Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 102 Jade Stone, News of a Special Infected Being!

The ashes drifted away with the wind, and Cheng Ye watched them go, standing there in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses.

The more sources of infection he came into contact with, the more he discovered that many things were quietly deviating from the dry descriptions in the prosecutor's manual, breaking down the stereotypes constructed by the text.

For example, fusion bodies, and wishing grass.

It was hard to describe the feeling, but Cheng Ye felt a heavy weight in his heart.

He simply couldn't imagine how long that short man had mentally prepared himself before daring to soak the wishing grass in hot water and willingly embrace the parasite that was destined to die.

All they wanted was to bring back the extraordinary ore and the Great Golden Cup, fulfilling the wishes of everyone in the team.

Perhaps, he might be able to hold on and come back.

But instead of gambling, he chose the safest and least risky approach.

It's just a bit of a shame.

It wasn't until the man turned to ashes and vanished that Cheng Ye suddenly realized he had forgotten to ask his name.

"Merry Boots Squad."

He silently repeated the name in his mind several times, memorizing it.

At the same time, he made up his mind to bring a notebook with him when he was on duty in the future and record every infected person he encountered.

Although such soul-stirring moments cannot be described in words, they can always be looked back upon years later, reminding him of a day when a short man, with his hunched back, held up a piece of sky.

Pressing the button on the table, the staff who had been called by Raven filed in.

The man is gone, but the large gold cup and the extraordinary ore he left behind still need to be dealt with.

Especially the extraordinary ore, which is a source of pollution left behind by extraordinary creatures. Humans who come into contact with it rashly are very likely to get infected.

In addition, due to its high value, the checkpoint's containment team was unable to handle it, and Qin Feng had to step in.

"Prosecutor Cheng, you're incredibly lucky! You even managed to stumble upon a supernatural mine!"

Qin Feng arrived in a hurry with three team members and immediately spotted the extraordinary minerals on the ground.

He paused for a moment, not seeing anyone else in the inspection area, and immediately understood what had happened.

"Relax, you'll encounter all sorts of situations when you're on duty for a long time."

Is this common?

“It wasn’t common before, but it has gradually become more frequent since the buffer zone was restructured.”

"Restructuring?"

Qin Feng paused for a moment and explained, "It means we tightened the restrictions on vehicle use. When your grandfather was still alive, residents who had lived in the buffer zone for three years could apply to borrow vehicles when they went out into the wilderness. That period was almost the fastest period of development for our Happiness City, with a large number of resources being brought back every day."

"But then your grandfather left, and a new person took over the checkpoint. After a series of sweeping changes, well..."

At this point, Qin Feng hesitated for a moment.

“I know that after the idealists took over, the elderly in the buffer zone died off one after another.”

"you know?"

Qin Feng was taken aback. He had only arrived to report for duty this morning and was unaware of what had happened during the week the checkpoint had been closed. After all, this was an internal matter for the checkpoint and wouldn't be made public.

"After the elderly person passed away, the vehicle usage policy changed?"

"Ah."

Qin Feng nodded. "Initially, the usage restrictions were relaxed to allow everyone to use it, and people could apply to borrow it once a month when leaving the city. But as you can guess, the new residents who borrowed the vehicles didn't have much loyalty to Happiness City to begin with, and many of them just drove off and never came back."

"The higher-ups had no choice but to extend the vehicle restrictions for six months, hoping to improve the situation. Guess what? The situation not only didn't improve, but it got even worse. Some people realized that if they didn't take their vehicles with them now, it would be even harder to rent them when the restrictions tightened later."

"One wave after another, in less than three months, most of the vehicles that had been built were gone. Many were driven out and sold directly to nearby safe cities or settlements, and then people lied that they had lost them in danger. Some people even took their vehicles with them when they joined other safe cities, using them as a bargaining chip to rise in rank."

"The higher-ups have no choice but to continue tightening restrictions, from six months to one year, and then to three years."

