Chapter 343.1: Pai's Photographic Memory

The official website forum buzzed with activity.

[Update Announcement: The Logistics Department of the New Alliance will be restructured into 12 departments including Industry, Economy, Transportation, Energy, Trade, Diplomacy, Education, and Military.]

[Some NPC positions have been changed. Please pay attention to those changes when interacting with NPCs!]

Tail: Oh oh oh. Is there going to be a new expansion? Let me take a look! (✪ω✪)

Quit Smoking: Wait, does this have anything to do with us?

Sideline Slacking: Doesn't seem like it!

Spring Water Commander: NPCs never had anything to do with players, right?

Spring Water Commander: ...Uh, I think I just said something pointless.

Escaping Mole: So, what exactly did this update change??

Eye Owe Money: Damn it! I got excited for nothing!

Construction Boy: Open the Silver Coin Exchange!!

Makka Pakka: Agreed! I want to sell silver coins!!

Teng Teng:

chuckles

Another day of dashed expectations.

On the fourth day after the expansion ended, the silver coin trading platform still hadn't opened. The distant Beta 0.3 version of the game was still brewing, and there wasn't a hint of news yet.

Rumors were rampant on the forum.

Some claimed that Light fled with all the money he had scammed from the people who participated in the auction, implying that the silver coin trading platform wouldn't reopen, and the forum might shut down after some time.

Others argued it was impossible; why would he run away when he could keep running the scam?

Ye Wei felt that none of them were true.

Those who had truly delved into the game knew that Light never scammed players. He devoted himself solely to the game, not only refraining from making money off players but also devising benefits for them.

Sometimes, the AI was just too cunning, and NPCs might not follow the expected patterns.

But these trivial matters weren't significant; they were part of Wasteland Online's unique point.

If NPCs behaved like fools, that would truly be boring.

The silver coin trading platform would definitely open, and it should happen within the next few days.

However, whenever Ye Wei pondered over this matter, a sense of trepidation crept into his heart.

Back when he had sold the silver coins, their price was still rising. He did harbor some regret back then, thinking he should have waited a bit longer to sell and potentially earn tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands more.

Yet, the moment he saw the silver coin trading platform halt its operations, all his regrets dissipated, replaced only by relief.

Luckily, he sold early. If it had been a few hours later, it would have been impossible to sell at all.

Thinking about the 5 million in the bank, his heart couldn't help but race.

That was 5 million they were talking about! He had never seen so much money in his life!

"Ah Wei, what are you looking at?" From behind, came the voice of his roommate, Sun Qian, who just came back from playing ball, as he curiously approached.

"Browsing the forum."

"Damn! What year is this? You're still on BBS. Can't you engage with something that young people do?" Liu, another friend, chimed in.

"Yeah," the dormitory head agreed.

Ye Wei rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone. "You guys don't understand anything."

Liu couldn't resist commenting, "Ah Wei, not to criticize, but if that so-called completely real virtual reality game exists as you say, why can't I find anything about it on any video platforms?"

The dorm head raised his hand. "Same here. I can't find anything on Weibo either."

Ye Wei replied without hesitation, "Probably because it's restricted, after all, even with filters, that promotional video is rated for 18+."

This topic had been discussed in his online chat group before.

The video could be shared on Moments, Space, or even within the chat group, but posting on video platforms or Weibo was impossible. At least, it was impossible to post them on major platforms.

Although it could be posted on foreign websites, there wasn't much buzz about it on those sites. Primarily because the official website was in Chinese, filled with numerous memes that machine translators couldn't handle, making it difficult for international friends to understand.

Of course, while international friends were scarce, they weren't entirely absent.

However, what surprised Ye Wei was that his casual comment triggered an instant uproar in the dorm!

"R18? Holy shit!"

“Oh damn!"

"Wow, no wonder your bed is shaking every night!"

Seeing everyone teasing, Ye Wei blushed and retorted, "Get lost! I meant R18 in terms of violence and gore, not... Not that!"

Sun Qian patted his shoulder with a playful smirk. "It's okay, we get it. Young people can understand. Don't worry, we'll keep your secret!"

Ye Wei rolled his eyes. "Enough nonsense. I'll be logging in soon. By the way, did you check out that link I sent you before?"

Sun Qian looked puzzled. "Link?"

Ye Wei clarified, "The website about pre-ordering a game!"

Sun Qian recalled, "Oh, that one. I checked... That was so confusing, and it asked too many details. It felt like a scam."

Liu added, "Yeah. That website didn't look legitimate at all, so I closed it immediately!"

Ye Wei impatiently said, "Don't worry about that. Just fill it out, what's the worst that could happen? You think I will scam you?"

However, they might have to wait for a long while even after filling out that form...

Earlier, he had taken a look at the number of pre-registered players, and noticed that number was even bigger than his bank account balance.

Ignoring the banter among the roommates, he left his phone charging on the table, donned his helmet after climbing onto the bed, and logged into the game as Night Ten.

His 3 roommates exchanged glances, bemused.

"... I'm actually starting to believe this. What should I do?"

"This guy wears a helmet exactly at 6:00 every evening and if there are no classes in the morning, he can wear it until noon. It's hard not to believe."

"Hmmm... Completely immersive R18 game..."

"Ahem, I'm going to fill out a form... Of course, it’s mainly to criticize it."

"I almost believed you...!"

...

Northern Street, Dawn City.

