Chapter 527.2: The Spreading Filth...

Just as Teng Teng had suspected, when she, Yaya, and Pineapple Jiujiu arrived at the nearest guard post, the guards were already overwhelmed by the incident.

Some shelter residents claimed that the Na Fruit was the same as the Emerald Fruit discovered in the south, and posed serious potential health risks, yet they had no way to prove it.

The toxicity of the fruit did not show immediate symptoms. Its honey-like sweetness was deceptively pleasant, and in fact, it seemed to make the consumer temporarily stronger.

That was exactly why the New Alliance’s usually reliable routine correction system malfunctioned the moment consensus broke down. Fortunately, the problem was discovered early.

Aside from its standard error-correction system, the New Alliance also had a special secondary safeguard. Well... It was the players.

Residents of Shelter 404 were always ready to respond to mobilization orders, whether for sudden outbreaks of war or daily public order maintenance.

Little Seven was the first to report Chu Guang’s instructions to both the guard post and the Festival Management Committee. All Na Fruits were to be immediately removed from market shelves, recalled from customers who had purchased them, and all consumers registered for follow-up.

The New Alliance’s Biological Research Institution would monitor any symptoms in those who had consumed the fruit, and collect and process their metabolic waste accordingly.

According to a report submitted on the official website by Garbage those who ate the Na Fruits wouldn’t fall ill right away, but would suffer weakened immunity and, for a period of time, their feces would contaminate the soil, rendering it infertile.

It wasn’t yet clear whether the impact could be resolved through technical means, but even just the reduced immunity and soil contamination effects were serious enough to merit urgent attention.

Drones hovering over the New Alliance had already been deployed. Players scattered throughout the crowd began to receive quests.

Those food products that posed hidden-danger had to be eradicated from the New Alliance marketplace!

“... Na Fruits.” Ample Time read the update on his VM with interest, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Dori, with her camera slung around her neck, leaned over curiously. “What are you looking at?”

“This is our...

uh

, work log,” Ample Time explained in a way she could understand, then closed the VM. “A batch of harmful fruit has turned up in the market. It’s called Na Fruits. Seems like traders brought it up from the south. Any idea about it, my adorable journalist?”

“Na Fruits?” Dori blinked and shook her head blankly. “It’s my first time hearing of it...”

Ample Time gave a faint smile. “Is that so? Looks like the southern trade hub of River Valley Province has shifted from Clearspring City’s western ring to the northern suburbs. From one angle, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Though it also means more challenges,” he added.

“Is the fruit... very dangerous?” Dori asked with concern.

“Mm.” Ample Time nodded, his gaze sweeping across the bustling crowd. “Let’s hope this thing doesn’t spread westward along our trade routes. We only just solved our food crisis.”

Maybe the New Alliance should take the initiative on this.

...

At the same time, inside the New Alliance’s banquet hall.

Chu Guang, having just officially declared the celebration open in Victory Plaza, was already meeting representatives from various factions, including delegates from the Enterprise.

The New Alliance’s victory didn’t just concern its future, but also the future of the east of the wasteland, for the next 10, or even 20 years.

Therefore, whether they had participated in the campaign against the Sunset Province directly or indirectly, nearly all survivor settlements with trade ties to the New Alliance had sent representatives to join the celebration, and brought blessings from afar.

Chu Guang recognized most of them.

There was Deputy Head Wu Changnian from the Enterprise, Prince Wint of the Lion Kingdom, and even Princess Afrni from the Honey Badger Kingdom, who had never left the New Alliance since arriving.

Besides familiar faces, some came from survivor settlements that had yet to officially establish diplomatic ties. It was Chu Guang’s first time meeting them.

For instance, a place called Garbage City, southeast of the Red River Alliance, which normally had no formal contact with the New Alliance, had sent a representative.

Then there was Dam City in the Spur Province, east of River Valley Province, a settlement with a population of several hundred thousand. Their city lord had even sent his son as a representative.

The young man was named Zhou Xianlin. His name sounded refined, and he carried himself with scholarly elegance. It was rare in the Wasteland. As soon as they met, he grabbed Chu Guang’s hand and stammered with excitement. “Your speech... It was absolutely magnificent! I... I don’t even know how to express how moved I was! With a leader like you, it’s no wonder you’ve accomplished such a miracle in just one year! We’re planning to follow your example! Once I return, I’ll rename our settlement to the Dam New Alliance!”

