Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 315: The Gluttonous Giant Louse and the Rules of the Wilderness!

Hoo.Hoo.

Inside the Helmet, Cheng Ye's breathing was abnormally slow.

Even though his body was sprinting at extreme speed, he only took a light breath every four or five seconds. These were habitual, shallow breaths, taken merely to keep himself from running out of air.

Only a deep, heavy breath taken once a minute truly supplied his body with oxygen.

This was an added benefit brought about by his body's evolution.

The Vortex Lungs granted him more than just the air blast ability; they allowed him to suppress his breathing rate to the absolute limit without affecting his body's normal functions in the slightest. He was practically Non-Human.

Reaching the spot where the figure had just been spying on him, he was met with a pitch-black gap in the wall. The faint outline of stairs could be seen inside, seemingly leading to the top of the defensive wall.

Cheng Ye stared at the gap for a few seconds. The crisis intuition brought by his Embryo-Embracing stage made his heart clench slightly, as if some unknown danger lurked within the dark opening.

After a brief moment of thought, Cheng Ye simply took a few steps back. The mark of Little Flame flashed between his eyebrows, and his right leg thrust violently against the ground.

The instant he leaped, his left and right feet consecutively stomped hard against the air. His entire body abruptly rose over four meters, landing steadily on top of the defensive wall.

Surprisingly, the top of this defensive wall was like a city rampart, featuring a pathway about one meter wide.

Stepping lightly on the wall, Cheng Ye turned to look at the gap. He saw a small crossbow mounted there, the bottom of the weapon seemingly connected to something inside the passage. He guessed that once the trap was triggered, the Crossbow Bolts would fire immediately.

'It doesn't look like they have any industrial capabilities. It's just a very ordinary handmade trap...'

Cheng Ye leaned over and glanced at the arrowhead of the Crossbow Bolt. It wasn't coated with venom; it was just an ordinary iron tip ground to a sharp edge.

It seemed this trap wasn't aimed at Humans, but rather set up to guard against any Infected Body that might suddenly intrude.

He looked along both sides of the defensive wall. The right side was the direction he had come from, so the spy couldn't possibly have fled that way. The wall on the left connected to the mountain that the New Pond Gathering Place leaned against.

Like most Gathering Places, the New Pond Gathering Place relied on natural terrain for defense. The adjacent New Pond Mountain, roughly a thousand meters high, blocked threats from the north, allowing its inhabitants to only need to defend the southern side.

Cheng Ye moved quickly along the pathway, his eyes sweeping across the walls on both sides as he searched for clues.

Suddenly, his gaze paused, landing on the kicked-up dust on the ground.

A faint footprint, with only half a slanted impression, was pressed into the dirt near the wall. It looked incredibly fresh.

'Hiding on the mountain?'

He looked up toward the mountain path at the end of the wall leading to New Pond Mountain. Summoning Little Flame, he cleared his mind and quietly reached out with his senses.

About half a minute later, the spying gaze indeed swept over him, precisely captured by Little Flame's sharp perception.

Chirp, chirp!

Little Flame chirped twice, and a strand of Intent was transmitted to Cheng Ye's mind through the connection of the Heart-Protecting Fire.

Cheng Ye's head dipped slightly as an illusion seemed to bloom before his eyes, his field of vision abruptly shifting.

After sharing vision with Little Flame, utilizing the terrifying eyesight of the transcendent Searing Hawk, he instantly saw clearly. Behind a massive boulder halfway up the mountain stood two men with vigilant expressions.

The two wary men were huddled together, whispering about something, completely oblivious that their whereabouts had already been seen through by Cheng Ye.

'Heh, this anti-reconnaissance ability sure is handy.'

Cheng Ye mused to himself.

Compared to the Falcon Radar on the Armored Vehicle, Little Flame's innate anti-peeping ability was clearly much more suited for the current situation. It was precise and deeply concealed.

His gaze swept over the entire mountain. After locking onto the location along the winding mountain path, he didn't linger and once again strode toward the path at the end of the wall.

