Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 181 Super Lock-On, a terrifying active skill!
From the initial Lv1 Dragon Force prototype, to the later Lv2 Iron Body, and then to the Lv3 Wild Grass Physique.

Three nodes and three levels brought about three qualitative changes in his strength.

However, the extraordinary "Heart-Protecting Fire" is different. It did not bring about such a visible leap, but rather seemed to quietly rewrite its underlying foundation.

After carefully observing and reflecting over the past few days, Cheng Ye has vaguely grasped some of the key points.

If we say that the foundation of an ordinary person is a plank, then the strength of their talent determines their jumping height.

After being reshaped by the Heart-Protecting Fire, his foundation became a spring bed.

While their natural talent remains unchanged, the addition of an elastic bed allows them to jump higher and for longer periods.

That's why he hesitated when searching for Mu Shuang's talents, and ultimately gave up the more reliable physical talent and chose the perfect "Hundred Martial Arts Student".

Even if they are unlikely to use cold weapons in the future, they will only draw their guns to fight the enemy.

But he was still curious about what kind of sparks would fly when perfect talent collides with extraordinary power.
hum.

The bright red skill bar trembled slightly, and even after the skill was placed in the skill bar, the entire frame continued to shake.

Unlike the berserk bonus brought by physical talent, a strange feeling spread from the bottom of my heart.

It's hard to describe in words; it's like standing on the beach at high tide, letting the waves repeatedly pound against your feet, calves, and torso.

I felt both exhilarated and compelled to retreat to a safer place.

thump.

A faint chime rang out, like the clanging of a hundred weapons clashing, clear and melodious.

Cheng Ye suddenly raised his hand and realized that fine beads of blood were seeping from his palm, and it seemed as if countless drops of blood were rushing out of his pores.

He flicked his wrist lightly, and the blood droplets splattered onto the ground, only to evaporate completely within seconds, as if they had never existed.

"Perfect"

Cheng Ye looked down at his hands, his pupils suddenly contracting!
He was astonished to discover the shape of his palms, the hardness of his knuckles, and even the length of his fingers.
Everything is changing, and changing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The skin at the knuckles suddenly tightened, and the skin that was originally taut due to the body's constitution instead developed fine wrinkles, making the blue veins under the skin even clearer, like quenched iron wires embedded in the flesh.

Each finger extended outward by half an inch, making the originally symmetrical hand appear exceptionally long. The protrusion at the joint of the finger bones was more obvious, but not abrupt. Instead, it made the arc of the grip more in line with the shape of the weapon.

"This ferocity has directly altered my physical condition?"

Cheng Ye was somewhat bewildered.

Aside from the initial explosive boost, rare-level talents require a gradual, step-by-step process to improve various stats.

But this perfect "Hundred Martial Arts Student" actually had his hands replaced.

He tried to clench his fist, his knuckles clicking softly, tighter than ever before, as if power was about to spill out from between his fingers.

Looking at the forearm, the inner skin shows fine, fish-scale-like lines. The surface, which originally had a frosted texture like tree bark, now exudes a tough, cold light.

Pressing it with your hand, you can feel the subcutaneous muscle fibers vibrating at a peculiar frequency, and the hardness is several times greater than before, as if it is wrapped with a fine steel sheet.

Even more amazing is the level of consciousness. After the physical conditions are met, countless phantom images of cold weapons flow through the mind. The angles of slashing with knives and axes, the trajectories of spear thrusts and sword stabbing, and even the techniques of chaining and force exertion with meteor hammers are all as if engraved deep into the memory, about to form subconsciousness.

Although Cheng Ye had never been exposed to these techniques before, after the information was transmitted in his mind, an instinctive sense of familiarity surged through his body.

He stood up, his gaze casually sweeping across the small shop, and picked up a broom from the corner.

The moment I held it, the ordinary broom seemed to come alive.

With a flick of his wrist, the broom head left a trail of afterimages in the air, sweeping out with a clear whooshing sound.

"So what they showed in the movies wasn't an exaggeration, but actually true?"

Cheng Ye was stunned.

It wasn't that his strength suddenly increased, but rather that his control over "force" reached an unbelievable level.

The timing of muscle activation, the subtle shift of his center of gravity, and even the rhythm of his breathing were all perfectly synchronized with the broom in his hand, as if this simple tool was an extension of his arm.

He can even make the upper and lower parts of the broom head swing in different directions by exerting a slight force in his arm.

When pressed to the ground, the first half sweeps back and forth, while the second half stays close to the ground, causing the whole thing to move.

One pull, one sweep, one tug, one stretch.

With just a few movements, a small patch of scattered dust was precisely gathered in one place, which was more efficient than sweeping repeatedly for half a day.

"Amazing, truly amazing!"

Putting down the broom, Cheng Ye took out the Whirlwind Dagger.

Before he even made a move, he felt an inexplicable sense of connection, as if this weapon was meant to be a part of his body.

