Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 289: Powering Up Dabo, The Sky is Brightening!

The sun slowly set, and the night once again shrouded this silent wasteland.A myriad of stars twinkled, densely paving the night sky, but they did not give Cheng Ye the slightest sense of vastness. Instead, they felt like a heavy curtain pressing down on his head, and even the starlight carried an unreal, illusory quality.

'Does space distortion get more severe the higher you go?'

He repeatedly pondered Yu Yong's words in his mind. If that was truly the case, weren't humans completely trapped on this planet, with no chance of ever leaving this wasteland?

No wonder those Transcendents who had long reached the level of immortals, despite possessing the power to overturn seas and rivers, always remained on Earth.

With their strength, let alone exploring distant galaxies, developing Mars should have been a breeze. Now it seemed that the barrier of spatial distortion had severed any possibility of outward exploration.

"The Starships scattered within the Black Zone..."

Cheng Ye's thoughts drifted back. "Could there also be a Starship hidden in Dome A of the E4 District where Cheng Long went?"

Although Yu Yong kept his mouth shut regarding the crucial questions, based on the information previously revealed, it was not hard to deduce that the various environmental disasters covering the wasteland were inextricably linked to the Starships scattered everywhere.

'Are the Starships equipped with some kind of special meteorological weapon?'

'Or... is mere energy leakage enough to trigger a drastic natural change?'

Cheng Ye suddenly realized that aside from containing Infection Sources, he seemed to have a new objective.

'To explore and contain the Starships?'

These extraterrestrial creations scattered throughout the Black Zone, regardless of whether they were good or evil, harmless or dangerous, had to be thoroughly investigated as soon as possible.

'Come to think of it, with researchers like Yu Erlan gathering in Flower Province, could their true objective also be to track down the traces of a Starship?'

"If Cheng Wu and Cheng Long are still alive, and if those pioneers are all researching the Starships..."

"Then one day in the future, just as Yu Yong said, a new era might truly be ushered in!"

Thinking of this, Cheng Ye shook his head, temporarily casting aside his complicated thoughts.

The information that needed to be relayed had already been reported to the Research Institute. As for the subsequent choices, that would be up to the Elders of Happiness City to decide.

Whether to fully commit to the research and development of the Starships like Kindling Shelter City, or to simply file it away as an important piece of intelligence without delving deeper for now, these were not matters he could decide at present.

After all, the prerequisite for exploring a Starship was the ability to venture deep into the Black Zone, and with his current strength, he obviously had not yet reached that threshold.

It was past seven o'clock, and searchlights gradually lit up within Dabo Town.

There were only six in total, scattered sparsely about.

Four were mounted at the highest points of the waterproof wall, their beams spreading out to illuminate the entire pier and the riverbank.

The other two were hung on the rooftops of two three-story buildings. One shone toward the residential area, while the other barely covered the town's main road, at least ensuring people wouldn't have to walk in pitch darkness.

Over in Wenlu County, this time would be prime time to burn the midnight oil, usually working busily until midnight before resting.

But in Dabo Town, without enough illumination to support night construction, all building work halted by this hour.

The residents conscientiously returned to their respective courtyards and began their pre-sleep routines.

Each residential area was allocated a public water basin. The water was drawn from the White Water River and, after being filtered and treated, was extremely convenient to access.

Twisting the faucet, clear water flowed out with a splash. Although the early autumn water carried a bit of a chill, using it to wash one's face or rinse one's feet to wash away the day's fatigue was sufficiently pleasant.

While other satellite cities still charged for water based on quotas, Dabo Town had already achieved water freedom.

As long as it wasn't deliberately wasted, even if someone wanted to stand by the basin and take a shower, no one would utter a word of complaint.

After a simple wash, a few small tables were set up at the courtyard entrances to distribute nutrient paste.

In addition to that, some daily necessities that the residents had purchased at their own expense were also distributed one by one, following the previously called order.

"Zhang Mao, one towel set, one water cup..."

"Song Xiaoyu, two pairs of socks, one pair of work shoes..."

"Dong Da..."

"6..."

""

The distribution staff arranged by Hou Genbao were quite sharp. They checked the items against the list one by one, basically ensuring there were no misdistributions or omissions.

