"...Unbelievable."
"Is this the same place we came to last time?"
Following the footsteps of the guard, from the moment he stepped into the south gate of the wetland park, a look of surprise never left Lister's face.
A straight cement road was under their feet, extending from the south gate of the park to the fortress in the forest.
This road looked like it had been built recently.
But there was nothing surprising about this in itself.
Just leveling the land a little and applying a layer of cement on it. This kind of thing can be done by any survivor settlement of a certain size, as long as they want.
However, for a survivor settlement with a population of less than a hundred, this is really surprising.
Lister suddenly spoke.
"What month did we come here last time?"
The guard next to Lister was slightly stunned, and said after a moment of hesitation.
"...It seems to be October."
Last year's winter came very early. The temperature has been dropping since October. In November, the road from Boulder City to the northern suburbs is completely untravelable.
Thinking of this, Liszt fell into deep thought.
It took these blue coats less than three months to cut down more than one-third of the trees in the entire Linghu Wetland Park.
What exactly are they going to do?
Just when Liszt was confused, the scene in front of him suddenly became clear.
At the end of this cement road, there are rows of brick and wood houses. A rough count shows that there are more than a hundred houses.
And this is just the south gate.
Looking to the east, two villages are located there. The situation in the north is even more spectacular. There is probably a market there, with rows of lively stalls located there. The streets are bustling and crowded, and there are more than one or two hundred people there alone.
This is not a survivor settlement of a hundred people.
At least five hundred... No, there may be thousands of people.
The surprise on Lister's face became more and more intense.
For a moment, he even doubted whether he had really been to this place.
Walking in the caravan, the guard with two rifles on his back whispered to the shaved man beside him.
"I remember when we came here last time, it seemed to be a bare wooden pile?"
"It's only been a winter, how many houses have they built?"
"When did so many people come here!"
"And not only the house... they also renovated the concrete wall, and now the shooting platform can probably accommodate many people."
The wall originally built with construction waste has been replaced by a solid concrete wall, and a layer of white wall dust has even been painted on the flat wall.
In addition, the blue coats also widened the original narrow gate.
The narrow road that could only accommodate two ox carts passing through in parallel has now become a four-lane road that can accommodate four vehicles in parallel.
Guards wearing uniform black coats and carrying rifles stood at the door on duty meticulously. Residents in different clothes shuttled in front of the door, some wearing fur clothes, some wearing blue coats, and some wearing more avant-garde clothes. They couldn't think of how to comment except that they looked good.
It seems that these residents of the shelter have adapted to life on the surface and have taken in many wastelanders in their settlements.
This place is probably not developed, at least they don't see street lights on the streets, but compared with those settlements that are dark at night, they have their own public lighting system that relies half on torches and half on coal lamps.
No one has a pale face, it's hard to imagine that they have just experienced a harsh winter. Adequate supply of materials makes most people full of hope for future life, everything here is so well organized.
Lister suddenly thought of the shed area at the gate of Boulder City.
Both are houses built on the edge of the wall, but the two are very different.
"It's hard to imagine that they did all this in just one winter."
His Adam's apple moved, and Lister continued in a surprised tone.
"Pang Long, do you remember? The shelter we went to before. Because they ran out of supplies, they had to leave the shelter and build a home on the surface. Although there were also five or six hundred people, it seemed to be the same every year when we passed by there."
The man who followed Lister, whose right arm and right eye were replaced by mechanical prostheses, carefully observed the surroundings and said in a stiff tone.
"Of course I remember, sir. But I think that being able to remain unchanged in this world is also a special ability."
He is considered to be Lister's old partner. He has traveled to many places with him, and he can't count the survivor settlements he has seen with two hands.
However, there are only a handful of old customers who can do business with them all the time and see them every year.
Many people may still be there when you go there in the fall, but when you go there again in the spring, you don't know where they have gone.
For example, the old mayor of Beth Street.
Before the winter was over, he was kicked out of his warm home and rolled to Boulder City in disgrace.
This was considered lucky.
The unlucky ones either got eaten by mutants or thrown into oil pans by predators. Even worse, they were eaten alive by aliens. Such things happen every year and are not even news.
Being able to remain unchanged is indeed an amazing skill in the wasteland.
