The towering giant walls have made Boulder City a well-known paradise. Compared with the distant Yunjian Province and Ideal City, this place seems to be within reach.
However.
This majesty does not benefit everyone here.
On the way to the main entrance of Boulder City, the first thing that comes into view is a huge slum.
The shabby shacks, like psoriasis, grow at the foot of the huge wall. From a distance, they look like a smelly ditch with no end in sight.
Most of the people living here are sallow and thin, sitting in front of the door in a daze wrapped in clothes that they have worn for an unknown period of time, or preparing to go out to scavenge.
There is no garbage to pick up in the surrounding area. If you want to have a good harvest, you can only go to a higher floor or further away.
The sewage and excrement that can be seen everywhere dye the snow that should be white into other colors. The situation will probably be worse when the snow melts. It is a miracle that the plague did not break out.
Fang Chang, who had never seen so many NPCs in this game before, looked at the scene in front of him blankly and asked.
"How many people are here?"
Xu Shun asked his question again, and Qian Lai answered in a nonchalant tone.
"Ten thousand, twenty thousand, maybe one hundred thousand, anyway, there are never fewer people here. Who would bother to count such things? It is completely meaningless."
Xu Shun had a surprised expression on his face.
Thousands?!
This is too exaggerated.
But at this moment, Fang Chang, who was staring closely at the VM screen and reading the subtitles, was thinking about completely different things.
"Tens of thousands of people?!"
"...What do so many people eat?!"
It’s not about farming anyway.
It doesn't look like there's room for farming here.
The shot of the slums is a crooked telephone pole with several speakers wrapped around it, playing several boring channels in rotation.
Another hundred meters further is the main entrance of Boulder City.
There are clean cement roads, militiamen on duty, caravans ready to go, and poor people looking for work everywhere, including many even small children.
For most people here, there are only two hopes in life.
One is to be favored by caravans or merchants, and the other is to catch up with factories to recruit workers.
If you can't count on these two, and you can't let go of your only self-esteem to beg or sell your soul, then you can only become a mercenary.
To catch the wave, you don’t even have to buy a gun yourself.
Because they were carrying goods transported from the outpost, Fang Chang and his party were soon targeted as traders.
A little boy with slightly curly hair and a dirty face followed Qian Lai step by step and said in a high-pitched voice.
"Sir, do you need a servant? I can count, do laundry, move things... I can also smell the rats and cockroaches hiding in the cracks. I can do any job."
He has good eyesight and can tell at a glance who among the people in this group looks most like a business person.
However, there are a lot of people with abilities like his in the entire slum.
"unnecessary."
"gentlemen--"
The boy still wanted to fight for it, but Qian Lai interrupted him impatiently.
"I'll only say it once."
Seeing his unfriendly eyes and the pistol on his waist, the boy took a step back, not daring to fight anymore, and ran to the side to look for the next target.
Xu Shun glanced at the boy's lost back and said nothing.
He is not a person with overflowing sympathy, and of course he will not be naive enough to want to help a child or something. Once this kind of thing starts, there will be no end to the troubles that follow.
Who in this wasteland is not pitiful?
For him, the tasks assigned to him by the managers are the first priority, and everything else must be put aside.
but……
Looking at the majestic giant wall, Xu Shun couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
The huge wall is very high, which makes people feel safe when looking at it.
But as expected, it was still the northern suburbs where the administrator ruled, which made him feel warmer...
Across the street from the main entrance of Boulder City is the Far Wind Hotel, with its signboard hanging on the magnificent door.
However, the guests there seemed to have a little conflict with the hotel.
In front of the hotel waiter, there was a man wearing an old leather jacket, his face flushed with anger. Next to him lay a suitcase. Judging from the scattered luggage, it should have been thrown out of the door.
Behind him, there were guests who were kicked out like him.
"Didn't we agree that we only need one chip a day?"
The hotel waiter picked his ears and said impatiently.
"Yes, our manager said so, but it was winter and now prices have gone up. We didn't stop you from renewing your room, did we?"
"Ten chips a day? Are you robbers? Why does it become more expensive after winter?!"
"Of course it's to make room to entertain guests from far away. Why do you think it's so cheap in winter?" the hotel waiter sneered, "Okay, take your luggage and you can get out."