He tried to swing his sword, the movement seemingly no different from usual, but inside, everything had turned upside down.

Before thrusting at the target, one must first concentrate and aim, then hold one's breath and exert force.

At this moment, with just a thought, even if the eye cannot see it, the tip can instantly point to the target.

Even more outrageous, when he put down the Whirlwind Dagger and picked up the Bison Fighting Pistol, the feeling of "point and shoot" did not disappear.

The moment the thought of "aiming at that can" flashed through my mind, the gun barrel automatically turned and steadily pressed against the center of the target.

"Isn't this a talent for melee weapons? Pistols... count as melee weapons?"

Cheng Ye was eager to try, but unfortunately there were no targets in the shop, only a few empty bottles. He bent down and tried to move the gun barrel.

With each raised hand and each glance to the side, his mouth couldn't help but open wider and wider.

No matter how the gun barrel moves, or whether he looks directly at the target, as long as he knows the bottle's location and the target doesn't move, the gun barrel will always be aimed precisely at the bottle when it falls, without the slightest error.

A lock?

No way, it's really open?
"Wait, does Mu Shuang have this ability?"

Cheng Ye put down his pistol, his eyes filled with shock.

The answer is almost certainly yes.

It seemed he had discovered something terrifying: the bonuses provided by this perfect-level Hundred Martial Arts Student far surpassed those from the Iron Body he had found with Dai Zun.

The latter can only eliminate his pain sensation, improve his body control, and allow him to reach the combat power of the Embryo Realm.

And the former... Hmm? Iron Body enhances body control?
A thought flashed through his mind, and Cheng Ye picked up the Whirlwind Dagger again, repeatedly swinging and feeling it in the basement of the convenience store.

About eight minutes later, he suddenly stopped.

That mysterious feeling disappeared.

The weapon still felt familiar in my hand, but the seamless connection that felt like "the body was fully extended" was gone, leaving only a vague sense of attachment.

To accurately strike a target, you must keep your eyes fixed on it and concentrate your mind to achieve the desired result; the slightest distraction will cause it to deviate from its intended path.

The same applies to handguns; the extended feeling of "automatic locking" completely disappears when you pick them up, leaving only basic grip skills.

"As expected, this powerful force is another active skill that only I can use!"

"It takes much longer to take effect than Iron Body, lasting about 15 minutes, and its effectiveness does not diminish over time."

Having confirmed his suspicions, Cheng Ye let out a long sigh of relief.

After confirming Bai Wusheng's limitations, he was not upset about his limited talent; on the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.

This is terrifying! The more terrifying the bonus from this talent is, the less secure he feels!
People with perfect talent like Mu Shuang are not uncommon in the vast wasteland; there may even be many! If every person with perfect talent could arbitrarily "lock their head," this world would be far too dangerous.

Just imagining yourself becoming a target, being aimed at with this ability, is enough to make one feel hopeless.

Unless you can maintain the horned starfish's extraordinary state around the clock, encountering it is a dead end.

For now, the Hundred Warriors in their normal state are simply those who have improved their basic combat ability in wielding cold weapons.

It's unlikely that other perfect talents are so abnormal that they leave people powerless to resist.

“But we still have to be careful.” Cheng Ye rubbed his chin. “If someone awakens a perfect-level shooting talent, I’m afraid I won’t even have time to activate the Horned Star.”

However, this can be solved by continuing to increase the level of the Heart-Protecting Fire, making the flame continuously stronger.

Once it can expand its monitoring range to one or two kilometers, like Liu Kun's Flaming Eagle, it will be able to detect anyone aiming at or watching it immediately, thus greatly reducing the threat.

Before this, Cheng Ye had made up his mind that if he went to the wilderness, he must wear his armor around the clock!
"I need to buy a helmet, or maybe a bulletproof one," he muttered.

Others suffer from a fear of insufficient firepower, but he suffers from a fear of insufficient defense.

No protective measures are superfluous until complete safety is achieved.

"Also, we need to get a private training room. Some things are not suitable for testing in public training grounds."

Sitting on the edge of the bed in the convenience store, Cheng Ye's thoughts were racing.

His physical talent is a pure numerical bonus, which allows his basic attributes to keep breaking through, making him increasingly superhuman.

Iron Body and Hundred Martial Arts are more like active skills, which will greatly increase combat power after activation.

If he were still in that "locked-on" state, he was confident that he could have hit Mu Shuang at least once with the Bison combat pistol the moment Mu Shuang's hair exploded.

Fortunately, he lacked talent at the time; otherwise, if he had actually killed Mu Shuang, the trouble would have been much greater.

"No wonder the old saying goes, 'Those who practice martial arts should first cultivate martial virtue, for martial arts reveal virtue, and practicing martial arts cultivates the mind.'"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh softly, "The stronger one is, the more serious the damage one can cause. Without sufficient discipline and self-control, one becomes a walking disaster."