Every resident who received their items beamed with joy. Even if they were just ordinary daily necessities, they couldn't help but gather together to show off a little, their faces full of satisfaction.

Cheng Ye stood in the shadows not far away, quietly watching this scene.

Dabo Town's Department System had not been officially established yet. Without intuitive data to measure the residents' loyalty, he could only rely on this kind of visual observation to judge the current situation.

If resident complaints increased, he would either have to appropriately reduce the workload or raise their wages and benefits.

Conversely, if everyone smiled more and had plenty of motivation, he could slightly increase the workload over the next two days to accelerate the construction pace.

Aside from that, the material supply from the industrial zone also featured a special bulk discount mechanism.

For example, if a hundred thousand towel sets were produced in a single batch, someone taking two thousand sets at once would enjoy an additional twenty percent discount.

These discounts essentially transformed into a subsidy for the satellite city. When sold to the residents, they were still priced at the original rate, and the extra twenty percent profit perfectly subsidized the town's expenses, alleviating the financial pressure.

Of course, it wasn't completely without risk. For instance, when he visited Li Matai last week, out of the thousand quilts Li had hoarded, eight hundred were still left unsold after a week.

The weather wasn't considered cold right now, so the residents preferred to save their hard-earned wages for emergencies rather than buy quilts they didn't currently need.

Once the inventory became too overstocked, it would not only tie up working capital but might also face price drops in the next batch of goods, ultimately leaving them holding the bag.

"Financially, the rewards from the satellite city's infrastructure tasks are currently keeping things afloat. As long as Happiness City doesn't stop burning money, Dabo Town's development won't halt. But once the tasks are completed and it reaches the stage of independent operation, every penny spent will effectively be coming out of my own pocket..."

Cheng Ye's eyes flickered as he secretly calculated the recent expenses and income in his mind.

The financial support promised by the Elders had already been completely exchanged for materials to repair the Hydroelectric Station.

What truly drove Dabo Town's construction was actually the infrastructure point support available to every satellite city.

Otherwise, for three thousand residents, the cost of three bags of nutrient paste per person per day alone required twenty-seven thousand coins a day. Converted, that was 3,800 Contribution Points. In the long run, he simply wouldn't be able to shoulder it.

But support tasks always had a limit. Once past that point, the town would have to bear its own profits and losses.

Given the current level of stagnation in the other satellite cities, Cheng Ye wasn't worried that Happiness City would stop its investments this winter, or even before next summer.

But what he wanted went far beyond that. An exclusive Research Institute, renovating the underground Rongdong, repairing the waterways, more comprehensive infrastructure... all these had to be realized by earning his own money. Relying solely on subsidies was far from enough.

The most headache-inducing part was that Dabo Town didn't lack construction talents—in fact, there was a surplus—but there was currently a complete void of professionals who could sort out income and expenditure bills and coordinate personnel management.

He could only grit his teeth and take on this work himself, relying on his knowledge and logic as a modern person from Earth to forcefully manage tasks he wasn't adept at.

True, when it came to formulating a simple economic cycle model, he could quickly set up a framework and gradually refine it.

But after all, he wasn't a professional economics student, nor did he have any practical experience. Every time he made a decision, he had to ponder it repeatedly, terrified that a single misstep would impact the town's subsequent operations.

Everyone understood the basic principles. The core was relying on the price difference of goods to recover the currency in the residents' hands and maintain economic balance.

But the specifics of how much to pay the residents and what prices to set for the goods required endless deliberation. He couldn't afford to be the least bit careless.

From the very first day all the residents arrived in Dabo Town, they were paid wages at the end of every workday.

For light work, they earned between 12 to 18 coins. Deducting the three bags of nutrient paste per day (which had increased in price to 3 coins each), their real income was between 3 and 9 coins.

For heavy labor, they received between 20 to 28 coins. Deducting five bags of nutrient paste daily, their real income ranged from 5 to 13 coins.

However, the actual income gap between the two was only 2 to 4 coins. When many people did the math, they felt it wasn't worth doing bitter and exhausting heavy labor just for a few extra bags of nutrient paste.

Therefore, he had to make adjustments on the material supply side. For instance, residents doing heavy labor could enjoy an extra quota of one bag of nutrient paste per day, and the discounted lifestyle packages rolled out by Happiness City also prioritized offering discounts to heavy manual laborers.

