Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 284 Absolute Opposition, Cheng Long, the Guardian of Wishes! (Thanks to Ma Feifei from Qidian for the Alliance Leader award)
Wenlu County.

Cheng Ye made an apologetic gesture, quickly walked to an open space to the side, and asked in a low voice to the defense communication device, "Brother B? Why did you suddenly come to Dabo Town? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

As a fusion user of a malignant mother source, even with special suppression, Yu Yong's fusion degree with the Ghost Spider would still slowly increase, as well as suddenly surge from time to time.

In addition, Yu Yong has a quirky and eccentric personality, and in just half a month, he has already managed to suppress the fusion rampage once.

The two agreed on three rules: if the fusion went out of control twice within a month, Yu Yong would have to return to his private suppression room and be confined.

"My mission is over. I've come to check on your Dabo Town." Liu Bi's voice came through the communicator, his tone calm, but Cheng Ye could still imagine him squinting and scrutinizing him.

Before he could reply, Liu Bi immediately raised his voice, "I never expected that there would be such a special infected person hidden in your Dabo Town, who can move freely and blend into the crowd at will."

Liu Bi emphasized the words "mingle into the crowd".

"You mean Yu Yong?" Cheng Ye immediately realized what he meant and rubbed his temples. "Brother B, don't be impulsive. I'll be back in a bit. His situation is a bit special."

After saying that, he immediately added, "Yu Yong, you go back to the suppression room right now and wait for me. I don't want any more misunderstandings to happen, understand?"

There was silence on the other end of the communicator, and after a few seconds, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Cheng Ye quickly looked at the integration level indicator on the defense communication device. Seeing that the value had stopped increasing and instead slowly dropped by 3%, his anxiety eased slightly.

"Brother Cheng, are you alright?" Wang Kang walked over and asked quietly.

"It's alright, Brother B's mission is over, he's come to our Dabo Town!" Cheng Ye put away his defense communication device, his face showing a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Seeing this, Wang Kang hesitated and asked, "Then why do you look unhappy? Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

"It's good, but I don't know why Brother Bi approached Yu Yong. Now the two of them are at odds."

"Could it be Rocco?"

“It wasn’t him. I’ve already talked to him, and he promised he would ignore Yu Yong and wouldn’t encourage Brother B to see Yu Yong.”

Cheng Ye shook his head, glanced at the dismantling team still busy in the distance, and instructed Wang Kang, "Keep an eye on things here for now, I'm going back for a bit."

"Okay, the main body has been disassembled. Take your time with the connectors, there won't be any problems."

Dismantling a tower crane in Wenlu County is no easy task. In addition to the heavy main body, there are densely packed connecting bolts, pins, and high-strength fasteners, as well as delicate components such as electrical control cabinets, wire ropes, and hooks. After working for most of the day, only two-thirds of it was dismantled.

Cheng Ye called Davidson again to discuss the follow-up arrangements for the tower crane transportation before quickly walking towards the SUV parked by the roadside.

“Let’s go back to Dabo Town.” He opened the car door and got in.

"Is there something going on in town?" Mu Shuang, in the driver's seat, raised an eyebrow and asked, already deftly starting the car.

"It's okay, just a small problem."

Cheng Ye waved his hand and casually rolled down the car window.

A cool autumn breeze swept in instantly, carrying the dry scent of withered grass from the roadside, causing the wisps of hair on his forehead to sway slightly.

The SUV started slowly, and the hazy horizon in the distance shimmered slightly as it bumped along.

Before long, the car drove out of Wenlu County and sped towards Dabo Town.

Seeing the SUV approaching, Rokuk, who was standing at the checkpoint entrance, showed no surprise whatsoever.

"They've started fighting?" Rococo asked first.

"what happened?"

“You didn’t completely hide Yu Yong. Everyone knows that ordinary people can’t detect his abnormality, but Liu Bi is already a master of the unity of man and nature, and he is a fourth-term prosecutor in his prime. Isn’t it normal for him to be discovered?”

Rokuk shook his head. "He's different from me. My beliefs aren't fully formed yet, so I can just ignore Yu Yong's existence. But Liu Bi, your father took everyone away, but not him. You should know how firm his beliefs are."

"Furthermore, if you want to recruit other prosecutors in the future, I still suggest that you don't let anyone know about Yu Yong's existence. As the saying goes, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Not everyone can accept cooperating with infected individuals, even if it's a mission or there are sufficient benefits. As prosecutors, we must uphold our bottom line. Once people feel that we can cross this line at any time, who will believe that we can guard the checkpoint? Guard the Sanctuary City?"

