Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 767

Chapter 767: Chapter 255: Multiple Fronts Open, Drastic Changes in the Buffer Zone! (Part 2)

“Yes, the main structure of the building has long been completed, now we just need to start the interior renovation, mainly because…”

“Ran out of budget?” Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and cut in.

“No, no! We received quite a lot of money from above, enough for the construction of the pedestrian street! It’s just that you left in a hurry before, without explaining how the interior should be decorated, so we didn’t dare to act recklessly. We could only leave it empty and wait for you to return and decide.” Long quickly explained.

“Hmm?” Cheng Ye realized he hadn’t discussed the details of the interior design with Engineer Liu; he had only finalized the construction plan and overall zoning, forgetting this crucial step.

However, this doesn’t affect the overall plan; the pedestrian street was always meant to be operational in winter.

Only when the flow of people from the industrial area returns to the buffer zone will it be the best time to fully open shop. Now, there are still nearly three months to prepare.

“The grant, where did it come from?” Wang Kang listened curiously and couldn’t help but interject.

“It’s a special renovation fund for the underground pipelines! The higher-ups allocated funds for the renovation to each community, and our Celestial Essence Community received the largest share, a full 14,000 Contribution Points! With this money, all the old pipelines under Zone B7 can be dug out and completely replaced with new ones!”

Long explained with excitement, but before he could finish, the three Elders were seen stumbling out of the mall with the help of Er Long and several community members, their faces filled with undisguised joy and relief.

“Let’s go inside the mall to talk, we shouldn’t let the Elders stay out here in the wind.” Cheng Ye suggested with a wave of his hand.

It was afternoon, and the sky was getting darker, the bleak autumn wind carrying a chill as the temperature visibly dropped.

He quickly went over to meet them, and as expected, the three Elders scrutinized him for a long time as if he were a rare treasure, finally relaxing after confirming he was uninjured, then followed everyone back to the reception area to sit down.

“Inspector Cheng, it seems you encountered considerable danger this time?” Elder Song had a gentle smile, appearing more spirited than the last time they met, yet his figure looked even older.

It seemed that during this period, he must have exhausted a lot of effort for the pedestrian street construction and handling the complex affairs of the surrounding two neighborhoods.

“Indeed, there was danger. We encountered a Destruction Level source of infection, but it has now been successfully contained and dealt with.” Cheng Ye nodded in agreement. The information about the Immortal Objects couldn’t be disclosed yet; they had to wait until the Firewood group completed the transaction before an official announcement. However, the issue of the Demon Eye Sponge wasn’t under an embargo and could be mentioned truthfully.

“Destruction Level?” The three Elders exchanged glances, eyes full of shock and lingering fear.

In the past, whenever the Pioneer Corps encountered a Destruction Level source of infection while expanding their territory, it would result in at least a thousand casualties each time.

When Dapo Town was sealed, they had boldly guessed that there might be a Disaster Level source of infection lurking inside.

Never did they expect that the Disaster Level was still underestimating the danger by the water, reaching a Destruction Level!

“That thing had been hiding in the river, probably taking root for over ten years. Fortunately, we have completed the containment, so it’ll be safe over there now.”

Cheng Ye briefly summarized the containment process. Upon hearing that the Destruction Level source was, in fact, a sponge, the three Elders exchanged incredulous glances again.

After a long pause, Elder Song slowly came to his senses, murmuring, “Heaven bless us… truly, heaven bless us!”

Long smiled from beside him and added, “Sir, ever since Dapo Town was sealed, the Elders have been leading our community in burning incense and praying for you every day!”

“Oh, Elder Song, you’re at an advanced age, just resting well is the greatest help to me, no need to go to the trouble of praying anymore.”

Cheng Ye couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation and then shifted to the main topic, “By the way, I heard from Huang Yong that the surrounding Zones B6, and B8, B9 are now under the jurisdiction of our Zone B7?”

“Yes, they’ve been integrated.” Elder Zhou, keen and astute, quickly responded with a nod, his tone carrying a hint of seriousness, “Now the population in the buffer zone has exceeded 400,000. With more people, management becomes increasingly challenging. Hence, the authorities issued a notice that any structurally stable community can expand around itself. Our Celestial Essence has now formally absorbed nearly 8,000, with about another 10,000 on a probation period for assessment.”

“So many people?” Cheng Ye’s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he quickly calculated in his mind.

The buffer zone’s population limit was more or less this scale. When adding those migrating back from the industrial area in winter… Could it be that this winter, Happiness City isn’t planning to let the workers return to the Inner City for the winter?

Or, after the community completes personnel integration, will there be a large-scale migration to the surrounding Satellite Cities?

Realizing the possible scheme behind this, Cheng Ye once again spoke in a deep voice, “Elder Zhou, with so many people coming in at once, can it be sustained? And what about the Satellite Cities?”

“The population in the Satellite Cities is also increasing rapidly!”

Elder Zhou nodded repeatedly, “Now the largest few Satellite Cities have a permanent population exceeding 150,000. According to the broadcasts, the total population that has migrated to the surroundings of Happiness City during this period has exceeded a million. Counting our original residents, the total population has surpassed 1,450,000!”

Good heavens.

Cheng Ye was secretly astonished. Half a year ago, Happiness City, including the transient population in the industrial area, barely had a total population of 700,000.

No one expected that after the Stand-In Starfish, sacrificing tens of thousands of people, this number would more than double.