Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 109: Two Good Fortunes, Auspicious Omens!
Given the size of the sanctuary city, cracking down on smuggling would be incredibly easy.

As long as all goods are registered when the caravan enters the checkpoint, and the registration form is checked again when the goods are shipped out, the smuggled goods can be easily identified by comparing the two.

The reason why no sanctuary cities chose to do this, and instead tacitly allowed caravans to trade freely after passing the inspection, is mainly because in the past, sanctuary cities that had tried to strictly inspect were all blacklisted by caravans.

First, the 20% inspection tax is actually a kind of performance-based incentive.

Wasteland caravans have always been driven by profit. Without sufficient incentive, no one would risk being attacked by infected, mutated creatures, and raiders to run trade routes.

Simple, normal trade in goods simply cannot attract a continuous stream of caravans.

Even at its peak, Happiness City had to allocate an extra 5% of its profits as a "sweetener".

Now that the 5% is gone, the extra inspection tax has become a new incentive.

If we manage to dodge it, it's equivalent to making an extra truckload of profit.

If caught, at most all the profits from smuggling will be lost, and you'll have to pay an additional 10%, which is still within acceptable limits.

The allure of taking a gamble made caravans both love and hate the super-sanctuary cities, unable to resist trying their luck time and time again.

Secondly, even if the sanctuary city conducts strict inspections, there will always be countermeasures to policies, which will only lead to a more complex smuggling chain.

The caravan could have sold the goods to nearby settlements first, and then had scavengers bring them into the city in batches.

But with each additional link in the chain, a layer of profit is taken away.

Once or twice is fine, but when unexpected things happen occasionally, more and more caravans find it troublesome and simply blacklist these "inflexible" sanctuary cities.

After all, there is more than one sanctuary city in the wasteland, and caravans have plenty of choices.

You're cracking down hard? Then I'll just go do business in the sanctuary city next door that turns a blind eye to smuggling.

For the city of Sanctuary, losing caravans meant a halt in the flow of goods, which was far more detrimental than tolerating some losses from smuggling.

This is the unspoken balance between the two sides.

“The city of Sanctuary tacitly allows caravans to test the limits of the rules in exchange for the continued flow of goods. In return, the caravans accept a cut of the inspection tax, treating smuggling as a game of risk and reward.”

Cheng Ye did not stop the inspection, but stood next to the staff, silently pondering, his mind constantly flashing through the manual's description of smuggling.

These rules of the game, which were written out in plain sight, seemed a bit incomprehensible and impressive when I first memorized them, but now they suddenly have a vivid explanation.

Looking back now, the inspection tax was not only a stimulant for caravans, but also for the inspectors.

If you can't scrape off any scraps, who would be willing to meticulously inspect every car and every corner to check for contamination by sources of infection?

If there is any oversight and a wave of infections is unknowingly triggered, the cost would be unbearable!
Ten minutes passed quickly.

The staff were still engrossed in inspecting the dried fish, each person working diligently and without the slightest slackening.

For them, discovering smuggled goods is a major achievement.

Only by accumulating enough merits can one have the opportunity to be promoted to observer or apply for a transfer to a formal department within the buffer zone, thus securing a stable, government-employed job.

But reality is often not as we wish.

The caravan had long since figured out the routine inspection methods, making it virtually impossible to find problems right under their noses.

Some people did have the idea of ​​splitting open the dried fish to check it, but the thought was quickly suppressed.

Because if there's nothing inside after it's split open, it's equivalent to damaging the caravan's goods.

Of everyone present, only Prosecutor Cheng Ye had the authority to make this decision; no one else, including Ah She, had that qualification.

Anyone who rashly suggests that Cheng Ye do this, but ends up not finding anything, will be held responsible.

At best, they will have to compensate for the loss of the goods; at worst, they will be held accountable and dismissed by the checkpoint.

After all, the rules are there; you can't just conduct a search blindly for the sake of searching. You need solid evidence before you can take real action.

Otherwise, if everyone makes random suggestions in their pursuit of advancement, without any discernible order, the checkpoint would have long since fallen into chaos.

"Okay, everyone, please put the dried fish back in the car. No problem."

Cheng Ye raised his hand to stop them, his voice deliberately a few decibels louder, "Be careful of the swordfish's mouthparts, don't get cut again."

The words fell.

Standing outside the isolation fence, Jin Dafei's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, a hint of smugness in his expression.

Of course, this is from Cheng Ye's perspective.

