Rights on the Move, Border Inspector!

Though no one knew who the others were, anyone living in the apartment blocks in the Buffer Zone was either rich or powerful.

When the other residents on the fifth floor saw Cheng Ye come back with so many supplies, they poked their heads out, panic spreading among them.

"Hey, where'd you buy all that?"

Someone came over to ask. Cheng Ye pointed toward Pedestrian Street outside the window. "The Flea Market. Hurry and grab what you can. If you go too late, there won't be a thing left."

"Grab?"

"What else? Infected have already made it inside. You think this sheet-metal door can stop them?"

Cheng Ye kicked the broken hinge on the floor. The older woman who'd asked turned deathly pale, and the middle-aged people gathering around looked terrified too.

Barely five minutes later, a flurry of footsteps sounded in the hallway.

People hurried out of every apartment with bags slung over their shoulders, rushing to grab supplies. Before long, footsteps could be heard downstairs as well.

Cheng Ye peeked outside. Good grief, the whole Electronics Factory Residential Area was in an uproar.

Even though plenty of people had already reinforced their doors and windows, who could resist joining the rush after seeing this?

"In a way, Station Chief He Fei's managed to stimulate consumer spending?"

What a hellish joke.

Cheng Ye was briefly taken aback, but he soon understood why.

After going out that morning, he'd learned that although Border Inspectors could screen out 99% of the Infected threat, there were always some that slipped through into the Buffer Zone.

It was rare for people to be infected directly. Instead, an Infection Source would be brought inside and trigger an outbreak.

This happened especially often in spring and winter, when an outbreak occurred roughly every week or two.

In summer and autumn, it was less predictable. Some years saw several outbreaks, while other years passed without incident.

But the main reason this time had caused such a huge commotion, with everyone scrambling to buy supplies, was the Station Chief's sacrifice.

The last Duty Station Chief had died thirteen years ago.

The Infected that kept sneaking in had caused a riot that lasted over three months, leaving more than ten thousand dead.

Including those who fled during the chaos, the Buffer Zone's population had shrunk by nearly 40%, dealing it a devastating blow.

Now that He Fei had died, it was inevitable that people would bring up the past and draw comparisons between the two events.

What's more, since the beginning of the year, the Infected had been growing increasingly erratic, and Natural Disasters had struck frequently. With all these signs converging, it was impossible not to feel apprehensive.

After everyone had left, Cheng Ye made a round of the hallway. Then he returned to his door and began to murmur, "Reinforce the door. Reinforce the door. Reinforce it."

As before, he let the Collector's thoughts roam freely, searching the materials on the ground for possible courses of action.

A flash of blue light swept past.

A panel popped up by itself, displaying words that filled him with delight.

[Shabby Residence (lv.0)]

[Description]: A shabby residence with only basic living facilities and no defensive capabilities

[Action Options]:

1. Basic Reinforcement (Reinforce the door and window frames and fill cracks in the walls to provide basic protection)

Estimated Action Point Cost: 1 (Sufficient materials and tools obtained; point cost reduced)

2. Advanced Reinforcement (Make perfect use of all materials. Rebuild the doorframe with an alloy support structure, and install a crisscrossing grille over the window to greatly improve its defenses and withstand attacks from Common Infected)

Estimated Action Point Cost: 2 (Sufficient materials and tools obtained; skill check passed; point cost reduced)

3. Perfect Reinforcement (Modify the structure, install an Isolation Alloy frame, and add a pressure-sensitive airtight hatch to give the residence basic shelter properties and let it withstand attacks from common Infected)

Estimated Action Point Cost: Locked (Prerequisites: Materials; Construction Machinery)

[Collector, please select an action!]

"The skill check passed. That means my engineering knowledge is good enough."

Cheng Ye was thrilled.

In the modern world, civil engineering had become a second-rate major, but in the Wasteland, it was extremely useful.

Take this situation, for example. Even the most difficult option, Perfect Reinforcement, was within reach. He just needed to provide the materials and construction machinery.

"But rebuilding the whole structure is too over the top. The foundations of these apartment blocks are already here. With that kind of ability, I'd have enough to build a whole new place outside. I bet it'd take a ridiculous number of Action Points too."

Cheng Ye barely hesitated before choosing option two.

It cost only one more Action Point, but let him make the most of his materials and explicitly said it could withstand attacks from Common Infected.

What a bargain!

At a thought, the miraculous Time Stop space appeared once again. The instant he lost control of his body, Cheng Ye's viewpoint shot upward.

From the incredible third-person perspective, it was as if time had sped up a hundredfold. The battered doorframe was quickly cleared away, and the cracks and hollow gaps in the walls were filled with a special Adhesive Gel.

