Chapter 362.2: Friends From Afar

Concealing his surprised expression, Yun Song looked at Chu Guang and spoke seriously. "We have 20 wounded soldiers. Before settling us in, can you provide them with beds for rest first?"

"Wounded soldiers?" Chu Guang looked at him slightly surprised.

Yun Song nodded, saying with a heavy expression. "When we passed through Forever East Municipality, we encountered an ambush by a group of Slime Mold creatures disguised as survivors... 4 of our brothers were left there forever, and another 20 brothers suffered various degrees of infection during the battle."

"Their symptoms are highly unusual, manifesting not only in irritability but also accompanied by increased appetite, excessive sleepiness, and uncontrollable violent behavior."

"We don't have professional medical equipment and personnel to deal with their conditions. We also don't have cryo-sleep devices to alleviate their suffering. We can only give them periodic injections of tranquilizers."

"Continuing the journey with them would be a burden, and it could also be dangerous for them. We plan to leave them temporarily with you."

"In July, an Enterprise trade caravan will return from the west, and they will take our wounded soldiers back to Ideal City. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you to take care of those wounded soldiers for a while... Of course, we will pay you for your services."

Hearing the words of the assault team leader in front of him, Chu Guang's expression also slightly changed.

Slime Mold creatures disguised as survivors?

Has the Hive in Forever East Municipality developed to that extent?

What surprised Chu Guang even more was that even this group of professional soldiers armed to the teeth with high-tech equipment was caught off guard by the fruiting bodies of Slime Mold there.

If he remembered correctly, Bucky, who ran the aluminum factory in the northern suburbs, also seemed to have been parasitized in that Forever East Municipality.

"I will have my doctor take a look at them." Chu Guang said seriously.

Although he didn't have much hope for the small clinic in the wastelands of the wilderness, Yun Song still nodded. "Thank you."

...

The welcome banquet took place in the military camp, and these soldiers were not particular about the dining environment. It would be more accurate to say that after enduring days of rough journey, just having a table to eat at could already bring them a great deal of happiness.

Not to mention the rumors about the delicious food. As soon as they crossed the border of the River Valley Province, many people’s hearts were already filled with anticipation.

And at this moment, those expectations were more than fulfilled. Over 20 round tables were set up in the open area, each with a hollow center housing a large pot.

Under the pots were piles of stones, and inside, hot charcoal burned. The boiling pot bubbled with froth, and amidst the billowing white steam were enticing aromas that made everyone sitting at the table salivate.

Thin slices of meat and various meatballs were placed in wooden boxes on the table, along with sliced cabbage, dew-covered bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu chunks, instant noodle cakes, and more.

Eyes alternating between the pot and the ingredients on the table, a soldier from the Enterprise sitting at the table couldn't help but ask, "What is this? How do we eat it?"

"It's a hot pot, quite a common way of eating here. You just put the ingredients in, cook them, and then take them out to eat," Lu Bei said with a smile, demonstrating by using chopsticks to pick up a paper-thin slice of beef, dipping it into the pot for a moment, and then placing it in his mouth.

Watching him relish the food so much, the fellow soldiers seated around the round table couldn't help but feel their stomachs rumbling, and one after another, they began to follow suit, eager to savor the delicious meal themselves.

As the 2 groups of people ate and chatted, the lively atmosphere was as thick as the white mist rising from a pot.

At the beginning, there was a bit of unfamiliarity. But as a few bites of beef paired with beer went into their stomachs, they quickly became comfortable with each other, completely breaking the ice.

Observing the voracious manner in which this group of people was eating, a soldier from the Guardian Corps, seated at the same table, curiously asked, "Do you not have hot pot where you come from?"

Ideal City was rumored to be a very prosperous place, claiming to be the utopia closest to the Prosperity Era in this wasteland.

Compared to that place, their neighbor, Boulder Town, seemed insignificant, like dust compared to diamond.

Although the rumors may be somewhat exaggerated, watching these voracious individuals, Lu Bei couldn't imagine how prosperous that place could be.

A few Enterprise soldiers exchanged glances and shook their heads unanimously.

"I don't know, I'm just an F-level employee."

"I'm E-level, and I should be able to raise my authority to D-level when I get back. But the benefits given by the Defense Department will only be increased by half a level, and the credits given will only be enough to buy some regular food."

"Back where we come from, we're not very particular about cooking methods, but we're certainly not lacking in protein and fats."

"Restaurants will process the food and bring it to us, and the taste is generally not as strong as this."

At this moment, an Enterprise soldier who was busy eating without participating in the conversation raised his head and couldn't help but express his envy. "Damn... Do you guys eat like this every day?"

Lu Bei smiled embarrassedly, "Not every day... Just occasionally.”

Who would be able to withstand eating hot pot every day? Even if their stomach could handle it, their asses couldn't.

There were plenty of good things on North Street in Dawn City, and the treatment provided by the New Alliance to the soldiers was good enough; they didn't need to eat the same thing every day.

Upon hearing the allied forces' remarks, the enterprise soldiers, who were initially envious, finally displayed expressions of inner satisfaction, no longer harboring that envy.

Indeed.

Such delicious food is probably very expensive, and not everyone would be able to eat it everyday...

...

Due to the time constraints and the lack of preparation for over 200 people's meal, Chu Guang had a spontaneous idea and simply decided to treat them to hot pot.