Liu Bi's beliefs.
Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then silently nodded.

The SUV slid through the open barriers of the checkpoint, its wheels making a soft sound as they rolled over the smooth road surface.

However, after not seeing each other for three months, the reunion with Brother B turned into such a strange turn of events.

But this also proves how fast he is progressing; he has already reached the point of building up his power base and coordinating internal affairs.

This also made him realize more clearly that the theory left behind by Cheng Wu is almost impossible to implement in the current prosecutor system. The first hurdle that the checkpoint cannot overcome if it wants to move forward is precisely here.

From the moment they are born, prosecutors are burdened with an unshakable mission.

Contain the sources of infection, exterminate the infected, and regard these threats to the survival of the sanctuary as mortal enemies.

The danger must be isolated by an absolutely opposing stance. Only this pure hostility and unwavering protection can reassure the residents of the sheltered city and give the higher-ups the confidence to entrust the important task of guarding the gate.

In this process, even the slightest wavering could trigger the collapse of the entire trust system.

However, Cheng Wu's theory points to a completely opposite path.

Leaving aside the conventional research environment, in order to delve deeper into the mysteries of the source of infection, it is inevitable to encounter some special situations, requiring temporary cooperation with those infected individuals who retain some rationality within a controllable range.

This undoubtedly leads to a philosophical dilemma: an ethical struggle between means and ends.

The purpose was undoubtedly noble: to protect the city and even the long-term survival of human civilization.

However, the ambiguity of the methods used can slowly erode the initial aspirations. Who can guarantee that no one will compromise step by step when research hits a bottleneck, ultimately crossing the line completely?
Of course, more troublesome than the potential compromises in regulating these issues is the fragility of the trust system.

Residents' trust in prosecutors has always been based on the perception of "absolute opposition."

The higher-ups require inspectors to be "stable," to be tools of execution rather than explorers. The value of a tool lies in its controllability. Other sanctuary cities do not allow inspectors to conduct fieldwork, let alone research on infected individuals.

"Cheng Wu pioneered the prosecutor system, and his vision is beyond doubt. When he proposed this theory, he must have foreseen the insurmountable predicament we face today."

"So, when Cheng Wu was the station chief, what he really needed was a group of inspectors who could delve into the source of infection, or a group of inspectors who could steadily guard the gate?"

The answer was already clear.

Cheng Wu ultimately failed to take that crucial step, leaving this unsolvable problem to future generations.

So many years have passed, and those who came after are still stuck in the same place, unable to find a way to break free. They are bound by this invisible shackle and can hardly move forward.

Fortunately, more and more people are beginning to realize the seriousness of this problem.

This is why the elders of Happiness City were willing to let him come into contact with the source of infection, and Ding Yishan didn't care about the theories he put forward or the practices he was currently implementing.

But for Rocco, Liu Bi, and the other prosecutors who were unaware of this, it was time to break with their preconceived notions, take a step that even Cheng Wu dared not take, and risk unknown dangers to create a new era.

Or was this path destined from the very beginning to diverge from that of prosecutors of the previous era?

The ideological gap may be insurmountable, and perhaps he should start cultivating a force belonging to the new era from scratch.

Like Wang Kang, he never resisted Yu Yong and could view this special cooperative relationship with a normal attitude.

As Cheng Ye was pondering, the off-road vehicle had already entered Dabo Town.

The townspeople were already used to this and continued to go about their work, with only a few people glancing up at them with respect in their eyes.

Hou Genbao stood hunched over at the town entrance, looking like a child who had done something wrong, his body still trembling slightly.

Seeing the SUV approaching, he forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and hurried over to greet it.

"Monkey, where are the people?"

"Researcher Yu has gone back to his room, and Inspector Liu is waiting at the dock." Hou Genbao's voice trembled, afraid that Cheng Ye would blame him.

"Let everyone get back to work, it's nothing serious." Cheng Ye patted him on the shoulder, indicating that he should relax, and then walked towards the dock.

Turning a corner, two towering figures stood at the dock in the distance, gazing at the rushing Baishui River.

Brother B is finally back!

Inevitably, a sense of familiarity washed over him, and Cheng Ye couldn't help but force a smile.

Sensing the gaze behind him, Liu Bi turned around at the opportune moment.

He had intended to keep a straight face, but when his gaze fell on Cheng Ye, he couldn't help but be stunned.

The person walking towards us is no longer the thin boy from before.

Instead, he became a young man whose physique had become comparable to his own, with a strong and upright figure, a calm smile on his face, and a newfound dignity and confidence between his brows.

