Chapter 4 Chu Guang and Lollipop

  Chapter 4 Chu Guang and Lollipop

  Two hundred years ago.

  To be precise, in 2125, a war broke out on this prosperous planet.

  Both sides in the war were determined to completely destroy each other, and almost used all the means they could.

  The war lasted only three years.

  But it only took three years to destroy everything on the surface.

  The long nuclear winter almost extinguished the fire of civilization. Both sides successfully sent the other side to hell and successfully buried themselves.

  Since then, the wasteland era, which was more depressed than the Great Depression, has begun.

  Although two centuries have passed since the doomsday war and the nuclear winter has basically ended more than a century ago, humans have not returned to the top of the food chain. The

  rampant nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and even genetic weapons have caused the entire planet’s ecosystem to evolve in an extreme direction.

  And those mutants called “alien species” are also the main threat faced by the survivors struggling in the ruins.

  For example, the wolfdog with two heads that Chu Guang encountered when he first came to this world was one of them.

  But even among alien species, there are strong and weak ones.

  ”Deformed children” like the two-headed hyena, which are caused by gamma rays, usually have low combat effectiveness. Except for a few lucky exceptions, their combat effectiveness is not even as good as before the mutation.

  In contrast, the gnawers, crawlers, and other alien species caused by biological weapons and mutated to the point where their ancestors can no longer be traced, are the real monsters born for killing.

  Their nervous systems are corroded by mutant fungi. During the day, they usually hide in ruins, sewers, or subways, which are dark facilities. They only go out to the streets to look for food when night falls.

  The situation in the suburbs is much better than in the city.

  Especially in the far suburbs.

  In the past five months, the most dangerous alien species Chu Guang encountered was just a mutant brown bear. Although that guy is strong, his reaction is relatively slow.

  Before being discovered by it, Chu Guang carefully avoided it.

  The faint light of the morning sun passed through the broken concrete wall, and together with the shadow of the steel scraps, it fell on the street full of car wreckage and rubble.

  The time now is eight o’clock in the morning.

  The time here is about twelve hours different from the Eastern Time Zone in the real world.

  Looking at the two mutant hyenas wandering on the street, Chu Guang tightly grasped the pointed water pipe in his hand and carefully went around behind the ruins.

  Although he was confident that he could kill them, there was no need to make trouble.

  Besides, these beasts were very smart and even knew to use their own kind as bait. No one knew how many were hiding in the shadows of the ruins next to them. He

  walked along the path through the dilapidated neighborhood.

  When he saw the sign of the Bet Street Children’s Playground, Chu Guang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  In front of him was “Bet Street” – a relatively large survivor settlement in the area, with more than a hundred survivors living in it.

  Before the war, this was a children’s playground with a large number of amusement facilities and a wide lawn. After

  the war, this place was designated as a temporary shelter by the army, accommodating a large number of citizens who fled from the urban area of ​​Qingquan City.

  It is unknown what happened to those refugees later, but today, more than two hundred years later, this place has developed into a “small town”.

  People used discarded plastic boards, awnings, and wood and metal brackets to mix and match simple shacks on the bare mud ground.

  It looks very much like the one in “The Age of Troublesome People”.

  The walls of the amusement park are natural barriers. After rough repairs, they are tied with iron wire and nailed wooden boards.

  In the center of the amusement park is a five-story classical castle, which feels very fairy-tale-like. However, the paint on the surface has long been lost, and the wall facing the city center has collapsed for the most part, leaving only the north half and a crumbling tower.

  Even if it is a fairy tale, it is definitely a dark fairy tale.

  However, even if this building is so broken, it is still the “most luxurious” building on Beth Street.

  At the same time, it is also the home of the mayor.

  Although he has lived here for five months, Chu Guang has not seen the mayor. The adult is very mysterious and rarely shows up.

  ”Oh, you’re back so early.”

  Looking at Chu Guang walking from the corner of the street, Old Walter, who was smoking a dry pipe, narrowed his eyes, and a wisp of turbid white smoke came out of his nostrils.

  He held a double-barreled shotgun in his hand.

  Although it looks a bit old, no one would doubt its power.

  Chu Guang had seen with his own eyes that the old man only fired two shots to knock down a mutant brown bear that rushed towards the gate of Bethe Street.

  Since then, he has always wanted to have one.

  ”I was delayed outside all night.”

  ”Outside?”

