On the streets of the West Third Ring Road, the night was lit up by the flames of incendiary bombs, and it could be clearly seen even from several kilometers away.
Sitting by the broken French windows on an abandoned high-rise building, Wei Ba, Zhi Zhi Paste and Si Si were looking at the flames rising into the sky in the distance.
Since the concentration of spores will decay with height, they chose to camp on the 50th floor.
Although there are also alien species wandering in this building, since there is no hatchery or mother nest, most of the alien species are scattered in various areas of the building. They are neither clustered nor blocked by stairs, so it is not too difficult to get up from the safe passage.
It just takes a little time at most.
"Oh! What a big fire!" Wei Ba's eyes were shining with the boiling flames reflected in his eyes.
This is much more exciting than watching fireworks!
Zhi Zhi Paste: "Is there a war over there?"
Si Si: "It should be. The wave seems to be all-round, not just in the northern suburbs. Logically, the situation in the West Third Ring Road should be more intense."
Zhi Zhi Paste clasped his hands together.
"I hope everyone is OK."
The explosions have been going on since the sun went down.
At first, four planes flew over, followed by rows of fires that completely engulfed the streets full of ruins.
The ground troops were probably dispatched next.
The mercenaries of Boulder City and Tide had a fierce exchange of fire in the ruins, and tracer bullets could be seen flashing from time to time.
Although Rourou wanted to watch, she was afraid of heights and did not dare to get too close to the edge of the building. She could only watch from a distance.
Yaya and Tengteng were cooking, and the NPCs next to them were drooling and swallowing their saliva.
In addition to the guard named Xu Shun, there were five new employees recruited from Boulder City this time, aged between 16 and 20, both men and women.
According to the NPC named Shuyu in the office, these new employees went to the northern suburbs for "on-the-job training".
Many people were leaving the city for the first time, and they were full of trepidation.
However, when they smelled the aroma from the pot, all the uneasy emotions were diluted in an instant.
Although they left the protection of the giant wall, it seemed not bad to be able to eat such delicious food?
In the Stone City, they dared not even think about such delicious food.
"It's time to eat!"
As soon as he heard that the meal was ready, Tail, who was sitting by the building watching the excitement a second ago, immediately came to the iron pot on the fire.
"It smells so good!"
The white bear also came over and looked into the pot curiously.
"What's for dinner?"
Crow, holding a spoon in his hand, said proudly with a corner of his mouth.
"Bird stewed with mushrooms!"
Teng Teng was busy distributing bowls and chopsticks to everyone.
"Camping outside, the conditions are a bit simple, everyone just eat whatever you want."
Zhima paste also came over excitedly.
"I'll help too!"
It's okay to eat whatever you want.
Xu Shun, who understood this sentence, was ashamed.
These residents of the shelter really redefined what it means to eat casually.
However, after spending so much time together, he has gotten used to how particular these residents of the shelter are in their lives.
A group of people sat around the fire, holding steaming bowls in their hands, chatting about what they plan to do after returning from Boulder City.
"I've decided!" Describing his grand plan, Teng Teng's eyes were full of determination, and he said with full enthusiasm, "When I return to the shelter, I must use my scissors to correct the distorted aesthetics of the Boulder City NPCs!"
Sisi: "Well, I think... this may not be your problem."
LSP is human nature.
And that kind of clothes, out of the cultural background, it is actually quite normal to think wrongly.
Tail was also full of energy: "Tail too! Boulder City is still lacking a mercenary guild! How can MM be without such an important organization!"
Ya Ya: "Where's Zhimahu?"
The cat ears on his head swayed slightly. Zhimahu was a little embarrassed to speak, but seeing that everyone was talking about this topic, he let go of his reserve.
"I want to deliver express!"
Sisi asked curiously: "Why deliver express?"
Zhimahu's eyes sparkled.
"Don't you think it looks cool to deliver goods on a motorcycle?"
Are you cosplaying "Qi X Journey"?
There are quite a lot of "performance artists" in "Wasteland OL". The official does not sell skins, and players are all DIY. Such conservative hobbies are rare.
Sisi nodded thoughtfully and suggested.
"How about a 12mm revolver?"
Seeing that they were like-minded people, Zhimahu smiled shyly and opened the bag he carried with him, which contained a silver revolver.
"Hehe, actually I've already bought it."
However, although this gun is handsome, the recoil is too strong.
Most of the time, she still uses Pu-9 more.
