Chapter 371 Power and Responsibility
Gracie Clinic.
On the long white table, there is an open silver suitcase.
In the suitcase lies a jar half the length of a forearm, and a transparent kidney is soaked in a dark green solution.
It is made of an unknown flexible material, and its exquisite structure makes people sigh, what kind of advanced civilization can complete such a meticulous miracle.
And this "miracle" that integrates thousands of research results is just a piece of dust that fell on that great era.
With an obsessed expression on her face, Gracie stretched out her index finger like a dead branch and slid across the jar, muttering to herself in a low voice.
"BIO-166..."
"What?"
"The number of this thing..."
Gracie sighed softly with a look of intoxication, "The bionic prosthesis from Ideal City is the crystallization of mechanical engineering and biology. It is the most ideal substitute for biological organs, as perfect as a work of art... even if it is just a fake."
All the miracles of Ideal City are just a copy of the Human Union era.
But even so, for many survivors in the Wasteland Era, those imitation miracles are still an insurmountable gap.
Just as Gracie was intoxicated by the artwork in front of him, Fang Chang, who was standing next to the long white table, fell into deep thought.
After staring at the bald middle-aged man for a while, he suddenly spoke.
"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 later helped the Dagger Gang.
This guy introduced the business to me, and I turned around and sent Edmund to the New Alliance's prisoner-of-war camp in exchange for 100 silver coins and 200 contribution points.
Fang Chang didn't believe that this guy knew nothing about what happened to his apprentice.
However, when he heard the name Edmund from Fang Chang, Gracie curled his lips and said indifferently.
"Why ask that guy, does he have anything to do with our transaction today?"
Fang Chang's expression was a little weird.
But when he saw Gracie's mouth, a hint of realization suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"... Did you do it on purpose?"
The New Alliance and the Plunderers are like water and fire, which is a well-known fact in Qingquan City.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this alliance itself was born in the war between Shelter No. 404 and the Plunderers.
In this context, the probability of this deal being successful is less than one in ten.
If there is anyone who will benefit from the closure of Edmund's clinic, it is undoubtedly Gracie's clinic.
Without those cheap "original" parts, the mercenaries who accidentally got their balls blown up can only choose more expensive bionic prostheses.
Can't afford it?
There are always people who can afford it.
Even if he can steal one-tenth of the customers from Edmund Clinic and squeeze 500% of the profit from them, this guy can make a lot of money.
High value-added bionic prostheses are the real profiteering!
Human cloning?
That's just a crooked way to save money.
"I don't understand what you are talking about... But I believe in one thing, that is, if you often walk by the river, you will get your shoes wet. If you do business with predators, you will either be killed by the predators or become a predator yourself."
"So, I only do safe business with safe customers in safe places."
Gracie chuckled, reached out to close the silver suitcase, and stuffed it into the drawer under the table.
Then, he took out a gold-plated storage box from somewhere and gently placed it in front of Fang Chang.
"This is 500,000 chips, click on it."
The storage box was neatly stuffed with 50 black and white plastic pieces, and the sides of the round pieces were printed with crown-shaped patterns.
The black and shiny luster was like new, without even a trace of fingerprints or dandruff.
Fang Chang took the storage box, counted it briefly, and suddenly spoke.
"I'm suddenly a little curious, how much can you make from this resale?"
Gracie smiled indifferently.
"This is a business secret. Besides, why ask me, you have made a lot yourself... right?"
Fang Chang smiled and did not refute.
Indeed.
500,000 chips, converted into silver coins, would be 1 million, and the cost was only 600,000 silver.
Even if he and a few good brothers collected these 600,000 silver coins, each person could get a lot.
This is already far more than the wealth that ordinary players can obtain through tasks...
Weighing the less than half a pound in his hand, Fang Chang couldn't help but have a strange thought in his mind.
If the silver coin trading platform is understood as a stock exchange, can his deposit be considered a shareholder of "Wasteland OL"?
Even if it is a spiritual shareholder.
"If you still need bionic prostheses, you can contact me."
Gracie said with a smile.
"I will, but I don't think it will be needed recently. These few days, a batch of bionic prostheses from Ideal City suddenly appeared in the inner city, and the price I found out was about 500,000 chips...I wonder if the mysterious seller is you."
"I only sold it to you for the time being."
NPCs also trade with each other, and Fang Chang didn't find it strange, but was a little curious about who has such a big hand.
Lister?
Or that Ditwei who sells nutritional cream?
Or...
