Chapter 272 It’s Not Just Garbage that Can Be Recycled, but Also Corpses (1/2)

On the streets of the West Third Ring Road, the night was lit up by the flames of incendiary bombs, and it could be clearly seen even from several kilometers away.

Sitting by the broken French windows on an abandoned high-rise building, Wei Ba, Zhi Zhi Paste and Si Si were looking at the flames rising into the sky in the distance.

Since the concentration of spores will decay with height, they chose to camp on the 50th floor.

Although there are also alien species wandering in this building, since there is no hatchery or mother nest, most of the alien species are scattered in various areas of the building. They are neither clustered nor blocked by stairs, so it is not too difficult to get up from the safe passage.

It just takes a little time at most.

"Oh! What a big fire!" Wei Ba's eyes were shining with the boiling flames reflected in his eyes.

This is much more exciting than watching fireworks!

Zhi Zhi Paste: "Is there a war over there?"

Si Si: "It should be. The wave seems to be all-round, not just in the northern suburbs. Logically, the situation in the West Third Ring Road should be more intense."

Zhi Zhi Paste clasped his hands together.

"I hope everyone is okay."

Since the sun just set, the explosions over there have never stopped.

At first, four planes flew over the sky, followed by rows of fires, which completely engulfed the streets full of ruins.

The ground troops were probably dispatched next.

The mercenaries of Boulder City and Tide had a fierce exchange of fire in the ruins, and tracer bullets could be seen flashing from time to time.

Although Rourou wanted to watch, she was afraid of heights and did not dare to get too close to the edge of the building. She could only watch from a distance.

Yaya and Tengteng were cooking, and several NPCs beside them were drooling and swallowing saliva.

In addition to the guard named Xu Shun, there were five new employees recruited from Boulder City who came back with them this time. They were between 16 and 20 years old, both men and women.

According to the NPC named Shuyu in the office, these new employees went to the northern suburbs for "on-the-job training".

Many people were going out of the city for the first time, and they were full of trepidation.

However, when they smelled the fragrance from the pot, all the uneasy emotions were diluted in an instant.

Although they left the protection of the giant wall, it seemed not bad to be able to eat such delicious food?

In the Stone City, they dared not even think of such delicious food.

"It's time to eat!"

As soon as he heard that the meal was ready, Tail, who was sitting by the building watching the excitement a second ago, immediately came to the iron pot on the fire.

"It smells so good!"

The white bear also came over and looked into the pot curiously.

"What's for dinner?"

Crow, holding a spoon in his hand, said with a proud smile.

"Bird stewed with mushrooms!"

Teng Teng was busy distributing bowls and chopsticks to everyone.

"We are camping outside, and the conditions are a bit simple, so everyone just eat whatever they want."

Sesame paste also came over excitedly.

"I'll help too!"

It's okay to eat whatever you want.

Xu Shun, who understood this sentence, was ashamed.

These residents of the shelter really redefined what it means to eat whatever you want.

However, after getting along for so long, he was used to how particular these residents of the shelter were in their lives.

A group of people sat around the fire, holding steaming bowls in their hands, chatting about what they planned to do after returning from Boulder City.

"I've decided!" Describing her grand plan, Teng Teng's eyes were full of determination, and she said with full enthusiasm, "When I return to the shelter, I must use my scissors to correct the distorted aesthetics of the Boulder City NPCs!"

Sisi: "Well, I think... this may not be your problem."

LSP is human nature.

And that kind of clothes, out of the cultural background, it is actually quite normal to think wrongly.

Tail is also very enthusiastic: "Tails too! Boulder City is still missing a mercenary guild! How can MMORPG be without such an important organization!"

Ya Ya: "Where is Zhimahu?"

The cat ears on his head shook slightly. Zhimahu was a little embarrassed to speak, but seeing that everyone was talking about this topic, he let go of his reserve.

"I want to deliver express!"

Sisi asked curiously: "Why deliver express?"

Zhimahu said with sparkling eyes.

"Don't you think it looks cool to deliver goods on a motorcycle?"

Is he cosplaying "The Journey of Strange X"?

There are quite a lot of "performance artists" in "Wasteland OL". The official does not sell skins, and players are all DIY. Such conservative hobbies are rare.

Sisi nodded thoughtfully and suggested.

"How about a 12mm revolver?"

Seeing that he was a fellow traveler, Zhimahu smiled shyly and opened the bag he carried with him, which contained a silver revolver.

"Hehe, actually I have already bought it."

But this gun is handsome, but the recoil is too big.

