Chapter 108: Nomads of the Wasteland

As soon as Chu Guang stepped into Steel Plant 81, he felt that the surrounding temperature had risen by several degrees. So much so that he even felt a little hot in his deerskin coat.

Raising his head and looking forward, he saw two furnaces, one large and one small, in the center of the factory.

The outer shells of these furnaces were cast by molds and were covered with refractory materials such as silica to serve as acid linings.

One of the blast furnaces with a blower was responsible for heating the scrap steel stuffed into the furnace to 1,300 degrees and melting it into molten iron. The other converter, which was erected by a concrete base and had six air inlets at the bottom, was responsible for blowing molten iron of 1,300 degrees into qualified molten steel.

This process did not need to be heated again.

The heat released by the oxidation process was enough to make the molten steel in the furnace rise from 1,300 degrees to 1,600 to 1,700 degrees. A certain amount of chromium would be added in a specific proportion, and then after the smelting was completed, the converter would be dumped, pouring the molten steel into a mold made of refractory materials, which would be repeatedly rolled by a pair of rollers.

In order to facilitate the operation, a lot of pulleys and slings were installed on the ceiling. Many of these were materials removed from the waste tire factory, and the quality was still very reliable.

At present, Steel Plant 81 was still a small workshop, and there was no condition to accurately measure the carbon content in the converter. The technical principle used was only the Acid Bessemer process invented in the mid-nineteenth century modified by modern experience.

Although Chu Guang didn't know much about steelmaking, his instinct told him that this thing was much more professional than the clay blast furnace that Old White had made before.

Especially the pair of rolls, and the simple motor made of copper wire that was connected to the side of the rolls, even a layman like him felt that it was incredible.

At least it looked more reliable than hitting it with a hammer.

But it still seemed that there was a lack of a punching machine, and seamless steel pipes couldn’t be made. However, if they worked hard, that shouldn’t be a big problem!

Athlete Foot quickly closed the door of the factory building and brought the administrator to their workbench to show their achievement.

"20mm armor with arc surface, built according to the size you provided! This detachable steel plate can be perfectly connected to the front of the KV-1 exoskeleton and provides a larger armor inclination for your heart and other vital parts to avoid fatal injury. In addition, at your request, we designed two special keels for this armor. Even if the armor is completely scrapped, it can be quickly disassembled and replaced with new armor pieces!"

"According to our performance test, this steel plate can perfectly defend against rifles and pistol bullets of various calibers, such as 5mm, 7mm, 9mm, etc. shot from any distance! As long as you have this in front of your chest, you can retreat calmly even in the face of a storm of bullets!"

Chu Guang lifted that arc-shaped steel plate in his hand and weighed it, estimating that it weighed fifty to sixty kilograms.

That was just one piece of armor...

If the arc steel plate of the same size was also installed on the back, the armor of the entire upper body may weigh a hundred kilograms.

If it was without an exoskeleton, it was really not that easy to wear this stuff. Even the full-body plate armor in the Middle Ages was actually only twenty five to thirty kilograms, and it was unlikely to exceed forty five kilograms even with horse gear.

That was just the breastplate too!

"What about the other parts?"

Bathroom Goer, who was standing aside, immediately interjected. "It's all here! In addition to the front armor, we also designed the corresponding rear armor for you, as well as bulletproof linings to protect the torso! But for your safety, we still don't recommend that you stand on the front line of the battlefield. After all, such cool armor will definitely make you become the target of the enemy's fire."

Chu Guang smiled.

Of course, I wouldn’t do that.

Do you think I need you to remind me about something like that?

So far, Chu Guang would only appear on the battlefield and steal the kill to show the players a cutscene animation when the outcome was almost determined.

As for charging into battle, how would he be that shameless as to steal the limelight from the players?

It was enough for him to just blow a whistle to signal the players to charge.

However, this armor suit did not only seem to be usable by himself, but it should also work well for Roshan and Garbage.

Their attributes were great. Their initial strength value was close to 10. After a few more levels, they would definitely be able to use the armor.

They had the work-hard-but-not-smart debuff, and it was difficult for them to operate complex machines, so they couldn’t do the work of Lifestyle Profession players. Since that was the case, they might as well be a tank.

