Chapter 514 An Adventure Without Regrets

  Early November.

  The east coast has entered winter. Although it has not snowed like last year, the low sky is still covered with thick clouds.

   For the residents of Ideal City, today is undoubtedly a sad day.

   Their hero didn't end up back home.

   After waiting for a long time, what I waited for was just this result,

  Many people can't accept it.

  The scene of the press conference.

  The spacious venue was crowded with reporters from various media gathered together.

  Although Wu Changnian, the deputy director of the General Management Department, had just gotten off the plane not long ago, the relevant news had spread all over the city two days ago. So much so that he was still dozing off in the sky, and the people on the ground had already helped him arrange the itinerary after landing.

   Taking advantage of the fact that there was still some time before the press conference officially started, everyone at the scene began to communicate in whispers.

   "We spent billions and fought a local war for it... What happened in the end?"

   "I don't know what the council thinks."

   "How can you think? When our people arrive, they will be cold, and it was a few months ago."

"Why."

   "Actually, what I care more about is the Enlightenment Meeting..."

   "Indeed, replacing human memory... sounds like goosebumps."

   "Is that really the organization of the blue coats?"

   "I hope there will be no people from those guys in the refuge in the province of the clouds."

   "We shouldn't be pinning our hopes on hope, the council should do something to make sure we don't have those guys around us!"

   The whispers grew louder.

   What people care about is not only that the Pioneer has nothing to gain, but that tens of billions of investment have been squandered, and a budget of several billions has been set up for this.

  Most people are more concerned about the thought-provoking enlightenment meeting.

   If the fruits of today's labor may be usurped someday in the future, it is meaningless to create more value.

  No one can accept that when they came home from get off work one day, they met a pair of strange eyes, and couldn't accept a group of little ghosts hiding in the dark and secretly replacing themselves.

  More than 5,000 kilometers, it’s actually not too far away, if you think about it, there is always a way.

  At the same time, in the preparation room next to the press conference, Wu Changnian, who had just got off the plane and transferred to the car, walked towards the scene before taking a sip of water.

   Chasing after him with documents, his office secretary tried to persuade him.

   "...at least sit down and rest for a while!"

"No, I have rested long enough on the plane, from the Great Desert, to the Kingdom of Lions, to Dawn City, and then here. There is still a meeting of the council in the afternoon. Get it done... This is the task entrusted to me by the council." Wu Changnian turned on the holographic computer pen, glanced at today's schedule, and couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling.

  He is just a deputy, so busy is beyond his expectation.

but-

   It might be a good thing to suddenly get busy.

   This is a good omen, maybe it won't take long for him to make further progress in his career.

  Thinking of this, that slightly tired face revived. Although he only went for a stroll, he was a tough guy who had been on the battlefield after all.

   "The reporters outside look aggressive, I'm afraid they won't let you go lightly." The secretary on the side smiled wryly as the last persuasion, but he pushed him away.

   "Then let them come!"

  The door is pushed open, and the lights flicker.

  Wu Changnian had just walked to the front desk, and before he could speak, a series of interview drones rushed over and lined up neatly in an arc in front of him, followed by a flurry of questions.

   "Mr. Wu Changnian, how do you evaluate this rescue operation?"

   "Vice Minister Wu, we spent countless resources to build the Pioneer, and sent the best personnel to the wilderness, but found nothing in the end... Do you think this is a waste of resources?"

   "Does the council have anything to say about this?"

   "Will the setback in Silver Wing Group's share price affect the change of its board of directors."

   "I heard that only one person was rescued, and that person happened to be the eldest son of the CEO of the Silver Wing Group and a member of the company's Supreme Council. I wonder if there was any bias in the rescue work."

   "Should we increase our interference with the Sanctuary forces—"

   "Enough! Quiet!"

  The loud voice suddenly erupted, instantly calming down the audience, and the hustle and bustle of the press conference fell silent for a few seconds.

  Looking at the scene where the noise stopped and the confused faces, Wu Changnian took a deep breath, slowed down his speaking speed and tone and continued.

