Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 166 Neutral Order, Free Wild Grass!

Codename: Farmer?

Cheng Ye frowned slightly, while Li Matai pondered, trying to search his memory for the name.

half an hour.

He shook his head slightly. "This name is not in the known files of the Guardian of Wish in the four nearby provinces. Either it is too old, or I do not have the authority to access it."

"Yes, he is not a nearby Wish-Keeper."

Master Tian said honestly, his tone somewhat heavy, "He is a Guardian of Wish from the Black Zone, and he is still alive."

Black zone?

Cheng Ye and Li Matai's expressions changed simultaneously.

The Black Zone is a "forbidden zone" for the entire Dongda area. It contains the supernatural mother sources that were not completely eliminated back then, the S3 supernatural beings who are not completely dead, and some self-sealed wish-keeping supernatural beings.

They are either so insane they've lost their minds, or they're confined to a specific area; each one is extremely dangerous.

"You've been to the Black Zone?" Li Matai's tone instantly turned serious, and his eyes became more scrutinizing.

"Back then, when I was fleeing for my life, I was so panicked that I ran all the way there."

Master Tian managed a rare, bitter smile. "I have an S-level bounty on my head. There's nowhere I can survive except in the Black Zone. But the Black Zone isn't as terrifying as people say. There are even settlements on the outskirts. The people there worship the Wish-Keeping Supernatural Beings who roam the Black Zone. Once they establish a faith, they can even receive protection from some of these Wish-Keeping Supernatural Beings."

“I’ve heard other prosecutors talk about those settlements.” Li Matai nodded, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy. “They abandoned technology long ago, their thinking has regressed, and they live like ascetics. However, after the black area expanded again a few years ago, news about those settlements disappeared. I don’t know if they were swallowed up or relocated.”

He looked Master Tian up and down, then suddenly laughed: "Not bad. You survived an S-level bounty and even went to the Black Zone. If someone packaged your experience, in ten or eight years, you might be regarded as a legend from the bottom."

Master Tian wasn't in the mood for jokes; he just smiled bitterly, staring blankly at the table.

Cheng Ye steered the conversation back on track: "So what are the 'farmer's' abilities?"

Master Tian's smile vanished instantly, and he sighed, "He only appears in the Black Zone. No one outside can figure out his abilities; they only have two vague concepts: 'planting' and 'harvesting'."

He pointed to his chest, his voice tinged with fear: "I am the 'fertile soil' he has chosen. The belief he planted in me back then was the 'seed' he threw down. He didn't kill me because he was waiting for this seed to grow. When the time is right, he will harvest me. As for what he will harvest, I don't know. It could be my belief, or it could be my fate."

"Will they chase us all the way to Happiness City?"

"How could that be?" Li Matai couldn't help but laugh, waving his hand. "Those Wish-Guarding Extraordinary Beings were driven to the Black Zone by a joint effort of humans and sealed off using special methods. Besides, it's not that Wish-Guarding Extraordinary Beings are untouchable, it's just that the conditions are extremely harsh."

Can Shouyuan, a transcendent being, possibly defeat it?

Cheng Ye's heart stirred, and he wanted to ask for more details, but he held back.

Although Li Matai knows many secrets, the methods to deal with Shouyuan's extraordinary abilities likely require authorization, and he may not tell you even if you press him further.

Moreover, Jiang Chuan had previously sent over a batch of books, saying they contained information about Shouyuan's extraordinary abilities.

However, the traveler had already left by then, and he was busy on duty, so he had no time to look at these things. He directly asked Jiang Chuan to send the book to be photocopied, rubbed, and laminated, and it still hasn't been retrieved.

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to retrieve the book and study it properly."

Cheng Ye thought to himself.

We don't need to be able to deal with Shouyuan Chaofan, but at least we should know how to avoid risks, so we don't end up like Master Tian, ​​who was unwittingly influenced.

“Master Tian, ​​now that we’ve laid this out, I’ll take the opportunity to check the farmer’s abilities and see if I can find a solution.”

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Those things we talked about before, about the caravan and the future, were just casual conversation between friends. Now that you know the caravan's route, if you ever come to a decision, I welcome you to join us anytime. Even if you don't want to come, we'll still be friends, and it won't affect anything."

As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the pot, and the rich aroma of pickled cabbage instantly wafted out. He smiled and called out, "Come on, eat! Let's treat tonight as a gathering of friends, and put everything else aside for now."

