Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 201: Gathering Hearts, Taking Root in Civilization!

'Growth factor?'Cheng Ye stared at the Trait prompt on the panel, feeling somewhat surprised. This was not the first time he had seen this Trait.

It had appeared on the black-and-white striped fish and the mutant fish king before. This very Trait was what caused their sizes to skyrocket and their numbers to explode.

He had originally assumed that the mutant fish king had been affected by the Vortex Turtle Shell Fragment, allowing the rest of the school to benefit as well. But now, even the Mutant Water Leech possessed this Trait. Things were clearly not that simple.

'Could there be other Vortex Turtle Shell Fragments hidden underwater, constantly influencing this area?'

This thought popped into Cheng Ye's mind, but it brought him no joy.

The effects of the growth factor were far too obvious!

It could cause fish to multiply into a plague, and when applied to the Mutant Water Leech, it allowed the creature to grow to the size of a calf. Just as Li Jie had said, these things were specialties of Sha Province, yet even there it was rare to see one this massive. This alone was enough to prove the power of the growth factor.

Following this line of logic, could there be other giant creatures catalyzed by this factor hiding in the water?

Furthermore, could this growth factor also be affecting the Infection Sources and Infected Bodies beneath the surface?

'This is quite a problem,' Cheng Ye pondered to himself. 'If the fragment stays underwater releasing this growth factor, the White Water River will sooner or later turn into a nest of behemoths!'

To eliminate the hidden danger, he needed to find the source of the fragment and contain it. However, Qin Feng still had not sent any word, evidently having not yet discovered any relevant clues regarding the Vortex Turtle Shell Fragment.

Even if he had clues, there was absolutely no way he would dive into the water right now.

Even with two Water Affinity skills at his disposal, diving down recklessly without knowing the situation was no different from courting death.

'Mountains don't stay, water doesn't keep... Elder Qu's words were true indeed. There are simply too many variables in the water!'

Cheng Ye shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts. The most pressing matter at hand was dealing with the Infected Bodies that would come ashore at night. Finding the fragment was not something he needed to worry about right now.

He tightened his grip on the Red Blade and led his men to continue clearing the wasteland on the right.

Compared to the unknown dangers underwater, these Infection Sources hiding in the Wilderness almost seemed "cute" in contrast.

After hacking three Green Jewel Bugs to death in quick succession, a prompt finally popped up on his panel:

[Life Emissary (Green Jewel Bug) Trait has reached maximum value.]

[Collector may continue to collect Traits, maximum storage capacity: 200%.]

'Not bad. Another Trait added. I can redeem it as soon as I get back.'

Cheng Ye breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, secretly rejoicing that he had chosen the combination route back then. This Skill Fusion mechanism was simply a god-tier ability, allowing scattered Traits to continuously stack and grow stronger.

For his next Rank promotion, he should perhaps continue choosing the combination route to further enhance the fusion effects. It would be even better if it could reduce energy consumption along the way. Right now, a single fusion cost two hundred kilowatt-hours of electricity. Even with fast charging to replenish his energy, it was still a bit taxing.

Time flew by amidst the busy work. Three hours passed in a flash. The sun gradually dipped to the west, dyeing the sky in a layer of pale gold.

In the five hours from noon to five in the afternoon, more than half of the Wilderness within the Blue Zone had been cleared out, forcefully carving out a nearly three-hundred-meter expanse of open ground.

Even if Infected Bodies darted out from here during the night, they would be spotted immediately. They no longer had to fear their line of sight being obstructed by weeds.

The cleared vines also found a purpose. The crowd piled them into several large stacks, mixed in some dry branches, and stuffed in two large blocks of industrial grease firestarters. Cheng Ye struck a highly combustible match and tossed it in. The flames flared up half a meter high with a whoosh. Accompanied by sharp cracking sounds, the dry branches burned through first, quickly igniting the highly resilient vines as well.

Before long, thick smoke billowed up, carrying the pungent scent of burning vegetation straight into the sky. Under the golden glow of the setting sun, it dragged out a gray-black column of smoke that was exceptionally striking from a distance.

"Sir! We've already set up fifty residential units!"

Sun Dazheng jogged over to report. His face was stained with a fair amount of Cement Gray dust, and sweat trickled down his temples, yet his eyes were full of excitement. "Now that we're used to it, a twenty-person team can set one up in half an hour. We've split into ten teams working in shifts. Before the sky goes completely dark tonight, we can set up at least another fifty, enough for everyone to take shelter inside!"

