Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 111 Winning Hearts and Minds, a Tide-Level Catastrophe!
[Urgent Notice]

An unknown natural disaster, "dark fog," has descended upon the area surrounding Happiness City; its impact has now subsided.

[Officers on duty are requested to immediately manage the flow of people and prevent any chaos at the border control point.]

[This fog is a regional natural disaster in Saskatchewan. Relevant data is being urgently retrieved from super and large sheltered cities in Saskatchewan, such as "Tianxin", "Liantan", "Xueyuan" and "Olympus", and is expected to be simultaneously transmitted to the defense communications of the prosecutors by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow at the latest.]

Fog provides strong shielding against electrical signals. Previously, when in fog, the defense communication device would automatically lock due to signal interruption. Now, with the field mode activated for all inspectors, the signal interruption lockout mechanism for the defense communication device will be disabled.

[Based on preliminary monitoring, "fog holes" appear as bubble-like structures within the fog. Touching any of these bubbles in the fog is strictly prohibited, as it may cause the fog holes to connect, resulting in people being forcibly transported to the other side.]

The fog has persisted in Saskatchewan for over three months, with cumulative casualties less than 10,000. The threat level is rated as "smoggy." Inspectors are urged to actively guide residents to respond rationally and avoid spreading panic.

[Follow-up information will be continuously updated. Please report any high-value clues promptly. Happiness City will provide corresponding rewards based on the importance of the information.]

Happiness City has a very fast emergency response speed, especially when faced with known natural disasters.

Almost two or three minutes after the fog cleared, a series of messages were issued.

"The threat level is only tidal level?"

Cheng Ye's gaze paused slightly as he scanned the lines of warning messages.

Defining the threat of a natural disaster solely by the number of casualties may be applicable to other types of natural disasters, but it is clearly not suitable for fog.

Because of the existence of fog holes, the tidal level should only be the average threat level.

The true level of threat depends on what emerges from the fog after it descends.

If it were an extraordinary earthbound spirit or a mother-source infected entity, it wouldn't be surprising if the threat level soared to the devastating level.

Conversely, if nothing appears in the fog, it is merely a special natural phenomenon and poses no threat whatsoever.

"Gambling on luck?"

For an individual, it might be acceptable.

But for a super-sanctuary city like Happy City, every decision involves the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and it is obviously impossible to rely on "luck" to deal with natural disasters.

Cheng Ye could already imagine how rushed the command center in the inner city must be right now, but fortunately, these things were none of his business as a lowly trainee inspector.

As a member of the grassroots level, the prosecutor's task is now very simple: to manage the flow of people.

"Sir, the ant wolves have been cleared out, and the two missing guards have also been found!"

Ah She changed her clothes, but a strong smell of blood still emanated from her.

"Oh, it's all cleaned up already?"

Cheng Ye glanced over and saw dozens of wolf carcasses piled up in a corner of the quarantine area, dripping with black blood.

But he didn't hear any gunshots at this point, so it was clear that no firearms had been used to clear out the ant wolves.

This is normal; the guards who remain at the checkpoint are all highly skilled individuals who have undergone several rounds of screening.

In terms of individual combat strength, they may not be able to catch up with the elite troops selected from the top 100 in the three major legions, but compared with ordinary garrison troops or scavengers, they are already considered outstanding.

"How are the two guards? Are they injured?"

"They were so scared that they hid in the isolation ward and didn't dare to come out. We only found them after we finished cleaning up the wolf carcasses."

"That's good, you've got brains!"

Cheng Ye didn't say much. In this kind of environment, fear is instinctive, and it's not shameful to be able to save your life.

The isolation chamber is made of a special isolation alloy, and as long as it doesn't encounter a special infected entity that can corrode metal, it is indeed much safer than staying outside.

However, after a thorough investigation, bad news came from Area A: one of the staff members had been killed.

The mutated creature that appeared in Area A through the fog hole is a large creature called the Yaksha Bull.