They could eat hotpot while it was cooking, and it wasn’t troublesome to prepare. They could even chop ingredients while enjoying the meal, and the hot pot base was pre-prepared.

The arrangement for Guardian Corps soldiers and the incoming Enterprise soldiers to dine together was also Chu Guang's idea.

The primary reason for doing this was to enhance mutual friendship and alleviate any apprehension on both sides.

Of course, there was another reason, which was to use their reputation.

Chu Guang had heard long ago that the nobles and merchants in Boulder Town were the number one simps of the Enterprise. The entire industrial system of the outer city, and even the layout of some city districts, were all modeled after the Enterprise’s.

Goods from Ideal City, especially high-tech products, were often sold at sky-high prices in the inner city of Boulder Town.

If it weren't for the reluctance to give up the benefits in the city combined with the long journey, those nobles would probably have already run to the east coast to enjoy life.

Thinking of this, Chu Guang, sitting at the dining table, couldn't help but reveal a meaningful smile.

If the photos of people from the Enterprise enjoying meals together with the soldiers of Alliance appeared on the front page of Survivor Daily the next day, he wondered how those inner city nobles would feel.

The Enterprise's delegation arrived at the northern suburbs with the 26th Assault Team of the Enterprise's land forces and engaged in friendly exchanges with the Alliance's Guardian Corps.

He even thought of this headline for their newly established newspaper already!

"What are these noodles made of?" The deputy leader of the assault team, dropping a piece of instant noodle cake into the hot pot, couldn't help but ask.

Ideal City did have noodles, but he had never seen these deep-fried noodles before.

Although the idea of consuming deep-fried carbohydrates sounded very unhealthy, eating them was unexpectedly addictive.

Especially when cooked in spicy soup... The taste was extraordinary!

Maybe it was because they were hungry from traveling, he hadn't stopped eating. It was already his third bowl!

"... A convenient food that can be cooked in a hot pot or boiled in hot water. If you had told us a few in advance, we could have prepared even more delicious food for you," Chu Guang said with a smile.

It was clear that Enterprise didn't invest much in them.

Even logistics were outsourced to traveling merchants in the wasteland.

The man sitting on the right side of Yun Song was the accompanying traveling merchant. His name was Hedin, and he claimed to be a wandering merchant in the wasteland.

However, being responsible for the logistics of the expeditionary force, he didn't look like an ordinary traveling merchant at all.

"... Eating while cooking, I've never seen such a strange way of eating." Eating slowly, Hedin, the merchant, wore an expression of keen interest on his face.

It was as if he had found a business opportunity.

"Is it not available elsewhere?" Chu Guang casually asked.

"There's something similar, but the taste isn't as strong..." Hedin took a sip of beer, then suddenly changed the subject, looking at Chu Guang, and said, "Can I inquire about the seasoning's recipe? Of course, I can pay for it."

Chu Guang smiled and said, "It's not really a secret. If you're interested, you can chat with the chef later."

Shaking his head, Hedin jokingly said, "I've learned in my many years of business that free things are the most expensive. I'd prefer to hear the price for it."

Chu Guang looked at him somewhat surprised.

It seemed this guy wasn't easy to fool, but it made sense.

Most of the crew on the Pioneer were engineers, so, not being good at business was normal.

That guy was a genuine merchant, and it seemed he had dealt with survivors outside Ideal City quite a bit.

The tricks that worked so well on the crew of the Pioneer probably wouldn't be as effective on him.

Chu Guang agreed readily, "No problem. But let's discuss it after the banquet."

Hedin smiled and said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Actually, I'm interested in this thing you call an ‘instant noodle cake’ as well."

"Although its nutritional value doesn't seem high, I guess it’s easy to preserve and it can provide a large amount of calories. If paired with some dehydrated vegetables, it might be quite popular among mercenaries and merchant caravans."

Not bad. This guy has some insight.

Chu Guang looked at him with a look that showed his increasing surprise.

Although it wasn't something very difficult to think of.

But to smell the business opportunity in a meal that hadn't even been finished yet, this guy was indeed a talented individual.

With a hearty smile, Chu Guang spoke, "Your guess is correct."

"Our instant noodles sell best among mercenaries, followed by merchant caravans going on long journeys."

Hedin was interested. "Can you elaborate?"

"Of course." Chu Guang found that he and this traveling merchant shared quite a few common interests, especially when talking about investing in factories, expanding markets, and opening up the Among Clouds Province market.

However, at this moment, Chu Guang suddenly noticed that Yun Song, the leader, seemed a bit absent-minded while eating. So, he spoke with concern. "Is it not to your liking?"

"No, your food is delicious, thank you for your hospitality," Yun Song sighed, staring at the wine bottle on the table with a hint of worry in his eyes. "I'm just a bit worried about those injured brothers."

Chu Guang could feel his current mood but didn't know what to say. He could only offer a comforting sentence. "Don't worry, although our hospital may not have the same conditions as yours, our doctor and biologist are definitely professionals. Especially regarding the research on Hives and Slime Molds, we have been dealing with those things for a long time."

While saying this, his wrist-mounted terminal suddenly flashed, and a popup message from Hyrja appeared.

[Inhibitor has been injected, the condition of the wounded is stable.]

Chu Guang raised an eyebrow in surprise, and a happy smile immediately appeared on his face.

"... See, we already have good news."