Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 194: The Wealthy Wang Kang and a Familiar Face!

Morning, nine o'clock.Cheng Ye opened his eyes, his mind perfectly clear.

He had only slept for five hours, but with his current physical fitness, that was more than enough to fully restore his stamina and mental energy.

As he sat up, he realized that Mu Shuang had entered the room at some point. She was leaning against the sofa, gripping her Defense Terminal, a faint smile playing on her lips.

He could not tell if she was playing a game or messaging someone.

Seeing him step out, she immediately tucked her smile away.

"Inspector Cheng, all supplies have been delivered to Dabo Town. The personnel are currently boarding the vehicles. We expect to depart at ten o'clock and arrive by eleven-thirty," she reported.

"That fast?"

Cheng Ye was slightly surprised. The last time he drove there, the trip took over two hours from start to finish.

"The roads around Wenlu County have been repaired. Only the final stretch of the Township Road leading to Dabo Town is a bit rough," Mu Shuang explained.

"Ah, I forgot about that."

Realization dawned on Cheng Ye.

Construction in Wenlu County had been underway for over ten days, and the most critical roads would naturally be prioritized for repairs. Dabo Town simply benefited from this progress.

In the future, he would only need to lead a team to repair that seven-kilometer Township Road, and the difficulty of transporting supplies and traveling back and forth would drastically decrease.

"Additionally, Captain Wu's brigade and I cannot provide you with close protection during this assessment."

Mu Shuang changed the subject. "Due to Rule Restrictions, we are only allowed to station ourselves in Wenlu County. The Inspection Station's Covert Agents will handle perimeter security for Dabo Town and drive away any surrounding Infected Bodies. However, Dabo Town borders the river. If an Infection Source or Infected Bodies invade from the water, it falls outside our protection scope."

Establishing Patrol Outposts and mapping out patrol routes were core metrics of the assessment, so naturally, outsiders would not be allowed to intervene.

Cheng Ye was not surprised. He nodded in agreement before asking, "What if we encounter a large-scale Parasitism by an Infection Source?"

Mu Shuang paused for a moment, then calmly replied, "If it is a known Infection Source, as an Inspector, you are expected to use proper methods for Isolation Treatment to ensure it does not spread and to maintain the Refugee Survival Rate. This is one of the hidden key metrics in the assessment. The Inspection Station will not provide any assistance."

"If it is an unknown Infection Source, the Inspection Station will immediately lock down the area around Dabo Town and provide necessary information and epidemic prevention supplies. However, until the risk of contact infection is ruled out, you will not be permitted to leave the Dabo Town area. If anyone steps past the Isolation Blockade Line, they will be treated as an Infected Body and executed immediately."

"Understood," Cheng Ye acknowledged.

Compared to the contract management assessment of Dabo Town, venturing into the Wilderness was also a test of an Inspector's personal capabilities.

Screening and isolating Infection Sources were the fundamental duties of an Inspector.

If they had to rely on rescue teams from Happiness City for such matters, there would be no reason for the Inspection Station to exist.

As for the possibility of actually getting infected, putting himself in their shoes, he would make a similar decision to prevent the Infection Source from spreading to the surrounding areas.

However, Cheng Ye also believed that if such a situation arose, the Inspection Station would not be as cold and detached as Mu Shuang described.

Within the limits allowed by the rules, they would undoubtedly provide him with the greatest possible assistance.

"Also, according to the latest rules, you are not allowed to bring any of the supplies you prepared,"

Mu Shuang said, her gaze sweeping over the two waterproof Backpacks on the table. "This is not targeted at you. Last night, an Inspector exploited this loophole and brought a large amount of special supplies for the assessment. After the Inspection Station discovered it, they issued a blanket ban."

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye paused. "Not even combat armor and helmets?"

"The Inspection Station will equip you with Standard Protective Combat Armor. Its effectiveness will not be weaker than your Fire Lotus Battle Armor. Furthermore, standard survival supplies will be provided, similar to what you packed, but strictly controlled in quantity. This ensures that every Inspector participating in the assessment starts on the same starting line."

"Alright then."

Cheng Ye nodded. He had never intended to rely on loopholes to bring special items anyway. It was just a pity about the Bulletproof Helmets he had spent 240 points on, having bought one for Wang Kang as well.

