Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 332: Overbearing Little Flame, Power Surges!

The sky was gray, the earth was dark, and the desolate road stretched endlessly.The wind howled, the grass grew wild, and the vast wilderness path was devoid of human traces.

The solitary Armored Vehicle was parked on the Wasteland. The Camping Lamps on both sides of its roof were lit, but they could not dispel the surrounding dead silence.

Cheng Ye opened the rear trunk, took out the emergency medical supplies, and divided the doses according to the injuries of the four people.

Taking advantage of the gap while everyone took their medicine, he brought out splints to sequentially secure the injuries of Niu Fu and Zhang Daping.

These were basic skills from the Trainee Inspector emergency treatment courses. He had practiced them proficiently on dummies, but this was his first time applying them to real people.

His movements were slightly rough, retaining the brisk efficiency used on dummies but lacking a bit of delicate human care.

Niu Fu, however, just grinned and nodded gently, a trace of softness flashing in his eyes.

Zhang Daping, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, also remained silent, watching Cheng Ye work with a grateful expression.

"Thank you, Inspector Cheng!" Seeing Cheng Ye stand up, Zhang Daping hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

In the cold and silent Wilderness, a powerful Source-Binder Inspector had crouched down to carefully clean his wounds with Povidone-Iodine, bandage them, and secure the splints.

He feared he would never forget this scene, even after ten or twenty years, or perhaps until the day he died.

Cheng Ye nodded amiably and pulled out some nutrient paste.

Having just narrowly escaped death, there was naturally no need to suppress their physical needs. Yin Ruofeng and Zhang Daping drank three pouches in a row before rubbing their stomachs and lying back in satisfaction.

Liu Bi and Niu Fu had been starving all day. They downed six pouches each before finally quelling their surging Hunger Sensation.

As for Cheng Ye, he surprisingly had little appetite. He only drank ten pouches to maintain his daily needs before returning to the vehicle to lie down.

Through the front windshield, a sky full of stars could be seen twinkling against the ink-black canopy.

The reclusive lifestyle and natural scenery that modern people desperately sought had unexpectedly become a common, everyday sight in this Wasteland.

He stared blankly. After no more than ten seconds, drowsiness washed over him like a tide.

Offering no resistance, Cheng Ye tilted his head, leaned against the wide seat, and fell into a deep sleep.

He was never someone who dreamed often, and he had dreamed even less since transmigrating.

But tonight, bizarre and grotesque images continuously invaded his mind, piecing together distorted and shattered scenes.

It wasn't quite a nightmare, yet it felt more suffocating than one.

Being immersed in it was like a small boat drifting on a raging sea, constantly engulfed by fear and on edge.

Whoosh.

In his daze, a light seemed to flash abruptly before his eyes, looking exactly like the Biological Deconstruction Ray erupted by a Stone Sunflower Person.

Cheng Ye jolted upright in shock, his hairs standing on end as a fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

But in the next second, he let out a long breath and slowly leaned back into his seat.

It wasn't the ray.

Instead... The sky is brightening!

At the edge of the horizon, a shallow band of light stretched out, its interwoven gold and red hues slowly climbing along the contours of the Wilderness.

The slate resting on the dashboard sensed the sunlight, and the spiral patterns on its surface automatically lit up.

Perhaps because the morning light was still weak, the glow was as faint as a thin layer of Fluorescence, yet it bore a seventy or eighty percent resemblance to the appearance of a Stone Sunflower Person when it showed up, right before firing its deconstruction ray.

After lying there for two or three minutes, waiting until the light grew a bit brighter, Cheng Ye climbed up and glanced back.

Yin Ruofeng and Zhang Daping had slightly trembling lips and were curled up in balls, clearly also trapped in nightmares.

Niu Fu, however, was nowhere to be seen; he was not lying in his spot from last night.

He pushed open the car door and stepped out. The moment he looked around, he immediately froze in place.

In the open clearing behind the Armored Vehicle, an area of about a hundred square meters had been cleared. Wooden planks were driven deep into the soil, mixed with defensive components similar to those in front of a Gathering Place's security office, piecing together a simple perimeter wall.