Tail, who was half a beat slower because of eating, brightened his eyes.
"Delivering goods on a motorcycle... Got it! Is it a takeaway boy? It's really handsome!"
Especially when you are hungry!
Teng Teng's expression is a little subtle.
"I think you are probably not on the same channel."
...
The players can still eat steaming hot food, but the mercenaries fighting with aliens on the West Third Ring Road are not so lucky.
The gunshots continued until the next morning, from the fragmented square to the crooked buildings nearby, to the commercial street more than ten meters underground, every inch of land was flowing with sticky blood.
Some of them belonged to aliens, and some belonged to mercenaries.
Sporadic battles are still going on.
But as the sun rises, it is obvious that it has come to an end.
Carrying a rifle and crawling out of the ruins, Tommy took off the blood-stained gas mask and threw it away, and took a new one, but did not put it on immediately.
The mother nest that spread to this area was destroyed. Although the surrounding area was filled with gray-green fog, a small amount of inhalation would not cause any harm.
He stayed in the narrow tunnel for a whole night, and now he just wanted to breathe the fresh air outside.
Even if the air was mixed with sand.
At this time, another mercenary wearing an exoskeleton, holding a broken drone assault rifle in his hand, came from the ruins opposite, cursing.
"Damn... The money I earned is not enough for me to repair my equipment. What is this thing in your hand?"
His name is Virgil. Like Tommy, he is a mercenary active in the Boulder City area.
A week ago, the wave suddenly broke out, and these mercenaries became popular overnight, and the militiamen who never looked at them straight in the eye also became polite.
After all, for such a big event as the Wave, we can't just rely on the cannon fodder at the door. If we really want to deal with those alien species, we still have to rely on these battle-hardened experts.
"LD-47, sickle assault rifle, made by the scavengers in the northern suburbs. It is powerful, cheap, and easy to maintain. I saw it when I went to the northern suburbs to deliver goods last time, so I picked one up," Tommy glanced at the old man in front of him and asked casually, "How are your casualties?"
Virgil said, "Five rookies died, the others were fine, only one unlucky guy had his leg bitten off by a crawler."
Tommy clicked his tongue.
"That's really tragic."
Virgil shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm lucky to be able to save my life."
In the mercenary business, broken arms and legs are common.
If you save enough money, you can change to a mechanical prosthesis. If it doesn't work, you can still use an exoskeleton. If you can't even afford an exoskeleton, you can only retire early.
As for the rookies?
They are not mercenaries.
They only learned how to open the safety from the militia, and they are just cannon fodder thrown to the front line.
They will only be officially accepted after surviving more than three battles. Before that, no one will even remember their names.
After all, it is useless to remember them, and no one is sure whether they can be used in two days.
Such things are too common.
Tommy glanced at the tall building not far behind him, which was the temporary headquarters of the militia.
The two power armors stood motionless at the gate, and they never moved their legs from beginning to end, which made people wonder whether these two iron lumps could still move.
"It would be great if they took action."
Virgil smiled.
"Forget it. It's too expensive to repair. The nobles in the inner city are reluctant to let the black blood stain their armor, let alone risk their lives."
Each T-10 is a treasure left over from the pre-war era. Even after two centuries, their combat effectiveness is still strong. The only flaw is that there are too few of them.
The militia in Boulder City seems to regard them as mascots.
But what confuses Tommy is that, in this case, what is the meaning of the two iron lumps standing here?
Supervising the battle?
Is it necessary?
Not far away, another group of newcomers with crooked formations were sent over, and with those newcomers came hundreds of two-headed cows and twenty or thirty horses.
These animals carried large and small bags of supplies on their backs, including food and water, ammunition, and even weapons, accessories, and some things that are rare even in the market of Boulder City.
The merchants who were leading these two-headed cows were from Boulder City.
Since the mercenaries were paid daily, and the amount was not small, some merchants who could not wait for them to go home would come to earn their first money, and some others received orders from the militia to transport supplies from Boulder City to the front line.
This might seem a bit strange.
A group of mercenaries wearing exoskeletons and holding streamlined assault rifles were wearing clothes made of animal skins, while the merchants who transported supplies to them used primitive means of transportation such as ox carts.
But there was nothing that could be done.
If they did not choose this, the militia would have to hire a lot of refugees who had a lot of work but little strength, or use a small number of four-legged mechanical dogs.
No matter which one they chose, the cost would be much higher than outsourcing.
Virgil patted Tommy on the shoulder.