"You have more questions than bullets flying past my head. I know you want to ask a lot of things. Captain Lujan's video will answer some of your confusion. We will upload that recording to the endpoint cloud and keep it in the museum , for everyone to check... Before that, listen to me!"

   Paused, his tone became a little low.

   "Today...I'm going to tell a sad story."

"A group of brave young men embarked on an expedition with ideals in mind. They traveled across mountains and rivers, across plains, forests, mountains and deserts, not for wealth, nor for land or conquest...but for a legend that has been passed down among us, An ideal that we have repeatedly preached for a century but no one has tried to verify."

"Our civilization is stagnant, we are afraid of the risks in the wasteland, imagining an omnipotent savior living in the hibernation pod of Vault 0, waiting for the great heaven to come to our feet by itself... If no one Go there and take a look, we'll never give up that naive idea."

"I want to say that he did an amazing thing. Even though he may have guessed at the beginning that the ending would not be perfect, he still did what he thought he should do. And he has no regrets until the end, so if you ask me , whether I will regret it, whether I will regret it, my answer is no."

"never!"

  His voice was firm and his gaze was like a torch.

  The man standing here at this moment does not look like a man in his forties or fifties, even the vertical and horizontal wrinkles have regained their youthful radiance.

   "Even if only one person is rescued, even if no one is rescued, this rescue is by no means meaningless to us."

"What is more valuable than gold is credit. We have kept our promise and will not give up any residents living outside. We have shown our uncompromising determination to those who doubt us. We have gained valuable valuables during the journey. friendship…"

   "More importantly, our bravery!"

  Looking at the drones in front of him, he saw faces through them, and the prosperous city outside the French windows farther away.

  "We are worthy of our ancestors, and the residents of Vault 6 and the colony ship Zhiyuan will be proud of our choice."

   "We deserve to be descendants of heroes!"

   There was applause at the scene.

   At first it was a light rain, and then it was a squall.

  Even the reporter, who was prepared to make difficult questions from the beginning, was infected by the atmosphere, and couldn't help but folded his palms together.

  At least the applause at this moment is not for someone present, but for himself.

  In the lounge not far away, Ye Shi clapped his hands, and while feeling emotional in his heart, he couldn't help but say something sour.

   "Hey, that sounds really nice."

  He can remember clearly that those guys retreated more than once. At least in his opinion, if the manager hadn't resisted the pressure and promised to end the war within the year, maybe today's press conference would have announced the "disappearance" of the Pioneer.

  By the way, he came to Ideal City by taking a "ride" from Vice Minister Wu.

  Not only him, but also Laobai, Gale, Mole and so on.

   Fang Chang, who was standing aside, smiled, patted Ye Shi's little brother on the shoulder and said.

   "You kid likes to sing a naysayer. Others are the deputy department of Ideal City, representing Ideal City and the council. If he doesn't say that, tell me how to say it."

  Ye Shi thought about it for a while, and tried to find a fault.

   "At least emphasize our role more."

"Our role does not require any verbal emphasis. Someone will remember our favor, and what needs to be repeatedly emphasized is not so important." Fang Chang patted him on the shoulder, and then looked at Lao Bai and Kuang Feng. Good brother, smiled and said, "Come with me, and show you my achievements in the past few months."

   A group of people walked into the elevator and came to the observation deck on the top floor of the building.

  Ye Shi glanced around but saw nothing, and joked at this guy.

   "Don't tell me that your achievements in the past few months are this rooftop."

  Fang Chang didn't speak, looked at the time on the watch, and then turned his eyes to the council building in the center of Ideal City.

   "Over there."

   Just as the voice fell, the gorgeous light and shadow converged on the wall of the building to form a bucket full of fried chicken and a large black drink.

   This is not a novelty for the real world with close cultural exchanges, but it is novel enough for the residents of Ideal City.

   Lines of advertising words flashed across the screen.

  【The first Kenda Chicken store has opened! Food from exotic places awaits your visit! 】

  【Store Address:…】

  At first, Ye Shi couldn’t understand what was written on it. After turning on the VM to translate, he almost couldn’t laugh out loud.

