Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 100 The moon is still there, and so is the road!
When Cheng Ye left the clinic in the afternoon, he had already completed the health procedures.

In fact, his injuries had fully recovered two days ago, but he waited until the last day to leave in order to avoid attracting attention.

The checkpoint also assigned accommodation to Wang Kang. At Wang Kang's strong request, he was assigned to the fourth floor of the dormitory building where Cheng Ye from Chaoyang Electronics Factory lived.

That is, the room where we killed the infected before. In this way, one of them lives on the fifth floor and the other on the fourth floor, so they can look out for each other.

"People have died here before, aren't you scared?"

As soon as he entered, Cheng Ye pointed to the spot by the door and smiled, "It was the infected person I killed with my own hands."

"What are you afraid of?"

Wang Kang tossed his backpack onto the bed and glanced indifferently at the empty room. "Even if a corpse were next to me, I'd still sleep."

This is the biggest difference between wastelanders and modern people; Wang Kang is, in the end, still a wastelander.

Having witnessed countless partings and deaths, I feel no fear whatsoever towards these things.

"Okay, let's make do for now, and then we can gradually add furniture later."

Cheng Ye still had some reservations, so he had Da Long and his men clear out all the original furniture in the house and replace it with brand new beds, tables and stools. They even carefully scraped off the mold stains in the corners of the walls.

"Thanks, Brother Cheng!"

Wang Kang paused, seemingly wanting to say something more, but Cheng Ye patted him on the shoulder.

it is more than words.

"Get some rest, you have to get up early tomorrow."

"Ok!"

Cheng Ye closed the door behind him, and for some reason, a sense of peace welled up inside him.

Wang Kang gave him a feeling different from anyone else; it was an equal and pure friendship.

It felt very comfortable; being together made them both feel relaxed.

Go back to the fifth floor and open the security door.

A musty smell mixed with dust and dampness hit him, so Cheng Ye quickly opened all the doors and windows, and also opened the corridor window, letting the cross breeze in. He let it air out for a full half hour before the smell gradually faded away.

Compared to the clean and tidy ward in the medical center, the environment of this tenement building was absolutely terrible.

The paint was peeling off, the ground was pitted, and a thin layer of mold had formed in the corners.

But Cheng Ye felt an unprecedented sense of ease after sitting in the room for only a short while.

There were no medical staff watching him, no Garcia staying next door, no waves of people coming to probe him; he had his own little world to himself.

He bent down, lifted a corner of the wooden bed, and took out two long spears from under the bed, carefully disassembling them.

The barrel, bolt, magazine—each part was carefully wiped with a cloth soaked in gun oil until it shone with a warm metallic luster, and then reassembled.

It has to be said that having such a powerful weapon in your hand gives you a sense of security.

Cheng Ye glanced at the air twice and decided to carry both guns with him when he was on duty from now on.

If we were to encounter another super-powerful infected like the Rotten Ivy, at least we would have the confidence to fight back directly.

As for Wang Kang, there's no need to use someone who's clearly beyond his current capabilities.

This is what we need for fighting tough battles.

What he taught Wang Kang was to slip away when things went wrong, and to rely on the guards to fight off the infected, which is also the duty method of most first- and second-stage prosecutors.

Furthermore, he had already bought Wang Kang a Bison fighting pistol, which would be sufficient to handle the initial situation.

After dealing with the weapons, Cheng Ye carried a bucket to the water room to fetch water, intending to quickly wash off the sweat on his body.

As soon as he entered, he saw Huang Sheng drying himself under the tap. Hearing the noise, Huang Sheng turned around, his face showing a mixture of surprise and delight: "Sir, you're back?"

"Well, I just came back."

As Cheng Ye filled a bucket with water, he glanced at Huang Sheng's body. The large bruises from the fight with the infected on the pedestrian street that night hadn't faded yet.

"Get some rest. You need to take care of your health. Don't overwork yourself."

"Don't worry, sir, I'm in great spirits!"

Huang Sheng laughed heartily, his tone revealing a sense of enthusiasm, "Thanks to the elders, I've already reached Level 5 authority in the Public Works Department. I'm currently busy with the reclamation of the southern suburbs. A large number of new people will be coming in soon, and the people in the industrial zone will also be relocated back. We can't afford to be slow at all."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly fell on Cheng Ye, and he blinked in surprise: "Oh, sir, your injuries..."

Cheng Ye took off his clothes, revealing his strong muscles. Under his healthy wheat-colored skin, every muscle was clearly defined, not exaggerated, but full of power.

"Where did you think I went? I stayed at the medical center for a week."

Cheng Ye picked up the bucket and poured the water over his head.

The cool water flowed down his hair to his neck, somewhat like a shower, but far from comfortable; it was more of a rough, masculine clean-cut look.