"Let's go and get something to eat."
Tommy shook his head.
"No need, I brought dry food."
Since the contractor's "rations" made him sick last time, he no longer believed in the character of those so-called "good helpers".
Expect the merchants to be righteous?
It's better to expect the aliens to roll back to the city center.
Virgil patted his arm, ignored this guy, and walked towards the caravan alone.
Taking out a square green wheat cake from the backpack, Tommy put it in his mouth and took a bite, then unscrewed the rusty kettle and took a sip.
Looking at the direction of the camel caravan, he shook his head.
Nutrient paste.
Since he knew what that thing was made of, he would rather starve to death than eat that thing...
...
Just when the mercenaries went to the caravan to collect supplies, select goods or spend money to have fun, a large group of merchants were bargaining in front of the quartermaster not far from the caravan.
The benefits of the frontline are not just the food, clothing and daily necessities of the mercenaries, but also the trade of spoils.
As long as there is war, there will be spoils.
In the early years, the city of Boulder simply hired merchants to take the bodies of these alien species and cannon fodder out of the city to prevent them from rotting and stinking at their doorsteps, forming plagues and larger waves.
Later, some smart people discovered that these slime mold alien species such as gnawers and crawlers are all high-quality "raw materials".
Just spend more time and cost on the inactivation of slime molds, and you can make them into edible nutritional paste!
Although the nutritional paste synthesized in this way is not nutritious, who cares?
People who really care about nutrition will not eat that stuff.
The slave owners in the south, especially the large farms in Jinchuan Province, are very interested in these things.
They are large in quantity and cheap, and their nutritional value is slightly higher than that of green wheat. They can also add a small amount of protein to make slaves and livestock stronger.
Although it is more cost-effective to feed slaves with green wheat, the slaves will become thinner and thinner, and large-scale planting of green wheat will consume the fertility of the soil.
But there is no such problem with nutrient paste.
Not only nutrient paste, but also organic fertilizers, bio-oil, food additives, etc. can be extracted from the aliens.
Although the recycling efficiency is average, it may not even be 10%, but the amount of these aliens is large enough and the cost is low. Valley
Later, the technology gradually matured and formed a certain industrial scale. Merchants began to help Boulder City deal with the corpses formed by the wave for free.
Now, it has become necessary to give chips to the militia in order to transport the corpses away from here, and the price is rising every year.
This year is the same.
Judging from the excited expressions and words on the faces of those merchants, they obviously did not reach an agreement with the militia of Boulder City.
"50 chips per ton?! Why don't you go and grab them?"
"The wave two years ago was still 20 chips! Don't think we forgot!"
"That's too much!"
However, the quartermaster didn't bother to pay attention to them and said impatiently.
"If you can't afford it, get out."
Fifty chips per ton of corpses, if you really use this price to buy these garbage back, it will be unprofitable if you don't increase the yield to more than 30%!
But how can it be that high?
No matter how the merchants surrounding the quartermaster tried their best and promised all kinds of benefits, they couldn't make this guy give in.
Even if they were helpless, they had to shake their heads and disperse.
Some people even said harsh words when they left-"Let the nobles in the inner city deal with these troubles themselves", and then left in a rage.
The militia standing next to him didn't bother to pay attention to him.
As long as he didn't disrespect the city lord by name, no one cared about what he complained about.
Ditwei returned to the caravan angrily.
Originally, he was hoping to contract a hundred-ton corpse disposal business after completing the supply business.
Not far from the caravan.
A group of merchants engaged in grain trading gathered together and whispered to each other.
"I heard that this year's batch of 'trophies' was bought by Weijia Trading Company."
Upon hearing the name of Weijia Trading Company, many merchants showed fearful expressions on their faces.
This company is well-known in the business circle of Boulder City. Not only has it invested in two large farms covering an area of more than 10,000 acres in the south, it also operates the largest food processing factory in Boulder City, and is said to occupy more than 50% of the market share in Boulder City.
Its "Taste Good Brand Canned Meat" and "Taste Special Double-Headed Beef Patties" are not only popular in Boulder City, but also exported to neighboring provinces.
The owner of this business is named Weijia, but there are also rumors that the real owner is someone else, and Weijia, who was pushed to the front, is just a tool for the bigwigs in the inner city to make money.
Whether the rumors are true or not, these small-scale self-employed individuals can never compete with a giant like the Witte Business.
No wonder the quartermaster ignored them.
"This is a naked monopoly!"
