Chapter 356.1: You Provide the Tech, We Provide the People! Win-Win!

5:00 in the evening.

Ample Time lay on the bed, put on his helmet, and returned to the game. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at the gray cement ceiling.

Beneath him was a worn-out single bed.

As he moved his heavy head, a faint fragrance wafted from the compressed pillow into his nose. The only downside was the scent of motor oil mixed in.

Turning his head, he saw a girl sitting on the edge of the bed.

In her hand, she held a screwdriver, tinkering with the components of her left arm, whether replacing batteries or changing oil, it was hard to tell.

The game always felt unexpectedly real in strange ways.

"You are awake?" Dori noticed the movement on the bed and glanced at him.

At this moment, she wore a washed-out sleeveless T-shirt, and in the dawnlight from the window, a hint of fair skin could be vaguely seen, making Ample Time unsure where to place his gaze. "

Mhm

."

Seeing the man's embarrassment, Dori smirked mischievously and teased, "You're such a deep sleeper; I couldn't wake you no matter how loud I called."

Ample Time awkwardly touched his nose. "Actually, I'm not usually... I’m not usually like this. Let's drink again next time."

Dori laughed. "It's okay, I'm not mocking you."

"..."

Damn it! This game is really annoying.

Getting too drunk would result in frequent disconnections, and once disconnected, he would completely shut down; he wouldn’t be able to reconnect in a short while no matter what.

He couldn't remember what happened last night. He only recalled glimpses in the dark and didn't see much.

Unable to log in later, he went to the balcony for a smoke and had a chat with his group members.

But, what exactly happened last night when he was unconscious...

Ample Time's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously touched his belt.

It wasn’t that he was worried about what the girl did to him; he was not the type of guy who would be afraid of being taken advantage of.

He was mainly worried that he would be missing a kidney...

Watching Ample Time checking his body, Dori playfully chuckled and continued, "Don't worry, I didn't touch your stuff."

Ample Time, of course, wouldn't admit he was looking for something just now. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Where is this?"

"My place."

Although it was expected, Ample Time still showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Misunderstanding his expression, Dori casually said, "Is it a bit shabby?"

Ample Time glanced around the one-room apartment filled with various items that was less than 15 square meters.

Few nice clothes were visible; mechanical parts were scattered next to bottles and jars in the corner, accompanied by tools for polishing parts.

"Need to find a bathroom? You might have to go out for that." Dori looked at him as he surveyed the surroundings.

Ample Time shook his head. "No... Actually, considering the standards in the wasteland, the environment here is not bad."

The limited space within the giant wall naturally couldn't be compared to the sparsely populated northern suburbs.

A proud smile appeared on Dori's lips. "Indeed, it provides shelter from wind and rain, you don't have to squeeze with others, and the rent is only 52 chips a month. I quite like it here. When I have time, I plan to get a succulent plant and put it by the window."

Listening to her chatting away, Ample Time felt his knowledge of the federation language wasn't sufficient. But relying on his experience in communicating with NPCs, he still made a rough guess.

"Succulent plant?"

"Mhm, a plant with thick leaves. I heard it can absorb radiation." Dori said with confidence, as if she genuinely believed in this theory.

Absorbing radiation...

Ample Time raised an eyebrow.

It wasn’t that he wanted to argue, but he genuinely doubted if this plant had such capabilities. If it did, why not just plant a couple next to the reactor?

On the other hand, he rarely thought about radiation in Wasteland Online. According to the official website, residual radiation was a concern, but not the main issue here.

Compared to that, Mutant Slime Mold, marauders, mutant humans... There were too many deadly things besides radiation.

While Ample Time was lost in his thoughts, the girl looked at him curiously. "Don't believe it?"

Ample Time shook his head gently. "No... In our place, there are also such theories."

"Oh, looks like you don't believe it as well." Dori chuckled, diverting her gaze, and continued working on the almost assembled mechanical arm.

Seeing the profile of her face, Ample Time suddenly felt a twinge of empathy.

He didn't know where this emotion came from.

Although he also enjoyed the game a lot, as a professional player, he always treated NPCs as mere data, seldom investing emotions in any character.

That was probably the biggest difference between him and Old White, Sideline Slacking, and the others.

His throat moved, and, as if by some strange force, Ample Time spoke unexpectedly, “... Have you ever considered changing your living environment?"

"Changing environment? What's the difference anywhere else?" Dropping the screwdriver from her hand, she casually remarked, her profile and voice bearing a maturity beyond her age.

Ample Time didn't know how to respond for a moment. However, he eventually spoke. "Don't you have any dreams? Like... things you want to do?"