Upon seeing this, Li Matai chuckled and picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks: "It should have been done a long time ago! I was drooling just now from the aroma."

The tender fish meat, coated with the tangy flavor of pickled cabbage, burst with juice in the mouth. Li Matai's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but say, "I didn't realize, Prosecutor Cheng, your cooking skills are just as good as those of the most discerning gourmets!"

"Master Tian, ​​please start eating."

Actually, right after I said that, Master Tian's cooperation level in the upper right corner of the panel had already soared to 78%.

Based on past experience, if you persuade him a little more, Master Tian will most likely agree to join the caravan.

But, there is no need.

Master Tian is burdened with too many shackles, not only by the constraints of his beliefs, but also by the life-threatening risks brought about by his manifest superpowers.

Sending him to lead a caravan, risking his life in the wilderness, is the true meaning of "risking his life," there's no need to push him to that point.

He will only agree if the conditions are clearly stated.

"Okay, thank you, Prosecutor Cheng, and thank you, Prosecutor Li."

Master Tian no longer stood on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

The happiness brought by the food gradually relaxed his tense nerves.

For the rest of the time, the three of them stopped talking about the extraordinary and the caravan, and instead began discussing the situation outside the city.

The development trend of satellite cities, the quality of migrant workers from outside, and the overall planning and forecasting.

The conversation lightened considerably, and the dishes on the table were gradually emptied.

Halfway through the meal, Chef Tian glanced at the night view outside the window, stood up, and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back."

"Wait a minute." Cheng Ye called out to him, turned around and went into the basement, and soon came out carrying a plastic bag.

The plastic bag contained five dried salted fish, four cans of fruit, a small bag of seasoning, and even the leftover pieces of blackfish.

"I'll take it back for my family to try, as a reward for Tian Lei's hard work lately."

Mr. Tian paused for a moment, then his lips moved as he took the plastic bag.

Finally, she managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Thank you."

Watching Master Tian's figure disappear into the night, Li Matai clicked his tongue and his tone suddenly became serious: "Old Tian didn't tell the truth. He only told half of it at most. It seems that he has developed a cautious habit from when he was an assassin."

"Oh?"

Li Matai didn't answer directly, but instead gestured with his eyes towards the roller shutter door of the convenience store.

Cheng Ye understood, got up and pulled down the roller shutter, instantly darkening the shop.

“Come on, let’s talk in your basement. It’s not convenient to talk here.” Li Matai picked up the half-eaten stir-fried salted fish, while Cheng Ye carried the remaining beer.

The two went to the basement and set up the table again.

Li Matai picked up a piece of salted fish, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and then said, "Farmer, I know."

"you know?"

“Of course I know.” Li Matai twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing a knowing smile. “This guy has appeared on the outskirts of the black zone several times. There are records in the checkpoint’s archives. They’ve even analyzed his abilities roughly. Just now up there, I deliberately tested him. I didn’t expect him to actually dodge our questions and get away with it by being ambiguous.”

"Then, what are the farmer's abilities?"

“Planting, harvesting,” Li Matai said in a low voice, “but what we’re planting isn’t some vague belief, but strength.”

"His ability is to forcibly condense and seal a person's original power, just like burying a seed in the soil and letting the power sprout, take root and grow from scratch."

"You're familiar with the concept of 'muscle joints' in martial arts, right?"

Cheng Ye nodded, "I know, and I also know the differences between different meridians, and the concept of 'embryo'."

“That makes sense,” Li Matai continued. “The farmer’s ability is to revert a person’s strength back to that of an ordinary person. For example, the ordinary muscle joints you previously developed will all dissipate, but this strength doesn’t truly disappear; it transforms into nutrients. When you train again, these nutrients will help you break through faster, and the muscle joints you develop will be stronger than before.”

"This..." Cheng Ye's heart sank suddenly, and he immediately realized, "Could it be that he has cultivated his manifest ability?"

“That’s most likely the case.” Li Matai nodded. “He said he ran into the Black Zone in a panic while being chased, but in my opinion, he was more like he was seriously injured and wanted to find an opportunity to kill his old enemies, but he felt that his strength was not enough, so he took the initiative to find a tribe that believed in farmers and asked the farmers to help him seal his power, waiting for the day when his power would grow up so that he could go back to take revenge.”

"And what about the harvest?"

"The day he grows up completely, he will involuntarily return to the farmer's side."