"That's true." Lister smiled and said, "But as a partner, I still prefer to do business with ambitious people."
How can he make a fortune if he doesn't grow bigger and stronger?
Lister still remembers that the last time he did business with the people here, the man used 20 kilograms of blue mushrooms and 12 deerskins to exchange a 10KW firewood generator, a set of KV-1 exoskeleton, four bolt-action iron barrel rifles and 120 rounds of ammunition from him.
That was the last deal he made after the winter.
Although the man's eloquence made him lose a lot of chips, the profit of that deal was still a considerable amount.
Later, Lister used the money he earned to buy twelve slaves from the merchants in Red River Town who were stranded in Boulder City, and sent them to the Kamm tree plantation he and a business partner operated in the south before the heavy snow blocked the road.
Thinking of this, Lister's heart couldn't help but get hot.
He brought a lot of good things this time.
I wonder how much he can earn on this trip!
The caravan stopped at the south gate.
Some players who were handing in tasks near the south gate soon noticed them and cast curious eyes over here.
"Who are those people?"
"Caravan?"
"Damn, I recognize these people!"
"Great news, Boss Xia's store can finally be restocked!"
While the players were looking at these people, the guards in the caravan were also nervously observing these blue coats.
"Fuck... There are actually two awakened people in here?"
"Are you sure?!"
"No mistake! My special ability is to sense the breath of awakened people... The breath of that strong man must be right!"
Pang Long, who was following Lister, also frowned slightly.
Noticing the change in the expression of his capable subordinate, Lister glanced at him and asked.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm afraid these people are much stronger than you expected," Pang Long said softly, "Those people wearing shelter uniforms... I saw at least four awakened people in them, and at least fifteen people showed signs of awakening. Their strength may not be as good as mine, but their overall combat effectiveness is stronger than ours."
Lister looked at Pang Long unexpectedly. Although this sounded a bit outrageous, he believed in the judgment of his subordinates.
"We have to try to avoid conflicts with them... Keep a close eye on our people later and don't let them walk around."
Pang Long nodded.
"Okay."
Lister asked Pang Long to wait at the door with his men, and he followed the guard in the exoskeleton into the door.
No survivor settlement would allow a group of outsiders with guns to walk into their homes.
Even if they are familiar with each other.
However, Lister is still confident in his ability to judge people, especially customers who have cooperated once.
He can tell at a glance which people can only do business once and which people can do business all the time. It is this sharp vision that has allowed him to survive until now.
Liu Ding, who was walking in front and leading the way, did not communicate with him too much along the way. He was taciturn like a tool man.
He brought the guest from Boulder City to the reception room.
According to the instructions of the manager, Liu Ding poured him a cup of tea and continued.
"The manager is still on his way back. It will probably take half an hour for him to arrive. You may have to wait for a while."
In stark contrast to the impatient look he showed the last time he came here, Liszt said politely with a friendly smile on his face.
"Don't worry, I have plenty of time. It's us who didn't make an appointment in advance. Sorry to bother you!"
Remembering the manager's instructions, Liu Ding said politely.
"How can it be troublesome? The manager specifically told me that you are his distinguished guest and asked me to treat you well."
"If you need anything, please tell me. I will help you solve it within the scope of conditions."
Liszt declined politely.
"No, no, you are too polite!"
The two of them exchanged pleasantries for a while.
Liu Ding was not good at dealing with such occasions, and he had to deal with the guard team's affairs, so he didn't stay here for long. After telling the waiter to greet the guest who came from afar, he turned around and left in a hurry.
Time passed by minute by minute.
Thirty minutes passed quickly.
Just when Liszt took out his pocket watch for the sixth time to check the time, he finally heard footsteps outside the door.
The footsteps came very timely, even to the point of being accurate to a second.
So much so that Liszt couldn't help but complain in his heart that the man really arrived on time!
The door of the reception room opened.
A man in dark blue power armor strode in from outside.
Seeing Liszt sitting in the reception room, Chu Guang smiled like a spring breeze and said to him in a friendly manner.
"Long time no see! Mr. Liszt."
"Yes, I haven't seen you for a whole winter. I'm glad to see you again! I hope my presumptuous visit didn't disturb you."
Liszt stood up from his chair, and his eyes were involuntarily attracted by the power armor on Chu Guang.
