"Are you a rice bucket?!"

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

A skewer of lizard meat the length of a small arm and the thickness of two fingers, packed with carred tail meat, worth three chips.

She was already full after eating one skewer, but this guy ate a full four!

Dolly's gaze couldn't help but move downward.

She wanted to find out where this guy was eating?!

"Didn't you tell me not to be polite?"

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

After thinking for a moment, he continued to comment.

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

Lizard meat seems to have been imported from the south, and I heard that edible lizards were raised on farms there.

There is also crocodile meat, which bites like chicken.

But then again, the price here is really not cheap, and such a simple dinner has already cost 20 chips.

Fang Chang couldn't help but think that investing in opening an old street barbecue in Boulder City should make a lot of money.

Although the vast majority of the inhabitants don't have that spending power, the mercenaries can afford to spend it.

Looking at the pile of wooden skewers on the plate, the corners of Dolly's mouth twitched, and she reluctantly reached into her pocket in pain.

However, Fang Chang had already thrown the 25-value green chips into the tray in the waiter's hand.

“…… Serve me two more beers and a string of lizard meat, and I don't have to look for the rest. ”

“…… Yes sir. Looking at the green chips on the plate, the waiter silently rolled his eyes in his heart.

It's okay to look for it.

I didn't have to look for it in the first place!

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

After a long pause, waiting for the beer and skewers to come up, she muttered something in a low voice.

"Didn't you say I'll invite you...... How did you pay for me. ”

"Wait until you get your first salary and then ask me, and the chips in your pocket should be kept to pay rent and pay off the loan."

After taking a sip of the light beer like water, Fang Chang looked at Dolly who puffed out his mouth, and teased with a smile, "And use the chips I gave you to invite me, I always feel at a loss." ”

"That, that's what I earned too!" Dolly blushed and argued, "How can I call you to use your chips." ”

Looking at her playful reaction, Fang Chang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Yes, yes, yes."

He never imagined that one day he would be able to become friends with a piece of data.

But if you don't think about it, it's a fun experience......

……

The northern suburbs of Qingquan City.

At the entrance and exit of the interprovincial highway, a team of black-pressed figures are slowly walking from far and near.

It's not so much a caravan as a troop.

The man at the head was dressed in light gray power armor, and the heavy steel and composite materials armed him from his toes to his teeth.

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

The more than 100 people who followed him, except for the twenty power armors, were also wearing "Vanguard" exoskeletons and holding "Black Swan" assault rifles.

Unlike the crew of the Trailblazer, they are the corps' army, real soldiers.

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

And more than one or two!

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

Not far in front of him, there was a blue power armor standing.

The man stared at the power armor for a moment.

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

Behind that power armor, followed by dozens of soldiers wearing "five-style" exoskeletons, which were also police armor in the era of the People's Union.

This kind of stuff is usually only seen in shelters.

The man was about to say something.

I saw that the power armor standing in front of him took the initiative to remove the mask of the helmet and spoke in a loud voice.

"Welcome, friends from the East Coast, I'm the administrator of Vault 404 and the administrator of the New Alliance. You can call me by my first name, Chuguang, or you can call me by my code name, Shuguang. ”

Seeing that the other party had lifted his mask, the man walking in front of the line tapped the side of the helmet twice and untied 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, the captain of the 26th commando team of the Enterprise War Department."

"We set out from Ideal City and headed to the Western Desert to reinforce the Trailblazer. We have already informed you of our intention in the communication channel. ”

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

The captain named Yun Song spoke in a very direct and untactful manner, quite a military style, completely different from the engineers that Chu Guang had dealt with before.

Chu Guang glanced at the subordinates behind him, and there were about one hundred and twenty or thirty soldiers with loaded guns.

The remaining thirty or fifty people were probably logisticians, and only a few carried pistols and other self-defense weapons.

In addition, there are nearly ten half-wheeled and half-tracked vehicles, which are presumably filled with supplies.

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

There was no change in his attitude, and 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 the place to talk, we have prepared a banquet for you."

"Please come with me."

One of the quid pro quo conditions for the "Long Term Farm" built by the Pioneer for the shelter was to provide a resting place 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, Yun Song's brows relaxed slightly, and a smile stretched on his tense face.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

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

"We are friends, and it is right to reach out to friends who are in trouble!"

……

Wastelanders with weapons are not prohibited from entering Dawning City, but there are requirements for the size of the armed personnel and the type of weapon.

For example, ordinary 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.

Additional ammunition and explosives must be left at the Trading Post next to North Street, not brought into Dawn, and taken with you when you leave.

Carry-on weapons do not check the bullets in the magazine, but the safety must not be opened at will, especially on the street, and the muzzle must always be pointed downward.

There are drone patrols over Dawning City.

Once a violation is detected, the guard team will be dispatched within 10 minutes and will issue an arrest mission to nearby players depending on the threat level.

