Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 329: A Fine Line Between Life and Death, The Terrifying Stone Sunflower People!

Everything happened too fast.From the moment the Armored Vehicle burst out of the courtyard to when it swerved onto the block and crashed into a residential building, barely ten seconds had passed.

If not for the intelligence analysis that pinpointed where the Stone Sunflower People absorbed sunlight...

...they likely still wouldn't even know where the enemy was.

Buzz, buzz...

Continuous buzzing rang out as dense, blazing points of light erupted across the cliff face, so bizarre and eerie that it made their scalps tingle.

These points of light resembled both sudden, blinding suns and morning stars struggling out of the darkness. Clustered and overlapping, they dyed half the sky a terrifying golden-red.

The spot where the Stone Sunflower Person had previously perished was already locked down by dozens of scarlet beams. The crimson was so deep it bordered on black, as if the entire world had been draped in a blood-colored veil.

Moreover, this red glow wasn't static. It writhed with a slow but irresistible momentum, creeping over the bricks and tiles inch by inch. Slithering forward along the streets like the halo of a neon sign or a silently rising sea of blood, its tide hugged the ground, slowly swallowing the entire Red River Gathering Place.

At the same time, even more points of light detonated on the cliff face. New streams of red light cascaded down endlessly, merging with the initial crimson tide and spreading at a visible rate!

In the space between life and death lay sheer terror!

Witnessing two living, breathing humans vanish into drifting gray mist right before his eyes without even the chance to scream, Cheng Ye felt the hairs all over his body stand on end. His scalp prickled with a numb, stinging pain, as if squeezed by an invisible hand.

Whoosh!

A lethal threat welled up from the bottom of his heart, instantly sweeping through his limbs and bones, enveloping him in an icy sense of suffocation.

This was completely different from the threat posed by the Immortal Object.

The Mental Pollution of the Immortal Object was, ultimately, just a self-defense mechanism. It was a slow erosion where humans were gradually consumed in boundless despair. It lacked this overwhelming, instantaneous annihilation.

But the Stone Sunflower People were different.

These monstrosities crawling out from the depths of the mines were the very embodiment of death.

Before those hazy Biological Deconstruction Rays, the human body was as thin as paper, doomed to melt away instantly.

At this moment, there was absolutely no time to mourn the sudden deaths of those two, let alone ponder how to counter the Stone Sunflower People's methods.

Flee!

They had to run for their lives!

Almost subconsciously, Cheng Ye wanted to directly enter a Symbiotic State, his fingers tightening around the Pendant in his palm.

This was no time to hide his strength. Even if establishing a Symbiotic State with the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse came with severe attribute costs, and no matter how precious the Tear of the Horned Starfish was, it was far better than being brushed by a single sliver of that red light and facing certain death.

However, at that very second, Liu Bi suddenly spoke up. His voice still carried the dullness of the Heaven-Man Martial Domain, yet it revealed a stark clarity born of desperation. "We can't escape. Old Niu, turn left. Head to the nearest cliff-face mine entrance. They won't aim their rays at their own kind's positions!"

"What?"

Cheng Ye froze for a moment before snapping his head up, his gaze piercing through the car window to look ahead.

A barrier woven of red light already stretched across the edge of his vision, completely sealing off the Red River Gathering Place from the inside. Or rather... it had turned the entire canyon into a cage with no exit.

When the Red River Gathering Place was originally established here, it was designed with only an eastern and a western entrance.

To think that barely half an hour ago, he was still complaining about how this place was not at all easy to defend and hard to attack. Now, that irony had manifested right before his eyes in the most dramatic way possible.

With the Stone Sunflower People blocking the exits, the entire canyon was like a slowly tightening sack. Even if he possessed the ability to fly right now, he would be engulfed and annihilated by the red light the moment he took off.

Following Liu Bi's words, he looked up at the cliff faces flanking the Gathering Place. The red beams emitted by the Stone Sunflower People intersected high in the air, forming a massive X.