Ditwei couldn't help asking.
"When did these greedy leeches get involved in the business of nutritional paste?"
Nutritional paste.
It can be said that it is the lowest-end product with the lowest profit among all foods, especially the inferior nutritional paste synthesized by slime mold.
The old merchant with wrinkles on his face glanced at the back of the caravan and pointed to the guards on horseback and the two-headed bulls loaded with goods beside them.
"I heard that a big shot outsourced more than half of the logistics orders on the front line to them, so they opened a new factory to produce nutritional paste before the New Year... but it didn't have a brand name like 'good taste' or 'very good taste'."
A merchant said.
"I remember... it was called Extra Large Quantity?"
Another merchant nodded.
"Yes, I remember it was this name too. Mr. House's radio station even advertised it!"
Ditwei couldn't help cursing.
"Shameful insider trading!"
Other merchants also cursed fiercely in their hearts.
These shameful sly guys!
They didn't even give them a sip of soup!
At this time, a merchant suddenly spoke up.
"I heard... there was also a wave in the north this year?"
Someone nodded in agreement.
"And it's not small in scale... the night before yesterday, they seemed to have bought incendiary bombs from the militia."
Ditwei frowned and asked the young merchant who started the topic.
"North? Do you mean the northern suburbs?"
"I thought that was the territory of the Bone Chewing Tribe."
The young merchant who first started the topic said with a smile.
"You are too out of touch with the information. I can tell you haven't been to the northern suburbs for a long time! I have the latest news. I heard that a month ago, the survivors in the northern suburbs drove away the people of the Bone Chewing Tribe."
The old merchant with wrinkles on his face also nodded.
"Well... I did hear a little rumor. Those people seemed to have spared their time to interfere in the war between Honghe Town and the Snake Clan? I just don't know if it's true or not."
The young merchant unscrewed the kettle, drank a sip of water slowly and said.
"There's more to it than that."
Dietway, who became interested, asked quickly.
"Tell me about it."
The new merchants next to him were the same, and they all cast their expectant eyes on the young man in front of them.
There are too few merchants going north, and even fewer coming back from the north. Rumors about the north are almost unheard of in the tavern. Recently, the "Voice of Boulder City" radio station is busy advertising and does not report the situation there at all, so that most people's impression of the northern suburbs is still stuck in last winter.
I heard that the survivors there were tortured by the cold winter, and I don't know if those people survived.
Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, the young man smiled slightly and continued to speak slowly.
"The Bone Chewing Tribe is their mortal enemy, so they naturally want to interfere in the war against the Bone Chewing Tribe. In addition, the mine owners in Red River Town are happy to buy better weapons at a cheaper price, so they have made a fortune."
"These people are very smart. They invested the money they earned in the wasteland in the north and bought second-hand equipment from Boulder City. Agriculture and industry are flourishing."
"Not only that, they also made a lot of good things... For example, a bomb that can fly far without an airplane is said to have caused a lot of trouble to the looters who besieged Red River Town. In addition, they also provide mercenaries,"
Ditwei was surprised: "I heard that the group in the northern suburbs are blue coats? Residents of the shelter? Are those people so good at fighting?"
This completely overturned his impression of the blue gophers.
Those people are willing to come out of the warm boudoir?
The young businessman continued: "Not only can they fight, there are also many good things there. Have you been to the Queen of the Night Bar?"
When it comes to the Queen of the Night Bar, the topic suddenly became unserious.
Although these merchants are not wealthy, they have a lot of chips in their pockets. Even if they have not spent money there, they must have talked about business there.
Someone soon interrupted excitedly.
"I remembered it when you mentioned it. I heard that they seem to have made some silk fabrics that are not so strong recently?"
"The Grey Squirrel Clothing Store seems to be selling them. I bought a few sets a few days ago and gave them to my old lover. But it took me a long time to convince her to wear them."
"Hahaha."
Everyone showed a smile that everyone understood on their faces, but the young man who had brought up the topic before stopped talking and just smiled as he watched everyone chatting.
Ditwei didn't want to chat. His mind was on making money.
There was also a wave in the northern suburbs?
There are still many fields planted there?
Maybe...
I should try my luck there.
Ditwei felt his palms were a little hot. He glanced at his colleagues around him and quietly sat next to the young man.
"Brother, do you have any connections?"
The young man saw the expression on his face and understood what he was thinking, and said with a smile.
"As a human being, I am also lucky to make a small fortune."
