Chapter 760: Plot 721

Chapter 760: Lot 721

Compared to most settlements on the wasteland, which brimmed with the warmth of everyday life, Lot 721 felt more like a true survivor enclave.

And the survivors living here seemed more like genuine survivors.

This was not to say they were destitute.

Their patched-up cold-weather gear, though worn, was far better than the survivors of the Brahmin Province, where a family couldn't even scrape together two sets of clothes. The locals didn't have to eat dirt; even in the harshest times, there was nutrient paste to fill their stomachs. And when times were less dire, they could get bread and sausages.

In fact, the researcher on the train, scrolling through his papers, hadn't lied—the Science Committee provided everything necessary for survival: all essential nutrients and the basic necessities to sustain life.

Things like concrete houses, fuel for heating and lighting, and schools as beautiful as churches.

The right to education was fundamentally guaranteed. As long as local survivors completed the production tasks set by the Science Committee—tasks not too harsh—they could secure food and warmth, but never live too well.

The hardships the locals endured mostly came from the climate itself, and there was little to complain about there. Even before the war, the Pangu Swamp had never been a livable place.

The only thing worth complaining about seemed to be the extreme inequality: a single researcher could consume resources exceeding the total consumption of a thousand ordinary survivors.

And that was just personal living standards, not counting work-related expenses. If you factored in lab costs, it was incalculable.

Yet even that didn't seem worth complaining about.

After all, the chance to change one's fate wasn't entirely absent—there were as many as eight opportunities in a lifetime.

Once you turned twelve, you could take the apprentice selection exam, and if you didn't give up, you could keep trying until you were twenty.

If you passed and became an apprentice, you were no longer under the Science Committee's jurisdiction but became a member of the Academy. This meant not only personal honor but also glory for the entire settlement—the Science Committee would reward not just the family that produced a "future researcher" but the whole settlement as well.

Thus, for those left behind in the bitter cold, the only thing to complain about seemed to be their own lack of effort in youth, pinning all hopes on the next generation.

As for families that had produced an apprentice, they became the most "sought-after" stars in the entire settlement, always receiving some favor from the settlement's administrators.

For instance, Jiang Xuezhou's father became the drilling team leader, no longer needing to work underground himself, while her mother was transferred from the workshop to the relatively leisurely accounting office.

And that wasn't all.

Their house was the sturdiest two-story building in all of Lot 721, located in the settlement's central area, on the same block as the technical and administrative personnel sent by the Science Committee.

That street had 24-hour heating, gas, electricity, and direct drinking water, along with basic appliances and furniture.

But even with special treatment, the work still had to be done.

Her companions, Li Xiang and Wu Xiaoxiao, also had families living on this street, and the two seemed to share a special bond.

Though Ye Shi's story wasn't finished, it was time to say goodbye.

Li Xiang's face showed reluctant longing, so he arranged a time to meet Ye Shi again, and then the group parted ways at the crossroads.

When Jiang Xuezhou brought Ye Shi home, it was five in the afternoon. Her parents were still at work, and only a little girl of about six or seven was home.

The girl had two little buns on her head, looking mischievous and clever, almost like a miniature version of Jiang Xuezhou.

Seeing her sister at the door, the little girl's wary expression turned to surprise, and then she joyfully rushed over.

"Sis?! You're back?"

"Hey! Big sis is back... Yuehan, you've grown taller! Come here, let me hug you, hehe, good girl."

Hugging her little sister tightly, Jiang Xuezhou stroked her head with an unusually tender smile.

The suitcase behind her autonomously passed through the entrance and rolled into the house, its wheels clattering straight to her room. Soon, a clatter of sounds came from inside.

Ye Shi couldn't help but wonder if it had an automatic unpacking function, like a base vehicle from Red Alert that could unfold, but he felt too shy to follow and peek inside.

Even without dating experience, he knew it was rude to barge into a girl's room.

Even his sister, Jiujiu, who crashed at his place, would mercilessly kick him out, the owner.

While Ye Shi stared fixedly at the door at the end of the hall, the little girl hanging on Jiang Xuezhou's neck was also staring fixedly at this strange man.