The two ends of this X stopped exactly at the edges of the cliffs, failing to penetrate into the cliff faces themselves.

In other words, as long as they could flee into the mines before the red light completely blanketed the Gathering Place, they still had a chance to survive?!

He hadn't expected the veteran Inspector Liu Bi to possess such keen observation skills. Before Cheng Ye could even fully process this, Niu Fu, a partner of many years, had already leaped into action the moment the words left Liu Bi's mouth.

"Hold on tight!"

Niu Fu roared as the Armored Vehicle surged forward like an enraged bull, its engine howling as it smashed through the scattered Ruins in its path.

The Red River settlement was essentially a corridor-type Gathering Place. It stretched quite long along its sides, yet its narrowest point was less than three hundred meters wide.

During their frantic escape, another blood-red beam abruptly poured down, chasing after them like the grim reaper's scythe.

Fortunately, this time, the red light only barely brushed the rear cargo box holding their supplies. Carrying its momentum, the vehicle instantly accelerated, narrowly leaving the crimson glow behind.

Reaching the cliff edge, Niu Fu didn't have a split second to think. He violently wrenched the steering wheel. The Armored Vehicle carved an ear-piercing arc along the gravel-strewn precipice, coming to a sliding halt in a near-out-of-control drift as its side door slammed heavily into the canyon's rock wall with a loud bang.

But beneath the cliff face, the nearest mine entrance was still nearly twelve meters up... a full four stories high!

"Cheng Ye!" Liu Bi called out again.

"Get out!"

Cheng Ye shoved the car door open. In an instant, his body rapidly expanded and transformed, a ferocious golden-armored behemoth slamming down beside the vehicle.

Yin Ruofeng and Zhang Daping had just stumbled clumsily out the back door. Before they could even react, the giant beast's iron-thick arms seized them by the legs.

Swinging its arms in a massive arc, it hurled the two men like ragdolls toward the mine entrance twelve meters above.

Air whistled past their ears, followed by dull thuds. The two smashed heavily into the lip of the mine shaft. The sickening crunch of breaking bones was plainly audible as their bodies tumbled several times like kites with their strings cut, plummeting deeper into the cavern and passing out entirely.

Niu Fu and Liu Bi followed closely behind, exiting the car. They had barely steadied their footing before Cheng Ye's massive, palm-like hands grabbed them by the waist.

Before they could utter a single word, an unreasonable, gargantuan force transmitted from their waists, instantly launching them into the air toward the cave entrance.

Propelled by that immense power, Liu Bi, still maintained within the Heaven-Man Martial Domain state, retained his absolute composure. His eyes subconsciously swept toward the other side of the cliff.

Yet, that single glance made his body tremble uncontrollably.

The sudden appearance of the giant beast had acted like a beacon in the night, instantly drawing the attention of every Stone Sunflower Person!

Thirty to fifty red beams flared to life, denser and more terrifying than any prior blast. Like spotlights snapping to their target, they locked on instantly, sweeping over in a suffocating swarm.

Moreover, those red beams did not pursue him and Niu Fu as they soared toward the mine shaft. Instead, they fell with ruthless precision entirely onto the Armored Vehicle by the cliff edge, and...

...the golden-armored behemoth!

"Cheng... Cheng Ye!"

The dull voice was forced out of Liu Bi's throat with immense difficulty. Even though the Heaven-Man Martial Domain forcibly suppressed all emotions, an extreme surge of terror and despair shattered his mental shackles in that instant.

His face twisted uncontrollably, contorting into an expression of unspeakable agony. He looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his whole body shaking violently.

Thud!

Liu Bi crashed heavily onto the rough floor of the mine, his body rolling several times like a bowling ball before slamming into the hard rock wall to a stop.

Piercing pain exploded through him; his bones felt like they were falling apart. Yet, he ignored the pain. He didn't even bother checking on Niu Fu, who had crashed in right beside him, but instead scrambled frantically back to the entrance on his hands and knees.

Clutching the edge of the mine, he looked down the cliff face, his breath hitching.

