Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 49: Uncle Dong's Story – The World's Focus is on You!

The four-story abandoned theater in the suburbs has been requisitioned as a temporary study hall, and the homeless people who originally lived there have all been driven to other places.

When the announcement system announced "Grand Theater Station," Uncle Dong breathed a sigh of relief, got off the bus, and stood by the platform, momentarily lost in thought.

Since receiving the invitation to be a lecturer at the study session yesterday, he has not closed his eyes for 18 consecutive hours.

I can't tell if it's excitement or panic.

But once I got here, all my thoughts were suddenly cleared, leaving only a sense of bewilderment churning in my heart.

After a moment of stunned silence, Uncle Dong came to his senses and walked towards the theater along the path trodden through the weeds.

About two or three hundred steps ahead, there is a sign in the middle of the road:

The attendees walk to the left through the main entrance to enter the stage, while the lecturer walks to the right through the back entrance to go to the backstage area.

He turned and headed towards the back door, where he soon saw four guards standing at the entrance, as well as lecturers queuing to enter.

When it was Uncle Dong's turn, he took out an iron badge from his pocket.

The guard took the device and swiped it lightly on the defense terminal; an electronic voice immediately sounded:

[Verification Successful]

[Blood Dragon Legion Level 02 Green Dragon Team, Winter Squad, Captain Xia Dong.]

Upon hearing the announcement, the four guards' expressions changed slightly, and they immediately adopted a respectful demeanor.

Since its inception, the Blood Dragon Legion has been upgraded by one level every year, and has now reached level 29.

The man in front of me, being a level 02, represents his seniority in the second year since the legion was founded.

The Green Dragon teams belong to the third tier within the Legion (divided into Hatchlings, Spinosaurus, Green Dragons, Pterodactyls, Stone Dragons, and Blood Dragons). Even today, the entire Legion has only a little over a hundred Green Dragon teams.

To have retired and still be alive today, there's no doubt that he's one of the living fossils of the buffer zone!

"Captain Xia, please come in!"

"Thank you."

Taking the badge and putting it in his pocket, Uncle Dong stepped forward with a slightly uneasy air and entered through the back door.

call.

The light and shadow shifted, and a gentle breeze blew down from above.

Although it was only used as a temporary venue, the theater underwent a major renovation last night.

In Harlin's words, with the infected individuals' activities being so frequent since the beginning of the year, these kinds of study sessions need to be held often and on a large scale in order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the prosecutor's team.

Therefore, hundreds of workers worked through the night.

Today, the garbage and dirt on the first and second floors have been cleaned up, and the broken light tubes and old facilities have been replaced with brand new ones, creating a stark contrast with the dilapidated appearance.

As he walked step by step through the passage, Uncle Dong's heart, which had been quiet for a long time, began to pound wildly, and even the pain in his arm seemed to disappear.

He stopped abruptly after turning two corners.

An indescribable expression flashed across his face, finally settling on a few people in a distant corner.

Four men and two women.

Everyone is injured, and everyone has some kind of disability.

But Uncle Dong's gaze remained fixed on the middle-aged woman with the scar on her face, unable to look away.

If Cheng Ye were here, he could guess from the change in Uncle Dong's eyes that there must be a melodramatic story that could be made into dozens of episodes of a TV series.

And that is indeed the case; Uncle Dong did have a long history with women.

However, let's not dwell on the melodramatic stories.

What's past is past; one can't live in the beautiful memories one has made up.

"Over the years, I've actually come to terms with it, but I just didn't want to face it."

"Now that the goods are all soaked in water, and who knows how many infected have entered the buffer zone, what are we afraid of?"

The anxiety outside the door transformed into a sense of open-mindedness upon entering.

Uncle Dong's mind was filled with a jumble of memories, which he eventually cleared away and stored away in a corner of his mind.

He paused, put on a friendly smile that Cheng Ye was very familiar with, and walked along the base of the wall.

"Everyone, you're in good spirits!"

In the chaotic backstage area, Uncle Dong's voice, though not loud, startled the six people sitting around him.

When they turned around and saw who it was, everyone's face lit up with surprise.

"Old Xia is here!"

"Haha, the captain's finally here!"

