Chapter 644: The Broken Sub-Entities

Chapter 644: The Sub-Entities That Were Toyed With

"What's so urgent that it has to be said on B7? Didn't I mention I've been busy these days—what the hell?!"

On B7 of the shelter.

As Yin Fang reluctantly stepped out of the elevator and onto B7, he froze in place, his face a picture of utter stupor.

After a moment of dazed silence, he turned his head stiffly to look at Chu Guang, who stood smiling beside the terminal, and spoke in disbelief.

"...This—this is the shelter you manage?"

Chu Guang nodded.

"Clearly."

Seeing him nod so nonchalantly, Yin Fang barely held back from sputtering.

"Then why didn't you bring this out before?!"

At this, Chu Guang's expression turned subtle.

I damn well wanted to!

But the problem was, that first-generation manager wouldn't let me—what could I do?

Explaining that, however, was too much trouble. Knowing Yin Fang's habit of digging to the bottom of things, he'd probably ask endlessly. Chu Guang spent a few seconds fabricating an excuse, cleared his throat, and said casually.

"...I forgot the password to this floor. Only just remembered it recently."

Yin Fang stared blankly at Chu Guang, his face practically screaming, "Do you really think I'd believe that?"

But Chu Guang had no intention of explaining further, directly changing the subject.

"Could you take a look and tell me roughly what level these devices are equivalent to?"

Yin Fang took a deep breath, spending a full minute calming himself, then continued.

"...Let's put it this way: if an ordinary survivor settlement got their hands on this set of processing equipment, as long as they weren't stupid enough to use it for peeling apples, it could carry them straight from the early industrial age to the information age without any problem!"

Chu Guang was slightly disappointed.

"Just the information age?"

"...I was talking about an ordinary survivor settlement. But are we an ordinary survivor settlement?"

Yin Fang looked at Chu Guang incredulously, unable to resist adding.

"We not only have a massive industrial zone, but also a systematic research and archaeological system with hundreds of experts working within it, and a city-level fusion reactor! I haven't even counted the thousand cubic meters of nuclear fuel or the data stored in this database. Just the information age? What are you joking about? We could even build another Utopia on this wasteland—"

As he spoke, Yin Fang suddenly paused, his gaze shifting from frustration to astonishment as he stared at Chu Guang.

He muttered softly.

"Damn, it's actually true..."

Chu Guang frowned slightly.

"True?"

"I remember you said you wanted to build a new Utopia on these ruins. I thought you were joking..." Yin Fang swallowed, excitement flickering in his eyes as he murmured like a dreamer. "You weren't joking. You were serious!"

Watching the now-obsessed Yin Fang, Chu Guang's initially hesitant expression gradually turned subtle.

So that's what it was.

He did seem to have said something like that...

But honestly, it was just a pie-in-the-sky promise he'd made on a whim, maybe even something he'd gotten carried away with during an impromptu speech. Besides, after he later sent people to check out the Enterprise's side and saw what the legendary Utopia actually looked like, he never had the nerve to boast about it again.

Up until today, even before Yin Fang said those words, Chu Guang had never really thought that day would come.

But—

"When have I ever lied to you, my friend?" Looking at the incredulous Yin Fang, Chu Guang continued with a serious expression. "As you said, we don't just have a massive industrial zone, a group of outstanding researchers, a giant reactor, and a pile of nuclear fuel and technical reserves that don't need mentioning... The most important thing is, we have you."

"Me..." Yin Fang's face flushed red, his voice stammering with excitement.

"Don't be modest. I believe that with your experience, ability, and understanding of the prosperous era, you know far better than I, as the shelter manager, how to maximize the value of this equipment. I trust you can take us to see that era, rather than just cherishing relics from the past."

Patting Yin Fang on the shoulder, whose face had turned the color of pig liver, Chu Guang said earnestly.

"It's in your hands!"

...

The real world.

The Cattle and Horse Group.

Discussions about the Beta 0.6 update of "Wasteland OL" had spread from the forums to the players' small chat groups.

Unlike the random nonsense of the meme-loving netizens, veteran players from the early versions still preferred listening to Brother Fang Chang's ramblings.

But unlike usual, Brother Fang Chang's focus wasn't on the sub-entity cultivation system that had taken the forums by storm, but rather on one of the most inconspicuous lines in the update notes.

