Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 115 Dual-Source Technology, Extraordinary Technology Tree!
Happiness comes too suddenly.

Cheng Ye turned his head and glanced at the rest hall behind him, suddenly feeling that this day was ridiculously long.

A few days ago, when Mingming was lying in the hospital, he would read a book for a while and then fall asleep until dawn.

But today, from the moment I got up at seven in the morning until now, I've been inspecting caravans, encountering fog, and experiencing a mix of surprises, frights, excitement, and exhilaration. My emotions have been like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs that never stopped.

Who would have thought that he would now travel thousands of kilometers to visit the City of Fire's Shelter?
I dare not even think about it.

Yet it feels so real and tangible.

Fog can bring devastating disasters, but it can also, like it is now, crack open a fog hole that hides opportunities.

After taking a few deep breaths, my mood gradually calmed down.

Cheng Ye gently fastened the headband to his forehead and stepped inside.

hum.

I heard only a faint buzzing sound, and nothing else seemed amiss.

There was no dizzying sensation as one might imagine, nor any so-called spacetime distortion. It was like walking through a half-open door from one room to another, perfectly in line with human intuition.

But the next second, a breath of air mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees and the dampness of earth rushed in, bringing just the right amount of coolness, instantly dispelling the heat and stuffiness in the lounge.

Cheng Ye subconsciously turned his head and looked around, his gaze sweeping over the low houses on both sides of the street, their white walls and red tiles exuding a warm feeling in the night.

We passed a tower that was two or three hundred meters tall not far away, and the signal lights on the top of the tower were flashing regularly.

Gliding past the surrounding high-rise buildings hidden in the darkness...

掠过
Suddenly, his gaze froze, landing on the horizon directly behind the fog cave.

In the reflection of the pupils, a towering mountain, like a barrier against the sky, stood horizontally, ruthlessly cutting off all attempts to penetrate its reach.

Although not as majestic as Mount Everest piercing the sky, it is still a colossal object with an altitude of over three thousand meters.

It was late at night.

This mountain, however, broke free from the desolation and deathly silence that wastelands should have, and even overturned Cheng Ye's understanding of all the mountain landscapes he had ever seen on Earth.

It looks very standard.

Just like it stepped out of a painting, it presents a perfect triangular shape.

From the foot of the mountain to the summit, every inch of the rock face radiates a warm glow, as if countless stars are embedded within it.

With the extraordinary eyesight granted by his Wild Grass physique, Cheng Ye quietly gazed at the mountain from bottom to top.

Countless platforms of varying widths, like the outstretched hands of a giant, cascade and cantilever along the rock face.

Countless buildings and factories are embedded in the platform, interlocking and staggered, as if these steel skeletons had grown out of the mountain itself.

Even more astonishing is the sight of silver-gray tracks winding like ribbons around the mountain, spiraling towards the summit, with vehicles of all sizes traveling smoothly on them, connecting platforms at different heights of the mountain.

The entire mountain seemed to be breathing, as if it had come to life, and had become a three-dimensional living entity!

so amazing!
So impressive!
What a mind-blowing spectacle!

Modern architectural styles tend to spread out as much as possible, expanding horizontally.

In contrast, the Wasteland takes a completely different approach, with the City of Fires doing the opposite and making the most of vertical space.

Cheng Ye was so engrossed in watching that he even softened his breathing.

Li Changfeng stood aside, seemingly having anticipated his reaction, and did not approach to disturb him.

Not only Cheng Ye, but also the city lords of the Shelter City who were visiting the Flame for the first time.

Almost everyone who sees 'Salt Track Mountain' looks this shocked.

There are currently 13 such mountains in the City of Fire, each one larger than the last.

The one Cheng Ye is currently looking at can only be ranked seventh.

half an hour.

Cheng Ye then looked away, turning his head slightly dazed, and met Li Changfeng's gaze.

"It's not just simple technology, is it?"

“Of course not.” Li Changfeng shook his head slightly. “How many years has it been since the New Era? The Great War destroyed all the industrial base, and we didn’t find any alien treasures. The iteration speed of basic technologies is actually very slow.”

"What about these?"

"It seems you are still unfamiliar with source-injection technology and source-track technology."

Li Changfeng's tone carried a barely perceptible pride: "The extraordinary substances extracted from the mother source possess incredible energy. If we can guide them, we can achieve many effects that we never dared to imagine before. For example, this Xin Gui Mountain was formed using the extraordinary mother source."

“Source track technology is another path, which is to fundamentally imitate the special abilities of infected sources or mutated beasts. For example, the flying wing assault unit we just used was obtained by reverse engineering the source track of the giant rock crow. Hmm, the giant rock crow is a mutated bird that can hover in storms.”

