Chapter 100

"Alright, stop playing in the water, all of you come out."

Walking into the public bath on the second basement level, Chu Guang knocked on each door, herding the players who were taking endless showers out like ducks.

"Wait, wait, wait, just a moment, I just went in!"

"Quickly get dressed and come out."

"Alright, alright, don't open the door yet."

"I'll give you one minute."

"!!!"

While herding these young players out, Chu Guang suddenly felt like the landlady from the movie "Kung Fu."

However, there was no other way. It was impossible not to herd them out.

Relying on the players to be self-disciplined was out of the question, and the queue at the entrance to the public bath had already formed a long line.

Almost all the players in the shelter had come to queue here, and there was almost no one left to work on the surface. It was truly ridiculous.

After herding the players who were crowded in the public bath of Area A to the hall, Chu Guang looked at them sternly and said in a serious tone,

"I have some good news for everyone. Just half a day ago, our outstanding performance led the organization to increase its investment in us."

"Starting now, the second basement level area has been opened to our vanguard team. In the future, your cryopods will be moved to Area B here, where you will live with the next batch of reinforcements."

"This area has nearly complete living facilities, much better than the B1 level, but I still hope you don't get too absorbed in the comfortable living environment and keep your eyes on the long-term."

"Rebuilding a utopia on Earth is our ideal and vow."

"To conserve the precious energy and water resources of the shelter, from now on, the water dispensers, showers, and public restrooms will require payment to use."

"Using the restroom costs 1 copper coin per use, and if the usage time exceeds half an hour, an additional 1 copper coin is charged every 10 minutes. Using the shower costs 3 copper coins per use, and if the usage time exceeds half an hour, an additional 3 copper coins are charged every 10 minutes. The water dispenser costs 1 copper coin for every 200ml of purified water, regardless of temperature."

"Before using the facilities, you need to prepay at the administrator's assistant. The usage rights will be linked to the VM device. The cameras will record the user's identity and usage time, and the same device cannot be used by two or more people. Abnormal usage will result in the device being locked and penalties for violators. Additionally, if there is an outstanding payment, it must be settled within 24 hours, or it will affect future usage."

The camera usage rights have been given to Xiao Qi.

It can accurately identify each player's usage time and directly deduct the prepaid fees according to the rules.

Managing with AI is much more efficient than manual management.

Outstanding payment?

Then don't use it.

In his territory, diligent players will never lack money.

After hearing the announcement from the administrator, the players, though disappointed, were not entirely unwilling to accept it.

As everyone knows, prestigious VIP services always require payment. Taking a shower in the shelter is indeed much more comfortable than outside, where you don't have to worry about the water running out halfway through.

At least, the generous administrator did not follow the emperor penguin's example and implement a membership system, charging for each entry and each use of the faucet, and allowing those who pay to jump the queue.

"Damn! I was only halfway through my shower when I was kicked out, feeling like I lost a lot, wailing."

"You lost a lot? At least you got to experience it, I didn't even get to queue up!"

"3 copper coins for a shower? That's three times the price outside, I'll go to the lake instead."

"You're crazy, it's almost freezing outside, you're going to the lake? I think you're going to freeze to death."

"Wait, you can finish in half an hour?! That's very unreasonable, why do you have to pay 3 copper coins for every 10 minutes after half an hour?"

"You can also go out and come back in. But if no one is around, it's fine, but if there are many people, you might have to queue up again."

"I also think it's unreasonable, I finish in 10 minutes, why do I have to pay 3 copper coins, can I just pay 1 copper coin?"

Seeing the noisy players, Chu Guang clapped her hands and herded them into the elevator.

"Now, go upstairs and bring your cryopods down."

"The 1 to 100 rooms in Area B of the second basement level are now available. Starting with the player with the highest contribution points, each person can choose a room, which will serve as your resurrection point."

"Hurry up, don't just stand there, or you'll be randomly assigned."

Under the urging of the administrator, the players finally dispersed, running upstairs to carry the cryopods down.

Soon, the hall on the second basement level was filled with cryopods.

Including the 10 new players who just entered the game, almost all 81 players without missions gathered here.

Each cryopod had a specific number corresponding to the player's UID, so there was no need to worry about mixing them up.

Next was the room selection process.

As the oldest players who entered the game first, the four members of the Niu Ma Squad, without a doubt, had the highest contribution rate and successfully secured rooms 001 to 004.

Next were Mosquito and Teng Teng, who took rooms 6 and 8, respectively.

Then came the player who had been a chef for two versions and a butcher for one, and the player who made a fortune from the leech nest. When they came to look, all the single-digit numbers were already taken, so they decisively took 66 and 88.

The numbers were a bit later, but they were impressive.

As for the rest, it didn't matter!

In less than half an hour, almost all the rooms were assigned. As for the players on duty at the outpost and the abandoned tire factory, they were also randomly assigned rooms.

The players happily dragged their cryopods to the corresponding rooms to clear the beds.

The beds that were vacated, Chu Guang had the players send upstairs.

In the future, the B1 level would be reserved for himself and the core NPCs who frequently needed to go to the surface.

