Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 201 People's hearts are united, and civilization takes root!
Growth factors?

Cheng Ye stared at the feature notification on the panel, somewhat surprised. This wasn't the first time he had seen this feature.

This phenomenon has appeared on previous black and white striped fish and mutated king fish; it is this characteristic that causes them to grow wildly in size and become overpopulated.

He originally thought that the mutated fish king was affected by the vortex turtle shell, which was why the fish school benefited. But now even the mutated water leeches have this characteristic, so things are obviously not that simple.

"Could there be other eddy currents or turtle shell fragments hidden underwater, constantly affecting this area?"

The thought popped into Cheng Ye's mind, but he felt no joy whatsoever.

The effects of growth factors are so obvious!
It can cause fish to swarm and even grow to the size of a calf in the mutated water leech. As Li Jie said, this thing is a specialty of Sha Province, and it is rare to see one that is this big, which is enough to prove the power of the growth factor.

Following this line of thought, could there be other giant creatures hidden in the water that were created by this process?

Could these growth factors also affect underwater sources and organisms of infection?

"This is a problem," Cheng Ye thought to himself. "If the scales continue to release growth factors underwater, this white river will eventually become a nest for giant creatures!"

To resolve the hidden danger, the source of the tortoise shell fragments must be located and contained, but Qin Feng has not yet sent any news, indicating that no clues have been found regarding the vortex tortoise shell fragments.

Even if he had a clue, there was absolutely no way he would dive into the water now.

Even if you have two swimming skills, going down into the water without understanding the situation is tantamount to suicide.

"If the mountains don't hold the water, the water won't stay either. Old Qu's words are truly true; there are too many variables in the water!"

Cheng Ye shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts. The most important thing right now was to deal with the infected creatures that came ashore at night; finding the armor plates wasn't something he needed to worry about at the moment.

He gripped the red sword tightly again and led his men to continue clearing the wasteland on the right.

Compared to the unknown dangers underwater, these sources of infection hiding in the wilderness seem rather "adorable".

After killing three more green treasure worms in succession, a notification finally popped up on the panel:

The Life Messenger (Green Beetle) trait has reached its maximum value.

Collectors can continue collecting traits; maximum storage capacity: 200%.

"Great, another feature added. I can redeem it as soon as I get back."

Cheng Ye breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad that he had chosen the joint route.

This skill fusion mechanism is simply divine, allowing scattered characteristics to continuously stack and become stronger.

For the next promotion, perhaps I should continue to choose the joint route to further enhance the integration effect. It would be even better if I could reduce energy consumption as well. Currently, one integration requires 200 kWh of electricity, and even with fast charging to replenish the power, it is still somewhat difficult.

Time flew by in the midst of our busy work, and three hours passed in the blink of an eye. The sun gradually began to set in the west, and the sky was tinged with a pale gold.

From noon to 5 pm, in five hours, most of the wilderness within the blue zone was cleared, creating a nearly 300-meter-wide open area.

Even if an infected person emerges from here at night, they can be detected immediately, and there's no need to worry about the weeds obstructing the view.

The cleared vines now had a place to go. The group piled the vines into several large heaps, mixed in some dry branches, and stuffed in two large pieces of industrial grease igniter. Cheng Ye struck a high-burning match and threw it in. The flames shot up half a meter high, accompanied by crackling sounds. The dry branches were the first to burn through, and soon the resilient vines were also ignited.

Soon, thick smoke billowed up, carrying the pungent smell of burning vegetation, and shot straight into the sky, leaving a dark gray column of smoke in the golden glow of the setting sun, which was particularly conspicuous from afar.

"Sir! Fifty residential units have been erected!"

Sun Dazheng rushed over to report, his face covered in cement dust, sweat streaming down his face, but his eyes were full of excitement. "Now that we're skilled, a 20-person team can build one in half an hour. We've divided into 10 teams working in shifts. Before it gets completely dark tonight, we can build at least fifty more, enough for everyone to hide in!"