"...Actually, compared to that sub-entity cultivation system, I'm more curious about what B7 is."

Night Ten: "I thought you'd say you're more curious about what A-Guang fixed with that bug. (Laughing)"

Old White: "Haha, A-Guang won't tell you."

Fang Chang: "Seriously, I'm not joking with you guys."

Quit Smoking: "B7? Wait, isn't B6 the lowest floor of the shelter? (Stunned)"

Fang Chang: "Sigh, you guys didn't read the announcement carefully. Besides the sub-entity cultivation system, the key updates in Beta 0.6 include a large number of ruins in downtown Qingquan City, and then the B7 floor I mentioned."

As for the Gaia planet, Fang Chang automatically ignored it.

That kind of five-light-year-away pie had nothing to do with the current version's main storyline. Even if they actually went there, it would probably just be a few static images.

Including it in the update was likely more for show than substance.

He knew A-Guang too well!

But the B7 floor of the shelter was different.

As a shelter that had existed since the game's launch, the unlocking progress of its floors had always been closely tied to the development of the Alliance!

Every time a new floor was unlocked, it brought significant changes to the gameplay.

He had reason to believe this time would be no different.

However, what was intriguing was that although the update mentioned the unlocking of a new floor, he had just logged in and tried every elevator in the shelter that could be used, but couldn't find an entrance to the new floor.

That was even stranger!

Seeing Fang Chang, that sly dog, tease them with suspense without explaining, Night Ten, whose curiosity had been piqued, couldn't help but type.

"So what do you think B7 is? (Curious)"

Fang Chang: "Skipping the locked B5, B6 is the biology lab. I have reason to suspect B7 should be a physics or engineering lab, or at least a facility related to that!"

Gale: "A physics lab, huh... I think putting something like a collider in a shelter doesn't make much sense, and theoretical research has too low a cost-benefit ratio for the special circumstances of the wasteland."

Fang Chang: "I agree with you. And from a game perspective, a physics lab is hard to directly impact the player experience. So I can make a bold guess: B7 should be a facility related to engineering, especially machine manufacturing—either experimental or production."

Tomato Scrambled Eggs: "You're getting too deep. My head hurts. Just tell us how it affects gameplay. (Wry smile)"

Quit Smoking: "+1"

Fang Chang: "Do you remember those high-tech gear we got from the previous version's draws?"

WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Hiss, wait, I think I get what you mean! You're saying... that gear was actually all produced on B7?! (Excited)"

Fang Chang: "Exactly, and the chances are huge! Barring any surprises, starting from Beta 0.6, those legendary god-tier items that used to require lottery draws will gradually have their rarity downgraded, becoming limited purchases available to mid-tier players, or even outright reduced to white-tier gear in NPC shops."

Ye Shi: "Holy shit?!"

Lao Bai: "For real? (Surprised)"

Dao Xia Liu Ren: "6666!"

Jian La Ji 99 Ji: "Hahaha, Guang-ge is awesome! Finally, you guys get nerfed, that cut feels good! (LOL)"

Ye Shi: "Pfft, what are you so excited about? No matter how cheap high-end gear gets, a low-intelligence scrub like you still can't use it! And my Gauss rifle is becoming commonplace—soon even newbies will have one. You, who scratches people with claws, will be even more useless. Who's really getting nerfed here?"

Jian La Ji 99 Ji: "Holy shit?!"

Dao Xia Liu Ren: "The clown was me all along. (Ridiculous)"

The group members had varied reactions to Brother Fang Chang's version predictions.

Some were gloating, some saw their net worth shrink and yelled in shock, some were just eating popcorn and watching the drama, and others couldn't care less.

Fang Chang, however, took it in stride.

He knew well that for any game, as versions shift, god-tier gear turning into white-tier gear was only a matter of time.

Especially during the closed beta phase, rather than focusing on the experience of a few beta testers, the operators usually had more important tasks—developing the game's various systems as thoroughly as possible.

Catering only to a handful of players' experiences was unrealistic.

Fang Chang: "Actually, if you think about it from another angle, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. In previous versions, the power ceiling was either gear provided by the shelter or loot captured from other survivor factions. It was enough to bully the natives, but objectively, there was still a significant gap compared to established survivor factions."

