Chapter 75: Master Liu's Advice
October 27, Sunday, about four in the wee hours of the morning, Earth time.
Former master engineer Liu Yaowu appeared energetically at Exile Town's spawn point under the ID "Master Liu."
Master Liu, who in reality was just in his fifties, would still have been part of the skilled labor force if not for an accident that had left him bedridden in the hospital for over half a year. After waiting for a bit, Old Geng, his fellow care facility patient, came online as well.
"Weren't you muttering that there would be a newcomer joining us?" Old Geng glanced around before asking Master Liu.
"Last night, Xiao Lu said the new player would come online and meet us in the morning, though I didn't see anyone when I logged in." Master Liu shrugged. "Should we wait here?"
Old Geng checked the "game time" displayed on the character panel and waved dismissively. "Forget it, it's already this late. Let's prepare to open first."
The two old men strolled north from the town center's spawn point, chatting casually along the way. After walking for about two hundred meters and the Town Hall came into sight, they turned left into an S-shaped alley.
This unnamed alley was coined "Life Lane" by the players. At the entrance stood Anthony's tailor shop, and a little further in was the popular Master Gatherer's workshop. Further deeper into the alley, almost at the entrance to Fourth Street, was where Manan's neglected butcher workshop stood as well as the Merchant Association canteen across it.
Although it was an alley, Life Lane wasn't any narrower than the main streets. Due to the frequent visits of leisure-oriented players, it was usually livelier than the Third and Fourth Streets, though not as bustling as the Second Street that led to the Spider Cave and also home to the Wanderer Guild.
When the two old buddies entered Life Lane, advanced NPCs like Tailor Anthony and Master Gatherer Greene had already risen. Some of them were squatting by the side of the alley, washing up in a ditch, while others rolled up their sleeves and were fetching water.
These once unruly former bandits clearly understood who their newfound happiness was all thanks to. When they spotted the two undead figures from the Merchant Association canteen, though they hadn't reached the familiarity to exchange warm greetings, they politely nodded in acknowledgment.
"These young folks are also from humble backgrounds," said Old Geng as he waved to Greene, the Master Gatherer. "That young lad named Greene, he's just twenty-something years old, but his hands look like those of a farmer of the Northern regions in the sixties."
"That's true. Our neighbor across the street, Young Ma, has an old burn scar on his arm. He says he got it when apprenticing at a pork stall, when eating some pigskin in secret and was burnt by his boss," sighed Master Liu.
"It's not just these young lads; those women the players brought back on the quest had it rough too. There's a lass called Mia, who's around the same age as my Xiao Yun. If they two stood beside each other, they would look like they are of the same generation."
"There's no denying that this world isn't in a good state." Old Geng shook his head.
The two old friends reached the Merchant Association canteen, and the "civilian NPCs" Lord Yang assigned to assist them were waiting by the entrance. As soon as the civilians spotted the two, they bowed differentially.
"Aiya, didn't we say to dispense with such formalities!" Old Geng hurriedly went forward to support these disabled individuals, who had trouble even standing straight, to their feet. "There's no need to bow. Why won't they listen?"
"Let it be, Old Geng. They don't understand anyway, and it's pointless for us to explain. Once they get used to it, they'll know such things are unnecessary with us." Master Liu pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, then swiftly grabbed a stack of plastic chairs.
These four disabled individuals were the male relatives of the women who had come over to Exile Town. Aside from Collins Carter, who had a leg injury, the other three suffered from various degrees of physical disabilities.
When they first arrived in Exile Town, these four couldn't even leave their homes. They could only lie inside the houses (constructed by the zombies), eating and sleeping.
However, despite their appearances of advanced age, these four were actually all younger than Master Liu. The oldest, Collins, was only in his forties. After several days of rest as well as being well-fed with nutritious food, these four managed to get up on their own and could even do simple tasks. As a result, they were assigned to the canteen by Yang Qiu.
The Merchant Association canteen needed to provide over 140 people with three meals a day. While it sounded like a heavy workload, it actually wasn't as daunting as it seemed. All the dishes, including rice, porridge, and noodles, were semi-prepared and vacuum-sealed, so it could all be done easily with just a little bit of work.