Next, Expansion Bolts were driven into the brickwork at intervals to serve as anchor points for the Alloy Pipes.

Four high-strength Alloy Pipes were fitted along the top, bottom, and sides of the opening. Special adhesive was injected into every joint.

A lighter sparked, sending up a plume of smoke. With the help of angle brackets, the Alloy Pipes were fused together into a seamless doorframe.

The rusted frame, which had been on the verge of collapse, was reborn through the reconstruction. The heavy security door, which would have taken two people to carry, was installed in a flash before Cheng Ye's eyes.

After finishing the entrance, his body moved rapidly to the window. Steel Bars of varying lengths were crossed and interlocked at 45-degree angles, forming a diamond-shaped lattice much like a modern security grille.

The end of each Steel Bar was embedded in the wall and connected to the building's main structure with Expansion Bolts.

[Action Complete!]

The mysterious sensation faded away.

Cheng Ye saw the light and shadows before his eyes shift. The materials on the floor had all disappeared, replaced by a heavy security door standing right in front of him.

"This is incredible!"

He fished the key that came with the door out of his pocket. For no particular reason, his hand trembled a little.

Only when he inserted the key into the lock and turned it gently, hearing the crisp click of the mechanism engaging, did he dare believe it.

It was all real!

The flimsy sheet-metal door was a thing of the past. In its place stood a security door that made him feel much safer!

He pushed it open slowly. The sheer weight of the door was strangely reassuring.

When he closed it, an unprecedented sense of security wrapped around him, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

"Now this is what living feels like!"

He was so excited that Cheng Ye couldn't help swearing. Only then did he manage to rein in his joy.

He'd been so afraid last night. Now, he felt just as exhilarated.

The Locking Knob clicked into place.

The specially designed Small Opening Window in the security door was just large enough for a gun barrel, letting him shoot outside without opening the door.

Staring at the small window, Cheng Ye was already making plans. Once he received the reward for the Rotten Vine mission, he had to get himself a shotgun.

Then, if anyone dared to stand outside and scratch at the door, he'd send them straight to meet God with one blast.

As for the possibility of shooting the wrong person? Sorry, take it up with the Checkpoint.

"At least now I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Cheng Ye sat on the bed and let out a long breath, as if that sigh could expel all the anxiety he'd accumulated over the past few days.

"You were lucky. The person you saved last night really wasn't Infected."

Inside the auditorium that had been converted from a cinema, Cheng Ye had barely sat down when Li Maitai sidled over, wiggling his eyebrows, and plopped down beside him.

What a shady old bastard.

Why was he so familiar all of a sudden?

Cheng Ye glanced around. Sure enough, many Border Inspectors were looking at them strangely.

One Dongren and one Xiren. In the current climate, they hardly looked like two people who would get along.

"Don't mind them." Li Maitai shot the others a glare, then turned back to Cheng Ye with a grin. "All they think about is picking sides and climbing the ranks. They don't put in the hard work to earn Contribution Points."

"We're cut from the same cloth, you and me. Diligent, dedicated, the backbone of the Checkpoint!"

(°°)!

Cheng Ye paused, amused by Li Maitai's shamelessness. "So, Backbone, do you know what happened last night?"

"Hmm. I heard something went wrong while they were handling Station Chief He Fei's body. They didn't know what the Unknown Infection Source could do, so some of it spread. It probably isn't a big deal. A Transcendent has stepped in."

"Transcendent."

Cheng Ye rolled the word over and over in his mind. A burning longing flickered in his eyes.

This wasn't about the basic need to fill his stomach anymore. It was a wild, growing hunger for a higher level of power, rising from deep in his bones.

Just one Gene Ancestral Reversion talent had transformed his strength beyond recognition.

But what about becoming a Transcendent?

What kind of world would that open up?

"Looks like you're someone who's always pushing to reach the limits of individual strength too."

Li Maitai saw Cheng Ye's longing and shook his head with a smile. "With your background, abilities, and skills, if nothing goes wrong, the Checkpoint will have another Fifth Stage Inspector before long. And if your luck's good, maybe I'll live to see Station Chief Cheng take over and unite the East and West."

"Are you sucking up to me in advance?"

"Not at all. The Contribution System at our Checkpoint is exactly why people like you have the biggest advantage."

Li Maitai paused, fixing his gaze on Cheng Ye. "I know you grew up in the Inner City, where no one checks your ID. But after spending these past two months outside, you should understand what this Badge is worth, right?"

"Hmm."

Cheng Ye thought about it but didn't answer.