  The old man glanced at the pointed water pipe on Chu Guang’s back, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

  No one knows how dangerous the night is better than him.

  Every time he is on night duty, he dare not move his index finger away from the trigger. Any slight movement will make his nerves tense.

  Although the aliens in the suburbs are not as dangerous as those in the city, there are too many predators eyeing this place.

  If you fall into their hands, the end will not be much better than dying in the hands of aliens.

  Old Walter couldn’t believe that this guy spent a night safely in the wasteland with only a steel pipe.

  ”Something went wrong.”

  Chu Guang didn’t explain, just gave Old Walter a tired look and let him experience it himself, and then walked straight through the gate of the settlement.

  There is only one scrap recycling station on Bette Street, and it is easy to find, next to the main entrance of the settlement.

  Under the rolling shutter is an old-fashioned electronic scale that never moves accurately, and next to it stands a plaque that reads “Fair prices, no deception for children or adults”.

  This store is owned by the mayor, and it is also the only place on Bette Street that buys scrap parts and mutant mole skins.

  In order to monopolize the garbage collection business, the dictator even tyrannically promulgated a law.

  That is, no one is allowed to sell the captured prey and the garbage picked up privately to the caravans passing through here.

  The reason is to ensure that the goods on Bette Street can be sold at a reasonable price, rather than being shamelessly squeezed by the “cunning merchants”.

  The reason why this unreasonable rule can be passed is to a certain extent related to the ignorance of the survivors here.

  And ordinary caravans will not risk offending the dictator to buy the pitiful supplies from the scavengers.

  They only do big business.

  And they only do business with people they trust.

  ”Sell? Or buy?”

  The shopkeeper is a fifty-year-old man named Charlie. It is said that he used to be a resident of a shelter in another province. Later, he was captured and made a slave. Until the mayor bought him from a slave owner and gave him the job of dealing with the scavengers.

  Most of the residents here are native “wastelanders”. They have not received any education. They are very bad at math, and they are so bad that they may make mistakes in addition and subtraction within 100.

  But Charlie is different.

  He came out of the shelter.

  Although no shelter in this wasteland is exactly the same, there is one thing that is similar. Those

  who can live there are all elites of pre-war society. Their children not only inherited smart minds from their parents, but also received a good education since the Enlightenment.

  If the world was not so bad, he would probably become an engineer, doctor or scholar like his parents.

  Instead of keeping accounts here.

  ”Sell.”

  Without further ado, Chu Guang took out 6 used batteries and 5 tubes of adhesive from his backpack and threw them on the tray of the electronic scale.

  This was what he had looted from the nearby building debris before he discovered Shelter 404.

  Old Charlie picked up the used battery on the table, casually checked the model and whether it was bloated or damaged, and then threw it on the scale beside him.

  This thing is definitely scrapped, but it is still possible to recycle the materials inside.

  ”The quality is okay. The garbage in this area should have been searched out. Where did you get this good stuff?”

  Can this be called a good thing?

  ”Good luck.”

  ”Haha, I just asked casually. Well, the battery is good, but the quality of the adhesive is average. The seal has been opened, and the situation inside is probably a mess. I can only give you a 50% discount… All added up to a total of 3 chips.” Chu

  Guang did not bargain with him and took the 3 white chips from him.

  This plastic coin with a metallic texture is the “currency” issued by Boulder City, the largest survivor settlement in Qingquan City, and can be exchanged for food and supplies in most survivor settlements in Qingquan City. The

  face value is printed on the front of the chip, and there are special anti-counterfeiting codes and prints on the back, which will show a special luster under sunlight.

  This chip has many advantages such as heat resistance, easy storage, and high recognition. The most important point is that it is basically impossible to imitate with post-war technology.

  Small and medium-sized survivor settlements like Bet Street, which have a small population and no industrial capacity, mainly do business with the caravans of Boulder City, exchanging necessary living supplies and even weapons with agricultural products, prey and picked up garbage.

  Naturally, this currency has been circulated in Bet Street.

  Of course, it doesn’t work all the time. If the caravan doesn’t come in a certain month, the prices of the entire settlement will be messed up.

  The mayor has also tried to promote Bet Street’s own currency-a bookkeeping ticket, but no one recognizes it.

  Even the survivors of Bette Street knew that the paper was no different from waste paper, as it was not even a hindrance when wiping one’s butt.

  ”Want to buy anything? The store just received a batch of new goods from Boulder City.”

