Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 170: The framework is complete, and life changes dramatically!

After Mu Shuang finished speaking, she herself was somewhat at a loss for words.

As the "Fire Ghost King" of the Hundred Ghosts Gang, he had already reached the threshold of the unity of heaven and man, and was a master who was halfway to the extraordinary.

As long as she doesn't encounter a true superhuman, she can practically roam the wasteland unchallenged; very few can threaten her.

Having roamed the surrounding provinces for years, even experts of the same level have had difficulty detecting her tracking.

But when he returned to Happiness City, he ran into trouble with a trainee prosecutor, a situation he was ashamed to even mention.

"Did he find you?"

The initial anger on Ding Yishan's face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of interest. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

"Was it your carelessness, or..."

“It couldn’t be carelessness.” Mu Shuang immediately shook her head, her tone certain. “I didn’t even touch those four Embryo Realm cultivators. I stayed hidden in the shadows the whole time. There’s no reason for him to follow the trail and find me.”

"That's strange indeed." Ding Yishan raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I tend to think that he has completely turned B-7 into his own territory. The Tianyuan community, with more than 4,000 people, is now of one mind with him. From the ‘Tianyuan Mall’ at one end of the street to the ‘vegetable market’ at the other end, the people sweeping the streets of the entire B-7 area are his people. As long as an outsider enters the area, he doesn’t need to investigate personally; his subordinates will pass the information up.”

"A local tyrant?" Ding Yishan couldn't help but say, then laughed at himself.

The intense killing intent from before had completely vanished, leaving only an irrepressible curiosity.

"That's not wrong. He seems more like the Ghost King than me. Hmm, the ones below are his little devils."

After drying her hair, Mu Shuang casually tossed the damp towel to Jiang Chuan and added:
"By the way, if I hadn't disliked the house Jiang Chuan arranged for me, and had to rearrange the furniture and change the layout every time I went back, I really wouldn't have discovered the listening device stuck behind the bed."

"Then you should thank me, otherwise you would have been tied up in the community."

Jiang Chuan laughed, a rare occurrence for him, his tone slightly teasing, "I met that Da Long from the community again later, he's a good person, but his younger brother Er Long has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, he must have come up with the idea."

"No, I think it was Prosecutor Cheng's idea."

Mu Shuang shook his head. "I asked the Industrial Bureau about that bugging device. It was Sun Weicheng who got the order, which cost 280 contribution points. They really went all out to catch me, a 'suspicious person'."

The investigation was conducted in such detail?
They've even found out the source of the bugging device?

"So what you mean now is..." Jiang Chuan pondered for a moment. Since Mu Shuang said that, it certainly wasn't to tell Ding Yishan that Cheng Ye's investigative abilities were extremely strong.

“I want to be captured by him, but let me warn you, I’m not going to surrender like you.”

As Mu Shuang spoke, she saw the barely concealed smile on Jiang Chuan's face and glared at him fiercely.

"If he arrests you, do you want to experience Prosecutor Cheng's interrogation skills?"

"Hmm, didn't you say last time that Prosecutor Cheng only asked irrelevant questions? I'm quite curious, I wonder what he'll ask me and how he'll find out my identity."

Mu Shuang blinked. "Besides, I want to fight him. I'll also pretend to be in the Embryo Realm and see how he can catch me. The encirclement method used to deal with those few little bugs is too low-level."

"Why are you so playful? Now is not the time for you to play."

Jiang Chuan quickly shook his head and looked at Ding Yishan, "Sir, Prosecutor Cheng has been so busy lately that he barely has time to breathe. When I delivered Zhang Lao's batch of books to him a few days ago, he had to squeeze out time from the Machinery Bureau to get them."

“If Xiao Shuang messes up and Prosecutor Cheng thinks she's deliberately causing trouble, leaving a bad impression, it will be difficult to get close to and protect him later.”