"What if I say no?" The man stared at him.
"What does that have to do with me?"
The waiter yawned, turned around and walked towards the main door without even looking at him.
When passing by the main entrance, he glanced at the security guard at the door.
"give it to you."
The heavily armed security guard nodded expressionlessly and stood there motionless, his eyes looking straight ahead, like a statue.
The man who was ignored looked annoyed and stretched his hands to his waist.
However, just as his hand touched his waist, a gunshot rang out, and a blood hole was instantly printed on the man's eyebrows, and he fell backwards.
The woman next to me screamed.
Several other guests quickly stepped back, packed their luggage and left.
Having witnessed this scene all the way, Fang Chang looked at the militiamen at the city gate in surprise, only to see that they didn't even bother to look here.
Xu Shun, who was walking beside him, asked him about his surprise.
"Those people...don't care?"
Qian Lai gave him a strange look.
"Those people? You mean the militia?"
Xu Shun swallowed.
"Um."
Qian Lai smiled and said.
"The militiamen don't care about disputes outside of Boulder City. They only care about the land at the door. Law enforcement has boundaries. The wasteland is so big, we can't take care of every piece of land. After taking care of this street, do we have to take care of the next street?
?This hotel has a good reputation. The owner is a noble from the inner city, and the manager is a capable person. He has good relations with several gangs in the slums. If you are here to do business, they will introduce customers to you...
Only charge 10% commission, and only once.”
Taking out his rusty pocket watch and looking at the time, Qian Lai continued.
"It's noon now, and there aren't many people here. If it were night, it would be more lively, but I don't recommend you to have fun here."
"Fun?"
"Nothing, just forget it if you're not interested. If you are interested, you can ask the waiter at the door just now and he will introduce it to you."
"...?"
Xu Shun looked confused.
Qian Lai urged him and said.
"Let's go, it's time to line up at the city gate... By the way, have you prepared the city entrance tax?"
Xu Shun was stunned for a moment.
"Entry tax? Do you have to pay tax when entering?"
The manager told him that after selling these goods, the caravan would be given a share, and part of the remaining money could be used to fund their activities.
But those goods haven't been sold yet, so he has no chips in his pocket.
I wonder if those people collect coins...
Qian Lai said with a smile: "Of course, you only get 3 chips once you enter the city, so most people will not come in and out at will. It's okay if you don't bring them with you. I'll pay for you this time."
There will be more opportunities to interact with you in the future.
Judging from the boss's reaction that night and the manager's attitude afterwards, Qian Lai felt that he needed to have a good relationship with them.
This is a long-term investment.
Six chips are just a small amount for both him and his boss.
The queue didn't take long.
The main purpose is to check whether there are any dangerous goods in the goods.
It is worth noting that explosives with a yield of more than 300g are contraband, but bullets and rifles are not. Perhaps because they are absolutely confident that they can kill the troublemakers as soon as possible, these militiamen do not seem to care at all whether they bring them with them or not.
Bring weapons in.
Think about it too.
What can be seen on this huge wall are the barrels of several heavy machine guns. It is reasonable to arrange a few snipers or similar things in invisible places.
However, when they inspected Fang Chang, several militiamen unexpectedly took a second look at him and Gong behind him. After exchanging a few words in a low voice, they added a stroke to a notebook full of words.
Of course, Fang Chang was doing the same thing, calmly holding a pen and writing in a small notebook.
[…The militia leader at the gate of Boulder City is very strong and can sense the dangerous aura. He is probably an awakened person, not sure what level he is.]
[In addition, awakened people will be registered when entering the survivor stronghold. 】
[But judging from the reactions of people around, ordinary awakened people should not deserve special treatment. Registration is just a routine matter. 】
The militiamen let the group go.
Looking at the majestic gate passing above his head, Xu Shun, who was carrying his luggage, couldn't help but sigh.
The giant wall is very high and feels very safe.
But as expected, it was still the northern suburbs under the rule of the administrator, which made him feel warmer...
…
"...We followed the caravan into Boulder City, and the caravan leader paid the city entry tax for us, a total of 6 chips."
That night.
After going offline, Fang Chang immediately went to the official website to open a post and brought first-hand information about Boulder City to the forum.
