Chapter 355.2: Is There A Possibility You're Actually Freeloading On The Server's Computing Power?

Ever since the reopening of the silver coins trading platform, doing ordinary missions became an enjoyable endeavor.

The strength type players, capable of handling tasks as effectively as 2 individuals, with a whopping 200% efficiency in manual labor, quickly became the preferred choice for numerous dedicated players, reclaiming the throne of the popular class archetype in the current version.

A piece of silver coin could be exchanged for 30 to 40 RMB, and there were large-scale buyers ensuring stable purchases every day.

It was much better than working in reality!

The only regrettable aspect was the scarcity of helmets.

What was even more infuriating was that the wretched game operator even engaged in starvation marketing! 3 days ago, they released the last 2 helmets, and the distribution stopped when the closed beta qualification reached 4,500 players.

No one knew who those two darn lucky individuals were; they hadn't even come to the forums to brag about it!

It was truly detestable!

Apart from sharing insights on trading and hard manual labor, many players working on the Daybreak City construction site had also been showcasing their recent progress.

Through the collective efforts of players and NPCs, they had excavated the framework of the entire drainage system for the survivor settlement based on the new construction plan.

The planned Daybreak City was designed to accommodate at least 100,000 permanent residents.

If everything goes smoothly, they should be able to complete this work before the rainy season, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Sword Execution: ... That NPC who came from Camp 101 before is a bit amazing. That old man helped us redesign the drainage system, and after studying the construction drawings for half a day, I still couldn't find any flaws! Especially later, when I picked up my previous work, it looked like it had problems no matter how I looked at it.

- Ah, I never thought that after working in civil engineering for so many years, I’d still be taught a lesson in a game. It's simply beyond my expectations!

Night Ten: Is there a possibility that you actually freeloaded the server’s computing power, and coincidentally solved a real-world problem that couldn’t be resolved? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Sword Execution: Uh, actually, I've been thinking, can this problem be solved with computing power?

Irene: In my New Alliance, science and technology are number one! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Elf Wang: By the way, why is Night Ten always on the forum these days? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Mosquito: What else can it be? Got temporarily banned for intentional feeding. (Smirking)

Night Ten: Get lost, I clearly heroically sacrificed myself! (Angry)

Makka Pakka: Hahaha, lmao!

Night Ten: #%@%!

He was ridiculed again on the forum.

Ye Wei rolled his eyes, closed the webpage, and switched to the group chat.

It was the last day of his death cooldown, and he would be able to log in again tonight.

Over the past 3 days, a multitude of events had unfolded both within and outside of the game.

In the game, Ample Time and his group had ventured to Boulder Town, actively participating in the border and trade negotiations between the New Alliance and Boulder Town.

As for in real life, the list was even more extensive.

Disregarding the continuous stream of major news, focusing solely on what happened around him yielded a plethora of events.

Firstly, the successful registration and establishment of the Bull and Horse Company resolved the issues associated with large-scale silver coins transactions.

Next, it was regarding Ye Wei himself.

The property he purchased by the riverside had completed all the necessary procedures. With a spacious 126-square-meter layout, the residence boasted a living room with large windows and a balcony overlooking the river. The property came fully furnished and exquisitely decorated, all for a total payment of 5 million RMB.

Ye Wei still vividly remembered the stunned expressions on the faces of the real estate agent and the seller when he made the payment.

Since it was a relatively new second-hand property, he arranged for a cleaning service to ensure hygiene. On the same day, he went to the marketplace to buy some clothes and bedding. Without any luggages, he moved in immediately.

Today being the weekend and without any scheduled classes, Ye Wei spent the early morning lounging on the sofa in his living room, alternating between browsing forums and checking group messages.

Usually by this hour, Old White and Ample Time would have already logged out. However, today they were a bit late, and it wasn't until noon that Old White made an appearance in the Bull and Horse Group.

In the Bull and Horse group.

Old White immediately exclaimed upon entering.

Old White: Ample Time, where the hell have you been? Why aren’t you responding to my messages in the game?

Peepo: And you didn’t even go back to the save point!

Doggo: Come clean, did you get into trouble or something?

These two individuals were new members to the group.

Along with Kidney Warrior and other players from Burning Corps, they had joined the group during the release of the expansion pack.

Quit Smoking: What? Ample Time got into trouble? What kind of trouble? Tell me!

Mosquito: Hahaha, you mention trouble, and I’m all ears! (Smirking)

The excitement wasn't limited to just Mosquito; the entire group of players joined in the banter.

Among them was Ye Wei, who naturally joined the chorus and posted a message.

Later, as the banter became more outrageous, Ample Time, who was looking at the screen, couldn't hold back any longer and finally spoke up in the group.

Ample Time: What the heck, I just went offline for a smoke. What nonsense are you guys talking about?

Old White: Post-nut smoke?! (Smirking)

Ample Time: Get lost, that's a low blow!

Mosquito: I heard your last location was at the Queen of the Night. Come clean, did you do anything naughty? (Smirking)

The messages kept flooding in.

Ample Time simply pretended not to have seen them and continued typing in the group.

Ample Time: ... Enough with the nonsense. This time, I mainly confirmed 3 speculations about Wasteland Online.

- One is about the trigger mechanism for hidden missions. Based on the current needs of the faction, actively collecting relevant intelligence has a certain probability of triggering hidden missions.

- For example, the side mission I'm currently doing involves gathering information about the warehouse arson case and the organizer of the protest activities. It was triggered by actively tracking key targets.

Old White: Is the mission reward substantial?