"Hey, Jiang Chuan, you're tied up, why don't you say you're leaving a bad impression!" Mu Shuang clicked her tongue and quickly turned to Ding Yishan to explain, "Station Chief, I wasn't just messing around. I wanted to figure out Prosecutor Cheng's style of doing things in advance, since I'll be going out with him on missions and protecting him in the future. If his investigative abilities are really that strong, we can work together more smoothly later on, and avoid being caught off guard later."

"What you said makes some sense."

After a moment of contemplation, Ding Yishan nodded slightly. “Here’s what you’re going to do: you can try, but you have to follow the rules. If he really notices something’s wrong with you and tries to arrest you, you can try to run away and see what methods or approaches he’ll use. But if he doesn’t consider you a ‘suspicious person’ and doesn’t intend to arrest you, then don’t deliberately provoke him or provoke him to arrest you. Don’t delay his business.”

"Okay! Thank you, stationmaster!" Mu Shuang nodded immediately, a smug smile on her face.

"Furthermore," Ding Yishan's gaze suddenly darkened, and his tone became more serious, "before we find out the background and origins of those four experts at the Embryo Realm, your primary task is still to protect Cheng Ye. We can't put the cart before the horse, understand?"

"I understand!" Mu Shuang put away her smile and nodded solemnly.

No matter how much she loved to play, she knew that this was a special time. An unidentified expert had infiltrated the buffer zone and was keeping an eye on Cheng Ye. This matter could not be taken lightly.

As soon as Mu Shuang pushed open the door and left, the atmosphere in the office instantly became tense.

Contacting the assassin organization that had just been mentioned at the meeting, Ding Yishan immediately pulled out his security device, found "Caroldy Kinsen's" number, and dialed it.

“Minister Carlo, this is Ding Yishan.” His voice carried a hint of urgency. “We just discovered that an unidentified expert has infiltrated the buffer zone and has been monitoring our inspectors. The security personnel we mentioned earlier may need to be arranged in advance.”

"Someone dares to sneak into the buffer zone?!" Karlodkinson's furious voice came from the other end of the phone, but he quickly regained his composure. "Station Chief Ding, don't worry, I've already arranged the list of guards. They'll be deployed to the buffer zone in batches starting tomorrow morning. I'll send you a copy of the list later. Once they arrive, you can arrange them accordingly, prioritizing the protection of key inspectors."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Ding Yishan hung up the phone and turned to look at Jiang Chuan.

"Ah Chuan, you don't need to investigate the entry routes of those four people. I'll report this to Director Liu later and let the Security Bureau take over. They have a more complete information network and can investigate faster."

He paused, then added, "Keep a close eye on Xiao Shuang, lest Cheng Ye treat her like an enemy and hurt her."

"Okay, sure." Jiang Chuan nodded subconsciously, but immediately realized what he meant and looked at Ding Yishan with a puzzled expression. "Sir, do you really think Prosecutor Cheng can catch Mu Shuang?"

Mu Shuang is at least a half-step extraordinary being, and at her peak. Even he himself isn't confident of defeating her now.

Even if someone is disguised as a Nascent Soul cultivator, it's still just a direct confrontation. In terms of things like perception and escape, they are far superior to those of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"It's hard to say whether we can catch her, but Xiao Shuang doesn't know how to use a gun, while Cheng Ye really knows how to shoot."

Ding Yishan suddenly looked up and asked in a teasing tone, "If he takes out that Thunderbolt shotgun, can you withstand one shot?"

Jiang Chuan thought about it carefully for a moment and answered truthfully, "If it's a non-vital area, I can withstand a bullet, but if it's a vital area..."

Seeing him analyze this hypothesis with a serious expression, Ding Yishan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't think nonsense. I've never seen anyone fire only one shot. When Cheng Ye was shooting at that fusion entity, he practically wanted to shove the gun barrel into its mouth to shoot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on his face faded, and his tone became a bit somber. "Also, find an opportunity to go to Tianyuan Community and check on those four people who were arrested. If they are stubborn, transfer them to the interrogation room at the checkpoint first. Don't let them linger in the community for too long; things could get complicated if you wait too long."

