Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 10 Rapid Quarantine: East vs. West!

The other party in the call request turned out to be Ding Yishan, the station chief of the checkpoint!
Cheng Ye was genuinely surprised.

More than two months have passed since he transmigrated to the wasteland world, and he has never met this mysterious stationmaster.

Searching through the original owner's memories, he only saw this stationmaster once, when he came out of the inner city. At that time, Ding Yishan personally greeted him and specially instructed everyone to treat him well and nurture him, so as not to make Cheng Long feel uneasy when he left.

Why did he call me?

Cheng Ye subconsciously began to think frantically, but his hands moved quickly as he pressed the call button.

"Hey, Xiao Cheng, it's me, Station Master Ding!"

A kind voice came from the defense communication device, "I hope I didn't disturb your sleep so early?"

"Good morning, Station Master Ding!" Cheng Ye raised his voice slightly, turned to the window and looked downstairs, and continued with a well-timed laugh, "It rained so hard last night that I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, so I thought I'd go out and see if I could help out. I just got back to wash up and get ready for work."

"Oh my, you young man have truly inherited your father's spirit. It seems you are the perfect candidate to be the future model worker of the station who is hardworking and resilient."

A hearty laugh came from the other end of the communication line. "It's good for young people to endure hardship. It's a good thing. I was just thinking about how to tell you this, and now it's convenient."

"Station manager, please speak. I'm listening."

"That's right."

Ding Yishan spoke slowly and kindly, much like the eighty-year-old men Cheng Ye often saw at the village entrance when he returned to his hometown.

But when it comes to serious matters, his speaking speed immediately returns to normal, taking on a hint of the stationmaster's authority.

As a graduate student from a top university, Cheng Ye's mind had long been trained to subconsciously filter out useless information.

In summary, Ding Yishan's three-minute speech contained only a few key points.

Garcia was beaten to the point of needing emergency care by Liu Bi. Xipai was very dissatisfied, but since he was in the wrong first, he had nothing to say.

The West will definitely target him, the trainee prosecutor, in every aspect, from his work to his personal life.

As the station manager and Cheng Long's comrade-in-arms, I'm separating you to let you lay low for a while.

"Station Master, you always think of everything for me, it's really... Sigh, my father's last words were that Station Master Ding was a rare kind person in this world, and he told me that if I couldn't make a decision, I must come to you for advice. I'm useless, always causing trouble for the station."

As he spoke, Cheng Ye's voice choked with emotion.

On the other end of the communication device, the authoritative voice from a moment ago immediately softened, "Xiao Cheng, it's Uncle Ding's fault. Your father entrusted you to me, and I couldn't even protect you from this little trouble."

"Don't worry, after the first field mission is over, I'll bring you back. Let's see who dares to talk nonsense then!"

"Please don't say that, station manager."

One sentence for you, one sentence for me.

Two minutes later, the call ended. Cheng Ye, who had been choking up just a second ago, instantly put away all his expressions and his face became serious.

Based on what he experienced in just a few minutes, Station Chief Ding's emotional intelligence is more than enough to survive in the wasteland. Even in modern times, with his top-notch tai chi skills and acting skills, he could easily thrive in a secure job!

Could it be that this Station Chief Ding, like his predecessor, is an unusual "old-era" human whose genes haven't mutated and are geared towards combat?
"However, is transferring me from the main gate checkpoint to the rapid checkpoint a way to let me lay low?"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but sneer.

The quarantine buffer zone currently has three checkpoints: in addition to the main gate for quarantine checks, there are also two gates, one on the north side and one on the south side, for rapid quarantine checks.

The former targets only those who have survived the epidemic, while the latter two are open to certified individuals, such as investigators on missions, sentries clearing infected individuals from surrounding areas, and licensed scavengers.

At first glance, the former seems to be riskier, since survivors come from all over the wasteland and have a much higher probability of encountering infected people.

However, based on what Cheng Ye understood and experienced, the conclusion was exactly the opposite!
The main gate checkpoints, while dealing with outside survivors, refugees, and other groups, keep all those being checked in iron cages. Even if they are already infected, their attack methods are largely neutralized.

Moreover, behind each conveyor belt, there is always a guard team of eight armed men on duty, protecting the safety of the inspectors. If anything unusual happens, the person being inspected will be killed on sight.

Therefore, even though the probability of infection is much higher than at the North and South gates, the annual mortality rate is consistently below 5%.

The rapid checkpoints, on the other hand, are quite the opposite; there are no iron cages, and no armed guards on duty.

The inspector needs to face the person being inspected and conduct a close search. Even if an infection is confirmed, the only thing they can rely on is the security guards on patrol nearby.

But the protection provided by these guards is actually a false premise.

Because if Ding Yishan makes a slight arrangement, the guards who should be providing support with guns will immediately set up small stools and watch him fight the infected up close.

He might not get shot in the back before the battle is over, but if he gets infected, he'll definitely get a few "peanuts" and be physically exorcised within two seconds.

"The annual casualty rate of the rapid epidemic inspection post has never been lower than 30%. Not to mention trainee inspectors, even the first and second term inspectors often lose their lives due to carelessness."

Cheng Ye's thoughts raced, and he instantly understood the underlying reasons for this dramatic change in the situation.

Since the establishment of the isolation buffer zone in Happiness City, the checkpoint has continued to expand, and now, including guards, staff, sentries, etc., the number of people has long exceeded two thousand.

However, there were only 150 prosecutors from beginning to end, and the number was never increased.

Currently, there are only two ways to become a prosecutor.