"The checkpoint will open tomorrow, so be extra careful, just in case an infected person manages to sneak in."

"Don't worry, sir, I understand!"

Huang Sheng immediately suppressed his smile and nodded solemnly.

Cheng Ye grunted in response and said nothing more; only the sound of rushing water remained in the washroom.

After taking a shower and returning to his room, Cheng Ye lay down on the bed. He glanced at the defense communication device and saw that it was only nine o'clock, still early. He subconsciously reached for a book on the bedside table.

I touched it a couple of times before realizing there was no bedside table nearby, and the room was empty, with nothing to pass the time.

The books in the ward have been sent for lamination and will probably take two or three days to be retrieved.

With no books to read and nothing else to do late at night, Cheng Ye simply closed his eyes and prepared to sleep.

But the mind doesn't calm down so easily.

Before they knew it, Liu Bi had been gone for more than half a month.

The buffer zone was hit by an infection wave, causing a large-scale exodus of people. The infighting between factions intensified, and the clashes of ideologies became more frequent. The life-or-death struggles with the merged entity, and the probing and maneuvering in dealing with all sorts of people further complicated matters.
One event after another flashed through his mind like movie clips, and he couldn't help but start reviewing them.

Every detail was scrutinized repeatedly: what areas were not handled well enough, what choices might have been made differently, who were worth befriending, and who needed to be constantly wary of.
The more Cheng Ye thought about it, the clearer he became. He simply sat up and stood by the window, looking at the bright moon.

People today do not see the moon of old, yet the moon of today once shone on people of old.

I didn't quite understand that sentence back then, but now it seems tailor-made for him.

Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, Cheng Ye's surging restlessness gradually subsided.

The moon is still there, and the road is still there.

Tomorrow will be a new beginning.

The moon sets and the sun rises.

As dawn broke, Cheng Ye, unusually, was not in a deep sleep and woke up more than ten minutes early, before the alarm clock even went off.

Fetch water and wash up.

Everything felt so natural. As the days passed in Happiness City, I had completely gotten used to the rhythm of the place.

After packing everything up, Cheng Ye disassembled the two spears, carefully wrapped the parts in canvas, stuffed them into his backpack, and carried them downstairs.

The door on the fourth floor was indeed open, and Wang Kang was already dressed.

Wearing a brand-new long-sleeved shirt and trousers, carrying the canvas bag Cheng Ye picked out at a street stall, and with a Bison fighting pistol at his waist, he stood in the morning light in the stairwell, his brows furrowed with a hint of tension, but more so with barely suppressed excitement, his spirits high. "Good form, keep it up."

"Don't worry, Brother Cheng!"

The two went downstairs together. Cheng Ye went to the meat canteen and bought a bag of fried pork. He didn't dare to look closely at what was inside, but Wang Kang ate it with relish, chewing it one bite at a time with a crunchy sound.

I would occasionally praise the big butcher shop at the entrance of the community, saying that the quality was much better than what I could buy elsewhere.

When we reached the street corner, it was time to fork in the road.

One is heading south, and the other is heading north.

Cheng Ye took two steps and subconsciously turned to look at Wang Kang's back. The boy's steps were big and hurried, as if he couldn't wait to prove himself.

It wasn't until it was almost around the street corner that it completely disappeared from sight.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the North Station.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment he turned around, Wang Kang, who was on the other side of the street corner, suddenly stopped and turned around as well.

She watched Cheng Ye's retreating figure silently, her determination growing stronger.

"Prosecutor Cheng, off to duty?"

Mr. Tian stood beside the bus, unusually not wiping it down today.

Cheng Ye glanced around and realized that the carriage was already packed with people.

Compared to the massive crowds of the past few days, there were significantly fewer migrants today, with an estimated two to three thousand people throughout the day.

But these people were dressed much more neatly than before, and many of them carried long guns on their backs.

Although it was a privately circulated guard rifle with mediocre power, its advantage was obvious when it came to a small pistol.

"The checkpoint is reopening today, so there might be quite a few people there."

Master Tian understood the implication and immediately laughed: "People from outside can't afford the bus fare. Those who ride my bus are all people who have long been settled in the buffer zone and are very well-behaved."

"It's better to be careful."

Cheng Ye got into the car and sat in the front seat that Master Tian had specially vacated.

Within two minutes, the carriage was packed full, and the vehicle swayed and bumped as it headed toward the checkpoint.

"Dude, are you working at a checkpoint?"

Cheng Ye stood out in the carriage, completely different from the other migrants around him who carried their luggage and looked anxious.

Some people couldn't help but come up and chat. In the past, they would never have dared to be so casual, but now that they were leaving this land, many of the unspoken rules were no longer rules.

