Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 141, Code Name C35, Fighting Poison with Poison!
Three days have passed, and the north and south checkpoints still haven't managed to divert the continuous influx of migrants.

At this moment, the number of migrants blocking the central checkpoint has soared to a terrifying 290,000.

At this rate of growth, it's bound to break 300,000 tonight and head straight for 350,000!

What is the concept?
After the outbreak of the Starfish Stand infection, the total population of the buffer zone has fallen below 250,000.

The population currently outside the "happiness defense line" is actually larger than the residents in the buffer zone.

Even with the central checkpoint operating at full capacity, it can only let in a mere five thousand people a day.

Before going to work in the morning.

Cheng Ye stood on the central watchtower, gazing ahead, and for a moment couldn't find the right words to describe the scene before him.

It seemed to be no different from what he had seen here a few days ago: an endless sea of ​​people, with colorful tents stretching as far as the eye could see, like tattered rags crumpled by a gale, clinging tightly to the gray-brown wilderness.

But he knew better than anyone that this seemingly calm crowd had long since become a powder keg ready to explode.

With just a spark, countless people could be blown to pieces.

The spark that ignited the gunpowder barrel was now in his hand, clearly displayed on the screen of his defense communication device.

"It's finally about to begin."

Cheng Ye murmured softly, his thoughts drifting away involuntarily.

The work of resettling displaced people ultimately could not begin amidst prosperity, but rather had to take its first difficult step amidst widespread suffering.

The higher-ups at Happiness City were far more decisive and ruthless than he had imagined!

Or rather, what is about to happen is the true main theme of this wasteland.

Such a large group of displaced people must contain an extremely large number of sources of infection.

It may be known, or it may be unknown, and it is even possible that the mother source is lurking within it.

If we are so lenient as to accept everything without question, and then rely on prosecutors and grassroots forces to filter it bit by bit, not to mention how inefficient it would be, the final casualties would probably be several times greater than the current one-time outbreak of conflict.

Therefore, without any hesitation, the higher-ups adopted the simplest and most direct approach:

Straight sieve.

All sources of infection were unleashed at once and suppressed in one concentrated manner, thereby achieving a qualitative change of "rebirth from the ashes".

Those who survive will become the new residents of Happiness City.

The dead will become nourishment for the next phase of development of this super-sanctuary city.

Is it cruel? Yes, it is cruel.

But it seems to be the best option right now.

Of course, the situation may not be as bad as he thinks. The final outcome depends entirely on whether Happiness City has made thorough preparations.

Having played with fire to this point, Cheng Ye was certain that even if the final result was failure, Happiness City would be absolutely confident in completely suppressing all the chaos.

Otherwise, they would never have carried out such radical orders when there were 300,000 displaced people piled up.

If intervention can be made the moment the storm breaks out and initial cleanup can be completed with minimal casualties, the storm may immediately become an opportunity for rise rather than the beginning of destruction.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with him, a trainee prosecutor.

Cheng Ye could only barely discern the deeper meaning behind each of Happiness City's choices in order to protect himself.

Even Ding Yishan would probably be powerless to interfere with the progress of such a behemoth's plan.

8 PM.

After three days of continuous operation, more than 80% of the scavengers who came back to their nests have arrived.

At this time, the checkpoint returned to its previous quiet state, with no one queuing anymore.

As expected, the checkpoint's announcement arrived on time:
Starting tonight, we will fully resume normal operations, with some adjustments to the schedule.

The morning duty time will be extended to 9:00 AM, while the closing time will be brought forward to 6:00 AM.

At the same time, instead of having two inspectors rotating every day, one person will be in charge of the entire operation. A lunch break will also be set up from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., during which the checkpoint will be completely closed for disinfection.

In this way, even if a prosecutor is on duty alone, their working hours will still be eight hours.

"Brother Cheng, with this change, won't a lot of prosecutors be able to take a break?"

Looking at the announcement, Wang Kang felt a pang of sadness.

Similar to the neighboring Area A and Area C, the two inspectors work together, sharing the burden of their duties.

Cheng Ye, however, shouldered all the pressure alone, allowing him to have enough sleep and recovery time every day.

