Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 87 Station Master Ding, the Headache-Provocateur! (Two Chapters Combined)

After Yu Hong and his men left, only Liu Kun and Ding Yishan remained sitting opposite each other in the meeting room.

Silence washed over the mahogany table like a tide, until the sunlight outside the window shifted slightly, and then the two of them stood up one after the other and walked out with heavy steps.

At the entrance, A-Chuan had already prepared the supplies for visiting the injured, with four large, bulging bags piled up at his feet.

Seeing that the two men came out with somber faces, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't dare to breathe and silently picked up the supplies to follow them.

The black pickup truck drove away from the venue area, and just after turning two street corners, Liu Kun suddenly broke the silence: "Old Ding, what Yu Hong said makes sense, but it's just that. You've seen it yourself, the times are different now than before. In the past, people could argue fiercely over a system, trying to persuade others with reason and facts. But now, if you don't say one thing well, the adults will be dissatisfied, and you'll be sent flying."

"Hmm." Ding Yishan responded softly, his gaze falling on the inner city street scene passing by outside the window. "I understand what he means, but he may not understand our predicament."

"That's exactly what I meant!" Liu Kun slammed his hand on the steering wheel, causing the pickup truck to lurch. "Without extraordinary abilities, you're just an ant! Without real strength, everything you say is just empty talk. Who the hell will take it seriously?"

"Cheng Wu is the best example; he was forced to leave by a few words from an elder!"

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "Hou Rui and his gang are increasingly disregarding us, yet we still have to beg them to allocate supplies and provide support. This is such a suffocating life!"

“Director Liu, times have changed.” Ding Yishan’s voice was calmer. “Back then, they also endured a lot of frustration. We have to be patient.”

"Endure? Endure my ass!"

Liu Kun swore, but quickly suppressed his anger, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "But don't worry, this won't last long. Recently, I've found a new way to become stronger."

He paused, then turned to look at Ding Yishan, a meaningful smile playing on his lips:
“Cheng Ye is a promising talent. You should nurture him well; he might just be a pleasant surprise.”

"Cheng Ye?" Ding Yishan was stunned, his brows furrowing slightly. "What happened to him?"

"You didn't know? He discovered a unique source of infection at the North Rapid Checkpoint."

Liu Kun lowered his voice, tinged with excitement, "That thing has properties I've never seen before, which will be extremely useful to me. In a few days, I'll personally go to the ruins to see if there's any fusion of this infected source. If I can find it..."

"Ah, all of this will eventually come to an end."

Before Liu Kun could finish speaking, the car turned the corner, and the sunlight swept across the horizon, shining obliquely on his face, making his fierce expression look somewhat eerie.

Ding Yishan glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had been stung by something.

But his face remained calm, and his body didn't move an inch.

Not long after.

The pickup truck came to a steady stop in front of the gate of happiness, and the heavy alloy door slowly opened, revealing the gray buffer zone outside.

The two got out of the car one after the other. Liu Kun stood inside the door, while Ding Yishan led A Chuan out carrying supplies.

"Old Ding."

"Ah."

"Remember my words: times have changed, we must keep pace with the times and not be complacent!"

Liu Kun spoke again, lowering his voice, with an unusual excitement.

"it is good!"

Ding Yishan nodded emphatically, smiled, and quickly boarded the pickup truck at the checkpoint.

But even after the car had driven far away from the gates of happiness, he remained deep in thought with a furrowed brow.

"My lord, what's wrong with me?"

"Shut up."

Ding Yishan growled, his gaze falling on the rearview mirror. The towering outline of the gate to happiness grew smaller and smaller, and Liu Kun became a tiny black dot.

But for some reason, this city he had guarded for most of his life, this door that symbolized the boundary between inside and outside, and these people who had once stood shoulder to shoulder with him...
It seems that everything has changed beyond recognition without us even realizing it, becoming more and more unfamiliar to us.

Moreover, he is now facing more and more problems.

The idealists wanted the two factions in the station to settle their differences as soon as possible, but the Eastern faction was already weak. Even the position of a duty station chief was being fought over by four fifth-term Eastern prosecutors. How could they possibly suppress Harlin?

Down below, the younger generation of Westerners, although in slightly better condition than those of Easterners, are all focused on vying for power and profit because they are single-mindedly trying to climb the ranks by aligning themselves with certain factions.

Original aspiration? What kind of original aspiration is that?

