Chapter 654: Celebration of the End of the Tide!

Chapter 654: The Celebration of the Wave's End!

Verdict on the Printing House Arson Case

[Suspect Sun confessed in court. Considering no serious consequences and obtaining the victim's forgiveness, he was sentenced to three years in prison under the Alliance Criminal Law. Following his own wishes and the opinion of his unit, the court assigned him to the Southern Construction Corps for his sentence, sending him to the frontier of the Alliance for construction...]

Zhang Hai's Noodle Shop.

Customers flipping through newspapers were buzzing with discussion about the highly publicized case that had taken place in court yesterday.

Also sitting in the noodle shop, Big Eye, flipping through the Survivor Daily, felt a chill of fear, his neck feeling cold and stiff.

Though he hadn't been the loudest voice in the protest, he had indeed thrown a piece of firewood onto the pile.

Sitting nearby, slurping noodles, Yileina made a comical remark.

“Wouldn’t it have been better if you hadn’t fired that shot?”

Construction Boy and Brick also sighed.

“Exactly, you got a fine young man thrown in jail.”

Debt Big Eye explained guiltily.

“I told you, it was a blank... and I wasn’t the first to start the ruckus.”

Speaking of which, this game was really something else.

A mere three-page newspaper had triggered so many chain reactions; he could even see the aftermath of the arson case in the Survivor Daily.

Incidentally, perhaps spurred by the Clear Springs City Daily, today’s Survivor Daily had opened a special column for Xiaoyu, clarifying a series of rumors that had previously caused a citywide uproar.

The writer was Dolly, who had once worked for the Survivor Daily in Boulder City; she had many fans in both Boulder City and Dawn City.

When people learned that Xiaoyu had lived in Dawn City for a considerable time before becoming a Hive, had never harmed anyone, and that Xiaoyu’s original body was under strict supervision on B6 of Vault 404, most of them set aside their concerns.

As everyone knew, the Administrator lived in Vault 404.

If even the esteemed Administrator wasn’t worried about it suddenly going berserk, why should those living on the surface be concerned?

As always.

Those admirable Vault dwellers still walked ahead of everyone else, facing the most dangerous abyss.

Since even those closest to danger were unafraid, those standing behind them had no reason to fear.

Few in the noodle shop discussed the column about Xiaoyu; most were more focused on the arson case from two nights ago and sympathized with the young man sent to the border.

Debt Big Eye also felt a heavy sense of guilt.

If only he had been calmer that night...

Seeing Big Eye’s melancholy expression, Zhang Hai, who was pulling noodles, laughed and said.

“You guys are just too idle! When there’s no event, you spend all day stirring up trouble. Why not learn from me and find something meaningful to do?”

Debt Big Eye curled his lip and said.

“...Tch, pulling noodles is boring as hell.”

Zhang Hai chuckled.

“Hey, don’t underestimate my craft. If I pull a million bowls here, I can save up for something more awesome than a lithography machine.”

Something more awesome than a lithography machine?

Debt Big Eye was stunned, not understanding what the guy was rambling about.

But that was normal.

Everyone’s understanding of the game was different, so their playstyles naturally varied greatly.

Having finished his noodles, Debt Big Eye calculated the bill—two large bowls of beef noodles came to exactly ten silver coins—so he pulled out ten silver coins and slapped them generously on the table.

“Check, please! Keep the change!”

“Thanks a lot,” Zhang Hai said with a grin, scooping up the silver coins and stuffing them into a drawer. “Come again next time, and I’ll cook you some noodles.”

Yileina, who was still slurping noodles, let out a snort, almost choking noodles out her nose, and quickly coughed twice.

Big Eye, feeling taken advantage of, rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Get lost!”

Construction Boy and Brick: “Pfft!”

Maka Bazi: “Hahaha!”

The noodle shop was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. The NPCs, who didn’t understand Mandarin, looked over curiously, not knowing what was happening.

But although language was a barrier, joy wasn’t something that necessarily needed words to be conveyed. Watching those amusing fellows, many people also broke into knowing smiles.

Come to think of it, today was indeed a day worth celebrating.

To celebrate the victory over the Wave, to mark the end of a two-hundred-year struggle, all settlements of the Alliance would hold grand ceremonies.

It was said that the esteemed Administrator would appear at the award ceremony during the celebration.

Many unconsciously quickened their noodle-slurping, planning to squeeze into a front-row spot in the square later to get a close look at that esteemed figure.

...

