Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 154 Whirlpool, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants!
extraordinary?

The blue scale that blew up the Blackfish King actually came from a supernatural creature?

Cheng Ye was stunned for two or three seconds before he suddenly came to his senses and quickly looked down.

【Whirlpool Turtle (Extraordinary Creature)】

[Description]: Legend has it that a whirlpool turtle, capable of controlling the currents, dwells hundreds of meters deep in the river. It usually hides in the river mud, only revealing itself when a torrential rain stirs up the turbulent waves. (Please try to collect more information)

[Extraordinary Ability]: Lock-on (Please try to gather more information)

[Currently Included Features]:
Vortex Water (Exceptional; 1.17%)

[Note]: The double '*' characteristic means that if the collector does not possess the corresponding special power when exchanging it for a skill, they will automatically acquire that special power (this special power is only in its initial form and is used to ensure the normal operation of the skill).
"Ah, so the black-striped kingfish's ability to separate the fish wasn't its own intimidation, but a supernatural ability?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, and the scenes he had seen by the river flashed through his mind.

When the King Fish weaves through the school of fish, it seems as if it is wrapped in an invisible barrier, causing the water ripples to part automatically, and the other fish to avoid it in fear.

It turns out that it wasn't a kingly aura at all, but rather the extraordinary ability granted by this vortex tortoise shell plate.

However, the abilities inherited from the armor plates were obviously extremely weak, with only a little over 1% of the characteristic progress accumulated.

This also explains why the King Fish is so majestic in the water, but becomes a helpless sitting duck once it jumps out of the water.

It was unable to master the power within the armor plates and could only use it passively in the water.

"Bottom of the river".

Cheng Ye's gaze returned to the description.

The description in the encyclopedia should come from the information he collected. It's unclear who provided the information about the Whirlpool Turtle, but it's highly likely that it died on the night of the starfish eruption and could not be learned from further.

However, based on his experience with the Heart-Protecting Fire, if he can collect all the traits to exchange for skills, he should be able to obtain another Extraordinary Symbiotic Life and also get a Vortex Turtle.
But as soon as the thought popped into his head, Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head.

Although the natural depth of the Linjiang River is only 103 meters, it meanders through the entire Shijiazhuang province and connects with four other provinces. In many places, the artificial depth exceeds 200 meters, making its basin frighteningly vast.

Finding a turtle hidden in the river mud in such a large area is like finding a needle in a haystack.

"We can only hope that Happiness City has a way to study these scales, or that once we are settled in Dabo Town, we can search the upper and lower reaches of the Baishui River carefully to see if we can find more wild scales."

Cheng Ye secretly calculated that he didn't need too many; just one hundred pieces would be enough to create the Whirlpool Turtle's characteristics.

Moreover, paying more attention to these larger fish that have the ability to part water is also a way to accumulate wealth.

Thinking of this, he pulled his wandering thoughts back and became even more certain of his previous understanding.

The treacherous wilderness is indeed a place where opportunities and risks coexist.

This is just the "safe zone" around Happiness City, which has been looted countless times. If it were the wilderness that no one had set foot in, or even the high-risk areas marked in red on the map, there might be even more amazing finds.
However, despite saying that, Cheng Ye quickly calmed down.

The primary task now is to continue nurturing the little flame and let the eagle grow a little bigger.

Having a flame by his side not only helps him be on guard at night and detect prying eyes, but it also eliminates half of the risks in the wild.

More extraordinary beings will inevitably appear as they grow stronger.

Turning off the control panel, Cheng Ye turned his gaze outside the car.

He soon noticed a clear difference between the county road and the one he had seen the day before; a thin layer of snow had already covered the road surface.

The vines and weeds that were originally lying on the roadside looked as if they had been chopped down, clearing out a blank area nearly half a meter wide.

Although the road surface is still full of potholes, the plants that used to entangle the wheels are no longer an obstacle, making driving much smoother.

Seeing him staring out the window in thought, Jiang Chuan explained, "The county road was probably cleared by the Public Works Department yesterday."

“That’s fast.”

Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh.

The contracted areas were just established the day before yesterday, and it was pouring rain yesterday, yet Happiness City has already begun preliminary preparations.

However, upon further reflection, this makes sense. The number of migrants gathered outside the buffer zone has exceeded 500,000, and satellite cities must be opened as soon as possible to divert them. If the population is allowed to grow in an uncontrolled manner, it will inevitably lead to major chaos once danger or conflict occurs.

