Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 267 A Generous Inquiry into Road County: Davidson's Deal!

The two trucks arrived just in time.

The journey to Dabo Town is not short, and these two drivers don't usually drive that route. Now that they have an armed convoy escorting them, it's both safe and worry-free.

Mu Shuang drove the SUV at the front, with two armed pickup trucks protecting the two trucks from the front and back, forming a tight guard formation.

After the convoy struggled to get onto the national highway, the journey became much smoother.

When passing the checkpoint again, Cheng Ye deliberately got out of the car and looked around for a moment to get a clearer view of the industrial area's terrain, while also verifying the scene before him against the information Li Matai had provided earlier.

After passing the checkpoint, the journey to Dabo Town became much smoother.

The section of the road from the national highway to Wenlu County has been fully repaired, and the road surface is as smooth as the main road leading to the industrial zone. However, when turning from the border of Wenlu County to Dabo Town, you will inevitably have to drive on a bumpy and bad road.

As the vehicle swayed and bumped its way into Dabo Town, the two teams of workers arranged by Lei Hu had already arrived and were waiting to unload the truck.

"Station Chief Lei has taken over Brother B's position, so Brother B should be back soon."

Cheng Ye watched as the workers carefully lifted the equipment off the truck and meticulously wrapped it with waterproof cloth on the open ground, pondering to himself.

Compared to Lei Hu, Liu Bi's qualifications are clearly inferior.

As the stationmaster of the South Station and the fifth-phase inspector, Lei Hu was a likely successor to the stationmaster of Xingfu City. He not only had a lot of influence, but his network of connections and relationships was also far deeper than Liu Bi's.

Moreover, although he was as straightforward as Liu Bi, as the station chief, he understood human relationships to some extent and was more shrewd than Liu Bi.

With him in charge of the industrial zone, even if the satellite cities below had complaints about those "defective products," none of them dared to actually confront Lei Hu. He could suppress not only the second and third phase inspectors, but even the fourth phase.

However, Liu Bi, who is also in the fourth phase, has some difficulty even in restraining those in the third phase.

"Old Ding's arrangement was absolutely right. Many questions became clear after a trip to the site, and it also helped to avoid a lot of unnecessary explanations and arguments when I gave my report back."

Cheng Ye sighed inwardly, realizing that he couldn't even learn 30% of Ding Yishan's scheming skills in the power arena.

Fortunately, Yueye Shelter City is a newly built project, and he personally selected all the staff, so he didn't have to take over a mess. Otherwise, given his current personality, he would probably be so troubled that he would have to use his superpowers.

By the time the unloading was completed, it was past noon.

The cleanup work in Dabo Town is still ongoing, with personnel drawn from the Legion carrying out a comprehensive disinfection inside and out.

Without armor to protect him, Cheng Ye had to temporarily suppress his desire to explore the cave.

After instructing the cleaning staff to help look after the equipment, the convoy rushed to Wenlu County without stopping.

Along the way, Cheng Ye pondered repeatedly. After learning about the satellite cities and his experiences in Dongping Town, he finally determined the route and infrastructure plan for Dabo Town.

Connecting Xingfu City and the industrial zone directly to the national highway would be the most convenient option, but it would also be the most expensive. Giving up Wenlu County, which is nearby and has a population of 100,000, would obviously not be a wise move.

Raul had previously mentioned that Wenlu County would provide additional subsidies if the road from Dabo Town to Wenlu County were to be built.

Why not repair this section of road first to connect the two places? Later, when Dabo Town has developed, we can plan for a long-term connection to the national highway. In any case, the two are not in conflict.

Wenlu County will not restrict him from repairing the section leading to the national highway in the future!
"Well, the next step is to discuss the specific amount of the subsidy. Fortunately, I have connections in Wenlu County." Cheng Ye began to think to himself.

Three prosecutors who served five terms.

Needless to say, given Zhou Changhai's current contributions and rising momentum, this "fence-sitter" would probably not mind doing him a favor.

Lin Bao is a staunch supporter of the Eastern people and would not oppose Wenlu County connecting Dabo Town and achieving linkage between the two places, thus increasing his voice in Wenlu County.

