Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 765

Chapter 765: Chapter 254: Research Team, Celestial Essence’s Great Expansion!

As soon as they left the city, the familiar stench of the Buffer Zone hit them, overwhelming due to some pipes being unearthed for inspection, it was nearly dizzying.

Yet, strangely, this very smell inexplicably calmed him, as if he had instantly returned to his own territory.

“I wonder how the construction of the pedestrian street is coming along now?” Cheng Ye nodded, his gaze naturally falling on both sides of the street.

As the area adjacent to the Gate of Happiness, Zone A had been most severely damaged in the Stand-In Starfish, but now, in just two short months, it had amazingly regained most of its former prosperity.

The buildings demolished by war were completely rebuilt, especially the ancient architectural street previously chosen by Matthew Lee, which was bustling with people coming and going.

“The infrastructure has finally caught up, the next step is to quickly shift industries to solve the employment problem for these people…”

Cheng Ye lightly stepped on the brake, letting the truck idle slowly through this seemingly bustling area.

Perhaps it was the giant egg emblem of the Infection Source Research Institute on the truck that worked, as the guards maintaining order by the roadside approached to guide the crowd, scolding pedestrians who casually darted into the street, clearing a path for the truck.

Passing through Zone A5, after turning a couple of corners, the number of pedestrians suddenly decreased significantly, but the dug-up road surface continued one after another.

Cheng Ye had to vigorously turn the steering wheel to avoid the large potholes, carefully observing the changes in Zone B over the month he had been away.

The flow of people from Zone B1 to B3 was several times more than before, mostly workers in uniforms, focused and industrious in repairing the underground pipeline network.

The closer to Zone B7, the larger the scale of the pipeline renovation project became. By the time he reached Zone B6, the construction areas had completely occupied the roads, rendering the truck unable to proceed.

Cheng Ye had to pull the vehicle over, his eyes falling on the thoroughly dug-up road surface.

There was originally only an old sewage pipeline here, now it was being upgraded to a dual pipeline system for both sewage and water supply.

Rusty, decayed old pipes were carried out of the trenches by workers, four at a time, laboriously transported to the roadside, while brand-new, bright white pipes were neatly stacked on the sidewalk, layer upon layer, yet to be laid.

Seeing a vehicle stopped, the foreman in charge of the site quickly hurried over, intending to advise the obstruction-causing truck to leave, but when he saw who was in the driver’s seat, he was stunned, and then his face broke into an uncontrollable joyful smile as he hurried over:

“Cheng… Inspector Cheng! You… Why are you back?!”

“Is it so surprising that I returned?” Cheng Ye was somewhat amazed, frowning as he scrutinized the man, searching his memory for a corresponding name, “You’re Huang…”

“Huang Yong, I’m Huang Yong, the one who noticed something off about Officer Jiang before!”

Huang Yong’s voice trembled with excitement, being vaguely remembered by Inspector Cheng was already a tremendous recognition for him, “Inspector Cheng, you’ve finally returned! Celestial Essence can’t function without you!”

“What nonsense are you talking about, that’s an ominous thing to say!”

Wang Kang also pushed open the car door and got out, muttering a complaint, then pointed at the messily dug-up road and asked, “What exactly is this project? Other zones at least left a lane, but we’ve dug it up so no one can pass!”

“Inspector Wang!” Huang Yong immediately put away his smile, straightened his back, and replied with pride in his tone, “We’re upgrading and renovating the underground pipes! They’ve allocated quite a bit of funds and materials, and Celestial Essence received the most!”

He paused, then shared even more shocking news, “And now, not only Zone B7, but the surrounding Zones B6, B8, and B9 have all been allocated for us at Celestial Essence to manage!”

Hmm?

Has Celestial Essence expanded in response?

Cheng Ye was taken aback, instinctively asking, “What about the communities in Zone B6 and B8 before?”

“We’ve annexed them all!” Huang Yong proudly raised his chin and gave Cheng Ye a thumbs up, full of pride in his tone, “Their management ideas didn’t work at all, the residents were poor with nowhere to develop, our Celestial Essence philosophy is what’s truly effective!”

That confident demeanor almost made Cheng Ye burst out laughing; he coughed and continued to ask, “How many people are in the community now?”

“Seven thousand six hundred people, it’s the eighth-largest community in the Buffer Zone now!”

“Over seven thousand people and only eighth?” Cheng Ye was shocked once again.

It seems the changes in the Buffer Zone over the month he was away were far greater than he had imagined.

But on second thought, it was reasonable; with a large influx of outsiders, the total population must have reached hundreds of thousands.

The philosophy of Celestial Essence Community was to screen for those who shared its values, never indiscriminately admitting everyone, so it’s understandable the scale couldn’t match communities with laxer management and open admissions.

“Have someone look after the truck, don’t let outsiders touch the stuff on it,” Cheng Ye instructed Huang Yong before turning and heading toward the direction of the pedestrian street.

In the scales of time, the changes he had gone through were already remarkable enough; what would become of the thousands-strong community, and the pedestrian street he had long planned and allocated funds for?

After turning two streets, Cheng Ye slowed his steps, his heart filled with both anticipation and an inexplicable complexity.

In both lifetimes, he had never truly witnessed his drawings and ideas fully materialize into reality.

Could the veteran craftsmen of the Public Works Bureau complete the pedestrian street according to his vision?

Would there be any unexpected hiccups during construction?

The closer he got to the pedestrian street, the more his mind was in turmoil.

But when he walked through the familiar alley and truly stepped into Zone B7, his steps suddenly halted, his pupils instantly reflecting a vast complex of beige buildings.

Celestial Essence Pedestrian Street, it’s built!

…