Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 284: Absolute Opposition, Wish-Guarding Cheng Long!

Wenlu County.Cheng Ye made an apologetic gesture and quickly walked to an empty spot aside. Lowering his voice into his Defense Terminal, he exclaimed in surprise, "Brother B? Why are you suddenly in Dabo Town? Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

As an individual fused with a malignant Mother Source, even with special suppression, the fusion rate between Yu Yong and the Ghost Shadow Spider would still slowly increase, occasionally spiking wildly without warning.

Combined with Yu Yong's eccentric and withdrawn personality, it had only been half a month, yet he had already required an emergency suppression for a Fusion Berserk.

The two of them had agreed on three basic rules: if his fusion went out of control twice in a single month, Yu Yong would have to return to his designated Suppression Room for solitary confinement.

"My mission is over, so I came to check out your Dabo Town," Liu Bi's voice came through the communicator. His tone was perfectly flat, but Cheng Ye could still picture him squinting in scrutiny.

Without waiting for a response, Liu Bi suddenly raised his voice. "I just didn't expect that you'd be hiding such a unique Infected Body in your Dabo Town. One that can freely move about and casually blend into the crowd."

Liu Bi placed heavy emphasis on the phrase "blend into the crowd."

"Are you talking about Yu Yong?" Cheng Ye immediately caught on and rubbed his temples. "Brother B, don't do anything rash. I'll be right back. His situation is a bit special."

After saying that, he immediately added, "Yu Yong, return to the Suppression Room and wait for me right now. I don't want any further misunderstandings, understood?"

The other end of the communicator fell completely silent. A few seconds later, the call abruptly disconnected.

Cheng Ye hurriedly checked the fusion rate prompt on his Defense Terminal. Seeing that the value was no longer rising, but had instead slowly dropped by three percent, his hanging heart finally relaxed a little.

"Brother Cheng, is everything alright?" Wang Kang walked over and asked quietly.

"It's fine. Brother B finished his mission and came to our Dabo Town!" Cheng Ye put away the Defense Terminal, a wry smile of helplessness on his face, caught between laughing and crying.

Seeing this, Wang Kang asked hesitantly, "Then why do you look so upset? Shouldn't this be a good thing?"

"It is a good thing, but I have no idea how Brother Bi ended up running into Yu Yong. The two of them are at odds right now."

"Could it be Luo Kuke?"

"Not him. I've already talked to him. He promised to ignore Yu Yong and absolutely wouldn't egg Brother B on to go see him."

Cheng Ye shook his head. He glanced at the dismantling crew still hard at work in the distance and instructed Wang Kang, "Keep an eye on things here. I need to head back."

"Got it. The main body has already been taken down. We'll take our time with the connectors, there won't be any problems."

Dismantling a Crane in Wenlu County was no simple task. Aside from the massive, unwieldy core, there were countless connecting bolts, pins, and high-strength fasteners, not to mention delicate components like electrical control cabinets, steel wire ropes, and hooks. After working for most of the day, they had only finished dismantling two-thirds of it.

Cheng Ye made another call to Davidson to coordinate the subsequent transportation of the Crane, then briskly walked over to the off-road vehicle parked by the side of the road.

"Let's go. Back to Dabo Town." He pulled open the car door and got in.

"Trouble in town?" Mu Shuang raised an eyebrow from the driver's seat, his hands already swiftly starting the engine.

"It's fine, just a minor issue."

Cheng Ye waved a hand dismissively and rolled down the window.

The chilly autumn breeze instantly flooded in, carrying the dry scent of withered grass from the roadside, gently tossing the stray hair on his forehead.

The off-road vehicle slowly accelerated, the hazy gray skyline in the distance lightly trembling with the bumps of the road.

Before long, the vehicle drove out of Wenlu County and sped toward Dabo Town.

Seeing the off-road vehicle approaching, Luo Kuke, who was standing at the entrance to the Inspection Station, didn't show the slightest bit of surprise.

"Did they start fighting?" Luo Kuke was the first to ask.

"What happened?"

"You didn't completely hide Yu Yong away, everyone knows that. Ordinary people might not notice anything abnormal about him, but Liu Bi has long been a master of the Heaven and Man in One state. He's a Fourth-Stage Investigator in his prime. Isn't it perfectly normal for him to be discovered?"