Meanwhile, the discounted packages from Happiness City varied every day, and the quotas required for hoarding discounts were also completely different.

This required him to conduct in-depth surveys of the residents' needs before deciding whether to bulk hoard goods.

The task wasn't difficult, but it consumed an extreme amount of time and Vigor.

Cheng Ye originally wanted to teach the bookkeeping and pricing work to Wang Kang, but a week had passed, and Wang Kang couldn't even calculate the most basic accounts clearly.

Luo Kuke had traveled extensively and could balance the books well enough, but the pricing and decisions he proposed often failed to achieve the desired results, unable to balance the income and expenditure with the residents' motivation.

"I must find a few Capable Persons proficient in economic management and accounting as soon as possible..."

Cheng Ye made a mental note of this matter. He had actually forgotten to ask Liu Bi, a Fourth-Stage Investigator, if he had any connections in this field. But since Liu Bi was coming tomorrow anyway, there was no need to rush.

If all else failed, he would have to go to Davidson.

As a fifth-stage Inspector capable of pulling together such a massive family faction, Davidson definitely had plenty of Capable Persons hidden under his wing. However, if he did that, his ties with Davidson would deepen. The personnel Davidson sent would also figure out the ins and outs of Dabo Town, which would inevitably invite some unexpected trouble.

The time ticked to eight o'clock. The material distribution tables had been packed away, and the residents had consciously returned to their respective quarters.

At eight-twenty, the curfew bell chimed punctually.

According to regulations, from this moment on, no matter the reason, no one was allowed to step out of their residential courtyards; they could only move within the designated boundaries.

But the residents of Dabo Town were far more obedient than the rules demanded. At night, unless they were suffering from a stomachache they absolutely couldn't hold in, no one was willing to come out to use the restroom. They would rather hold it until daybreak.

Another ten minutes passed. The organized Militiamen, with guns slung over their backs, marched neatly out of the barracks to begin their night patrol.

Currently, Dabo Town's alert levels were divided into three categories: High Alert, Dangerous, and Normal.

Under Normal conditions, the Patrol Team was divided into six squads of eight people, each responsible for guarding a specific zone in Dabo Town.

Thanks to the day-and-night sweeping operations by the three major legions, Infected Bodies migrating by land had not appeared for many days. On the contrary, Infected Bodies or Infection Sources drifting down from upstream would occasionally wash ashore from the White Water River.

Therefore, guarding against the White Water River became the focal point of the patrols. Cheng Ye specifically dispatched three squads to garrison the riverbank.

If the number of Infection Sources or Infected Bodies discovered exceeded five within a week, the alert level would automatically escalate to Dangerous, increasing the patrol squads to eight. If it exceeded seven times, it escalated to High Alert, instantly expanding the squads to twelve, triggering the emergency response mechanism, and even calling Wenlu County for support if necessary.

The time reached nine o'clock.

The Dabo Town Inspection Station was completely sealed shut, and an armed pickup truck drove in through the town entrance.

The car doors opened, and Wang Kang and Luo Kuke stepped down simultaneously.

After toiling all day, Wang Kang's footsteps were unsteady, and his face was somewhat haggard; he was visibly in poor shape.

On the other hand, Luo Kuke remained brimming with energy. He carried a stack of ledgers in his hands, walking with his head down as he pondered, still trying to sort out Dabo Town's economic accounts to find a more logical resource allocation plan.

Evidently, he understood that if he could figure out and streamline these accounts, his status in Dabo Town would be far higher than that of a mere Inspector relegated to guarding the gates.

"It's my shift tonight, Xiao Kang. You go back and get some rest first."

Cheng Ye waved his hand.

Wang Kang didn't force himself to hold out. He nodded hastily and turned to walk toward the small building of the Material Collection and Sales Station.

Watching Wang Kang's back vanish into the night, Cheng Ye then turned his head to Luo Kuke and asked with a smile, "How is the accounting going? Any progress?"

"I've gained a bit of insight, but it's still far from enough."

Luo Kuke nodded first, then gently shook his head, his tone tinged with a bit of helplessness. "I probably just lack the talent for this. At best, I can clearly calculate each income and expenditure. But when it comes to driving the town's economic cycle and balancing supply and demand, we still need to find outside professionals. Otherwise, relying purely on the few of us definitely won't sustain it."

