Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 529
Chapter 529: Chapter 190: A Bountiful Harvest of Supplies, Elder Qu’s Advice!
For the upcoming three-day assessment, everyone needs to go to bed early to ensure they have enough energy to face a series of potential dangers during the wilderness exploration.
The temporary residential units have been dismantled and loaded onto trucks, including posters and drawing boards collected by Er Long and his team, driven back to the Buffer Zone by Master Tian and his apprentices from the machinery factory.
While he focused on selecting supplies, the external operations were already quietly underway according to his plan, everything running smoothly.
“Brother Cheng, all done?” Wang Kang leaned against the car, playing Tetris on his Defense Communication, and quickly approached when he saw him getting out of the car.
“All set, supplies will arrive tomorrow morning.”
Cheng Ye handed the tablet to Link, calling everyone to follow him through the still-open D exit at the North Inspection Station back to the Buffer Zone.
Apart from the allocation of supplies, the arrangement for the refugees heading to Dapo Town was the responsibility of the corps; he just needed to arrive before noon tomorrow.
Starting at noon, until the same time three days later, the 72-hour assessment will officially commence.
“Sir, if you’re not busy, Elder Qu and others have something to discuss with you and Inspector Wang…” Da Long hesitated after passing the inspection station.
“Oh?”
Cheng Ye was a bit surprised but didn’t refuse, “The elders went back to the community?”
“Yes, they’re waiting for you at the community.”
“Alright, let’s go then.” Cheng Ye drove the off-road vehicle, taking Wang Kang and Da Long to the community parking lot first.
Entering the mall’s reception area, the three elders clearly had a long day, not as energetic as in the morning, but their faces appeared more vibrant than usual.
It seemed they found a long-lost sense of value among the mundane days.
“Inspector Cheng, Inspector Wang, please sit down!” Elder Zhou stood up and greeted, while Er Long served a kettle.
The Void Mist dissipated, but the outside temperature couldn’t return to the summer’s 30 degrees; it’s already around 20 degrees during the day and about 15 degrees at night.
The steamy heat quickly dispelled the autumn chill.
“Elder Song, thank you for your trouble today!” Cheng Ye accepted the water cup.
“Not at all, for us three old bones, it’s like a moment of glory before we die.” Elder Song laughed heartily, Elder He and Elder Zhou nodded repeatedly.
But as the laughter faded, Elder Song’s expression abruptly turned serious, “Inspector Cheng, the people you selected are indeed hardworking and honest, meeting the standards for pioneers. Even in the old days, such people would pass the corps recruitment assessment, but when it comes to wilderness survival and exploration risks, they still have a long way to go.”
“Hmm…” Cheng Ye was not surprised, nodding slightly.
In the eyes of Elder Song, and these veteran pioneers, refugees from mining families or small settlements had indeed never experienced real storms.
This was normal; even during the Great Expansion Era, not everyone dared to face the wilderness directly.
Some hid, avoided, never experiencing life-and-death crises, which was all too common.
“To be honest, neither Wang Kang nor I have much wilderness experience.”
Cheng Ye admitted, “I’ve only left Happiness City once in my life, and that was a few days ago to survey the terrain in Dapo Town. Wang Kang has never left the city; in terms of practical experience, he might have even less than those refugees.”
“Yes, and that’s exactly what worries us the most.”
Seeing Cheng Ye open up, Elder Song spoke frankly, “Like Inspector Wang, who has never left the city. He might still be vigilant about the outside, but you went once, and you didn’t encounter any danger, right?”
“Danger?”
Mutated Malaria Mosquitoes, without weapons, ordinary people would surely be dried up.
Guardian Spirit Spiders, such large wild infection sources, just touching their webs could lead to infection.
But with his ever-growing abilities, these hardly pose a threat, at most considered accidents.
Cheng Ye shook his head, “No.”
“Exactly, because you didn’t encounter danger, you might think the outside isn’t very threatening, only a bit more cautious at night.”
Elder Song seemed to misunderstand, assuming he hadn’t encountered anything; Cheng Ye didn’t correct him, just listened quietly.
“The dangers of being alone in the wilderness are actually few, mainly special infected bodies prowling at night. But in places like Dapo Town, rarely populated, it might be years before encountering a special infected body.”
“But as soon as the numbers grow, the risk immediately skyrockets, especially with five hundred people…”
Elder Song’s expression turned increasingly grave.
“Within the Pioneer Corps, there’s a saying: Mountains don’t dwell, waters don’t flow, where people gather, don’t stay!”
“The ‘mountains’ not referring to the vast Dashan, but to complex terrain with sparse human presence. Only a tenth of the infection sources from past eras have been discovered today; more lie hidden in such places, waiting for humans to explore at their peril. These crisis-prone areas should not be lingered in, or you’ll be targeted by unknown infection sources sooner or later.”
“The ‘waters’ refer to places like Dapo Town, where the currents are swift, hiding turbulent dangers, often accompanied by water. After the tributaries of Lin River converge, they are sure to bring infection sources, some sinking to the bottom, some floating on the surface, others even following the scent of living people ashore, parasitically infecting humans.”
At this point, Elder Song sighed deeply, “Danger and opportunity are always relative. Back when we explored to build the port, all for connecting to Sea Province’s port, forty thousand people were involved, and thirteen thousand died. That was during the fewer infection sources of the Great Expansion Era; now, perhaps all forty thousand would fill the port.”
Such heartfelt words struck Cheng Ye internally.
These dangers were not unforeseen, just that humans inevitably tend to subconsciously ignore risks, valuing opportunities more.
Now reminded by Elder Song, he instantly realized he had been too relaxed under Shelter City’s protection.