To others, it looked like a mix of grievance and relief at finally getting through the ordeal.

Bundles of dried fish were loaded back onto the truck and stacked up in the same way as before.

"Ah Snake, direct the trucks in later, don't rush to disinfect it, just let it wait there."

Cheng Ye said calmly, gesturing with his chin towards the isolation ward, "You know what to do, right?"

Ah She paused for a moment, a slight look of surprise flashing across her face, before quickly concealing it and nodding in agreement.

Has this young prosecutor, Cheng, already discovered the problem?
"Don't worry, sir, I understand."

"That's good. Don't let him have a chance to contact the outside world. Keep an eye on him."

The "he" here refers to the driver, of course.

All the salted fish were moved back into the truck bed, and the truck headed to the disinfection area under guidance.

Because the previous truck was still being disinfected, the driver was guided by Ah She to park the truck in front of the isolation ward.

The moment the truck came to a stop, four guards who had been standing in the corner silently emerged and surrounded the truck from four angles. Their movements were so natural, like a routine guard duty, but they had invisibly cut off the connection between the driver's cab and the outside world.

At the same time, two guards quickly stood on either side of the truck.

"Friend, get off the bus first, and get on when it's your turn."

"okay!"

The driver in the cab sensed that something was wrong and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, but he had no choice but to obey the guard's orders and get out of the car and stand at the front.

Turning my head to look at the inspection area, I found it was far away, and the rain was affecting my visibility.

Jin Dafei clearly failed to notice anything amiss and was completely unaware that the second truck had already been brought under control.

Ah She walked in and nodded slightly.

"Next one!"

Cheng Ye called out, his gaze falling on the third truck that was slowly driving in, and he had already roughly guessed what was inside the truck bed.

The truck was weighed, and the weight display showed 14.7 tons.

As soon as the train came to a stop in the inspection area, the little black dog started barking at the carriage, attracting everyone's attention.

"Sir, those are some mutated crystals inside, it's written on the shipment order!" Jin Dafei shouted loudly through the isolation net, his tone revealing a deliberate frankness.

Differential crystallization?

Everyone remained calm, knowing in their hearts that this was the toll.

After the driver finished the inspection and went to the corner, as soon as he opened the back door of the truck, Xiao Heizi jumped up and started yelling at the wooden crate in the corner.

"Quiet down, you little black guy!"

Ah She slapped the dog's head, then led his men to open the wooden box. Inside, there were indeed neatly stacked pale white mutated crystals, with what appeared to be flowing clouds and mist inside.

"My lord, this is the most common Moon Bird Crystal, which costs around 42 points per kilogram."

He crouched down and weighed it in his hand; it wasn't light.

After weighing it on the scale, the net weight was 44.3 kilograms after deducting the weight of the wooden box, totaling 1860 contribution points.

The 20% inspection tax brought in 372 points of revenue for the checkpoint.

"Sir, you see, we do business in a lawful manner, and we have paid every penny of the inspection tax that is due."

Jin Dafei called out again, his face displaying just the right amount of subservience.

Cheng Ye turned around and nodded slightly. This guy is quite a character.

Or rather, the leaders of these caravans are all shrewd individuals. Whether they are hiding anything or not is another matter, but they put on a flawless show of their abilities.

According to Ah She, yesterday Inspector Qiao inspected three caravans that were even larger than the Red Mountain Caravan, and only found a total of 2100 points.

The Red Mountain caravan alone voluntarily handed over 1860 crystals.

"Judging from this, they seem quite sensible. They smuggled quite a lot of things, and they're willing to hand over a considerable amount."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, and an additional thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Whether this idea will come to fruition depends on Jin Dafei's subsequent reaction and attitude.

The third vehicle was quickly inspected; it was carrying small items from other sanctuary cities, including industrial products and handicrafts—all rare and unfamiliar goods.

The price is impossible to estimate, but it is all within the tax-free range and cannot be considered a high-value item.

"Alright, drive away!"

Cheng Ye raised his hand to let them pass, and only one truck remained in line at the checkpoint.

This time, Jin Dafei didn't wait any longer; instead, he clung to the car door and followed the truck in.

This guy really has a big heart. Even though he was carrying 5,000 points of smuggled goods in his car, he didn't feel nervous at all. Instead, he became more and more relaxed.

The truck was weighed; it weighed 10.9 tons.

The weights of the four trucks decrease sequentially, and by this truck, after deducting its own weight, the load capacity is less than half.

