Chapter 12

Chu Guang tightened the plastic bag and continued to speak.

"You should be grateful that you didn't go further in. This kind of mushroom usually grows near the nests of mutated leeches."

Yeshi was taken aback.

"Mutated leeches?"

Chu Guang casually replied.

"Yes, the juvenile mutated leeches are only as big as a palm, and apart from their special mouthparts, they look no different from normal leeches."

"However, once they reach adulthood, their size can rapidly increase to over one meter, and the longest can even reach three meters. Their feeding method also changes; it's said they can swallow a person whole... Of course, I've only heard this."

After hearing the manager's description, Yeshi felt a chill all over his body.

He had felt something was off when he was picking the mushrooms, but he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. Now, it seemed he had narrowly escaped a brush with death.

"Can't eat them?" Kuangfeng's expression was quite regretful as he looked at the mushrooms Chu Guang had put away. "I thought they could give us a buff."

"Don't think too much."

There aren't that many buffs.

There was something Chu Guang didn't say.

Although these mushrooms can't be eaten, they are the main ingredient for making radiation blockers.

Chu Guang wasn't sure of the exact principle, but he had heard it from Old Charlie on Bet Street.

The blue umbrella mushrooms contain a special polypeptide substance that can effectively alleviate and heal non-fatal damage caused by gamma rays.

Caravans from Boulder City would buy this stuff, and the price they offered wasn't low. They usually transported it to Boulder City and sold it to the factories there.

The problem is that this stuff is hard to find. Few scavengers are willing to risk their lives to search for the nests of mutated leeches in swamps, subways, or sewers.

Finding it is one thing.

Dying before you can bring it back is another.

Even if it's out of necessity, no one wants to deal with these boneless, man-eating tentacles...

He never expected that there would be a nest of mutated leeches so close by.

Chu Guang's mood was a mix of joy and worry.

He was happy that the blue umbrella mushrooms could fetch a good price, but he was worried about dealing with the mutated leeches.

Salt?

Where would he get hundreds of kilograms of salt? If he had that much salt, he might as well sell the salt directly.

Fire?

These things usually live in damp areas, and they're not easy to set on fire.

"Do you remember the exact location of that sewer entrance?"

In response to the manager's question, Kuangfeng quickly pulled out a map and pointed to a marked spot.

"Right here."

Chu Guang glanced at the location on the map and silently memorized it.

"I know."

...

Kuangfeng and Yeshi had brought back about 2 kilograms of blue umbrella mushrooms. At the current market rate, 50 grams could fetch one chip.

2000 grams would be 40 chips!

This was almost equivalent to all the savings Chu Guang had accumulated over the past five months.

And this was the price offered by the recycling station on Bet Street.

The actual value of these mushrooms was at least twice that!

Chu Guang planned to sell all the mushrooms and use the chips to buy the supplies the outpost needed.

"The outpost needs supplies. I'm going out for a bit. Stay here and don't wander too far."

"At 5 PM, Xiao Qi will open the elevator for you to return to the shelter."

"While I'm gone, Xiao Qi will tally your work results. If you have any questions, you can ask it."

As for the 2 kilograms of blue umbrella mushrooms, Chu Guang gave Kuangfeng and Yeshi a total of 220 contribution points.

200 points were for discovering the nest of the mutated leeches, and 20 points were for the mushrooms.

He wasn't being stingy; he was afraid that if he gave too much, these players might get a taste of the rewards and risk their lives to pick more, only to die in the process.

Until he found a generator to power the "Active Substance Extractor," he felt it was better to be cautious.

Lunch was a green wheat porridge.

It was more like a green bean soup without the sweetness.

This stuff had no flavor, purely for filling the stomach.

However, to Chu Guang's surprise, the four players ate it ravenously, as if they were starving ghosts.

Is it that good?

Chu Guang doubted his cooking skills.

Could I actually be good at cooking?

That shouldn't be...

He quickly finished the meal.

After putting away the pots and pans and extinguishing the fire, Chu Guang set off alone. The sanatorium was left with four players and an AI robot hanging out upstairs.

Fang Chang stared at the task board at the sanatorium entrance, lost in thought.

