Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 261 Plant Affinity, Liu Yi's Mutation!
The car struggled to turn out of the main urban area and headed towards the chemical plant residential area.

During the journey, Cheng Ye discovered that large-scale development was indeed underway to the north of the buffer zone.

Just like the grand theater, those dilapidated old buildings are being renovated even at night, with lights illuminating them.

The foundation has been laid on the previously abandoned land, and it looks like a batch of residential houses are to be built.

The three-lane road is being widened to four lanes, and even the dilapidated shantytowns along the roadside have been demolished, making the surrounding area much more open.

Springtime should be a time of renewal and growth, but in this wasteland, autumn brings an unusual and vibrant life.

Less rain, more sunny days.

The temperature is comfortable in the morning and evening, and even though it is a bit hot at noon, it is just right for resting and adjusting.

I wonder what the once dilapidated buffer zone will look like after this whole autumn.

As Cheng Ye drove past the bus stop, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed. What kind of amazement would those residents who left the buffer zone two months ago, that family who went thousands of miles away to farm, express if they could come back one day and see the changes before them?
Will they regret the hasty decision they made back then?

And what about those caravans that abandoned Shi Province and Happiness City? If they could come back again, would they include this place in their itinerary?
"As long as there are no more disasters like the Starfish Stand, Happy City has already entered a phase of large-scale development. And the only way to avoid such disasters is through checkpoints!"

The more the city develops, the more important the checkpoints become as a security barrier.

When the car stopped in the open space at the entrance of the chemical plant residential area, Cheng Ye shook his head to shake off these heavy thoughts, picked up the bag of canned food, and walked into the residential area.

The chemical plant residential area remains unchanged, still quiet and deserted.

But it is precisely because of this tranquility that once you step into this place, you are separated from the hurried pace of life on the wasteland, leaving only a strong sense of daily life.

Warm yellow lights shone from the windows of every household, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere in the night.

Click.

It was the same familiar scene. Just as Cheng Ye reached the fourth-floor stairwell, the door to the fifth-floor apartment opened a crack.

Liu Yi peeked out furtively, but after recognizing him, she slammed the door shut.

Ok?
Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, the door opened again, and this time Luo Xiaoxue came out.

"My goodness, how did you get so strong!"

Looking at the incredibly burly figure in front of her, Luo Xiaoxue couldn't help but open her mouth wide.

Liu Yi peeked out timidly from behind her mother and whispered, "He's even stronger than my dad! It's scary!"

"Uh," Cheng Ye smiled helplessly.

Before he fully masters the Shrinking Giant Lice, it is foreseeable that his physique will be transformed into something increasingly terrifying, possibly even reaching an inhuman level.

Only when the ability of the Shrinking Giant Flea is used without side effects in the future will it be able to freely adjust its body shape and fix it in a reasonable state.

Of course, even if he were given a hundred more choices, he would still choose to gain power without hesitation rather than insist on maintaining his original physique.

"Sister Luo, the things that have happened in the past month are a long story."

Cheng Ye followed Luo Xiaoxue into the house. Liu Yi was initially standing not far away, watching him warily.

It wasn't until he opened the bag, revealing the various canned goods inside, that the little guy's eyes lit up. He cheered and rushed over, grinning, "Brother Cheng Ye, I knew you were the best to me!"

"Hey, why aren't you calling me 'brother' anymore?" Cheng Ye joked.

"Mom found me a teacher, and I have to attend classes for half a day every day!" Liu Yi excitedly picked out a can of strawberries from the bag. After Cheng Ye helped her open it, she scooped out the fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "The teacher taught us so many things. I want to be a great scientist when I grow up!"

"So, are you still planning to grow the plants you liked before?"

Liu Yi paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she added in a childish voice, "Then I want to be a great scientist who studies plants!"

"Hahahaha." Cheng Ye was amused by the earnest little face and burst into laughter.

