Chapter 363 A friend comes from afar

   "Are you a rice bucket?!"

   Looking at the mess on the table, Dolly stared in surprise.

   A skewer of lizard meat as long as forearms and as thick as two fingers, stuffed with grilled red tail meat, worth three chips.

   She was very full after eating one skewer, but this guy ate four whole skewers!

   Dolly's gaze couldn't help moving downwards.

   She wants to find out where the food this guy eats is packed? !

   "Didn't you tell me to be polite?"

   Fang Chang calmly wiped his mouth with a tissue and admired the expression on her face for a moment.

   thought for a moment, then he commented.

   "The taste is really average, far worse than ours."

  Lizard meat seems to be imported from the south, and I heard that there are farms there that raise edible lizards.

   There is also crocodile meat, which tastes similar to chicken.

   But having said that, the prices here are really not cheap. For such a simple dinner, I have already spent 20 chips.

   Fang Chang couldn't help thinking that investing in an old street barbecue in Jushi City should make a lot of money.

  Although most of the residents here do not have that spending power, the mercenaries can still afford it.

   Looking at the pile of wooden picks on the plate, Dolly's mouth twitched, and she reluctantly put her hand into her pocket.

   However, Fang Chang has already threw the green chip with a face value of 25 into the tray in the waiter's hand.

   "...Help me get two more beers and a bunch of lizard meat, and I don't have to look for the rest."

   "...Ok sir." Looking at the green chips on the plate, the waiter rolled his eyes silently in his heart.

   You don’t have to look for it.

  I didn’t even have to look for it!

   Looking at Fang Chang who bought the order, Dolly was stunned.

   After a long while, when the beer and skewers came, she muttered in a low voice.

   "Didn't you say I'll invite you...how did you pay for me?"

   "Please wait until you get your first salary. You should keep the chips in your pocket to pay the rent and repay the loan."

   After drinking the light water-like beer, Fang Chang looked at Dolly, who bulged his mouth, and laughed and joked, "And I always feel like I'm at a loss for using the chips I gave you to invite me."

   "Well, that's what I earned too!" Dolly defended with a blushing face, "How can I ask you to use your chips to invite you."

   Seeing her playful reaction, Fang Chang couldn't help laughing.

"Yes Yes Yes."

   He never thought that one day, he could become friends with a piece of data.

   But if you don't think about it, this experience is quite interesting...

  …

  The northern suburb of Qingquan City.

   At the entrance and exit of the inter-provincial highway, a group of dark figures are slowly approaching from far to near.

   Rather than a caravan, it is more a military force.

The man headed by    was wearing light gray power armor, and the thick steel and composite materials armed him from toes to teeth.

   The Gauss rifle he held in his hand was like a great sword across his chest.

   The more than 100 people who followed him, except for the 20 power armors, all wore "Pioneer" exoskeletons and held "Black Swan" assault rifles.

   Unlike the crew of the Trailblazer, they are the Army of the Enterprise, real soldiers.

   Judging from the bullet marks and scratches on the car body and armor, it was obvious that their journey along the way was not smooth sailing, and there were many fierce battles along the way.

   And more than one or two!

   At this time, the man in the front raised his right hand, and the team behind him slowly stopped.

   I saw a blue power armor standing not far in front of him.

The    man stared at the power armor for a while.

  If I remember correctly, the name of this model should be "Order", which belongs to the police armor of the People's Union era.

   Behind the power armor, there are dozens of soldiers wearing "Type 5" exoskeletons, all of which are also police armors in the era of the People's Federation.

   This kind of thing can only be seen in shelters.

  The man was about to say something.

  I saw the power armor standing in front of him, took the initiative to lift the helmet's visor, and said in a loud voice.

   "Welcome, friends from the east coast, I am the manager of Vault 404 and the manager of the new alliance. You can call me by my name Chu Guang, or by my code name Dawning."

