Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 96 - 71: Community Support, the Power of the Collective!
"But as the environment becomes more stable, if we want to eat meat, we still have to charge forward and snatch food from others’ bowls... If we really do this, the community will fall apart, because the easiest targets are always the familiar people around us."
Elder Qu’s words left Cheng Ye slightly stunned.
Indeed, he had just been pondering the response of the Celestial Essence Community to the disaster’s arrival, without considering whether the Celestial Essence Community’s usual development was smooth.
The influence of ideology not only manifests at times like this but also silently permeates every corner of daily life.
No wonder Elder Qu would say there’s no distinction between good or bad, nor is it easy to rank them.
Different periods have their advantages; we cannot only look at the performance of a particular stage.
"Why did you come here?"
"To take a look."
Cheng Ye nodded and spoke honestly, "I live nearby. I heard there might be an infection wave at the Celestial Essence Mall, so I came to see the situation."
"I understand."
Elder Qu nodded, "My surname is Song. For years, everyone has called me Elder Song. My real name... I haven’t used it for a long time."
"Elder Song, no need to be polite. You are already a living fossil of the Buffer Zone."
"Haha, Inspector Cheng, you really know how to joke."
Even though Cheng Ye praised him, and he could only see his eyes, Elder Song laughed heartily.
To make it to today, to unite over four thousand people, whether it’s genuine or a disguise.
He indeed only needs to look into one’s eyes to see through most of it.
"Since Inspector Cheng lives nearby and is willing to come over, I have a presumptuous request. May I speak?"
"Go ahead."
Cheng Ye took a deep breath, actually already guessing what Elder Song wanted to say.
As expected.
Elder Song stumbled and bent over, and the other two Elders also bowed.
Under Cheng Ye’s gaze, he spoke sincerely: "To be honest, the infection wave is coming. This is the only way for the Celestial Essence Community to survive, and it’s the key to proving our collective ideology’s success. As long as the community is still here after tonight, and the model proves successful, we can continue to promote this ideology and recruit new members."
"Lord Cheng, though our Celestial Essence Community lacks capable fighters, everyone is a good worker. We can gather three hundred people for you to command, to clear the imminent threat in Zone B-7. Afterward, we’ll take only forty percent of the Contribution Points to repair the mall, and the remaining sixty percent will belong to you."
"If Elder Song has such intentions, why doesn’t the community organize its manpower?"
Cheng Ye paused and asked.
Elder Song was visibly taken aback, then shook his head, his gaze somewhat wandering, "We can’t organize; the group struggles to produce a leader. We need someone to follow to form combat strength. Thirty years ago, when Happiness City was just established, I could carry a gun and hold off hundreds of Infected Bodies alone."
"The two brothers beside me are also warriors who crawled out from the infection wave, which is why over four thousand people trust and are willing to fight for our ideology."
"But today, I’m old, and the two of them... are also old. Can was my chosen successor, but he didn’t make it to take over."
"Hmm."
Cheng Ye nodded, suddenly feeling an illusion that he was recruiting soldiers in ancient times.
No wonder even the mighty Imperial Uncle Liu claimed to be a descendant of Zhongshan King Jing when starting out. Now, wearing the Inspector title also seems to carry some similar appeal.
He just hadn’t expected the Celestial Essence Mall to be like this before he came, and the people inside could maintain a special ideology even in the Wasteland.
"I’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, you all still need to guard the mall well."
"Inspector Cheng, rest assured, while we may not be as good as other communities outside, as for defending home..."
Elder Qu grinned, suddenly confident, "This is our specialty; there aren’t many communities within the Buffer Zone stronger than us."
...
"Sir, if you don’t come out soon, we’ll have to go in."
Seeing Cheng Ye finally walk out of the mall, the guards at the checkpoint breathed a sigh of relief.
They couldn’t help but be nervous. Who could know that after verifying his identity, the checkpoint’s headquarters sent a message instructing them to ensure Inspector Cheng’s safety at all costs?
What to do?
Fortunately, the Celestial Essence Community is usually quite stable, with no major incidents in many years.
In a more tumultuous community, they might have already gone in to check the situation.
"Thank you."
Cheng Ye took out his Defense Communication and checked the time, ten minutes to nine-thirty.
Curfew time had begun, and in half an hour, the guards would also be withdrawn.
"Will the Blood Dragon Corps station troops in every area upon arrival?"
"No," the guard shook his head and explained, "because of the zoning, the main role of the Blood Dragon Corps is to prevent contagious infection waves. They will prioritize deploying troops to large outbreak areas to prevent the Infected Bodies from spilling into other areas and causing a chain reaction."
"If the infection wave in Zone B-7 isn’t particularly severe, the pressure might be smaller, yet greater."
The guard’s words were somewhat contradictory, but the meaning was clear.
There won’t be a large-scale infection wave, nor should one expect soldiers to come in for support anytime soon.
For ordinary residents hoping for salvation from the Blood Dragon Corps, it might be disappointing.
But it must be said, it aligns well with Cheng Ye’s expectations.
Compared to having corridors full of Infected Bodies and the corps’ firepower spreading across an entire area, stray bullets flying everywhere.
As long as there aren’t too many Infected Bodies, with his current strength, he’s indeed not afraid.
