Chapter 262: Hunter Guild! Artwork with Fujito!
Chapter 262 Hunter’s Guild! Artwork with Teng Teng!
[
ID:
Chu Guang Gene Sequence: Manager (Phase 2)
Level: LV.17→LV.18
——Basic Attributes——
Strength: 17
Agility: 12→13
Constitution: 16
Perception: 13→14
Intelligence: 15
]
Infirmary on B3 floor.
Chu Guang, sitting beside the scanning bed, saw his upgraded attribute panel through the tablet handed by Heya.
What surprised him was that he didn’t expect that this upgrade would add two attribute points.
”…Incredible, your DNA is more amazing than I thought. Is Shelter No. 404 the gene bank of the Human Alliance? How much modified DNA do you have stored?”
Sitting on the chair opposite him, Heya had an incredible expression on her face and had been chattering about her amazing discovery since just now.
However, Chu Guang, who was completely an outsider to this, didn’t understand at all.
”I don’t know.”
”I don’t know?” Heya looked at him in surprise. “Didn’t the previous director of the shelter tell you the nature of this shelter when he handed over the authority?”
”The old riddle man only told me that this is the last hope of human civilization.”
Chu Guang couldn’t remember whether he had seen this sentence on the note. Because he often compiled the short stories and background settings of the Human Alliance on the official website, he would occasionally confuse himself, which ones happened in this world and which ones were his imaginations to improve his “worldview”.
But is it important?
Not very important.
He is a pragmatist, as long as it is useful.
As for the secrets hidden in this shelter and what happened two hundred years ago, Chu Guang admitted that he was curious, but he also clearly realized that this was not his first priority.
After zipping up his coat, Chu Guang stood up from the scanning bed.
”I have to tell you a bad news. I learned through my authority that the concentration of spores in the air in the northern suburbs is rising, and very bad things may happen in two weeks at the latest.”
Heya’s expression gradually became solemn.
”In this regard, I actually have something to report to you.”
”What is it?”
”When your residents were exploring the tunnel, they discovered a strange phenomenon…” Heya picked up a tablet and slid her index finger across the screen.
Soon, a 15-second video appeared on the tablet in Chu Guang’s hand.
It was a flesh-red room.
At first, Chu Guang thought that the mucus on the walls and floor was blood and meat, but after zooming in, he found that things were completely the opposite of what he imagined.
Layers of tiny flesh-red cilia were evenly attached to the concrete structure, and clumps of refrigerator-sized flesh-red fruiting bodies were attached to the wall, gently fluttering like breathing.
The voices of players can also be heard in the video.
”Shit… What the hell is this?”
”Maybe it’s the shit of slime mold.”
”Not necessarily… I feel a bit like a trap. Look at the cilia, they look like tentacles, but a little shorter.”
”Where’s the captain? Take a picture quickly, it will definitely go viral if you post it on the forum!”
”Shoot it again, shoot it again!”
Chu Guang frowned slightly and looked at Heya.
”What is this?”
”A fungal blanket formed by mutant slime molds,” Heya said with her arms crossed over her chest, “According to my research, mutant slime molds attached to objects are all in black, brown, and dark green colors, and appear in the form of bacterial plaques.”
”However, when the thickness exceeds 2mm, a fourth form will be born…which is what you see now.”
Chu Guang: “I mean what it does.”
Heya: “Hatching fruiting bodies.”
Chu Guang’s expression was solemn.
”In other words, those gnawers all ran out of this kind of house?”
He had heard of it.
In addition to the mother nest, there are also things called “hatching rooms” distributed in many places in the city, which mass-produce spores and simulate the environment of the mother nest to breed fruiting bodies. Although the efficiency of producing fruiting bodies is far less than that of the mother nest, the number is quite amazing.
And this is also the reason why those slime mold aliens can never be killed.
”Not just the gnawers, but also the crawlers, martyrs, tyrants, etc. that you found… In theory, they can all be produced through this thing.”
