This Game Is Too Real-Chapter 763: Baiyue Corporation Goes Public!

As the players had anticipated, they found four injured mutants who had been separated and cornered in the residential areas of Shazhou Island.

Three hid in the sewers and another snuck into the morgue of a hospital.

Their peculiar habits developed on Ten Peaks Mountain made them accustomed to hiding in dark corners.

After neutralizing all the threats, the residents of Shazhou Island finally began returning to their homes on the second day after the sea battle.

The undersea cable and freshwater pipeline to Shazhou Island were scheduled for immediate construction, with completion expected between the end of August and early September.

With the absorption of technical staff and experience from Shelter No. 70, Baiyue Corporation’s underwater construction capability had made leaps and bounds.

From "Crab" style underwater engineering armor to "Electric Eel" underwater automatic welding drones, to the modular construction scheme for deep-sea environments, both "hardware" and "software" had seen significant advancements.

Of course, this was mainly because Baiyue Corporation had a solid foundation of its own.

With the support of the two major industrial zones of Dawn City and Giant Stone City and the engineering technology excavated by the scientific exploration teams from a series of relics, including Shelter 100, the significant thing was the backing of a powerful Alliance. Otherwise, the technical staff of Shelter No. 70 alone would not have achieved such remarkable construction speed.

Apart from Shazhou Island, the four southern islands in the southern sea area and Coral City, located near the central line, had already been connected to Potato Harbor’s water supply network and power grid.

Although only 20% of Coral City’s facilities had been restarted due to high power consumption, it was sufficient for the plan of the Conch Submarine Carrier.

On the fourth day after the sea battle, a twin-engine "Viper" transport plane landed on the tarmac of Anle Island, and a group of twenty players walked out of the cabin.

They were all highly skilled pilots, tested not just by countless actual battles but also awarded the "Ace Pilot" certificate by Mosquito Brother!

They would soon head to the Sea Snail to complete tests on the Alliance’s new type of "underwater carrier-based aircraft."

Not far from the tarmac.

Commander Li Minghui of the South Sea Union Anle Island Fleet looked enviously at the Viper transport plane, speaking to Fang Chang standing beside him.

"You’ve got quite a variety of planes."

Fang Chang smiled faintly and said,

"That’s a masterpiece of Huge Rock Military Industry, it existed even before the Alliance was founded."

"It looks much smaller than the ’Overlord.’"

"Before then, the nobles of Jushi Inner City only focused on regional affairs and themselves, with the residents serving the nobles of the Inner City exclusively. The Viper transport plane had already fully covered their short-distance ’travel needs.’"

Li Minghui raised his eyebrows with interest and looked toward Fang Chang, asking,

"What about now?"

Fang Chang continued,

"Now, Giant Stone City has no Inner City; they have their own city hall, town lord, and courts. Residents only need to fulfill their obligations as citizens of Giant Stone City and the Alliance, like obeying the laws that everyone must follow."

Li Minghui nodded thoughtfully, suddenly asking another question,

"What about other settlements? Is it the same there?"

Fang Chang replied with a light smile,

"Of course not, such as Singular Point City, which has a clear hierarchy and promotion systems, and this is what the local survivors look forward to. Our Manager respects their choices, merely depriving them of the freedom to sell others in accordance with the Alliance constitution. As for the rest, we have made no significant changes, even generously assigning them an absolutely impartial AI Supervisor."

Li Minghui nodded in approval and said,

"Tailored decision-making, I think he’s doing it right... We should consider what the survivors themselves think."

"I agree; after all, I find it foolish and absurd for a group who understand equality as ’the freedom to do whatever they want’ to suddenly obtain equality. It feels awkward to them and uncomfortable for us, and in the end, it does nothing but tarnish the word ’equality’ itself. The Manager said from the beginning that we can’t take everyone to the new world, inevitably leaving some to live at their own pace."

Watching the twinkling eyes of Li Minghui, Fang Chang felt a slight stir in his heart and said with a smile,

"If the survivors of the South Sea Union support you to become their president, our Manager will certainly acknowledge you."

