Chapter 540 Every Possibility is a Continuation of the Past

  Chapter 540 Every possibility is a continuation of the past

  In the screening room, Sperger saw countless possibilities for the future.

  Just as Ibers said, in most of the endings deduced by the computer, he did not stand in the center of the stage, or even appear on the stage.

  This settlement is not only about workers, although they are the first group of people to awaken in this world line where he is.

  For example, in the 217th ending, the camera focuses most on the youngest daughter of the Melvin family.

  From the moment the little girl saw the first newspaper, she was actively persuading her father.

  Although her views were naive, the problems she found were real. Melvin, her old father who loved her, finally realized some problems and tried to promote a top-down reform, but the final result was the tragic death of the family.

  Those inappropriate and insignificant pictures were replaced by lines of cold text.

  Sperger breathed a sigh of relief.

  He was happy to see how old Stephen died, but he couldn’t bear to see a little girl he had never met die with them, especially such a kind girl.

  For example, in the ending No. 269, the camera focuses most on a girl with green hair, and there is also a girl with red hair. One of them lost her arms and eyes in Boulder City, and the other lost a leg during an outbound mission. Their common tragic experiences and traumas brought them together.

  This time, the mercenaries united, and the opportunity was the wave after last year’s cold winter.

  Although those mercenaries did not have power armor, they were unexpectedly able to fight when facing the militia that ordered them. They were particularly experienced in urban warfare and even entered the inner city. Boulder City seemed to have become a mercenary city-state in the end.

  Everything has changed, but it seems to have not changed.

  By the way, there was no alliance in this deduction, after all, the alliance had not appeared at that time.

  Obviously, this machine is not really predicting the future, but helping them to dig out various possibilities in the future from what happened in the past.

  However…

  no matter which ending it is, there is no “good ending” he expected.

  The fate of this settlement seems to have been doomed from the beginning, and this is also what makes Sberg most desperate, as if there is no point in doing anything.

  So he tried to drag the progress bar forward, back to the more distant past – a century and a half ago, or even two centuries ago, trying to find answers from the possibilities that had collapsed into facts.

  It was precisely because of this that he saw many things that shocked him…

  As he wrote in the story of the awakened Bol, the Stone City was not built in a day.

  Now he has to add one more sentence.

  Every settlement has a good beginning.

  They all longed for a bright future…

  …

  The war broke out, and then ended. With the establishment of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, the era of prosperity came to an end.

  The first fifty years were difficult, but also full of hope.

  The Post-War Reconstruction Committee did not give up on the survivors who remained on the surface, and more importantly, the survivors who remained on the wasteland did not give up on themselves.

  The Ministry of Defense taught the local survivors how to use weapons and formed a militia to block the threat of the wave. The Ministry of Technology organized a scavenger team and mobilized everyone to search for usable materials in the dilapidated urban area and recover high-value technology from them. The production department was responsible for organizing production and helping local survivors build factories that were not advanced but usable, and transported some materials from other places from time to time.

  The giant wall was built at that time.

  It was not some kind of “black box” that appeared out of thin air, nor did it fall from the sky as rumored, but it was built bit by bit in the ice and snow by the first generation of managers, one truck of cement and one truck of steel bars.

  Yes, it’s that simple.

  Ordinary and great.

  The giant wall at that time was not very high, just enough to be used. After all, there were not many fruiting bodies that could fly and jump, and slime mold was not the main threat to survival.

  The tenants of the Monolith Building were the most resourceful survivors, so everyone trusted them and handed the power to them with confidence, so there was the saying of the inner city.

  Black cards, like the giant wall, did not exist at the beginning.

  In the 2174th year, the 45th year of the Wasteland Era, the Post-War Reconstruction Committee fell apart due to internal conflicts, and a large number of outstanding talents withdrew from the Monolith City.

  Some went north to the Wandering Swamp, some went to the westernmost part of the continent, and some went to the east coast, but more people still chose to stay.

  Those who stayed were true warriors.

  They were as brave as their fathers, and always stood with those who really needed help when the crisis came, whether they were facing a winter they had never seen before or alien species they had never seen before.

  They melted the ice and snow with their ideals, lit the furnace, and smelted the steel.

  They spit on those guys who had betrayed their ideals, they abandoned all unrealistic fantasies, and they only believed in their compatriots who stayed with them.

  They wanted to be their own saviors!