Letting go of her sister's hand, Jiang Xuezhou stood up and looked at Ye Shi, introducing them.

"This guy's called Ye Shi, a friend of mine. Hmm, his name's a bit odd—just call him big brother... This is my little sister, Jiang Yuehan. Mom and Dad aren't back yet. Make yourself comfortable in the living room for a bit; I'll go tidy up."

With that, Jiang Xuezhou crossed the living room and headed down the hall, leaving the two at the entrance.

Ye Shi smiled amiably at the little girl, then walked past her into the living room, sitting awkwardly on the sofa. He thought about turning on the TV but found none, so he just poured himself a glass of water from the cup on the table.

Unexpectedly, the little girl wasn't shy at all. She sat across from him, staring straight into his eyes, and suddenly blurted out.

"Big brother, are you my sister's boyfriend?"

Ye Shi nearly choked on his water, coughing twice as he hurriedly explained.

"No."

As he said it, he glanced at the door to make sure no one was coming back.

Though he wasn't sure why he felt guilty.

"What a shame..."

The little girl sighed, speaking with a wisdom beyond her years. "Sister said she'd bring her boyfriend back next time. She's lying again."

"...Haha." Ye Shi gave an awkward laugh.

The little girl kept staring at him, then suddenly said in a soft voice.

"Big brother... when you're not busy, can you bring sister home more often?"

Seeing the loneliness in those eyes, Ye Shi was silent for a moment, then nodded gently.

"Yeah."

He could actually understand why Jiang Xuezhou rarely came home. Given the survival rate of a D-level—even with a mentor's protection—it wasn't high.

And she'd only been promoted to D-level last year; before that, she was an E-level.

She probably kept her distance to spare them the grief of losing her. Though her words were often harsh, she truly cared about others' feelings.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so upset when he was half-dead in bed back then.

At that moment, Ye Shi realized he'd accidentally discovered another side of her she rarely showed.

But soon, he shook his head, driving away the strange thought.

Why did he need to understand an NPC so much?

The little girl on the opposite sofa tilted her head, watching him shake his head, but didn't ask. She just picked up her unfinished book and continued reading.

The wait felt endless. After about an hour, footsteps finally came from the hall beside the living room.

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou return, Ye Shi sighed in relief and called out toward the hall.

"What took you so long?"

Standing by the hall, Jiang Xuezhou had changed into casual home clothes, wearing an apron, with a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.

She rolled her eyes at the lazybones sitting there.

"What do you think? I was afraid you'd be hungry after the long ride... so I made some food."

"Time to eat!"

Hearing that her sister had made food, the little girl on the sofa lit up, tossed aside the mind-numbing book, and darted past Jiang Xuezhou like a rabbit into the small room next to the kitchen.

There stood a simple table—the place where the family ate.

Ye Shi stared at Jiang Xuezhou in astonishment, as if observing some rare creature.

“You can cook?”

Jiang Xuezhou chuckled softly, her index finger lightly brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, her nose tilting up with pride.

“Are you joking? I’ve been living on my own since I was twelve—getting food cooked is no problem.”

Ye Shi had almost been tempted to give her a thumbs-up, but at the phrase “getting food cooked,” a sudden sense of foreboding crept over him.

And just as he had feared, on the dining table sat only a bowl of roasted small potato balls and a pot of chicken legs that looked like they’d been cooked in something like an air fryer.

The chicken legs were coated in a waxy red marinade, vaguely reminiscent of Orleans-style sauce, yet they still exuded a raw poultry smell.

Ye Shi swallowed involuntarily, momentarily at a loss for words.

Hadn’t she blanched them?

Actually, roasting chicken without blanching wasn’t impossible, but surely you couldn’t just leave the gamey taste intact…

Yet the little girl, far from picky, had already grabbed a chicken leg and was nibbling it with relish.

Displeased by the expression on Ye Shi’s face, Jiang Xuezhou’s delicate nose wrinkled slightly as she set her hand on her hip.

“Is there a problem?”

She, a full-fledged D-level researcher, had cooked personally—and this guy wasn’t even grateful!

Even her esteemed mentor had never tasted anything she’d made!

Ye Shi quickly shook his head, forcing a smile, and sat upright in his chair.