Most of the time, she still uses Pu-9 more.

The tail, who was half a beat slower because of eating, brightened his eyes.

"Delivering goods on a motorcycle... Got it! Is it a takeaway boy? It's really handsome!"

Especially when he is hungry!

Teng Teng's expression is a little subtle.

"I think you're not on the same wavelength."

...

The players can still eat hot food, but the mercenaries fighting alien species on the West Third Ring Road are not so lucky.

The gunfire continued until the early morning of the next day. From the shattered square to the nearby crumbling buildings to the commercial streets that were more than ten meters underground, sticky blood was flowing on every inch of the land.

Some of them belong to alien species, and some belong to mercenaries.

Sporadic fighting continues.

But as the sun rose, it was clear that it was coming to an end.

Carrying a rifle and emerging from the rubble, Tommy took off his bloody gas mask and threw it away. He took a new one, but didn't put it on immediately.

The mother nest that spread to this area was destroyed. Although there was a gray-green mist surrounding it, a small amount of inhalation would not cause any serious harm.

He had been in the small tunnel all night, and now he just wanted to breathe in the fresh air outside.

Even if the air is mixed with sand.

At this time, another mercenary wearing an exoskeleton, carrying a broken drone assault rifle in his hand, came over from the ruins on the opposite side cursing.

"Damn...the money I make is not enough to repair my equipment. What do you have on your hands?"

His name is Virgil, and like Tommy, he is a mercenary active in the Boulder City area.

A week ago, the wave suddenly broke out, and these mercenaries became popular overnight. The militiamen who had never looked at them in the past also became polite.

After all, when it comes to something as big as a wave, you can't completely count on the cannon fodder at the door. If you really want to deal with those alien species, you still have to rely on experienced experts like them.

"LD-47, a sickle assault rifle, is a gadget made by scavengers in the northern suburbs. It is powerful, cheap, and easy to maintain. I happened to see it when I went to deliver goods in the northern suburbs last time, so I got one. "Hey," Tommy glanced at the old man in front of him and asked casually, "What are your casualties?"

Virgil said: "Five rookies died, and the others were fine. Only one unlucky guy had his leg bitten off by a crawler."

Tommy clicked his tongue.

"That's really tragic."

Virgil shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm lucky to have saved my life."

In the mercenary business, it's common to have broken arms and legs.

If you save enough money, you can replace it with a mechanical prosthesis. If that doesn't work, you can still use an exoskeleton. But if you can't even afford an exoskeleton, you can only retire early.

As for the newbies?

That's not considered a mercenary.

They only learned how to open insurance from the militiamen, but they were just cannon fodder thrown to the front line.

Only after surviving three or more battles will they be officially accepted. Before that, no one would even remember their names.

After all, if you remember it, it will be in vain. No one is sure whether it will be used in two days.

This kind of thing is all too common.

Tommy glanced at the tall building not far behind him, which was the temporary headquarters of the militia.

The two powered armors stood motionless at the gate, never moving their legs from beginning to end. People couldn't help but wonder whether the two iron lumps could still move.

"It would be nice if they took action."

Virgil smiled.

"Don't think about it, that thing is too expensive to repair. The nobles in the inner city are not willing to let black blood stain their armor, let alone risk their lives."

Every T-10 is a treasure left over from the pre-war era. Even after two centuries, their combat effectiveness is still strong. The only flaw is that the number is too small.

The Boulder City militia seems to regard them as mascots.

But what confuses Tommy is, if this is the case, what is the significance of the two iron lumps standing here?

Supervise the war?

Is that necessary?

Not far away, another group of newcomers were sent over in a crooked formation. Along with the newcomers, there were hundreds of two-headed cows and twenty or thirty horses.

These animals carry large and small bags of supplies on their backs, including food, water, and ammunition. You can even find weapons, accessories, and some items that are considered rare even in the market of Boulder City.

The people holding these two-headed oxen are the merchants of Boulder City.

Since the mercenaries' wages are paid daily and the amount is not small, some businessmen who can't wait for them to return home will come over to make the first money. Others have received orders from the militia groups and are responsible for delivering supplies from Boulder was transported to the front lines.

This may seem a little weird.

A group of mercenaries wearing exoskeletons and holding streamlined assault rifles were wearing clothes made of animal skins, and the merchants who transported supplies to them all used primitive means of transportation such as ox carts.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

If you don't choose this, the militia will have to hire a lot of refugees with too much work and little energy, or use a small number of four-legged mechanical dogs.