"All the supplies have also been moved into the Supermarket. We used prefabricated panels and iron wire to build an enclosed supply depot in the corner of the Supermarket. Even if Infected Bodies or mutant creatures break in, they won't be able to touch the things inside."

"What about the perimeter security?" Cheng Ye took the rag Huang Liang handed him and wiped the grass juice splattered on his armor, asking without lifting his head.

"We haven't had time to clear the surroundings in detail yet. We just put up a simple perimeter of barbed wire, hanging bells and vibration sensors at regular intervals.

If anything bumps into it, we'll immediately know which direction it's coming from," Sun Dazheng answered honestly.

"Not bad!"

Cheng Ye nodded.

This progress was slightly slower than he had anticipated. Originally, he had wanted to build a watchtower as a vantage point before dark. However, on second thought, people were not machines. They had to learn how to assemble the residential units while engaging in high-intensity labor. Achieving this much was already far from easy, and a slight deviation from the plan was entirely normal.

"It's just..." Sun Dazheng rubbed his hands together, hesitating to speak. He licked his dry lips, his eyes subconsciously drifting toward the river.

"You want to fetch water, right?" Cheng Ye saw through his thoughts at a glance. He put down the rag and stood up. "Gather all the Water Buckets. I'll take a group to the river to fetch water."

Heavy manual labor drained hydration the fastest. Let alone the ordinary Residents, even he was feeling a bit parched.

Moreover, drinking nutrient paste only made one thirstier. They absolutely needed sufficient fresh water to replenish themselves.

He led thirty men carrying rows of Water Buckets toward the river. Just as they reached the embankment, they saw the people from the Red Zone fetching water as well.

Garcia stood at the very front on guard, gripping his rifle, his sharp gaze sweeping across the water's surface.

Their eyes briefly met in the air before quickly darting away. Both restrained themselves, avoiding any unnecessary interaction, simply managing their respective teams.

"Give me the buckets. Just wait behind me and take them as they come."

Cheng Ye took a Water Bucket tied to a thick hemp rope and gestured for the Residents behind him to step back behind the safety line.

If he had chosen the five hundred Able-bodied Youths, he could have easily delegated these trivial tasks to their leaders to handle.

But after choosing families as his core demographic, even Garcia understood that this was a responsibility an Inspector had to shoulder.

The two people who died during the day had already affected his Blue Zone, let alone the current morale of the Red Zone.

If there were any more casualties, the blow to the team's morale would be absolutely devastating.

Furthermore, Cheng Ye knew very well how crucial this act of leading by example was for gathering hearts and uniting the people.

Sure enough, seeing him personally bend down to lower the bucket and fetch water, the eyes of all the Residents behind him instantly brightened with vitality. A few middle-aged men who were too exhausted to stand up straight even managed to squeeze out a trace of a smile, the fatigue in their bodies naturally fading away by a few degrees.

Meanwhile, the water-fetchers and Patrol Team members over in the Red Zone couldn't help but glance over repeatedly, obvious envy hidden in their gazes.

Bucket after bucket.

Cheng Ye gripped the hemp rope with both hands, slowly lowering the Water Bucket into the river. Once the bucket was full, he gave it a sharp upward heave, the clear river water sloshing down the sides.

He could hoist four Water Buckets simultaneously, quickly filling the twenty buckets attached to a single rope.

But after pulling up five sets of ropes non-stop—a full one hundred buckets of water—even with the physical enhancements brought by his constitution, his arms felt sore and swollen. Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and soaking the inner lining of his armor.

However, just as Cheng Ye was about to set the rope down and catch his breath, a sudden splash echoed from the surface. A dark shadow lunged out of the water, flying straight toward his face.

"Sir, watch out!" Huang Liang's face paled behind him, and without thinking, he reached to draw the pistol at his waist.

But just as the gun cleared its holster, a flash of cold light swept past his eyes. Before the soaring Mutant Water Leech could even get close, it was sliced clean in half by the Red Blade.

Extreme sharpness, combined with an unimaginable weight.

Cheng Ye barely felt any resistance in his hands before he saw the severed Mutant Water Leech fall onto the muddy embankment. Its green bodily fluids splattered across the ground while its remains continued to writhe faintly.

"These damn things really know how to look for an opening."

Cheng Ye caught his breath and kicked away the remnant of the leech that had fallen beside him, without a shred of panic in his heart.

His strength was on an entirely different level now. When seeing the terrifying appearance of the leech from afar, he might still be influenced by the deep-rooted impressions of his modern worldview, breeding some instinctual wariness and fear.