Even though he is now just an ordinary person who has mastered some extraordinary powers, he can already imagine the consequences of losing control and the enormous damage it would bring to the entire social environment.

Those extraordinary beings of the old era, those near-immortals, if they were to unleash their power, would cause damage ten thousand times greater than him.

A single thought could lead to mass casualties.

In the present moment, the obsession that blocks the superhuman is, in a sense, a form of protection.

It protects the safety of ordinary people as well as those with extraordinary abilities from being consumed by their own power.

"I can master this power without any obsessions, and I must also guard my true self."

"Otherwise, one day, this force will eventually drag me down a path of no return."

Once the decision was made, Cheng Ye swept all distracting thoughts out of his mind.

In a sense, he and Mu Shuang are actually the same kind of people; they are both demanding of themselves and not ashamed to admit their mistakes.

But he doesn't get stuck on minor details or dwell on "where he went wrong or what he lost." Instead, he's used to reflecting on the two sides of things and looking for the deeper impact of each change on himself.

This clarity of mind allows him to always remain calm and composed, even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

moment.

Cheng Ye tested the Hundred Warriors' buff again and found that although the duration of this skill was much longer than Iron Body, the cooldown time was also increased accordingly.

Every 15 minutes of use puts the device in "locked" mode, and it takes an hour to recover.

What's even more special is that after two consecutive uses, the cooling time will be extended by 15 minutes each time.

"It seems that Bai Wusheng is also squeezing some kind of potential out of my body, but I haven't noticed it yet."

Cheng Ye nodded thoughtfully.

A 15-minute burst of power is sufficient for combat.

Moreover, this is an active skill, so it doesn't take up a skill slot when not in use, and can be equipped during combat.

Currently, Heartfire and Green Physique occupy two slots, and the remaining slots must be reserved for new skills to maximize their effectiveness.

The speed at which he mastered the snake's power and the eagle's power was much faster than expected, whether due to enhanced physical strength or an improved level of life.

At this pace, the cultivation of the four powers can be completed in a week at most, at which time the cultivation of the tendon gates can be opened.

Even if one cannot achieve the limit-breaking tendon barrier like Jiang Chuan, as long as one opens the twelve tendon barriers, one's strength will greatly increase.

What's even more terrifying is that, based on his past experience, Cheng Ye vaguely guessed that his tendons and joints should not be affected by a single skill, and could be continuously stacked up like when he stacked Dragon Force before.

Even ordinary or excellent-level tendons and ligaments, when accumulated in large quantities, will eventually undergo a qualitative change.

As for searching for materials, although all twelve skill levels are Lv3, 100% cooperation is required to search.

But with Pinghailou constantly delivering "takeout" to our door, it shouldn't be difficult to collect it.

Just Wang Qing and his three companions alone would be enough to keep him busy searching for a while!

"Next, we just need to wait for the contract system to start and prepare for the contract system assessment."

"As long as the hydroelectric power station in Dabo Town is repaired, my energy will be inexhaustible, and I will no longer have to depend on anyone or pay a single penny!"

Pulling open the iron door of the convenience store, the warm sunshine falls on you, making you feel lazy all over.

Cheng Ye had two bags of nutrient solution in his mouth, looking rather curious. This was the first time he hadn't had to frantically replenish his energy after fusing his skills, and he was finding it a little strange.

After finishing his drink and resting for a while, he didn't dare to delay and rushed to the Industrial Administration.

Although the details of the contract have not yet been released to the public, and no news has leaked from the checkpoints, some clues can be gleaned from the Industrial Development Agency's material allocation movements.

For example, every now and then, an inspector would place a large order with the Industry Department, making Old Sun extremely envious.

So much so that whenever the two of them got together during this period, Lao Sun would always reveal some inside information to him, some of which had even crossed the line and were considered minor violations.

The goal was to get him the contracted amount so that he could receive some preferential treatment.

From this, it is easy to conclude that the inspectors who obtained the lump-sum contract should have a sum of "public funds" available for use. This portion is specifically used to purchase personalized materials and is not included in the main funds for the construction of satellite cities.

As for what to buy, Cheng Ye had already finalized the details. Now, he was just doing a final check with Lao Sun to ensure that the funds could be transferred immediately once they arrived in his account.

He didn't want to repeat the mistake he made last time when buying a car frame, where he was squeezed at the back and had to wait for five days.

Everything is back on track.

With Wu Rui leading the Crusaders to garrison the area, those underhanded maneuvers in the buffer zone seemed to have completely disappeared.

Two days later in the blink of an eye.

The alarm clock rang at six o'clock. Cheng Ye shook his head and got out of bed.

He subconsciously opened the defense communication device, but a glance at it made him jump up.

The second phase of the satellite city contracting program has finally begun!

　P.S.: Thank you to Ice with You, Beautiful Sky, and Hot Dolphin for the donations, and thank you to the reader who pointed out the bugs~ Love you all!

　　P.S.: Two chapters delivered, please vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)