Li Matai grinned, but there was no warmth in his smile. "Harvesting is naturally about reaping everything he has. His newly cultivated strength, his life, even his soul will be drained by the farmer and become the farmer's own power!"

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, let's talk about something good." Li Matai patted the table, his tone becoming lighter. "I passed the third round of assessments. Recruitment will begin tomorrow morning, and I'll be heading to Dongping Town by tomorrow afternoon at the latest!"

"How to say?"

“I can’t say the specific questions, that’s the rule,” Li Matai said, shaking his head. “But the team formation method is quite interesting. It’s a lottery system. I was lucky and drew Song Hai, but Gu Xinjing was unlucky and drew Garcia.”

"Then their ideas were too different, and they argued several times during the assessment. In the end, they were both eliminated. Now they have to compete in the revival competition with other eliminated groups to fight for the next round. It's not certain whether they can come back."

The night is getting dark.

Two consecutive days of snowfall have depleted the moisture around Happiness City. Although the temperature is still dropping, the wind blowing through the streets carries a biting chill.

But the weather turned cloudy, with a few scattered stars embedded in the dark blue sky, and the outline of the moon could be vaguely seen hidden behind the clouds.

Carrying a plastic bag, Mr. Tian walked briskly through several blocks and quickly returned to his old neighborhood.

"Old Tian, ​​didn't you go out early this morning? Why are you back so late today?"

"My friends invited me to get together, and we had a few drinks." Master Tian nodded with a smile, offering no further explanation, and continued walking down the stairs without stopping.

When he reached the fifth floor, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, which opened quickly.

It wasn't his wife, Xu Jingyun, who opened the door; it was his daughter, Tian Lei.

"Huh? Dad, didn't you say you'd be back late? Why are you here so early?"

Tian Lei, wearing a thick sweater and with her hair casually tied back, immediately brightened up when she smelled the fragrance on her father. "It smells so good! Where did you go for a treat?"

"I went to a nice place."

Master Tian held up the plastic bag in his hand, a rare relaxed smile on his face. "Why are you back? Didn't you say the Public Works Department would be busy until next week?"

When I entered, Xu Jingyun was sitting on the sofa knitting. There was a radio on the coffee table in front of her, playing an evening channel. Hearing the noise, she looked up and her eyes fell on the plastic bag. She asked curiously, "Where did this come from?"

"It was given to me by Prosecutor Cheng."

Master Tian handed over the plastic bag, took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, then sat down on the sofa to catch his breath.

I ate quite a bit at the convenience store, but the sense of peace I felt when I got home was stronger than the feeling of fullness in my stomach. "Hey, Tian Wuying, you're getting more and more influential."

Xu Jingyun took the plastic bag, opened it, and immediately beamed with joy. "Dried salted fish, canned fruit, and fresh fish chunks! These are all rare finds. I remember the last time we ate salted fish was four years ago when Leilei first joined the Public Works Department. You traded two months' worth of subsidies for it."

"You remember it clearly."

Master Tian smiled helplessly and pointed to the plastic bag, "If you want to eat it, I'll make it now and help you."

"Are you still eating?" Xu Jingyun looked up at him. "Leilei and I just drank the nutritional supplement. Why don't we leave it for now and make it again in a couple of days? That way we won't eat it all at once and then have nothing to eat."

"I'm not eating, I'm full over there."

Mr. Tian leaned back on the sofa, watching his daughter staring longingly at the canned food, and couldn't help but laugh. "Don't leave it out. Just open it when you want to eat it, so she won't have trouble sleeping at night."

Xu Jingyun didn't insist any further. She put the dried salted fish and fish pieces into the storage cabinet, took out four cans of fruit and placed them on the coffee table. She raised her chin at Tian Lei and said, "You choose?"

"Eat!" Tian Lei nodded immediately, quickly found a small knife, and pried open a can of yellow peaches.

The glistening syrup coats plump pieces of yellow peach, and the sweet aroma instantly fills the air.

The family of three huddled around the small coffee table, eating piece by piece, and Tian Lei licked the syrup from the can clean.

So sweet!
Master Tian ate two pieces and then put them down, leaning back on the sofa with a somewhat vacant look in his eyes.

The words Cheng Ye had said at the convenience store kept flashing through my mind.

It took her a minute or two to come to her senses. "Why did you suddenly come back? Didn't you say the Public Works Department was busy distributing supplies to migrants and wouldn't be able to rest for another week?"

"Uh"

Tian Lei's eyes darted away instantly, her hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the jar, and she didn't dare to say a word.