Beside it were four neat stacks of wooden planks. Wheel ruts on the ground pointed clearly in the direction of the Red River Gathering Place, evidently transported from there.

'Did Brother B do all this by himself last night?'

Cheng Ye stared blankly, unable to recover his wits for a long time. It wasn't until a silhouette shifted in the distance that he abruptly turned his head.

He saw Niu Fu and Liu Bi walking side by side, each dragging a handcart behind them.

The carts had no tires; their wheels were irregular ovals bent from iron strips. Neatly selected wooden planks were stacked over two meters high on them, firmly bound with thick ropes.

'Did these two really stay up all night building a shelter?'

Cheng Ye hastily snapped back to reality and ran down the slope to take the cart ropes from Niu Fu's hands. Surprisingly, Niu Fu hurriedly shook his head, clutching the ropes tightly and refusing to let go. "I'm fine. I just injured an arm, it's not like I can't work! Go help Brother Bi, he hasn't closed his eyes all night."

"Brother B..." Cheng Ye quickly walked over to Liu Bi's side.

Liu Bi did not try to act tough and naturally handed the ropes to him. Fatigue was evident on his face. "Didn't you want to conduct research for a few days? I figured we should build a simple shelter first."

He let out a long breath and said slowly, "I scouted the area last night. It's relatively safe around here. Maybe when the legion sends people over later, they'll choose to camp here too. If I set up an outpost first and figure out the surrounding terrain and landforms, it'll save us a lot of trouble and let us evade danger in advance."

It had to be said that Liu Bi truly embodied the distinct traits of an old-school Inspector.

He never backed down when encountering danger; instead, he would set up Camp on the spot and take the initiative to attack.

Even though times had changed and the duty requirements of an Inspector had undergone several revisions, he still held onto his past diligence and persistence.

Pulling the cart next to the Camp, Cheng Ye finally noticed that behind the pile of wooden planks lay various materials scavenged from the Red River Gathering Place: tempered thick iron bars, coiled bundles of Iron Wire, stacked burlap sacks, punctured iron oil drums, broken Water Pipes, iron nails, mirrors...

There were easily dozens of items. Those Scavengers who frequented the Inspection Station year-round paled in comparison to Liu Bi.

When it came to building temporary Camps in the wild, Liu Bi clearly possessed ample Experience.

And this Experience was exactly what Cheng Ye currently lacked the most.

"Go do your research; I'll handle the Camp construction. Whether we stay for three to five days, or until our food runs out, the trouble here at the Red River Gathering Place... must be resolved as soon as possible!"

Leaning against an upright wooden plank, Liu Bi couldn't help but cough twice before saying, "It works out perfectly. I'll catch up on sleep during the day and work at night; you stay busy with your research during the day and get a good rest at night. We'll take shifts."

"Alright!"

Cheng Ye didn't dawdle. Once the division of labor was settled, he finished breakfast and began packing his gear.

The Bison Combat Pistol wouldn't be of much use, so he simply left it in the car. The Dominator Hunting Rifle had to be brought along just in case.

Three detection devices, along with his Defense Terminal, were indiscriminately tossed into the Shadow Box for storage.

It was worth mentioning that after taking out the Flying Wings, returning them to the Pendant's space after more than three hours would require a Recharge Value that had skyrocketed to 6.25%.

Yesterday, after the slate was upgraded to 1.8 kilowatts, it took four hours of charging to barely recover 1% of Recharge Value. This meant that in the remaining less than two hours, he had to figure out a way to gather 5% of Recharge Value before he could deposit the Flying Wings again.

"I didn't expect that the first time I used the Flying Wings, I wouldn't be able to put them back after taking them out."

Cheng Ye mused to himself, feeling slightly relieved. 'Fortunately, my identity is different now, and I have Field Duty experience as a cover. Even if someone sees the Flying Wings, it shouldn't arouse too much suspicion.'

This point could be verified by the attitudes of Liu Bi and Niu Fu. From beginning to end, neither of them had asked much about the origins of the Flying Wings.