"Utilize the source of infection? Learn about the source of infection?"

Cheng Ye finally found his voice, his throat was a little dry.

It turns out that the infection source research institute in Happiness City is superior to the other two research institutes, not only because humanity's enemy is various infection sources, but also because infection sources are actually the key to technological breakthroughs?
“Every Sanctuary City is doing this, including your City of Happiness. It’s just that everyone’s progress is different. Currently, only two Sanctuary Cities are using the Source Technology: one is Firewood, and the other is Nature’s Sanctuary City on the other side of the planet.”

He paused, his smile fading slightly. "As for the source technology, you're an inspector, you should understand that it can't be shared."

"Ah."

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly, but his heart was in turmoil.

It's not because it can't be shared; the reason is quite simple.

On the one hand, the extraordinary mother source itself is a catastrophic existence. Ordinary sheltered cities, let alone research it, could be destroyed and their inhabitants killed just by encountering it, so they have no right to research it at all.

On the other hand, if the source technology spreads, and some desperate madman in a sanctuary city uses living people to cultivate infection sources in order to obtain the mother source, it will not bring technological progress, but the end of civilization.

But on this vast planet, out of thousands of sanctuary cities, only two are capable of using this technology.
The difference is outrageous.

Moreover, as time goes on, the gap between the other sanctuary cities and these two sanctuary cities will only widen.

"That source track technology?"

"This can be shared, but everyone's research directions are different. The same source can develop different orbits, and each orbit has a different use, so it's not easy to price the technology of each source orbit."

Li Changfeng phrased it tactfully, but Cheng Ye understood his meaning.

Advanced source code technology is very valuable and cannot be exchanged, while low-level technology can be studied by everyone, and its trading value is difficult to standardize.

After saying that, he pointed to the large brick hanging on Cheng Ye's waist and said, "Didn't your Xingfu City's defense communication device use source track technology?"

"this?"

Cheng Ye was a little confused.

To be honest, at that moment he truly understood what it meant for a country bumpkin to come to the city.

But the embarrassment was short-lived, and instead aroused even stronger curiosity. "I mainly deal with construction and inspection, and I really don't know anything about these things. I just use them and have never thought about where they come from, how they work, or even heard of these technical terms."

It's probably not just him; very few people at the entire checkpoint would think about these things.

This is a research direction, focusing on talent development in industrial zones and the inner city.

The checkpoints, on the other hand, are operational. The inspectors spend their days outside dealing with infected individuals, studying how to investigate smuggling, how to extract information from interrogations, and how to navigate the wasteland.

Asking a bunch of uneducated people to study technical manuals and understand technical principles is really asking too much of them.

"That's normal. I know how to use it too, but I don't know the specifics of how it's implemented."

Li Changfeng laughed and said, "These old-fashioned communication tools all needed a 'chip' to process data, and manufacturing chips was a huge challenge. It was your Happiness City that first used source track technology to bypass this challenge and achieve mass production."

“In the early years, not to mention other sanctuary cities, even we, the Firewood, had to buy from you. But in recent years, everyone has gradually figured out their own way and developed their own alternatives, so the demand has slowed down.”

Chips are actually made using source-track technology?

Moreover, does Happiness City have its own manufacturing capabilities?
Even the torch has to be imported from Happiness City?
The continuous stream of high-value information completely revitalized Cheng Ye's thinking, sweeping away all his weariness.

This was the first time he had heard an outsider's evaluation of Happiness City's technology, and he never expected it to be so revolutionary.

Suddenly, Cheng Ye realized that he might have underestimated Happiness City.

He had previously assumed that the processor chips and various consumables in the Defense Connector were all purchased from other sanctuary cities.

I never imagined that my own company was the one that provided the technology back then.

The ancestors of Xingfu City were so wealthy!
“Prosecutor Cheng, I’ve already granted you access. You can use it simply by touching your ear; it’s very easy,” Li Changfeng indicated.

Cheng Ye did as instructed, raising his hand to lightly touch the side of his ear. The headband immediately began to rotate gently, very smoothly, and the monocle landed precisely in front of his right eye.

The next second, the whole world suddenly brightened, as if he had stepped from midnight into noon in an instant, causing him to subconsciously squint.