However, the two oldies in charge of the canteen were kind men with principles and a strong sense of empathy. Under their insistent demands, Lu Yiyun's side had to continue "delivering" fresh vegetables that were more nutritious.
Then, via some unknown means, the "target" would transport these food supplies to the container stack at the foot of the mountain, which could be accessed at the end of Life Lane. This self-imposed extra workload, though, added quite a bit to their plate…
Fortunately, the work assigned to these four physically impaired men wasn't too demanding. At most, it would be some simple tasks like peeling garlic or chopping ginger.
Master Liu fetched chairs for the four workers, whom he couldn't converse with, and handed several kilograms of ginger and garlic to handle before he entered the store with Old Geng.
Soy milk and fried dough sticks were a must in a typical Chinese breakfast. However, obtaining the aforementioned items was rather challenging in this world. Frying dishes was still doable with the skeletal hands, but making dough would pose quite an issue. Until they obtained a dough mixer, these two old friends wouldn't entertain such an idea.
So, for breakfast, the canteen provided frozen dumplings and tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). The expert task force had contacted a small local foodstuff factory in G Province to get these foodstuffs straight off the production line without packaging. Instead, they were directly put in styrofoam boxes together and delivered to the "target." The two old men had then personally collected them from the container stack outside town and stored them in the canteen's store to be used as needed.
With a clank and a rattle, the heavy metal door to the store was pulled open by Master Liu, and a layer of white mist rushed out.
Undead couldn't sense changes in temperature, but it was easy to tell that the temperature inside the store was probably similar to that of a freezer just judging by the white mist.
"Just drawing a round symbol on the wall actually makes it cold enough to refrigerate. This world sure is magical." Old Geng sighed as he glanced at the array, taller than a person, that was drawn on the steel wall.
"Haven't we already become animated skeletons running about? Logic has totally been thrown out the window." Master Liu was used to it by now. Walking up to the boxes of frozen food, he said, "Xiao Lu's expert task force's analysis is that this Lord Yang is a genuine user of magic and he probably has some connection with the 'target' on Earth. Otherwise, there's no way no one has been able to trace how the 'target' popped up in G Province.
"There are so many people outside who wish to interact with this Lord Yang but can't do so, yet we two old men are lucky to see him every day."
Old Geng joined Master Liu in moving the frozen dumplings, chuckling. "What's the use of seeing him? Are we supposed to go up and ask him, 'Hey, Yang, are you really a living person and not an NPC?'"
"Better not. Those young gamers have said that there's no benefit in angering NPCs, and you might even be killed and logged out." Master Liu laughed.
A styrofoam box of frozen dumplings weighed 30 kilograms, a load the two would certainly be unable to lift on Earth. However, in the "game," they could easily pick it up and even place another box of frozen bok choy on top…
Once two boxes of frozen dumplings were moved to the kitchen, Master Liu skillfully lit the stove made from bricks and cement. The pots and pans used were the commonly seen typical stainless steel ones used in most cafeteria kitchens, while the fuel was anthracite coal.
The frozen dumplings were cooked in well water, with two packets of stock powder added. Even if it was plain-tasting frozen dumplings that were being cooked, the natives would still lick up every drop clean.
Stock powders were something that often received disdain back on Earth due to the numerous arguments from self-proclaimed nutritional scientists—the actual broth was more nutritious, preservatives and flavor enhancers could be harmful, etc.…
But, at the end of the day, it was the inexpensive and good-tasting seasoning that hadn't been proven harmful to humans. In the market, a pack of stock powder cost between 10 to 15 yuan, while the wholesale price was half that. With the main ingredients of animal protein and amino acids, dissolving it in hot water provided the traditional taste and aroma of broth, and many hotpot restaurants actually used it.
Meanwhile, Old Geng took down the steel knife on the wall and started chopping the bok choy. This type of steel knife used by most players was actually the type exported by China to regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia for use in chopping down banana trees.
