Chapter 372.1: That's The Guy You Used To Get So Drink He'd Pass Out!

In a campsite of about a hundred people, on the fringes of the rows of tents, the crackling of a burning bonfire could be heard.

Next to an Electric Mule, a girl with shoulder-length hair sat cross-legged on the ground, fiddling with a VM.

Passersby often inadvertently cast their gaze their way, attracted by the unusual group of 3 young women and 2 bears... It was a sight rarely seen.

Their fair and delicate skin, combined with their lovely faces, could capture the hearts of young men. Even rough female mercenaries couldn't help but take a second look.

However, the long-barreled heavy machine gun welded to the truck's roof and the barbed wire and bloodstains on the front bumper served as a deterrent to those with ill intentions.

After all... They were on the wasteland. No one would play around with their lives.

"Damn... why is there a communication range setting? Shouldn't the player system be accessible everywhere?" Tail complained quietly as she looked at the top right corner of the screen.

"You ask that as if it's your first day in the game," a giant white bear sitting beside her rolled her eyes.

Hearing this, Tail's lips curled up in a confident retort. "Roro, that's where you're wrong. If we complain a bit more in the game, what if the developers hear us? Maybe they'll change the setting."

"Really? Can it work like that?" Roshan blinked.

Sesame Paste grinned subtly. "Ahaha... Probably not."

"Be confident, it might just work." Tail snapped.

Calmly maintaining her rifle, Sis skillfully attached the last part and aimed it toward the distant forest. "... Even the Baby Bus can't make every baby happy. If they took every piece of feedback, it would just mess up the game."

Teddy yawned and curled up in the shadow behind the truck.

As a real bear, it didn't understand anything those people were saying and simply felt sleepy.

If possible, it would have liked to snuggle closer to Roshan, but each unintentional approach resulted in a swipe, and over time it no longer dared to try.

Yet, following those humans wasn't too bad. It was certainly better than the iron cage it had been in before. It can also eat meat every day.

It had grown accustomed to its life in the team.

Watching the crackling fire, Sesame Paste's cat ears twitched slightly, her eyes filled with evident anticipation. "How long before we can see the desert?"

Sis pulled out a paper map and rubbed her chin in thought. "I don't know, the desert's borders are always shifting. The further west we go, the less reliable the maps created in the pre-war era are... But we've already reached the outskirts of Lucky Valley Municipality, so it should be soon."

At that moment, they were staying at a survivor settlement called Katin Station.

As for why they were there... That was a long story.

A week ago, Pai returned to Camp 101 after completing a protection mission. Restless, Tail suddenly expressed her wish to ‘fulfill Sis's dream of seeing the desert,’ so they set their next destination of their Order of the White Bear to Oasis No. 9 in Sunset Province.

Despite the odd phrasing, Sis was a bit moved that Tail remembered something she had once mentioned.

Thus, they loaded up a few boxes of Devil Silk and Teng Teng's ‘artworks’, along with some goods that might be valuable in the desert before setting off westward.

After a week's journey, they finally reached the border between River Valley Province and Sunset Province.

The place they had arrived at was called Lucky Valley Municipality, with mountains to the north, a forest to the east, plains to the south, and a wilderness covered in collapsed homes and construction debris to the west.

As that place served as the western exit of the southern corridor of River Valley Province, caravans were a common sight. Several survivor settlements dotted the edges of the forest.

Katin Station, where they were staying, was the largest settlement. Most passing caravans chose to stop there, so they followed suit.

Most people there lived in tents, subsisting on herding and hunting. They grew a small amount of green wheat, shofar potatoes, and a type of fruit tree that didn't require much watering.

Besides the tents owned by locals, at least 60 percent were occupied by outside caravans.

The locals didn't have their own currency and typically bartered or used pure gold dinars for trade.

Chips, silver coins, or even CR was useless.

Surprisingly, Sisi discovered that the instant noodles they brought from Dawn City could be used as currency!

1 packet of instant noodles was equivalent to 2 dinars, nearly 10 grams of gold.

If they could bring the gold back to reality, they would be rich!

Sisi and Sesame Paste were still studying the map, while Roshan had already started to doze off.

Just then, Tail, who was playing with her VM, suddenly let out a cry of surprise. "We've got a signal!"

"Signal?" Sisi was slightly startled and instinctively turned on her VM, only to find no change in the upper right corner.

"I don't have it either," Sesame Paste frowned while staring at her VM.

"It's not a shelter signal. It's in my friends list!" Tail exclaimed excitedly, "It's from Sping Water!"

A VM could connect not only to shelter servers but also perform peer-to-peer connections between devices, though some functions would be limited and the communication range was relatively short.