Luo Xiaoxue came over with a kettle, poured Cheng Ye a glass of water, and explained with a smile, "Recently, there have been quite a few more people coming to the city. Several families with children in the neighborhood got together to discuss it and felt that their children's education shouldn't be delayed, so they went to the job market to look for teachers. Unexpectedly, they actually found teachers willing to teach. That's great, at least the problem of no school in the buffer zone has been temporarily solved."

"Oh?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, quite surprised, and asked, "There's a talent market in the buffer zone?"

“Yes, it’s near the library in the south.” Luo Xiaoxue nodded and explained, “Many migrants go there to find work, and there are quite a few educated people there. Although they can’t teach anything profound, it’s more than enough to enlighten a child like Yiyi.”

“That is indeed a good thing.” Cheng Ye nodded in agreement. “There has never been a school in the buffer zone. The children have been playing outside all day, which has delayed their early education. It will be too late for them to start learning when they grow up.”

After saying that, he added, thinking of the planning for Dabo Town, "Speaking of which, it's perfect timing. I'm planning to build a school in Dabo Town as well. I can go to that job market later and see if I can find three or five reliable people with education. That would make the subsequent school operation much easier."

Unexpectedly, Luo Xiaoxue laughed after hearing this, "Cheng Ye, you've been out for a while now, how come you have such a strong official air about you? You even have more of a tone than your Brother B."

"Really?" Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then chuckled. "By the way, does Brother B know what happened in Dabo Town?"

"I don't know, how could I dare to tell him?"

Luo Xiaoxue immediately shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness, "You know how stubborn that guy is. If he knew you were in danger over there, he would definitely rush over to save you immediately, and no one could stop him."

"That's good. If he really finds out, he'll probably be terrified."

Cheng Ye breathed a sigh of relief, and then repeated the story he had told Old Qu during the day to Luo Xiaoxue, picking out the parts he could tell.

He didn't intend to talk about such a high-end and dangerous thing as a celestial artifact. Even Liu Bi probably knew very little about it, and telling Luo Xiaoxue would only increase her worries.

Moreover, the phrase "devastating source of infection" alone is terrifying enough.

"A level-destroying source of infection?!" Luo Xiaoxue gasped in shock, quickly pulling Cheng Ye to his feet. She scrutinized him from head to toe several times until she was certain he looked normal and had indeed recovered. Only then did she speak with lingering fear.
"Your father, a fifth-level prosecutor, has only contained seven devastating infected entities in his entire career, and your brother B has only managed to handle three so far. You're just a trainee prosecutor, how did you manage to encounter something so dangerous?"

"Hey, I'm just lucky," Cheng Ye chuckled, offering a plausible excuse. "Fortunately, the source of infection was widespread, so the threat from a single individual wasn't too great. Otherwise, Happiness City would have discovered and dealt with it long ago, and I wouldn't have been the one to run into it."

As for his use of the source of infection to become a binder, it was not mentioned at all.

In this wasteland, the less you know about certain secrets, the more peaceful you can be.

Luo Xiaoxue thought for a moment and then asked, "So, are you going to go back to Dabo Town to continue building the satellite city?"

“Yes, we’ll rest for two days and then go.” Cheng Ye nodded gently. “The satellite city has already been established, and the surrounding threats have been eliminated. We can take advantage of the good autumn weather to quickly start large-scale construction.”

When it comes to the construction of satellite cities, there's no point in hiding anything.

He continued, "By the way, Sister Luo, something unexpected has happened recently. Now, the land within a 200-kilometer radius of Happiness City can be planted freely and will no longer be affected by the previous curse."

Luo Xiaoxue was visibly startled upon hearing this, and the smile on her face vanished instantly, making Cheng Ye's heart skip a beat.

Fortunately, Luo Xiaoxue quickly came to her senses and didn't say anything more. She just waved to him, indicating that he should come with her.

The two went to the bedroom next door, and Luo Xiaoxue took out her key to open the door.

Upon entering, Cheng Ye immediately noticed numerous flowerpots piled on the floor and bed, with the Chinese cabbages growing exceptionally well inside.

