Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 73 Community Support: The Power of the Collective!

With Zhang Can taking the lead, seven more people who came out after him chose to leave.

The vast Tianyuan Mall, according to data from Xingfu Supercomputing, is the place most likely to experience a large-scale outbreak of infections.

Of the four thousand people, only eight infected individuals escaped to the outside world.

Is this the case in every community?

Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze and looked at Da Long.

He didn't think the problem was with the Happiness Supercomputer; it was more likely that the supercomputer's built-in database was outdated.

It's very likely that they're using data from 13 years ago, during the last attack of the Nightmare Flea.

Having been instilled with idealistic ideas, the buffer zone has now undergone a completely different transformation.

Whether it's good or bad, this time the stand-in starfish will be the best test.

"Of course not, Lord Cheng. Since the higher-ups allow us to talk about collective interests, they must also tolerate those who only talk about personal gain."

Da Long smiled and was about to explain and boast a bit more.

The fact that eight infected individuals have escaped to the outside world can, in a sense, be considered an honor for the Tianyuan community.

Before he could finish speaking, the three district elders who had been sitting on the stage earlier stepped over.

"Prosecutor Cheng, hello."

The old man in the middle bowed slightly, his tone apologetic, "It's a real waste of your time to have you witness such a farce."

"You're too kind, Mr. Qu."

Cheng Ye stood up, and the two shook hands.

Even through two layers of rubber gloves, one could still feel the rough texture of time worn into Mr. Qu's palms.

To be able to live from the old era to the new in this chaotic wasteland, crossing the threshold of sixty years old.

It's definitely not easy; they must have a lot of stories to tell.

"Da Long's answer just now was somewhat inappropriate, please don't take it to heart."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Since the Nightmare Flea incident, the buffer zone has entered an era of self-governance. These more than 500,000 people have given rise to 30 to 50 different ideologies: some, like our Tianyuan community, can attract thousands of members, while others have only dozens or even less than a hundred. But in the end, everyone is just trying to survive. There is no good or bad in the ideologies themselves, and it is even more difficult to judge the superiority of the collective over the individual."

The old man paused, his gaze turning serious. “Only when the current wave of infections hits and all communities are put to the test, can the correct approach be adopted. Until we get through this, it remains to be seen whether Tianyuan Community’s current distorted, outdated approach will work.”

"Old-fashioned ideas?"

Cheng Ye nodded slightly.

The current Tianyuan community does resemble his understanding of the clan model in the Lingnan region, but it is not entirely the same.

Everyone carries a mission, prioritizing the collective interest and taking pride in it, without considering personal gain.

However, as Mr. Qu said, whether it is correct or wrong needs to be verified by an infection wave.

"Leaving aside the future, right now, Elder Qu should be happy. I think it's a successful test."

Cheng Ye exclaimed in sincere admiration.

"If every community could be like Tianyuan Community, then..."

“Prosecutor, this won’t work.”

The old man hurriedly shook his head, "The collective can only play a role in times of crisis. In terms of normal development, our Tianyuan Community can't even rank in the top ten."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the two elders on the left and right sides changed slightly, but they did not stop the elder in the middle from continuing.

"This model has been in place for nine years, and its drawbacks have gradually become apparent. The consequence of talking about the collective is that the individual's potential is constantly being squeezed. No one dares to go out and take risks, nor can they bear the consequences of being kicked out if they do. To be honest, Tianyuan Community has not produced any talents who can enter the inner city for a long time. There are very few people who can even form caravans, and even fewer who go out to scavenge."

“Look inside this mall, we haven’t had the funds to renovate it for over four years. The beds that everyone is living in are still purchased with their own money. Some people’s beds have even collapsed, but they can’t bear to replace them and are just holding them up with screws and patches. The water pipes in the rooms are broken, and everyone has to pay for the repairs. Many people can’t afford to repair them, so the entire mall has to pool their money, and the shortfall is getting bigger and bigger.”

After the gathering ended, the crowd gradually returned to the rooms that had been converted from various shops.

Old Qu knew the rooms like the back of his hand, pointing them out one by one and recounting the stories that had happened inside.

These shopping malls, inherited from the old days, may have more complete infrastructure than residential buildings.

However, its lifespan is significantly shorter than the latter.

Such incidents as broken water pipes and burnt-out circuits have become increasingly frequent in recent years.

According to the Tianyuan Community's philosophy, such repairs should be collectively funded, but right now everyone is struggling to make ends meet and has to go out to work to earn a living, so where would they find the extra money to raise?

"People's hearts still need money to support them; without money, their hearts will quickly drift away."

"Ah Can is one of the few talents in our community who dares to go out and make a living. It's a pity that God was blind and chose him out of all people."

Old Qu kept rambling on, and Cheng Ye listened quietly.

For some reason, he really enjoyed listening to these "old people" recount the past of the wasteland.