A burly white bear or lizard charging in heavy armor on the battlefield... It was a beautiful scene no matter how he thought about it.

The 20mm steel plate was enough for the two monsters to rush into the enemy's bunker before the armor was broken to pieces by light weapons.

Chu Guang checked other parts of the protective gear, including the helmet. It basically covered more than 90% of his body and 100% of his vitals.

With the Nitrogen-Powered Hammer, he didn't need to charge against fierce firepower, he just needed to guard against a sneak attack.

"The total armor weight is two hundred and twenty kilograms, which is twenty kilograms above the requirement, but it’s not a big problem." Chu Guang put down the protective gear and looked at the two players. "Can I give it a try?"

Athlete Foot and Bathroom Goer nodded simultaneously with excited expressions on their faces.

"Of course! We are already ready!"

"Please give it a try!"

What was the point of making the armor if the administrator didn’t want to try it?

With that said, Athlete Foot and Bathroom Goer carried the almost one hundred kilogram breastplate with difficulty and put it on a wooden stake that served as a target, and then quickly hid aside to avoid being injured by stray bullets.

Chu Guang took a glance at the distance, which was about thirty meters, then pulled out the 10mm silver revolver from his waist and fired a shot at the breastplate.

Bang!

A loud thunder-like noise reverberated in the factory building after a tongue of fire burst out from the muzzle. Then as if the breastplate hanging on the wooden stake had been struck by lightning, it fell back together with the stake.

Damn! This gun is so powerful!

The two players' eyes were wide open in shock. They hurriedly ran over to take a look. And when they saw the bullet embedded in the steel plate, they were finally relieved.

"It didn’t go through completely!"

"This bullet is not bad. It actually didn't bounce off. But it was still crushed... Ouch! So hot." Athlete Foot, who reached out to touch the bullet, jerked his hand back suddenly as if he had an electric shock.

It didn't hurt, but his finger seemed to be blistered.

When Chu Guang walked over and glanced at the armor piece lying on the ground, he nodded in satisfaction. "You two did a good job. It seems that your steel plant is on the right track. The reward for completing the task has been distributed to the corporate account of Steel Plant 81. It is a total of two hundred silver coins!"

"Apart from this, for your personal excellence performance, I will reward you with twenty silver coins and two hundred additional contribution points in the name of the administrator.”

After listening to the administrator’s words, expressions of joy and excitement appeared on their faces.

They actually managed to obtain additional rewards for completing their task!

"Thank you, dear administrator!!"

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"We will continue to work hard, making Steel Plant 81 bigger and stronger!"

"Great, you are very ambitious!" Chu Guang coughed slightly, assuming a straight face, and he continued solemnly, "Next, I have two more important tasks that need to be entrusted to you."

"Currently the outpost lacks heavy armor and the seamless steel needed to produce barrels. I need you to produce ten sets of breastplates weighing less than thirty kilograms, mainly for shelter residents of the strength type, so they should be in a size that residents with standard body size can wear normally."

"In addition, I also need you to produce ten seamless steel pipes of 7mm caliber, which can withstand the chamber pressure generated by rifle bullets."

"Specific details of the mission and the reward have been updated in your VM, please check it out."

After listening to what Chu Guang said, Bathroom Goer and Athlete Foot immediately stood up straight and shouted with high morale.

"We will definitely complete the task!"

Very good.

Chu Guang nodded in satisfaction, and finally reminded the two of them to pay attention to production safety.

Then, he put on the exoskeleton that had been modified for full protection and left the hot steel factory with a sledgehammer on his back.

Outside the plant.

The heavy snow had stopped for a while, and the sky in the distance gradually darkened.

It was time for the NPCs to rest, and the weapon shop at the outpost has closed its doors.

With today's daily salary, Xia Yan from the weapon shop took a crutch and wandered curiously to the North Gate Market.

Seeing the variety of goods on different stalls, her eyes widened in surprise.

Of course, the players were the most surprised.

They had never seen Xia Yan leave her weapon shop, nor had they seen her wandering around the market at the north gate.

"Dayum, the Weapon Shop Owner has come out?"

"Awesome! Now NPC can buy players' products!"