Ample Time: It’s somewhat higher than regular missions, especially in terms of Regional Prestige rewards.

Garbage: And the second speculation?

Ample Time: ...It’s About bionics prosthetics. Although Boulder Town's weapon shops sell some basic models of bionics prosthetics, their performance is quite mediocre, and the efficiency is not even comparable to the original limbs.

- I saw the bodyguard next to the NPC named Liszt with significantly more powerful components installed on him. At the time, I thought, maybe Boulder Town actually has a place similar to a black market, where you can buy equipment not available on the market.

Mosquito: Did you find out where that black market is? (Curious)

Ample Time: Mhm, there's a private clinic in the outer city. A new NPC I met gave me a business card, saying I should bring chips and look for that person; he can help me get some 'good stuff' that isn't easy to come by. I heard it includes not only bionics prosthetics produced by the Boulder Arms Industry but also androids and some varieties not sold to the public. I plan to check it out tomorrow.

As soon as this message was sent, the group exploded with excitement.

Bionics prosthetics produced by the Boulder Arms Industry were one thing, but the mention of androids was something else.

This was too awesome!

Quit Smoking: Holy shit! That's amazing!

Old White: That’s sick!

Tomato Eggs: Such a major update and no announcement? Doesn't seem like Light's style. (Surprised)

Mosquito: Maybe Light hasn't finished this part yet, and it got discovered early. You're done for, get ready to be banned. (Smirking)

Garbage: Damn it! Come clean, did you sell your ass to the devs?

Ample Time: Piss off, if you want to talk trash about me, that's fine, but is Brother Light that kind of person? (Angry) (Angry)

Looking at the long string of messages on his phone screen, Ye Wei couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to admire the realism of the game, even including a black market, or to commend Ample Time’s expertise in discovering such elements in the game.

- Oh right, weren't there 3 speculations? What about the last one?

Upon seeing this message, the group of friends immediately caught on and responded.

That’s right.

They had only tasted the second piece of popcorn.

What about the third?

Faced with the group mates’ inquiries, Ample Time fell into silence this time.

Just as Ye Wei thought he was organizing his thoughts, a line of messages suddenly popped up.

Ample Time: Ah... this is hard to talk about. On second thought, let's save this for another time.

Night Ten: ???

What does 'save this for another time’ even mean?

Is this something a decent person would do?

However, this time, no matter how everyone tagged him, Ample Time remained silent.

Ye Wei couldn't stand people who kept him in suspense. It felt like a swarm of ants were crawling in his heart, and he couldn't resist opening his contacts, immediately wanting to make a phone call to get clarification.

Just then, a WeChat message popped up at the top of his phone screen.

Ye Wei instinctively tapped on it and found that it was from his younger sister.

Pineapple Jiujiu: Brother, I'm done with my exams!!

Done with exams?

Ye Wei was momentarily stunned. He glanced at the date, and then realized it was already June 9th.

Damn it!

So much had happened in these few days that he had forgotten about his sister's college entrance exams!

Remembering the promise he made back then, Ye Wei immediately opened the online shopping app and paid for the phone he had previously added to the cart.

It had only been a few months, but the price had unexpectedly dropped by around 300 RMB.

However, at this moment, Ye Wei suddenly recalled the news he had read before.

Wouldn't it be possible to buy a phone with a more powerful battery in another two months?

Forget it... he had already made the purchase.

If needed, he could always switch to the new model later.

Looking at the payment success screen, Ye Wei shook his head. He closed the shopping app, switched back to WeChat, and replied to his sister's message.

Ye Wei: How did the exams go?

Pineapple Jiujiu: Hehe, it went smoothly! (Proud)

Gone smoothly should mean that there was no problem.

Ye Wei's face lit up with a relieved smile; this was the best news he had heard today.

He was about to tell his sister about the phone he bought, but his typing speed had become somewhat rusty recently. Just when he had just typed half of what he wanted to say, a series of messages popped up on the other side.

- By the way, brother, since I have nothing to do during my break, how about I come to Jiang City to visit you?

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

- I also want to check if there's any summer job available nearby! (Proud)

- What do you think about working in a milk tea shop? (Expectant)

Ye Wei typed back with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Ye Wei: You little brat, why would you want to work a summer job? Just enjoy your summer. Comfortable days like these won't come often.

Pineapple Jiujiu: This is called accumulating social experience. What do you know?

- Moreover, I'm already an adult, so stop calling me a brat! How old do you think you are? (Rolling eyes)

Ye Wei: Enough with the nonsense. By the way, isn't the school you're aiming for located in Jiang City? Just bring your luggage over, and you can leave it at my place.

Pineapple Jiujiu: Leave it at your place? Are you sure you have enough space? (Side eye)

Looking at this message, a smile involuntarily appeared on Ye Wei's face.

Speaking of which, he had been so busy these days that he hadn't informed his family about buying his own residence yet.

Suddenly, he began to look forward to the expression on his sister's face...

Ye Wei: Just bring it over, and I'll give you a surprise when you arrive.

Pineapple Jiujiu: Really? I’ll do it!

- Oh, by the way, speaking of surprises, I happen to have one for you too! Hehe, wait for it! (Mischievous face)

Ye Wei was momentarily taken aback, and his expression suddenly became somewhat strange.

Unsure whether it was just his imagination, but when he saw the word ‘surprise’, he not only had no expectations but also felt a kind of ominous premonition washing over him.

Hopefully, it was just his imagination.

After all, reality is not a game.

He shouldn't have such a heightened perception...