Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 269 Fifth-Term Defection, The Beginning of the Storm!

After finalizing a deal worth a million points, the two sat down again.

This time, Davidson didn't hide anything and pulled out several tea cakes from under the table, of various kinds.

Besides the cloud and mist tea from Saskatchewan, there is also Gui tea from Guangdong province, black tea from Hai province, and Shaqing tea from Xinjiang province. Each tea exudes a unique and rich aroma that is refreshing and delightful.

However, Cheng Ye is no longer very enthusiastic about these simple culinary desires. He asked curiously, "Can these tea plants be transplanted to the area around Happiness City?"

"It's possible to grow them, but the taste of the finished product can't be guaranteed."

Davidson nodded in reply. As a fifth-term inspector with a vast network of connections in the industrial zone, he had obviously known about the lifting of the ban on planting for some time.

In fact, considering the series of recent events, anyone in the know can guess that Cheng Ye and the opening of the planting in Xingfu City are inextricably linked.

With such great merit in planting, it wouldn't be unreasonable to make him the station chief of Yueye Shelter City, let alone promote him to the checkpoint station chief. The only question is whether he can hold onto his "trainee" position.

“Going back a hundred years, my ancestors did not live in Stone Province, but in the vast west on the other side of the sea.” Davidson took the initiative to talk about his background. “He had a large farm and also ran a lot of agricultural machinery manufacturing plants, so this kind of knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation, and I know it quite well.”

After revealing his identity, Davinson casually opened a tea bag and dropped it into the teapot.

Although he exudes the same refinement as Towns, his tea-making technique is far more crude; he simply lifts the kettle lid, throws in the tea leaves, and pours in boiling water to brew.

Soon, a rich aroma, resembling both red wine and milk tea, wafted from the pot, with a unique flavor.

"After the advent of the extraordinary era, the seeds of crops from the past are basically unable to take root and sprout."

Davidson slowly explained, "Some characteristics of the soil have changed, or rather, some new rules and restrictions have been added. Those old seeds didn't even qualify to obtain nutrients for growth. Only the seeds that humans later cultivated specifically for the soil's characteristics were able to grow normally."

"Currently, there are three main types of crops: Xinhuo No. 4 wheat, Ziranli No. 3 wheat, and Tahitian No. 2 rice."

"Xinhuo No. 4 wheat was the first suitable variety to be mass-produced. Its stalks are as thick as a forearm, making it resistant to wind, sand and rain. The yield is about 335 kilograms per mu. The outer shell of the wheat grains has a layer of light golden wax, and the flour has extremely high gluten content, making it suitable for making hard bread and wheat cakes. It is not picky about soil fertility and can take root even in semi-desert improved fields. Moreover, it can slowly nourish the body and improve physical fitness and endurance after consumption."

"Natural No. 3 is much more delicate. It must be planted in fertile, well-irrigated river valley terraces, with a yield of about 310 kilograms per mu. The grains are plump and translucent, with a natural sweetness. Its core advantage is its high nutrient density. Long-term consumption can gently enhance the human immune system. The straw can also be used as high-quality organic fertilizer after being crushed. However, due to the harsh planting conditions, the yield has always been limited."

"Tahiti No. 2 rice is a benchmark for aquatic adaptability. It must be planted in shallow wetlands with clean water and deep soil, and the yield is about 280 kilograms per mu. The grains are oval with silvery awns. After being hulled, the cooked rice is soft, sticky and chewy, and has a faint aroma of aquatic algae. It has the best taste among the three crops. It has no special effects, but its strength lies in its pure flavor."

Davidson spoke with great familiarity, clearly possessing a deep understanding of these crops, consistent with his years of experience traveling abroad.

After he finished speaking, he opened the Defense Communicator and displayed pictures of three crops. The wheat ears were thick and the grains were full, visually conveying the resilience suitable for the wasteland.

However, the yield per mu was actually 20% to 30% lower than that of modern times?

Cheng Ye was surprised, but then he thought about the special effects of these crops, such as enhancing physical fitness and boosting immunity, so reducing the yield per acre was reasonable.

