Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 6, The Golden Legend: A Bountiful Harvest!
Conveyor belt number 7.

Prosecutor Garcia roared angrily, slamming his fist on the table.

"A family of penniless bastards, they have nothing here and nothing there. Happiness City is not a place to shelter beggars. You bunch of parasites who came here for welfare, you damned bastards, you should go to hell as soon as possible!"

The man standing inside the isolation cage had a look of embarrassment and anger flash across his face.

The woman behind her pulled the child, who looked to be about five or six years old, closer to her.

The Happy City they heard about on the radio didn't require any "entry fee."

But now, Garcia has made it clear that each member of the family of three needs to produce something of value to enter; otherwise, they will be kicked out and will never be allowed to enter the checkpoint again.

"My lord, please give me a moment."

After a few seconds of silence, the man licked the bloodstains from his chapped lips. "We will never be parasites. I am strong enough to carry bricks and unload goods. We will pay the city entry fee as soon as we earn the money."

"Immediately, it's always 'immediately,' how many times do you think I have to hear those two words every day?"

Garcia sneered, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool? Either hand it over now, and each of you will receive a valuable item, or take your 'motor' and get out of here in the ruins to feed the infected."

Is the Western faction's behavior really that disgusting?

Happiness City is currently thriving, so how did it suddenly evolve into a late-dynasty version where inspectors are needed to collect fees from people at the door?

Cheng Ye, who was listening intently, was startled and concluded that his father, Cheng Long, whom he had never met, was definitely a core figure in the Eastern faction.

Otherwise, the balance between the East and West wouldn't have been so disrupted after his death.

"Want to take a gamble?"

Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth inside the iron cage as he secretly sized up the family.

Hmm, it's not surprising that Garcia insisted on it.

The man was tall, at least 185 cm or more. Underneath his tattered, coarse cloth shirt, his biceps bulged like rocks, and the veins on his forearms were prominent and twisted into knots. His knuckles were covered with old calluses. It was clear at a glance that he was a formidable fighter, far superior to those refugees who fled by luck.

The woman was rather thin, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, like flickering flames. Her arms, which were wrapped around the child, were taut. Although she must have been feeling very complicated, her body did not tremble at all, proving that she had a strong mental fortitude.

As for the child's dusty face, it can't be considered healthy, but it's already quite remarkable that such a young child can survive in the wasteland.

Bet!

"You two go outside and wait at the main gate. I need to deal with some issues, so don't rush me."

Cheng Ye got up and first instructed the man and woman who had just been transferred in to return to the main gate and wait.

Then, taking three steps at a time, they arrived at conveyor belt number 7.

"Garcia, 3 contribution points, I'll take this whole family."

"you want?"

Garcia had already noticed this when Cheng Ye arranged for people to leave.

Hearing him say that now, the narrow eyes revealed by the mask flashed with a somewhat intriguing expression.

"It sounds like you can squeeze more money out of this poor guy than 3 contribution points?"

Oh ho, trying to raise prices on the spot?
Cheng Ye sneered and tapped the table with his finger.
"Listen, don't give me that crap. You like making things difficult for people from Dong. I'll get Big B to keep you company after work."

"Are you trying to scare me with a big B?"

Garcia chuckled and held out his right hand. "Five contribution points, they're yours."

"make a deal!"

Cheng Ye was too lazy to argue here.

If he had Liu Bi's power, he would definitely catch that bastard and give him a good beating after work to vent his anger. But since he was using someone else's abilities to bully others, he should know when to stop.

In addition, given that he was close to fieldwork, he didn't have many other expenses besides purchasing necessary equipment.

After verifying the duration of yesterday's Deathrattle Tentacle event, I should be able to get around 20 points, and spending 5 points is perfectly acceptable.

"Okay, I'll go back. Let them go with you."

With the unexpected income, Garcia's attitude improved a lot, and he no longer cared how much money Cheng Ye could squeeze out of this family.

The idea of ​​charging an entry fee to the city didn't sound very good. Cheng Ye mistakenly thought he was making things difficult for the Dong people, which gave him a way out. Otherwise, if this matter got to the ears of the Hope City's higher-ups, someone would inevitably be in trouble.

"After you leave, get on my conveyor belt number 8. I will check your identities."

Cheng Ye gave his instructions and returned to his quarantine station to wait.

The old conveyor belt creaked and groaned as it slowly turned, delivering the family over in less than a minute.

Perhaps the nameless fire in my heart hasn't been extinguished yet, or perhaps I've been waiting too long to become stronger.

Cheng Ye felt a bit parched and inexplicably became nervous.

"Listen carefully, everyone in this world does everything with a purpose. I'm not saving you out of charity; I have my own purpose as well."

"No city entry fee is required. All you need to do is cooperate with me honestly and answer my questions, understand?"

Cheng Ye spoke first, taking the initiative.

The man nodded heavily, his expression complex, and his gaze towards Cheng Ye flickered.

Despite being a newcomer, he felt like he had been caught in a whirlpool, but he had no choice but to enter Happiness City in order to survive.

"Names! Think of them! I need to hear your real names!"

"Chu Yunfeng, Yu Qinghui."

Where are the children?

"Chu Xuan."

As expected of the person he had chosen, Cheng Ye glanced at the panel. After answering the question, Chu Yunfeng's cooperation rate was only a pitiful 9%, and the other two were even lower, at 5% and 0% respectively.

This kid, I don't know what he was taught, actually has no intention of cooperating with him, the prosecutor.

Fortunately, his only target was Chu Yunfeng; the level of cooperation between the other two didn't matter.

"gender?"

"Ok?"

Chu Yunfeng was taken aback. "Does Happiness City have other genders?"

