Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 68 Nightmare Flukes, Disaster Siphon!
"Is this the true strength of Happiness City?"

Cheng Ye was greatly shocked as he looked at the scrolling text on the defense communication screen!
Although he had raised his expectations for Happiness City several times in recent days, only now did he truly understand the foundation that enabled Happiness City to dominate Shi Province and become a super protected city.

The substitute starfish, capable of destroying medium-sized sanctuary cities at will, has spread widely, yet the higher-ups have only classified it as Rank A, rather than the more serious Rank S.

What does it rely on?
It turns out that it wasn't just the extraordinary experts in the inner city, but also a protective network that had been set up in advance.

Roadblocks divide urban areas, like a chessboard, locking down the movement path of infected individuals and preventing a concentrated attack on a particular area.

The Happiness Defense Line is the outermost iron mesh barrier of the buffer zone. 150 armored vehicles can be deployed at intervals of 200 meters, not to mention the minefields buried outside the city.

The purpose is to prevent mutated beasts, infected beings, and other forces from taking advantage of the chaos when an internal outbreak of infection occurs.

The medical ark, energy fortress, and skynet barrier, combined together, completely blocked any unexpected events that the infection wave might cause.

As for Hedgehog air defense, let's not even mention it; Cheng Ye felt his scalp tingle just hearing the name.

Sky, perimeter, interior.

All three have been deployed, which doesn't seem like they're dealing with infected individuals, but rather orchestrating an internal coup.

Moreover, this is only the B-level defense mode. What about A-level and S-level?

He suddenly realized that the fact that Happiness City allowed the three factions in the inner city and the checkpoints to fight amongst themselves meant that it possessed the power to protect and sustain generations.

"Prosecutor Cheng?"

They found Cheng Ye standing there, his expression shifting between seriousness, surprise, and shock.

Miao Yangli was startled and realized that something was wrong, considering the changes in the buffer zone over the past two days.

Is it
"Director Miao, give me the identification badge."

"it is good."

Miao Yang hurriedly took out the badge, and Cheng Ye took it and swiped it onto his defense device.

Ding.

Miao Yang's defense communication system immediately received a notification.

Upon opening it, the veteran, who had been battling the wave of infections for over a decade, immediately changed his expression.

"Prosecutor Cheng, I'm afraid I have to go. My wife and children are still at home."

Miao Yang's voice trembled, and the veins on his hand, gripping the defense communication device, bulged.

"Let's go, let's go together."

Without saying a word, Cheng Ye grabbed the backpacks from the ground and the two rushed towards the door.

As he left the venue, he glanced at his defense communication device; the time on the screen was just past six o'clock.

According to Happiness City's predicted outbreak time, the wave of infections will arrive at 11:41 AM amidst the torrential rain!
The first wave of news only lifts restrictions on prosecutors and key personnel, clearly indicating that Happiness City is releasing information in stages.

Cheng Ye knew that as time drew closer to the breaking point, the second and third waves of warnings would explode like thunderclaps, dragging the entire city into the true eye of the storm.

"Prosecutor Cheng, my bus is here."

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Ye shoved him through the back door: "Hurry up and go, don't dawdle!"

Knowing the news ten minutes in advance before such a catastrophic event can be the difference between life and death.

Knowing five hours in advance greatly increases the chances of surviving.

The bus slowly drove away in the strong wind.

Even through the blurry car window, Cheng Ye could still clearly see the turbulent emotions in Miao Yang's eyes.

Eight parts gratitude, two parts relief.

Perhaps at this moment, he is incredibly grateful to himself for that afternoon four days ago when he nervously asked, "Can I do it?"

"Master Tian, ​​I'm at the training ground. Come over at full speed."

"What kind of bullshit Public Works Department regulations are these? If you have any problems, let them come to me!"

"Hurry up, there's no time to dawdle!"

More than ten kilometers away.