"The captain still looks so young, he's obviously living a more comfortable life than us!"

"Old Xia, I thought this study session wouldn't be able to get you, such a big shot, to participate!"

The six people immediately surrounded him, encircling Uncle Dong like stars around the moon.

As the first generation of warriors of the Blood Dragon Legion, there were quite a few survivors, but in the entire City of Happiness, there were only a handful of squads that could maintain a full complement of members after retirement.

Uncle Dong nodded in response to each of them, and when his gaze fell on the scarred woman's face, he chuckled and said, "Yunwei, it's been a long time."

The woman paused slightly, then shook her head and chuckled, "Long time no see."

These four short words seem to tell the whole story, weaving together the past.

Seeing this, the other five exchanged knowing glances and quietly made way for the two.

"How are you?"

"That's how it is. I can't stay idle, so I go out and drive a truck for people. The truck fleet delivers goods to the neighboring provinces and cities. It doesn't earn much, but at least it's not tiring."

"The infections have been unusual this year, it must be very dangerous outside, aren't you going to take a break?"

“How can I just rest so easily? We all signed ten-year contracts, and I still have three years left on my contract.” Before she finished speaking, she suddenly glanced at Uncle Dong’s arm. “You haven’t been idle either, have you? This old injury has been hurting for so many years, why haven’t you gone to get it treated?”

"It's incurable. I've had several surgeries, but it's a root cause problem. It's really difficult to cure."

Uncle Dong sighed, and several hideous old scars were faintly visible under the light as his sleeve slipped down.

The conversation seemed to have ended at that moment, and neither of them could find a topic to continue.

Fortunately, a burst of applause suddenly broke the silence.

"That's strange. Those people sitting down there are all prosecutors, and they're applauding us?"

Yun Wei tiptoed and peered at the stage, a strange expression on her face.

These peasants claimed they were there to share their experience, but how could they possibly dare to lecture the prosecutors?
As the highest-ranking group in the buffer zone, it's already a miracle that we can even listen to them finish speaking.

Applause and welcome are things we can only dream of.

"That's not applause for you, he's going to give a lecture. He used to be an instructor at the Public Security Bureau, and his wife is also a prosecutor, and a fourth-term prosecutor with real power."

A familiar voice came from the side, and the two subconsciously turned their heads to find that it was the Thunder Moon Squad.

He was a colleague from back then, but only one person remained in the Thunder Moon Squad.

"Miao Yang, judging from what you're saying, you really want the prosecutor to applaud you?" the people around you joked.

"Hey, I'm just saying. Aren't we all here for those 8 contribution points?"

Miao Yang rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "But I've prepared a real gem. It's something I haven't told anyone about when the Blood Dragon Legion invited me to give lectures over the past few years. Who knows, the gentlemen in the audience might enjoy it and be willing to applaud and support me."

"That's tough stuff. Are you going to tell me about how the Thunder Moon Squad almost got wiped out back then?"

"Get out of my way!" Miao Yang laughed and shoved the other person. "Isn't it just you left in your Crimson Blood Squad?"

"How can that be the same? There were still five of us when we retired."

"."

Listening to Miao Yang bickering with others, Uncle Dong and Yun Wei exchanged a helpless smile and tacitly walked to a quiet spot.

"How about I lend you some money so you can get the surgery done?"

"Why would I need to borrow from you? If I really wanted to cure this problem, the favors I've accumulated over the years would have been enough. There's no need for that."

Uncle Dong shook his head. "After all these years, why haven't you thought about finding a companion?"

"I've been waiting for you."

Yun Wei's eyelashes fluttered as she looked up, and she suddenly burst out laughing, "Is that what you wanted to hear me say? I heard that's how it's always portrayed in old-fashioned romance dramas!"

"Xia Dong, you're allowed to be afraid of death, but I'm not?"

"It wasn't that I was afraid of dying."

Uncle Dong's throat bobbed as he wanted to refute, but in the end, he could only let out a sigh.

The two had been dating for some time and had even reached the point of setting a wedding date.

Unfortunately, an accident occurred during the mission, and the team was surrounded by infected. Although they survived by the skin of their teeth and no one was killed, they all suffered injuries of varying degrees.