”When I was studying the composition of the fungal blanket, I found that in most cases, the fourth form of slime mold has a strong self-limiting property. Usually, after filling a room, it will stop expanding and increase the thickness of the fungal blanket and the number of hatching units.”
”However, in certain specific circumstances, this self-limiting property will be lifted.”
Chu Guang immediately asked.
”What does this specific situation refer to?”
”I don’t know,” Heya shook her head. “Maybe the environmental conditions are met, or maybe when it thinks it is necessary to expand the population, the fungal blanket will recycle some of the fruiting bodies that were previously released to hunt, and quickly expand the fungal blanket area in a short period of time, completely engulfing the original environment, forming a larger hatching room… and at this time their color will turn dark red.”
Chu Guang’s Adam’s apple moved.
”… the mother nest.”
Heya nodded.
”I think so too.”
The increase in the concentration of spores in the air is one of the important indicators for monitoring the “wave”.
However, what Chu Guang didn’t understand was why the first generation of managers knew this.
Isn’t the mutant slime mold something that was formed after the Wasteland Era?
According to the information Chu Guang initially obtained, the shelter was sealed for more than a century. And the mutant slime mold seems to have started to spread after the first ice age of the Wasteland Era.
Until his death, the first generation manager should not have walked out of this shelter, and this is why that person chose to pass on the responsibility and research results to the next successor.
Or…
did the mutant slime mold exist in the pre-war era?
Or this mutant slime mold itself is some kind of doomsday weapon.
Not knowing what Chu Guang was thinking at the moment, Heya had a trace of worry in her eyes and said softly with emotion.
”The city environment is too friendly to slime molds. Concrete has strong thermal insulation properties. When there is sufficient nutrition, sewers, subways, abandoned buildings… these facilities are simply natural petri dishes. They are probably more suitable for this city than plants, and this is probably the real reason for the wave.”
”Sometimes the more I study, the more powerless I feel… Maybe it’s just like Mr. Seven said, this planet may be beyond salvation. The only thing we can do is to preserve the achievements of the previous civilization, engrave it and the story about us on the tombstone, and leave it to its next successor.”
Seven is the manager of Shelter No. 117.
It can be seen that as a “tomb keeper”, she has great respect for the firm and kind manager.
However, Chu Guang disagrees with her statement.
”My opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. I don’t care about what happens after I die, and I don’t want to think about whether I can be saved.”
Looking at Heya who looked at him in surprise, Chu Guang said concisely.
”But since I’m still alive and standing here.”
”Then I have to take care of it.”
…
The edge of the Fifth Ring Road.
On the messy street, a sturdy wild boar was shaking its bristles and crawling out of the broken windows of the shops along the street.
The snow had melted, and tender shoots had emerged from the cracks in the concrete. Just as it was looking for delicacies hidden in the soil, a gunshot suddenly came from the distance.
Shot in the head, the wild boar fell down and lay motionless on the ground.
”Beautiful!”
Crouching behind a half-collapsed billboard, Li Gou excitedly waved his fist.
This was his first time going out hunting.
Before, his eldest brother Li Niu had always been the hunter in the family, but a few months ago, Li Niu joined the factory, and he had to do this job.
Yu Hu, who was not far away, took a deep breath, put away the hunting rifle in his hand, and urged his companion.
”Go and bleed it quickly, or the meat will get sour if you wait any longer.”
”Okay!”
Li Gou excitedly walked to the wild boar with a dagger, and Yu Hu, who was carrying a hunting rifle on his back, followed him.
Ever since Brother Chu drove away the old mayor’s family, every hunter has switched to a cheap and easy-to-use rifle.
Hunting with this thing is much easier than using a bow and arrow, a javelin, and a sling.
Especially when encountering a predator, you won’t be completely helpless.
A few months ago, it would have been unthinkable for them to have a rifle of their own.
”Hiss… This wild boar is quite heavy, I’m afraid it weighs 80 kilograms!”
”Let me help you.”
The two turned the prey over, and just as Li Gou was about to cut the prey’s artery to bleed it, Yu Hu suddenly frowned.
”Wait a minute.”
As he said that, Yu Hu reached out and opened the wild boar’s ear, only to see a festering scar at the base of the ear.