"All the supplies have been moved to the supermarket. We built a closed supply warehouse in a corner of the supermarket using precast concrete slabs and wire. Even if infected or mutated creatures break in, they won't be able to touch the things inside."

"What about the surrounding security?" Cheng Ye took the rag handed to him by Huang Liang, wiped the grass juice splattered on his armor, and asked without looking up.

"We haven't had time to clean up the area properly yet. We just put up a simple wire mesh fence around it, and hung bells and vibration sensors at intervals. If something bumps into us, we can immediately tell which direction it came from," Sun Dazheng answered honestly.

"Not bad!"

Cheng Ye nodded.

The progress was a little slower than he had expected. He had originally planned to build a watchtower as a high vantage point before dark, but then he thought that people are not machines. He had to learn how to build living units and work at high intensity. It was already quite an achievement to have made such progress, and a slight deviation was normal.

“That’s right.” Sun Dazheng rubbed his hands together, hesitated, licked his dry lips, and his eyes unconsciously drifted towards the river.

"You want to fetch water, right?" Cheng Ye saw through his thoughts at a glance, put down the rag and stood up. "Get all the buckets ready, I'll take some people to the river to fetch water."

Heavy physical labor depletes a lot of water, and even he felt a bit thirsty, let alone ordinary residents.

Moreover, the more you drink the nutritional supplement, the thirstier you become, so you must drink enough fresh water to replenish it.

Leading thirty people carrying rows of buckets, they walked towards the river. As soon as they reached the embankment, they saw people from the red zone also fetching water.

Garcia stood at the front, rifle in hand, his sharp eyes scanning the water.

Their eyes met briefly in the air before quickly looking away, both restraining themselves from further communication and focusing on their respective teams.

"Give me the bucket, you can catch it from behind."

Cheng Ye took a bucket tied with a thick hemp rope and gestured for the residents behind him to step back behind the safety line.

If he had chosen five hundred able-bodied men, he could have easily delegated these minor tasks to the leaders among them.

But even Garcia understood that choosing families as the primary group was a responsibility that prosecutors had to bear.

The two people who died during the day have already affected his blue zone, not to mention the current morale of the red zone.

Any further casualties would be devastating to the morale of the team.

Moreover, Cheng Ye was well aware of how important such leading by example was in uniting people's hearts and minds.

Sure enough, when he bent down to put down the bucket and fetch water, the eyes of all the residents behind him immediately became more lively. Several middle-aged people who were so tired that they could not straighten up even squeezed out a smile, and their physical fatigue automatically dissipated.

Meanwhile, the people fetching water and the patrolling team members in the red zone couldn't help but glance over here frequently, their eyes filled with obvious envy.

One bucket after another.

Cheng Ye gripped the hemp rope with both hands and slowly lowered the bucket into the water. Once the bucket was full, he lifted it up sharply, and the clear river water flowed down the rim of the bucket.

He could lift four buckets at a time and quickly fill a rope with twenty buckets.

After continuously making five sets of hemp ropes and a full hundred buckets of water, even with the added physical strength brought by his physique, he felt that his arms were sore and swollen, and the beads of sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks, soaking the lining of his armor.

However, just as Cheng Ye was about to put down the rope to catch his breath, there was a sudden "splash" on the water, and a dark shadow suddenly darted out of the water and lunged straight at his face.

"Sir, be careful!" Huang Liang's expression changed drastically behind him, and he reached for the pistol at his waist without thinking.

The moment the gun was drawn, a flash of cold light appeared before his eyes, and the water leeches that shot into the sky were cut in half at the waist by the red blade before they could even get close.

Extreme sharpness, plus unimaginable weight.

Cheng Ye barely felt any resistance in his hand before he saw the water leech, broken in two, fall onto the muddy bank, its green fluids splattered all over the ground, still wriggling slightly.

"These damn things really know how to exploit loopholes."

Cheng Ye took a breath and kicked away the leech carcass that had fallen beside him, but he felt no panic whatsoever.

The difference in strength is truly immense. When one sees the terrifying appearance of a leech from afar, one might be influenced by preconceived notions from modern times, generating an instinctive sense of apprehension and fear. But in the actual moment of attack, the body has already developed a fighting instinct, reacting faster than the mind.

