Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 148 introduces a new feature: exchange for illustration traits!
call.
call.
Cheng Ye took deep breaths; he never imagined he would ever crave the air of freedom so much.

Yes, air has a smell and properties.

The buffer zone had very few green plants, and the sewage pipes would get clogged every now and then. Apart from the checkpoint, every corner was filled with a faint sour smell.

In the days since he transmigrated, he has become accustomed to this smell and has almost forgotten what "fresh" should look like.

But at this moment, stepping into the wilderness outside the city, the air, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees and the scent of damp earth, is like a clear spring, instantly dispelling the stuffiness accumulated in my lungs.

It felt like stepping into another world; every breath was refreshingly invigorating, so invigorating that it made you want to shout out loud.

"Shout it out, or you'll miss your chance."

Jiang Chuan turned his head to the side, a knowing smile on his lips, clearly not the first time he had accompanied someone through the "first time leaving the city" ceremony.

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, but finally couldn't resist rolling down the car window and sticking his head out.

Without any buildup, he simply opened his mouth wide and roared with all his might:
ah--! ! !
The roaring sound pierced the rain curtain, startling Ah She, who was directing the cleaning in Zone C, into jumping up.

But when Ah She saw the checkpoint sign on the pickup truck and Cheng Ye poking his head out, the panic on Ah She's face quickly turned into envy and longing.

It was as if he himself was sitting in the car, not Cheng Ye, heading towards that dangerous yet alluring wilderness.

He shouted for four or five seconds until he ran out of air in his lungs before he pulled his head back. His chest heaved violently, and all the pent-up frustration in his heart seemed to dissipate with that shout.

He had never felt so free during his time in the buffer zone.

Even after killing Zhang Can, all that surged into his heart was a profound mental exhaustion, not a complete release at this moment.

"Comfortable!"

He raised his right hand and rested it on the car door, panting heavily. The rain splashing on his face felt cool yet refreshing.

"You adapted very quickly, and you seem to really enjoy it."

Jiang Chuan held the steering wheel, deliberately keeping the speed at around 15 km/h, taking Cheng Ye's feelings into consideration.

Many people don't get carsick in the buffer zone, but become extremely dizzy and disoriented when they reach the rugged terrain outside the city.

He had intended to give Cheng Ye some time to adjust, but Cheng Ye's reaction surprised him.

After being released, he didn't show the excitement or fear that ordinary people feel when they first set foot in the wilderness. Instead, he exuded a deep sense of returning to his homeland, and there was even a hint of nostalgia hidden in his eyes.

"Yes, in my dreams, I lived on this land for a very, very long time."

Cheng Ye blurted it out, his tone slightly dazed.

Jiang Chuan listened and took it as the romantic imagination of a scholar. He laughed loudly and said, "Young people dare to dream. When I first went out on an adventure, all I could think about was avoiding infected people and returning to the settlement safely. I didn't dare to think about these things."

Unbeknownst to him, Cheng Ye's thoughts had already drifted back to the distant past, bridging the gap of time.

Back then, people never needed to be so anxious when traveling.

Crossing a mountain, crossing a river, going to a neighboring province, or even traveling to a foreign country are all as commonplace as going out for a walk.

The distances on those maps are just a few hours' drive or a few minutes' flight.

There's no yellow line demarcating civilization and disorder, no lurking shadow of infection sources, and no fear that washes over you the moment you step outside the sheltered city.
"Yes, safety is the most important thing."

Cheng Ye pulled his wandering thoughts back, looked straight ahead, and began to carefully examine this unfamiliar wilderness.

Outside the South Checkpoint, the ground outside Xingfu City has been paved, so even on rainy days, it won't be muddy and splashing.

To get onto the provincial highway leading to Dabo Town, you need to first detour north of Xingfu City, towards the North Checkpoint.

The pickup truck drove slowly along the Happiness Line, without any obstruction.

But soon, Cheng Ye frowned, for they were about to enter a densely packed area of ​​refugees.

Several days later, the endless queues remained, just as he had seen from the lookout tower a few days earlier.

Perhaps because there were too many people, the numbers became blurred: 100,000, 200,000, 400,000. From a high vantage point, they seemed to make no difference; it was all an endless, crowded mass.

