The uses for acetic acid, acetone, and methanol remain exceptionally broad.
If the outpost truly seeks to ignite industrialization, these chemical materials are essential components.
Although currently of limited utility, Chu Guang still awarded the player [MosquitoReal] with 1,000 contribution points for his exceptional achievement in producing acetic acid, acetone, and methanol from wood. This achievement was publicized for all to see.
Is this perhaps a server-wide announcement, reminiscent of those in online novels?
Watching [MosquitoReal] bask in pride, with the other players casting envious glances, Chu Guang decided that this excellent tradition was worth preserving.
Indeed.
Not only in the game.
It should also be posted on the official website!
Perhaps a Hall of Fame could be created, commemorating the date and accomplishments of players who achieve significant feats.
These feats could include solutions to developmental issues or clearing a particularly challenging dungeon.
As a ruler of modest means, a sense of honor is the only high-value reward he can afford to offer his players.
After wrapping up, Chu Guang, alongside Night Ten and Trash King, ventured north along the elevated road outside the Wetlands Park.
They scouted for signs of prey and targets worth exploring.
In Spring City, the industrial clusters are primarily in the southeast, fanning out along the Third and Second Ring Roads.
The northern area, where the Ling Lake Wetlands Park is located, is mostly residential. Along the road out of the city, numerous unfinished buildings still stand.
In addition to well-established public facilities such as education, healthcare, and transportation, no large industrial clusters were developed here. Only some small-scale light industry workshops are scattered in the outskirts, neighboring waste incineration sites.
Now, most of these places are overgrown by forests.
At the outbreak of the nuclear war, the northern suburbs of Spring City, with its dense population and low strategic value, largely escaped direct strikes from strategic weapons.
However, after the collapse of order, the flood of refugees brought a different kind of catastrophe.
Supermarkets, convenience stores, food markets, malls—these were looted first, followed by hospitals, schools, office buildings, every shop along the street, even the refrigerators and cabinets inside homes.
No shelter dared risk its safety by opening doors to them; it wasn't feasible, and transportation paralysis meant they couldn't easily leave the area either.
Even two hundred years later, bullet holes in walls and shattered glass bear witness to the tragedies that once unfolded here.
In display windows, on shelves, and inside trash bins, skeletons, not yet fully weathered, still cling to these places.
"This… it's devastating," Trash King turned away, closing the open dumpster lid after seeing a pair of skeletons, one large and one small, holding each other.
Night Ten, more seasoned from previous expeditions with Chu Guang, was nonchalant, offering a veteran's commentary on the scene.
"I must say, the game's scene design is quite impressive… it really feels like a post-apocalyptic world."
"This *is* a post-apocalyptic world," Chu Guang replied coolly, carefully inspecting the display window of a shop and marking it on his paper map.
This had likely been a clothing store.
But there was barely anything left; only two tattered rags, now covered in black mold, hung on the rack.
Scavengers had clearly visited, and not just once.
"…Feels like a waste of time," Night Ten sighed. "It's obvious that everything here has been looted clean."
"We'll find something useful… like this." Chu Guang tossed a box of unopened sewing supplies he found behind a nearly shattered cabinet toward Night Ten.
The needles were probably alloy, and the threads likely synthetic—unopened, they hadn't oxidized. They'd be useful for another two hundred years.
Small tools like these were exactly what the outpost needed.
Teng Teng would be interested in this.
After exhausting their search, they prepared to leave.
But suddenly, a scream echoed from the distance, followed by two sharp gunshots.
It sounded like a 5mm bullet.
Chu Guang tensed, removing the pipe rifle from his back, crouching into the shadow of the wall, and cautiously peered in the direction of the noise.
Around the corner of the street, beneath a tilted billboard, a man in a gray coat had collapsed, fear plastered on his face as he tried to drag himself away.
Blood seeped from his back, forming a red stain on the ground.
"…A scavenger?"
Soon, another figure appeared around the corner.
A gunman in a leather jacket, cigarette stub clenched between his teeth, held a rifle cobbled together from scraps. He advanced toward the wounded man, who was begging for his life.
A companion followed, a rifle slung over one shoulder, a fireman's axe on his waist, and a dog on a leash.
