This Game is Too Real

  Chapter 4 Chu Guang and Lollipop

   Two hundred years ago.

   In 2125 to be precise, a war broke out on this prosperous planet.

   Both sides in the war were determined to completely destroy each other, and used almost every means at their disposal.

The    war lasted only three years.

   But it only took three years to destroy everything on the surface.

  The long nuclear winter almost extinguished the fire of civilization, and both sides successfully sent the other to **** and successfully buried themselves.

   Since then, a wasteland era that is even more depressed than the Great Depression has begun.

  Although two centuries have passed since that doomsday war, and the nuclear winter has basically ended more than a century ago, mankind has not returned to the top of the food chain.

   The proliferation of nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and even genetic weapons has caused the entire planet's ecosystem to evolve in an extreme direction.

   And those mutants called "Xenogeneic" are also the main threat to the survivors struggling in the ruins.

   For example, when Chu Guang first came to this world, the wolf dog with two heads he encountered was one of them.

   But even if it is a different species, there are strong and weak points.

  The "deformed child" caused by gamma rays, like the two-headed hyena, usually has a low fighting power. With a few lucky exceptions, the fighting power is not even comparable to that before the mutation.

   In contrast, gnaws, crawlers, etc., which are caused by biological weapons and mutated to the point where their ancestors can no longer be traced, are the real monsters born for killing.

   Their nervous systems are eroded by mutated fungi, and they usually hide in ruins, sewers, or subways, which are dark facilities during the day, and only go to the streets for food when night falls.

  The situation in the suburbs will be much better than in the city.

   Especially the outer suburbs.

   In the past five months, the most dangerous alien species that Chu Guang encountered was just a mutant brown bear. Although that guy is powerful, his response is relatively slow.

   Before being discovered by it, Chu Guang carefully avoided it.

  The twilight of the morning light pierced through the broken concrete walls, and together with the shadow of the steel scrap, fell on the streets full of car wrecks and rubble.

   The time is now 8:00 am.

   There is about a twelve hour time difference between the time here and the East Eight time zone on the other side of the world.

   Looking at the two mutant hyenas wandering in the street, Chu Guang clenched the pointed water pipe in his hand and carefully went behind the ruins.

  Although he has the confidence to kill them both, there is no need to make extra efforts.

   Besides, these beasts are very smart, and even know how to use the same kind as bait, no one knows how much is hidden in the shadow of the nearby ruins.

   Follow the path through the dilapidated neighborhood.

   Chu Guang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sign of Bette Street Children's Paradise.

In front of    is "Bate Street" - a relatively large survivor settlement in the nearby area, with more than 100 survivors living in it.

  Before the war, it used to be a children's playground with plenty of rides and a wide lawn.

  After the war, this place was designated as a temporary refuge by the army and accommodated a large number of citizens who fled from the urban area of ​​Qingquan City.

   What happened to those refugees is unknown, but today, more than 200 years later, it has developed into a "small town".

  People used discarded plastic panels, canopies, and wood and metal supports to mix and build simple shacks on the bare mud floor.

   is very similar to the kind in "The Times of the Trickster".

  The fence of the amusement park is a natural barrier, and after rough repairs, iron wire and wooden boards with nails are tied.

  The center of the amusement park is a five-storey classical castle, which has a fairy tale feel. It's just that the paint on that surface has long since worn off, and most of the wall on the side facing the city center has collapsed, leaving only the north half and a crumbling solitary tower.

   Even if it is a fairy tale, it is definitely a dark fairy tale.

   But even if the building breaks down like this, it is still the "most luxurious" building on Bate Street.

   At the same time, it is also the home of the mayor.

  Although he has lived here for five months, Chu Guang has never met the mayor. The grown-up was very mysterious and rarely made public appearances.

   "Yo, came back so early."

   Looking at Chu Guang walking from the corner of the street, Old Walter, who was hanging a dry cigarette, squinted his eyes, and a cloudy white smoke came out from his nostrils.

   He held a double-barreled shotgun in his hand.

   Although it has been looked at for some years, no one will doubt its power.

  Chu Guang once saw with his own eyes that the old man only fired two shots before knocking down a mutated brown bear that was rushing towards the gate of Bette Street.

   Since then, he has longed to have one.

   "Stayed out all night."

"Outside?"

   The old man glanced at the pointed water pipe behind Chu Guang, and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

   How dangerous the night is, no one knows better than him.

