Chapter 540 Every Possibility Is a Continuation of the Past (1/2)

In the screening room, Sberg saw countless possibilities for the future.

As Ibbers said, in most computer-deduced endings, he does not stand in the center of the stage, or even appear on the stage.

There are not only workers in this settlement, although they are the first group of people to awaken in the world line where he is located.

For example, in ending No. 217, the youngest daughter of the Malvern family is the one the camera focuses on the most.

From the moment the little girl saw the first newspaper, she was actively persuading her father.

While her perspective is naive, the problems she identifies are real. Her old father Malvin, who loved her dearly, finally realized some problems and tried to promote a top-down reform, but the end result was the tragic death of the family.

Those out-of-time and irrelevant images were replaced by lines of cold text.

Sperger breathed a sigh of relief.

He was happy to see how Mr. Stephen died, but he couldn't bear to see a little girl he had never met die with them, especially such a kind girl.

Another example is Ending No. 269. The camera focuses most on a green-haired girl, and a red-haired girl also appears. One of them lost her arm and eyes in Boulder City, and the other lost a leg while on a mission. Together, Tragedy and trauma brought them together.

This time it was the mercenaries who united, and the opportunity was the wave after last year's cold winter.

Although the mercenaries did not have power armor, they were surprisingly able to fight against the militia groups who summoned them. They were particularly experienced in urban warfare and even broke into the inner city. In the end, Boulder City seemed to have turned into a Mercenary city-state.

Everything has changed, but it's like nothing has changed.

By the way, there was no alliance in this simulation, after all, the alliance had not yet appeared at that time.

Obviously this machine doesn't really predict the future, it just helps them dig out future possibilities from what happened in the past.

However……

No matter what kind of ending it was, there was only one "good ending" that he expected.

The fate of this settlement seemed to be doomed from the beginning, and this was where Sberg felt most desperate, as if nothing he did was meaningless.

So he tried to drag the progress bar forward and go back to the past - a century and a half, or even two centuries ago, trying to find answers from the possibilities that had collapsed into facts.

It was precisely because of this that he saw many things that shocked him...

As he wrote in the story of Bol the Awakener, the City of Stone was not built in a day.

Now he had to add something more.

Every settlement has a good start.

They all also longed for a bright future...

…

The war broke out and then ended, and with the establishment of the Post-War Reconstruction Commission, the era of prosperity came to a complete end.

The first fifty years were difficult, but also full of hope.

The Post-War Reconstruction Committee did not give up on the survivors who stayed on the surface, and more importantly, the survivors who stayed on the wasteland themselves did not give up on themselves.

The Ministry of Defense taught local survivors how to use weapons and formed militia groups to stem the threat of the waves. The Technology Department organized a scavenger team and mobilized everyone to search for usable materials in dilapidated urban areas and recover high-value technology. The production department is responsible for organizing production, helping local survivors build factories that are not advanced but functional, and transporting some supplies from other places from time to time.

It was at that time that the giant wall was built.

It was not some kind of "black box" that was created out of thin air, nor did it fall from the sky as rumored. It was built bit by bit in the ice and snow by the first-generation managers with a load of cement and a load of steel bars.

Yes, it's that simple.

Ordinary yet great.

The giant wall at that time was not very high, it was just sufficient. After all, there were not many flying and jumping fruiting bodies, and slime molds were not a major threat to survival.

The tenants of the Boulder Building were the most capable survivors, so everyone trusted them and safely handed power into their hands, hence the term "inner city".

The black card, like the giant wall, is not available at the beginning.

In year 2174, the 45th year of the Wasteland Era, the post-war reconstruction committee fell apart due to internal conflicts, and a large number of outstanding talents withdrew from Boulder City.

Some went north to the Wandering Swamp, some to the far west of the mainland, and some to the east coast, but more people still chose to stay.

Those who remain are the true warriors.

They are as brave as their fathers, always standing with those who really need help when a crisis strikes, whether they are facing a cold winter they have never seen before, or a alien species they have never seen before.

They used their ideals to melt the ice and snow, ignite the furnace fire, and smelt the steel.

They spurn those who have betrayed their ideals, they abandon all unrealistic illusions, and they only believe in the compatriots who stayed with them.

They want to be their own saviors!

