Fate, Shackles, Unrestrained!

The main urban area was flooded, and the suburbs weren't much better.

A thin layer of water still covered the ground, submerging the tops of shoes and creating small whirlpools that spun on the surface.

Cheng Ye walked nearly four kilometers north before finally spotting a bus stopped at a station.

"Sir, due to the torrential rain damaging the buffer zone's power infrastructure, we've received notice that starting today, bus operations will officially end their free service and revert to the previous fare standards," the middle-aged driver said, wiping the bus window with a rag as Cheng Ye approached.

"Additionally, buses now require a minimum of five passengers to depart. If there aren't five, you'll have to leave, or you'll need to pay for five people yourself."

During the high-water season, the hydroelectric station had abundant power, which could be squandered freely.

But now, with the continuous onslaught of heavy rain, the hydroelectric station could barely protect itself and had to open its floodgates to relieve pressure.

Affected by this, the free bus service, which had lasted only a month and a half, was hastily brought to an end, returning to its normal operational charging period.

"How much is it per person?"

"2 coins."

"Let's go, I'll pay for five people."

Cheng Ye glanced back at the empty space behind him and directly took out a 10-unit Happiness Coin, inserting it into the coin slot.

If the distance were short, he would have walked. But both the North and South Stations were deep in the suburbs, at least 15 kilometers from the main urban area.

"Alright, we'll depart immediately."

The driver was following the Public Works Department's regulations. Seeing Cheng Ye's decisive action, he realized his passenger's identity was unusual. He quickly put away his rag and slid into the driver's seat. Once the motor warmed up slightly, he sped off like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Along the way, Cheng Ye saw several buses driving in the opposite direction and long queues of over a dozen people lining the roadside, heading to the city for labor.

As the wheels rolled over the accumulated water, they kicked up waves half as tall as a person, splashing directly onto the raincoats of pedestrians and drawing a chorus of curses.

Yet, even so, not a single person chose to board the bus to head to the main urban area.

"Was it like this before?" Cheng Ye asked the driver from the front seat, unable to resist.

"Before? It was much worse than now," the driver paused, his hands gripping the steering wheel, and grinned. "At least these people can find a meal if they get into the city now. Back then, if a major natural disaster hit the buffer zone, it was common to see streets littered with bodies. Thousands of people could disappear in an instant."

As he spoke, the driver sharply turned the wheel, drifting the vehicle to avoid a puddle. The interior dome light flickered twice with the car's jostling.

Cheng Ye's gaze swept past the window. This simple maneuver earned him a thumbs-up from the refugees by the roadside.

"Back then, even corpse collection had to be queued by district. How could it be as good as now?"

Good?

Cheng Ye suddenly fell silent. For some reason, Edmund's dying wail came to mind again.

Good, a lie.

When all the beautiful fantasies in his mind were shattered, he must have been in great pain at that moment, right?

The car rumbled over the pitted road, moving forward. The Chemical Plant Staff Dormitory blurred into a gray shadow in the rain.

Suddenly, Cheng Ye's gaze sharpened.

"Sir, do you need to stop here?" The driver, catching Cheng Ye's unusual expression in the rearview mirror, asked.

"Yes, stop right here."

The Chemical Plant Dormitory was still about two kilometers from the North Checkpoint, but through the car window, Cheng Ye could already see a familiar figure by the roadside, looking around in the rain.

As he got out of the car, the figure immediately hurried over, completely ignoring the mud splashing onto her trouser leg.

It was Luo Xiaoxue.

"Sister Luo, why are you standing here so early in the morning? It's raining so hard. Yiyi must be scared all alone at home."

"Stop the nonsense. How could I sleep knowing you're going to North Station?"

Luo Xiaoxue's voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't slept all night.

"North Station isn't a place that eats people. Brother B has been on duty there many times before, hasn't he?"

A warmth spread through Cheng Ye's heart. In his past life, he was a rootless weed, growing up in an orphanage.

Although he had friends throughout his growth and never lacked people to talk to, he always envied others when they spoke of family.

Thinking about it now, family affection should be like this, someone who genuinely cares about you, worries about you.

"He is he, and you are you."

Luo Xiaoxue had been hesitant on the phone last night, even a little uncertain when she finally hung up.