   "Pfft! It's okay to be willing to fight chickens, this is such an old meme."

   "It's really old." Kuangfeng couldn't help but complain.

   "Haha, it means I'm not young anymore." Fang Chang smiled happily.

  Old Bai laughed and joked.

   "Good guy, you are going to move everything in reality into the wasteland."

"It's just complementary advantages," Fang Chang continued, touching the bridge of his nose with his index finger, "Fried chicken and Coke are just the first step to test the water, and then there are steamed buns, buns, pancakes, dumplings, and pre-made dishes, etc. The plan includes "Mr. Xiaomi" and other fast food brands, we plan to let these foods from the alliance form a matrix with cultural added value in Ideal City."

"And we only need to do a good job in standards and quality control. For specific store operations, we can cooperate with other food and catering companies in the form of franchising, and produce and sell locally... At present, this cooperation model is the most suitable for us. .”

   After all, the alliance cannot send too many employees to the enterprise. One is that it is difficult to integrate into the local society, and the other is that it may take away local job opportunities.

  Only provide concepts and ideas, which is the plan that Fang Chang determined from the beginning. As long as the "fried chicken" is labeled with the alliance, the residents of Ideal City will immediately look for stores certified by the alliance company when they think of the delicious pastry.

  If the operation is in good condition, Changyue Group will open up a considerable market worth tens of billions in Ideal City for Niu Ma Group.

   Once the market opens, the residents of Ideal City accept the culture of Dawn City, and some life professional players can also go to Ideal City to set up shop.

  Everyone can benefit from it, which is undoubtedly a win-win situation.

  Ye Shi was confused about the business blueprint drawn by Fang Chang. After scratching his head for a long time, he couldn't understand it, so he simply gave up.

  Among all the people he knows, Brother Fang is the only one who can play the game to this extent.

  He thought he was not the material for this piece, so he simply lay flat.

   After talking about the future business plan of Niuma Group, Fang Chang suddenly set his eyes on Ye Shi and asked with great interest.

   "By the way, I heard from Lao Bai, you recently met a researcher from the academy? What's going on?"

   He has always been interested in that college in the swamp.

   It is said that there are more black technologies than enterprises, but they rarely flow into the wasteland.

  According to the official setting, if you really want to buy top-level equipment, it seems that you still have to find a way to pry open the gate of the academy.

  Maybe Ye Shi can become a breakthrough.

  However, looking at those gossip eyes, Ye Shi was in a daze.

   "What's the situation."

   Patting Ye Shi on the shoulder, Lao Bai smiled at Fang Chang.

   "You underestimate this guy, not only the researchers of the academy, but even the old lady of the enterprise are interested in him."

   Thinking of the episode that happened on the plane, Gufeng nodded subtly.

   "However, I think there is still a difference... Maybe they just want to accept a godson."

  Ye Shi: "???"

  Fang Chang looked at Ye Shi in surprise.

   "Damn it, you're not mean enough...don't tell your dad anything."

   "Get out! I don't even know what you guys are talking about, I... I never thought about talking to NPC anyway."

  Seeing that Fang Chang's smiling expression didn't look like he had listened to his explanation at all, the blushing Ye Shi hurriedly ended this inexplicable topic, and then shifted the firepower to the dog himself.

   "Cut, don't talk about me, when are you going back?"

   Fang Chang said bluntly.

   "I'll go back with you in a while."

  Ye Shi was stunned for a moment, looking at this guy in disbelief.

   "Just leave like this?"

   Fang Chang looked at him strangely.

   "Yeah, what else?"

   "Nothing," Ye Shi scratched the back of his head, "I'm just a little surprised."

   Probably guessed what he was surprised about, Fang Chang said with a smile.

"Things here have been properly arranged. Professional managers are responsible for the specific operations of the Changyue Group. There are not many things that we need to worry about. This cooperation plan is more of a test of the water. After all, in the past more than one In the century, Ideal City has never had such a long-distance direct commercial cooperation, so I spent a little more time."