Only a scoundrel like Li Matai, who doesn't want to climb the ranks, still has some sense of responsibility as a prosecutor.

"What we need now is someone to lead the younger generation at the checkpoint."

"Otherwise, even if you want to accumulate resources, you won't know where to put them."

Ding Yishan leaned back in his chair, staring at the mottled stains on the car roof, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

Back then, he bet that Cheng Long would succeed, and he was half right. He poured all the station's resources into Cheng Long, and Cheng Long did indeed support the checkpoint, helping him climb step by step to the position of stationmaster.

It's truly a case of Cheng Long being both his success and his downfall.

Influenced by Liu Kun, Cheng Long's obsession with the extraordinary became so deep that it almost led him astray, ultimately resulting in his tragic end.

Thinking of this, Li Matai's suggestion involuntarily flashed through his mind.

Cheng Ye?

Another member of the Cheng family?
He instinctively felt some resistance. This "good-for-nothing" was known to everyone in the inner city. His record from childhood to adulthood was unremarkable, even inferior to that of an ordinary scavenger from outside.

When he protected Cheng Ye from being killed by people Cheng Long, who had offended from the inner city faction, he didn't think too much about it.

Simply following the rules of the checkpoint signifies that the checkpoint will protect the offspring of any inspector, even if they die, they must die within the checkpoint, and the factions in the inner city will never be allowed to interfere.

In addition, he could die on duty in a reasonable manner, freeing up a position for A-Chuan, so that he wouldn't directly push A-Chuan to the position and give others a reason to criticize him.

But that's just how absurd the world is.

This good-for-nothing escaped the prison walls and transformed himself into a rookie prosecutor whose performance was second only to Harlem's.

Moreover, his original combat talent was so weak that even Harlin couldn't be wary of him, but after going to the North Checkpoint, he performed quite well and even attracted the Westerners to extend an olive branch.

This put him in a passive position, unable to make a move, and now he's stuck in the middle, neither up nor down, which is extremely frustrating.

And this damn world seems to be developing in the opposite direction of his expectations the more he resists it.

Even a trainee prosecutor, no matter how powerful a monster like Jackie Chan is.

Back then, he had to spend two and a half years honing his skills in the pioneering corps, and after returning to the checkpoint, he gradually climbed up through factional struggles, taking more than five years in total.

But Cheng Ye is even more outrageous than his father and grandfather.

He felt a little intimidated when he heard this name at today's meeting.

Even Liu Kun mentioned him. Could it be that the Cheng family is destined to bring misfortune to the checkpoint and to Ding Yishan?

Thinking of this, Ding Yishan paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Achuan."

"exist."

"Did you go try out Cheng Ye last time?"

"No, sir, didn't you say that we should try again after he goes to the South Checkpoint?"

"Did I say that?"

Ding Yishan was momentarily stunned, then asked, "Where is he now? Did he get into trouble during the outbreak?"

"No, all the prosecutors have reported the information, and there were no casualties. Please wait a moment, sir, while I check."

A-Chuan pulled out his defense device and quickly tapped to search for information. "Prosecutor Cheng applied for medical treatment an hour ago. These are the pictures of his injuries. Would you like to take a look?"

"Bring it here."

Ding Yishan took the defense communication device, glanced at the screen, and his brows furrowed slightly, a hint of alarm in his heart.

He recognized the background of the photo; it was Liu Bi's house.

Cheng Ye was shirtless, with almost no unscathed skin on his body. The bruises and welts stretched all the way down to his waist, suggesting that the injuries on his legs were also quite severe.

"What has he been doing? Garcia wasn't even this badly injured!"

“It’s different. This should only be a superficial injury. Garcia suffered internal injuries from Inspector Liu’s beating. It doesn’t look serious, but it’s actually more troublesome.”

As someone skilled in martial arts, A-Chuan could naturally spot the difference at a glance. "In addition, Prosecutor Cheng has not yet reported his movements during the infection wave, but we have recorded that his defense communication device had contact with the inner city, which is the command center."

"Command center?"

Ding Yishan was taken aback. "Why would a trainee prosecutor contact the command center?"

"Yes, the call logs have been retrieved, but we don't have the authority to access the specifics of what was said. Should I apply to higher-ups and see if it's approved?"

"Well"

Ding Yishan hesitated slightly, but ultimately shook his head. "Forget it. The command center is too involved. It would be embarrassing if we were rejected. You said he applied for medical treatment?"

"Yes, the process has been approved by Station Chief Harlin, and now we are just waiting for your approval."

