Chapter 372 Powers and Duties

   Gracie Clinic.

   On the long white table, there is an open silver suitcase.

   In the suitcase lay a half-arm-length jar, and a transparent waist was soaked in the dark green solution.

  It is made of unknown flexible materials, and the exquisite structure makes people wonder how advanced civilization can accomplish this nuanced miracle.

   And this "miracle", which integrates thousands of research results, is just a piece of dust from that great era.

   Gracie had an obsessed expression on her face, and slid her index finger like a dead branch over the tank, muttering to herself in a low voice.

  “BIO-166…”

"what?"

   "The number of this thing..."

Gracie sighed softly with a fascinated expression, "The bionic prosthesis from the ideal city, the crystallization of mechanical engineering and biology. It is the most ideal substitute for biological organs, perfect like a work of art...even if Just a fake."

  All the miracles of the ideal city are just a copy of the era of the People's Federation.

   But even so, for the many survivor settlements of the Wasteland Age, those imitation miracles are still an insurmountable gap.

   Just when Gracie was intoxicated by the artwork in front of her, Fang Chang, who was standing beside the long white table, fell into contemplation.

   After staring at the bald middle-aged man for a while, he suddenly said.

   "Aren't you going to ask about Edmund?"

   He had heard that the "Butcher" named Edmund was once Gracie's apprentice. Because of an operation, he was favored by Jeff, the boss of the Dagger Gang, and only later helped the Dagger Gang's people.

   This guy introduced the business to himself, and he turned around and sent Edmund to the prisoner of war camp of the new alliance, in exchange for a reward of 100 silver coins and 200 contribution points.

   Fang Chang did not believe that this guy knew nothing about what happened to his apprentice.

   However, after hearing the name Edmund from Fang Chang's mouth, Gracie pouted and said indifferently.

   "Ask the guy what he's doing, does he have anything to do with our deal today?"

   The expression on Fang Chang's face couldn't help but feel a little weird.

   But when he saw the corners of Gracie's mouth ripped apart, there was a sudden glimpse in his eyes.

"…you do this delibrately?"

  The tension between the new alliance and the looters is well known in Qingquan City.

   It is no exaggeration to say that the alliance itself was born out of the war between Vault 404 and the Marauders.

   In this context, the probability of this deal being made is less than one in ten.

   If anyone benefited from the closure of Edmund's clinic, it was Gracie's clinic.

  Without those cheap "original" parts, the mercenaries who were accidentally knocked out the egg can only choose the more expensive bionic prosthetics.

  Can't afford to change?

   There is always someone who can change it.

   Even if he can pry 1/10 of the clients from Edmund Clinic and squeeze 500% of the profits from them, this guy can make a lot of money.

  The high value-added bionic prosthesis is the real profiteering!

  Clone extraction?

   That's just an evil way to save money.

"I don't understand what you're talking about... But I believe in one thing, that is, I often walk by the river, and there is no one who doesn't wet their shoes. When you buy and sell looters, you will either be killed by the looters or you will be killed by yourself. Become a predator."

   "So, I only do safe business in a safe place with safe customers."

  Gracie smiled, reached out and closed the silver suitcase, stuffing it into the drawer under the table.

   Then, he took out a gold-plated storage box from somewhere, and placed it lightly in front of Fang Chang.

   "This is 500,000 chips, you click."

  The storage box is neatly stuffed with 50 black and white plastic sheets, and the side of the disc is printed with a crown-like pattern.

  The jet-black luster was like new, and even the slightest fingerprints and dandruff could not be seen.

   Fang Chang took the storage box, simply counted it, and suddenly said.

   "I was suddenly a little curious, how much can you make from this transfer?"

  Gracie smiled lightly.

   "This is a trade secret. Besides, why ask me, you make a lot of money yourself... don't you?"

   Fang Chang smiled without refuting.

really.

