Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 122 The Flame Path, the Power of the Collector!

A tenement building.

Amidst a familiar damp, musty smell, Cheng Ye gently pushed open the security door.

He casually tossed his backpack onto the dusty table, then plopped down on the bed, too lazy to even take off his shoes.

a bit tired.

But it wasn't physical aches or pains, nor was it mental exhaustion.

Rather, it's the kind of fatigue that naturally arises after you've sorted out most of what needs to be done and feel a great sense of fulfillment.

Especially considering the endless stream of migrants arriving and the checkpoint at the eye of the storm's end, lying in bed felt even more comfortable.

Strangely, the moment I touched the bed, my tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and my mind became active.

Thoughts drifted out, mostly about the measures discussed in the previous phone call, and less about the assessment of the situation ahead.

"Five hundred thousand people. It's not that I've never seen that many people before, even ten or twenty times that number. But asking us to figure out how to manage them is just too outrageous."

Looking at the mold spreading on the ceiling due to dampness, Cheng Ye's mind was filled with countless thoughts.

Before he traveled through time, he lived in Guangzhou, a city with a permanent population of nearly 20 million.

During rush hour, the Line 3 subway sees an average daily passenger flow of 1.2 million, but the crowds packed like sardines in a can are far more exaggerated than that number.

Even though the scale of the City of Fire Protection is far smaller than that of Guangzhou, let alone the current City of Happiness.

Perhaps it was because he had seen the operating model of a system with tens of millions of people that he felt confident enough to spout nonsense and talk errands on the phone.

But then again, having seen something and being able to manage it are two different things.

He was just a tiny molecule in the vast sea of ​​people, still stuck in the ivory tower of school, never having had a chance to leave, never thinking about how many cogs were hidden behind the operation of the city.

It's easy to talk about things on paper, but just thinking about actually going out into the real world and dealing with so many people makes my scalp tingle.

Let's talk about the most basic things like eating, drinking, and excretion: if each person drinks four bags of nutritional syrup every day, that's two million bags for 500,000 people. Just the allocation, transportation, and distribution would require a lot of manpower.

Thinking about it more closely, if each person produces at least 100 grams of excrement per day, then 500,000 people would produce 50 tons of waste per day. How would this filth be disposed of?

I dare not think about it; the more I think about it, the more horrified I become, and the more uncertain I feel.

"Although I plan to build my own small town in the future and live a carefree life."

Cheng Ye kicked off his shoes, turned over, buried his face in the pillow, and sighed in a muffled voice, "But these troubles... sigh, it's too early to think about these things now."

He chose to temporarily escape.

It's fine to work on the institutional framework, since there's a foundation of knowledge from my previous life, but to fill in every single detail is simply asking the impossible.

He's not a supercomputer AI, he's just an ordinary trainee prosecutor.

He's not the only one in Happiness City; the real headache is for the higher-ups.

These people, who hold resources, power, and information, are qualified and capable of handling such large-scale population migrations.

After thinking for a while with his head covered, Cheng Ye sat up again with a gurgle.

With an open palm and a thought, the pendant appeared in the palm, radiating a warm, soft light.

Looking at it under the light, the starfish, wings, and four-piece set floating in the core are all more delightful than the last.

"Try the prosecutor's four-piece suit first."

Cheng Ye made up his mind.

The wings are too big. If they can't be retracted, even if they can be placed in a room after being folded up, anyone who comes will see them at a glance, and there will be nowhere to hide them.

But the four-piece set is different; the badge, phone, and glasses can be thrown into the bag at will, and the detector can be easily stuffed under the bed.

[Do you want to retrieve the items stored in the collector?]

[Since this is the collector's first time using the access function, please be aware of the following rules:]
1. Items found through searching will be automatically stored in the collector the first time, occupying some collector space. If the space is full, the collector item search function will be automatically turned off. Please clear the space and try again.

2. Collectors can freely retrieve items obtained through searching using their mental power without consuming any energy. However, if they wish to store the item back in the collector, they must expend a certain amount of energy, specifically:
Less than 30 minutes: 1% energy
30 minutes - 3 hours: 5% energy
3 hours - 24 hours: 25% energy
>24 hours: You will not be able to save or return your valuables. Please be sure to pay attention to the time limit.