As they spoke, the two of them walked slowly through the town, patrolling at a leisurely pace.

Luo Kuke's legs no longer showed the slightest trace of a limp. As long as he didn't engage in intense combat, his daily walking and moving around were no different from a normal person's.

Passing through the waterproof wall, the two arrived by the pier.

Looking out at the sparkling, rippling surface of the White Water River, their footsteps halted in unison, and they sat down in the spot they had previously occupied.

"What you said about finding talent, I've had the same thought." Cheng Ye sighed, the words pausing on his lips before he gently shook his head.

Luo Kuke immediately understood his concerns and nodded in deep agreement. "We can't just focus on poaching people from within Happiness City. If we end up dragging in someone from another faction, their loyalty absolutely can't be guaranteed. Moreover, Happiness City's economic environment is already a mess, with one muddled account after another. It can't foster any talent who truly understands management anyway."

"Does that mean we have to go poach people from the neighboring Guang Province?" Cheng Ye pondered aloud.

"Guang Province implements a free economy. The ordinary people over there can contract factories, open shops, and even set up chain merchant caravans with complete operational systems." Luo Kuke nodded in agreement. "To find talent in economic management and overall planning, it will definitely be much easier in Guang Province than in our Shi Province."

"Aren't they worried about talent drain and resource loss?" Just as Cheng Ye asked this, he caught himself, frowning and shaking his head.

Guanghong Shelter City was about to spearhead the formation of the Guanghong Alliance; how could they care about such a minor outflow of resources?

If there weren't enough benefits and resource flows, why would the surrounding shelter cities be willing to join the alliance in the first place?

"I definitely have to make a trip to Guang Province. I just haven't set a specific destination and departure time yet," Cheng Ye said. "At the very least, I have to wait until Dabo Town's construction is completely stabilized, the Hydroelectric Station is running normally, and all systems are on track before making any moves."

"You can start preparing in advance," Luo Kuke reminded him. "As the old saying goes, 'Once October passes, winter is here.' If you delay your departure for another half a month to around mid-October, factoring in twenty days of travel time each way, you won't even have a full month of activity before you return in mid-December. Once you miss this window before winter, the heavy snow will block the roads, and coupled with the increased frequency of Infected Body activity in winter, the journey will be exceptionally dangerous. You'd be forced to stay in Guang Province until next spring before you could head back."

The winter in the wasteland was exceptionally long, lasting continuously from mid-December all the way until mid-March of the following year.

Only when the temperatures thoroughly rebounded would those roaming Infected Bodies find places to lie dormant.

"That won't do. Being stranded in someone else's territory during winter is too passive."

Cheng Ye shook his head, though he knew clearly in his heart that if he really wanted to go on Field Duty, he indeed had to hurry and prepare.

Dabo Town's overall planning was already on track; from here on, he just needed to advance the construction step by step.

Although the operations of the canning factory required attention, he could first mass-produce a batch of tin cans to stockpile.

The plot of land for the fish processing plant in the Buffer Zone hadn't been finalized yet. He had to find time to go back and contract it, then hire a construction team to build it, which would take about two months from start to finish.

Calculating it like this, returning after two months of Field Duty would line up perfectly with his various affairs. The timing was flawless.

"Have you looked into it? What's the Integrity Supervision Department been up to these past two days?" Cheng Ye asked.

"Same as usual, going around picking faults and finding trouble." Luo Kuke curled his lips. "However, Station Master Ding issued an order for all Inspectors to keep their distance, so there haven't been any direct conflicts for the time being. But the Integrity Supervision Department wants to force a breakthrough, and ultimately, they will still target us Inspectors. We just don't know who's going to get unlucky first."

"Alright. In a couple of days, I'll take a trip back to the Buffer Zone to nail down the fish processing plant. Once that's settled, I'll start preparing for the Field Duty," Cheng Ye decided firmly.

With a few exchanged words, the two finalized their subsequent plans, and Luo Kuke carried his ledgers back to rest.

Cheng Ye threw on his jacket and commenced his shift patrolling for the night.

The three of them took turns standing night watch, and tonight just happened to be his turn.

The Hydroelectric Station's project was still being pushed forward through the night, and Cheng Ye drove over to take a look around.