“Thank you. The New Alliance has many outstanding people. A miracle is a miracle precisely because no one can accomplish it alone.” Though happy to see such enthusiasm in the young man’s eyes, Chu Guang also felt a tinge of concern. He gripped the young man’s hand and said earnestly, “I appreciate your high praise for our achievements, but I urge you not to copy us blindly. We may all live on the same wasteland, but our challenges are different.”

Zhou Xianlin nodded furiously, his eyes glowing. “Understood! I’ll remember it well! Our top priority is wiping out the remnants of the Bonechewer Clan. Those marauders are running wild everywhere, it’s infuriating!”

Looking at his flushed face, Chu Guang thought he resembled Somer a little, though definitely not as smart.

Apparently, he had just gained another young admirer in the most unexpected way.

Still, with so many others waiting to meet him, Chu Guang didn’t linger around. He simply patted the young man on the shoulder and moved on to the next delegate.

He truly hoped that the youngster would understand the importance of unity, rather than copying the New Alliance blindly because they had several strong experts.

Take the Enterprise for example. By sheer size, it far outclassed the New Alliance, and had inherited more strategic assets from the Post-War Reconstruction Committee than Chu Guang could even imagine.

Yet even on the Wasteland, or in the real world, forcefully copying Ideal City’s system would absolutely shatter the existing social order.

Ideal City’s birth was a one-in-a-million coincidence.

Had the residents of Shelter 6 and the Ideal Colony Ship not unanimously voted to create it under very special circumstances, Ideal City would never have come into being.

Even a single dissenting vote, even if they were ultimately outvoted, would’ve derailed that dream.

After finally wrapping up all the diplomatic pleasantries, Chu Guang was about to rest when Little Seven’s voice rang in his ear just as he sat down. “Master! Your player discovered a batch of suspicious fruit at the celebration that might be toxic! It seems to match the Emerald Fruit reported by player Garbage!”

Hearing the crisp voice in his ear, Chu Guang frowned slightly.

Little Seven had previously informed him of his players’ discoveries in the south. Though he hadn’t participated in the forum discussions himself, he had been following updates about both the Na Fruits fruit and the Mutant Human settlement that named themselves ‘Qi’.

Compared to other issues, however, the fruits hadn’t been high on the priority list, certainly not as important as Project Big Plane or the nuclear fuel negotiations in the Brocade River Province.

After all, between a Mutant Human Tribe 700 to 800 kilometers away and a mysterious new crop, the New Alliance had far more urgent matters that demanded Chu Guang’s attention.

Economically, he had to ensure controlled debt growth and keep inflation in check as industrial expansion surged. He needed to redirect surplus military production toward civilian industries and listen to industry leaders to prevent waste during economic transition.

In governance, he had to clearly define each department’s roles and responsibilities. What used to be done ‘fast, good, and cheap’ now had to follow proper procedure. He also had to carefully adapt concepts like AI municipal governance from the Prosperity Era into something more compatible with the Wasteland Era, reducing bureaucratic inefficiency and cultural mismatch.

And that wasn’t even counting military, cultural, or diplomatic affairs...

After finishing all of that, he still had to translate those same systems into game logic to prepare the next version of Wasteland Online for his cute little players.

The New Alliance was entering an unprecedented golden age of development, with hundreds of people joining their cause every day.

Confidence in the New Alliance, both from citizens and neighboring settlements, was at an all-time high.

Even those who hated or feared the New Alliance had to admit that it had achieved a nearly impossible miracle, and wouldn’t be disappearing anytime soon.

As the New Alliance’s Administrator, Chu Guang knew exactly what his top priority was.

Yet what he couldn’t ignore was that the Na Fruits had quietly crept right under his nose from the south. Some hidden, tainted force was spreading silently...

After a brief moment of thought, Chu Guang gave Little Seven a firm order. “Send a sample to Hyrja. Tell her to drop everything else and study the fruit. I want that analysis back as soon as possible.”

A burst of enthusiastic confirmation sounded in his ear. “Copy that!”