Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 229 The Power of the Era, Even If the World Destroys Tomorrow!
Quang Province, which borders Silk Province, has only a small border area affected by the petrification curse.

Moreover, this area is mostly hilly and unsuitable for farming. Instead, due to the curse's characteristics, it has become a resource point that continuously produces minerals.

And the location of the Light Rainbow Shelter City.

Lake City.

It is located precisely at the border between the petrified cursed zone and the normal zone, possessing both the geographical advantage of mineral resources and large tracts of arable farmland.

In addition, its proximity to the tropical climate allows for three or even four harvests a year. In terms of geographical advantages alone, it is clearly more advantageous than the location of Happiness City.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Guanghong is based in Hushi City, and every summer it cannot avoid typhoons blowing from the sea. Ordinary typhoons are fine, but once it encounters a super typhoon that makes direct landfall, the destruction of fields is a minor matter. The real trouble is the damage to a large number of infrastructure facilities, and reconstruction requires a huge amount of manpower and resources.

In addition, sources of infection coming ashore from the sea are constantly emerging, and they can never be completely eradicated, requiring manpower to be deployed year-round for prevention.

"Guanghong's advantages are not limited to its geographical location."

Rokuk seemed quite emotional, “Their greatest strength is their ability to siphon population. Even with the help of the Travelers this time, which forcibly absorbed a million people, their expansion speed is still far behind theirs! Over the years, most of the sheltered cities and settlements that have moved out of Hai Province have been absorbed by them. Moreover, Guanghong will also support these forces to build affiliated sheltered cities at key nodes of the road network, gradually spreading their influence throughout the entire Guang Province.”

He paused, then added, comparing it to Happiness City, "Although Happiness City is the dominant force in Shi Province, it has never interfered with the development of other protected cities. It simply acts as a leader and maintains regional stability. Guanghong is different; they want to build an organization similar to the 'Torch Alliance'."

"Within this organization, different industries will be assigned to different affiliated sheltered cities, allowing each city to specialize in one area and focus on technological breakthroughs. At the same time, it can also integrate the economy, resources, industry, and goods of the entire province of Guangdong, so that when negotiating with foreign countries, they can work together as one and have a unified message."

"What's even more impressive is that they are constantly absorbing people from surrounding provinces and have built a complete education and training system, capable of continuously supplying themselves with everything from basic workers to technical talents. If they continue to develop at the current rate, they will definitely surpass our Happiness City in scale in less than twenty years, or at most ten years, if nothing unexpected happens."

Building an organization similar to the Spark Alliance? That's certainly an ambitious idea!
As Cheng Ye listened, he nodded from time to time, not rushing to express his opinion, but his eyes slowly scanned the map on the defense device.

His gaze stopped when it fell on the words "Great Camphor Shelter City," and he asked, "What is the relationship between this Great Camphor Shelter City and Guanghong?"

“It’s one of the annex cities of the Light Rainbow, and a rather central one at that,” Rokuk replied immediately.

"Oh." Cheng Ye nodded thoughtfully.

The case is solved. It turns out that what Towns was worried about before was not Twin Moon Lake or Great Camphor Shelter City itself, but the Light Rainbow Shelter City behind Great Camphor.

If everyone is short of nutrient slurry raw materials, it would make sense for Guanghong to reach out to Shuangyuehu. But Guanghong clearly has farmland that can yield three harvests a year and is not short of food at all. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be eyeing the meager output of a small settlement.

But they still went to great lengths to win them over, and this motive is worth examining closely. Is it just a routine operation for their external expansion, or do they simply want to spread their sphere of influence further?

Or is it that they have already begun to target Happiness City, and now they are extending their reach into Shi Province to win over Shuangyue Lake, in order to lay the groundwork for targeting Happiness City in the future?

Are Guanghong's specialty products also industrial goods?

"They have many special products to offer, not just industrial goods, but also agricultural products and weapons."

Rokuk waved his hand, "I won't talk about those that are already famous. When you go on field missions, you'll definitely be able to get first-hand information from the authorities. I'll just talk about a few agricultural products that have become popular in the last two years, and they're all very practical."

He started counting on his fingers, “Three-meal fruit, a special fruit that can replace the nutrition of three meals a day. An adult can eat one a day and not be hungry for a whole day. Its nutritional value is also much higher than that of ordinary grains. It saves the trouble of cooking and is a superior alternative to nutritional pulp.”

"Fengjiji is a special herb that can greatly speed up physical recovery and has no obvious side effects. At most, it can make you so excited that you can't sleep. Many people who go out into the wilderness keep it on hand."

