Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 231 - 111: The Fog Cave Opens Again, Firewood Shelter City!
For a moment, he was at a loss for words, unsure of how to describe the taste.
Cheng Ye simply leaned over the pot and tried a bit himself.
Hmm.
How to describe it?
It was a bit like the yak meat he had eaten in Western Chuan, naturally carrying a special aroma.
But this aroma wasn’t the fragrance of meat, but a rich floral and herbal scent.
"So delicious, and it can actually survive in Flower Province?"
Cheng Ye couldn’t help but be amazed.
By right, in the wasteland, mutant beasts that are tasty and lacking a hard shell should have been nearly hunted to extinction by scavengers.
Even ant wolves are a delicacy on scavenger tables.
It seems that in Flower Province, this kind of Yaksha Bull must be rare and a rare species.
Unexpectedly, after traversing the Fog Cave to the station, six of them came all at once.
"Flower Province?"
Engineer Liu came over, "That side of Flower Province is sparsely populated, because it borders the quarantine zone, and in recent years, I’ve only heard of people migrating elsewhere, never anyone going there."
"No wonder."
Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow and said no more.
Four pots, one stewing meat, the other boiling fish soup.
The remaining two pots were surrounded by people, who simply dipped thinly sliced raw beef into the boiling water, and once the edges curled slightly, fished it out and stuffed it in their mouths while hot.
For those accustomed to heavy flavors, this kind of eating felt a bit bland.
But after drinking a lot of nutrient paste, the chewy beef upon hitting the palate was so fragrant it made their eyes widen.
In the spice bag brought by Master Zhang, there was chili powder. Cheng Ye pinched a bit and dipped it in, but felt the spiciness ruined the Yaksha Bull beef’s inherent fresh aroma, so he put down the spice dish and ate it plain.
"Eat as much as you can, we’ll give you some to take away when you leave."
Cheng Ye said this, and while everyone said they didn’t dare, their chopsticks did not stop.
Steam boiled under the light, turning all their faces red.
Engineer Liu enthusiastically shared amusing stories gathered from the construction site, and Long took the opportunity to talk about interesting things that happened in the regiment while building docks. In his youth, Master Zhang drove long-distances everywhere and also chimed in with strange stories from surrounding provinces.
Only Cheng Ye and the two apprentices were listening, but the latter’s eyes were fixated on the meat in the pot, hardly paying attention to the conversation.
Outside.
The fog seemed to thicken again, and even the spotlight on the rest hall only projected a short beam, with visibility continuously decreasing.
They ate for nearly two hours, and it was almost midnight.
Finally, everyone, satisfied, put down their chopsticks, rubbing their round bellies.
The two apprentices, slumped against their chairbacks, were too tired to speak, with broth still lingering on their lips.
"Long, cook some more beef and take it back for Elder Qu to try."
"Alright."
Long immediately got up, skillfully adding water to the pot, and threw in two large chunks of meat.
As for the 85 bags of dried salted fish, Cheng Ye had no intention of distributing them.
This stuff keeps well, good for winter reserves, and should be stored away.
But Yaksha Bull beef is different; it must be eaten fresh and spoils easily, better to share it while it’s fresh.
"Engineer Liu, you and your apprentices each take a piece home for your families to enjoy."
Engineer Liu quickly waved his hand, "How can I accept this, I’ve already eaten so much of your food..."
"Take it."
Cheng Ye placed a hefty ten-pound piece of meat aside, "Revising the blueprints is brain work, you’ll need the nourishment."
The other two apprentices got slightly less, five pounds each.
Additionally, two large chunks, each twenty pounds, were cut for Luo Xiaoxue and Miao Yang.
"Long, take the rest back and treat the residents to some meat."
"Thank you on behalf of everyone, Inspector Cheng."
Long replied cheerfully, refraining from pleasantries with outsiders present.
"Alright, you all keep eating, I’m going for a walk to get some fresh air, I’m sweating from all this eating."
Cheng Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushed open the door, and headed towards the bus.
The hall was steamy, and with the animated conversation earlier, his back was soaked, and the cool air felt refreshing.
Moreover, just now, the pendant finally indicated a recharge complete, the first time since its activation that the charging value was full.
If it’s just a level 1 skill, it’s enough for five searches.
Even using all the charging value to search for items should significantly increase the success rate.
"If I can’t find it even now, it just proves I’m still far behind the Extraordinary."
He took out the pendant and reconnected it to the bus for charging.
A thud sounded.
The charging station activated, and as he was about to walk back to the hall for a break, he abruptly stopped, his expression turning cold.
Unbeknownst to him, the dense fog had once again enveloped the parking lot.
Just while charging, visibility had dropped below fifty meters, and even the bus charging farther away had become a vague outline.
But what truly made his heart sink was the direction of the Public Works Bureau.
The thick clouds swallowed up all three buildings, including the rest hall, now vanished in the mist.
"This never-ending cycle, coming for me again?"
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Cheng Ye’s eyes as he forcefully opened the bus door and began assembling components from his backpack.
A few clicks.
Two long guns were quickly assembled, their heavy bodies pressed firmly in his hands, with extra magazines deftly clipped to his belt.
From within the mist came a faint rustling sound, like something scraping the ground, or perhaps an auditory illusion.
"Starting tomorrow, it’s going to be necessary to wear battle armor to and from work."
Cheng Ye took a deep breath, his display flashing in the upper right of his view.
Dragon Power unloaded, freeing up a slot to equip the Iron Body for a pseudo-Embrace the Embryo state.
Alighting from the bus, left hand grasping the Ranger upside down, right hand holding Thunder 1, he calmly approached the rest hall.
Forget about Yaksha Bulls or mutant beasts; even Advanced Fusion Bodies would face a barrage of suppressive fire first.
Upon entering the Fog Cave, he felt a faint tugging sensation, as if unseen hands were gently pulling at his clothes.
But after two more steps, the pulling sensation vanished, replaced by a peculiar pushing force, as if a palm was pressing against his back.
The further he walked, the stronger the pushing force, though before Cheng Ye felt uncomfortable.
Buzz.
A ripple flashed, and the pushing force disappeared completely, the dense fog seemingly parted by an unseen hand, with visibility increasing severalfold.
The scene before him cleared up.
Inside the rest hall, Long, Engineer Liu, and a group of young men huddled together, not in the expected state of emergency, but instead, curiously crowded along the side wall opposite the door.
Hearing footsteps behind them, they turned to see Cheng Ye entering with guns in hand, finally reacting.
"Sir, this... this rest hall has opened a Fog Cave!"
"Fog Cave?!"
Cheng Ye’s heart tightened, following Long’s gesture with his gaze.
An enormous elliptical cleft had ripped open the side wall, over three meters high, nearly reaching the ceiling, and spreading across the wall, no less than five meters long.
The edges of the cleft shimmered with a faint white mist, like a layer of flowing gauze, with a clear-cut passage carved through the middle, clearly visible with the scenery on the opposite side.
On the other side was a wide cement street, lined with bright streetlights, and walls covered in deep green vines, exuding a vitality absent from Happiness City.
Even more astonishingly, several people crowded the opposite side of the passage, wearing clean gray-blue uniforms, peering curiously and nervously through the Fog Cave, their faces reflecting the same curiosity and apprehension.
Their expressions indicated they’ve already exchanged a round of simple messages.
"A Shelter City?"
"Yes!" Engineer Liu nodded emphatically, his tone a mix of sudden realization and excitement.
"They say they are... from Firewood Shelter City!"
...