"The old god-tier gear becoming common goods means new god-tier gear will emerge. I think it's worth looking forward to. (Ridiculous)"

...

Shelter's B7 layer hasn't been opened to players yet, and Fang Chang's speculation about Beta 0.6 was still just a hypothesis.

However, many observant players had already noticed that NPC shops were quietly expanding.

The most typical example was probably the Hummingbird Drone.

Originally without any purchase channel, it was now available for purchase on the official website. With a citizenship contribution level, each person could buy one, priced at just 10,000 silver coins—equivalent to a set of Type 5 "Light Cavalry" exoskeleton armor.

Compared to the Alliance's self-developed Y-series drones, the Hummingbird Drone boasted better optics, more flexible maneuverability, and stronger stealth capabilities, essentially acting like a small satellite weaving through the ruins.

Of course, to protect other players' privacy, privately owned models of this drone were banned from flying in safe zones, not allowed to rise above five meters from the ground, and could only be used as a follow-camera.

Additionally, the Administrator's nitrogen-powered hammer was now also available in NPC shops!

But the hammer wasn't cheap—reportedly due to its complex and tedious production process, it cost 200,000 silver coins, almost as much as a Gauss rifle!

Yes, NPC shops even sold the pre-war Type 20 "Stinger" Gauss rifle—the same one the Administrator often carried!

This weapon was a notch above Ye Shi's beloved Type 15 "Python" Gauss rifle, featuring a unique barrel-less design and the incredible ability to fire randomly picked-up iron nails and scraps!

While a hammer requiring power armor might make one hesitate, the Type 20 "Stinger" had its inventory cleared almost as soon as it hit the NPC shop, selling over a hundred units!

With just this one item, the Alliance recovered 20 million silver coins in a single day. Chu Guang couldn't stop grinning and quickly had Xiao Qi arrange another batch of production orders to restock the shelves.

Although Fang Chang's prediction of limited-edition gear turning into white-tier gear hadn't happened yet, the gradual shift of old-version god-tier items toward white-tier status seemed to have quietly begun...

...

On the other side, in the Eastern Ecological Protection Zone of Qingquan City.

A starving mutated hyena crouched in the shadow of the jungle, greedily eyeing a nearby head-bobbing Devourer.

While for non-physical-type players, Devourers were inedible, this common knowledge clearly didn't apply to scavengers like mutated hyenas, cockroaches, and vultures.

Especially now that winter had just passed and most mutants were hungry, even if the slime fungus fruiting bodies weren't tasty, they had to consider using them to fill their stomachs.

Confirming no threat, the hyena let out a low growl and lunged at the Devourer like an arrow off the string.

But then, something unforgettable happened.

The Devourer, which had been standing there dumbly, suddenly twisted its neck, grinned eerily at the charging hyena, and kicked it.

Never having seen such a nimble Devourer, the hyena took a solid kick to the belly, whimpered, and rolled on the ground.

Then something even more unbelievable occurred: the usually dull-witted Devourer somehow pulled out a pistol!

Seeing a human weapon in the Devourer's hands, the hyena, forgetting its hunger, scrambled up and fled in terror.

The pistol-wielding Devourer raised its stick-like arm, wobbled as it aimed at the fleeing hyena, and fired a shot with a "Bang!"

But unfortunately, it missed.

The bullet grazed past the escaping hyena and vanished into the dense thicket, lost from the Devourer's sight.

The Devourer seemed unwilling to give up, firing a few more shots in the direction the hyena had disappeared, emptying the pistol's magazine.

But alas, the Devourer's strength was too weak—probably between 2 and 3—and the later shots flew almost into the sky.

The prey was completely gone. The Devourer reverted to its dull-witted state, standing motionless.

From another clump of bushes, three players stood up cursing, brushing mud off their pants and shaking leaves and grass from their clothes.

"MMP! This thing is way too stupid!" Bai Yin Zhi Die walked over, took the pistol from the Devourer's hand, and tucked it into his own belt.

It might be feasible for cannon-fodder training, but expecting it to hold the line on its own was probably wishful thinking.

Maybe he should buy a more expensive one?

He wondered if he should consider getting a Stalker or a Tyrant to try.

Bai Yin Zhi Jian looked at him mockingly.

"Is there a chance you're just too bad?"

Bai Yin Zhi Die immediately took offense.