However, this makes it difficult for small communities to make a living by farming. The yield per acre is not outstanding, so they have to expand the planting area. As the area expands, the risk of encountering infectious agents and extreme weather will also increase exponentially.

“Besides these three mainstream crops, there are hundreds of other types, but they are all varieties cultivated by the local sheltered cities themselves and cannot be promoted on a large scale,” Davidson added. “Moreover, most of these niche varieties are of average quality, and many are even less practical than these three core crops.”

"First, we need to assess the land characteristics of Happiness City and understand its tendencies. This is actually determined by the extraordinary plants that grew here in the past. Their characteristics, combined with the remnants, will bring special benefits or detrimental effects to the land."

"For example, the crops grown in the Fire-Sheltered City have a minimum standard of taste, no matter how bad they are. So they simply go all the way down this path, not worrying about flavor, but only focusing on the basic utility and yield per acre of food."

Davidson's explanation was simple and easy to understand, but Cheng Ye immediately realized that he had not had in-depth knowledge of the extraordinary field.

The so-called "special qualities of extraordinary plants" should essentially be the residual life rules they retain.

These rules may still be buried underground, but given Tan Ming's previous influence, it's hard to say whether they can still exist today. Perhaps the land of Shi Province has long lost its special characteristics and is just as "ordinary" as modern times.

"Aren't you planning to plant it around Wenlu County?" Cheng Ye asked.

“There are no plans for that at the moment.” Davidson shook his head slightly. “I’m only responsible for the development of Wenlu County. The problems of reclaiming the surrounding areas have to be left to others. Otherwise, a small problem could ruin the current good situation.”

He paused, his tone steady, "There are still many problems to solve. We have to take it one step at a time. We need to clear enough land first before we talk about planting. Besides, the situation outside is not optimistic. Once the surrounding protected cities find out that we can plant, they will most likely take action."

Cheng Ye agreed wholeheartedly, and their eyes met again, both understanding each other's meaning.

He had also asked Lin Bao this question.

But Lin Bao gave the opposite answer, saying only that they should build the city first and then expand the wilderness.

But Devonson had many other considerations, including not only the difficulties of pioneering but also external changes.

The significance of planting in Happiness City goes far beyond simply having an additional core resource; it also lies in making up for previous shortcomings and filling the gaps in the "weakest link" effect.

During the construction of the satellite city, assassins and mercenaries infiltrated the area, and mysterious outbreaks of infection occurred frequently. Now that the news of the planting has been made public, those forces hiding in the shadows will likely become even more rampant.

However, neither of them discussed security further, as it was the Legion's responsibility, and if necessary, there would be superhumans to oversee things.

The prosecutor's core role is to expand and maintain the status quo; there's no need to get too entangled with these "rats."

After chatting for a while about economic development, Cheng Ye got up to say goodbye, staying for exactly ten minutes less than when he talked with Lin Bao earlier—just the right amount of time.

Once downstairs, his eyesight was excellent, and he immediately spotted a figure flashing by not far from the building, quickly disappearing behind the roadside fence.

"Lin Bao's methods are too crude. Does he really think everyone is as straightforward as him?"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

After getting in the car, he did not immediately order a return to the buffer zone, but instead had Mu Shuang take a detour to Zhou Changhai's territory.

To everyone's surprise, it turned out that Zhou Changhai had already left Wenlu County two days ago.

Once the construction progress here stabilized, he returned to the buffer zone, and even Xi Yan, who was in charge of the architectural design, went back with him. However, he was unable to strike up a conversation with the deputy director of the Inner City Public Works Department.

"Does this mean the higher-ups are going to change the plans for Wenlu County?"

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely sensed that a storm was brewing.

An era of great strife seems to be just around the corner.

If we rewind ten years, when the recuperation period had just begun, even if Happiness City had a wealth of resources, it would have been impossible for them to invest in construction and make such a large-scale, unrestrained layout.

But things are different now; everyone is doing their utmost to find and seize opportunities.

Davidson's willingness to spend millions of contribution points on a trade demonstrates his keen awareness of the changing times.