So far, he hadn't encountered a single situation where his Border Inspector Identity Badge wasn't useful. Even when he went to the Super Materials Shop to have a weapon made, they'd offered him a discount of fifty Contribution Points as soon as they heard he was a Border Inspector.

Seeing him hesitate, Li Maitai looked surprised. "Huh? The Rank System doesn't exclude Interns, you know. Didn't Liu Bi tell you?"

"No."

Cheng Ye shook his head gently. It wasn't that Liu Bi had deliberately kept it from him. Given how little confidence Cheng Ye had shown in his abilities before, he hadn't even been sure he could handle his first field assignment. What good would it have done to tell him all that?

What surprised him, though, was that Li Maitai was unusually eager to share today. Before Cheng Ye even had a chance to ask, he launched into an explanation beside him:

"Intern, Phase One, Phase Two, all the way to Phase Five!"

"Every time you move up a rank, your Badge Level changes too. It's not just a new title. The benefits you receive change as well."

"A Phase One Inspector can freely enter any facility under Xingfu City's jurisdiction. Take the Crusader Legion you encountered last night, for example. You could enter the factory they guard whenever you like, and no one would stop you. The same goes for the Hydroelectric Station."

"A Phase Two Inspector can take their Badge to nearby Sanctuary Cities and Settlements. As long as they trade with Xingfu City, they have to fulfill your requests unconditionally. Of course, don't ask for anything ridiculous. Have some sense. You won't need to worry about payment afterward; the Checkpoint will cover all the expenses."

"Phase Three Inspectors are on another level entirely." Li Maitai suddenly lowered his voice. "That's where you see a real leap. Infected Tides always come once or twice each winter, but if you have a Phase Three Badge, you can go straight into the Inner City instead of suffering in the Buffer Zone!"

"Hm?"

Cheng Ye jerked his head up. Hadn't they said that becoming a Border Inspector meant being cut off from the Inner City for good?

"Don't look so shocked, as if we'd done something wrong."

"The public line is that Border Inspectors can't enter the Inner City. It's just something they say to reassure people. They need ordinary citizens to believe we're on the same side, that when the Infected Tide comes, we'll stand and fight together. That eases the pressure on us."

Li Maitai wore the knowing smile of a veteran. "Don't think this system is crude, or that getting into the Inner City is easy. Anyone who makes it to Phase Three has either skill or brains. They'd thrive anywhere in the Wasteland."

"There are fewer than forty Phase Three Inspectors at our Checkpoint. If we lost a batch every winter, how could we keep things running? Do you think we can just keep promoting newcomers every year to replace them and stand guard at the gates?"

"This is the most important place in the Buffer Zone. If they kept bringing in new people year after year, how could the High Levels ensure their loyalty? How could they be sure Border Inspectors would be willing to risk their lives to stop the Infected?"

That made sense.

It took Cheng Ye a long time to recover. At last, some of the contradictions that had troubled him for so long were resolved.

But new questions arose as well.

"If it's about keeping them safe, why do the High Levels still expect Border Inspectors to go on dangerous field assignments?"

"Cheng Ye, I need to correct you. Field assignments aren't something the High Levels require."

Li Maitai tapped the table. "The First Generation Inspectors and the Second Generation Inspectors fought tooth and nail for this right from the High Levels of Xingfu City. It took two generations to win it."

"That right is exactly what lets Border Inspectors carry Xingfu City's banner beyond this tiny Buffer Zone and extend its authority to the outside world."

"You think going outside is dangerous?"

"Wrong!"

"Once you leave the Buffer Zone and reach the outside world, you'll understand."

"Whether they're gang members entrenched in the ruins or Dangerous Scavengers who hunt the living, they have to act according to our wishes. All it takes is a word from you or me to cut off their supplies. Without ammunition, tools, and energy, it's only a matter of time before they're finished."

"When you reach those Settlements, you'll find the Lords treat you like a god from the moment they meet you. They can't wait to get on their knees and lick your boots. Why? Because they need you to put a green check mark on their inspection form, so their Settlement can be included in the Trading Scope."

"Even when you visit a Small Shelter City, the City Lord has to set aside time to entertain you and do everything possible to keep you happy, so they can get a larger Trading Quota."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of ridicule.

"But what if you stay holed up in this Buffer Zone? Put nicely, you're a Border Inspector for Xingfu City. Put bluntly, you're just a Gate Security Guard. If the High Levels so much as frown, we have to run ourselves ragged to cater to them."

"Only when you leave this place are you, me, all of us, truly Border Inspectors of the Wasteland—the ones with the right to decide where the Borderline of Human Civilization should be drawn!"