Ditwei took a closer look at the man's outfit. It did not look cheap. The holster hanging on his waist was made of deerskin.
This is not common in Boulder City. Most mercenaries and merchants use wild boar skin and hyena skin.
After all, deer herds do not pass through this area every year, and high-quality reindeer are rare. Usually, as soon as they appear on the market, they are bought by those who are really rich.
The most important thing is that this guy is young enough.
It is precisely this youth that makes Ditwei unable to figure out his true "strength".
Ditwei laughed and took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over, with a hint of flattery in his voice.
"My name is Ditwei. I do food business in Boulder City and have been helping the militia deal with corpses for more than ten years. To be honest, those damn guys are really dishonest. I just throw them away as rags after using them. If you plan to do business with them, be careful."
The young man did not refuse his cigarette, but did not light it immediately. After taking it, he hung it behind his ear and said with a smile.
"I am not in the food business, I am in the gas mask business."
"Gas mask? Good stuff, it is much more profitable than the nutrient paste!" Ditwei hypocritically raised his thumb, rolled his eyes, and then laughed, "Brother, do you have a way to take me? I am very interested in the wave in the northern suburbs. You know I am in the food business, and it does not conflict with your business."
The young man said with a smile.
"How do you know I am not interested in the food business? Listening to you for a long time, it seems to be quite profitable?"
This guy.
He is not old, but his appetite is not small!
Aren't you afraid of being full to death?
Ditwei muttered in his heart, but still had a flattering smile on his face.
"Sure, we haven't had a new partner in this business for a long time. I can teach you how to do this business! Believe me, you can't finish all the goods by yourself. If you help me, I will definitely benefit you!"
The young man skillfully took out a stack of business cards from his pocket and handed them to Ditwei and the merchants who had been eavesdropping with interest.
"My name is Shuyu, this is my business card."
"The rulers of the northern suburbs are considering recycling the 'garbage' produced by the wave, and I just plan to import a batch of goods from the northern suburbs recently."
"If you are interested in the market in the north, you can come to the address on the business card to find me."
...
Northern Suburbs Industrial Zone.
A brand new factory building was vacated and a new sign was hung - [Bachi Aluminum Factory], and the material produced was naturally the latest researched A3 aviation aluminum.
Bachi may not be the most skilled in his field, but he is definitely good at business.
He was born into a merchant family, and his family is in the wine business, and he said it was quite large.
Since this guy is so capable, Chu Guang simply maximized his talent and made him the factory director of the new material production.
Chu Guang has high hopes for his future as an entrepreneur with an "engineering background".
"... Shelter No. 404 is a permanent partner of the enterprise. Our silver coins will be listed in Ideal City sooner or later, and even have an independent exchange. Don't think these coins are useless. They will become the most valuable things in this wasteland."
"Keep working hard, I can assure you that your career will surprise your father. When others mention your name again, you will be one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the wasteland, not the son of an unknown wine merchant."
"They will affectionately call you - Mr. Ba!"
At the entrance of the industrial zone.
Listening to Chu Guang's big promise, Bachi couldn't help but say.
"Why don't you just say build another ideal city in the middle of Zhongzhou Continent... and my father is not unknown, he is still a little famous in Yunjian Province!"
Although only a little!
Chu Guang's eyes lit up and snapped his fingers.
"Build another ideal city in the middle? This idea sounds good, I can write it into the next five-year plan."
Bachi: "..."
Is this guy serious?
After a pause, the tin can standing in front of Chu Guang relaxed his shoulders and continued.
"Your proposal is indeed very attractive. I did have such a dream before, but now... to be honest, I would rather be a human again."
Chu Guang patted his shoulder gently.
"I have always treated you as a human being, my friend. There is no falsehood in this sentence."
"Besides, you should have seen that in addition to handsome boys and beautiful girls, our team also includes lizards, bears, and androids, and even rat people you have never seen... They are all our partners. We will not look at them with strange eyes just because they look different from us."
"As long as they abide by the rules and are willing to be useful to society."
This heartfelt remark may have touched Bachi.
Chu Guang could feel that there was a trace of emotion and hope in the scarlet pupils under the tin can.
Bachi, who had regained his spirits, looked at Chu Guang and said seriously.
"I admit that I do feel what you said here. No one except you is willing to accept me who has become like this."
"I will do my best to help you, and I hope you can keep your promise and help me return to a normal person again."
Chu Guang nodded gently.
"I promise you."