He, in a way, benefited from the upcoming changes and gained opportunities he never dared to dream of before.

The convoy left Wenlu County and traveled smoothly along the smooth national highway, speeding towards the buffer zone.

The national highway itself hadn't changed much, but the number of people active in the ruins of Chuan City was more than ten times greater than when I last came. I wondered if the Hundred Ghosts Gang had come out in full force to prepare for land reclamation, or if a large number of refugees and scavengers had poured into the area.

After returning to the safe area through Exit D of the South Station, the four vehicles need to undergo thorough disinfection, which will take most of the day.

Leaving Mu Shuang to handle the follow-up matters, Cheng Ye did not rush to report for duty. Instead, he went back to his residential area to take a cold shower and change into a clean set of new clothes before heading towards the central station.

My memory of walking to Central Station for duty a few months ago is a bit hazy, and the road feels even more unfamiliar because of the renovation.

Cheng Ye walked around, stopping frequently, his gaze sweeping over the changes in the neighborhood. Not only were the underground pipelines completely overhauled, but the overall environment of the buffer zone was improving at a visible speed.

Newly built affordable housing buildings have sprung up, and the previously planned mobile medical points have been implemented. Every few blocks, you can see a convenient clinic with a sign that reads "XX Medical Point".

What surprised Cheng Ye the most was that the workers on the roadside had genuine smiles of satisfaction on their faces, and the women who were helping out were all full of enthusiasm, showing no signs of the listlessness they had shown in the past when they were struggling through hardship.

In just over two months, with the help of the Traveler and the crazy spending of Happiness City, the buffer zone was no longer the temporary area that shielded the inner city from chaos and filled with barrenness.

It is slowly taking root and growing, like a tender bud breaking through the soil in early spring, exuding an unstoppable vitality.

But precisely because of this, no one wants to go back to the past.

Return to those days of fear and uncertainty, return to the days when large numbers of residents left Happiness City with backpacks and bitter faces in search of a way to survive, return to that summer in my memory that should have been hot, but instead appeared desolate, known as "Starfish".

Cheng Ye suddenly stopped and raised his hand to rub his temples.

He felt more and more clearly that as his strength and power grew, the troubles weighing on his shoulders not only did not decrease, but became more complex and numerous.

Some inexplicable responsibilities quietly crept into his heart, pushing him forward relentlessly, unable to stop.

Without a doubt, he enjoyed the process.

He not only felt a genuine sense of happiness and satisfaction from seeing everything improving before his eyes.

Furthermore, due to the continuous positive feedback, whether it is the improvement of strength, the growth of power, or the steady progress forward, every step is taken very steadily.

But what if someone can't shoulder this responsibility and this pressure?
But what if someone keeps hesitating or even regressing?
Turning a block, the massive central station appeared at the edge of the horizon, blocking out the vast wilderness.

Cheng Ye quickened his pace slightly, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts, and stepped into the work area through the side door.

This was, in fact, his first time reporting to the stationmaster's building.

The quaint little building looked very charming. Cheng Ye couldn't help but imagine the stationmaster building he would build for Yue Ye when he took office.

However, as they walked downstairs, two teams of guards emerged from the shadows.

The head of the guards stepped forward respectfully and said, "Inspector Cheng, the station chief has gone to a meeting in the inner city. Please wait on the first floor."

"It's nothing." Cheng Ye waved his hand and walked into the stationmaster's building.

The first floor has been transformed into a work area of ​​about 400 square meters, which looks very similar to a large print shop.

Behind each of the construction barriers sat people, hurriedly compiling materials and producing output.

This could involve compiling data from various sources or organizing and categorizing existing data.

Cheng Ye curiously took a look around, but to his disappointment, the computers here all used command-line operating systems, which made him dizzy.

Seeing his curiosity, a clerk specially brought him a textbook that had been distributed as part of the "Spiritual Torch" program.

Cheng Ye sat in the waiting area, quietly flipping through the textbook. The text was clear and concise, pointing out the core advantages of the command-line system right from the beginning.

