Chapter 350.3: The Battle Between Ability Users

Eberts had heard of such technologies, and even the methods to induce awakening that he knew of numbered in the dozens.

Boulder Arms Industry controlled 2 of them, and gaining control of another wouldn't make much difference.

They periodically produced batches of cloned infants, selecting a few with awakening potential for concentrated training, discarding those without potential to orphanages in the slums or disposing of them.

Although the selection wasn't 100% accurate, as long as the overall yield of quality goods exceeded 80%, it was sufficient.

To Boulder Town’s Arms Industry, an ability user was just a high cost, low volume equipment. Their military prowess relied not on a few pieces of equipment, but on the entire system.

However...

What made Eberts wary was that New Alliance possessed too many of those high cost equipment.

The secretary standing beside him seemed to share his thoughts. "... If their ordinary ability users possess such combat capabilities, we might need to mobilize the militia to deal with them."

According to their investigations, the New Alliance possessed an ability user army numbering between 1,000 to 3,000, and this was their confidence in announcing the northern expedition.

Although their high-tech equipment was limited, sometimes quantity was a terrifying kind of power.

"... And, these people always give me a strange feeling."

Eberts inquired casually, "In which aspect?"

"In various aspects," the secretary paused, then continued with a clear sense of order, "they don't seem like normal people, but neither do they seem like clones. They appear to be a special existence somewhere in between."

"I suggest increasing communication with them. It would be best to understand what exactly these people are."

Weird occurrences were common in the wasteland, but this matter had happened right at their doorstep.

Eberts pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You're right, it is necessary to investigate this."

The old secretary respectfully asked, "Would you like me to arrange a meeting with the Head of the City Hall?"

"No need. I've already spoken with him last night, and things are progressing as we hoped."

The old secretary continued, "Although that's the case... Mr. Dulong seems to have encountered some trouble."

Eberts raised an eyebrow. "What trouble?"

"The workers have surrounded the City Hall. They are dissatisfied with Mr. Dulong and the negotiation results with New Alliance, demanding renegotiation."

Eberts was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. "Interesting."

...

A long, long time ago, Boulder Town was not a city, not even a settlement for survivors; it was merely a building.

Like other survivors in the post-apocalyptic era, the people living there struggled in the aftermath of the apocalypse.

However, at that moment, a group of people arrived and told those in the building...

"We will build high walls for you, provide you with weapons, seeds, and torches."

"However, the unreliable alliance is collapsing, and our lives are like candles in the wind."

"For the future of us all, please protect the last ember."

"Until the end..."

Eventually, as time passed, more and more people gathered around the ember.

The fire grew as more people added fuel to it. Though it didn't match the prosperity of the Prosperity Era, it still retained a hint of warmth.

Gradually, the original building and the surrounding blocks became the inner city, and the buffer zone between the inner city and the giant wall developed into the outer city.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

And now, even the vast outer city couldn't accommodate all the people. Those who couldn't enter the wall built huts outside or dispersed to the outskirts, forming villages like Baker Street.

Of course, those unlucky ones might fall into the hands of slave traders, sold to places like Brown Farm.

... Or simply become food for mutant humans, marauders, and mutants.

...

After listening to Xia Yan's account of history, Chu Guang spoke with a strange look on his face. "Are those people called the Post-War Reconstruction Committee?"

He had repeatedly watched Dr. Principle's footage, which didn't mention Boulder Town, but frequently referenced the mysterious organization, the Post-War Reconstruction Committee.

2 centuries ago, the wasteland probably didn't have major forces like the Enterprise, Army, or the Academy, and even Torch emerged only a dozen or twenty years ago.

Only this kind of organization could erect such towering walls on ruins.

"As for that, I'm not sure. There are other versions of the story, but what I know is just this much..." Sitting on the sofa in the browsing room, Xia Yan held a cup of hot milk with cocoa, blowing on it gently.

She didn't know why Chu Guang suddenly became interested in history from 200 years ago, but she happened to know a little about it.

For the sake of the chocolate, she didn't mind chatting with him for a while.

Chu Guang nodded thoughtfully and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard.

Curiously, Xia Yan watched Chu Guang, who was focused on the computer, her smooth bionic prosthetic leg casually resting on the other beautifully shaped leg.

"Are you writing a diary?" She asked.

"A diary?" Chu Guang seemed momentarily surprised, then smiled. "Why would you think that?"

Xia Yan blinked. "Because it feels like you write every day."

Pausing his action and pondering for a moment, Chu Guang spoke. "...

Mhm

, it's more like weaving dreams than a diary."

Xia Yan rolled her eyes helplessly. "You're speaking in riddles again."

Chu Guang just smiled faintly without saying more.

Every sentence he spoke was true; it was just that he rarely finished what he said.

In that respect, politics and sales were indeed quite similar.

Just that what they sold was different.

After completing the world-building in the setting guide, Chu Guang logged into the official forum.

It wasn't yet time for the players to go offline, and many players were all still in the game, but the forum remained bustling as ever.

2 hours ago, the silver coins trading platform reopened, and the trading prices had gone through several roller coasters, making the onlookers exclaim at the volatility.

"Holy shit! It's over a hundred!"

"Amazing!"

"How did it drop to the single digits?!"

"Come on, guys! Don't sell! Let's take silver coins to the moon!"

"Damn it! Who's dumping?!"

Due to the prohibition of related discussions in the general chat section, similar posts flooded the trading section.

While the traders focused on the prices, Chu Guang was digging through the information on those big transactions in the background.

Even without using Little Seven's computing power, he could roughly judge that major forces in reality were consciously increasing their holdings of the virtual coins he had issued.

They even hired professional traders.

"... Looks like this battery has quite some energy." A smile crept onto Chu Guang's face.

If they mistook him for an extraterrestrial civilization and saw Wasteland Online as some kind of enlightening game, then he wanted to let this misunderstanding continue.

It wasn't a bad thing after all.

It was only fair to reward those who had worked hard in the game.

Although he couldn't go to that world, he still hoped his players could have a better life.

At that moment, the voice of Little Seven drifted in. "Master."

Chu Guang, familiar with the tendency of this assistant AI to deliver bad news, nervously looked at the puppet sitting on the corner of the desk. "What is it?"

Being stared at so directly, Little Seven showed an embarrassed expression and a shy smile.

However, that wouldn't turn bad news into good news. "Your closed test qualifications are down to the last 2."

Chu Guang was momentarily taken aback. "Just 2 left? Didn't I say to reduce the issuance once the closed beta qualifications were almost gone?"

Little Seven looked a bit dejected. "I did follow your orders... Last week, the daily allocations were reduced to 10, and this week, it decreased a bit more, but there are only that many left."

Even though it wanted to recruit more players for Chu Guang, the recruitment limit was fixed, and it couldn't do anything about it.

Seeing Chu Guang didn't speak, Little Seven timidly suggested, "Should I change it to 1 qualification per day?"

Or maybe a gold coin per day, and when they gathered 10, they could exchange it for a discount coupon to purchase a helmet.

Xia Yan tilted her head, not understanding what Chu Guang and the toy on the table were discussing.

"No need for that. Just issue the last 2."

Glancing at the mission in his work log, Chu Guang pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit of a headache. "... It seems the contact with Shelter 101 should be prioritized."

To please Pai, he had specifically assigned the obedient and sensible Xiaoyu to act as her exclusive customer service representative.

He wondered how things were going on her end...