There are six of them in total. They are huge, with each one weighing at least 1200 kilograms. They have a triangular fork on their heads and their bodies are covered with a thick layer of keratin. Ordinary bullets can only produce sparks when they hit them, and they cannot penetrate their defenses at all.

The unfortunate staff member who died was taken advantage of by underestimating the enemy, thinking that an ordinary rifle could suppress the opponent, but was instead headbutted through the chest by the Yaksha Bull.

As for how to deal with this thing, the manual didn't mention it, so it's probably not a mutated beast from Shi Province.

However, just as Cheng Ye noted it down in his defense memo and was about to go back and search for relevant information, Wei Lecheng, the prosecutor from District D, took the initiative to come over.

“It’s a mutated beast that only exists in Hua Province.” Wei Lecheng had a deliberate smile on his face. “I’ve been there on field missions before and I’ve seen this thing. It’s usually not very aggressive and doesn’t even bother with humans. It’s probably that it came through the fog cave and its ferocity was triggered in an unfamiliar place.”

After saying that, he lowered his voice, his tone tinged with gratitude: "Thank you. I knew you wanted to remind me when the fog was thick; I heard you knocking on the railing."

Cheng Ye glanced at him: "You've been staying in the inspection area the whole time?"

“Of course.” Wei Lecheng puffed out his chest. “I’m an inspector, it’s my duty to stay in the inspection area.”

"Ah."

Cheng Ye smiled noncommittally and didn't say anything more.

This person, whether in his demeanor or his speech, is clearly dishonest; he's the kind of cunning and shrewd individual.

But it makes sense, how can you expect an Eastern prosecutor who betrayed his side and joined the Westerners to tell the truth?

However, one thing made Cheng Ye secretly wary.

Both Song Hai and Wei Lecheng seemed to know about the Void Fog, and each knew more or less in detail than the other.

"I was always busy practicing martial arts and reading books before, and I always felt that the information reception efficiency of the radio was too low. Now I think that I was too eager to achieve quick results and too eager to understand all the information about this wasteland!"

Cheng Ye sat behind the isolation table, pondering to himself.

The knowledge he gained from books could only inform him of past events, but when faced with unprecedented celestial anomalies like the fog, the information left by his predecessors would be of no use.

To gather information and prepare in advance, you have to pay attention to seemingly insignificant messages on the radio.

"So, whether it's Uncle Dong or Master Tian, ​​they never miss radio broadcasts, not just for fun, but also because it's the most direct way to gather information from the outside world."

No one had specifically reminded him of this before, so it's likely that no one expected anyone to dislike listening to the radio.

But who could have known that for modern people who are used to scrolling through short videos, it's easy to feel restless even when trying to calm down and read text? It's really hard to settle down and listen to those slow radio broadcasts.

Having learned his lesson, Cheng Ye belatedly made up his mind that from now on, no matter how busy he was, he would listen to the radio broadcasts every day.

Perhaps a seemingly insignificant piece of news can save a life at a critical moment.

After some delay, it was past 3:30, and there was only half an hour left before the shift change.

Since no caravans have arrived in Area C yet, Cheng Ye can catch his breath for the time being.

However, the B area next door, where Song Hai was located, was in big trouble. The two or three hundred scavengers who had been queuing up earlier encountered mutated beasts that broke out of the fog cave when the fog enveloped them. After a fierce battle, four people died on the spot, more than twenty people were seriously injured, and nearly fifty people had minor injuries of varying degrees.

Leaving aside the deaths, the more than twenty seriously injured people must receive timely treatment, but before that, their risk of infection must be investigated.

This complicated process is too much for Song Hai to handle by himself alone.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, two staff members quickly crossed the isolation corridor and delivered Lei Hu's instructions:
"Stationmaster's order: Inspectors in zones A, C, and D, immediately implement personnel diversion and assist zone B in completing infection testing!"

"clear."