In the remaining space of the Shadow Box and Shadow Pouch, apart from stuffing in his armor case, Cheng Ye packed in quite a few miscellaneous items, including the mirrors Liu Bi had scavenged.

Although the penetrating nature of the Biological Deconstruction Ray meant that ordinary mirrors most likely couldn't reflect it, today's Core objective was to analyze the ray's attributes. With enough room available, bringing extra tools couldn't hurt.

Riding the Flying Wings under the watchful eyes of Liu Bi and Niu Fu, Cheng Ye glided at a low altitude toward the Red River Gathering Place.

Yesterday's red light eruption occurred at 7:42 AM.

But before the eruption, a Stone Sunflower Person had died and fired its deconstruction ray, which then drew the other Stone Sunflower People out of their caves.

Without an exact time reference, his primary task today was to figure out the precise moment the Stone Sunflower People emerged from their caves to absorb sunlight.

Arriving at the entrance of the mine shaft he had stayed at yesterday, Cheng Ye first pressed the Pendant against the slate, staring at the prompt that popped up on his System Panel to calculate the efficiency.

The sun had not yet fully risen, and only a faint morning light spilled down, but the slate's charging efficiency had already reached 670 watts.

'Could it be that the Stone Sunflower People wait until the slate reaches full power before emerging from their caves to absorb sunlight?'

'If so, I can calculate a safe time window for activity.'

He left the slate at the cave entrance to continue monitoring, then turned on his flashlight and walked deeper into the mine.

Yesterday, there were no Stone Sunflower People stationed at this entrance, yet a pillar of light had erupted. The probability of a Stone Sunflower Person appearing here today should be low.

Looking along the Rock Wall, distinct mining marks could still be seen to this day. The chisel marks varied in depth, clearly indicating manual excavation.

"Could it be that these mine shafts were dug back in the day to excavate redstone?"

Cheng Ye steadied his mind and secretly made a decision.

Once he saved up another 25% of Recharge Value, he needed to exchange for a mine Map as soon as possible.

If he could pinpoint the specific mine tunnels corresponding to the redstone veins, his subsequent exploration could be much more targeted, avoiding blind fumbling.

However, this mine tunnel, which looked like just a short section, still showed no end in sight even after he walked inward for nearly three hundred meters.

Fortunately, each mine tunnel seemed independent and disconnected from the others, so he didn't have to worry about the risk of getting lost.

Walking all the way to the end of the tunnel, Cheng Ye halted in front of a ramp that sloped sharply downward.

Driven into the left wall leading down was a row of iron stakes. Thick steel cables were tethered to the stakes, extending all the way down the slope into the depths of the mine below.

Faint traces of writing could be seen on the very first iron stake, shockingly displaying two large characters: [Ventilation].

"This isn't a path down into the mine, just a ventilation shaft?" Cheng Ye paused, then suddenly realized.

He quickly turned back, temporarily marking this shaft as Mine 1.

Taking the Flying Wings to another shaft that was unstationed yesterday but had still erupted a light pillar, he arrived at its end only to find an identical setup. The iron stakes here were also engraved with the word [Ventilation].

The truth instantly became clear.

When deep mines were excavated, large amounts of dust and harmful gases were produced. Because the air was stagnant, dedicated ventilation shafts had to be dug to create airflow, ensuring the miners could breathe safely.

These ventilation shafts were usually separated from the main transport tunnels, mostly being independent, one-way extending tunnels to avoid intersecting with other tunnels and disrupting the airflow. They almost guaranteed a direct, hundred-percent path to the deep underground.

'Then what purpose do the tunnels stationed by Stone Sunflower People serve?'

Cheng Ye opened his System Panel and glanced at it. By now, the slate's charging Output had risen to 1100 watts.

Heading to a stationed tunnel at this time would carry a high probability of bumping into a Stone Sunflower Person coming up to absorb sunlight.

However, driven by intense curiosity, he still rode the Flying Wings to the mine shaft situated eight meters directly above Ventilation Shaft 1.

This spot was nearly twenty meters above the ground. The Rock Wall was incredibly smooth, offering absolutely no footholds for climbing.