At nine o'clock.

There was still an hour before the highly anticipated celebration officially began, but the main street of Dawn City was already packed with a sea of people.

Standing at the edge of the crowd and looking out, the way from the commercial street to the square was crammed with a dark, surging tide of people, with no room to even set foot.

Among them were local survivors from Dawn City, others from Boulder City over ten kilometers away, and even some who had flown in from the distant Cloud Province.

The population of this settlement far exceeded the recorded one hundred thousand; if transient residents were included, it was at least double that number.

“Giao! There are too many people!”

Squeezed in the crowd, Yaya’s face glowed with an excited blush, and she occasionally stood on tiptoe to peer ahead.

At 1.8 meters tall, it was easy for her to see ahead, but the lady Tengteng, who had come with her, had already given up, lazily sipping a cup of bubble tea while following behind Huahua, who was dressed in a maid outfit.

“Yeah, Dawn City is getting livelier and livelier... It used to be just a small village, and in just two years, it’s grown into this.”

Speaking of which, recently, real-world bubble tea shops had even opened in the game.

Those newbies were all talented in their own ways.

Why hadn’t she thought of bubble tea as a moneymaking business before?

Drinking that stuff in the game, no matter how many cups you downed, you didn’t have to worry about sugar intake—after all, dying once reset the character.

“Hey, Tengteng, can you see the road ahead?” Seeing that Tengteng’s view was completely buried in the crowd, Yaya couldn’t help asking worriedly.

Tengteng said nonchalantly.

“It doesn’t matter, since you and Huahua are clearing the way ahead.”

Yaya’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Eek! You woman, you’re using me!”

Tengteng said with righteous indignation.

"How can you call it exploitation? It's called making the best use of everything..."

Yaya: "That's even worse, you know!"

"Oh, well then go complain to that dog of a game designer, and while you're at it, ask him to give me half your meat, thanks."

As she spoke, Tengteng casually glanced at her model, which was unreasonably large, and though she silently told herself there was nothing to envy, she couldn't help but click her tongue inwardly.

This wasn't out of envy or jealousy, nor was it nitpicking; it was simply a heartfelt complaint from the perspective of realism—

How could something be that big in reality?

It's totally unreasonable, right!

Thinking of her own game character, Tengteng, who hadn't really cared before, couldn't help but gnaw on the pearl fruit in her mouth with her teeth.

But Yaya didn't pick up on her feelings and was still smiling sheepishly.

"Never mind then... hehe, I'm pretty satisfied with my in-game character; it feels completely different from real life."

"Tsk, borderline girl."

"!!! That's too much!"

Not understanding their playful banter, Huahua looked back worriedly at her boss, Miss Tengteng, thinking she was complaining about not being able to see anything, so she whispered.

"Miss Tengteng, maybe... you could ride on my shoulders? That way you should be able to see."

Imagining that scene, Tengteng's eyebrow twitched violently.

"Ugh!"

"Hahaha!" Watching Tengteng with an expression like she'd been hit by an arrow, Yaya clutched her stomach, laughing until it hurt.

Bewildered by Yaya's exaggerated reaction, Huahua thought she had done something funny and looked at Tengteng in confusion.

"...Miss Tengteng?"

"Sh-shut up!"

With a slurp, she finished her milk tea, turned her neck stubbornly, and said.

"I like it... the air's better down here."

Yaya: "Hahaha—eek! Why'd you hit me, duck!"

Tengteng, embarrassed and angry, thrust her clenched little fist forward again.

"Let that be a lesson for laughing at me!"

The playful scuffle on the street was just a brief interlude, an insignificant ripple in the bustling crowd.

Not only were NPCs gathering toward the square, but players were also flooding into the liveliest city center.

Watching Yoshi scan the crowd, Jiang Xuezhou, standing beside him, couldn't help but poke him.

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing, I thought I heard a familiar voice." Yoshi scratched the back of his head and withdrew his gaze from the sea of people.

Maybe it was just his imagination.

Sometimes having too keen a perception wasn't all good—like when walking down the street, he always felt someone behind him was praising his good looks.

Seeing his distracted demeanor, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't help but remind him.

"Don't forget your mission! You're my bodyguard now; you should be paying more attention to me. If something happens to me—"

"How could it?" Yoshi laughed. "This is Dawn City; there are at least a dozen drones with wide-angle cameras buzzing overhead. Anyone causing trouble would be taken down in no time."

