Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 88 Fast Charging and Energy Replenishment, Grand Plan for Pedestrian Street! (Two-in-One)

Master Tian's words went around in circles, and he even added a sentence at the end, but Cheng Ye understood the meaning behind them perfectly.

Entering and leaving the sanctuary city is too difficult, so they can only struggle in this small area, and their path to development is pitifully narrow.

However, there is no solution to this problem. Once the speed of population movement increases, the proportion of infected individuals will also rise, and the current size of the checkpoints is simply not enough to cope with it.

In the current environment, 99% of sheltered cities adopt the same approach as the Happy City Industrial Zone, completely locking down the population flow in a region in order to barely gain some room for development.

Frequent comings and goings will automatically attract sources of infection, leading to an outbreak of infection.

As for focusing scientific and technological research on screening for infected individuals and increasing the intensity of checkpoints without limit.

There's no need to do the math; it's obvious that the input and return are completely disproportionate.

Not to mention that the source of infection is still evolving, if any undetected cases manage to slip into the city, all the previous research and development investments will be greatly reduced, or even become meaningless.

More importantly, there is the wave of wandering infections.

This is a calamity that no safe city can escape. Without solid strength, a safe city may collapse at any time once the wave of infection hits.

Furthermore, the resources required for research and development do not appear out of thin air. Precision instruments require rare metals, drug development requires special biological samples, and even the most basic resources have to be mined from outside.

Even when Happiness City was first established, it couldn't escape this law. It had to form a pioneering army, and many people were buried in the wilderness to obtain the initial start-up resources.

It is only over the past decade that Xingfu City's industrial level has continuously improved, gradually giving it the capital to attract talent from the surrounding areas.

With its advantages of more advanced weapons, more stable supply of materials, and more complete industrial facilities, it reaped the benefits of surrounding small settlements and sanctuaries, either annexing them or turning them into vassals that provided raw materials.

If you don't think about getting stronger, and only think about defense.

It wasn't Happiness City that rose to prominence in Shi Province, but rather other protected cities.

"So you haven't thought about making any moves?"

"I'll forget it."

Master Tian quickly shook his head and couldn't help but laugh, "Prosecutor Cheng, all crows are black. Even a super shelter city like the Firewood Shelter City, which is worth tens of millions, is actually no different from us. It's just that some people don't believe in superstitions and insist that they can make a name for themselves."

"Have you been to the City of Fire's Shelter?"

Cheng Ye was stunned. According to the map, the two shelter cities were nearly 4,000 kilometers apart in a straight line, with an uninhabited area occupied by the source of infection in between.

"It's not that I've been there, it's that I came from there. Hmm, many of the founding members of our Happiness City came from the City of Fire's Shelter."

Master Tian reminisced, "The City of Fire and Protection doesn't have the same buffer zone and inner city structure as ours. Instead, it has a more detailed division, with dozens of areas of varying sizes, such as industrial zone, agricultural zone, production zone, scavenging zone, gathering zone, transportation zone, outer city, and inner city."

“Different areas are located at different distances from the core area, and the level and scale of their epidemic prevention measures also vary greatly. The scavenging area is next to the outermost ruins, and people there have to deal with wandering infected people every day. Epidemic prevention there relies entirely on hard work. But if people there can survive and accumulate enough merit, they can apply to move to the agricultural area, where they can at least grow some food in peace. People in the agricultural area have to climb up the ranks to enter the industrial area.”

Where were you at that time?

“The transportation area!” Master Tian patted the steering wheel and grinned. “Driving big trucks back and forth to the mining area every day, it was a little better back then. At least there weren’t so many infected people, but the mortality rate was around 20% all year round. One batch would die, and another would be replaced.”

"Later, I couldn't hold on any longer, so I ran away and wandered in the wilderness for more than ten years before finally settling down in Happiness City."

"To put it bluntly, all the sheltered cities are the same old thing in different guises. They're layered on top of each other, and wherever you go, there's always the safest place and the most dangerous place. If you want to get into the safe place, you have to compete with others for a spot. But our Happiness City doesn't pretend. We put up clear prices so you know that once you save up enough, you can go in and enjoy the good life. I've heard that many sheltered cities even hold auctions and arrange for people to drive up the prices, which is even more disgusting."

"You see it clearly."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh.

In fact, he already knew this when he got the map of the Sanctuary City distribution.

If the concept of any sanctuary city were truly feasible and could truly ensure the safety and well-being of everyone, why would there be so many sanctuaries of all sizes?

"Prosecutor Cheng, you seem quite interested in the outside world?"

"Yes, I need to find out in advance, otherwise we'll be going on field missions, and we can't be completely clueless."