As my gaze swept across the fog cave, lines of pale blue text automatically floated at the edge of my field of vision:
【Empty Fog (Special Mobile Extraordinary Curse)】

【首次出现：新纪35年4月7日16:23，沙省‘向梦’庇护城南84度，大世界坐标2315.31周边。出现时长1.15小时，覆盖23平方公里，无异常影响】

[First Outbreak: May 5th, 35th year of the New Era, 08:15, 19 degrees north of the 'Tianxin' super shelter city in Shayibak Province, coordinates 2877.112. Duration 2.3 hours, coverage 300 square kilometers, accompanied by over a hundred fog caves, triggering a small mutated beast tide, connecting multiple shelter cities and settlements]

【首次规模伤亡：新纪35年5月17日16:00。覆盖范围伴随阴雨天气扩展至近三千平方公里。事后调查：3个千人中型聚集地消失（疑似遭雾洞穿梭的母源感染体摧毁），12个百人小型聚集地消失（疑似遭雪省39号感染潮攻击）】

The second outbreak occurred on May 21, 1946.

【.】

The pop-up information did not directly explain the nature of the fog hole, but rather resembled a chronicle, from its first appearance to its first outbreak, and then to the first large-scale casualties.

The entire picture of the fog is gradually revealed, allowing people to perceive the threat from the event.

Cheng Ye read line by line, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.

As the strongest sanctuary city in the wasteland, the amount of information collected by the Firewood is terrifying.

In other words, all the sheltered cities that encounter similar situations will immediately gather their data here, hoping to receive support.

Since May 5, the frequency and scale of fog outbreaks have been increasing, reaching a peak in mid-June, with the largest single outbreak covering an area of ​​40,000 square kilometers.

But then it suddenly disappeared at the end of June, just when everyone thought the disaster was over.

On July 20, 7:13.15, in the 35th year of the new era, it appeared in Shijiazhuang Province and covered an unprecedented area of ​​22 square kilometers.

The exact number of accompanying fog holes has not yet been determined, but it is likely no less than the number recorded during the last outbreak.

At least over a thousand!

On average, one associated fog hole is generated for every 100-150 square kilometers.

These fog holes may cluster together in one place or be very scattered, and they vary in size.

Previous records show the longest duration was nearly 8 hours, while the shortest lasted only about two minutes.

"Is there no reason for the formation of fog holes?"

“No.” Li Changfeng shook his head. “Extraordinary curses are just a general term we use for this kind of mysterious natural disaster. In reality, its formation process may be very complicated, but who knows that much?”

"It's only been thirty or forty years since the last era. We've been like fledglings trapped in their eggs, guarding our respective sanctuaries and huddling in defense. It's only in the last ten years or so that we've had the ability to venture out."

"Could it be a superhuman?"

Cheng Ye was interrupted by Li Changfeng before he could finish speaking.

"Shh!"

Li Changfeng's expression changed drastically. He quickly made a shushing gesture, then lowered his voice and said, "I'm sorry, Prosecutor Cheng, we at Xin Huo strictly forbid discussing this, and we do not allow anyone to pursue such power. Anyone who shows such a tendency will have to leave and find another job."

"clear."

Cheng Ye made an apologetic gesture, a sudden feeling of unease creeping into his heart. Why was Xin Huo, who was clearly researching Source-Attracting Technology and utilizing the power of the Extraordinary Mother Source, so secretive about the Extraordinary?
However, Li Changfeng was clearly unwilling to talk about it any further and immediately changed the subject, "You can talk about the detection intensity, and then you can see the situation in the fog cave."

"Okay, I'll try."

Cheng Ye whispered, and sure enough, lines of data flashed before his eyes.

[Fog Cave Link]

[Intensity: 320]

[Maximum duration: 5 hours and 06 minutes]

Minimum duration: 4 hours and 29 minutes

Eleven minutes have passed since we entered the fog cave, and the data has changed accordingly.

Cheng Ye was curious about the detection principle, but then he thought that it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black; even if he asked Li Changfeng, he probably wouldn't be able to answer.

Knowing how this thing is made and what its principles are would be unbecoming of a prosecutor.

Just as I was pondering this, a roar of an engine suddenly came from behind me.

Several military green jeeps roared in, their tires whirring as they rolled over the road.

Unlike Happiness City, the cars in Fire Shelter City all seem to be fuel-powered, making quite a racket at night.

The car door opened, and a group of people in various uniforms jumped out. Some were clearly leaders, others were technicians carrying instrument cases, and still others were errand runners.

"Prosecutor Li, how's the situation?"

When everyone saw Li Changfeng, they greeted him familiarly.

“It’s very stable. This is Inspector Cheng from Xingfu City.” Li Changfeng introduced with a smile, “Inspector Cheng, this is Zhang Yi, the deputy head of our B4 district, who is in charge of trade and emergency coordination.”