"But what if we get something out of them?"

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly sighed, and stopped talking there, not continuing.

Some things don't need to be said explicitly; Jiang Chuan understands them perfectly well.

What an eventful year it has been.

If it's the old grudges left behind by Cheng Long, they're easier to handle.

But the current situation is complicated by the covetousness of surrounding super-protected cities, mercenaries who appeared out of nowhere, and some damned assassin organization.
These parasites, which had been hidden in the shadows for more than a decade, have now eagerly resurfaced before the next great era of development even arrives.

They crave chaos, hoping to use the disorder to launch a new wave of rise.

Little did they know that the sheltered city, which had developed in peace and stability for more than a decade, had long since lost the desire to return to the days of wandering and displacement it once had.

Wow.

The office chair turned around, and Ding Yishan leaned back, his gaze falling on the pattering rain outside the window, and also on the refugee camp illuminated by searchlights.

There's something he really doesn't want to admit.

But perhaps, the next era of great expansion has already begun!
It's 4:30 a.m.

The lights in the Machinery Department warehouse were still blindingly bright.

The last seat was carefully placed in the driver's seat of the SUV. Cheng Ye waved his hand, signaling his two apprentices to bring towels and a small vacuum cleaner.

The remaining cleaning work is not complicated; it simply involves wiping away any remaining metal shavings and dust inside the car, and then spraying some protective oil on the seat rails and door hinges.

He was so exhausted that he almost collapsed. He plopped down on the pile of parts and packaging boxes on the ground, took the enamel water vat handed to him by his apprentice, and poured in more than half a vat of cold water.

The cool water slid down my throat, barely suppressing the heaviness in my eyelids.

Oh my god.

too tired!
I knew screwing in screws would be hard work, but I didn't expect it to be this troublesome.

The three experienced workers had long since given up. They worked until midnight, then rubbed their aching backs and said goodbye. After all, they were getting on in years and couldn't keep up with this kind of all-night work.

Sang Tao and Sang Zhe, on the other hand, were still in good spirits. They were squatting next to another pickup truck, using a wrench to fine-tune the chassis height, and occasionally discussing something, trying to adjust the suspension parameters to be best suited for the wilderness road conditions.

Fortunately, the remaining interior installation only required "assembling according to the diagram" and did not involve complex mechanical principles. After learning for a few days, the apprentices were able to handle it.

Even so, Cheng Ye still managed to spot quite a few mistakes during his repeated inspections.

There was no way around it; as his mechanical assembly skills reached their maximum, his vision became exactly the same as Sang Hezheng's.

Some mistakes are obvious at a glance.

He could only direct the apprentices to reassemble the equipment and give them some guidance, truly experiencing the thrill of being a master craftsman.

The rain outside the warehouse had subsided at some point, and the pattering sound of rain came through the tin roof. The previous torrential rain had given way to a sense of tranquility.

Once the apprentices had cleaned the inside of the off-road vehicle, Cheng Ye instantly perked up, propped himself up on his knees, and climbed into the driver's seat.

I manually adjusted the seat height, slid it back and forth on the rails, and then turned the steering wheel to adjust the angle.

All adjustments are purely mechanical and manual, but its advantage lies in its extremely wide range of adjustments. In less than half a minute, he found the sitting posture that best suited his body shape.

However, the moment Cheng Ye's fingertips gripped the steering wheel, he suddenly felt a little awkward.

Two lives are human beings.

He has slept in dozens or even hundreds of beds, from the hard wooden beds in the orphanage to the iron-framed beds in his university dormitory, and now to a single bed.

It was my first time sitting in a comfortable seat, touching the steering wheel, and looking straight ahead.

Cheng Ye doesn't have a proper driver's license.

Because I didn't have time to take the exam when I was in college, I had to work three jobs every day after class. I used part of the money I saved from working and studying to give back to the orphanage, and kept part of it as start-up capital for my business after graduation, which amounted to a total of 50,000 yuan.

