Two hundred years ago.
To be precise, in the year 2125, a war broke out on this prosperous planet.
Both sides of the war were determined to completely annihilate the other, utilizing almost every means available.
The war lasted only three years.
But it only took three years to destroy everything on the face of the Earth.
The long nuclear winter nearly extinguished the flames of civilization, and both sides succeeded in sending each other to hell, while also burying themselves.
From then on, the Wasteland Era, even more desolate than the Great Depression, began.
Although two centuries had passed since that apocalyptic battle, and the nuclear winter had largely ended over a century ago, humankind had not returned to the top of the food chain.
The proliferation of nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and even genetic weapons, caused the entire planet's ecosystem to evolve in extreme directions.
And those mutants known as "Variants" posed the primary threat to the survivors struggling among the ruins.
For example, when Chu Guang first arrived in this world, one of the things he encountered was a wolf dog with two heads – a Variant.
However, even among Variants, there are differences in strength.
Creatures like the Two-headed Hyena Dog, a "freak" caused by Gamma Rays, generally have low combat power, with a few luck exceptions; some may even be weaker than before their mutation.
In contrast, the Eaters, Crawlers, and other such Variants, caused by biological weapons and so mutated they can no longer be traced back to their ancestors, were truly born for slaughter.
Their nervous systems were infected by mutant fungi; during the day, they usually hid in ruins, sewers, or subway facilities away from light, and it was only at nightfall that they ventured out to hunt for food.
The situation in the suburbs was a lot better than in the city.
Especially the distant suburbs.
In the past five months, the most dangerous Variant that Chu Guang had encountered was a Mutant Brown Bear. Although that fellow had tremendous strength, its reactions were relatively slow.
Chu Guang carefully avoided it before it noticed him.
The early morning light broke through the damaged concrete walls and, together with the shadows of the steel rebar debris, fell onto the streets littered with automobile wreckage and broken stones.
The current time was eight in the morning.
Here, the time differed by about twelve hours from the East Eight Time Zone over in the present world.
Watching the two mutated hyenas wandering the streets, Chu Guang gripped the pointed iron pipe in his hand and cautiously made his way behind the ruins.
Though he was confident he could take them down, there was no need to court unnecessary trouble.
What's more, these creatures were clever and even knew to use their kind as bait; no one knew how many more might be lurking in the shadows of the nearby ruins.
He made his way along the small path through the dilapidated blocks.
Upon seeing the sign for the Bet Street Children's Park, Chu Guang finally let out a sigh of relief.
Ahead was "Bet Street" – the larger survivor settlement in the area, home to over a hundred survivor families.
Before the war broke out, this had been a children's amusement park with a plethora of recreational facilities and a spacious lawn.
After the war, the military designated it as a temporary refuge and accommodated a large number of citizens who fled from the downtown area of Clear Spring City.
What became of those refugees is unknown, but after more than two centuries, today the area had evolved into a small "town".
Using discarded plastic boards, canopies, wood, and metal supports, people cobbled together makeshift shanties on the bare muddy ground.
It was strikingly similar to those of the "Outlaw Era".
The amusement park's Enclosing Wall was a natural barrier and, after rough repairs, had been fortified with barbed wire and spiked wooden planks.
At the center of the amusement park stood a five-story classical castle, reminiscent of a fairy tale. The paint on its surface had long since peeled away, and the wall facing the city center had collapsed significantly, leaving only half of the northern side and a solitary, rickety tower.
Even if it were a fairy tale, it would certainly be a dark one.
Yet even in this broken state, it remained the most "luxurious" building on Bet Street.
And, it was also the home of the town mayor.
Having lived here for five months, Chu Guang had not met the mayor. The personage was shrouded in mystery, rarely making public appearances.
"Yo, back so early?"
Watching Chu Guang come around the corner of the street, Old Walter, dangling a pipe, squinted his eyes and exhaled a puff of murky white smoke from his nostrils.
In his hand, he held a Double-barreled shotgun.
Despite its age, no one doubted its lethality.
Chu Guang had witnessed first-hand how the old man had fired just two shots and taken down a Mutant Brown Bear that had gone berserk and charged the gates of Bet Street.
Since then, he had always desired to possess one himself.
"I was held up outside all night."
"Outside?"
