Planting area on the B3 floor.
The last row of the soilless planting unit.
Standing in front of a transparent display window, Chu Guang touched his chin with his right hand, and his sunny and handsome face was full of surprise.
"Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, cabbage... I didn't expect there were so many good things hidden here."
Originally, I planned to come here to take a look at the planting area, but I didn't expect that after walking around the planting unit, I actually found an unexpected surprise here.
Behind the transparent display window, there were boxes with labels, which contained seeds of different varieties of crops.
These seeds were soaked in a special solution and stored at an extremely low temperature.
Chu Guang counted carefully. There were 12 kinds of pre-war crops stored in the freezer, with growth cycles ranging from short to long, and suitable climates ranging from tropical to cold zones, almost completely covered.
No matter what kind of climate environment the residents of the shelter faced after the door of the shelter was opened, they could find at least one variety suitable for the current climate to sow.
In addition, these seeds are all genetically modified improved varieties, roughly similar to the β-712 cotton seeds he had opened from the blind box before.
Following the manager quietly, looking at the interested expression on his face, Makabazi said excitedly.
"Manager, I think we should make use of these idle facilities!"
Chu Guang nodded and said.
"You are right, I do have this plan."
Hearing this, Makabazi standing next to him was expectant, but when the manager turned around and left, he did not wait for the expected words.
Blinking in confusion, he quickly lowered his head and glanced at the VM.
Huh?
Why didn't the task trigger?
Is it because the posture that triggered the dialogue is wrong?
...
The soilless planting unit in the planting area, sowing, watering, fertilizing and the final harvest can all be completed through preset programs.
In a sense, similar to the black box production method, the demand for manpower and planting experience is extremely low.
There is no need to let players take care of such a highly automated facility. Chu Guang plans to let Xiao Qi take charge.
Too much manual participation will drag down the efficiency of the facility.
In terms of production ideas, Chu Guang plans to focus on breeding staple food varieties with longer growth cycles, supplemented by planting short-cycle crops such as pakchoi.
When the spring comes next year, the seeds of those staple food crops will be used.
"50 planting units, the theoretical planting area adds up to only 50 acres... still a little less."
Even if one acre of land can feed 5 people with intensive cultivation, the output of 50 acres is only enough to feed 250 people, and it is not even enough to cover the new players in the Alpha0.9 version.
Every time Chu Guang thought of this, he was puzzled.
"This is unreasonable. The planting area of the shelter can't even feed the refugees on this floor. Do people here eat nutritional paste?"
It shouldn't be so miserable.
Or...
Is there another hidden story?
In any case, food is a big problem.
In addition to food, his little players also need fur coats to resist the severe cold. Although the blue coat has a warming function, it is only for general cold. This winter in Qingquan City, the lake has even shown signs of freezing, which is obviously not described as general cold.
Compared with the incubator, the supplies needed to feed a player are the more urgent problems that need to be solved at the moment.
The more troublesome thing is that it is almost December, and the winter has entered the peak, and everyone may not have much food.
Brown Farm can no longer squeeze out any oil, and there are no survivors' settlements with relatively high food production in the nearby area.
The only thing to count on is the greenhouse ruins.
I hope that brother Makabazi can help a little.
It has been a while, and I don't know how his corn field is doing.
After leaving the planting area, Chu Guang turned a corner and came to the next door infirmary, intending to see what his newly recruited bioengineering expert was busy with.
Due to the frequent watching and harassment of the players, the door here seemed to be locked by her.
Although the door from B1 to B3 was just a decoration for Chu Guang, he still politely pressed the doorbell with high emotional intelligence.
The doorbell rang.
It opened quickly.
After passing through the infirmary, Chu Guang went straight to the room inside.
Judging from the equipment here and the layout of the room, this should be a medical laboratory.
When he passed through the movable door, Heya, wearing a blue coat, was standing in front of an electron microscope, with her eyes facing the observation port, and her right hand skillfully controlling the buttons on the touch screen.
After standing by and observing for a while, Chu Guang asked with interest.
"What is this?"
Without stopping the movement of her hands, Heya, with her eyes glued to the eyepiece, said excitedly.
"Mutated slime mold! Samples collected from the gnawers! Thanks to your wanjia... should be pronounced like this? Anyway, please thank them for me!"
It seems that she is already familiar with the players' usage, although she is not yet completely accustomed to their enthusiasm.
Chu Guang is very pleased with this.
If only all his NPCs had such high comprehension, then his micro-manipulation could be reduced by at least half.