"After eating the fruit, a protective film will form on the skin. As long as you don't bathe, it can last for two to three days. It can perfectly isolate wild infection sources from parasitism through contact. It is a blessing for scavengers who often deal with infection sources."

"."

After listing more than ten types, Rokuk finally stopped.

This is the benefit of farming.

Tan Ming drained all the plant life force from Shi Province, which, although it gave rise to many rare minerals, requires advanced technology to utilize them.

In the current wasteland, different sanctuaries have different technological focuses. Without a complete supply chain, even if many minerals are mined, if the corresponding utilization technology cannot be developed, they can only be sold cheaply, since hoarding them will not increase their value.

But crops are different. As long as suitable varieties are cultivated and large-scale planting is achieved, they can easily reach the consumer end and become part of residents' daily choices.

In other words, large-scale trade can truly form the foundation of a trade route.

"Can these crops be transported to other places? Do they not need cold chain storage?" Cheng Ye seized on the key question and continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, Rokuk was taken aback for a moment, and looked at him with a hint of surprise: "You know about cold chain logistics?"

"Is it weird?"

“It’s really a bit strange for people who have never left Happiness City.” Roco clicked his tongue and explained, “It does require cold chain transportation to maintain its effectiveness, but the cost of cold chain transportation is too high, which would cause the price of the finished product to soar to a point where ordinary people cannot afford it. Therefore, at present, these crops can only circulate within the province and cannot leave the province.”

He then added, "But on the other hand, compared to solving the transportation problem, developing a large-scale trading commodity is the most difficult thing. After all, transportation problems can be solved slowly with technology. Once you see the future benefits, it doesn't matter if you burn money. But if there aren't even goods that can be circulated on a large scale, who would bother to go through the trouble of opening up transportation channels?"

"Is Prosecutor Luo criticizing me for putting in a lot of effort for no reward?" Cheng Ye couldn't help but laugh.

That's quite a sharp critique.

When he submitted his answer sheet, Ding Yishan probably had similar thoughts.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that building Dabo Town and opening up waterways is currently a plan where the benefits are far outweighed by the costs.

"That's not it."

Rokuk smiled, his tone tinged with nostalgia. “Times are always changing. Back when your grandfather Cheng Wu was the station chief, there was only one strict requirement for inspectors: they had to be highly competent. For example, there were clear, hard targets for everyone, like inspecting infected individuals and containing infected sources. If you failed to meet them once or twice, you would be fined. If you failed to meet them multiple times, you would have your status revoked and have to start from the trainee level and climb back up.”

"It was precisely because of Station Chief Cheng Wu's strict requirements that the checkpoint cultivated a group of people who dared to fight and struggle. Unlike the two of us now, these people did not have level-destroying protective equipment to wear during containment, nor did they have benign sources of infection to provide, nor did they have a large number of intelligence and logistics teams supporting them from the outside. The previous generation of inspectors relied entirely on courage and wisdom to fight against the sources of infection."

"Later, when the Great Expansion began, it was they who rushed to the front and made great contributions to Happiness City, directly intercepting more than 80% of the sources of infection and keeping casualties under control. At that time, almost all the sheltered cities learned from our model to train inspectors, but unfortunately they started too late and could not catch up with the scale of Happiness City at all. Only then were we able to catch up and become a super sheltered city in Stone Province and even the entire wasteland."

"But after the Great Expansion suddenly ended, all the sheltered cities began to shrink their development, and the requirements for inspectors also changed. Some retreated and only emphasized their duty and inspection capabilities. Others were preparing for the next expansion and focused on strengthening their pioneering capabilities. As the pioneer of the checkpoint model, our Happiness City will not go back to repeat the old path even if we take a detour. We are destined to always be ahead of the wasteland."

"The prosecutor's field work was originally an experiment by Station Chief Cheng Wu many years ago, and it was not very mature. It was only under Station Chief Ding's leadership that it was gradually improved and became the model you see now."

As they were talking, it was time for the next patrol.

The two got up and walked side by side along the riverbank. Rococo's voice continued to drift in the night: "If this were your grandfather's time, with your current abilities, you could easily become a third-term prosecutor. But you also know that back then, a third-term prosecutor was not much different from a trainee today. It was just that you were qualified to go to more dangerous places, take on more responsibility, and then receive some cheers and love from ordinary residents."

"Even if you die in some remote corner someday, the residents will only be sad for you for a couple of days at most. Before long, once the new people come in, no one will remember that you ever existed."

"So, what were the prosecutors doing during that period?" Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then asked softly.

"revenge."

