Chapter 337.2: Unfathomable Light

Being a landlord was nowhere near as prestigious as being a shareholder! Of course, he wasn't entirely about showing off. He just felt that it was very troublesome to explain income and deal with the tax bureau himself. He still had to go to school and maintain his social and personal life in the real world while playing Wasteland Online at the same time.

As Ample Time suggested, it would be better to register a company and let professionals handle these matters for them.

Garbage: But what kind of company should we register?

Ample Time: It’s easy actually. You can fill in information technology services or e-commerce like those small companies that help people level up in online games; there are many options.

Quit Smoking: Wow, we can do that?

Tomato Eggs: Uh... Will there be a problem with this business category?

Ample Time: It depends on the location. The enforcement of the same regulations can vary in different places, and it's relatively lenient in my place. If you guys don't mind, you can also let me handle it for you.

Sure enough, compared to the discussion about how to spend the money they earned, the discussion about how to start a joint venture was more likely to ignite everyone's enthusiasm. Everyone started to join the discussion, some serious and some were not so much, and the topic quickly shifted from the company's business scope to the old scandals of some game companies.

Seeing the messages on the phone screen, Ye Wei suddenly thought of something and typed.

Night Ten: By the way, what should we name our company?

It shouldn't be something like Bull and Horse, right...?

He still wanted to show off with his business card.

The group fell silent for a moment.

Ample Time: Is there even a need to ask? (squint)

Gale: Indeed.

Old White: Has this guy's account been hacked?

Quit Smoking: Lmfao!

Night Ten: ...

Damn it!

...

Camp 101

Evan was flipping through the documents in his hands. As the camp's records management personnel, his main job was to organize and categorize the knowledge provided by the mentors. He would select suitable parts and pass them on to the production department or the education department as production materials or education materials.

It was not an easy job as the science and technology knowledge was not just a few pieces of paper or a string of data; it was an entire system.

In the distant Federation era, the entire research and development system of the federation was supported by billions of researchers and professionals collectively. Among those people, some were responsible for collecting data, some for analysis, some for verification, some for providing directions, some for raising doubts, some for summarizing, and some for management...

It was a flesh and blood giant formed by billions of individual cells while technology was just the hair growing on this giant. As for now, the only thing they could do was nothing more than collect the hair from this giant and wrap it around themselves for warmth.

Let alone him... Even the legendary Academy was the same. Many of the people in the Academy were actually cryopreserved individuals from that era. But even so, the legacy of the federation continued to fade away every second. All they could do was try to preserve as much as possible within their capabilities.

Evan believed that his work was meaningful. After all, as long as they were still alive, there was hope. It was okay if they couldn't build starships; they could start by making the most basic screw.

However, as he grew older, the work became more and more challenging for him. In fact, it was not supposed to be done by him alone. But alas, Camp 101 had only a few residents, so many had to play multiple roles just like himself. He was both the records department manager and a professor at the school. Occasionally, when the production department encountered problems they couldn't solve, they would have to trouble him, a jack-of-all-trades, for help.

They had considered hiring more people, but ordinary wastelanders were of no use. At most, they could help with cooking, cleaning, or collecting some garbage...

After a moment of contemplation, Evan slid the last stack of printed papers into a folder. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. He knew who it was just by listening to the sound.

"Come in." He said.

The door opened and a pleasant voice drifted in with the breeze, "Master, are you looking for me?"

It was Pai standing at the doorway. She was of moderate height, clad in a white jacket adorned with thin blue stripes. Her chin-length, light golden hair cascaded gently around her face. There was a hint of determination in her nose and eyebrows, while her eyes held a captivating shade of deep blue, reminiscent of the sea, despite Evan never having seen the sea before.

Perhaps it was because her eyes matched the color of the shelter resident's blue coat; she had been favored by the pioneers of the shelter since she was very young. They even gave her a precious bionic chip, endowing her with an extraordinary memory and computational abilities. It was said that such a chip could not be produced even with a black box. Even before the war, it was considered invaluable, and using one meant having one less.