Qin Feng sighed, "Now, ordinary people are completely ineligible to use them; only those with certification qualifications can rent the vehicles."

Sure enough.

Qin Feng's words confirmed Cheng Ye's suspicions.

Since it is an idealist management buffer zone, in principle, such a threshold should not be set in terms of people's livelihood.

Indeed, the idealists relaxed the restrictions left by Cheng Wu.

However, as more and more people with ulterior motives took the vehicles out to sell or never returned, the resources that Happiness City had painstakingly discovered, the technologies it had researched, and the products it had manufactured all became a wedding dress for others.

They all disregard the rules and try to profit through opportunism.

The path for those who come after is gradually blocked by those who came before.

To this day, only a small fraction of those who have been recognized can still obtain the right to use it as before.

But if even these people start to break the rules, then the standards for "approval" will only become more and more stringent, until finally the door is completely closed.

No wonder, when the man died, all the people in line behind him got off the bus and saluted.

In a sense, the man used his life to uphold the bottom line of this "acceptance".

Is it difficult to obtain certification?

"I'm not quite sure about that; you'll have to ask the Public Works Department."

Qin Feng shook his head. "But frankly, this is a matter of trust, which is actually easy to solve. Either set qualification restrictions or establish assessment standards. If you meet the standards, you can be issued the corresponding qualifications. Isn't your checkpoint using the same system?"

"Ok?"

Cheng Ye was stunned. Did the checkpoint have this system too?
Seeing his puzzled look, Qin Feng was also taken aback, then slapped his forehead, "Hmm, I seem to have forgotten that you're a trainee prosecutor. You'll only know this system after you become a full-fledged prosecutor."

"but."

He glanced at the extraordinary ore on the ground. "Wait until I've dealt with this. After that, I'll see if I can help you apply for some information."

"it is good!"

Cheng Ye stood aside, watching with great interest. This was the first time he had ever seen the processing of extraordinary minerals in person.

Qin Feng put on his mask, signaled his team members to step back, and then carefully walked to the ore and took out several bottles and jars of different colors.

Pressing the nozzle, a few drops of liquid fell onto the surface of the ore, immediately producing a soft "sizzling" sound, like water splashing from a scalding hot iron pot.

Immediately afterwards, strands of viscous, oily substance seeped out from the surface of the ore.

"The quality is good, it meets the standard grade!"

Qin Feng gave a thumbs-up and then took out a new bottle of medicine and sprayed it on.

stab.

A plume of white steam suddenly rose up.

Amazingly, enveloped in white mist, the outer layer of the ore peeled off like cracked soil, revealing a translucent emerald green interior.

The green color was warm and translucent, and one could vaguely see tiny fluorescent dots shimmering inside. In terms of exquisiteness alone, it far surpassed the Fire-Hidden Iron he had seen in the Super Material Shop before!

"It's actually a jadeite?"

Qin Feng used special tongs to pick up the ore and examine it carefully, his tone tinged with surprise, before finally confirming his conclusion.

After he finished speaking, one of the team members behind Qin Feng immediately took out a measuring scale and carefully placed the Bisheng Stone on it.

The numbers below the scale fluctuated a few times before finally settling on "532".

"Inspector Cheng, this piece of jadeite weighs 532 grams. According to regulations, I would appreciate it if you could come and verify it. Please try to be as attentive as possible, as this will save you a lot of trouble during the subsequent verification process."

"it is good."

Cheng Ye responded, inwardly marveling at how complicated the procedures were for high-value items.

Another team member had already taken out a handheld camera, with the lens steadily aimed at the Bisheng Stone on the weighing scale.

Cheng Ye bent down, pretending to examine it closely, and then used special tongs to gently pick up the ore, suspending it for a moment before slowly placing it back on the scale. He repeated this several times, trying to appear serious.

"Weight confirmed, 532g."