Not only the players are curious about what Planner Dog has put in the new map, but even the planner himself is curious about what is going on in Boulder City.
It’s true.
Chu Guang had saved up his chips for five months and planned to run there from Beit Street.
If he hadn't discovered Vault 404, he might have been driving screws there.
Since it was a serial post, Brother Fang's typing speed was not very fast. Chu Guang, who was sitting in front of the computer, clicked on the option of "See only the original poster" to temporarily filter the comments of the shady netizens.
"The situation inside the city is completely different from that outside the city. The streets here have been renovated, and the buildings have been rebuilt on the ruins that were knocked down. They get higher and higher as you go into the city, but they are not as high as that giant wall."
"Good hotels are expensive, and cheap hotels and pubs are hidden in intricate alleys. The conditions there are not much better than the slums outside. But it is worth mentioning that due to the construction of a drainage system, the smell does not
It’s too smelly.”
"Perhaps the planning is hinting to us that we should also consider adding some new municipal facilities to the strongholds on the surface?"
"As for clothing, the residents here mainly wear cotton and linen, and the weaving industry should be very developed. For citizens who work in the city, there is basically no problem with dressing, but one piece of clothing will be worn
For a long time, mercenaries have preferred to choose leather clothes or body armor made of special materials, so even if they hide their guns, it is easy to distinguish them."
"A few hospitals and schools are scattered in several communities on the edge of the inner city. The mental outlook of the people living there is completely different from that outside, and their spending power is stronger."
"There is also a wall in the city center, which is the inner city of Boulder City. More than ten pre-war high-rise buildings have been renovated to form the top of the pyramid of Boulder City. The ruler who controls all this is a man named Fang Ming
. He rarely appears directly in front of the public, and mostly shows himself as a holographic image. Most people are in awe of him, but a considerable number of people don't care."
"It is worth mentioning that the materials in Boulder City are not scarce, and the productivity is not low. Many technologies have even reached the realm of science fiction, but the vast majority of people still live in poverty. Especially for the uneducated lower class.
For people, there are only two ways to make a fortune, either join a caravan or become a mercenary."
"After settling on a place to stay, we, together with the people from the caravan, took the devil's cloth and spirit leaves to the trading station. All bulk commodities in Boulder City are traded there, and there are hundreds of stalls inside, like a market.
Same. The stall owners there were amazed at our weaving craftsmanship, and I have to give a thumbs up to Ms. Teng Teng... But I can feel that they are obviously more interested in the spirit leaves."
"In the end, 10 pieces of devil cloth were sold for 5,000 chips, and 100 kilograms of spiritual leaves were also sold for 5,000 chips... This was the result of bargaining. At first, they only planned to give half of this number. The weight of the goods was actually about the same.
But in my personal opinion, the latter is easier to obtain and obviously more profitable.”
"After the transaction was completed, the guard NPC and I walked around here and conducted a simple survey of the market. We found that the demand for rubber and biomass oil here is very stable, the purchase volume is surprisingly large, and the most important thing is that the price is transparent
!The only drawback is that the price is not high, and where to get so much rubber and oil is a problem.”
"In addition, cotton, flax, grains, and materials such as steel, aluminum, and even precious metals such as silver and gold can all be traded here."
"The following is only speculation!"
"Considering that Boulder City focuses on the characteristics of the two professions [Businessman] and [Mercenary], the next version may open up the merchant and mercenary gameplay."
"If you plan to run a business, be sure to note that the residents here have weak spending power. It is estimated that it will be difficult to sell delicious food at a high premium!"
"But in contrast, mercenaries have strong spending power and clear needs. Cheap weapons, protective gear, auxiliary equipment, stress-relieving alcohol and even spiritual leaves, as well as medical gauze and dry food, all sell well here.
s price!"
"Maybe we should open a shop in Boulder City? We clearly have more weapons than we need!"
"Of course, if there are brothers in the strength department who are interested, they can also go to the factory to drill screws? But the triggering method is currently unknown, and the benefits are very low, and the process seems extremely boring."
“Unless you have never been to a factory in real life, I highly recommend it!”
-
(I’m stuck in checking the information. It’s much more comfortable to smooth out the details, but I don’t have enough time. It’s really difficult not to save the manuscript... After laying the groundwork, the new plot will start, and I will update it today.)