The man addressed as Deputy District Chief Zhang immediately stepped forward, grasped Cheng Ye's hand and shook it vigorously, his face beaming with a warm smile: "Inspector Cheng, it's an honor to meet you! Your Happiness City checkpoint is a benchmark in our wasteland. I have your grandfather's instruction manual by my bedside; I've been wanting to learn from your experience for a long time!"

Cheng Ye quickly shook hands with him, secretly marveling at his own hand.

Zhang Yi's solemn expression allowed him to experience the imposing presence of a prosecutor in a diplomatic setting before even having a chance to go on fieldwork.

I must say, this feeling is novel and subtle, truly like that of a diplomat.

"Prosecutor Cheng, this fog tunnel was opened just in time!"

Deputy District Chief Zhang, with a booming voice, pointed excitedly at the fog tunnel and said, "The various supplies that Happiness City ordered at the beginning of the year were originally planned to be delivered in the fall after gathering a caravan. Now we can just go through the fog tunnel, saving so much trouble!"

"This..." Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment, pondering how to respond.

Fortunately, at that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out in the rest hall opposite the fog cave.

White mist billowed at the entrance guarded by the dragon, and twelve fully armed soldiers filed in.

Everyone was dressed in dark gray tactical uniforms, full-face protective helmets, and short shotgun shells fastened to their chest holsters. Their rifles were pointed downwards, yet they remained vigilant, exuding an aura of seasoned veterans.

After the team entered the hall, they automatically spread out in a fan shape to form a perimeter. It wasn't until they followed the dragon's guidance and saw the fog holes in the wall that a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes under their helmets.

The squad leader quickly bowed his head and gave a few instructions. The four men left the hall, while the other seven followed him and ran quickly to the edge of the fog cave, stopping half a meter away.

"Snapped!"

The tactical boot heels slammed together, making a crisp sound.

Eight people saluted at the same time.

"Inspector Cheng! Captain Shuk of the 3rd Regiment of the Happiness Legion reporting for duty!"

"Sky Strike Squad reporting for duty!"

The voices were perfectly synchronized, as if they had been trained many times.

Cheng Ye was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and asked in a deep voice, "Captain Shu, what's the situation outside?"

"The Happiness Legion has completed a three-layer encirclement of the Public Works Department, with a total of 950 personnel and 80 squads deployed."

Shuke spoke very quickly, and his report was concise and clear: "A temporary communications station has been set up, and we can connect to the inner city command headquarters at any time."

"Please inform the command center immediately: The fog cave is connected to Zone B4 of the Firewood Shelter City. The energy intensity is stable and is expected to last for more than 4 hours."

"understand!"

Shuke nodded emphatically and turned to signal to the three people behind him.

The three men immediately grabbed their rifles, formed a triangular formation, and jogged away, disappearing into the fog to reach the outside world.

The rest of the people followed Shuke and formed a tight defensive line at the entrance of the fog cave.

Within two minutes, the fog in front of the rest hall began to churn wildly, and at least thirty to fifty soldiers rushed in at once.

However, the formation remained perfectly intact, and their movements were uniform. They quickly formed a circle around the hall, standing at attention and saluting in unison towards the direction of the fog cave.

"Inspector Cheng, the Sky Strike Brigade has assembled and is requesting instructions!"

Shuke stepped forward, his voice resounding.

"Stay put and remain on guard. Do not cross the fog hole without orders."

"Yes!"

If Cheng Ye hadn't led the three hundred men of Tianyuan to fight against infected beings before, he would have been a little apprehensive about this force.

But now, his every move seems completely familiar.

He even secretly compared the Tianyuan Three Hundred with the Tianji Brigade in his heart.

At Xinhuo City, a group of Xinhuo staff who were busy working around the equipment quietly stopped what they were doing.

Looking at the dark mass of tactical uniforms opposite him, and then at Cheng Ye's composed manner of issuing orders, Li Changfeng unconsciously swallowed.

To say that I am not envious is a lie.

Although the scale of the City of Fire and Protection is much larger than that of the City of Happiness, these inspectors are ultimately just members of the regional operating system.

The checkpoints conduct a major assessment every three years, selecting the best performers and eliminating the worst performers.

At the same time, any accident will result in a deduction of points from the inspector's score, and if the score drops below 60 points, the inspector will be immediately dismissed.

As a fourth-level prosecutor, he might normally have more authority than Cheng Ye, but in this situation, the difference was significant.

But there's nothing we can do; after all, Happy City is the birthplace of the checkpoint system.
"Ok?"

While waiting, Cheng Ye subconsciously opened the panel and glanced at it, and was immediately surprised.

Among the densely packed names and question marks around him, only Li Changfeng's level of cooperation was in the double digits.