Mr. Tian, ​​who was still waiting for five passengers, suddenly changed his expression and went straight to the back door to say to the two passengers who had just boarded, "Sir, the bus has stopped running early. Please take the next one."

"They're done for the day?"

The two got off the bus through the back door, looking completely bewildered, before they could even get their feet on the ground.

The bus behind us shot off like a wild beast, its tires skidding wildly on the ground, emitting an incredibly piercing screech.

Damn it?

Can buses really be driven like that?

As it turns out, there are no slow cars, only drivers who dare not step on the gas.

The route that usually takes more than 20 minutes to complete stopped abruptly in front of Cheng Ye in less than 4 minutes, accompanied by a sharp screech of brakes.

"Take me back to the main city area, then go home."

"Also, bring me the identity badge."

Within the buffer zone, each resident with a formal job has a corresponding identity badge.

After receiving Master Tian's badge and swiping it, the defense communication device beeped again.

"Fuck your mother!"

Master Tian glanced at it and was so shocked he almost bit his tongue. "It's going to explode tonight?"

"Hurry up and go, there are still five hours, enough time for you to go back and prepare."

Actually, Cheng Ye didn't need to urge him much. After a moment of shock, Master Tian immediately stepped on the gas, and the car shot forward.

"Prosecutor Cheng, thank you!!!"

Unlike before, this expression of gratitude contained many things.

"Don't thank me, just survive to repay my favor."

Sensing the complexity in Master Tian's tone, Cheng Ye responded without looking up and quickly called Luo Xiaoxue.

After a busy signal for more than ten seconds, the other end finally answered.

"Sister Luo?"

"Cheng Ye, I received the notification. The house is safe. Take care of yourself."

"Okay, call me anytime if you need anything."

"it is good!"

Before the outbreak of the infection wave, there may have been countless words of advice and encouragement.

But at this moment, with chaos imminent, everyone loses all other thoughts.

There was only one thought left: to live, to live and see the sun rise the next day!

Once we reached the main urban area, the bus began to slow down.

One by one, roadblocks were set up at intersections, and Cheng Ye saw the so-called steel-toothed roadblocks.

It's somewhat similar to the retractable fence at the entrance of a compound, but much thicker. Each outer fence bar is over forty centimeters in diameter, and the bottom is being secured using a special method, driven deep into the ground two meters below.

The movable piles in the middle haven't been driven in yet, leaving just enough space for a bus to enter.

"formalities?"

Armed guards came up and stopped the bus.

Master Tian didn't say anything, turned to look at Cheng Ye, and then handed over a badge.

After verification, the guards let the vehicle pass without saying a word, and at the same time entered the license plate number into the system through the terminal, which was directly synchronized to the guards' defense communication devices at other checkpoints.

What is privilege?

It's not about respect, nor is it about unspoken rules.

It is the ability to disregard all rules in such an extremely critical moment that truly deserves to be called privilege!
Ding. The defense communication device rang again.

This time it wasn't a message from the main radio station, but a public announcement from the checkpoint.

[Xingfucheng Checkpoint - Ding Yishan]

【Dear Inspectors, this is a critical moment for the survival of Happiness City and the buffer zone. As the station chief, I know you are all fearful, but please believe that we still have enough strength to resist this wave of infection.】

Now, in my capacity as the site administrator, I will issue the following commands to everyone.

[1. All inspectors must return home immediately. Do not leave the area without prior instructions from the checkpoint. Only consider assisting others if your own safety is absolutely guaranteed (Inspectors in the central outbreak areas A1-A17, B1-B17, and C1-C12 are strictly prohibited from leaving the area for any reason)]

2. Immediately check reserves and prioritize ensuring 72 hours of survival. If there are any shortages, please report to the checkpoint immediately. The checkpoint will activate its emergency deployment plan and prioritize the supply of protective equipment and basic supplies.

3. All communication equipment will be on standby 24 hours a day. The checkpoint's internal communication system will have a dedicated channel to synchronize the infection surge and response strategies in real time.