   Every time he was on the night shift, his index finger didn't dare to move his index finger from the trigger, and any slightest movement would make his whole body tense.

  Although the alien species in the outer suburbs are not as dangerous as in the urban area, there are too many predators who are eyeing this place.

   falls in their hands, and the end will not be much better than dying in the hands of aliens.

  Old Walter didn't quite believe that this guy spent the night safely in the wasteland with only a steel pipe.

   "Something went wrong."

  Chu Guang did not explain, but gave Old Walter a tired look for him to experience, and then went straight through the gate of the settlement.

   There is only one recycling station on Bette Street, which is very easy to find, next to the main entrance of the settlement.

   There is an old-fashioned electronic scale under the rolling shutter door that can never be moved, and next to it stands an archway with a "fair price, no bullying".

  This shop is the property of the mayor and is the only place on Bette Street where scrap parts and mutant moleskins are purchased.

   In order to monopolize the business of picking up trash, the dictator even arbitrarily enacted a law.

   That is, no one is allowed to sell the captured prey and collected garbage to the caravan passing through this place without permission.

   And the reason is to ensure that the goods of Bate Street can be sold at a reasonable price, rather than being shamelessly squeezed by the "cunning merchants" on the price.

  The reason why this kind of arrogant and unreasonable rules can be passed is also partly related to the ignorance of the survivors here.

   And ordinary caravans would not take the risk of offending the dictator and go to the hands of scavengers to buy the little and pitiful supplies.

   They only do big deals.

   And only do business with people you trust.

   "Sell? Or buy?"

The owner is a fifty-year-old man named Charlie. It is said that he used to be a resident of a sanctuary in the province. He was later caught as a slave until the mayor bought him from a slave owner, and he will be with him. The job of dealing with the scavengers was given to him.

   Most of the residents here are "wasteland people" born and raised, without any education, math is bad, and it is so bad that addition and subtraction within 100 may be wrong.

   But Charlie is different.

   He came out of the shelter.

  Although none of the sanctuaries in this wasteland are exactly the same, there is one thing that is similar.

  The people who can live there are all the elites of the pre-war society. Their children not only inherited smart minds from their parents, but also received a good education from the Age of Enlightenment.

   If the world hadn't been so bad, he'd probably have been an engineer, doctor, or scholar, just like his parents.

   instead of accounting here.

"Sell."

  No nonsense, Chu Guang took out 6 used batteries from his backpack, and threw 5 tubes of adhesive on the tray of the electronic scale.

   This is what he found in the wreckage of a nearby building before he discovered Vault 404.

  Old Charlie picked up the waste battery on the table, checked the model and whether it was damaged due to flatulence, and threw it on the scale beside him.

  This thing must be scrapped, don’t think about it, but it’s still okay to recycle the materials inside.

   "The quality is not bad. The **** in this area should have been cleaned up. Where did you get the good stuff?"

   This can also be called a good thing?

"lucky."

"Hehe, I just asked casually. Well, the battery is good, but the quality of the adhesive is just average. After the seal was removed, the inside is probably a mess. I can only give you a 50% discount... All add up to a total of 3 points. chips."

  Chu Guang didn't bargain with him either, and took 3 white chips from him.

   This metal-like plastic coin is the "currency" issued by the largest survivor settlement in Qingquan City, Jushi City, and can be exchanged for food and supplies in most survivor settlements in Qingquan City.

The face value of the    chip is printed on the front, and the back has a special anti-counterfeiting code and printing, which will show a special luster when exposed to sunlight.

  This chip has many advantages such as heat resistance, easy storage, and high recognition. In particular, the most critical point is that it is basically impossible to imitate with post-war technology.

  Small and medium-sized survivor settlements with small population and no industrial capacity like Bett Street mainly do business with the caravans of Boulder City, exchanging agricultural products, prey and collected garbage for necessary living materials and even weapons.

   Naturally, this currency also circulated in Bate Street.

   Of course, it is not always easy to use. If the caravan does not come in any month, the prices of the entire settlement will be messed up.

  It is not that the mayor has not tried to implement Bett Street's own currency - a book-entry ticket, but no one admits it at all.

   Even the survivors of Bate Street know that that kind of paper can even get in the way of wiping buttocks, and it is no different from waste paper.

   "Want to buy something? A new batch of goods from Boulder just arrived in the store."