Although the assistance from the War and Construction Committee has ended, the future of Boulder City seems to be brighter.

They opened the giant wall, accepted the wandering survivors, and rushed to the front when the wave came. Wherever there was danger, there were residents holding black cards. Not only do they do it themselves, but they also call on everyone to work together, mobilizing scavenger teams to explore the ruins, build outposts to collect resources, and develop them into small but solid villages.

They no longer needed support from the Production Department, and did not expect those selfish guys to reunite. They took the initiative to go to the desolate south to find hope.

Maybe I was moved by their courage, or maybe it was just that the time had come.

Five years later, the never-ending cold winter ended, everything regained the power to grow, and a large number of shelters were also opened.

They began to accept some blue jackets who were confused about the situation, and told those dumbfounded guys that the War Construction Committee has been disbanded, and you can either go back to sleep, or stay and join us.

Whether you like it or not, now we can only rely on ourselves.

As we all know, most blue jackets are warm-hearted guys, and many old popsicles feel guilty for their compatriots left to suffer on the surface. Therefore, when their tortured compatriots reached out to them, they were so moved that they wished they could give their lives to these poor people.

The shelter brings not only black boxes, but also technology, and ideas that can shine.

The arrival of the Blue Jackets injected new blood into Boulder City. They used pre-war technology to help the survivors further improve the tools left behind by the Production Department, and even repaired a batch of power armor that the Defense Department did not know how to repair. , and imitated the researchers from the Technology Department, trying to "archaeologically" learn from the evolved bodies in the city center.

Since then, the Stone City has almost become a beacon shining on the entire southern valley province...

But what makes Sberg strange is that in this history that has happened, there seems to be no shadow of the city lord from the beginning to the end.

The residents of the inner city only mentioned in a few words that there is an "AI to assist management" in Boulder City, which controls the security system of the entire Boulder Building, and has no redundant capabilities other than that.

After the War and Construction Committee was disbanded, the Great Rift Valley gave them something for self-protection. Out of some concerns, everyone unanimously decided to put that self-protection thing in the hands of the city lord.

Apart from limited communication with the militia, it will hardly participate in the normal affairs of Boulder City.

Even limited communication mostly only occurred when the waves and forces related to the Post-War Reconstruction Committee tried to enter the vicinity of Boulder City.

This is part of the ancient "contract". After the separation, everyone will not interfere with each other and concentrate on doing their own things.

There is no profound conspiracy.

However, although the presence of the AI ​​named Fang Ming is very low, it actually doesn't matter.

He was not the one who originally built Boulder City. The survivors themselves have done a pretty good job, and it will get better and better.

Until one day, Sberg suddenly discovered that the original beautiful fairy tale had suddenly changed...

In the holographic image, a major issue was being discussed in the spacious conference hall.

A serious-looking man put his hands on the table and spoke while looking at the attendees.

"There are more and more people in settlements, and the past material management methods are becoming less and less effective. Workers will become more and more skilled, and machines will become more and more advanced. This is an objective law of nature. We don't need so much. Soap, some people need shower gel, some people need shampoo, everyone wants to be more pleasing to the eye. I think this is a reasonable demand. The same is true for food. It cannot be bread with sausage slices every time. We can start to think about enrichment. Variety of food too.”

"However, it is impossible for us to decide how much of different types of goods to produce every day through established tables, nor can we expect everyone to consume only what they need. If this continues, let alone soap and sausages, even concrete blocks will become scarce!”

"I propose to let society decide for itself what it needs and where excess productivity and resources should go. Therefore, we need to invent a tool that allows the invisible relationship between supply and demand to be seen, a tool that has appeared in history!"

As he spoke, he took out a white chip.

That's the smallest denomination.

Everyone in the conference room was whispering.

One person stood up and asked.

"This is……?"

The serious-looking man continued.

"Chips!"

“It can replace currency!”

"Although it is obviously not as good as the credits we have used before, it can at least reflect the relationship between supply and demand!"

Concerns were written on everyone's faces.

They feel this is not a good thing.

Soon one of the attendees stood up and raised an objection.

“I know what you’re trying to say, using traditional currency pairs from before the boom era? But the supply and demand it reflects is still lagging, and we’ve proven there’s a better way!”