“Nothing… it’s fine.”

After all, she had gone to the trouble.

Besides, resources were scarce in the Wandering Swamp; even if ingredients bought with G-points were cheap, wasting food was shameful.

Not detecting the insincerity in his compliment, Jiang Xuezhou’s lips curled into a radiant smile, and she turned around with renewed vigor.

“You and Yuehan start eating. Mom and Dad will be back soon—I’ll make some for them too.”

Hearing this, Ye Shi, who had barely warmed his chair, shot up as if jolted by electricity.

“Wait, let me do it…”

“You can cook?” Jiang Xuezhou stopped and looked back at him suspiciously.

Ye Shi smiled sheepishly.

“A little… to be honest, I’ve been away from home for over three years now.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to show off; he just hated to see food go to waste.

Jiang Xuezhou didn’t overthink it. She nodded vaguely but still added a cautious reminder.

“Alright then… but promise me, if you don’t know something, you’ll ask me.”

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Ye Shi asked bluntly, “Do you have cooking wine?”

Jiang Xuezhou: “What’s that?”

“…Beer, then? You must have scallions, ginger, garlic, something like that?”

“Ah, those I do have… Do you want a drink?”

“Who said I wanted to drink? Just get them for me and stand there and watch.”

With that, Ye Shi picked up the bowl of roasted potatoes from the table, flashed a friendly smile at Jiang Yuehan, who was staring at him expectantly, and spoke in a coaxing tone.

“I’ll borrow this for a bit and give it back to you later.”

The roast chicken was probably beyond saving, but these potatoes could still be salvaged.

“Mm!”

The little girl nodded obediently, then watched the two of them walk into the kitchen.

Gazing at the lively kitchen, she stopped eating her chicken leg, propped her chin on her hands, swung her legs, and her eyes sparkled as her mind wandered.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she’d seen her sister so cheerful.

Every time before, she always wore a troubled expression—even when she smiled gently, there was little joy in it.

She really hoped her sister could be this happy every day…

…

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Shi familiarized himself with the kitchen tools under Jiang Xuezhou’s guidance.

There was no wok here, only a pot for stewing soup, but for someone who often made lazy meals, any pot was the same.

To save washing a dish, he’d even stir-fry in a rice cooker, let alone a soup pot.

“Aah… why are you pouring beer over the duck legs! Won’t that taste weird?” Seeing Ye Shi pour beer straight into the pot, Jiang Xuezhou rushed over to stop him, but couldn’t budge his hand.

She’d almost forgotten—most of the parts on this guy were made by her.

Tossing the empty can aside, Ye Shi looked at Jiang Xuezhou, who seemed on the verge of tears, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What do you know? This is beer duck! You’re just not used to it…”

Jiang Xuezhou froze.

“Beer… duck? What’s that… Oh no! Yuehan can’t have alcohol!”

“Pfft… the duck’s already cooked—how much alcohol could be left?”

“Oh right, alcohol evaporates easily… I almost forgot.” Realizing she’d asked a silly question, Jiang Xuezhou blushed and nodded, but then watched him mash the potatoes in a bowl and asked blankly, “What’s that for?”

Ye Shi replied casually.

“Mashed potatoes. Kids love this stuff… Do you have milk, butter, and black pepper?”

This dish had a bit of a tradition in the Alliance; back in the day, Scrambled Egg had put a lot of thought into making horned potatoes tastier.

Jiang Xuezhou nodded quickly.

“Yes, I bought some when I came… they should be in my room.”

Ye Shi kept mashing the softened potatoes without looking back.

“What are they doing in your room? Go get them for me! And the soy sauce from my suitcase—the black bottle.”

“Okay, okay!”

Jiang Xuezhou nodded again, her face red, and hurried out of the kitchen, only to remember she was still wearing the apron, so she turned back to tie it on him.

When he’d first offered to cook dinner, she’d planned to guide him, but it turned out she was the novice, reduced to running errands.

About forty minutes later, the sky outside had gone completely dark, and it was seven o’clock. Jiang Xuezhou’s parents arrived home almost on the dot.