[4. The following locations have been equipped with dedicated medical wards for prosecutors. If you experience infection symptoms or require emergency medical care, please go there immediately.]

[5. Unauthorized departure from the zone is strictly prohibited. Before the alert is lifted, any act of leaving the buffer zone will be considered defection, and Happiness City will issue an indefinite Level A kill order.]

Two documents were attached at the end of the message.

The first report was a more detailed one on the infected individuals. Cheng Ye glanced at it and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

The value of what Brother B said is still increasing.

The attack methods and development patterns of infected organisms do not evolve in the way humans expect.

As the sample data increases further, two new attack methods have emerged from the substitute starfish infected.

It expels bodily fluids and elevates the wrists and feet.

The former can spray a range of about six meters and has moderate corrosive properties.

The latter is similar to Doctor Octopus, which generates tentacles on its back for movement and attack.

"Infected organisms all mutate, so what about fused organisms?"

Cheng Ye's heart sank as he once again glimpsed the immense terror hidden beneath this wasteland.

It's no wonder that an independent supernatural faction would emerge from the upper echelons of Happiness City. Faced with these monsters, humanity, relying on technology that has stagnated for decades, is struggling to keep up.

Unless a new industrial revolution breaks out and drives technological leaps, the influence of the extraordinary will only grow stronger!

The second document contains the latest projections from the Happiness Supercomputing system based on the current situation.

The areas and buildings within the buffer zone where a large-scale outbreak of infected organisms is possible are clearly listed.

Cheng Ye quickly located the B-7 area where the electronics factory community was located and found that the nearest outbreak point was 450 meters away from the community in a straight line. It was the five-story Tianyuan Mall where Chu Yunfeng had worked before.

Its interior area is about 10,000 square meters, and it is crammed with nearly 4,000 people.

It's not hard to imagine how many infected people would emerge after the outbreak, with human-to-human transmission.

Close the defense communication device.

Cheng Ye glanced worriedly out the window. On the street, anxious faces were lining up to receive starfish antiviral powder.

The distribution of the antiviral powder in the buffer zone was fraught with difficulties and did not go smoothly.

Due to the extremely high "fatal rate," at least two thousand people have been taken to the hospital in the past few days.

While many of these were infected individuals with an infection time exceeding 48 hours, indicating that the source of infection had become deeply parasitic, the antiviral powder killed the source of infection while also causing AOE damage to the host.

However, its serious side effects cannot be ignored. Anyone with a weakened immune system or who is currently ill will almost certainly die after taking it.

However, as the outbreak time approached, more and more people sensed the impending storm and, thinking that "it's better to receive something than nothing," long queues formed at each distribution point.

However, this inadvertently increases the probability of infection through contact. Every meter of the winding queue is a breeding ground for the spread of infection by the substitute starfish.

"Prosecutor Cheng."

Noticing Cheng Ye staring blankly at the distribution stall by the roadside, Master Tian called out softly.

"Ok?"

Do you remember the wave of infections in 13?

"13 years ago?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

The original owner is only 19 years old now, but 13 years ago she was just a 6-year-old child.

I have fragmented memories of how everyone in the inner city huddled in their rooms, and how supplies were placed in a contactless area every day, with a six-hour wait before they could be picked up.

Life quickly returned to normal after more than two months when Happiness City announced the lifting of martial law. As for what happened in between, no one knows.

"Is there any connection between now and 13 years ago?"

"There is a connection, though. Thirteen years ago, it was also a contact-based source of infection, and it was named 'Nightmare Fluke'."

Mentioning this name, Master Tian's knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel. "If you sleep for more than 3 hours, the source of infection will become active. If you don't wake up at this point, you will be trapped in an endless nightmare and eventually become a walking corpse. But if you can endure for 28 days, sleeping no more than 3 hours a day, the source of infection will become inactive on its own."

"Isn't that easy to deal with?"

Cheng Ye frowned. While celestial phenomena are beyond human control, sleep is entirely within our control.

