Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 200 Underwater Crisis, Wilderness Methods!
Are there infected individuals hiding in the Baishui River?
Cheng Ye's heart sank.

Last time I explored Dabo Town, I only got a quick feel for the terrain. Moreover, both rivers were flooded at the time, so I couldn't even cast my fishing rod at the dock. I had no chance to explore the underwater conditions.

In addition, since it was Jiang Chuan's first time venturing into the wilderness, he stopped him from going into the water to catch the King Fish.

Even if the surface of the White Water River were calm, he would never have such a dangerous thought without any swimming skills.

"What type of infected organism is it?" he asked in a deep voice.

Rokuk shook his head, his expression serious: "If it weren't for the assessment, and we weren't competitors, I could tell you the specific types and how to deal with them. But now, you have to go and investigate yourself. Well, this is also an essential step for anyone who wants to become a senior inspector. The dangers in the wilderness mean that information provided by others is never reliable."

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone softening: "Besides, no one at the checkpoint says it outright, but everyone follows an unspoken rule: factional conflicts only apply within the buffer zone. Once outside the city, all inspectors are part of Happiness City, and we're all in the same boat. I hope Inspector Cheng can temporarily set aside his conflict with Garcia and we can discuss it back in the buffer zone."

No wonder Garcia is so well-behaved; he's following this unspoken rule.
Cheng Ye slowly nodded, simultaneously sensing the unspoken meaning in Rokuk's words, "It sounds like the situation is quite serious?"

“Whether it’s serious or not depends on our situation.” Rococo frowned slightly. “If it were just me, I could stay in Dabo Town for ten days or half a month without any problem. But now there are thousands of people gathered here. With so many people and such a mixed atmosphere, Inspector Cheng certainly doesn’t want to wake up tomorrow morning to find that several hundred people are missing.”

"Well, it still comes down to safety first, competition second." Cheng Ye twitched the corner of his mouth.

"I can rest assured that."

Rokuk breathed a sigh of relief. When dealing with infection sources in the wild, he was not afraid of god-like opponents, but he was afraid of pig-like teammates.

If Cheng Ye's side were to generate two or three hundred infected individuals, no matter how capable he was, he would have no choice but to abandon his post and run away.

After all, unlike the senior inspectors at the checkpoints who were known for their combat prowess, the newly appointed inspectors now value professional skills more and no longer need to engage in combat as frequently as during the Great Expansion era.

As for Cheng Ye's combat prowess, recalling the previous struggle between the two and the fact that he had just shot down the leader of the Thornbirds...

Before turning to leave, Rokuk couldn't help but add, "You can go to the riverbank and check the situation first. I need to get some disinfectant and repellent drugs. The corpses must be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise, more monsters will be attracted ashore tonight."

He deliberately emphasized the word "monster".

Clearly, there are more than just ordinary infected organisms lurking in the water; there are something far more troublesome.

As Cheng Ye watched Rokuk's figure disappear into the red zone, the calm on his face vanished completely, and his expression gradually darkened.

While stationed at the checkpoint, he only needed to deal with infected scavengers. He had been on duty for four months and had not seen a single wild infected individual rush into the checkpoint.

Those infected in explosive forms are often wiped out by the patrolling Blood Dragon Legion or the Hundred Ghosts Gang entrenched in the ruins of Sichuan City before they even reach the vicinity of Happiness City.

Once they left the wilderness and arrived in a long-abandoned old town like Dabo Town, wild sources of infection and infected individuals became enemies they had to face directly, and there was no way to avoid them.

The infected in S4 and the zombies in S1 are completely different kinds of creatures, the most significant difference being their lifespan.

In S1, zombies would lose their fighting ability within a month if they couldn't find food. Later, even ordinary people with normal limbs could take down two or three of them with a cold weapon.

S4 infected are completely different. After being given a special biological mode by the source of infection, they have long since broken away from the human category. They are just wearing human skin. Their thinking ability, behavior patterns, and energy replenishment methods are all subversive.

Just like the infected or fused organisms formed by the substitute starfish, they can quickly recover from injuries by eating meat.

This was unheard of in nature before; no organism possessed such a powerful digestive ability, nor did it have such an immediate energy conversion and repair capability.