"Ridiculous! At this range, how could I miss? Try installing a bio-interface yourself and you'll see—this thing is a pain to operate."

Bai Yin Zhi Dun sighed and cut in.

"The main issue is the low intelligence. I heard some newly awakened intelligence-types can even make this thing charge forward with a rifle."

He shook his head helplessly.

"Ugh, you guys are such screw-ups! When we chose our sequences, you all had to grab strength-type. Now look—we're all bottom-tier."

Bai Yin Zhi Jian couldn't help but retort.

"You've got some nerve! Who was it that changed their mind?"

Hearing this, Bai Yin Zhi Dun's expression turned awkward.

He just remembered that the one who suddenly changed his mind was himself...

Sensing the tension, Bai Yin Zhi Die cleared his throat and said, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. That's ancient history. Give your dad some face—if it doesn't work out, we can go the mechanical ascension route instead—"

Bai Yin Zhi Jian: "Get lost! Who's your dad—pfft, I'm your dad!"

Bai Yin Zhi Dun: "%#@!"

The disturbance of the Silver Legion was merely a minor episode within the ecological reserve.

Judging by the feedback posts on the forum regarding the Beta 0.6 update, most players who had adopted sub-entities were having a fairly enjoyable gaming experience.

Especially for intelligence-type players who had reached sequence levels of LV20—or even LV30—the Beta 0.6 update had practically freed their hands entirely!

Take Debt-Eyes, for instance.

After learning that the red-eyed, white-haired succubus was unavailable, this fellow simply splurged ten thousand silver coins to buy a hundred and twenty Devourers, equipping each of them with a cheap iron-barrel rifle sold by weight.

Although the Devourers' intelligence was far too low to aim properly, lack of precision could be compensated with sheer volume!

Not stopping there, he also bought a sturdy chair, tied two steel bars to it to make a sedan chair, and assigned four Devourers to carry him around.

With this formidable horde of Devourers, he spent half a day searching the eastern outskirts until he finally found an unlucky mutated grizzly bear.

Without a second word, Debt-Eyes immediately ordered his Devourers to line up, aiming their iron-barrel rifles at the bear.

"Open fire!" Debt-Eyes shouted in excitement.

The grizzly bear, its right paw pinning down a hyena it had caught from somewhere, had no idea what was happening with these Devourers when it saw a string of gun flashes—bang, bang, bang—and then, along with the hyena, it was riddled with 7mm rifle bullets.

Watching the mutated grizzly, covered in bloody holes, collapse to the ground with a thud, Debt-Eyes let out an arrogant, twisted laugh.

"Gahaha, I'm a one-man army, you know!"

Standing nearby, Construction-Site Boy and Brick, watching this smug fool, couldn't help but feel envious, yet still couldn't resist a sour remark.

"Oh, come off it. With this rabble of yours, a single dump truck could wipe you all out."

He was a strength-type player.

Though he barely scraped together 10 intelligence, after reading the tearful posts from other strength-type players on the forum, he ultimately gave up on the idea of becoming a summoner.

Seeing his sour attitude, Debt-Eyes just chuckled dismissively.

"Tch, what do you know? You think I'd just stand there and let you ram me? Boys, show this clueless hick some real skills!"

As he spoke, Debt-Eyes closed his eyes, his brow furrowed as if he were constipated.

As he established a direct mental connection, the Devourers, who had been standing in a line, immediately began stacking themselves into a human pyramid under his direct control, like acrobats.

Construction-Site Boy and Brick was utterly stunned.

Holy crap!

Indians?!

Watching the Devourers performing their acrobatics nearby, Edge-Surfer's expression turned slightly subtle as he glanced at Mole-Bro beside him.

"...I have a feeling Ah-Guang is using us to train an AI."

Mole-in-the-Canyon-Gorge chuckled softly.

"Yeah, that does sound like something Ah-Guang would do."

But so what if he was?

It's a game, after all.

As long as it's fun!

In just that brief moment, his mind had already come up with at least a dozen wild tricks that could be pulled off with these sub-entities.

Unfortunately, the tide had just ended, and the Alliance was about to enter a period of development. Considering the gameplay experience of life-skill players, there shouldn't be any large-scale wars for a while.

Verifying those brainstorms would have to wait until the next content update...