The proposer nodded.

"That's right! But the 'better way' is of no use now. We don't have that much computing power, and we don't have that many production tools. The productivity level in our settlements now is not much different from the era before the Prosperity Era. Even if the 'chips' are something picked up from the trash, it's still better than the method we are using! "

The chamber descended into quarrels.

It wasn't until an old and loud voice sounded that the conference hall gradually returned to silence.

"quiet!"

Everyone looked at the old man who made the sound, their pupils filled with respect and trust.

He is one of the first residents of Boulder City. He comes from the era before the Wasteland Era and has never slept for a day. He is now over a hundred years old.

He has more experience than anyone sitting here, and the wrinkles on his face are like the rings of an old tree, filled with history.

Even the most unruly inner city residents could not help but lower their eyebrows when they looked at him.

No one can doubt his wisdom and correctness.

Even if there is no crown on his head.

But this time, the old man did not give his opinion. He simply cleared his throat and raised his right hand.

"same as before."

"Vote."

…

Using chips as currency passed the deliberation of the inner city residents without any suspense. After all, their original method did not work.

Many times what everyone needs is not the "best" method, but a "useful" method.

There's still a problem here, though.

The credits of the Era of Prosperity will not allow the "distributors" of resources to gain the most benefits and can achieve utopian equality in a relative sense.

However, the stakes are different.

It is essentially a traditional currency. Even if it is not specifically called that name, it does not change its essence of being money.

A problem with any old-era currency is that because it responds to supply and demand with a lag, allocators in the market will gain more benefits. That is, the person who cuts the cake gets the most cake, the person who divides the cake comes second, and the person who makes the cake gets the least.

The original intention of people inventing money is to make money serve people. However, in the end, it is often reversed and people become slaves serving money.

Of course, humans are not brainless animals, and many means other than currency can alleviate the uneven distribution of resources caused by currency.

For example, through visible or invisible hands, the cake is taken away from the person cutting the cake and given to other people who need cake.

However, this does not change the nature of money.

Perhaps this is what an expert from the shelter suggested.

"Chips left unchecked will cause new troubles, and we may not have enough time to constantly adjust it so that it meets our needs every moment. I worry that one day in the future, our children will treat the chips as toys , and this would reverse the original intention and purpose of our launch of chips, so I propose...at least the residents of the inner city should not be allowed to participate in the production and operation of the outer city."

"In other words, we can't earn chips!"

A young man immediately retorted.

"But we also have to live. We can't let us watch those people with chips live a good life while we live on air, right?"

"These are two different things," the shelter expert said seriously. "We can pay ourselves a salary, but we cannot hold the faucet and carry the bucket to collect water at the same time. This is contradictory!"

More people agreed.

Although he is an expert who was born in the shelter and wears a blue coat, his identity is never an issue here and anything can be discussed.

Besides, there is indeed nothing wrong with what he said.

The chips themselves were released from them, and then they pretended to be clever and got a bucket to put them back in. This was so strange!

The eldest man said nothing this time.

He is too old.

After all, he is not the AI ​​that never changes, nor is he a strong awakened person. After all, he cannot escape the curse of aging.

Just as cells metabolize, so do people. There will always be young lives to replace old bones like him, so that their society will become younger and more dynamic.

The old man thought it might be better if he didn't speak.

After all, as soon as he opens his mouth, even if he says just one word, people will immediately stop talking and look at him expectantly.

What he feared most was those people looking at him like that.

He knew very well that he was not as wise as they thought, and he was also confused sometimes, and the older he got, the more so.

In this case, just say nothing.

The young man should decide his future, just as he decided to stay twice.

Only when a person is truly faced with a choice can he prove that he is truly brave and not a coward pretending to be a big-tailed wolf.

He has handed over an answer that satisfies him, and it is time for him to live out his life.

In fact, they did a pretty good job.

After he is gone, Mr. Fang Ming will take care of them for him...

…

Time has gone forward ten years.

The old man finally left, and the young man turned into a middle-aged man, with a hint of stability between his eyebrows.

In the past, he would just rush forward. Now he has learned how to win over and unite potential supporters.

The most important thing is that he finally "understood" why the old man was loved by so many people.

Because he controls people's hearts!

The human heart is a more powerful "weapon" than the black card.