The entire Armored Vehicle was already fully engulfed in a red light so viscous it nearly seemed physical.

Although the vehicle's chassis remained intact without any visible damage, this light acted like ultraviolet rays designed exclusively to eradicate bacteria. Its target had always been solely the living organisms of this world!

"Cheng Ye!"

"Cheng Ye!!!"

Liu Bi's voice cracked, hoarse as a broken gong. Tears streamed out uncontrollably, mixing with the grime and blood on his skin as they snaked down his face.

He roared with a heart-wrenching scream, his voice fraught with despair and total collapse. Like a madman, he slammed his fists savagely against the ground.

Jagged rocks slashed open his palms, and blood stained the dirt beneath his hands, yet he felt nothing. He simply screamed that name over and over again. Every cry echoed through the quiet mine, sounding exceptionally tragic.

This was the cruelty of the Wilderness.

Once outside the energy coverage of the shelter cities, this vast expanse of land became the hunting ground for terrifying Infection Sources.

While explorers might indeed score a handsome profit, they could just as easily end up like this.

One second, an ordinary person perished; the next, a highly experienced and powerful Inspector could fall.

"Brother B..." Niu Fu also crawled over with great difficulty. His left arm was bent at a grotesque angle, clearly broken from the heavy impact of the fall.

He gazed at the surging red light below and the scattered scraps of fabric draped in crimson at the edge of the cliff. He swallowed hard, his complexion equally desolate.

If he hadn't wasted precious seconds saving Yin Ruofeng and the other three, with Cheng Ye's speed, he definitely could have dashed into the mine before the red light blanketed the area. But now...

Buzz.

A faint vibrating hum suddenly sounded near their ears.

Liu Bi's movements halted abruptly. Face filled with disbelief, he looked up toward the top of the cliff face.

A tiny dark silhouette slowly descended from high above, gradually growing larger in his vision.

'What is that?'

Sensing a familiar presence radiating from atop the disc, both men froze in unison.

Liu Bi subconsciously narrowed his eyes and ventured a tentative call, "Cheng Ye?"

"It's me, Brother B. I'm fine."

Terrified of drawing the red light's attention, the Flying Wings could only lower their altitude inch by inch, slowly drifting toward the mine entrance.

Fortunately, just as Liu Bi had observed, these Biological Deconstruction Rays—capable of penetrating all buildings and solid objects—truly did not affect the cliff face where their own kind resided.

The Flying Wings descended further. Hunched over, Cheng Ye swept past just above their heads.

His clothes had completely shredded during his transformation. Thankfully, he hadn't taken off his Flexible Alloy Shorts beforehand.

He hopped off the Flying Wings, landing inside the cave. His legs instantly turned to jelly, and he couldn't help but collapse onto the ground.

The joy of discovering treasures and unlocking the Shadow Puppet World vanished without a trace in that moment. All that remained was the overwhelming relief of surviving a disaster, coupled with an exhaustion that nearly drowned him.

The fatigue of staying awake all night seemed to rush up all at once. He gasped for air, yet his chest still felt dreadfully tight.

"You brat, you nearly scared me to death!"

Liu Bi hurriedly scrambled up and stumbled over to sit beside him.

His eyes darted rapidly across Cheng Ye's entire body. After confirming the boy hadn't been touched by the red beams, Liu Bi slumped back onto the floor, panting heavily.

Niu Fu hitched himself over as well, squeezing out a grim smile. The three of them just leaned shoulder-to-shoulder against the rock wall, entirely speechless for a time.

Hoo.

Haa.

The heavy, rhythmic sound of their breathing echoed through the mine, yet the scenes from moments ago replayed incessantly in their minds.

The Pang Siblings, instantly annihilated by the red light, with the look of stark horror frozen on their faces in their final moments, flashed constantly before Cheng Ye's eyes.

For a split second, their faces seemed to overlap with the white sheet covering Huang Liang, then shifted into the vegetative state faces of those whose minds were polluted by the Immortal Object...

Two more people had died, plainly and undeniably, right in front of him.