As for the remaining 100 rooms in Area B of the B2 level, they could be considered for accommodating some technical personnel or special talents gathered from the wasteland in the future.

Preferably those who were cryogenically frozen, as their "lineage" would be purer, and their knowledge systems would be more complete.

After settling the players, Chu Guang went to the surface and found Hain, the merchant from Red River Town, pacing back and forth in front of the sanatorium.

Seeing Chu Guang, Hain's eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled and approached.

"My friend, you finally adjusted your schedule. I was about to go down to find you."

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"You probably can't use this elevator."

"I know, so I didn't even try," Hain chuckled and continued, "Just now, my most capable assistant, Wen, brought good news. The caravan from Red River City has set out and is expected to arrive within three days. We plan to complete the transaction at the tire factory!"

Chu Guang did not ask how Hain got the news.

Radio is not a very advanced technology, and besides radio, this world clearly has many communication methods he had never heard of.

For example, the signal transmission between the players' helmets, clones, and cryopods is clearly not based on radio.

Otherwise, there would be no way to achieve zero latency.

"I hope you bring what I want," Chu Guang said, looking at him.

"Of course, that's what we agreed on," Hain took off his hat and bowed, his face full of piety and respect, "Honesty and integrity are my mottos."

Chu Guang had long been familiar with his acting and just smiled faintly without comment.

Believe your lies?

Grass on your grave would be two zhang high!

If you're unlucky, you won't even have a grave.

...

With the fall of the Blood Hand Clan, the largest group of raiders in the northern suburbs was completely destroyed.

The abandoned tire factory's rooftop was adorned with the 404 flag, and the walls were guarded by blue-coated men with iron pipes and rifles.

Until a new group of raiders targeted this rich area, the survivors in this region would enjoy a brief period of peace.

In game terms, due to the players' heroic efforts, the "raider level" of the area decreased by three levels, and the prosperity level increased by one level.

At the same time, the regional reputation of Shelter 404 increased by 100, the relationship with neutral survivor factions improved by 10, the frequency of caravans increased by 10%, and the probability of neutral NPCs joining increased by 10%...

These were the updates Chu Guang posted on the official website, just for the players and cloud players to boast and feel proud.

He also noticed that not everyone on the forum believed the game really existed; many thought they were playing a "setting game."

But even so, the enthusiasm of so many people "talking" was quite interesting, much like the early MUD games where over 90% of the content was imagined by a group of people.

However, as one of the most popular urban legends in the current gaming community, even with the need to fill out a lot of personal information for account reservations, many new players were still eager to sign up.

Their motivation was actually quite simple.

Closed beta access meant a player badge on the forum account, making their "talk" more convincing than that of cloud players without the badge.

But when the helmets appeared at their doorsteps, their expressions would surely be very interesting.

Regardless of the parallel world, with the launch of the "VM" equipment, the players' exploration enthusiasm almost reached its peak.

Even as the snow grew heavier, it could not dampen their desire to explore the map. After all, watching the shadows on the map gradually disappear from the screen was a very stress-relieving experience.

The key was that it was very convenient to operate; they just needed to walk along the walls.

If Chu Guang hadn't set exploration area restrictions, prohibiting them from venturing north into the wilderness and deeper into the city, they might have dared to crawl to Boulder City on foot and by hand.

Of course, the greater possibility was that they would die on the way.

There was almost no major road to Boulder City from here; they would either have to detour west along the remnants of the elevated ring road or find a way to cross the vast ruins and collapsed high-rise buildings.

The harsh winter would make everything more dangerous.

Dying was a minor issue; the trouble was that he would have to issue a corpse retrieval task to bring back their bodies and VM equipment.

Especially the VM equipment, which was much more valuable than the players' bodies, costing 40 silver coins to buy!

In addition to the players, the only two original residents of the outpost, a weapon shop owner and a warehouse manager, were also equipped with the NPC version of the VM by Chu Guang.

With the help of the prompter, their work efficiency indeed improved significantly. At least, they no longer had to ask players to repeat themselves because they didn't understand what they said.

"The snow is getting heavier."

On the wall of the abandoned tire factory.

Looking at the streets, streetlights, vehicle remnants, and buildings covered in silver frost, the fully armed Chu Guang suddenly sighed softly.

Such heavy snow would definitely affect the industrial production of the outpost.

Even if the players were not afraid of the cold, felt no pain, and could overcome the cold with their willpower, they could still suffer from frostbite, fainting, or even shock.

They couldn't smelt steel in the shelter.

Standing beside him, Hain couldn't guess Chu Guang's thoughts and just smiled, offering his flattery.

"This year is expected to be colder than last year. The survivors around here will have a hard time, but you don't need to worry; it's always spring in the shelter."

Chu Guang didn't respond, just kept looking north.

The cold north wind howled, and the snowflakes fell like knives.

Behind the misty snow, figures suddenly appeared.

Hain's reaction was faster than Chu Guang's. His eyes lit up with surprise, and his face was filled with joy as he looked at Chu Guang.

"Sir! Our caravan has arrived!"