He barely managed to get through the first duty cycle, especially in the last three days, he was so exhausted that he could fall asleep as soon as he lay down.

Unexpectedly, the rules were changed right after I finished sticking to them.

"Yes, it's time to rest."

Cheng Ye smiled, looked up at the sky, and saw that the dense dark clouds were pressing down on the two of them.

The air was thick with a damp, sticky feeling, like a wet rag covering your mouth and nose, the moisture almost condensing into droplets.

After completing the handover procedures and receiving two boxes of nutritional syrup as usual, Mr. Zhang's bus slowly pulled up.

“Master Zhang, starting tomorrow, you don’t need to pick me up anymore.”

Cheng Ye paused as he got into the car before speaking.

Mr. Zhang remained calm, as if he had expected this: "Yes, I was just about to tell you that the Public Works Department has notified us that all of our drivers need to assemble tomorrow."

"be careful."

"Don't worry, what's coming will come eventually. Sooner or later, everyone will have to suffer this blow."

Mr. Zhang's tone was emotionless. He gently turned the steering wheel, and the bus drove away from the checkpoint.

Wang Kang didn't understand the witty banter between the two at first, but as the train approached the station and he looked at the increasingly dark night outside the window, he had already guessed quite a bit of what was going on.

Boom.

Suddenly, lightning flashed through the clouds, followed by rumbling thunder that made one's heart leap.

Large raindrops began to pound against the car window, making a pattering sound.

"Brother Cheng." Wang Kang's voice was a little tense.

"Ok?"

"Should I not sleep too soundly tonight?"

"Don't worry about me." Cheng Ye chuckled. "If it really comes to that, no matter how vigilant you are, you won't be able to escape. This line of defense for happiness isn't so easy to breach, and it certainly won't get to that point."

"it is good."

Wang Kang responded, but judging from his tense profile, he would probably still have a sleepless night.

Sometimes, knowing too much is a kind of pain.

Knowing too little is another kind of torment.

Back in his room, Cheng Ye closed the security door, turned around, took out a raincoat from the closet, and hung it on the clothes rack by the door.

As soon as it was hung up, a ball of orange-red flame burst out from the blind spot, flapped its wings and darted into the raincoat pocket, its little beak pecking at the fabric.

"Don't cause trouble." Cheng Ye laughed and reached out to pull it out. "You're already so naughty at such a young age, what will you do when you're gone?"

Three days passed, and the flames were growing at an absurdly fast rate.

Whether it was the quality of the firewood he fed him or the characteristics of an extraordinary creature, the little guy had grown to the size of a small sparrow, covered with a layer of fine down, and could barely flutter and fly short distances.

When it was pulled out and placed on the bed, it immediately curled into a fluffy little ball, tilting its head and pretending to be innocent, which made Cheng Ye shake his head.

After checking that the raincoat was not torn or leaking, Cheng Ye bent down and pulled out two large waterproof backpacks and a heavy waterproof suitcase from under the bed.

These were all secretly found by Tuo Dalong at the flea market.

He first opened the first backpack and packed the equipment he had received from the checkpoint in the past few days into it, categorizing them as follows:

Survival tools such as compasses, waterproof flints, and multi-functional entrenching tools are grouped together.

The city map, information on the distribution of power, and contact codes for each sanctuary city were sealed in separate bags.

There were also several packs of emergency gauze and disinfectant, as well as a medicine bag stuffed into the side pocket of the backpack.

The other backpack was filled with nutrient solution.

The yellow, blue, and black bags were neatly stacked, and the zippers were already bulging when they were only half-zipped up.

Finally, Cheng Ye opened the waterproof leather case and carefully placed the previously sealed books inside.

He placed the books, especially those related to superhumans but which he hadn't had time to read, at the very bottom.

In truth, Cheng Ye knew that even if the sky were to fall tonight, he would not step out of his room.

Even if there is a bloodbath outside, it is not something he can change by witnessing it.

At the same time, just as Wang Kang was told, the defenses of Happiness City were not so easily breached.

But no matter how he tried to comfort himself, the images he had seen through the drone kept flashing through his mind, along with the details of his fight with Zhang Can.