Manager?
But the manager is unlikely.
Fang Chang thought about it, but he couldn't associate the respected man with the mercenary businessman.
This doesn't mean that the NPC has no business acumen, but the pure character setting is a bit inconsistent. Besides, the alliance has so many talents, and the "adult" doesn't need to do this himself.
"Really? It doesn't matter."
Gracie smiled, "I didn't sign any exclusive agreement with you. It's your freedom to sell to anyone. Besides, my clients will eventually contact me for transplant surgery anyway... Do you have anything else to do? If you don't have anything, I suggest you go to the bank first. It's not a good idea to carry so many chips on you. There are many pickpockets in Boulder City."
Fang Chang smiled faintly.
The pickpocket is okay.
As an agile player in the third stage of the gene sequence, the pickpocket who can steal things from him is probably not born yet.
It's not that he is very confident.
But if you really have this ability, there is no need to be a thief. Just find a caravan or mercenary group to join. What do you want?
After putting away the storage box, Fang Chang was 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 his eyebrows.
"Next time there is a business competitor, you don't have to beat around the bush. You can just tell me... You know what kind of competitor I'm talking about."
The new alliance prohibits players from "privately" invading survivor settlements above neutral, but this does not include the nests of predators.
Although the criteria for determining "predators" are very flexible, as long as "sufficient evidence" is submitted to the assistant of the great administrator, there is a probability of obtaining permission for "legal suppression of bandits" and unlocking the option of "unlimited war".
The types of evidence include but are not limited to videos, photos, recordings, etc., and the judgment 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 subsequent investigation task will usually be triggered to further verify the situation... Because there are too many issues involved, this is usually a rather complicated process.
But if someone can help them lock the target, things will be much easier.
Especially the base of "Edmund Clinic", the value of the spoils is far higher than that of ordinary predator nests. It can not only uphold justice but also make money, which is equivalent to winning twice.
Isn't it perfect?
Staring at Fang Chang with interest, Gracie suddenly showed a meaningful smile on her face.
"Finally found a business that makes money quickly?"
"But I still have to give you a piece of advice. When you try to take something away from the night, don't forget that the night is also staring at you."
Fang Chang had an indifferent expression on his face.
Joke.
He can't die.
"You just need to tell me if you are interested."
"Of course I am interested. I wish you could help me get rid of all the competitors who have gone astray."
Gracie stretched out his right hand and said with a smile.
"I wish us a happy cooperation."
...
"What happened next?"
"Later, my friends took those homeless people to the Alliance, and the refugee home there accepted them..."
A tavern in Boulder City.
Fang Chang sprinkled the cumin that Lao Bai had brought on the grilled lizard tail skewers, and talked to Dolly about what happened a few days ago in a casual tone.
Perhaps because he had been eating these things recently, he found that he could unexpectedly accept this rough dark cuisine.
Perhaps, when he returned to Dawn City, he could exchange experiences of tasting the delicacies of another world with Lao Na.
Dolly, who was sitting opposite the wooden table, listened very seriously.
Her face was full of interest, her calves swayed gently under the table, and she held a brand new fountain pen in her right hand, writing on a palm-sized shorthand book.
Although he had just started working for a short time and had not even passed the probation period, this guy was becoming more and more like a reporter in terms of both his demeanor and his movements.
"Will it be different if you go there?"
"Well, it's hard to say," Fang Chang thought for a while and said, "There are poor people in the alliance, but we will give them a bite to eat so that they won't starve to death. We will teach them the skills to make a living and give them a chance to choose how to live."
"As for whether to integrate into our society and how to integrate into our society, they can make their own decisions. If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave, and you can come back anytime you want."
Fang Chang said with a dry mouth and 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 the new life."
The corners of her thin lips curled up slightly, Dolly threw away the pen in her hand, leaned back in the chair and stretched comfortably, and said happily.
"It's OK. Although it was a bit tiring at the beginning, I found it quite interesting after getting familiar with it."
"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 the salary is not bad."
Looking at that cheerful expression, Fang Chang was also happy for her sincerely.
Flipping through the notes in her hand, Dolly, who was leaning on the chair with her head raised, suddenly sat up straight and looked at Fang Chang sitting opposite curiously.
"Actually... I still have a little question about what you just said."
"Which one?"
"I seem to have heard of that Edmund Clinic somewhere. It is said that some mercenaries and bounty hunters who can't afford bionic prostheses or want to save money will go there for surgery."
"It's similar to what I know." Fang Chang nodded.
