Next to the warehouse.
The survivors carrying handbags looked at each other, exchanging surprise and confusion in each other's eyes.
"Join the new alliance?"
"...Are they serious?"
"The mayor doesn't sound drunk."
"Shh... Don't say this casually, be careful that those with guns hear it."
No one hated this decision.
It's just a little bit unbelievable.
The new alliance is actually willing to take in these scavengers who pick up garbage?
This sounds too magical!
After thinking about it, they found that there was nothing worth cherishing in Xizhou City.
There was only a grave-like concrete ruin and a perennially flooded Xizhou Lake. The lake water not only turned the entire east coast into a swamp, but also flowed back into the low-lying urban area, making it difficult to find a piece of land for farming.
As for the trade value, it was almost zero. .
Ordinary merchants would not come here at all. The River Valley Province only has two plains in the north and south, with either mountains or rivers in the middle. Even if there were no looters, few people would come here. Until last year, they lived a life almost isolated from the world.
"Do you think this is a pie in the sky painted by the mayor?" A thin middle-aged man whispered.
"...It is very likely," the shorter old man swallowed his saliva, "Anyway, if I were the leader of the New Alliance, I would definitely not recruit a group of beggars into my home."
Although Wu Chengyi spoke seriously on the radio, almost no survivors believed what he said.
However, unlike those survivors, the guerrilla soldiers knew very well that their leader never joked.
Especially on such serious issues.
"So... from now on, we are considered soldiers of the New Alliance?"
At the entrance of the settlement, the guerrilla soldiers on duty listened to the broadcast from beginning to end, with strange expressions on their faces.
His name is Liao Feng. Before joining the guerrillas, he came from a survivor settlement called Good Weather Cooperative.
When the Bone Chewing Tribe attacked Xizhou City, they were the first to fall. Only less than fifty people in the village of thousands of people escaped alive.
He instinctively distrusted those from the outside world. Whether it was the plunderers of the Bone Chewing Tribe or the so-called alliance.
"... Maybe?" The man with a hunting bow on his back also listened to the broadcast and answered in an uncertain tone.
His name is Liegong. Like Liao Feng, he is a member of the resistance organization in Xizhou City, but he is not from the Good Weather Cooperative, but from other survivor settlements.
In the broadcast just a few minutes ago, Wu Chengyi seemed to have mentioned something about the guerrillas.
Later, the new alliance will send officers to train them and provide them with new equipment.
And their status will be changed from a ragtag army to the third corps of the new alliance, and they will participate in the final battle with the bone chewing tribe...
"Do you think joining that alliance is really a good thing?" Liao Feng looked at him and said.
Liegong was silent for a while, shook his head and said.
"I don't know, but I think... it won't be a bad thing."
How bad can it be?
Let alone weapons and equipment, they are so poor that they can't even renew their nutritional paste.
Before, the guerrilla soldiers could get sheep's horn potatoes and green wheat porridge, and occasionally eat a few bites of meat, but now everyone is uniformly rationed with nutritional paste.
The logistics situation can be seen.
At this time, a man wearing hyena leather boots and a beard walked over here.
Seeing their immediate superior, the two immediately stopped talking.
"I need someone to take our allies around here," Wang Sijie stopped at the entrance of the settlement and looked around at the people on guard, "Is there anyone willing to go? Step out."
Everyone looked at each other.
No one moved.
They knew nothing about this ally who suddenly appeared. They didn't know the temperament of those people, nor did they understand their taboos.
Those who could fight those predators in the city were undoubtedly ruthless.
What if they offended them?
No one wanted to be the first to stand out.
Wang Sijie saw that no one stepped out and was about to call out names.
At this time, Liegong stood up.
"Let me do it."
Liao Feng, who was standing aside, glanced at him in surprise. He didn't expect this guy to be so courageous that he took the initiative to take over this thankless job.
Wang Sijie nodded with satisfaction and gestured.
"Follow me."
...
A relatively clean single room.
Old White, lying flat on the bed, opened his eyes without warning and sat up from the bed.
It is now six o'clock in the evening.
After confirming the current time through the VM, Old White was about to meet up with his teammates when he suddenly found a long list of small windows on the screen.
[Task 1: Inspect Hope Town, carry VM and camera equipment to complete the full map search. ]
[Task 2 (side quest): Write a 200-word report, describing the situation of local survivors from multiple aspects such as economy, culture, politics, and education. ]
[Task 3 (side quest): Find NPCs with special talents or special identities]
[Task 4 (side quest): ...]