However, this weather
Snow fell in July, but fortunately it was just a temporary phenomenon caused by fog.

If it continues to be this cold, the permafrost will be difficult to thaw, making it difficult to transport building materials, and the satellite city construction plan will likely have to be completely shelved.

After a bumpy ride on the county road, the car finally reached the national highway, and both of them visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

In comparison, even though the section of the national highway leading to Wenlu County is far less smooth than the section leading to the industrial zone, one can still sense the maintenance efforts made by Xingfu City over the years.

It's true that we shouldn't expect to build this place too well. After all, it's a wasteland, and there's no need to waste resources on areas that can't generate any revenue.

As the massive ruins of Sichuan gradually came into view in the snowy weather.

Jiang Chuan seemed to have also come out of the tense state he was in with the Fishing King, and the seriousness on his face had faded considerably.

"Prosecutor Cheng, how does it feel to be out in the wilderness for the first time?"

"Not easy."

Cheng Ye shook his head, his tone full of emotion, "Only those who have truly spent time in the wilderness will miss the tranquility of a sheltered city. Even in the buffer zone, at least I can get a good night's sleep once the door is locked."

"What about Dabo Town? What do you think of it?" Jiang Chuan asked again, his tone clearly probing.

"It's pretty good. There are fish and water and electricity. It's a good place."

Cheng Ye changed the subject with a smile, "Speaking of which, I still have to finish the questions when I get back. I haven't finished yesterday's test yet, so I can't miss the exam."

He knew in his heart that what he said to Jiang Chuan would most likely reach Ding Yishan's ears.

So he still didn't give a definitive answer regarding whether to choose Big Wave Town.

We need to check the movements of those two competitors first. If Ding Yishan tries to force him to team up with one of them, things will get complicated.

The best outcome would be for Ding Yishan to relinquish power and allow him to manage Dabo Town entirely on his own.

If this requirement is too special, and it really can't be done, then bring Wang Kang in as an adjutant.

Although Wang Kang was also an intern like him, he knew him well and at least wouldn't interfere with his plans.

In any case, he didn't want outsiders to interfere with the development of Dabo Town, otherwise the plans for future resources in his mind would never be implemented.

Jiang Chuan sensed the ambiguity in his words and didn't ask any further questions. He simply smiled and said, "Okay, then my proctoring duties are considered to be over."

The car continued driving on the national highway.

As the time passed eight o'clock, the sun rose from the horizon, and the snowflakes gradually became smaller, changing from fine, powdery snowflakes to scattered, drifting snow grains. The wind also became much gentler.

A hazy layer of heat rose faintly on the horizon, and as the distance closed, the outline of Happiness City became clearer in the field of vision.

This sanctuary city, surrounded by high walls, seems so welcoming at this moment.

Cheng Ye smacked his lips, and had to admit that he really did feel like he was home!

After driving a little further, as the car rushed down the ramp that had led uphill, Cheng Ye finally saw clearly that the steaming area was the refugee camp in front of the Central Station.

From a distance, the camp appeared orderly, without the expected chaos, clearly indicating that Happiness City had made preparations for the temperature drop.

He took out his mobile phone, and as soon as the signal bars lit up again, he immediately dialed Qin Feng's number.

Although it was known that the vortex tortoise shell fragments were not the source of infection, Jiang Chuan still considered them an "unknown dangerous substance."

If the intelligence is taken by the checkpoint and then handed over to the research institute, not only will the process be cumbersome, but he may not even be able to obtain the information.

Handing it over directly to Qin Feng would be completely different. As the discoverer, he would have an excuse to learn more about the vortex turtle and retain his right to know in the future.

"Hey, Researcher Qin, I found an unknown source of infection in the wilderness. Would you like to take a look?"

Qin Feng on the other end of the phone immediately perked up: "Oh? What is it? Where was it found?"

"It's like this." Cheng Ye quickly described the discovery of the Black Striped Fish King, the abnormality of its scales, and the way the fish king's corpse exploded.

As the discoverer, I can naturally recount the entire process clearly.

As they talked, Qin Feng's voice grew increasingly excited, and his speech quickened: "Where are you now? I'm coming right now!"

"We're heading towards the South Checkpoint. Let's meet there."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Ye glanced at Jiang Chuan.

"It's alright, just pretend you found it by yourself. Don't mention me. Dealing with this kind of thing requires a lot of information, it's too troublesome." Jiang Chuan smiled nonchalantly.

He was Ding Yishan's clerk, and within the checkpoint's staffing system (excluding prosecutors), he didn't need any merit to climb the ranks.