Thanks to this, at the age of 16, she had already mastered multiple professional skills, including mechanical engineering, microelectronics engineering, and astrophysics. According to the standards of the Academy, her professional level was sufficient to qualify as a D level researcher or prospector, and the difference between her and higher-level researchers was just a matter of experience. After all, experience couldn't be easily gained through study.

Listening to that lively voice, Evan sighed lightly and looked at the girl standing at the door, correcting her with a stern tone, "Call me ‘Teacher’."

Pai pouted. "Okay, Teacher!"

Why so serious?

But thinking about what the Education Affairs Officer had told her earlier, she restrained her impatience. This would make her look a bit more steady, obedient, and mature. In fact, it would make her look a bit more reliable!

Looking at Pai standing at the door, Evan's expression became somewhat complicated. The girl was his proudest student. She was not only intelligent but also diligent. However, she also had many shortcomings such as being hyperactive, lacking a sense of respect, and being unable to tolerate boring work... The treasure given to her by the pioneers kept her away from the troubles of thinking, however, many qualities including patience needed to be slowly nurtured.

Unable to imagine her sitting obediently at a desk, organizing data like himself, Evan felt like his retirement would be postponed again...

"The school should have informed you that you will go to Dawn City, the capital of the New Alliance, as the representative of the visiting delegation tomorrow."

Pai straightened her posture and said with enthusiasm, "Don't worry, Teacher! I'll definitely bring back an excellent agreement!"

Evan smiled and said, "That's not necessary. Your mission is to show friendliness and then investigate the local culture, and social environment... After returning, I need you to write an investigation report."

"Eh? Am I not just being a mascot...?" Pai's expression became somewhat disappointing.

When the Education Affairs Officer mentioned this to her, she thought she was going to be a diplomat, representing Camp 101 and the pioneers of Shelter 101, and sign a friendly cooperation agreement with the New Alliance and Shelter 404.

Turns out that that is all I need to do.

While going on a trip was indeed nice, Pai wanted to do more for everyone, especially more meaningful things.

Knowing full well that his student would say something like that, Evan explained gently, "Before communication, the first step is understanding. Don't underestimate this task; your investigative report can help us assess our neighbor more accurately, and this is crucial."

His words slightly lifted Pai's mood, especially when he mentioned her work would be crucial for their assessment.

"Don't worry, Teacher! I'll make sure to thoroughly assess every aspect of their settlement!!"

After seeing Pai regain her enthusiasm, Evan nodded approvingly, "No need to go that far. Just talk to them politely... Go get ready, you will leave early tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" Pai happily saluted with her index finger and skipped away.

Hearing the joyful voice outside the door, Evan shook his head with a smile and tucked the folder on the table into the drawer. He believed that Horn wouldn't place all hopes on her alone. There were others accompanying her.

After all, compared to investigating the matter itself, placing importance on the visit and maintaining a polite attitude towards them was actually more crucial. To put it plainly, his only expectation for her was to be a diligent mascot. Everyone had their own job, and it was already enough for her to do her job well.

...

Early the next morning, in the Daybreak City camp.

On the originally bare land, there were now boxy container dormitories. By Dawn City standards, the living conditions here were undoubtedly rudimentary, but compared to the makeshift shacks most survivors built themselves, it was much better.

Through the joint efforts of the aid team and the local survivors, the nearby land had been almost completely leveled.

After the temporary accommodation issue was resolved, Rudy, the captain of the aid team, didn't rush to build houses. Instead, he led the construction team to dig tunnels into the ground. These tunnels were not trenches but the future sewers of Daybreak City.

As they were entering the rainy season in June, it would pose many challenges for construction. So it was better to address drainage issues as early as possible.

Chu Guang was pleased to see that the workers from the aid team and the local survivors had built strong friendships through labor. In the words of Paradox Interactive players, this could be summarized as...

[Mainstream Ethics Attraction +50%, Stability +10%].

Although the future held uncertainties and anything could happen, it was undoubtedly a good start.