On the other side, behind the mountain boulder.

"These colors are way too flashy. Is this guy afraid the Hunters in the Wilderness won't be able to spot him?"

Looking at the red and gold figure on the wall, the man on the left cursed in a low voice, his tone full of vigilance. "They're driving an Armored Vehicle but don't have any insignias displayed. God knows where they popped out from!"

"Could they be people from Happiness City?" the man on the right guessed in a hushed voice. "Old Zhang, he's coming right to our door so blatantly. Maybe he wants to talk face-to-face. Should we... make contact with him?"

"No, we absolutely cannot let him up the mountain."

Old Zhang took a deep breath, his tone resolute. "Old Gao, you know full well. Once word leaks that the Camp can grow crops, we can forget about ever living in peace again."

"But winter is almost here." Old Gao stared wistfully at the red and gold figure, his tone pleading. "Our reserves of salt and sugar will last until the start of winter at most. Anything worth scavenging in the Gathering Place has been emptied out long ago. Do you really want to risk going to the lake to mine?"

"They aren't a merchant caravan; where would they get spare living supplies?" Old Zhang's brow furrowed into deep ridges. "Even if there are supplies on that Armored Vehicle, they definitely won't be ordinary goods. We can't afford them, and he might not be willing to trade anyway."

"We have Spirit Bamboo Shoots! If we trade just a small amount, we should be able to exchange for some urgently needed items..." Old Gao still wanted to argue.

But before he could finish, Old Zhang brutally interrupted him. "Enough! The Camp has finally enjoyed five years of peace. As long as we survive this winter, we might be able to wait for a passing merchant caravan. If you really can't hold back and want to venture out into the world, I won't stop you, but don't drag everyone's livelihood down with you!"

Old Gao's expression changed instantly. His lips moved, but in the end, he didn't dare to speak again.

He knew better than anyone what a piece of arable land meant within the borders of Shi Province.

Even if the area wasn't large and its yield was only enough to sustain the survival needs of a few hundred people.

Furthermore, Spirit Bamboo Shoots grew naturally here. This item heavily supplemented all kinds of nutrients needed by Humans. Just slicing off a small piece could sustain a person without needing any Energy supplements for seven days, and it could even alleviate pain and illness. It was the fundamental reason they could survive in these Forbidden Lands.

Although Old Zhang claimed he could leave, Old Gao knew full well that if he really tried to go, the man beside him would never let anyone walk out of this mountain alive.

But right as his thoughts were churning, Old Zhang beside him suddenly let out a low cry. "Not good! He's coming up the mountain!"

"What?!"

Old Gao abruptly looked up, only to see the red and gold figure had already reached the end of the city wall and stepped onto the path leading up the mountain.

The figure's footsteps were firm. He even had his head raised, his gaze looking straight toward their hiding spot.

"Crap! Could he have seen us?"

"There must be a scanner inside that armor of his! Retreat, quickly!" Old Zhang grabbed Old Gao. "Hurry, let's go! Once we're in the caves, he won't be able to find his way even if he has world-shattering abilities!"

The two didn't dare to linger for even a fraction of a second, breaking into a mad sprint toward the rear.

There were several caves in the mountain wall, excavated back in the day by the New Pond Gathering Place to store supplies. Inside, the paths crisscrossed and turned wildly; the terrain was incredibly complex.

Even though the group had lived here for five years, they still got lost occasionally and had to carefully distinguish the markers to find the correct route.

They figured that no matter how powerful this figure's scanner was, it couldn't possibly penetrate the signal-blocking rock walls to find the path to the Camp.

Broken stone steps were visible everywhere on the rugged mountain path.

The moment Cheng Ye stepped onto them, the gravel beneath his feet couldn't bear the weight of the Fire Lotus Battle Armor. Every so often, an entire stone step would fracture, sliding down the mountain wall into the artificially excavated deep valley below.

