Fighting to Survive, Cheng Ye's Decision!

Dark clouds hung low, and people hurried back and forth.

As the only Staff Residential Area far from the Main Urban Area, the Chemical Plant Residential Area exuded a loneliness that stood out against the Buffer Zone.

For many people, the reason for choosing to live here was simple and direct.

Space.

Unlike the Apartment Blocks at the electronics factory in the Main Urban Area where Cheng Ye lived, a single room of just over ten square meters was fine for one person, but a family would quickly find itself with nowhere to stand.

The Chemical Plant Staff Dormitory had been built around ten years into the Old Era. By then, apartment buildings with individual units had become standard.

Some had once served as employee dormitories, with an area of around forty square meters—compact and practical.

Others had been assigned to the factory's veteran workers as a perk, and measured nearly sixty square meters.

Liu Bi was among the Checkpoint's most senior members. He had made his home here not only because it was comfortable for his family of three, but also for other reasons.

Here, he was far from the bustle of the Main Urban Area, and also removed from some of its dangers.

If an Infected Tide broke out, the distance between the Main Urban Area and the suburbs would become a buffer zone, buying precious time to escape.

A Buffer Zone within the Buffer Zone!

"Mm, mm, I understand. I'll set out as soon as I can."

After ending the call on his Defense Communicator, Liu Bi stood by the living-room window, his gloomy expression almost blending into the leaden clouds.

"What's wrong? They wouldn't send you on a Field Mission in weather like this, would they?"

A voice came from the master bedroom, followed by the soft rattle of a wooden sliding door.

A middle-aged woman in pale-blue loungewear leaned out. Her fluffy curls were loosely pinned up, and worry furrowed the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

Luo Xiaoxue, Liu Bi's wife.

They had been childhood sweethearts, supporting each other through the years, and now had a daughter.

"Director Ding called."

Liu Bi turned around, forcing a smile that looked more painful than a grimace. "The heavy rain won't let up, and the Hydroelectric Station may not hold out. I have to go with the Inner City emergency team and guide the engineers who are heading there to help."

"The Inner City emergency team?" Luo Xiaoxue frowned. "The Hydroelectric Station is only eighty kilometers from Xingfu City. You could walk there with your eyes closed. Why do they need an inspector to guide them?"

"I can't figure out what the people upstairs are thinking, but the Station Chief has already agreed. I have to go."

With that, Liu Bi sighed.

These were troubled times. Infection Sources everywhere had been unusually active since the beginning of the year, and natural disasters kept coming, testing the capabilities of every Sanctuary City.

Take Yeyue Shelter City in neighboring Cloud City. It had a population of more than four hundred thousand, but from the reports, it had nearly been overrun by an Infected Tide.

"They've cleared the road to the Hydroelectric Station countless times over the years. Ordinary dangers aren't a concern. The real problem is that Hydrophilic Infected have their eyes on the station. I'm afraid I'll have to stay there for quite a while, until the situation is fully under control."

"But once I leave, there'll be no one to guide Cheng Ye. That boy is stubborn, though he's perceptive and talented. He's only just taken on the work of an inspector, and now he's about to go on a Field Mission. I can't help worrying about him."

"Cheng Ye."

Luo Xiaoxue pressed her lips together.

Cheng Long and Liu Bi were brothers-in-arms who had risked their lives for each other. Naturally, Liu Bi took the responsibility of looking after Cheng Ye very seriously.

Especially since yesterday, when Liu Bi had taken out his treasured liquor and enjoyed a couple of drinks. That was quite unusual.

She hadn't asked why, but she could guess that the results of Cheng Ye's training over the past two months must have been pretty good.

"Don't worry too much. Maybe you'll only be gone for a few days, and then—"

Before she could finish,

the Defense Communicator in Liu Bi's hand vibrated.

"It's Cheng Ye."

He motioned for her to be quiet, then walked to the window, his mind in a turmoil.

Never mind the training plan they had for the future. He had promised to accompany Cheng Ye on his first Field Mission.

Now that he'd been urgently called away, it was hard to say whether their schedules would ever line up.

Rain and static crackled through the Defense Communicator. Cheng Ye cleared his throat. "Ahem, Brother B, am I interrupting your morning workout?"

"No," Liu Bi replied, instinctively straightening his back. His voice grew low and serious. "There's something I need to—"

"So, I—"

Their voices burst out at the same time, then both cut off halfway through.

The mood turned heavy. Cheng Ye was the first to chuckle. "Brother B, should I go first?"

"Mm."

"I need to borrow some Contribution Points. I'll pay you back in a while."

"What for?"

"To buy some weapons and gear. I can't keep using a Training Dagger every day. I need a Melee Weapon that feels right in my hand."

"Buy gear?"

Liu Bi frowned. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You only made a little progress yesterday, and now you're in a hurry? There's a reason it's called a Training Dagger. It's less likely to teach you bad habits. If you switch to a standard-issue weapon and your fundamentals go bad, it'll be very difficult to correct them later."

"Come on, I don't have much choice."