3. This space cannot store items not obtained through a search.

4. Collectors are strictly prohibited from giving items to others or using this space for searching purposes. Such actions will have unpredictable consequences, potentially leading to the temporary closure of this function and the destruction of all items in the storage space.
5. Upgrading a job level will increase storage space and reduce energy consumption for storage and retrieval.
6]

I never expected that when I tried to retrieve something for the first time, the panel would display such a long list of rules, nearly 20 in total.

Cheng Ye patiently scanned the list from top to bottom and found that the key information was mainly concentrated in the first five items.

"I was not disappointed."

He couldn't help but exclaim, "The ability to repeatedly save and retrieve the found items—that's exactly the function a civilization collector needs!"

Collectors can't possibly carry all their equipment on their backs when venturing into dangerous areas.

This storage space is excellent; although it can only store items collected by the collector, its strategic value is immeasurable.

As for the 24-hour limit, Cheng Ye guessed that there was probably some kind of temporary link between the searched items and the collector, and the link would break after this time, so naturally it could not be saved back.

However, 24 hours is long enough; it will definitely be sufficient unless there are very few special circumstances.

The rule that "you can't let others retrieve the items" completely blocked the loophole he had previously tried to exploit but hadn't had a chance to implement.

"It seems that searching and collecting data is not as simple as I thought it was just copying."

After reading all the prompts, use your mind to click "Read" below.

[Please select the item to retrieve: Inspector's Four-Piece Set (Torch of the Sacred Fire version)]

When the prompt popped up again, Cheng Ye clicked "OK" without hesitation.

The next second, a magical scene unfolded before my eyes.

A faint blue light suddenly appeared on the ground, like spilled blue ink spreading in the air, gradually condensing into an elliptical halo of about two square meters.

Even more remarkably, as his gaze shifted, the blue light seemed to come alive, moving in perfect unison with him.

"Good grief, this is letting me choose where I appear?"

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up, and he immediately became excited.

He quickly scanned the room, then fixed his gaze on the open space in the center, silently thinking, "Just put it here."

The faint light suddenly contracted, then burst forth with a soft halo of light.

Under his gaze, four objects, as if held up by an invisible hand, appeared out of thin air in the center of the halo and slowly descended:
The most eye-catching item was a bright green badge, which was twice the size of the resident's badge, about the size of a palm, and looked more like a token than a badge.

Cheng Ye picked it up curiously, his fingertips brushing over the Mount Everest pattern carved on the front. The peak was covered with a layer of fine white lines, as if it were truly covered with a layer of snow that never melts.

But when you turn it over, you see a lush green bamboo forest with distinct bamboo joints, and even the veins of the leaves are clearly visible.

"Huh, the colors and patterns have changed?"

Cheng Ye was stunned; this was completely different from the one the residents had shown him before.

Does the City of Fire and Protection differentiate between residents and staff of different social strata on its emblem?
There was a cell phone lying next to him, the same model that Li Changfeng had shown him before, but the color was also very different.

Li Changfeng's was milky white, while the one in front of Cheng Ye was completely black, even the edges had a matte finish.

His headband and glasses haven't changed much; they're almost identical to the ones he wore before.

The most surprising thing is the monitor, which is a square piece with a smooth black panel and slightly rounded corners. Its shape is not much different from a modern weighing scale.

It just lacks the footrest groove and has a few more hidden interfaces.

Upon opening it, I saw a dense array of patch wires arranged neatly, but I had no idea how to use them.

"This is a bit troublesome. It doesn't seem to be Li Changfeng's stuff at all?"

The search confirmed once again that it wasn't simply copying what the object should have out of thin air, but rather that there was a rule that the object didn't yet understand.

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, then picked up his phone and badge and sat back down on the bed.

This thing might be very unfamiliar to ordinary people in the wasteland, but for him, a modern person who spent at least eight hours on his phone the day before he transmigrated, it was as familiar as a part of his body.

Holding the phone in my hand, my right thumb instinctively rested on the side of the phone.

Oh my, there really is a button.

Cheng Ye tried pressing and holding for three seconds. Suddenly, a faint light flashed across the dark screen, followed by a familiar icon popping up.

It was the same raging flame that was on the back of the resident badge!
The image lasted for five seconds before slowly disappearing, and a line of Chinese characters appeared on the screen.

[This is the first time the "Spark Pass" (Inspector) has been used. Please attach the identity badge to the back to activate it.]