The rewards for the quests are very generous, not only giving silver coins and contribution points, but also giving regional reputation for the new map.
Looking at the long list of quests on the VM, Old White's face was full of confusion, and he couldn't help but feel a little weird.
Especially the second quest.
Good guy, even the map introduction was thrown to the players to write by themselves.
Shouldn't this kind of thing be the work of the planner!
This is too lazy!
But this task is actually easy to do. Fang Chang loves to do this the most, so he should be happy to take care of it.
As for the third one...
Lao Bai stared at the task interface for a long time, but couldn't figure out any clues. Finally, he shook his head in giving up.
"Forget it... Never mind."
There are only more than 5,000 people in this survivor settlement.
Anyway, trigger more dialogues, maybe you can find clues.
After simply sorting out his equipment, Lao Bai pushed open the door, walked through the narrow corridor, and went to the lobby of the rest area to meet up with his teammates.
The environment here is very simple and the air condition is very bad, but even so, this is already the best room in Hope Town.
Most of the survivors are crowded in the shops or even the aisles of the underground commercial complex, separated from each other by curtains, or simply squeezed together.
Not to mention a separate room, there is not even a decent bed.
Since yesterday morning, after following the little boy and discovering the hiding place of the survivors in Xizhou City, the Niu Ma team has lived here.
Compared to sleeping in the ruins, it is undoubtedly much safer to log off here, at least there is no need to arrange people to take turns to go online to "guard the body".
Intimidated by the strength of the new alliance, the survivors of these resistance organizations are very respectful and even cautious to them.
Unless the looters find this place, there is no need to worry about safety issues when logging off here.
When Lao Bai came to the rest area hall, Fang Chang, Ye Shi, and Kuang Feng had been here for a while.
Looking around, Lao Bai found that not only his good brothers were here, but also two unfamiliar NPCs were standing here.
"...I am Wang Sijie, the captain of the guerrillas of the resistance organization in Xizhou City. The one next to me is Lie Gong, a soldier under my command. During the time you stay in Hope Town, he will be your guide." Seeing that the four people were all there, Wang Sijie made a brief self-introduction and introduced the guerrilla soldier standing next to him to everyone.
Seeing the officer introduce himself, the man with a bow on his back immediately spoke up.
"Welcome, friends from Dawn City... You can come to me if you encounter any problems here, and I will do my best to help you solve them."
Fang Chang smiled and said.
"Don't be so polite, just take us around."
"I have a mission later, so I won't bother you." Patting Liegong on the shoulder, Wang Sijie left a sentence "I'll leave it to you" and turned to leave the hall.
Watching the guerrilla leader leave, Ye Shi whispered.
"I thought they would arrange a young lady as a guide for us."
Kuangfeng glanced at him.
"Analyze rationally, this kind of survivor settlement with a backward living standard, even if you are arranged with a young lady, the possibility of meeting your aesthetic standards is about equal to-"
Ye Shi immediately covered his mouth.
"Okay, I don't want to listen to your nonsense."
Kuangfeng: "..."
Liegong looked at the two people whispering with a blank face, not understanding what they were saying.
Fortunately, the commander had explained the language problem to him before, so he reacted calmly and said it in a serious tone.
"I will take you around here... Please follow me."
After saying that, Liegong was about to walk in front to lead the way, but at this moment, the man with a bow on his back called him.
"Wait a minute," Fang Chang took out a bag of wheat cakes from his pocket and handed it to him, "This is your reward."
The bag of wheat cakes weighed half a pound.
Liegong was stunned when he took the paper bag, but soon he realized what it was, and an ecstatic expression immediately appeared on his face.
"We don't need rewards..." Although he said so, he had no intention of returning the things.
Fang Chang looked at him and smiled.
"Don't be polite, we won't let people work for us for free."
In Dawn City, one silver coin can buy two such wheat cakes, not to mention that the supplies delivered by airdrop do not need to be bought with money.
Only a small reward is needed to gain the loyalty of a guide, and the idea of "working for the New Alliance and getting paid" can be established in the hearts of the locals.
This deal is really a bargain!
With a grateful look on his face, Liegong put the paper package away and carefully put it in the inner pocket of his clothes, intending to take it home after the work is done and share it with his family.
He took a deep breath and looked at Fang Chang.
"Thank you for your generosity!"
Fang Chang nodded.