So when he stood in the conference hall again, he did not speak directly, but clenched his right fist into a fist.

He evokes passion with his impassioned voice, letting his fists rise like the rising sun in tandem with the rising pitch of his voice.

"Friends! Boulder City is already great enough. We have sheltered more than half a million survivors. We have built a higher giant wall. There are countless people leaning on the edge of the giant wall and looking forward to us. We have created The wealth makes the entire wasteland look at him!"

"Our miracle is visible to all the survivors!"

He successfully caught the attention of young people.

Inner city residents of his age vaguely felt something was wrong, but there was really nothing to refute.

In fact, they couldn't help but be proud in their hearts, but they rarely expressed it with a fiery tone and emotion like his.

Although the wasteland is not over yet, they have ended the wasteland era on a limited scale, which is a very remarkable thing.

They even made the huge wall left to them by the post-war reconstruction committee even higher, and built it entirely themselves without anyone's help.

This is much better than the gophers who are still huddled in the shelter for the winter.

Of course, that doesn't include the blue gophers who helped them. Those gophers were different and had become a part of them.

The middle-aged man suddenly changed the topic and continued.

"...However, we who have created countless miracles can only live in a room of less than 50 square meters with a meager bargaining chip. Is this the equality we want? This is not unequal at all!"

"Just outside this window, those merchants have opened restaurants and bars under our feet! They drink and have fun all day long, scattering a lot of chips into the sky, letting men, women, children, and the elderly cheer for them, and even Kiss their leather shoes! People who don’t know think they created Boulder City!”

There was a hint of hatred in his voice.

He hates those who use chips to humiliate his people.

And those who were wantonly humiliated really had no shame at all.

They would rather lick the shoes of those merchants than bend down or even say a compliment to these real nobles!

For example, "Master, thank you for your hard work!", or something similar.

If his last sentence awakened people's pride, then his sentence completely ignited the fire in people's hearts.

There is anger and there is the fire of longing.

"...We must do something! At least the rules must allow us to get more chips! Instead of being like beggars, waiting for the AI ​​named Fang Ming to give us alms!"

"That one belongs to us!"

There were countless responses from the audience.

"well said!"

People raised their hands in outrage.

"Why did you let those thieves steal my fruit!"

"This is the greatest injustice!"

The shelter expert who had once been his naysayer was old.

The old man tried to calm down the enthusiasm that filled the conference hall, but it was too late. Any gentle words at this time were in vain.

He could only look at the ambitious middle-aged man with pleading eyes, even pleading eyes.

"You talk about equality...but the black card itself is already unequal. We can improve everyone's treatment and limit the expenses of profiteers, such as making them pay more taxes and prohibiting them from taking off people's clothes in bars. There are many ways to take it off.”

"These are two different things!" the middle-aged man retorted without hesitation, "What we are discussing now is chips! Those wealthy businessmen can spend as much as they want, but we have to discuss how to let them live here like ascetic monks. Even better, people have even forgotten who made them live a good life! My father died in the pioneer team. If he were still alive, he would be a shame for Boulder City today!"

he knows.

When he said this, no one could stop him.

After all, the Blue Gopher has never sacrificed like this for Boulder City.

Most of the people here are descendants of heroes, and their ancestors have paid more or less with their sweat and even their lives.

This is not just a matter of fairness, but also about justice in their hearts.

And he thinks that what he is asking for is not much. He is just asking those people who are blinded by money to raise their heads and take a look at these real heroes.

They may not be as great as their parents, but they have done a lot.

The middle-aged man cleared his throat, looked at the silent blue coats, and proposed a compromise that could win over the conservatives.

He didn't plan to open the window all at once, but he could open a crack first and then slowly pry it open.

"Those businessmen have proposed to us that they are also part of Boulder City. They should also participate in public affairs and should have the right to obtain black cards... But if we do not change the past rules, we cannot accept it. them."

"You said that the power of black cards is unequal, and I think so too. In this case, we will make some changes and allow some outside wastelanders to join us. In exchange, from now on we can also earn money from the game. Take chips.”

"Admit it, the old methods are outdated! It's time to turn over the past! We must let smarter and more capable people control more resources and more chips!"

Voting session.

Not surprisingly, he won.

