Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 240 The Source Binder Returns to the Inner City!

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Four military pickup trucks drove out of Dabo Town one after another. Although there was no loud roar of engines, the wheels still kicked up a string of turbid dust as they rolled over the dirt road.

A giant medical vehicle, comparable in size to a bus, followed closely behind, slowly driving out of the small road in Dabo Town and then turning onto the rural road leading to Wenlu County.

The heavy wheels rolled over the uneven road surface, making a dull rumble that was particularly clear in the open wilderness.

Behind the medical vehicle, four pickup trucks brought up the rear, forming a tight escort formation as the convoy steadily advanced toward its destination.

Before long, the convoy left the bumpy country roads and entered the county roads within Wenlu County, where the journey became much smoother.

Inside, the giant medical vehicle is divided into four sections, each with a clearly defined function.

The last section was the emergency medical room. Garcia lay on the hospital bed, his painful groans almost constant since he got on the bus. Even with the help of medical equipment, it was difficult to completely alleviate his discomfort.

In the penultimate carriage, Rokuk sat in a specially designed comfortable seat, surrounded by several medical personnel in professional protective suits. Some asked him how he had been feeling over the past few days, while others quickly measured his vital signs with instruments.

This real-time recorded data will be simultaneously transmitted to the medical clinic in the inner city of Happiness City, making full preparations for the subsequent development of precise and targeted treatment plans.

In the next two carriages, Cheng Ye sat by the window, and Wang Kang was right next to him, pressed against the window.

Neither of them spoke, but they turned their gazes to the window, watching the trees and wilderness rushing past on both sides of the road, and a sense of endless emotion arose in their hearts.

Streetlights.

Outside the window, a huge street lamp stands every hundred meters.

The warm yellow lights stretched outwards from Wenlu County, spreading along the road and connecting to the overpass leading to Xingfu City, drawing a clear band of light in the wilderness.

The trip to Dabo Town should be described as nine or ten days.

The town was shrouded in the power of the immortal artifact, completely isolated from the outside world. However, time in the outside world never stopped; instead, it moved forward rapidly, and everything was changing at a breakneck pace, even the roads took on a new look.

The pale yellow light spread out at a large obtuse angle, completely illuminating the road surface that was originally pitch black at night, making even the details of the road repairs clearly visible.

The craters and uneven damage that were originally scattered across the ground were all filled and repaired with a pale yellow material.

Although the repair marks are still somewhat mottled, they inexplicably exude a fantastical feel, like a scene in a game world that has been quickly rebuilt by the system.

The original narrow two lanes have now been widened and cleared into four lanes, and the road surface has been repaved with smooth concrete, making driving exceptionally smooth.

Light silver alloy railings were installed along the outer side of the road, and temporary shelters were built every kilometer, each capable of accommodating thirty people awaiting rescue.

These subtle arrangements silently tell the story of the changes in the outside world.

Cheng Ye quietly watched the dramatic scene outside the window, the slightly pungent smell of disinfectant lingering in the carriage, and the regular beeping of medical instruments in his ears.

In a daze, he felt a strong sense of disconnect, as if one second he was struggling to survive in the wasteland of Big Wave Town, and the next second he had been transported back to an orderly modern society, and everything seemed unreal.

Soon, the convoy drove onto the overpass leading to Happiness City.

The world around us seemed to fall silent instantly, with only the noise of the road and wind from the moving vehicles echoing softly in the empty night.

In the distance, all that remained was an impenetrable darkness, like a silent, dead land, devoid of any light.

But as the vehicle continued to move forward, the outline of Happiness City became closer and clearer in the field of vision.

The iconic wall of happiness gradually revealed its full form in the dim light, standing majestically at the edge of the earth, its thick and solid structure exuding a reassuring power.

Are we finally about to step back into the world within the giant walls?
Scenes from my memories of the inner city suddenly flooded back: the schools where I could receive a complete education, the familiar streets and music rooms, the buildings of varying sizes but all neat and orderly, and the people I used to spend every day with.
But these images, which had just clearly surfaced in my mind, quickly became blurry, both real and unreal.

Cheng Ye tried to recall carefully, but found that the memories of the inner city were becoming more and more distant, and instead seemed like someone else's story.