It lacks the redundancy of a graphical interface, runs much faster than visualization systems, and can improve efficiency several times over when processing massive data aggregation and batch material generation.

More importantly, it is precise. Lines of instructions directly connect to the core program, and there are almost no compatibility issues or lag problems with the graphics system, making it particularly suitable for processing classified materials and important data.

It also has a high degree of customizability. Users can write exclusive scripts for different tasks to complete repetitive tasks such as format standardization and data classification in batches, saving a lot of manual operations.

"Hmm, that's an advantage I hadn't thought of!"

Cheng Ye became increasingly engrossed in watching, influenced by his preconceived notions about graphical interfaces, and hadn't expected these benefits.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious: the entry barrier is too high, there are no visual icons to guide you, and all operations rely on precise command codes.

Moreover, the operation process is too tedious, with dense strings of text lacking intuitive feedback, and staring at the screen for a long time can easily cause fatigue.

Considering that he would inevitably need to conduct research in this area in the future, Cheng Ye patiently reviewed the materials at hand.

However, from 3 p.m. until dusk, the afterglow of the sunset gradually faded into a gray twilight, and the outlines of the buildings outside the checkpoint became blurred, but Ding Yishan still had not returned.

All the lights in the first-floor office area were turned on, the bright white light dispelling the gloom inside, but unable to penetrate the increasingly dark night outside the window.

Cheng Ye closed the book, picked up his defense communication device, and glanced at it. It was already 6:40 PM.

He was hesitating whether to pack his things, go back to recharge, study the characteristics he found from Yu Yong, and get things done at the research institute as soon as possible before coming back to report for duty tomorrow.

Just then, the sound of tires crunching in the distance finally came from not far away, accompanied by the low warning hum of a motor at low speed, growing louder as it approached.

Two military green pickup trucks bearing checkpoint markings came to a steady stop in front of the stationmaster's building.

In the car in front, Jiang Chuan pushed open the door and jumped out, his movements as swift and decisive as ever. But when the passenger door opened, Ding Yishan stepped out, his back bent, his figure more hunched than usual, his face full of unconcealed weariness and vicissitudes.

Why is Lao Ding so exhausted after a month apart?
Cheng Ye was startled, but when his gaze swept over the second car, he was even more stunned.

The car doors opened one after another, and Harlin got out of the passenger seat, but when the two back doors opened, it was Lei Hu and Tang Si, the two station chiefs on duty at the North and South stations!
Wait a minute, wasn't Lei Hu coordinating the transfer of equipment in the industrial zone this morning? Why is he suddenly back in the buffer zone for a meeting now?

Cheng Ye was surprised, but Ding Yishan had already stepped into the first floor, his leather shoes making a soft sound as they rolled across the threshold.

Harlin, Lei Hu, and Towns followed closely behind, all three with their heads down and brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

Even after seeing Cheng Ye standing at the door, the four of them didn't relax their tense expressions in the slightest.

Ding Yishan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was extremely low, tinged with a hint of solemnity: "Cheng Ye, you come too."

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye was taken aback, vaguely sensing that something big was about to happen, but he couldn't ask any more questions and could only follow behind the four people.

Upon reaching the second-floor conference room, Lei Hu and Tang Si sat directly on the sofas on either side of the reception area, while Harlin pulled over the only chair in the room and sat to the left of the desk.

Cheng Ye was looking around when Jiang Chuan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a folding chair.

He smiled, nodded, and accepted the desk, then sat down on the right side of the desk near the door.

The checkpoint chief, deputy chief, and two duty officers—four powerful figures at the top of the buffer zone's authority—were all gathered in one room.

Although he had already demystified the fifth-term prosecutor after dealing with Lin Bao and Davidson, Cheng Ye still couldn't help but feel a little nervous being in the same room with these four people.

"I thought this day would come when I took office in Yueye, but it's happened way too early now."

Thinking to himself, Cheng Ye observed the expressions on the four people's faces without making a sound.

It was clear that this was not a good thing. Even Towns was frowning, his fingers frantically tapping on the defense communication device, as if he was trying to contact the outside world to send a message.