Cheng Ye stood up and answered without the slightest hesitation.

If the staff isn't reassigned, when Wang Kang comes to hand over the shift, he'll still have to help with all these people.

It would be better to take advantage of the time and space available now and clear out all the backlog of scavengers first.

We've already checked caravans and merchant caravans; checking scavengers is a first for us, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

After the order was given, the scavengers who were originally crowded at the entrance of the B area checkpoint were quickly dispersed and evenly distributed to the three checkpoints under the guidance of the guards.

Nearly fifty people were assigned to Cheng Ye's side, including two seriously injured and more than ten slightly injured.

Guided by Ah She, the three of them formed a group and entered the inspection area to await inspection.

To be honest, checking scavengers is actually quite simple.

There's no need to check for smuggling or repeatedly question about the details of their whereabouts. As long as there are no suspected wounds on their bodies and several data points are normal, they can be released directly.

If there are injuries, the procedure is the same as when checking the members of the caravan in Area A, and a detailed wound examination will be conducted.

If the wound test is normal, the patient can be sent to the isolation area for treatment.

As for when they can leave the quarantine area, they still have to follow the 21-day quarantine system.

But for scavengers, just surviving is enough; they don't expect to be able to return to the buffer zone in such a situation.

Even if you go back and seek medical treatment at a clinic, you might not be able to get a bed.

"Data is normal, proceed!"

"Let go!"

"Take him to quarantine!"

"."

Bang, bang.

Gunshots suddenly rang out in Sector D, and an infected Hulk fell into a pool of blood.

Less than half a minute later, gunshots rang out in Area A as well, and two infected individuals were apprehended.

However, in Zone C, where Cheng Ye was located, no infected individuals were found until the last person was sent to quarantine.

"There were many infected people yesterday, but today it's noticeably more normal."

Cheng Ye nodded secretly.

There have been at least one or two thousand residents queuing since this morning to enter the buffer zone, but including the time Song Hai fired his gun this morning, only five people have been identified so far.

A probability of less than 0.5% is already quite good for a large city like Happiness City.

However, with the appearance of the fog hole, the infection rate is likely to rise again in the coming days.

"Sir, Prosecutor Yang Xingwen from Area A would like to trade some ant-wolf meat for some Yaksha beef, and also a few pounds of salted fish. What do you think?"

Ah Bao strode over from the quarantine area with a mischievous smile on his face. "Inspector Yang also said that the Yaksha beef is particularly tender. Whether it's boiled raw or stewed with salted fish, it's a rare delicacy. He said you must know your stuff."

"Change it, we'll change it when it's time to hand over the shift!"

Cheng Ye readily agreed.

He certainly knows what he's doing; exchanging meat is just an excuse, his real intention is to get closer to each other.

Song Hai could just pack up and leave, but he and Wang Kang would have to continue their duty here.

It's only Tuesday, and Yang Xingwen from the neighboring A district still has to work five more days. During this time, A and B districts can help each other out, so now is the perfect time to build a good relationship.

By four o'clock, there were no more people queuing at any of the quarantine checkpoints.

No other caravan came to Sector C, and Cheng Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Having experienced the terrifying ordeal in the fog, he simply didn't have the energy to deal with the complicated inspection process, especially for large caravans that required searching each vehicle.

Song Hai had already instructed the guards to maintain order for the time being, while he leaned against the fence, took out half a pack of crumpled cigarettes, and put one in his mouth.

The lighter clicked and ignited a pale blue flame, the smoke slowly dissipating before his eyes, mingling with the lingering mist.

Seeing Cheng Ye looking over, Song Hai waved the cigarette pack in his hand, as if to hand it to him: "Have one, it's a good one imported from Sha Province, to perk you up."

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly, "I'm not used to it, you can smoke."

"It'll be fine if you're not used to it." Song Hai chuckled and stuffed the cigarette pack back into his pocket. "This stuff is really expensive now. It costs 55 contribution points for a pack. Every cigarette you smoke is one less you have. It's really unaffordable."