But the ruins of Dabo Town, the wide-flowing Baishui River, and the days he spent with his companions in their steadfast defense became increasingly clear to him, making him feel especially close to them, as if that was the place where he had truly taken root and where his spirit was imprinted.

"Brother Cheng, what are you thinking about?" Wang Kang asked from the side.

Being able to return to the inner city, to the place where I was born and grew up for more than ten years, and to see my relatives, it would be a lie to say I wasn't excited.

But seeing Cheng Ye's calm expression, his excitement was inexplicably suppressed, and he calmed down, leaving only a soft question.

"I'm wondering how many days it will take before we can be discharged from the hospital and return to Dabo Town to start construction." Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze.

After thinking for a while, Wang Kang suddenly suggested, "Why don't you go to the hospital to recover first? I'm perfectly healthy. I'll take the residents back to Dabo Town to start construction."

Cheng Ye was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Wang Kang, who was looking very serious, before shaking his head with a chuckle: "Is it the source of the infection that gave you your confidence, kid?"

"I really feel fine."

Wang Kang said seriously, "I'm thinking, maybe we shouldn't remove the source of infection. Anyway, it hasn't caused me any major harm. At most, it'll just shorten my life by one or two decades."

"People die every day in the wasteland, how can we dare to hope for such a long life? To live to forty like my dad is already a huge blessing!"

"Xiao Kang," Cheng Ye said softly, interrupting him.

"Hmm?" Wang Kang looked up at him.

"Look down, what's that hanging on your chest?"

"I," Wang Kang subconsciously looked down, his gaze falling on his chest, where two gleaming gold badges hung.

The badge on the left resembles an identification badge at a checkpoint, or somewhat like the badge of an ordinary resident of Happiness City, but it is a dazzling gold color. The front is engraved with the character "功" (merit), while the back features the familiar pattern of the giant wall of Happiness.

On the right is the personal badge that every prosecutor has, which is hanging prominently next to the "merit" badge.

"Remember this: no matter when or under what circumstances, we are prosecutors."

"If we want to defeat the source of infection and restore order to this world, we must first have the ability to stay true to ourselves. Using the power of the source of infection to complete the mission is fine, but we cannot allow ourselves to be controlled or bound by the source of infection for the sake of this power."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the approaching South Station outside the window, and continued, "If even we inspectors, who are directly facing the source of infection, cannot resist the temptation of this power, then who in this world can? When will we finally be able to truly end this wasteland era?"

These are two very philosophical and weighty sentences.

Wang Kang's expression faltered slightly. The two men stared at each other for a long time before finally leaning back in their chairs, their expressions thoughtful.

"Brother Cheng, is there a difference between good and bad power?" he asked softly, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"No."

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly, but the images of Tan Ming and Tan Rui flashed through his mind. "But beliefs vary in strength and quality. Your beliefs are not yet firm enough to control these forces. When you truly understand them in the future, you will naturally obtain the power that matches them and belongs to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the convoy gradually slowed down.

Instead of stopping at the South checkpoint for routine inspection, they drove directly into the buffer zone from Exit D.

This privilege was a result of a joint special approval from Xingfu City and the checkpoint, and it was also directly related to the four large infected individuals on the vehicle.

All four prosecutors used benign sources of infection. Although these sources only affect the user and do not spread to the surrounding area, they still pose a potential hazard and require further careful screening.

After passing through the South Checkpoint, the convoy continued its rapid advance, heading towards the Gate of Happiness.

Cheng Ye immediately sat up straight, dispelling the distracting thoughts in his mind, and carefully scanned the outside of the window, observing the changes in the city.

Ten days have passed, and the overall layout of the buffer zone has not changed much, except that there are significantly more pedestrians on the road.

Even in the suburbs, you can see workers walking along the roadside, seemingly surveying and examining something.

Construction sites around the South Railway Station also started work during the pleasant autumn weather. Huge searchlights illuminated the construction area as bright as day, and workers worked day and night to finish the project before winter arrived.

What's even more surprising is that the tent camp has expanded several times over compared to before. At a glance, there are at least three to five thousand new tents, which have been neatly divided into areas, forming an orderly temporary living area.

There's also new activity around the shantytowns. Some old areas are being demolished, and large amounts of construction waste are being transported out continuously. Hundreds of busy figures can be seen moving between the construction sites at night.