After entering the mine, Cheng Ye quickly lowered the Flying Wings and sprinted deep inside, ready at any moment to activate the Giant Louse Symbiotic State and Flash to retreat if he encountered danger.

The flashlight beam swept across the surroundings. This area was much wider than the ventilation shaft below. The ground had been leveled, and many traces of the past remained.

Not far ahead, a rusted iron fence divided the tunnel into a left and right passage, with upward and downward arrows carved into the ground respectively.

Near the entrance of the mine stood a waist-high inspection desk off to the side, its surface painted with three large characters in red: [Inspection Desk]

Behind the inspection desk was a diversion gate, allowing one to instantly comprehend the layout design of the past.

'No wonder the mine entrances and exits were set on the cliff face twenty meters above ground.'

Redstone ore was a scarce Resource fiercely sought after by Happiness City and Light Rainbow, two overlord-level Shelter Cities. Its value went without saying.

The Gathering Place had likely implemented such a strict design to completely put an end to miners secretly hoarding and stealing ores to sell outside.

A height of twenty meters was inherently a natural barrier, preventing outsiders from sneaking in.

The setup of the inspection desk physically blocked any smuggling routes involving local concealment or external accomplices. Every miner entering or leaving had to undergo a strict inspection.

'Following this line of thought, below this passage must undoubtedly be the main mining tunnel of the past.'

Cheng Ye passed the inspection desk and continued sprinting forward. After roughly two hundred meters, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Up ahead, there were also iron stakes and steel cables extending downward, but this time, it wasn't a single row of stakes. They were arranged in pairs, and the steel cable didn't extend in just one direction; instead, it formed a closed loop via a fixed pulley at the top of the Rock Wall.

Several simple hanging chairs welded from iron sheets were evenly suspended along the steel cable.

The seat bases were hollowed-out iron plates, with semi-circular guardrails welded along the edges. Fixed to the bottom were pulley sets with locking mechanisms, clamped securely between the two parallel steel cables.

It was evident at a glance that this was a passenger transport device for miners going down into the pit back in the day. Relying on a winch to pull the steel cables, the chairs would carry the miners up and down the slope, saving both time and Stamina.

However, ever since the redstone was depleted and the mineral's value plummeted, this place had clearly been entirely abandoned.

The winch had long been dismantled and taken away, leaving clear removal marks on the ground. The adjacent control room was completely empty, without even a single desk or chair remaining.

Thud.

Thud.

A muffled echo rang out from the depths of the mine, sounding like something was hopping up step by step.

'Is a Stone Sunflower Person coming?'

Cheng Ye hurriedly opened his System Panel. Unexpectedly, in the brief moment he had paused to observe, the slate's Output had surged to 1300 watts.

He turned and sprinted toward the cave entrance, but left a trick up his sleeve before departing. He summoned Little Flame to stay at the entrance, letting it keep an eye on the activity inside the mine on his behalf.

Riding the Flying Wings back to Ventilation Shaft 1, Cheng Ye immediately linked with Little Flame's vision, staring intently into the depths of the mine.

In the darkness, a few spots of light faintly appeared first, followed by a Stone Sunflower Person entering his field of view.

It was as if it had springs installed in the soles of its feet. Squatting slightly before leaping violently, it could bound forward four or five meters in a single jump.

Although this bizarre mode of movement was rare, it perfectly matched the traces he had discovered during his exploration yesterday.

Bounding to the cave entrance, the Stone Sunflower Person slowly turned its head under Cheng Ye's gaze. It faced the direction of the sun, the corners of its mouth slowly rising, and bit by bit, it squeezed out a smiling expression on its face.

Beep. The Defense Terminal at his waist suddenly vibrated.

'This is... It's eight o'clock.'

Cheng Ye exited the visual link and looked up toward the cliff face on the other side. Sure enough, beams of golden light lit up one after another.

At the same time, the slate's charging Output fiercely spiked to around 1450 watts.

"They don't appear when the power reaches its maximum, but stick to a fixed schedule..."

"Clocking in at eight and clocking out at six, how incredibly standard."

Cheng Ye understood clearly in his heart.