Li Minghui was taken aback for a moment, then laughed it off casually,

"Don’t even think about it, I’ve never thought about that... Even if they all support me, they have to ask for my opinion. Don’t forget I’m also one in a million of the South Sea Union, they better not push me forward without my consent, not even think about it!"

Fang Chang smiled noncommittally, not saying anything but turning his gaze toward the distant submarine carrier,

"Hopefully everything goes smoothly. It would be good if this war could end sooner."

People’s hearts are behind their belly; those who do bad things whilst acting in good faith are plenty in the Wasteland, and he wasn’t like Night Ten, the student who hadn’t faced society, pondering over what people say for half a day determining whether it’s good or bad.

He didn’t care what this guy said, nor would the Manager care,

But they would watch what he does.

Li Minghui also looked toward the direction of the submarine carrier, sighing lightly after a while, and said insincerely,

"Yeah... It would be good if it could end sooner."

Although a later end might be better...

...

Wasteland OL forum.

The test of the new equipment wasn’t finished yet, but already half of the ace pilots had arrived online.

"This new plane is f*cking thrilling!"

"Seriously speaking, it’s stable, precise, and ruthless. Of course, I’m not talking about the plane, but the autocannon."

"It would be nice if it had insurance."

"+1."

The discussion thread quickly climbed to dozens of floors, leaving the players watching itching with curiosity.

Finally, one person couldn’t resist their curiosity and asked under the post,

"Esteemed experts, are there any photos or videos? No other meaning, just curious what that plane actually looks like." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Mainly haven’t seen it, just curious."

Upon seeing the question, someone in the know quickly popped up to answer.

"Didn’t bring a camera up there."

"Classified."

"Holy crap! That’s classified too!? Can leaks even happen on the forum?"

"What’s the rush, just wait for the day it lands and they’ll release a PV video, then you’ll naturally see it. (smirk)"

"+1."

"@#%&!"

"..."

Elena: "Is it just my imagination, or do I remember there being only 20 pilots. (smirk)"

Night Ten: "Goodness, how many clouds would that be."

...

Time passed day by day, and soon the beginning of August became the end.

The Sticky Community’s allied forces sent to Haiye Province employed a step-by-step offensive strategy and had pushed the front line from north of Lai Mountain City to the southern suburbs, and although no survivors had been found, the purification of the local soil had already progressed to 70%.

In addition, the purification work in the Weifu Wilderness was also continuously advancing.

Influenced by the Alliance’s order, more and more survivors from the southern part of the Brocade River Province settled near the Weifu military base, and the population of the Weifu City settlement officially surpassed the 50,000 mark, pushing forward towards 100,000.

The progress in the north was astonishing, and the south was not far behind.

The Alliance’s missile launch pads and radar had been successfully deployed on Shazhou Island, and the Sea Snail submarine carrier had been silently completed and secretly entered service with the Alliance’s navy.

All the pieces were in place, now just waiting for the right opportunity.

According to the news released by the Survivor’s Daily, the Alliance and allies in the Southern sea area were planning a decisive battle with the Charles authorities, and the time and space left for the latter were running out...

Aside from the progress on the front lines, two significant events happened in the Alliance recently.

The first was the official signing of a cease-fire agreement between the Alliance and the West Winds Empire.

The Empire had to compensate the Alliance a total of 500 million silver coins and immediately stop the transport blockade of Jin Jialun Port, restoring normal shipping and trade activities along the Everflow River.

However, considering the Empire did not have enough silver coin reserves, the compensation would be mortgaged by foreign trade tariffs, collected on behalf of the Alliance, and a portion deducted for compensation paid to the Empire.

The part collected on behalf of the Alliance mainly consisted of goods traveling from Jin Jialun Port to Poluo Province, with different goods having the tariffs discussed and agreed upon in a separate contract by both parties.

In other words, the Empire’s Emperor didn’t have to take this compensation out of the treasury and could even make money from the Alliance. And given the current trade variety in Jin Jialun Port was much more than before, it’s possible they could earn even more.

Therefore, upon hearing this "improved solution," Duke Garava immediately agreed.

As for the ownership of Jin Jialun Port, the Alliance could not allow the Empire to mess around with it, and Duke Garava obviously didn’t expect to win it back by talk, so he proposed setting aside the dispute and maintaining the current status.