Approaching it from eye level, the dense, oppressive feeling immediately hits you, especially on rainy days, when it feels even more oppressive and gloomy.

In the past, Cheng Ye would have felt safer gripping the gun tightly in his hand.

But now, he was only slightly tense, highly focused, but his breathing remained steady, without any unnecessary movements.

"We have already set up twelve refugee camps, each with about 50,000 people. Later migrants will be guided to new areas to ensure that they will not have any contact with the previous migrants and there is no possibility of transmission."

Jiang Chuan carefully avoided the puddles on the roadside while explaining, "In total, there are over 500,000 residents stationed outside. Led by the newly established Resettlement Agency in the buffer zone, which is leading departments such as the Medical Department, Welfare Department, and Supplies Department, we are currently carrying out preliminary resettlement, including providing medical treatment, changing clothes, and teaching rules. All the necessary things need to be done."

He paused, then added, "We expect to complete all the groundwork the day after tomorrow, at which point the recruitment process will be much easier for the prosecutors."

This is the source of Super Sanctuary's confidence.

Although the prosecutors are responsible for taking the migrants out to work on projects and build satellite cities, it doesn't mean they have to do all the trivial matters themselves.

Eating, drinking, relieving oneself, guiding one's thoughts, and instilling rules—if all of these are placed on one person, even the most capable person will collapse.

Even in ordinary communities, these tasks are broken down and assigned to different people, let alone in Happiness City.

Today, thousands of staff members have recruited tens of thousands of displaced people to assist in management, and order is gradually being restored.

By the time the prosecutors took over, this groundwork had already been completed, and they only needed to focus on the "construction" itself.

After observing for a while, Cheng Ye suddenly asked, "What's the quality of these refugees like?"

"Uh"

Jiang Chuan paused, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face, as if he was considering whether or not to tell the truth.

Fortunately, at that moment, two armed pickup trucks drove up from not far away, and the people with machine guns mounted in the back of the truck waved from a distance.

"Jiangchuan?"

The person in charge of the pickup truck seemed to recognize him and called out from a distance.

"It's me, Captain Song. I'm out running some errands."

Jiang Chuan rolled down his car window, and the two cars tacitly maintained a ten-meter distance, without getting closer.

"Go ahead, just follow the signs on the ground."

"okay."

"Why not use a radio to communicate?" Cheng Ye pointed to the communication equipment hanging on the vehicle, somewhat curious.

Jiang Chuan's expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "After leaving the city, I turned off all these electronic devices. Firstly, to prevent being tracked, and secondly, to ensure that no one can interfere with the examination process."

Avoiding location tracking?

How can we ensure that no one interferes with the exam?

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then turned to look out the window thoughtfully.

He is no longer the clueless newbie who knew nothing about Happiness City when he first transmigrated.

The death of his predecessor, the subtle targeting and hidden threats from various parties made him realize one thing.

Cheng Long left behind not only favors, but also inescapable troubles.

These troubles are kept in check by the rules within the buffer zone, but once outside the city, no one can predict what unexpected changes might occur.

As he pondered, the pickup truck slowly passed through the edge of the refugee procession.

The designated driving area was about 30 meters away from the front of the migrant procession.

Some migrants noticed the checkpoint sign on the vehicle and cast curious or longing glances at it. Some even tentatively moved forward, seemingly wanting to say something, but were stopped by the staff maintaining order.

Cheng Ye glanced at it a few times and then looked away.

There are simply too many people, and unlike Tianyuan Community, there isn't a clear leader.

If we really want to recruit people, we have to wait until we get the specific information and screen people slowly; there's no need to rush to observe right now.

We drove for about seven or eight kilometers before reaching the other end of the refugee area.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the two of them sat up straight, and the relaxation in their eyes faded slightly.

"Relax, Prosecutor Cheng, I'll protect you," Jiang Chuan reassured her.

"You?" Cheng Ye didn't think much of it and asked subconsciously.

Jiang Chuan smiled awkwardly. Although he knew Cheng Ye didn't mean anything by it, the embarrassing situation he had in Tianyuan Community that day still flashed through his mind.

He was being held at gunpoint by hundreds of guns, and was also tightly bound by Da Long, a man who had opened a normal meridian and was carrying a fake tire.