It was just like any other day, bustling and lively from the crack of dawn.

After the Northern Expedition ended, a large number of players left the frontlines and returned to the surrounding areas of Dawn City. Every day at the meat stalls, fresh game and freshly caught fish or just-picked mushrooms were on display.

Especially in recent days.

With the opening of the North-South railway transportation route, Dawn City's market also saw an influx of Battleship Prawns brought in from West Continent Lake.

Those freshwater prawns, with shells harder than steel and bodies longer than an arm, were usually something no survivor would dare eat.

Yet, these cunning players found a way, creating 4 delicious recipes. They were braised, steamed, stewed, and garlic-flavored, turning what was once inedible into delicacies.

They didn't even spare the offspring of Battleship Prawns, making them fist-sized small lobster balls, much praised by the NPCs.

With the skyrocketing silver coin prices, everyone's enthusiasm for making money surged.

The newbie graduation suits at NPC shops were too cheap?

The convenience of public saving points discouraged house purchases?

Too much silver but nowhere to spend it?

Not a problem at all!

With so many customers lining up to buy, just the thought of earning silver coins had everyone working with more enthusiasm!

At Zhang Hai's Ramen Shop.

Zhang Hai, standing beside a large pot, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Selling ramen! 4 silver coins per bowl!"

Just then, Silver's Father walked in and heard this, couldn't help but comment. "Damn it! A thousand bucks for a bowl, you're robbing people here!"

Zhang Hai narrowed his eyes. "Whoa, that's overboard, brother. How can you calculate things like that?"

What's up with calculating the price using the highest exchange rate? At least use the average price!

"Doesn't matter!" Silver's Father smirked, placing four silver coins on the table. "With the bustling business on North Street, brother, you must have made a lot of money."

Zhang Hai, preparing the noodles, nonchalantly said, "Talking about money is so tacky! The main thing is that I love the feel of kneading dough."

Construction Boy, sitting nearby eating noodles, overheard and nearly spat out his food, complaining. "Damn it! You've spoiled my appetite. I want a refund!"

Zhang Hai rolled his eyes, retorting without hesitation, "Refund my ass!"

Just then, a pleasant voice drifted in. "Old man, 6 bowls of noodles!"

Witnessing Tail, who tossed a bunch of silver coins on the table, the other players sitting and eating noodles nearby were astonished.

"Whoa!"

"6... 6 bowls?!"

"She's rich!"

"Right up!" Seeing the business coming in, Zhang Hai immediately perked up, not bickering with the customers anymore. He grabbed a lump of dough from the countertop and started making noodles.

Curious, Pai looked around.

When her gaze fell on the flying noodles, her eyes instantly lit up. "Wow, what's that?"

"Noodles!" Tail proudly replied, "Humph, when it comes to our New Alliance's delicacies, this is a must!"

Pai stared fixedly at the noodles, her eyes sparkling. "Noodles? So amazing!"

The big white bear looked at Tail in astonishment before glancing at Pai. "Huh? You can understand what this NPC is saying?"

"I think it's just a coincidence..." Sisi, gazing at the translation on the VM, said with a subtle expression, "Is it possible that they're each speaking their own language, not really understanding what the other is saying?"

With her cat ears gently swaying, Sesame Paste said somewhat enviously, "In a sense, this is quite an extraordinary skill."

Tail puffed out her chest, proudly stating, "

Mhm mhm!

That's right! Please praise me some more!"

At 6:00 in the morning in the game.

Just as the 3 players and a bear logged in, they received a mission personally issued by the administrator. They were asked to act as escorts for the Camp 101’s visiting delegation, accompanying Xiaoyu and Pai to tour around Dawn City.

There had been discussions on the forum about Pai's identity, the new NPC.

According to the Bull and Horse Squad's intelligence, she was supposed to be an extremely remarkable doll master, skilled in crafting exquisite figurines.

Moreover, she was the representative of the Camp 101’s visiting delegation!

A mission of such significance, with the chance to establish profound friendships with special NPCs, was not something any player would miss.

Especially upon learning that Xiaoyu was also in the group, Tail didn't hesitate at all and immediately accepted the mission on behalf of the Order of the White Bear.

The 6 bowls of ramen were swiftly placed on the table.

Xiaoyu patiently taught Pai how to use chopsticks.

She had anticipated that it would take quite some time, yet to her surprise, Pai picked it up instantly, even using them more proficiently than Xiaoyu herself.

"Oh, I see! What a convenient tool!" Excitedly, Pai exclaimed while holding the two wooden sticks. "How did you guys come up with this?"

"It was brought out from the shelter by Big Brother Chu." Xiaoyu wore a look of envy, watching Pai master the skill so effortlessly.

It had taken her quite a while to adapt to this unique tableware after all.

"Your shelter is indeed incredible, with so many interesting things," Pai's face mirrored Xiaoyu's envy but for entirely different reasons.

"Of course! Big Brother Chu is amazing," Xiaoyu beamed, remembering something, and continued, "Oh right, where do you plan to go after this?"

"The Industrial Zone!" Pai's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"The Industrial Zone?"

Pai nodded enthusiastically. "

Mhm

! Is that not allowed?"

It's not that it isn't allowed... But isn't shopping usually done at places like commercial streets?

Though Xiaoyu was a bit puzzled, considering Big Brother Chu's instructions earlier, she didn't say anything and simply nodded. "Alright, if that's where you want to go."

...