Moreover, being in armor, he wouldn't be afraid even if a leech crawled on him.

After all, if it can be bitten through by common mutated creatures, this armor would be a burden.

"My lord, it's mighty!"

Huang Liang swallowed hard. The residents behind him also recovered from their shock and were about to cheer when Cheng Ye raised his hand to stop them.

After resting for another ten minutes, the two hundred buckets of water were carried back to the open space in front of the supermarket by everyone working together.

This river water cannot be drunk directly; it must first be filtered through a water filter pitcher and then boiled to kill any potential sources of infection.

Although the process was troublesome, it was perfect to leave it to the logistics team. The women couldn't handle the heavy work of repairing the foundation and building the living units, but they were just right for the delicate work of filtering and boiling water.

Some people picked up charred vines from the flames and used them as fuel, setting up several large iron pots to start a fire.

Cheng Ye then had the folding water tanks that had been purchased in advance unfolded. Each tank could hold 300 liters of water, and the three tanks together held 900 liters.

Based on the calculation that each of the 500 people uses two liters of fresh water per day, this water supply should be enough to last until the day after tomorrow.

"Shen Yan, keep a close eye on the water boiling process. The water must boil for five minutes before it can be bottled and put into the box. Remember to keep track of the time!" Cheng Ye went to the water boiling area and repeatedly instructed Shen Yan, who was in charge of logistics.

While in the buffer zone, water usage may seem casual, but that's because the city has a complete pre-filtration system, and the water flowing out of the pipes is already treated boiled water.

The prosecutor's manual repeatedly emphasizes the risks of using water in the wild, and this is the first time we've used it, so we dare not be negligent in any way.

If someone were to drink water contaminated with the source of infection, the threat could suddenly erupt from within, with unimaginable consequences.

"Please rest assured, sir, we understand these things!" Shen Yan nodded quickly.

After arranging the core logistical tasks, Cheng Ye looked up at the horizon.

As the sun sank behind the distant ruins, the sky gradually changed from orange-red to deep purple, and the night, like ink dripping into water, slowly spread out.

Fortunately, it's summer now, so it gets dark late. It won't be completely dark until about 7:30, which means there are still two and a half hours left.

According to Sun Dazheng's speed, 20 residential units can be built per hour, which is just enough to complete the goal of over 100.

He found a clean precast concrete slab to sit down and rest for a while. After the first pot of water boiled, he filled two large enamel mugs and gulped them down to calm his parched throat. He then stood up and walked back towards his residential unit.

The residential units were not built on vacant land in the neighborhood, but rather behind the Jiajiale Supermarket.

This is one of the reasons why Cheng Ye targeted residential units.

Back then, land in the town must have been worth very little. Even though Jiajiale Supermarket wasn't a large chain supermarket, the parking lot behind it was exceptionally spacious, covering over a thousand square meters.

Moreover, from the traces left behind, Cheng Ye could vaguely discern that this should also be one of the stalls set up during the town's market days.

Entering through the alleyway beside the supermarket, although the ground had long since lost its paved marks, the original foundation soil was still underneath, and herbicides had been applied. After clearing away the surface rubble and debris, no weeds had taken root underground, saving a lot of cleaning work.

The rows of residential units were built in the style of a large dormitory. To prevent infected individuals from sneaking in from blind spots, the three unit groups did not adopt the same layout and were arranged in a "(口)" shape.

The central building, number one, is already completed. It consists of 36 residential units, six horizontally and six vertically, measuring 14.4 meters long and 10.8 meters wide, resembling a regular square.

Cheng Ye lowered his head and walked into Room 1, where he found that many residents had already moved their belongings in and reserved beds.

However, everyone was very considerate, and each person only occupied less than one square meter of space. Cheng Ye imagined that if a 1.7-meter-tall person were to curl up, they could barely turn over in this space.

But considering that the whole family lives together, and because there are children, the total area is actually quite comfortable.