The scar was very small, only as long as the little finger, and it was covered by the bristles, so it was easy to overlook if you didn’t look carefully.
”What is this?” Li Gou asked curiously.
”The scratch marks left by the gnawer, slightly infected…”
Yu Hu flipped the sparse hair behind the wild boar’s ear with a dagger, then used the dagger to pick open the wild boar’s mouth, carefully observed its teeth, and continued muttering.
”Too rare.”
With the slow speed of the gnawer, it was basically impossible to catch up with the wild boar.
Unless…
Yu Hu swallowed unconsciously.
He had a premonition.
Something bad might happen.
Seeing that his cousin stopped talking, Li Gou thought there was something wrong with the prey, and hurriedly said nervously.
”Then can this prey still be sold?”
”Of course, it’s just a little skin injury, it won’t affect its meat,” Yu Hu urged after studying it for a while, “Hurry up and work, we’ll go back early today.”
Li Gou nodded immediately, stopped talking nonsense, and started bleeding the prey.
After simply processing the prey, the two tied the wild boar to a wooden stick, each carrying one on their shoulders, and drove for nearly ten kilometers to Linghu Wetland Park.
Although the butcher stalls on Bet Street also accept prey, the price they offer is far less than that of the blue coats in the park.
Such a big wild boar can be sold for 100 silver coins at the outpost, while at the butcher stalls on Bet Street, it can only be sold for 70 or 80 at most.
It is not a big deal for him to earn an extra 20 or 30 silver coins and walk an extra 5 kilometers.
…
It was already three or four o’clock in the afternoon, and it would be evening in a while.
After winter, the night will become more and more dangerous. The two people who were on the road unconsciously quickened their pace. They
walked through the woods along the cement road and arrived at the south gate of the outpost.
When the two were about to go in, they saw a row of guards wearing black coats and carrying rifles standing to the west.
A rough count showed that there were about a hundred people.
A blue power armor also stood there, as if inspecting the new recruits.
Yu Hu, who often came here, naturally recognized the blue iron lump.
It was the power armor of the manager.
”Is this going to war?” Li Gou showed a surprised expression on his face, and there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.
He was different from his elder brother Li Niu. He wanted to be a soldier more than to work in the factory.
The black coat and the arbitrator rifle were so handsome!
Recently, the guards were also equipped with steel helmets and engineer shovels. In his opinion, this was simply a man’s dream.
”I don’t know…” Yu Hu shook his head and said in a muffled voice, “I always feel that something big is going to happen.”
He did not disturb Brother Chu’s work.
Yu Hu urged Li Gou to stop looking, and the two of them took the wild boar to the warehouse together.
It was not Zhao Shu who was on duty today, but another young man whose name was unknown.
Since the settlement was made with silver coins this time, the process was very simple.
After checking that the prey had been bled, the guy weighed the prey and put 7 silver coins and a hundred-dollar bill in Yu Hu’s hand.
”Has the price of meat gone up again?” Looking at the banknotes and coins in his hand, Yu Hu showed a surprised expression on his face.
The guy smiled and said, “It has increased a bit. The price of a pound of wild boar meat in the market has now risen to 6 silver coins. Recently, the management has raised the purchase price and inventory limit of meat trading items. If I didn’t know how to hunt, I would have wanted to be a hunter.”
Of course, although prices have risen a lot, wages have also increased a lot. At first, the daily salary of the warehouse manager was only two silver coins, and if you want to eat meat, you have to save money. Now the daily salary has risen to twelve silver coins, and you can buy one kilogram of meat a day.
But it’s too troublesome to cook. In the past, they would save money to buy some meat to roast, but now they just take the money to the market at the north gate to spend.
A three-liang bun is only one silver coin, and two buns and a cup of soy milk or corn juice can make a full meal, which doesn’t cost much in total.
Compared with the previous wandering life, every day here is like a fairy day.
Yu Hu and Li Gou discussed it and used the money in their hands to buy some salt, cloth, soap and other daily necessities, and replenished some bullets.
