Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 252 Resource Search: An Unusual Discovery!

resource?

Suddenly, Cheng Ye's thoughts shifted, and he immediately thought of the "resource search" entry newly added to the Exploration Route.

In fact, he has tried this feature quietly many times since it was unlocked.

Unfortunately, whether it was Cui Qiao, the deputy director of Fusheng Medical, other medical staff, Luo Kuke, the four guards who escorted him out of the city, or Wang Kang, Lin Xu, and others, none of them were there.
The "Resources" search entry did not appear on anyone's panel; this permission was not enabled at all.

Even after he specifically improved the cooperation rate of a medical staff member to 100%, no problems arose.

This made him wonder if this new feature of the Exploration Route would be available much later.

But now that Yu Erlan had mentioned the word "resources," Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. He pretended to be deep in thought, but secretly opened his personal panel.

The first thing that catches the eye is the level of cooperation.

Surprisingly, Yu Erlan had a cooperation rate of 31%.

Could it be thanks to bringing back the divine artifact?

It must be said that this deputy director of the research institute was much more generous than those veterans, and his level of cooperation did not remain at an awkward single digit.

Scroll down to see the search results clearly listed:

[Yu Erlan, 31%, Searchable Scope: Intelligence, Items, Skills (Lv1;Lv2), Resources (Lv1)]

"Hey, resource entries have actually appeared!"

Cheng Ye was secretly delighted, but upon further reflection, he felt it made perfect sense.

If even a key figure like Yu Erlan doesn't have access to resource searches, he really wouldn't know where to look for clues about "resources".

However, he didn't rush to trigger the search. Instead, he closed the panel, looked up, and asked:
"Tan Ming gave me two runes before, one is a vitality rune and the other is a withering rune. This withering rune can extract vitality and transform it into Blood Shadow Soldiers. Are you referring to vitality as the kind of 'resource' you mentioned?"

The elders have already seen the runes; it's no secret.

As for the abilities, meanings, and costs of using runes, with Happiness City as his backer, he naturally didn't need to figure it out on his own. Instead, he should make full use of the information from Sanctuary City to help him grow quickly.

Moreover, this is all high-value information, and collecting more of it can greatly benefit one's career advancement.

“Of course,” Yu Erlan affirmed. “The ‘resources’ I’m talking about are essentially products of the normal rules. The beings in the control state use these products to create new rules, but the prerequisite for using them is that you must first be aware of their existence, that is, be able to accurately perceive the form of these resources under normal conditions.”

After speaking, she seemed to realize that her explanation was a bit abstract, frowned, and was about to use a more colloquial way of saying it when Cheng Ye raised his hand to interrupt her:

"No need to explain, I understand."

"Just like if I want to use the power of life, I first need to be able to see the existence of life, and then I need to capture and gather this life before I can convert it into the energy to create the Blood Shadow Legion, right?"

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean!” Yu Erlan nodded immediately.

"So that means, to gather these kinds of resources, you either need to reach a state of control or you need to possess runes?" Cheng Ye followed up on the topic, subtly observing Yu Erlan's reaction.

"Ah."

Yu Erlan let out a cryptic chuckle, neither directly confirming nor denying, but instead shifting the subject to the underlying concerns, "Part of the reason for the current wasteland situation is caused by the superhumans. The resources used to rewrite the rules will continuously deplete the planet's inherent reserves. The barren land, harsh environment, and scarcity of various resources are all negative consequences of this depletion."

"Moreover, the wider the scope and the stronger the influence of the rules, the more explosive the demand for resources will be. Most of the extraordinary beings of the previous era were caught in endless wars because of the struggle for these 'spellcasting resources,' which ultimately led to disaster."

Hearing Yu Erlan's explanation, Cheng Ye did not press the matter further, but a sense of bewilderment arose in his heart.

A "resources" search entry appeared on her panel, which could only mean two things.

