Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 176 Cat and Mouse: Mu Shuang in a sorry state!

"Hello, can you hear me? Hello, hello?"

"I can hear you, stop shouting, I haven't adjusted the volume yet."

On the rooftop of the fifth floor of the Tianyun Mining Phase III residential compound.

Jiang Chuan took off his headphones, rubbed his ears which were numb from the vibration, quickly turned the communicator volume down to 30%, and put them back on.

Standing here, leaning against the low wall at the edge of the rooftop, the view is so expansive that you can see most of the blocks of both Zones B and C.

It is considered one of the best observation points in the buffer zone.

This includes the distant B7 area, as well as the C11 area where Mu Shuang is located.

now.

He picked up a high-powered telescope and slowly scanned the windows of the residential building: "I've reached the highest point, but I'll remind you again, don't do anything reckless."

"What are you worried about? If I were to act recklessly, I would have wiped out the Hundred Ghosts Gang outside long ago."

Inside the room, Mu Shuang stood sideways behind the curtains, her fingertips parting a small gap as she glanced at the unusual figures that had suddenly appeared downstairs, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Prosecutor Cheng's team is really dedicated. I've only been back for less than ten minutes and I'm already being watched."

"Do you think they're just sitting around doing nothing?" Jiang Chuan's voice came through the earpiece, tinged with seriousness. "I don't care about ordinary guards' pistols, you'll have to figure out how to dodge them yourself. But if someone pulls out a rifle and points it at you, then your mission for today is a failure."

"Okay, okay, if I really have a rifle pointed at me and I can't run away, I'll definitely be the first to surrender with my hands raised."

Mu Shuang lowered the curtains, turned around, walked to the bedside, sat down, and opened her bulging backpack.

It was filled with all sorts of props that had been prepared last night.

Two palm-sized smoke bombs, a thin steel wire wrapped around the wrist, a grappling hook, several flashing discs disguised as buttons, a high-powered flashlight, and some other miscellaneous gadgets.

In the wasteland, some methods may be considered unethical, but they are the best way to survive to the end.

"In addition, you don't have the limit on injuring people. At most, you can only knock them unconscious or cause minor flesh wounds. If someone bleeds or is seriously injured, the mission will be considered a failure."

Jiang Chuan continued reciting the "rules," his tone leaving no room for argument, "Also, if someone engages you in close combat, you are not allowed to use weapons or killing moves; at most, you can only use the basic combat power of the Embryo Realm."

He paused, then emphasized, "Most importantly, your supernatural powers will be disabled for the entire mission!"

"Yes, Commander Jiang Chuan!"

Mu Shuang responded with a drawn-out tone, followed by a series of clear laughs.

"Don't worry, that big dragon is just an ordinary muscle-bound beast, carrying a fake embryo. It's already impressive that it managed to catch you. It can't possibly catch me too, can it?"

"Heh, heh." Jiang Chuan chuckled coldly. He could see Da Long directing his men to set up a perimeter around the residential building. The command was not exactly professional, but the men below obeyed orders without question.

"You'll know whether you should be arrogant or not when someone points a gun at the back of your head."

"Can't we say something auspicious? If I really get caught, won't you, as the watchman, also be considered to have failed in your duty?"

"I'm only responsible for providing you with key information; don't count on me when you're trying to escape."

"That's enough key information!"

Mu Shuang's fingertips moved with such agility that they seemed to dance. She wrapped thin steel wire around the inside of her wrists and hid it in her cuffs. She wrapped the smoke bomb in soft cloth and stuffed it into her boot.

Then, she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out several bottles and jars, unscrewed the caps, and began applying them to her face.

"Of the four people, two chose problematic locations, sleeping in shacks where refugees congregated, and ended up being ambushed in their sleep. The third person, while fleeing, panicked and almost fell into a pipeline under repair and broke his leg."

As she recalled, she couldn't help but laugh, "That pretty boy was the smartest. He noticed he was being followed immediately and tried to take a detour to escape, but he ended up walking into a trap they had deliberately set. After trying to escape for a long time, he ended up in a dead end in the shantytown. He just walked right into their trap."

"So you're planning to just hang around in the city?"

"Otherwise what?" Mu Shuang patted on loose powder in front of the mirror, her face now a sallow, dark color typical of the buffer zone. "Go to the north or south suburbs? I don't have wings, am I really going to fly away?"

She took a wig out of her bag; it was a dull gray long hair, with a few strands deliberately messed up.

