Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 19 Fire-Hidden Iron, Whirlwind Thrust!
There are many places to exchange contribution points in the buffer zone for supplies.

For example, at the commodity exchange point next to the large meat canteen in the staff residential area where Cheng Ye lives, he can buy many scarce and controlled items.

However, there is only one place in the entire buffer zone where you can buy the extraordinary ore to forge cold weapons.

'We've arrived at the Wall of Happiness!'

The announcement system sounded, and Cheng Ye's eyelids twitched. He then got off the bus with the flow of people.

As the place closest to the Great Wall of Happiness, this place undoubtedly became the center of the buffer zone.

look up.

The massive wall, over thirty meters high, acts like an insurmountable chasm, forcefully cutting off countless prying eyes from the buffer zone.

Under the sunlight, the wall surface was riddled with pits and some places had dark brown patches, which were either dried bloodstains or corrosion marks left by an infected attack.

At the foot of the giant wall, ten-meter-high metal watchtowers stand in a row, evenly distributed around it at fifty-meter intervals.

At the heart of these watchtowers lies the place that hundreds of thousands of residents in the buffer zone dream of passing through.

The Gate to Happiness!

A huge alloy door, about 15 meters high and 7 meters wide.

"No wonder the original owner was so frightened after leaving this door that he swallowed pills and committed suicide within a day."

Standing in the middle of the street directly opposite the gate.

Cheng Ye's gaze passed through the small door beneath the main gate, which was used for daily passage, and glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of the inner city beyond the passage.

It really is like two separate worlds.

The buffer zone is permeated with the ancient atmosphere of a bygone era, while the inner city is a technological capital of human imagination.

Whether it's the spotless alloy floor or the skyscrapers that are flashing neon lights during the day, they all give you an irresistible urge to rush inside and explore.

Unfortunately, the strict contribution point rules have already kept 99.9% of people in the buffer zone out of the inner city, and inspectors like Cheng Ye are no exception.

Unless one day he can take up Ding Yishan's position as stationmaster, he might be able to get the opportunity to return to the inner city from time to time.

Shifting your gaze away from the colossal wall, you see shops lining both sides of the street, offering everything from weapon modification shops to secondhand protective suit stalls. The air is filled with the smells of engine oil, rust, and a faint hint of disinfectant.

As the safest place in the buffer zone, 90% of contribution point transactions take place here every day.

Cheng Ye glanced around and quickly found his target: an inconspicuous two-story building squeezed among many shops.

[Superb Minerals - Buffer Zone Branch]

This is the only place in the buffer zone where you can buy extraordinary minerals, and also the only place that provides mineral-forged weapon services.

After a buyer places an order, the order is transmitted to the inner city, where the blacksmiths complete the production, and then the goods are transported back to the buffer zone by truck to complete the transaction.

"Sir, would you like a suitable weapon to be forged?"

Seeing Cheng Ye walk straight toward the shop, the doorman standing in front of the shop's eyes lit up and he immediately came to greet him.

"Yes."

"Will you bring your own materials for us to help with the casting, or will you buy materials from our store?"

"purchase."

Cheng Ye was concise and to the point, not wanting to reveal his intentions in front of the bustling store; he understood the importance of keeping one's wealth hidden.

The doorman immediately understood and beckoned Cheng Ye into the shop, gently closing the door behind him.

"Ok?"

"To be honest, our shop only caters to rare customers. We might not open for three years, but when we do, we can live off them for three years."

After saying that, he continued, "The minerals in the shop are all samples. If you see one you like, you have to place an order remotely, and it will be forged by the craftsmen in the inner city. If you need a weapon urgently, you can also choose a ready-made one. Place your order now, and it will be delivered to you this afternoon!"

"Let's first examine the extraordinary mineral materials."

"Okay, please follow me to the second floor."

Following the doorman, Xiao Cui, to the second floor, Cheng Ye noticed that the store was nearly empty.

One on the first floor, and one on the second floor.

With Xiao Cui included, there are only three people in the shop, which certainly makes it a "rare customer business".

"Master Liu, this guest would like to see some extraordinary minerals. Thank you for your help."

After introducing Cheng Ye to him, Xiao Cui nodded and quickly left down the stairs, leaving enough private space.

The Master Liu he mentioned was a burly, seven-foot-tall man.

He had a full beard and looked quite unkempt.

"The shop currently only has three types of extraordinary ores. What kind of weapon do you want to forge?"

"For the short sword, I only need to mix in a little bit."

"That's natural. If all the materials used are extraordinary minerals, the price would start at least at tens of thousands of contribution points."

Master Liu smiled nonchalantly, “Moreover, it’s not true that the more you add to extraordinary minerals, the better, as is widely believed. In fact, this stuff is one of the sources of infection caused by the sins of extraordinary individuals. The more you add, the easier it is to harm the user.”

"Is there still such a thing?"

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected that extraordinary materials would have such a hidden secret.

"Short knives are all about delivering a fatal blow to the throat and drawing blood at close range. Adding too much sharp ore would actually make them less agile. Luckily, we recently got a good piece of material that's perfect for forging knives." As he spoke, Master Liu bent down and rummaged under the counter for a moment before pulling out a transparent glass bottle.