While he certainly didn't want to cause trouble, the scene was truly embarrassing!
"Don't worry, there are extra people following along."

He pointed with his chin to the rearview mirror, and sure enough, there was a pickup truck trailing far behind, seemingly close yet distant.

"This is?"

"The invigilation team serves two purposes: to prevent us from colluding to cheat and to protect us."

Jiang Chuan, that kid, is up to no good.

When Cheng Ye asked the question, he opened the panel and started monitoring the cooperation level.

Sure enough, when Jiang Chuan said those words, the value plummeted from 51% to 37%, before slowly rising back to 48% after he finished speaking.

Clearly, there was some exaggeration in his words, but Cheng Ye didn't ask any further questions.

Although the flame wasn't enough for him to transform into a superhuman and ignore all dangers, the starfish in the corner couldn't be faked.

In addition, with the wings stored in the pendant, he can leave whenever he encounters an emergency, or even fly away directly!

But if the superhumans in Happiness City set their sights on him, then there's not much that can be done.

We can't hide in the city forever and never come out. At worst, we can confront them head-on and see what they're capable of.

The car quickly arrived near the North Checkpoint, and the pickup truck deliberately kept a distance, not getting too close.

"The entrance to the provincial highway is just ahead!"

Jiang Chuan stepped on the gas, and the pickup truck sped away, leaving the proctor's vehicle some distance behind. "After this, it's all wilderness. We'll have to be extra careful."

Cheng Ye nodded, his gaze drifting out the window.

Happiness City did not clear the weeds and vines around Sanctuary City, but let them grow wildly.

It's not a lack of manpower or resources, but rather a reminder to all those leaving the city that from the moment they step across this dividing line, they must remain vigilant at all times.

As you drive forward, the paved road disappears completely, replaced by a dirt road softened by rainwater. Wild grass grows wildly on both sides, reaching waist height, and the shadows of trees in the fog are crooked, like silent sentinels.

After driving less than two kilometers, Jiang Chuan suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the pickup truck drove diagonally up the hill.

After climbing the hill, an elevated provincial highway came into view.

Although it's called a provincial highway, it's actually more like a ring road left over from Sichuan City.

The old road signs along the roadside had long since fallen off after nearly a century of weathering, and were replaced by new signs erected by Happiness City.

As we approached the intersection, a Y-shaped road sign suddenly appeared:

The left side leads to Xiasha County, which is the direction of the industrial zone, while the right side points to Wenlu County.

There is a clear difference between the two sides. The side towards the industrial area is better maintained. Although there are small potholes and undulations in the road surface, there are no obvious cracks.

On the side towards Wenlu County, spiderweb-like cracks have appeared on the road surface, and traces of partial collapse can even be seen on the roadside.

"We've maintained it many times before, and once we almost rebuilt it to the standards of the old era."

Jiang Chuan sighed, "Later, as you know, for every person who rebuilds in this wasteland, there's someone who destroys it. The better you build, the more likely you are to become a target. They treat it as a joke. Unless you send people to patrol and guard it every day, there will be a big problem within half a month at most. So, let it just rot like this."

The evil in human nature sometimes far exceeds our imagination.

Cheng Ye thought for a moment, then uttered a name: "Yueye Shelter City?"

“They’ve been around before, but they were caught twice and then they behaved themselves.” Jiang Chuan shook his head. “They’re more often the Hundred Ghosts Gang.”

"The Hundred Ghosts Gang?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Take the Red-Haired Demons as an example; they make a living by taking on infrastructure and maintenance projects in Happiness City.

If all roads are repaired and remain intact, wouldn't these people lose their jobs?

"Leave them some work to do. As long as the road is passable, it's not a big problem."

As Jiang Chuan spoke, he skillfully turned the steering wheel, weaving through the potholes without stepping into a single deep one.

Occasional bumps and jolts are smoothly filtered out by the pickup truck's suspension, resulting in a surprisingly pleasant riding experience.

Seeing that Cheng Ye showed no signs of motion sickness, Jiang Chuan increased the speed to fifty miles per hour.

The roadside scenery rushed past, and this was the first time Cheng Ye had truly seen what the ruins of Chuan City looked like.

It's so dilapidated!

The broken walls and ruins were faintly visible in the fog, and the dilapidated high-rise buildings looked like gnawed bones, with steel bars sticking out of the concrete and entwined with withered yellow vines.