"Approve it for him, by the way."

Ding Yishan paused, then added, "Transfer him to the medical facility where Garcia is staying. The two of them will be next to each other. Have someone record what they said and did. If they start fighting, Garcia is in Phase II, and Cheng Ye is no match for him. But as long as no one dies, don't stop me from doing anything that happens."

"Yes!"

"Also, go directly to the area where Cheng Ye is staying and investigate for me. Don't let anyone else in the station know. See if you can find out what he did. Once he's hospitalized, we'll be the first to visit him." "Understood."

A-Chuan agreed again, his tone slightly more delighted.

Hearing his joy, Ding Yishan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh, "Achuan, it seems your appointment as a prosecutor will have to be postponed again."

"Sir, I really don't want to be a prosecutor. I just want to run errands for you for the rest of my life."

A-Chuan smiled happily, "I don't have any of the skills a prosecutor needs. Even if I did become one, I would just get caught up in the power struggles like everyone else. I'm more than happy to have someone come out to help you share the burden."

"You."

Ding Yishan first let out a long sigh, and then sighed heavily again.

Yes.

What we lack now is not people who can scheme and plot, but people who can truly get things done.

Internally, to stop the spread of infection, we need the strength to lead the younger generation of prosecutors.

Externally, it is necessary to develop gathering places and sheltered cities, bring back additional revenue for checkpoints, help update equipment and repair facilities, and accumulate operating funds.

However, in the history of the checkpoint, there are only a handful of people who can be considered truly remarkable.

Is it really possible to put this burden on a trainee prosecutor?

It was just his wild imagination.

noon.

After eating another tasteless bowl of boiled cabbage, Cheng Ye quickly walked out of the chemical plant residential area.

The information obtained from Luo Xiaoxue was very substantial.

"No wonder Brother B didn't object when Ding Yishan transferred me to the express station; strictly speaking..."

"The Cheng family owes the checkpoint too much!"

Both Cheng Wu and Cheng Long significantly weakened the checkpoint.

Cheng Wu took a group of elderly people away, thus eradicating the root of the checkpoint.

Cheng Long led a group of Dongren core members to their deaths, weakening the Dongren in the station and causing internal strife.

"At this rate, shouldn't it be my turn to deal a heavy blow to the checkpoint next?"

Cheng Ye stood by the roadside, pondering, and couldn't help but smile.

But overall, he felt a little relieved after finding out that Cheng Long's death had nothing to do with the checkpoint.

At least we can confirm that the enemy is not inside the checkpoint.

With the addition of the starfish, he was no longer at the mercy of others as before.

But the more this was the case, the less he wanted to leave Happiness City and venture into the wilderness.

Now that we have the ability to establish ourselves, it is the perfect time to focus on development.

Putting everything else aside, that suit of armor alone is worth a full 2,800 contribution points, which you can get for free in just one battle.

He also received an extra 20,000 yuan, which he used to cultivate his own power and confidants.

"I used to think that old man was an idealist, but now it seems he's probably a veteran?"

Cheng Ye pondered silently.

He didn't tell Luo Xiaoxue about the 20,000 contribution points because he hadn't figured out the situation before.

Now we're finally starting to get a clue.

"The concept of community building was proposed by idealists, but now it seems that the elders were undoubtedly pushing it forward. My collaboration with the community has just come into the elders' view. Do they want to see what kind of sparks will fly when prosecutors work with the community?"

"But in the eyes of the others at the checkpoint, wouldn't I be seen as someone who has switched sides to the idealists and gone against the original principles?"

Thinking about this, Cheng Ye felt a headache coming on.

According to Luo Xiaoxue's introduction, the so-called "original aspiration" is the concept proposed by Cheng Wu.

That is, the system of human rights equality, once inside the buffer zone, regardless of strength, everyone should have equal opportunities and the same right to survive when facing danger, without any privileges due to their noble status.

For example, in this case, the substitute starfish should have been reported to all residents as soon as it was detected, and then a citywide quarantine should have been implemented.

Then, the buffer zone will coordinate manpower to conduct door-to-door inspections and deliver medicine, thus isolating the spread at its source.

Under his management, prosecutors had almost no special powers and were no different from the Public Works Department's managers; they were just cogs in the machine.

However, this approach ultimately failed to work, not only because the sources of infection kept coming one after another, but also because the methods of transmission became increasingly bizarre.