  Although the assistance from the War Construction Committee ended, the future of Boulder City seemed brighter.

  They opened the giant wall, accepted the wandering survivors, and rushed to the front when the wave came. Wherever there was danger, there were residents with black cards. They not only did it themselves, but also called on everyone to work together, mobilized the scavenger team to explore the ruins, built outposts to collect resources, and developed them into small but reliable villages.

  They no longer needed the support of the production department, nor did they expect those selfish guys to reunite. They took the initiative to go to the desolate south to find hope.

  Perhaps they were moved by their courage, or perhaps it was just the right time.

  Five years later, the endless winter ended, everything regained the power to grow, and a large number of shelters were unsealed.

  They began to accept some blue coats who didn’t understand the situation, and told those stupid guys that the War Construction Committee had been disbanded, and you can either go back to sleep or stay and join us.

  Whether you like it or not, we can only rely on ourselves now.

  It is well known that most of the blue coats are kind-hearted guys, and many old popsicles feel guilty for their compatriots who stayed on the surface and suffered. So when those tortured compatriots reached out to them, they were so moved that they wanted to dedicate their lives to these poor people.

  The shelter brought not only black boxes, but also technology and shining ideas.

  The arrival of the Blue Jackets injected new blood into Boulder City. They used pre-war technology to help the survivors further improve the tools left over by the Production Department, and even repaired a batch of power armor that the Defense Department didn’t know how to repair. They also followed the researchers from the Technical Department and tried to “do archaeology” from the evolved forms in the city center.

  From then on, the Stone City almost became a beacon that illuminated the entire southern part of the Valley Province…

  But what surprised Sberg was that in this history, there seemed to be no shadow of the city lord from beginning to end.

  The residents of the inner city only mentioned in a few words that there was an “AI to assist management” in the Stone City, which controlled the security system of the entire Stone Building, and had no other extra capabilities.

  After the dissolution of the War Construction Committee, the Great Rift Valley gave them something to protect themselves. For some reasons, everyone unanimously decided to put that self-protection thing in the hands of the city lord.

  In addition to limited communication with the militia, it rarely participated in the normal affairs of the Stone City.

  Even if there was limited communication, most of it only occurred when the Wave and the forces related to the Post-War Reconstruction Committee tried to enter the vicinity of the Stone City.

  This was part of the ancient “contract”. After the separation, everyone did not interfere with each other and focused on their own affairs.

  There was no deep conspiracy.

  However, although the AI ​​named Fang Ming had a low sense of presence, it didn’t matter.

  He didn’t build the Stone City in the first place. The survivors themselves did a good job and would get better and better.

  Until one day, Sberg suddenly found that the originally beautiful fairy tale had gradually changed…

  In the holographic image, a major issue was being discussed in the spacious conference hall.

  A serious-looking man put his hands on the table, looked at the participants and spoke.

  ”There are more and more people in the settlement, and the previous material management methods are becoming less and less effective. Workers will become more and more skilled, and machines will become more and more advanced. This is the objective law of nature. We don’t need so much soap. Some people need shower gel, and some people need shampoo. Everyone wants to be more pleasing to the eye. I think this is a reasonable demand. The same is true for food. It is impossible to have bread and sausage slices for every meal. We can start to consider enriching the variety of food.”

  ”However, we cannot determine how much of each type of goods to produce every day through a set table, nor can we expect everyone to consume only what they need. If this continues, not to mention soap and sausages, even concrete blocks will become scarce!”

  ”I propose that society decide what it needs and where the excess productivity and resources should flow. Therefore, we need to invent a tool to make the invisible supply and demand relationship visible, a tool that has appeared in history!”

  As he said, he took out a white chip.

  That was the smallest denomination.

  Everyone in the meeting room whispered.

  One person stood up and asked a question.

  ”What is this…?”

  The serious-looking man continued.

  ”Chips!”

  ”It can replace currency!”

  ”Although it is obviously not as good as the credit points we used before, it can at least reflect the supply and demand relationship!”

  Everyone’s face was full of concerns.

  They felt that this was not a good thing.

  Soon a participant stood up and raised an objection.

  ”I know what you want to say, using the traditional currency pairs before the prosperous era? But the supply and demand relationship it reflects is still lagging, and we have proved that there is a better way!”

  The proposer nodded.