To prevent an Infected Body from launching a surprise attack from the other side of the mountain, there was a gap of nearly a hundred meters between New Pond Mountain and the Gathering Place.

This hundred-meter expanse had been completely hollowed out and lined with densely packed spikes.

Even though many of the spikes had rusted and snapped by now, Cheng Ye didn't want to risk traversing the high altitude.

Opting for a better approach, he switched his equipment to the Floating Sand Bones, constantly adjusting his own weight.

It wasn't until his body weight dropped to forty kilograms—which, combined with the twenty kilograms of his battle armor, matched the total weight of a normal adult—that the rocks beneath his feet finally stabilized and stopped crumbling so easily.

But right at this moment, those two spying gazes suddenly vanished, and Little Flame's sensing completely lost the trail.

Cheng Ye hastened his pace, following the previously locked direction and heading straight for that massive stone platform.

Ten minutes later.

He stood on this platform, which was roughly a hundred square meters and clearly carved out artificially.

Good heavens, the field of vision here was surprisingly excellent. Standing in this spot, one could take in the entire boundless Wilderness in a single glance.

Even though the sky had grown completely dark, he could clearly see the Armored Vehicle with its headlights on in the Gathering Place, along with four sweeping beams from flashlights.

Observing the entire New Pond Gathering Place again, its area was roughly four times that of the current Dabo Town, nearly a fifth of the Buffer Zone.

Back in the day, it truly counted as a large-scale Gathering Place. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it had the potential to develop into a shelter city.

Turning to look behind the platform, there were actually three caves lined up side by side.

Each cave entrance was about three meters high and a meter and a half wide.

With just a few glances, Cheng Ye concluded that these caves were a legacy left behind by the New Pond Gathering Place. They were absolutely not built by those two spies from earlier.

Setting aside the natural marks of weathering, just the sheer volume of excavation work would have required hundreds of people laboring continuously for months to complete.

'So, they don't want to see me, and they're trying to hide using this method?'

Cheng Ye stood at the cave entrance, pondering.

Judging by their reactions just now, he wasn't worried that making camp tonight would bring any trouble.

But since he was already here, standing at the entrance without going in to make contact felt like a waste.

Yet, no matter which cave entrance he walked toward, the faint sense of unease in his heart warned him:

There was great danger hidden within the caves!

He wasn't afraid of danger, but if the internal layout was too complex, it would inevitably take a massive amount of time to navigate.

However, in the very moment Cheng Ye was hesitating, the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse in his Spiritual Body Space suddenly stirred.

Ever since having its tier elevated by Tan Ming and evolving into a transcendent being, the giant louse had been as dead silent as if it had fallen into a deep slumber. But now, it suddenly transmitted a strand of Intent.

Cheng Ye blanked for a moment. He concentrated to decipher it, gradually understanding the message contained within the Intent.

"Hmm?"

"You're saying there's... something delicious inside?!"

The Intent transmitted by the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse was vague and unclear, a world of difference from Little Flame's.

He could barely make out the concept of "delicious," but the greedy emotion wrapped within it was exceedingly genuine, exactly Cut from the Same Cloth as its reaction when he had fed it the Living Water Essence.

Was a Treasure hidden in this cave?

Cheng Ye's heart jolted. He sank his thoughts and went straight into his Spiritual Body Space.

As his life levels had successively increased, the expanse of the Spiritual Body Space had nearly doubled. It was no longer purely pitch-black, but was now swirled with a faint cyan mist.

The Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse lay sprawled in a corner, its entire body covered in blood-red patterns. Like Little Flame, its size was only as big as a palm.

Seeing Cheng Ye's Intent sweep over it, the greed churning in its pair of compound eyes grew even more intense.

'Can you lead the way?' Cheng Ye tried communicating through Intent.

The Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse clearly failed to understand and gave no response.

He had no choice but to switch to a much more direct approach: 'Where is it?'

This time, the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse finally reacted. A clear strand of Intent pointed in a specific direction.