The old man glanced at the spiked iron pipe Chu Guang carried on his back, raising an eyebrow in a hint of surprise.
Nighttime was incredibly dangerous, and no one knew this better than him.
Every night shift, he dared not let his index finger stray from the trigger, as any slight rustle or movement put his nerves on edge.
Although the Variants in the remote suburbs weren't as dangerous as those in the urban areas, there were a great many Looters who eyed this place like tigers watching their prey.
Falling into their hands wouldn't be much better than dying at the hands of a Variant.
Old Walter had his doubts that this guy could actually spend a night in the Wasteland unharmed with just a steel pipe.
"There was a bit of an accident."
Chu Guang didn't explain, merely giving Old Walter a tired look that said to draw his own conclusions, then walked through the gates of the Survivor Settlement.
There was only one junk recycling station on Bet Street, and it was easy to find, located right next to the entrance gate of the Survivor Settlement.
An old electronic scale that never gave accurate readings sat beneath the shutter door, next to it stood a sign that professed "Fair prices, honesty to all."
This store was the property of the town mayor and the only place on Bet Street that bought scrap parts and mole hides.
In order to monopolize the scavenging business, this despot even brazenly enacted a law:
No one was to sell their hunted game or scavenged trash privately to the Commercial Teams that passed through.
The reason given was to ensure that the goods from Bet Street fetched reasonable prices, instead of being shamelessly squeezed by "sly merchants."
The fact that such arrogant and unreasonable rules could be enacted was partly due to the ignorance of the local survivors.
Moreover, most Commercial Teams wouldn't risk offending the despot by buying the pitiful amount of materials from the hands of Scavengers.
They only engaged in larger trades.
And only did business with trusted individuals.
"Selling? Or buying?"
The shopkeeper was a fifty-year-old man named Charlie, rumored to have been a resident of a Shelter from another province before being captured as a Slave, until the town's mayor bought him from a Slave Owner and entrusted him with interacting with the Scavengers.
Most residents here were "Wasteland-born" with no education to speak of, and their math skills were poor—to the extent that they might even miscalculate basic addition or subtraction within one hundred.
But Charlie was different.
He came from a Shelter.
Although none of the Shelters in the Wasteland were exactly alike, they did share one commonality.
Those who lived there were invariably the elite of pre-War society, their children not only inherited their parents' intelligence but were provided with good education from a young age.
If this world hadn't gone to hell, he probably would have ended up like his forebears, becoming an engineer, doctor, or scholar.
Instead of keeping accounts here.
"Selling."
Without further small talk, Chu Guang pulled out 6 scrap batteries and 5 tubes of adhesive from his backpack and tossed them onto the scale's tray.
He had scavenged these from the remnants of buildings nearby before he discovered Shelter No. 404.
Old Charlie picked up the scrap batteries from the table, casually checked the type and for any bulging or damage, then carelessly tossed them onto a scale next to him.
One could be certain these were useless, but still, the materials inside could be recycled.
"Decent quality given that the trash around here's been pretty picked over. Where did you find this good stuff?"
This could be considered good stuff?
"Got lucky."
"Heh, was just asking. Hmm, the batteries aren't bad, but the quality of the adhesive is so-so, the seals have been tampered with, and it's probably a mess inside. I can only give you half the rate for those... all together, it's 3 points in chips."
Chu Guang didn't bother to haggle and took the 3 white chips from Charlie's hand.
These plastic coins with a metallic feel were the "money" issued by Giant Stone City, the largest Survivor Settlement in Qingquan City, and could be exchanged for food and supplies in most Survivor Settlements around Qingquan City.
The chips had their denomination on the front and a special security code and unique holographic print on the back that shimmered under sunlight.
These chips were heat resistant, easy to store, highly recognizable, and—most critical—almost impossible to replicate with post-War technology.
Places like Bet Street, with smaller populations and no industrial capabilities, mainly conducted business with the Commercial Teams from Giant Stone City, exchanging agricultural produce, hunted game, and scavenged trash for necessary living supplies and even weapons.
Naturally, this currency started circulating in Bet Street as well.
Of course, it wasn't always effective; if the Commercial Teams didn't visit for a month, the Settlement's prices would spiral out of control.
The mayor had tried to introduce Bet Street's own currency—a sort of voucher system—but no one acknowledged it.