And C35, a dark and deserted satellite city shrouded in the night glow of torches.

By the time I finished tidying up, the rain outside the window was pouring down, pounding against the glass with a dense, crackling sound, like countless hands rapidly pounding.

Cheng Ye walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked down.

The streets in the buffer zone were deserted, with only the streetlights casting blurry halos in the rain, making the wet pavement gleam coldly.

In the distance, intermittent noises could be faintly heard from the direction of the central checkpoint, as if the sound of rain had choked them, making them difficult to hear clearly.

Is it a battle? Is it chaos? Or something else entirely?
Everything was shattered by this torrential rain and scattered in the wind!

After looking at it for a moment, Cheng Ye looked away, turned around and pushed the two backpacks and suitcases back under the bed, and moved the raincoat into the clothes rack to make sure it was within easy reach.

The fire on the bed had fallen asleep sometime earlier, its little chest rising and falling gently with its breath, and a faint red glow occasionally flashed among the downy fur.

Cheng Ye reached out and covered it with a small piece of velvet cloth, then turned off the light.

In the darkness, the blue panel slowly lit up, and the energy level in the upper right corner remained at a healthy 87%.

With a thought, the interface redirected to the personal information page:

[Collector: Cheng Ye]

[Current Rank: Level 2 Rookie (17.6/100)]

Life Level: 1

[Skills: Heartfire, Wild Grass Physique, Tiger Strength, Moving Shot]

[Capability]: Fire Eagle Symbiotic Ecosystem

[Not yet unlocked.]

[Evaluation: Exploration at the level of life.] After a week of settling, the dragon power has been completely integrated and is operating freely.

Tiger Power, on the other hand, was something he had obtained from Miao Yang the day before, and it immediately filled in the gaps in his learning progress.

Perhaps because he was the first to master the Dragon Force, according to Cheng Ye's perception, the Tiger Force would only take about ten days, or even less, to be incorporated into his muscle memory.

This speed is more than ten times faster than what even those called geniuses need three to five months to master.

"I'm always comforting others, so I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well tonight either."

Cheng Ye lay on the bed, listening to the thunder outside the window, one after another, and the occasional flash of lightning that pierced the night sky, illuminating the room as bright as day.

In a daze, he suddenly felt a faint sense of happiness.

Perhaps at this moment, chaos has already broken out outside the buffer zone, and countless people are fleeing in the wind and rain, fighting with all their might for survival.

Perhaps those things hidden in the darkness are now emerging, baring their fangs.

But right now, he can lie here peacefully, feeling the warmth of the bed beneath him.

Listening to the roar of the rain, I enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

Click.

In the inner city, at the infection source research institute shaped like a giant egg, a crack suddenly appeared in the top.

The crack spread to both sides at an alarming speed, and soon, a metal platform slowly rose from below.

A woman dressed in light purple armor stood in the center of the platform, her eyes slightly closed, as if she were asleep.

Beneath the transparent helmet, long hair cascaded down her shoulders like an ink waterfall. Her face, while not conventionally beautiful, exuded a serene and intellectual charm.

"Director Yu, the location of codename 'C35' has been completely confirmed. Shall we initiate the ejection?"

"Play it."

The woman slowly opened her eyes, and to everyone's astonishment, there were no pupils in her eyes, only a bottomless blackness that seemed to devour light.

Before he finished speaking, the platform beneath his feet suddenly recoiled downwards, like a spring compressed to its limit.

The next instant, a visible purple arc of light exploded on the surface of the armor, and the woman's figure shot straight into the sky like a cannonball, creating a sharp whooshing sound as she broke through the clouds.

After ascending to an altitude of nearly a thousand meters, a pair of purple alloy wings suddenly popped out from the back of the armor, their tips gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

Pulled by its wings, it swooped down like a shooting star toward a valley seventy kilometers outside Happiness City.

In less than three minutes, the woman's figure hovered above the valley, her dark eyes casually sweeping across the ground, her voice coming through her helmet:

"Come out, or let me invite you out."

The words fell.

Deep in the valley, a figure shrouded in a black robe rose from the ground, seemingly blending into the shadows.

He was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, as if he had been malnourished for a long time.

