Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 155 - 89: Medical Reform, Uncle Dong’s Letter!
[Please forgive my disrespect, others have great reverence for Inspectors, but I was active in your grandfather’s era, back then we and Inspectors were life-and-death comrades, never having any distinction of rank or status. Although I often want to call you "Sir," the words always get stuck in my throat, after all, your dad used to call me "Brother Dong," hehe.]
[Getting back to the main point, I’m very grateful for your applause that day, letting me know I’m not a nobody that no one cares about. But I’m even more thankful for you helping me regain my lost sharpness. Do you remember when you just left the Inner City? You were quite scared during that time, coming to my shop every afternoon, needing comfort for a while before you could recover.]
[But you’ve grown up so fast, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, brilliant and dazzling. Uncle Dong looks at you and sees his younger self. Truth be told, I was just as dazzling back in the day (not boasting), and slowly from watching you, I regained my confidence. If a youngster can find his footing, how can I, Xia Dong, not confront my inner demons?]
[I’ve left with the big convoy, almost three hundred people. Tang the Cold Winter Squad’s all members went with me, including the woman I love most, even if I die, it’s worth it! But I can’t leave my belongings to strangers. The shop’s deed and transfer papers are tucked in the book, take them and register, it’s yours. Of course, it might be useless to you, give it away for a goodwill favor. Uncle Dong has nothing much to repay you, just these, please don’t detest it.]
[Oh, by the way, there’s Old Sun from the neighborhood property, this old guy would come to my shop every now and then to nag, saying the electricity usage in your apartment is abnormally high, others use a few dozen kilowatts at most per month, yet you use up to a thousand. When the free period ends, he’ll report it to someone (this guy doesn’t know your Inspector status). I thought about it and tidied up Old Sun for you when I left, including resetting your electricity meter (I’ve reset the whole building, don’t worry). Uncle Dong is old, but still agile, handled it cleanly, won’t trouble you.]
[Hmm, don’t think Uncle Dong was harsh, this Old Sun is not a good thing. Over the years, he’s used his connections in the production office to bully men and harass women, repeatedly forcing me to sell the shop at half price, using threats as leverage. I’ve long had enough of him, this time at least settled an old grudge.]
[Almost done, Cheng Ye, I’m quite thrilled right now because as I write this, the woman I love is sitting on my lap, it’s... the sword is still sharp, haha!]
[Wish for my safe return, I will definitely bring back some goodies Happiness City doesn’t have.]
[Xia Dong, stay!]
...
Eight hundred kilometers from Happiness City.
Heavy rain pours down, engulfing the chaos in a camp composed of more than a dozen trucks.
Infected Bodies with huge starfish on their heads rampage through the camp, chasing humans who scatter in every direction.
Occasionally, someone fires back, but with little effect, unaware of the rules for dying from three fatal wounds, only assuming the infected are bulletproof.
Even more troublesome, in the center of the camp lurks a huge Intermediate Fusion Body.
It sways among the trucks, every act randomly snatching away a human, the screams echo incessantly.
But just then, a light shines from a distance, a head pokes out from the car window shouting:
"Everybody move aside, move aside!"
Under shocked stares, a truck darts forward like an arrow, crashing hard into the Intermediate Fusion Body.
The enormous impact nearly crushes half of the Fusion Body’s side, yet its ferocity is undiminished, the remaining body parts still wildly swinging.
"Damn, I hit it so hard, how are you still alive?"
The silhouette peeks out again holding a shotgun.
Bang, bang.
Shotgun shells spew out one after another, casings fall to the ground successively.
The Fusion Body, pinned by the truck, struggles but cannot budge the steel beast weighing more than a dozen tons, helplessly watching as the silhouette presses the gun barrel forward.
"Captain, you won’t make it, but we still want to live, sorry about this!"
Bam!
Another shot blasts out, the Intermediate Fusion Body’s head tilts, triggering the instant death condition from seven fatal injuries, now motionless.
With no leader to stir chaos, the infected bodies in the camp are quickly killed by regrouped convoy members.
After all, they were prepared to deal with the infected long before running big rigs.
And while the Starfish Infected Body outburst was bizarre, its combat capability was miserably weak.
Half an hour later, the survivors gather.
From 276 people at departure, less than 140 remain now.
But the greater trouble is that the captain and vice-captain of the Autumn Moon Racing Team, one turned into a Fusion Body, the other torn apart by it, the entire team bereft of leadership.
Among the crowd, someone is plotting to propose splitting the resources and dissolving.
Yet the one killing the Fusion Body steps up first.
"Only twelve trucks, not enough for everyone, returning with the resources, they worth nothing!"
"But if we continue to Sand Province, these things can be traded for ten times, no, fifty times the profit!"
Xia Dong raises his arm and calls, "We’ve already set out to risk our lives, are you willing to just slink back?"
"The captain’s dead, what do we do if not going back?"
Someone asks from the crowd, his gaze meeting Xia Dong’s silently smiling face.
"I am but a humble man, Happiness City’s Blood Dragon Corps Level 02 Green Dragon Captain, Xia Dong!"
He sweeps his gaze across everyone, "Anyone willing to follow me, stand behind me, I’ll lead you to the good life, drinking and feasting."
?
Is he trying to take over the Autumn Moon Racing Team?
Someone in the crowd murmurs inwardly, his eyes probing Xia Dong back and forth.
But right then, Yun Wei stands up too, "This is my man, those willing to go with us, come along!"
"It’s Sister Yun’s man? I don’t trust others, but Sister Yun is trustworthy!"
As soon as the words fall, over a dozen people decisively stand up, moving behind Xia Dong.
Seeing this, the rest of the crowd dares not hesitate any longer, scrambling to get on board.
At this moment, the team indeed needs a leader to stabilize the situation.
As for whether to truly follow Xia Dong, that depends on whether he proves competent. If not, everyone has legs, and can leave anytime.
"Captain, is this convoy just ours?"
Order returns to the camp, Cold Winter Squad members arrive, their tones still laced with disbelief.
Before departure, everyone considered running big rigs for two years to save enough funds to form their own convoy.
Unexpectedly, just shortly into the trip, they directly acquired the Autumn Moon Squad.
"Standard fare, running big rigs often goes like this. Facing infections, it’s not surprising for the leader to change seven or eight times in one trip; the key is the team’s people. Boss Li was also free-handed the convoy from the previous captain."
Yun Wei also laughs, although her genuine happiness comes not from acquiring the convoy, but from Xia Dong’s conduct earlier.
For a fleeting moment, the man who once shone like a meteor seemed to return, though more composed and sharp than ever.
"Yun Wei is right, we didn’t gain the convoy through internal strife; so many witnesses here, wherever we go can withstand inspection, yet... this is a good start!"
Xia Dong grins broadly, since deciding to return, his luck has never faltered.
Has the fortune accumulated after these years of dormancy started to surface?
"Will we return to Happiness City after the trade?"
"Yes, absolutely returning."
Xia Dong nods firmly, looking toward Happiness City’s direction, "That’s our root. No matter how long we leave, we must go back."
"Moreover, Captain, I still owe a big favor to repay!"
...