No matter which one you choose, the cost will be much higher than outsourcing.

Virgil patted Tommy on the shoulder.

"Let's go, let's get something to eat."

Tommy shook his head.

"No need, I brought dry food."

Since the last time the contractor's "military food" made him hungry, he no longer believed in the character of those so-called "good helpers".

Do you expect businessmen to be moral?

It's better to hope that the aliens will go back to the city center on their own.

Virgil patted his arm, ignored the guy, and walked in the direction of the pack team alone.

Tommy took out a cube-shaped green wheat cake from his backpack, stuffed it into his mouth and took a bite, then unscrewed the rusty kettle and took a sip.

Looking in the direction of the camel caravan, he shook his head.

Nutritional paste.

Ever since he knew what that thing was made of, he would rather starve to death than eat it...

…

Just as the mercenaries were heading to the pack team to collect supplies, select goods, or spend money to have some fun, a large group of bargaining merchants were surrounding the quartermaster not far from the pack team.

The oil and water on the front line is of course not only the food and clothing of the mercenaries, but also includes the trading of loot.

As long as there is war, there will be spoils of war.

In the early years, Boulder City simply hired merchants to take the bodies of these alien species and cannon fodder outside the city to prevent them from smelling and rotting at their doorstep, causing plague and larger waves.

Later, some smart people discovered that these gnawers and crawlers were all high-quality "raw materials."

As long as you spend more time and money on inactivating slime molds, you can completely turn them into edible nutritional paste!

Although the nutritional paste synthesized in this way is not nutritious, who cares?

People who really care about nutrition will not eat that stuff.

Slave owners in the south, especially the large farms in Jinchuan Province, were very interested in these things.

They are large and cheap, and have slightly higher nutritional value than green wheat. They can also supplement a small amount of protein, making slaves and livestock stronger.

Although it was more cost-effective to feed the slaves green wheat, the slaves would become thinner and thinner, and growing large amounts of green wheat would deplete the fertility of the soil.

But nutritional cream does not have this problem.

Not only nutritional pastes, but also organic fertilizers, bio-oils, food additives, etc., can all be extracted from the aliens.

Although the recovery efficiency is average, maybe even 10% is not enough, the amount of these alien species is large enough and the cost is low.

Later, the technology gradually matured and formed a certain industrial scale, and businessmen began to help Boulder City deal with the corpses caused by the wave for free.

Now, it has simply become necessary to give the militiamen a bargaining chip in order to transport the corpses away from here, and the price is rising every year.

It's the same this year.

Judging from the excited expressions and words on the faces of the businessmen, it was obvious that they had not reached an agreement with the Boulder City militia.

"50 chips per password?! Why don't you go and grab it?"

"The wave from the year before last was still 20 chips! Don't think we have forgotten it!"

"That's too much!"

However, the quartermaster didn't bother to pay attention to them and said impatiently.

"If you can't afford it, get out."

A secret corpse has fifty chips. If you really use this price to buy back this garbage, it will be completely unprofitable if you don’t achieve a yield rate of more than 30%!

But how is it possible to get that high?

No matter how much the businessmen surrounding the quartermaster tried their best and promised all kinds of benefits, they couldn't make this guy relent.

Even though they had no choice but to shake their heads and disperse.

When someone left, they even said harsh words - "Let the nobles in the inner city deal with these troubles themselves", and then left in a rage.

The militiamen standing nearby didn't even bother to pay attention to him.

As long as he didn't disrespect the city lord by name, no one would care what he complained about.

Ditwi returned to the pack team angrily.

Originally, he expected to contract a 100-meter corpse disposal business after completing the supply business.

Not far from the pack team.

A group of merchants who deal in grain gathered together and whispered to each other.

"I heard that this year's batch of 'trophies' were all taken care of by Weijia Trading Company."

Hearing the name Weijia Trading Company, many merchants had expressions of fear on their faces.

This firm is well-known in the business district of Boulder City. Not only has it invested in two large farms covering an area of ​​over 10,000 acres in the south, but it also operates the largest food processing factory in Boulder City. It is said to occupy more than 50% of the market share in Boulder City. .

The "good-tasting brand canned meat" and "extra-delicious double-headed beef patties" produced by it are not only popular in Boulder City, but also exported to neighboring provinces.

The name of the owner of this firm is Weijia, but there are also rumors that the real owner is someone else, and that Weijia who was pushed to the front desk is just a tool to make money for the big shots in the inner city.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, it is impossible for these self-employed people who do small businesses to compete with a giant like Witte Trading Company.