"It really is new!"

Cheng Ye's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated.

He had thought he could copy Li Changfeng's phone with personal data, and even if it required hacking, he could at least see some historical information.

However, the new Xin Huo Tong has somewhat disrupted his plans. If the data needs to be activated before it can be downloaded, and he can't connect to the internet now, wouldn't he be a beautiful "useless" device?

etc.
The phone is new, so could this badge be new too?

After thinking for a while, Cheng Ye tried to pick up the badge and stick it on the back of his phone.

Since we're already out of the signal coverage area of ​​the Firefly, the worst that can happen is that activation fails and the phone gets locked; we can figure out a way to crack it later. But if there's another chance, maybe we can get our hands on it ahead of time without cracking it.

He took a deep breath and affixed the badge to the back of his phone.

However, the moment the screen lit up, Cheng Ye's pupils suddenly contracted.

Lines of information flashed by like flowing water.

After seeing the first line of information, he was so frightened that he almost jumped out of bed.

Name: Cheng Ye

[Position: Trainee Prosecutor]

[Belongs to: Area B4]

[The activation process for the Xinhuotong app is in progress. Please wait patiently for the activation to complete.]

"Why is it my name?"

Whether it's Li Changfeng, any name he's never heard of, or even a blank screen, the information displayed is irrelevant.

Cheng Ye wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he thought it was perfectly normal.

But displaying one's own name is a bit creepy.

Did the City of Fire and Protection store his information in advance?
Of course not!
Cheng Ye subconsciously brought up the collector panel, looking at it thoughtfully, but unfortunately no prompts appeared.

The power of the civilization collector once again exceeded his comprehension.

Skill search can replicate an opponent's entire life's work, even stripping away their hidden talents; it's powerful enough.

Intelligence gathering can uncover a person's deepest secrets, and even transcend time and space to reproduce their words and actions, which is even more outrageous.

But now this item search can actually directly tamper with the core information of an item?
Taking possession of them and erasing the seized items at their source could cause trouble for the collectors.

"My rank is still too low; I need to be promoted as soon as possible to learn more information."

He was redirected to his personal profile page, and Cheng Ye glanced at it.

Since the last upgrade, a series of searches have become much more informative, and have now reached:
[Collector: Cheng Ye]

[Current Rank: Level 2 Rookie (4.5/100)]

"If the search result is extraordinary, could you add more information about it?"

After closing the panel, Cheng Ye gathered his thoughts and quietly waited for the Firelink to complete the activation process.

Previously, he would have been a little worried that using these things outside would cause trouble. After all, they were things he had searched for. If they were detected by the people of the City of Fire and Fire, or if they didn't match the database, it would inevitably arouse some unnecessary suspicion.

Now, the information on it has been completely altered by the collector.

As long as he doesn't go to Sector B4 to verify it on the spot, even if an inspector from the City of Fire and Protection stands in front of him, he can openly take out the badge and show it off, and the other party may not be able to see through the deception.

"Does this mean I've taken on an additional identity?"

Cheng Ye pondered that before the search, he had never thought of using these things to pretend to be a prosecutor from the "Firewood" organization and swindle people.

No need.

In terms of scale and influence, the Firelink City is undoubtedly one of the top cities on this planet.

However, in terms of the prosecutor's reputation and actual status, Happiness City is in no way inferior, and may even be more useful in some situations.

This is also why he, a mere trainee prosecutor, was not intimidated at all when facing Li Changfeng, a fourth-level prosecutor.

However, before he could even sort out his thoughts, the Firewood suddenly vibrated.

A message appears on the screen, indicating that activation is complete.

[First activation of Xinhuotong detected; automatically entering new user guide mode]

[Dear Prosecutor Cheng Ye, we have detected that you are outside the coverage area of ​​the main network of the Fireworks project. Activation of all functions is currently unavailable. Please move to an area with network coverage and activate the features manually.]

[Dear Prosecutor Cheng Ye, we have detected that you are within the coverage area of ​​the Spark Alliance network. Do you wish to connect to the network?]

Please note:
1. Linking the alliance network is only used for sharing data downloads and activating basic functions. During operation, Xinhuotong will run silently in the background and will not have any impact on the alliance network.

2. You can choose to actively hide your network connection (once enabled, the source address cannot be detected by the alliance network).