The leftmost cave.

'It can actually lead the way?'

A wave of joy surged in Cheng Ye's heart. He never expected this transcendent Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse to harbor such an ability.

If things kept developing like this, couldn't he moonlight as a treasure Hunter?

Of course, the prerequisite was that the "goodies" it found had to be something it loved to eat, reaching at least the level of a Treasure.

Walking into the leftmost cave, the feeling of unease grew increasingly heavy. Cheng Ye kept his brow furrowed as he proceeded all the way inside.

Faint green Atomic Lamps were hung at intervals inside the cave, allowing him to barely make out the full picture.

The cave passages extended in all directions, with forks connecting one after another. He didn't know where they led, but it seemed all the caves were interconnected.

The ground was made of exceptionally smoothly polished stone, making it nearly impossible to find any trackable marks.

Fortunately, the guidance from the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse never ceased. One moment it pointed left, the next moment right. Cheng Ye followed its twists and turns through the complex cluster of caves. Even he forgot the way back, but the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse could still steadily lock onto the Essence of that "Treasure."

As expected, the hidden potential within gluttons and evildoers is boundless.

And the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse possessed both qualities perfectly.

The deeper he ventured into the cave, the more urgent the transmitted emotions became. It was like a starving man rushing frantically toward a restaurant to gorge himself.

Cheng Ye stumbled forward between the jagged cave walls. More than ten minutes passed, yet the deep, dark cave still felt like an endless giant python, tightly coiling around him.

But just then, a tremendously faint sound drilled into his ears. It was barely perceptible, like a mountain stream quietly trickling through the crevices of rocks, carrying a fresh, moist vapor.

Following that sliver of sound around a few narrow bends, his vision suddenly brightened dramatically.

This light was not daylight from the outside world, but a faint reflection seeping from somewhere deep within the mountain's belly. Still, it was enough to clearly illuminate his surroundings.

Cheng Ye's footsteps paused. The moment he stepped out of the final narrow passage, he couldn't help but freeze.

Beneath his feet was actually another artificially excavated platform, spanning roughly ten square meters. The edges were reinforced with piled, rough stones, and the surface still bore the mottled marks of chisels. It was clearly the handiwork of the New Pond Gathering Place from years ago.

He steadied his stance and looked up. To his surprise, over thirty meters away stood an identical platform.

The two platforms faced each other from afar, like massive boulders suspended in mid-air within the cavern.

Connecting them was an old wooden suspension bridge. Several rust-mottled iron chains hauled the bridge structure, swaying slightly in the cavern's drafts.

There was actually a place like this inside the mountain?

Cheng Ye looked back and forth, quickly confirming that this area wasn't naturally formed, but constructed by Human hands.

That was because the drop below the suspension bridge was over ten meters deep, and the bottom was similarly lined with densely packed, sharp iron spikes.

Unlike the heavily rusted spikes at the base of the mountain outside, the edges of the spikes here still gleamed with a chilling, cold light in the dimness. It was obvious they were regularly maintained.

Given the Defensive Power of the Fire Lotus Battle Armor, if he fell straight down, he would be severely injured even if he survived.

He tried to take a step forward. In the very next second, a sense of crisis suddenly exploded in his chest, strong warnings surging relentlessly.

He absolutely must not step onto this bridge; he needed to turn around and leave immediately.

"The martial artist's Embryo-Embracing realm truly is marvelous. It's almost like having the power of precognition."

Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes at the opposite platform, utterly certain that the sound he had heard earlier came from the cave behind it.

Moreover, the Intent transmitted by the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse continuously marked that very cave, as if the "Treasure" was hidden deep within.

"Interesting. This feels a bit like playing Tomb Raider, except I don't need to solve puzzles here."

Cheng Ye stood in place for two minutes, then suddenly turned and walked back, never stepping foot on the suspension bridge.

Meanwhile, on his shoulder, on a plane imperceptible to the naked eye of ordinary people, Little Flame fluttered and hopped down. His vision switched instantly.