"That's really... born in the wrong era. When the new era was just beginning, it was the perfect time for people like you. Now that the situation is just set and infected creatures are rampant, it's too difficult to go out."

As Mr. Tian was speaking, the bus slowly came to a stop.

However, it's not the starting station, but rather two hundred meters ahead.

"Where are you planning to get off? My car is almost out of power. There were so many cars crammed over there charging this morning that I couldn't get one. There should be a spot available during lunch break now."

"Charge?"

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. "Can I come along and take a look? I also need to go to the Public Works Department to take care of some things."

"No problem, the charging area is only a few hundred meters away from the office building."

The bus started moving again, continuing along the city streets.

The Public Works Department is located south of the buffer zone, on a vacant lot that is not yet developed in the surrounding area.

It covers an area of ​​over 300 acres and contains more than ten office buildings and a large parking lot, where you can see many construction vehicles parked from a distance.

"Master Tian, ​​why are there still people in the car?"

Four guards approached from afar and noticed Cheng Ye sitting in the middle of the carriage.

"I have something to do and would like to go inside and take a look." Cheng Ye rolled down the car window and handed over his identification badge.

The guard paused for a moment when he saw the large "检" (inspection) character on the badge, then quickly took it and swiped it on his defense mobile device.

Upon seeing the displayed identity of the prosecutor, his expression immediately became respectful.

But further down, the identity information revealed something that shocked him immensely.

[Public Works Department: Level 7 Authority]

Level seven?

The Public Works Department has nine levels of internal job titles, with nine being the highest and level seven considered to be senior management.

He had been stationed here for so long, and this was the first time he had ever seen a prosecutor with such high authority!

"Lord Cheng, with your authority, you can go anywhere in the Public Works Department, but according to regulations, it needs to be recorded. What brings you here today?"

"I want to invest in the renovation of an area, so I've come here to inquire about the plans and budget."

"Uh"

The guard hesitated for a moment. "It's lunch break now. The engineers should be resting. Should I go and call them out?"

"No need, you guys go about your business, I'll just wander around a bit."

"Understood. With your authority, you can make any request to any staff member if you need anything!"

"My permissions?"

"Yes, you are a Level 7 official in the Public Works Department, equivalent to a Director."

"Ok?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, then took the badge.

Who knew that "joining forces" with idealists would have these benefits!
But on second thought, it made perfect sense. When the elders allocated funds, they specifically deposited 20,000 contribution points in the Public Works Department, clearly indicating that they wanted him to directly handle the renovation matters.

How can you access resources and advance projects without sufficient permissions?
The barrier was raised, and the bus continued forward, soon entering the charging area inside the parking lot.

At a glance, there are countless fast charging stations, at least forty charging guns!
More than twenty engineering vehicles, reinforced with heavy steel plates, occupied the pile positions on the left.

The bus is on the right, and there are no empty spaces yet, but people are already moving their cars.

Cheng Ye couldn't help but swallow hard. If it weren't for the starfish protecting him, he would never have dared to take the risk here.

But now that they have the strength, they've become bolder.

Opening the panel, the charge value in the upper right corner is only 21%, which is barely enough to search for Lv1 skills.

To search for Lv3, you need 60% charge, which is 240 kWh. There is still a shortfall of 160 kWh.

If I charge it at home, it will take three days to fully charge, which is too slow!

"Master Tian, ​​what's the approximate charging power here?"

"The engineering vehicles have 240kW high-power charging, while our buses have 120kW fast charging."

How many?

240kW?

Cheng Ye felt a sudden rush of energy to his head, an uncontrollable desire surging into his heart.

If I could charge it here, it would only take two hours to fully recharge the collector.

Even the 120kW fast charging station is twice as fast as the 60kW one in the checkpoint.

If we can just hang out for an hour or two, we'll take off right away!
“There’s a spot available now, just enough for us to fill it.”

As Mr. Tian spoke, he sharply turned the steering wheel, and the massive bus moved like a nimble fish in his hands, accurately reversing into the charging parking space with two "clicks".

Cheng Ye got out of the car and his gaze fell on the charging station next to him.

The metal stakes are well protected and show no signs of wear and tear from years of use.

Seeing his interest, Mr. Tian gave a special demonstration of the charging process, which was very simple.

Simply plug in the charging gun, take out your work card and swipe it in the sensing area, and the charging station's screen will immediately light up, displaying "Checking battery status".

Thirty seconds later, with a click, the DC power supply box started to whistle and cool the air.

This is a bit troublesome.

Clearly, the charging station can identify the battery pack, detect the battery's degradation level and withstand current in real time, and automatically adjust the output power to avoid overload.

If I change the pendant, will it prevent the charging from activating?
"It's starting now. The bus is equipped with a 300kWh battery, which usually takes three and a half hours to charge."