That is, the Alliance would not turn Jin Jialun Port into its seventh or eighth settlement, and the Empire would neither reclaim nor relinquish future rights.

But the Alliance had no intention of making Jin Jialun Port its own territory, which did not align with the Alliance’s interests or purpose; hence, Alliance Foreign Minister Cheng Yan agreed to the proposal.

After the cease-fire agreement came into effect, Jin Jialun Port would officially release all prisoners of war.

In addition, the Empire also received a compensation package worth 1.5 billion dinars.

However, this compensation was not part of the cease-fire agreement but due to another agreement - the bereavement fund bill recently passed in the Sticky Community Congress.

This compensation primarily came from the Sticky Community, paid from the military funds jointly contributed by the Community, to compensate soldiers "who fought for humanity’s fate and were thus killed or disabled."

The compensated parties could decide how to use the funds, but at least 30% of the compensation must be spent directly or indirectly for personal use.

One thing after another, no matter how low the social status and power of the Rat Clan were in Poluo Province, they were recognized by the Sticky Community as "persons with unified natural and societal identity" coming from provinces less affected by the Sticky fungus, hence they received full compensation.

As for why the compensation was in dinars rather than silver coins, the currency most exchanged in the swap agreement, this was strongly insisted upon by Duke Garava.

Chu Guang found it strange, but considering the Empire was after all a good friend of the Weilante People, he did not say much and agreed readily.

However, he did not know that Duke Garava hadn’t thought that way at all – he simply feared if the Sticky Community gave out silver coins, the Alliance might directly seize the funds.

Chu Guang would have definitely laughed aloud at this adorable thought if he had known.

In addition, as the treasury of Jin Jialun Port Bank mainly consisted of slave trade profits, it would not be returned to the Empire but belonged to the local residents of Jin Jialun Port, used for local construction, and managed by the reorganized Jin Jialun Port Bank.

Duke Garava, who had already inquired with the Emperor, had no objections to this, only adding a supplementary item to establish mutual embassies, which Alliance Foreign Minister Cheng Yan also happily accepted.

In short, with the official signing of the cease-fire agreement, the Alliance’s military operations in Jin Jialun Port also officially came to an end.

Although Jin Jialun Port still had some problems, such as low labor income, rampant smuggling, and an increase in crime due to the influx of immigrants, it was much better than the previous settlement where one either ate dirt or people.

Issues had to be resolved one by one, and problems born of development needed to be tackled with development strategies; local survivors couldn’t expect players to solve all problems, especially since the Alliance’s players had already left them some very good tools and methods.

Such as a representative council elected from the citizens and judicial and police institutions with separated enforcement and judicial powers, and so on.

And the second event was the establishment of Dawn City Securities Exchange and Baiyue Corporation’s listing on the market.

After auditing and investigation for over a month, the Alliance Bank and economic departments approved Baiyue Corporation’s listing plan.

The listing process was supervised by economic specialists from Camp 101 who also designed the trading system, while Ideal City’s listing aid organizations completed Baiyue Corporation’s listing guidance.

According to the listing plan approved by Baiyue Corporation’s board of directors, the first batch of shares issued would be 50 million stocks, priced at 10 silver coins per share, accounting for 8% of the total shares, and pledged to allocate no less than 10% of profits for dividends every year.

The funds raised will be fully invested in the expansion of Baiyue Corporation’s main business, striving to make the company stronger and larger.

According to the valuation based on the issue price, the entire Baiyue Corporation is now valued at 6.25 billion Silver Coins!

This figure is even higher than the Alliance’s total fiscal expenditure for last year!

However, everyone familiar with the development of Baiyue Corporation knows that this value is actually underestimated.

Just the operations of Baiyue Province in Jin Jialun Port alone, calculated at a conservative 20 times earnings ratio, are worth more than 6 billion Silver Coins; setting the issue price at 40 Silver Coins is quite conservative.

Issuing at a relatively low price is also a way to share the dividends of development with the residents of the Alliance.