   Seeing that the other party removed the mask, the man walking in front of the team tapped twice on the side of the helmet, and also removed his mask to show his sincerity.

   As Chu Guang thought, under the helmet was a powerful face.

   Younger than expected, he looked only in his early twenties.

   "Yun Song, Captain of the 26th Commando of the Enterprise Army Department."

   "We started from the ideal city and went to the Western Desert to reinforce the Pioneer. We have informed you in the communication channel about our intentions."

   "We need to resupply, stay here for a few days, and then continue on our way."

   The captain named Yun Song spoke very directly, without being euphemistic, with a military style, which was completely different from those engineers that Chu Guang had dealt with before.

  Chu Guang glanced at the subordinates behind him. There were about 120 or 30 soldiers with live ammunition.

   The remaining 30 or 50 people are probably logistics personnel, and only a few carry self-defense weapons such as pistols.

   In addition, there are nearly ten vehicles with half-wheels and half-tracks, which probably contain supplies.

   And the twenty or thirty two-headed oxen and mutated donkeys carrying the goods did not seem to have been brought out from the ideal city, they might have been picked up on the way.

   There was no change in his attitude, Chu Guang still had a smile like a spring breeze on his face.

   "Welcome, the doors of the Alliance are always open to its friends!"

   "This is not a place to talk, we have prepared a banquet for you to catch the wind and dust."

   "Please come with me."

  The "long-term farm" built by the Pioneer as a shelter back then, one of the exchange conditions was to provide a place to rest for the company's employees and troops when the company's reinforcements passed through the northern suburbs of Qingquan City.

   Seeing that the manager in front of him fulfilled the agreement, Yunsong's brows loosened slightly, and a smile spread on his tense face.

   "Thank you."

"You are Welcome."

   With the usual smile on his face, Chu Guang said calmly.

   "We are friends, and it is right to lend a hand to friends who are in trouble!"

  …

  Dawn City does not prohibit the entry of wastelanders with weapons, but there will be requirements for the size of the armed personnel and the type of weapons.

   For example, general mercenary groups and caravan guards can enter and exit freely, but armed forces with a size of more than 50 people need to register and report before entering the country.

  Extra ammunition and explosives must be left at the trading post next to North Street, and cannot be brought into Dawn City. You can take them with you when you leave.

  The weapons carried with you will not check the bullets in the magazines, but the safety must not be opened at will, especially when on the street, the muzzle must always be kept pointing down.

  There are drones patrolling over Dawn City.

  Once a violation is found, the guards will be dispatched within 10 minutes, and an arrest task will be issued to nearby players depending on the threat level.

   For these soldiers who came from afar, no matter their number, equipment, or nature, they are obviously beyond the general category, and naturally they cannot be treated as ordinary mercenary groups in the process of entry.

   However, the company was a partner of the new alliance, and Chu Guang generously gave them permission for military passage.

   As for the station, we chose the military camp next to the airport.

   Since the 2nd Corps was transferred to Xizhou City on duty, there are many ready-made barracks that can be used.

   Walking to the gate of the barracks, many soldiers had expressions of relief on their faces.

   It can be seen that they have suffered a lot along the way.

With a surprised expression on    Yunsong's face, he repeatedly checked the tablet in his hand.

The    screen is a photo taken by the Trailblazer.

  On the bare wasteland there is only a concrete wall and a few barracks made of foam materials.

   However, everything in front of him has nothing to do with the photos in his hands, it can only be said that it has nothing to do with it.

   Rows of uniform barracks are located in the open space. There are several wooden hangars next to the straight airstrip, as well as 100mm artillery. Not far away, there is a reinforced communication tower.

   Looking to the southwest, you can see the bright lights under the night. Although I couldn't see the full picture of the survivors' settlement, I could feel it only from the flickering outline. It was a prosperous settlement with a population of probably no more than 10,000.

   The strong contrast made Yunsong stunned in place, and he couldn't help looking at Chu Guang who was beside him and asked.