  Before this, most of the cooperation between enterprises and the outside world would be carried out in an indirect way.

  For example, the company of the enterprise cooperates with the merchants of the Yunjian Province to trade the resources needed by the Ideal City, and the merchants of the Yunjian Province take the products of the Ideal City further afield in exchange for what they need.

   This is without a doubt a major change.

   As for how it will affect the future, it is still unknown.

  By the way, just a few days ago, Fang Chang had completed those courses at Yunjian University.

  Although it was only some superficial knowledge, it was enough for him to digest it for a long time.

   In the future, if he has the opportunity, he will come back to study again, and try to get that graduation certificate.

"Li Shuyue, the CEO of Ruyue Group, is also full of confidence in this. She also believes that this will become a historic moment... After more than a century, the direct business of Ideal City has once again expanded beyond Yunjian Province, and the residents here have finally left. The fortress is back on the wasteland. From what she's saying, she's kind of grateful to us."

  Guangfeng said with emotion.

   "Sounds like the beginning of a new story."

  Fang Chang smiled.

"right?"

  Because of an expedition, the stagnant history began to move forward, and each of them was a witness of this moment. And in the distant future, when people miss that ancient version, they will also think of the names of these participants.

  Ye Shi suddenly laughed and said.

   "By the way, I almost forgot to ask, what does that Li Shuyue have to do with you?"

  Fang Chang rolled his eyes.

   "It has nothing to do with it... and I warn you, don't talk nonsense everywhere, especially don't talk nonsense over there, the master has a wife."

  Ye Shi: "Damn! You are still so particular in the game!"

   "You don't understand," Fang Chang shook his head, and said quietly, "The reason why sincerity is precious is because there is only one time."

   "voo voo!"

   Just as Ye Shi vomited while leaning on the wall, Fang Chang looked at Lao Bai who was looking at them with a smile on his face.

   "By the way, Lao Bai, what task did the manager entrust us with this time?"

   Lao Bai grinned and said.

   "One thousand cubic meters of helium-III is waiting for us to recycle it in a research institute in Jinchuan Province."

  Fang Chang took a breath.

   "How much is that..."

"Based on the energy consumption of the real world, assuming that the third-generation fusion technology is unlocked, one thousand cubic meters of helium three is enough for the earth to consume for a year. As for the game," Kuang Feng thought for a while, then shrugged, "Estimate the energy consumption of the alliance. The level is enough to stop taking it.”

  Even if it is an ideal city, the annual energy consumption should not exceed this figure.

   One can imagine what a huge fortune this is!

   "It's too exaggerated to use it to stop the server," Fang Chang couldn't help smiling in surprise, and looked up to the sky, "Our end is there."

   "Stop talking nonsense, how long do you plan to rest?" Lao Bai patted his buddy on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The manager gave us a lot of time, and it will be no problem to finish it within half a year."

   "How long is the rest?" Fang Chang was slightly stunned, "Didn't I say, I will go back with you this time—"

  Ye Shi rolled his eyes.

   "Are you sure? Dolly will not be with you when you go back?"

  There was a rare morning glow on that usually calm face, Fang Chang coughed lightly in embarrassment, and looked to the side.

   "Wait for me for a few days..."

  Looking at Fang Chang who suddenly became "shy", Ye Shi felt goosebumps all over his body, and turned his face to the sky with an uncomfortable expression.

   "Damn... I really want to throw this guy off the roof!"

  Looking at Ye Shi who was distorted by envy, jealousy and hatred, Lao Bai laughed heartily, and patted him on the shoulder vigorously.

  Guangfeng standing aside gave the kid a sideways look.

   "...Didn't you insist on bringing this up?"

  …

   It has been a week since the "Vault 0" incident.

  Across the great desert more than 5,000 kilometers away, the people who have not yet evacuated are still busy, doing some cleaning and finishing work on the battlefield.

  Although some small players who ran fast had already returned to the alliance ahead of time, some even ran to the easternmost part of the Central Continent, but as the manager, Chu Guang hadn't left yet.

