CH 4: Chu Guang and Lollipops
Two centuries ago.
To be precise, in 2125, a war erupted on this prosperous planet.
Both sides of the conflict were determined to completely destroy the other, employing every conceivable means at their disposal.
The war lasted only three days.
But within those three days, everything on the surface was obliterated.
The prolonged nuclear winter nearly extinguished the flame of civilization. Both sides succeeded in sending each other to hell and, in doing so, also buried themselves.
Thus began the Wasteland Era, more desolate than the Great Depression.
Although two centuries have passed since that doomsday war, and the nuclear winter ended over a century ago, humanity has not yet reclaimed the top of the food chain.
The rampant use of nuclear, biological, and even genetic weapons has caused the entire planet's ecosystem to evolve in extreme directions.
Among these threats are the so-called "mutants," the mutated creatures that the surviving humans must contend with in the ruins.
For instance, the two-headed dog that Chu Guang encountered when he first arrived in this world is one such mutant.
However, not all mutants are equally dangerous.
Mutants like the two-headed hyena, a product of gamma radiation, typically possess low combat power. Except for a few lucky exceptions, they are usually weaker than they were before mutating.
In contrast, mutants like flesh-eaters and crawlers, which were created by biological weapons and have mutated beyond recognition, are true monsters bred for killing.
Their nervous systems are invaded by mutant fungi, causing them to hide in ruins, sewers, or abandoned subway stations during the day and come out to hunt at night.
The situation in the suburbs is significantly better than in the city.
Especially in the far suburbs.
Over the past five months, the most dangerous mutant Chu Guang encountered was a mutated brown bear. Despite its formidable strength, it was relatively slow.
Chu Guang was careful to avoid it before it noticed him.
The morning light filtered through the broken concrete walls, casting shadows of rebar debris on the street littered with car wrecks and rubble.
It was now 8:00 a.m.
The time here is roughly twelve hours different from the Eastern Time Zone in the real world.
Seeing two mutant hyenas wandering the streets, Chu Guang gripped the sharp-ended pipe in his hand and carefully skirted around the ruins.
Although he was confident he could kill them, there was no need to invite trouble.
Moreover, these creatures were smart, even using their own kind as bait. No one knew how many more might be hiding in the nearby shadows.
Following a path through the rundown neighborhood, Chu Guang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sign for the Bet Street Children's Amusement Park.
Ahead was "Bet Street," one of the larger survivor settlements in the area, home to over a hundred families.
Before the war, this was a children's amusement park with numerous rides and a large grassy area.
After the war, the military designated this place as a temporary refuge, accommodating many refugees fleeing from the city center of Clear Spring City.
What happened to those refugees later is unknown, but two centuries later, this place has developed into a "small town."
People have cobbled together shanties using discarded plastic panels, tarps, wood, and metal frames on the barren ground.
It resembled the shantytowns of the "Frostpunk."
The amusement park's wall serves as a natural barrier, and after crude repairs, it's been reinforced with barbed wire and spiked wooden planks.
At the center of the amusement park stands a five-story classical castle, reminiscent of a fairytale.
However, its paint has long since peeled off, and the side facing the city center has mostly collapsed, leaving only the northern half and a precarious tower.
Even if it looks like a dark fairytale, this building remains the most luxurious in Bet Street.
It is also the residence of the town's mayor.
Although Chu Guang has lived here for five months, he has never met the mayor. The man is quite mysterious and rarely appears in public.
"Yo, back so early?"
Seeing Chu Guang coming from the street corner, old Walter squinted his eyes, exhaling a puff of murky smoke from his nostrils.
He held a double-barreled shotgun in his hands.
Though it looked a bit worn out, no one doubted its power.
Chu Guang once saw the old man fire two shots, bringing down a rampaging mutant brown bear charging at the gate of Bet Street.
Since then, he has always yearned to own such a weapon.
"Got delayed outside overnight."
"Outside?"
The old man glanced at the sharp-ended pipe on Chu Guang's back, his eyebrows raising in surprise.
He was all too aware of the dangers of the night. Each time he was on night duty, his finger never left the trigger, and any slight noise would set his nerves on edge.
While the mutants in the suburbs were not as dangerous as those in the city, many raiders coveted this place.
Falling into their hands wouldn't be much better than dying to mutants.
Old Walter found it hard to believe that this guy survived a night on the wasteland with just a steel pipe. "Had a bit of an accident."
Chu Guang didn't explain, giving the old man a tired look to let him make his own judgment, then walked straight through the settlement gate.
Bet Street has only one scrapyard, conveniently located next to the main gate.
Under the rolling shutter door was an old electronic scale that never weighed correctly, with a sign next to it proclaiming "Fair Prices, No Deception."
This store was the mayor's property and the only place in Bet Street where one could sell scrap and mutant rat skins.
To monopolize the scavenging business, the dictator even imposed a law.
No one was allowed to sell their catches or scavenged goods to passing merchant caravans.
The stated reason was to ensure that Bet Street's goods could be sold at reasonable prices and not be unscrupulously exploited by "cunning merchants."