Just then, the checkpoint bell finally rang.

Thump, thump!
Two beeps signaled the checkpoint's temporary closure. The half-hour break between shifts was finally over!

Cheng Ye returned to his desk and began organizing the duty logs, while Song Hai continued to lean against the isolation netting, puffing on his cigarette.

Before Wang Kang arrived, the prosecutor who was taking over from Zone C walked in first.

The person who came looked rather thin and short, and was dressed in ordinary clothes that were no different from those of a scavenger.

Wearing a black hoodie, jogger pants, and leather shoes, his shoulders were slightly hunched in, and his face bore a weariness that belied his age.

"Prosecutor Cheng?"

"Prosecutor Dong?"

Cheng Ye immediately walked over, and the two shook hands.

Dong Xing, the two of them chatted for a long time in the ward when he was hospitalized a few days ago. He was a first-term prosecutor who had just been officially appointed not long ago.

However, the fact that it was "not long" here does not mean that Dong Xing's duty time at the checkpoint was short.

It took Dong Xing about two years and eight months to complete the first phase of training, making him one of the slowest trainees in the entire checkpoint's records.

It's not that Dong Xing lacks ability, but rather that his luck is simply extraordinary.

While on duty at the checkpoint, things were relatively peaceful, but once they went out on field duty, they always encountered all sorts of inexplicable troubles.

The road suddenly collapsed, vehicles had tire blowouts, and even scavengers fighting nearby could get grazed by stray bullets from hundreds of meters away.

Later, Ding Yishan couldn't stand it anymore, so he specially sent an experienced third-term prosecutor to accompany him on the mission, and that time was even more bizarre.

The two were just going to the wilderness to retrieve a signal tower when they stumbled upon a herd of migrating mutated elephants. Not only did their mission fail, but the third inspector also broke a leg and it took him more than half a year to recover.

Dong Xing's fieldwork was also marked as a serious accident, and all nine evaluation forms had to be redone and started all over again.

He then proceeded to collect nine evaluation forms smoothly once again.

At the joint suggestion of Ding Yishan and Harlin, a large meeting was held at the checkpoint to vote on whether or not to allow Dong Xing to skip the field duties.

All the prosecutors voted in favor, making an exception and promoting him to a permanent position.

After all, Dong Xing's abilities were already sufficient, and luck was too unpredictable. If he were to go out again, no one could guarantee that he wouldn't bring disaster to the checkpoint.

It would be better to let him stay at the checkpoint and perform his duties honestly. At least in the three years he has been on duty, he has never encountered any accidents or made any mistakes.

"You've worked hard. I only heard about this fog when I arrived at the checkpoint. I hope Inspector Cheng wasn't in any danger?" Dong Xing took the duty log and flipped through it gently.

They didn't treat Cheng Ye like a third-term student at all, instead acting like they were treating him like a third-term student.

"Fortunately, the fog is quite eerie, especially that fog cave."

As he spoke, Cheng Ye gestured with his chin toward the corner of the quarantine area, "A few ant wolves came through, but nothing serious happened."

Dong Xing nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He put the notebook on the table and said in a deep voice, "When I clocked in, I received a notification from the main station that the fog wouldn't dissipate for the next week or even half a month and could turn into clear fog at any time. Area C and Area B are next to each other. If we encounter any danger, we should try our best to help each other out."

"rest assured."

Cheng Ye replied, "I'll stay in the next area, Block B. Even if I'm not on duty, I'll mostly be keeping an eye on things with Wang Kang. If anything happens, I can just call out and he'll hear me. We'll definitely look out for each other."

"I really envy Prosecutor Wang." Dong Xing smiled, and the two shook hands again.

This concludes our brief day trip to Area C.

Wang Kang from next door also came over to hand over his shift to Song Hai. Cheng Ye waved from the isolation fence, and Wang Kang immediately showed a relieved smile.