  500,000 chips, converted into silver coins, must be 1 million, and the cost is only 600,000 silver.

   Even if the 600,000 silver coins were collected by him and a few good brothers, one person could get a lot.

   This is already a wealth far beyond what ordinary players can get through quests…

  Weighing the weight of less than half a catty in his hand, Fang Chang couldn't help but have a strange thought in his heart.

  If you understand the silver coin trading platform as a stock exchange, can you be considered a shareholder of "Wasteland OL" with your own deposits?

   Even if it is a spiritual shareholder.

   "If you still need a bionic prosthesis, you can contact me."

   Gracie said with a smile.

"I will, but it shouldn't be needed recently. In the past few days, a group of bionic prosthetics from the ideal city suddenly appeared in the inner city, and the price I heard was about half a million chips... I'm all there I wonder if that mysterious seller is you."

   "I only sold it to you for the time being."

  The NPCs themselves also conduct transactions. Fang Chang didn't find it strange, just a little curious, who has such a big hand.

   Liszt?

   Or the Ditwee who runs nutritional creams?

or…

   Mr. Manager?

   But managers should be unlikely.

  Fang Chang thought about it, but he couldn't associate the man with the high moral character and the philistine businessman together.

   This is not to say that the NPC has no business sense, it is just that pure human beings are a little bit inappropriate. What's more, there are so many talents in the alliance, that "adult" has absolutely no need to do this by himself.

   "Really? It doesn't really matter."

Gracie smiled, "I didn't sign any exclusive agreement with you, it's your freedom to sell to whom, besides, my client will eventually contact me for transplant surgery... Do you have anything else to do? It's okay, I suggest you Go to the bank first, it's not a good idea to carry so many chips on your body, there are many pickpockets in Boulder City."

   Fang Chang smiled lightly.

   Pickpockets are ok.

   As an agility player with a third-stage gene sequence, the pickpocket who can take things from him is probably not born yet.

   It's not how confident he is.

   But he really has this ability, there is absolutely no need to be a thief, just find a caravan or mercenary group to enter, what do you want?

   Put away the storage box, Fang Chang is about to leave.

   But at this moment, he suddenly thought of something, stopped and said.

   "...By the way, let's make a deal."

   "What deal." Gracie raised her eyebrows.

   "Next time you have a competitor in your business, you don't need to beat around the bush. You can tell me directly... You know what kind of competitor I'm talking about."

  The new alliance prohibits players from "privately" invading survivor settlements above neutrality, but this does not include predator dens.

  Although the criteria for determining "predator" are flexible, as long as you submit "sufficient evidence" to the assistant of the great manager, there is a chance to obtain permission for "legal bandit suppression" and unlock the option of "unrestricted war".

  The types of evidence include but are not limited to videos, photos, audio recordings, etc., and the determination of evidence will refer to the level of regional civilization and the strength of the evidence at the same time.

  If the conditions are insufficient, a follow-up investigation task is usually triggered to further verify the situation... Because there are so many issues involved, this is usually a rather complicated process.

   But it's a lot easier if someone can help them target.

  Especially at the base of "Edmond Clinic", the value of loot is far higher than that of ordinary predator's lair. Doing justice and making money is the equivalent of winning twice.

Isn't    perfect?

   Staring at Fang Chang with interest, a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Gracie's face.

   "Have you finally found a quick money deal?"

   "But I still have to give you a piece of advice. When you try to take something out of the night, don't forget that the night is also staring at you."

   Fangchang has an indifferent expression on his face.

   jokes.

   He can't die again.

   "You just have to tell me if you're interested."

   "Of course I'm interested. I wish you could take care of all the competitors who went down the wrong road for me."

  Gracie stretched out her right hand and said with a smile.

   "I wish us a happy cooperation."

  …

"and after?"

   "Afterwards, my friends took the homeless people to the Union, where the refugee homes took them in..."

  Boulder's Tavern.