The same applies to infections generated by hydrophilic infectious agents.

Most of them possess the ability to move freely underwater, and some, like the monsters in the winter infection wave, are usually in a deep dormant state, only waking up during specific seasons.

Now, thousands of people have gathered in Dabo Town. The life force they exude and the noise they make will definitely awaken these "dormant dangers" ahead of time.

My mind raced through the manual, the information from the "Spark Program," and descriptions from books I had read in the past.

Cheng Ye took a deep breath and, instead of rushing to the river to check the situation, first reassured the crowd.

Gunfire erupted, and no flock of thornbirds appeared; anyone could tell what was going on.

Sure enough, as soon as he walked back to the vicinity of the supermarket, he saw many people stop what they were doing, gather together and whisper to each other, their eyes full of unease.

Liu Jianjun was shouting at the top of his lungs to tell everyone not to panic, and Li Jie also led the patrol team to abandon the outer patrol. More than 20 people surrounded the residents, but they couldn't calm the restless people at all.

It was broad daylight, the sun was shining brightly, and what people were afraid of was not the infected creatures that had just appeared, but the things hidden in the water that would launch a sneak attack under the cover of night.

Upon seeing Cheng Ye approach, the crowd instantly fell silent, but the fear on their faces was impossible to hide.

Three days, seventy-two hours.

When they accepted the assessment task, everyone was optimistic, thinking that even if there was danger, it wouldn't happen on the first day.

Once a camp is set up and defenses are in place, the risks can be controlled.

But the foundation hasn't even been cleared yet, and construction has only been going on for two hours. How could there be any casualties?

Cheng Ye stepped forward, patted Liu Jianjun on the shoulder, and took over the conversation, his voice carrying clearly throughout the room:
"Two residents in the red zone were injured or killed just now. They were attacked by mutated water leeches that jumped out from underwater while they were cleaning the shore. But don't worry, we in the blue zone don't need to go to the shore to deal with these problems. The danger is under control!"

The best way to reassure people is through transparency; otherwise, no amount of assurance will be effective.

With information made transparent, these refugees who were willing to venture out were far more aware of how to deal with danger than those who remained in the ranks.

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the whispers in the crowd subsided a bit, but the worry still lingered.

Cheng Ye was not surprised. He casually picked out five relatively calm men from the residents and said, "You five, put down your tools and come with me to the river to check the situation."

The five men exchanged glances and, as expected, did not refuse. They obediently put down their shovels and walked behind him.

Just as Rocco warned, in the wilderness, information provided by others is never reliable when it comes to dangers.

This statement is being proven increasingly true now.

"Li Jie, take three patrol members. Liu Jianjun, you also take three members. Follow me."

Cheng Ye then selected the patrol team members and took the lead, heading towards the river.

According to the range shown by the Fireball, the blue zone also includes buildings around the river, but the road to the river is located in the red zone. Therefore, it is entirely possible to wait until the red zone clears the road and attracts the riverside risks before starting to clear the river.

The group walked along the newly cleared path toward the embankment. The closer they got to the river, the stronger the fishy smell in the air became.

This smell was completely absent during the last flood; it had a damp, rotten odor that made one's stomach tighten.

Cheng Ye frowned, slowed his pace, and raised his hand to signal the group to follow behind him, keeping their distance and not scattering.

After turning past two blocks of broken walls and ruins, the gurgling Baishui River suddenly appeared before us.

Compared to more than ten days ago, the river water is now much clearer and brighter. When the sunlight shines directly down, the surface of the water glistens with tiny silvery sparkles, making people dizzy.

To Cheng Ye's surprise, the embankment on the shore seemed to have been repaired.

He walked quickly closer and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The cracks on the dam had been completely filled with pale yellow sealant.

At the confluence of the Baishui River and the Huangshui River, where the area had previously been washed away by floods, a long, gleaming alloy corridor has been built. Moreover, looking into the distance, a similar corridor, designed to protect the riverbank from being washed away, can be seen on the embankment of the Huangshui River in the distance.

"This"

Cheng Ye was stunned. How could the two rivers have changed so much in just over ten days?