It seemed the intensity of the sunlight had nothing to do with the Stone Sunflower People; it was their biological clocks controlling their appearances.

Just as sunflowers would turn with the sun—facing east in the early morning, tracking the sun from east to west, and slowly turning back eastward at dusk.

Once the flower disc fully matured, it would remain fixed toward the east.

This rotation wasn't simply phototropism, but a rhythmic behavior preset by a biological clock. Even in an environment of continuous darkness, the seedlings would maintain this "day-night swing" rhythm for several days.

These Stone Sunflower People also arrived at the cave entrances to punch in for work at fixed times, having even precisely calculated the travel time.

And unlike yesterday, today's Stone Sunflower People did not unleash the Biological Deconstruction Ray to blanket the entire Gathering Place...

This most likely proved that yesterday's ray eruption was a collective stress response triggered by the death of their companion.

"Hmm, I currently need more Energy-Gathering Redstone to verify my theory from yesterday regarding the nodes."

"Without the red light coverage, it's actually much more convenient for me to make a move against the Stone Sunflower People!"

Cheng Ye felt greatly reassured.

He currently knew that the Stone Sunflower People's deconstruction ray had an obvious cast delay and wasn't an instant-cast skill.

Furthermore, the ray's coverage didn't reach its limit instantly but extended progressively, which was quite bizarre.

However, as long as they didn't maintain constant ray coverage, he didn't need to worry about a "one-shot kill on sight" and would have plenty of time to test if his attack methods were effective.

'The plan was set.'

Cheng Ye Without a Second Thought, donned his armor and immediately locked his first attack target onto the Stone Sunflower Person at Mine 2.

This guy had a full twelve pieces of fingertip-sized Energy-Gathering Redstone embedded in its face. If he could kill it, the harvest would undoubtedly be bountiful.

Regarding attack methods, he first had to test whether Blazing Eagle's Killing Fire and Earth Fire Power could break its defenses.

Since it could even tear through the Demonic Eye Sponge's purple light barrier, he wondered if it would be effective against a physical creature like the Stone Sunflower Person.

Moreover, the entire process had to be a quick and decisive battle; he absolutely couldn't give the Stone Sunflower Person any time to react.

After deducing the action steps in his mind, Cheng Ye rode the Flying Wings out of the mine and slowly climbed upward, hugging the cliff face.

He first stayed within a blind spot to retract Little Flame, then a Giant Louse pattern lit up on his forehead.

Buzz.

A slight vibrating sound echoed out. The Flying Wings remained hovering in place, but Cheng Ye's figure instantly vanished.

In the next second, a dark silhouette abruptly manifested beside the Stone Sunflower Person at Mine 2.

The Giant Louse shifted position, and Little Flame flared to life.

A scorching aura instantly permeated the mine shaft, and invisible, illusory flames scaled up his right arm armor layer by layer.

He did not use brute force for this punch, merely feinting to test the flames' lethality. The Stone Sunflower Person, meanwhile, remained facing the sun to absorb energy, completely oblivious to the extra person beside it.

Only when the searing heat of the flames struck its face did it belatedly try to turn its head.

But... it was too late!

A fist the size of a sandbag had already fiercely smashed into its forehead!

In an instant, Cheng Ye felt an obscure resistance transmitted to his palm, as if plunging his hand into a bucket of quick-drying cement. The further he pushed forward, the greater the resistance grew.

But what sent a tremendous shock through his heart was that the Stone Sunflower Person's hardened skin—which could withstand bullets—along with the faint golden light shimmering on its surface, were entirely incapable of stopping his flame-wrapped fist.

The stone leaves above its forehead melted like blocks of wax, punched straight through in a single strike!

'Punched through?'

Cheng Ye was only stunned for a moment before turning his fist into a palm and Without a Second Thought, violently scooped downward.

His fingertips clamped onto a piece of redstone on its face, yanking it viciously, dragging the underlying stone tissues out as a single chunk.

The moment it detached from the main body, the stone part rapidly dissolved into sand, slipping through his fingers. Only the fingertip-sized Energy-Gathering Redstone remained completely intact in his palm.