As expected, Xiao Heizi had a keen sense of smell. As soon as the car came to a stop, it barked at the back door again, its tail held straight up.

Visibly, Jin Dafei's expression finally changed, and he put on a tense look.

After getting off the bus, he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and fear.

"Sir, I didn't know anyone else had put things inside. It's possible they forgot during loading, but we definitely registered everything. All the goods are recorded on the shipment manifest, and we can prove that!"

"Is it?"

Cheng Ye gave a slight smile and gestured for the staff to conduct a basic check on Jin Dafei and the driver first.

For no apparent reason, Jin Dafei shivered, reading something from the smile.

It is confidence, and it is also composure.

After completing the entire process, both of them had no problems and retreated to the corner as instructed.

"Luckily, Old Lu insisted that I prepare some toll money, otherwise this young prosecutor would have been really hard to fool."

Jin Dafei secretly rejoiced.

He had regretted it when he saw Cheng Ye from afar.

The crystalline powder in the fourth truck was meant to be "pass money" left for the inspectors.

In most large and medium-sized sheltered cities, inspectors would simply let this pass without further ado.

Even in a super-sanctuary city, the inspectors have become stricter, and they will go easy on those who have accepted bribes.

He had thought that Cheng Ye was young and might not need to spend money, but now it seemed that he was glad he hadn't saved that money.

Damn, that laugh was terrifying.

It gives him the illusion that all his methods are being seen through.

"Open the door!"

Little Blackie could no longer contain himself; his tail swept rapidly across the ground, and he let out an urgent growl.

The moment the rear hatch was slightly ajar, it darted up like an arrow and began tearing furiously at the wooden floorboards, its canine teeth leaving shallow marks on the surface.

That black dog is really something!
Jin Dafei watched from the corner, his eyelids twitching. He had heard from other caravans that there was a black dog in Happiness City that could catch anything unless it was completely sealed or its smell was covered up.

When I saw it today, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

Ah She gestured for his men to step forward, and with a crowbar, they forcefully pried along the gap in the wooden planks, causing the entire movable floorboard to rise with a snap.

Below were dozens of neatly stacked packets of loose crystalline powder, all finely ground from moonbird crystals.

This stuff can significantly enhance the efficacy of anti-inflammatory drugs when mixed in, and even in powder form, it fetches the same price as a whole crystal.

The staff quickly gathered the powder and weighed it; the electronic scale displayed the following numbers:
19.8 kg.

At 42 points per kilogram, that's another 831 contribution points.

With a 15% commission, inspector Cheng Ye would receive 124 points, almost equal to his entire day's earnings from working in Quarantine Zone A yesterday.

"Is a 30% tax rate okay?"

Cheng Ye turned around and his gaze fell on Jin Dafei's face.

Jin Dafei paused for a moment, then forced a stiff smile. "No, no problem. It was our oversight, and we should be punished!"

Cheng Ye didn't dwell on the registration issue, which means he already knew the intricacies involved.

Since the other party had offered him a way out, he was too lazy to continue playing the charade of ignorance and simply agreed readily to avoid any further complications.

"Sir, it's full of sea cucumber rope."

"Bring them all down."

The seaweed rope, though seemingly bulky, is actually very light, which explains why the fourth truck only weighs a little over 10 tons.

One by one, rope balls the size of hula hoops were unloaded from the truck and piled on a spread-out waterproof tarpaulin. The staff weighed and recorded them one by one. Judging from the weight alone, it was exactly the same as the record on the delivery note, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Ah She crouched down and tried tugging at one corner of the rope ball, trying to check if there were any hidden compartments inside.

But this sea silk rope is as tough as steel wire, and it is tightly wound. No matter how hard he tries, the rope ball doesn't budge, let alone tear a gap.

"Sir, this rope ball is wrapped too tightly; it may require a machine to untangle it."

Ah She looked up to ask for instructions, a hint of difficulty in his eyes.

Logically, such rope balls are the best place to hide things, but without conclusive evidence, the caravan's goods cannot be damaged.

Cheng Ye didn't speak, but walked to the pile of rope balls and slowly scanned them with his eyes.

Under the light, the translucent amber-colored rope ball gleamed with an oily sheen, exactly as seen in the intelligence report.

"This is amazing, this search function is so useful."

Cheng Ye touched the seaweed rope and sighed inwardly.