The enforcement of such an arbitrary rule was partly due to the ignorance of the surviving locals.
And merchant caravans typically wouldn't risk offending the dictator by buying up the meager supplies from scavengers.
They only dealt in large transactions and only with trusted individuals.
"Buying or selling?"
The shopkeeper was a fifty-year-old man named Charlie. It was said that he used to live in a shelter in another province before being enslaved. The mayor bought him from a slaver and put him in charge of dealing with scavengers.
Most residents here were born and raised "wastelanders," uneducated and often unable to do basic math.
But Charlie was different.
He came from a shelter.
Although the shelters in this wasteland varied greatly, they had one commonality.
Everyone inside was a pre-war societal elite. Their children inherited smart minds and received a good education from an early age.
If the world hadn't gone to hell, he might have become an engineer, a doctor, or a scholar like his ancestors.
Not a bookkeeper here.
"Selling."
Without further ado, Chu Guang took out six used batteries and five tubes of adhesive from his backpack, placing them on the electronic scale's tray.
These were scavenged from nearby ruins before he discovered Vault 404.
Old Charlie picked up the batteries, casually checking their models and for any bulging or damage, then tossed them onto the scale.
These were obviously useless, but the materials could still be recycled.
"Quality is decent. This area must have been thoroughly scavenged. Where did you find these good items?"
These are good items?
"Just lucky."
"Heh, just asking. Hmm, the batteries are fine, but the adhesive's quality is mediocre. The seal has been opened, and the inside is probably a mess. I'll give you half price for those... All together, it’s worth 3 chips."
Chu Guang accepted the three white chips from him without haggling.
These chips, resembling metal-plated plastic coins, were the "currency" issued by Boulder City, the largest survivor settlement in Clear Spring City.
They could be exchanged for food and supplies in most settlements around Clear Spring City.
The chips had their value printed on the front and a special anti-counterfeit code and imprint on the back, which shimmered under sunlight.
These chips were heat-resistant, durable, easy to store, and highly recognizable. Most importantly, they were practically impossible to counterfeit with post-war technology.
In settlements like Bet Street, which lacked industrial capacity, chips were used to trade with merchant caravans for necessities, including weapons.
Naturally, this currency circulated in Bet Street.
Of course, they weren't always useful; if a month passed without a caravan arriving, the entire settlement's economy would be in chaos.
The mayor once tried issuing Bet Street's own currency—a form of book keeping ticket—but no one accepted it.
Even Bet Street's survivors knew those slips of paper were worthless, not even good for wiping their butts with it.
"Need to buy anything? We just got a new shipment from Boulder City."
Chu Guang stopped as he was about to leave and turned back.
"Do you have guns?"
"No, and even if we did, you couldn't afford one."
Old Charlie grinned as he looked at Chu Guang, who was about to leave, and continued speaking.
"However, there are still some supplies of food and fuel. If I were you, I'd stock up before the prices go up."
Guns, even the cheapest ones, are hard to come by in a place like Bett Street.
Even if a caravan selling arms occasionally passes through here, those weapons usually end up in the mayor's warehouse and are never displayed on the shelves for people to choose from.
Besides, as Old Charlie said, even if such things were available, scavengers like them couldn't afford them.
Chu Guang knew why he said that.
As a well-educated resident of the shelter, Charlie could certainly see that the surviving inhabitants of Bett Street, whether scavengers or hunters, had their remaining value thoroughly exploited by the mayor's family.
Even though the mayor had never directly taken even a single chip from their pockets.
"Food and fuel prices are going up?"
Looking at Chu Guang's surprised expression, Charlie smiled faintly.
"Haven't you noticed? The temperature is dropping, and the mutants outside are becoming more active."
Chu Guang frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something and spoke.
"Winter is coming?"
"I remember you came here about five months ago, so you might not have experienced it yet. Around this time of year, the temperature usually starts to drop. This year… winter might come a bit early. We might even see snow in October."
Charlie paused for a moment, then said meaningfully.
"Winter is coming."
"Both people and mutants need to prepare in advance."
When Chu Guang first arrived in Bett Street, he was wearing a blue jacket, which made Charlie instinctively assume he was from the shelter and thus extended some care to him.
Although this care never manifested in the form of better trade prices, the old man did help Chu Guang with some practical advice.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have adapted so quickly to life in the wasteland.
Chu Guang nodded seriously.
"I understand. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Charlie smiled faintly, "Just don't die."
It was already early September. If it was indeed going to snow in October, Chu Guang had only a little over a month to prepare.
For the survivors living around here, snow was definitely not something to be happy about. It meant an additional expenditure on fuel besides food.
Most people here lived by scavenging and hunting, with nearby farms only needing extra hands during busy seasons.
In winter, scavenging would become much more difficult. No one could predict whether the snow would bury useful scrap or the fangs of mutant rats.
And animals like deer and rabbits, which provided meat, would reduce their activity or simply hibernate.
The worst part was that once winter set in, caravans would stop coming here. Even if you found something good, you could only store it at home and wait until spring to sell it.
Or, you could risk traveling to Boulder City, ten miles away.