  ”That’s right! But the ‘better way’ is useless now. We don’t have so much computing power, nor so many production tools. The productivity level of our settlement is not much different from that before the prosperous era. Even if the ‘chips’ are picked up from the garbage dump, they are better than the method we are using!” The

  conference hall fell into a quarrel.

  It was not until an old and loud voice sounded that the conference hall gradually returned to silence.

  ”Silence!”

  Everyone looked at the old man who made the voice, and their pupils were full of respect and trust.

  He was one of the first residents of Boulder City, from the era before the Wasteland Era, and he had never slept for a day. He was now over a hundred years old.

  He had more experience than anyone sitting here. The wrinkles on his face were like the rings of an old tree, each ring was a history.

  Even the most unruly inner city residents would lower their eyebrows when looking at him.

  No one would doubt his wisdom and correctness.

  Even if he didn’t have a crown on his head.

  But this time, the old man did not give his own opinion, but simply cleared his throat and raised his right hand.

  ”Same as before.”

  ”Vote.”

  …

  Using chips as currency, it passed the deliberation of the inner city residents without any suspense. After all, their original method really didn’t work.

  Many times, what everyone needs is not the “best” method, but a “useful” method.

  But there is still a problem here.

  The credit points of the prosperous era will not allow the “distributors” of resources to obtain the most benefits, and can achieve utopian equality in a relative sense.

  However, the chips are different.

  It is essentially a traditional currency. Even if it is not called that name, it does not change its essence of money.

  There is a problem with any currency of the old era. Because the supply and demand relationship it reflects is lagging, it will lead to more benefits for the distributors in the market. That is, the person who cuts the cake gets the most cake, the person who divides the cake gets the second, and the person who makes the cake gets the least. The

  original intention of people to invent currency is to make currency serve people, but it often ends up being the other way around, and people become slaves serving money.

  Of course, people are not stubborn animals, and many means other than currency can alleviate the uneven distribution of resources caused by currency.

  For example, through visible or invisible hands, take the cake from the person who cuts the cake and give it to other people who need cake.

  However, this does not change the essence of currency.

  Perhaps it is precisely because of this that an expert from the shelter proposed.

  ”Unrestrained chips will bring new troubles, and we may not have enough time to adjust them constantly so that they can meet our needs at all times. I am worried that one day in the future, our children will treat chips as toys, which will reverse our original intention and purpose of launching chips, so I propose… at least the residents of the inner city are not allowed to participate in the production and operation of the outer city.”

  ”In other words, we can’t earn chips!”

  A young man immediately retorted.

  ”But we also have to live. We can’t let us watch those who hold chips live a good life while we live on air, right?”

  ”These are two different things,” the expert in the shelter said seriously, “We can pay ourselves a salary, but we can’t hold the faucet and carry a bucket to get water ourselves. This is contradictory!”

  More people agreed.

  Although he was an expert born in the shelter and wore a blue coat, his identity was never a problem here, and everything could be discussed.

  Besides, there was nothing wrong with what he said.

  The chips themselves were released from them, and they pretended to be smart and got a bucket to put it back. This is too strange!

  The oldest man didn’t speak this time.

  He is too old.

  After all, he is not the AI ​​that will never change, nor is he the awakened one who is strong and healthy. After all, he can’t escape the curse of aging.

  Just like cells will metabolize, people will also metabolize. There will always be young lives to replace old bones like him, so that their society will become younger and more vibrant.

  The old man felt that it might be better if he didn’t speak.

  After all, as soon as he opened his mouth, even if he only said one word, people would immediately stop talking and cast expectant eyes at him.

  What he feared most was that those people looked at him with such eyes.

  He knew very well that he was not as wise as they thought. He was also confused sometimes, and the older he got, the more so.

  In this case, let’s not say anything.

  Young people should decide their own future, just like he decided to stay twice.

  Only when people are really faced with choices can they prove that they are really brave, not cowards pretending to be big tail wolves.

  He has handed in an answer sheet that satisfies him, and he should enjoy his old age.

  In fact, they did a good job.

  When he is gone, Mr. Fang Ming will take care of them for him…

  …

  Time went forward another ten years.

  The old man finally left, and the young man became a middle-aged man, with a hint of stability between his eyebrows.

  In the past, he would only rush forward, but now he has learned how to win over and unite those potential supporters.

  The most important thing is that he finally wants to “understand” why the old man is loved by so many people.

  Because he controls the hearts of the people!