The only person I hadn't met was Raul's father, Evan Davidson, the deputy stationmaster of the North Station.

However, he had a good relationship with Towns before, so if there was a conflict, he could easily have Towns mediate.

The plan goes through!
As thoughts raced through my mind, the outline of Wenlu County Satellite City, formerly the Wenlu County Logistics Park, was already faintly appearing in my field of vision.

It is a very regular, flat area, eight times the size of Dabo Town in terms of area alone.

There is also an unfinished airport nearby, and the potential for future expansion is indeed immeasurable.

As for the original site of Wenlu County, which is the area around the ancient county town, there are currently no signs of restoration.

It seems that after on-site investigation, it was found that the cost of repair was far higher than that of new construction, so the project was temporarily shelved.

However, it is foreseeable that Wenlu County has a lot of room for expansion in the future, unlike Dabo Town, which can only slowly develop the surrounding wasteland and promote construction little by little.

After driving for about another kilometer, we arrived at the checkpoint in Wenlu County.

The concrete guard post, though not aesthetically pleasing, effectively blocks the entire road, and an alloy fence has been built next to it, ensuring maximum security.

"Halt!" The loudspeaker inside the sentry post blared out, the voice serious and crisp.

Cheng Ye did not get out of the car, allowing Wu Rui and Mu Shuang to come forward to communicate and coordinate.

Because the itinerary was reported in advance, a clearance slip stamped with the official seal of the checkpoint was handed out in less than half a minute, and the convoy passed through the initial screening checkpoint without any hindrance.

The wheels rolled over the road behind the outpost, the feel of which was completely different from the bumpy ride in the wilderness. The disorder and desolation outside were completely shut out, and a rich atmosphere of civilization instantly rushed towards us.

Cheng Ye sat up straight, rolled down the passenger window, and carefully examined this rapidly rising satellite city.

The road is newly paved asphalt concrete, so shiny black that it reflects the clouds in the sky. It is a wide road with eight lanes in both directions, separated in the middle by a half-meter-high green belt planted with pine and cypress seedlings that have not yet fully taken root, carrying the moist scent of freshly turned soil.

The sidewalks on both sides have already taken shape, paved with light gray permeable bricks. A few tenacious wild grasses sprout out from the cracks between the bricks, but they are trimmed neatly, without compromising the overall sense of order.

Every fifty meters, there is a solar street light, just like the one on the overpass. The design is simple and neat, the pole is made of silver-gray alloy, and the base is made of thick concrete, so it can stand as solid as a rock even in the fierce winds of the wilderness.

It seems that there is no electricity yet; the lamps hang low and quiet, like soldiers standing in formation, silently guarding this road to civilization.

As your gaze moves from the roadside to the roadside, rows of prefabricated houses are neatly arranged.

Although prefabricated houses were not used in the residential areas of Wenlu County, these construction teams from outside the county and the personnel responsible for patrolling and duty all needed temporary housing.

Concrete building construction takes too long, so prefabricated houses are the safest option right now.

The exterior walls of the prefabricated houses are uniformly painted light blue, and the roofs are covered with corrugated steel sheets. Each house is equipped with standardized doors and windows, and simple nameplates are hung at the door indicating the construction team number. Occasionally, you can also see words such as "Regional Materials Management Office" and "Temporary Medical Point".

In the open space between the prefabricated houses, a simple parking lot and activity area have been set up, with several construction vehicles parked in an orderly manner, and a row of silver charging piles standing next to them.

It's exactly the same style as the one on the pedestrian street.

According to the color-coding rules of Xingfu City, the power of this silver charging pile should only be 60kw. Obviously, the main power line of Xingfu City has been laid in advance, rather than being slowly built from the industrial area. This shows the high priority of infrastructure construction in Wenlu County.

As the car continued its journey, the overall outline of Wenlu County's satellite city became increasingly clear.

In the distant core area, several high-rise buildings are beginning to take shape, with reinforced concrete frames rising from the ground. The tallest building is estimated to be over ten stories high, and the tower crane at the top is still operating slowly, its boom drawing steady arcs in the air, continuously delivering steel bars, cement and other building materials to the construction site.