Lei Hu also held the defense communication device, glancing at it every now and then, probably waiting for some news.

Ding Yishan took out a stack of documents from his bag and flipped through them, while Harlin slowly picked up the kettle, poured himself a cup of hot water, and sipped it slowly.

The four of them reacted differently, but fortunately, no one paid attention to his thoughts. They all remained silent and pondered, not rushing to speak.

But the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive, like dark clouds gathering before a storm, making one's heart tighten and making it hard to breathe.

He didn't know if it was two or three minutes, or four or five minutes, when Cheng Ye was feeling a bit uneasy.

Ding Yishan finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on him, his tone heavy and serious:
"Zhou Changhai has defected!"

what?
Zhou Changhai has defected?

Just as Ding Yishan turned his head, Cheng Ye had already prepared himself mentally, but after hearing the complete news, he still couldn't believe his ears and was so shocked that he almost stood up from his chair.

He even went to see Zhou Changhai that afternoon. Wasn't he supposed to have returned to the buffer zone? How could he have defected so quickly?

A fifth-term prosecutor chose to defect at a crucial juncture when Happiness City was about to expand on a large scale and reach its peak.
This is simply unbelievable!
"Zhou Changhai, along with seven other prosecutors, left with him."

Ding Yishan's voice was so cold it almost sent chills down your spine. "They planned all of this in advance. They secretly left the Happiness City area a week ago. Those who stayed here afterward were all pre-trained doubles."

"When they left, they took nearly thirty important talents from our Happiness City with them, including Xi Yan, deputy director of the Inner City Public Works Bureau; Gu Zhiyong, chief engineer of the Core Energy Research Institute; Lu Yu, head of the City Defense Technology Department; and Zhang Shun, a level-five researcher at the Inner City Research Institute!"

boom!
Like a bolt from the blue, Cheng Ye felt his head buzzing.

Every name Ding Yishan mentioned was an indispensable pillar of Happiness City.

They may not hold supreme power, but they certainly possess a wealth of key technologies and core secrets.

Especially Zhang Shun, a Level 5 researcher, is one of the six core members of the research institute, on par with Shi Xuping, and is also a veteran of the checkpoint research institute.

These people were all coerced by Zhou Changhai into defecting?

"Does he have that ability?" Cheng Ye asked instinctively.

In the past, he might have had doubts, but after personally experiencing the power of superhumans, he simply did not believe that an ordinary fifth-term prosecutor could take away so many important figures without a sound.

Zhou Changhai is nothing but an opportunist who changes his mind with the wind. He is neither a ruthless character like Cheng Wu nor has the prestige of Cheng Long. How could he possibly do that?

“He naturally didn’t have the ability; it was external forces that funded him behind the scenes, which enabled him to complete these plans.”

Harlin took over the conversation, his expression extremely grave. "Through special methods of tracing the source, we have confirmed that Zhou Changhai secretly joined the extremist organization 'Starship' in Hai Province seven years ago. Over the years, he has been supplying Starship with important information about Happiness City, leaking secrets nearly a thousand times, and secretly transferring a large amount of resources to assist Starship in completing a series of extremist plans."

After saying that, he looked up at me, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity, "And you, the Wanling Earth Conch you previously contained was the work of the Starship Organization."

The words fell.

Cheng Ye was startled again, but the shock in his heart completely faded, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

It seems that a conspiracy had been ensnaring Happiness City for some time, and no one had been able to detect it beforehand.

"What do they want to do with the Wanling Earth Conch?" Cheng Ye asked in a deep voice.

Harlin's tone was icy, "If it weren't for this satellite city expansion, and you accidentally activated the celestial artifact and completed the containment ahead of schedule, once the Myriad Order Earth Conch erupted, it would have included Happiness City in its range of influence. At that time, it would have been a living hell."

Is the sudden appearance of the celestial artifact aimed at Happiness City?
Doesn't that mean.
"That Yueye Shelter City?"

"It was precisely because we were taking over Yueye Shelter City these past few days that we discovered abnormal information about the last wave of infection and traced the source through special methods, thus finding the problem."