The dark blue paint and streamlined shell gave people a strong sense of security just by looking at it.
Liszt couldn't help but have a hint of envy in his eyes.
Power armor!
And it's a pre-war style!
This thing is a good thing. It can ensure the safety of the wearer even in the most extreme conditions.
He had always wanted to get a set before, but unfortunately, this thing, from the cold fusion battery for energy supply to the composite armor covering the whole body, is a culmination of pre-war technology. The backward industrial capacity in the wasteland does not have the conditions for production.
Even in the ideal city, you can't buy this thing.
There are a small number of power armors in the militia of Boulder City, but those are strategic reserves. Even if they are broken, they can't flow into the market. Some larger mercenary groups or military contractors may have one or two sets, but they are basically used as treasures.
Seeing the fleeting envy in Lister's eyes, Chu Guang smiled in his heart, but there was no expression on his face.
After being an NPC for so long, plus the experience of sales in his previous life, he still has this ability to control his expression.
"Why would I bother you? When I saw you here, I knew that the northern suburbs of Qingquan City would soon be bustling."
Hearing Chu Guang's joke, Liszt smiled and said.
"I'm not bragging, we are definitely the first group of caravans to set out in the entire Giant Stone City! At least we are definitely the first group heading north! While those colleagues are still planning where to make a fortune, we have already explored the road conditions and packed the goods and hung them on the back of the two-headed ox."
Chu Guang asked with interest.
"Oh? What good stuff did you bring this time?"
I was waiting for this sentence!
Liszt was delighted, and calmly took out a tablet computer from the computer and handed it to Chu Guang with both hands.
"Same as before, here is the list of goods!"
"We brought the first five pages, and although we didn't bring the marked ones on the back, as long as you are interested, we can find a way to get them for you!"
Chu Guang took the tablet, swiped his index finger on the screen, and simply flipped through it.
Unlike the list of goods that he saw last time, which was mainly daily necessities, this time Liszt's caravan brought some weapons and KV-1 exoskeletons.
To be honest, apart from those exoskeletons and solid hydrogen batteries that can be used as exoskeletons and drone power sources, Chu Guang was not very interested in the weapons on the list.
Things like assault rifles, grenades, and rocket launchers have long been independently produced in the new industrial zone.
Besides, this guy was dishonest. He sold him cheap guns assembled from receivers and barrels discarded by the Boulder City Military Factory.
Nowadays, even newcomers rarely use the "original" wasteland specialties.
Looking at Lister with an eager face, Chu Guang's heart moved slightly, and he asked casually in a nonchalant tone.
"Why are there only weapons on the list? Don't you have anything else?"
Lister was stunned.
Chu Guang's reaction was beyond his expectations.
Originally, in his expectation, these blue coats should be very interested in his weapons.
After all, the last time he came here, he used four cheap guns to exchange for 12 high-quality deerskins.
However, no matter how he interpreted the expression on Chu Guang's face, it was difficult to associate it with the word "interested".
"We carry weapons because they are easy to sell. The situation in the River Valley Province is turbulent now. The people of the Bone Chewing Tribe are looting everywhere. You can smell the smell of gunpowder everywhere. Is there anything more popular than weapons?"
Seeing that Chu Guang was still not interested, Lister tried his best to sell it.
"I sincerely recommend you the Xiongfeng X-2 assault rifle on the list! This is the crystallization of the light weapons technology of the Boulder City Military Factory! If it weren't for the backlog of inventory for a whole winter, even I couldn't get so much."
"Since you are my old customer, I can sell it to you at a discount! Only 300 chips per piece, with it, you will have the most powerful firepower in the entire northern suburbs! If you really don't know what to choose, buy this one!"
Chu Guang almost laughed out loud when he heard Lister's words.
If he hadn't seen the company's "Black Swan" G9 assault rifle, he would have almost believed this guy's nonsense.
It's the crystallization of technology.
Isn't this thing just copied from the company's standard weapons?
Although his LD series weapons are also borrowed from the AK gun family, at least they are borrowed from another world, and rounding it off can barely be considered independent research and development.
"You seem to have a dull sense of business opportunities," Chu Guang smiled at Lister and said in a relaxed tone, "To be honest, if it was before winter, I might have gritted my teeth and bought two, but now we can't use this thing."