Still, the issued Protective Combat Armor would be reclaimed after the assessment, and ultimately, nothing was as comfortable as using his own gear.

"So I do not need to prepare anything now?"

"Correct. Just wash up and bring a change of clothes. You can drive over, and I will help bring the car back and park it for you."

"That works out perfectly. Thanks."

Cheng Ye picked up his Water Basin and Water Bucket, then briskly headed to the washroom for a shower.

By the time he came out drying his hair, Wang Kang was pushing the door open to enter, followed by another person.

Seeing Mu Shuang on the sofa, Wang Kang could not help but laugh. "Brother Cheng, did you get caught sneaking things in and put under surveillance too?"

"What?" Cheng Ye did not react immediately.

It was only when he turned to look at Mu Shuang and saw her stifling a laugh, a mischievous glint in her eyes, that it finally dawned on him.

"Do not tell me the person the Inspection Station reported for smuggling supplies was you?"

Cheng Ye suddenly found it hard to keep a straight face.

He had assumed it was one of those Inspectors who relied on money to recruit Able-bodied Youth, getting desperate and pulling tricks to make up for their disadvantages.

Who would have thought the one causing the trouble was Wang Kang?

"I did not bring any contraband," Wang Kang shook his head in frustration. Counting on his fingers, he looked deeply wronged. "I just figured people might catch a cold or get sick heading out to Dabo Town, so I grabbed some medicine from the medical post. Worried about injuries, I packed bandages and gauze. I also brought some survival gear: fifty Anti-Infection Filter Kettles, two hundred lighters, a portable five-kilowatt-hour third-generation Drawer Battery, high-power mobile searchlights, security cameras to cover surveillance blind spots..."

After listing over twenty items in a row, he paused, his voice dropping slightly. "Oh, and three thousand rounds of ammunition, plus a hundred Bison Combat Pistols."

Good heavens.

Cheng Ye's eyelids twitched as he listened.

He had already sensed something was wrong at 'fifty filter kettles.' One Infrastructure Point could only buy six Anti-Infection Filter Kettles. He had gritted his teeth just to order thirty, yet Wang Kang had flat out bought fifty?

These things were not cheap. Based on the exchange rate, one was worth twenty Contribution Points.

Fifty kettles meant a thousand Contribution Points!

And then came the third-generation Drawer Batteries, the cameras, and a hundred Bison Combat Pistols.

One pistol cost twenty points. A hundred of them would be two thousand.

"Where did you get so many Contribution Points?" he could not help but ask.

"My dad left them to me," Wang Kang said as if it was the most natural thing in the world, scratching his head with an embarrassed grin.

"Your dad left them? Did you not say earlier that you left everything for your mom?"

"Oh, I left all the Happiness Coins with her. But Contribution Points cannot be transferred, so they are all in my account."

"How much do you have?"

"Not much," Wang Kang thought for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Just forty-five thousand Contribution Points."

How much?!

Cheng Ye felt a buzzing in his head, temporarily losing his ability to think.

Forty-five thousand?

And he called that 'not much'?!

Since transmigrating to the wasteland, he had worked his fingers to the bone at the Inspection Station for over four months, then performed brilliantly during the Infection Tide to earn combat merit rewards.

Even then, he had only managed to save up a little over two thousand points. And that speed was already several times faster than other Inspectors.

After spending points on charging and buying supplies recently, he was down to just a few hundred. Yet all this time, he had been harboring a Tycoon right next to him?

However, on second thought, Wang Cheng had been a veteran Fourth-Stage Investigator at the Inspection Station. If his assets were not confiscated, having over forty thousand points was perfectly normal.

After all, even Li Matai, a Third-stage Inspector, could easily take out twenty thousand points to invest in a merchant caravan.

But why had Wang Cheng's inheritance not been confiscated?

Cheng Ye suppressed his doubts, keeping his expression neutral as he clicked his tongue.

"Well then, Brother Wang, you are covering our expenses from now on."

"Rest assured, Brother Cheng, my money is your money. We will spend it however you say!" Wang Kang patted his chest proudly.