"I will convey your thanks. How is it? Did you see anything?"
Unlike the shelter residents who have lived in the wasteland for a while, Heya had been staying in Shelter No. 117 before. Although she had heard of the dangerous species active outside, she had never really come into contact with them.
The manager of Shelter No. 117 is a relatively conservative leader and does not support bringing samples from the wasteland back to the shelter at the risk of unbalanced ecological environment in the shelter.
Chu Guang didn't have so many concerns. Shelter No. 404 had been opened long ago, and he didn't plan to completely seal the door again. He didn't need a few samples at all.
Therefore, when he heard that Heya planned to list the alien species in the wasteland as research objects, he agreed without saying a word and even allocated a budget of 2,000 silver coins to her.
Even if he could learn more about the weaknesses of these alien species, the money would definitely be worth it.
"More than what I can see, these samples have completely overturned my first impression of them! At first, I thought that these mutant slime molds and the alien species you call gnawers and crawlers were parasitic, but later I found that this was not the case at all."
Hearing this, Chu Guang was slightly stunned.
This was completely different from the rumors he had heard.
"...Isn't it?"
Staring at the microscope, Heya said without hesitation.
"Of course not! Gnawers, crawlers, and martyrs... According to the samples collected so far, these creatures you call slime mold variants are actually the fruiting bodies of variant slime molds, not other species!"
Chu Guang was stunned when he heard a word he didn't understand.
"Fruiting body? What is that?"
"A spore-producing structure! You may not know about slime molds. Their habits are very special. Sometimes they crawl on the ground like amoebas, and sometimes they stand up like mushrooms to release spores. The habits of this variant slime mold are even more peculiar. The fruiting bodies they form are different from other slime molds. In terms of morphology and behavior, they are highly similar to higher animals with complex body structures and highly differentiated organ functions!"
That beautiful face is full of scientific enthusiasm.
Even if the eyepiece of the microscope blocked her eyes, Chu Guang could clearly feel that she exuded a temperament that was completely different from usual.
Chu Guang said cautiously.
"Can you explain it in detail? I mean, try to use terms that laymen can understand."
"To put it in terms that laymen can understand, these slime molds show sociality similar to ants and bees! They have a clear division of labor, some form toes, some form the head, some actively necrotize and harden, and others form nerve tissue and muscles that move the limbs! It's like some kind of unified consciousness determines the selective expression of each gene in the slime mold cells."
Her eyes moved away from the eyepiece of the microscope and looked at Chu Guang with an excited expression.
"Didn't you notice? The gnawers are completely copied from humans, and the crawlers are like a combination of some quadrupedal beasts and humans. They not only imitate the appearance of other creatures, but also imitate their hunting habits!"
"And the martyrs are strange. They seem to contain the characteristics of many creatures and some plants. They simulate explosives in their attack methods and help their kind capture prey by self-sacrifice... This is incredible! Are these slime molds really creatures on this planet?"
Looking at Heya who kept chattering, Chu Guang's face was full of weird expressions.
He originally just wanted her to help take care of the crops next door part-time. Anyway, those soilless planting units are highly automated, so he only needs to take a look occasionally.
Unexpectedly, he actually heard something incredible from her.
"You mean... the gnawers, crawlers, and martyrs are all the fruiting bodies of mutant slime molds? Are they used to release spores?"
Chu Guang pressed his index finger on his temple, trying to understand, and frowned, "That's not right, I heard that they are produced by the mother nest."
"Mother nest? What is that!"
Heya grabbed Chu Guang's arm and said with a piercing look, "Can I get a sample? Oh, yes, you taught me that I can use VM..."
Halfway through, Heya seemed to remember something, loosened her hand holding Chu Guang's arm, and raised the VM to "place an order".
Chu Guang was startled by her action and quickly stopped her.
"Don't get excited. The mother nest is not something that current players can solve. You are sending them to their deaths."
Good fellow.
Is this using VM as a wishing machine? !
Even if his little player is very useful, it is not used in this way!
After being stopped, Heya was slightly at a loss and stopped the action of her hand.
"Is that mother nest... difficult to deal with?"
"It's not a question of whether it is difficult or not, but it is impossible to deal with it at all."
Although according to the standards set by himself, this kind of task would not pass the review of Xiaoqi, but Chu Guang felt that he still needed to let this old popsicle who lacked common sense about the wasteland understand what this world has become.
Looking at the stunned Heya, Chu Guang paused for a moment and told her the information he summarized under the relevant entries in the official website setting collection one by one.