No wonder the quartermaster ignored them.

"This is Chi Guoguo's monopoly!"

Ditwi couldn't help but ask.

"When did these greedy leeches get involved in the nutritional cream business?"

Nutrient paste.

It can be said that it is a low-end product with the thinnest profit margin among all foods, especially the low-quality nutritional paste synthesized from slime mold.

The old merchant, whose face was covered with wrinkles, glanced at the back of the pack team and pointed at the guards on horseback and the two-headed ox beside them loaded with goods.

"I heard that a certain big shot outsourced more than half of the frontline logistics orders to them. They rushed to open a new factory to produce nutritional creams a few years ago... But it's not about 'good taste' or 'extra good taste' "

A merchant said.

"I remember... the order was extremely large?"

Another merchant nodded.

"Yes, I remember that's the name too. Mr. House's radio station even advertised it!"

Ditwi couldn't help but curse.

"Shameful insider trading!"

The other merchants also cursed in their hearts.

These shameless sly guys!

They refused to give them even a mouthful of soup!

At this time, a merchant suddenly spoke up.

"I heard... there was also a wave in the north this year?"

Someone nodded in agreement.

"And it was not small in scale... the night before yesterday, they seemed to have bought incendiary bombs from the militia."

Ditwei frowned and asked the young merchant who started the topic.

"North? Do you mean the northern suburbs?"

"I thought that was the territory of the Bone Chewing Tribe."

The young merchant who started the topic first said with a smile.

"You are too out of touch with information. I can tell you haven't been to the northern suburbs for a long time! I have the latest news here. I heard that a month ago, the survivors in the northern suburbs drove away the people of the Bone Chewing Tribe."

The old merchant with wrinkles on his face also nodded.

"Well... I did hear a little rumor. Those people seemed to have taken time to interfere in the war between Red River Town and the Snake Clan. I just don't know if it's true or not." The young merchant unscrewed the kettle, drank a sip of water slowly and said. "There's more to it than that." Ditwei asked quickly with interest. "Tell me about it." The new merchants next to him were the same, and they all looked expectantly at the young man in front of them. There were too few merchants going north, and even fewer coming back from the north. Rumors about the north were almost unheard of in the tavern. Recently, the "Voice of Boulder City" radio station was busy advertising and did not report the situation there at all, so that most people's impression of the northern suburbs remained in last winter. I heard that the survivors there were tortured by the cold winter, and I don't know if those people survived. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, the young man smiled slightly and continued to speak slowly. "The Bone Chewing Tribe is their mortal enemy, so they naturally want to interfere in the war against the Bone Chewing Tribe. In addition, the mine owners in Red River Town are happy to buy better weapons at a cheaper price, so they have made a fortune."

"These people are very smart. They invested the money they earned in the wasteland in the north and bought second-hand equipment from Boulder City. Agriculture and industry are flourishing."

"Not only that, they also made a lot of good things... For example, a bomb that can fly far without an airplane is said to have caused a lot of trouble to the looters who besieged Red River Town. In addition, they also provide mercenaries,"

Ditwei was surprised: "I heard that the group in the northern suburbs are blue coats? Residents of the shelter? Are those people so good at fighting?"

This completely overturned his impression of the blue gophers.

Those people are willing to come out of the warm boudoir?

The young businessman continued: "Not only can they fight, but there are also many good things there. Have you been to the Queen of the Night Bar?"

When it comes to the Queen of the Night Bar, the topic suddenly became unserious.

Although these merchants are not wealthy, they have a lot of chips in their pockets. Even if they have not spent money there, they must have talked about business there.

Someone soon interrupted excitedly.

"I remembered it when you mentioned it. I heard that they seem to have made some silk fabrics that are not so strong recently?"

"The Grey Squirrel Clothing Store seems to be selling them. I bought a few sets a few days ago and gave them to my old lover. But it took me a long time to convince her to wear them."

"Hahaha."

Everyone's face showed a smile that everyone understood, but the young man who had brought up the topic before stopped talking and just smiled as he watched everyone chatting.

Ditwei didn't want to chat, his mind was on making money.

There was also a wave in the northern suburbs?

There are still many fields planted there?

Maybe...

I should try my luck there.

Ditwei felt his palms were a little hot, glanced at his colleagues around him, and quietly sat next to the young man.

"Brother, do you have any connections?"

The young man saw the expression on his face and understood what he was thinking, and said with a smile.

"Of course, I am also lucky to have made a small fortune."