Harlin continued, "After in-depth analysis, it can be determined that the infection wave in June was deliberately triggered, not a natural gathering. Starship used the infection wave to destroy Leaping Wilderness and led a large number of refugees to their deaths on the waterways, providing energy for the Immortals. During this period, the higher-ups of Leaping Wilderness had been infiltrated by them, which is why they were able to keep this matter completely secret and not share any information with us."

"When we took over Yueye and began to organize these materials and investigate the concealed information, Starship discovered that the plan was at risk of being exposed and chose to retreat immediately. Those who left with Zhou Changhai included one fourth-term, two third-term, and four second-term inspectors. It can be confirmed that they have all joined the Starship organization, and based on each person's field mission route, it can be inferred that the Starship organization's base should be located somewhere in Hai Province, most likely on an overseas island."

He paused, then coughed twice. "We still can't determine whether the technical talents he abducted were originally Starship members or were forcibly taken away because they were of use. But what we can confirm is that Zhou Changhai has left the vicinity of Happiness City by a thousand kilometers, and we have completely lost track of him."

A massive amount of information flooded in like a tidal wave.

Cheng Ye's gaze slowly swept over Ding Yishan and Harlin, then landed on Tang Si and Lei Hu's faces.

Since the news could bring together four core executives, its authenticity is beyond doubt.

Was Yueye's downfall actually caused by the extremist organization Starship?
The deaths of over 300,000 people, all just to achieve their evil plan?
The dissatisfaction and anger that had previously been directed at Yueye's top management for concealing information now turned into an indescribable chill, weighing heavily on his heart.

The cold-bloodedness and madness of these people had exceeded his imagination.

He pondered for a moment, then asked again, "Is Starship a newly formed organization? What is their purpose in attacking us?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Ding Yishan lowered his head and flipped through the documents on the table. Harlin shook his head slightly, and Lei Hu and Tang Si did not react at all.

do not know?
The vast city of Happiness, the overlord of Shi Province, couldn't even get information about the evil organization Starship?

"Starships are not a newly established organization, but so far, there are no records of them within the Spark Alliance. We only obtained their code name and general information through special means of tracing their origins. The so-called Starships refer to the colossal beings that visit planets. They are not satisfied with humanity's slow recovery of civilization, but want to quickly usher in the next wave of evolution."

Harlin explained, "We haven't been able to get any further information about where their organization came from, how many people they have, what their structure is like, whether they have any other ongoing plans, or whether they have any backup plans."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud "bang" suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the conference room!
Lei Hu tightened his grip on the defense device, and the next second he slammed the device hard onto the sofa armrest.

He abruptly stood up, his burly figure casting a deep shadow under the lamplight. His eyes were wide with anger, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. "We can't wait any longer! We don't even know the details of Starship, so how could our men possibly find their trail? I'll lead a team to Hai Province tomorrow and investigate thoroughly!"

"What kind of bullshit Starship is this? I've personally destroyed at least eight or ten evil organizations! They dare to set their sights on Happiness City?! Do they really think we're pushovers?!"

A thunderous sound rolled by, carrying an uncontrollable rage.

“I’ll go too.” Downs also slowly stood up, his usually gentle gaze now as deep as a bottomless pool. “I’ve been in the buffer zone for too long these past few years. It’s good to go out and take a look around, to see what kind of background this starship has, that it can watch hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives for a plan.”

Ok?
Cheng Ye was startled and looked at the two of them in astonishment.

Lei Hu has a fiery temper, so it's not surprising that he volunteered for the fight. But how many years has it been since Towns stepped out of the buffer zone?
The Hai Province is thousands of miles away, and the Starship Organization operates in secrecy. Let alone gathering intelligence, it is probably impossible for them to even protect themselves in the unfamiliar wilderness.

Before he could even express his admiration for the two men's courageous act of leading from the front, Ding Yishan slowly put down the documents in his hand, raised his eyelids, and calmly swept his gaze over the two men, his tone revealing no trace of joy or anger:
"Do you want to go out and investigate the Starship, or go out to lay low?"

(End of this chapter)