“Yu Erlan, I have no designs on your Happiness City, nor have I ever caused any damage.”

He looked up at the woman floating in the air, his tone urgent, as if he were trying to explain himself.

But the next second, a bright red token-shaped badge fell from the sky and landed with a thud on the ground a step in front of him.

The front of the token features a relief of the majestic Mount Everest, while the back is engraved with four large, blood-red characters.

[Red Notice]

"The Spark Red Notice, codename 'C35,' Symbiotic Mother Source: Ghost Spider"

"Ability determined: It can parasitize and infect through biological shadows. Once the shadow is invaded, the host will gradually lose its autonomy and become a puppet controlled by it, acting according to predetermined instructions. Its ability is significantly enhanced at night, and the number of people it controls increases accordingly. The maximum number of people it can control has been calculated to be 25."

"Annihilation conditions have been determined: If the clones of the Shadow Spider hidden outside the main body are not completely destroyed, even if the current body is destroyed, its consciousness can instantly enter the shadow of any infected person and complete reconstruction and resurrection through the shadow medium. Eradication method: Both the clones and the main body must be annihilated at the same time."

Yu Erlan stood in the air, her voice coming through her armor, as steady as if she were reading an academic report.

The middle-aged man below subtly changed his expression, a dark and eerie glint flashing in his eyes, before a cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Since you know I am immortal, why come looking for me at a time like this?"

He spread his hands, the shadows beneath his black robe writhing like living things: "I admit, the refugees outside have been infected by me, reaching my control limit, but I merely wanted to increase my power and, incidentally, watch a grand spectacle of newcomers versus veterans."

“Okay, we need to add one more: subjects that develop the ability to think after coexisting with their mother are rare.”

Yu Erlan nodded slightly, her dark eyes showing no emotion: "Yu Yong, you are the thirty-eighth researcher to defect from the Spark Foundation. As required by the wanted notice, I will give you one minute to explain your reasons for stealing the Mother Source and coexisting with it."

"Stealing the mother's blood?"

Suddenly, Yu Yong, shrouded in shadow, burst into a piercing laugh that echoed through the valley. "What is the Mother Source? What is a superhuman? I am just like you, a superhuman!"

"It's just that my way of improving my abilities isn't as foolish as yours, insisting on using rules and regulations to constrain myself and the growth of extraordinary beings."

His face lit up with a fanatical expression, as if he were showing off some treasure. "I'm just indulging him, satisfying him, pleasing him, and letting him provide me with even greater power."

"Isn't the torch relay also utilizing the power of the mother source? Why do you have to label me like this?"

He took a deep breath and squinted his eyes in ecstasy. "How powerful he is. He can grant me immortality and give me almost limitless power."

"You have thirty seconds left."

"You don't really think you can kill me, do you? Haha!" Yu Yong remained unmoved, a cold smile playing on his lips. "I admit you're strong, but you're just a newcomer who hasn't been in the second stage for long. Even if you've fused with the combat form and can destroy my mother body, do you think you can kill those 250,000 migrants outside?"

He took a step forward, the shadow beneath his black robe spreading even faster: "Stop pretending, the next doomsday is coming soon! The new era is only thirty-five years old, and the number of superhumans has already exceeded ten thousand again. You're multiplying like cockroaches. Even if you can restrain yourselves now, can you guarantee that every superhuman in the future will uphold the bottom line?"

"The 'mother source' you speak of will only increase, and the expansion of power will only lead more people astray. Those who can remain clear-headed, like me, are the true controllers of this power, and the future kings who may rule this planet and all living beings!"

"The last ten seconds."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Yu Yong suddenly looked up, the shadow under his black robe suddenly widening. "I didn't come to turn myself in, and you can't change my mind!"

Before he finished speaking, his body swelled up as if inflated, instantly transforming into a massive black shadow the size of a mountain, its body wreathed in countless twisted shadow tentacles, like a giant beast crawling out of hell.

"This era is the best of times, and the worst of times!"

The colossal figure spoke, its voice booming like thunder, "Because we have found the key to unlocking biological evolution, instead of foolishly relying on technology and allowing ordinary people to wield world-destroying power!"