Either Yu Erlan is a powerful being in a state of control, or like him, she has received a belief bestowed by a powerful being, enabling her to temporarily use rune rules.

Which one will it be?
Cheng Ye was secretly surprised, but did not rush to conclusions. Instead, he quietly opened the panel again.

The energy level has now increased to 800 degrees. Although he has been under full supervision by Resurrection Medical these days, he has not dared to continue charging. The current charging progress is still at 50%. However, searching for a Lv1 skill only requires 10%, and even a Lv2 skill only requires 15%, which is quite generous.

Without hesitation, he selected the Lv2 skill search, aiming directly at the person in front of him who might be the strongest person he had ever seen besides the elders.

As lines of characters flashed by, Cheng Ye didn't immediately focus on them. Instead, he pretended to continue observing the Unstable Fox in the corner, maintaining a calm facade.

He didn't notice the panel loading the complete search results before he subtly shifted his attention to it.

【Yu Erlan (Transcendent Control State)】

[Lv1 Skill]: Lock-on
[Lv2 Skill]:
Talent: Enhanced Vision (Perfect; Significantly improves eyesight, will never become nearsighted or farsighted)
Talent: Calmness (Perfect; greatly reduces the amplitude of emotional fluctuations)
Skills: Intermediate Data Modeling and Analysis☆, Intermediate Theoretical Origin and Organization☆, Intermediate Precision Instrument Operation☆, Intermediate Equipment Principle Understanding☆, Intermediate Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integration☆.
[Lv3 Skill]: Lock-on
[Lv4 Skill]: Lock-on
[Lv5 Skill]: Lock-on
[Lv6 Skill]: Lock-on
[Lv7 Skill]: Lock-on
hiss.

Indeed, it is a higher level of control than the symbiotic ecosystem.

Happiness City is truly a place where hidden talents abound!
Cheng Ye was somewhat alarmed. He hadn't expected that such a top expert who could personally set the rules was right beside him, and that he was allowed to conduct a bold search.

Moreover, regular searches cannot display her extraordinary panel; they can only retrieve ordinary skills. But even this information alone was enough to leave him speechless.

The panel was covered with a dense array of theoretical abilities. He counted them carefully and found that there were a total of thirteen knowledge skills marked with a star just at the Lv2 level!
But how old is Yu Erlan?

He recalled the nameplate on the first floor. Yu Erlan was born in the sixth year of the new era, which would make her exactly 29 years old now.

It is 10 years older than his current body, and only 3 years older than him before he transmigrated.

But the knowledge behind this is so vast that even if he had 30 years, he might not be able to learn it all!

genius!

This Director Yu is absolutely a top-notch genius with extraordinary talent!
No wonder she was able to become the deputy director of the Happiness City Research Institute at such a young age. Her talent and potential are probably no less than those of Director Long Haoran, who took office at the age of 25.

"I just wonder when I'll be able to get her cooperation level to 100%?"

Seeing the two perfect talents displayed on the panel, Cheng Ye suddenly felt a headache coming on.

No wonder Yu Erlan looks so aloof; it turns out she has a perfect talent at work.

However, it is precisely because of this extreme calmness that she was able to concentrate on core scientific research in the chaotic wasteland environment.

Cheng Ye scanned the area, not lingering too long on the two perfect talents, but precisely locking onto the skill of "intermediate interdisciplinary knowledge integration".

Since he was going to do research, Prosecutor Cheng, though he said he didn't have such extraordinary talent, never lacked diligence in learning.

Since we are going to get involved in the research field, we must master these basic disciplines as soon as possible.

As the panel closed, he had already made up his mind to first search and learn all the subject knowledge in Yu Erlan's Lv1 and Lv2 skills.

Once I've thoroughly mastered this knowledge, I can't guarantee anything else, but getting a first-level researcher qualification at the research institute shouldn't be a problem.

It's just difficult!

Cheng Ye sighed inwardly, the fear he had felt recently, dominated by his studies, quietly resurfaced.