"During this period, those living nearby will go home to rest, while I will just go to the lobby over there for a while."

He raised his hand and pointed diagonally across the street. In the corner of the parking lot, there was a low building with a sign that read "Driver's Rest Room" above the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, two more buses turned into the parking lot one after the other and slowly stopped in the open space in front.

The car door opened, and two tired-looking drivers got out.

One person saw that the parking spaces were full and immediately shook his head and went to the lounge, while another person went straight to the charging station area and checked the charging progress on the screens one by one.

"Wow, how come they're only forty or fifty?" The driver clicked his tongue, his gaze sweeping over the charging station next to Master Tian's, where the current progress bar on the screen had already climbed to 81%.

It's still quite a distance from being fully charged, but it's already the fastest here.

"Old Tian, ​​I parked my car in front of you. After you finish charging, could you help me back in and recharge it?"

"Sure," Master Tian readily agreed. "Are you going home to rest?"

"Stop taking a break my ass." The driver spat on the ground, his brows furrowed. "Our community has been in an uproar these past few days. A bunch of people from the shantytowns are trying to squeeze in, saying that we're in a buffer zone and why should we live in brick houses. I have to go back and check on things. I don't want my house to be broken into by the time I finish this trip."

"With the wave of infections just over, it's inevitable that people's hearts are unsettled."

Master Tian sighed, "Go ahead, just leave the key and work card with me."

The driver handed the car keys and work card to Master Tian and hurriedly walked out of the parking lot, his back revealing obvious anxiety.

"Prosecutor Cheng, why don't you go take a break? Your lunch break ends in an hour, or I can take you directly to the engineer?"

Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the bus next door, "Do you know who the driver of this bus is?"

"Old Lu, the one sitting at the entrance of the lounge."

"Have him come over, move the car and leave. 80% is enough for today."

"Huh?" Master Tian was taken aback, but without asking Cheng Ye why he said that, he immediately ran over to call for help.

When Lao Lü heard someone shout to move his car, he was a little puzzled, but when he heard the words "inspector," he ran even faster than Master Tian.

"Prosecutor Cheng, I'll move it right away and go to work!"

The bald Mr. Lü even broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that he had been slacking off and had displeased the inspector.

He bowed and scraped as he apologized, even pulling out the charging gun crookedly, almost hitting the pile.

In less than half a minute, the car sped away from the charging station and drove out of the parking lot.

"You back up the car, I'll try charging it."

"Okay."

Master Tian handed over his work card, took the keys, boarded the bus, and started reversing.

Cheng Ye unplugged the charging gun, seemingly examining the inside, but actually tucked the pendant inside with his palm.

Just like a slow charging station, the pendant immediately got stuck inside the station.

Whether it works or not, whether it can be charged or not, we have to try to find out.

Cheng Ye had already made a plan: if the charging gun malfunctioned, he would claim it was because it was his first time using it and he was unfamiliar with it, and pretend to be clueless to get away with it.

But if there are no problems, it would be so great to be able to sneak in a charging session every now and then!

We must seize the time to accumulate more strength before autumn arrives and the hydropower station runs out of power.

Otherwise, when the power supply can't keep up in the autumn and winter, even the most daring person won't have anywhere to charge their phone.

Click.

The charging port cover at the rear of the car popped open, and Cheng Ye pretended to plug it in, but in reality, he didn't insert it all the way in.

Back at the charging station, he was feeling quite nervous. He picked up his work card and swiped it lightly on the side.

The screen suddenly lit up, but instead of immediately displaying an error message as expected.

[Checking battery status.]

A line of small text flashed by, instantly putting everyone on edge.

About twenty seconds later, a delightful click sounded, and the DC power supply fan started to cool the system.

Become!

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, and his whole body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

The panel pops open, and the lightning bolt icon in the upper right corner is neither the light gray of household appliances nor the dark gray of a slow charging station, but rather a symbol of hope that makes you want to smile.
green!

[Current Energy Replenishment Efficiency: Normal (Level 3 Energy)]

[3.07 hours remaining until full charge]

At the same time, Cheng Ye noticed that the values ​​displayed on the screen were exactly the same as those on the collector panel.

Both are 21%.

This pendant actually has an adaptive charging function!
"Awesome!" Cheng Ye hadn't planned to steal a lot of electricity here, but in just one hour, he could get over 100 kilowatts more.

The hour and a half of lunch break alone is enough for him to charge up to about 70%.

"Let's go and rest."

Cheng Ye waved his hand, and Master Tian, ​​unsuspecting, walked the two towards the rest room.

After sitting for about twenty minutes, the energy level soared to 30%.