After all, Earth's memory is fading rapidly as the living environment changes, and the faster one integrates into this wasteland, the greater the chance of survival.

"During the last heavy rain, I saw Public Works Department personnel helping with flood prevention?"

"Yes, if it were just us, the entire floor would definitely have been flooded that night."

Old Qu paused for a moment, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Actually, the officials from the Public Works Department have been very considerate of us these past two years. The probability of serious incidents in Tianyuan Community is very low, and the workers who come out of there are hardworking and never complain about the pay."

"But as the environment becomes more stable, if you want to eat meat, you still have to rush forward and snatch food from other people's bowls. If that's really the case, the community will fall apart, because the easiest people to take advantage of are always the people you know well."

Old Qu's words startled Cheng Ye slightly.

Indeed, he had been so focused on how Tianyuan Community responded to the disaster that he hadn't considered how smoothly Tianyuan Community usually operated.

The influence of ideas is not only reflected at this time, but will also silently permeate every corner of daily life.

No wonder the district elders said that there is no distinction between good and bad, and it is difficult to judge which is superior.

Different periods have different advantages; we can't just look at the performance of a single stage.

"What do you want from here?"

"come and see."

Cheng Ye nodded and told the truth, "I live nearby. I heard that there might be an outbreak at Tianyuan Shopping Mall, so I came to check it out."

"understood."

Old Qu nodded. "My surname is Song. For many years, everyone has called me Old Song. I haven't used my real name for a long time."

"Mr. Song, you're too kind. You're practically a living fossil of the buffer zone."

"Haha, Prosecutor Cheng is really joking."

After being praised by Cheng Ye, even though all that could be seen was his eyes, Old Song chuckled heartily.

Is the fact that we've come this far and united over four thousand people a genuine act or a facade?

He really only needs to look at a glance to figure it out.

"Since Prosecutor Cheng lives nearby and is willing to come and visit us, I have a favor to ask, but I don't know if I can say it?"

"But it doesn't matter."

Cheng Ye took a deep breath; he already knew what Old Song wanted to say. And indeed he did.

Old Song staggered and bent over, and the other two district elders also lowered their backs.

Under Cheng Ye's gaze, he said earnestly, "To be honest, with the wave of infection, this is the only way for Tianyuan Community to survive, and it is also the key to proving the success of our collective ideals. As long as the community is still around after tonight and the model is successfully validated, this ideal can continue to be promoted and new members can be recruited."

"Lord Cheng, although our Tianyuan Community doesn't have any skilled fighters, everyone here is a good worker. We can still muster three hundred people for your command to clear out the threat that is about to erupt in Zone B-7. Afterwards, we will only take 40% of the contribution points to repair the mall, and the remaining 60% will be yours."

"Since Mr. Song is so kind, why doesn't the community organize its own manpower?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then asked a question in return.

Old Song was clearly taken aback, then shook his head, his gaze somewhat unfocused. "If we can't organize, it's hard for a group to have a leader. We need someone to follow us in order to form a fighting force. If it were more than 30 years ago, when Happiness City was first established, I could have wielded a gun and taken on hundreds of infected by myself without any problem."

"My two brothers are also warriors who crawled out of the wave of infection. That's why we can convince 4,000 people to follow us and fight for our ideals."

"But today, I am old, and they are old too. Ah-chan was the successor I chose, but he didn't make it to the day he took over."

"Ah."

Cheng Ye nodded, suddenly having the illusion that he was recruiting soldiers in ancient times.

No wonder even a powerful figure like Liu Bei had to claim descent from the Prince of Zhongshan when he started his rebellion. Now, with the title of inspector on his head, he has a similar appeal.

Before he came, he never imagined that Tianyuan Mall would be like this, that the people inside would maintain such unique ideas even in the wasteland.

"I'll see how things go. Until then, you all need to keep the mall under control."

"Prosecutor Cheng, rest assured, we may not be as good as other communities when it comes to going out, but when it comes to guarding our homes..."

Old Qu grinned, suddenly becoming confident, "This is our specialty; there aren't many communities within the buffer zone that can surpass us."

"Sir, if you don't come out soon, we'll have to rush in."

The guards at the checkpoint breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Cheng Ye finally emerge from the mall.

They couldn't help but be nervous. Who would have thought that after verifying their identities, the checkpoint headquarters would send a message instructing them to ensure the safety of Inspector Cheng at all costs?

What should I do?
Fortunately, Tianyuan Community is usually quite peaceful and has not experienced any serious incidents for many years.

In a more turbulent community, they would have already been itching to go in and check things out.

"Thank you."

Cheng Ye took out his defense communication device and glanced at the time; it was almost 9:30.

The curfew has begun, and the guards will be leaving in another half hour.

"Will the Blood Dragon Legion deploy troops to every region after it enters the battlefield?"