Even with the aid of joint learning, he still inevitably suffers from the drowsiness that comes with the indoctrination of knowledge.

Now that the flame has been reshaped and lost its original abilities, and without the Flame of the Eagle's Heart to replenish its spiritual power, the road ahead for learning will likely be even more difficult.

After clearing his mind, Cheng Ye did not rush to get up, but instead pressed the resource search button on the panel again.

The familiar introductory information flowed smoothly into my mind, just as it had when I used the search function before.

Resource search consumes 25% of his energy, equivalent to 200 kilowatt-hours, which isn't much. At his current rank, he can search for resources at both Lv1 and Lv2 levels.

Lv1 only requires 10% basic cooperation level to unlock, while Lv2 requires 50% cooperation level.

This restriction mode is somewhat similar to the initial skill search, but the overall threshold is much more relaxed.

However, with the relaxation of restrictions, the quality of the searched resources is unlikely to be top-notch. Cheng Ye was prepared for this and did not expect to turn things around immediately once he obtained new search terms.

"Good, let's search it out and see what good stuff it has."

He focused his mind briefly, and the energy value on the panel was immediately reduced by 25%, leaving only the last 10% reserve.

The next second, the characters on the panel flashed rapidly, and the search results slowly appeared.

This time he could see clearly that the runes that could only be created by those in a state of control were just insignificant scraps in the end. What truly attracted attention were the patterns that were more dazzling and mysterious than the runes, and it was these patterns that formed the text!

Search successful!

【Yu Erlan】

【Lv1】：
A constant humidity comfortable air (excellent; covers an area of ​​0.000125 cubic kilometers; duration of impact: 5 days)
A sample of highly oxygenated, pure air (Excellent; coverage area: 0.000125 cubic kilometers; duration of impact: 1 week)
A sample of clean, unpolluted air (normal; coverage area: 0.000125 cubic kilometers; duration of impact: 1 month)
"?!"

"What is this?"

Cheng Ye thought he had prepared himself mentally, but he was still taken aback when he saw the search results.

The resource is actually air?
Why is Yu Erlan's resource type air? Does this mean she can already accurately perceive and control the rules related to air under normal circumstances?
Moreover, the names of these air sources are quite unique: constant humidity and comfortable, high oxygen and pure, and pure and pollution-free.
If these are the resources she consumes when using her controlled state power, doesn't that mean she needs to travel to the corresponding environmental area to collect air?
Well, it's also possible that it's not needed, since this air can be produced artificially.

More importantly, creating air does not consume the planet's inherent resources, making it an extremely "environmentally friendly" spellcasting material.

His gaze fell on the area covered, and he quickly calculated that the area was equivalent to 12.5 cubic meters, which is roughly a space with a length, width and height of 50 meters.

"If this pure, unpolluted air were used in a heavily polluted area, wouldn't it instantly make the air in that area fresh?"

A thought suddenly popped into Cheng Ye's mind, and he immediately connected it to another matter, "Wait, the air quality difference between the inner city and the outer city is obvious. Could it be because the research institute has been using this kind of resource for regulation?"

He pondered this possibility repeatedly, but because he had not verified it in practice, he could not draw a definite conclusion for the time being and could only keep this conjecture in his mind.

At the same time, an even bolder idea quietly emerged!
The information fusion capabilities offered by the joint route can currently only be used for skills fusion.

But if I continue to choose a related direction for the next promotion, I wonder if I will be able to unlock the permission to integrate resources?
If these ordinary resources are continuously integrated, what will be the final result?
Is it due to an extended duration and expanded coverage?
Or is it that the inherent value of resources is enhanced through integration, giving rise to special additional effects like skills?

With these questions in mind, Cheng Ye hesitated slightly among the three resources before finally choosing "pure and unpolluted air," which, although of average quality, lasted for a month.

Since it's a test anyway, the longer the duration, the easier it is to observe the results.