Even the survivors of Bet Street knew well that such paper was more of a hassle than help, barely distinguishable from trash.
"Would you like to buy something? The store just received a new shipment from Giant Stone City."
Just as Chu Guang was about to leave, he paused in his steps and turned back to ask,
"Do you have any guns?"
"No, none of that, and even if we did, you couldn't afford it."
Old Charlie cracked a smile and continued as Chu Guang turned to leave.
"However, there is some food and fuel available. If I were you, I'd definitely buy more before the price goes up."
Weapons, even the cheapest kind, were hard to come by in places like Bet Street.
Even if the occasional arms caravan passed through here, those weapons usually ended up in the mayor's own warehouse and were never laid out on the shelves for people to choose from.
Moreover, as Old Charlie had said, even if such things were available, scavengers like them could never afford them.
Chu Guang understood why he said that.
As a well-educated resident from the refuge, Charlie must have seen that all the survivors living on Bet Street, whether scavengers or hunters, had been completely exploited by the mayor and his family.
Even if the lord mayor had never personally reached into their pockets to take even a single chip.
"Food and fuel are going up in price?"
Looking at the surprise on Chu Guang's face, Charlie said with a faint smile.
"Haven't you noticed? It's getting colder lately, and the Variants outside are starting to get active."
Chu Guang frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something and spoke.
"Is winter coming?"
"I remember you arrived here five months ago. Perhaps you haven't experienced it, but around this time in previous years, it would usually begin to get colder. This year... winter might come a bit earlier; it's possible that it'll start snowing in October."
At this, Charlie paused for a moment, then said with profound meaning,
"Winter is coming."
"Both people and Variants need to start preparing in advance."
When Chu Guang first came to Bet Street, he wore a blue jacket, and Charlie had subconsciously taken him for someone from the shelter, so he had been quite caring towards him.
Although this care never reflected in the trading prices, this old man had indeed helped Chu Guang with some experience.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have adapted to life on the Wasteland so quickly.
Chu Guang nodded seriously.
"I understand, thank you."
"Don't mention it," Charlie said with a faint smile, "just don't die."
It was already the beginning of September, and if it were really going to snow in October, Chu Guang had only a little over a month left to prepare.
For the survivors living in this area, snowfall was definitely not something to rejoice over. It meant that besides food, they would also have to add fuel expenses.
Most people here lived off of scavenging and hunting; nearby farms only needed people during the busy seasons.
In winter, the difficulty of scavenging would exponentially rise; no one could predict whether the parts buried in the snow were reusable junk or the fangs of mutated rats.
And animals like deer and rabbits, which could provide meat, would reduce their activity times, or even hide in their lairs to overwinter.
Most fatal of all, once winter arrived, the caravans would no longer come here. Even if good items were scavenged, they could only be piled up at home, waiting to be sold when spring came the following year.
Or take the risk of venturing to Giant Stone City, ten kilometers away.
That was the largest survivor settlement in the Clear Spring City area, and even in winter, its market would not close.
However, it was located on the edge of Clear Spring City's Third Ring Road, right next to the North District of Clear Spring City, with countless dangers lurking along the way.
For an ordinary person to think about walking there, especially when the lowest temperature could reach minus ten degrees in winter, was tantamount to suicide!
…
After leaving the recycling station, Chu Guang first went back to his place of residence.
It was more of a makeshift shelter barely able to keep out the rain than a home, lacking even a proper window or door.
Until yesterday, he had thought about saving up some cement, PVC boards, and other materials to seal the drafty walls before the arrival of winter.
But now, it seemed there was no need.
Prying open a rusty aluminum box from a moldy sleeping bag, Chu Guang strained to open it and poured out the plastic coins clattering onto the wobbly wooden table.
A total of 47 white chips with a face value of 1 point each.
Including the three on his person, that made exactly 50 points!
This money had been saved up little by little, scrimping and saving, so that one day he could leave this hellhole and move to the better conditions in Giant Stone City.
But now, well...
He had a new plan for this "fortune."
Why rely on others when you can stand on your own?
"The ruins of the sanatorium above the shelter can be put to use, and the walls around the building are all concrete structures… If there were players to command, gathering some materials nearby, the difficulty of repairs shouldn't be too great."
