Chapter 355.1: Is There A Possibility You're Actually Freeloading On The Server's Computing Power?

Shelter 404, on level B4.

Chu Guang, seated on the sofa in the browsing room, was going through the intelligence summarized and organized by Little Seven on his laptop.

Based on the information gathered by the players, he could basically confirm that the mastermind behind the arson the night before and the daytime siege of the City Hall was Boulder Town’s largest food supplier, Vega Trading Company.

The photos and the contents extracted from the recordings taken by Ample Time would be able to serve as key evidence.

As for when this card could be played... He would need to carefully consider the timing.

The radio stations and broadcasts in Boulder Town were unlikely to report on such contents. Moreover, even if they were to report it, it would not garner much sympathy for the New Alliance.

At this crucial point, even if Dulong was aware that Vega had set up a hurdle for him by inciting the residents to besiege the City Hall, there was little he could say about it.

After all, they were currently facing a common threat.

However, the situation would be different once the friendly agreement was signed.

After receiving 200 million chips, the relationship between the New Alliance and Boulder Town, both in civil and official capacity, would mend along with the surge in job opportunities. The New Alliance would become a distinguished guest at Boulder Town’s City Hall, and anyone damaging their relationship would become the public enemy.

Chu Guang would choose a less sensitive time for the New Alliance’s newspaper agency to establish a branch in Boulder Town, and then publish those contents as the headline.

By then, he could take the opportunity to allow the diplomat to express frustration and justifiably exclude the Vega Trading Company from the procurement list. The various factions in Boulder Town would also not raise much objection.

Vega Trading Company, a mere entity in the grand scheme of things, could be likened to, at most, a mere troublemaker, not deserving too much of Chu Guang’s attention. It would be sufficient to leave the resolution to NPCs and players.

What truly concerned Chu Guang was the Boulder Town Arms Industry.

Even though they hadn’t been involved in the negotiations from the beginning and had kept a low profile, the head of the city hall, a man named Dulong, prioritized the protection of their interests above all else.

Every gear seemed to revolve around the Arms Industry.

Everything else could be negotiated.

But when it came to the Arms Industry and the Mayor’s conditions, there was no room for negotiation.

Those so-called big shots in the outer city, whether it was the Head of the City Hall, the Bank President, wealthy business owners or large factory owners, or tyrant gang leaders in the slums; they were insignificant in front of that group.

They were like individual screws and gears, orbiting around a motor, propelled by immense power in their rotations.

At present, the only piece of intelligence Chu Guang had in his possession was that the chairman of the Arms Industry seemed to be named Eberts.

Public information about this man was scarce; he seldom made public appearances. It was only rumored that he was a distinguished guest of the Mayor. Despite residing in the outer city, his influence was revered even by the nobility within the inner city.

“They have acquired a serum of sorts that can induce awakening... It is called Dragon’s Blood.”

“While the probability of awakening is higher than the one produced from the black box, the effects are also more potent. Minor adverse reactions may result in vomiting or diarrhea, and severe adverse reactions could lead to disabilities.”

“Furthermore, they have the technical conditions for autonomous production of bionic prosthetics...”

Chu Guang closed his eyes, taking a moment’s rest while simultaneously contemplating deeply.

Out of all his plans, only 1 variable had emerged so far.

The mastermind behind the planned attack on the New Alliance delegation was unexpectedly the Boulder Town Arms Industry.

In his view, he had already handed them a significant portion of the cake.

Anyone would have a reason to reject that friendly cooperation agreement, except for the Arms Industry, who did not have any substantial benefits affected by the agreement.

Unless... Their perception of benefits differed from his understanding.

Chu Guang opened his eyes and muttered to himself, “... Is this a test?”

Just then, a phone call suddenly came in.

Chu Guang pressed the answer button and picked up the headphones from the table.

Luca’s voice came from the other end and his voice carried evident excitement but also a hint of uncertain nervousness. “... They agreed to our proposal, but added a supplementary condition.”

Chu Guang raised his eyebrows. “What condition?”

On the communication channel, Luca continued, “... It was proposed by the City Hall. They request that when using the loan, we need to provide a procurement list in advance, and the loan will only be granted after it has been approved.”

“Is that all?” Chu Guang relaxed his brows, leaned back on the sofa, and smiled, “No problem, let them add to the proposal.”

Seeing the administrator's swift agreement, Luca hesitated for a moment before asking, “... But is this okay?”

Chu Guang replied without hesitation, “Why not? We’re not doing anything shady.”

Bulk purchases cannot be made directly from the store shelves; they had to be ordered from the factory.

When the orders were placed, and if the city hall refused to sign it, the factory wouldn't be able to receive the money from the bank, and ultimately, causing losses for themselves.

Chu Guang understood what the City Hall in Boulder Town was concerned about; they were afraid that he would recklessly mess around with the chips.

For instance, they were afraid he would buy up all the nutrient cream in the city at once before directly acquiring those bankrupt factories.

But if they thought he would do that, their perspective was too narrow.

