Work Relief, Natural Disaster Threat!

Since he had already been assigned to the North South Rapid Post to "die," Cheng Ye decided to simply skip work, not even bothering to call the Checkpoint remotely to ask for leave.

The North South Stations were managed by the East Faction and West Faction, respectively.

The Central Checkpoint was managed by the two factions on a rotational basis, and it happened to be the East Faction's duty officer, He Fei, today.

"Director He, I've suddenly encountered some issues on my end and might not be able to report to the Checkpoint temporarily." Before Cheng Ye could finish speaking, He Fei's hearty laughter came through the receiver, mixed with the incessant beeping of Communicators in the office.

"Cheng Ye, Director Ding just mentioned your situation to me. Don't worry, the Rapid Post carries great responsibility, and it's not easy for a newcomer to carry that banner. How about this, I'll approve your leave until the day after tomorrow. Prepare yourself well and don't let Director Ding and everyone down!"

He Fei deliberately emphasized the words "let down."

The implication was clear: taking leave to prepare was fine, but don't think about using it to shirk your duty at the Rapid Post.

"Alright, thank you for your understanding, Director He. I will report for duty on time."

After a few pleasantries, Cheng Ye hung up the phone. He hadn't expected to get an extra day of leave, and the previously tense preparation time suddenly became ample.

He drew water, washed his face, the slightly cold stream splashing on his face, washing away the fatigue of a sleepless night.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror for a long time, Cheng Ye suddenly managed a smile.

Suddenly arriving in this strange Wasteland, all familiar surroundings vanished in an instant. Friends, family, social connections, and especially the change in his appearance, had always left him with a profound sense of emptiness and unreality, as if he were drifting outside the world.

A voice in his heart had been shouting: What's the point of struggling? Give up. Perhaps giving up would allow him to immediately return to the familiar Earth, no longer confined to this man-eating Wasteland, struggling futilely in suffocation.

This thought had been fermenting over time.

For the past two months, Cheng Ye had often woken up from nightmares, standing by the window, going to the rooftop, and more than once wanting to try "Rebirth."

But now, he suddenly realized that the thoughts in his mind had all disappeared.

It seemed like just last night, as his strength grew, they had vanished completely.

Even more bizarrely, as he gazed at himself in the mirror, countless new thoughts flooded his mind:

He suddenly realized, suddenly discovered, that he seemed to...

Suddenly like this world?

Be a little reluctant to leave?

Not just because this Wasteland, like Earth, also had people who genuinely cared about him and treated him well.

But more because this world, fraught with danger and hidden currents.

Was simply. Fucking exciting!

The games between people, the struggle between two factions, the schemes that could lead to death at any moment.

Compared to the repetitive, day-in-day-out life on Earth, where a life with an Iron Rice Bowl could be seen at a glance.

This life is simply too exhilarating.

"Damn it, am I a masochist?"

Liking excitement and being tired of repetition should be two completely different personalities.

Cheng Ye thought about it and felt he should lean more towards the latter, but the social environment had suppressed that part of his personality, preventing it from showing.

For example, if he were given a chance to choose between two worlds again.

Cheng Ye absolutely couldn't guarantee that he would firmly choose to return to Earth, back to a life like an NPC.

"With my identity, I absolutely cannot integrate into the West Faction."

Not only because of his Eastern appearance, but also because of Cheng Long's influence and Liu Bi's identity. As long as Cheng Ye couldn't completely cut ties with these, the West Faction would absolutely not allow him to join.

"So, to survive next, there's actually only one foolish way: get back to the card table and work hard to show my value."

This, for Cheng Ye, wasn't actually difficult.

Because his current strength had undergone earth-shattering changes, creating a huge gap with Ding Yishan's impression of him.

"Without anyone's help, I'll get through the initial period of working at the Rapid Epidemic Investigation Post."

"Then, I'll find a suitable opportunity to showcase my combat power and overall quality. I don't believe that if my Points are greater than Garcia's, Ding Yishan will still be willing to reveal his hand with the West Faction!"

Wiping the water droplets from his face, Cheng Ye returned indoors and packed the remaining seven bags of Nutrient Paste into his backpack.

Previously, in order to quickly get up to speed with the Inspector's work, he had focused his energy primarily on familiarizing himself with the inspection procedures. He had completed all theoretical knowledge assessments through rote memorization, and even set a small record at a Checkpoint.

However, this allocation of time had also resulted in his insufficient understanding of the Infected and the entire Wasteland world. Or rather, to survive, he had no intention of understanding these things.

Now that he was rotating to the Rapid Epidemic Investigation Post, these were things he had to understand quickly.

"Two days should be enough for me to familiarize myself with common Infected response methods."