   There are still a lot of things waiting for him to deal with here.

  In the previous battle, there were a total of 120 Enlightenment disciples captured by the Alliance. These people will be brought back to Dawn City and judged by the court there.

  Although they are residents of the refuge, the alliance will not lenient them because of where they come from, and will treat them equally with other prisoners in terms of punishment.

   It's just that which law is being used as the criterion and the details of the sentencing of people at different levels still need to be discussed by the legal workers of the alliance and the public.

   But one thing won't change.

  Even if they are also victims of being deceived by the Enlightenment, they still need to be responsible for being the accomplices of the devil.

They will be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, and undergo labor reform during their imprisonment. At the same time, they will undertake voluntary work in welfare institutions such as home for refugees and workers' schools, and help survivors rescued from the wasteland in the fields of medical care and education. Sentence may be reduced for performance during the sentence.

  If special contributions are made during the sentence, the criminal responsibility can also be reduced.

  Punishment is only a means, not an end. The knowledge, skills and experience acquired by the shelter residents are a valuable asset, which is also the legacy left by the People's Federation.

  The unrepentant part had already died on the battlefield, and for these prisoners who wavered in the face of death, Chu Guang felt that it was worth giving them a chance to reform themselves.

  In addition to the resettlement of more than a hundred captives, there is another important matter that must be resolved before returning home.

   That was the airship that was anchored next to the camp.

  Although the cushioning airbags and parachutes slow down the falling speed of the airship and the impact of hitting the ground, they have no effect on the structure of the airship.

   Especially the wings on both sides.

   When blowing up the outer armor to reduce weight, the connection between the wing and the airship was damaged, causing it to break during the fall.

   Even if the anti-gravity device is normal, this guy can't go anywhere.

   Fortunately, the five base vehicles can process the parts needed to repair the airship wings and propeller engines, and the repairs are almost done this week.

   In contrast, the situation of the Arbiter is much miserable.

  Although Chu Guang didn't ask, just by looking at Captain Adria's face, he could guess that the situation of that thing must be terrible.

  In the past two days, the players who plan to go back with the Iron Heart have been wandering around, while building the alliance's outpost in the great desert, while searching for traces of the Enlightenment Society.

  However, they did not find any clues about the Enlightenment Society, but instead discovered many mutant lairs hidden in the ruins.

   As a result, nearly one hundred and sixty more rescued survivors were added to the Alliance camp.

  Including those before, the number of survivors in the camp is close to three hundred.

   What makes people feel complicated is that this may just be the tip of the iceberg in this hell. In places where the alliance has not set foot, there are many similar tragedies...

  …

  Near the industrial building.

  A sharp-edged concrete slab stands on the steps of the main entrance of the building. On the steep stone slab, there are lines of names that Chu Guang is familiar with.

  The Corporation took away the belongings left by the employees in the wreck of the Trailblazer.

  Before setting sail for the return voyage, the man named Yun Song took his 26th commando and found a piece of concrete nearby as a stele, and engraved the names of the crew members of the Pioneer on it as a souvenir.

  The stronger and more beautiful monument is still being made, and it will be sent from Ideal City to the Alliance next month, and then sent here by the Alliance.

   In the past few days, Chu Guang has come here every day to see the familiar names and the places where they fought.

   In fact, he always remembered.

  Looking gentle Luo Hua is actually a drunkard, but he will not refuse the delicious mushroom soup. Talkative beauty bodyguard Ace loves furry things... like meat, and she's even willing to pay for it.

  Water truck driver Yuan Hao likes to eat steamed buns. He bought more than 50 buns at a time and distributed them to his colleagues. That was the beginning of the alliance's "light industry". Li De, the head of the logistics section, is a cunning old man, but he paid the salary very well... There are many, many interesting people.

  In order to earn more Cr from them, Fang Chang and Brother Mole wrote a lot of strategies, and sometimes Chu Guang would sneak a peek at them and learn from them secretly.

   As for Lujan.

  He is a man with a sense of justice. His determination, bravery and kindness are impressive and enviable.

pity…

  Many people are gone.