An abandoned car lay overturned on the side of the road, its body rusted to the bone, and its glass shattered into pieces.

Those buildings that were once fifty or sixty stories high now stand crookedly in place, as if they would collapse at any moment.

Looking through the dark, gaping windows, it was as if monsters were lurking behind them, exuding a chilling stillness.

Perhaps this place was once bustling with traffic and dazzling with neon lights, but now only desolation remains.

Cheng Ye's heart suddenly felt heavy. He imagined the contrast between the prosperity of the old era and the ruins before him, and felt that time was incredibly cruel, like a dull knife, slowly grinding away all vitality.

Fortunately, the car only traveled along the ring road and did not enter the ruins of Chuan City.

After turning another corner, we drove into the deserted wilderness, far away from the city ruins.

An endless expanse of overgrown weeds stretched out before him, just as Cheng Ye had imagined a "wilderness where no one had ever set foot."

It was the height of summer, and although the temperature had dropped, the wild grasses looked somewhat wilted, bending low. But when they stretched out in a continuous expanse, they were still magnificent, as if one had entered a boundless grassland.

At the edge of the line of sight, dark shadows occasionally flashed by in the depths of the fog, moving at extremely high speeds, their features obscured.

Is it a mutated beast?

Cheng Ye subconsciously placed his hand on his waist and gripped the Bison combat pistol on the seat.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, fixing on the edge of the provincial highway in the distance.

Six tall, thin humanoid figures stood in place, looking over, each holding a gun and in a wary posture.

"A scavenger?"

Jiang Chuan followed his gaze and shook his head. "No, scavengers won't gather in such open areas; it's too easy for them to be targeted as prey."

He slowed down and pulled the pickup truck closer to the side of the road. "It must be a hunter, someone who makes a living by hunting mutated beasts. Recently, a lot of special mutated beasts from other provinces have emerged from the fog cave, and they are quite valuable."

"hunter."

Upon closer inspection, Cheng Ye noticed that the six people were indeed spread out in a fan shape, with their guns faintly pointing in the same direction, suggesting they were on guard rather than pursuing someone.

"Should we go around it?" Cheng Ye asked.

According to Jiang Chuan's previous advice, one should avoid provoking people in the wilderness, especially those whose identities are unknown.

Jiang Chuan shook his head: "We can't avoid it. The road ahead is the only way to Wenlu County. Don't worry, we have checkpoint signs. Even if they provoke us, they'll have to give way."

He stepped on the gas and slowly approached at a speed of 30 miles per hour, while rolling up the car window halfway.

As the distance closed, Cheng Ye gradually made out the appearance of those people.

They were all wearing tattered camouflage uniforms, their faces covered in mud, and their guns were modified small-caliber hunting rifles designed to ensure the prey remained intact to the greatest extent possible. The barrels were also wrapped with strips of cloth, making them look quite fierce.

When the pickup truck was still a hundred meters away from them, one of them was the first to see the checkpoint emblem painted on the side of the vehicle, and immediately raised his hand and waved to signal the vehicle to stop.

Jiang Chuan slowly stepped on the brakes, stopping the car about ten meters away from the group.

This distance maintains a safe distance without appearing distant.

He pushed open the car door and got out. His entire demeanor changed drastically. Gone was the calmness that Cheng Ye was familiar with. Instead, he exuded a fierce aura as if he were walking in the wilderness. He even looked more ferocious than those hunters!

"Sir, checkpoint officer?" One of the six men stepped forward, a short, stocky man with a fawning smile on his dark face, his tone tinged with a cautious apprehension.

"What's going on?" Jiang Chuan frowned.

"Sir, there are unusual mutated beasts lurking on the road ahead. You must be extremely careful." The man rubbed his calloused hands, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "They're white, and about twice the size of an ant-wolf. They live in groups of seven or eight. Not only are they incredibly fast, but they can also sense danger in advance. My brothers and I have been hunting them for two days and haven't been able to kill a single one!"

"Didn't you report it to the Ghost King?"

"It's been reported, but no specific information can be found. It looks like a monster that came from Xue Province. It's injured quite a few people recently."

