Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 198 Liu Bi's Letter, Body of Steel!
The flock of thornbirds was dispersed, and the competition for a new leader will take at least half a day to determine.

After returning to the Blue Zone, Cheng Ye, to prevent a new flock of thornbirds from attacking, did not rush to order the unpacking of the supplies. Instead, he first organized the storage locations and retrieval rules for the supplies.

"Among the supplies were twenty-five flatbed carts, which were assembled first, and five were given to the pioneering team."

"There's no need to rush to move the precast slabs of the residential units. Just pile them up on a flat spot by the roadside and drag them away when you need them, saving you the trouble of going back and forth."

“We don’t need to demolish the abandoned houses. We’ll prioritize clearing the rubble from the open spaces in the town, leveling the foundations, and building some residential units before dark.”

"We have plenty of cleaning tools. Sun Dazheng, you're in charge of distributing them. Get the cleaning team out first, and the rest of you can study how to install the residential units."

"Huang Liang, distribute these bullets. Each patrol member will receive a full magazine. The pioneer team doesn't need to carry guns; they only need shovels, axes, and other tools."

"."

Cheng Ye spoke at a steady pace, and his instructions were clear and logical.

In wasteland reclamation, speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness are key.

Quickly, but not by blindly demolishing ruins and clearing land, but by first building the basic framework of the camp. Only with the framework can the defense line be determined and the warning zone demarcated. Even the locations of watchtowers and residences must follow the framework, and the priorities must not be confused.

Precision means accurately controlling the pace, such as which direction to go in land reclamation, which dangerous points to prioritize for investigation, and which plot of land to choose for construction, so as to use manpower effectively and avoid wasting effort.

Ruthless means abandoning unnecessary formalities. Modern prefabricated houses require clearing weeds, pulling up tree roots, and pouring a foundation layer, which can take several days to complete. But where can you find such conditions in wasteland?
Find a relatively flat area and lay the precast slabs directly on it. The finer work can be done after the assessment is over and the materials arrive.

After giving the instructions, they waited for more than ten minutes, but the thornbird still did not appear on the horizon.

Cheng Ye finally raised his hand: "Unpack! Put the hemp rope you take out on my right, and fold the waterproof tarpaulin according to the specifications on my left. Don't just pile them up randomly!"

The crowd scattered with a "whoosh," rushing out of the abandoned building and skillfully cutting the ropes binding the supplies.

Those who can survive in the wasteland possess an astonishing level of initiative.

Cheng Ye didn't need to give many instructions. Some people automatically gathered the hemp rope, others sorted and folded the waterproof cloth, and even the half-grown children were busy. They either helped the adults pull the hemp rope or carried small pieces of waterproof cloth to the designated location. The whole scene was busy but not chaotic, showing a tacit understanding of order.

The precast concrete slabs for the residential units make up the bulk of the materials. They are neatly piled up by the roadside, and when the sunlight shines on the slabs, you can see the smooth embossed texture on the surface.

Cheng Ye randomly inspected three precast slabs from different batches and was surprised to find that the quality of this batch of slabs was actually excellent.

The board itself doesn't have even a tiny crack, so it doesn't look like it was made from recycled materials at all; it looks like a brand new product.

As the boxes of connectors were being unpacked, a resident suddenly shouted:
"Sir, here is your letter!"

"My letter?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then took a brown paper envelope from the resident.

A smile immediately appeared on my lips when I saw the words on the cover.

The envelope bore two lines written in hasty but forceful handwriting: [To Cheng Ye, Inspector of the Contracted Office in Dabo Town. Please read before using the supplies.]

The inscription reads: "[August 4, 1946, New Era 35, Liu Bi]".

"It's a letter from Brother B!"

Cheng Ye felt a warmth in his heart, quickly walked to the abandoned steps next to him, sat down, and carefully opened the envelope.

It has only been a month and a half since Liu Bi went to the industrial zone, but so many things have happened in this time: first the threat of the substitute starfish, then the traces of the Traveler, and then the influx of millions of migrants into Happiness City.

Everyone was being pushed forward, without even a moment to catch their breath, to the point that he had the illusion that he had been separated from Liu Bi for a long time.