Through the Searing Hawk's perspective, Cheng Ye waited quietly.

Five minutes later, a figure indeed flashed out from the shadows of the opposite platform. It was the very man he had spotted earlier.

And above the platform he had just stood on, the other man climbed down from god-knows-where, landing silently on the stone surface.

The two didn't speak, simply communicating by mouthing words. Cheng Ye lip-read a few sentences and couldn't help but smile.

He retracted his vision and once again turned back toward the platform.

By the time he returned to the platform, the two had long disappeared without a trace.

This time, however, he didn't hesitate in the slightest. He stepped directly onto the suspension bridge, treading on the swaying wooden planks toward the opposite side.

One step, then another.

Just as he reached the center of the suspension bridge, a noise came from behind. The man from earlier dropped down from a high point, standing firmly on the platform Cheng Ye had come from.

On the opposite platform, the other man also stepped out wielding a handgun, his expression vigilant to the extreme.

Their gazes met. Seeing the amiable smile in Cheng Ye's eyes, the armed man gripped his gun tighter and said in a deep, hushed voice, "Friend, I'm sorry. Although I'd love to have a proper chat with you, our way of life doesn't permit us to deal with outsiders!"

"Oh?" Cheng Ye turned to look behind him, finally noticing that the suspension bridge actually concealed a mechanism. The man standing in the shadows was currently gripping a lever.

It wasn't hard to imagine the fate of this suspension bridge once that lever was pushed.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Cheng Ye turned his head back to the armed man opposite him, his tone as calm as ever.

Before his words could even hit the ground.

The man behind him didn't waste a single word, violently shoving the lever forward all the way to the end!

Creak.

The pull-ring clasps connecting the suspension bridge popped open with a snap. The bridge deck instantly lost its balance, plunging abruptly downward.

And it wasn't just one side that detached!

To prevent anyone falling from the bridge from grabbing the chains and climbing up, the clasps on both sides released simultaneously. The entire suspension bridge plummeted straight toward the pile of spikes below.

'These reclusive Scavengers sure are ruthless!'

The moment his body lost its balance, a flicker of surprise crossed Cheng Ye's heart.

He originally thought that by voluntarily placing himself under their control, he could fish out some useful information. However, he had still underestimated these solitary survivors scraping by in the Wilderness.

As the saying goes, villains die from talking too much. The people here would always act faster than they spoke.

These two hadn't planned on conversing with him at all; their opening move was an absolute kill.

Crash.

The suspension bridge smashed heavily into the pile of spikes. A dull, deafening roar exploded within the cavern, causing their eardrums to throb with pain.

Splintered wood and flying dust scattered wildly in all directions. The falling planks were completely impaled by the upright spikes, snapping into several pieces.

Two or three seconds later, the noise gradually faded.

The conversation between the two men echoed from the platform.

"What a pity. Rebuilding this bridge is going to cost us another half month of work. What a hassle!" Old Zhang's voice carried a hint of painful regret.

"What about the people outside? If he dies here, his companions will definitely come investigate."

Old Gao leaned against the cave wall, engaging the safety of his handgun with a despondent expression.

"Who cares about them? If they come, we'll kill them one by one." As Old Zhang spoke, he took two steps forward, poking his head out to gaze at the spikes below. "This kind of inexperienced rookie who likes to run rampant just because he has good gear probably isn't a tough nut to crack anyway..."

Plummeting from this height, even if the opponent was wearing a battle armor with impressive Defensive Power, there was absolutely no chance of survival.

After all, these spikes had been specially commissioned from Happiness City by the New Pond Gathering Place to fend off Infected Bodies. They were sharp and sturdy, capable of skewering even special Infected Bodies alive.

However, the very moment he looked down, a face abruptly lifted from the settling dust clouds.

The corners of the mouth on that face curled up slightly, revealing a nonchalant smile.

"My apologies, I didn't hear you clearly—what did you say I was, again?"