"...When I saw Luo Hua, I actually thought that you may have encountered an accident, and this rescue may not have any results. But I still told my partners that our friends are in danger, We're going to get them back."

   "We crossed the desert, crossed the valley, marched 2,500 kilometers, and defeated a powerful enemy that was considered invincible... It's a pity that we couldn't bring you back in the end."

"For a moment, I thought about killing those captives to avenge you. Even if those disciples were not murderers, they were accomplices to the murderer. But I quickly thought that if you were still alive, you would definitely stop me and tell me this Not revenge, just pure anger, pointless and ugly..."

   Sighing slightly, Chu Guang placed a bouquet of wild flowers in front of the tombstone.

   "The right choice is always the hardest. If you don't correct the mistakes that have happened and are happening, the wasteland era will never end."

   "You are a group of amazing adventurers."

   "Thank you for coming."

  The Heart of Iron has been repaired and will return tomorrow.

  However, I will come back to visit you.

   Looking away from the tall concrete stone tablet, Chu Guang turned and walked down the steps, when suddenly there was movement from the side.

  Chu Guang stopped and looked aside, only to see Rama standing there.

  He remembered this brave girl, when everyone was silent, she was the first to stand up and provide many important clues.

   Seeing through the expression on her face that wanted to say something, Chu Guang said in a gentle tone.

"Is there a problem?"

  Lama hesitated for a moment, but the firmness in her eyes did not change. She bit her lower lip and knelt on the ground without speaking.

  Chu Guang sighed.

  He was not used to the survivors being like this at every turn.

   "Get up and speak."

  Hearing the tone that could not be refused, Lama stood up silently, and after a short while, spoke slowly.

   "Dear Master Manager, I... want to stay."

   Probably can guess the scruples in her heart, Chu Guang said patiently.

   "Going to the alliance can start a new life. There are many survivors like you, and people will not care about your past."

   "I believe in you, but... I still want to stay here," Rama whispered after a long silence, "There are still many people here who have not been rescued."

  Chu Guang glanced at her unexpectedly, he didn't expect her to be so enlightened.

   His eyes gradually became serious, and he asked again with a serious tone.

   "Have you figured it out?"

  Lama nodded seriously.

   "Well... this is not my temporary idea, I have thought about it for a long time. I am very grateful to you for saving us, and if possible, we would like to do something."

After she saw the girls rescued from the mutants' lair by the alliance, and after she thought that there were countless mutant tribes like the "Black Stone" tribe in this wasteland, she had a feeling of staying behind. idea.

   Even if the battle is not easy, no one is born an awakened person, and if you don’t take the first step, you will always be a lamb in the sheepfold.

   In fact, this is not her own idea.

   It is also the common thought of many rescued survivors.

  Their thoughts are more simple. Instead of going to an unknown place to start a new life, it is better to start from the land under their feet.

  There is plenty of fresh water, food sources, and built houses. Even if you don't become a warrior, you can take care of crops or raise insects. Although life here comes with dangers, where is safe in this wasteland?

  At least here, they don't have to be stared at by strangers...

  The surprised eyes turned into approval, Chu Guang looked at her and nodded, and said with relief.

"I'm glad you think so. I will leave some weapons for you, enough for you to protect yourself. We will also leave some people to act with you, and will send people to send supplies from time to time. If you encounter problems that cannot be solved Trouble, you can seek their help, although they have their own tasks, but they will be happy to complete some challenges outside of the task."

"In addition, if the tools on the Pioneer can still be used, they can be recycled. After retirement, they can help others. That person will feel relieved... I remember coming here to visit the grave occasionally. Say thank you to him. good."

  Lama nodded and said respectfully.

   "I will remember your teachings."

   "Not to mention, just a suggestion."

  Chu Guang cast his gaze on the stone tablet not far away.

  He had similar thoughts before.

  The enterprise commemorates those brave people in its own way, and the alliance will also commemorate those partners in its own way...

"from now on."

   "This is the pioneer city."

  (end of this chapter)