After all, without the workers in the Alliance factories toiling away to create value, the Alliance could not have become an economic miracle in the Wasteland or even have the surplus resources to incubate pioneering places like Potato Harbor.

The best way to repay these people is to give them money directly.

Out of the 50 million shares, 30 million non-circulating shares, a part has already been subscribed by social sector insurance (pension, unemployment insurance, etc.) of the Alliance, and another part has been bought by public sector insurance (rail insurance, housing insurance, etc.), with the main beneficiaries being the middle and low-income residents who pay social insurance and enjoy the most public services.

As for the remaining 20 million shares, they are being issued as circulating shares to the middle and high-income residents of the Alliance.

Holding an Alliance ID card and providing proof of bank deposits or financial transactions within the Alliance territory allows one to open an account at the securities exchange, with a maximum personal subscription of 100,000 shares; the purchase and sale on the secondary market are not restricted.

Players can also trade Baiyue Corporation’s stocks, but for now, they can only trade through the Silver Exchange, and the trading ratio on the Silver Exchange is not restricted, just like other ongoing equity trades that are only reviewed for large transactions.

The reason for this approach is partly because the Silver Exchange’s trading system is already relatively mature, and partly because players’ task earnings are already an order of magnitude higher than those of typical NPCs. There’s no need to compete with NPCs for that bit of dividend; they can just play among themselves.

Besides, with NPC savings, it’s unlikely they could provide an exit for players wishing to cash out.

But this problem doesn’t exist on the Silver Exchange, where a slew of "mysterious customers" are eagerly waiting and willing to spend real money to purchase at any time.

To accommodate the schedule of the majority, the issue date was specifically set on a rest day.

Not only that, but banks in various Alliance settlements have opened windows for proxy account opening; still, on the day of issuing, a long line formed at the entrance of the Dawn City Exchange, nearly paralyzing the traffic on the nearby streets.

Although most Dawn City residents’ impression of Baiyue Corporation remained on the Dawn City North’s seafood market and didn’t know much about the specific business of the company, the headline on the front page of the Goblin Observation Report lit a fire in everyone’s heart—

"Subscribing to Baiyue Corporation’s stocks is to support the Alliance’s overseas expansion efforts!"

Upon seeing this, people immediately became excited like chickens injected with adrenaline.

To support the Alliance’s overseas expansion is to offer loyalty to the Manager, right?

Though the Manager never said so, it doesn’t stop the young lads from imagining it themselves.

Of course, the most critical thing is that they have money in their pockets.

Since Giant Stone City joined the Alliance, what was absorbed was not only Giant Stone City’s technology but also the integration of Giant Stone City’s "Awakener Bol" and the Workers’ Association.

Merchants have their own Merchant Guild, and workers have their own organizations; under the mutual checks and balances of the two forces, the median hourly wage in most factories has risen from 5 Silver Coins before Giant Stone City joined the Alliance to the current 8.

With an issue price of 10 Silver Coins, as long as someone doesn’t spend all their income on alcohol, even someone who washes dishes in a tavern could buy 100 shares.

While most people who opened accounts had never even considered the possibility of making money from this venture, they simply harbored the humble wish to contribute their own strength to the Managers.

Silver Coins could be exchanged for 5 assault rifles.

A single Giant Stone City had already increased their hourly wages by 60%. If they donated 5 guns, it could help the Alliance liberate a few more "Giant Stone Cities." Even if these 1000 Silver Coins were entirely lost, it wouldn’t matter!

"...Have these guys gone mad?!"

Watching the bustling mass of people at the securities exchange, Niyan, who had slipped out from Embassy Street to join the excitement, widened his eyes in astonishment, an expression akin to having seen a sea monster from the Poluo Sea.

The security guard maintaining order in the queue glanced at him, feeling that the face didn’t look like that of a local. Polite, he said,

"Good day, sir. Stock transactions require the original copy of an Alliance Citizen identity card... Would it be convenient for you to show me yours?"

Previously, there had been many Waste Land Wanderers who tried to sneak into the line, only to find out they couldn’t go through the process and start fussing, even becoming aggressive, causing quite a stir. As a result, his superior had instructed him to politely request that those without the qualification to subscribe leave the queue, in order not to waste everyone’s time.