He was thinking that once he made money, he would buy a cheap car for commuting. Little did he know that an unexpected time travel would turn that 50,000 yuan into a number he would never need.

"You can't buy such a nice car for 50,000 yuan."

Cheng Ye sighed softly, his fingertips gently brushing over the car's interior components.

The slush-molded trim was a durable one that he specifically chose, the steering wheel was a genuine leather piece salvaged from a junkyard, and even the pedals under his feet had their edges polished by himself.

It has a delicate feel and the seams fit together perfectly, making it so perfect that it makes you feel incredibly happy.

Although this car has no radio, no air conditioning, and no large central control panel as standard on modern new energy vehicles.

The dashboard has only a small screen, about the size of a palm, displaying only the most basic information:
Gear selection, speed, remaining battery power, and estimated driving range. But so what?
This is a car he assembled by hand. Every screw and every wire harness has been soaked with his sweat. It is no longer a cold, lifeless machine, but a "partner" with warmth and affection.

"We'll upgrade it gradually, and everything we need will be included!"

Cheng Ye patted the steering wheel, his eyes full of anticipation.

This off-road vehicle has many upgrade interfaces, which can be installed little by little in the future, whether it is a central control screen, a smart car system, or more advanced sensors.

Don't be greedy for now. Just keep the most essential driving function and use it as a reliable means of transportation for now.

As for learning to drive, he already had an idea.

After greeting Sang Tao and Sang Zhe, Cheng Ye reached out and shifted the gear lever, gently pushing it into "forward" mode, and slowly pressed the ignition switch with his right foot.

Wow.

The motor emitted a soft hum as the off-road vehicle slowly drove out of the warehouse, its tires splashing up tiny droplets of water as it rolled over the puddles on the ground.

A few drops of rain fell on the windshield, quickly spreading into a wet patch. Cheng Ye hurriedly turned on the wiper switch.

Watching the two black rubber strips sway back and forth, instantly wiping away the rainwater, he smiled silently.

"Prosecutor Cheng, are you heading out?"

As soon as the car arrived at the entrance of the Machinery Department, the guards on duty quickly came up to greet it, their eyes curiously examining the brand-new, unpainted silver SUV.

"Okay, I'm going out to familiarize myself with the car. Could you please open the door?" Cheng Ye lowered the window and nodded with a smile.

"Alright!" The guard deftly pulled open the iron gate, watching the SUV smoothly drive out of the gate, and couldn't help but take a few more glances.

So beautiful.

Those big tires look reassuring.

As Cheng Ye drove onto the main road of the buffer zone, he slowly explored the steering wheel, sometimes lightly pressing the accelerator to accelerate and feel the smooth thrust brought by the motor, and sometimes lightly tapping the brake to get used to the feedback of the brake pedal.

The road is wide, and there are no pedestrians or other vehicles at night, so there is absolutely no driving pressure.

After trying it for a while, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Driving an automatic car is so easy!"

I used to just watch others drive, but now that I've tried it myself, I've discovered that as long as you master the steering, accelerator, and brakes, driving on an open road is surprisingly easy.

It will probably be even simpler once we get to the wilderness, because there are no traffic rules, and as long as we don't overturn, we can drive however we want.

After getting used to it for more than ten minutes, Cheng Ye gradually became bolder and stepped on the electric switch more and more forcefully.

At first, I only dared to step on the accelerator at 10%, then I gradually increased it to 50%, and finally I simply stepped the accelerator all the way down.

The wet and slippery ground caused the tires to slip slightly, and the ABS indicator light on the dashboard lit up instantly. Power was cut off in time, and the vehicle quickly regained stability.

"interesting!"

He got excited and simply turned off the ABS and stepped on the accelerator again.

Sure enough, the rear of the car began to slide sideways almost imperceptibly. However, now that his physique had been enhanced by his talent, his reaction speed and sense of balance were far beyond that of ordinary people. Almost the instant the rear of the car began to slide, he keenly detected the change in the car's center of gravity.