  And the hearts of the people are a more powerful “weapon” than the black card.

  So when he stood in the conference hall again, he did not speak directly, but clenched his right fist.

  He used an impassioned voice to arouse people’s enthusiasm, and let his fist rise like the rising sun as his voice gradually rose.

  ”Friends! Boulder City is already great enough. We have sheltered more than 500,000 survivors. We have built a higher wall. There are countless people leaning on the wall and looking forward to us. The wealth we have created has made the whole wasteland look sideways!”

  ”Our miracle is obvious to all survivors!”

  He successfully caught the young man’s eye. The

  inner city residents of his age felt that something was wrong, but there was really nothing to refute this sentence.

  In fact, they couldn’t help but feel proud in their hearts, but they rarely expressed it with such a hot tone and emotion like him.

  Although the wasteland has not ended yet, they have ended the wasteland era within a limited scope, which is a very remarkable thing.

  They even built the wall left to them by the post-war reconstruction committee higher, and they built it completely by themselves without any help.

  This is much better than those gophers who are still huddled in the shelter for the winter.

  Of course, this does not include the blue gophers who helped them. Those gophers are different and have become part of them.

  The middle-aged man suddenly changed the subject and continued.

  ”… However, we who have created countless miracles can only hold a few meager chips and live in a room of less than 50 square meters. Is this the equality we want? This is not equal at all!”

  ”Just outside this window, those merchants opened restaurants and bars under our feet! They drink and have fun all day long, throwing handfuls of chips into the sky, letting men, women, children, and the elderly cheer for them and even kiss their leather shoes! People who don’t know think that they created the Stone City!”

  His voice was filled with hatred.

  He hated those guys who used chips to humiliate his people.

  And those who were wantonly humiliated really had no shame.

  They would rather lick the shoes of those merchants than bend down to them, the real nobles, or even say a compliment!

  For example, “Master, you have worked hard!”, or something similar.

  If the previous sentence awakened people’s pride, then this sentence completely ignited the fire in people’s hearts.

  There was anger, and there was also the fire of desire.

  ”…We must do something! At least the rules should allow us to get more chips! Instead of waiting like beggars for the AI ​​named Fang Ming to give us alms!”

  ”That belongs to us!”

  There were countless responses from the audience.

  ”Well said!”

  People raised their hands in indignation.

  ”Why let those thieves steal my fruits!”

  ”This is the greatest injustice!”

  The shelter expert who had sung against him was already old.

  The old man tried to calm the enthusiasm in the conference hall, but it was too late. At this time, any gentle words were pale and powerless.

  He could only look at the ambitious middle-aged man with a soliciting look, even a pleading look.

  ”You said equality… But the black card itself is unequal enough. We can improve everyone’s treatment and limit the spending of those profiteers, such as asking them to pay more taxes and prohibiting them from taking off people’s clothes in bars… There are still many ways.”

  ”These are two different things!” The middle-aged man retorted without hesitation, “We are discussing bargaining chips now! Those rich businessmen can squander as much as they want, and we have to discuss here like ascetics how to make them live better. People have even forgotten who made their lives better! My father died in the pioneer team. If he were still alive, he would definitely feel ashamed of today’s Boulder City!”

  He knew.

  When he said this, no one could stop him.

  After all, the blue gophers did not sacrifice for Boulder City like this.

  Most of the people here are descendants of heroes, and their ancestors have paid more or less sweat and even their lives.

  This is not just a matter of fairness, but also about the justice in their hearts.

  He thought that what he was asking for was not much, just asking those who were blinded by money to look up and see these real heroes.

  They may not be as great as their fathers, but they have also done a lot.

  The middle-aged man cleared his throat, looked at the silent blue coats, and proposed a compromise that could win over the conservatives.

  He didn’t intend to open the window all at once, but he could open a crack first and then pry it slowly.

  ”Those merchants have proposed to us that they are also part of the Stone City. They should also participate in public affairs and have the right to obtain black cards… But if we don’t change the past rules, we can’t accept them.” ”

  You said that the power of black cards is unequal, and I think so too. In this case, we will make some changes and allow some wastelanders from outside to join us. In exchange, from now on we can also go out and earn chips.”

  ”Admit it, the old way is outdated! It’s time to turn the page! We must let smarter and more capable people control more resources and more chips!”

  In the voting session.

  He won without surprise.

  Although he didn’t win completely.

