Chapter 11

Chu Guang thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution.

Although the principle of a generator is simple, even middle school students know it's about "a conductor cutting magnetic field lines." But turning that into a 10KW generator is not so easy.

He asked Baidu, but all he got were links to buy one.

Ha.

If I could shop online, would I need you to tell me which one to buy?

What a joke!

After much effort, Chu Guang finally found some reliable tutorials, but considering the scarcity of materials, none of these resources could be put to practical use.

Time quickly reached six o'clock.

With the sound of the cabin door opening, the four players woke up.

"Let's think about it later."

Chu Guang put down his leg that was resting on the table, tidied his appearance in the mirror he had found, and walked calmly into the next room.

When he entered the room, the four players were checking their attributes on the screens of their incubation pods.

"Sure enough, my gene sequence is Strength... I have 7 points in Strength from the start, but only 3 in Intelligence? But I don't feel dumb at all."

"That doesn't sound very smart... By the way, your beard grows so fast."

Lao Bai's beard was indeed a bit exaggerated.

It was just stubble yesterday, but today it was already as long as a fingernail.

"I don't know what's going on... By the way, is there a razor here?"

"Obviously not. Why don't you try the axe?"

"Get lost."

"By the way, I'm Agility, I thought I would be Intelligence." Fang Chang pinched his chin and fell into deep thought, seemingly considering something.

"I'm Intelligence," Kuangfeng raised his hand with a bitter smile, "3 points in Strength is a bit too low, right? 7 points in Intelligence... I don't feel any smarter."

"I'm Perception. By the way, what's the use of Perception? Can it predict the future?" Ye Shi was a bit depressed.

Compared to this vague attribute, he would rather have outstanding performance in Strength or Agility.

At the very least, Constitution would be better, at least he could be a tank.

"It's probably intuition for danger. Don't you remember how you dodged that mutant's sneak attack yesterday?" Fang Chang pondered and said, "If used well, this attribute could be quite a game-changer... It's a waste on you."

"Get lost."

"Cough."

Chu Guang coughed as he entered the room, interrupting the players' conversation.

Perhaps because he had talked to them about their favorability as a planner last night, the four players looked at him differently.

To maintain the players' immersion, Chu Guang decided to continue his authoritative image and said seriously.

"Time is tight, I'll keep it short."

"There's a mountain of work to do, but we don't have much time. To avoid affecting our subsequent plans, we need to complete our outpost on the surface before winter arrives."

"Food, drinking water, fuel... all these need to be stockpiled, and we also need to build defensive structures and surface shelters."

"I've already organized the tasks on a schedule, you can check it on the bulletin board at the sanatorium entrance."

The players' eyes lit up, their faces showing eagerness.

Is the task system complete?

"Those are the basics. Do you have any questions? If not, let's get going."

"Wait, wait, Administrator!"

"Speak."

Ye Shi raised his hand, his face red.

"Please, where is the toilet?"

...

Toilet.

That was indeed a problem.

The B1 level of Shelter 404 was more like a reception area. Although there were incubation pod compartments, there were no living facilities.

Seeing the players rush out of the sanatorium after arriving on the surface, Chu Guang suddenly realized that with the influx of players, not only eating and drinking were problems, but defecation would soon become a big issue.

There were public toilets on Bet Street, and human and animal waste were collected and sold to the nearby Brown Farm.

After arriving at the sanatorium in the Wetland Park, Chu Guang had been finding a safe spot in the forest to take care of his needs, but he hadn't considered the problem of 100 people's waste.

It seemed that the four players had upset stomachs, as they all came back limping.

"There's no outhouse, it's so damn uncomfortable."

"No toilet paper, I had to use leaves... almost bled."

"+1."

"Damn, I feel like it's burning... Do you feel it too?"

"No."

"Did you use nettle leaves...?"

"What, what are nettle leaves?"

"Nothing, just bear with it."

"???"

Chu Guang stood by, embarrassed.

He had forgotten to tell them that they could use moss, a tip he had learned from the survivors on Bet Street.

But they didn't give him a chance to speak.

Bear with it.

Everyone has been through this.