The room has a main passageway that is 1.2 meters long, with an additional auxiliary passageway that is 1 meter wide in the middle, forming a cross shape to facilitate rapid evacuation in case of danger at night.

Walking out from the back, you can see that Building No. 2 has also been completed, with 35 units in use.

It adopts a semi-circular contraction layout with 5 horizontal units and 7 vertical units, measuring 16.8 meters in length and 9 meters in width.

On the section facing the riverbank, a defensive wall half a person's height has been erected outside House No. 2. It is made of bricks and stones with steel plates sandwiched in between, and observation and firing ports have been specially left, obviously in case infected creatures in the water come ashore to attack at night.

Now only house number three, which is closest to the block, is still being assembled. The open space is bustling with activity, and the different groups are even building it in different ways.

Some started by assembling the frame, while others laid the base. Although it looked chaotic, it exuded a lively and enthusiastic spirit.

Cheng Ye stood by and watched for a while, then suddenly found it novel.

Modern architecture is entirely constrained by stringent standards, and the process is as standardized as copying and pasting.

But once they arrived in the wasteland, free from the constraints of those rules and regulations, this roughness, with its "wild growth," allowed the roots of civilization to instantly take hold in this barren land.

Without the constraints of blueprints or the cumbersome approval process, residential units were steadily erected based solely on the need for "livability and security."

Wow.

Temporary lights were hung on the roof of the supermarket, and the bright light shone down, illuminating the entire parking lot as if it were daytime.

Looking to the side, the patrol team, already familiar with the route, moved nimbly through the alleyways of the surrounding buildings, their flashlight beams sweeping across the broken walls and ruins, leaving no blind spot unchecked.

Torches, designed for pioneering, were lit one by one, their orange-red flames spreading along the streets and illuminating the once desolate abandoned neighborhoods. Even the air was filled with the warmth of burning vegetation.

With Wang Kang looking after him, Cheng Ye didn't disturb the assembly of the residential unit.

He then emerged from the alleyway and stood on the town's main street, where firelight and lamplight intertwined.

The sounds around me suddenly became clearer: the gurgling of water boiling in an iron pot, the crisp banging of nails being hammered, the hurried footsteps of the residents filled with energy, and the occasional soft conversations brimming with hope for the future.

The sounds blended together, making him feel somewhat disoriented.

He looked toward the red zone in the distance, where flames were also lit, and he could vaguely hear the same lively sounds.

At that moment, Cheng Ye suddenly felt as if he had traveled back to a post-apocalyptic game he used to play.

After the collapse of civilization, the town has regained its lively atmosphere thanks to the players' efforts, shedding the deathly silence that had shrouded it for years.

As the night deepened, the architectural plans in his mind seemed to come alive. A supply warehouse should be built next to the supermarket, a defensive wall should be built on the other side of the river, and streetlights should be installed after the hydroelectric power station is connected. The whole street needs to be renovated, and all the public buildings will rise from the ground.

These thoughts took root one by one in different directions of the town, so clear that they seemed almost within reach.

Moreover, unlike the buildings in the buffer zone that follow the old framework but are bound by rules everywhere, the "blank" of Big Wave Town made him feel at ease.

After all, even though the elders granted him the privilege of building a pedestrian street, any changes he wanted to make to the pedestrian street's plans still required approval from Engineer Liu and review by the Industrial Bureau before the 20,000 points allocated for construction could be used.

But in Dabo Town, it's completely different. Now, he can build defenses wherever he wants and set up outposts wherever he wants, as soon as he has an idea, he can act on it immediately.

Realizing this, a strange yet resolute thought suddenly emerged from the depths of Cheng Ye's mind, with unprecedented clarity:
Whatever happens tonight, whatever happens in the future.

This place will be his Big Wave Town, Inspector Cheng's first independent base in the wasteland!
Garcia and Rocco couldn't stop him, and neither could the underwater source of infection and infected organisms.

Even if the Mother Source attacks, he will make these threats understand.

Before Prosecutor Cheng arrived, Dabo Town was just an abandoned rural town.

But he came, and this is the border of civilization!
(End of this chapter)