"Can't use it?! How can it be useless?"
Lister looked at Chu Guang in surprise and continued to speak quickly.
"Even without the Blood Hand Clan, the entire northern suburbs are definitely not safe! My friend, you may not know that a group of looters who call themselves Bone Chewing are advancing towards the northern suburbs of Qingquan City. Those people are different from the Blood Hand Clan. Not only have they inherited the equipment of the Legion, but they are also numerous and powerful. Do you think you can drive them away with just a few iron rifles?"
Seeing Lister eager to sell to him, Chu Guang couldn't help but feel a little funny.
It seems that Boulder City knows nothing about what happened in the northern suburbs.
Of course, it is also possible that only Lister doesn't know.
During this period, Xiao Qi has been monitoring the "Boulder City Voice" radio station, searching for useful information from the host's nonsense.
From all the signs, it seems that they really don't know that the thousand-man team led by Black Snake has been defeated by themselves.
Thinking of this, Chu Guang looked at Lister and continued.
"Come with me."
"After you have seen our things, you will know why I am not interested in the things on your list."
...
West gate of the outpost base
With a doubtful mood, Lister followed Chu Guang's footsteps and came here.
Calling the guard next to him, Chu Guang took an LD-47 assault rifle from him and handed it to Lister who was standing next to him.
"LD-47, sickle assault rifle, 7mm caliber. We use this thing to deal with predators, mutants, and those gnawers, crawlers and even tyrants covered with slime mold."
Taking the rifle handed by Chu Guang, Lister took it in his hand and looked at it for a while, then looked at Chu Guang with surprise.
"Is it the gun you made yourself?"
Chu Guang nodded.
"Yes."
Lister thought for a while and gave an evaluation.
"The structure looks simple, there are few parts to see, and the buttstock is actually made of wood."
Chu Guang said indifferently.
"Simplicity does not prevent it from being easy to use. Do you want to try it?"
Lister looked at him and asked.
"Can I?"
Chu Guang didn't say much, and directly handed him a full magazine, making a gesture of invitation.
"Please."
Liszt was not polite, inserted the magazine, turned on the safety, aimed at the target a hundred meters away and pulled the trigger.
The huge recoil was transmitted to his shoulder, shaking his body.
However, this guy has been traveling around the wasteland for so many years, and he still has some skills.
He soon adapted to the recoil of this weapon, and then fired a few more shots, accurately hitting the seven or eight rings in the center.
"Good gun!"
Liszt's eyes lit up, and then he fired another round at the target.
Until the last bullet in the magazine was emptied, Liszt returned the rifle in his hand to Chu Guang with reluctance.
"It's a good gun!"
"The only drawback is that it's a little difficult to operate! But the firepower and power are really strong, and it should be very popular with those mercenaries."
"But you don't have many weapons like this, right?"
Not many?
Chu Guang smiled.
"I don't know if it's a lot, but we still have a lot of rifles like this in the warehouse. Not only that, we have also designed special replaceable accessories for it. Replace the barrel and drum, it's a light machine gun, take off the barrel, it can also be a submachine gun."
"Although this thing is not something with high technical content, it is absolutely reliable. We tried to bury it in the snow, throw it into a mud pit, soak it in water, and it can still be fired normally when it is taken out, without affecting its power at all."
There are still a lot of them in the warehouse? !
Lister swallowed his saliva and couldn't help saying.
"Full of warehouses? Have you been making guns all winter?"
Chu Guang smiled faintly and said.
"You haven't been here for a long time. It's normal to feel unfamiliar with the situation here."
More than unfamiliar.
Liszt simply felt that he had come to the wrong place!
Looking at Liszt who was so surprised that he couldn't speak, Chu Guang paused for a moment and continued in a chatty tone.
"The changes in the northern suburbs are not just the small area under your feet. Five kilometers north of here is our new industrial zone, where the industrial products produced are enough to supply the consumption of the entire northern suburbs survivor settlement. The rifle in your hand and the bullet you just fired are all produced there."
"In addition to the industrial zone, we also have an agricultural zone. Five kilometers north of the industrial zone is our granary in the northern suburbs! There are tens of thousands of acres of farmland being reclaimed there. In the future, it will become the largest grain production base in the entire northern suburbs, solving the food problem of at least 30,000 people."