   Fang Chang sprinkled the roasted lizard's tail with cumin brought by Tuo Laobai by the way, while chatting with Dolly about what happened the other day.

   Maybe because he has been eating these things all the time recently, he found himself unexpectedly able to accept such rough and dark dishes.

  Perhaps, when we return to Dawn City, we can share with Lao Na the experience of tasting food from another world.

   Dolly, sitting across from the wooden table, listened carefully.

   She had an expression of interest on her face, her calves dangling gently under the table, and she was holding a brand new pen in her right hand, scribbling on the palm-sized stenograph.

  Although he has only been on the job for a long time, he has not even passed the probationary period, but whether it is his demeanor or actions, this guy is becoming more and more like a reporter.

   "Would it make any difference going there?"

"Well, it's hard to say," Fang Chang thought for a while and said, "There are also poor people in the alliance, but we will give them a bite to eat, so that they will not starve to death, we will teach them the skills to make a living, and give them a choice. a chance to live."

   "As for whether or not to integrate into our society, and how to integrate into our society, they can make their own decisions. They can leave if they feel uncomfortable, and they can come back anytime they want."

   said with a dry mouth, Fang Chang took a sip of cold beer.

   Looking at Dolly who was taking notes in a hurry, he couldn't help but tease.

   "It seems that you have adapted to your new life."

   The thin lips curled slightly, Dolly dropped the pen in her hand, leaned back on the chair and stretched comfortably, and said happily.

   "It's alright, although it was a bit tiring at first, but after getting used to it, I realized that it was actually quite interesting."

   "The working hours are flexible every day, you don't have to stay up late, and you can hear a lot of interesting gossip... Of course, the most important thing is that you get paid a lot."

   Seeing that cheerful expression, Fang Chang was also sincerely happy for her.

   Turning over the notes in her hand, Dolly, who was leaning her head back on the chair, suddenly sat up straight and looked curiously at Fang Chang who was sitting opposite.

   "Actually...I still have a little doubt about what you just said."

   "Which one?"

   "I seem to have heard of that Edmund Clinic. It is said that some mercenaries and bounty hunters who can't afford bionic prosthetics or want to save money will go there for surgery."

   "It's similar to what I learned." Fang Chang nodded.

   "Hmm... what about the mercenaries who need to change their prosthetics?" Dolly tilted her head, "There will always be people accidentally injured. Even if you wipe out the Edmund Clinic, someone will open another one?"

  Equality is a beautiful idea, but most of the time, the price of life is different.

   If someone is willing to pay the chip, someone will do this transaction.

  The cheapest mechanical prosthesis produced by Boulder City costs two or three thousand chips, and some precision bionic organs, etc., five figures are the norm.

   In contrast, the lives of clones and slaves are much cheaper. If they are captured scavengers or other civilians, they can even do it without cost.

   As long as the people of the wasteland are still struggling to survive, this market will not disappear.

   put down the wine glass in his hand, and after thinking for a long time, Fang Chang said slowly.

   "We certainly thought about this, so we decided to address this part of the need."

   "It's just that a different way is needed."

   After leaving the Gracie Clinic that day, he went to the forum's closed beta player communication section and posted a post. While exposing the bug that could be paid for, he shared this issue with other players who have qualified for the beta test.

   After listening to what they saw at the "Golden Dunes Cinema", most players had similar thoughts to him.

   Although this is indeed a "win-win" business, after all, players don't really die, but using this bug to make money will make them feel uneasy.

   In particular, many players have become good friends with NPCs in the game.

   Cloud players who have not yet entered the game will be ignored.

   At least for beta testers, many people have been unable to treat NPCs as pure data.

   is another form of life.

   Based on the opinions of other players, Lao Bai intends to communicate with the First Hospital of the Alliance to save the parts that the players replaced with the bionic prosthetics and replace them for survivors who really need it.

   As for the fee, a reasonable handling fee will be charged.