Search successful!

[The Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: a sample of pure, unpolluted air]

Resources will be stored in a dedicated resource category bar and will not occupy the storage bar. Please check them.

The target for a 'resource' search must be the full owner of that resource.

Four notifications flashed by.

Seeing that the resources wouldn't take up space in the newly expanded storage area, Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow.

The subsequent prompts also helped him vaguely understand why he couldn't search before; the key was the limitation of "full ownership".

In other words, the owner of a resource must have 100% control over that resource.

Based on Yu Erlan's previous explanation of the rules, resources must be limited to natural products that arise under normal conditions.

As a result, none of the targets he had searched for met this condition, so he naturally couldn't find any corresponding resource entries.

"I wonder if, according to this rule, the lords of those settlements outside are considered the full owners of the resources within their territories?"

Cheng Ye started to make plans in his mind. No matter what, he had to go out and verify it properly.

If we could really collect resources from these lords, that would be an amazing farming skill!

As long as you can keep finding high-quality resources, even a barren land can be transformed into a livable paradise.

Thinking of this, Cheng Ye stood up and looked at Yu Erlan, asking, "Director Yu, may I ask what evolutionary stage my giant lizard is currently in?"

“Naturally, that’s the norm,” Yu Erlan replied calmly, then added, “And the other extraordinary being on your body hasn’t even reached the threshold of normalcy yet.”

She changed the subject, her tone becoming more serious: "Happiness City will not interfere with your attempt to become a superhuman being, but there is a condition: your path cannot have any negative impact on the city. If any serious consequences occur, even with the elders as guarantors, you will be permanently expelled from Happiness City and never be allowed to set foot there again, including all your efforts in Big Wave Town. They will all be in vain."

"Understood!" Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat as he instantly realized that the flames had ultimately failed to be concealed.

However, Yu Erlan's statement also relieved him, as it seemed to mean that Happiness City allowed its people to have a certain degree of extraordinary freedom.

That makes sense. He already has two rune marks left by Tan Ming on his body, so having another extraordinary creature wouldn't be too outrageous.

He composed himself and continued to press, "Does our research institute currently have any extraordinary mother sources that have reached the reverse state?"

"Yes, it is. You arrived just in time. If it had been any later, this only abnormal mother source would have had to be returned to the City of Fire Protection according to the agreement."

Yu Erlan nodded, and the two walked out of the containment room of the Undetermined Fox.

Instead of visiting other sources of infection downstairs, they went up to the third floor.

The layout of the third floor is extremely simple, with only two massive containment chambers, one of which is completely empty.

The other inpatient room was decorated in a way that resembled a human living space, and even bore some resemblance to the ward where Cheng Ye had previously stayed.

As the two slowly approached, a black figure came into view—it was actually a human!

The man looked extremely unwell, his body hunched over as he sat in front of the sofa staring at the television screen, his hands supporting his head, exuding a sickly listlessness.

Sensing someone approaching from outside the door, the black figure suddenly turned its head, a crisp "click" sound coming from its neck, like a rusty mechanical part being forcibly turned.

Strangely, his shoulders did not turn with the movement; only his head was stiffly turned toward the door, his posture as bizarre as a spider turning its head to observe its prey.

Now, Cheng Ye could see it even more clearly.

This thing in front of me is not human at all!

Those deep-set eye sockets resembled two dark caves, sparse eyelashes clung to bluish eyelids, and the cloudy eyeballs were filled with bloodshot veins.

The moment he stared intently at the two people, his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints. Even more chillingly, a black spider the size of a fingernail was crawling on the whites of his eyes, slowly moving along the blood vessels.

"Who is he?" Cheng Ye forced down the chill in his heart.

"Speaking of which, you two are actually acquaintances."

Yu Erlan's tone was completely calm and expressionless as she raised her hand and pressed a button on the arm device:

"C35, the person who brought you to Happiness City has come to see you!"

(End of this chapter)