"This is truly a place where everything needs to be rebuilt!"

Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised, but he knew very well that during the days he had been away on his way to Dabo Town, the buffer zone must have implemented new policies.

A new round of planning and construction has clearly begun, and the region will no longer be allowed to develop in a disorderly manner.

Once you enter the city, the changes become even more visible to the naked eye.

The once wide road is now only wide enough for one side to barely pass another vehicle, while the other side has been completely dug up, exposing the underground pipes.

Most of them have been dug up and placed on the ground for inspection, and new pipelines have also been transported to the site and piled up by the roadside awaiting installation.

Every so often, a dozen or so workers wearing spotlights and safety helmets stood by the roadside, looking like newly recruited from among the migrant workers, listening attentively to an experienced construction worker.

Upon seeing the convoy approaching, the workers instinctively stopped what they were doing and all turned their eyes toward it.

His eyes were filled with awe, intertwined with undisguised envy, admiration, and anticipation.

A vibrant energy is bursting forth from every corner of Happiness City, completely dispelling the gloom left by the "substitute starfish" more than a month, almost two months ago.

With the influx of a large number of newcomers, Happiness City, which had once stagnated, seems to have finally resumed its pace of development.

Just like the land that Tan Ming's beliefs once covered, the plants that grow today are no longer lifeless as soon as they sprout, with only an outward appearance and withered inside.

Now, Happiness City, this land, seems to have broken free from its constraints and has begun to truly "grow wildly".

However, Tan Ming's belief only lasted for a year.

How long can these hard-won signs of life in the buffer zone last?
Cheng Ye quietly observed the scene before him, his thoughts moving with the convoy until the vehicles entered Zone A1, getting closer and closer to the gates of happiness.

On the towering cliffs in the distance, the traces left by the corrosion from the starfish fusion body have been completely repaired in the past few days, and there is no trace of damage.

That door to happiness, both imposing and endlessly alluring, is finally no longer out of reach; it's about to be truly crossed.

What can be considered the dividing line between civilizations?

As the car slowly slowed down and finally came to a stop, Cheng Ye suddenly had an answer in his heart: this door to happiness might be the clear boundary between civilization and disorder.

It is through the unremitting efforts of several generations that Happiness City has successfully isolated itself from the chaos of the outside world, protecting a world that truly belongs to "civilization".

What about Dabo Town?

When will we be able to establish such a clear dividing line?
"Inspector Cheng, Inspector Wang, you need to get out of the car for a security check before entering the inner city."

At this moment, a medical worker walked over from the back of the vehicle and added in a gentle tone, "Please rest assured, this is just a necessary procedure. The examination results will not affect your entry into the inner city for treatment." Cheng Ye turned his head in the direction of the medical worker and saw that the rear door of the medical vehicle was already open. Garcia, who had turned into a vine-man, was covered with a white sheet and was being pushed towards an entrance on the side of the Gate of Happiness with the assistance of several guards on duty.

"Huh? There are actually two entrances here?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment after getting out of the car.

Normally, this inspection point is not visible from the front of the main gate. Only when you stand right in front of the gate will you realize that the two sides of the gate are connected, allowing you to enter through the side opening below.

On the other side, Rokuk was also pushed down in a wheelchair. Seeing his confusion, he explained, "Everyone has to go through these side entrances to enter the inner city. The passage in the middle of the main gate is for people from the inner city to use when they come out."

"Those who have been inside the inner city go to the left. We're here for the first time, so we have to go to the right."

"Oh, I see." Cheng Ye nodded, then stepped forward, took the wheelchair, and pushed Rokuk toward the right exit.

Upon reaching the entrance, Garcia's hospital bed was also brought there. A staff member approached and said apologetically, "Inspector Cheng, according to regulations, we peripheral personnel are not allowed to enter the inner city, so we have to part ways with you here."

He paused, then looked at Wang Kang: "After you finish your examination, there will be medical staff waiting for you. As for Inspector Garcia, we'll need Inspector Wang's help to push him into the inner city as well."

“No problem.” Wang Kang nodded in agreement and stepped forward to support Garcia’s hospital bed.

The passage inside the wall did not lead directly to the inner city, but rather was a winding path like a tunnel.