Because the preliminary civil engineering work was already completely finished, the equipment installation progressed much faster than anticipated.

The installation of the generating units, which might take a week to complete in the modern world, had already taken shape in just half a day. Judging by this pace, preliminary testing and operation could be conducted by the second half of the night.

As for calibrating the system to perfect parameters, that might take a month of gradual optimization, but this would only affect power generation efficiency.

Even if the Hydroelectric Station lost some generation efficiency, it would still be more than enough for the current Dabo Town.

It was worth mentioning that the power transmission lines from the Hydroelectric Station to the town had already been connected ahead of schedule over the past few days.

Yu Yong himself was an electronic engineering talent. Designing the transmission circuits had only taken him two hours, and he had even cooperated with Lin Xu in passing to determine the placement of the utility poles, distribution boxes, and overhead lines.

The 400-volt three-phase AC power outputted by the 300-kilowatt generator unit would first be stepped up to 6 kilovolts by a small step-up transformer. After being transmitted to Dabo Town, a step-down transformer would reduce it back to 400 volts, and before entering households, it would be split into 220-volt single-phase power. This could satisfy both the residents' daily electrical needs and support the operation of small manufacturing equipment.

This process sounded troublesome, but it had a distinct advantage. Dabo Town was nearly two and a half kilometers away from the Hydroelectric Station. If they transmitted power directly at 400 volts, the power loss would exceed ten percent. This would not only result in substandard voltage at the town's end but also cause a massive waste of electrical energy, making long-term operating costs extremely high.

High-voltage transmission, on the other hand, could keep the power loss within five percent and maintain voltage stability.

Of course, the most crucial reason was... the Collector could directly intercept high-voltage power for charging, which was far more efficient than low-voltage power.

On the step-up transformer, he had specially designed a hidden conversion port into which only the Collector could precisely plug.

When the time came, by pre-setting the charging power, he could "steal power" without affecting the town's production and living electricity needs in the slightest, completely Without a Trace.

Over a hundred people on the construction team were bustling about, with a simple crane assisting their work.

Cheng Ye watched with burning anxiety, but he no longer had any spare Action Points to accelerate this process.

He had to admit, he really was completely out of ammunition and food at this point. His Recharge Value was down to fifteen percent, and his Action Points had been wiped clean.

He couldn't help but scratch his head, unable to resist driving to the construction site every few tens of minutes to check on the progress.

Perhaps sensing his urgency, the workers didn't dare slack off in the slightest. Everyone worked in full swing, begrudging even a moment to catch their breath.

The night deepened. It was four in the morning.

Just as Cheng Ye finished patrolling the riverbank and was planning to return to the basin to wash his face and refresh himself, the Defense Terminal at his waist suddenly vibrated slightly, and its screen slowly lit up.

He answered the call.

Engineer Li's jubilant voice came from the other side. "Inspector Cheng, the equipment installation is complete! For the upcoming startup and testing phase, we'll need you to personally initiate the first stage."

"It's complete?"

Cheng Ye's mind went blank with a buzz, and he actually failed to grip the Defense Terminal in his hand, letting it drop into the water basin.

At this moment, he felt as if he had lost all ability to think, his brain a complete void.

'Dabo Town's Hydroelectric Station is really ready to be put into use?'

'With a quota of over six thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity every day, I can use it however I want?'

'Skill searches, Skill Fusions, Trait extraction... all these functions previously restricted by the Recharge Value can be used freely from now on?'

Endless joy surged into his heart in an instant, even far surpassing the thrill of when he first acquired Transcendent Power.

"Inspector Cheng?" Engineer Li's voice came from the Defense Terminal in the basin.

"Hold on, let me wash my face. I'll be right over!" Cheng Ye hastily snatched up the Defense Terminal, wiped off the water stains, and slotted it back onto his waist.

He turned on the faucet, and the icy filtered water gushed out, yet it couldn't douse the burning fervor in his heart in the slightest.

If Liu Bi's recognition meant he was qualified to inherit Cheng Long's "legacy."

Then right now, the commissioning of the Hydroelectric Station meant the name "Cheng Ye" would officially begin catching up to Cheng Long, surpassing Cheng Long, and becoming a new symbol of Happiness City.

