Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 762

Chapter 762: Chapter 254: Research Team, Celestial Essence’s Great Expansion!

Empty-handed I came, fully loaded I return.

After parting ways with Yu Erlan and coming back up to the surface, it was only then that Cheng Ye realized it was already noon.

The autumn sunlight might not count as scorching, but the “autumn tiger” hadn’t lost its bite; the temperature kept climbing.

Even in short sleeves, and with a constitution far beyond an ordinary person’s, he could still feel an uncomfortable, stifling heat.

“Inspector Cheng, you’ve seen Burning Leek in the flesh now, right?” Shi Xu hurried over, raised his brows with a smile, and said, “Sorry, anyone who doesn’t have an approved permit really isn’t qualified to even know Burning Leek exists.”

Cheng Ye nodded in agreement. “Those are the rules—and they’re also one of Happiness City’s core secrets!”

“Heh, the Inspectors of our Happiness City really do have high awareness!”

As a level-four researcher, Shi Xu was already one of the core members just below the institute’s management, yet his attitude was humble to an almost absurd degree.

Cheng Ye thought it over, and roughly understood the reason.

Shi Xu’s Immortal Object research direction was important, but without Inspectors going out to contain Immortal Objects and bring them back to the institute, even the best research direction would be like a clever housewife with no rice to cook.

Even though the Ten Thousand Orders Land Conch would sooner or later be traded by Happiness City to Firewood, who could say for certain that he wouldn’t bring back another Immortal Object in the future?

“If the institute in Dapo Town really can be built, maybe I can rope Director Shi over to hold down the fort…”

Cheng Ye calculated silently in his heart as he watched Shi Xu arrange for people to bring over the light device that restrained the Ghost Shadow Spiders, the controller, and the related documentation.

The whole set of equipment was quite bulky, especially the controller, which was actually four meters long.

“Inside are multiple sets of precision spectrum generators and frequency modulation modules. They can simulate specific pulsed light in different bands. So far we’ve only tested that Ghost Shadow Spiders have a strong stress response to three particular frequencies, but we haven’t yet found a band that can completely suppress their abilities.” Shi Xu explained in detail.

“It’s fine, just leave it to me.” Cheng Ye accepted with full confidence.

Seeing him so sure of himself, Shi Xu was brimming with curiosity but didn’t press further. He immediately arranged for a medium truck to come over and help load the entire setup.

After that, at Shi Xu’s warm invitation, the two of them went together to the institute cafeteria to deal with their hunger.

Most of the researchers in the cafeteria just grabbed four packs of Nutrient Paste and turned to leave, unwilling to waste too much time on eating.

Only a few windows offered made-to-order meals, which needed to be exchanged with points issued by the institute.

Sitting at the table, looking at the very lavish four dishes and one soup that Shi Xu had carried over, Cheng Ye suddenly felt a little dazed, as if he had returned to that night many days ago, eating in the cafeteria with Li Changfeng.

Back then, Li Changfeng had been full of yearning for the day he could leave Firewood and go see the vast world outside.

And this Shi Xu in front of him—what was he looking forward to?

“Inspector Cheng, please try it! I specially asked Chef Liu to cook this himself. He’s the top-tier chef of our institute; even when the Elders find their palates getting dull, they’ll come over specifically to taste his cooking.” Shi Xu greeted him enthusiastically.

Four dishes: stir-fried seasonal greens, braised prawns in oil, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, and pan-seared cod.

One soup: mushroom free-range chicken soup.

It really counted as a heavy spread. The greens were tender and crisp; the just-out-of-the-wok braised prawns were coated in an amber-colored sauce whose aroma drilled straight into the nose; the cod’s skin was golden and crunchy, while the flesh inside was so tender it practically oozed juice. Paired with the garnish of lemon slices to cut the richness and boost the fragrance, it was perfect. The last dish, the braised pork with preserved greens, was a glossy red, the alternating layers of fat and lean soaked through with the salty fragrance of the mustard greens, mouthwatering at a glance.

Cheng Ye picked up his chopsticks, clamped a piece of the braised pork, and put it in his mouth, instantly enveloped by an indescribable deliciousness.

It was as if his taste buds had been fully activated; the rich, mellow flavor exploded in his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

“I hope that by this time next year, most people in Happiness City will be able to eat a meal like this.”

Just like Li Changfeng back then, Shi Xu hadn’t touched his chopsticks. He simply watched Cheng Ye keep picking up food, his eyes full of expectation.

He smiled, a trace of reminiscence passing through his gaze. “Back in the day, Happiness City was actually more open-minded than any other Shelter City. Any research team could apply for funding to carry out a project. It’s a pity—we had rot from within. A lot of funds were poured into a bottomless pit. In the end, the real beneficiaries were outsiders, and our own development was delayed.”

“And this bottomless pit was?” Cheng Ye blinked and asked with feigned casualness, not wanting to seem too deliberate.

He hadn’t expected Shi Xu to be so forthright. “It was decoding the virus dropped by the giants,” he said directly.

“It was originally a magnificent topic. If we could succeed in decoding it, the entire world would be transformed. All conflicts would pause immediately, and we’d be able to find ways to kill off the spreading sources of infection. Unfortunately… even if you gathered the strength of all humanity, you might not be able to accomplish that goal. How could a small place like our Happiness City possibly push it forward?”

“Back then I was firmly in the opposition. When the Shelter Cities most needed breakthroughs in technical iteration, to engage in this kind of theoretical research that offers no short-term returns and might yield nothing even in the long run was really unwise! What infuriates me is…”

As he spoke, Shi Xu’s emotions gradually grew agitated, his expression shifting several times before he finally said in a low voice, “Just as the checkpoint had a traitor like Xiao Shuntian, our institute also had Michael Jones. He used to be the institute’s only deputy director and worked in perfect tandem with Director Long, but later he chose to betray and flee, taking all the research results with him to defect to another Shelter City.”