Moreover, the figure was not low, soaring to 27%.

Although we are still far from being able to search for Lv2 skills, we are almost at the threshold of searching for items.

There is a play!

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat.

As long as he stays in Happiness City, Liu Kun may encounter many more opportunities, but the chance to come to the City of Fire's Shelter will probably only come once in the next few years.

Moreover, after the search, he could easily find an excuse to stay at the Public Works Department, recharge his batteries, and then leave.

"Thank goodness it was full tonight, otherwise I'd be regretting it to death!"

Skills are something you can search for.

Intelligence suggests that the current situation cannot be improved in the short term.

But the items, all the source rail equipment researched by the City of Fire and Fire, all seem to be very useful no matter which one they find, especially the flying wing assault unit, just thinking about it makes one's blood boil!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; we absolutely cannot miss it!
More than ten minutes later, the fog in the hall rippled again, and another group of people poured in.

As expected, Cheng Ye didn't recognize any of them, including the middle-aged men surrounded by soldiers.

But the other person seemed to know him very well, and called out through the fog, "Prosecutor Cheng, you've worked hard tonight!"

Ok?
That voice sounds kind of familiar.

Cheng Ye frowned slightly and immediately searched his memory to recall where he had heard that voice before.

Isn't he the person who contacted Zhang Can from the inner city command center the night he killed him?

After thinking for a moment, he made an excuse and turned to walk through the fog tunnel back to the rest hall.

The two arrived at a corner of the hall, and the middle-aged man immediately lowered his voice, "Prosecutor Cheng, I am Bai Wei, the head of the emergency response department of the command center. I think you should be familiar with me."

"Director Bai, it was you that night."

“He’s an elder.” Bai Wei smiled, his wrinkles revealing shrewdness. “You should know that we should be speaking frankly. Please let me know what’s going on inside as soon as possible.”

"it is good."

Since Bai Wei could tell he was being probed, Cheng Ye decided to stop beating around the bush and briefly recount everything that happened before and after the fog cave appeared, as well as what happened inside.

Bai Wei nodded repeatedly, "You've worked so hard. Prosecutor Cheng has been on duty all day, and you still have to handle these troubles tonight. I will apply to the command center to approve an overtime bonus and an authority reward for you."

"Director Bai, you're too kind. I'm not doing this for the bonus."

Cheng Ye quickly waved his hand, an embarrassed smile flashing across his face.

Good guy.

Last time, I took advantage of the veterans, and I hope I left them with the impression of being a philanderer.

This is not good. If people know about his personality, his chances of getting something for nothing will only decrease.

Unexpectedly, Bai Wei saw through his thoughts at a glance and laughed, "Don't worry, it's not for you to take for free. If Xin Huo makes any demands, you, as the prosecutor, will have to handle it. Although our Happiness City has not been rich in recent years, it will not lack any of the dignity it deserves."

"so"

Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, "Director Bai, after things stabilize later, I'd like to go with Inspector Li to the checkpoint in the City of Fire and Fire for some training. I wonder if..."

"No problem, go ahead and go, just come back before the fog cave clears up."

Bai Wei readily agreed, his tone decisive, "Is there anything we can do to help you? Like sending a Sky Strike Squad to accompany and protect you? Or perhaps allocating some study funds for you?"

"no, I'm fine."

Cheng Ye smiled and shook his head, "You guys go about your business, don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing, I'll be back on time."

"it is good."

Bai Wei nodded, then turned and left to arrange the distribution of supplies, without saying a word or offering any explicit or implicit reminders.

Cheng Ye stood there for a moment, then suddenly shook his head slightly, a wave of emotion washing over him.

Although this City of Happiness is far smaller than City of Fire's Sanctuary in size, it also seems to be falling behind in development.

But like those old nobles whose ancestors were once wealthy, even though their fortunes are not as good as before, they still retain their most precious traditions.

It makes people feel comfortable and gives them a sense of belonging.

Within half an hour, the two sides of the fog cave had already begun to exchange supplies.

Seeing that he wasn't needed here for the time being, Cheng Ye walked through the fog tunnel again and smiled at Li Changfeng, "Inspector Li, I'd like to visit your checkpoint. I wonder if you could do me that?"

Happiness City is shrouded in fog, and the situation is dangerous, so it's unlikely that the people from the Torchbearer will come over.

But Xin Huo had no such concerns. Li Changfeng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "No problem, I'll take you on a tour. Speaking of which, our B4 district checkpoint has never received any inspectors from other sheltered cities since its establishment. You're the first one!"

　P.S.: Thank you for your monthly votes, dear readers! Writing plot points involving world-building is difficult, but I'm working at full speed!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)