   In addition, some seriously injured players can also donate their own parts before repairing themselves.

   Of course, this will follow the voluntary principle.

   Players can choose whether to sign the body donation agreement.

   For the player who signed the agreement, when he or his friend has a need for replacement parts, he can give priority to arranging surgery.

  It is of course unprofitable to do so, but like Brother Guang said, they are not only developing a game, but also building a virtual community.

  Silver coins are not everything in this game. Apart from pure interests, there are many other things worth exploring in this world.

   Fang Chang felt that the pattern could actually be bigger.

   They are not just building a community, they are building a society.

  Including himself, the players who have qualified for the beta test have long been inseparable from the extra 12 hours per day.

  This is their second world, and in fact it has become their second home.

  Especially as the first group of players to enter the game, they follow the progress of the game and obtain a lot of resources and wealth - both in the game and outside the game.

  In terms of reason and reason, they all have obligations and responsibilities to make this place better.

   Instead of turning this place into a jungle, squeezing profit from it like a cancer cell, and then running it elsewhere to continue hoho.

   "Our alliance will normalize raiding dens, making it harder for those 'survivor-slaughtering' raider dens to survive."

   "…At the same time, we will also make this business unprofitable by supplying cheaper replaceable parts through 'Refuge Technology'."

   Fang Chang briefly narrated the decision of him and the other shelter residents in a way that the NPCs could understand.

  Dolly looked at him in surprise, her bright right eye full of surprises.

   "I didn't expect you to be a very responsible person."

   Fang Chang smiled lightly.

   "Did you just find out?"

   Although he wasn't like that from the beginning either.

   Rubbing her chin with her index finger, Dolly thought for a long time.

   Suddenly, she snapped her fingers.

   "Have it!"

   "Have you?"

   "Tomorrow's "Survivor Daily" headlines! I plan to write your story in the newspaper!" Dolly said with sparkling eyes.

   NPC newspaper headlines?

   Although it sounds more attractive than the Hall of Fame on the official website of "Wasteland OL", it is a fresh experience.

   I happen to be learning the language of people, so I will buy a copy and take a look.

   "For Toutiao's sake, how did you treat this meal?" Fang Chang joked.

"no problem-"

  Dolly just wanted to pat her chest and agree, but at this moment, out of the corner of her eyes, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the wooden sticks piled up on the plate.

The corners of   's raised mouth froze for a moment, and the voice also weakened unsatisfactorily. Dolly continued to speak with a blushing face.

   "First, I owe it first... When I pay you my salary."

   "Then I can remember it!"

   Looking at Dolly with an embarrassed expression, Fang Chang smiled in a good mood, took out a few chips, and threw a tray in the waiter's hand.

   "Pay the bill, don't look for it."

   Looking at the chips swirling in the tray, the waiter saw that he was an acquaintance, and immediately rolled his eyes secretly.

   This guy again.

   But then again, this guy has enough to eat...

   glanced at the pile of wooden signs on the plate, and then glanced at the young man who was looking at the gentleman, the waiter couldn't help but smashed his tongue in his heart.

   It’s really unbelievable…

  …

   Vault 404, the browsing room on the B4 floor.

   Chu Guang, who was sitting on the sofa, was holding a copy of "Survivor Daily" that was just printed out in his hand.

   And the page spread out in front of him was the headline of the latest issue of Survivor Daily—a report on the Edmund Clinic.

The    newspaper featured a selection of photos taken by players at the Edmund Clinic.

   Including the randomly abandoned corpses and the survivors who were locked in iron cages like lambs to be slaughtered, the shocking pictures not only shocked people's eyes, but also impacted people's hearts.

  The residents of the outer city are of course aware of the cruelty of the wasteland. After all, the distance between them and the outside world is, to put it bluntly, only a door.

   However, it is precisely because of the existence of the giant wall that they do not have to touch those things that do not belong to their own world in their daily life.