First, the hereditary system, where sons inherit their fathers' businesses.

Secondly, the election system meant that when an inspector had no heir to carry on the family line, the station chief would select one person from among those who had made significant contributions to the checkpoint. This distorted and unreasonable system, from its very inception, determined that there might be a significant difference in the quality of personnel between the eastern and western factions at any given time.

For example, Cheng Long's combat strength was 10 before his accidental death. After Cheng Ye took over, his combat strength plummeted to 1, but he still occupied a position. Naturally, the overall strength of the Eastern Faction Prosecutors would decrease significantly.

For example, after a normal succession, the new generation of the Western faction grows faster than the Eastern faction, which will also lead to the gradual decline of the Eastern faction and the loss of its dominance over the checkpoint.

"First, he ordered Brother B to beat Garcia so badly that he had to be rushed to the emergency room. As long as Garcia didn't die, he would always occupy one of the prosecutor positions in the Western faction, and there would be no way to fill the vacancy."

"Then he used the excuse of having me quickly investigate the epidemic, which not only silenced the Western faction but also paved the way for the Eastern faction's subsequent plans. If something were to happen to me, since I had no offspring, he could select a top general to fill the vacancy and strengthen the overall strength of the Eastern faction's inspectors."

"You, Ding Yishan, what a wicked scheme you've devised to kill two birds with one stone!"

A great sense of urgency rose in Cheng Ye's heart.

The things the predecessor did in the inner city naturally did not escape Ding Yishan's notice.

In his eyes, his score probably didn't even reach the minimum of 3, and if he played a card in the East faction, he would be put on the defensive.

While Garcia was also young and unreliable, he had already honed his skills as an inspector for two years, participating in more than a dozen field missions of varying sizes, and was rich in survival and combat experience.

In the Western faction, it's at least a '5', or even a '6'. When it's there, it might not have much impact on the situation, but when it's not there, it can make playing many cards very difficult.

Right now, it's a situation where a small hand meets a big hand, and both hands can be played out as expected.

For the Eastern faction, this is definitely a great thing.

"If it were Brother B, he might actually be fooled into thinking they were going to lay low."

"No, Brother B, that killer star, will probably never be able to go to the rapid epidemic inspection post in his lifetime."

The rapid quarantine inspectors wield terrifying power, as much as they pose a danger.

If they think you're infected, they'll just kill you with one blow, and if they realize they were wrong afterward, they can just write an apology.

If Liu Bi is sent there, it won't be long before he's slaughtering countless people.

"Damn it, I didn't expect that before we've even overcome the difficulties of fieldwork, we'll be forced into the conflict between the Eastern and Western factions."

"But in the end, it's still a case of 'a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.' Because my strength is too weak, I can't hold onto this secure job, so naturally others will covet and scheme against me."

"If I had Brother B's abilities, why would I be afraid of troublesome matters, whether it's factional struggles or rapid epidemic investigation?"

If it had been last night, Cheng Ye might have hesitated, or he might have been afraid.

But at this moment, a fine drizzle was falling outside the window, slanting against the glass, and damp moisture seeped into the room through the cracks, carrying the scent of earth.

He sniffed the earth, and a strange calm suddenly welled up in his heart, spreading through his nerves and gradually transforming into strands of determination.

His basic efforts brought him experience and skills, which allowed him to barely reach the minimum threshold for fieldwork.

However, due to his physical weakness, which is the weakest link in the 'barrel theory', the damage he can inflict is still limited.

Now, one night has passed.

As Cheng Ye ran his fingertips over the newly formed tendon lines on his forearm, he could clearly sense the explosive power lurking within the muscle groups.

Everything is different now!
The muscle groups that have undergone special muscle memory training have made up for his weakest point, greatly increasing his overall strength!

Although he's nowhere near as powerful as Brother B, a human weapon, if he were to take another 40% of the force from last night, he definitely wouldn't be sent flying without any chance to fight back.

"Right now, it is both a danger and an opportunity."

"If I can prove my worth and return to the poker table, I can immediately secure my position as prosecutor!"

Cheng Ye raised his right hand and turned it slightly.

The pendant plugged into the power outlet shimmered slightly, then suddenly appeared in the palm of the hand, revealing its outline.

Yesterday, he used up two search opportunities on Chu Yunfeng. After a night of experimentation, he roughly figured out the rules for replenishing the collector's energy.

The search for Civilization Collector level 1 requires 100 kWh of electricity per point of charge, a significant decrease compared to the previous activation requirement of 2000 kWh.

More importantly, the manipulation of the shape of physical pendants has undergone a qualitative change.

Now, as long as it is within a ten-meter range, Cheng Ye can use his mind to switch between the real and the virtual, and no matter where the pendant is within the range, as long as he has a thought, it can instantly return to his palm.

This alone makes charging simple.

As long as the heavy rain continues, the hydroelectric power station will have a sufficient power supply. Even with only a 2.5 square meter socket, it can provide nearly 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day.

In other words, it only takes two to three days to accumulate one search opportunity.

"Just looking at the search isn't enough. We need to prepare the weapons and equipment we just acquired when planning the field missions in advance."

"I'm definitely short on contribution points, but asking Brother B for a loan should solve my immediate problem."

"However, since Ding Yishan arranged for me to go to the North and South checkpoints, he must have anticipated that Brother B would step in to help. I'm afraid..."

Cheng Ye's eyes flickered as he picked up his defense communication device and dialed Liu Bi's number.

P.S.: Another day of 6-word updates. A newbie here, please read, favorite, and vote!
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(End of this chapter)