   Chu Guang, who was about to leave, stopped and asked back.

   "Do you have a gun?"

   "That's not it, you can't afford it."

  Old Charlie grinned and continued to look at Chu Guang, who turned to leave.

   "But there is some food and fuel. If I were you, I would definitely buy more before prices go up."

   Guns, even the cheapest ones, are hard to come by in places like Bette Street.

  Because even if a caravan selling arms occasionally passes by, those weapons usually go into the mayor's own warehouse, and they won't be placed on the shelves here for anyone to choose from.

  Besides, as old Charlie said, even if there was such a thing, they, the scavengers, couldn't afford it.

  Chu Guang knew exactly why he said that.

As a well-educated asylum dweller, Charlie must not fail to see that all the survivors living on Bette Street, whether they are scavengers or hunters, have been exploited by the mayor's family for their surplus value. .

   Even if the Mayor Lord never reached out his hand, he took even a single chip directly from their pockets.

   "Food and fuel prices going up?"

   Looking at Chu Guang with surprise written on his face, Charlie smiled lightly and said.

   "Didn't you notice, it's been cooling down recently, and the alien species outside have become active."

  Chu Guang frowned and thought for a moment, suddenly thought of something, and said.

   "Winter is coming?"

"I remember you only came here five months ago, maybe you haven't experienced it before. In previous years, the temperature will start to cool down at this time. This year...winter is expected to come earlier, maybe in October. Snow."

   Having said this, Charlie paused for a moment and said meaningfully.

   "Winter is coming."

   "Whether it is a human or a different species, you have to prepare in advance."

When    first came to Bette Street, Chu Guang was wearing a blue coat, and Charlie subconsciously regarded him as a refugee, so he was fairly caring for him.

  Although this kind of care was never reflected in the transaction price, the old man did help Chu Guang in terms of experience.

  Otherwise, he would not have adapted to life in the wasteland so quickly.

  Chu Guang nodded seriously.

   "I see, thank you."

   "You're welcome," Charlie smiled lightly, "don't die."

   It was already the beginning of September. If it really snowed in October, there would only be more than a month left for Chu Guang to prepare.

   For survivors living in this area, snow is definitely not something to be happy about. This means that in addition to food, there is an additional fuel bill.

  The vast majority of people here make a living by picking up garbage and hunting, and the nearby farms only need people during busy farming seasons.

   In winter, the difficulty of picking up garbage will increase exponentially, and no one can predict whether the parts that can be used for waste are buried in the snow, or the fangs of mutant mice.

   And animals such as wild deer and rabbits that can provide meat will also reduce their activity time, or even hide in their nests for the winter.

  The most terrible thing is that once winter comes, the caravan will not come here. Even if you find good things, you can only pile them up at home and wait until the next spring to sell them.

   Or, venture to Boulder, ten kilometers away.

  That is the largest settlement of survivors in this area of ​​Qingquan City, and the market there is not closed even in winter.

   However, its location is on the edge of the Third Ring Road in Qingquan City, next to the Beicheng District of Qingquan City, and there are countless dangers along the way.

  The average person wants to walk on two legs, and in winter when the lowest temperature can reach minus ten degrees, it is tantamount to suicide!

  …

   After leaving the recycling station, Chu Guang first went back to his residence.

   In fact, it is not so much a residence as a shack that can barely keep out the rain, and it doesn't even have a decent window or door.

   Until yesterday, he was thinking of saving up some cement, PVC boards and other materials to seal up the leaking wall before winter came.

   But now it seems that this is no longer necessary.

  A rusted aluminum box was pulled out from the moldy sleeping bag. Chu Guang pulled it apart with great effort, and dumped the plastic coins hidden inside on the lame wooden table.

   A total of 47 white chips with a face value of 1 point.

   Counting the 3 pieces on your body, it adds up to exactly 50 points!

   This money was all saved by him, so that he could leave this ghost place one day and move to Boulder City with better conditions.

   But now...

   He has a new plan for this "property".

   If you can stand your own door, why rely on others?

   "The ruins of the sanatorium above the sanctuary can be used, and the surrounding walls of the building are all concrete structures... If there are players who can command them, collect some materials nearby, and repairs should not be too difficult."

"Near the sanatorium is a wetland park. It is not convenient to collect metal waste, but the surrounding vegetation is still lush, and the fuel for heating should not be too short. In addition, wood can also be used as a material for repairing buildings and making furniture... an axe! Yes, I have to buy four axes."