Seeing Luca still having some concerns, Chu Guang, who was intending on training him, continued speaking, “Great endeavors are seldom achieved through plots and schemes. Winning once or twice may involve clever tactics, but if we aim to consistently triumph, we must employ strategies that are as transparent as possible.”

“When we complete the second step of our plan, the entrenched interests in control of Boulder Town’s wealth will gradually become dependent on us.”

“And what about the third step?” Luca curiously asked the question he had been wanting to ask but hadn’t.

Naturally... Chu Guang had long considered the final step.

It was when the New Alliance and Dawn City had just been established.

“The third step involves their residents.”

Luca was slightly taken aback. “The residents?”

Chu Guang nodded, “Mhm, whether it’s tens of thousands inside the giant wall or hundreds of thousands outside of the wall; those survivors who have been neglected for a long time... We will let them experience a good life for a while. When the problems are exposed, we will face the darkness with them, unite them, break down the invisible giant wall, and finally put an end to the chaos in the Southern River Valley once and for all.”

Even though the production methods had advanced to the point where many tasks no longer required human involvement, even with the convenient ways to produce population through genetic and mechanical modifications, humans would still be the backbone of civilization.

“... I hope you remember and tell those around you that the Human Renaissance Unified Front is not just a gathering place for survivors, nor is it the Enterprise or the Army.”

“We are an alliance; an alliance born atop the ruins.”

“At the same time, we belong to all survivors.”

...

The official website forum was as lively as ever.

While the construction of Daybreak City was in full swing, the restless Death Corps and Skeleton Corps continued their campaign eastward, reaching the nearby Heavenly Water Municipality.

The Snake Clan stationed there had already withdrawn, but a small group of marauder deserters remained, engaging in combat with the slaves in the alleyways, who had taken advantage of the chaos to flee.

With the aerial firepower support of the Goblin Corps, both the Death Corps and the Skeleton Corps were able to effortlessly dismantle the local marauder’s resistance.

Due to fear of the resurgence of the Bonechewer Clan and retaliation from the marauders, survivors in the area expressed their desire to join forces with these formidable individuals who had defeated the marauders.

Sideline Slacking and Escaping Mole reported the local situation to the Quartermaster NPC. Soon after, they received a mission to establish a temporary relief station and escort the survivors to West Continent City.

In the upcoming month, it was anticipated that over ten thousand survivors would gradually arrive in Daybreak City.

The housing, which was originally barely sufficient, now seemed inadequate.

Sideline Slacking posted a group photo of local survivors on the forum, with a figure carrying an LD 47 and wearing a scarf, resembling a summer worker in Syria.

A certain mischievous Mole even edited the photo, pixelating the faces while adding a caption to the photo at the same time.

Escaping Mile: Skeleton Corps Hiring, 50,000 a day, no different from playing the usual PUBG, interested parties DM, working is as fun as playing PUBG!

Quit Smoking: That’s sick!

Tail: Oh! I want to join your guys! (｀v′)Ψ

Sideline Slacking: WTH! It’s bad enough that you frickin’ obscured my face, but why did you also add your corps' logo on it?!

Eye Owe Money: Hahaha, this mischievous Mole is too naughty! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Little Rebellious: 50,000 a day is not bad. Just one question though. Where do I sign up?

Tyrannosaurus Warrior: I don’t want a salary, just give me a helmet, big brothers. T。T

...

Since the victory in the northern expedition and the unveiling of the new map, the array of missions available had expanded significantly.

Apart from the legions of corps venturing out to subjugate marauders and the hunter players dedicated to hunting large mutants, avid traders among the player base had also been keeping busy. By night, they donned their helmets and engaged in trading activities, while during the day, they shared anecdotes from their journeys on the forum.

The northern expedition had generated a substantial amount of inexpensive spoils, which, for the New Alliance, were somewhat negligible. However, for the small survivor settlements lacking industrial capabilities, these spoils were considered a precious commodity.

With spoils collected from other players in tow, trading caravans embarked on an eastward journey across the plains to sell these tools of civilization to needy survivor settlements.

Due to the eastward retreat of the Snake Clan, there had been a sudden surge in demand for weapons in the eastern provinces. Many survivor settlements were willing to offer food, ore, or other occasionally found treasures in exchange for them.

The map had seen a notable increase in tradable survivor settlements. Not only were players engaging in exchanges, but the official website forum had also been providing real-time updates on the information regarding these survivor settlements.

And precisely because of this, many players had been venting their frustration in small groups, expressing their dissatisfaction with the damn designer being extremely lazy.

The completed map lacked even a brief description, with even the overview of the survivor settlements being directly copied and pasted from player posts.

It was absolutely ridiculous!

Of course, the gameplay of the trading and corps warfare mainly targeted high-level hardcore players.

Very few individuals could survive alone in the wilderness for a week, far from save points, outside of the supply circle, and beyond communication range.

Whether in war or trade, group action would always be the only choice.

However, at the same time, individuals possessing both capital, business acumen, and organizational skills were, after all, a minority.

The daily routine for the majority of the players still revolved around conventional missions within the framework of the game system.