To his surprise, the cabbages were all different colors.

Besides the normal white, there were also strange greens, blues, and even one pale pink! "This..." Cheng Ye was stunned, pointing to the flowerpot and asking, "Is there a problem with the seeds?"

"The accident you mentioned, did it happen 14 days ago?" Luo Xiaoxue didn't answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"Yes, that was the day." Cheng Ye calculated the date in his mind. That day was exactly the day Tan Ming used the barrier to cover Happiness City and lift the petrification curse.

"Then it's probably Yi Yi's problem," Luo Xiaoxue said gravely.

"What?" Cheng Ye was shocked and asked incredulously, "These mutated cabbages were caused by Yi Yi?"

“Yes.” Luo Xiaoxue nodded in confirmation. “The white cabbages you see are the ones I grew, using the same seeds, but the ones Yi Yi grows are all these strangely colored varieties.”

"I tried eating a few pieces, and the taste didn't change at all, and it wasn't toxic; it just changed color."

"How is this possible?" Cheng Ye frowned, but immediately nodded to Luo Xiaoxue to calm down.
"Don't panic, let me check the situation."

He strode to the door, quietly opened his personal panel, and his heart skipped a beat when his gaze fell on Liu Yi's information panel.

[Liu Yi, 100%, Searchable range: Intelligence, Skills]

A search option appeared on Liu Yi's panel?

It's no surprise that the little one was extremely cooperative with him; just look at the blissful, squinting look on her face as she ate the canned strawberries—you can tell just how amazing the "power" of the canned fruit is.

But when he checked last time, Liu Yi's panel was still blank, with no skills or even an intelligence option!
"Could it be that his superpowers have awakened?" Cheng Ye wondered to himself.

Liu Yi has loved growing vegetables and tinkering with these things since she was a child. Is it because she has related genetic abilities hidden in her body?
Previously, due to the planting curse in Shi Province, his superpowers had not been able to manifest until Tan Ming lifted the curse and restored the vitality of the land, at which point this latent ability was incidentally activated.

"Sister Luo, you haven't told anyone else about this, have you?" Cheng Ye asked, turning his head to the side.

“No, I haven’t even told his father yet. I’m just afraid it might be some…” Luo Xiaoxue’s expression was complicated, tinged with worry. “Recently, a large number of new people have been flooding into the buffer zone. Who knows if they might bring some strange or unusual sources of infection? Yi Yi used to be protected at home by me, so the probability of her getting infected was extremely small. But recently, she’s been in contact with teachers and has met quite a few other children.”

"It's not an infection, don't overthink it. I think I know the reason. Wait for me a moment," Cheng Ye quickly interrupted her speculation.

Fortunately, I still have 10% charge left, enough for one Lv1 skill search.

He silently recited the "search" command, and Liu Yi's detailed panel slowly unfolded.

Search successful

[Liu Yi]

[Lv1 Skill]: Plant Affinity, Basic Trait Induction

"There are two more skills?"

Cheng Ye glanced over them, and while surprised, he began to understand why there were different colored cabbages.

He casually tapped on the basic trait induction, added it to his skill bar, and turned to go back to his bedroom.

Squatting in front of the flowerpots, he gently touched the colorful cabbages. With the help of the vitality runes, he could directly see the green energy flowing inside the cabbages.

The ability that Tan Ming's envoy granted him was to tear these green light spots out and then transform them into the Blood Shadow Legion through the withered runes.

After uninstalling Tan Ming's Messenger, even using only the basic trait induction, I was still able to slightly move the green energy.

After fiddling around for a moment, Cheng Ye got up and returned to the living room, pondering as he asked, "Yi Yi, the cabbages you planted are really special. When you planted them, did you specifically try to grow them in different colors?"

"Yes, yes!" Liu Yi nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. "Yi Yi wants to grow lots and lots of different colored cabbages to give to her friends as gifts!"

The truth came out.