The road network between the buildings has already taken shape, like a giant chessboard, dividing the satellite city into clearly defined functional blocks. Even though Cheng Ye hadn't seen the construction drawings for Wenlu County, he could vaguely sense that the construction standards here were definitely more "modern" than the buffer zone, or even the inner city.

The key reason is that Wenlu County is a product of Xingfu City's development at a certain stage and after accumulating sufficient strength.

At the beginning of the new era, the construction of the inner city was in dire need of resources. Various materials had to be pieced together to barely meet the requirements, which led to the inner city's style tending towards a "small but beautiful" county town model.

Today, Wenlu County is taking on a "large and comprehensive" city-level scale, demonstrating the current strength and confidence of Xingfu City.

As the convoy traveled three kilometers, the roadside scenery gradually transitioned from temporary facilities to semi-permanent buildings.

Several steel-structured factory buildings have been completed, and the huge factory gates are open. Inside, large mechanical equipment being installed can be clearly seen, and the crisp sound of metal colliding can be faintly heard, exuding a vigorous atmosphere of production.

Next to the factory, the supporting substation and sewage treatment plant are also under construction. Blue protective netting covers the entire construction area, and a red banner hanging on it that reads "Safety First, Quality Foremost" flutters in the wind, making it particularly eye-catching.

The roadside green belts are becoming more and more orderly. In addition to the pine and cypress trees we saw earlier, many drought-resistant shrubs and flowers have been planted. Although they are not yet lush and leafy, the well-arranged layout already shows signs of careful planning.

"Who designed the plan for Wenlu County?" Cheng Ye asked, turning around.

“It’s the team led by Engineer Xi Yan that’s in charge,” Mu Shuang replied without hesitation. “He’s the deputy director of the Inner City Public Works Bureau. The planning for Wenlu County actually had a plan a long time ago, which is why it’s progressing so quickly now.”

"Xi Yan," Cheng Ye murmured the name.

Happiness City hasn't expanded on a large scale for over a decade, so it's not surprising that these engineers, who are usually quite busy, would do some regional planning ahead of time.

But to have planned Wenlu County to this level, Xi Yan would certainly be a prominent figure even in modern times, at least no less than his graduate advisor.

Great!

Next, I can take some time to get in touch with this "expert" and learn more about architectural knowledge that is more suitable for the wasteland environment.

As the convoy continued its journey, a completed checkpoint came into view, with a sign above the entrance that read "Wenlu North Checkpoint".

It is much larger than the guard post at the entrance, and its main body is made of thickened steel plates. The surface is sprayed with anti-corrosion black paint and has a solemn metallic luster.

The checkpoint spans the entire eight lanes, leaving only two passageways in the middle, each equipped with a retractable crash barrier. The barriers are as thick as an adult's thigh, and the hydraulic system at the bottom is faintly visible.

Two three-story observation towers stand on either side, surrounded by high-definition cameras and infrared detectors. The cameras slowly rotate as the convoy moves, providing comprehensive, blind-spot-free monitoring.

Although this checkpoint is merely a facade compared to the facilities at the Happiness City headquarters, as it is constructed entirely of ordinary steel and does not employ any insulating alloys capable of preventing attacks from infected entities.

But compared to the other satellite cities Cheng Ye had seen along the way, it was already incredibly luxurious.

What Cheng Ye found even more amusing was the inspectors sitting at the two separate checkpoints.

One of them was a Western prosecutor, which wasn't unusual.

The other one was Raul, who had been in charge of infrastructure coordination some time ago. He was sitting at the right-hand branch, watching the convoy slowly approach with a focused expression.

"Go to passage number 2."

Mu Shuang turned the steering wheel, and the SUV drove straight toward Raul's location.

"Halt! Get out of the vehicle and submit to inspection." Raul's voice rang out precisely as they arrived at the checkpoint.

Westerners never assign extra staff to assist the inspectors, so Raul was the only one sitting behind the inspection table in the inspection area.