Boulder City was the largest survivor settlement in the Spring City area. Even in winter, its market wouldn't close.
However, it was located on the edge of Spring City's north district, along the third ring road, fraught with countless dangers.
Walking there on foot, especially in winter when temperatures could drop below minus ten degrees, was tantamount to suicide!
...
After leaving the recycling station, Chu Guang returned to his dwelling.
It was less a house and more a shack barely capable of keeping out the rain, without even proper windows or doors.
Until yesterday, he had been thinking about gathering some cement and PVC panels to seal up the drafty walls before winter arrived.
But now, it seemed unnecessary.
He rummaged through a moldy sleeping bag and found a rusty aluminum box. With some effort, he pried it open and spilled the plastic coins onto a wobbly wooden table.
A total of 47 white chips, each worth 1 point.
Counting the 3 chips he had on him, he had exactly 50 points!
This money was saved bit by bit through frugal living, with the hope of one day leaving this hellhole and moving to Boulder City where conditions were better.
But now…
He had a new plan for this "fortune."
Why rely on others when you can be self-reliant?
"The ruins of the sanatorium above the shelter can be used, and the walls around the building are concrete… With players to help, gathering some materials and making repairs shouldn't be too difficult."
"The area around the sanatorium is wetland and grassland, so collecting scrap metal isn't very convenient, but there's plenty of vegetation around, so there shouldn't be a shortage of fuel for heating. Besides, wood can be used for repairs and making furniture… Axes! Yes, I need to buy four axes."
Leveling up by fighting monsters?
Not happening!
It's supposed to be a 100% realistic hardcore game. Since it's hardcore, naturally, you start with the basics!
"Shovels and saws are also essential!" Even before the players had logged in, Chu Guang had already planned how to utilize them.
Of course, besides work tools, the most critical was food.
Once the incubation pods were activated, they would immediately consume the active material stored inside to create the clones for the players.
And these clones needed to eat!
Although clones could hibernate in the pods with a low metabolic rate when players were offline, they couldn't stay there forever.
Living beings need food. This is an eternal truth!
"I need to stockpile enough food to last five grown men for a week… If we count two meals a day, with each meal being a wheat cake, we need 70 cakes."
Wheat cakes were the most common food in Bett Street. One chip could buy one cake.
These cakes were about the size of a palm and had a hard, coarse texture, likely mixed with tree bark or other fibers. They tasted gritty but could fill the stomach and provide a bit of salt.
You could also boil them into a porridge
.
Buying 70 cakes would cost 70 chips. Even with haggling, it would still be at least 60 chips. This would exceed his budget.
Chu Guang frowned but then quickly relaxed.
He had been overthinking the problem.
It wasn't necessary to feed the players well.
If he bought the raw materials to make the cakes—namely the green wheat produced by the nearby farms—he could get a full kilogram for just 3 chips!
Storing 5 kilograms would be enough for a few days!
If necessary, they could do like the survivors in Bett Street and mix in tree bark or plant roots.
As for other needs, he would figure them out later.
"For now, I'll prepare these things…"
Sweeping the allocated chips into his bag, Chu Guang slung the bag over his shoulder.
Although he hadn't slept all night, he was now too excited to feel tired, as if he had found a new purpose in life.
When he opened the door and stepped outside, he saw the neighbor's little girl squatting by the door, curiously watching him.
Chu Guang knew her name, Yu Xiaoyu, the youngest daughter of the Yu family.
Most survivors in the wasteland were gaunt, and Yu's little girl was no exception. Her thin limbs made it hard to believe she was of marriageable age.
Seeing Chu Guang notice her, she didn't shy away but stepped out of the shack.
"I heard noises from your place, so I came to check."
Every morning, the men of Bett Street would go out to scavenge or hunt, while the elderly, women, and children stayed home to guard the place or do some work to earn money.
Even though everyone was dirt poor with barely enough to eat, no one wanted anyone taking advantage of them when they were out.
This man named Chu Guang had come from elsewhere. He left early and returned late, rarely interacting with the local residents.
She didn't know much about him, only that he didn't seem to be the type who could endure hardship.
At first, everyone was wary of him, and her mother told her to keep an eye on this outsider.
But Xiaoyu thought he didn't seem like a bad person, especially after he shared a bowl of soup with her at the door once.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I can watch your place while you're out." She blinked and added cheerfully, "I'm just idle anyway."
Poor child.
If she were in the other world, she should still be in school at her age.
Not wanting to appear patronizing, Chu Guang hid a trace of pity in his eyes, maintaining a neutral expression as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to the little girl.
"Take this."
"Don't tell anyone I gave it to you."
"Otherwise, there won't be any more."
She had never seen such a thing before.
Yu Xiaoyu first bit the wrapper, finding it unyielding, then realized it needed to be unwrapped.
With her big, dark eyes fixed on the red candy ball on the stick, she carefully stuck out her tongue and gave it a tentative lick.
What is this flavor?!
So sweet!
Her eyes sparkled with joy as she looked up to say thank you.
But the person who gave her the candy was already far away.
[T/L: Yu Xiaoyu Best girl!]
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