Liu Bi shook his head, and the figure in front of him vaguely overlapped with Cheng Long in his memory, making him feel a little dazed for a moment.

As Cheng Ye drew closer, Liu Bi squinted and scrutinized him closely, finally dispelling the image of Cheng Long from his mind.

The person before me is not Jackie Chan; he lacks Jackie Chan's domineering aura, where he looks down on the world and uses everything for his own benefit.

What he possesses is a calm and steady composure, like a deep, still river, with all his sharpness concealed.

Despite being a young man, he seemed like an old jade carefully polished by time, causing him to swallow back all the words he had been pondering for a long time.

As they approached, Cheng Ye extended his hand, saying, "Brother B, long time no see." Liu Bi hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, stepped forward, took his hand, and gave him a hug.

"Who is this?"

“Niu Fu, my clerk, is also a brother of your father.”

"Uncle Niu!" Cheng Ye nodded quickly.

Upon hearing this, Niu Fu chuckled and quickly waved his hand, "Don't call me Uncle, it's too much of a compliment! Just call me Brother Niu, otherwise Brother Bi won't be happy."

"You still have the mind to joke?" Liu Bi glared at Niu Fu, then turned to Cheng Ye, his expression instantly becoming serious. "I'm not the kind of person who's stubborn and won't listen to explanations, but if you get involved with the infected and this gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable. No matter how big the wasteland is, there won't be a checkpoint where you can stand."

"Is it because of the prosecutor's position?"

“It’s good that you know it.” Liu Bi’s tone became increasingly serious. “If you were just an ordinary researcher, no one would say anything. But you’re a prosecutor, so you have to understand that this line cannot be crossed.”

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, "If an infected person were standing in front of you today, and your first thought wasn't how to quickly resolve and eradicate it, but instead how to exploit it for personal gain and achieve your own goals, then you really should think about whether you are worthy of being this prosecutor."

"So, you and my father parted ways because of this?" Cheng Ye asked pointedly, changing the subject.

Liu Bi's face darkened. He turned to look at the ever-flowing Baishui River, the wind on the river ruffling the hem of his clothes.

"Back then, Brother Long was just like you are now. He lost the bottom line that a prosecutor should uphold, which is why I chose to part ways with him and didn't participate in that last big incident."

He took a deep breath, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy, "I told you, I would tell you everything the first time I accompanied you on a field mission. Now it seems it's time for you to know the truth of what happened back then."

"Your grandfather, Cheng Wu, was an extremely radical person. For his ideals, he was able to completely abandon all material enjoyment and live like an ascetic. Do you know why he specifically chose to build the shelter city in Shijiazhuang Province? It was all his insistence!"

Liu Bi slowly began to speak, revealing a long-buried past: "He believed that human desires would disrupt reason. Driven by desires, people constantly try to possess things, which leads to countless conflicts with nature and society."

"He felt that if these unnecessary desires could be cut off, people would have more reason to do more important things. That's why he chose Stone Province. The land here is barren, but it is self-sufficient enough. There are no abundant resources to breed greed, nor is there a culture of extravagance to nurture avarice. Back when other places in the wasteland were still fighting tooth and nail for food, and even wars broke out between sanctuary cities, Happiness City had already implemented a perfect planned economy."

“City residents don’t have to worry about food or fight tooth and nail for rations. Everyone’s nutrient syrup quota is fixed, and you can get more quota by completing more tasks. When you’re not hungry and you’ve eaten more nutrient syrup, your obsession with food will fade, and you can devote all your rationality to key things like fighting the infected, building shelter systems, and researching survival methods.”

After saying that, he asked without turning his head, "Do you think he succeeded?"

The location selection for Happiness City was actually spearheaded by Cheng Wu alone?

Cheng Ye was stunned, not because of Cheng Wu's great power, but because his original intention was so contrary to his understanding.

Is it because crops can't be grown here, and this place can suppress people's desires?
He pondered for a moment, shook his head slightly, and then nodded: "It's a success. Happiness City, in this barren land, did not rely on crops, but instead developed into a dominant protected city, going much further than those protected cities that guard fertile land."

"Yes, it was this initial success that gradually pushed him into an extreme abyss from which there was no turning back."

Liu Bi let out a soft sigh, his tone filled with a deep lament, "The checkpoint is Cheng Wu's second masterpiece. He firmly believes that the self-checking system within humanity is fundamentally ineffective, and that people can never truly escape the shackles of selfishness. This weakness etched into human nature has never truly been eradicated."