They hadn't walked far when a colorless and odorless liquid suddenly began spraying from above.

A few drops of medicine landed on Cheng Ye's skin, and he immediately felt a little itchy. But when he raised his hand to check, he was stunned.

Pale golden runes mixed with flame patterns were clearly manifesting on his skin, just as the giant lice and flames hidden in his spiritual space were fully materialized, without any concealment.

He leaned forward and noticed that Rokuk's skin had also changed, turning a deep rust-iron color, with large, deeper marks on his face—the marks of the Source Heart Flesh Iron.

Even Wang Kang was no exception; his complexion gradually became abnormal, turning red and dark, and faintly changing towards the color of steel.

As for Garcia, the situation was much worse.

As soon as the medicine touched his body, he couldn't help but let out a painful howl, clearly enduring considerable torment.

Fortunately, this medicinal liquid is different from water. The vines attached to his body did not take the opportunity to grow. Instead, they seemed to be suppressed and no longer spread recklessly.

The group walked along the winding passage for nearly a hundred meters, and after turning a corner, a bright red light suddenly appeared at the end of their line of sight.

Cheng Ye only glanced at it from afar, but a feeling of dread immediately welled up in his heart, just like the oppressive feeling he had when he first saw the Magic Eye Sponge.

"Extraordinary beings? Source of infection?"

He paused for a moment, but didn't stop walking.

The four continued forward and soon entered the room that was illuminated by a fiery red light.

The scene before my eyes was breathtaking!
That's spectacular!

It was like stepping into a peculiar plant kingdom. The fiery red color wasn't a light source at all, but rather the ivy climbing the wall.

The leaves of these Virginia creepers are not the usual green, but have an eerie fiery red hue, much like the fuzz on a flame, but even more translucent, making them exceptionally stunning at first glance.

Just then, a strange fluctuation quietly enveloped the area, and a glint of light flashed in Cheng Ye's eyes.

It's... the fluctuation of a divine artifact!

Having come into close contact with the Wanlingdi conch shell, he was all too familiar with this subtle fluctuation!
It seems that this Virginia creeper is no ordinary extraordinary plant; it is most likely a hybrid of multiple extraordinary organisms.

However, compared to the conch shell, the fluctuations of the ivy in front of us were much weaker and could not affect a person's spirit at all. Or rather, it did not affect the spiritual level, but rather something else entirely.

The thought had barely formed when the wave swept over everyone, and a large ivy leaf was the first to fall, landing right on Garcia.

A faint golden-red glow emanated from the surface of the leaves, and the clear veins gradually converged, forming discernible characters:
[Garcia, first-ever bio-gene entry approved!]

Current energy rating: 4

Current infection level: 89.3%

"Huh, this thing can actually be used like this, to detect humans?"

Just as Cheng Ye was feeling surprised, another leaf drifted down and was caught by Wang Kang, who was standing next to him.

[Wang Kang, first-time biological gene entry approved!]

Current energy rating: 2

Current infection level: 25%

"Brother Cheng, why is my energy rating still lower than Garcia's?" Wang Kang looked at the words on the leaf and couldn't help but purse his lips, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

Garcia, who had been groaning softly, paused for a moment upon hearing this.

Then his howling got even louder!
What kind of talk is this? Is this even human speech?
What do you want to do, you're a trainee prosecutor who just passed your assessment not long ago?
Do you intend to reverse the hierarchy and strength of checkpoints, making lower-ranking checkpoints stronger?
Just then, another ivy leaf drifted down.

Rokuk caught it, but the characters displayed on the leaf were completely different from those of Wang Kang and Garcia:
[Rokuk, bio-genetic certification passed!]

[Current Energy Rating: 8.5↑]

Current infection rate: 65% (new cases)

“After being promoted to a third-term inspector the winter before last, I was already qualified to enter the inner city.”

Seeing Cheng Ye's curious gaze, Rokuk immediately explained, "But my wife and children are in the buffer zone, so I only went in briefly to see the world and didn't stay in the inner city for too long. However, Red Tiger had already recorded my information at that time."

"Red Tiger?" Cheng Ye caught the unfamiliar name and asked.

"Yes, this is a special item that our Happiness City uses to guard the buffer zone and the inner city boundary."