"No," the guard explained, shaking his head. "Because the area has been divided into zones, the main role of the Blood Dragon Legion is to prevent a chain reaction of infection. They will prioritize deploying their forces to areas with large-scale outbreaks to prevent the infected from spreading to other areas and creating a chain reaction."

"If the infection surge in Zone B-7 is not particularly severe, the pressure may be relatively low, but also relatively high."

The guard's words were somewhat slurred, but his meaning was clear.

There won't be a large-scale wave of infections, and don't expect soldiers to come to support us in the short term.

This may be somewhat disappointing for ordinary residents who were hoping for a rescue from the Blood Dragon Legion.

But it must be said that it met Cheng Ye's own expectations.

Compared to the corridors filled with infected, the Legion's firepower covered the entire area, with stray bullets flying everywhere.

As long as there aren't too many infected, with his current strength, he's not afraid at all.

"Ultimately, the limit of this type of contact infection is limited. If it could catalyze the emergence of tens of thousands of Rotten Vine Infected Bodies, that would truly be hopeless."

On the way back, Cheng Ye suddenly felt a strange restlessness.

For the previous three months, he had focused all his attention on the prosecutor's assessment and knew almost nothing about the true nature of the buffer zone.

I just have a stereotypical view that the people here will be forced into chaos when an infection wave hits.

But when the wave of infections actually arrived, and he was able to extricate himself to observe and reflect, he was suddenly struck by a fact:
Happiness City has survived for over thirty years despite the threat of annual winter infection waves. If it had been thrown into chaos by disasters every time, how could it have developed to where it is today?

It's not just the formidable defenses here, but also the incredible resilience of the people who have settled here that has allowed it to stand strong!
"They were indeed forced into this situation by targeting infected individuals to make money."

Given the size of Tianyuan Mall, a renovation would cost at least tens of thousands of Happiness Coins, which could be converted into Contribution Points, which have stronger purchasing power, and would amount to several thousand or even tens of thousands.

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, then turned straight into Uncle Dong's convenience store, pushed open the door and went down to the basement, intending to retrieve the six high-explosive grenades.

This item is strictly prohibited in the buffer zone.

Even when he questioned the gun salesman as an inspector, the people at the gun sales point told him that he could only receive the gun for free when the distribution was approved, and he could not purchase it under any other identity.

It seems they felt the threat of gun overruns was still manageable, since everyone owns a gun, which would actually dilute the deterrent effect.

If high-explosive grenades were to get out and be carelessly thrown away by some idiot, the damage they would cause would be far more deadly than that caused by infected individuals.

However, he now had a different idea. If the threat of the infected was controllable, he might as well go out and launch a counterattack to nip the infection wave in the bud in Sector B-7 in the bud.

"Uncle Dong left me so many books?"

After opening the hidden compartment, Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh softly.

Next to the six silver high-explosive grenades were two stacks of books, at least twenty or more.

He casually flipped through the top two volumes, which were full of handwritten notes on dealing with infected individuals, with the "Winter Squad" signature at the bottom of each page.

"Thank you, Uncle Dong."

He called out towards the wicker chair where the old man used to sit, picked up the two stacks of books, and prevented the basement from being flooded by the torrential rain and soaking the books that might contain 'information'.

Walking into the residential area, half of the lights are usually off at this time of day, but tonight they are all brightly lit.

The voltage flickered on and off, like a monster breathing slowly in the darkness.

Kick the security door shut and put all the books in the corner.

Cheng Ye took off his raincoat and hood, slumped on the bed, and downed three bags of nutrient solution before finally letting out a long sigh.

He had prepared everything he could, from equipment to weapons.

All the information that needed to be gathered in the plan has been obtained, and there are even unexpected surprises.

For a junior trainee prosecutor, it is truly remarkable that he was able to make so many preparations before the wave of infections hit.

He vaguely sensed something, after the important figure mentioned by Old Song... no, more accurately, after being deliberately restricted by the buffer zone rules set by the idealists.

The position of prosecutor brings not only privileges, a secure job, and many hidden benefits, but also responsibilities and obligations.

For a slacker, these responsibilities and obligations are a heavy burden.

However, if it falls on the shoulders of those who are committed to their original aspirations or determined to change the status quo, it becomes a springboard for advancement.

As long as you are well-prepared and seize the right moment to take a leap, you can use this to propel yourself to a high place and instantly gain unimaginable power of speech, without having to rigidly stay in one circle, scheming against each other and fighting for interests.

However, it's too early to think about these things now; we should patiently wait for the wave of infections to arrive.

Cheng Ye looked out the window, and a bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the night sky, reflecting tiny silver glints in his pupils.

The rain started to fall even harder!

　P.S.: Thank you all for your tremendous support! There are just too many writers on Qidian now, I can't keep up, sob sob, I'll try my best to write more!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)