  Chu Guang, who was about to leave, stopped and turned back to ask.

  ”Do you have guns?”

  ”No, you can’t afford them even if you did.”

  Old Charlie grinned and continued as he looked at Chu Guang who was about to leave.

  ”But there are some food and fuel. If I were you, I would definitely buy more before the price goes up.”

  Guns, even the cheapest ones, are hard to buy in places like Bette Street.

  Because even if a caravan selling arms passes by here occasionally, those weapons are usually put into the mayor’s own warehouse and are not placed on the shelves here for people to choose from.

  Besides, as Old Charlie said, even if there really is such a thing, they, the scavengers, can’t afford it.

  Chu Guang knew very well why he said that.

  As a well-educated resident of the shelter, Charlie must have seen that all the survivors living on Bate Street, whether they were scavengers or hunters, had their surplus value completely exploited by the mayor’s family.

  Even though the mayor had never personally reached out and took even a chip from their pockets.

  ”The price of food and fuel is going to increase?”

  Charlie said with a faint smile, looking at Chu Guang, who was surprised.

  ”Haven’t you noticed that the temperature has dropped recently, and the alien species outside have become active.”

  Chu Guang frowned and thought for a moment, suddenly thinking of something, and spoke.

  ”Is winter coming?”

  ”I remember that you only came here five months ago, so you may not have experienced it. In previous years, the temperature would start to drop slowly at this time. This year… winter is expected to come earlier, and it may snow in October.”

  At this point, Charlie paused for a moment and said meaningfully.

  ”Winter is coming.”

  ”Whether you are a human or an alien, you have to prepare in advance.”

  When Chu Guang first came to Bet Street, he was wearing a blue coat. Charlie subconsciously thought he was a member of the shelter, so he was quite considerate of him.

  Although this consideration was never reflected in the transaction price, the old man did help Chu Guang a little in terms of experience.

  Otherwise, he would not have adapted to life in the wasteland so quickly.

  Chu Guang nodded seriously.

  ”I understand, thank you.”

  ”You’re welcome,” Charlie smiled faintly, “Don’t die.”

  It is already early September. If it really snows in October, Chu Guang only has more than a month to prepare.

  For the survivors living in this area, snow is definitely not something to be happy about. This means that in addition to food, there is also an additional fuel expense.

  Most people here make a living by picking up garbage and hunting, and nearby farms only need people during the busy farming season.

  In winter, the difficulty of picking up garbage will increase exponentially. No one can predict whether the snow is buried with recyclable parts or the fangs of mutant rats.

  Animals that can provide meat, such as wild deer and rabbits, will also reduce their activity time, or even hide in their dens for the winter.

  The worst thing is that once winter comes, the caravans will not come here. Even if you pick up good things, you can only pile them up at home and wait until the beginning of spring to sell them.

  Or, you can venture to the Giant Stone City ten kilometers away.

  That is the largest survivor settlement in the Qingquan City area, and the market there will not close even in winter.

  However, it is located on the edge of the Third Ring Road of Qingquan City, next to the North City District of Qingquan City, and there are countless dangers along the way.

  For ordinary people to walk there on their own two legs, especially in winter when the lowest temperature can reach minus ten degrees Celsius, is tantamount to suicide!

  …

  After leaving the recycling station, Chu Guang first went back to his residence.

  In fact, it is not so much a residence as a shack that can barely keep out the rain, and it doesn’t even have a decent window or door.

  Until yesterday, he was still thinking about saving some materials such as cement and PVC boards to seal the leaky wall before winter comes.

  But now it seems that there is no need.

  Chu Guang took out a rusty aluminum box from the moldy sleeping bag, and struggled to pry it open, and poured the plastic coins hidden inside onto the lame wooden table.

  There are a total of 47 white chips with a face value of 1 point.

  Counting the 3 chips on his body, the total is exactly 50 points!

  He saved this money bit by bit by living frugally, just to leave this hellhole one day and move to the better conditions of Boulder City.

  But now…

  he has a new plan for this “property”.

  Why live under someone else’s roof when you can start your own business?

  ”The ruins of the sanatorium above the shelter can be used, and the walls around the building are all concrete structures… If there are players who can help, they can collect some materials nearby, and the repair should not be too difficult.”