Rocco further added, "It can remember everyone's biometric information, which is like a special anti-counterfeiting mark. It is mainly to prevent some sources of infection, such as the face-changing fish we previously contained, from sneaking into the inner city by mimicking human appearances."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, anyone who can bind their biological information to the Red Tiger becomes a core member of Happiness City. Even if they die unexpectedly in the future, their remaining biological information can be traced through the Red Tiger's leaves, revealing the location of their last trace."

"Even the leaves of the Red Tiger can collect and analyze information left behind by people, reconstructing a rough picture of what happened."

"If you can see the scene before we die, will that help us get revenge?" Cheng Ye was a little stunned. This kind of method that can track information and recreate scenes is really bizarre.

“That depends on your rank.” Rokuk smiled. He and Cheng Ye had been chatting a lot these days, so he didn’t mind saying more. “You, as a trainee prosecutor, definitely can’t do it. Well, neither can I. I need at least a fourth-year probationary period, or even higher, and it also depends on how serious the case is.”

As the two were talking, the fourth leaf of the red tiger remained stubbornly in place.

Two or three minutes later, a voice suddenly rang out in the room, "Prosecutor Cheng, please suppress that power so that Red Tiger can assess your physical condition."

"Me, suppress?" Cheng Ye frowned.

He had actually sensed a faint fluctuation around him long ago, but the fluctuation was so weak that he didn't pay any attention to it, let alone resist it.

At this moment, as he reached out, two runes on the back of his hand were faintly flashing. They were indeed the belief marks left by Tan Ming, completely isolating Red Tiger's detection.

A glimmer of hope offsets the fluctuations.

A withered path absorbs fluctuations.

Red Tiger was merely an extraordinary creature, but in the face of Tan Mingxin's belief, it was ultimately far weaker.

How can we loosen these restrictions?
As Cheng Ye was pondering, he suddenly noticed that the mark on the back of his hand was gradually fading and no longer flickering with the detection fluctuations.

At the same time, Red Tiger's energy finally successfully connected to his body, like a USB device being plugged in, and began to read his information.

After another ten seconds or so, the information was read and a leaf, almost three times the size of Rococo's leaf, slowly drifted down. It looked like a small palm-leaf fan and was even bigger than a human head when held in the hand.

The leaves clearly show:

[Cheng Ye, first-time biological gene entry approved!]

Current energy rating: 67

Current infection level: 100%

[Current Category: Bound Source]

Each character was exceptionally large, and its surface was also covered with a faint, illusory firelight.

Rokuk looked up curiously, his expression vanishing instantly, leaving only a look of utter astonishment.

Wang Kang, who was standing nearby, leaned over to take a look and couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "Brother Cheng, your energy rating is 16 times that of Garcia?"

16 times?
Garcia, lying on the bed, suddenly convulsed, and his moans became distorted.

He, a level-two prosecutor, has actually become the "basic unit of measurement" for evaluating others' abilities?
However, Cheng Ye had no time to pay attention to these things; his gaze was fixed on the 100% infection level below, as well as the additional category.

He had previously harbored some speculations: the Shrinking Giant Lice had been endowed with power by Tan Ming and had become an extraordinary being. Since it was extraordinary, could it be that it had nothing to do with the infected?

But the data that Red Tiger has provided has completely dispelled all his unnecessary speculations.

Just as Rocco said before, from the moment he used the benign source of infection, his allies were no longer purely human.

He is an infected being, an "alternative" ability user bound to an extraordinary mother source.

No one knows how many people like him there are in this vast wasteland.

But so what?
With a thought, Cheng Ye's two runes on the back of his hand lit up again, instantly blocking all of Red Tiger's probes once more.

He casually tossed the leaf displaying his information into the nearby waste bin, then pushed Rocco's wheelchair and led the way forward.

In the wilderness, only the one with the strongest fist reigns supreme.

Back in Happiness City, he was not only the inspector who had sheltered the immortals, but also had the support of the elders' promises.

Today, Red Tiger was able to detect that he was not "human" and categorize him as a Bound Source.

But when he establishes a territory that truly belongs to him in Dabo Town tomorrow, who will dare to say that he is not human?

Stepping out of the room, the view immediately became clear.

We've arrived at the inner city!
(End of this chapter)