But today, Cheng Ye found only a blade-like sharpness on her face.

No longer a full-time housewife, she had returned to eight years ago, the warrior who fought against the Infected.

"Everyone has their own destiny, determined by heaven, and even more so by themselves!"

"Everything you told me last night, I took it as bullshit. I'm too lazy to listen, and I don't want to."

"But today, I stand here waiting for you, wanting you to answer me face-to-face, looking into my eyes!"

Luo Xiaoxue said word by word, her expression solemn:

"Following heaven is easy, defying heaven is hard. The path you've chosen is difficult. What's pressing down on you isn't just a mountain, it's a Thousand Jin Giant Stone that can crush a person into powder at any moment."

"If you walk past today, it's Ten Thousand Calamities Not Recover. If you retreat half a step, it's even worse than Live Not As Good As Die!"

"To survive, you can only fight with all your might."

"Cheng Ye, are you prepared to fight until the Fish Die Net Break?"

Fight with all my might?

Luo Xiaoxue's string of questions made Cheng Ye pause in surprise.

But soon, he couldn't help but laugh, a smile curving the corners of his lips.

In the past two months, he had stood on rooftops multiple times. What he lacked was never the courage to die, but a reason to convince himself to give up.

Now, he not only found no reason to give up, but he had also found a reason to strive to live.

What was there to fear? Fighting with all his might?

What's more, he was alone now. Everyone at the checkpoint had families to worry about, concerns to consider, and benefits to think of. Who would dare to stand up and fight him with all their might?

"Sister Luo, trust me!"

"Besides the Infected, no one in the checkpoint can really do anything to me."

Patting the standard pistol at his waist, Cheng Ye's smile became even more unrestrained.

The position of Inspector wasn't high, but in this Buffer Zone, very few people could casually take his life.

On the contrary, if he wanted someone's life, he only needed to raise his hand and gently pull the trigger.

He had no worries, and no scruples.

At worst, he'd become a fugitive in the Wasteland, keeping the Infected company, wandering the ruins and wilderness.

"Okay, I trust you!"

Luo Xiaoxue nodded heavily and reached into her satchel.

It was the Buffalo Combat Pistol that Cheng Ye had intended to buy earlier. Judging by its condition, it seemed to have been manufactured not long ago.

Clearly, Luo Xiaoxue had gotten up before dawn to go to the supply exchange store to buy it for him.

"Your gun is too weak. It's enough to scare people, but it's a bit lacking for fighting Infected."

"Use this, it's powerful. If anyone tries to kill you, let them taste the bullets first!"

"Okay!"

Cheng Ye gently took it and placed it in the empty gun holster on his right.

"Then I'm leaving?"

"Go ahead. Remember, I'll be waiting for you to come home after work."

"Mm."

No more words were needed. Just this single promise made Cheng Ye's heart feel heavy.

Turning his head, he saw the Bus was still waiting where it had stopped earlier.

Seeing Cheng Ye look over, the driver smiled and waved, "You paid five times the fare, so I should naturally take you to your destination."

"Thanks."

Getting into the bus, the driver shook his head with emotion, as if thinking of something. "Sir, the killing intent you carry is too heavy. Someone timid would probably be scared to death."

"And what if someone isn't afraid?"

"Then they probably really want to die." The driver shrugged. "Back when I was still out there struggling, before I joined Xingfu City, I always avoided people like you."

"Oh, what did you do?"

"Don't laugh, I used to be a Third-rate Killer?!"

The Middle-aged Driver chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that after I got a wife and a son, with more ties in my heart, it was like wearing shackles. I couldn't do that line of work anymore."

"So, I'm even more afraid of people like you now."

"Afraid I'll get angry and spill blood?"

"Not exactly. We're all just living on borrowed time, not like those lords in the Inner City. There's no real need to fight to the death."

"Then?"

"Can't say, can't say."

Cheng Ye gradually put away his smile, looking at the Middle-aged Driver with a strange gaze.

The Wasteland is vast, and full of wonders.

If a driver could be this shrewd, no one at the vast North Station would be foolish enough to try anything, right?

Wishing all my esteemed readers a happy weekend~ A new day, please vote, follow-up reading, and collection!