For these soldiers who came from afar, whether they were in number, equipment, or nature, they were obviously beyond the ordinary scope, and naturally they could not be treated as ordinary mercenary groups in terms of entry process.

However, the enterprise was a partner in the new alliance, and Chu Guang generously gave them permission for military access.

As for the station, it was chosen in the barracks next to the airport.

Since the 2nd Corps was transferred to Xizhou City for duty, there were quite a few ready-made barracks that could be used.

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

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

Yun Song's face had a surprised expression, and he repeatedly checked the tablet in his hand.

In the screen is a photo taken by the Trailblazer.

The bare wasteland consisted only of a concrete fence and a few simple barracks made of foam.

However, all this in front of him cannot be said to have nothing to do with the photos in his hands, only to be said to have nothing to do with them.

Rows of neatly arranged barracks sit in the clearing, with several wooden hangars next to the straight airstrip, 100-millimeter guns, and a steel communications tower not far away.

Looking to the southwest, you can see the lights shining brightly at night. Although the full extent of the survivor settlement could not be seen, the shimmering silhouette alone could tell that it was a thriving settlement with a population of less than 10,000.

The strong contrast made Yun Song stunned in place, and couldn't help but look at Chu Guang on the side and ask.

"Here...... Is it really a long-term farm? ”

He suspected he might have gone somewhere.

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

"That's a historical place name, and now it's called Dawning City."

"As for the farm, it's just a corner of the northwest side of Dawn City. We've reclaimed the wasteland on the north shore of the lake into farmland, and if you had been here half a year earlier, you could still see the ruts left by the Pioneer's tracks. ”

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

Yun Song didn't speak, but the shock in his heart was obviously written on his face.

If such a thing happened around Ideal City, he wouldn't find it strange.

Due to the business with enterprises, there are many survivor settlements in Yunjian Province that have also developed quite well.

In particular, the settlements around Yunshi and Yunxia City are rich in oil and oil by relying on the trade routes that extend in all directions and the heritage of pre-war civilization.

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

It's incredible!

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

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

"We have 20 wounded in our ranks, can we provide them with resting beds before settling us in?"

"Wounded?" Chu Guang looked at him with a slight surprise.

Yun Song nodded and said with a heavy face.

"When we were passing through the city of Yongdong, we were ambushed by a group of slime mold creatures disguised as survivors...... Four brothers remained there forever, and 20 brothers were infected to varying degrees during the fighting. ”

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

"We don't have the professional medical equipment and personnel to deal with their condition, and we don't have cryodormancy equipment to alleviate their pain, so we can only give them regular tranquilizers."

"It's a burden to keep them on the road, and it's going to be dangerous for them, and we're going to keep them with you for the time being."

"In July, there will be a caravan of companies returning from the west, and they will bring our wounded back to Ideal City, and I am afraid you will have to take care of them for a while...... Of course, we will pay you a sum of money. ”

Listening to the words of the commando captain in front of him, Chu Guang's face also changed slightly.

Slime molds disguised as survivors?

Has the brood in Yongdong City developed to that extent?

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

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

"I'll 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, Yun Song nodded anyway.

"I'm in trouble."

……

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

It's better to say that after so many days of sleeping in the open, having a table to eat is already very happy for them.

Not to mention that rumor about food.

As soon as they crossed the border of the river valley province, many people were already full of anticipation.

And at this moment, this expectation has indeed not been disappointed.

More than twenty round tables were placed in the open space, and a large cauldron was inlaid in the middle of the table.

There were stones piled up at the bottom of the pot, and a hot charcoal fire burned inside. The boiling pot was tumbling with foam, and the white air was mixed with an enticing 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 chopped cabbage, bean sprouts with water droplets, mushrooms, tofu cubes, instant noodle cakes, and so on.

Staring at the pot for a while, staring at the ingredients on the table for a while, a corporate soldier sitting at the table asked uncontrollably.

“…… What is it? How to eat? ”

"Hot pot is a very common way to eat it in our place. Put the ingredients in like this, cook them, and just take them out and eat them. While smiling, Lu Bei, who was sitting at the table, made a demonstration.

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

Seeing that he was eating so deliciously, the other soldiers sitting at the round table moved their index fingers and followed suit.

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

At first, everyone was a little rusty.

But with a few slices of beef on the beer, they quickly became familiar and completely opened the conversation.

Seeing the appearance of this group of people gobbling up, the soldiers of the Guards Regiment who were eating at the same table asked curiously.

"Anyway, don't you have a hot pot there?"

I heard that Ideal City is a very wealthy place, and it is known as the utopia closest to the era of prosperity in this wasteland.

Compared to that place, their neighbor, Boulder City, was as insignificant as the dust on a diamond.

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

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

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

"I'm an E-class, and I should be able to get to D when I go back."

"The treatment of the defense department has been upgraded by half a level, but the Cr given to him will also buy some ordinary food."

"We don't have a lot of cooking methods there, but there is no shortage of protein and fat."