With a quick counter-steering motion with his right hand and a light tap on the accelerator with his left foot, the SUV drew a smooth arc in the middle of the road, completing a perfectly circular drift!
"It's great! It's so great!"

The lateral G-force pushing him back made his heart race, and he couldn't help but let out a low shout.

The thrill of mastering machinery and breaking balance is more exhilarating than any training.

After playing for a full half hour, Cheng Ye finally stopped the car and let out a long sigh of relief.

He glanced at the dashboard. Normally, only the rear motor would be started out of the two motors on the vehicle. The front motor would be started by pressing a mechanical button on the armrest.

Driven by a single motor, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in about eight seconds.

With dual-motor drive, the 0-100 km/h acceleration time can be reduced to under six seconds.

Although dual motors are rarely used in the wilderness, the ample power reserve always provides more confidence when encountering danger.

What pleased him even more was the battery configuration. The off-road vehicle and the two pickup trucks all used a 150 kWh first-generation battery. After a period of "violent driving," the energy consumption soared to 33 kWh per 100 kilometers. Even so, a full charge was enough to support 450 kilometers.

It's more than enough to travel between the buffer zone and Dabo Town, and going to the surrounding satellite cities is no problem at all.

As for the three cargo transport vehicles, although they use 200 kWh batteries and consume more energy, their average range can still be maintained at over 400 kilometers, which is sufficient to meet the initial transportation needs of the caravan.

He stopped the car, rolled down the window, and Cheng Ye extended his left hand out of the car, just like the people he had seen in modern times.

I must say, it's really quite pleasant.

Taking a deep breath of the moist air outside and feeling the raindrops pattering on my arms, I felt increasingly at ease.

The most important part of the caravan's framework has been completely established.

Once the personnel are in place and the infrastructure in each satellite city stabilizes, and there is demand for and production of materials, the caravan can immediately begin operations.

Cheng Ye estimated that this day would not be far off. Based on the construction speed of the first batch of satellite cities, the infrastructure would be completely stable in about fifteen to twenty-five days. At that time, even if more refugees were gathered, there would be no need to blindly expand outwards.

Those idle laborers will naturally need more industries to meet their employment needs.

"In the end, we still need to lay the infrastructure first. I wonder how the power grid is going."

As Cheng Ye muttered to himself, he drove the SUV back to the Machinery Department.

After working up a good night, the Sang brothers couldn't stay awake any longer and went to sleep. Only a group of apprentices were still full of energy, busy around the remaining five vehicles.

Some people were applying masking film to the edges of the car windows, while others were adjusting the paint concentration with spray guns, preparing to give the car body a final paint job.

The chassis was painted with silver-white primer when it left the factory. Now it needs to be covered with military green paint, which Cheng Ye specially chose. It is also the most common vehicle color in the entire Happiness City.

It's not that he likes to keep a low profile, it's just that now is not the time to be unconventional.

For refugees in the wilderness, wandering sources of infection, and spies lurking in the shadows, seeing a striking color will only draw more attention. On the contrary, the most simple military green can blend into the surrounding environment and cause less unnecessary trouble.

Cheng Ye leaned against the side and watched for a while until the apprentices finished spraying the roof of the last transport truck and moved the truck to a well-ventilated corner of the warehouse to dry. By then, the sky was completely bright.

I took out my defense device and saw that it was already 6:10.

He yawned, walked out of the Machinery Bureau, and jogged all the way back to the electronics factory residential area.

When Cheng Ye reached the fifth floor, he paused deliberately.

The door to room 529 has been replaced with the same security door as before. The dark gray metal panel gleams with a cold light, and compared to the creaking old wooden door from a week ago, the sense of security is instantly maximized.

He took out his key from his pocket, slowly inserted it into the lock, turned it twice, and deliberately waited two seconds before pushing the door open.

The little flame on its shoulder had already leaped out, and the red downy fur completely covered the little guy's round body. It was tilting its head and looking around alertly, but it didn't send any messages as usual.