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and turned to Luo Xiaoxue, asking, "Sister Luo, did any of my ancestors, including yours and Brother B, have been superhumans or people with special abilities?"

“This…” Luo Xiaoxue frowned, pondering carefully. “You mean superpowers are hereditary? Your brother B’s family probably doesn’t have that. But my grandfather did obtain a rare treasure back then, though he ultimately didn’t become a superhuman or a person with superpowers.”

After saying that, she quickly went into the bedroom, rummaged through drawers and cabinets for a while, and finally found a yellowed notebook.

Turning to the middle of the notebook, several pages were filled with records of a series of kinship relationships, but much of the writing had been crossed out and was illegible.

"My grandfather, Luo Feng, disappeared not long after obtaining that treasure. By my father's generation, after I was born, he was caught in the chaos of the extraordinary world and died in the crossfire of the battles between the extraordinary beings. It's just too difficult to trace back to what happened back then." Luo Xiaoxue traced the name on the notebook with her fingertips, her tone full of melancholy.

"Yi Yi has likely awakened a special ability, most likely related to the treasure your grandfather obtained back then. Is there any way to trace the clues now?"

Cheng Ye quickly scanned the notes. The crossed-out names were obviously those of people who had passed away, but a small portion of the names were still left on the notes, perhaps containing clues.

“My cousin, who is also my grandfather’s brother and his son, might know some inside information.”

Luo Xiaoxue's fingertip moved slightly, finally landing on two words.

Luo You.

"However, he's not in Happiness City, but in the neighboring Guangdong Province. The last time your Brother B went to Guangdong Province to catch up with him was seven years ago."

"It's been so long," Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh.

But it must be said that this is the norm in the wasteland; loved ones are scattered in different places, and they may never see each other again in their lifetime.

Only someone like Liu Bi, a fourth-term prosecutor who could travel all over the country, had the opportunity to cross geographical boundaries and meet with his family.

"Is there any way to contact him remotely?" Cheng Ye pressed.

Luo Xiaoxue shook her head: "There's no other way. How about I find a merchant caravan that travels to and from Guangdong Province tomorrow and ask them to take a message over there?"

"Hmm," Cheng Ye thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "I don't know how many days it will take for the caravan to return after I leave this matter to them. My next field mission will most likely take me to Guangdong Province. I might as well go with Brother B and ask about the situation in person, which will be more reliable."

When it comes to matters involving supernatural abilities and treasures, remote communication is prone to errors; face-to-face communication is the only way to obtain the most accurate information.

Liu Yi's current abilities clearly fall into the category of dominant mutants with superpowers.

As Li Matai had previously stated, each use of this superpower would cause some damage to the body, and the more frequently it was used, the greater the impact on lifespan.

The best way to fully understand the origins of this superpower is to trace its source.

Cheng Ye's tone suddenly turned serious, "During this time, I will investigate your ancestral history, Sister Luo, and that related treasure. But until we find any clues, Sister Luo, Yi Yi absolutely cannot come into contact with any plants again!"

“I understand.” Luo Xiaoxue nodded. “That’s why I locked all those flowerpots in the bedroom a long time ago, and I didn’t dare let her touch them again.”

“Well, don’t worry too much.” Cheng Ye softened his tone. “Things are different now. Even if there are hidden dangers in Yi Yi’s abilities, I can guarantee that as long as she doesn’t come into contact with plants, she can live a healthy life like an ordinary person for decades.”

As Cheng Ye spoke, his gaze shifted to Liu Yi, who was sitting obediently on the sofa, and he felt a pang of pity.

Forcing a child who loves tinkering with plants to completely distance herself from flowers and plants would undoubtedly stifle her greatest interest and hobby, and bury this outstanding talent in the mundane.

However, when his gaze returned to the vitality rune in his hand, he thought of the vitality activation based on almost the same principle.

He shook his head again, then said definitively, "Don't worry, whether it's a superpower or a treasure, I'll take care of it!"

(End of this chapter)