He wasn’t doubting that this guy didn’t bring his identity card; he was wondering if this guy didn’t have one at all.

However, contrary to his expectations, the man first sneaked peeks around him, as if confirming something, then puffed out his chest and took out an identity card from his chest with a large, polite gesture, handing it to him while saying winningly.

"Of course it’s convenient, this is my identification, a genuine identity card... cough, what I mean is it’s absolutely not fake. Do you need to enter my code into the System to confirm, sir?"

The guard was taken aback, partly because of the man’s compliant cooperation, and partly because the man actually had one.

Since the establishment of the Sticky Community, the threshold for obtaining an identity card had been raised from the original three months to a year, and it now required a whole series of complex procedures such as tax payment proof, work proof, and so on. Otherwise, even those who came through the Home of the Refugees could only obtain residency rights as "monitored individuals."

Could it be the refugees from the Battle of Falling Leaves?

He gave the man a peculiar look, nodded his head, and returned the document to him.

"That won’t be necessary, just showing it to me is fine; subsequent staff will verify the authenticity of the documents. And... thank you for your cooperation, I wish you a pleasant life."

"I wish you a pleasant life too."

Niyan bowed courteously, even more so than to Duke Garava, a radiant smile on his face.

As early as his first day in the City of Dawn, he had learned how to apply for an Alliance identity card. Back then, the threshold was not as high as it is now—it was enough to be in the City of Dawn and work a monthly total of 120 hours.

He found a tavern operated by Waste Land Wanderers, paid the owner a sum of money, and easily resolved this issue.

Duke Garava might be bad-tempered, but as long as you fluttered around him pleasingly, he was quite generous.

Of course, there were still many smart people in the Alliance, particularly with the help of the Moon tribeswomen from Potato Harbor, the loophole of "paid Work" had been closed, and the threshold for obtaining documents had been significantly raised.

However, the law does not apply retroactively; for the "City of Dawn Resident status" that he already held in his hands, there was no impact.

At that time, he had obtained the card simply out of admiration for that esteemed personage, yet he never imagined that his decision at the time would bring him such a great benefit.

The Baiyue Corporation might have given his emperor a good thrashing, but what of it?

He hated every single one of the thousand pillars in the City of Thousand Pillars. He wished Baiyue Corporation would take another step forward and smash all of their pillars to pieces—that would be best.

Even taking down just one pillar of those Mouse Tribe people would be good!

The residents of Dawn City thought that losing money was no big deal, which was convenient because he felt the same way, even more radical in fact—he thought there were still too few dead rats on Ten Peaks Mountain!

Of course.

Having read every issue of the Survivor’s Daily carefully, he knew full well that this was a welfare benefit the Manager had scattered to everyone. Losing money was almost impossible; it was more like picking it up for free.

The line moved slowly.

After queuing for a full two hours, Niyan finally saw the grand entrance of the securities exchange, and his heart started pounding excitedly in rhythm with the advancing queue.

Although his documents had been checked three times by three different security guards during these two hours, his mood wasn’t affected in the slightest, nor did he feel discriminated against in any way.

After all, this slight offense was nothing compared to the humiliation he suffered in the White Elephant City and under Duke Garava.

It would be better for them to make the checks even more rigorous, so no other mice could sneak in with their dirty paws and taint the little bit of cream he had finally managed to taste.

The queue had finally come to an end.

The air conditioning in the hall cooled some of the heat from his heart. Following the instructions of the staff, he quickly received his number and the forms he needed to fill out and, upon hearing his number called, rushed impatiently to the counter.

A beautiful Alliance girl handled his paperwork, her face as delicate as the cobblestones on the beach, her eyes sparkling enchantingly, as if reflecting the light of the water.

Compared to her, Duke Garava’s wife and mistresses were like cows in a shanty!

He admitted that his eyesight might have been filtered, and Alliance cosmetics indeed did wonders, but he could swear he wasn’t lying.

In the Alliance, even the average person shone so brightly!

A little uncomfortable under his ardent gaze, the teller coughed lightly and spoke in a strictly business tone,

"Please present your ID."

"Niyan, Alliance citizen."