"Huh, where's that gaze that was watching me today?"

Cheng Ye was slightly surprised. Ever since the house was renovated and he moved back in, he had been secretly observed by several eyes every day.

He and the community militia have already arrested four, with only the last clever one remaining whom they haven't been able to catch yet.

The four who were arrested were stubborn and refused to talk back. Even when Old He intervened, he was unable to extract any valuable information from them.

As for cooperation, from the moment I caught them, it was a bizarre 100%.

However, Cheng Ye had been busy assembling vehicles and honing his mechanical skills at the Machinery Department these past few days, so he didn't have any extra energy points to "search for intelligence." Now that the vehicle was almost assembled, he was finally able to free up some time to try and pry some information out of these four people.

He shook his head as he entered the room, putting the matter out of his mind for the time being. Perhaps the last informant had been temporarily removed, or perhaps they were plotting something else. Right now, the most important thing was to catch up on his sleep.

Press the light switch at the entrance, and with a "whoosh," warm yellow light instantly fills the room.

The two rooms are actually about the same size, but because there are no beds, they seem much more spacious than before.

The once uneven cement floor has been covered with smooth, light gray tiles, the grout lines of which are now spotless, with not a speck of dust visible.

The walls, which had previously been blackened by mold, were not only painted with two coats of moisture-proof paint but also covered with a layer of off-white wallpaper. Now, there is no longer any damp or musty smell.

After the entire room was completely renovated, it was a world of difference from its dilapidated state when we first moved in.

A long worktable, 2.5 meters long and 80 centimeters wide, was placed by the window. Scattered on it were wrenches, screwdrivers, soldering guns that had been taken from the Machinery Bureau, a few small parts that were not yet assembled, and a few circuit boards scattered to the side.

Under the wall directly opposite the doorway connecting the two rooms, there was a brown three-seater sofa that had been salvaged. It looked a bit worn, with some leather worn off the armrests, but it was surprisingly comfortable to sit on.

In front of the sofa was a small wooden coffee table with three finished books on it.

There was a simple shoe cabinet nailed against the wall near the entrance. Cheng Ye casually put the key on the cabinet, then plopped down into the sofa, his body instantly enveloped by the soft padding.

The fatigue from staying up late for days seemed to have been mostly drained away, and I couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

Comfortable!

During these peaceful and healthy development days, every time I come back and sit in my cozy spot for a while, I feel light and refreshed.

After recovering from the fatigue, he got up, picked up the book on the coffee table, and walked through the newly opened doorway in the wall.

There was no door in the doorway, only a light gray cotton curtain hanging there, which could be easily lifted to pass through.

The structure of the next room hadn't changed much, except that the old wardrobe, which was so broken it couldn't be closed, had been replaced with a large wardrobe that reached the ceiling, big enough to hold his clothes and armor.

Next to the wardrobe, there was a new moisture-proof bookcase that reached the ceiling, taking up half a wall, with nearly four hundred books neatly stacked inside the glass doors.

Some of them were sent over when I was in the hospital, and some were brought over by Jiang Chuan a couple of days ago.

Cheng Ye casually opened the bookshelf, put the books he had finished reading back in their original places, and then took out a few books he hadn't read yet.

The layout around the original wooden bed has also changed quite a bit.

Behind the door was a tree-branch shaped clothes rack, and on the bedside table was a white bedside table with a retractable silver lamp extending from it. The lamp post could be bent at will, just enough to illuminate the head of the bed.

Cheng Ye took off his clothes and hung them on the hanger, charged the pendant, lay down on the bed, and turned on the bedside lamp. The warm white light fell directly on the pages of the book.

He turned a couple of pages, but his vision gradually blurred as the fatigue of the past few days finally overwhelmed him.

Pulling the main switch by the bedside turned off the bedside lamp and the living room light, plunging the room into quiet darkness.

Within minutes, even breathing sounds filled the room.

(End of this chapter)