Luo Kuke shook his head. "He's different from me. My Obsession hasn't fully coalesced yet, so I can just ignore Yu Yong's existence. But Liu Bi... your father took everyone with him, yet he specifically didn't take Liu Bi. You should know just how unwavering his Obsession is."

"Furthermore, if you want to recruit other Inspectors in the future, my advice remains the same: do not let anyone know about Yu Yong's existence. As the saying goes, those walking different paths cannot make plans together. Not everyone can accept cooperating with an Infected Body, even if it's for a mission or offers substantial benefits. Sitting in the position of an Inspector means we have to hold the bottom line. Once people feel that we can cross that line at any time, who would dare trust us to guard the Inspection Station? To protect the Shelter City?"

Liu Bi's Obsession...

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded silently.

The off-road vehicle glided past the open barricade of the Inspection Station, its tires crunching softly against the smooth pavement.

They hadn't seen each other in only three months, yet reuniting with Brother B had surprisingly sparked such a conflict.

But this very fact also proved just how rapid his progress had been. He had already reached the stage of building a faction and coordinating internal affairs.

Moreover, this made him realize with increasing clarity that the theories left behind by Cheng Wu were nearly impossible to implement within the current Inspector system. If the Inspection Station wanted to move forward, the very first insurmountable hurdle lay exactly here.

From the very moment of its inception, the identity of an Inspector was engraved with an unshakable mission.

Contain Infection Sources, eradicate Infected Bodies, and treat these threats to the Shelter City's survival as mortal enemies to be fought to the bitter end.

They had to maintain a stance of absolute opposition to isolate the danger. Only this pure hostility and steadfast guardianship could reassure the residents of the Shelter City and allow the higher-ups to confidently entrust them with the heavy responsibility of guarding the gates.

In this process, even the slightest hesitation could trigger the collapse of the entire Trust System.

Yet Cheng Wu's theories pointed toward a completely opposite path.

Stepping away from conventional research environments, trying to deeply explore the mysteries of Infection Sources inevitably meant encountering special circumstances. It required establishing temporary cooperation, within controllable limits, with Infected Bodies that still retained a portion of their sanity.

This undeniably plunged them into a Philosophical Dilemma, an ethical tug-of-war between the ends and the means.

The end goal was undoubtedly noble—to ensure the long-term survival of the Shelter City and human civilization as a whole.

But the ambiguity of the means was enough to slowly devour their original intentions. Who could guarantee that someone wouldn't gradually compromise when their research hit a bottleneck, eventually breaking through the bottom line entirely?

Of course, compared to regulating these potential compromises, an even thornier issue was the fragility of the Trust System.

The residents' trust in the Inspectors was historically built entirely upon the perception of "absolute opposition."

Meanwhile, the higher-ups demanded "stability" from the Inspectors. They were meant to be execution tools, not Explorers. The value of a tool lay in its controllability; other Shelter Cities didn't even allow Inspectors to conduct Field Duty, let alone research Infected Bodies.

'Cheng Wu created the Inspector system. His vision is beyond question. When he proposed this theory back then, he must have foreseen this insurmountable dilemma.'

'So, when Cheng Wu served as the Station Master, what did he truly need? A group of Inspectors who could deeply study Infection Sources, or a group of Inspectors who could firmly guard the gates?'

The answer was actually quite clear.

In the end, Cheng Wu failed to take that crucial step, leaving this unsolvable puzzle for future generations.

All these years later, his successors were still trapped in the same spot, unable to find a solution. They were bound by invisible shackles, unable to take a single step forward.

But fortunately, more and more people were beginning to realize the severity of this issue.

Because of this, the Elders of Happiness City were willing to let him confidently engage with Infection Sources. Ding Yishan didn't care about the theories he proposed, nor the practices he was currently undertaking.

But as for Luo Kuke, Liu Bi, and the other Inspectors who hadn't realized this—should he lead them to shatter their inherent perceptions, take the step that even Cheng Wu didn't dare attempt, and brave unknown risks to forge a new era?

Or was this path destined from the very beginning to part ways with the Inspectors of the previous era?