"Well... what about those mercenaries who need to replace their prostheses?" Dolly tilted her head, "There will always be people who get injured accidentally. Even if you destroy the Edmund Clinic, someone will open another one somewhere else, right?"
Equality is a beautiful concept, but most of the time, the price of life is different.
If someone is willing to pay the chips, someone will do this business.
The cheapest mechanical prosthesis produced by Boulder City costs two to three thousand chips, while some precisely made bionic organs cost five figures.
In comparison, the lives of clones and slaves are much cheaper. If they are captured scavengers or other civilians, they can even be free of cost.
As long as people in the wasteland are still struggling to survive, this market will not disappear.
Putting down the wine glass in his hand, Fang Chang thought for a long time and spoke slowly.
"Of course we have considered this issue, so we decided to solve this part of the demand."
"It's just that we need to change the way."
After leaving Gracie Clinic that day, he went to the closed beta player exchange section of the forum and posted a post. While publicizing the bug that can make money, he also discussed this issue with other players who have obtained closed beta qualifications.
After listening to what they saw and heard in the "Golden Dunes Cinema", most players had similar ideas to him.
Although this is indeed a "win-win" business, after all, the players will not really die, but using this bug to make money will make them feel guilty.
Especially many players have become good friends with NPCs in the game.
Let's not talk about the cloud players who haven't entered the game yet.
At least for the closed beta players, many people can no longer regard NPCs as simple data.
It is another form of life.
Based on the opinions of other players, Lao Bai plans to communicate with the First Hospital of the Alliance to save the parts replaced by players with bionic prostheses and replace them with survivors who really need them.
As for the cost, a reasonable handling fee will be charged.
In addition, some seriously injured players can also donate their parts before they repair themselves.
Of course, this will follow the principle of voluntariness.
Players can choose whether to sign the body donation agreement.
For players who sign the agreement, when he or his friends need to replace parts, they can arrange surgery first.
Of course, it is not profitable to do so, but as Brother Guang said, they are not just developing a game, but also building a virtual community.
Silver coins are not all of this game. In addition to pure interests, there are many other things worth exploring in this world.
Fang Chang thinks that the pattern can actually be bigger.
They are not only building a community, but also building a society.
Including himself, the players who have obtained the closed beta qualification have long been inseparable from the extra 12 hours a day.
This is their second world, and in fact has become their second home.
Especially as the first batch of players to enter the game, they have obtained a lot of resources and wealth as the game progresses - both in the game and outside the game.
In terms of emotion and reason, they have the obligation and responsibility to make this place better.
Instead of turning this place into a jungle, squeezing profits from it like cancer cells, and then moving them to other places to continue to ravage.
"Our alliance will normalize the behavior of attacking predator nests, making it more difficult for those predator nests that "slaughter survivors" to survive."
"... At the same time, we will also supply cheaper replaceable parts through "shelter technology" to make this business unprofitable."
Fang Chang simply recounted the decision of him and other residents of the shelter in a way that the NPCs could understand.
Dolly looked at him in surprise, her bright right eye full of surprise.
"I didn't expect you to be such a responsible person."
Fang Chang smiled faintly.
"Did you just realize that?"
Although he wasn't like this at the beginning.
Rubbing her chin with her index finger, Dolly thought for a long time.
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers.
"Got it!"
"Got it?"
"Tomorrow's headline of the Survivor Daily is here! I plan to write about your deeds in the newspaper!" Dolly said with shining eyes.
The headline of the NPC newspaper?
Although it doesn't sound as attractive as the Hall of Fame on the official website of Wasteland OL, it is also a fresh experience.
It just so happens that I am also learning the language of human union, so I'll buy a copy and take a look.
"For the sake of the headline, how about you treat me to this meal?" Fang Chang joked.
"No problem--"
Dolly was about to pat her chest and agree, but at this moment, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the pile of wooden sticks on the plate.
The corners of her mouth froze, and her voice became weaker. Dolly continued with a red face.
"First, owe it to you... I'll pay you when I get my salary."
"Then I'll remember it!"
Looking at Dolly's embarrassed expression, Fang Chang smiled in a good mood, took out a few chips and threw them on the tray in the waiter's hand.
"Pay the bill, no need to change."
Looking at the chips spinning on the tray, the waiter saw that it was an acquaintance, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes secretly.
This guy again.
But then again, this guy is really good at eating...
