Gene Advantage, Luo Xiaoxue's Teaching!

After Song Yongfeng, the "outsider," left, the atmosphere between the two was no longer as tense as before.

Even though the last time they met was a hurried encounter when the original host had just come out of the High Wall, without even a greeting, Cheng Ye inexplicably felt a sense of closeness to Luo Xiaoxue.

If he had to describe it, it was like a female version of Brother B?

She didn't act shy at all, speaking, acting, and interacting with people in a very generous manner.

After a few pleasantries, Cheng Ye immediately changed the subject.

"Sister Luo, when did Brother B leave?"

"He left not long after I finished talking to you. The people in the Inner City are different from us in the Buffer Zone; they do things as if infected creatures are chasing them."

"I don't know much about the Hydroelectric Station, but Brother B..."

"Don't worry about him. He's walked the path to the Hydroelectric Station with your father at least a hundred times. He could walk it with his eyes closed. As for infected creatures..."

As Luo Xiaoxue spoke, she took out a palm-sized booklet from her bag.

"The Hydroelectric Station is Xingfu City's most important asset. Two Security Teams of five hundred people are stationed there, so you don't need to worry about security at all. Let me put it this way: if an infected tide that could break through our Buffer Zone defenses went to the Hydroelectric Station, they probably wouldn't even be able to get close. It's just that he'll have to stay there for a while and can't come back."

"As for you, with the continuous heavy rains lately, the frequency of Hydrophilic Infected will definitely increase significantly. This booklet is what I've compiled. It contains methods for dealing with common Hydrophilic Infected. It might not be as complete as what Brother B compiled himself, but you can use it to cross-reference with the Inspector's teachings and learn from each other."

"Thank you, Sister Luo. You've gone to so much trouble!"

Cheng Ye quickly took the booklet and thanked her profusely.

In terms of combat ability, Liu Bi was naturally stronger, but when it came to organizing information, Luo Xiaoxue was clearly being modest.

When he was resting after training, he had heard Liu Bi mention it.

Eight years ago, the Checkpoint didn't have as much power as it did now. At that time, the Buffer Zone was jointly managed by the Checkpoint and the Public Security Bureau.

The former was responsible for guard duty, while the latter was responsible for dealing with infected creatures and protecting the area.

Luo Xiaoxue was an Instructor in the Public Security Bureau at that time, responsible for teaching and training new recruits. When an infected tide appeared, she would immediately rush to the front lines to fight the infected creatures directly.

Later, after several reforms of the Buffer Zone, the Public Security Bureau was disbanded by the higher authorities of Xingfu City, and all its power and personnel were merged into the Checkpoint.

Coincidentally, Luo Xiaoxue was pregnant at the time, so she chose to leave directly and become a "Full-time Housewife."

Years passed in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Ye opened the manual and sighed after taking a look. "Sister Luo, you've still got it, just like back then. If I finish reading this, I should be considered your student, right?"

"Hey, you little rascal, you're quite the talker!"

Luo Xiaoxue was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but roll her eyes at Cheng Ye, a richer smile appearing on her face.

For some time now, Liu Bi had mentioned him frequently. She had actually formed a simple impression of Cheng Ye long ago.

Intelligent, diligent, hardworking, and talented. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a younger version of Cheng Long.

However, it wasn't until today, when they interacted, that she realized the real Cheng Ye and the Cheng Ye described by Liu Bi were like two different people!

Take that last sentence, for example. Even if Cheng Long, that honest man, held it in for his entire life, he probably couldn't say it.

"This isn't being glib; it's just stating facts."

Cheng Ye blinked his eyes. "But, are there really this many Hydrophilic Infected roaming our Shi Province?"

A cursory flip through the booklet revealed at least sixty different sources of infection.

Furthermore, each source possessed unique abilities. Dealing with them all simultaneously would be far more complex than a simple 1+1.

"A lot!"

Luo Xiaoxue nodded heavily. "Our Shi Province has a well-developed water system, which naturally attracts all sorts of hydrophilic infected. Now that the rain belt has shifted south, who knows if they'll migrate with it? And these I've compiled for you aren't all of them; they're just the ones that have appeared around our Xingfu City in the last ten years."

"Memorizing these is enough for you to not panic when encountering a conventional infected attack. As for those infected individuals who retain some semblance of consciousness... I heard from Liu Bi that you dealt with a Death Whisper Tentacle infected just the day before yesterday?"

"Yes, he was likely drowned and then possessed by a Death Whisper Tentacle, clinging on with sheer obsession until he reached Xingfu City."