After purchasing these things, there were still 10 coins left.
The two divided the money. After Yu Hu asked Li Gou to take the things back, he went to the bank and found Xiaoyu.
Compared with the skinny girl a few months ago, Xiaoyu has grown taller and healthier. Her fair cheeks even have a little baby fat. Her big black eyes are still the same as before, clear and lovely, just like the water of Ling Lake.
Yu Hu always worried that his sister couldn’t do such an important job as accounting because she always fried the green wheat cakes. In his impression, the people who can manage the account books are steady old men like old Charlie.
But now it seems that his worries are unnecessary.
Although she is not good at making pancakes, she is surprisingly suitable for arithmetic.
Could it be because the iron pan is too heavy?
Yu Hu suddenly realized this problem, and his face was a little ashamed.
He didn’t realize it at all…
”Brother?”
Seeing Yu Hu, Yu Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up and she immediately stood up from behind the counter.
After the New Year’s Eve party, she hadn’t seen her brother for a month.
Yu Hu smiled honestly and said.
”I came to see you on behalf of my parents. How are you doing recently? Is no one bullying you?”
Xiaoyu nodded vigorously, then shook her head like a wave drum, with a happy smile on her face.
”Xiaoyu is doing very well! Brother Chu and everyone are all very good people!”
Although she was a little uncomfortable at the beginning, she can now do this job very skillfully. Everyone is very kind and takes good care of her.
The only thing that makes Xiaoyu a little distressed is that there are always people who secretly put the change on the table and turn around and run away. She has to go to Xiaoqi to check the surveillance to find out who deposited the money.
Especially the big white bear, who is always sneaky when depositing money.
Is it because I am too fierce?
Although Brother Chu told me not to care, Xiaoyu still feels a little guilty sometimes.
Seeing his sister’s lively and cheerful appearance, Yu Hu showed a relieved smile on his face.
”That’s good!”
”Seeing that you are healthy, your brother is relieved.”
Xiaoyu said immediately.
”Are mom and dad healthy? And big brother, I heard that they encountered predators on the Fifth Ring Road the day before yesterday? Are they not injured?”
Yu Hu smiled and said, “No, no, don’t worry, they are all healthy. And your big brother’s shooting skills are amazing. The last time I saw him shooting, he could hit a can 100 meters away with one shot.”
Xiaoyu had no idea about this distance, but still frowned and said.
”No matter how good your shooting skills are, you can’t show off. The guys in the shelter are also very good, but sometimes they still get hurt. And you, second brother, the same, even if you have a gun, you can’t go to too dangerous places.”
”I know, I know.” Yu Hu scratched the back of his head.
It was obviously him who came to care about his sister, but he was taught a lesson by the little guy instead.
Where can you go and where can’t go, how can an old hunter like him not know?
However, it feels good to be cared for.
At this time, the azure blue power armor came towards this side from the west gate.
Seeing Chu Guang, Yu Hu’s eyes lit up and greeted him.
”Brother Chu!”
”Yu Hu?” Chu Guang opened the visor of his helmet, looked at the young man in front of him and said with a smile, “How was your harvest today?”
”Hehe, not bad, I shot a wild boar weighing more than 80 kilograms, and exchanged it for more than 100 silver coins.” Yu Hu smiled shyly, but there was pride in his eyes.
”Not bad!” Chu Guang nodded approvingly, and said jokingly, “It seems that there will be roasted wild boar meat to eat at the barbecue stall today.”
Yu Hu smiled, but at this moment, he suddenly remembered something, so he immediately spoke up.
”By the way, Brother Chu.”
Chu Guang: “What’s wrong?”
Yu Hu hesitated for a while and then said. “There is something I have to tell you. When I was hunting today, I felt that the atmosphere inside the Fifth Ring Road was a little unusual.”
Chu Guang’s heart moved and he asked.
”Did you find anything?”
Yu Hu nodded.
”Recently, the alien species seem to have become more dangerous than before. The wild boar I shot today was actually scratched by a corpse eater… This was almost impossible before.”
Chu Guang had a thoughtful expression on his face.