"I ask, you answer, you need to obey, don't try to ask me questions, understand?"

Cheng Ye repeated the last three words again, this time with a stronger emphasis.

"Male, female, male."

“Very good, age?” “34, 33, 6.”

"From where?"

"Red Grass City".

"where?"

Cheng Ye pulled out a map and searched for a while before finally finding it. "Don't try to play tricks on me. Red Grass City is almost 20,000 kilometers away from Happiness City. Are you playing Monopoly in the wasteland?"

"My lord, this matter is indeed a long story."

Chu Yunfeng's face fell, as if he had expected the prosecutor to ask this question, and he answered honestly.

"My wife and I were sailors on the Redgrass City ocean-going fleet. We originally planned to go to Hope City for trade, but while at sea, we encountered a special infected species that we had never seen before, which resulted in heavy casualties among the crew. The fleet also lost its way in the chaos and has been adrift at sea for nearly a year."

When Chu Yunfeng mentioned that dark period, his brows furrowed deeply.

“Until last month, we landed on the coast near Guangzhou and learned that Happiness City could accept refugees, so we rushed over here with all our might.”

Good grief, are you kidding me?
Cheng Ye shook his head inwardly. Modern ocean-going ships are well-stocked, yet it's not certain that anyone can maintain Chu Yunfeng's physique during long voyages.

This kind of explanation can only fool those ignorant prosecutors from small towns.

However, the cooperation rate on the panel is still rising and has reached 31%.

Cheng Ye said that these were all minor issues.

What's a little white lie if you're willing to cooperate with this prosecutor?
"Alright, stop your story. Now pick up the measuring device on the table and give me the numbers. You should know how to use these things, right?"

"meeting!"

Chu Yunfeng nodded decisively, instantly realizing that Cheng Ye didn't care at all about what he had just said.

This added a new layer of unease to his already doubtful mind.

To measure and report numbers.

Cheng Ye lowered his head and pretended to take notes, but in reality, he was staring intently at the changes in the numbers on the panel.

Only when Chu Yunfeng's cooperation rate finally reached 50.1% did they breathe a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, with the prosecutor's insignia, it wasn't difficult to gather 50% of the outside survivors.

"grown ups?"

"Wait in the cage for a while, I need to think carefully about your story."

While replying, Cheng Ye mentally pressed the 'search' button for the first time in his life.

[Searcher: Chu Yunfeng]

Current cooperation rate: 51.8%

[Currently searchable categories: Intelligence, Items, Skills]

[Search Target Defined: Skill (lv.1)]

Searching.

Lines of text flashed before my eyes.

It took about five seconds for a luxurious panel to slowly pop up, making Cheng Ye's eyes widen in surprise.

Chu Yunfeng

[Level 1 Skills]: Proficient in swimming, animal instinct, night vision, basic mechanical repair, quick draw, basic power generation, basic perception, basic medical skills, basic trap making, iron feet, basic wilderness survival, basic woodworking, basic camouflage.
[Level 2 Skill]: Lock-on
[Level 3 Skill]: Lock-on
[Level 4 Skill]: Lock-on
"Snatch, seize the young master?"

Cheng Ye almost thought he was seeing things, and only after counting again did he dare to confirm that Chu Yunfeng actually possessed thirteen level-one skills.

What's even more outrageous is that this guy also possesses level 2, level 3, and even level 4 skills that are currently unsearchable.

Based on what has been shown alone, he is ten times more powerful than Joel's father, who is practically invincible in The Last of Us.

Wait, buddy, are you here in Happiness City to be the main character?
Cheng Ye was a little embarrassed when his luck suddenly turned on him and he got a golden legendary item. The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

Thirteen skills—what a wonderful dilemma! Which ones should I choose?

We can eliminate skills like swimming, night vision, mechanical repair, medical work, traps, iron feet, wilderness survival, woodworking, and camouflage, as these are clearly not combat-oriented skills and will not bring much benefit in the short term, nor will they provide much help to field operations.

The remaining beastly instincts, basic power exertion, basic perception, and quick draw of the gun—Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment, then focused his mental control on them.

The panel flashed for a moment, followed by an exciting success notification.

Search successful

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Basic Power Activation (lv.1)]

"It's done!"

With a 50% success rate, he hit the target on his first try, which made Cheng Ye extremely excited.

Then you have one more chance to control your mind and click again.

The panel flickered.

Failed?
Do not!
Search successful

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Beast Instinct (lv.1)]

"Two wins in a row! Today's wait was definitely worth it, my luck is off the charts!"

What changes will occur if a blank slate gains two more skills, both of which are useful?
Cheng Ye's heart raced, and he took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to equip the skill right now.

Stay calm, we must stay calm, now is not the time to make a move!
"Alright, you can go to the back to get your residency certificates now."

Press the button to open the isolation cage, and the door creaks open from the inside out.

"what?"

Chu Yunfeng was stunned, never expecting to pass so easily.

But he reacted quickly, realizing that Cheng Ye was not joking, he immediately nodded his thanks and left with his wife and children.

"Hey, we'll definitely have a chance to meet again in the future."

Watching Chu Yunfeng's figure disappear from sight, Cheng Ye turned his head, his smile gradually deepening.

These 5 points are such a great deal!

With the current search level, there's no way to deal with Chu Yunfeng.

But sooner or later, he'll be able to collect all the skills, and when he equips three level 4 skills, won't he be able to hang Garcia up and beat him up?
Thank you Cuvve for the 10,000-coin reward! Thank you so much, big shot! Life's tough, this newbie is sighing. Dear readers, please post in the book club and comments section to help generate some buzz. I'll read every single one!
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(End of this chapter)