Then she took out a jar of gel and applied it to her cheekbones and brow bones with her fingertips, gradually changing the contours of her face.

Finally, she picked up a dark eyeliner pencil, applied it below the corner of her mouth, and smudged it with her fingertip. Then she attached a prepared black mole prop to add a touch of real "street smarts".

After doing all this, Mu Shuang stood in front of the mirror.

The face in the mirror was that of an unfamiliar middle-aged woman, sallow and thin, with deliberately drawn fine lines at the corners of her eyes and a particularly noticeable mole at the corner of her mouth. Anyone who saw her would only think she was an ordinary community resident.

"Jiang Chuan, you don't really think I'm going to go through all this trouble to play cat and mouse with Prosecutor Cheng, do you?"

"Oh?" Jiang Chuan raised an eyebrow. "What, the task the stationmaster gave you isn't good enough?"

"Of course I'm qualified. Not to mention the station chief, the director has explicitly told me to protect him with my life."

Mu Shuang leaned against the headboard and smiled, "Protection is protection, that's the mission, no problem. But Prosecutor Cheng has quite the appetite. If he finds out my identity, he might make me do other things."

"Heh, I don't know what kind of spell he cast on you to make you so considerate of him. I'm curious too. If he can get past me, I'll be just like you, doing whatever he says."

"Oh my, so you want to change bosses and don't want to work for Director Liu anymore?" Jiang Chuan held back for a moment, but finally laughed.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"So confident?"

"If you're solely focused on escaping, I'm not confident you can succeed, but you insist on going head-to-head with Prosecutor Cheng."

The two chatted incessantly.

Suddenly, Jiang Chuan turned his binoculars, the lens locking onto a transport truck approaching from a distance. "He's here. Get ready."

"You're here?" Mu Shuang immediately got up and walked to the gap in the curtains to look outside.

A military green transport vehicle was parked in the open space at the entrance of the community, and Cheng Ye opened the door and got out.

"Okay, just watch my performance from now on."

"Sir, prey number five went upstairs and hasn't appeared since."

As soon as Cheng Ye parked the transport truck at the street corner, Da Long quickly came up to him and reported in a low voice.

"Which floor is she on?"

"I don't know. She used to live on the fifth floor of Unit 2, Building 3. Today she went to Unit 1, Building 7 and didn't go back."

Following the direction Da Long pointed, Cheng Ye looked up at the residential buildings not far away, his brows furrowing slightly.

"To avoid alerting her, the brothers only dared to stake out the community entrance. They saw her enter Building 7, but they still haven't figured out which apartment she went up to."

Da Long continued to explain.

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the entire community.

This is area C11, near the southern suburbs, exactly five and a half blocks from B7.

Unlike the dormitory-style buildings in the electronics factory, this community looks like a new type of community built after the millennium.

The interior is no longer a separate room, but a layout of one-bedroom and one-living room or two-bedroom and one-living room.

A dozen or so residential buildings are crammed together, some facing the street with rusty, independent iron gates.

Some are hidden deep within the residential area, with two apartment buildings back to back connected, their walls peeling away to reveal the red bricks underneath.

How many people live here?

“At least four thousand or more,” Da Long replied. “It’s one of the largest communities in the buffer zone. It not only has residents, but also many small workshops and grocery stores. Many of them are elderly people from the early days of Happiness City. The stairwells are full of clutter and winding. She chose this place because she thought it would be hard to be discovered.”

"Although the terrain here is chaotic, it has formed an independent community management system. Although the discipline is not strong, it was also the area that first organized a militia during the last wave of infections."

Upon hearing Da Long's words, Cheng Ye immediately understood the situation.

This place must not be attacked by force.

Even though most people are at work right now, there are still many elderly people and children in the community. Rushing in to arrest people would inevitably cause chaos.

If the other side becomes desperate and starts firing indiscriminately in this densely populated residential area, the consequences could be disastrous.

"Da Long, this place is too complicated. A direct assault won't work. We need to find a way to force her out."

After observing for a few minutes, Cheng Ye quickly came up with an idea.

Although he wasn't a professional detective, he had seen many arrest scenes in movies, which were nothing more than using information asymmetry and psychological games.

Either isolate and control the situation, waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump, or go door-to-door to probe and pinpoint the exact location.

Furthermore, some people deliberately release information to lure the other party into a trap.

He used these "clumsy" methods to deal with the first four people, and they were very effective.