A fiery red stone lay quietly at the bottom of the bottle, about the size of a gold bean, with a layer of fine, visible lines flowing across its surface, faintly shimmering with firelight.

Is this the mineral that contains the power of extraordinary beings?

Cheng Ye's eyes widened; this was the first time he had seen something completely foreign to the modern world since he transmigrated.

Although the mineral looks beautiful and mysterious through the glass, you can't see anything else about it.

"Fire-treasured Iron only requires 3g to obtain basic properties, specifically a speed and power bonus on the first strike. The amount of the bonus depends on the user's technique, ranging from a minimum of 5% to a maximum of around 10%."

"So magical?"

Cheng Ye felt a surge of warmth in his heart and blurted out, "How many contribution points?"

"1g is 50 points. If you add 3g, along with appropriate auxiliary materials and labor, it will be 200 contribution points."

"Snatch, seize the young master?"

As if someone had poured cold water on his head, Cheng Ye was immediately stunned.

It takes 50 contribution points to exchange for 1g?

Good heavens, based on the purchasing power of contribution points in the buffer zone, ordinary people don't even have the right to look at this price.

"Please understand that the cost of finding this mineral was enormous, with countless lives lost. Moreover, this kind of thing is basically one piece less and one piece less, and it cannot be mass-produced."

What Master Liu said was something Liu Bi had said before.

Many scavengers tirelessly scavenge in wastelands in order to find these extraordinary minerals and become rich overnight.

If the price is average, why would anyone risk going out to risk dying in the wasteland?
"Okay, can you give me a discount, or can I pay on credit?"

Cheng Ye took out his identification badge from his pocket and introduced himself, "I'm a newly recruited inspector at the checkpoint. I haven't been in office for long, so I don't have many contribution points yet. Could you please make an exception for me?"

Mr. Liu instinctively wanted to refuse, but he paused and hesitated after hearing the words "inspector".

After thinking for a moment, he stood up. "Please wait a moment while I go and talk to the head office to see what the store manager thinks."

"Okay, trouble."

After putting the glass bottle back on the counter, Mr. Liu got up and went into the only cubicle on the second floor, took out his security phone and made a call.

"Master Su, it's like this."

After briefly describing Cheng Ye's situation, Master Liu added, "Although this prosecutor looks young, he's probably not just a pretty face; he has some real skills."

"Really?" came a question from the other end of the line, sounding neither convinced nor doubtful, but the person didn't press the issue further.

"Then let's give him a discount, deduct the labor and basic consumables, and only charge him for the excess materials."

"Ok."

After hanging up the phone, Mr. Liu came out and gave a quote.

Cheng Ye was dumbfounded. Even if he only charged for the extraordinary minerals, it would still cost 150 points.

He could only bite the bullet and say, "I don't know if there's any way to make an exception. I only have 143 points right now. Consider the remaining 7 points as a loan?"

"7 o'clock?"

Master Liu was a man of his word, and immediately nodded, "No problem, please come with me to choose the short sword form."

Inside the cubicle, blueprints were spread out, showing dozens of different types of short knives.

From common reconnaissance daggers and tactical fixed knives to more versatile bayonets and folding knives
Cheng Ye looked around and suddenly his gaze settled on a unique shape that did not conform to the ancient weapon casting concept but tended to resemble a modern combined blade.

"Whirlwind Thrust, a very cruel weapon."

Master Liu explained, "The blade is as sharp as a cone. With the false edge engaged, it can use the force to open the wound when stabbing. As long as it hits a vital spot, coupled with the two knobs at the back of the blade, its lethality can only be described as terrifying."

"In addition, this whirlwind spear is also equipped with a threaded quick connector, which can be reversed to connect a steel pipe as a spear shaft, turning it into a mid-range triangular short spear."

"Then let's choose this one!"

Cheng Ye made the decision almost without hesitation.

With extraordinary minerals being so expensive, it's absolutely impossible for him to accumulate enough contribution points to forge a second weapon in a short period of time.

Therefore, choosing a Whirlwind Dagger that can be used for close-range self-defense and can also be transformed into a mid-range short spear at any time is equivalent to saving 150 points directly.

“A wise choice.”

A hint of surprise flashed across Master Liu's narrowed eyes, but he quickly hid his emotions in his wrinkles.

Having worked in this field for over a decade, I can basically tell a person's personality just by looking at the type of weapon they choose.

For example, someone who chooses a tactical knife with an extended handle but still feels unsafe is definitely related to being afraid of death.

For example, a ruthless person who immediately uses a three-inch dagger may have been licking blood off the edge of a knife for many years.

Prosecutor, choose a move that kills without hesitation, rather than the Whirlwind Sting that deals with infected individuals?
interesting!
In the past, those who dared to use this thing were basically ruthless characters who risked their lives.

"The forging will take 3 days. You can come and pick it up anytime after 1 p.m. on July 7st."

P.S.: Modern combined knives have indeed surpassed ancient knives in functionality, and thanks to advancements in materials science, their lethality is only higher, not lower. So this time, we didn't use the common swords.

PS2: Please vote, please add to your favorites, please keep reading! The original world-building suffers from a terrible pacing in the early stages; it simply can't compete with fanfiction. Please support me!
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(End of this chapter)