However, his surprise didn't last long. Turning his head again, his gaze was quickly drawn to the crowd in front of the embankment.

More than twenty people were gathered in a small circle, their faces solemn as they guarded the two corpses on the ground.

The two men were emaciated, as if all their bodily fluids had been drained, leaving only a layer of withered skin clinging to their bones, a shocking sight.

Looking at the open space next to the crowd, even though he had seen many ugly and terrifying infected creatures, Cheng Ye still felt a chill run down his spine.

The so-called "mutant water leech" is as big as a calf, with a body length of over 80 centimeters.

Its dark brown body is covered in mucus, and what's most frightening is its mouthparts, which are larger than an adult's head when opened. The fine barbs in the rings look like magnified teeth on a saw and gleam coldly in the sunlight.

Grass!
The thought of these creatures suddenly leaping out of the water and latching onto people to suck their blood sent shivers down Cheng Ye's spine. Fortunately, the dozen or so people following him weren't too alarmed; some even breathed a sigh of relief after realizing they were indeed water leeches.

Clearly, these mutated creatures are much easier to deal with than the elusive and strangely capable infected.

Cheng Ye turned his head and looked at his side, asking, "Li Jie, it looks like you've seen this before?"

"Yes, sir!" The tall and thin Li Jie nodded immediately, his tone familiar. "These mutated water leeches are most common in the ditches of Sha Province, but I've never seen many of them this big."

"These things are afraid of fire and strong light. As long as you light an open flame on the shore beforehand and shine a searchlight on the water, they basically won't dare to come close. And don't be fooled by their large size and fast blood-sucking ability, they actually fly very slowly and have a soft body. You can easily shoot them through with a single shot."

Common mutant organisms in Saskatchewan would naturally become a threat in Batu Pahat.

Just as people inland rarely eat seafood, it is indeed difficult for families living in mines to be wary of such things, having never seen them before.

Cheng Ye did not rush to bring people close to the body. Instead, he waited for Rokuk to return before standing aside and watching him handle the aftermath.

Rococo took a small paper packet from his backpack and sprinkled some pale yellow powder on the two shriveled corpses.

The moment the powder came into contact with the corpse, it immediately emitted a pungent, fishy odor. Fine white spots appeared on the originally dry skin surface, as if some hidden substance had been activated.

Once the smell became stronger, Rocco signaled to the people in the red zone to open the body bag that had been prepared in advance, put the body inside, and then have four inflated balloons stuffed inside as well.

In this desolate wilderness, there was no time or energy to dig a pit and bury the body. All they could do was silently clutch the edge of the body bags, offer a silent prayer, and then work together to throw the two bags into the Baishui River.

The black and yellow body bag rolled around in the water. Perhaps the blood in the body had already been sucked dry by the water leeches, because the bag quickly floated to the surface and drifted downstream with the current.

"This is the best solution at the moment."

Rococo dusted off his hands, walked over, and said softly, "Hopefully their sacrifice will buy us more time to prepare."

"Is that powder used to attract infected individuals?" Cheng Ye figured out something.

The prosecutor's manual does indeed have a chapter on wilderness survival, which mentions many special drug formulations.

Some can attract infected organisms, while others can repel mutated organisms.

However, most of those methods are outdated from the Great Exploration Era. Whether it's mutated creatures or infected beings, their evolution speed far exceeds expectations. Methods that work today may become ineffective in a short time, or even backfire.

Only a few obscure methods can barely maintain their effectiveness, but the more people use them, the faster they become ineffective. Therefore, these methods are basically the prosecutor's most treasured secrets.

Rokuk shook his head: "It's not about attracting them, it's just about getting the mutated creatures in the water to follow the corpse downstream. Besides, the White Water River flows so fast, it's hard to say how much attention it will distract."

He paused, then gestured with his chin towards the water's surface. "Have you figured out what's going on?"

"No."

Cheng Ye shook his head frankly, "All things considered, this is only the second time I've left the city."

“Alright, look where I’m pointing.” Rokuk didn’t mince words and simply pointed to the water not far away.

Cheng Ye immediately narrowed his eyes, raised his hand to his eyebrows, and looked in the direction he was pointing.