"Restaurants will process the food before serving it, and the flavor is usually not that heavy."

At this time, a corporate soldier who was busy eating Hese and didn't participate in the topic took the time to raise his head and couldn't help but burst into an envious foul mouth.

"...... Do you eat like this every day? ”

Lu Bei smiled embarrassedly.

"It's not like it's ...... every day It's just occasionally. ”

Who can stand eating hot pot every day.

Even if the stomach can stand it, the ass can't stand it.

There are quite a lot of good things in the north street of Dawning City, and the new alliance treats the soldiers well, so they don't want to stare at one thing and eat it.

Hearing the friendly army say this, those enterprise soldiers with envious faces finally showed a balanced expression in their hearts.

Really.

It's not something you can afford to eat every day......

……

Due to the rush of time, there was no time to prepare a dinner for more than two hundred 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 it can even be cut while eating, and the hot pot base is pre-made.

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

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

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

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

Merchandise from Ideal City, especially high-tech products, can often fetch sky-high prices in the inner city of Boulder.

If it weren't for the reluctance to benefit the city and the long distance, those nobles would have gone to the east coast to enjoy their happiness.

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 picture were to appear on the front page of the Daily Survivor tomorrow, I wonder what the nobles of the inner city would think.

The visiting delegation of the enterprise arrived in the northern suburbs with the 26th Commando Team of the Ministry of War and carried out friendly exchanges with the Union Guards Regiment.

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

"What are these noodles made of?" Another piece of instant noodle cake was placed in the hot pot, and the adjutant of the commando team couldn't help but ask.

There are still noodles in the ideal city, but this is the first time he has seen this kind of fried noodles.

Although fried carbs sound very unhealthy at first, they taste unexpectedly delicious.

Especially when you cook it in a spicy pot, the taste is simply amazing!

Maybe it's because he's hungry on the road, and his mouth hasn't stopped from the first bite to now.

This is already the third bowl he has eaten!

“…… A convenience food that can be boiled in a hot pot or brewed with boiling water. You've come in a hurry, if you let us know a day or two in advance, I'll be able to prepare more sumptuous food here. Chu Guang said with a smile.

It can be seen that the company does not invest much budget in them.

Even the logistics are outsourced to traders in the wasteland.

The man sitting on Yun Song's right hand was a merchant with the army, his name was Heding, and he claimed to be a merchant walking in the wasteland.

However, being able to take charge of the logistics of the expedition team does not look like an ordinary businessman.

“…… I've never seen such a strange way to eat while eating in the pot. ”

Chewing slowly, the merchant named Hedin had an interested expression on his face.

It seems that a business opportunity has been discovered.

"Isn't it available anywhere else?" Chu Guang asked casually.

"There are similar, but the taste is not so heavy...... "After taking a sip of beer, Helding suddenly changed his words and looked like Chu Guang and said, "Can I inquire about the recipe for the seasoning?" Of course, I can spend money on it. ”

Chu Guang said with a smile.

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

Heading shook his head and said in a joking tone.

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

Chu Guang glanced at him in slight surprise.

Looks like this guy isn't easy to fool.

But think about it.

Most of the crew members on the Trailblazer were engineers, and it was normal for them not to do business.

This guy is a serious businessman, and obviously has a lot of dealings with survivor settlements outside of Ideal City.

The tricks that he tried and tested repeatedly were not so easy for him to use.

Chu Guang said happily: "No problem! But we'll talk about that after the banquet is over. ”

Heading said with a smile.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, it's not just hot pot...... I'm also 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 provide a lot of calories. If it is eaten with some dehydrated dried vegetables, it will be quite popular with mercenaries and caravans. ”

Yes.

There's something about this guy!

Chu Guang's eyes became more and more surprised when he looked at him.

Although it's not something hard to think of either.

But before a meal is finished, you can smell the business opportunity in the bowl, this guy is really not simple.

Smiling heartily, Chu Guang spoke.

"You've found out!"

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

Heading said with interest.

"Can you elaborate on that?"

"No problem!"

Chu Guang found that he had a good conversation with this guy, especially when it came to investing in setting up factories, expanding sales, and opening up the market in Yunjian Province.

But at this moment, Chu Guang suddenly noticed that the captain named Yun Song seemed to be a little absent-minded about eating, so he opened his mouth to care.

"Isn't it appetizing?"

"No, your food is delicious, thank you for your hospitality," Yun Song sighed, staring at the wine bottle on the table with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, "I'm just a little relieved of 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, although our hospital here is not as good as yours, our doctors and biologists are definitely professional. Especially when it comes to brooding and slime molds, we've been dealing with those things for a long time. ”

As he 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 clicked on it, and found that the news was sent by Heya.

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

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

“…… As soon as I said that, the good news came. ”

——

(Thanks to the leader of the alliance who "knows the autumn of the world when a leaf falls!! ）

(End of chapter)