But thinking about it carefully, for Liu Bi, in previous years as a fourth-term inspector, he would have to take on field missions at the beginning of summer, and would often not return to Happiness City for three or four months. Now he is only going to an industrial zone dozens of kilometers away, which is at least within the scope of Happiness City. It is no exaggeration to say that the workload is dozens of times lighter.

"If I go on fieldwork in the future, I might not be able to come back to Dabo Town for three or four months. If it is really built, I need to find someone I can trust to help me take care of it."

Cheng Ye silently pondered this as he pulled out two pale yellow sheets of paper.

Liu Bi's handwriting remained unchanged, rough and unrestrained, carrying the unique unruliness of a martial artist. There were several traces of deletion and revision on the paper, with black ink blots overlapping the sloppy handwriting, as if he suddenly remembered something while writing and hurriedly crossed it out and rewrote it.

He lowered his head to read, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

Cheng Ye:
By the time this letter reaches you, the assessment should have already begun. I don't know what the situation is like in Dabo Town now, or if there are any special sources of infection nearby. I've been looking at maps for many days and have also asked around about the situation upstream of the Linjiang River. Fortunately, there haven't been any noteworthy signs of danger along the river in the last two months. I think as long as you're careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.

I always tell you that the rules of this wasteland aren't for those who just know how to formulate formulas and play clever tricks. Relying too much on old experience is risky. But today I have to admit I was wrong. When I was training and teaching you, I didn't really stray from the old methods. Especially after seeing how resilient you were and how promising you were, I foolishly tried to imitate Jackie Chan back then, deliberately creating similar difficult situations for you, even skimping on the training ammunition, all so you would follow the same path he took. I wanted to train you using the old methods—frankly, I wanted to create another Jackie Chan.

Fortunately, although you listened to my advice, you didn't completely follow the path I laid out for you. In that respect, you're quite similar to Brother Long back then. Your grandfather secretly approached him, wanting to take him away from Happiness City to try his luck elsewhere, but he refused. He relied on his own strength to forge a path that belonged only to him. Now you've also found your new direction, and I'm truly happy about that. I also sincerely admire your Cheng family—three generations—not one of you is easy to deal with, and not one of you is useless!

Yesterday I talked to Lao Ding on the phone, and he was still chatting with me, saying that I was lucky to have caught the wave of the Great Reform Movement back then, because I was daring and hardworking, and I gained a lot of advantages. He joked that if I were in today's stable environment and had to start over, with my abilities, I could only reach the third-stage prosecutor level at most, far less than the potential I'm showing now. He told me not to worry about me, because I'm currently riding the wave of the times, everything is on my side, and it's like God is helping me in everything I do.

"Yes, I don't deny what Lao Ding said. When fortune smiles, everything works its magic; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless. Actually, it's not just me. Wang Cheng, Zhang Guan, Zhao Lingchuan, Xu Xing—all those who followed your father over the years, which one of them didn't benefit from the times? Even looking at the entire checkpoint, among the fourth and fifth term inspectors, who dares to say they didn't benefit from the times? But I have to tell you the truth: the so-called 'era dividends' are just things people say when they look back. In my time, there were many inspectors who were better at fighting, more loyal, and luckier than me, but less than a quarter of them are still alive today."

[You must remember one thing: when this powerful force of the times empowers you and propels you upward, it is also when you are most vulnerable to danger. The position of prosecutor is not just about having the ability and skills; it is an extremely brutal selection process. I was able to make it through, which at the time seemed to rely on sheer courage, but in retrospect, it was all luck. If I had to go through it again, I probably wouldn't even have a 10% chance of surviving. So if you want to go far and stand firm in this selection process, you must never lose your sense of awe!]

[P.S.: Everything on the supplies list you submitted was personally selected by me and the purchasing team; the quality is absolutely guaranteed. It's just that the quantity of good items is limited, so the batch allocated to Rocook was inevitably a bit of a letdown. Hehe, that's just how much influence I have as the purchasing team leader.]

[Speaking of Rocco, he's a newly promoted third-term prosecutor. I haven't dealt with him and don't know what he's like, but in this era, someone who can be promoted to third-term prosecutor must be much more ruthless than us older prosecutors. However, I asked Lao Ding, and he told me that if you encounter uncontrollable danger, you can cooperate with Rocco without worry. Well, you can judge the extent of the danger yourself, but it's best not to have too much contact with him.]