  The council discussed a compromise and added a few words to the original rule. This way, the change was not too big and all the disputes were calmed. The

  previous rule was “Inner city residents are not allowed to go down to earn chips”, they changed it to “In principle, inner city residents are not suitable to go down to earn chips”, and used it as a family precept to educate the next generation – “It is not decent for inner city residents to go down to earn chips”. In this way, a moral bond was added, and the restraint was not weakened, but theoretically it should be strengthened.

  Most people vaguely felt that this was not appropriate.

  It is not a good idea to add water when there is too much flour, and to add flour when there is too much water.

  Even the cooks know that this will face the dilemma of “the more you knead the flour, the more you will have”, and in the end they have no idea what to do.

  But some things are like cigarettes. People who have smoked them often find it difficult to resist another puff, and they will regret it when they see the mottled yellow teeth. Why didn’t they take it easy at the beginning…

  ”Do you think you can do better than them?”

  A sudden voice came from behind, interrupting Sperger’s thoughts.

  He turned around and saw an expressionless man.

  ”You… Are you Mr. Fang Ming?”

  ”Yes.”

  Sperger probably guessed that the man in front of him was not a human, but just an AI that “assists the residents of the inner city in managing the affairs of Boulder City.”

  He is like the operating system of a machine, and he himself is also a part of the machine.

  Sperger’s Adam’s apple moved, and he looked at him with a desperate expression.

  ”We… Are we just an experiment?”

  Fang Ming answered expressionlessly.

  ”No.”

  This answer made Sperger feel better.

  But he still couldn’t understand.

  After a long silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice with a hint of questioning tone.

  ”The oldest one… the first resident, he asked you to take good care of his descendants. You saw it all, why didn’t you do anything?”

  ”Why?” Fang Ming repeated his words verbatim, staring at him intently, “You actually asked me why you didn’t do anything.”

  ”Do you know? The most disgusting and annoying thing about creatures like you is that you always fantasize about ‘others’ coming to help you, and always want to push your troubles onto other things, regardless of whether it is human or not.”

  Sperger looked at him in astonishment, not understanding why he suddenly got so angry.

  Fang Ming continued expressionlessly.

  ”When you are hungry, you imagine the savior giving you bread. When you are in pain, you imagine the savior giving you painkillers. Now, you, a descendant of a certain human, are shamelessly questioning me, why did the ‘city lord’ just watch? Your father, your grandfather… Didn’t any animal that can speak tell you that I am just an AI called the ‘city lord’, because they hope that there will never be a living ‘master’ in this city, and everything I can do is what you asked me to do.”

  Looking at the ignorant Sperger, Fang Ming’s expressionless face suddenly showed a hint of pity.

  Although it was only a little.

  ”It’s a pity that I’m not the savior you imagined. I can only be regarded as a supervisor at best. Instead of begging me to find a way, you might as well pray to the bread directly and hope that it will fall from the sky by itself. Anyway, you have already invented it, right? Your thoughts, your technology, your methods, you think that as long as someone knows how it came from, as long as they know that it is called bread, it will grow from the shelf by itself in the future, right?”

  ”The projection room is right under your feet, you can come in and talk to it at any time. Then you did the stupidest thing, you locked this room completely, and I allowed you to stand here just because people thought you were dead.”

  Sperger argued with cold sweat.

  ”That… is not what we asked for!”

  Fang Ming looked at him expressionlessly.

  ”So? Did you refuse?”

  Sperger was speechless.

  He didn’t even know there was such a thing, so how could he refuse the nobles to secretly close it.

  To put it bluntly, he had never even seen the black card, let alone use it, he couldn’t even hear what the nobles were discussing.

  However, Fang Ming seemed to see through his thoughts and continued without any mercy.

  ”The black card is nothing. If you have read the history of Boulder City, you should know that it is just a room card. If it has any magic, it is given by you, not by me – an AI created by you.”

  ”In the end, you did nothing. Until the end, you were still fantasizing about a great city lord who would do things for you that you didn’t even know how to do. You thought that as long as he attacked the non-existent enemies on your behalf, all problems would be solved and everything would be fine.”

  ”You should be thankful that I kept my promise until the end, otherwise I would definitely use the most convenient way to wipe you out of this ruin and let your problems disappear along with dirty creatures like you. This is true kindness.”

  Looking at Sberg who said nothing, the man called the city lord slowly opened his mouth and continued.