You've grown up!
A few days ago, Wang Kang would probably have been terrified and completely lost his composure.

But now, not only is he able to keep his mind steady, but he also appears so calm, which is truly rare.

Looking at the relationship between Wang Kang and Song Hai, although they weren't exactly close, it was still a normal interaction between prosecutors.

Based on this, it seems that Wang Kang's injuries yesterday were not caused by the conflict with Song Hai.

Could they be observers or guards?
Cheng Ye shook his head slightly. That was even more impossible. The rules of the checkpoint were in place, and no one would dare to be so bold.

After leaving the inspection area, the four trucks of the Hongshan caravan had been disinfected and left as the fog dissipated.

The two tons of salted fish that were unloaded were piled up on the open ground in front of the garage, where a rain shelter was erected, with two layers of waterproof cloth underneath.

"This weight...it must be more than two tons, right?"

“There are three tons. The extra ton was specially given to you by Captain Jin,” A Bao repeated. “He said that if we hadn’t been rushing to the checkpoint, and had encountered this ghostly fog in the wild, not only would the goods have been lost, but who knows how many people would have died.”

He also said that with prosecutors like you in Xingfu City, caravans will love to come, come more often, and come again next time.

"Heh, this guy has a sweet tongue."

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly; this was indeed an unexpected delight.

However, one thing is one thing, he still intends to buy the extra ton at a price of 120 points.

Jin Dafei has his own way of doing things, and the checkpoint also has its own rules.

Prices may fluctuate when purchasing goods, but this is all within the rules. However, accepting money or goods from caravans without reason is suspected of bribery.

No one might say much now, but if it gets brought up at a crucial moment, that will be troublesome.

"I'll exchange 500 jin of beef with Prosecutor Yang."

"Yes."

How to take so much salted dried fish with me is a problem.

Cheng Ye could only think of having Da Long bring some people to the checkpoint that night to help lift the bus onto the bus.

As for where to store it, Uncle Dong's shop is currently empty, so it can be temporarily stored there, but we have to be careful not to let the shop get flooded by rain.

Once the pedestrian street is under construction, we'll build a small warehouse specifically for that, which will make it much more convenient to store things in the future.

"Prosecutor Cheng!"

Just then, Yang Xingwen's cheerful voice came from outside the isolation passage. It was very penetrating, and he must have been able to hear it clearly even through the fog.

As a prosecutor in the first term, Yang Xingwen naturally couldn't escape the hurdle of choosing sides, and he was one of the most notorious for it.

However, given the current situation where the entire city is shrouded in fog, encountering someone like this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

With just a little effort, he could unite zones A, B, and C together.

As for the prosecutors who take over on both sides, at this critical juncture where lives could be lost at any moment, they would probably not refuse such a cooperative alliance that allows them to support each other.

"I've brought you some beef!"

Yang Xingwen was tall with broad shoulders and a strong back. He had a brave and resolute face and looked very powerful.

Behind him were four guards who worked together to carry a whole piece of meat wrapped in a waterproof cloth. Judging from its shape and weight, it was a whole cleaned Yaksha beef.

"so much?"

"No more, no more."

Yang Xingwen waved his hand, "Keep three of them for the station's reserves. I'll keep one, you keep one, and the rest of that man-eating beast can be shared among the brothers in Area A. It'll make you feel better!"

Speaking of this, his tone became somewhat heavy: "Today, one of my brothers in Area A was killed. It was because I, as the prosecutor, didn't take good care of him. I feel ashamed."

Yaksha ox is a rare breed.

It was even more unusual for meat to be distributed to the guards and staff at the checkpoint.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around. Cheng Ye's mind raced, and he immediately understood. He raised his voice:

"Prosecutor Yang, you can't say that. We're all on duty at the checkpoint, and we all live with our lives on the line. We're heartbroken when a brother sacrifices his life, but what we need to do is handle the follow-up compensation properly and ensure that his family is well taken care of. We can't let our brothers bleed and cry, and let people's hearts grow cold!"

