Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 2: The Iron Rice Bowl, a Civilization Collector!
"I did wish for a stable job, but I didn't say I had to come to the wasteland!"

How did I end up time-traveling?

At his 26th graduate school graduation party, encouraged by his friends, Cheng Ye half-jokingly made a wish: to find a high-paying and stable "iron rice bowl" as soon as possible.

To everyone's surprise, when they woke up, they found themselves transported to a wasteland sanctuary called 'Happiness City'.

The father of the original character was a prosecutor in Happiness City who tragically died in a field mission.

According to the rules, the original owner, who had lived in the inner city since childhood, had to leave the high walls and come to the quarantine zone to inherit his father's business. However, after only one day, he committed suicide by overdosing on medication due to excessive fear.

When Cheng Ye woke up, he had become the third-generation successor of this "prosecutor" identity.

Fortunately, being a prosecutor is indeed a secure job.

If you don't go on fieldwork during the three-month probationary period, the casualty rate is still very low as long as you don't do anything reckless.

"I'll be going out on fieldwork in another two weeks, and I need to get used to this kind of situation quickly."

As Edmund's convulsions gradually subsided, Cheng Ye sighed heavily, finally suppressing the urge to vomit back into his abdomen.

"And also... activation!"

As Cheng Ye raised his hand and grasped the star-shaped pendant on his chest, a virtual interface that only he could see appeared before his eyes.

[Civilization Collector]

Current activation progress: 97.4%

The interface flickered with a faint blue light, like ocean waves, and its gentle swaying eased Cheng Yeben's anxious mood somewhat.

This pendant is one of the legacies left by the father of the person who was born.

Unfortunately, the original owner was too frightened to discover this secret. It was only when Cheng Ye was searching through the relics that he accidentally knocked it off and it got stuck in the power strip, thus discovering that the pendant could absorb electrical energy and activate this mysterious interface.

"Hopefully this thing will be useful after it's activated, otherwise I'm in big trouble."

Cheng Ye prayed silently in his heart.

For modern people who have experienced the explosion of knowledge, it is not difficult to get information out of people at the gate, but when it comes to actually confronting the infected head-on, he really has no confidence.

After all, the infected in this world are not the zombies in American blockbusters, who rely solely on blood and screams to create a spectacle. They only have some fighting power when they gather into a horde, and when alone, they can be easily killed by adults.

In this wasteland, even the most ordinary source of infection, such as a tentacle that has just been shot in the head by a Sentinel, can revive a dead human on the spot.

As long as no one points out the fact that they are 'dead,' these infected corpses can walk, talk, and live in human society like normal people, until the source of infection in their bodies accumulates enough power to trigger a second large-scale infection.

More potent infectious agents, such as dandelions, release spores that cover a two-kilometer radius upon death. Even a human inhaling a spore as small as one micrometer can become a new infected individual.

Compared to that, if given a choice, Cheng Ye would prefer a mindless cheat code like "hundredfold rewards" or "get divine skills by checking in daily," or at the very least, something like a "two-world gate" or an "infinite upgrade system."

But reality is cruel; it seems that the "civilization collector" of the cheat code sounds very simple.

Speaking of simplicity.

Footsteps approached from afar, and four shirtless cleanup crew members seemed to be the perfect description.

There were no protective suits, no weapons, only a body bag, a shovel, and an isolation box to contain the source of infection.

Amidst their laughter and chatter, the four first opened the iron cage, then decisively smashed the still convulsing Edmund to death with a shovel. Next, they grabbed the tentacles covered in suckers with their bare hands and haphazardly stuffed them into the isolation box.

After the containment was completed, while the remaining three were cleaning the isolation cages, the leader turned around and smiled, "Inspector Cheng, the specific contribution point reward remains the same. It will be issued to your personal account after the infection period is determined."

"Alright, please treat the brothers to drinks."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, then took out two coins the size of bottle caps from his pocket and tossed them over.

The man took it, his smile widening, but he still said, "How could I possibly accept this?"

"Flynn, let's not stand on ceremony. Just help me clean up faster next time."

"Leave it to me. I'll get there as soon as possible and won't delay the prosecutor's work."

Flynn patted his chest, completely unconcerned that Edmund's blood was stuck to his chest.

This ruggedness and "simplicity" made Cheng Ye's eyelids twitch, and it took him a while to calm down.

And then the next half day.

Perhaps influenced by Edmund, the number of survivors choosing conveyor belt number 8 suddenly decreased significantly.

After half an hour of no one coming over, Cheng Ye simply packed up his desk and clocked out early.

What is a "secure job"?
Although becoming an inspector meant he could never enter the inner city again, he also gained many privileges.

Compared to inheriting one's father's business, slacking off at work, leaving early, and accepting bribes... well, these are just appetizers.

Because he had dealt with the source of infection, Cheng Ye made a point of following the rules and reporting his health status when passing through the checkpoint. It didn't take more than a few minutes for the checkpoint chief, Ding Yishan, to think highly of him.

