Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 63 Weapon in Hand, Stone Falls Sick!
Four p.m.

Cheng Ye walked out of the checkpoint in a daze, looked up at the sky, and felt as if he had been transported to another world.

Who would have thought that before stepping into the checkpoint that morning, he was a penniless man with 107 points of debt?

In just eight hours, he was able to pay off all his debts and even have some savings.

and many more.

This comparison might not be clear enough.

Perhaps it's more accurate to say that you earned enough in one morning to buy a house and pay off a 30-year mortgage.

Of course, now is not the time to pay back the money; we need to hurry up and buy equipment to defend against the Stand Starfish.

Overwhelmed by his sudden wealth, Cheng Ye didn't even bother to acknowledge the Western prosecutor who had just relieved him on shift. He hurriedly finished the handover and rushed out.

"Prosecutor Cheng!"

Carson, who was squatting by the door, waved excitedly and jogged over. "The car is ready. Which resource trading point would you like to go to?"

Cheng Ye pulled his wandering thoughts back and looked at the pickup truck parked not far away:

Do you know the super-material store near the giant wall?

"I know! Of course I know! I dream of getting a piece of super material to sell there!"

Carson rubbed his hands excitedly, "The Giant Wall Trading Point is within 300 meters of there, I know it very well."

"Then let's go to the Giant Wall Trading Point."

Cheng Ye nodded and followed Carson into the car, settling into the passenger seat.

To be honest, the front seats of this pickup truck are indeed much more comfortable than those of the large Jinbei van. The seats offer excellent support, far surpassing the BYD Qin that he could often hitch a ride in before his journey, and are about the same as the Aion Y.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the seat surface seemed to be covered with a layer of mutated animal hide, which is why it was so comfortable.

"This is a deerskin I received a long time ago. It was in such poor condition that I used it myself."

Carson, sitting in the back, peeked out and introduced, "Sir, it's rare to see an Eastern inspector like you at the North Station."

Cheng Ye understood the blatant probing.

For the residents of the buffer zone, whether they are low-level scavengers or caravan leaders.

The more prosecutors you can curry favor with, the more comfortable your life will be.

"I'm a bit special; I can go to either the South Station or the North Station, and I can go wherever I want."

Making empty promises is something anyone can do.
Cheng Ye chuckled and said, "My defense communication device identification number is 96061. If you encounter any trouble in the future, just give me a call. As long as it doesn't involve matters of principle, I'll be happy to help you out."

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

Carson was overjoyed.

Although he knew in his heart that the definition of this "small favor" depended entirely on Cheng Ye's subjective judgment.

But so what? Since Cheng Ye has made the offer, it means he won't reject their flattery.

This is enough!

Many independent individuals lack the opportunity to build connections, which is why they remain stagnant.

Chatting along the way.

Carson recounted the interesting stories from the ruins and the current situation of several surrounding settlements.

Although Cheng Ye was curious, he suppressed the urge to ask questions in order to maintain his experienced persona.

The pickup truck quickly drove onto the main road and met up with two large Jinbei vans.

This was Cheng Ye's first time traveling to the main urban area in a "private car," and he was quite unaccustomed to it.

It attracts so many glances that it instantly draws hundreds of eyes wherever it goes.

It's even cooler than modern supercars.

Fortunately, although water-filled barriers were set up along the route to divert crowds, vehicle control was relatively lenient.

The journey was smooth and unobstructed, and we soon arrived at the Happiness Giant Wall bus stop.

The driver skillfully turned the wheel, and the car weaved through the alleys before finally stopping in front of a shop hidden deep within the alley.

[Giant Wall Supplies Collection and Sales Station]

"Sir, this place is only open to caravans, not to ordinary scavengers. Caravans usually have vehicles, so to ensure privacy, the station is located in this remote corner."

Carson noticed Cheng Ye's confusion and quickly explained enthusiastically:
"Moreover, the purchase price here is one percentage point higher than in other places, so we usually prefer to conduct transactions here."

No wonder you're so happy, it turns out you can get an extra point!
Cheng Ye immediately understood, thinking to himself that choosing this place would indeed be a good option for a similar situation in the future.

Firstly, it was indeed a secret, and secondly, the caravan was willing to cooperate.

get off.

Stepping into the collection and sales station, the process is surprisingly simple.

Cheng Ye handed over the badge and swiped it. Without saying a word, the staff at the purchasing department began to count the goods.

Within half an hour, the goods were settled and the money was immediately credited to the account.

【新纪35年6月30日17.03，勤务奖金转入‘34’贡献点】

[Balance: 119 points]

[Note: Duty duties, selling goods on behalf of customers (Jubi Material Collection and Sales Station)]

"Sir, is there anywhere else you need to go? I'll have someone drive you there."

"no need."

After declining Carson's offer, Cheng Ye walked briskly through the alley, unable to resist whistling twice.

Indeed, a man cannot get rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot get fat without night grazing.

The Hidden Ice Serpent gave 57 points, and with the income from the caravan and Bloodlust Rats, the income surged by 119 points in one day.

If the rewards from the Rotten Vine were settled, he might even have some left over after buying a set of equipment!
First, go to the supply store to get your weapon.

The second floor.

Seeing Cheng Ye come up the stairs, Master Liu reached under the counter and pulled out a small square box:

"Prosecutor Cheng is really lucky. This 'Whirlwind Dagger' just happened to be made by Old Song who was itching to make it. Take a look."

"Old Song?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and rushed to the counter.

He didn't know who Master Song was, but judging from Master Liu's tone, his skills must be exceptional.