As the team leader, Uncle Dong noticed the abnormality of the infected. Even though the team was about to be promoted to the "Pterodactyl" level and join the middle level of the Blood Dragon Legion, he still resolutely chose to retire, leaving the rest of the Winter Squad behind.

Without him as their backbone, the rest of the team gradually lost heart and chose to retire one after another.

Everyone resented Xia Dong, feeling that he was cowardly and afraid of death, which ruined everyone's future.

Naturally, their relationship came to an end. But fate played a cruel trick; in the very winter that everyone retired, Happiness City was hit by a terrifying, plague-like wave of infections.

Almost all the teams that started with the Winter Squad were wiped out, with very few survivors.

This drastic change made the Winter Squad realize Xia Dong's wisdom back then, and even more so, the madness of ignoring all dangers when he was about to be promoted.

Unfortunately, while others were able to forgive and understand him later, Xia Dong himself could never get over that hurdle.

In layman's terms, it means his heart is broken.

A brave and ambitious soldier, at the height of his power, chose to retire and escape.

This decision tormented him for over twenty years.

"You used to argue with me all the time, so what, have you finally given up now?"

"I admit it. What else can I do? I'm just a useless coward. You don't know how scared I was last night when I heard that the station chief had sacrificed himself and that infected people had infiltrated. Luckily, I didn't lose face in front of the younger generation. I even managed to act like a big shot."

Uncle Dong grinned and patted the badge hanging on his chest.

"You deserve what you have today!"

"That's a good insult!" Yun Wei gave a thumbs up. "Shall I join in and say a few insults too?"

"That won't do. You all said before that you've already forgiven me."

Uncle Dong's slightly arrogant attitude made Yun Wei laugh.

The other five members of the Winter Squad, who had been eavesdropping nearby, immediately relaxed.

Over the years, they have tried to bring the two together many times, but Uncle Dong always avoids them.

Could it be that this time, things are actually going to work out?

"Damn it, I've been speaking on stage for ages, and it's one thing for these prosecutors to look down on me, but what are those observers and staff behind me? Why are they behaving like this?"

"Was my speech really that bad? Did I kill fewer infected than them?"

Just then, Miao Yang walked back to the back field, cursing and swearing.

He prepared a truly impressive performance. He noticed how many people were distracted while listening, but he also clearly saw how many were daydreaming.

Not only the prosecutors, but even the ordinary people in the back row didn't bother to look up. This is utterly contemptuous!
"Alright, alright, didn't you say you were here to earn contribution points? Don't shout nonsense, or you'll be in trouble if they hear you," someone quickly advised.

The staff member in charge of announcing the program walked over expressionlessly, gave Miao Yang a deep look, and said to Uncle Dong, "Winter Squad, get ready. It's your turn next. Discuss who wants to go first."

Who goes first?

“I’ll do it.” Uncle Dong patted off non-existent dust. “I was the first to run away last time, I can’t be the last one to go this time.”

He didn't think he was any better than Miao Yang, but as for losing face, he had already lost enough over the years, so one more time wouldn't make a difference.

"Captain is mighty!"

"The captain is as charismatic as ever, awesome!"

"Haha, Captain, just go for it! We'll clap for you if no one else does!"

Amid the jeers, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and turned to look at Yun Wei.

The latter blinked, as if to encourage him, or perhaps to ask if he had truly regained his spirits.

Have you recovered?

Uncle Dong shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. What ambition could an old good-for-nothing general store owner have? He was just trying to survive.

"Next, please welcome Xia Dong, the level 02 Green Dragon Captain of the Blood Dragon Legion, to give us a lesson."

As the announcer's voice came on, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.

The lights were far less dazzling than he had imagined, unlike what he had read in the old magazines he had found at the flea market, which made people feel like they were the center of attention.

Look down.

The inspectors in the front row all kept their heads down, seemingly unconcerned.

The prosecutors in the middle were whispering to each other, seemingly discussing something important.

As for what happened later, Uncle Dong really wanted to find Cheng Ye, but there were too many people and not enough time to give him a good look.

"Hello everyone, I am Xia Dong, a soldier who survived the battlefield by sheer luck."

"Today, I will be giving a presentation on how to deal with area-of-effect attacks by hydrophilic infected."