This included Luo Hua's experiences during the journey, including the "wave" that would erupt in Qingquan City every once in a while.
After hearing these amazing things, Heya finally had a general understanding of the danger of the mother nest.
This thing is extremely dangerous!
It's like a natural disaster.
Even the old local survivor forces like Boulder City with certain industrial capabilities will feel exhausted when facing the wave of the mother nest.
As for collecting samples from the mother nest, it is almost impossible to do it with the current conditions of the shelter.
"Sorry, I didn't know...it turned out to be such a dangerous thing." Heya showed a guilty expression on her face.
Chu Guang shook his head and said.
"It's okay, I was also surprised when I first heard about the mother nest. The research on the alien species can be done step by step. When we are able to solve the troubles in the city center, I guarantee that you will get the samples you want."
Although the conditions are not met now, Chu Guang has no doubt in his heart that he and his little players will one day completely eradicate the troubles in the city center.
In any case, I got interesting information from Heya.
Chu Guang plans to selectively update this information in the official website settings for his little players to refer to.
…
A busy day is over.
The little players carrying javelins, spears, and axes came out from the depths of the tunnel on the B3 floor with great reluctance.
In one day, they successfully pushed the front line 500 meters to the south and north at the same time, killing nearly two thousand gnawers! Hundreds of martyrs, and nearly twenty crawlers!
The number of alien species in the tunnel is larger than expected, especially in the north direction, where the swarming gnawers even formed waves of corpses!
However, the experienced little players are very smart. They placed wooden roadblocks along the way to slow down the gnawers' advancement speed and lengthen the gnawers' team.
Once the density cannot be formed, the gnawers are not so scary.
As long as they are not surrounded by them, even professional players who are not good at fighting can easily deal with this kind of alien species with a single attack method and rely on numbers to win.
Not to mention the high-level players in the tunnel with an average level of LV6 or above!
In the shelter, there are already long queues at the bathroom doors of the B2 and B3 floors, and the chirping sounds are noisy.
"Fuck! Take a shower faster!"
"That's right! What a waste of time! It's been ten minutes since you went in!"
"!!! Are you all dogs? You don't even need ten minutes to take a shower?!"
"Strongly recommend raising the water price!"
"Don't raise it. If you raise it again, Boss Crow won't be able to afford a shower!"
"Get lost!"
Yin Fang, who was carrying a bucket, originally planned to wash up before dinner, but was frightened by the scene. He didn't even dare to eat and hid back in his temporary laboratory.
The same is true at the door of the laundry room.
Especially those little players who came out of the tunnel, one by one, they looked like they had just gone into a coal mine, with more dust on their bodies than blood!
Finally squeezed out of the crowd.
Ye Shi, who was going to go back to the room and log off, happened to see Brother Mosquito. Seeing that this guy looked dusty, he went up to greet him with a joking face.
"Hey! Brother Mosquito, are you in the mood to play a dungeon today?"
"What dungeon? I'm testing new equipment."
"It exploded again?"
Hearing this teasing with a playful tone, Mosquito couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"What do you mean it exploded again! If it doesn't explode, can it still be called a weapon? Anyway, the test results today are not bad, but there is a small problem with the ratio of the propellant. After it came out of the barrel, it sprayed dust all over my face. Damn, I have to make the launch tube longer."
After a pause, Mosquito looked at Ye Shi and continued.
"No more bullshit. By the way, have you seen that stupid lizard? Why didn't I see that guy squatting in the corner doing push-ups today?"
As soon as he mentioned the lizard, Ye Shi was immediately amused.
"You mean that guy? Hahaha, he's killing like crazy in the tunnel at the exit of B3! He probably hasn't had enough fun yet."
When I think back to a few versions ago, Brother Trash was so awesome. He was the only one in the server who could move at night, eat raw meat and drink blood, and tear apart alien species with his bare hands. All players were envious.
However, who would have thought that winter would come in less than a month. Brother Trash, a cold-blooded animal, was directly frozen offline and couldn't even get out of the shelter.
It's true that every version has a new god. You only see the newcomers laughing, but don't hear the old ones crying.
Mosquito smacked his lips.
"I feel sorry for Brother Trash. This guy has been OB for at least three versions, right?"
Ye Shi also sighed.
"Be more confident, and remove the word 'bar'!"
The night of the wasteland gradually deepened, and the sunrise of reality had already risen.
Every time when the peak period of players going offline came, the traffic of the official forum of "Wasteland OL" would usher in a small peak.
Chu Guang roughly browsed the forum.