Three hours a day is enough for a person to recover some energy, so persisting for 28 days should not be difficult.

"Yes, they are easy to deal with."

Master Tian forced a stiff smile. "But this source of infection was so easy to deal with. Back then, 170,000 people died in the buffer zone, and another 80,000 people escaped in the chaos. In the end, it turned into a plague-level infection wave that completely wiped out a small shelter city in the surrounding area."

"Ok?"

Cheng Ye was stunned. He instinctively didn't believe it, but would Master Tian lie to him about something like this?

"On the first day after learning how the Nightmare Frog broke out, everyone was optimistic and thought they could easily get through it."

"However, the emotional fluctuations caused by sleep deprivation can accumulate. A normally kind neighbor may suddenly pick up a gun to vent their anger over a minor conflict after not sleeping well for ten consecutive days. The guards on duty may also lose control of their emotions and become increasingly hostile towards the residents, exacerbating various conflicts."

“The closer we get to the 28-day deadline, the harder it gets. What’s more troublesome is that everyone is infected in different batches. Some people survive the 28 days, while others are just infected and then get a second infection, so they have to start the 28-day countdown all over again.”

Master Tian sighed, "Prosecutor Cheng, you can probably guess what's going to happen next, right?"

in fact.

Before Master Tian could finish speaking, Cheng Ye was already stunned.

When he heard the words "reinfection" and "repeated 28 days," goosebumps instantly rose on his arms.

No wonder this source of infection is named 'Nightmare Fluke'.

As long as everyone is not keeping pace, this nightmare will continue indefinitely.

One cycle begins in 28 days, another cycle ends in 28 days, and a new cycle begins.

Sleeping only 3 hours a day, even the strongest person couldn't last 6 months.

"What's the result?"

"The result was a chaotic battle. People who had survived 28 days shot at newly infected people, while those who were about to reach the end of their 28 days desperately tried to escape and buy time. The buffer zone completely turned into a battlefield, with everyone hiding behind buildings and bunkers and shooting at each other."

"Because they could only sleep three hours a day, the infected people simply couldn't withstand the firepower of the recovered patients. They would only last three days before they were exhausted and had no choice but to accept the mandatory quarantine plan proposed by the inner city. One by one, they entered the quarantine wards until everyone was confirmed to have completed 28 days, and only then did this disaster come to an end."

Master Tian chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I know you want to ask why everyone didn’t accept the mandatory quarantine at first. Actually, in such a vast wasteland, not everyone is willing to contribute to the collective. There are always some parasites that leech off the collective. I was one of those people who were forced to live in the quarantine ward back then, so I know all too well what those guys were thinking.”

"Some people don't want the nightmare parasite to end; they want this disaster to continue. I remember there was something that only cost 5 happiness coins back then, and it was almost snapped up. What was it called again? Right, it was the Powerful Sleep Aid. As long as you drank this stuff, you could enter a deep sleep within minutes and quickly restore your energy."

"The Nightmare Fluke infection was supposed to be over, but a couple of days later, a new batch of infected people would inexplicably appear, causing a new outbreak. Isn't that strange?"

"Until the final melee broke out, no one cared anymore. They would rather die than rely on sleep aids to get through each day. Only then did the nightmare flukes suddenly disappear, and only those who resisted were willing to move into the isolation wards."

“Prosecutor Cheng, I’m telling you this so you can understand that you shouldn’t think you can fight against the tide by yourself. This is not your fault as prosecutors, but an inevitable consequence of the development of the sheltered city. Even if you are capable of ending this disaster ahead of schedule, without addressing the root cause of the pest problem, the next wave of internal infection will only come sooner.”

"Yes, it's like a sieve, filtering out the pests from Happiness City every few years."

"Only after they are all screened out can our buffer zone and our Happiness City usher in a new round of development!"

"And you don't need to worry too much about this disaster. This is something we all have to get through together, and there will definitely be many people standing with you!"

"That includes me!"

(End of this chapter)