Niyan quickly presented his well-worn ID, flashing her a diligent smile.

She faced thousands of such smiles every day, but she still responded with a professional one, took the already completed form from his hand after confirming his ID.

His eagerness verging on zealotry was probably characteristic of wasteland wanderers who had recently joined the Alliance.

She thought as much, glancing at the form, but surprise flickered in her eyes after seeing the number of shares he filled in, and she inadvertently opened her polished lips wide in astonishment,

"...Ninety thousand shares?!"

That was nearly the personal purchase limit!

How did this guy make so much money?

It wasn’t that she was materialistic; she treated all clients equally. It was just that the contrast this client presented was too great, like a beggar pulling out a large stack of cash from his pocket.

It was hard not to wonder where his money came from.

Seeing the surprise in the young woman’s eyes, Niyan smiled modestly yet couldn’t conceal the pride in his gaze.

"I made a little money from my business, an absolutely legitimate transaction that you’re free to investigate... however, after your investigation, please give me this opportunity. I’m a citizen of the Alliance too, and I want to invest this money into greater ventures."

Repressing the surprised look on her face, the teller continued.

"Due to my responsibilities, I must tell you upfront that Baiyue Corporation doesn’t engage in any so-called greater ventures. It’s purely an organization aimed at profit, fundamentally different from relief organizations like Home of the Refugees."

"We need you to clearly understand that this is an investment, not a donation, nor a gamble. All investment activities come with risks, and you have to take responsibility for your choices and swear that you are fully aware of what you’re doing."

"Do I need to raise a few fingers and swear?" Niyan asked with a smile, lifting his right hand above his head.

"No need," the teller said as she pulled out two contracts from a drawer, "you have to read this Equity Subscription Agreement and the Risk Disclosure Document carefully and sign at the end."

Niyan took the contracts and pen, casually signing his name on both documents without a glance, then gently placed the pen on the table.

"I’m well aware that this isn’t some grand venture and that the esteemed Manager doesn’t need this bit of money from me, but still, I hope they can speed things up, just a bit faster... please understand the modest wishes of a mere mouse. I am too insignificant, insignificant to the extent that my master doesn’t even consider me, deeming me too weak to even have the right to betray him... and indeed, I don’t have that right, I really don’t. My business couldn’t work without his support."

Watching the puzzled teller, Niyan slightly bowed in a traditional Imperial court gesture.

"I wish you a pleasant life, beautiful lady. In Poluo Province, a girl your age is nothing more than merchandise... of course, as livestock myself, I am no different."

Watching the man who completed all the procedures and turned to leave the building, the girl behind the counter blinked in confusion and quietly asked her older colleague a question.

It was her senior at work, someone she trusted greatly.

"Is Poluo Province really that exaggerated?"

As she spoke, she didn’t stop working, quickly tapping on the tablet, and calling the next number.

Her colleague shook his head ambiguously and made a jocular remark with no clear stance before moving on to the next task.

"You never know how much truth there is in the words of Waste Land Wanderers. Perhaps he was just trying to hit on you, look at that guy, he must be from Potato Harbor. I heard that people there dream of pairing up with someone from the City of Dawn... Ah, that said, Potato Harbor is already quite far."

As for Poluo Province, it was so distant that he had no interest in learning about it, having only eaten its local dishes at a restaurant out of curiosity.

But those "porridges" turned out to be pretty unimpressive; he couldn’t tell the difference between them at all, certainly not when compared to the dazzling array of delicacies in the Alliance.

Maybe Baiyue Corporation really did change the lives of people there, like how The Church’s people use cutlery and eat at tables, so much so that the people still hoped for more.

But that’s their business, not his. He was just a small-time clerk in Dawn City, and he didn’t care for that sort of thing.

In comparison, he was more concerned with the respected Manager and the interests of the Alliance. At least that justified his hourly wage of 8 Silver Coins.

Praise the Manager!

He would remain forever loyal to that noble gentleman, who could have kept all the money in his own pocket, making those in the queue only look on in envy.

He heard that the hourly wage of a survivor in Jin Jialun was only one-tenth of his, and before that, even less.

He was really curious how they managed to survive.