As he spoke, he pulled a rusty badge from his pocket, on which was engraved a crooked "thorn" character. "We are members of the Thorn Ghost Gang, just trying to make a living in this area. We wouldn't dare to lie to the adults."

"Oh, thanks." Jiang Chuan nodded and took out a happiness coin from his pocket and tossed it over.

The man took the note and saw that it was a 10-yuan note. His eyes lit up, and his smile became even more ingratiating. He bowed repeatedly and said, "Take care, sir, have a safe journey!" Jiang Chuan didn't say anything more and turned back to the car.

As the car restarted, he smiled and said, "Many times, the Blood Dragon Legion can't completely eliminate the surrounding threats, so they have to rely on these local bullies for early warning. They also hope to encounter us so they can make a little money."

"It seems you don't want much contact with them?"

"The important business is ahead; there will be plenty of time to learn about it later."

Cheng Ye's expression remained unchanged.

Although he could act as steady as an old dog in Happiness City, seemingly proficient in everything.

But when he arrived in the wilderness, he knew in his heart that he was a complete novice, and he felt that everything was new and exciting, and he also felt awe for everything.

"A very good mindset." Jiang Chuan nodded, his tone becoming more serious. "Many newcomers fail because of their own curiosity."

The car continued forward, but they did not see the so-called white mutated beast.

Cheng Ye continued to stare at the vast grassland outside, silently matching the information in his mind with the information in his brain.

It seems that we have misunderstood those scavengers who were infected by the Hulk.

Given this environment, walking through such lush grass inevitably leads to contact with those deeply hidden sources of infection.

To avoid these risks, you need to have sufficient equipment or choose a safe route.

"The county road is just ahead. Although it is maintained every few years, it is basically in a semi-abandoned state because so few people use it."

Without Jiang Chuan reminding him, Cheng Ye had already spotted the so-called county road.

It's less of a road and more of a track left by wheels.

Craters and potholes were everywhere, and what was even more dangerous were the vines that grew wildly from the roadside. Some of them were as thick as arms and stretched across the middle of the road, with sharp thorns hanging from them.

Jiang Chuan had to slow down again and carefully navigate through the vines and potholes.

The pickup truck's chassis made a series of clanging noises from time to time, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

"Is this road passable?"

Cheng Ye looked at the section of road ahead that was almost completely blocked by vines and felt somewhat doubtful.

“It’s drivable, but it’s a waste of the car.” Jiang Chuan turned the steering wheel and walked around a protruding section of steel bar. “Xingfu City wanted to rebuild this road before, but the supercomputing assessment said that the investment far outweighed the benefits, so it was shelved.”

He paused, then turned to look at Cheng Ye. "But this time there should be an opportunity. Wenlu County is absolutely of paramount importance. Once the construction of the satellite city begins, the road construction funds will be approved immediately. The transportation of various materials cannot continue to rely on this kind of road."

"I'll get out of the car to clear the vines; you wait for me in the car."

Jiang Chuan pulled a machete from the back seat and swiftly chopped down several thick vines blocking the road.

suddenly.

A dark figure suddenly darted out from behind, but as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he didn't even turn around and slashed out with his sword.

boom.

The shadowy figure was slashed open by the blade, leaving a huge wound. It let out a sharp screech and crashed heavily to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.

Hey, this is something new I've never seen before!
Cheng Ye's eyes flickered. Seeing that Jiang Chuan was handling the situation with ease, he simply pushed open the car door and got out. He walked lightly and cautiously toward the dark figure.

Only when you get closer can you see that the writhing black shadow is not a beast at all, but a mosquito.

What the hell!

Cheng Ye gasped in shock; this mosquito was as big as a calf!

Its grayish-brown shell gleamed with an oily sheen, one of its transparent wings was broken off and was flapping in vain, and its long mouthparts, like rusty steel needles, were still dripping a viscous green liquid.

In an instant, goosebumps erupted all over his arms.

"The mutant malaria mosquito is not very venomous, but it sucks a terrifying amount of blood; just one can suck a person dry."

Jiang Chuan walked over and patted the mosquito's corpse with the back of his knife. "It's the most common mutated beast in Hai Province. How did it end up here? And these things usually live in groups. How come it's alone?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dense hissing sound suddenly came from the grass not far away, like countless fine needles scraping against glass, so piercing that it made one's scalp tingle.