Xu Jingyun shook her head and said, "Your daughter has gotten into trouble again."

"What's wrong?" Master Tian sat up, his brows furrowing slightly.

"She was just a distributor of the supplies issued by the Public Works Department. She was only responsible for distributing the supplies according to the requirements. But she insisted on nitpicking about the discrepancies in the quantities of the supplies, causing trouble for the leaders. As a result, she was reassigned to do odd jobs to reflect on her actions."

"That's not how it is!" Tian Lei immediately retorted, her voice a little urgent. "I suspect that migrants are stealing supplies!"

"Come on, it's okay to say this to outsiders, but don't pretend when you're saying it to your dad."

Xu Jingyun pursed her lips, turned off the radio, picked up a sweater and a yarn basket, and said, "I'm going to knit in the back room. You two can chat."

After saying that, he went into the inner room, deliberately leaving the door a crack.

Knowing that Master Tian was going to "educate" his daughter, he didn't make any definitive statements, leaving some room for maneuver.

Without Xu Jingyun's protection, Tian Lei's confidence immediately weakened. She lowered her head, her fingers picking at the hole in the sofa, her eyes cautiously glancing at Master Tian.

To her surprise, in the past, when faced with such a situation, Master Tian would have already frowned and started lecturing her.

But today, he just looked over quietly, and after a long while, he gently shook his head and stood up: "Let's go to the rooftop."

Tian Lei paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

The father and daughter quietly opened the door and climbed up the ladder at the end of the corridor.

The rooftop has no railings, only a low brick wall. The wind is colder than downstairs, making your ears tingle.

Standing here, the view is surprisingly expansive, allowing you to see most of the low-rise houses in the buffer zone and even through the iron fence of the Happiness Line to the refugee camps outside.

It was the best terrain that Master Tian specially chose after traversing all the areas in the buffer zone.

"I'm afraid sending you back to do odd jobs isn't really an exile, is it?" Master Tian leaned against the brick wall, his eyes fixed on the distant defense line, his voice carried by the wind, sounding remarkably calm.

"Yes, I'm now in charge of the allocation of engineering machinery, which counts as a half-level promotion."

Tian Lei shrank back and explained in a low voice, "I found out where the embezzled supplies went. The team leader withheld the polyester fiber composite lining that should have been distributed to the refugees for warmth, and he even used old tools to pass off as new ones when distributing them. I have evidence, so he doesn't dare to really make things difficult for me."

"Well done." Master Tian turned his head, a rare look of approval on his face.

Tian Lei was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise.

In the past, when she went on adventures, Master Tian would always scold her for "not causing trouble." Today, instead of lecturing her, he praised her.

Did the sun rise in the west?

"Prosecutor Cheng came to see me today. He wants to set up a caravan in the outer city, only running routes between satellite cities."

Master Tian changed the subject, not mentioning the extraordinary events and past the two had discussed, but instead recounted in detail the caravan's plans, preparation progress, and recruitment ideas.

Tian Lei listened attentively, but her brows gradually furrowed: "The caravan can make money doing this, but does Inspector Cheng, with his position, need to make that much money? Is he planning to develop satellite cities? But I heard he's only a trainee inspector, with plans for only twenty-four satellite cities."

"He's different!"

Master Tian shook his head. "He is Cheng Wu's grandson and Cheng Long's son. He was born different."

"Like me, like you, from the moment we are born, we can't live like ordinary people."

Tian Lei's eyes suddenly darkened, and after a few seconds of silence, she spoke: "Dad, have you... already felt the farmer's call?"

“How could that be? I only went to the farmer when I was certain that I had solidified my belief.”

Master Tian chuckled softly, raising his hand to tap his temple. "I've long been a wild grass growing freely, exceeding the boundaries he can harvest. As long as my beliefs don't crumble, he'll never be able to pull me back. And in the end, I should thank him for helping me bind the 'shadow,' so I can occasionally use my power without worrying about it backfiring on me."

"So you agreed to Prosecutor Cheng's request?"

"No." Master Tian paused, then suddenly changed the subject, "Do you know why I've never let you practice martial arts?"

"I know, you're afraid that after I awaken my powers, I won't live long like you."

Tian Lei pouted, "But I can't even awaken the shadow. Maybe the genetic mutation will stop with me, and I'll just be an ordinary, normal person."

No, you are special.