3. Due to network security restrictions in Sanctuary City, the Firelink can not connect back to the Firelink main network to transmit information through the Alliance network. In case of special emergencies, please try to contact the Alliance network manager for assistance.

[Should we activate the alliance network?]

"Hiss, it can actually activate the Firelink using Happiness City's network?"

Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised.

But then I thought about it again and it made sense. There must be a secret communication network between the City of Fire and the City of Happiness, otherwise it would be impossible to exchange information in an emergency.

However, this network is not open to ordinary people; it is only used for official communication between cities.

Instead of immediately clicking "confirm," I quickly glanced at my phone first.

The system interface was very rudimentary. It was smooth enough, but its aesthetics were nowhere near as good as any smartphone he had ever used during his time travels.

The menu logic is somewhat similar to that of the Defense Connect app in Happiness City; many settings even have identical icons.

Back on the desktop, in the inactive state, there is only a lonely "Camera Authentication" function.

Cheng Ye clicked in and tried it out, taking a picture of the backpack on the table. A prompt immediately popped up on the screen:

Please connect to the internet to download offline data!

"Alright, it seems that if we don't activate it, this thing can only be used as a brick."

Cheng Ye paused on the screen for a moment before finally tapping the stealth network connection function.

Since the information won't be transmitted back to the City of Fire's Protection and the network monitoring of the City of Happiness can be blocked, there's really nothing to worry about.

I just don't know how good this basic function is, or how much privileges this "trainee" can have.

[Activating!]

The screen was instantly covered by scrolling green characters, and a progress bar popped up below.

The download speed was much faster than expected, jumping by 1% almost every ten seconds, but the power consumption also soared.

When I turned it on, it was only at 38%, but now it has dropped to below 20%.

Fortunately, the charging port of Xinhuotong is compatible with the Fangwutong in Xingfu City. Cheng Ye quickly found a charger, plugged it in, and breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the battery level slowly recover.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, the activation progress bar finally filled up, and a message popped up on the screen saying "Basic functions activated successfully".

The data download progress bar was still crawling along at a snail's pace, and a glance at the estimated time showed it to be more than 144 hours.

"Is the speed being deliberately limited to avoid consuming bandwidth on the alliance's network?"

Cheng Ye smacked his lips, finding it understandable.

Using alliance networks is inherently sensitive; it's better to be slower than to have an anomaly detected.

He wrapped the charging cable around the headboard and looked back at his phone's home screen.

The previously empty interface now has three new icons, from left to right:

[Job Level Tasks], [Information Inquiry], [Information Links]

"Have it!"

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up, and he first clicked on the information query function, which was the function he cared about most.

Due to access restrictions in Happiness City, there are many things I cannot know.

If you want to "overtake on a curve", the Xinhuotong device is undoubtedly the best choice.

Unfortunately, the data hadn't finished downloading, and the interface was blank with only a message saying "Please wait for offline data synchronization." He could only exit disappointed.

Click the [Information Link] again.

The interface immediately displays instructions: "Please place the information receiver close to the sensing area on the back of the phone to activate the linkage. The detector needs to be snapped into the groove on the back to complete the connection."

Further down, there were instruction manuals for two other items. Cheng Ye opened them and took a look. They described each of the patch wire harnesses for the testing instrument, and there was even a maintenance guide.

Because the data was still downloading, Cheng Ye wasn't in a hurry. After exiting, he clicked into the [Job Rank Tasks] section to check.

In his opinion, this should be the most useless feature.

After all, judging from the Happy City model, the promotion of prosecutors requires the assistance of manual assessment.

Even if he completes many more tasks on the Firelink Pass, he will never be able to return to the Firelink Sanctuary City to advance in rank.

But the moment Cheng Ye opened the list, his relaxed brows suddenly furrowed.

[Talented Prosecutor Rank Task List:]

1. Detect energy response > 35 (required)
2. Use the 'Photo Authentication' function more than 5000 times (required; and each object must be authenticated).

3. Use the 'Information Query' function to fully memorize the required materials for the internship period (required; after memorization, you can actively start the assessment; a score > 95 points is passing).
Completing the above three mandatory tasks will allow you to pass the probationary assessment and be promoted to a first-level prosecutor.

　P.S.: I went out for dinner and will be back a little late. There will be another update later, but it might be a bit late.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)