Rococo's voice carried a complex emotion. "The first and second generation of inspectors chosen by Station Chief Cheng Wu, just like him, carried hatred on their shoulders—hatred for the superhumans and hatred for the source of the infection. They didn't need any other reason; they were willing to die in the struggle against the source of the infection."

"It was precisely this hatred that led nearly half of the senior prosecutors to follow him when he later left."

“How can hatred be passed down from generation to generation? When the third generation of prosecutors took office, it was just when the idealists were in charge of the checkpoint. It was from this time that they realized that the prosecutors could not find a reason to fight against the source of infection. The power underwent a qualitative change, and the checkpoint gave everyone more meaning to fight for.”

“Back in the Great Development Era, it meant very little. You could have hundreds or even thousands of people at your disposal without any problem. You could have more supplies than you needed and spacious houses just like that. But as soon as the Great Development Era ended, the higher-ups took back the power, and the inspectors’ authority was immediately and tightly restricted.”

"How can the three checkpoints in the Central, Southern, and Northern regions accommodate 150 inspectors? For senior inspectors, performing duties and conducting inspections is as simple as eating and drinking, but how can junior inspectors learn and develop?"

"So the power shift after the Great Expedition was from land reclamation to field operations?" Cheng Ye nodded slightly. Li Matai had told him this a long time ago, and now Rokuk had put it from a more realistic perspective, stripping away the idealistic embellishments, making it closer to reality.

“That’s right,” Rokuk nodded. “High-ranking inspectors have long since reached the limit of advancement. There are only three station chiefs and two deputy station chiefs at the station chief position. Fifth-ranking inspectors are still eyeing the position with longing, so the fourth-ranking inspectors naturally need more reasons to work hard. Field work can give them higher status and allow them to make enough wealth. More importantly, many inspectors will support their own gathering places outside. Going there is much more comfortable than staying cooped up in the checkpoint.”

"Huh?" Cheng Ye was taken aback, then his mind cleared instantly. "They...are lords in the outside world?"

"Calling him a lord isn't wrong, but to be more precise, he's a behind-the-scenes lord. Do you understand what I mean?"

I can understand.

Cheng Ye took a breath and suddenly felt that the world really was a vicious cycle.

With internal power channels blocked, it's logical for the high-ranking prosecutor to turn his attention to external channels.

and many more.

Isn't this approach similar to the way the Rainbow City integrated its affiliated forces?

Cheng Ye paused, following up on this thought, and asked, "Could it be that the higher-ups have some additional requirements for Senior Prosecutor?"

After all, the higher-ups couldn't possibly be unaware that the prosecutors could openly support the settlement by leveraging the name and resources of Happiness City, and the checkpoints wouldn't really turn a blind eye.

The only possibility is that behind these powers, the senior prosecutor must inevitably bear corresponding obligations.

Just like Guanghong asked the affiliated cities to do things, could it be that Inspector Gaoqi has to expand the territory of Xingfu City and bring back resources and people?
"I can't tell you, it's a real secret."

Rococo shook his head with a smile, but subtly hinted, "Actually, every winter when the high-ranking prosecutors return to the city, they bring back a large number of people, supplies, technology, and some strange and unusual things. Not all of those are things they traded back. Hmm, this winter there should be much more than in previous years. Once you see it, you'll understand what power and duty really mean."

"Doesn't that mean that the satellite cities we're building now are actually a variation of field service obligations?" Cheng Ye blurted out his thoughts subconsciously.

Upon hearing this, Rokuk was taken aback for a moment, then looked at him with great emotion, "Prosecutor Cheng, your title of 'intern' is really quite impressive."

An apprentice, yet his containment capabilities are already comparable to those of the first High Inspector.

Her keen understanding of power and duty is comparable to that of current senior prosecutors.

It's hard to imagine that Cheng Ye came from the relatively simple environment of the inner city.

Rococo remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding: "Actually, this path has been secretly explored for a long time, but no inspector has been able to confirm that it will work. So it can only be tested in the dark. Whether it succeeds or not, it will not affect the foundation of Happiness City."

He coughed, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "I never expected it to be brought into the public eye like this, and I have no idea how it will turn out."

Seeing Rokuk's reaction, Cheng Ye belatedly realized the key point.

No wonder Ding Yishan agreed to his contracted plan without much hesitation, and was even able to persuade the senior management of Happiness City to implement the "inspector responsibility system".

It turns out that all of this was planned in advance. Prosecutor Gao had been secretly cultivating his power base, and now he was simply changing that secret cultivation into open control. Although the difficulty had increased many times over, it was an excellent opportunity.