Cheng Ye put on his Raincoat and went out with his backpack.

With the delay of a few phone calls, it was past eight o'clock, and the Main Urban Area had become lively again.

Walking along the way, several low-lying areas were indeed flooded. Residents living there could only scoop water out with buckets, looking disheveled.

Perhaps due to the influx of too many new residents, disaster relief tents had been set up at the entrances of several large shopping malls.

Any new resident joining Xingfu City could receive Nutrient Paste for free with their resident ID, three bags per person per day, for three consecutive days.

In addition, the Public Works Department had also set up several recruitment tents for "Work Relief."

Cheng Ye squeezed into the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the hasty writing on the posters. He found the main directions focused on three areas:

1. Repairing the underground old drainage facilities and various pipes.

Payment is calculated per person, with each person earning 16 coins daily, equivalent to 8 packs of Nutrient Paste. Compared to the drainage work above ground, this is definitely a lucrative job.

However, the difficulty is correspondingly high because the underground environment is very complex, filled with filth, and the chance of injury is not small.

2. Cooperating with official teams to continue expanding the buffer zone horizontally.

The current buffer zone was expanded based on the industrial areas of Chuan City from the Old Era. The surroundings are mostly open wilderness and abandoned factories.

Opening up more living space naturally allows for more refugees to be accommodated, ensuring individual living space.

Payment is also calculated per person, with each person earning 12 coins daily.

3. Leaving the buffer zone to scavenge in the city ruins or go to designated locations to obtain resources.

According to the annual custom, after the summer downpour, a cool autumn period with no rain and no wind will follow.

Simple canvas tents cannot withstand the cold winter, so building materials must be prepared in advance before winter.

Only by starting work during the autumn can more residences that shield from wind and rain be expanded before the harsh winter arrives.

Due to the extremely high risk, the reward for this task is not fixed. The final reward is determined by the type and weight of the materials recovered.

"Winter."

The first two tasks are the current development direction of the buffer zone, mainly focusing on repairing the old city and horizontal expansion.

This is not surprising, because the skyscrapers left behind from the Old Era have mostly become dangerous buildings after enduring the wind and sun. The difficulty of repairing them far exceeds that of demolishing and rebuilding one.

Coupled with the elusive mutated beasts and the extremely threatening infected, the city ruins have always been a life forbidden zone. Only a portion of scavengers would venture into them.

The latter task, however, indirectly reflects the current hidden dangers of the buffer zone.

Refugees are pouring in like a tide, and the buffer zone is already overloaded, reaching its maximum capacity.

"Once winter arrives, with everything frozen solid, the dam's electricity will be insufficient even to supply the inner city. The buffer zone will definitely experience a major blackout. Forget about heating or anything like that. If we don't expand frantically during the upcoming autumn, everyone living in tents will turn into popsicles."

Squeezing out of the crowd, Cheng Ye wiped the water droplets from his face, silently warning himself.

With the wall thickness of the apartment blocks, if the outside temperature drops below minus twenty degrees, the inside will be no different from an ice cellar. It would only take a few days to fall ill from the cold.

However, now is not the time for him to worry about how to survive the winter. He first needs to find a way to survive the rapid epidemic check before he can even think about dealing with subsequent natural disasters.

He got on the bus. The mud-covered wheels rolled through the puddles, and the vehicle shook violently on the muddy road.

Cheng Ye gripped the handrail, his gaze sweeping past the dilapidated buildings rapidly receding in the blurry rain curtain outside the window.

He had always traveled from the Main Urban Area to the Southward Training Ground; this was his first time heading Northward.

Unlike the Southward area, which was full of open spaces and factories, the Northward area was a former Industrial Residential Area. Residences were scattered along the roadside, crowded together, their walls covered in moss and cracks.

Some windows were missing their glass, haphazardly nailed shut with broken Wooden Boards, while others were simply left open, revealing pairs of lifeless Eyes within.

As he continued forward, when the Station Announcer hoarsely called out "Library Station," Cheng Ye stepped off the bus alone, under the collective gaze of the passengers.

The humid, hot wind, laced with rain, swept towards him, splashing water onto his rain boots.

He looked up not far away at a three-story building that had once been a Community Service Center, now converted into the so-called library. Warm yellow light poured out through the Glass Windows.

On this overcast, rainy day, the entire world was wrapped in a gloomy, cool tone.

In the rain, the orange light unexpectedly stirred a rare, familiar sense of "happiness" in Cheng Ye's heart.

ps: Everyone, please give me Vitality!!! I'm begging for Monthly Tickets, Collections, and Follow-up Reading. The new book's raw data is simply tragic, easily suppressed by the established authors of the same period. I'm not reconciled!!! I beg all of you to lend me a hand!!!