Standing at the entrance of the tent, Chu Guang directed Little Seven to operate the drone in the sky for surveillance. At this moment, Yin Fang walked over from the side.

"Here's the data you wanted." He took out a thumb-sized storage card from his pocket and handed it to Chu Guang.

Most of the carbon-based electronic materials in the New Alliance were made from parts salvaged from VMs. The storage card was no exception.

Chu Guang took the card and casually stuffed it into his pocket, "Thank you."

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"No problem, but why do you need this? We have stopped using lithium batteries for a long time." Yin Fang looked at him with interest and asked curiously.

He remembered it was before the Northern Expedition, in the browsing room on level B4, Chu Guang had a long chat with him, and they somehow ended up discussing lithium batteries.

At that time, Yin Fang already found it strange. While the Prosperity Era had a demand for lithium mines, they never used them for batteries. Compared to the pure and environmentally friendly hydrogen batteries, lithium batteries had almost no advantages. They were merely the most suitable choice for that era.

Later in their conversation, he mentioned a film material used to limit lithium dendrite growth in the history of science, which piqued Chu Guang's interest. It made him insist that he compile relevant literature and production processes for that material. But later on, the matter was left without any follow-up.

After such a long time, he almost forgot about it.

Hearing Yin Fang's curious inquiry, Chu Guang didn't provide a detailed explanation; he just smiled faintly, "At the right place and time, it will become useful. Consider it something to satisfy my personal interest."

Upon hearing this perfunctory explanation, Yin Fang revealed a helpless expression.

Shit! Isn’t this the same as not telling me anything?

However, he wasn't too concerned about it. Although the pre-Prosperity Era's technology wasn’t that popular, it wasn't that complex. If he was asked to compile information on Class C technologies like solid-state hydrogen batteries, even if New Alliance could produce them, it would take him 100 work hours or even more.

But for an ancient relic in history... Even in non-specialized popular science books, one could find some clues about it. All he needed to do was follow those clues for a while, and then he would be able to find it. Anyway, there were many ‘warriors’ in the scientific expedition team, who dared to charge into any ruins to help him collect information. There was no need for him to personally take risks anymore. However, it was really challenging to train a professional researcher amongst those warriors...

"If you don't want to say, it's fine. I was just asking. By the way, did 101 respond? Is there any progress on the reactor issue?"

"Repairing the reactor is a systematic project. Before the in-depth collaboration, they want to know more about me."

"That's true," Yin Fang nodded thoughtfully. "We have to be able to maintain the stable operation of the reactor after it's repaired... Those scavengers you found might not be capable of handling this task."

Chu Guang smiled and replied, "That's for sure. Everyone has their limits. For example me... if you ask me to study that thing, I'll also be completely clueless."

Yin Fang raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you were quite talented in that area."

"Really?" Chu Guang said with interest.

Am I talented in that area?

It was the first time he heard of it.

Yin Fang said with a confident tone, "Of course! Even in the Academy, not everyone can engage in research work. There is a serious lack of managers who respect knowledge and researchers there. I heard it wasn't like this in the past."

As he spoke, he sighed sorrowfully, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

Trying to console him, Chu Guang joked, "Maybe it's because there are too many smart people over there. I wish they could all come here. There aren’t that many people here, and smart people are even fewer. It will be really easy to deceive us."

Yin Fang laughed, "I almost believed that!"

Fewer smart people? Easy to be deceived?

That was the most amusing joke he heard today.

While they were talking, Chu Guang's VM on his arm vibrated lightly, indicating a message from Little Seven. Chu Guang raised his arm and glanced at it, his eyebrows slightly raised, "They're almost here."

He didn’t expect them to be so quick. It seemed that among the accompanying personnel, there were not only engineers but also bodyguards from Shelter 101.

"They? Who?" Yin Fang couldn’t help asking.

"The delegation from Camp 101." Chu Guang turned off the screen, looked at Yin Fang, and said casually, "Since you're here, let's go meet them together."