As long as there are vacancies at the checkpoints, becoming a prosecutor is as simple as Ding Yishan nodding his head.

Cheng Ye, however, is a junior intern in the prosecutor's staff and needs such achievements to enrich his resume.

With more people, the value of the resume will naturally increase.

As the pickup truck passed the edge of the North Checkpoint, an armed pickup truck approached, but this time Jiang Chuan turned on his radio beforehand, and the two sides communicated remotely before being allowed to pass.

The car drove south along the passage toward the checkpoint. Along the way, it passed a refugee camp. Jiang Chuan deliberately slowed down to make it easier for Cheng Ye to observe.

Through the car window, rows of braziers could be seen outside the makeshift tents at the refugee camp.

Several temporary power lines extended from the city, and a heater was placed in every other area, blowing hot air.

Most of the refugees were wrapped in thick old cotton-padded clothes. Although their faces were red from the cold, their spirits were remarkably stable. Some were tidying up their houses, while others were chatting together.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, it seemed as if the July snowfall and sudden drop in temperature were nothing more than ordinary trifles to them.

Cheng Ye was stunned. He had thought that such a low temperature would cause chaos, but the scene before him was quite the opposite.

Seeing his confusion, Jiang Chuan smiled and explained, "A short-term snowfall won't have much of an impact, and this little bit of cold is nothing. In the past, during the Great Pioneer era, we had to work outside in the dead of winter when the temperature dropped to minus ten degrees Celsius. Our hands were so cold that we couldn't even hold the tools, but we still survived."

"In addition, news should have already been released that satellite cities will be built soon. Rather than staying here and waiting for the central checkpoint to let us through, according to the public opinion survey in the past two days, many people are actually more willing to go to the surrounding areas to take a chance. After all, satellite cities are short of people, and as long as you are willing to work, the future potential is definitely much higher than struggling step by step in the buffer zone."

Cheng Ye didn't reply, but his gaze remained fixed on the vibrant faces in the camp.

Especially the few elderly faces that occasionally flashed by, their ages should be similar to Old Song's. I never expected that even such an old man would migrate to Happiness City.

There were also children; I didn't see any very young ones, but there were groups of teenagers running and playing wildly between the campsites.

Even though many faces showed signs of exhaustion, there was no despair, but rather a tenacious spirit.

He suddenly realized.

It seems that they were too influenced by disaster movies from the old era, and subconsciously believed that order was easily broken.

I feel that a small natural disaster might lead to a bigger man-made disaster.

But the reality is that he underestimated the resilience that humanity has developed in the wasteland era, honed by natural and man-made disasters.

As the car gradually drove away from the refugee camp, the outline of the southern checkpoint became increasingly closer.

Cheng Ye turned his head and asked thoughtfully, "Wouldn't people like this be difficult to manage?" "Hmm?" Jiang Chuan was taken aback, then smiled wryly, "Yes, they are indeed difficult to manage."

"Most of these migrants are residents of small to medium-sized settlements. They are used to making their own decisions and have plenty of experience in wilderness survival. If Prosecutor Cheng wants to build Dabo Town, he should be extra careful when selecting people. If he encounters a 'tough nut,' they may not do exactly what he says."

He paused, then added, "But on the other hand, if you choose the right people, the difficulty of construction will be reduced by more than half. You only need to give them instructions, without having to teach them step by step, and they can handle things efficiently on their own. Even if the initial environment is tough, as long as they see a bright future, they won't complain much."

"clear."

Cheng Ye nodded, understanding the unspoken meaning in Jiang Chuan's words.

Isn't it just empty promises?
However, setting too high expectations for migrants, which ultimately fail to deliver, can lead to even greater discontent.

More importantly, these people have their own survival common sense and independent thinking, and may not accept his plans that go against the common sense of the wasteland.

For example, prioritizing the construction of the infrastructure line leading to the hydroelectric power station, rather than reinforcing the overall defense of Dabo Town.

Or invest resources in fishing and developing food markets, rather than quickly building a place to live.

Even if, in hindsight, these things are precisely the key to the long-term development of Dabo Town.

"Are there any complete families in the refugee camp?" Cheng Ye suddenly changed the subject.

"Yes, there are quite a few. After being influenced by the traveler, many of them brought their families, including the elderly and children. I heard there are even elderly people in their sixties from the old days who are still very healthy and can help with construction and provide guidance on planning."

"Ah."

Cheng Ye responded, and a clearer idea came to him.