Just then, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and three middle-aged men hurriedly walked in carrying a stack of documents.

Although Cheng Ye said he would wait until the lunch break was over, how could the guards really make him wait?

The report had already been submitted upon arrival, and the three engineers, upon receiving the notification, immediately prepared the necessary documents and rushed over.

"Inspector Cheng, we are engineers in charge of the renovation of old urban areas. My surname is Liu."

"Mr. Liu, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Cheng Ye stood up and shook hands with him.

Mr. Liu was somewhat flattered and quickly gestured to the two engineers behind him to bring over a table. He then turned to the drivers in the break room and said:
"I need to discuss the modifications with Prosecutor Cheng. Please go to your cars and leave for a moment."

Prosecutor Cheng?

Upon hearing Liu's greeting, some drivers had already stood up and started to walk out.

After saying that, Master Tian didn't dare to stay any longer, and quickly waved his hand to open the door and leave.

"The instructions from above have been delivered. There's a budget of 20,000 contribution points for Zone B-7. I wonder how Prosecutor Cheng plans to renovate it?"

Engineer Liu unfolded the topographic map, located area B-7, which had already been marked with a red pen.

"I want to renovate this pedestrian street area and demolish all the existing buildings to rebuild them!"

"All demolished?"

After thinking for a moment, Liu Gong said, "It will probably cost around 3000 points, but if Tianyuan Community is willing to provide manpower, it should only cost 1000 points. The main costs are the usage fees for construction machinery and the garbage loading and unloading fees, which are calculated based on the lowest cost."

"no problem."

Cheng Ye nodded. "The pedestrian street will be divided into three areas. One area will be used for scavengers to set up stalls, another area will be reserved for community shops, and I plan to open a factory in the remaining area. We haven't decided on the specific factory yet, but the infrastructure construction should start in the fall."

He paused, then emphasized, "Especially regarding the electricity, please pre-install the largest gauge electrical wires for me. I have a phobia of insufficient electricity; I can do without it, but I can't be without it."

"Prosecutor Cheng, rest assured, we will definitely do it to the highest standards and guarantee your satisfaction!"

Engineer Liu nodded immediately, without asking any questions.

The instructions from above were already given that the Public Works Department must try its best to meet whatever Cheng Ye made.

Even if it's just about strengthening infrastructure, they would still take on the job if it meant tearing down and rebuilding Tianyuan Mall entirely.

"Then let's go through the specifics of how to build it, piece by piece?"

"Sure, you're professionals. Just come up with a solution and I'll listen to it."

Let professionals handle professional tasks.

Cheng Ye did not overstep his bounds and force a modern perspective onto the planning of this pedestrian street.

From the most basic water and electricity pipeline renovation plan, to the planning of sewage pipeline routes and the expansion design of drainage systems, and then to the optimization and adjustment of transportation routes within the community.
Engineer Liu explained each point in detail, his pen tracing patterns on the drawings as he spoke, marking timelines and budget amounts alongside his words.

"Autumn is coming soon. Once the summer rains have receded from Sichuan City, construction can begin in full swing. Work may be suspended for a period of time in winter, but the entire pedestrian street will be fully completed by next spring at the latest."

Cheng Ye nodded in agreement from time to time, once again truly experiencing the convenience that power brings.

There's no need to do everything yourself; just set the tone, and someone else will fill in the details.

This sense of control, along with the steadily increasing battery level on the panel, gave him an indescribable sense of security.

It's a kind of small happiness that, amidst the chaos of the world where everyone is struggling to survive, he is able to stay in a relatively safe place and steadily accumulate his strength step by step.

Cool!
After discussing for more than an hour, the battery level had already soared to 67%.

"Mr. Liu, I think this area for setting up stalls is basically fine."

After talking for a while, with the battery level reaching 70%, Cheng Ye was looking for an excuse to end the talks so he could have a pretext to "steal electricity" from the Public Works Department next time.

However, at that moment, the defense communication device rang. When I picked it up, I found it was the checkpoint's official account.

"Sorry, I'll take a call."

The three engineers, including Liu, exchanged glances and immediately retreated outside, leaving the lounge to him alone.

"Hey?"

"Prosecutor Cheng?"

"Huh, Da Long?" Cheng Ye was taken aback, not expecting that the voice coming from the other end of the public account was Da Long's.

Could it be that they were caught at the checkpoint?
That shouldn't be the case; the checkpoints are closed now, and the inspectors are all on vacation.

"Prosecutor Cheng, it's like this."

Da Long was also taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "We just arrested an outsider in the community who was sneaking around asking about you. He's already tied up."

"He couldn't produce an identification badge, he just said that you could contact him by pressing this number on his defense mobile phone."

"what?"

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(End of this chapter)