"Fair enough." Cheng Ye turned to the man standing behind Wang Kang. The man immediately caught his gaze and introduced himself, "Inspector Cheng, my name is Xu Yuan. Just call me Little Xu."

"Little Xu, please refund everything Wang Kang purchased. Will that be an issue?"

"No problem at all. The supplies have been detained at the Inspection Station. We will verify the prices and refund the points to Inspector Wang's account."

"Excellent!"

Hearing that a refund was possible, Cheng Ye broke into a smile.

This silly kid definitely bought everything at market price. But since Cheng Ye had connected with Old Sun, getting things at cost or discounted prices would not be an issue.

Even if they bought the exact same items again, they could easily save thousands of points.

Ha, they had not even set off for Dabo Town and such good fortune was already knocking. Talk about a great start!

Cheng Ye was instantly in high spirits. He was still grinning as he got into the off-road vehicle, causing even Mu Shuang in the back seat to chuckle.

"Brother Cheng, what are you laughing about?" Wang Kang was a bit puzzled.

"Ah, you kid, you have no idea how bitterly your Brother Cheng has been living lately!"

Thinking back on his penny-pinching days—having to buy weapons on credit from shops and asking Liu Bi to help secure a loan from the people at the Public Works Department...

Cheng Ye wanted to vent his grievances, but for some reason, Huang Sheng's words flashed through his mind.

'Young people these days really cannot endure hardship.'

Heh, talk about a Boomerang coming back to hit him.

He simply broke into a wide grin. "Nothing. Just happy thinking about living the good life with Brother Wang!"

"Heh, hehe!"

Being called 'Brother Wang' twice by Cheng Ye made Wang Kang feel incredibly comfortable all over.

However, his awkward chuckle betrayed his guilt. He clearly realized that their recent miscommunications had left Cheng Ye in a miserable, penniless state for quite some time.

But just as he had said, his money was Cheng Ye's money.

With these forty-odd thousand Contribution Points, Brother Cheng's plans would definitely take a massive leap forward!

Ten o'clock in the morning.

The off-road vehicle drove into the South Inspection Station. After a brief document check, they were granted permission to depart.

Compared to his restraint when recruiting Drifters the day before, Wang Kang was practically vibrating with excitement in the passenger seat, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"Xiao Kang, if you want to yell, just let it out," Cheng Ye said, slowing the vehicle and gesturing for him to roll down the window.

Wang Kang hesitated for a second, but true to form, he could not hold back. He leaned out the window and began howling at the top of his lungs.

But unlike his previous meaningless shouts to vent his feelings, this time Wang Kang belted out a line from a song.

"I am destined to wander the ends of the earth, how can I be held back by attachments~"

Pfft.

In the backseat, Mu Shuang could not suppress a giggle.

Cheng Ye's lips twitched. Perhaps because he was the one who had originally sung that song, hearing it now felt surprisingly awkward.

Fortunately, they were far from the Drifter formations. Only a few Scavengers waiting to leave the city cast curious glances their way.

He gently stepped on the accelerator. The vehicle instantly surged forward, leaving those gazes far behind.

Outside the window, the winds of the Wilderness swept in, bringing with it swirling dust and an air that was both free and biting.

As Wang Kang continued to hum completely out of tune, Cheng Ye gripped the steering wheel, suddenly feeling like there was truly something worth looking forward to in these days.

He had never had such a close friend back in the modern era, yet he had the good fortune to find one after coming to the wasteland.

At this moment, he could finally appreciate the true meaning of that phrase.

Longing for Osmanthus and Wine, But Youth's Joy Remains Unattainable.

If he had experienced days like this back during his student years, who knew how satisfying life would have been.

Lost in his thoughts, it was not until the vehicle drove past the North Inspection Station and turned onto the high slope that Cheng Ye finally snapped back to reality.

The muddy dirt road from over ten days ago had undergone a massive transformation. A gradual concrete slope had been paved, the surrounding weeds cleared away completely, leaving only traces of green moisture on the ground from crushed plant sap.

Driving onto the City Ring Expressway, the previous cracks and deep potholes had all been perfectly patched. Tools and materials for the phased repairs were piled by the roadside, clearly labeled with the names of the Contractors.