The rope feels like nylon, looks smooth but has just the right amount of friction. For just this one rope ball, Happiness City's purchase price is as high as 200 contribution points.

I counted the rope balls that were unloaded; there were a total of 24. This whole truckload is worth 4800 points.

The miscellaneous goods in the third cart are valued at 1500 points, bringing the total apparent value of the Red Mountain caravan's goods to 14400 points, with a profit of around 3000 points.

However, since the Moonbird Crystal of 1860 points is subject to a 20% tax, the profit is 2700 points.

However, the hidden goods are the real prize: 5000 steel crystal powder and 2000 mutated crystals inside the fish's belly, totaling 7000. If it goes undetected, the net profit is 1400 points, bringing the total profit to 4100 points.

But if he catches you, not only will you lose those 1400 points, but you'll also have to pay a fine of 700 points, reducing your profit to 2000 points.

After doing the math, Cheng Ye immediately understood the situation and turned to ask:

"Jin Dafei, could you untangle these rope balls so we can inspect them?"

"Sir, this was bound together by machine; we can't untangle it by hand."

Jin Dafei pretended to be embarrassed and continued to explain, "This is a famous specialty of our Red Mountain Shelter City. If you can bring the machine, sir, we can guide you on how to unlock it."

"is it?"

Cheng Ye smiled slightly.

It must be said that he really enjoys this feeling of control.

"Ah She, carry a rope ball back into the carriage, and find me a flashlight."

"Okay, my lord!"

Upon hearing this command, Jin Dafei's expression changed instantly.

The rope ball was carried into the carriage, and Ah She, with a flashlight, helped Cheng Ye quickly find the rope.

With a gentle pull, the rope unfurled like a flower bud, revealing the fine silver threads inside.

Ah She was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in disbelief, "My lord, this..."

"What is it? Just take it down and ask him."

Seeing Cheng Ye jump out of the car and clap his hands, all the staff members gathered around.

Everyone gasped in amazement upon seeing the rope ball unfurl inside the carriage, their voices filled with undisguised excitement:

"They're really hiding something. These guys are incredibly bold!"

"Hey, you were just saying you wanted the machine, but the adult just untied it with their bare hands!"

"What's in here? It looks a bit like steel crystal powder."

"Hey, it really is. When you shine a flashlight on it, it shimmers with a bluish-white light, which is characteristic of steel crystal powder."

"My God, so much! There must be at least 100g in here!"

The staff members spoke one after another, each word like a needle piercing Jin Dafei's heart. His face grew darker and darker, and his clenched fists turned white at the knuckles.

It wasn't until Cheng Ye walked back to the inspection table and calmly placed his right hand on Thunderbolt 1 that it was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing any thoughts that had just surfaced in Jin Dafei's mind.

This is Happiness City.

He was facing the prosecutor from Happy City!

Anyone who dares to plot against the prosecutors on this land will face endless manhunts, and even if they hide back in Red Mountain Shelter City, they won't be able to save their lives.

"My lord."

"30%."

"Yes, no problem."

Jin Dafei gritted his teeth and replied, his heart bleeding. He had lost 500 points in one fell swoop.

If we switch to firearms, at least 25 guard rifles will be gone.

Fortunately, the mutated crystals inside the cart of dried salted fish were preserved, so the loss was less than a hundred points.

Still acceptable!

Following the method Cheng Ye had just found for pulling the rope, Ah She quickly untied all the rope balls.

Cut open the seaweed tubing and pour all the steel crystal powder into a specially made storage bottle at the checkpoint.

After weighing, it was found to be 1.7kg.

This item is sold by the gram, and 1 gram costs 3 contribution points, making its value 5100 points.

With a 30% inspection tax and 1530 points, Cheng Ye received half, making a huge profit of 765 points.

"grown ups."

Seeing Cheng Ye approach, Jin Dafei quickly straightened up.

When he was discovered immediately, he was both angry and anxious, wondering if something had gone wrong, perhaps the rope ball wasn't tied tightly enough, or the guide rope had given him a clue.

But as soon as Ah She followed Cheng Ye's instructions and untied the remaining rope balls one by one, his resentment vanished instantly.

Now I have absolutely no other thoughts.

This young prosecutor is really capable; he didn't rely on luck. He clearly knew how to find the rope.

In this situation, no matter how well it is hidden, it will be useless. If other caravans came, the result would be the same.

Thinking about it this way, Jin Dafei felt relieved.