Hearing the clatter from the kitchen, the old couple assumed Xiao Han was in there. They quickly changed their shoes and rushed in, only to find Xiao Han sitting at the table, with two dishes they didn’t recognize set before her.

An enticing aroma wafted into their noses.

Father Jiang’s nostrils twitched involuntarily, while Mother Jiang glanced toward the kitchen and then widened her eyes.

With a smear of mashed potato on her lips, Xiao Han giggled and said in a cheerful voice.

"Dad, Mom, big sister brought a man home!"

"What nonsense are you talking!"

Jiang Xuezhou, furious, covered her mouth and glanced quickly behind her.

At the kitchen door, Ye Shi emerged carrying a pot of beer duck. Seeing the two elders, he smiled and said.

"Hello, Uncle and Aunt!"

"Hello, hello..."

Father Jiang replied politely out of habit, then looked him up and down, hesitating as he asked, "May I ask who you are?"

Ye Shi was about to say he was from the Wasteland, but Jiang Xuezhou cut him off.

"His name is Ye Shi! He's from the Alliance side... It's too complicated to explain, but he's something like a diplomatic officer. We'll talk during dinner!"

"Oh, from the Foreign Affairs Bureau, then. Please sit down, young man... Why let a guest cook? You could have waited for us to come back."

Father Jiang glared at Jiang Xuezhou and scolded her, though his tone wasn't harsh. Mother Jiang, similarly, looked at her daughter with fondness and brushed the sweat-dampened bangs from her forehead.

"Exactly, child, why didn't you tell us in advance? I could have taken the day off."

Jiang Xuezhou beamed, grabbing her mother's arm and coquettishly said.

"I wanted to surprise you! By the way, where's big brother?"

Father Jiang smiled.

"Your big brother is married now. He was transferred from Plot 721 to Plot 702 at the end of last year. He's a workshop supervisor now. I'll call him back tomorrow!"

The family sat around the dinner table, enjoying a harmonious meal.

At first, Ye Shi was a bit reserved, but Jiang Xuezhou's family was so warm that he quickly blended in.

Of course, part of that was thanks to his superb cooking skills.

Sitting at the table, Yuehan kept stuffing potatoes into her mouth, her eyes sparkling like little stars, practically writing the word "delicious" all over her face.

"...I didn't expect you to cook so well." Jiang Xuezhou nudged his arm and muttered softly.

Feeling a bit smug from the praise, Ye Shi almost stuck his nose up to the ceiling.

"Of course. Too bad there's no Lao Gan Ma or rice here, or I'd whip up my best fried rice for you."

Eating bread with beer duck was a bit odd, but still more normal than ketchup-roasted chicken legs.

"Hmph... you never cooked for me back in the Alliance." Jiang Xuezhou gave a light snort, her tone sour.

Ye Shi grinned with a look that practically begged for a punch.

"You never asked."

"You jerk..." Jiang Xuezhou gritted her teeth, wanting to bite his arm, but held back, remembering they were at the table.

Besides, his bones were made of titanium alloy—she was afraid she'd chip her teeth.

Halfway through dinner.

Slightly tipsy, Father Jiang pulled Ye Shi for a drink, grasped his hand, and said solemnly.

"Little Jiang... she can be a bit impatient sometimes, but she's actually a very caring child. We can't help much with her affairs, so please look after her when she's out there."

Hearing this sudden remark, Jiang Xuezhou nearly choked on her food, coughing and stammering.

"What are you saying, Dad!"

Her father ignored her, not retracting his words, just staring intently at Ye Shi across the table, waiting for the young man's answer.

"Big sister's face is red!" Little Yuehan giggled, her clever eyes darting around.

Facing the old father's earnest gaze, Ye Shi laughed heartily and agreed without hesitation.

"Don't worry, I'll protect your daughter!"

After all, he was a top-tier player—protecting an NPC was more than enough.

Jiang Xuezhou's face turned crimson. She gave a soft snort and fell silent.

Father Jiang's face broke into a smile, and he nodded with relief.

"With your promise, I can rest easy!"

...

That evening, Ye Shi stayed at Jiang Xuezhou's home, sleeping in the guest room on the second floor.

Jiang Xuezhou had taken a week of family leave. This week, he planned to explore the area around Plot 721, learn about the locals' lives, and figure out this Science Committee.

