunk and thrown away.
The cans, glass bottles and other treasures they picked up from the wasteland were all unwanted garbage in that era, and no one would even look at them.
On the contrary, those daunting high-rise buildings were the treasures that attracted them.
Everything about the prosperous era seemed to be completely opposite to this era.
Fang Chang no longer had time to read the subtitles. He put on the headphones given to him by the administrator and excitedly took more than a dozen photos of the Boulder City.
Although this place is out of communication range and the photos cannot be sent back, it doesn’t matter.
He can save them in VM’s album first!
After all, this is an opportunity he bought with 250 silver coins, and he can’t waste it.
When he goes back, he has to take these photos and make a good article! –
(It’s a little late, so it’s convenient to connect to the following plot. If there are any typos, please help me find them. I read it twice, but I can’t find them. I’ll have a meal first and then write tomorrow’s update. Brothers, if you have votes, I hope you can support me. I hope it’s not too late to ask for votes at this point QAQ)
(End of this chapter)