Cheng Ye sighed on the other end of the line. "Old Ding called and transferred me to the North South Gates to ride out the storm. If I don't have a weapon that feels right at this Rapid Epidemic Check post, I'm afraid I won't survive if I run into Infected."

"What?"

Liu Bi cried out, his voice exploding through the room like a thunderclap.

"Old Ding said..."

Cheng Ye repeated the details of Ding Yishan's call at lightning speed, then slowly fell silent.

"I'm guessing Old Ding didn't just call to transfer you to a Field Mission, did he?"

"I'll go talk to him. Either I go and you stay, or I stay and go with you."

Liu Bi was straightforward and had no patience for scheming, but that didn't make him a fool.

Cheng Ye had already laid bare the heart of the matter. If Liu Bi still couldn't understand, how could he have survived this dog-eat-dog Wasteland until now?

"Don't do anything rash, Brother B. Hear me out."

Having confirmed his guess, Cheng Ye grew even calmer. "The Station Chief assigned you to a mission for the Inner City. You can't turn it down, and you can't get out of it."

"If I go to the North South Stations, I can also avoid some of the West Faction's targeting. As for the danger, didn't you tell me before that an inspector's standing in the Buffer Zone doesn't come from standing guard at the Main Gate and acting important? It comes from holding the line at the North South Gates. If the Infected want to get in, they'll have to step over our corpses. That respect is earned with our lives."

"I know how dangerous the Rapid Epidemic Check post is. If I can't get through this, I probably wouldn't survive a Field Mission either."

His clear, logical words came through the communicator. Liu Bi's hand trembled around it, and his heart sank.

At that moment, he wished more than anything that Cheng Ye weren't so mature—that he'd be a little childish and ask Liu Bi to stay and protect him. Then Liu Bi would have stayed, no matter what, even if it meant leaving the Inspector Corps.

But every word Cheng Ye said was clear-eyed and resolute, leaving Liu Bi nothing to argue with.

"Brother B, neither of us is the sentimental, dithering type. There's no need to say more."

"You should just go on your Field Mission. We shouldn't see each other for a while. That'll also make the people from the West Faction pay less attention to me."

Cheng Ye continued explaining. From the moment Ding Yishan made his move, he had known he would have to handle this himself.

Even if Liu Bi found an excuse to stay, there would surely be another trick waiting for them.

Better to keep it simple and pretend he knew nothing. That way, he could lie low and look for a chance to turn things around with the Collector.

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you? That's why you called me?"

Liu Bi sighed. "You could've just asked me to stay. I owe your father that much."

"He's him, and I'm me. You owe him, and I owe you."

"Fine. Since you've put it that way, I'll respect your decision."

Liu Bi gritted his teeth.

"I have to leave for my Field Mission soon, so there's no time to apply for the paperwork. I'll have your sister-in-law find someone to arrange 100 Contribution Points for you. It won't take longer than... tomorrow morning."

"Got it."

"I told you some of this about your father before. I planned to tell you the rest after your first Field Mission. Remember this: more than half the people at the Checkpoint owe him. It'll be difficult to make them repay everything right now, but some of them would be willing to pay back part of it, with a discount."

"You'll rotate shifts between the North South Stations, five days at each gate. When you choose your first post, make sure you go to the South Station."

"The South Station is guarded by our East Faction. I'll make arrangements. No one will give you a hard time there. They'll do everything they can to protect you and help you get through this toughest early stretch."

"But the North Station is guarded by the West Faction, and I can't get my hands in there. There's only one person I can reach who I trust. His father was saved by your grandfather, and your father saved him. He can save your life in a pinch."

"The rain won't let up, and the Hydrophilic Infected are converging on Chuan City in a frenzy. It's hard to say whether they'll attack the Checkpoint, but you need to stay alert. I'll put together a list of specific people to watch out for before I leave and have your sister-in-law give it to you as well."

"And your weapons. If you have to use a gun during a fight at the Rapid Epidemic Check post, ordinary Guns won't be enough. Their main purpose is to intimidate. In the blink of an eye, Melee Weapons are still the best choice. You need to create distance before you can fire back. So don't be greedy for length when picking your weapon. A short dagger or hatchet will often save your life better than a Long Spear or Sabre."

"..."

From the situation he would soon face and the dangers involved to weapon choices, combat details, and the threat posed by the Infected—

Like an old father about to leave on a long journey, Liu Bi quickly arranged every last detail.

At the end, he made Cheng Ye repeat everything back to him.

Only after confirming that Cheng Ye had remembered it all did he take a deep breath and say, almost word by word:

"Stay alive. Remember, you have to survive."

"Of course. Don't worry. Go on your mission without a care. I'm tough as nails, and I'm still counting on you to come back and take me on a Field Mission."

Laughter came through, and the Defense Communicator went dead.

But the shadow weighing on Liu Bi's heart never lifted.

Rumble.

A clap of thunder shook the windowpanes.

A moment later, a stark-white bolt of lightning ripped through the heavy clouds, illuminating the world—and Liu Bi's face.

Half rage, half helplessness.

Xingfu City was a vast Sanctuary City, ranked among the Wasteland's largest.

If even inspectors had to fight to survive here, what hope did ordinary people have? How were they supposed to stay alive?