Master Tian's gaze softened, tinged with nostalgia. "When you were born, you unconsciously shrouded yourself in shadow, which is probably related to the influence I had on the farmer back then. However, your power has since contracted and is now completely hidden, but it hasn't disappeared. Perhaps one day when you encounter danger, it will suddenly erupt."

He sighed, his voice deepening, "I'm afraid you'll follow in my footsteps, so I want you to stay in the safest place, never to encounter any danger in your life, and just live a peaceful and ordinary life."

"but"

“But stability isn’t something you can hide from.” Tian Lei shook her head, but her eyes lit up. “If we stay huddled in this building for decades, and then the last wave of infection is over, what’s the point of living?”

"Yes, Dad only realized today that living like this is really tasteless."

Master Tian patted his pocket, then pulled out a bag of ice-cold beer, opened it, and took a sip.

The cool liquid slid down my throat, but it did nothing to quell the heat in my heart.

"No matter how dangerous the outside world is, it's still better than being trapped in this small place. I've been trapped for more than ten years, but the weed in my heart that wants to grow out has never withered; it just hasn't had the right opportunity yet."

"So you want to join a caravan?"

"It depends on whether there's a suitable opportunity." Master Tian hiccuped, his slightly alcohol-smelling laugh spreading in the cold wind. "Your mother, a third-rate assassin, can only survive by luck, always gambling with her life, while I..."

"Top assassins rely on information, planning, and strategy," Tian Lei hurriedly interrupted, covering her ears and laughing, "You've said that eight hundred times, my ears are calloused!"

"Just remember."

Master Tian chuckled, "I deliberately showed off my strength to that Prosecutor Li I was chatting with today, so he would test me, and I took the opportunity to test him as well. But he was in the open, and I was in the shadows, so in the end I still came out on top."

"Yeah, he should be a good person. He's just worried that good people don't live long, so he pretends to be a carefree person. It's just a pity that he doesn't act it right at all, it's not the right kind of person."

"What about Prosecutor Cheng? Is he a good person?" Tian Lei asked curiously.

"No." Master Tian shook his head decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"No?" Tian Lei's voice suddenly rose.

"What, you doubt your dad's judgment?"

Master Tian glanced at her. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

“Uh,” Tian Lei stammered, “didn’t he save my life, and yours too?”

"Saving someone doesn't make you a good person."

Master Tian couldn't help but smile. "He's not completely settled yet; he's in a neutral position. If he's surrounded by good people, he'll follow them and do good deeds. But if he's surrounded by bad people, he can immediately follow them without any psychological burden or questioning his choice."

"However, people have a magnetic field. Just like you, you always tend to run into people who do dirty tricks and try to take advantage of others. Prosecutor Cheng is a magnetic field that attracts good people. Even if he is surrounded by bad people, they will not like him or become his friends."

"The opportunity you mentioned?"

"I'm gambling on luck, gambling that my luck isn't bad." Master Tian patted his pockets, but didn't find a second bag of beer. He leaned against the brick wall and sighed, a sly smile on his face.

"Tch, and he calls my mom a third-rate assassin."

Tian Lei shook her head speechlessly, "Let me guess, are you betting that he'll find out you're lying to him and come to ask you for help again?"

“That was really nasty. How did I lie to him?” Master Tian’s smile remained unchanged. “Your mother saved me back then because she was betting that I wouldn’t kill her to cover it up. Besides, I’d be risking my life if I went out. I’d have to deal with the source of infection, infected beings, mutated beasts, and those kids outside. It’s no easy job; I could lose my head at any moment.”

"Besides, the price he offered me today was just vague and unrealistic. He certainly didn't expect me to agree immediately. If I'm not mistaken, as long as he's still willing to contact me, he'll definitely offer me a more concrete price and promises to make me willingly help him."

"for example?"

Tian Lei pressed for an answer, but Master Tian didn't reply. He simply leaned against the brick wall, closed his eyes, and listened to the wind.

The sound of a radio drifted up from the crack in the fifth-floor window, carried by the wind. It was intermittent, and it was a man singing a hoarse song.

He sang:

"Life is like a ruthless carving knife, changing our appearance."

"Must it wither before it even blooms?"

"I had dreams!"

　P.S.: Double update with 1.3 words delivered! Wow, thank you all for your monthly tickets! I can only give back by updating more! I'll try my best to write more and update more frequently!
　　P.S. 2: I'm asking for monthly votes at the end of the month! Please send your votes over quickly!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)