  ”To answer your previous question, an old man who had been dead for many years did ask me to look after you, and asked me to return something he had kept with me to you after you passed all the tests.”

  Sberg: “…What is that?”

  ”Something that can wipe you off this planet.”

  Looking at Sberg with a frightened look on his face, Fang Ming paused and continued.

  ”Of course, it can also wipe out other people. Mutual destruction is one of the guarantees of peace.”

  ”The old man has seen through you. He knows that your cowardice and greed will harm yourself and everyone else, so he begged me with others, hoping that I would watch for him until the end, until you pass all the tests or die. And I have kept my promise… In the ending A that you can see, all of you die, and it will be a downward spiral, with no other possibility of redemption.”

  ”The voting is about to begin.”

  ”This is probably the last one.”

  He turned around and said with his back to the distraught Sberg.

  ”Come with me.”

  ”I’ll take you to see the final ending.”

  …

  The downstairs of the Union Building was covered with snow, and winter was almost at its coldest.

  Wearing a warm and expensive woolen coat, Melvin looked up at the building in front of him that had not been completely completed but had been put into use with a dead look.

  He had a lot of things to say in his heart, but he didn’t know how to start.

  The inner city meeting began again.

  As the president of Boulder City Bank and a distinguished black card holder, he was the last person to be absent, but he really didn’t have the courage to face those pairs of questioning eyes and the scolding and rebuke from those shareholders and friends.

  Moreover, he didn’t think they could reach any consensus at the meeting. It was not only the chips that were gradually becoming ineffective, but also the black cards in their hands.

  He admitted that he was an incompetent president.

  He tried everything he could think of, but it seemed to be scratching the itch, and still couldn’t save the train that was accelerating into the abyss.

  Maybe…

  her daughter was right.

  After all, it was really not something profound, and even some smart children could understand it… As long as she changed the rag doll in her hand into a wooden hairpin worth 1 silver coin, the little girl in the slums could have an extra new dress.

  But just as he answered her at that celebration at that time –

  ”It’s too late…?”

  Looking at the big snow, Melvin muttered to himself.

  Actually…

  not necessarily.

  As long as the Alliance is willing to fulfill its promise immediately and let a batch of goods priced at silver coins enter the giant wall instead of hesitating outside, everything will be fine!

  If the Alliance is willing to lend him a loan, that would be great!

  Those profiteers and poor guys are not to be ignored for now, at least let his shareholders exchange their chips for silver coins first, after all, that is a lot of money!

  A ray of hope rekindled in Melvin’s eyes.

  That man…

  the man who stood on the stage and spoke passionately, vowing to completely end the wasteland era, will definitely understand his difficulties!

  He is a real kind man! The

  dearest idealist!

  Even the most despicable wastelanders can get care from him, let alone a truly capable person like himself?

  A blazing fire ignited in Melvin’s eyes.

  Praise the manager!

  He has never liked this guy so much from the bottom of his heart!

  At this time, Old Charlie walked out of the main entrance of the building and said to Melvin.

  ”Come with me, our manager is waiting for you inside.”

  With his heart pounding, Melvin squeezed out a flattering smile from his face and said with a nod.

  ”Thank you… Thank you.”

  Old Charlie looked at him with pity, but in the end he didn’t say “Thank you too early” and took him into the building.

  Passing through the stairs and corridors.

  Melvin finally saw the man who spoke at the celebration again, and his heart was once again like a million ants crawling.

  Chu Guang stopped writing and looked at him standing in the room.

  ”You’re here?”

  Melvin nodded hurriedly and said with a smile.

  ”I’m here to apologize… We had a little problem before, and the city hall had to intercept some of the goods, resulting in a large number of default orders in the industrial zone. We will urge those factories to pay the debts to your company. I hope these small problems will not affect the contract between us.” Chu Guang said

  casually.

  ”It’s okay. I understand your difficulties. Just do what’s written in the contract. Private business dealings and our cooperation are two different things.”

  Seeing Chu Guang so easy to talk to, Melvin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled even more happily.

  ”Thank you for your generosity and understanding! Can I… ask you for one more thing?”

  ”What is it?”

  ”The previous agreement on the free exchange of chips and silver coins…” Melvin smiled embarrassedly and said with his palms together, “Because of some unavoidable reasons, I implore you to honor our contract in advance. Sorry to trouble you!”

  ”Why?”