The two men's expressions changed simultaneously, and without saying a word, they turned and ran towards the pickup truck.

Jiang Chuan yanked open the car door and jumped in. He turned the key before it was fully inserted, and the engine roared. The car almost drifted around and sped back the way it came.

This is standard procedure when attacked in the wilderness: don't charge in headfirst, retreat to a relatively safe location first.

Cheng Ye glanced back in the rearview mirror and immediately gasped.

Good heavens! A massive swarm of mutated malaria mosquitoes, at least thirty or forty in number, is emerging from the grass, darkening the sky.

Each one was the same size as the previous one, and the "buzzing" sound of their wings flapping was like a helicopter flying low overhead. They were a dark mass pressing down on us, which was extremely frightening.

However, after seeing even more terrifying infected beings, Cheng Ye quickly recovered.

The terrifying thing about this thing is that it makes familiar things seem terrifying.

Ultimately, it's not as threatening as an infected person.

After watching for a while, he signaled Jiang Chuan to slow down, then leaned out and fired a shot at a mosquito.

boom.

The dense swarms of mosquitoes are packed together, so there's no need to aim.

It was unclear which one it had hit, or whether it had hit the wing or the body, but a mutated malaria mosquito fell to the ground, its green sap splashing onto the ground.

Seeing this, Cheng Ye simply took out the more powerful Thunderbolt 1, opened the sunroof of the pickup truck, and stood up by stepping on the passenger seat.

Boom, boom, boom.
What does it mean to use a cannon to kill a mosquito?
The gun spat fire, and the shotgun shells exploded in the air, each shot capable of knocking over one or two mosquitoes.

It was Cheng Ye's first time fighting a mutated beast in the wild, and he found it quite novel, his finger unable to stop pulling the trigger.

Fun!

It's so much more enjoyable than shooting at fixed targets in the training field, or even shooting those slow-moving starfish infected!
After firing a burst, he pulled out his Ranger and began firing steadily in short bursts.

Although there were many of these mosquitoes, they were not very intelligent and rushed forward like madmen, and he quickly shot them down one by one.

The last mutated malaria mosquito had its wings smashed, and it fell to the ground like a rag, twitching a few times before going still.

Cheng Ye breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down, his hair on his forehead wet with rain.

"Prosecutor Cheng, you're really good!" Jiang Chuan glanced at the dead mosquitoes scattered on the ground through the rearview mirror and exclaimed sincerely, "Your accuracy in moving shots is already comparable to many of the Blood Dragon Legion's sharpshooters."

Cheng Ye smiled but didn't say anything more.

He only mastered 40% of the mobile shooting skill he obtained from Master Tian after so long, which is enough to prove the value of this rare skill.

As we drove back, we could see the proctoring vehicle hanging behind us again.

However, the two sides seemed to have a tacit understanding; the proctoring vehicle did not move forward but stopped not far away.

"Back when we were in the pioneering corps, swarms of mosquitoes, hundreds or even thousands, would often migrate from Hai Province. We'd kill one batch and another would come. These must have come through the fog cave."

Jiang Chuan parked the car next to a dead malaria mosquito, got out of the car, and spoke with the familiarity of someone who had been through it all.

Cheng Ye also got out of the car. These details cannot be found in the prosecutor's handbook, and they are also the secret skills that every prosecutor has to master when going out on duty.

The more you learn, the greater your chances of survival in similar situations in the future.

"The mutant malaria mosquito prefers warm temperatures but is also sensitive to both heat and cold. Its mouthparts are particularly valuable, as you can see."

Jiang Chuan pointed to the malaria mosquito's needle-like proboscis, which was a full five centimeters long. "Gas masks made from these things can effectively filter toxic gases. During the Great Pioneer Era, Hai Province even had special mosquito-hunting teams that could collect several thousand proboscis a day. There were quite a few people who made a living from this."

"In addition," he used his machete to flip the mosquito carcass over, pointed to the palm-sized fleshy sac on its abdomen, and skillfully sliced ​​open the outer hard shell like a butcher dissecting an ox, picking out a small piece of purple tissue the size of a fingertip with the tip of the knife.

"There's a piece of tissue here that has medicinal value; it can neutralize common miasma poisoning. It can also be used as fish bait, which is much better than the artificial bait I brought."