"That's the path to self-destruction, the main reason this planet has become a wasteland!"

boom.

A pale bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the black mountain on the ground and the purple figure in the air.

Almost at the same moment, they both moved.

Shadow tentacles shot into the sky like a torrential rain, carrying a chilling aura that devoured everything.

The purple figure, trailing a long tail of light, swooped down toward the core of the giant shadow.

Wow.

A strange scene happened.

The seemingly ferocious tentacles, as soon as they approached within half a meter of the purple figure, automatically curled up and charred as if burned by invisible flames, eventually turning into ashes that scattered in the rain.

Whether it was whipping or striking, none of the attacks could even touch Yu Erlan's armor.

“So strong, so strong!”

Yu Yong's roar was filled with a morbid fanaticism: "This is the power I want, this is it!"

As he spoke, facing the charging Yu Erlan, he surprisingly abandoned all resistance, opening his arms covered in shadow as if welcoming some kind of blessing:
"Come, kill me! Let me feel the end of this power!"

"One day, I will have it, and I will use it to kill you and make you taste despair!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

He roared madly, as if those scenes were already playing out in his mind.

However, the fervor on his face suddenly froze the next second.

Suddenly, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground beneath their feet, and beams of purple-gold energy burst forth, instantly weaving together to form a massive cage that slammed upwards with a shimmering glow of runes.

With a loud clang, all the black tentacles were locked inside, unable to move.

"what?"

Yu Yong's expression changed drastically in an instant. He could clearly feel that the mental connection between himself and the 25 infected people had been completely severed as if by a sharp blade.

This cage not only sealed off his body, but also acted as an energy barrier, completely suppressing his abilities within a small space.

"What the hell is this?!"

He frantically pounded on the cage walls, and his shadow tentacles crashed into the pillar of light, only to be instantly dissolved into black smoke, just as when he approached Yu Erlan.

"Sorry, I never talk to trash unless I want to kill him."

Yu Erlan landed on the ground, her light purple battle armor boots splashing tiny water droplets as she stepped onto the wet mud.

She clenched her fist slightly, and the purple-gold cage began to shrink as if it were alive.

In the blink of an eye, it shrank from the size of a mountain to the size of a palm.

Inside the cage, Yu Yong's body shrank rapidly, gradually losing its human form, and finally transforming into a black spider the size of a fist, with his terrified and distorted face clearly reflected on the carapace on his back.

"Besides, you're wrong."

Yu Erlan's voice came through the helmet, carrying a hint of mockery, "I have entered the third stage, and it is the...Transcendent Control state."

She rarely curled the corners of her lips into a faint smile, and pinched the miniature cage between her left index finger and thumb.

The transparent helmet popped open, revealing her intellectually beautiful face, but the next second she suddenly coughed, her face turning ashen, like a fish suddenly deprived of oxygen.

She pressed the earpiece with her right hand, paused, and immediately heard a rapid response:
"Director Yu!"

"Code name 'C35' has been successfully apprehended and the infection link has been severed. Please proceed with the cleanup in Area A immediately."

"Understood." The voice on the other end of the earpiece was firm and resolute.

The black spider inside the cage struggled violently. Yu Yong's voice came through its shell, his reaction shifting from shock to disbelief, and finally to hysterical madness:

"You've gone mad! You're actually using me, using my power to expel the source of infection from those refugees! You're playing with fire!"

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid I'll detonate it prematurely?"

He roared incoherently, clearly never imagining that someone would dare to be so bold as to use his abilities as a purification tool.

Because only the mother source has this ability, the ability to unleash the expansion of power.

Those who possess extraordinary abilities must restrain themselves; the tighter they restrain themselves, the greater the power they can gain.

"Is it?"

Yu Erlan closed her helmet again, shutting out the rain and air outside, and took two deep breaths, her complexion regaining some color.

Holding the cage up to her eyes, a rare hint of interest appeared on her face:

"A tiny insect like you actually understands what it means to be exploited?"

"Okay, I have to admit, you are indeed quite capable, and you still retain a lot of critical thinking skills."

"It's worth studying for a while!"

　P.S.: Second update delivered~ Please vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)