"Yes! I assure everyone that I will personally oversee the compensation process, ensuring that not a single penny is missing or lacking."

"I will personally provide the same amount of supplies as compensation, and I will never let our brothers who sacrificed their lives shed their blood in vain!"

Seeing Cheng Ye's cooperation, a hint of gratitude flashed in Yang Xingwen's eyes.

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.

At this moment, Song Hai walked out of the isolation passage, glanced at the commotion, shook his head slightly, but did not come over to join in.

One can only sigh inwardly at how increasingly sophisticated the methods of the younger generation of prosecutors are.

Back when they first entered the industry, they only knew how to work hard and didn't understand the tricks of winning people over.

It wasn't until later, as they gradually learned how to navigate the power struggles between factions and tasted the benefits of forming alliances, that they slowly learned to understand human nature.

After an exchange, Yang Xingwen took away 500 kilograms of salted fish in exchange for a whole cow.

There's so much meat, we definitely can't finish it all.

Cheng Ye immediately ordered A Bao to cut off two thick cow legs, one to give to the guards and staff in Area C as a side dish, and the other to Area B.

The fog is unpredictable and dangerous, and the risks during the upcoming duty period will inevitably be much greater than usual.

The simplest and most direct way to get everyone to work together as one is to win people's hearts with material support.

Sure enough, cheers immediately erupted in Zone C, leaving Dong Xing shaking his head in envy.

So much so that when Cheng Ye left and he looked through the duty manual again, seeing that the smuggled goods seized were worth 7,000 points, he didn't feel much of a stir in his heart.

One can only shake one's head and sigh; sometimes the difference between people is even greater than that between people and dogs.

When the Yaksha Ox was carried to Zone B, Wang Kang quickly rushed over and swiped open the isolation door, followed by two observers.

"Good morning, Prosecutor Cheng. I am Hulu, and he is Jundao."

The older observer took the initiative to introduce them, and the two were still a pair of one old and one young.

The gourd is in charge of paperwork, while the saber focuses on combat.

Cheng Ye stared at the two men for a few moments and quickly determined that Wang Kang's injury yesterday had nothing to do with them. That kind of genuine respect for the prosecutor couldn't be faked.

"Xiao Kang, you go on duty first, I'll come over later."

"Okay," Wang Kang replied and left.

No caravans were coming to inspect Area C for the time being, so everyone was idle. The two and a half tons of salted fish were quickly moved to Area B by the staff working in shifts.

Cheng Ye took out his defense communication device and called Da Long. Upon hearing that he needed help moving things, Da Long agreed without hesitation.

"Okay, go back to this bus line and find Lao Zhang. Tell him to wait for me at the checkpoint in his car."

"Ok."

By 5 p.m., the rain had finally lessened a bit, turning into a light drizzle.

However, the fog surrounding Happiness City did not dissipate; after some changes, it eventually remained within a range of 700 meters.

It wasn't exactly a dense fog, but like a persistent leech, the threat it posed was impossible to ignore.

After making all the arrangements, Cheng Ye sat on the steps in front of the isolation ward and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, he was never idle during his rest time, and he was even busier when he was on duty.

However, the results were truly gratifying!
Beef and salted fish again? I never dared to dream of such good things when I was on duty before.
However, in just one day, everything that was needed was there.

Before his craving for food was completely gone, the thought of being able to boil a few pounds of beef and have a little wine to relieve his fatigue after his shift made Cheng Ye's eyes squint with joy.

Moreover, these salted fish are very easy to store, so even if the infection wave is huge this winter, we don't need to worry too much about food shortages, even if we need to go out and hide for a while!

　P.S.: I've already had a tooth extracted, and it's really swollen. I'll only be posting sporadically for one more day, but I'll resume double updates tomorrow~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)