It was reasonably priced, of high quality, and, in certain chaotic areas, even used by gangs as their primary weapon…
As the frozen dumplings being cooked in the pot of soup started floating, Old Geng tossed the chopped-up irregular strips of bok choy into the pot to cook as well.
Master Liu moved away from the stove, took the ginger and garlic the four male workers had prepared, rinsed them with water, and used a garlic presser to crush them into a paste. Then, he added soy sauce, vinegar, and hot sauce to the paste, mixing it all together into a large bowl of dipping sauce.
Around 7:30 in-game time, the two old men had just about finished preparing breakfast, and the "advanced NPCs" had also started arriving.
One distinct characteristic of dishes cooked with stock powder was that the aroma could be smelled even from a distance. The former bandits, whether it was the well-born Tuttle Joe or Hal Maxwell who had an affluent childhood, upon entering would immediately head to the cutlery rack after getting a whiff and point at the largest bowl.
Hal devoured at least two kilograms of dumplings and bok choy in one sitting, along with a saucer of Master Liu's specially prepared dipping sauce. After finishing, he even proficiently used chopsticks to pick up the remaining bits in the sauce plate and asked the other two at his table while chewing, "You guys, what are your thoughts regarding the task Yang assigned to us?"
Finley, who was drinking soup from his bowl, paused and peered up to give Hal a deadpan glance.
What he implied was clear: Can't you at least wait for me to finish eating?
Tuttle, who paid more attention to his table manners, had about half a bowl of dumplings left. He, too, felt a little annoyed hearing Hal's question, and the speed at which he picked at his dumplings slowed down.
"None." Tuttle sighed. "I totally can't understand what goes through that fellow's mind. To be honest, when Yang said the undead weren't 'aggressive enough'… I felt grateful to my father for his strict emphasis on my upbringing."
Both Finley and Hal strongly agreed with this sentiment. If those crazy undead were still considered "not aggressive enough and lacking in ambition," then this world certainly didn't have any aggressive creatures!
"Anyway, we have to come up with a solution," Hal said with a sigh. "I guess I've sort of got Yang figured out. He simply isn't someone who reasons."
Hal didn't need to spell it out; his companions were all too aware—Yang only spoke his version of reason, not the common sense of the world. In other words, this black mage was simply mad!
Master Liu, with hands on hips, strolled around the canteen in satisfaction as he admired the eating habits of his patrons. Noticing the gloom at Hal's table, he walked over confidently and stood beside Hal before asking without any reservations, "What's wrong here? Are the dumplings not tasty today? Or is the dipping sauce off?"
Master Liu was a person who could argue with the government one moment and comfortably mix around with construction workers the next. Not to mention, he held the most respected title of head chef here.
Even if he was just an ordinary player, it would only be a matter of time before he mingled with these advanced NPCs. Of course, the main reason was that he didn't treat the former bandits like regular NPCs.
Besides Hal, the other two were rather astute. After noticing Master Liu's more respectful attitude toward them, Finley and Tuttle treated him differently than regular players. Yang hadn't demanded secrecy, so they readily revealed Yang's request…
"So, you are saying that Lord Yang is asking you to plan events, engage playe—the undead in these events, to find a way to make these undead stronger and more combative?" Master Liu asked in astonishment.
"Yes." Tuttle shrugged in helplessness. "You know, Liu, the other undead, they're not like you and Geng… We really find it hard to understand what Yang is thinking."
Master Liu: "…"
Back in reality, Master Liu couldn't access the player forum due to his lack of self-sufficiency. However, during the time his daughter, Liu Xiaoyun, took care of him, she would read aloud popular posts from the form. Thus, he knew about the "Night of Rampaging" event where players had seized equipment from these "advanced NPCs." Aware that these "advanced NPCs" were actually real people, Master Liu could genuinely understand their feelings.
Master Liu chuckled awkwardly, though his astute mind quickly recognized this as an excellent opportunity to probe Lord Yang's true intentions and purposes. He enthusiastically said, "I do have an idea. Would my young brothers like to hear it?"
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