"Things I want to do?" Dori thought seriously for a moment and said, "Opening a bar, does that count?"

"... I thought you might say you want to open a coffee shop or a flower shop."

"Coffee shop? Flower shop? Does Boulder Town have things like this?" Dori was puzzled.

"No, it's just in my hometown, I often heard drunken girls saying things like that... Can you help me find that doctor who sells bionic prosthetics later?" Ample Time sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a chip.

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the last chip in his pocket was white, with a big 1 written on it. His expression instantly became awkward.

Seeing the drastic contrast in his expression, Dori couldn't help but giggle.

Taking the chip from him, she flicked it lightly with her thumb and tossed it into the iron box on the table.

"No problem, I have nothing to do anyway."

"Considering you were such a gentleman last night, I'll accompany you for a stroll."

...

Dawn City.

Back in Shelter 404, along the narrow single room echoed with the hissing sound of air leaks, excited cries could be heard.

"HELL YEAH! I've finally respawned." Night Ten, who sat up from the nurturing cabin, picked up the blue coat hanging on the chamber and put it on. He first went to the public bathroom for a shower, and then headed to the lobby on level B2.

Since it was the peak time for players to go online, when he arrived, there were quite a few people in the lobby. Gale, Quit Smoking, and Mosquito were all present.

Approaching them and exchanging greetings, Night Ten noticed Mosquito with a strange shifty look and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Get lost, get lost, don't distract me from doing something important."

Before Night Ten could roll his eyes, Quit Smoking had already mocked him. "Heh, what important thing can you possibly be doing?”

"... He's probably stalking that NPC named Pai. He mentioned it to me before." Gale looked at Mosquito with an expressionless face. However, the mischievous glimmer in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Although players occasionally got kicked out of the game for violating the rules, Mosquito seemed to be the only one who got kicked out of the game for the same reason... At least, he was the only one on his friends list.

Seeing Mosquito get mocked, the players around joined in the conversation.

"... I remember now! It seems like it happened last time too. I heard from Tail that this guy got caught red-handed!"

"I heard he attempted to hug a little girl, but failed!"

“Such a pervert!"

"Shame on you!"

Quit Smoking looked at Mosquito in shock. "Bro, are you becoming a pedo?"

Mosquito's face turned red, and he retorted, "Get lost! I just... I just want to figure out how that oil is made."

Without professional analysis equipment, he could only roughly deduce that the bottle of fuel contained recognizable aliphatic and olefinic components. As for the rest, it was a mystery.

These days, he had been looking for the NPC named Pai, but the little girl seemed to be scared off by him and hadn't appeared again.

Mosquito couldn't help but regret.

Perhaps he should have restrained himself a bit.

The topic of the conversations in the lobby shifted like a gust of wind; in no time, it was changed to a new subject.

Seeing that it was getting late, everyone started to discuss where to level up later.

Night Ten looked at Gale. "Where should we go later? Should we gather in Boulder Town?"

Gale looked at his right hand. "I need to attach my arm first."

The feeling of weakness made him feel like he was missing something.

At that moment, Night Ten suddenly remembered a crucial matter. "By the way... don't you have to remove an arm before attaching that?"

Gale nodded. "

Mhm

."

Wasn't it obvious?

Night Ten glanced oddly at his right hand. "So, how are you going to deal with the removed arm?"

Gale was dazed for a moment. It was a question he hadn't considered.

After a moment of silence, he said with a subtle expression, "I’ll just bury it somewhere."

.......

In the Library, on level B4.

Chu Guang, sitting in front of the computer, stretched lazily on the sofa. "Finally done."

Little Seven, on the desk, happily raised two thumbs the size of toothpicks and cheered. "Master is amazing!"

Chu Guang gave it a tired look. "Thanks for the praise. But it would be great if you could help me a bit more."

While the little guy could accurately convey every command to the correct department, creative work remained beyond its capabilities. Especially in terms of designing rules.

In the annals of the Federation of People's history, Chu Guang learned about the rise of ‘AI-ism’ during the early days of the Prosperity Era.

Its adherents believed that the root cause of issues in production relations and distribution systems lay in the ugliness inherent in human nature.

They argued that human happiness inherently required deriving joy from others' suffering, and the only solution was to establish a society governed by AI, replacing all administrative bodies with artificial intelligence.

However, this movement declined in the middle of the Prosperity Era. Historians provided various assessments, including things like insufficient hardware and software capabilities and material abundance leading people to prefer maintaining the status quo...

Chu Guang held reservations about these viewpoints but still gleaned a bit of wisdom from history.