"Take us around, our manager wants to know the situation here."
Lie Gong said immediately.
"No problem, please follow me!"
Because of the green wheat cake, the guide named Lie Gong was obviously much more enthusiastic.
After learning that Fang Chang and his party wanted to know the most real living conditions of the residents of Hope Town, he immediately took them through several corridors and went to the residential area on the B1 floor of the commercial complex.
As soon as he stepped into this area, Lao Bai felt an unpleasant smell coming towards him.
The narrow corridors and stairs were almost filled with messy garbage, and there were six or seven hundred people lying in a space of less than 500 square meters. The ceiling of the corridor was full of crooked ventilation ducts like centipedes, and cockroaches and rats had already built nests in them.
And this is just a corner of this "town".
The sanitation here is very bad, although the problem here is far more than just sanitation. Due to the lack of nutrition, fuel and warm equipment, people fainted from hunger or even starved to death every day.
As for the corpses...
They were most likely dragged to the nutrient paste synthesis device and made into a green paste together with other plant fibers and the corpses of animals and insects.
The pale and thin faces were hidden in the darkness, and people huddled on the garbage dump that was even simpler than the shack, like rats in the sewer.
They carefully observed these strangers who were out of tune with them and the surroundings with curious eyes, and whispered about the identities of these people.
"They... are the people of the New Alliance?"
"Is the mayor not kidding?"
"Thank God... we are finally saved."
The voice spread like waves.
Just as the local residents were looking at the group behind the hunting bow, the cattle and horse team were also looking at them.
Walking behind the strong wind, Ye Shi couldn't help but hold his breath.
Not only because of the suffocating smell, but also because of the shocking scenes in front of him.
This place is simply hell...
The last time I saw such a tragic scene was in the dungeon of Qingshi County.
"...those damn bandits." Ye Shi couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "Go to hell."
Fang Chang and Kuang Feng didn't speak. One of them treated this place as a game, and the other was a man of few words. Lao Bai, who was walking in the front, was in a heavy mood, as if he was thinking about something.
Noticing the expressions on everyone's faces, Liegong explained.
"This is the area where ordinary residents live. We are short of supplies, and it is already very difficult to maintain the status quo... My superior doesn't want me to bring you here. He asked me to avoid the B1 floor area as much as possible and show more of our beautiful side. But if you want to understand the most real situation here, there is no more real than here."
Fang Chang looked at him and asked.
"Bringing us here won't cause you any trouble, right?"
Liegong smiled embarrassedly.
"How could that be? Please don't worry about me. Our commander told me to obey your orders. If he asks about this, I will say that you insisted on coming here."
Lao Bai looked around and spoke in a stumbling human language.
"You have gathered so many people here. Won't the looters find this place?"
Liegong continued.
"Don't worry about that. The entrance on the surface has collapsed. We have completely blocked the entrance directly from the subway station. There is only one way to come in from the outside, which is the secret door hidden in the subway tunnel."
At this time, Lao Bai suddenly had an idea and whispered a few words to Fang Chang about the task on the VM.
Fang Chang was slightly stunned and immediately looked at Liegong and asked.
"Speaking of which, do you have anyone with special talents here?"
"Special talents?" Liegong was stunned. "What kind of talents are you talking about?"
Fang Chang tried to ask, "Technical aspects, whether it is blacksmithing or handicrafts, anyway, the kind with a special skill!"
Liegong was stunned and replied.
"Just a skill... the threshold is too low. Most of the survivors from the Lagrange Building are craftsmen. Many people who used to live at the TV station can sing and forge iron. Many people in the survivor settlements in the Sixin District are good at fishing and stealing crab eggs..."
Fang Chang silently memorized this information and asked.
"What about others? For example, residents of the shelter?"
"Residents of the shelter? There is a shelter in Xizhou City, but the Ya clan just came here and they closed the door..."
Fang Chang was delighted and asked immediately.
"What is the number of the shelter? Do you know the exact location?"
"I remember it was 101? The exact location is unclear, but I do remember the camp they built on the surface. It seems to be..." Liegong scratched the back of his head and told Fang Chang the address.
However, at this moment, a dishevelled man suddenly rushed out from the side and fell to the feet of everyone.
Everyone was stunned. Before they understood what happened, the man looked at them with pleading eyes and said.
"You are from the New Alliance, right? Please, help me!"
"What are you doing?! Take your hands away--" Liegong was about to drive him away, but was stopped by Lao Bai.