Ditwei took a closer look at the man's outfit. It did not look cheap. The holster hanging on his waist was made of deerskin.

This is not common in Boulder City. Most mercenaries and merchants use wild boar skin and hyena skin.

After all, deer herds do not pass through this area every year, and high-quality reindeer are rare. Usually, as soon as they appear on the market, they are bought by those who are really rich.

The most important thing is that this guy is young enough.

It is precisely this youth that makes Ditwei unable to figure out his true "strength".

Ditwei laughed, took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over, with a hint of flattery in his voice.

"My name is Ditway. I run a food business in Boulder City and have been helping the militia deal with corpses for more than a decade. To be honest, those damn guys are really dishonest. I just throw away the cigarettes like rags after using them. If you plan to do business with them, be careful." The young man did not refuse his cigarette, but did not light it immediately. After taking it, he hung it behind his ear and said with a smile. "I'm not in the food business, I'm in the gas mask business."

"Gas mask? What a good thing. It's much more profitable than nutritional ointment!" Ditwei gave a thumbs up hypocritically, rolled his eyes, and then chuckled, "Brother, if you have a way, you can help me. "I'm very interested in the wave in the northern suburbs. You know I'm in the food business, so it doesn't conflict with your business."

The young man said with a faint smile.

"How do you know I'm not interested in doing food business? After listening to you guys for a long time, it seems that it's quite profitable?"

This guy.

He’s not old, but his appetite is quite big!

Aren't you afraid of dying?

Ditwi muttered something in his mind, but still had a flattering smile on his face.

"Okay, we haven't had a new guy in this business for a long time. I can teach you how to do this business! Believe me, there are so many goods that you can't eat all by yourself. If you help your brother, he will definitely benefit you!"

The young man skillfully took out a stack of business cards from his pocket and handed them to Ditwei's hands, as well as to the hands of the merchants who had been listening with interest.

"My name is Shuyu, and this is my business card."

"The rulers of the northern suburbs are considering recycling the 'garbage' generated by the wave, and I just recently planned to purchase a batch of goods from the northern suburbs."

"If you are interested in the market in the north, you can come to me at the address on the business card."

…

Northern suburbs industrial zone.

A brand new factory building was vacated and a new brand was put up - [Baqi Aluminum Factory], and the material produced was naturally the latest researched A3 type aviation aluminum.

Bach may not be the most skilled in the professional field, but he is definitely a good hand in business.

He was born into a businessman family, and his family was in the liquor business, and he said it was quite a small business.

Since this guy was so capable, Chu Guang simply maximized his talents and directly made him the director of the factory that produces new materials.

As an entrepreneur with an "engineering background," Chu Guang has high hopes for his future.

"...Vault 404 is a permanent partner of the enterprise. Sooner or later, our silver coins will be listed in Ideal City and even have an independent exchange. Don't think these coins are useless, they will become the most valuable in this wasteland. Something valuable.”

"Go hard, I can guarantee you that your career will surprise your father. When others mention your name again, you will be one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the wasteland, not a certain nationality. The son of an unknown wine merchant."

"They will affectionately call you - President Ba!"

The entrance to the industrial area.

Listening to the pie that Chu Guang drew for him, Bach couldn't help but say.

"You might as well build another ideal city in the middle of Middle Continent...and my father is not unknown. He is quite famous in the Cloud Province!"

Only a little though!

Chu Guang's eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers.

"Building another ideal city in the middle of the country? This idea sounds good. I can include it in the next five-year plan."

Bucky: "..."

Is this guy serious?

After pausing for a moment, Tie Can, who was standing in front of Chu Guang, relaxed his shoulders and continued.

"Your proposal is indeed very attractive. I did have such a dream before, but now... to be honest, I want to become a human again."

Chu Guang patted his shoulder gently.

"I have always treated you as a human being, my friend, and there is no falsehood in that statement."

"Furthermore, you should have seen that in addition to handsome young men and beautiful girls, there are also lizards, bears, androids in our team, and even rat people you have never seen before... They are all our partners, we We don’t look at them differently just because they look different from us.”

"As long as they abide by the rules and be willing to be useful people to society."

These heartfelt words may have touched Bach.

Chu Guang could feel that there was a hint of emotion and hope in the scarlet pupils under the tin can.

Bucky, who had regained his composure, looked at Chu Guang and said seriously.

"I admit, I do feel what you said with you. No one except you is willing to accept me like this."

"I will do my best to help you, and I hope you can keep your promise and help me become a normal person again."

Chu Guang nodded slightly.

"I promise you that."