   Fight monsters and level up?

nonexistent!

   It is said that it is a 100% real **** game. Since it is a **** game, it is natural to start from the most basic work!

   "Tools like shovels and saws are also indispensable!" Before the players logged in, Chu Guang had already figured out how to arrange them.

   Of course, in addition to the tools for work, there are also the most critical rations.

   Once the cultivating chamber is activated, it will immediately consume the active substances pre-stored in the cultivating chamber to synthesize clones for players to use.

   And these clones need to eat!

  Although when the player is not online, the clone can lie in the culture chamber and sleep with a lower metabolic level, but it is impossible to lie down all the time.

  To live, one must eat. This is an eternal truth!

   "At least enough food must be stored for five adults to consume for a week... If you count two meals a day, each meal will cost you 70 pieces of wheat biscuits."

  Wheat biscuits are the most common food on Bate Street, and you can change one for one chip.

This thing is generally the size of a palm, and it may be mixed with bark or other fibers. The bite is very hard and rough, like soil mixed with sand, but it can fill the stomach and add a little salt. .

   Throw it in the pot and cook it, and you can also make gooey.

  70 pieces of cake, if you buy it, you will get 70 points of chips. Even if you bargain, 60 points of chips are indispensable. As a result, your budget is not enough.

  Chu Guang's brows furrowed, but they quickly relaxed again.

   It was he who complicated the problem just now.

   Actually, there is no need to make those players eat too well.

   If you replace the wheat cakes with the raw materials for making wheat cakes—that is, the green wheat produced by the nearby farms, you only need 3 chips to buy a full kilogram!

   Stock up on 5kg, enough for a few days!

   It's really not good, and you can learn from the survivors of Bate Street to mix bark or plant rhizomes in it.

   As for the others, we will think of a way when the time comes.

   "Let's prepare these things for now..."

   Sweeping the allocated chips into the backpack, Chu Guang put the backpack on his back again.

  Although he hadn't slept all night, he was so excited now that he seemed to have found the meaning of life again, and he was not sleepy at all.

   When he pushed open the door and came outside, he saw the little girl in the neighbor's house was sitting at the door of the shack next door, looking at him curiously.

  Chu Guang recognized her name, Yu Xiaoyu, the youngest daughter of the Yu family.

   Most of the survivors in the wasteland are yellow-faced and skinny, and the youngest daughter of the Yu family is no exception. Her small arms and legs like reed sticks make it hard to imagine that she is of age to marry.

   Seeing that Chu Guang noticed her, she was not shy and walked out of the room.

   "I heard something going on at your house, so I'll take a look."

   Every day at dawn, the men on Bette Street would go out to scavenge or hunt, while the elderly and weak women and children usually stay at home to watch the house or do some lucrative work.

  Although everyone is poor and poor, they can’t save money, and they don’t have anything to steal at home, but when no one wants to go out by themselves, someone will come to their home to take advantage of it.

   This man named Chu Guang came from outside. He usually leaves early and returns late, and rarely communicates with the neighbors in the settlement.

   She didn't know much about him, she just thought he didn't look like he could endure hardship.

   Everyone was very wary of him at first, and my mother asked her to keep an eye on this stranger from outside.

   However, Xiaoyu didn't think he was a bad person, because once he was cooking soup at the door and gave her a bowl.

"thanks."

   "You're welcome, I can help you watch the house when you go out." She blinked and added happily, "I'm idle anyway."

poor child.

   If she was in that world, she should still be studying at her current age.

  Don't want people to feel offended, Chu Guang hid a trace of pity in his eyes, took out a lollipop from his pocket without expression, and stuffed it into the little girl's hand.

   "Take it and eat it."

   "Don't tell anyone what I gave."

   "Otherwise it will be gone."

   Never seen this kind of food.

   Yu Xiaoyu first took a bite of the wrapping paper and found that he couldn't open it, only then did he realize that the outer packaging was about to be torn.

   Wuliu's big eyes stared at the red fruit ball stuck on the plastic stick. She carefully stuck out her tongue and licked it lightly.

  This, what does this taste like? !

   So sweet!

   With little stars twinkling in her eyes, she raised her head happily, wanting to say thank you.

   However, the person who gave her candy had already gone far.

   (end of this chapter)