After splashing his face with cold water for a minute, Cheng Ye forcefully calmed his emotions. Before getting into the car, he glanced at the rearview mirror; his face was still flushed with ill-concealed excitement.

He lightly stepped on the accelerator, and the car glided smoothly out of Dabo Town, driving toward the direction of the Hydroelectric Station.

By the time he arrived at the Hydroelectric Station, the workers had already stepped aside and were packing up their loading equipment and tools.

Engineer Li and Engineer Qian were standing in the machine room, conducting final checks on all parameters to ensure nothing could go wrong.

Cheng Ye strode into the machine room. Compared to its dilapidated state during his first survey, the room was now completely renewed.

All damaged areas had been fully repaired, and brand-new ceramic tiles had been laid over the concrete floor.

The incandescent lights in the room were exceptionally bright. Under Engineer Li's guidance, Cheng Ye walked up to the main console.

Looking at the screen, the right half was already displaying various parameters.

The left half showed indicators such as "Unit Standby," "Voltage Ready," and "Water Pressure Normal."

Engineer Li pointed to a red button and a key slot on the main console. "Inspector Cheng, you just need to insert the startup key and press the 'Water Diversion Start' button to initiate the first stage and let the water flow into the unit. This is the crucial first step of the entire startup process."

The key...

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, glanced at the slot, and pulled out his Inspector Badge.

He pressed the badge down, and it fit seamlessly into the slot. The screen instantly popped up an identity verification prompt box.

Four or five seconds later, another prompt flashed.

[Identity verification passed. Current Main Controller: Cheng Ye (Inspector) is now online.]

'As long as I press the button, it will start?'

Reaching this final moment, Cheng Ye strangely managed to calm his excitement. He gently rested his finger over the red water diversion button and slowly pressed down.

Whoosh...

The low rumble of machinery immediately rang out in the machine room. The hydraulic hoist activated, and the thick water intake gate slowly rose. The turbulent flow of the White Water River surged fiercely into the unit's flow channel along the diversion pipeline.

The data on the main console screen instantly fluctuated wildly, and the water flow speed values climbed rapidly.

When the water flow impacted the turbine unit's runner, the massive runner began to turn slowly, dragging the main shaft along. The needle on the tachometer rose steadily, and the screen simultaneously popped up a series of green prompts: "Runner Synchronous Rotation Normal," "Guide Vane Angle Adapted," "Flow Channel Unobstructed."

Engineer Li and Engineer Qian immediately leaned in, rapidly recording all the real-time data to lay the foundation for subsequent precise calibration.

About twenty minutes later, the unit operated stably under no-load mode. The main shaft rotation speed settled at the rated value, and key indicators such as bearing temperature and equipment vibration amplitude were all controlled within the standard range without any anomalies appearing.

"Next up is load testing," Engineer Li took a deep breath. His eyes focused intently as he operated the console, pressing several differently functioned buttons in succession.

The power generation output began to climb, from 50 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts, up to a full load of 300 kilowatts. They paused for five minutes at each step, monitoring whether the output voltage, current, and frequency remained stable.

Whether it was explosive luck or the quality of the parts produced in the industrial zone far exceeding expectations, the entire load testing process was unexpectedly smooth sailing. Not a single parameter fluctuation or equipment failure occurred; it was surprisingly flawless.

When the power output finally stabilized at a full load of 300 kilowatts, Engineer Li let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to Cheng Ye and said, "Inspector Cheng, the Electrical Energy has now been transmitted to the distribution room in Dabo Town. Please return to the town to turn on the main switch. We'll stay here to continuously monitor the data. If there's load equipment in the town, you can gradually activate it. We will simultaneously verify all data and upload it to the Inner City's supercomputer for a 24-hour stability calculation."

"Alright!"

Cheng Ye nodded in agreement and walked out of the machine room.

At this moment, he could barely contain his urge to charge the Collector, but since the Hydroelectric Station hadn't completely stabilized yet, he had to wait a little longer.

Driving hastily back to the town, Cheng Ye headed straight for the warehouse's Containment Room. "Yu Yong, Yu Yong!"

The door opened quickly. After being possessed by the Ghost Shadow Spider, Yu Yong's physiological structure had changed. He basically didn't require normal sleep and only needed to doze for two hours a day to recover his Vigor.