The only minor mishap for Wang Qing was that time, when the opponent noticed in advance and slipped away. However, this guy was not familiar with the terrain of the buffer zone, and was eventually easily taken down by Da Long in the shantytown.

"Forced out?" Da Long nodded hastily. "Just like last time, delivering warmth door-to-door?"

"Well"

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly, then asked, "Has Number Five been confirmed to be female?"

"Yes! We've been following her for several days, and today she wasn't pretending at all; she's definitely a woman!"

"What about your age?"

"I don't know, I've never seen her face."

"Okay, let's try a different approach then."

Cheng Ye smiled, a sly glint in his eyes. "Go to the general store and buy thirty basins, one hundred towels, and some other household items. Buy more; I'm going to organize a charity event in the community."

"Well, about money," Cheng Ye said, making a gesture as if to take out some cash.

Da Long quickly waved his hand: "Sir, we haven't used the money we took from those four people yet. This is enough to buy them!"

"Okay, ask me for more if you need more."

Cheng Ye nodded.

During the few minutes he stood outside the community, he didn't feel any gaze directed at him by Number Five.

Either the other party was completely unaware of his arrival, or they had already made preparations to deal with it!

But that's not important. What he wants is to stir things up and make the other side panic.

Once the snake makes a move, its weaknesses will be revealed, making it much easier to catch it then.

The thousand happiness coins found on the four people came in handy, and Da Long quickly led his men back with four large bags of daily necessities.

"Spread things out and categorize them, so that someone can maintain order."

Cheng Ye instructed, "Find a few loud voices and have them shout in the community: 'The checkpoint is doing charity work, delivering supplies to women left behind in rural areas. Bring your ID badges to collect them. First come, first served. Don't miss out!'"

After saying that, he added, "Arrange for someone to go up to the rooftop of the building next door to prevent her from moving there. Also, have people guarding the entrance to her building; everyone should be on high alert. If anyone comes down, ask them about the market price of their daily necessities; if they can't answer..."

"understand!"

Da Long immediately took action, setting up items such as basins, towels, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and skin care oil on the open ground. He also found four militiamen with loud voices to shout messages in the community.

During working hours, the community is mostly populated by the elderly, children, and housewives. When they heard about the free supplies being delivered, many of them immediately leaned out of their windows and were overjoyed to see what was on the ground.

Dengdengdeng.

Within a minute, many figures poured out of the various building entrances, including middle-aged women carrying vegetable baskets and young women holding children, all running excitedly towards the distribution point.

Cheng Ye stood in the shadows to the side, not approaching the crowd.

Suddenly, a gaze fell upon him, instantly triggering a reaction from the flames.

It's that familiar feeling of being spied on!
He resisted the urge to turn his head, immediately leaning over the small flame and looking in the direction of the gaze. On the fourth floor, through the gap in the beige curtains, a pair of eyes were staring at him "fiery".

"They took the bait so easily?" Cheng Ye was secretly delighted.

In a cat-and-mouse game, the key is information asymmetry.

Police catch thieves using legitimate and aboveboard methods.

To resort to underhanded tactics would be incredibly foolish, abandoning one's own advantages and instead relying on the advantages of others.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to search every house; whoever has less information will be the one who gets beaten.

"It's a pity the flame can't fly yet, otherwise it could fly up and see people clearly."

"Hmm, if it were a little bigger, I might not even need to lift a finger; I could just take it down."

A dozen seconds later, the gaze disappeared.

Cheng Ye didn't make any move, continuing to cross his arms and stare at the crowd queuing to receive supplies.

An older woman had already received a bucket of water and was shouting excitedly, thanking the vendor repeatedly.

The scene became increasingly lively. In addition to the women coming down to collect supplies, the elderly and children also followed suit, standing aside to watch the excitement.

Sure enough, after another ten seconds or so, that gaze reappeared, this time only lingering for two or three seconds before quickly disappearing.

"He's trying to alert me, hoping I'll walk right into his trap," Mu Shuang whispered, lowering the curtains.

"Oh? So what are you planning to do?" Jiang Chuan held up his binoculars, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd in the community. "Women from your building have gone down to collect supplies. If you try to find out what's going on with them later, you won't be able to hide it."

"So I have to go now."

Mu Shuang shook her head, her tone tinged with surprise, "I originally planned to wait for them to come and investigate, and deliberately create some trouble to delay the time. I didn't expect him to be so smart. Not only did he not take the bait, but he also gave me the choice of whether to leave or not."