"Indeed, this Cheng Ye has the same style as his father: efficient, decisive, and knows how to use his brain to solve problems."

"Yes, most importantly, follow our rules!"

"It's a pity his combat talent is too poor, and his courage is also average. I don't know if he can survive his first field mission." Deputy Station Chief Harlin shook his head.

He was in charge of combat training, and among all the new recruits he had trained, Cheng Ye's performance was among the worst.

Sometimes, Harlin even felt that Cheng Ye was like a person from an old era, who would be frightened by firing a gun.

"His combat talent is poor, isn't Liu Bi giving him special training?"

Ding Yishan frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with Harlin's attitude. "How many times have I said it? We need to be more tolerant of newcomers. Here's what you'll do: go tell Liu Bi later that before going out on field missions, Cheng Ye will have a daily quota of 100 free training bullets. These quotas will be counted as public expenses at the checkpoints."

"Yes."

Harlin immediately agreed, but after turning around, he curled his lip, a hint of undisguised disdain flashing in his eyes.

The station is divided into two factions, east and west. Ever since Cheng Ye’s father, Cheng Long, died in the line of duty, the east faction has lost a key figure and its influence has waned.

Ding Yishan was out of his mind, desperate for a cure, and actually thought of supporting this greenhorn, Cheng Ye.

With that little talent of his?

Let alone a hundred rounds, even if you sent ten thousand rounds, it would probably be a waste of money.

Therefore, Harlem didn't bother to stop him.

It's public expenditure anyway, so let's use it. Does the higher-ups in Happiness City really need a few bullets?
Pass through the quarantine zone and enter the buffer zone.

The narrow roads are lined with old residential buildings, pedestrian streets crowded with homeless people, and shopping malls that have been converted into temporary shelters.

Compared to the dazzling, neon-lit inner city, this place still looks like it's from the old era, but it gives Cheng Ye a very familiar and warm feeling of returning to the modern world.

After passing through several alleys, Cheng Ye sniffed and returned to his home in this wasteland.

Chaoyang Electronics Factory Staff Quarters

Despite its unappealing name, it is actually one of the genuine "luxury residences" in the buffer zone.

With a huge living space of 12 square meters per person, Cheng Ye can exercise in his room without worrying about being like ordinary residents in the buffer zone, where a family of four or five people are crammed into a space the size of a toilet and bump their heads when they get up at night.

There are also three shops at the entrance of the staff residential area.

From left to right: 'Uncle Dong's Convenience Store', 'Big Meat Canteen', and 'Supplies Collection and Sales Station'.

The first two are personal shops, while the latter is one of the official shops in the buffer zone, responsible for recycling and selling rare resources.

"Uncle Dong, bring me two packets of nutritional syrup and a packet of maltose."

Upon entering the convenience store, Cheng Ye called out familiarly.

"Also, my defense phone is out of power. I'm not going home later, so I'll charge it here first, okay?"

"Go ahead and top it up. Anyway, it's the flood season right now, so the electricity bill is temporarily suspended."

Happiness City is powered by a hydroelectric power station. Recently, during the summer flood season, the power supply is abundant, so the higher-ups have decided to provide some benefits by temporarily waiving electricity fees.

Cheng Ye took out a mobile phone that looked like a mobile phone, connected it to the power strip, and then subtly removed the pendant, stuffed it into the hole, and pressed it down with the mobile phone.

It has been more than two months since the pendant was discovered. Based on the percentage and consumption calculation, it would require 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity to activate.

Only Happiness City has this capability; other sanctuary cities probably wouldn't be able to raise this number even in a year or two.

To avoid being discovered for using large amounts of electricity, Cheng Ye was very careful. At first, he would charge his device at home the whole time, but later he would find a small shop under the pretense of charging his device and connect it to the pendant to "steal electricity".

The electrical cords in the convenience store are mostly 2.5 square millimeters, and a pendant can charge about two kilowatt-hours per hour, which is quite efficient.

There are still 50 degrees left to go before activation. I'll charge it at home tonight, and it should be ready for activation by tomorrow morning.

"Here it is, two packets of nutritional syrup and one packet of sugar. Xiao Cheng, just give me three happiness coins."

Uncle Dong is a veteran soldier in Happiness City. He is about 55 years old and chose to retire because he couldn't hold a gun due to an injury to his right arm.

“That won’t do. The minimum price outside is five. Even if you’re close to my dad, you still have to make a profit.”

Cheng Ye took the nutrient solution that looked like blood plasma, twisted the opening, drank it, and paid for it at the same time.

Happiness Coins are the circulating currency of Happiness City, used for daily necessities such as food and rent. Unlike the scarce contribution points, Happiness Coins are more than five thousand coins left by the father when he died, which is more than enough for him to spend lavishly.

Besides, the prosecutor's monthly salary is five hundred dollars, which is more than he can spend!

(End of this chapter)