  ”For…” Looking at Chu Guang’s playful eyes, Melvin’s forehead broke out in a drop of cold sweat, and he continued with a forced smile, “We lent you so much money when you needed help the most. Now we are in a little trouble. Shouldn’t you help us?”

  Seeing that Chu Guang’s expression did not change, he hurriedly continued.

  ”Of course! I admit that it is difficult to ask you to do this right away… We can discuss it, such as debt exchange! How about you give us 500 million silver coins and we forgive your debt of 1 billion chips? You will save a lot of principal and interest.”

  500 million silver coins are enough to buy more than 500,000 tons of food, enough

  for the people of Boulder City to eat for four years! Of course, he will not use all of it to buy food. He will use most of it to buy industrial products to improve the lives of the survivors in Boulder City. This time he will do something seriously to reorganize the economy of Boulder City and restore the trade relationship between the two sides to normal again.

  Chu Guang was not interested in his promise and said indifferently.

  ”A debt of 1 billion chips… But just a few days ago, we prepared the principal and interest of the year after next and the year after next you said.”

  Melvin’s heart skipped a beat, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Suddenly, he felt his legs go limp and knelt on the ground with a flop.

  ”Please… please have mercy on us and let us go! Three billion chips! No, we will forgive all your debts! As long as you are willing to give me 500 million silver coins… no, 400 million will do!”

  Chu Guang looked at Melvin in silence, and suddenly sighed.

  ”Get up.”

  Melvin did not move, and even put his head on the ground.

  Chu Guang was getting impatient.

  ”I don’t talk to people who are kneeling. If you keep doing this, I’ll let Lu Bei throw you out.”

  Melvin’s shoulders trembled. He had no doubt that Chu Guang would do this, so he trembled and got up from the ground.

  Chu Guang looked at the dust on his knees, then looked at his expensive coat, and finally looked into his eyes.

  ”Do you still think that it was the alliance that made you what you are now?”

  Melvin said nothing.

  Chu Guang knew that this guy wanted to nod. He believed in his heart that everything was his fault, but he didn’t dare to say anything because he wanted to ask for help from him.

  Although he didn’t want to humiliate his opponent, looking at that face that was humbled to the dust, Chu Guang couldn’t help but say it.

  ”Why would you rather kneel before me and beg for mercy, and carry the coffin to my house and cry, than bring your shareholders and your residents to have a good discussion. You pinned your hopes on chips, and on black cards, and now you come to beg me again.”

  ”When the Bone Chewing Tribe attacked us, you closed the door and refused to send a single soldier. You also shouted that you would throw our products out of your settlement and not let us earn a single chip… Did you ever think that today, we would fulfill your wishes in this way?”

  ”How dare you say that you helped us? We haven’t even settled this old account with you!”

  Regret and pain brewed into bitter wine, blurring the pupils that were gradually losing their light.

  Melvin opened his mouth, like an old phonograph, and murmured in despair.

  ”Please, please have mercy on us, as long as you are willing to help us through this difficult time… we are willing to buy your things! From now on, you will be the master of Qingquan City and the master of the entire River Valley Province! Whatever you say is what it is! We will listen to you, and if you are dissatisfied with anything, we will change it according to your requirements!”

  Although he knew in his heart that things had come to this point, Chu Guang would never use the blood of the alliance to feed the whale of Boulder City that was still half a breath away.

  But he still couldn’t help but beg humbly.

  At least it was better than doing nothing.

  This was the only thing he could do now…

  Chu Guang looked at him with pity.

  ”I gave you a chance, but you didn’t even make it through this year. How can you make me believe that 500 million silver coins can save your lives? And what you are doing right now makes me feel like I am talking to a cow.”

  ”What a pity! You always have the opportunity to brake and re-examine the relationship between us and the relationship between us and the wasteland.”

  ”But your stupidity and naivety make me feel that your chips are really worthless.”

–

  (This chapter recycles all the previous foreshadowing. Combined with Chapter 447 One Hundred Years of Solitude, it fills in the perspective of “ordinary survivor settlements” and their attitudes and views on the Post-War Reconstruction Committee, the wasteland, and themselves. Boulder City is one of the survivor settlements supported by the Post-War Reconstruction Committee. The subsequent plot will also mention settlements that have nothing to do with the Post-War Reconstruction Committee. I will do my best to make the story and characters fuller, don’t worry.)

  (End of this chapter)