"I suggest you don't go downstairs yet," Jiang Chuan advised. "There are already people staking out the rooftops of the second and third units next to yours. Erlong and his men are guarding the entrance to your building. Everyone who goes out will be questioned, and if you can't answer their questions..."

"Do you think my disguise will be seen through?" Mu Shuang touched the mole on the corner of her mouth.

"You can give it a try; I'm only responsible for providing information."

After Jiang Chuan finished speaking, he added, "In addition, Cheng Ye went over there again and was whispering something to Erlong. It seems that they were giving each other new instructions."

"Are they sure they can take me down?"

Mu Shuang took a deep breath.

Unexpectedly, the battle between the two had only just begun when the scales of victory tipped infinitely in Cheng Ye's favor.

Now she only has two paths left.

First, go to the rooftop, use the grappling hook to quickly evacuate, and move to a new location to continue the tug-of-war with Cheng Ye.

However, this method is simple and crude; once she shows herself, all the previous disguises will be wasted.

If Cheng Ye reacts quickly enough and leads his men to catch up and block the route with guns, the game is over.

Second, go downstairs, grit your teeth and get through the checkpoint, then figure out a way to slip out of the community.

He was able to make a public appearance, attract attention, and leave openly after Cheng Ye had completed his plan.

According to the rules of this game, she has won this round.

"This prosecutor is quite interesting."

Mu Shuang quickly composed herself and practiced the "mercenary older sister" smile repeatedly in front of the mirror.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and his mouth stretched into a grin, revealing a look that was both greedy and reserved.

They even imagined the excitement of receiving free supplies, breaking it down into small gestures like staggering steps and fidgeting fingers, striving to make every detail impeccable.

Having spent years navigating the wasteland, she had often needed to disguise her identity, and it had long since become second nature to her.

Soon, she was completely immersed in the role, opened the door, and imitated the excited steps of someone picking up something, running down the stairs.

Got to the first floor.

Erlong led four militiamen to guard the door, while a dozen or so militiamen surrounded the entrance.

Everyone had a gun slung over their waist, looking at the stairwell with a half-smile and a scrutinizing gaze.

"Did you find me?"

Mu Shuang's heart skipped a beat, but her body didn't stop for a moment, and her expression didn't reveal the slightest flaw.

"Hey lady, are you here to collect your stuff?" Erlong spoke first, his tone sounding perfectly normal.

"Yes, it's to collect something."

Mu Shuang nodded quickly, handing over the identity badge in her hand, her voice hoarse.

She deliberately exposed the skin on her arms. Due to years of working in the wilderness, her skin was slightly dark and covered with small scars, making it rougher than the skin of an average woman in her thirties.

"Oh, we need to verify your identity, is that alright?" Erlong took the badge, his gaze lingering on his arm for two seconds.

"No problem, no problem." Mu Shuang lowered her head obediently, looking like she was afraid of officials.

Erlong pretended to examine the badge, then suddenly asked, "Do you know how much a toothbrush costs at the general store?"

"You're joking, sir. Toothbrushes aren't sold individually. They're bundled in groups of three for one happiness coin," Mu Shuang replied without hesitation.

"Oh, and what about toothpaste? The new Shoufu brand."

"The Shoufu brand has been around for 5 years, so it's not exactly new. Besides, it's not sold individually; two tubes cost 5 happiness coins. It's better than the Happiness brand, but it's a bit more expensive."

Mu Shuang frowned, her tone carrying a hint of genuine complaint about the rising prices.

"Wow, you know quite a lot, big sister."

Erlong smiled, handed the badge back to her, and stepped aside to make way for her. "No problem, go over there and line up to get your stuff."

That's it?

Mu Shuang chuckled inwardly. She wasn't one of those four idiots who only thought about hiding their identities when they were infiltrating.

True disguise requires thoroughly understanding the local customs and traditions, and getting to know the lives of ordinary people. Only by truly immersing oneself in the place can one create a flawless disguise.

What's more, she grew up in a buffer zone; if she couldn't even understand these trivial matters about prices, she would have lived in vain!

"Next, I need to figure out how to get out of the community!" she thought to herself.

Besides the building entrance, Cheng Ye will definitely arrange for people to guard the community's entrances and exits as well.

However, since apartment buildings have been built, leaving the community is a piece of cake.