'It's effective!'

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up sharply. Without a Second Thought, he consecutively scooped out two more pieces of redstone, then instantly switched to his Giant Louse state to Flash and retreat.

Before he could ride the Flying Wings back to Mine 1, a red light abruptly lit up overhead, and a thick pillar of light shot directly toward the ground.

Simultaneously, the Stone Sunflower People at the other cave entrances seemed to heed a call, bursting with red light one after another and casting light pillars at the ground in a chain reaction.

Clearly, although the Stone Sunflower People possessed a method to instakill anything, they lacked matching combat intelligence.

This Biological Deconstruction Ray was merely an instinctive counterattack, following a fixed set of trigger rules.

Landing on the ground, Cheng Ye opened his palm. Three fingertip-sized redstones lay quietly within.

He forcefully suppressed his surging emotions, but the corners of his mouth still couldn't help rising.

Initially just a faint smile, after two or three seconds, he completely failed to hold back, erupting into hearty, wild laughter!

Little Flame's ability was actually this overbearing! It directly melted the Stone Sunflower Person's sturdiest defense, allowing him to pry out the redstone bare-handed.

'Doesn't this mean that as long as I want to, all the redstones on the faces of the Stone Sunflower People can be pocketed by me?'

Realizing the immense value behind this, an even more turbulent wave of ecstasy swept over him.

Picking up the slate from the ground, Cheng Ye pinched a piece of redstone and carefully pressed it onto the center.

Swoosh.

A sound like crashing waves rang out, and the slate in his hands vibrated slightly.

The spiral light paths seemed to receive an enhancement, their intensity visibly expanding by more than double.

He pressed the Pendant against it, and the charging prompt lit up.

[Dissipated energy detected. Energy recovery in progress...]

[Current energy replenishment efficiency: Weak (Lv. 1 Energy)]

[Estimated charging time: 127.7H]

"What, it only takes 127 hours now?"

Cheng Ye's mind buzzed, and he almost lost his ability to think.

'What does this represent?'

Converting the time, after adding this piece of redstone to the slate in his hand, its Output directly reached 6.2 kilowatts.

The buff provided by this single Energy-Gathering Redstone surprisingly reached an exaggerated 4.4 kilowatts. The total power would even equal the slow charging stations at the Inspection Station!

'Then if I stick all the redstones I have on hand onto it, what level will it reach?'

Suppressing his excitement, he calmly observed the weak points of the slate's light path and pressed the second piece of redstone against it.

Bathing in the sunlight once again, that dim light path instantly surged, nearly matching the central light path.

Meanwhile, the power Output also spiked by 3.5 kilowatts, soaring straight to 9.7 kilowatts, rapidly approaching 10 kilowatts.

Although the margin was a slight drop compared to the 4.4 kilowatts, it was still an unimaginably massive improvement.

As for the third redstone... Cheng Ye's palm trembled slightly as he moved to press it on... No, there were no weak points left in the light path.

He could only press it against a corner. But to his surprise, the rice-grain-sized redstone he had attached the very first time popped out.

"Hmm, can this slate only hold a maximum of three redstones?"

Cheng Ye felt a stir in his heart. He saw that the third redstone had failed to fully merge into it, leaving a small half exposed on the outside.

Bathing it in the sunlight again, the charging time had dropped to 72 hours, corresponding exactly to a power of 11 kilowatts.

Calculating based on the 1-kilowatt output of a rice-grain redstone, a slate with two redstones was 8.7 kilowatts. This meant the third, partially merged redstone only provided 2.3 kilowatts.

"What on earth is the origin of this slate, to be able to pair with the Energy-Gathering Redstones to provide an Output of 11 kilowatts?"

Cheng Ye was completely dumbfounded.

Based on current performance, sunlight acted more like a catalyst, maintaining a stable energy reaction within the slate.

Meanwhile, the redstone functioned as an amplifier, multiplying the energy generated by this reaction.

The inability to continue adding redstones most likely meant the slate's internal reaction had reached a critical threshold, unable to amplify the energy any further.

"I now have a way to source the redstones, but where should I go to find this kind of slate?"