Of course, he hadn't forgotten his task: to act as this girl's guide and bodyguard during the Academy researcher's visit, and to snoop for Academy intel.

Recently, the Alliance seemed to be planning to build a special zone in or near Ice Sea City under the Science Committee. The administrator had hinted more than once for him to chat with her about that settlement and see if he could dig up inside info.

But to be honest, this girl was quite timid—she hadn't been this panicked when exploring ruins, yet in a safe zone, she was getting paranoid.

"What if! Even with cameras, they only work after something happens," Jiang Xuezhou argued, her face reddening. "I-I'm an Academy researcher, after all. Do you know how many people in the wasteland covet the treasures we carry? Can you take this a little more seriously?"

"Alright, alright, esteemed Researcher Miss..." Yoshi looked at her helplessly and continued, "So, where would you like to go next?"

Jiang Xuezhou lowered her head, thought for a moment, then looked aside and said softly.

"Let's go to the square first... isn't there an award ceremony?"

"Oh, that..." Yoshi snapped back to reality and smiled. "That's fine; I can have my buddy take my place."

The electronic medals displayed prominently on the forum had already been issued at the end of the expansion.

Though, by tradition, there was a more formal in-game ceremony where the administrator awarded physical medals to outstanding players, attendance wasn't mandatory. Given the large number of recipients, not everyone got much spotlight time. If you couldn't be bothered, you could have an NPC mail it to your "coffin board."

It was pretty user-friendly.

Yoshi had attended every previous ceremony, but this time he really couldn't be bothered. He'd leave the chance to show off to the newbies.

But seeing his indifferent expression, Jiang Xuezhou raised an eyebrow.

"How can you do that! You barely escaped from that mother nest's digestive tract—how can you give such a great opportunity to someone else?"

"Uh, actually, the situation wasn't as dangerous as you think..." Seeing her frown, Yoshi said a little guiltily, "Of course, I owe it to the equipment you gave me... it worked great, thanks!"

Jiang Xuezhou curled her lips slightly.

"Hmph, of course. I'm a genius who earned my researcher status before twenty—a rare find even across the entire Academy."

Really?

Yoshi looked at her in surprise but didn't pursue the topic.

Because her expression was getting more smug by the second.

"Do you really want to see me go up and get that medal?"

Jiang Xuezhou said matter-of-factly.

"Of course! It's not just your honor; it's partly mine too, right?"

Caught by those bright eyes staring straight at him, Yoshi felt his heart race and quickly looked away.

"Fine, fine... I'll go, okay."

Pfft!

It's just going up to accept an award.

No big deal!

Yoshi didn't think it was anything major, but seeing him agree, Jiang Xuezhou happily smiled.

"That's more like it! You need to seize opportunities like this in the future! Honestly, can't you have a little ambition? I have to worry about this for you!"

Yoshi looked at her helplessly.

"What's the use?"

"How could it be useless?!"

Jiang Xuezhou stared at him seriously and rattled off like a machine gun.

"Do you want to spend your whole life doing such dangerous missions? Life is fragile, and good luck runs out eventually! Build up your merits now, and once you climb into management, you won't have to do those risky, dirty jobs anymore... Hey, I'm being serious with you, okay? Would it kill you to listen to my advice for once?"

Ye Shi had originally wanted to explain that he was actually quite satisfied with his current life, but after thinking it over, he found it hard to articulate, so he gave up on trying to convince her and said with a sigh.

“Yes, yes... you’re right.”

One cannot discuss ice with a summer insect.

For players, adventure is a reward, and death is merely a return.

He mused that even if he managed to reach the so-called 'management level,' he probably wouldn't give up his current thrilling and dangerous life.

However, for NPCs, life is only once, and he could understand their worry and fear of death.

Moreover, those from the Academy were different from wasteland wanderers elsewhere; not only did they suffer from severe paranoia due to 'expensive parts,' but they also had an almost fanatical obsession with K-points, G-points, and promotions.

In layman's terms, they were involution kings.

Actually, thinking about it, that made sense.

According to their way of playing, low D-ranks were like cannon fodder; without getting ashore, they could never gain true security.

Either escape or climb up; constantly being bossed around by mentors to dive into graves, sooner or later they'd be finished.

Looking at Jiang Xuezhou, who was inexplicably happy that he had finally 'come to his senses,' Ye Shi scratched the back of his head in confusion.

Wait, had he just been cared for by a paper-thin character?

To prevent them from lying flat, Brother Guang was really going all out...