Binghai City was a special zone; understanding the Academy and the Science Committee through it was still too difficult.

Another thing worth mentioning: since Plot 721 wasn't a special zone, there were no dedicated save points or inns for players to rest. He had to stay overnight in an NPC's home.

In short, no merchant caravans came here either.

The reason dinner was so lavish was thanks to the ingredients Jiang Xuezhou had exchanged with G-points.

Normally, if Xiao Jiang didn't send things home, the family wouldn't have such a feast.

At least on the way here, he hadn't seen any shops or the like.

Ye Shi couldn't help but have a sudden thought: if only the Science Committee's market could be opened.

There were vast untapped resources buried underground—oil, natural gas, metal deposits, and so on.

The people of the Prosperity Era seemed to have anticipated a future decline, leaving large reserves of resources untouched in the tundra, mountains, and seabed.

In other words, this land had development value; otherwise, the Academy wouldn't have chosen to settle here.

But Ye Shi only thought about it and felt the difficulty of the matter.

Intuition told him that cracking this market would be even harder than breaking into the Xilan Empire's market...

Taking off his helmet, Ye Wei sat on the living room sofa, staring blankly at the large flat-screen TV.

Outside, the sky had brightened—it was morning in reality. Every time he logged off, it took a while to adjust to the real world.

He couldn't tell... he really couldn't tell anymore.

Was this the legendary "internet addiction"?

No wonder minors weren't allowed to play.

Just after he took off his helmet, Jiujiu yawned and walked out of her room.

She had been sleeping for most of the day but still looked like she hadn't had enough, probably from whatever she did in the game.

Seeing her brother sitting on the sofa, Jiujiu blinked and waved a hand in front of his face.

"What's up, bro? Hey? Come back to the living world."

Recalling the dinner he'd just had and Jiang Xuezhou's family, Ye Wei shook his groggy head, set the helmet aside, and suddenly sighed.

"Nothing, just... this game feels too real."

Jiujiu was momentarily stunned, then looked at him in shock, her mouth forming an O.

"Wow! Did you really get together with that NPC?"

Ye Wei frowned.

"What the hell? What's the connection?"

His two index fingers tapped together, and Jiujiu blushed, speaking softly and shyly.

"I heard you say 'realistic,' and I thought you meant... forget it, forget it, if not, then never mind! Hmph, boring."

"...?"

Watching Jiujiu vanish in a flash, Ye Wei scratched his head in bewilderment.

What's wrong with her now?

He tossed his helmet aside, ordered some takeout, and started scrolling through the official website.

He happened to come across Sisi's post. Clicking on it, he saw that their cargo ship had already docked at West Sailport.

Besides updating the news from West Sailport, Sisi had also posted local price information in the thread.

According to what she mentioned, the demand for spirits in the area was extremely high. If they could ship potatoes from Fries Harbor to Gold Ingot Harbor to be processed into spirits, then sell them at West Sailport, and use the proceeds to buy steel or cement to transport back to the Federation, they could make a fortune even with their eyes closed.

Especially the tax exemption privileges enjoyed by the Willant people there, which many Willant merchants exploited by simply loading the arriving spirits onto their own ships and bringing them back to the Legion's homeland.

Thus, spirits ostensibly sold to the West Silla Empire ended up being dumped into the Legion instead.

At the end of the post, she also shared the profits from this trip.

What made Night Ten envious wasn't their earnings, but how fast they were—they had even pried open the Willant people's treasury.

Though it was just a crack for now, and it might be sealed off at any moment, it was still a significant breakthrough.

"Everyone's so capable; I need to step up my game too..." muttering to himself with envy, Night Ten closed the post and leaned back on the sofa, deep in thought.

First, the Academy's treasures were certainly far greater than the Legion's, and they were exactly the knowledge the Alliance needed most.

But here was the problem.

The number of players active in the Wandering Swamp was less than a hundred, far fewer than those in the south.

Thinking about this, his face showed signs of trouble.

Not to mention prying open the minds of those old fossils, just convincing the little leeks to come to the Wandering Swamp would be difficult enough...

How the hell was he supposed to swing this hoe?