"Mr. Lister, the times have changed. It is now the 212th year of the Wasteland Era. We should learn to look forward, right?"
Although these words are exaggerated, there is nothing wrong with them.
After all, Chu Guang did plan so.
The industrial products produced in the future industrial zone will not only supply the entire northern suburbs survivor settlement, but will also be sold to more distant places.
So this is not a pie in the sky.
Chu Guang is just expounding on the blueprint for the future.
Liszt swallowed his saliva, and for a long time he could not recover from what Chu Guang said.
Industrial zone?
Northern suburbs?
Rely on those illiterate country bumpkins?
Liszt really couldn't imagine what the conditions in the northern suburbs could meet to develop industry.
Rely on those refugees with varying qualities and no education?
Do they know what industry is?
Do they know what standardization is?
Or rely on those blue jackets who complain for a long time after doing a little work and clamor for the restoration of a two-hour work system?
However, Liszt admitted that the blue jackets here did look a little special. Apart from wearing a blue jacket, they didn't look like the residents of the shelter at all.
Chu Guang had expected the suspicious expression on Liszt's face.
After all, this kind of thing does sound a little incredible.
Such a shrewd businessman could not be convinced by his few words.
"It's still a little while before it gets completely dark. If you're interested, I can take you to see it."
Lister was stunned when he heard Chu Guang's invitation.
"Isn't this... presumptuous?"
"How could it be?" Chu Guang smiled faintly, "It's not something shameful."
Seeing Chu Guang say this, Lister said immediately without any hesitation.
"Please take me on a tour!"
If before coming here, Lister just wanted to make a fortune from the turbulent situation in the Valley Province, and make a fortune from the local rich people in the northern suburbs by reselling the cheap arms accumulated in the inventory.
Then now, he no longer cares about that little bit of profit.
A young and potential force is rising from this wild soil! And its leader is not only full of courage and outstanding ability, but also full of ambition.
Lister smelled a huge business opportunity!
His intuition told him that if he could seize this opportunity, he would be able to make a fortune that he had never imagined, regardless of whether the guy in front of him succeeded or failed!
This is far from being comparable to twelve deerskins and a bag of mushrooms!
...
Chu Guang did not disappoint his expectations and quickly took him to the industrial zone five kilometers away.
Although night had fallen, the lights were still on and production was still going on.
After getting off the car at the gate of the industrial zone, Lister was soon stunned by the situation here.
Everything here was much more shocking than what he saw in Linghu Wetland Park!
Tall chimneys emerged from the roof of the factory, and thick smoke was constantly coming out. The goods and raw materials produced were piled up into a small mountain in the warehouse.
From time to time, someone pushed a cart to deliver goods from one workshop to another, or from one factory to another.
Especially after visiting the production workshop of LD-47 receivers and bullets, Lister's face was full of shock.
The stamping equipment connected to the conveyor belt, like a printer, printed out the parts one by one.
Although similar equipment is not uncommon in the factories in Boulder City, it is unimaginable that they developed these in just one winter.
Did these industrial equipment and production methods fall from the sky? !
Lister suddenly thought of the Pioneer that passed by the northern suburbs of Qingquan City before.
There is only one explanation.
They got sponsorship from the company!
"… This was originally the lair of the Blood Hand Clan, but later we got rid of those annoying guys and sent them to where they belonged."
"Then, we transformed the entire factory, smelted the garbage we picked up into steel, aluminum or other alloys, and used them to make weapons, produce machinery, and anything that could help us rebuild our homes."
"Although the supporting facilities here are not as good as those in Boulder City, we also have things that Boulder City does not have. For example, convenient transportation, such as cheap labor and raw material costs."
"This place will prosper soon, and it will definitely not lose to any survivor settlement in the River Valley Province. Now is the best window for entry. I tell you for the sake of our old friend. Investing in us at this time is definitely a sure win."
"If you miss it, you may have to wait for many years."
Looking at that confident expression, although Liszt's intuition told him that this guy was probably fooling him, he still spoke up.
"How should I invest?"
Finally waited for this sentence!
Chu Guang showed a happy smile on his face.
"It's very simple. We provide two win-win solutions."
"Whether you choose to pay money or work, or both, I can guarantee you that this will definitely be a profitable business!"-