Yeshi asked beside him.

"What are you looking at?"

Fang Chang said.

"According to the manager, blue umbrella mushrooms can be used to make radiation blockers, but the reward for the task is only 20 contribution points, equivalent to cutting down two trees... Do you think this is reasonable?"

Yeshi was taken aback.

"What's the problem?"

Fang Chang said.

"Of course there is. Normally, the rewards players get from tasks should be proportional to the difficulty of the task. You not only unlocked a new instance but also collected high-value resources. Logically, the reward shouldn't be so minimal."

Kuangfeng pondered.

"What do you think is the reason?"

Fang Chang snapped his fingers.

"Priority!"

"Priority?" Yeshi was confused.

"Exactly." Fang Chang nodded. "Do you remember what the manager said in the previous plot? The top priority is survival!"

Is that so?

It seems so.

Yeshi hadn't listened carefully; he usually skipped the plot in most games. This game couldn't be skipped, but zoning out for a few minutes made no difference.

Fang Chang continued.

"...So I speculate that the tasks on the task board are not all the tasks. This game gives us a lot of autonomy. Tasks can be issued by NPCs, and we can also trigger them actively."

Kuangfeng frowned.

"Reason?"

"Didn't you already receive the reward?" Fang Chang said. "Although you didn't find the generator, you discovered a nest of mutants and collected valuable resources."

"So I deduce that as long as our actions meet the current needs of Shelter 404, we can earn contribution points. The reward is proportional to the value we create!"

"For example, building the latrine and toilet was a task issued after the manager adopted our suggestions. Both I and Lao Bai received 200 contribution points."

Lao Bai nodded.

"It seems so."

"I think I understand what you mean," Kuangfeng said, rubbing his chin. "But completing tasks on the task board also earns contribution points, right?"

And the points are not low.

"This is the second point I want to make," Fang Chang said with a mysterious smile. "Do you remember the planner's mention of the NPC favorability system?"

Kuangfeng's face showed a hint of realization.

"I see... I understand what you mean."

Yeshi and Lao Bai were still confused.

"What exactly do you understand?"

"Explain it clearly!"

Fang Chang said slowly.

"To put it simply, completing the fixed tasks on the task board can earn you a fixed minimum reward, but it doesn't showcase our abilities. In contrast, triggering tasks actively can better demonstrate our capabilities! Theoretically, it should improve the manager's evaluation of us."

Of course, these speculations are based on the assumption that Wasteland OL is a "fully realistic" immersive virtual reality game, and the manager's behavior is controlled by program logic, not human设定.

If his intelligence isn't as high as we imagine, this theory might not hold.

However, from what we've seen so far, the manager's intelligence is quite high, and normal communication is no problem. I even suspect he might be a real person.

Understanding Fang Chang's explanation, Lao Bai nodded, stroking his chin.

"This idea is interesting and worth trying... So, what do you think we should do?"

"I'm still figuring out the specifics, but my intuition tells me that compared to contribution points, accumulating more NPC favorability before the second beta test is more critical. This can ensure we have a higher 'starting point' in the second beta test."

Pausing, Fang Chang snapped his fingers.

"I propose we form a team!"

"Forming a team means..." Yeshi asked, puzzled.

Lao Bai nodded.

"I have no objections."

Kuangfeng also nodded.

"I agree."

Yeshi was taken aback.

"I have no objections, but can you explain the details of forming a team?"

Fang Chang patiently explained.

"To put it simply, from now on, we are a team. We share information and help each other. Then, we need to leverage our strengths."

Fang Chang looked at Kuangfeng and Yeshi and continued.

"Kuangfeng, Yeshi, you will scout along the lake shore of the wetland park. Observe the distribution and movement patterns of the mutants. If you find any areas that might be nests, mark them... but remember, don't get too close, especially avoid any combat. We need a safe water source."

Kuangfeng nodded.

"Got it."

Then, Fang Chang looked at Lao Bai.

"As for us, we need to cut more wood."

"I'll go online and look up some information after logging out. Tomorrow, I'll try to find a way to use the wood we've stockpiled!"