Not completely victorious though.

The council worked out a compromise, adding a few words to the original rule, so that the changes were not too big and all the controversy was settled.

The previous rule was "Inner-city residents are not allowed to end up in the game to earn chips." They changed it to "In principle, it is not appropriate for inner-city residents to end up in the game to earn chips." They used this as an ancestral precept to teach the next generation - "Inner-city residents are not allowed to end up in the game to earn chips." Taking advantage of the situation is unseemly." In this way, a moral bond is added, and the binding force not only does not weaken, but in theory should become stronger.

Most people have a vague feeling that this is inappropriate.

If there is too much noodles, add water. If there is too much water, add noodles. It is actually not a good idea.

Even chefs who cook know that they will face the dilemma of "the more they knead the dough, the more it will become too much", and in the end they have no idea what to do.

But some things are just like cigarettes. People who have smoked them often have a hard time resisting another sip. They will only regret it when they see the mottled yellow teeth. Why didn't they take it easy in the first place...

"Do you think you can do better than them?"

A sudden voice came from behind, interrupting Sberg's thoughts.

He turned around and saw an expressionless man.

"You...are you Mr. Fang Ming?"

"Yes."

Sberg has probably guessed that the man in front of him is not a human, but an AI that "assists the residents of the inner city to manage the affairs of Boulder City."

It is like the operating system of the machine and is also a part of the machine itself.

Sperger's Adam's apple moved and he looked at him with a desperate expression.

"Are we... just an experiment?"

Fang Ming replied expressionlessly.

"no."

This answer made Sperger feel better.

But he still couldn't understand.

After a long silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice with a hint of questioning.

"The oldest one...the first-generation resident, he asked you to take care of his descendants. You obviously saw it all, so why didn't you do anything?"

"Why?" Fang Ming repeated his words exactly, looking at him intently, "You actually asked me why I didn't do anything."

"Do you know? The most disgusting and annoying thing about creatures like you is that you always imagine that 'other people' will help you, and always want to push your troubles to other things, whether it is a human or not."

Siberg looked at him in astonishment, wondering why he suddenly became so angry.

Fang Ming continued expressionlessly.

"When you are hungry, you imagine that the Savior will give you bread; when you are in pain, you imagine that the Savior will give you painkillers. Now, you, a descendant of a certain human being, have the audacity to ask me, why is the 'City Lord' watching helplessly? You Your father, your grandfather... Isn't there a vocal animal who told you that I am just an AI called the 'city owner', because they hope that this city will never have a living 'master', and I Everything I can do is what you asked me to do.”

Looking at the clueless Sberg, Fang Ming suddenly had a hint of pity on his expressionless face.

Although that's only a little bit.

"It's a pity that I'm not the savior you fantasized about. I can only be regarded as a supervisor. You beg me to think of a way. Why don't you just pray to the bread and hope that it will fall from the sky on its own? You have already invented it, haven't you? With your ideas, your technology, and your methods, you think that as long as someone knows where it comes from and that it is called bread, it will grow on its own in the future, right?"

"The screening room is at your feet and you can come in and talk to it at any time. And then you do the stupidest thing, you completely lock the room down, and I allow you to stand here just because people Everyone thought you were dead."

Sperger defended in a cold sweat.

"That...is not what we asked for!"

Fang Ming looked at him expressionlessly.

"So? Did you refuse?"

Sberg was speechless.

He didn't even know there was such a thing, so how could he refuse the noble gentlemen to close it secretly.

To put it bluntly, he had never even seen the black card, let alone used it. He couldn't even hear what the gentlemen were discussing.

However, Fang Ming seemed to have read through his mind and continued without mercy.

"The black card is nothing. If you have read the past of Boulder City, you will know that it is just a room card. If it has any magic, it is you who gave it, not me - a man who was The AI ​​you created.”

"In the end, you did nothing. Until the end, you were still dreaming about a great city lord doing things for you that you didn't even know how to do. You think that as long as he attacks non-existent enemies on your behalf, all problems will be solved. Everything will be resolved and everything will be fine.”

"You should be lucky that I kept my promise until the end, otherwise I would use the easiest way to wipe you from this ruins and let your problems disappear along with filthy creatures like you. This That’s true kindness.”