Two... more lives!

Cheng Ye clenched his jaw. This time, however, he felt not a shred of sorrow or panic, only numbness.

Only anger, and a roaring fire at the bottom of his heart that was threatening to detonate!

'What kind of power was that?'

'A power that humanity absolutely could not contend with!'

'A terrifying power that even entering a Symbiotic State with the transcendent Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse couldn't hope to match!'

'This world is just too dangerous...'

'The power I rely on is still not enough, nowhere near enough, when facing true, sheer terror!'

These chaotic thoughts multiplied madly in his mind, the roar echoing over and over in his heart.

If not for Liu Bi's sharp observation skills, if not for the Flying Wings allowing him a desperate escape, today's outcome would simply have been the red light cascading down, leaving one more empty Armored Vehicle in the Red River Gathering Place, and nothing else.

Suddenly, a groan sounded, snapping the three out of their daze.

Almost simultaneously, all three pairs of eyes darted toward the sound, landing on Yin Ruofeng deeper inside the mine.

Perhaps because Zhang Daping had cushioned his fall, Yin Ruofeng hadn't taken the brunt of the impact. He had only knocked his head on the ground and passed out, finally waking up now.

A sense of disorientation swept over him, accompanied by a splitting headache. He instinctively reached for his forehead, only for his fingertips to meet sticky blood.

When he saw the red smear on his palm, the blankness on Yin Ruofeng's face faded bit by bit, morphing into uncontrollable sobbing. "Wu... cough, cough... I... I'm still... alive!"

Yin Ruofeng cried until he was out of breath, curling up on the ground like a cooked red shrimp.

The sheer relief of snatching his life back from the jaws of despair meant he couldn't care about anything else right now; only the wild ecstasy and lingering terror of surviving the disaster remained.

The plump Zhang Daping also slowly regained consciousness. An excruciating pain shot up from his left leg, and the moment he shifted his body even slightly, he couldn't stop himself from wailing miserably.

With every howl, the intense agony from his fractured leg bone flared up even higher, making it obvious the injury was severe.

"Sigh..." Liu Bi exhaled slowly, pulling his gaze away to rest on Niu Fu. His tone was riddled with guilt. "Old Niu, I'm sorry. I dragged you into risking your life with me yet again."

"Brother B, we weren't the ones risking our lives this time. Inspector... Inspector Cheng was." Niu Fu offered a miserable smile, turning his head to look at Cheng Ye, his eyes still brimming with lingering dread.

Despite being the focus of their gazes, Cheng Ye remained lost in thought for a long time.

His eyes stayed fixated on the weeping Yin Ruofeng and the howling Zhang Daping.

After a long while, he abruptly snapped back to reality. Standing up, he walked to the mine entrance and peered down at the Red River Gathering Place below.

In just two or three minutes, the entire settlement had been completely enveloped by the red light.

The Biological Deconstruction Rays penetrated layer after layer of architecture, sweeping through every single block, transforming the canyon into a dead zone without a single blind spot.

Forbidden Lands.

This was absolutely a set of Forbidden Lands now, for no living creature could possibly survive in the red light; they would only be instantly annihilated.

'But how could such a terrifying ray be powered solely by sunlight exposure and Energy conversion?'

Countless questions exploded in Cheng Ye's mind. 'If humanity mastered this kind of ray, how terrifying would the consequences be?'

'If they fired it at each other on a battlefield, anyone caught in the beam would be immediately disintegrated. That scene would be hundreds, thousands of times more horrific than the sight before me.'

'But on the flip side, if this weapon were used against Infected Bodies, would a simple sweep of the beam be enough to completely eradicate them?'

Perhaps because the fear of death hadn't entirely faded, Cheng Ye actually entered an unprecedented state of total calmness. He detached from all his emotions, leaving only pure, rational analysis behind.

'Were the Redstones back then truly mined clean by the Red River and other Gathering Places?'

'Are there terrifying plants hidden deep within the mines capable of breeding Stone Sunflower People?'

'Where did all the Energy they collected go?'