"I still remember the chaos of the Great Expansion period very clearly."

"Some people, in order to keep their relatives who have become infected, have become executioners, specifically luring innocent passersby to feed those monsters; some sheltered cities have even trampled on moral bottom lines, deliberately releasing sources of infection, using the disaster as a weapon to dismantle hostile forces; on the black market in the frontier, there are also merchants who are engaged in the business of domesticating infected, feeding them only trace amounts of virus, turning them into weak infected without independent consciousness but still able to move, and then sending them to dangerous areas to plunder resources for themselves."

"Wherever the source of infection went, it brought either devastation or the collapse of cities. The flame of civilization that humanity had accumulated over thousands of years was on the verge of being completely extinguished. It was at this time that checkpoints came into being."

"The first generation of inspectors only had hatred in their hearts, hatred for the source of infection, hatred for the infected people. It was this pure hatred that supported them in building the overall framework of the checkpoint."

“Once the framework is established, the duties of the prosecutors will gradually become solidified. Every prosecutor must fight the infected to the last moment, regardless of whether the other party is a relative or an enemy, and regardless of how much benefit can be gained from it. If there is even the slightest hesitation, it is dereliction of duty; if they go astray, they must leave the position immediately.”

He paused, then added, "It is precisely because of this ironclad rule that the Happiness Checkpoint model was able to be implemented and has been widely imitated by other sanctuary cities. In fact, many sanctuary cities had established infection screening sites back then, but everyone insisted that the Happiness Checkpoint was the first of its kind. The core lies in Cheng Wu's theory. The inspectors he trained were able to perfectly uphold that bottom line of 'absolute opposition,' which is why residents could truly trust the checkpoint."

At this point, Liu Bi suddenly turned his head and posed a new question: "If you had a highly valuable source of infection in front of you, destroying it would only take one shot, but if you wanted to bring it back for research, you would have to sacrifice many people, including the lives of several colleagues. Tell me, what would you do?"

To be fair, Liu Bi's question wasn't particularly sharp.

In the wasteland, trust is the foundation of cooperation, and the prerequisite for trust is the absolute unity of ideas.

If some people hesitate when faced with a source of infection because of its value, and some people are soft-hearted when faced with an infected person because of personal relationships, then who would dare to entrust their back to their colleagues?
Cheng Ye suddenly remembered Li Changfeng's face popping into his mind.

Li Changfeng's mother was infected, and he fired the gun himself. If it were Liu Bi, a familiar person, who was infected, what would he think?
Did they shoot without hesitation?

Should we stay and conduct research to find a way to eliminate the parasite?
The answer is yes. He hadn't received the kind of rigorous training that the first prosecutors received, so he simply couldn't bring himself to betray his own family for the greater good.

On the other hand, it was precisely because of this resoluteness that the first-generation inspectors were able to set up the checkpoints and earn the trust of the residents.

If future prosecutors squander this trust, hesitating today because of research value and going easy on people tomorrow because of personal relationships, then the foundation of the checkpoint model will eventually collapse completely.

However, Cheng Wu's theory clearly points out that the future of the checkpoint must be a dual system of research and containment.

A dilemma confronted Cheng Ye: if he were to break with old rules and push for change, making prosecutors the backbone of the investigation into the source of infection, then the hard-won foundation of trust would likely crumble.

In order to solidify this foundation, Cheng Wu ultimately did not dare to take this crucial step.

Now, thirty years later, is the current environment truly mature enough to support this transformation?

"So, the prosecutor reform I mentioned to Lao Ding that night, which involved dividing prosecutors into different functional areas, was not only to limit the disorderly expansion of power, but also to indirectly safeguard the foundation of trust?"

"Guarding the city, conducting field transactions, and conducting research and containment—these three functions must not be confused and must be completely separated. Otherwise, the public will lose trust in the checkpoints and will no longer believe that the inspectors on duty can firmly keep the source of infection and infected individuals out!"

Cheng Ye suddenly realized what was happening, and the fog in his mind instantly dissipated, sweeping away the confusion of the past few days.

Many things that I couldn't understand before have now been answered.

Why force Rokuk to accept Yu Yong's existence?
Rokuk's core mission was to defend the city and prevent any infected individuals or sources of infection from crossing the line.

Making him watch infected people move around would undoubtedly shake his beliefs that he has held for many years, which is simply asking the impossible.

Wang Kang was able to accept Yu Yong without hesitation because, on the one hand, he had not received the kind of extreme antagonism that the first checkpoint had, and on the other hand, his job responsibilities had never been fixed on guarding the city.