"As for the recycling price, five mouthparts are worth 1 contribution point, and ten fleshy sacs are worth 1 contribution point."

The buyback price is so high?

Cheng Ye was slightly startled. The bullet he had just fired was worth at most 30 coins, which was equivalent to a little over 4 contribution points.

If we could recycle all the mouthparts and sacs of these malaria mosquitoes, we could not only break even but also earn 5 contribution points.

No wonder so many people are willing to take the risk; the returns are simply outrageously high!

"Of course, this is the price in our Happiness City. This thing wouldn't be worth this much in Hainan Province."

Jiang Chuan smiled and gestured, "Want to give it a try?"

"I come!"

Cheng Ye took out a short knife from his waist, strode forward, and swiftly chopped off the mouthparts of the malaria mosquito.

But the moment the knife tip touched the fleshy sac, his movements suddenly froze, drawing a puzzled look from Jiang Chuan.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about your technique."

Cheng Ye remained calm and quickly composed himself. He followed the same procedure, cutting open the fleshy sac and precisely extracting the purple tissue.

After finishing these tasks, while Jiang Chuan turned around to get a storage bag from the back compartment, he immediately opened the panel, his gaze falling on the new message that had just popped up:
The collector has detected escaping biological information and is automatically absorbing it.

[Absorption complete; corresponding local biological atlas created]

Mutant malaria mosquito

[Description]: A unique mutated creature from Hai Province, it is enormous, hunts in packs, and feeds on the blood of other organisms. Its mouthparts can be used to make gas masks, and its flesh pouches contain medicinal components, serving as an antidote and bait.

[Currently Included Features]:
Toxin filtration (4.17%)

Toxin neutralization (8.22%)

bait sacs (5.57%)

[Note]: When the feature collection reaches 100%, the collector can consume energy points to exchange for corresponding rewards, including intelligence, items or skills.

[Note]: The exchange effect is affected by the collector's rank and route. Current effect:

Intelligence: Gain some understanding of the underlying principles of this characteristic.
Affected by the joint route: Collectors can reduce the quality of intelligence to a certain extent and specify the direction of intelligence.
Item: Obtain a random finished product that embodies this property.
Due to the combined route: Collectors can invest more energy points, increasing the effectiveness of finished products.
Skill: Gain a skill related to the trait.

Exchanging for skills may involve special skills, and equipping such items may have unpredictable consequences. Please read the exchange instructions carefully before making an exchange.

[Note]: There is no limit to the number of exchanges. You can exchange once for each set of attribute points you accumulate.

[Note]: The maximum cumulative exchange value for trait attributes is 200% (100% for rank bonus), and cannot be exceeded.

A biological atlas?

Cheng Ye stared at the new content on the panel, momentarily bewildered.

Killing a few mosquitoes unlocked a new feature?
He noticed that in the upper right corner of the panel, next to the energy level, there was a new antique book icon.

Ok?
Isn't this the information value icon in the personal panel?
Cheng Ye paused for a moment, turned off the notification, and used his mind to click on the book.

The page redirects, as if opening a thick ancient book, with a few lines of text slowly appearing on the cover:
[Current Civilization: Solar System | Earth | Wasteland Human Civilization]

This collector has collected a total of 1.07 million pieces of valid civilization information.

[High-Value Civilization Information: 21 Items]

[Currently unlocked content: Native Creatures Encyclopedia]

"Huh? So this is how the collected information about civilizations is used?"

Cheng Ye was taken aback.

For a long time, he only knew how to collect information about civilization according to his job rank, but he never understood the specific purpose of this information.

Although he tried to use information as an identification function more than once after being promoted to a new collector, he never found a way to do it.

It seems that the information about civilizations he collected is completely unusable or unaccessible to him, the collector.

But now, the question has finally been answered.

It's not that it can't be used, it's that he hasn't found the right way to use it!

"But...haven't I taken out a lot of infected individuals, including the ant wolves last time?"

Cheng Ye frowned slightly, then suddenly paused.

It seems that since he became a prosecutor, he has never personally "killed" a source of infection.

Every time an infected person is discovered, the cleanup team comes to deal with it.