However, she had only taken two steps forward when Jiang Chuan's voice suddenly blared in her earpiece: "They've found you!"

Without the slightest hesitation, her years of working together allowed her to react instantly.

The instant Jiang Chuan finished speaking, Mu Shuang suddenly rolled on the ground, simultaneously pulling a smoke grenade from the left boot and gripping the pull ring with his fingers.

Sure enough, a "whoosh" of a gun being drawn came from behind her. Erlong already had a gun in his hand, the muzzle pointed directly at the spot where she had just been.

Fortunately, they all used pistols; no one used rifles, so her mission wasn't considered a failure.

boom.

The special smoke grenade exploded with a bang, and thick gray-white smoke instantly filled the entrance to the corridor, blocking all visibility.

Using the smoke as cover, Mu Shuang dashed back into the stairwell and ran up the stairs like a whirlwind.

It was the first time I'd been targeted by so many guns while on cover, and my heart was pounding.

How did they find me?

"I don't know, maybe you answered incorrectly?"

"Impossible! Absolutely right!" Mu Shuang rushed back to the fourth floor, only to find that there were no footsteps chasing after them downstairs.

This made her heart sink, but she didn't have time to think about it right now, so she turned around and rushed to the rooftop.

On the rooftop, she crouched low and rushed toward Unit 3 next to her, which faced the street and was the fastest escape route.

Upon seeing this, several militiamen who were lurking on the rooftop of Unit 2 immediately raised their guns and aimed.

However, the difference in strength was too great, and Mu Shuang raised his hand and threw out the second smoke grenade from the right side of his boot.

With a loud bang, gray smoke quickly enveloped half of the rooftop's visibility.

But instead of rushing over, she suddenly changed position, flipped the flashlight in her palm, and pulled out a powerful flashlight to shine on the militiamen.

Just as the smoke began to obscure the vision of the militiamen who were about to fire, they were suddenly blinded by a blinding flash of light.

By the time they reacted, Mu Shuang had already closed in, her movements so fast they couldn't see clearly. In the blink of an eye, the gun was taken from them, and they were struck on the back of the neck with a chop, groaning as they passed out.

The remaining four militiamen in the three units were not spared either; they were also swiftly disarmed and knocked unconscious.

"You've got something special."

Jiang Chuan couldn't help but praise him.

Without using extraordinary power, and while maintaining combat strength at the Embryo Realm level, being able to do this is enough to prove that Mu Shuang's years in the wilderness were not in vain, and his actual combat ability far exceeded his expectations.

"Stop talking nonsense, what's the situation now?"

"Erlong and his men are catching up from Unit 1, and Dalong is heading to Unit 3 to block you,"

Jiang Chuan paused, his tone grave, "Cheng Ye is leading his men up from Unit 2."

"I'm retreating!"

Mu Shuang barely even thought about it.

Both Erlong and Dalong are at the Embryo Realm. Although they are both in the nascent stage, they are entangled in the narrow corridor. It is easy for them to be slowed down and then be surrounded and attacked.

Cheng Ye, the probationary prosecutor who has not yet mastered all four skills, is currently the weakest link.

But if Cheng Ye blocks the stairwell entrance and sets up a gun, then we're doomed.

Then we'll be surrounded on three sides and won't be able to go anywhere.

Wow.

With the grappling hook and zipline fastened to a corner of the rooftop, Mu Shuang skillfully flipped over, quickly leaning against the building's surface as she descended.

Fourth floor, third floor, second floor.
In a few breaths, she descended to the second floor, her body moving like a nimble cat as she tumbled down the wall to the ground.

It's been so long since I've been this disheveled.
Mu Shuang shook his head inwardly, his heart filled with frustration.

She never expected that her first encounter with Cheng Ye would end in such a complete defeat. Her carefully prepared disguise was completely ineffective.

Fortunately, there is still room for maneuver; as long as they can withdraw from this community and hide again.
boom!
My thoughts are still swirling.

The second-floor window near the point of impact suddenly shattered, with wooden frames and glass shards flying out in a fan shape.

A swift, gust-of-war figure burst through the window.

He landed like a stone roller propelled by a tremendous force, seemingly unaffected by gravity, without even bending his knees, standing straight three steps away from her.

A slight smile appeared on the figure's lips as he looked the person up and down.

It seemed as if it was admiring its prey, or perhaps deliberately stalling for time.

"Big sister, now that you're here, it's not time for you to leave."

(End of this chapter)