The road ahead may be tough, take care. Brother B is waiting to accompany you on your field mission!

Liu Bi's admonitions were as simple and sincere as ever, without a single pretentious word, and he was not afraid to admit his mistakes.

To ensure that he would be fully focused when firing each bullet during training, the fourth-term inspector deliberately claimed that the bullet quota was scarce. As a result, the checkpoint approved one hundred free bullets per day, which made him happy for a while.

Looking back now, Liu Bi was indeed creating a particularly awkward situation for him, replicating the old path that Cheng Long had taken back then.

If the pioneering corps hadn't been disbanded, he would most likely have been placed there for further training.

Compared to Wang Kang's later treatment, Cheng Ye felt even more emotional. Miao Yang provided him with close training, unlimited ammunition, and hands-on guidance during duty, and now he was even taking him to participate in the performance evaluation.

While his status as a member of the Cheng family was a factor, Liu Bi was also in a difficult position before demonstrating his strength.

But more importantly, times have changed, and the hardships and tribulations endured by the older generation are no longer suitable for the current environment.

"Brother B's teaching methods are ultimately limited by his experiences from the old era!"

Cheng Ye sighed.

As for the benefits of the times, he shares a similar view with Liu Bi.

Looking back, all you see is hard work; looking forward, all you see is luck.

The current trend of contracting out work is evident to every inspector, but how many can truly grasp it? And how many will ultimately succeed?
Most people are walking on thin ice, and no one knows which step will lead to a misstep.

Liu Bi clearly knew that he had embarked on a new path, and the letter did not contain a single unnecessary reminder, including his rapid improvement in strength and change in his way of handling things; he would discuss these things when they met.

He simply offered his support silently, as before, personally selecting supplies to avoid unnecessary trouble. Even his reminder that they could cooperate with Rocook in case of uncontrollable danger seemed somewhat awkward.

They were worried that if they reminded him, he would suffer a loss with Rokuk, but they were also worried that if they didn't remind him properly, he wouldn't be able to handle a real danger.

Muttering the name "Rococo," Cheng Ye put away the letter and quickly buried these trivial matters in his heart, no longer thinking about them.

With 500 people working together, the unpacking speed was very fast, but it would probably take another hour to unpack and sort everything.

In order to get the cleanup work moving quickly, Sun Dazheng has already arranged for people to assemble handcarts.

The tools were gradually unpacked, and some people picked up shovels and hoes to start clearing away the weeds and vines growing haphazardly in the town.

At first glance, it really does look a bit like the school's organized cleaning campaign when I was in school.

While Huang Liang was still organizing the pioneer team to collect tools, Cheng Ye opened the panel and clicked on the Thornbird's encyclopedia entry:

Mutant Spiny Bird

[Description]: A bird-like mutant beast that is widely active in multiple provinces. It has a large population, many mutant branches, and a wide variety of food sources, which gives rise to a variety of special abilities.

[Currently Included Features]:
Metal perception (1.89%)

Body metallization (0.75%)

Bone spur derivative* (0.21%)

Bone spur injection* (1.77%)

"Wow, this metal sensing is pretty good. Will equipping it turn me into a humanoid prospecting machine?"

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up.

After experimenting with the properties provided by freshwater fish, he discovered the true wonders of these properties.

Alternatively, they could collect the aura of extraordinary creatures like the Vortex Turtle and directly extract their extraordinary abilities.

Alternatively, they can take the mass-market approach, winning through volume, and continuously integrating and upgrading their level and rating.

For example, rare skills are created when water skills and underwater breathing are continuously combined and superimposed.

Looking at this metal perception now, a single Lv1 might not be very useful, but what if you merge five or ten?

The effects are absolutely incomparable.

Read on.

"Hmm, this body metallization is quite interesting."

Cheng Ye was increasingly pleasantly surprised as he looked at it. He never expected that the common Thornbird could provide two such useful features.

When Li Matai visited Master Tian at the convenience store before, he mentioned the difference between latent and overt superpowers.

One example of a hidden superpower is a person whose fist is as hard as steel and can stop bullets.

But because there's no way to actively control it, one can only forever keep a hard fist and remain steely.