But the moment he was actually attacked, his body's deeply ingrained combat instincts kicked in, reacting faster than his brain could process.

Besides, wearing his battle armor, he wouldn't even be afraid if the leech latched onto him.

After all, if common mutant creatures could bite through it, this armor would just be a burden.

"Mighty work, Sir!"

Huang Liang gulped. The Residents behind him also snapped back from their shock. Just as they were about to cheer, Cheng Ye raised a hand and pressed down, signaling them to stop.

Resting for another ten minutes, the crowd worked together to carry two hundred buckets of water back to the open space in front of the Supermarket.

This river water couldn't be drunk directly. It had to be run through a water filter first, then boiled to kill any potential Infection Sources lurking inside.

Though the process was troublesome, it was the perfect task to assign to the logistics team. The women couldn't pitch in much with the heavy lifting of leveling the foundations or building the residential units, but meticulous work like filtering and boiling water suited them perfectly.

Someone gathered the charred vines scorched by the fire to use as fuel, setting up several large iron pots over the flames.

Cheng Ye then had them unfold the collapsible water storage tanks he had purchased in advance. Each tank could hold three hundred liters of water, and three tanks together meant nine hundred liters.

Calculating based on five hundred people each using two liters of fresh water a day, this single water run would basically last them until the day after tomorrow.

"Shen Yan, keep a close eye on the boiling. The water must boil for five full minutes before it can be canned and put into the tanks. Remember to track the time precisely!" Cheng Ye specifically walked over to the boiling area and repeatedly instructed Shen Yan, who was in charge of logistics.

In the buffer zone, water usage seemed casual, but that was because the shelter city had a complete pre-filtration system; the water flowing from the pipes was already treated and boiled.

The Inspector manual repeatedly emphasized the risks of consuming water in the wild. This was their first time actually using a local source, and he absolutely dared not be negligent.

If someone drank water tainted with an Infection Source, a threat could suddenly erupt from within, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Please rest assured, Sir. We understand these things!" Shen Yan quickly nodded.

Having arranged the core logistical work, Cheng Ye looked up at the horizon. The setting sun had already sunk behind the silhouette of the distant ruins. The sky transitioned from orange-red to a deep purple, the night spreading bit by bit like ink dropped into water.

Fortunately, it was currently summer, so it got dark later. It wouldn't turn pitch black until around seven-thirty, meaning they still had about two and a half hours left.

According to the speed Sun Dazheng mentioned—twenty residential units built per hour—they would just be able to meet the goal of over a hundred.

He found a clean prefabricated panel, sat down, and rested for a while. Once the first pot of water had boiled, he used an Enamel Mug to scoop out two large cups and gulped them down. Only then did he suppress his parched thirst, standing back up to head toward the residential units.

The residential units weren't built on the open spaces in the blocks; instead, they were situated behind the Jiajiale Supermarket.

This was also one of the reasons Cheng Ye had set his sights on the residential units.

Back in the day, the land in the town must have been quite cheap. Even though the Jiajiale Supermarket wasn't a large chain, its rear parking lot was exceptionally sprawling, covering over a thousand square meters.

Furthermore, from the leftover traces, Cheng Ye could vaguely discern that this place must have been one of the designated stall areas whenever the town held its grand markets.

Circling through the alley on the side of the Supermarket to enter, the ground had long lost any traces of being paved, but the original foundation soil still lay beneath. It had also been sprayed with herbicide back in the day. After clearing away the surface rubble and debris, there were indeed no weeds rooted underground, which saved them a lot of clearing effort. Rows of residential units were erected following the concept of a Large Shared Sleeping Area. To prevent Infected Bodies from launching sneak attacks from blind spots, the three clusters of units didn't adopt identical layouts. Overall, they formed an enclosed U-shaped ring.

Building One in the dead center was already finished. Pieced together from thirty-six residential units, it was six units wide and six units long, measuring 14.4 meters in length and 10.8 meters in width. It looked like a neat, tidy block.

Cheng Ye lowered his head and walked into Building One, discovering that many Residents had already moved their personal supplies in and claimed their beds.

However, everyone was very considerate. Each person only took up less than a square meter of space. Cheng Ye pictured it in his mind: someone who was 1.7 meters tall could just barely roll over in that space if they curled up.