Glancing at the pile of wooden sticks on the plate, and then glancing at the young man who looked gentle on the surface, the waiter couldn't help but smack his tongue in his heart.
You can't judge a person by his appearance...
...
Shelter No. 404, browsing room on the B4 floor.
Chu Guang, sitting on the sofa, was holding a newly printed "Survivor Daily" 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 Edmund Clinic.
The newspaper selectively displayed several photos taken by players in Edmund Clinic.
Including the corpses that were randomly abandoned, and the survivors who were locked in iron cages like lambs to be slaughtered, the shocking pictures shocked people's eyes and also shocked people's hearts.
The residents of the outer city certainly knew the cruelty of the wasteland. After all, the distance between them and the outside world was just a door.
However, it was precisely because of the existence of the giant wall that they did not have to touch things that did not belong to their world in their daily lives.
Even though "The Voice of the Stone City" often mentions the suffering outside the giant wall as a joke, the narrative style is mostly sarcastic and flattering to the city lord.
Rather than saying that this is to please the city lord who doesn't care about them at all, it is better to say that it is catering to its audience.
Like "Survivor Daily", it is the first time in at least a dozen years that the naked truth is brought to people's eyes.
It is precisely because of this that this incident caused a huge sensation in the outer city of the Stone City and quickly became a hot topic.
What's more interesting is that on the same issue, the residents of the Stone City have obvious differences.
For ordinary residents, they are more concerned about the survivors who are locked in the iron cage.
After all, there are not only people from the slums, but also a few residents from the outer city.
No matter what the reason is for those poor people to be sent to the bloody slaughterhouse, they have caused a slight crack in their fantasy of the giant wall in their hearts who are in the same position.
The unbreakable wall was not as unbreakable as they imagined, and eternal isolation could not really keep them away from the wasteland.
However, the final result can still be regarded as gratifying.
The evil predator's nest was destroyed, and the survivors returned home to reunite with their families.
Although the unbreakable wall was not absolutely reliable, the unbreakable alliance seemed to have played a little role.
However, for the mercenaries, this was not good news.
This meant that they had to take greater risks to complete the commission, and had to pay more chips after being injured to buy expensive and not necessarily easy-to-use mechanical substitutes.
Of course, the newspaper also mentioned at the end that the New Alliance First Hospital was exploring alternatives with the help of Shelter No. 404.
It is recommended that mercenaries who need treatment go to Dawn City to try their luck.
Sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa with legs stretched out, the puppet ornament controlled by Xiao Qi was looking up at Chu Guang with admiration.
"You are worthy of being the master!"
"You actually guessed that your players would do this, right?"
Accustomed to the flattery of the assistant, Chu Guang just smiled indifferently, turned a page of the newspaper, and said in a casual tone.
"I am not as predictable as you think, and human behavior cannot be simply predicted."
"But I admit that they did make a choice that made me happy."
No matter how strict the rules are, there will definitely be loopholes, especially with the increase in the number of players in the server. Chu Guang knows very well that he can't plan the game trajectory of each player personally as before.
What's more, there is no need to do so.
Players are also part of "Wasteland OL". Of course, they can also participate in the formulation of game rules and explore the future path together.
What Chu Guang hopes to see is that players can give full play to their initiative and spontaneously improve the "game content" and maintain the "server order".
This is their power.
It is also an obligation.
The newspaper turned to the last page. Chu Guang closed the newspaper he had read and put it on the coffee table next to Xiao Qi. He was about to open his laptop to browse the forum.
Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the browsing room.
"Come in."
The alloy door opened.
It was Yin Fang who came in from outside.
As soon as he saw the happy expression, Chu Guang guessed that something good had happened. Thinking that this guy had been busy repairing the power armor recently, he blurted out.
"Is the 'Dragoon' repaired?"
"No, it's almost done, but it will only take a few days," Yin Fang said happily, sitting on the sofa opposite Chu Guang, "I want to tell you another good news."
Chu Guang asked with interest.
"What good news?"
"According to the clues collected by the scientific expedition team, we have locked onto an abandoned shelter... Although the shelter is old, the information is new. According to the historical reading records, we are most likely the first to discover its coordinates. You should know what this means."
Taking out the tablet computer converted from VM, Yin Fang skillfully tapped the screen twice, and then handed the tablet to Chu Guang.
"Its number is 79, located in Ruigu City, 150 kilometers away from here, at the junction of Hegu Province and Luoxia Province."
Yin Fang continued with an excited expression on his face.
"A shelter with a two-digit number, you should know what this means!"