The rain made him rush over in the morning, fearing that the checkpoint in Happiness City would be closed for a few more days. He never expected to arrive just in time for this young inspector.

It's fate; if you're not as skilled as others, just accept it!

"What price do you usually sell the dried salted fish at when you bring it inside?"

Dried fish?

Jin Dafei was taken aback, clearly not expecting Cheng Ye to ask this question suddenly. He then honestly replied, "The last time we came to Xingfu City was two years ago. Back then, the manager of the inner city bought it at 240 points per ton."

The truck carries approximately 14 tons, so the price would be 3360 points.

The price per ton isn't expensive, but this stuff definitely won't circulate in the buffer zone.

The problem isn't scarcity, but inequality; the residents of the buffer zone have no problem drinking nutritional syrup every day.

If salted dried fish were distributed to the market and allowed long-time residents to taste it, creating a craving for the food, various conflicts would inevitably arise.

But the inner city doesn't have this concern. It can give residents a change of pace and also serve as a welfare benefit to highlight the superiority of the inner city, thus winning people's hearts.

How about selling me two tons personally?

Cheng Ye paused, then said calmly, "I'm not asking you to give it away for free. I'll buy it from you at 120 yuan per ton."

"120 O'Clock?"

Jin Dafei paused for a moment, then looked up abruptly, his anger, which he had just suppressed, surging up again instantly.

When did Happiness City become so bullying?
They've already uncovered so much, why are they still trying to squeeze money out of the caravan?
However, her anger was barely rising when Cheng Ye's next words pinned her to the spot.

"I heard that you can pry open the mouth of a swordfish by holding the back of its head and reaching inside," Cheng Ye said with a forced smile. "Captain Jin, is this information accurate?"

"Uh"

Jin Dafei opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

It turns out that not only the steel crystal powder inside the sea rope, but also the mutated crystals hidden in the fish's belly were seen through by this young prosecutor.
Looking at Cheng Ye's still somewhat childish face, the anger in my heart instantly turned into a bone-chilling sense of powerlessness.

"The information from the master is correct; the fish mouth can indeed be opened like this."

"That"

"I'll make the decision: send the adults two tons!"

"No, once I say I'll buy, I mean it. How can we inspectors take the caravan's supplies?"

Cheng Ye reached out and patted Jin Dafei on the shoulder.

Dealing with smart people is so much easier.

Cheng Ye did consider using 240 points to acquire two tons at first, but that would be too pretentious.

In the wasteland, no one thinks he's noble just because he follows this rule. On the contrary, if they knew the truth, they would call him a fool behind his back.

In this way, by purchasing at half the price, they neither broke the rules nor failed to gain a clear advantage.

Anyone who knew would praise him for his skill.

As for why the abnormal crystals in the dried salted fish are not detected, the prosecutor's manual provides clear guidance.

Stay on the front line when doing things, and see you in the future.

Cheng Ye liked this sentence very much back then, and now seeing Jin Dafei's performance, it proves it even more.

I lost 500 points on steel crystal powder, but made back 400 points on mutated crystal, plus 240 points from Xianyu, for a total loss of 340 points.

But if all of them are found out, then it's a loss of 700, and the difference is enough to buy 18 guard rifles.

"Thank you, sir. If you ever visit Red Mountain Shelter City in the future, please be sure to send a message to Dafei. I will certainly do my best to be a good host."

Jin Dafei finally understood the situation and managed a smile.

After all that back and forth, he now owes the young prosecutor a favor.

What can be said? That's the wisdom of the prosecutor, and also the foundation of the super sanctuary.

Too many veteran prosecutors in small and medium-sized sanctuary cities, even as they reach middle age, fail to grasp this principle.

They either strictly adhered to the rules and acted impartially, driving the caravans to keep their distance, or they were greedy and ended up digging their own graves.

It's rare to see someone like Cheng Ye who can strike the perfect balance; you can only find such a person in a super-protected city.

"Go disinfect. Things haven't been peaceful in the city lately, so your caravan should be careful."

"Don't worry, sir. We are aware of the infection wave, but Happiness City will not be defeated by a small infection wave."

As the truck slowly drove towards the disinfection area, Jin Dafei clung to the window, turned back, and bowed to Cheng Ye with a gesture of genuine respect that was more heartfelt than before.

Only after the isolation door closed did Cheng Ye breathe a sigh of relief and take out his defense communication device to check the time.

Before I knew it, it was already 11:30.

