Chapter 41

"Thirst... water..."

Xia Yan, who had been unconscious for an unknown amount of time, gradually woke up. She felt an intense hunger and her throat was as dry as if a branding iron had been inserted.

Her arms felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Her blurred vision seemed to be through a layer of fog. She tried to get up from the ground but gave up after one attempt.

It wasn't until her gaze fell on a plastic bottle and a package nearby.

She lunged forward, grabbed the plastic bottle, and without checking what liquid was inside, tilted her head back and gulped it down.

Her thirst was instantly relieved.

After pouring the last drop of water into her mouth, Xia Yan threw away the bottle and, like a starving ghost, picked up the plastic package from the ground and tore it open.

Her intuition told her that it contained food!

However, when she saw the black substance inside, her expression of hunger clearly paused.

What is this...

She leaned in to smell it, but it didn't stink.

After some hesitation, Xia Yan finally made up her mind and cautiously took a small bite.

The moment it touched her lips, her expression suddenly froze, and her pupils dilated dramatically.

This!

What is this taste!

She stuffed the black substance into her mouth and, after finishing it, licked her lips with lingering satisfaction. She even turned the plastic package over and licked it thoroughly.

At that moment, the alloy door in front of her opened.

Xia Yan lifted her head and saw the man standing at the door.

"Awake?"

Instinctively, she shrank back, quickly glanced at her clothes, and steeled herself to nod.

"Yes."

"Was it good?"

Although she wanted to show some backbone, her mouth wouldn't listen to her.

"It was good..."

Chu Guang smiled faintly.

"Do you want more?"

"Yes." Xia Yan nodded vigorously.

Chu Guang was very satisfied with her answer and nodded.

"The thing you just ate is called chocolate."

"Starting today, you will work for me. You will do whatever I tell you to do."

"In exchange, I can provide you with a safe place to live and food. Additionally, if your performance satisfies me, I will give you another piece of that thing."

Xia Yan had never eaten chocolate before. She had only heard that it was a popular food before the war and a luxury item in the upper class of Boulder City.

"...So this is the taste of chocolate?"

Her index finger subconsciously touched her lips, and Xia Yan's face gradually showed a mix of confusion and regret.

Damn!

If I had known, I would have eaten it more slowly!

Chu Guang, of course, couldn't guess what she was thinking.

If he had known, he would have rolled his eyes.

Just a piece of chocolate...

Is it really that important?

"Yes," Chu Guang continued, looking at Xia Yan sitting on the ground, "So, what is your answer?"

"I agree."

Xia Yan answered without hesitation, not even asking what Chu Guang planned to have her do.

After all, she had no choice.

With half a leg missing, even if she returned to Boulder City, her end would be to rot and decay in a back alley of the slums.

Like a rotten orange peel.

No one would care.

No one wants to die when they can live.

At least, she wasn't ready to die.

Xia Yan turned her head, closed her eyes resignedly, and said softly,

"Although I haven't tried it before, it should be fine. I know what you want... be gentle."

"What?"

Chu Guang instinctively paused, but being an experienced driver, he quickly guessed that she had misunderstood and immediately corrected himself.

"Madam, please be serious. I am discussing work with you now."

If you keep this up,

I won't be able to stay serious.

Hearing Chu Guang's words, Xia Yan was also stunned.

What?

Doesn't this guy want me to have a child?

Her pupils dilated dramatically as she finally distinguished between her imagination and reality. Her face gradually turned a deep red.

Feeling humiliated, she turned her head and stared at a crack in the wall, saying fiercely,

"Kill me..."

Chu Guang: "???"

What?

...

After a moment, Chu Guang briefly explained the situation to Xia Yan, who was lying on the ground.

Games were not popular in the wasteland, and using the concept of players would only confuse her. Chu Guang didn't bother to explain it in detail and simply used terms she could understand.

"In short, I and my subordinates plan to establish a survivor settlement on the surface, drive away the mutants, accommodate refugees, and restore order in this area."

After hearing Chu Guang's words, Xia Yan looked unconvinced.

How confident must you be to say such unrealistic things?

Restore order?

For the past two hundred years, countless people have tried, but none have succeeded. Instead, the mutants in the city have grown in number, and the mutants have become more numerous, squeezing the living space of the survivors, making the situation worse year by year.

"Do you think restoring order is as simple as building a wall?"

Xia Yan, whose heart was wounded, spoke with a slightly sarcastic tone, "You should go to Boulder City and see. There are countless people stronger than you, and even they can only hover around the third ring. What do you think you can do?"

"I have my own plan," Chu Guang, who had never thought about such things, calmly looked at her and continued, "I don't plan to achieve this goal in a few months. I know it will be a long and arduous battle, and I am prepared to make sacrifices for generations to complete it."

Stop it.

It's just a setting, can't you let me finish my sentence?

Chu Guang, of course, knew that restoring order wasn't as simple as saying it. He had never been arrogant enough to think he was invincible just because he had eliminated a few looters in the suburbs.

But this was his character.

Or rather, the game setting.

At least, the NPC should seem believable to the players.

However, the person in front of him had only heard the latter part.

Generations?

Xia Yan tensed and shrank back.

So, it's really about having children.

"Back to the topic," Chu Guang cleared his throat and continued, "Can you assemble firearms and maintain parts?"

Xia Yan nodded.

"Yes, it's a basic skill."

"Good," Chu Guang nodded and continued, "From now on, you will be the owner of the weapon shop."

"What?" Xia Yan was confused and didn't understand what he was saying.

When Chu Guang used a certain term, he used a language from a parallel world, not the language of this world.

"The owner of the weapon shop," Chu Guang stared at her and repeated it slowly, then continued, "This is your job. In short, you will sell firearms and maintain them. If someone asks what you do, you answer like this."

"Sell guns?" Xia Yan asked, confused, "To whom?"

"To the residents of the shelter."

"Ah???" Xia Yan was even more confused, "Aren't they your subordinates?"

"Yes, but they are a bit different from what you understand as subordinates," Chu Guang paused and continued, "In short, we have just emerged from underground and need to focus our efforts on major tasks. Resources are scarce, so we are temporarily implementing a planned economy. Everyone works together and eats from a communal pot."

"Once the survival crisis is resolved and resources begin to surplus, they will need to take the initiative to be productive, step out of their comfort zones, and strive for progress. At that time, our settlement will switch to a different set of rules. Food, medicine, weapons, and other resources will no longer be free."

"Since you mentioned Boulder City, you should know about tokens. It's the same concept."

Clearly, this woman didn't understand what he was saying.

Survivors in the wasteland, if they had received some education, could at least be a lackey for a local lord, like the old Charlie who lived in Bet Street. If they had a skill, they could get a job in a factory, helping the big shots with tasks like burning boilers, mixing medicine, and repairing power armor.

Only the poor would do the dangerous job of trading their lives for money.

Like this Ms. Xia.

In the wasteland, mercenaries were never a glamorous profession, just a group of cheap cannon fodder without social security or benefits.

But Chu Guang didn't care.

He needed only a tool to carry out his orders.

Knowledge? Experience? Quality?

All can be learned.

After a pause, Chu Guang looked at her and said,

"The language we use is a bit different from the people on the surface. But it's not a big problem. I will teach you a few simple phrases for daily communication."

"You just need to do as I say."