Under his subtle influence, Wang Kang had already leaned towards the official direction of the border inspection, and was less hostile to matters related to the source of infection.

"So the real challenge in establishing the new generation of checkpoints isn't recruitment at all," Cheng Ye mused to himself. "The real challenge is accurately determining the suitability of each inspector and ensuring they stay on the right track, so they don't lose their way or overstep their boundaries in their respective roles!"

"In addition, the responsibilities and details of each position also need to be improved as soon as possible. For example, my restrictions on Yu Yong were indeed too lenient. Even if I can guarantee that he will not cause trouble, I still need to consider the feelings of others, and I need to set clear rules in advance for the inspectors who will devote themselves to the direction of containment research in the future, so as to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

Realizing this, Cheng Ye stopped his wandering thoughts and returned to the present moment.

So, what kind of prosecutor is Liu Bi?
His duty performance is average; after all these years, it's still at a normal level. His experience is about the same as Rocco's.

His fieldwork was mediocre, with no notable achievements. Moreover, given his straightforward nature, he was simply not suited to engaging in insincere negotiations and trade deals with people from other sanctuary cities.

As for his research direction, there's no need to even mention it. His brute-force approach to solving problems is completely at odds with research work that requires focused and dedicated study.

So, is Brother B's real strength in managing checkpoints, controlling the overall direction, and coordinating various affairs?
It's hard to say. Liu Bi's most boast-worthy achievement was leading the team during the Great Expansion period.

Moreover, Ding Yishan did indeed assign him to the industrial zone, where he was responsible for coordinating the allocation of supplies to various satellite cities.

Before the emergence of disorderly competition, he managed the allocation of resources in an orderly manner.

Lei Hu later replaced him not because he lacked ability, but simply because he was not senior enough to control the prosecutors who wanted to compete for resources.

If we promote him to Lei Hu's position, would he do an even better job than Lei Hu?

If he does take on a leadership role, will he gradually accept that there are inspectors at the checkpoint specifically responsible for containing and researching sources of infection?
“If you really can’t make up your mind, Brother B will answer this question for you, and for Brother Long.” Liu Bi’s voice rang out again, interrupting Cheng Ye’s turbulent thoughts.

Cheng Ye subconsciously looked up, but didn't see any disappointment on Liu Bi's face. Instead, he caught a glimpse of relief in his eyes.

They were able to think about this problem in a down-to-earth manner, without giving a hasty answer.

This means that Cheng Ye truly understands the responsibility on his shoulders. This is not only the responsibility of the Cheng family, but also the responsibility that a prosecutor should shoulder.

How could he possibly be harsh on a newcomer who had only been at the checkpoint for six months, or on Brother Long's child?

Before Liu Bi could finish speaking, Cheng Ye interrupted him, saying in a deep voice, "Brother B, before answering this question, I still want to know the real reason why my father defected from the checkpoint, and the reason why you parted ways back then."

"Your father?"

Liu Bi was suddenly startled. The relief on his face gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable complexity, as if mixed with regret, nostalgia, and a heaviness that no one could understand.

He turned and gave Niu Fu a look. Niu Fu understood immediately, nodded, and without saying a word, turned and left the dock swiftly.

Only after Niu Fu's figure completely disappeared from sight did Liu Bi slowly speak, his voice so low it seemed to be squeezed from the depths of his chest: "I've never mentioned Brother Long's matter to anyone. I said I'd tell you after your first field mission, but now it seems there's no need to use field missions to prove your character."

"The traveler." He had barely uttered those two words when Cheng Ye interrupted him.

"Guardians of Wish, I know, a bunch of lunatics."

Liu Bi sighed, his gaze blank, and said, "Since you know about him and have witnessed his abilities, you simply cannot imagine that many years ago, when we were all kept in the dark, your father was already secretly trying to walk the path of the Guardian of Wish and Transcendence!"

"What?" Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. "So, he failed?"

"No." Liu Bi immediately shook his head, his tone unusually firm, carrying an almost obstinate trust.

"Brother Long might face death, but he absolutely cannot fail. He would never take others on such a risk without absolute certainty. Before he left, when he asked me to take care of you, he privately told me something."

Liu Bi paused, as if trying to recall the sentence, and then repeated it word by word:

He said that Happiness City doesn't need another Jackie Chan, but the wasteland lacks pioneers.

"Only by crossing this threshold can one gain the right to seek the answer. Not only him, but An Xingfu, your grandfather, and all of humanity seeking the end of the wasteland era are on this path, all waiting for him to set off!"

(End of this chapter)