The ideological gap might be insurmountable. Perhaps he should cultivate a new era's power from scratch.

Just like Wang Kang. He never resisted Yu Yong and could view this special cooperative relationship with a balanced mind.

As Cheng Ye pondered this, the off-road vehicle drove into Dabo Town.

The town's residents were already accustomed to this sight. They kept their heads down and continued their work. Only a few glanced up, their eyes filled with respect.

Hou Genbao stood hunched at the town entrance, looking exactly like a child who had done something wrong, his body trembling slightly.

Seeing the off-road vehicle approach, he forced a smile that looked worse than a crying face and hurried over to greet them.

"Monkey, where are they?"

"Researcher Yu went back to his own room. Inspector... Inspector Liu is waiting over by the docks," Hou Genbao's voice quavered, terrified that Cheng Ye would blame him.

"Tell everyone to work as normal. It's nothing major." Cheng Ye patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to relax, then strode toward the docks.

Turning a corner, he saw two figures standing like iron towers by the distant docks, gazing out at the rushing White Water River.

'Brother B is finally back!'

Inevitably, a wave of affection washed over him, and Cheng Ye couldn't help but crack a small smile.

Sensing the gaze from behind, Liu Bi turned his head at just the right moment.

He had intended to deliberately keep a straight face, but when his eyes landed on Cheng Ye, he involuntarily blanked out for a moment.

The person walking toward him was no longer the scrawny young man from before.

Instead, he was a young man whose physique now rivaled his own—sturdy and tall. He wore a calm smile, and his brow carried an unprecedented aura of authority and confidence.

Liu Bi shook his head. The figure before him vaguely overlapped with the Cheng Long in his memories, leaving him momentarily dazed.

It wasn't until Cheng Ye drew closer and Liu Bi squinted to scrutinize him carefully that the lingering shadow of Cheng Long dissipated from his mind.

Ultimately, the person before him wasn't Cheng Long. He lacked Cheng Long's kingly aura—that domineering presence that looked down on the world and commanded all things for his own use.

What he had instead was a hidden sharpness, a steady and grounded confidence, warm and deep like still waters running silently.

Despite being a young man, he seemed like ancient jade carefully polished by the passage of time. It forced Liu Bi to swallow the lecture he had been piecing together for a while.

Stepping close, Cheng Ye proactively offered his hand. "Brother B, it's been a long time."

Liu Bi paused. Ultimately, he let out a soft sigh, took a step forward, grasped his hand, and pulled him in for a brief hug.

"And this is?"

"Niu Fu, my Administrative Officer. He was also brothers-in-arms with your father."

"Uncle Niu!" Cheng Ye hurriedly nodded in greeting.

Niu Fu chuckled upon hearing this, hastily waving his hands. "Don't call me Uncle, you're flattering me too much! Just call me Brother Niu, otherwise Brother Bi will be unhappy."

"You're still in the mood to joke?" Liu Bi shot Niu Fu a sideways glare. He then turned back to Cheng Ye, his expression instantly turning grave. "I'm not the type to be completely stubborn and refuse to listen to explanations, but getting involved with an Infected Body like this... if someone with an ulterior motive leaks this, the consequences will be unimaginable. By then, no matter how vast the wasteland is, there won't be a single Inspection Station where you can establish a foothold."

"Is it because of my status as an Inspector?"

"It's good that you understand," Liu Bi's tone grew even more severe. "If you were just an ordinary researcher, no one would say much. But you're an Inspector. You need to understand that this bottom line cannot be touched."

He paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "If an Infected Body stands before you today, and your first thought isn't about how to eliminate and eradicate it as quickly as possible, but rather how to exploit it for profit and achieve your own goals, then you seriously need to consider whether you are truly fit to be an Inspector."

"So back then, did you and my father also part ways over something like this?" Cheng Ye suddenly pivoted the conversation, asking pointedly.

Liu Bi's expression darkened. He turned to gaze at the ceaselessly flowing White Water River, the river breeze fluttering the hem of his clothes.

"Brother Long was just like you are now. He abandoned the bottom line an Inspector is supposed to uphold. That was why I chose to part ways with him and didn't participate in that final major incident."