   "This...is it really Changchang Farm?"

   He suspected that he might have gone to the wrong place.

   Can guess what he was surprised about, Chu Guang said with a smile.

   "That's already a historical place name, and now its name is Dawn City."

   "As for the farm, it's just the northwest corner of Dawn City. We reclaimed the wasteland on the north bank of the lake into farmland. If you had come here half a year earlier, you could still see the tracks left by the pioneer's tracks on the land."

   "But now, it's covered with endless paddy and corn fields."

   Yunsong did not speak, but the shock in his heart was clearly written on his face.

If something like    happened around the ideal city, he wouldn't be surprised.

  Because of doing business with companies, there are many survivors’ settlements in the province of Yunjian that have developed quite well.

   Especially the settlements around Yunshang City and Yunxia City are rich in oil by virtue of the trade routes extending in all directions and the heritage of pre-war civilization.

   However, such a miracle actually happened in the wilderness deep into the land!

   This is simply incredible!

   But now is not the time to talk about these things.

   restrained his surprised expression, Yun Song looked at Chu Guang and said in a serious tone.

   "We have 20 wounded in our team, can we provide them with beds to rest before we settle down?"

   "The wounded?" Chu Guang looked at him in surprise.

   Yunsong nodded and said with a heavy face.

   "When we were passing through Yongdong City, we were ambushed by a group of slime creatures disguised as survivors... 4 brothers stayed there forever, and 20 brothers were infected to varying degrees during the battle."

   "Their symptoms are rare, and in addition to being irritable, they are accompanied by a variety of symptoms such as increased food intake, lethargy, and uncontrollable violent behavior."

   "We don't have professional medical equipment and personnel to deal with their condition, and we don't have freezing and dormancy equipment to ease their pain, so we can only give them regular injections of tranquilizers."

   "It would be a burden to continue on the road with them, and it would be dangerous for them, we intend to keep them with you for the time being."

   "In July, there will be a corporate caravan coming back from the west. They will bring our wounded back to the ideal city. I'm afraid you will have to take care of the wounded for a while... Of course, we will pay you a fee."

   Hearing the words of the commando captain in front of him, Chu Guang's expression changed slightly.

   A slime mold disguised as a survivor?

   Has the brood in Yeongdong City developed to that extent?

   What surprised Chu Guang even more was that even this group of professional soldiers armed to the teeth with high-tech equipment were caught off guard by the slime mold fruiting bodies there.

  If I remember correctly, Butch, who opened an aluminum factory in the northern suburbs, seems to have been parasitized in that Yongdong City.

   "I will ask my doctor to take a look at it for you." Chu Guang said seriously.

  Although he didn't expect much from the small clinic here, Yunsong still nodded.

   "Trouble."

  …

  The banquet was held in the barracks, and these big-headed soldiers were not picky about the dining environment.

   It would be better to say that after so many days of living in the open air, they are very happy to have a table to eat.

   Not to mention the gourmet rumors.

   As soon as they crossed the border of the River Valley Province, many people were already full of expectations.

   And at this moment, this expectation is indeed not in vain.

  More than 20 round tables are placed in the open space, the middle of the table is hollow, and there is a cauldron in it.

  The bottom of the pot was piled with stones, and inside it was burning hot coals. The boiling pot was bubbling with foam, and the white air that rushed towards the face was mixed with an attractive aroma, making everyone sitting at the table swallow their saliva.

   Thinly sliced ​​meat and various meatballs are placed in wooden frames on the table, in addition to sliced ​​cabbage, bean sprouts with water droplets, mushrooms, tofu cubes, instant noodle cakes and so on.

   His eyes were staring at the pot for a while and the ingredients on the table for a while, a corporate soldier sitting at the table asked uncontrollably.

   "...what is this? How should I eat it?"