"Wait, hasn’t the administrator been buying stuff from us for a while now?"

"Can that be the same? The administrator is the most important NPC of this game! Besides, did you not hear what the dev said? The codes of other NPCs are based on the source code of the administrator. Obviously, when his AI evolves, other NPCs will also become smarter! Maybe in the future, all NPCs will be able to buy stuff from us!"

"Damn, based on what you said, why do I feel like we are playing an education simulation?"

"Emmmm... Educating the administrator... You can say that. After all, he is so smart because of us."

"..."

Sometimes Chu Guang really hoped that his ears were not that sharp, or someone would misunderstand him for being petty-minded.

In all honesty, am I not selfless enough?

People with principles like me are almost extinct in the wasteland!

"Here you are."

The sudden voice in his ear interrupted Chu Guang's thoughts.

Turning his face to look, he saw Xia Yan with a crutch under her elbow, holding two roasted venison skewers in both hands and generously handing one over.

"Last time, you bought me soup, I’ll treat you to a roasted venison leg skewer now!" With a crutch under her elbow and venison skewers in her hand, her action was somewhat funny.

Chu Guang smiled and took the skewer. "Thank you. However, as your boss, I still have to remind you that you'd better save some of your salary."

Xia Yan bit the barbecue and blinked. "Save?"

"Don’t you have a habit of saving money?"

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it," Chu Guang blew the hot venison and gently tore off a small piece with his teeth. While chewing it slowly, he said, "Just pretend that I didn't say it."

Xia Yan frowned and looked at him. "?"

After living such an easy life for a while, he almost forgot the time he spent on Baker Street.

The vast majority of people in the wasteland lived day by day. How would they think about saving?

The chips they saved may fall into other people's pockets one day. So it was better to spend whenever they could and live happily as much as they could.

At this moment, a player suddenly ran from a distance while shouting excitedly. "A lot of people are coming from the north! They are advancing southward along the elevated highway. There are about fifty or sixty of them...... They might even reach the seventies! Moreover, they also have a few camels and cattle, but I’m not sure about their identity!"

Immediately, there was a commotion amongst the players in the market.

"Is it a caravan?"

"Awesome! Could it be the merchants again?!"

"Didn’t they say that it was the last wave before this winter?"

"I don't know, in a strict sense, the wave before that previous wave should be the last wave of this winter. But didn’t they come again? So it is not surprising!”

Looking at the players who were discussing, Xia Yan glanced at the VM. Seeing nothing appearing on the screen, she tilted her head and took a peek at the expression on Chu Guang’s face, only to see that his expression gradually became solemn.

Even if she didn't know how to read people’s minds, she could still guess that something bad must have happened.

So she quickly finished eating the skewer in her hand, grabbed the crutch, and asked in a low voice.

"What happened?"

"Nomads."

"Nomads?! What are they doing in Clearspring City at this time? The snow is already so heavy." Xia Yan looked surprised.

She had heard the rumors of nomads, although they weren’t exactly great.

"No idea. The snow came very early this year. It was a month earlier than usual. War, famine, tide ...... These are not unique to Clearspring City. After all, the River Valley Province isn’t the only power in the Central Continent...”

The nomads on the wasteland did not refer to those who grazed their cattle, but those who were forced to wander in the wasteland after losing their homes and they lived by hunting and scavenging.

They usually represented disaster, chaos, and bad luck, but they wouldn’t blatantly plunder other survivor settlements like marauders.

Perhaps when they found a suitable home one day, they would settle down and embark on a lawful path.

It was also possible that when they found a large number of weapons suddenly, they would break through the moral bottom line, and completely fall into the chaotic and evil side.

Of course, this possibility was actually very small. Just like buying a lottery ticket, maybe there were only one or two wins out of ten thousand tickets.

When Chu Guang brought a lot of dried meat to trade food with Brown’s Farm before, Liu Zhengyue also misunderstood that they were nomads wandering around.

Who would have thought that he would actually run into them...

"Go back to the shelter."

If they kept going, they would definitely find the brick factory in the northwest corner of Linghu Wetland Park.

Not bothering to explain to Xia Yan, Chu Guang looked at the players at the market entrance and raised his voice. "Everyone group up. Bring your weapons and come with me!”