   Even "The Voice of the Stone City" often mentions the suffering outside the giant wall for fun, but the narrative style is mostly cynical and flattering to the city owner.

   It’s not so much to please the city lord who doesn’t care about them at all, but rather to cater to its audience.

   Like "Survivor Daily", it is the first time in the past ten years to bring the truth of red fruit to people's eyes.

  It is precisely because of this that this incident caused a huge sensation in the outer city of Boulder City, and it quickly became a hot topic of discussion.

   What's more interesting is that the residents of Boulder City are clearly divided on the same issue.

   For ordinary residents, they are more concerned about the survivors who are locked in iron cages.

   After all, there are not only people in the slums, but also a few residents of the outer city.

  No matter what reason those poor people were sent to the **** slaughterhouse, they, who were on the same position, had a crack in their fantasy about the giant wall.

  The Unbreakable Wall is not as unbreakable as they thought, and eternal isolation doesn't really keep them far from the wasteland.

   However, the final result can still be called a delightful one.

   The vicious raider's lair was destroyed and the survivors returned home to be reunited with their loved ones.

  Although the Unbreakable Wall is not absolutely reliable, the Unbreakable Alliance seems to have played a little role.

   However, for the mercenaries, this is not good news.

   This means that they have to take more risks to complete the commission, and have to pay more chips after injury to buy expensive and not necessarily easy to use mechanical replacements.

   Of course, the newspaper also mentioned at the end that the New Alliance First Hospital is exploring alternatives with the help of Vault 404.

   It is recommended that mercenaries who need healing go to Dawn City to try their luck.

   Straightened his legs and sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa. The doll ornaments that Xiaoqi manipulated were looking up at Chu Guang with admiration.

   "As expected of the master!"

   "Actually, you already guessed that your players would do this, right?"

   Being used to the little assistant's flattery for a long time, Chu Guang just smiled lightly, turned the page of the newspaper, and said in a normal tone.

   "I'm not as predictable as you think, and human behavior is simply impossible to predict."

   "But I admit, they did make a choice that I'm happy with."

   No matter how strict the rules are, there are bound to be loopholes, especially with the increase in the number of players on the server, Chu Guang knew very well that he could not plan the game trajectory of each player himself as before.

   Moreover, there is no need to do so.

   Players are also part of "Wasteland OL", of course they can also participate in the formulation of the rules of the game and explore the future path together.

   What Chu Guang wants to see is that players can give full play to their initiative, improve the "game content" spontaneously, and maintain "server order".

   This is their power.

   is also an obligation.

  The newspaper turned to the last page. Chu Guang closed the finished newspaper and put it on the coffee table next to Xiaoqi, and was about to open his laptop and browse the forum.

   Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the browsing room.

   "Please come in."

The   alloy door opens.

   It was Yin Fang who came in from outside.

   As soon as he saw the expression on his face, Chu Guang guessed that something good had happened. Thinking that this guy has been busy repairing that power armor recently, he blurted out his debut.

   "The 'Dragons' has been repaired?"

   "No, it's a little bit closer, but it's only been a few days," Yin Fang said happily, sitting on the sofa opposite Chu Guang, "What I want to tell you is another good news."

  Chu Guang asked with interest.

   "What good news?"

"According to the clues collected by the scientific research team, we locked an abandoned shelter... Although the shelter is old, the information is new. According to historical reading records, we are likely to be the first to discover its coordinates. You should know what that means."

   took out the tablet computer converted from the VM, Yin Fang skillfully tapped the screen twice, and then handed the tablet to Chu Guang's hand.

   "Its number is 79. It is located in Ruigu City, 150 kilometers away from here, at the junction of River Valley Province and Luoxia Province."

   Yin Fang continued to speak with an excited expression on his face.

   "A two-digit shelter, you should know what that means!"

  —

   (Thanks to the leader of "Thirteenth Rainy Night" for the reward!!)

   (end of this chapter)