Chu Guang's eyes narrowed.
In less than a second, he assessed the two men's identities.
Marauders!
"What's happening out there?" Night Ten crept up beside him, lowering his voice.
He thought he was whispering, but his lack of stealth was evident.
"Shhh!"
Chu Guang barely managed to make a silencing gesture before the mutant hyena chained to the marauders turned its head and barked in their direction.
Chu Guang's face fell.
Damn it!
Had this beast invested all its skill points into perception?!
Within a split second, the two marauders turned, reacting swiftly, and raised their rifles to fire.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out as Chu Guang ducked back, though he quickly realized his caution was unnecessary.
Their DIY rifles probably had no rifling; the shots missed, the bullets scattering harmlessly onto the cement.
"Are we in a firefight?!" Trash King crouched inside the shop, his enthusiasm unshaken, fists clenched in anticipation.
Night Ten was the same; he pulled out his spear, eager for action.
"No worries, I'll take a look first—"
"Look, my foot!"
Watching his fearless allies, Chu Guang's frustration boiled over. He pressed Night Ten's head down to keep him hidden.
"They're marauders! Both armed and with a dog. Exit through the back door. We'll regroup at the bus stop 300 meters south!"
"Honored Administrator, why retreat? It's only two people and a dog—we outnumber them!" Trash King clenched his fists. "We're ready to fight!"
"Yes, we can fight!" Night Ten echoed, picking up the crossbow, his spirit soaring. "We may only have one gun, but we've got Molotovs… and this two-meter lizard! I don't believe it can't handle a dog."
At these words, Chu Guang realized something.
Exactly.
Why retreat?
Previously, he'd scouted alone, taking caution against savage bandits. But now, he had both weapons and allies—no need to flee.
Besides, there were only two of them.
Without hesitation, Chu Guang cocked the rifle, locking and loading.
Let's do this!
"You, take the Molotov and head over there." Chu Guang handed Night Ten the Molotov and matches, pointing to a corner diagonally across the street.
"Follow my signal. When you hear my shot, light it up and throw!"
The enemy didn't know how many were on their side. If they saw someone running, they'd give chase.
Night Ten hesitated.
"B-but how do I get there?"
"Run! Unless you want me to carry you? Their guns lack rifling; they won't hit you." Chu Guang shoved him out.
Night Ten stumbled to the doorway, anxiety evident. But, recognizing a chance to prove himself to the Administrator, he steeled his nerves.
Damn it.
Do or die!
In a game, what's there to fear?
Just as Chu Guang predicted, seeing Night Ten dash from the shop, the marauders immediately shouted, firing two shots after him.
"Ha-ha! Where do you think you're going?"
"Give up now, surrender, and we might spare you!"
Night Ten couldn't understand their words, but he felt the bullets whizzing past.
Without stopping, he dashed into the shop across the street.
The marauders glanced at each other, chuckling, and pursued with guns ready. They unleashed the dog, too.
With no weapon, the scavenger was likely just a junk picker from the area.
Killing a scavenger was as trivial as crushing an insect to them.
Inside the shop, Chu Guang waited patiently for the right moment.
As the barking drew closer, he suddenly leaned out, aiming at the charging mutant hyena, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A 9mm bullet shot through the beast's flank at five meters—no chance of escape.
Though Chu Guang had aimed for the head.
The hyena collapsed instantly, rolling a few meters before lying still.
The marauder froze, stunned by the presence of another gun.
His face contorted with rage as he took in the sight of his fallen companion.
"I'll skin you alive!"
"John, calm down! There's more than one of them—"
Before the sentence was complete, a Molotov arced through the air, shattering against a burned-out car nearby.
Flames surged up, igniting shards of glass and sealing the marauders' retreat.
Realizing the odds, the marauders started to back away, but the fire left them trapped, forcing them into a stalemate.
Just then, one marauder caught sight of a terrifying figure under the shop's eaves.
A monstrous, green-scaled lizard.
Or rather, a lizard-man.
"A monster—"
Swoosh!
A spear flew through the air, silencing him mid-sentence as it pierced his chest, pinning him to the burning car