With a gentle push of his fingertips, a flash of cold light suddenly appeared on the square box.

"Good knife!"

Cheng Ye didn't really have much of a concept of cold weapons.

In his opinion, the training dagger that Liu Bi had applied for for him was already amazing enough; in modern times, it would definitely be a divine weapon.

But when the Whirlwind Dagger was placed before him, he truly understood the difference between superior and inferior weapons.

3g of fire-resistant iron may sound like a small amount, but after being incorporated into the forging process, it gives each arc of the blade a pale orange glow, like the rising sun.

A chillingly sharp aura lingered around the blade, as if it could slice even the air in two.

Further down, the handle, made of specially formulated skin-friendly nylon, also boasts an excellent texture.

Cheng Ye couldn't help but reach out and grab it. The moment his fingertips touched it, he felt as if his arm had extended forward, without any sense of stagnation or obstruction.

"Good knife!"

Cheng Ye flicked his wrist, feeling the enhancement brought by the Fire-Hidden Iron, and couldn't help but sigh again.

No wonder countless people in ancient times would fight tooth and nail for a single treasured sword; such a handy weapon is truly captivating.

"It works well, doesn't it?" Master Liu smiled sincerely, and seeing Cheng Ye's repeated praises, he also grinned foolishly.

A fine sword for a hero.

Although Cheng Ye looks very young, the affection in his eyes is undeniable.

Such a powerful weapon would be a waste if it fell into the hands of someone who doesn't know how to appreciate it.

"There's also a scabbard below. You were supposed to pay for it, but Old Song got itchy and made it for you too."

As Master Liu spoke, he took out a very stylish metal scabbard from the bottom of the box.

Although the sheath was not carved with dragon patterns or phoenix feathers, only a simple mountain-shaped pattern meandered along it, which, combined with the faintly reddish, oily surface, gave it an indescribable sense of the divine.

"Remember, you must put the knife back in its sheath when you're not using it. This kind of weapon, which is made with super materials, must be stored in a special sheath, otherwise its properties will continue to dissipate and disappear."

"it is good!"

Cheng Ye nodded in agreement, took the scabbard and tested it; it fit perfectly.

"I wonder who Elder Song is?"

“It’s an old friend of your father’s.”

Master Liu waved his hand, "Old Song told us not to tell you too much, only that giving you this knife is to repay the favor we owed your father."

"Ah."

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

I thought Jackie Chan had only built up connections at the checkpoints, but I never expected that he would also have old acquaintances in the inner city.

If it were the original owner, these favors would probably not be repaid in the slightest.

But in his hands, it became a real asset, from which he benefited greatly.

"By the way, Master Liu, you mentioned before that this Whirlwind Dagger can be reversed with a steel pipe to become a triangular spear. I'd like to have the shaft made now. I wonder how much it would cost?"

Cheng Ye put the Whirlwind Dagger into his backpack, then took out the meteorite iron that his four brothers had given him the day before yesterday and handed it over: "Take a look at this ore, see if it can be used for forging?"

"Huh, it's Black Stone?"

Master Liu took the ore, took out his hammer, tapped it lightly twice, observed it for a while, and commented: "The quality is good, enough to make spear shafts."

"Black Stone?"

"This is a derivative of the extraordinary curse from underground in our Shi Province, and it's unique."

Master Liu explained, "After the land is polluted, many stones also mutate. Outsiders like to call this 'stones getting sick.' Mutated stones sometimes have special properties. Your black stone looks like it was dug out from deep underground, so its special property should be 'hardness.'"

How many contribution points is it worth?

Master Liu extended his palm, and Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat.

A person's luck is limited. Could it be that I've really struck it lucky today?
First, we ran into the Hidden Ice Serpent, and now this piece of ore is worth a good price?
"50?"

"There aren't that many, it's only 5 o'clock."

Master Liu quickly shook his head, "This is a friendly price because of you. If it were a scavenger, I would only give 2 points at most."

He paused, tapping the black stone with his fingertip: "Don't be fooled by how hard this thing is; it's incredibly difficult to forge. Stones contaminated by supernatural curses have a unique structure, and they'll crack if you're not careful during quenching. Nine out of ten pieces will be scrapped."

"Besides, who cares about simple, hard materials these days? Anyone with a bit of ambition uses composite materials. This stuff is only treasured by scavengers at the very beginning of the new era."

5 o'clock, that's alright.

Cheng Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it was just a spear shaft, enough to get by.

After all, mid-range combat is only necessary when actively dealing with infected, and the short spike form is perfectly adequate at checkpoints.

Moreover, the "hardness" attributed by the extraordinary curse is just right for the spear shaft.

"The crafting fee is 10 points, but I'm still giving it a 5% discount because of you."

"Can I continue to pay on credit? I haven't settled my reward for finding the infected yet. I'll pay you back next time I come."

"Sure, as long as it's not me asking you to waive it, I can settle it a month from now."

Master Liu smiled. His decisiveness wasn't due to the prosecutor's influence, but rather to Old Song's attitude.

Even Old Song was willing to repay the favor to the prosecutor in front of him, so why wouldn't he be willing to do the prosecutor a favor in return?
"Well, according to the current schedule, I'll pick up the goods in two days."

"Ok."

After receiving the pickup slip, Cheng Ye picked up his backpack and walked out of the store.

The setting sun casts its rays obliquely.

He squinted and looked up at the sky, feeling that the warm light was exceptionally comforting.

Everything seems to be going in the right direction.

Even if the starfish eruption is inevitable, his chances of survival are far greater than before.

This is the confidence to take root in the wasteland!
(End of this chapter)