“Let me think about it some more.”
Lu Yuan didn't make a decision immediately.
No matter how greedy smugglers were, they would never dare to go against the City Lord and Apollo.
If his people went to them fully armed and wearing power armor, even if they offered mountains of gold and silver, the other party would definitely not dare to take them in.
But if they went to the smugglers without weapons, disguised as natives, they would lack the ability to defend themselves and it would be too dangerous.
Players weren't afraid of death; even if they died, they could just wait a day to revive. But if such a covert mission failed, Oasis City would inevitably become more vigilant, and there wouldn't be a next time.
There was only one chance. The people parachuting in must have strong self-preservation capabilities. They needed power armor, or at least an exoskeleton!
“Oh right, who's the best at parachuting right now?”
Lu Yuan asked finally.
Over the past 20 days, Chang Kong had been flying the air-space plane every night, providing players with a parachuting experience. Lu Yuan would sometimes join in for fun.
All 25 players had now mastered this skill, but there were definitely differences in skill levels.
Caoyuan laughed heartily.
“That should be me and Ye Xing. The two of us have met the military requirements for high-altitude low-opening covert infiltration. The others are having a lot of fun playing, but as for the paratrooper standard... honestly, they're still somewhat short.”
That kid Ye Xing, he learns fast...
“Then you two need to be prepared,” Lu Yuan looked up, “I plan to carry out the infiltration operation in four or five days. Are you confident?”
“Of course! We guarantee completion of the mission!”
After Caoyuan left, Lu Yuan looked through the Stormwind Gang logs he had left behind.
The important information within had all been highlighted in red by Caoyuan, greatly simplifying the reading.
According to the logs, a fact that was disheartening but not surprising was that most of the powerful figures in the city didn't mind selling weapons and supplies to the Stormwind Gang.
They had the city walls and city guards protecting them and weren't worried about any negative consequences from doing so.
Some of them were even willing to provide 'free' aid, because they knew that a considerable portion of the wealth the Raiders plundered from civilians would ultimately flow into their own hands.
Only one person was an exception.
His name was Cheng Yun. He was a powerful rich merchant in Oasis City, living in the noble district, operating nearly a third of the oil wells in the large oil field outside the city, and also owning several factories within the city.
“Interesting.”
According to stereotypes, such a rich merchant should be solely focused on making money. However, the Desert Bear Lice's evaluation of him was 'too upright'.
In the relevant records, Hart made no secret of his apprehension towards Cheng Yun.
“Cheng Yun is an inflexible idiot, stubborn, dangerous, and has no negotiation value!”
“Avoid him as much as possible. Don't raid the merchant caravans under his command. This guy will definitely bite us hard if he gets the chance!”
“The good news is, he already has one foot in the grave.”
Looking at these words, Lu Yuan fell into deep thought.
Just then, Nan Guo de Xue knocked and entered the room.
“Good afternoon, Executive Officer. I made you some coffee.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Not long after Nan Guo de Xue came online, she discovered the divine skill of synthesizing instant coffee with the 3D printer, and the taste was decent.
Since it only took a few minutes to synthesize a large amount of coffee, Lu Yuan tacitly allowed this behavior.
“Are you deciding about the parachuting?”
She saw the aerial photo of Oasis City on Lu Yuan's screen.
“Yeah, parachuting is just the first step. The truly difficult part is getting a foothold and hiding in Oasis City.”
“I see…”
Nan Guo de Xue bent down and studied the aerial photo.
“Do you have any ideas?”
Seeing her studying it seriously, Lu Yuan asked.
“Just some rough thoughts.”
“That's fine, tell me.”
“Hmm…” Nan Guo de Xue took a gentle breath.
“City Lord Cole of Oasis City, he must be a terrible ruler, right?”
Lu Yuan held the polymer coffee cup and thought for a second or two.
“No, in this post-apocalyptic setting, being brutal and cruel really doesn't count as a bad quality.”
“Really? It sounds like you're defending him?”
Lu Yuan gave a wry smile.
“No, it's not a defense. Survival crisis is certainly not an excuse for aggression and oppression, but after the apocalypse, hoping that every ruler will maintain moral values like Town Chief Shen is unrealistic. That guy Cole, at least he ensured the safety of the citizens inside the city walls.”
In fact, it would be better to say that it was precisely because Red Iron Town was unarmed that it had no murderous intent and took the path of uniting the townspeople with traditional morals and conscience.
But this also caused them to be bullied repeatedly.
Nan Guo de Xue agreed.
“Yes, indeed, even in prosperous civilized times, this idea is very naive. But the Executive Officer initially decided to go against Oasis City because he learned that they were oppressing Red Iron Town and were also involved in despicable acts like slave trading; cooperating with Red Iron Town was because Shen Quan was a clever young man with a good upbringing. The judgment standard is based on morality.”
She sipped her coffee, sat on the edge of the desk, and gave Lu Yuan a meaningful look.
“Oh, maybe. Perhaps the fact that I'm not cruel enough limits my ability to act.” Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair, saying with little emotion.
You're not entirely right... the initial decision to go against Oasis City was mainly because I knew it was unlikely they would cooperate with me. There was no other choice.
Speaking of which, would ordinary players discuss these topics with 'NPCs'?
Or is she already aware that the 'Executive Officer' character isn't a pre-programmed script and hopes to influence the subsequent plot development with such conversations?
Could she have already realized this isn't just a game? No... that's unlikely. If she really suspected, she could confront me directly.
Hmph...
“It's not like that…”
Nan Guo de Xue shook her head, her short hair bouncing.
“I think the Executive Officer's good reputation might have already spread within the walls of Oasis City, becoming an invisible asset.”
Lu Yuan: “Is that so?”
“Yes. No matter what others think, I've always thought City Lord Cole is trash. There must be people in the city who hate his rule, and they might have already started inquiring about us, preparing for cooperation.”
Lu Yuan remained silent.
Nan Guo de Xue's mindset was a bit too optimistic, and also slightly naive.
However, the principle was sound.
Even in the apocalypse, villains are still disliked, just as good people are easily bullied. These are actually two sides of the same coin.
Most people's disgust and aversion to evil deeds are physiologically uncontrollable; they can only be suppressed when their strength is insufficient.
“Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Bye-bye~”
Seeing Lu Yuan lost in thought, Nan Guo de Xue jumped off the table and made a farewell gesture.
She walked to the door with her hands behind her back, then turned around, a rare smile appearing on her face.
“Executive Officer, just do what you feel is right in your heart. You don't have to force yourself to become a cruel and indifferent person. We players are different from the citizens of Oasis City. We will protect ourselves, and we will protect you. At least, well... I will.”
Without waiting for Lu Yuan to respond to her words, she left the room and gently closed the door.