"Mmm, those are the ones you need to be most wary of! Ordinary infected only hide in the shadows to ambush. As long as you're careful and know their special abilities, it's hard to fall into their trap when you have a Checkpoint at your back.

But infected individuals who retain consciousness are different. They can disguise themselves, deceive your judgment, and some can even fool Detectors. You need to use meticulous Verbal Traps to expose their flaws."

"Perfect timing. I'll share a few typical examples, all encountered personally by me and your Brother B."

Fearing Cheng Ye might let his guard down, Luo Xiaoxue explained in extreme detail, her content far more thorough than the Inspector Apprenticeship Training he had previously attended.

Especially these experiences, they weren't the Showy Moves from the training, but practical Combat Experience that could only be summarized by those who had personally encountered the infected.

Given that his life was on the line, Cheng Ye listened exceptionally attentively, interjecting with questions from time to time.

Though it was their first conversation, it flowed with an uncanny smoothness.

Ding dong.

They were still sitting by the entrance, chatting animatedly when the bank staff pushed open the door at 8:30 PM, closing time.

"Let's go. Your Brother B isn't home today, so there's an extra bed. We can continue our chat back at my place!"

One spoke, the other listened.

One asked, the other answered.

The questions were sharp, the answers were appropriate.

Luo Xiaoxue slapped the armrest of the bench, her gaze towards Cheng Ye no longer seeing him as an excellent junior, but as an unpolished jade!

She had been an Instructor for nearly six years and had seen many geniuses, but none could compare to Cheng Ye.

That kind of instinct to infer the rest from one instance, that ability to understand quickly, Luo Xiaoxue had only seen described in books about humans of the Old Era.

Legend had it that in that era, humans didn't worry about survival, nor did they pursue martial strength. Their brains were extremely developed, and their learning speed and speed of accepting new things were several times faster than present-day Wastelanders.

"Ah, this, isn't it inappropriate?"

Cheng Ye scratched his head. "It just so happens I still have a day of vacation. I don't start work until the day after tomorrow. How about we go tomorrow..."

"What tomorrow, right now, tonight!"

No wonder these two got along so well. Liu Bi and Luo Xiaoxue's personalities were simply too compatible.

Seeing this, Cheng Ye couldn't refuse and could only follow them onto the bus heading to the suburbs.

"Come over more often if you have time in the future. You're alone now, right?"

"Mm."

Ah, why does it feel increasingly wrong!

It feels like facing a mentor?!

Cheng Ye couldn't help but recall that his assigned mentor after getting into graduate school had said the same thing. Back then, he naively thought he would receive his mentor's true teachings and that pursuing a doctorate wasn't impossible.

But soon, he realized his mentor had said the same thing to everyone under him. After calling everyone over, it wasn't to impart knowledge but to do volunteer work, causing many people next door to mock them as Black Slaves.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Ah, I was thinking, I can indeed come to Teacher Luo for guidance more often in the future."

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Luo Xiaoxue clicked her tongue. This ability to speak nonsense without thinking, Liu Bi hadn't learned it, Cheng Long hadn't learned it, and many Inspectors she had met didn't have it, but she didn't expect Cheng Ye to master it without a teacher.

"Previously, I thought you became a Trainee Inspector in two months by borrowing Brother Long's favor."

"I don't need to use, nor can I use, these favors yet."

"That's true."

The bus swayed. By the later stops, only the two of them were left.

The Chemical Plant Staff Dormitory was truly remote. Even if it were larger, Cheng Ye wouldn't choose to live there.

Otherwise, going to the Central Checkpoint every day would require at least half an hour on the bus, not to mention going to the library to read, or going to South Station on the other side of the Buffer Zone. It was practically like commuting during rush hour in modern times.

As they entered the residential compound, Liu Bi's home was on the fifth floor of Building Four.

Before Luo Xiaoxue could even take out her key to open the door, the security door was pushed open from the inside, revealing a small head with a ponytail.

"Ah, Mom, why are you only just..."

Before she could finish speaking, the small head immediately shrank back upon seeing Cheng Ye standing behind Luo Xiaoxue, leaving only a pair of bright, dark eyes peeking cautiously through the gap in the door.

The cleverness radiating from the child made Cheng Ye couldn't help but curl his lips into an aunt-like smile.

"Yiyi, this is your Brother Cheng Ye. Uncle Cheng's son, the one your dad talks about every day."

"Cheng Cheng Ye guo guo?"

Her voice, still a bit milky and childish, was quite out of place with the main tone of the Wasteland, but it did help Cheng Ye's tightly strung emotions relax a little.

Indeed, new hope was the main force against fear!