On the calm water, the area Rococo pointed to appeared to have a slightly darker color than the surrounding water, with a faint blackish-silver hue. However, even upon closer inspection, it seemed to be an illusion caused by the refraction of sunlight.

"Is there something?" After seeing clearly, Cheng Ye didn't respond to Rokuk's question, but instead asked another question.

"Aren't you a good shot? You can try firing a shot."

"Then forget it." Cheng Ye shook his head with a smile.

The reason for defeating the thornbird leader was that while the thornbird flock was annoying, it posed no real threat.

You could shoot at the infected creatures underwater, but if you don't kill them and instead attract their attention, that would be a big problem.

These infected creatures are no ordinary wild animals; many of them hold grudges.

A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Rokuk's eyes: "I didn't expect Inspector Cheng to be so cautious on his second trip out of the wilderness."

“It’s not caution, it’s not stupidity.” Cheng Ye pointed to his head, his smile unchanged, but his tone became serious. “If something comes ashore tonight, I don’t want you to lead it here for the sake of the assessment. If I find out, I will assume that you have been infected by the source of infection and kill you directly.”

"So confident?" Rococo's expression remained unchanged, his tone devoid of emotion.

"You can try it. I always keep my word."

"Alright, I'll return that to you verbatim. Whichever side has the trouble, they can handle it themselves."

Rokuk also stopped smiling, and the two sides officially drew a line.

Having determined the bottom line, Cheng Ye glanced down at the mutated water leeches on the ground and gestured for Li Jie behind him to hand him a crowbar.

I poked the first one, but there was no reaction.

But the moment the crowbar touched the second one, a series of messages popped up on the panel.

The collector has detected escaping biological information and is automatically absorbing it.

[Absorption complete. New creature added to the encyclopedia: Mutant water leech]

Got it!

Cheng Ye calmly put away the crowbar, turned around without hesitation, and left with his men.

On the way, he began to understand why Liu Bi was so conflicted when he reminded him.

To rise to the top in the rest version of the checkpoint, Rokuk is indeed no ordinary person.

He may have developed a habit of setting traps for others. Each sentence may seem fine on its own, but when put together, they reveal a clear sense of calculation. If you're not careful, you might be pushed into a "trap" that's within the rules.

A simpleton like Wang Kang should never be allowed to have one-on-one contact with Rokuk, otherwise he might be sold out while still counting money for the other party.

Before returning to the supermarket, without Cheng Ye's instruction, the dozen or so people who had gone to the riverbank voluntarily surrounded the crowd and explained the situation of the mutated water leeches and the weaknesses that Li Jie had mentioned (fear of fire, strong light, and fragile bodies).

The families of miners were initially a little scared, but when they heard that the thing could be killed with a shovel, they breathed a sigh of relief and picked up their tools again to get back to construction, only now they were moving more than twice as fast as before.

Clearly, after their wishful thinking was shattered, no one wanted to wait until dark to find the surrounding area still empty, without even a stronghold to defend.

"Brother Cheng," Wang Kang leaned closer, lowering his voice, his eyes filled with wariness, "I just saw Garcia sprinkle some white powder on the border, I don't know what it is."

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye turned his head and glanced at him, then shook his head and said, "It's nothing, don't worry about him."

The white powder was sprinkled within the red zone, but did not cross the boundary; it was within the limits allowed by the rules.

But Rococo and Garcia's methods made him feel a sense of crisis.

In terms of combat power, he boasted that he would not lose to the two of them, and that he also had trump cards that could rival Mother Source.

But he had none of these survival tips for the wilderness or practical skills to protect a group of people.

I hadn't thought about searching in this direction before, but now that the assessment is over, I need to pay attention to it.

After instructing Wang Kang to continue supervising the residents' construction, Cheng Ye walked towards the wilderness while glancing at the information about the mutated water leeches on the panel.

Mutant water leeches

[Description]: A unique mutated creature from Saskatchewan province, enormous in size, feeding on the blood of living organisms. Its saliva can be used to extract special proteins, which can be used as a medical anticoagulant and emergency detoxification agent.

[Currently Included Features]:
Anticoagulant protein (5.17%)

Growth factors (1.29%)

(End of this chapter)