"The absence of an asterisk (*) means that this skill will not have any irreversible special effects on me. In other words, it only has an effect when equipped and will lose its effect after being unequipped."

Cheng Ye pondered this, and what followed was great joy!
The phrase "body metallization" sounds simple, but isn't it just the meaning of a body made of steel?

The reason why humans are weak is that no matter how much they train, they can only improve their strength and speed.

As for its defense, well, the only thing it can improve is its ability to withstand blows, but it is still vulnerable when facing those strangely shaped infected creatures and the sharp claws and teeth of mutated creatures.

But if one were to master this property of metal body transformation...
Superb resilience, painlessness, extreme strength and speed, transforming into a body of steel!
If this kind of strengthening continues, it feels like he's no longer on the monster route, but on the superhuman route!
Does this mean that in the future he will simply stand there and the infected won't even be able to break through his defenses?

Thinking about it this way, Cheng Ye suddenly became excited, and most importantly...
"There are too many spiny birds, they don't seem like mutated malaria mosquitoes, I still have to go to Hai Province to collect them."

"Once this thing is freed up, you can farm as many traits as you want without any problem. The only issue is the charging value for fusion skills, but the hydroelectric power station in Big Wave Town can solve that problem."

Thinking of this, Cheng Ye forced himself to calm down.

No matter how wonderful the blueprint for the future may be, it must be realized step by step in the present.

Unlike those extraordinary individuals who are born with special abilities or awaken their talents, given enough time, a safe space, and a stable energy supply, his growth potential is virtually limitless.

But this "potential" also means that we cannot be hasty or complacent.

Staying in the inner city like its predecessor and living a peaceful life means neither being able to charge up skills nor gain new traits.

You can leave the sheltered city and step into the wilderness, but there is no absolute safety; you can only find a dynamic safety zone on the edge of danger.

All he could do was to always maintain a sense of awe for this wasteland, just as Liu Bi had instructed.

When encountering a mountain, carve it; when encountering a river, cross it.

"Win the assessment first, then build infrastructure and gradually become stronger. You have to take it one step at a time."

Cheng Ye muttered something to himself, closed the panel, and simply rolled up his sleeves to join the unpacking team.

Half an hour later, the pioneering team officially assembled.

Including Huang Liang, there were 48 people responsible for the work, all carrying shovels, axes, hoes and other pioneering tools.

Bao Dashan led a 16-person guard team, mainly responsible for guarding the surrounding area to prevent infection sources and infected individuals from sneaking out from nooks and crannies to launch attacks.

Under the slightly awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd, Cheng Ye sat on the edge of the cart and began to put on the prosecutor's standard armor.

Although the standard armor has comparable protective strength to the Fire Lotus armor, the latter features a lightweight design that prioritizes flexibility.

As soon as the standard combat armor was put on, a real sense of heaviness came through, estimated to be at least sixty pounds.

But this weight doesn't feel like a burden; instead, it brings a sense of security. The armor has three layers: an outer layer for impact resistance, a middle layer for puncture protection, and an inner layer lined with cushioning tiles. Even if the infected creature's claws break through the surface, it will be difficult to penetrate the deep defenses.

After putting on his armor and standing up, Cheng Ye's figure was a full size wider than when he wore the Fire Lotus Armor.

The sharp edges of the shoulder and chest armor exude a cold, hard metallic texture. When it's dark and you can't see clearly, if you just stand there, people would believe you're some kind of special fusion.

In addition, the helmet that comes with the armor is also a fully enclosed design. When put on, it fits perfectly with the neck joint of the armor, distributing the impact force on the head to the upper body for cushioning.

The front is made of thickened bulletproof glass, with only a breathing vent in the lower right corner equipped with ten layers of filter cotton, which can prevent dust inhalation and also block the splashing of bodily fluids from infectious sources.

"This powerful feeling is truly captivating."

Cheng Ye got up and moved his body a couple of times. As a powerful life force circulated, cracking sounds came from his joints.

In his current state, even if Zhang Can's fused form stood in front of him, he was confident that he could charge straight in for hand-to-hand combat without having to struggle as he had before.

"Let's go, I'll lead the way. Today's task is to clear all the vines and weeds around the town!"

(End of this chapter)