"."

Five minutes isn't enough time to go into anything too in-depth.

Uncle Dong broke down a battle scene encountered by the Winter Squad, explaining in detail the response strategy and its practical effect.

It is well-organized and engaging.

The players standing in the backcourt couldn't help but applaud, and even Yun Wei's eyes were burning with excitement, as if she saw Xia Dong from back then returning.

However, the response from the audience was lukewarm. Miao Yang, who was watching from the side, curled his lip and sighed helplessly.

"Alright, that's the complete response. Does anyone have any questions?"

No one asked any questions.

Uncle Dong was not surprised and bowed slightly. "Then, thank you all for listening."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave the stage.

However, at that moment, unexpected applause suddenly broke out in the silent hall.

The applause wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silence!

yes.
Cheng Ye clapped lightly. To the others, Uncle Dong was just an insignificant nobody.

But for him, they were among the few people he could talk to and relieve his boredom after he transmigrated to the wasteland.

"Wonderful!"

He stood up slightly, nodded to the people around him, completely ignoring their surprised looks, and generously offered applause.

clap clap.

Seeing this, Li Matai also stood up and clapped, completely ignoring the strange looks from others.

For him, these moments, which are low-risk yet allow him to make a strong impression, are the most appealing.

however.

Almost as soon as he stood up and clapped, a simultaneous round of applause erupted behind him!
what?
Cheng Ye has such a big reputation, why are there still people applauding?

Li Ma turned his head curiously, wanting to see who else would dare to ignore the East-West conflict and come out to make their presence known.

Could it be some fearless nobody?
?

The gazes of those in the back row met those of Li Matai, and Dario Haven clapped while showing a hint of doubt.

It's as if he's asking, "You're stealing my thunder?"

"Dario Haven?"

Li Matai was suddenly stunned, his expression instantly froze, and his eyes were full of astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

How can it be?

The Western prosecutor for five terms, Harlin's number one supporter.

It is highly likely that Dario Havin will succeed the station chief.

He was clapping too?
He wanted to use this opportunity to curry favor with Cheng Ye and win him over to the Westerners' camp.
No, this guy's gone mad. This guy, who's obsessed with taking sides, is applauding an Eastern warrior?
The bewildered Western prosecutors turned around, their faces filled with astonishment.

But then, one of his lackeys started clapping along with Dario Havin.

The sparse applause suddenly grew louder, and the Western observers and staff quickly joined in.

This is truly 'the world is so crazy, a mouse is a bridesmaid for a cat!'
The Western camp is actually applauding the Easterners?
The Eastern prosecutors in the front row hesitated for a moment, thinking to themselves that they couldn't lose face. If the Westerners could clap along with Cheng Ye, what were they afraid of? So they all joined in the clapping.

The applause grew louder and louder, and more and more people stood up!

The applause in the entire venue reached an unprecedented level of enthusiasm.

???

what happened?
From the first round of applause to the thunderous applause that followed, only three or four seconds passed before Uncle Dong's feet suddenly froze on the spot, a look of disbelief and astonishment flashing across his face.

He turned his head abruptly, his memory seemingly jumbled up at that moment.

In a daze, I found myself actually standing on the stage depicted in that old magazine.

The lights were dazzling, like shattered diamonds.

The noise was deafening, surging like rolling thunder.

A wave of applause surged from all directions, enveloping and overwhelming him, almost suffocating him.

Although all eyes were not on him at that moment, but on the face of a young prosecutor in the center of the back row!

But the prosecutor looked at him and told him with a gentle yet slightly surprised expression.

Xia Dong, you are not a worthless piece of trash that no one cares about!
　P.S.: Here's a 4.8k post. Uncle Dong is one of my favorite characters. Old soldiers never die, they just gradually fade away. Uncle Dong's first half of life has ended, but the second half has just begun. He won't just disappear from the story; he'll return in an unexpected way.

　　PS2: I received news that it should be available for purchase on July 1st. I will try my best to speed up the preparation before then and avoid taking up word count in paid chapters.

　　PS3: Thank you all for your continued support. Creating an original world-building concept is not easy, so I hope you can give me some votes to encourage me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)