Seeing Cheng Ye's visibly excited demeanor, he felt slightly surprised. "What's wrong?"

"The Hydroelectric Station is fixed. Come with me to the distribution room to turn on the main switch."

"Let's go." Yu Yong didn't ask further questions. He followed Cheng Ye out of the warehouse and walked toward the east entrance of the town.

Two prefab houses stood isolated here. Although they looked crude on the outside, pushing the door open revealed fully equipped facilities inside.

Various monitoring instruments, power transmission equipment, and main breaker switches were neatly arranged. The control and dispatch of all circuits in Dabo Town could be completed within these two distribution rooms.

Inside the main control room were two core switches: the high-voltage input main switch and the low-voltage output main switch, both of which were currently in the disconnected position.

Moving nimbly, Yu Yong flipped open the main switch's protective cover, grabbed the insulated stick beside it, and pushed forcefully toward the "close circuit" direction.

With a crisp "clack," the red warning light next to the handle instantly went out, and the green operation light lit up immediately. The console emitted a sharp beep, and the screen jumped synchronously to the power transmission monitoring interface.

The transmission equipment began humming as it operated, smoothly drawing the high-voltage power from the Hydroelectric Station into the indoor distribution modules.

"Don't let anyone mess with this main switch from now on."

Yu Yong offered a mild warning. After waiting a minute for the high-voltage input to stabilize, he pointed to a row of smaller breaker handles beside it. "These are the regional output switches, pre-divided into the industrial zone, residential area, administrative department area, and public area."

Currently, only the lines for the public area had completed their full connections. Yu Yong flipped the corresponding output switch handles one by one, stared at the connection status on the screen for a moment, and said softly, "Alright, the power is stable. Do you want to be the one to press the light button?"

"May I?" Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised.

"Of course, it's just pressing a button." Seeing Cheng Ye's cautious manner, Yu Yong couldn't help but shake his head, finding it slightly amusing.

The guy wouldn't even blink when facing a terrifying Infected Body, yet he acted so gingerly just turning on the power.

The two stepped into the adjacent distribution room. Various distribution buttons were neatly lined up on the wall, with the corresponding circuit usage labeled beside each one.

Cheng Ye's hand rested on the button labeled "Streetlight Illumination," inexplicably hesitating.

Phew.

After a few seconds, he let out a long breath and gently pressed down.

Click.

It was as if a faint crackle of electricity brushed past his ear. The instant the button was pressed, the thinly dust-coated streetlight outside the distribution room's window flickered first. Its filament transitioned from dull red to a warm yellow, like a newly lit candle, propping open a small halo of soft light in the dead of night.

Immediately after, the second and third lights awakened in succession along the layout of the streets.

The warm yellow glow, like slumbering stars being roused one by one, spread along the main road, crossed intersections, lit up the waterproof wall, and bled into every individual residential area.

In less than half a minute, the entirety of Dabo Town was entwined with crisscrossing bands of light. The halos of the streetlights overlapped and intertwined on the ground, weaving a warm net of light that completely banished the darkness of the deep night.

"What's happening? The sky is brightening?"

The still-slumbering residents were startled awake by the light pouring through their windows, and they clambered out of bed one after another.

This night seemed much shorter than usual. Everyone dressed and flooded out of their doors with traces of panic.

It wasn't until they stood in their courtyards that everyone froze in sheer astonishment.

It wasn't the break of dawn; it was all the streetlights in Dabo Town lighting up!

Spaced fifteen meters apart, the warm yellow radiance dispelled the terror of the deep night, bringing a reassuring brightness.

Yes, it felt as though that light didn't just illuminate the physical darkness within the town, but it also banished the shadows in everyone's hearts, sprinkling over their souls and bringing a heartwarming sensation!

Standing in front of the distribution room's door, Cheng Ye's gaze couldn't help but go blank, his whole body falling into a daze.

Even when Yu Yong walked up behind him, he still hadn't snapped back to reality; his eyes were filled with infatuation and excitement.

"It's just transmitting electricity. Is there a need to be this excited?" Yu Yong asked curiously.

"No, it's not just transmitting electricity."

Cheng Ye slowly regained his senses. He shook his head gently, his tone carrying an irrepressible surge of emotion.

"It's... the sky is brightening!"