Inspecting just one convoy took two and a half hours, leaving everyone drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked with perspiration.

Fortunately, the harvest was quite fruitful. The confiscation of steel crystal powder and crystallizing powder alone was enough for everyone present to earn a small credit.

Especially Ah She, when he came over after counting the receipts, his eyes were no longer full of respect, but also showed additional emotions, such as admiration and a bit of awe.

"Sir, this is the list."

The document records the smuggled goods seized and the corresponding fines and confiscations.

Cheng Ye took it and glanced at it, his fingertips pausing on the "dried fish" label. "I bought two tons of dried fish with the caravan. Remember to replenish this."

"it is good!"

Ah She quickly agreed and picked up a pen to add annotations.

According to the rules of the checkpoint, the inspector does have the right to purchase the caravan's goods on the spot, which is not considered a violation.

But Ah She had worked at the checkpoint for six years and this was the first time he had ever seen anyone do this.

Young prosecutors are mostly inexperienced and don't have much spare money, while older prosecutors are not lacking in supplies, at least not to the point of needing to buy them at the checkpoint.

But Cheng Ye was different; this single order earned him a whopping 889 points. He took out 240 points and still had 649 points left.

"Hiss, if those three caravans had run into me yesterday, wouldn't I have made a fortune of almost two thousand in a single day?"

Cheng Ye stroked his chin, his mind racing with calculations.

Of course, it's just a thought.

There are opportunities to make money, but if he checks every truckload that comes in, the efficiency will seem strange to anyone.

After all, he was just an intern.

The fact that they were able to uncover the smuggled goods hidden by the Hongshan caravan was already quite conspicuous.

While it's probably okay to pin these blames on Liu Bi, if they investigate three or five caravans in a row and still try to pin the blame on him, Big Brother B might not be able to handle the responsibility.

After all, in the eyes of the other prosecutors, Liu Bi was a complete brute.

If we can train such an outstanding newcomer as him, then the instructor for future trainee assessments shouldn't be Harlin, but Liu Bi instead.

The thought of Big B standing on the podium, loudly instructing all the trainee prosecutors to learn to be angry made Cheng Ye want to laugh.

Bang, bang bang,

Just then, several gunshots rang out from the neighboring B area. Cheng Ye looked up and peered through the isolation fence.

The two men lay on the ground, surrounded by pools of blood.

This was the first clash at the South Checkpoint this morning, and it unexpectedly occurred in Zone B.

Cheng Ye frowned, but didn't move, showing no intention of going over to greet Song Hai.

The two had met before at the hospital and exchanged pleasantries, but they were hardly close.

It's not that Song Hai is one of those who lean towards the West, but rather that this guy likes to act like a senior figure, and is probably one of those who have gone astray in choosing sides.

Now that he is a promoter of new ideas, contacting these people could easily backfire and cause trouble.

It's past twelve o'clock.

After inspecting the Hongshan caravan, the passageway in Zone C remained empty, and no second caravan from outside arrived.

However, the rainy summer is the off-season for caravans, as muddy roads slow down their journey and humid air makes goods prone to mold.

Unless it's a hot item that needs to be sold quickly, no one is willing to take the risk.

What's frustrating is that the rain not only showed no signs of letting up, but instead seemed to have a floodgate opened, pouring down even harder.

Cheng Ye got up and left the inspection area, intending to go to the back to take shelter from the rain and grab some lunch.

However, when he looked up at the wilderness, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

It's getting foggy!
The city ruins, whose outlines were previously faintly visible, have now been completely swallowed by the white fog, leaving only a blurry shadow, like a giant beast lurking in the mist.

Even the surrounding wilderness, which should have been lush and green, was gradually soaked by the mist, falling into an eerie stillness.

There was no sound of insects chirping, no sound of wind, and even the sound of raindrops falling to the ground seemed to have been mostly absorbed by the fog, becoming dull and distant.

The entire South Checkpoint seemed to be encased in a giant glass dome, surrounded by a light mist, exuding an indescribable sense of oppression.

Cheng Ye turned his head to look in the direction of the buffer zone, and saw that the city was also shrouded in a light mist, as if it were covered with a thin veil.

This natural phenomenon is quite normal and nothing unusual.

But for some reason, he instinctively felt a little flustered and suddenly felt restless.

That was fear from the unknown!

　P.S.: It's almost the end of the month, please give me some votes! The inflammation has subsided, and I'm definitely going to go all out after my wisdom tooth extraction!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)