Looking at Siberg who remained silent, the man called the City Lord slowly opened his mouth and continued.

"To answer your previous question, a certain old man who has been dead for many years has indeed asked me to take care of you, and asked me to return to you something he kept with me after you pass all the tests."

Sperger: "...What is that?"

"Something that could wipe you all off this planet."

Looking at Sperger who looked frightened, Fang Ming paused and continued.

"Of course, it can also erase others, and mutual destruction is one of the guarantees of peace."

"That old man has seen through you a long time ago. He knows that your cowardice and greed will harm yourself and everyone else, so he took the others and begged me, hoping that I would watch for him until the end, until you pass all Or all of you will die. And I have kept my promise... In the ending A that you can see, all of you are dead, and there is a downward spiral, and there is no other possibility of redemption."

"The voting is about to begin."

"This is probably the last one."

He turned his back to the lost Sberg and said.

"Come with me."

"I'll take you to see the final outcome."

…

Downstairs in the Union Building, there was a blanket of snow, and winter was approaching its coldest time.

Wearing a warm and expensive woolen coat, Malvin looked up at the building in front of him that had not been completely completed but was already in use with a deathly expression.

He had a lot to say in his heart, but he didn't know how to say it.

The inner city meeting began again.

As the president of Boulder City Bank and a distinguished black card holder, he is the person who should not be absent, but he really does not have the courage to face the questioning eyes and the angry scoldings of those shareholders and friends.

What's more, he didn't think they could reach any consensus at the meeting. It was not just the chips that were gradually losing effect, but also the black cards in their hands.

He admitted that he was an incompetent bank president.

He tried all the methods he could think of, but they seemed to be just scratching the surface and still couldn't save the train that was accelerating towards the abyss.

perhaps……

Her daughter was right.

After all, it is indeed not something profound, and even some smart children can understand it... As long as she replaces the rag doll in her hand with a wooden hairpin of 1 silver coin, the little girl in the slums will have a new dress.

But just like his answer to her at that celebration -

"Is it too late...?"

Looking at the snowflakes as big as goose feathers, Malvern murmured to himself.

actually……

Not necessarily.

As long as the Alliance is willing to fulfill its promise immediately and let a batch of goods priced in silver coins enter the giant wall instead of hesitating outside, everything will be fine!

It would be great if the league would lend him a loan!

Ignore those profiteers and poor people for the time being, at least let his shareholders exchange their chips for silver coins first, after all, that is a lot of money!

A glimmer of hope rekindled in Malvern's eyes.

that person……

The man who stood on the stage and spoke impassionedly and vowed to completely end the Wasteland Era must understand his own difficulties!

He is a truly kind man!

Dearest idealist!

Even the most despicable wastelander can receive care from him, let alone a truly capable person like himself?

Malvern's eyes burned with fire.

Praise the managers!

He has never liked this guy so sincerely!

At this time, old Charlie walked out of the main entrance of the building, looked at Malvern and said.

"Come with me, our manager is waiting for you inside."

With his heart beating hard, Malvern squeezed out a flattering smile on his face, nodded and bowed.

"Thank you... thank you."

Old Charlie looked at him with pity, but in the end, he did not say "Thank you too soon" and led him into the building.

Go through the stairs and hallways.

Malvern finally saw the man who spoke at the celebration again, and once again his heart felt as if there were thousands of ants crawling on it.

Chu Guang stopped the pen in his hand and looked at him standing in the room.

"You came?"

Malvern nodded hurriedly and said with a smile.

"I'm here to apologize... We had a situation before, and the city hall had to withhold some goods, so that there were a large number of defaulted orders in the industrial area. We will urge those factories to pay their arrears to your companies. I hope these Minor situations will not affect our contract."

Chu Guang said casually.

"It doesn't matter. I understand your difficulties. Whatever is written in the contract will be dealt with. Private business dealings and our cooperation are two different things."

Seeing that Chu Guang was so easy to talk to, Malwen breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face became even happier.

"Thank you for your generosity and understanding! Can I...can I ask you one more thing?"

"What's up?"

"The previous agreement about letting go of the free exchange of chips and silver coins..." Malvern smiled sheepishly, clasped his palms and said, "Due to some unavoidable reasons, I implore you to honor our contract in advance and give you It’s causing trouble!”