He took a deep breath, his voice carrying a hint of distance. "I said before that I would tell you everything during my first time accompanying you on Field Duty. Now, it seems it's time to let you know the truth of what happened back then."

"Your grandfather, Cheng Wu, was an incredibly extreme man. For the sake of his ideals, he could completely discard all material comforts and live like an ascetic monk. Do you know why Shi Province was chosen as the location to build the Shelter City back then? It was entirely because he relentlessly advocated for it!"

Liu Bi spoke slowly, uncovering the dust-covered past. "He believed that human desires disturb rational thought. It is only when people constantly try to acquire under the drive of desire that countless conflicts arise with nature and society."

"He felt that if those extraneous desires could be cut off, humanity could free up more rational minds to do more important things. That was why he chose Shi Province. The land here is barren, yet sufficient for self-sustenance. There are no bountiful yields to breed greed, nor any extravagant customs to nourish avarice. Back then, while other places in the wasteland were still cracking heads open fighting over food, and wars were even breaking out between Shelter Cities, Happiness City had already implemented a perfect planned economy."

"The city's residents didn't have to exhaust themselves worrying about food, nor did they have to fight to the death over rations. Everyone's nutrient paste quota was fixed, and completing more tasks earned more quota. Once bellies weren't hungry and they'd eaten enough nutrient paste, their Obsession with food faded. The sanity freed up from that could then be entirely invested into the most crucial matters: fighting Infected Bodies, building the shelter system, and researching survival methods."

After saying this, he asked without looking back, "Do you think he succeeded?"

'The location of Happiness City was actually single-handedly spearheaded by Cheng Wu?'

Cheng Ye was stunned. It wasn't because of how much Power Cheng Wu possessed, but because his original intentions were so cognitively subverting.

'It was actually because crops couldn't be grown here, which would suppress human desires?'

He pondered for a moment, gently shook his head, and then nodded. "It could be considered a success. Without relying on crops in this Barren Land, Happiness City instead developed into a hegemon-level Shelter City. It has gone much farther than those Shelter Cities clinging to fertile lands."

"Yes. And it was exactly this initial success that pushed him step by step into the abyss of extremism, until he could never turn back."

Liu Bi exhaled softly, his tone filled with a profound sigh. "The Inspection Station was Cheng Wu's second masterpiece. He firmly believed from the bottom of his heart that humanity's internal self-regulation system was fundamentally broken. Humans ultimately couldn't break free from the shackles of selfishness. This weakness, etched into human nature, had never truly vanished."

"I still clearly remember the chaos of the Great Pioneering Era."

"In order to keep loved ones who had turned into Infected Bodies locked up in captivity, some forcefully reduced themselves to butchers, specifically luring in innocent passersby to feed those monsters. Some Shelter Cities entirely trampled over moral boundaries, deliberately releasing Infection Sources to use the blade of disaster to dismantle rival factions. In the black markets of the pioneer zones, merchants were even involved in the illicit trade of domesticating Infected Bodies. They would only feed them trace amounts of the virus, turning them into weak Infected Bodies devoid of independent consciousness but capable of movement, and then send them into dangerous zones to plunder resources on their behalf."

"Wherever the Infection Source went, either the people were plunged into misery or the cities collapsed. The spark of civilization that humanity had accrued over thousands of years was on the verge of extinguishing completely. It was at this very moment that the Inspection Station came into being."

"The first generation of Inspectors had nothing but hate in their hearts. They hated the Infection Sources; they hated the Infected Bodies. It was this pure hatred that sustained them in building the overall framework of the Inspection Station."

"Once the framework was established, the duties of an Inspector gradually solidified. Every Inspector had to fight Infected Bodies to their very last breath. Regardless of whether the target was family or foe, and regardless of how much profit could be squeezed from it, showing even a fraction of hesitation was a dereliction of duty. If they strayed from the path, they had to immediately leave the position."

He paused before adding, "It was precisely because of this ironclad rule that the Happiness Inspection Station model was able to be implemented and eagerly copied by other Shelter Cities. Honestly, back then, many Shelter Cities had set up infection screening sites. But everyone specifically recognized the Happiness Inspection Station as the pioneer. The Core lay in Cheng Wu's theories. The Inspectors he trained perfectly guarded that bottom line of 'absolute opposition.' Only then could the residents truly trust the Inspection Station."