"Administrator, " Fang Chang limped to Chu Guang and said respectfully, "I suggest we build a toilet."

Ye Shi: "Seconded!"

Lao Bai: "I agree. With a toilet, we can dig a large pit to collect waste, mix in wood ash and sawdust for composting, and let aerobic bacteria and fungi decompose the organic matter to generate heat, killing pathogens and producing fertilizer."

Fang Chang: "Exactly. And not just for fertilizer, we can mix some waste and organic matter in a sealed container, and let anaerobic bacteria convert it into combustible methane! I've seen this done in biogas pits in my hometown, the biogas can be used for lighting and electricity."

"That's a good idea, we can adopt it." Chu Guang nodded in approval.

Biogas.

He had been so focused on survival that he had forgotten about this.

In his memory, Bet Street didn't have a biogas pit, but the nearby Brown Farm did.

Seeing the Administrator's approving expression, the four players became even more enthusiastic, brainstorming together.

Building a toilet wasn't difficult, and neither was a biogas pit, the only challenge was the materials for sealing and storing gas.

Fortunately, the wasteland was short of everything except plastic.

Especially drink bottles and garbage bags.

Since burning them produces toxic gases, few survivors burned them, at most using them as kindling.

If they looked carefully, they could find plenty nearby.

Thus, the task board gained another task—collecting plastic bags and bottles.

"Administrator, I have an idea about the generator." Kuangfeng, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

Chu Guang looked at him.

"Go on."

Kuangfeng said.

"Most cars have a built-in generator. I want to know if there are any roads nearby, or a parking lot. If we can find a car, this problem should be easy to solve."

Chu Guang replied.

"Cars aren't hard to find. There's a parking lot near the Wetland Park, but I've checked the cars there, and there's nothing worth salvaging."

"I want to try," Kuangfeng said stubbornly, "If we can find a working generator, our outpost on the surface can have electricity!"

"Go ahead, but I can't let you go alone," Chu Guang looked at the players in front of him, his gaze landing on Ye Shi, "You and Kuangfeng go check out the parking lot."

Ye Shi said enthusiastically.

"Yes!"

Ye Shi's gene sequence was Perception, and his intuition for danger could be useful.

Before they left, Chu Guang gave them two short knives for cutting grass, which were more effective against mutants than the cumbersome axe.

Additionally, he repeatedly warned them to avoid combat if they encountered mutants, and to run if possible.

But if the mutant had already noticed them and showed clear hostility, they should never turn their backs.

That would be suicide...

With the Wetland Park map and a simple compass, Kuangfeng and Ye Shi left the sanatorium.

Lao Bai and Fang Chang, who stayed behind, looked at Chu Guang and asked.

"Administrator, should we continue cutting trees, or...?"

Chu Guang looked around, counting the dozens of unprocessed logs on the ground.

"No more tree cutting today. We need to solve the toilet problem first... Here, go get shovels and axes, and I'll show you how to do it."

...

The parking lot was to the southeast of the sanatorium.

Untouched for 200 years.

Nature had completely taken over.

Tree roots had broken through the hard concrete, and shrubs and weeds grew knee-high.

Rusty vehicles were covered in vines, and through the broken windows, moss could be seen growing on the seats and air vents.

Seeing this, Kuangfeng finally understood the Administrator's words.

There was indeed nothing worth salvaging here.

Ye Shi also looked troubled.

In this state, where could they find a generator?

"Should we go back?"

Kuangfeng was silent for a moment, then walked forward stubbornly.

"We're here now."

Ye Shi shrugged and followed.

After knowing him for so many years, his biggest impression of this net friend was his stubbornness, and he didn't know what he did in real life.

Many of the cars in the parking lot had rusted engine hoods that wouldn't open. Kuangfeng searched for a long time before finding one that could be opened.

But when he opened the hood, he was stunned.

This was...

An engine?

"What's wrong?" Ye Shi asked, coming over.

"It seems to be an electric engine... but it's not quite right," Kuangfeng frowned, "Do you know cars?"

"I haven't even taken the driving test, how would I know?" Ye Shi said, "You've been working for years, haven't you bought a car?"