Reaching out to lift the disheveled man from the ground, Lao Bai looked at him and asked.
"Get up first and tell me your name."
"My name is... Wang Zhong." The man said incoherently.
"Okay, Wang Zhong... What trouble are you in?"
The man who had just calmed down his breathing suddenly became excited again.
"My wife is seriously ill. Without antibiotics, she may not be able to hold on for long... Please, can you give me some medicine and food?"
Looking at the miserable appearance of this man, Lao Bai couldn't bear to help. Fang Chang, who was standing aside, instantly guessed what he was going to do and immediately stopped his hand from reaching for the backpack.
"Everyone here needs medicine and food. If you help him, there will be a second and a third person soon."
Lao Bai looked at Fang Chang.
"Are we just going to leave him alone?"
Fang Chang said calmly.
"Of course not. We will report the situation here to the manager and let him decide on the assistance to the local survivors."
After a pause, he looked at Lao Bai and continued.
"There are more than 5,000 people here. We can't help them with the supplies we have."
Lao Bai fell into silence.
Reason told him that what Fang Chang said was right, but psychologically it was difficult for him to accept it.
The only thing to blame is that the game is too real.
At this time, the man named Wang Zhong suddenly spoke.
"I won't take your things for nothing... I just heard on the radio that you plan to build a survivor settlement here, right?"
Lao Bai was still reading the translation on the VM.
Fang Chang, who understood this sentence, immediately looked at the man.
"Yes, do you have any good ideas?"
Seeing that there was a chance, Wang Zhong swallowed his saliva and continued, "No, but I know... there is a spare controlled fusion reactor hidden underground in Xizhou City."
The moment the voice fell, Fang Chang's expression immediately became serious, staring into the man's eyes and asked.
"Are you serious?"
Wang Zhong nodded vigorously and swore.
"I can guarantee it with my life! Those blue coats... the residents of Shelter No. 101, they said it themselves. The reactor is a civil defense facility built in the Human Union era, specially prepared for the underground transportation network, and it is said that the output power can reach the GM level. They tried to repair the reactor, and they have successfully repaired half of it!"
With the help of the translation tool, Fang Chang barely understood what he said, and then asked.
"Why do you know this?"
Wang Zhong said immediately.
"Because I am a resident of Camp 101! They hired some locals in the camp to help them pick up garbage, build supplies, move things, take care of their daily lives... In short, do some work they don't want to do. I am a cook in the cafeteria. They talked about this during meals. They also joked that when they repaired the reactor, the survivors in the entire Xizhou City would not have to worry about electricity."
If this reactor really exists, then this sentence is indeed not a joke.
GM-level power generation, horizontally compared with reality, the output power of this reactor alone can instantly kill the total power of many small country power grids!
It can be said that it is more than enough to meet the electricity needs of tens of thousands of survivors.
Fang Chang looked at the hunting bow standing beside him excitedly.
Although the latter looked confused about what Wang Zhong said, he nodded after hesitating for a moment.
"He's telling the truth... Camp 101 did hire some wastelanders living nearby and let them live in their camp. But I don't quite understand that reactor..."
Controlled fusion reactor!
Everyone exchanged glances, and their faces showed excitement at the same time.
Although the New Alliance currently has high-end energy storage methods such as solid hydrogen, its power generation methods are still backward and even primitive.
If this controlled fusion reactor can be mastered, the impact on the New Alliance's industry will undoubtedly be huge!
Fang Chang restrained the excitement in his voice and looked at the man and asked.
"Do you know the location of that reactor?"
Wang Zhong nodded nervously.
"I can take you there... but you have to cure my wife. And... I need food, food that can keep our family alive."
Fang Chang said with a smile.
"Don't worry about this! A batch of supplies will be delivered here tonight. Whether it's food or medicine, your reasonable demands will be met!"
Leaving this sentence, Fang Chang looked at Liegong standing beside him and said in front of Wang Zhong.
"The information he has is crucial. I need you to ensure the safety of him and his family."
Hope Town has been incorporated into the new alliance.
I believe that as long as the people in the resistance organization are not stupid, they will carefully consider the weight of his words.
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the expression on Liegong's face immediately became serious and he said seriously.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Fang Chang nodded and continued.
"In addition, please spread the word for us in the town. If you have similar information, no matter how big or small it is, please let us know!"
"Once the value of the information is confirmed, the alliance will definitely reward you handsomely!"