Speaking up to here, Liu Bi suddenly turned around and threw out a new question. "If an extremely high-value Infection Source was placed right in front of you—destroying it would take just a single gunshot, but bringing it back for research would sacrifice many people, possibly even the lives of several colleagues. Tell me, what would you do?"

In all fairness, Liu Bi's question wasn't particularly sharp.

In the wasteland, trust was the very foundation of cooperation. And the prerequisite for trust was absolute ideological unity.

If someone hesitated when facing an Infection Source due to its value, or went soft on an Infected Body because of personal ties, who would dare entrust their back to their colleagues?

Cheng Ye changed his train of thought, not knowing why Li Changfeng's face suddenly popped into his mind.

When Li Changfeng's mother was infected, he was the one who personally pulled the trigger. If it had been Liu Bi who was infected, or a close acquaintance, what would he think?

Would he shoot to kill without hesitation?

Or would he keep them around for research and try to figure out a way to purge the parasitism?

The answer was clear. He hadn't received the extreme education of the first-generation Inspectors. He simply couldn't place righteousness above family to such a ruthless degree.

But on the flip side, it was precisely the first-generation Inspectors' absolute resolve that built the framework of the Inspection Station and accrued the trust of the residents.

If future generations of Inspectors recklessly squandered this trust—hesitating today due to research value, and going soft tomorrow over personal feelings—the foundation of the Inspection Station model would completely collapse sooner or later.

Yet Cheng Wu's theories explicitly pointed out that the future of the Inspection Station was inevitably a dual system running both research and Containment in parallel.

A dilemma lay before Cheng Ye. If he wanted to break the old rules, push for reform, and turn Inspectors into a core force for exploring Infection Sources, that hard-earned foundational trust would highly likely totter on the brink of collapse.

Back then, to fortify this base level of trust, Cheng Wu ultimately didn't dare to take that crucial step.

Now, thirty years had passed. Was the current environment truly mature enough to support this revolution?

'In that case, the Inspector restructuring I proposed to Old Ding that night—dividing them into different functional directions—wasn't just to restrict the disorderly expansion of Power, but also to indirectly safeguard our foundation of trust?'

'City guard duty, External Trade, and Containment research. These three categories of functions absolutely cannot be mixed together; they must be completely independent. Otherwise, the public will lose trust in the Inspection Station. They won't be able to believe that the Inspectors on duty can firmly keep the Infection Sources and Infected Bodies outside our gates!'

Cheng Ye suddenly realized this. The fog in his mind instantly dispersed, sweeping away the confusion that had plagued him for days.

Many things he hadn't been able to figure out before now had an answer.

Why force Luo Kuke to accept Yu Yong's existence?

Luo Kuke's core direction was intrinsically city guard duty. His mission was to hold the defense line and prevent any Infected Body or Infection Source from taking even a single step past it.

Making him watch an Infected Body move around beside him was undoubtedly shaking the Obsession he had held onto for years. It was simply forcing him to do something beyond his nature.

The reason Wang Kang could calmly accept Yu Yong was partly because he hadn't received the extreme oppositional education of the original Inspection Station. But more importantly, it was because his functional direction had never been fixed on city guard duty.

Under Cheng Ye's subtle influence, Wang Kang had actually already leaned toward the direction of a versatile border Inspector, inherently possessing slightly less ingrained hostility toward matters related to Infection Sources.

'So, the difficulty in building a new generation of Inspection Stations doesn't lie in recruiting people at all,' Cheng Ye mused inwardly. 'The real challenge is how to accurately determine the suitable direction for each Inspector, while holding the bottom line and ensuring they don't lose their way or cross the line in their respective posts!'

'Besides that, the responsibilities and specific rules of every post must be perfected immediately. Like my restrictions on Yu Yong—they truly are too lenient. Even if I can guarantee he won't cause trouble, I still have to consider how others feel. Moreover, I need to draw clear rules in advance for the Inspectors who will dedicate themselves to Containment research in the future, avoiding repeating the mistakes of the past.'

Realizing this, Cheng Ye reined in his diverging thoughts and returned his focus to the present.