Rather than simply recruiting young adults, he prefers to select those from complete families.

This approach can quickly establish a stable social structure and ensure that different industries, such as fish processing, material management, and infrastructure construction, are handled by designated personnel, thus avoiding the problem of "heavy on labor and light on logistics."

But how will the inspectors for the other competing contracted areas be selected?
Is the priority to recruit young and middle-aged people who can build satellite cities, or is the importance of family units also being considered?

It's too early to say for sure; we can only take it one step at a time and deal with whatever comes our way.

In addition, we must be prepared that Dabo Town will not be included in the first batch of satellite cities to be launched.

But Cheng Ye had anticipated this.

In any case, construction doesn't necessarily have to start outside the city. He could make plans in the buffer zone first, then go to the community to borrow a group of people from Old Song to train in advance, and build up the team for fish processing and infrastructure construction.

Once we obtain the official contracting qualification, the entire plan can be rolled out immediately, and the results might even be better than hastily joining the first batch of construction projects.

In addition, the construction of the Tianyuan Community Pedestrian Street is also of paramount importance.

This was a task assigned by the elders, and in terms of importance, it was even more crucial than the satellite city.

With the demolition nearing completion, he needed to personally oversee the subsequent construction and control its progress.

Only by building the pedestrian street can the fish and processed products produced in Dabo Town be openly displayed and sold here in the future, forming a complete chain of "production, transportation and sales".

Cheng Ye already had a preliminary idea of ​​the logic behind these steps, and he just needed to finish the assessment and have some free time to organize it into a closed-loop plan on paper.

While he was thinking, the pickup truck had already arrived at the entrance of the South Checkpoint.

This was Cheng Ye's first time undergoing an inspection, and according to the rules, he had to enter through entrance D.

However, the two were not in a hurry. It wasn't until Qin Feng called to confirm that he was waiting inside the station that they slowly drove the car into the D-section passage.

"Huh, Inspector Dong?" Cheng Ye had just rolled down the car window when he saw the familiar figure behind the inspection table and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Prosecutor Cheng?" Dong Xing recognized him too, her face full of doubt. "Why are you back from outside? Were you on a field mission?"

Dong Xing was clearly unaware of the prosecutor's responsibility for handling all matters.

Cheng Ye then realized that with Dong Xing's incredible luck, he was indeed not suited to taking on a contract.

If he were in charge of an area, there could be an immediate surge in infections.

Moreover, the daily operation of the checkpoint also requires inspectors like Dong Xing, who do not cause trouble, to be in charge.

"Inspector Dong is responsible for the checkpoint's task, and Inspector Cheng is needed to cooperate with the on-site investigation."

Before Cheng Ye could speak, Jiang Chuan got out of the car and explained the situation in a few words.

As a close associate of Ding Yishan, Dong Xing naturally wouldn't ask any more questions.

After submitting the required travel documents and mission report as per regulations, Dong Xing did not go through those cumbersome procedures.

After measuring the data, it was signaled that passage was permitted.

But just then, Qin Feng arrived from behind Zone D with his old team, wearing familiar protective suits.

From a distance, Cheng Ye saw Qin Feng grinning like a rotten apricot, his mouth almost reaching his ears.

"This is?"

"Oh, we found a suspected source of unknown infection in the wilderness. We need to have Researcher Qin and his team contain and test it."

Upon hearing this, Dong Xing immediately turned around, opened the isolation door next to him, and even made room for him.

This self-awareness of "not causing trouble" explains why, even though he failed the fieldwork assessment, everyone ultimately voted to promote him to the next term.

"Prosecutor Cheng, where are the things?" Qin Feng walked a few steps to the car, his eyes shining brightly.

"There it is, we've already placed it in the containment box!"

Cheng Ye pointed to the back seat, indicating that they didn't need to get involved in what happened next.

Qin Feng immediately adopted a professional demeanor, first having his deputy set up a safety barrier around the car, while he himself, wearing double gloves, carefully opened the rear door.

First, the detector scanned the containment box three times, then sprayed a transparent disinfectant on the box before slowly lifting it out and placing it on the temporary testing platform.

The moment the box was opened, Qin Feng's breath hitched noticeably.

The blue armor plates shimmered faintly under the light, and the swirling patterns on their surface were clearly visible.

Even without instruments, one can vaguely sense a special fluctuation.

He then took out several reagents of different colors, dripped them onto the surface of the toenail, and observed the color-changing reaction of the reagents.

The assistant beside him held up an instrument that Cheng Ye couldn't understand, with dense streams of data jumping on the screen.