”This is indeed a problem. I’ve also noticed that the gnawers and crawlers in the subway are obviously more aggressive than before…”
Listening to the conversation between his elder brother and Big Brother Chu, Xiaoyu’s eyes were a little worried, and he couldn’t help but whispered.
”Brother, why don’t you change to a safer job…”
”It’s okay, I’m not going out hunting at night,” Yu Hu smiled when he saw his sister’s worry, “Those gnawers go out at night and hide in the house during the day.”
Chu Guang suddenly said.
”That’s hard to say.”
Seeing Yu Hu looking at him in surprise, Chu Guang continued.
”According to the experts in our shelter, there may be a wave in the near future. Even during the day, I’m afraid it won’t be safe.”
Wave? !
Yu Hu’s face changed slightly.
”Wave… doesn’t that happen only in the city center?”
Chu Guang shook his head.
”This statement is not accurate. As long as the conditions are met, the wave can occur anywhere.”
Yu Hu swallowed his saliva.
If someone else said this to him, he would definitely think that person was a fool.
There is a huge stone city on the edge of the Third Ring Road, and there is no mother nest outside the Third Ring Road. Those gnawers are all heading for places with many people. The northern suburbs are vast and sparsely populated. How could a wave break out?
But this sentence was said by Brother Chu.
In his impression, Brother Chu would never joke about such serious things.
”By the way, Yu Hu, what do you think about the matter I told you before?”
Yu Hu was stunned.
”What is it?”
Chu Guang said with a smile.
”Wait until spring, come and help me.”
”Yes, of course!” When he heard it was this matter, Yu Hu nodded repeatedly and touched the back of his head embarrassedly, “But I only know how to hunt… I’m afraid I can’t help you much.”
”How come?” Chu Guang smiled and said, “An experienced hunter and guide is exactly what we need now.”
After a pause, Chu Guang looked at Yu Hu seriously and continued.
”The threat of the wave is approaching. I plan to set up a hunter’s union at the outpost base, unite the hunters in the surrounding area and the residents of the shelter who have hunting talents, and scout into the city along the edge of the Fifth Ring Road.”
”I plan to let you be the first president of this union!”
Yu Hu was stunned and was a little overwhelmed for a while.
”Let me be the president? But I have never been one–”
”No one is born with the ability. I am optimistic about your potential,” Chu Guang smiled slightly and gave him an encouraging look, “Don’t worry, I will tell you what work to do and how to do it specifically. You just need to answer me one sentence, yes or no.”
Compared with others, Yu Hu is most familiar with the terrain in the northern suburbs. He is not only an experienced hunter, but also a reliable guide.
Although this young man does not look very smart, he is actually not stupid. Chu Guang is still very confident in his eyesight.
In particular, the most important thing is that whether it is the hunters on Bet Street or the hunters in other areas of the area, they are familiar with him, and the players are not unfamiliar with him.
He is the most suitable person to be this functional NPC!
The elder brother was still hesitating, Xiaoyu gently pulled his sleeve and said softly.
”Brother, just agree. Working here is definitely safer than going out hunting, and parents will definitely be very happy.”
Yu Hu touched the back of his head and muttered.
”You little girl, you have been away from home for only a few days, and you have started to command your brother to do things.”
Xiaoyu said aggrievedly.
”I am not worried about you… and Brother Chu thinks you can do it well, there will be no problem.”
Reaching out and rubbing his sister’s little head, Yu Hu looked up at Chu Guang with a smile and said seriously.
”Since you are willing to trust me and give me such an important job, I will do my best to do it well!”
Chu Guang looked at him approvingly and nodded.
”I’ve been waiting for you to say this!”
…
In the evening, Yu Hu returned to Beth Street and planned to tell his parents and elder brother about this matter and come back tomorrow morning.
Chu Guang told him not to worry, to settle the family affairs first, and to report in within two days.
Night gradually fell.
Over in Boulder City.
Tail, who had a full meal, was stroking his slightly bulging belly and burping as he came out of the restaurant.