"Yes, the checkpoint has reopened today, so I have to start my shift now."

"Good luck to you then."

These four words, spoken without the usual envy, instead conveyed a genuine and earnest sincerity.

When Cheng Ye turned his head, many people nodded slightly when their eyes met his, offering their silent blessings.

It seems they are all elderly people who have lived in Happiness City for a long time and understand what the reopening of the checkpoints after the wave of infections means.

Will you come back?

“I’m not coming back.” The middle-aged man sitting next to Cheng Ye shook his head slightly. His wife and two young boys who had just come of age were with him. “I’ve endured so many years here, and I’ve finally watched them grow up. It’s time to go somewhere else and find a way to make a living.”

"Within a destination?"

"1400 kilometers away, in the Blue Dragon Super Sanctuary City of Shanxi Province."

The middle-aged man pursed his chapped lips, a hint of longing in his eyes. "The radio said that everyone there gets land, and they farm within the protected area. They only have to pay half of the harvest. And the industrial infrastructure there is said to be almost on par with Happiness City."

"Is that so?" Cheng Ye nodded slightly, then looked at a young man carrying an old canvas bag diagonally opposite him.

When his gaze swept over him, the young man forced a smile: "I'm not going to the city of refuge. I plan to go to the settlement instead. I'll decide where to go after I leave the city."

Cheng Ye didn't ask any more questions, but simply nodded at the two of them, "Well then, I wish you good luck too."

The scenery passing by outside the window gradually blurred in his eyes, but some thoughts inexplicably arose in his mind.

The outside world may not be as scary as we imagine.

The anticipation in the eyes of these migrants gave him a renewed sense of hope for his upcoming fieldwork.

When the car arrived at the checkpoint, everyone lined up to get off from the back door and walked along the right-hand passage to the verification area.

Cheng Ye waited a while longer in his seat until most of the people in front of him had left before getting off through the front door and heading straight to the staff passage on the left.

No one in the queue found it strange, since they already knew he was from the checkpoint while they were in the car.

But the next second, the eight guards standing at the door saw Cheng Ye and immediately straightened their backs, jogging up to greet him with respectful smiles: "Prosecutor Cheng, you've arrived!"

The obsequious manner caused the middle-aged family and the young man, who had just reached the right-hand passage, to stop in their tracks, their weariness instantly replaced by astonishment.

They had assumed that Cheng Ye, being so young and seemingly unassuming, was just an ordinary low-level employee. But what about the prosecutor?

Everyone froze in place, their eyes following Cheng Ye's retreating figure as he disappeared into the passage.

As the next bus arrived and pushed the line forward, each person had their own inner turmoil.

During their long stay in the buffer zone, they had virtually no contact with the prosecutors. However, their last meeting before leaving left them with a complex and indescribable feeling about Happiness City.

Upon entering the exit passage, the normal entrance on the left remained closed, while a separate passage was opened on the right, with two large characters painted in red on a wooden sign hanging above it:

renounce citizenship!
According to the procedure, everyone must first return their defense device and then put their resident ID card into the metal trash can next to the passage to complete the final procedure.

drop.

The staff member took the defense device, scanned it on the instrument, and then took out five bags of nutrient solution and four strips of pills from the box behind him.

One strip of red for inflammation, one strip of blue for fever reduction, one strip of purple for diarrhea control, and one strip of green for life-saving.

"This is Happiness City's final gift to you. We hope that as you leave here, you will continue on your journey to find happiness!"

"Thank you!"

Whether one moves alone or with their whole family, everyone receives the same gift, without any reduction just because they are a family.

As we continued forward, the staff standing along the way smiled and nodded; no one questioned us or urged us on.

Unlike the rigorous checks I underwent when I joined, the atmosphere upon leaving was peculiar, like bidding farewell to a traveler on a long journey, tinged with a touch of melancholy yet also a hint of blessing.

It wasn't until they stepped out of the quarantine line and their shoes touched the soft ground outside the city that everyone turned around in surprise.

The colossal wall that stretched across the land remained silent, but scenes from when I first arrived here many years ago suddenly exploded in my mind!

The shock of seeing a live light for the first time, the surprise of receiving free nutritional supplements for the first time, the sense of security of finding a place to live for the first time, the joy of starting a family and the birth of children.
These emotions, worn down by time, are now like seeds being awakened, slowly emerging from the depths of the heart, making one's nose tingle with emotion.

"I hope there will be a day when I can come back."

The middle-aged man, who had previously stubbornly vowed never to turn back, looked at the giant wall and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

His wife quietly wiped away her tears, while his two sons curiously gazed at the open fields outside the city, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future, not lingering attachment.

Some people have left.

But their roots remain here!
　P.S.: A new beginning, the start of a new chapter. I hope to write this major storyline well from here on out.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)