  ”There is a wetland park near the sanatorium, so it is not convenient to collect metal scraps, but the surrounding vegetation is still lush, and there should be no shortage of fuel for heating. In addition, wood can be used as a material for repairing buildings and making furniture… Axe! Yes, I have to buy four axes.”

  Killing monsters to level up?

  Not possible!

  It’s said that this is a 100% real hardcore game. Since it is a hardcore game, you have to start from the most basic work!

  ”Tools such as shovels and saws are also necessary!” Before the players logged in, Chu Guang had already thought about how to arrange them.

  Of course, in addition to the tools for work, there is also the most critical rations.

  Once the incubator is activated, it will immediately consume the active substances stored in the incubator to synthesize clones for the players.

  And these clones need to eat!

  Although the clones can lie in the incubator and hibernate at a lower metabolic level when the players are not online, they can’t lie there all the time.

  People need to eat to live, this is an eternal truth!

  ”At least enough food should be stored for five adults to consume in a week… If we calculate it as two meals a day, one wheat cake for each meal, it will take 70.”

  Wheat cake is the most common food on Bet Street, and 1 chip can be exchanged for one.

  This thing is usually as big as a palm, and it may be mixed with bark or other fibers. It tastes hard and rough when bitten, like soil mixed with sand, but it can fill the stomach and add a little salt.

  Throw it in the pot and cook it, and it can also make paste.

  70 cakes, if you buy them, you need 70 chips, even if you bargain, 60 chips are indispensable. In this way, his budget is not enough,

  Chu Guang frowned, but soon relaxed again.

  He had just made the problem complicated.

  In fact, there was no need to let the players eat too well.

  If the wheat cakes were replaced with the raw materials for making wheat cakes, that is, green wheat produced by nearby farms, only 3 chips would be needed to buy a full kilogram!

  Stocking up 5 kilograms would be enough to deal with a few days!

  If it doesn’t work, you can learn from the survivors on Beth Street and mix bark or plant roots in it.

  As for the others, we’ll find a way when the time comes.

  ”Let’s prepare these things for now…”

  Chu Guang swept the allocated chips into his backpack and put the backpack on his back again.

  Although he hadn’t slept all night, he was now very excited, as if he had found the meaning of life again, and he didn’t feel sleepy at all.

  When he opened the door and came outside, he saw the little girl from the neighbor’s house was hiding at the door of the next shack, looking at him curiously.

  Chu Guang recognized her name, Yu Xiaoyu, the youngest daughter of the Yu family.

  Most of the survivors in the wasteland were pale and thin, and the youngest daughter of the Yu family was no exception. Her arms and legs were like reed sticks, making it hard to imagine that she was already old enough to get married.

  Seeing Chu Guang noticed her, she walked out of the house without being shy.

  ”I heard some noise in your house, so I came to check it out.”

  Every morning, the men on Bet Street would go out to scavenge or hunt, while the elderly, women and children would stay at home to look after the house or do some work that could make money.

  Although everyone was poor, they had no money to eat, could not save money, and there was nothing to steal at home, but no one wanted someone to come to their house and take advantage of them when they were out.

  This man named Chu Guang came from outside. He usually went out early and came back late, and rarely communicated with the neighbors in the settlement.

  She didn’t know much about him, but she felt that he didn’t look like someone who could endure hardships.

  At first, everyone was very wary of him, and her mother asked her to keep an eye on this stranger from outside.

  However, Xiaoyu didn’t think he was a bad person, because he once stewed soup at the door and gave her a bowl.

  ”Thank you.”

  ”You’re welcome. I can help you look after the house when you are out.” She blinked and added happily, “I’m free anyway.”

  Poor child.

  If she were in that world, she would still be studying at her current age.

  Not wanting to offend anyone, Chu Guang hid the pity in his eyes, took out a lollipop from his pocket expressionlessly, and stuffed it into the little girl’s hand.

  ”Take it and eat it.”

  ”Don’t tell anyone I gave it to you.”

  ”Otherwise it will be gone in the future.”

  Never seen such food before.

  Yu Xiaoyu first took a bite of the wrapping paper, but found that she couldn’t bite it open, and then she realized that the outer packaging had to be torn open. Her

  big black eyes stared at the red fruit ball on the plastic stick, she carefully stretched out her tongue and licked it gently.

  What, what does this taste like? !

  So sweet!

  With little stars twinkling in her eyes, she raised her head happily, wanting to say thank you.

  However, the person who gave her the candy had already walked away.

  (End of this chapter)