They belonged either to the Hundred Ghosts Gang or the personnel from Happiness City's Public Works Department.

Especially after passing the Y-Intersection and splitting onto the section heading toward Wenlu County, the road surface was so flawlessly repaired that the mends were almost invisible. Had Cheng Ye not remembered it vividly, he would have thought it was a brand-new road.

"This craftsmanship is seriously impressive..."

He marveled inwardly. The sight before him was exactly the foundation of a Super Sanctuary City!

Dozens of kilometers of transport roads could be repaired just like that, without the need to scramble for supplies or manpower from all over.

However, once they got off the Provincial Road and merged onto the county road leading to Wenlu County, the progress of the repairs noticeably slowed down.

After driving forward for only about three kilometers, they spotted workers and supervisors by the roadside.

Cheng Ye took a look, rolled down the window, and poked his head out.

The Westerner supervisor who had been directing the workers turned deathly pale. Almost instinctively, he jogged over. "In... Inspector Cheng!"

"Jamie, you are doing a good job here," Cheng Ye remarked.

He had not expected to run into Jamie again under these circumstances.

As the very first person from the North Inspection Station to make things difficult for him, Jamie had long since paid the price. He was transferred away and had not shown his face since.

Furthermore, because he had knelt to Cheng Ye, Jamie had become an absolute disgrace and laughingstock among his peers.

But perhaps due to his status as an only child, there was still a possibility that he could inherit an Inspector position.

And now, many days later, he was surprisingly here as a supervisor for the contracted road repair segment.

"In... Inspector Cheng, you must be joking..." Stared at by Cheng Ye, Jamie broke out in a cold sweat, unable to hide the sheer panic on his face.

"Do not be so terrified. I do not eat people," Cheng Ye chuckled. "How are the road repairs coming along?"

"We... we have already finished a quarter of it."

Seeing Cheng Ye narrow his eyes with a smile, Jamie only grew more nervous. He tensed his body and quickly explained, "Because the Provincial Road was repaired first, we ran short on materials. That is... why the progress has been a bit slow here."

"Relax, I am not a site overseer."

Seeing Jamie standing at attention like he was giving a formal report, Cheng Ye paused before asking, "Roughly how much funding does it take to repair one kilometer of road?"

"Um, regarding that..."

"For example, repairing the section of Township Road from Wenlu County to Dabo Town."

"Oh, for this area..." Jamie thought for a moment. "To pave one kilometer of a Two-Lane Road using cement, factoring in manpower and materials, it would take about twenty Infrastructure Points."

Twenty Infrastructure Points?

With a one-to-one-hundred exchange rate, the cost of a single kilometer of road was actually two thousand Contribution Points?

Cheng Ye clicked his tongue inwardly. That really was expensive!

Just the seven-kilometer Township Road connecting Wenlu County to Dabo Town alone would cost fourteen thousand points.

"What if it was upgraded to four lanes?"

"Then the cost would more than double. It would take at least fifty Infrastructure Points." Realizing that Cheng Ye meant no harm, Jamie relaxed slightly, though he still answered in a rapid-fire tone.

"Oh, is that so..."

Cheng Ye memorized the numbers and changed the subject. "How come you are in charge of the construction here?"

"Uh..."

A subtle pressure washed over him, causing Jamie to immediately stutter as he spent the next few minutes explaining.

The gist of it was that he was not actually in charge of this road segment; Raul was.

Because among the Inspectors who had contracted Wenlu County was Raul's father, the Deputy Station Master of the North Inspection Station, Phase 5 Inspector Evan Davidson.

Since Davidson was responsible for the road construction, Raul naturally tagged along to share his father's burden.

And the rest of them, the Second-generation Influentials, had been called over by Raul to serve as unpaid Labor Force.

All under the beautiful guise of 'training!'

"Where is Raul?"

"Up ahead, at the checkpoint for Wenlu County."

"Good!" Cheng Ye nodded, gripping the steering wheel as he nimbly bypassed the unfinished sections of the road.

Since Raul was in charge of the road repairs, he might just be able to secure a discounted rate from him.

If he could get them to map out the road leading to Dabo Town while they were fixing Wenlu County...

Then, once the assessment ended, they could synchronize the road construction without delaying a single thing!