He straightened up and spoke in a deep voice, his words clearly transmitted into the camera's recording equipment.

"Weight verification complete."

Qin Feng nodded, the camera was put away, and the process was considered complete. "Is this very valuable?"

"Hmm!" Leaving the three team members to continue spraying the medicinal liquid to treat the Bisheng Stone, Qin Feng lifted his mask. "This is a rather special mineral. It is not suitable for forging weapons and equipment, but when ground up and added to the core of equipment, it can greatly improve the durability of the equipment. It is a very rare industrial production material."

"So magical?"

"Of course, this stuff is added to many important industrial equipment in our Happiness City. Even at the purchase price, 1g costs 35 contribution points now, and this one costs 18620 points."

When Qin Feng announced the numbers, Cheng Ye couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

The idealists allocated only 20,000 points to Tianyuan Community, enough to rebuild an entire pedestrian street, yet this small stone is worth nearly 20,000 points, demonstrating its exaggerated value.

"What about the retail price?"

"priceless."

priceless?

Cheng Ye frowned, then immediately realized what was going on.

If the extraordinary ore can only be used to craft weapons, it is actually dispensable for Happy City.

However, Bisheng Stone is different; for the industrial system of Happiness City, it can maintain the stability of industrial production efficiency in the long term.

Given this special significance, it's naturally impossible for it to be sold.

"What is the purchase price of the Fire-Hot Iron?"

"8.1g".

Ok?
So dark?
Cheng Ye cursed inwardly. No wonder the people at the Super Material Shop could get him to cut 50 contribution points at once; it turned out the purchase price of this stuff was so low.

One weapon, and you'll make a pure profit of 126 points.

"Don't think too much."

Qin Feng seemed to see through his thoughts and immediately explained, "If you want to buy extraordinary ore, you'll have to pay at least five to ten times the price. Happiness City also needs funds to operate. Many daily necessities can't be taxed, but for these high-value items, 80% of the profits have to go to taxes. It's not as profitable as you think."

"is that so."

It turns out that taxes and fees were included in the selling price, which makes more sense.

Cheng Ye nodded, then became excited again, "Then 30% of this part?"

"What are you thinking?" Qin Feng shook his head and chuckled. "30% of this is 5500 points, which is equivalent to the earnings of a fourth or fifth-level inspector on a single field mission. How could I possibly give it to you?"

"Wait a minute. I was just saying I'd help you apply for the permissions. If the ore price were below 10,000 points, it would be a bit difficult. But given its current high value, I'll ask around for you."

After saying that, he walked to the side, took out his defense communication device, and made a phone call.

"Station Chief Downs, it's like this, Inspector Cheng just discovered a piece of extraordinary ore while on duty."

The phone wasn't on speakerphone, so Cheng Ye could only glean from Qin Feng's fragmented words that the checkpoint had a special system that could convert contribution points, which should have been allocated to the inspectors in this situation, into points within the system.

As for what these points are used for...
Cheng Ye had some guesses in his mind, but he would only know the specifics once he obtained the necessary permissions.

"Alright, Station Chief Downs has agreed to grant you some privileges ahead of schedule. After your shift, go to the station chief's office. Hmm, today is your last day at the North Station anyway, so you should go there to report on the work progress for this period. Perfect timing!"

"Wait, the man who just returned the ore," Cheng Ye briefly recounted the man's dying wish.

A hint of appreciation flashed across Qin Feng's face, and he nodded emphatically, "Don't worry, no one would dare to embezzle a single contribution point in this kind of thing. The people on the list will receive exactly what they are entitled to, not a single point less."

"That's good!"

Cheng Ye let out a soft breath.

Using the allocated 20,000 points didn't feel like much, but now that a piece of extraordinary ore of the same value is in front of me, it's a completely different feeling.

Before the staff had even finished disinfecting the van, the three team members had already processed the Bisheng Stone and carefully stored it in a specially made containment box.