Once someone can successfully navigate this path, the current "hybrid" field operations model can be scaled up instantly and transformed into a legitimate route for Happiness City's expansion.

Looking at it over a longer period, the "requirements" for prosecutors can also be clearly defined:
During Cheng Wu's generation, the most important thing was the ability to inspect and detain people. Prosecutors had very little power and status, and were mostly motivated by love.

The second to fourth generations, led by idealists, placed more emphasis on pioneering and team-building abilities, and the prosecutors held extremely high power and status.

The fifth and sixth generations, led by the original faction, shifted their focus to fieldwork skills, with power fluctuating according to individual ability, while their status remained relatively high.

Even now, although the seventh-generation station chief has not yet taken office, the requirements for prosecutors are still changing.

With the commencement of satellite city construction, inspectors will need to possess "comprehensive qualities," including the ability to inspect and containment facilities, expand into new areas, conduct field transactions, and manage internal affairs.

Once this model is established, prosecutors will be able to wield far more power than in the pioneering era.

Its status will also reach an unprecedented height!
“If you have the ability, go to Guangdong Province!” Rokuk suggested sincerely once again, his tone filled with expectation. “There are many geniuses like you there, and you might find more common ground.”

"A genius?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of genius?"

"That's too much."

Upon mentioning these people, Rokuk immediately became excited, his tone rising several notches as if he were personally involved. "There's a young genius researcher in the City of Light Rainbow, only in his early twenties. He single-handedly solved the energy technology problem that had been troubling them for many years. Now, Light Rainbow's energy system uses his improved energy system, which has reduced the cost by almost 30%."

He got more and more excited as he spoke: "It's not just the researchers; their checkpoints also have several geniuses. Although their raw skills can't compare to yours, they all have special abilities to assist them in their work."

so much?
Cheng Ye was secretly surprised. He originally thought that at most three to five people could be called geniuses by Senior Prosecutor Rocco.

Unexpectedly, he rattled off more than twenty names in one breath, as if reciting a menu, and could even give a general description of each person's specialty.

But then I thought about it again and it seemed reasonable. Guanghong controlled the entire Guang Province and was still frantically siphoning talent from surrounding provinces. Even the population migrating from Hai Province was carefully screened.

In contrast, Happiness City is more like a lottery ticket, where encountering a genius is entirely a matter of luck.

In terms of talent cultivation and recruitment, the two are not even in the same league. It is only natural that Guanghong has so many geniuses.

If I could go to Guanghong and get to know all these geniuses one by one...
Seeing the barely suppressed smile on Cheng Ye's face, Rokuk was slightly taken aback, then sighed inwardly.

This was a stark contrast to Garcia's reaction; he showed no wariness or resentment, only a sense of elation at the sight of his prey.

Perhaps only true geniuses, upon hearing about others of the same level, would have such a pure and eager-to-communicate reaction.
After patrolling again, it was already past one o'clock in the morning when they returned.

With a life-or-death situation looming before them, the two spoke without their usual restraint, chatting about everything from the development of the sheltered city to their experiences in the wilderness, and from past missions to speculations about the future. This was both a way to boost their spirits and to ease their inner tension and anxiety.

Perhaps Rocco himself knew that if even this appetizer was so difficult to find, tomorrow's containment mission would be a matter of life and death.

The two will most likely perish in the Magic Eye Sponge's room, leaving only a cold record of their sacrifice in the checkpoint's files.

As the conversation became more animated, he suddenly stood up, facing the night breeze over the river, and began to speak loudly, as if reciting poetry:
"This world is just so cruel. If we can enjoy one more day, we should live it to the fullest!"

"Even if the world were to end tomorrow, even if the colossus were to return, so what?"

"Adversity can never stop humanity from envisioning the future, nor can it stop us from having such a grand discussion here!"

"We are the inspectors of Happiness City. The end of our lives is to pioneer, to contain, and to fight against the source of infection and the remnants of the old generation until the very last moment."

After he finished speaking, he didn't say anything more, but instead hummed an unknown, open and honest tune:
"If I wish to live a life of wealth and honor, I must work myself to the bone, hide my sword sheath on my back, and thoroughly study the Book of Poetry!"

"I do not covet jade and emeralds, nor do I guard houses of gold. I wish to leave my name for all time. For every general's success, ten thousand bones must be buried!"

"The earth understands my heart best; a true man's ambition lies in distant places!"

Life is but a dream when you are awake.

"Full of courage and warm heart."

"I will not return home without achieving glory!"

(End of this chapter)