   "Hot pot is a very common way of eating here. Just put the ingredients in and cook them like this, then take them out and eat them." As he said with a smile, Lu Bei, who was sitting at the table, gave a demonstration.

  I saw him pick up a piece of beef that was cut as thin as paper with chopsticks, put it in the pot and rinse it twice, then took it out and dipped it in the sauce plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

   Seeing that his food was so delicious, the other soldiers sitting on the round table moved their index fingers and followed suit.

   The two groups of people chatted while eating, and the lively atmosphere was like white mist wafting from a pot.

   Everyone was a little rusty at first.

   But after eating a few slices of beef with beer, he quickly got to know each other and completely opened up the conversation.

   Seeing how these people were gobbling up, the soldiers of the Guards regiment who were eating at the same table asked curiously.

   "By the way, don't you have hot pot there?"

   I heard that the ideal city is a very wealthy place, known as the Utopia closest to the prosperous era in this wasteland.

  Compared with that place, their neighbor, Boulder, is as insignificant as the dust on a diamond.

  Although the rumors are exaggerated, but looking at these gobbling guys, Lu Bei can't imagine how rich they can be.

   Several corporate soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

   "I don't know, I'm an F-class employee."

   "I'm an E-rank, I should be able to upgrade to D when I go back."

   "The treatment of the defense department has been upgraded by half, but the Cr given is to buy some ordinary food."

   "We don't pay much attention to the way of cooking, but the protein and fat are not very short."

   "Restaurants will process the food before serving it, and the taste is generally not so heavy."

   At this time, a corporate soldier who was busy eating haise and not participating in the topic took time to raise his head, and couldn't help but let out a **** of envy.

   "Damn... do you eat like this every day?"

  Lu Bei smiled embarrassedly.

   "Not every day... just occasionally."

   Who can stand eating hot pot every day?

   Even if the stomach can take it, the **** can't take it.

  There are quite a lot of good things in the North Street of Dawn City, and the treatment given to the soldiers by the new alliance is also good.

   Hearing what the friendly army said, those corporate soldiers who looked envious finally showed a balanced expression in their hearts.

   Sure enough.

   Such delicious food is not something you can afford every day...

  …

  Because of the rush of time, it was too late to prepare dinner for more than 200 people, so Chu Guang had an idea and simply invited them to eat hot pot.

   This kind of food that can be cooked while eating is not very troublesome to prepare, and can even be cut while eating, and the hot pot base is pre-made.

   As for letting the soldiers of the Guards dine with the corporate soldiers who came from afar, it was also Chu Guang's arrangement.

   The main reason for doing this is to enhance the friendship between the two parties and to dispel the wariness of the other party.

   Of course, there is another part of the reason, it is to borrow their signboard.

   Chu Guang had heard long ago that the nobles and wealthy businessmen of Jushi City are the number one "licking dogs" in the enterprise. The industrial system of the entire outer city, and even the layout of some urban blocks, are modeled after the improvement of enterprises.

   Goods from Ideal City, especially high-tech products, often sell for sky-high prices in the inner city of Boulder City.

   If it wasn't for the reluctance to part with the benefits of the city and the long journey, those nobles would probably have gone to the east coast to enjoy themselves.

  Thinking of this, Chu Guang, who was sitting at the dining table, couldn't help but have an intriguing smile on his face.

   If this photo appeared on the headlines of "Survivor Daily" tomorrow, I wonder how the inner city nobles would feel.

  The visiting group of the company arrived in the northern suburbs with the 26th Commando of the Ministry of War, and had friendly exchanges with the Union Guards.

   He even thought about the headline of the news for the newly established newspaper.

   "What is this noodle made of?" The commando's adjutant couldn't help but asked after he put another instant noodle cake into the hot pot.

   The ideal noodle town in the district still exists, but this is the first time he has seen such fried noodles.

  Although fried carbs sounded very unhealthy, they tasted unexpectedly high.

  Especially when cooked in a hot pot, the taste is absolutely amazing!