More importantly, the population loss within the buffer zone is too severe. No one wants to be treated like a tool, trapped by a single sentence from above, or labeled as dead simply because they are infected.

The idealists emerged in response to this need and quickly gained the support of the elders, forcing the original faction to leave.

Later, the idealists relaxed human rights restrictions and reformed the prosecutor system, elevating the status of prosecutors to an unprecedented level.

The goal is to block the source of infection by setting up checkpoints and keeping it outside the defenses, rather than simply relying on large-scale isolation whenever an infected person manages to get in.

Unexpectedly, after the power suddenly expanded, everyone was busy fighting for power and climbing the ranks, completely forgetting the responsibilities that prosecutors should bear, which ultimately led to heavy casualties in the buffer zone.

Later, the original faction's former subordinates regained power, retaining some of their original ideals and enjoying the benefits of the idealists' reforms, namely, the prosecutors' status was supreme.

This is really awkward.

This has led to the checkpoints being fundamentally mired in internal strife.

Some people want to be good prosecutors, stay true to their original aspirations, and keep the source of infection outside the defense line.

Another group of people are single-mindedly focused on climbing the social ladder, becoming extraordinary individuals, and reaching the top.

For both of them, the residents of the buffer zone are not tools, but merely numbers.

Just as Li Matai said, the inspectors are preventing infected individuals from entering the buffer zone, not giving scavengers and caravans the green light to promote the economic development of the buffer zone.

"But if I succeed in this, wouldn't I become the first inspector to drive internal development and the promoter of new ideas?"

"Moreover, it feels a bit like putting yourself in a high-level position and managing the buffer zone as a gathering place?"

Thinking of this, Cheng Ye couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Perhaps influenced by modern ideas, he didn't think about all these things when he did them.

Looking back now that the information has been completed, we are indeed on the right track.

Fortunately, this road won't clash with the two opposing ideologies at the checkpoint anytime soon, and even if he offends someone, he now has a trump card to hedge against the risk.

"Fortunately, the factional struggles within the station are not as precarious as before. I am now basically familiar with the rules, and outside the rules, anyone who dares to think of killing me to solve the problem can take the opportunity to try out what it feels like to have superhuman power."

"However, I absolutely cannot get involved in the entanglements of the three major factions in the inner city, or the conflicts between these factions and the checkpoints!"

Those who are qualified to sit at the table and speak at this level must all be extraordinary individuals.

He might be able to barely protect himself with the help of the starfish for five minutes, but to dream of being on equal footing with these people is simply wishful thinking.

When he has gathered all the extraordinary abilities and is fully qualified to speak, then it will be appropriate for him to enter this circle.

As I was pondering this, a bus drove up from not far away.

Cheng Ye glanced at the person waving at him from the driver's seat and couldn't help but laugh.

Vehicles headed to the checkpoint one after another, all filled with residents who were migrating away.

The buses returning from the checkpoint were all empty because the checkpoint was closed.

The car came to a stop.

Cheng Ye got into the car and sat down in his usual window seat, saying, "Master Tian, ​​I thought you were off today."

"How can we rest? This week is peak season."

Upon seeing Cheng Ye, Master Tian managed a smile that had been tinged with worry. "It's so good that you're alright!"

"What could possibly happen to me during this wave of infections at your home?"

"Everything is fine, very fine."

Master Tian chuckled, then sighed, "It's just that some of the old neighbors I've known over the years are now packing up and preparing to leave one after another."

"What's wrong? The old folks are all leaving. Do they also want to go out and seek their fortune elsewhere?"

"Yes, the buffer zone has become stagnant over the years. The path for newcomers to move up is completely blocked, and it's firmly in the hands of the veterans. But these veterans themselves are confused and can only drift through life aimlessly, causing the development here to get worse and worse. In addition, it is also affected by the scale of Happiness City, and they have to bear the risk of infection wave after wave."

“If you go outside, as long as you’re bold, there are plenty of people who can make a name for themselves in a year or two. But if you stay in our buffer zone, you can only work day and night to barely make a living.”

"You say it's safe, but it's not really safe. It's tiring, though."

After finishing his sentence, Master Tian quickly added, "But the main reason is that it has become increasingly difficult to accumulate contribution points over the years. At the beginning, you could enter the inner city with 100 points, but now you need 1,000 points. The difficulty is getting greater and greater. So, taking advantage of this opportunity, the poor think of change, and the old folks naturally want to leave and try their luck in other sheltered cities!"

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(End of this chapter)