'So what about Liu Bi? What direction of Inspector is he?'

'His guard duty is average; after all these years, he's still at a normal level. His Experience is about on par with Luo Kuke.'

'His External Trade is also average. He doesn't have any achievements to brag about. Furthermore, with his straightforward and blunt personality, he's entirely unsuited to playing games with people from other Shelter Cities to negotiate material trades.'

'As for the research direction, there's even less need to mention it. His brutish mindset of solving problems with sheer physical force is completely at odds with the kind of research work that requires a calm, focused mind.'

'Then... could it be that what Brother B is truly skilled at is managing the Inspection Station, controlling the overall direction, and coordinating all sorts of affairs?'

'It really is hard to say. The achievement Liu Bi can boast about the most was leading the construction teams during the Great Pioneering Era.'

'And Ding Yishan did indeed assign him to the industrial zone, responsible for coordinating the dispatch of materials among the various satellite cities.'

'Before the chaotic competition arose, he managed the resource allocation work in perfect order.'

'Later, Lei Hu replacing him wasn't because he lacked capability, but simply because his seniority wasn't high enough to suppress those Inspectors who wanted to snatch resources.'

'So if he were elevated to Lei Hu's position, wouldn't he perform even better than Lei Hu?'

'And if he really steps into an overarching management role, wouldn't he gradually be able to accept the existence of Inspectors specifically responsible for Containment research on Infection Sources within the Inspection Station?'

"If you really can't make up your mind, Brother B will answer this question for you, answer it on behalf of Brother Long," Liu Bi's voice rang out again, interrupting Cheng Ye's churning thoughts.

Cheng Ye subconsciously looked up, but he didn't see the slightest disappointment on Liu Bi's face. Instead, he caught a glimmer of gratification deep in his eyes.

'Being able to pragmatically think through this question without impetuously giving an answer.'

'This means Cheng Ye truly understands the Responsibility on his shoulders. This isn't just a Responsibility as someone from the Cheng Family, but a Responsibility that an Inspector should bear.'

'How could he harshly criticize a rookie who just joined the Inspection Station half a year ago? How could he criticize Brother Long's child?'

But before Liu Bi could continue speaking, Cheng Ye proactively interrupted him, his voice low. "Brother B, before answering this question, I still want to know the true reason why my father defected from the Inspection Station, as well as the root cause of why you two parted ways back then."

"Your father?"

Liu Bi jolted in surprise. The gratification on his face gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable complexity. It seemed like a mixture of pity, nostalgia, and a hint of a heaviness that no one else could comprehend.

He turned his head and gave Niu Fu a look. Niu Fu understood immediately. Nodding his head without saying a single word, he turned around and swiftly left the docks.

It wasn't until Niu Fu's figure completely vanished at the edge of his vision that Liu Bi slowly spoke, his voice so deep it seemed squeezed from the depths of his chest. "I have never mentioned Brother Long's affairs to anyone. Previously, I said I would tell you after you completed your first Field Duty. Looking at it now, there's no longer any need to use Field Duty to prove your temperament."

"Walker..." He had barely spat out the word before Cheng Ye picked up the sentence.

"Wish-Guarding Transcendent. I know. A group of lunatics."

Liu Bi sighed, his gaze staring blankly. "Since you know, and have also seen their abilities, then you simply cannot imagine that many years ago, when all of us were kept entirely in the dark, your father had actually already begun secretly attempting to walk the path of a Wish-Guarding Transcendent!"

"What?" Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. "So, he failed?"

"No." Liu Bi immediately shook his head. His tone was incredibly certain, carrying an almost stubborn trust.

"Brother Long might march to his death, but it is absolutely impossible for him to have failed. If he didn't have total certainty, he absolutely would not have taken others along on that risky venture. Before he departed, when he instructed me to take care of you, he privately said something to me..."

Liu Bi paused, as if straining to recall those exact words. Then, he repeated it word for word:

"He said, 'Happiness City isn't lacking a Cheng Long, but the wasteland is lacking pioneers.'"

"'Only by crossing over this threshold can one earn the qualification to seek answers. It's not just him; An Xingfu, your grandfather, all Humans pursuing the end of the Wasteland Era—they are all on this path, all waiting for his departure!'"