But considering that families were huddled together and had children with them, the combined area was actually quite comfortable. A main longitudinal aisle of 1.2 meters had been left in the room, with an additional horizontal auxiliary aisle of 1 meter crossing through the middle. They formed a cross shape, making it easier to evacuate quickly if danger arose at night.

Walking out from the back, Building Two was also finished, having utilized thirty-five units.

It adopted a semi-arc contraction layout of five units horizontally and seven units vertically, measuring 16.8 meters long and 9 meters wide.

On the section facing the riverbank, a half-person-high defensive wall had already been erected outside Building Two. Its base was built from bricks and stones, sandwiching steel plates in the middle. Observation slits and firing holes were deliberately left open, clearly out of concern that Infected Bodies from the water might come ashore to attack at night.

Now, only Building Three near the block was still being assembled. The open space was a flurry of activity, and surprisingly, the assembly methods of the various teams were entirely different.

Some pieced together the framework first, while others laid down the floorboards first. Though it seemed chaotic, it radiated a vibrant, bustling drive.

Cheng Ye stood to the side and watched for a while, suddenly finding it quite novel.

Buildings in modern society were all constrained by strict standards, their processes as uniformly regulated as copy and paste.

But here in the wasteland, free from the shackles of all those rigid rules and regulations, this sort of "barbaric growth" with its rugged edges actually allowed the roots of civilization to instantly dig into this barren land.

Without the restrictions of blueprints, without the tediousness of approvals, relying solely on the needs to "live and defend," one residential unit after another stood firmly in place.

Click.

Temporary lighting was hung from the roof of the Supermarket. The intense beams shined straight down, illuminating the entire parking lot as brightly as day.

Looking to the side, the lined-up Patrol Team had already familiarized themselves with the route. Their footsteps were brisk as they weaved through the alleys of the surrounding buildings, their flashlight beams sweeping across broken walls and ruins, not letting a single blind spot slip by.

Torches suited for Pioneering were also lit one by one. The orange-red firelight spread along the streets, illuminating the once dead and silent abandoned blocks. Even the air drifted with the warmth of burning vegetation.

With Wang Kang watching over things, Cheng Ye didn't go and disturb the assembly of the residential units.

He walked out from the alleyway and stood on the main road of the town, where the firelight and electric lights intertwined.

The sounds in his ears suddenly grew distinct. The "bubble-bubble" of the boiling water in the iron pots carried the scent of steam. The "bang-bang" of nails being hammered was crisp and clean. The hurried footsteps of the Residents concealed a fierce motivation, and the occasional conversations, though soft, were full of hope for the future.

Mixed together, these sounds actually made him feel a bit dazed.

He gazed into the distance toward the Red Zone. Firelight burned brightly there as well, and the same bustling noises could faintly be heard.

At that moment, Cheng Ye suddenly felt as if he had transmigrated into a doomsday game he used to play.

A small town after the collapse of civilization was once again steaming with the vitality of human life through the efforts of the player, shedding the deathly stillness that had shrouded it for years.

In the darkening night, the well-planned architectural blueprints in his mind seemed to come alive. A supply depot should be built next to the Supermarket, a defensive wall needed to be erected by the riverbank, and streetlights had to be put up once the Hydroelectric Station restored power... The entire street required a renovation, and public buildings would spring up from the ground one after another.

These ideas "settled" into different directions of the town one by one, so clear they felt almost within reach.

Moreover, unlike the buildings in the buffer zone that followed the frameworks of the old era yet required strict adherence to every rule, the "blank slate" of Dabo Town actually made him feel grounded.

After all, even on the Pedestrian Street, the Elder had granted him the privilege to build, but if he wanted to modify any of the Pedestrian Street's plans, he still had to apply for approval from the higher-ups through Engineer Liu. It had to pass the Industrial Department's review before he could use that twenty-thousand-point grant for construction.

But Dabo Town was completely different. Right now, wherever he wanted to build defenses or set up sentry posts, as long as he had the idea, he could start working on it immediately.

Realizing this, a strange yet resolute thought suddenly sprang up from the bottom of Cheng Ye's heart, bringing with it an unprecedented clarity:

No matter what happened tonight, no matter what happened in the future.

This place would be his Dabo Town, Inspector Cheng's very first autonomous stronghold in the wasteland!

Garcia and Luo Kuke couldn't stop him, and the Infection Sources and Infected Bodies underwater certainly couldn't stop him either.

Even if a Mother Source attacked, he would make these threats understand.

Before Inspector Cheng arrived, Dabo Town was merely an abandoned rural settlement.

But now that he was here... this place was the frontier of civilization!