”Burp~ Si, there are a lot of delicious food here.”
”Emmm… It’s not delicious. I think the snack street at the north gate is better,” Sisi glanced at her. “Awei, you’d better pay attention to your image.”
Tail said nonchalantly.
”What’s the matter? Is it a problem for awakeners to eat a lot? And it’s in the game anyway. Even if you get a little fat, you just need to die once.”
”Well… Although the resurrection coins have become cheaper, I didn’t expect you to use them in this place.”
The two of them ate a big bowl of noodles each and spent 4 chips.
Objectively speaking, it’s not as delicious as the one made by the little player named Zhang Hai at the north gate.
The two of them came to the conclusion that the people of Boulder City are really living in dire straits. There is no seasoning in the noodles except salt and vinegar!
Where is the pepper?
Does ramen without pepper still have a soul?
Sisi unfolded the note in her hand, which wrote the things she planned to investigate.
Now more than 20 items have been completed, and only a few are left.
”The next stop is the tavern.”
”Tavern!” Tail’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Oh, there must be a lot of mercenaries there, right?”
”Theoretically, that’s right,” Sisi looked around, “but… this street seems to be full of shops, and there are no signs that look like taverns.” It
wasn’t written in Brother Fang’s guide.
He actually missed this kind of key information, which is not like the style of that guy…
Tail said with full enthusiasm.
”It’s okay! It’s a good time for us to explore!”
”Yeah, that’s what I planned.”
The two walked on the street for a while and continued to move towards the inner city.
Soon a big sign came into view of the two.
On the sign, there was a picture of a beautiful girl, her back leaning against a barrel, holding a beer glass in her hand, and colorful neon flashing around.
Although the painting style was a bit wild, it was undoubtedly wine.
”Si! Found it!”
”Emmm… I don’t think this is the kind of tavern we’re looking for.”
”What does it matter? Since the game production team made it, it must have a reason for its existence!”
”Huh? What you said makes sense.”
To be honest, Sisi was also quite curious about how real this game was.
Looking at Tail, whose face was full of expectation, she made an expression of “I really can’t do anything about you”, and then walked over with Tail.
The security guard standing at the door looked at the two in surprise, but didn’t say anything. He collected tickets with two chips each and let the two pass.
The lights in the pub flickered, the music was loud, and it was full of wild and explosive feeling.
The two people who had never been to a bar felt out of tune with the atmosphere here.
Even the most active tail felt a little uncomfortable.
”Si, if you don’t understand, just ask. This is the first time I go to a bar. How can I pretend to go there often?”
”I think it might be more natural to treat this place as a cafeteria.”
Tail looked at Sisi in surprise.
”Huh! Does Sisi usually go to such a great place?”
Sisi: “Do you think this is possible for someone who plays games every night?”
This place doesn’t look like the kind of pub that adventurers in RPGs often go to.
It is a bit like a real bar.
Finding a less conspicuous position on the bar, the two sat in the corner in a low-key manner.
Soon the bartender brought up two glasses of beer diluted with water. Sisi politely said thank you in human language, smelled the cup, and didn’t drink it, but looked around.
The lights outside the dance floor were dim, and the people around them could not be seen clearly, and no one paid attention to them.
Just as Sisi was thinking about where to start the investigation, the music in the pub suddenly changed.
A host walked onto the stage and said a few words into the microphone. Then a dancer dressed quite avant-garde walked onto the stage. There
was an excited cheer all around.
The sound even drowned out the live music!
The dancer standing on the stage glanced charmingly at the audience and began her performance.
However, what was interesting was not the dance itself.
It was the clothes she was wearing.
Sisi was slightly stunned, with a surprised expression on her face.
That was not Tengteng’s…
Before she could say anything, the tail next to her jumped up excitedly as if she had discovered a new continent, and pulled her to point to the stage excitedly.
”My giao! Si, look!”
”Isn’t that Tengteng’s artwork?”
Sisi showed a subtle expression on her face, as if she had foreseen what would happen in the next few hours.
”Well… I saw it.”
”Pretty amazing.”
(End of this chapter)