"I live in the dormitory, I only have a bicycle."

Kuangfeng continued to search the engine, even crawling under the car... checking every possible place.

But suddenly, his hand stopped.

Noticing his expression, Ye Shi asked.

"What's wrong?"

"It's a bit strange... I can't find the power source." Kuangfeng wiped the mud from his face, frowning and thinking hard, "I can find the engine, but... no power source."

"Maybe it was removed?" Ye Shi suggested, "After all, it's been 200 years in the wasteland, it's normal for survivors to have visited here."

"That's a possibility."

Closing the hood, Kuangfeng looked at the abandoned cars in the parking lot, feeling complex.

There was another possibility.

In the game's background, pre-war society's technology was advanced enough to use remote power sources instead of fixed ones.

But either way, it wasn't good news for him.

Finding a generator from abandoned cars seemed unlikely...

...

On the other side.

The toilet construction had made progress.

Under Chu Guang's direction, Lao Bai and Fang Chang dug a large pit two meters wide, three meters long, and deep enough to bury a person outside the sanatorium. They then inserted sawn logs around the pit as walls and lined the bottom with gravel and leaves.

With the pit ready, the toilet was simple.

Chu Guang had them build two simple shelters next to the pit and connect them with plastic tubing from the sanatorium's exterior walls.

Thus, a simple toilet was completed.

"Excrement and urine should be stored separately, mixing them can form sludge. Urine is sterile and can be used to water crops... but let's leave it at this for today," Chu Guang nodded in approval at their morning's work.

Lao Bai and Fang Chang, leaning on their shovels and panting, exchanged glances, looking helpless.

Though it was a 100% realistic virtual reality game, did it really need to be this realistic?

"There's also the issue of bathing... there's a water source within a kilometer, but it's near mutants, so we need to be careful when fetching water."

We'll build a bathhouse later.

The smell is a minor issue, but getting sick is a major one.

"Administrator." Fang Chang raised his hand.

Chu Guang looked at him.

"What is it?"

"I think we should consider safety issues," Fang Chang said, "From the mutant we encountered yesterday, this wasteland isn't safe."

Duh.

Do I need to say that?

"I know, but hygiene is also important. The shelter doesn't have enough medical supplies, and an epidemic could be disastrous."

Safety wasn't as urgent. The mutants in the Wetland Park were less active than in the city, and there were few survivors around, so they could hide in the shelter if danger arose.

But hygiene for over a hundred people was a big issue.

In Bet Street, every household used iron buckets to store water on the roof, heating and disinfecting it, and washing their bodies every two to three days. It wasn't because they were particular, but because the smell would get them kicked out.

Fang Chang and Lao Bai exchanged glances.

Does the Administrator's AI have a cleanliness obsession?

We'll have to be careful.

"By the way... there's one thing I've been wondering, why does such a large shelter have no supplies? And we've only been on B1, what about the other floors?" Lao Bai interjected.

"The other floors are not currently open, but they will be in the future."

Chu Guang didn't explain the reason, just stated the fact.

The two players, though curious, didn't press further, accepting it as part of the game's design.

At this moment, Ye Shi and Kuangfeng returned from their exploration.

Seeing Kuangfeng covered in mud, Chu Guang asked.

"How did it go? Did you find a generator?"

"No, but it wasn't a complete waste."

Kuangfeng opened a plastic bag he had picked up from a trash can, filled with blue mushrooms.

These mushrooms were small, about the length of a finger, with translucent fine hairs on their surface, and colorful iridescence along the ridges.

Chu Guang looked at them, surprised.

"Where did you find these?"

With a hint of satisfaction, Kuangfeng reported.

"Near the parking lot, there's a concrete sewer pipe about two people high. Inside, there were many of these mushrooms. I'm not sure if they're edible, so I picked some to bring back."

At first, he wanted to taste one, but the game was too realistic, and he hesitated for a long time before giving up.

"It's called the Blue Umbrella Mushroom, scientifically known as 'Blue Angel.' They say that eating it can make you see real angels within an hour."

"Don't doubt it. Unless you're a mutant immune to all poisons, you shouldn't eat this."