No one spoke throughout the entire process; the only sounds were the beeping of the instruments and the clinking of reagent bottles.

Anyway, just focus on your major.

More than ten minutes later, Qin Feng straightened up, handed over the remaining finishing work to his deputy, and walked over quickly, his face still showing lingering excitement.

"Is it an unknown source of infection?" Cheng Ye asked first.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Qin Feng shook his head, his eyes thoughtful. “Its state is very stable, without any of the activity fluctuations common in infection sources. Instead, it’s more like the shed shell of some kind of organism. The energy reaction is very weak, but there are indeed special fluctuations. We need to take it back to the research institute for analysis using instruments. We can’t draw a direct conclusion now.”

"However, one thing is certain: this thing has never been seen before, and no one has ever discovered it."

"Thank you, Researcher Qin."

"It's no trouble at all, I should thank you properly!" Qin Feng said, gesturing for him to leave the inspection area and talk in the back.

"I'll take care of cleaning the car; Inspector Cheng can go over there." Jiang Chuan smiled nonchalantly.

"it is good."

The two arrived at the isolation area at the back. Qin Feng took off the huge helmet on his protective suit and took a long, deep breath.

He then chuckled and said, "The 'Inspector Cheng's' discovery of the 'Caulis Armoriae' last time was a great help to me. After discussing it, Station Chief Ding and Director Liu have decided to build an independent research institute for the source of infection based on our checkpoint. We'll definitely need your help, Inspector Cheng."

Qin Feng's words were vague, only saying that the rotten vine had been a great help.

But Cheng Ye's mind raced, and he immediately remembered that Liu Kun had gone out of the city specifically to find the Armor Vine, hoping to use it to improve his strength.

Could it be that Liu Kun saw the sample of *Impatiens wallichiana* that he submitted back then, which prompted the idea of ​​building a research institute?
"Oh, well, congratulations, Researcher Qin!"

Cheng Ye didn't have time to think it through and quickly followed up with his congratulations.

Qin Feng laughed even harder, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard that you went to the City of Fire Protection when the Fog Cave erupted?"

"Yes, I've been there once." Cheng Ye nodded.

"Don't worry, the equipment that the Torch Shelter City has, our checkpoint will also have in the future."

As Qin Feng spoke, his eyes were full of certainty, and he even used the word "we" to clearly try to close the distance between them.

Cheng Ye understood immediately and smiled in agreement: "Then I'll be waiting to benefit from Researcher Qin's influence!"

The two flattered each other, and the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

Before the team finished collecting the armor plates and left, Qin Feng specifically mentioned them again: "I'll call you as soon as I have preliminary analysis results. If these things really have special value, the research institute will also give you a reward according to the rules, and you will definitely not have worked for nothing."

"Ok."

This is exactly the result Cheng Ye wanted; Happiness City's right to know about the discoverer can indeed be an exception.

Like the Traveler, who naturally became the player by virtue of his authority to discover people.

As for the research institute for the construction of checkpoints?

If Dabo Town can stabilize in the future, he will have to build his own research and development lab.

With the help of the encyclopedia to analyze source track technology, there will definitely be more and more discoveries in the future.

"Sigh, it's true that the more you see, the more ambitious you become."

"This contract responsibility system is barely even started, so why are they already thinking about large-scale construction projects outside?"

Cheng Ye shook his head. After seeing Qin Feng off, he noticed that Jiang Chuan was watching the staff disinfect and quarantine the pickup truck and the fish.

He simply found a spot, pulled out the exam paper he hadn't finished, and began writing furiously.

By noon, the disinfection of the pickup truck was finally completed. When Jiang Chuan came to call him, Cheng Ye was still engrossed in writing.

This time, what he wrote was not just a basic planning scheme, but included more in-depth data.

The estimates included a list of materials needed for the hydroelectric power station repair, the construction requirements for the fish processing plant, and even the construction of power transmission and distribution circuits.

He was confident; no other prosecutor could have written this kind of content.

After all, not everyone has the mindset to transform a flat terrain into a 3D planning map, let alone come up with such a systematic plan after just one visit to Dabo Town.

In other words, he stood on the shoulders of giants of modern knowledge, using nearly ten years of learning and accumulation to plan Big Wave Town, rather than acting solely based on experience gained from groping in the wasteland.

In terms of comprehensiveness and systematic approach, I believe I am second to none.

As for the final judgment, it all depends on whether Big Wave Town can live up to its own expectations!
(End of this chapter)