He found that the players were quite enthusiastic about discussing the new version he launched.
In less than 72 hours, more than a hundred guides had been born.
"Self-cultivation of a Monster Hunter! Solo Crack Claw Crab Guide!"
"Scavenger's Handbook! The author's summary of twenty high-cost recycling materials! Just ask for a thumbs up! "
"The birth of the son of the version! The strength scavenger tells you what it means to have great power to make miracles! Start with two hands, and all the equipment depends on picking up! "
"Guide to the entrance and exit tunnel of B3 floor of Shelter No. 404! The four-physique perpetual motion machine will help you to brush out a piece of heaven! Brush until the monsters are extinct! "
"..."
Chu Guang simply read a few articles, and couldn't help but admire the wisdom and imagination of these young players.
What is a high-quality human player?
It's just the average level in the Wasteland OL closed beta server!
The people who write guides are very enthusiastic, and the players who watch the fun, cloud players, and silly netizens are also very enthusiastic.
Among these more than 100 guides, the number of likes and replies exceeds 1,000 accounts for a full 20%!
According to the standards of BBS, this data is already quite exaggerated.
However, what Chu Guang is most interested in is not those guide posts, but several high-profile posts in the discussion area.
WC Zhenyou Mosquito: "MMP! The power of the twelve-barrel rocket is enough, but the muzzle velocity is still a bit low! It can't hit high-speed targets at all! But it works surprisingly well against ground targets?"
Lao Bai: "How much?"
WC Zhenyou Mosquito: "80 silver!"
Ye Shi: "Tsk, you're selling it for more than the iron fist in the NPC store. Why don't I buy an iron fist? I can even blow up a cracked crab with one shot. (Funny)"
WC Zhenyou Mosquito: "Damn! This is already the cost price!"
Fang Chang: "Brother, find a way to reduce costs, otherwise the word practical will always be a dream. By the way, the number of players has increased, and it's time to expand the scale of production."
WC Zhenyou Mosquito: "My head hurts! I'll think of a way!"
Lao Bai: "If you ask me, don't bother making anti-aircraft rocket launchers. Forget about guidance. You don't even have a proximity fuse. You can't defend anything. It's better to make an SPG-9 recoilless gun. The anti-aircraft effect may be more reliable than your jab. (sidelong eyes)"
Ye Shi: "+1, give me an elevation angle, I can even shoot down a plane with the tank's main gun. (funny)"
WC Zhenyou Mosquito: "Bullshit! You're playing Battlefield!"
Chu Guang actually doesn't quite understand the violent aesthetics in Mosquito's heart.
This guy is actually very capable. The fact that the outpost was able to make chemical products, nitrocellulose and explosives like T-um-T so quickly is at least half of his credit.
However...
The weapons made by this guy always have a strange style, and there are only a few that are very practical.
Although this may not be a bad thing, Chu Guang feels that if he wants to fill the gap in the outpost's anti-aircraft weapons, he probably can't rely on him.
In another post that is slightly less popular than Brother Mosquito, [Yaer I want to go to the toilet] and [Ward foot foot who Levin] are having a technical exchange with some particularly strict cloud players.
Brother Tosuo: "It is still a bit difficult to imitate the 88 gun. Although the design drawings and videos can be searched, and the parts can be cut out using the black technology of the shelter, many problems still cannot be solved. Especially the barrel, if you want to increase the initial velocity of the shell, you must increase the charge to make the barrel withstand a greater chamber pressure!"
Brother Levin: "That's right, and developing new equipment is really too expensive! 500 silver coins are not even enough for the research and development costs, at least add another zero!"
The high research and development costs are indeed a problem.
Chu Guang, staring at the computer screen, thought for a moment, switched to the desktop, and opened the budget form.
"For the research and development of large-scale equipment with high production thresholds and high expenses, it is not appropriate to let the players bear the research and development costs."
Chu Guang thought about it and had an idea in his mind.
He plans to set up a special fund to support the research and development of new equipment. As long as they pass the review, they can get financial support.
As for the anti-aircraft weapon project of Steel Plant No. 81...
Chu Guang thought for a moment and made a decision.
"The budget of 5,000 silver coins seems too deliberate, so let's change it to... 5,500 silver coins. If it's not enough later, we can increase it."
"The original task remains unchanged, and the new task is re-issued in the form of 'exclusive order'."
As for Mosquito...
Let him figure it out for a while.
If Mosquito can come up with a reliable design plan, Chu Guang will certainly support him with a research and development budget.
But so far, Chu Guang has not figured out what he is going to make...