Even if there were occasionally any dead infected individuals, they would be collected. According to the manual, he, as the inspector, had never actually come into contact with any infected individuals or sources of infection.

Including the starfish infected, since each little starfish is worth 1 contribution point and can provide a continuous stream of information, he never thought of destroying the starfish to see the effect.

Even the giant starfish that Zhang Can created was eventually taken away by the research institute.

"It's truly a case of the blind spot being right under the lamp!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head. In fact, he should have thought of this when he discovered that the collector could absorb scattered consciousness, but at the time he neither had time to think about it in detail nor had any samples to verify it.

It wasn't until today, when I ventured into the wilderness and personally dealt with the mutated malaria mosquitoes, that I finally grasped the key to utilizing information from civilized society.

Exchange for intelligence, items, or skills?
He tried to use his mind to flip through the "books" on the panel, and the page automatically jumped to a new page, just like the achievement encyclopedia in a game.

The words "mutant malaria mosquito" are prominently displayed in a small box at the top.

After clicking, two images appear:
One image shows the massive, sky-covering formation flying through the air, while the other is a close-up of an individual that he had just cut down.

Below the image is a detailed text description, and at the very bottom are three progress bars.

These correspond to: toxin filtration, toxin neutralization, and bait sac, respectively.

I just processed one, and the toxin neutralization progress bar is almost at 10%, which is much faster than expected.

Of course, it could also be because the mutated malaria mosquito is just a common mutated organism, and its abilities are not rare.

"Gaining some basic knowledge about the principles behind this property is equivalent to..."

"Source track technology?"

Cheng Ye seemed to be deep in thought. This description was quite similar to the source track technology that Li Changfeng had mentioned to him.

Source tracking technology involves analyzing the principles from the source of infection, utilizing them, and combining them with technology to achieve special effects.

Now that he can analyze the anti-toxic mechanism of malaria mosquitoes, can he also analyze the mechanism of infection sources?

As for the items, it's easy to understand; perhaps by selecting toxin filtration, a complete gas mask can be directly condensed.

As for skills, Cheng Ye nodded slightly upon seeing the prompt behind him.

Although he himself may not be able to equip these skills directly, special skills can be fused with the Heart-Protecting Fire.

If we combine it with "toxin neutralization," perhaps the flame could gain the ability to ignore toxins?

Then, by using the extraordinary symbiotic effect to enhance himself, and through this nested process, wouldn't he also indirectly possess a toxin-resistant constitution?

Just as he was pondering, he heard footsteps behind him, and Jiang Chuan pulled a waterproof snakeskin bag out of the back compartment and walked over.

"I'll do it, you keep watch for me," Cheng Ye offered, his short knife already aimed at the corpse of the next malaria mosquito.

"Hmm?" Jiang Chuan was surprised, but did not stop him. He silently stepped aside, picked up his gun, and scanned the surrounding bushes.

With swift, deft movements, Cheng Ye chopped off the mouthparts of malaria mosquitoes, dissected their fleshy sacs, and extracted the purple tissue. His movements became increasingly skilled, and a faint smile even appeared on his lips.

A hint of admiration flashed in Jiang Chuan's eyes.

Diligence leads to mastery, while idleness leads to ruin.

Whether you're a senior inspector or a wilderness adventurer, survival experience is accumulated step by step from these small details.

While delegating tasks to others can save a lot of energy, it can easily lead to unrealistic expectations and a lack of practical skills.

Someone like Cheng Ye, who can maintain focus and even enjoy the slow process of collecting, is simply a born adventurer.

However, he didn't know that at this moment, on the panel in front of Cheng Ye, every time a malaria mosquito was slain, a progress indicator would flash:

[Toxin filtration: 6.47% 4.52% 5.17%]

[Toxin Neutralization: 5.75%]

[Lure Sac: 6.1%]

Like grinding for experience in a monster battle, the three progress bars rose rapidly.

After processing thirteen animals, the toxin neutralization rate reached 100%, and the word "redeemable" appeared.

Once all 34 malaria mosquitoes on the ground had been collected, the three progress bars were instantly filled.

In particular, the bait sac and toxin neutralization directly accumulated to 200%, enough to redeem twice!
　P.S.: Many readers have already asked about the use of information. Don't worry, all the questions I left unanswered will be answered—everything you need to know will be there!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)