'Why did no one discover these monsters for so long?'

'If these Stone Sunflower People joined the Infection Tide during the winter and roamed around Happiness City firing their rays, the consequences would be unimaginable...'

Cheng Ye reopened the System Panel, his eyes landing on the few Stone Sunflower People Traits, and on the exchangeable options.

The antidote is always found near the poison.

To figure out the true nature of the Stone Sunflower People, he definitely had to start with these Traits.

'Should I continue analyzing the Traits to gather intelligence, or convert them into skills or items?'

The Recharge Value he could freely squander in Dabo Town had become incredibly precious out here in the Wilderness.

Cheng Ye pondered for a long time before finally locking his gaze back onto the Sunlight Absorption Trait.

'These abominations can absorb sunlight and store Energy. Could they have mastered some special method of thermal energy conversion?'

'And could this converted thermal energy be absorbed by the Collector Device, allowing me to replenish my Recharge Value out in the wild?'

With this in mind, Cheng Ye clicked open the intelligence he had gathered earlier by analyzing the Trait.

The scene reconstructed itself. This time, he didn't linger on the overarching view. Instead, he raised his perspective, focusing directly on a Stone Sunflower Person that had just stepped out of a mine shaft.

Because the canyon housing the Red River Gathering Place ran east to west, the Stone Sunflower People could absorb sunlight non-stop throughout the entire day as long as they poked their heads out.

He watched as the Stone Sunflower Person slowly leaned out. First, the Energy-Gathering Redstones embedded in its face lit up one by one. Then, trails of bright red fire snaked along the stones, quickly igniting the ring of leaves framing its head.

What violently shook Cheng Ye's heart was that those leaves all glowed with a red light similar to the Biological Deconstruction Ray, yet the color was even more blistering, burning around its face like roaring flames.

Even more bizarrely, every flicker of the flames caused the red stones on its face to pulse in tandem. The interweaving of red light and fire exuded a suffocating, demonic aura.

Despite being accustomed to the terrifying Infected Bodies of the Wilderness, witnessing this scene still made Cheng Ye's scalp tingle and sent chills down his spine.

After the intelligence fragment ended, he didn't hesitate to click analyze again, switching to another subject.

Soon, a new pattern surfaced.

The closer a Stone Sunflower Person was to the top of the cliff, receiving more sunlight, the greater the number of red stones embedded in its face.

The most conspicuous one had over half its face covered by red stones. The leaves framing its head rippled with blinding flames, waves of heat seemingly threatening to break through the confines of the intelligence space (As pictured).

'Is this a Stone Sunflower Person, or a Redstone Person?'

Cheng Ye's gaze locked dead onto the face of this visibly stronger Stone Sunflower Person, firmly memorizing the location of its mine entrance.

When the intelligence space shattered, he immediately summoned Little Flame, utilizing its special vision to gaze toward that very entrance.

In his field of vision, there indeed stood a Stone Sunflower Person.

However, the difference was that the number of red stones on its face was visibly fewer than what he had seen in the intelligence space. Only a third of its face was embedded with those eerie crystals.

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. He quickly shifted his gaze, noting the number of red stones on the faces of several adjacent Stone Sunflower People, and entered the intelligence space once more to compare.

After some cross-referencing, the pattern became crystal clear: the Stone Sunflower People who had an abundance of red stones in the intelligence space currently had noticeably fewer in the real world. Conversely, those who had fewer red stones in the intelligence space now had visibly more embedded in their faces.

'Decreasing, increasing...'

A terrifying thought slammed into Cheng Ye's mind like a bolt of lightning, causing his whole body to stiffen.

'Could it be that these Stone Sunflower People aren't absorbing sunlight to strengthen themselves? But rather, they're acting as producers to store Energy?'

He shook his head violently, denying the speculation. 'No, that's not right. They probably don't even qualify as producers.'

'Just like how humans use Solar Panels to harness energy... are these Stone Sunflower People merely Tools used by an even more bizarre Infection Source to collect Energy?'