"Why?"

"Why..." Looking at Chu Guang with playful eyes, a drop of cold sweat broke out on Malvern's forehead, and he continued with a forced smile, "We lent you so much money when you needed help the most, and now we have met We have a little difficulty, shouldn’t you help us?”

Seeing that Chu Guang's expression did not change, he quickly continued.

"Of course! I admit that it is a bit difficult to ask you to do this right away... We can discuss something, such as a debt exchange! You give us 500 million silver coins, how about we forgive your debt of 1 billion chips? Calculated, you will save a lot of money Principal and interest.”

Five hundred million silver coins is enough to buy more than half a million grains, enough to feed the people of Boulder City for four years!

Of course, he will not use all of it to buy food. He will use most of it to buy industrial products and improve the lives of the survivors in Boulder City. This time he will do something serious to restructure the economy of Boulder City and restore the trade relations between the two sides to normal again.

Chu Guang was not interested in his promise and said nonchalantly.

"A debt of one billion chips... But just a few days ago, we prepared the principal and interest for the year after next and the year after next as you mentioned."

Malvin's heart thumped, and a large amount of sweat broke out on his forehead. Suddenly, his legs felt weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thump.

"Please... please be noble and let us go! Three billion chips! No, we will forgive all your debts! As long as you are willing to give me 500 million silver coins... no, 400 million OK!"

Chu Guang looked at Malwen silently and suddenly sighed.

"Get up."

Malvern made no move and even put his head on the ground.

Chu Guang was a little impatient.

"I don't talk to people who are kneeling. If you continue like this, I will ask Lu Bei to throw you out."

Malvin's shoulders trembled. He had no doubt that Chu Guang would do this, so he climbed up from the ground tremblingly.

Chu Guang glanced at the ashes on his knees, then at his expensive coat, and finally looked into his eyes.

"Do you still think that it was the alliance that made you become what you are now?"

Malvern was silent.

Chu Guang knew that this guy wanted to nod. In his heart, he believed that everything was his fault, and he just wanted to ask for himself and did not dare to say anything.

Although he didn't want to humiliate his opponent, Chu Guang couldn't help but said when looking at that face that was so humble.

"Why would you rather kneel in front of me and beg for mercy, carry the coffin to my house and cry, than take your shareholders and discuss it with your residents? You place your hopes on chips, and you place your hopes on Heika, now comes to beg me again.”

"When the bone-chewing tribe came over, you closed the door and refused to send any soldiers. You also shouted that we would throw our products out of your settlement and not let us earn a single chip... At that time you Have you ever thought that today, we would help you in this way?”

"How dare you say that you helped us? We haven't even settled this old debt with you!"

Regret and pain turned into bitter wine, blurring the pupils that were gradually losing their light.

Malvern opened his mouth like an old gramophone, muttering a plea in despair.

"Please, please be noble, as long as you are willing to help us tide over the difficulties... we are willing to buy your things! From now on, you will be the master of Qingquan City, the master of the entire River Valley Province! Whatever you say will be what we say! It all depends on you. If you are dissatisfied with anything, we will change it according to your requirements!”

Although he knew in his heart that the matter had reached this point, Chu Guang would never use the blood of the alliance to feed the whale that still had half a breath left in Boulder City.

But he couldn't help but pray humbly.

At least it's better than nothing.

This is the only thing he can do now...

Chu Guang looked at him with pity.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't even survive this year. How could you make me believe that 500 million silver coins can save your lives? And what you are doing now makes me feel like I am talking to a cow."

"It's a pity. You always have the opportunity to brake and re-examine the relationship between us and the relationship between us and the wasteland."

"However, your stupidity and naivety make me feel that your chips are really worthless."

-

(This chapter recycles all the previous foreshadowing, and combined with Chapter 447 One Hundred Years of Solitude, it can be regarded as supplementing the perspective of "ordinary survivor settlements", as well as their attitudes and views towards the post-war reconstruction committee, the wasteland, and themselves. Boulder City is one of the survivor settlements supported by the Post-War Reconstruction Committee. In subsequent plots, settlements that have nothing to do with the Post-War Reconstruction Committee will also be mentioned. I will try my best to make the story and characters more fleshed out. Do not worry.)