   Maybe it was because he was hungry on the road, his mouth has not stopped since the first bite.

   This is the third bowl he has eaten!

"...a kind of convenience food that can be cooked in a hot pot or brewed with boiling water. You are too hasty. If you tell us a day or two in advance, I can prepare more abundant food here." Chu Guang said with a smile.

   It can be seen that companies don’t spend much budget on them.

   Even the logistics are outsourced to traders in the wasteland.

   The man sitting on the right hand of Yunsong was a merchant who accompanied the army. His name was Heding, and he claimed to be a merchant who was walking on the wasteland.

   However, being in charge of the logistics of the expedition does not look like an ordinary businessman.

   "...Eating while cooking, I have never seen such a strange way of eating."

   ate slowly, the businessman named Heding had a very interested expression on his face.

   It seems that he has found a business opportunity.

   "Is there no other place?" Chu Guang asked casually.

   "There are similar ones, but the taste is not as strong..." After taking a sip of beer, Heding suddenly changed the conversation, and looked like Chu Guang said, "Can I inquire about the recipe of the seasoning? Of course, I can pay for it."

  Chu Guang said with a smile.

   "It's no secret, if you're interested, you might as well talk to the chef later."

  Hedin shook his head and said in a joking tone.

   "I have been in business for so many years, and one of the first lessons I have learned is that free things are the most expensive, so give me a chance to pay first and deliver first."

  Chu Guang gave him a slightly surprised look.

   It seems that this guy is not good at fooling around.

   But think about it.

Most of the crew on the    Trailblazer are engineers, and it is normal that they do not do business.

  This guy is a serious businessman, obviously dealing with the survivor settlements outside the ideal city.

   Those tricks that he tried and tested, probably didn't work so well for him.

  Chu Guang said cheerfully: "No problem! But let's talk about this after the banquet is over."

  Hedin said with a smile.

   "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. In fact, it's not just hot pot... I'm also very interested in this instant noodle cake."

"Although the nutritional value does not seem to be high, I guess it should not be difficult to preserve, and it can provide a lot of calories. If it is eaten with some dehydrated vegetables, it may be quite popular with mercenaries and caravans. ."

sure.

   This guy has something!

  Chu Guang looked at him with more and more unexpected eyes.

  Although this is not something that is hard to think of.

   But you can smell business opportunities in the bowl before you finish a meal, this guy is really not easy.

   smiled heartily, Chu Guang said.

"you caught me!"

   "The best-selling group of our instant noodles is really mercenaries, followed by caravans that travel far away."

  Hedin said with interest.

   "Can you expand on that?"

"no problem!"

  Chu Guang found that he and this guy had a good rapport, especially when he talked about investing in factories, expanding sales, and opening up the cloud-to-province market.

   But at this moment, Chu Guang suddenly noticed that the captain named Yun Song seemed to be a little absent-minded, so he opened his mouth and said a word of concern.

   "Is it unpalatable?"

   "No, your food is very delicious, thank you for your hospitality," Yun Song sighed, staring at the wine bottle on the table, with a trace of sadness in his eyes, "I'm just a little worried about those injured brothers."

  Chu Guang could feel his mood at the moment, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only comfort him.

"Don't worry, our hospital is not as good as yours, but our doctors and biologists are absolutely professional. Especially in the study of mother nests and slime molds, we have been dealing with those ghosts a long time ago. already."

While    was talking, the VM on his arm suddenly flashed, and a line of pop-up windows popped up on the screen.

  Chu Guang stretched out his hand and opened it, and found that the news was sent by Heya.

  【The inhibitor has been injected and the injured person is in stable condition. 】

   eyebrows raised a hint of surprise, and a happy smile appeared on Chu Guang's face immediately.

   "...As soon as I said that, the good news came."

  ——

   (Thanks to the leader of "One leaf falls to know the autumn of the world" for the reward!!!)

   (end of this chapter)