"The Wetland Park is near the sanatorium, making it inconvenient to collect metal scrap, but the surrounding vegetation is still quite lush. There shouldn't be too much shortage of fuel for heating. Besides, wood can also be used for repairing buildings and making furniture... Axes! Right, I'll need to buy four axes."
Leveling up by fighting monsters?
"Not possible!"
They said it was a 100% realistic hardcore Game, and if it's a hardcore Game, you naturally have to start with the most basic Work!
"Tools like shovels and saws can't be neglected either!" Even before the players logged in, Looter had already thought about how to arrange them.
Of course, besides the tools for Work, there's also the critical issue of food rations.
Once activated, the Cultivation chamber would immediately consume the pre-stored active substances within and synthesize a clone for the players to use.
And these clones needed to eat!
Although the clones could lie dormant in the Cultivation chamber with a lower metabolism when the players weren't online, they couldn't always lie down.
People needed to eat to live, and that was an eternal Truth!
"At least I need to store enough food for five adults for a week... Assuming two meals a day, one flatbread per meal, that would be 70 pieces."
Flatbread was the most common Food on Bet Street, 1 Plastic coin would buy one piece.
This thing was usually as big as a palm, and it might have bark or other fibers mixed into it. It was tough and coarse to bite into, like earth mixed with sand, but it could fill the stomach and added a bit of salt.
If you boiled it in a pot, you could make porridge.
70 pieces of bread would cost 70 Plastic coins to buy, and even if you haggled, it wouldn't be less than 60 Plastic coins. With such expenses, he wouldn't have enough budget,
Looter's brow furrowed, but then it relaxed again.
He had made things too complicated moments ago.
There was no need to feed those players too well.
If he replaced the flatbread with its raw material—it was green wheat, produced by the nearby farms. For just 3 Plastic coins, you could get a whole kilogram!
Stocking 5 kilograms would be enough for a few days!
And if worse came to worst, you could mix in bark or plant roots like the Survivors on Bet Street did.
As for the rest, he would figure out something when the time came.
"Let's just prepare these things for now..."
He swept the allocated Plastic coins into his backpack and slung it back onto his shoulder.
Although he hadn't slept all night, he was now too excited, as if he had found a new purpose in life, without the slightest hint of tiredness.
When he opened the door and came outside, he saw the little girl from next door squatting at the entrance of the neighboring shack, curiously looking his way.
Looter recognized her name, Yu Xiaoyu, the youngest daughter of the Yu family.
Most survivors in the Wasteland were thin and haggard, and Yu Xiaoyu was no exception. Her arms and legs as thin as reeds made it hard to believe she was of marriageable age.
Noticing Looter's gaze, she didn't act shy but walked out from her house.
"I heard noises from your place and came to see."
Every morning at dawn, the men of Bet Street would go out to scavenge or hunt, while the elderly, women, and children usually stayed home to mind the house or do some Work that could earn Money.
Although everyone was poor and lived hand to mouth, unable to save any Money and with nothing worth stealing at home, no one wanted strangers taking small advantages in their homes while they were out.
This man named Looter was an outsider, usually leaving early and returning late, seldom interacting with the local community.
She didn't know much about him, only noticing that he didn't look like the type to endure hardships.
Initially, everyone was cautious of him, and her mother had told her to keep an eye on this foreigner.
However, Yu Xiaoyu thought he didn't seem like a bad person because he had once shared a bowl of soup with her when he was cooking at his door.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. I can watch your house when you're out," she blinked, happily adding, "I'm free anyway."
Poor child.
If this were the other world, she would still be in school at her age.
Not wanting to appear offensive, Looter hid the faint sympathy in his eyes, took a lollipop from his pocket without expression, and put it into the little girl's hand.
"Here, eat this."
"Don't tell anyone I gave it to you."
"Otherwise, you won't get any more."
She had never seen this kind of Food before.
Yu Xiaoyu first tried to bite the wrapper, realizing it was unchewable, then she discovered she had to tear it open.
Her big eyes fixed on the red fruit ball stuck on a plastic stick; she cautiously stuck out her tongue, giving it a light lick.
What, what flavor is this?!
So sweet!
Her eyes sparkled like little stars as she looked up happily, wanting to say thank you.
But the man who gave her the candy had already walked away.