Judging from his posture, he had mastered the process perfectly, showing no signs of unfamiliarity.

But as soon as Cheng Ye opened the car door and got out, Raul's serious expression instantly vanished.

"Prosecutor Cheng, you've arrived!"

He strode forward, his seemingly calm expression masking an undisguised delight in his eyes.

Cheng Ye understood immediately. It seemed that others didn't know about what happened in Dabo Town, but Raul's father, Davidson, definitely knew and had already informed his son in advance.

"Prosecutor Ivan, how have you been?" Cheng Ye smiled and nodded.

“I’m hardly an inspector, Inspector Cheng, you’re joking.” Raul quickly shook his head, reached out and pressed the button to open the isolation door. “I’m just here to help with the duty and relieve some of the pressure.”

"What, aren't you going to practice the inspection process on me?" Cheng Ye joked as he walked into the inspection area.

“How could I dare?” Raul scratched his head, then lowered his voice and got straight to the point, “My father is already inside waiting for you, and wants to discuss a deal with you.”

"A deal?" Cheng Ye repeated expressionlessly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“The construction of satellite cities has entered a stable period, and all checkpoints need manpower to be responsible for basic duties. Therefore, this time the checkpoints will expand recruitment, releasing fifty positions at once.”

Raul bowed slightly and said respectfully, "My spot is already secured, but I have three younger brothers who are short one spot. They might need Prosecutor Cheng's help to cast a vote."

"Oh?" Cheng Ye was slightly surprised. "Your whole family wants to become prosecutors?"

“Yes.” Raul nodded, his tone carrying a hint of certainty. “From a young age, we are taught to familiarize ourselves with the various job procedures of prosecutors. Of course, we can’t compare to Prosecutor Cheng. Someone like you is destined to roam the wilderness and leave behind a legendary legacy that shakes the wasteland. You won’t waste your time on tedious and repetitive duties.”

They really know how to say a string of nice things, one after another, and they speak so flawlessly.

After saying that, Raul added, "The repetitive work of guarding satellite cities and happy cities should naturally be done by us cogs in the machine. Rest assured, my brother's professional skills are up to standard. Anyone who can get the voting qualification is an excellent reserve personnel recognized by the checkpoint."

Cheng Ye remained unmoved and continued to ask, "But I'm just a trainee prosecutor right now, so I shouldn't have the right to vote, right?"

“That’s true now, but that doesn’t mean you will be in the future.” Raul bowed even lower, his tone clearly conciliatory. “Station Chief Cheng, if you need manpower, Raul is willing to go to Yueye Shelter City and serve as a responsible inspector for you.”

Oh?

This guy even knows about the upcoming personnel changes at the checkpoint; he's a true "second-generation prosecutor."

Cheng Ye's tone carried a hint of a smile: "Everyone knows this news, right?"

“Don’t worry, only the prosecutors in the fifth phase know about this,” Raul quickly explained. “The reason my father told me was because there might have been some minor conflicts between you and me before, and he wanted me to be more discerning and not choose the wrong side.”

"Alright, let's save the nice words for later." Cheng Ye waved his hand and got to the point, "I want to build a road connecting Dabo Town to Wenlu County. Can your father make the decision?"

“Yes, my father happens to be in charge of the road infrastructure.” Raul straightened up, pointed to the asphalt road outside, and said with a hint of pride, “You should have seen the changes over this period of time. What do you think of the road construction?”

"Not bad, really not bad!" Cheng Ye nodded sincerely. The section of road that Raul had supervised was indeed of excellent quality and was repaired very neatly.

As for how many years it will last or whether it will have problems, no one in modern society can guarantee that. Accidents happen frequently in the wasteland. If there are problems, we can just fix them. The worst thing is not being able to find someone to take responsibility.

"Alright, our starting condition is that we will build a four-lane road to Dabo Town for you free of charge, with all the configurations according to the standard specifications you see now."

Raul smiled and offered his bargaining chip, "As for whether it can be turned into a six-lane or eight-lane road, that depends on the outcome of your negotiations with my father!"

(End of this chapter)