Before leaving, Qin Feng suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and lowered his voice, saying, "Generally speaking, areas where plant-type extraordinary creatures appear have a considerable probability of nurturing this kind of ore. But we still can't determine whether it comes from the source of the infection or a special infected entity. If it's the latter, there's not much of a threat. Special infected entities are always moving, and if we can't catch them, they can't cause any big trouble. They've probably already left our Shi Province."

"But if it's the former..." Qin Feng's voice trailed off, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The buffer zone has just experienced a wave of infections caused by a mother source. If another mother source were to emerge, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In addition, the presence of the mother source nearby is also a threat, and Qin Feng is reminding him to be careful.

"Thanks!"

"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank yourself for your incredible luck."

Qin Feng waved his hand and led his men away quickly.

Not a moment.

The staff at the Dajinbei van have completed the basic disinfection. For more thorough disinfection of the source of infection, we need to drive into the isolation area inside, which will take at least half a day.

"I'm really lucky, with both the infection wave and the extraordinary mine."

After everyone left, Cheng Ye couldn't help but shake his head.

Ultimately, however, the root of all this lies in natural disasters and anomalies. It is precisely because of the drastic changes in the environment that the infected organisms' activities became abnormal, giving rise to these series of changes.

As for whether the Bisheng Stone could be formed by a special infected entity lingering in the vicinity?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Cheng Ye suppressed it.

While the extraordinary plants parasitized by the special infected are certainly tempting, capable of catalyzing extraordinary powers, he currently lacks the ability to lead a team deep into the wilderness to search for them.

Even with the size of Happy City, the probability of finding a mobile special infected in the vast wilderness is almost zero.

Perhaps it's true, as Qin Feng said, that they've already left the territory of Shijiazhuang Province.

"Next person!"

Cheng Ye composed himself, resumed his inspection posture, and shouted loudly.

Another Jinbei van slowly drove up to the barrier fence. The door opened, and three people got out, all with somewhat embarrassed smiles on their faces.

Cheng Ye frowned involuntarily after just one glance.

The three men had fresh wounds on their arms, thighs, and waists, as if they hadn't had time to treat them or simply couldn't cover them up, leaving them exposed.

"I open the door, and they come in one by one."

The isolation door rose up, and three people walked in one by one to report their numbers.

Both of them had body temperatures exceeding 37.8 degrees Celsius and pulse rates exceeding the standard range.

If Ding Yishan hadn't raised the inspection intensity at the North and South stations to level three before, Cheng Ye might have conducted even more detailed tests to avoid mistakenly detaining healthy people.

But now, he deeply understands the weight of rules and naturally will not cross that red line.

"Two data points are abnormal. According to regulations, I need to go to the isolation ward. No objections?"

"No problem! No problem!"

The leader of the three nodded immediately, his tone pleading cautiously, "Sir, we know we're not infected. We were just injured while fighting mutated beasts on the way, which might have affected the data. Could you please make an exception and put us in the same isolation ward, and not let the newcomers in?"

"Don't worry, as long as the isolation wards are not full, no new people will be sent in."

Cheng Ye nodded; this was a trivial matter entirely within his authority.

As long as he sets the tone, there will be no Manchus, and the prosecutors who rotate with him will not imprison anyone.

"Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

The three thanked the guards repeatedly and, guided by them, walked one by one towards the quarantine area, behaving unusually obediently.

However, another large Jinbei van was left behind, and staff had to be called over to disinfect it.

It takes at least ten minutes from start to finish, making the inspection process incredibly slow.

"Excellent, as expected of the Cheng family. Prosecutor Cheng, your performance has surpassed that of many first-term prosecutors!"

A slightly unfamiliar voice came from behind, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Cheng Ye turned around subconsciously, his eyes instantly darkening.

The person he least wanted to see at the checkpoint.

Harlem.

coming!

　P.S.: I was experiencing some writer's block, so the update is a bit late. Sorry!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)