Only when they were within 3 to 5 kilometers would a faint signal appear.

Sisi leaned over to look at Tail's VM and her eyes widened in shock.

"Spring Water Commander? What's he doing here?"

If she remembered correctly, that dude went off to the center of Clearspring City to level up his Scientific Expedition Team.

It was at least 150 kilometers from the center of Clearspring City, and the Order of the White Bear took a week to arrive! How could Spring Water Commander be nearby?

At that moment, a communication request popped up on the list, and Tail immediately pressed the accept button.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Amid the noisy static, a familiar voice came through. "... Tail, are you guys in Lucky Valley Municipality?"

"Yeah."

"I'm right above you."

"Huh?! THE FUUUUC-K?" Tail looked up, but the sky was pitch black. She couldn’t see anything.

Spring Water Commander didn't pause and he spoke quickly, “I'm nearly at the limit of my flight range, so I'll make it quick. This morning, our corps unlocked a mission from the science team about Shelter 79, which is near you..."

"Eh?! Near us?!" Tail gasped in shock.

"Yes, I'll explain the details when we meet up. We'll be dropping an airdrop a bit north of you soon. It should go unnoticed in the dark, and you can recover it tomorrow morning based on the coordinates."

"What's in the airdrop? Food?" Tail asked in excitement.

"It's communication equipment! I need you to set up a communication base in the southern outskirts of Lucky Valley Municipality, then hold your position and wait for further instructions..."

"Wait a minute, we've got our own things to deal with here," Sisi interjected gently, frowning slightly.

It had taken them at least a week to get there from Clearspring City. Who knew how long the mission would drag on?

The shelter mission was tempting, but the total benefits might not exceed what they could earn from trading. If they had been told a week earlier, Sisi would have definitely dragged Tail along to complete the mission. However, they already arrived at their goal...

She hated unexpected changes like that.

Although their relationship with Spring Water Commander was good, it was just at the level of general friends. Only a sudden accident or Tail could make her abandon her planned activities.

A sigh came through the communication channel, "I know, and I'm really sorry to trouble you, but this mission is truly important! Not just for the Storm Corps but for the New Alliance... You're the only ones I can ask right now, can you do me this favor?"

"Sisi... Brother Spring Water Commander is really asking us for help. Let's help them out!" Tail grabbed Sisi's sleeve, her eyes shining brightly.

Of course. She was mainly curious about what was in Shelter 79!

That was a two-digit shelter, the first of its kind since the game started!

Sisi revealed a helpless expression, seeing right through Tail's thoughts.

Eventually, she muttered, "Alright... For the sake of the New Alliance."

Shelter 401 was nearing its maximum capacity, and Shelter 404 and Shelter 117 were already full. The shelter they found in West Continent Municipality, Shelter 101, was already claimed. New players had nowhere else to go.

Taking over Shelter 79 might prompt the officials to release more Beta testing spots, making the server more lively.

Spring Water Commander heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her.

He had a backup plan, which was to drop a few paratroopers to establish an outpost, but the effect would definitely not be as good as having Sisi and Tail nearby.

As early game players, their combat abilities, although not on par with those in the highest tier, were still among the best on the server.

Besides building an outpost, he also needed their help with some reconnaissance missions.

"I'm deeply grateful! We plan to set off tomorrow morning... By the way, is there anything you need us to bring over?"

Sisi suddenly thought of something and her eyes lit up. "Bring me a truckload of instant noodles and Nuka Cola!"

"A truckload of instant noodles?!"

Spring Water Commander was stunned. He could only chuckle awkwardly, "Uh, there are only 6 Electric Mules available for the supply train, and we need to carry a lot of supplies and construction materials. The space we have is limited, and the cost of a truckload of instant noodles... It's a bit difficult for me to front the money."

A packet of instant noodles sold for 2 silver coins, a box of 24 packets wholesaled for 40 silver coins. A truckload would be at least 500 to 600 boxes, totaling at least 20,000 silver coins.

Of course, his total assets were more than that, but it would be hard to come up with 20,000 silver coins instantly.

However, Tail, sitting nearby, was quite generous. "No problem, I'll transfer the silver to you when I log off, including the money for the truck!"

Wow!

So a truckload of instant noodles meant a truck, plus noodles!

With the ultimate sugar mommy statement knocking the wind out of him, Spring Water Commander didn't know how to respond.

"Alright then... I'm about to leave the communication range, we'll talk more after I log off. Also, don't forget to retrieve the airdrop."

"Okay! Leave it to Tail!"

With that, the call ended.

Tail curiously looked at Sisi. "Sisi, why are we buying so much instant noodles?"