"I wished for a stable 'iron rice bowl' job, but I didn't say it had to be in a wasteland!"
How did I end up crossing over?
At the age of 26, during a graduate reunion, spurred on by friends, Cheng Ye half-jokingly made a wish: to quickly find a high-paying, stable "iron rice bowl."
Who knew that upon waking, he would have crossed into this post-apocalyptic Shelter City called 'Happiness City.'
His predecessor's father was an inspector in Happiness City and unfortunately perished on an external mission.
According to the rules, the original owner, who had lived in the Inner City from a young age, had to leave the high walls and come to the Buffer Zone to inherit his father's job, but within just one day, he committed suicide due to overwhelming fear.
By the time Cheng Ye woke up, he had become the third-generation inheritor of this "inspector" identity.
Fortunately, an inspector indeed counts as an iron rice bowl.
During the three-month intern protection period without needing to go on external missions, as long as you don't risk your life, the chance of death is low.
"In just half a month, I'll have to go on external missions, in such a scenario, I must... get used to it quickly."
Staring at Edmond, who had gradually stopped convulsing, Cheng Ye sighed heavily, finally suppressing the nausea surging in his stomach.
"There's also... activation!"
Raising his hand to grasp the star-shaped pendant on his chest, Cheng Ye's vision flickered, and a virtual interface that only he could see popped up.
[Civilization Collector]
[Current Activation Progress: 97.4%]
The interface shimmered with a faint blue light, like a gentle wave, calming Cheng Ye's previously anxious mood slightly.
This pendant was one of the legacies left by the predecessor's father.
Unfortunately, the predecessor was too frightened to discover this secret; it was only when Cheng Ye was going through the belongings that he accidentally brushed it off, and it got stuck in a power strip, revealing that this pendant could absorb electricity, thereby activating this mysterious interface.
"I hope this thing is useful after it activates, otherwise I'll be in trouble."
Cheng Ye silently prayed in his heart.
For someone who has experienced the information explosion of modern times, keeping watch at the gate and chatting up people isn't difficult, but engaging in real combat with infected entities is daunting for him.
After all, the infected entities in this world are nothing like those zombies in American movies, who rely solely on blood and screams to hold the scene; except when they form a corpse tide, they have little combat power and even a single one can be easily taken out by an adult.
In this wasteland world, even the most ordinary infection source, like the tentacle that a sentry just blew the head off, can resurrect a dead human on the spot.
As long as no one declares them 'deceased,' these infected corpses can walk, talk, and live in human society like normal people until the infection source within them accumulates enough power to trigger a second massive infection.
And as for the stronger infection sources, like the 'Dandelion,' once they die, they instantly release spores covering two kilometers, and even inhaling one micron of the spores would turn a human into a new infected entity.
Compared to this level of intensity, if given a choice, Cheng Ye would prefer a cheat like 'hundred-times rewards' or 'cultivation obtained from attendance,' or at the very least 'two-world gates' or 'infinite upgrade systems.'
But reality is harsh, and what seems to be a cheat 'Civilization Collector,' these words sound overly simplistic.
Speaking of simplicity.
In the distance, the sound of footsteps approached; four cleanup crew members with bare upper bodies appeared to need these two words more.
No protective suits and no weapons, they only had a body bag, a shovel, and a containment box for the infection source.
The four chatted and laughed; first, they opened the iron cage and killed the still-twitching Edmond with the shovel, then casually grabbed the suction-covered tentacle with their bare hands, stuffing it haphazardly into the containment box.
Once they were finished, while the other three cleaned the isolation cage, the leader turned his head and said with a grin, "Inspector Cheng, the specific contribution point rewards will be the same as usual; they will be credited to your personal account after we determine the infection stage."
"Okay, thank you, everyone... have a drink on me."
Cheng Ye nodded lightly, then fished out two coin-sized caps from his pocket and lightly tossed them over.
The man caught them, his smile widening even further, though he still said, "How could I accept this?"
"Flynn, let's not be polite between us; just help me clean up faster next time."
"Consider it done; I'll definitely arrive first and not delay the inspector's work."
Flynn patted his chest, not caring that Edmond's blood plasma was sticking to his chest.
This roughness and "simplicity" made Cheng Ye's eyelids twitch, requiring quite a while to calm down.
And for the rest of the half-day.
Perhaps influenced by Edmond, the number of survivors opting for Conveyor 8 dwindled significantly.
For a continuous half-hour, no one came over, so Cheng Ye simply packed up the table and clocked off early.
What exactly is an iron rice bowl?
As an inspector, though he could never enter the Inner City again, he also gained many privileges.
Compared to inheriting his father's job, slacking off, leaving work early, accepting bribes... ahem, these can only be considered the appetizers.
Because he dealt with the infection source, when passing through the checkpoint, Cheng Ye made sure to follow the rules and reported his health status.
It didn't take much effort before the checkpoint manager 'Ding Yishan' took a second look at this young man.
"Not bad, this Cheng Ye... has his father's demeanor, efficient, decisive, knowing how to solve problems with his brain."
"Yes, and most importantly, he follows our rules!"
"It's just a pity his combat talent is too poor, and his courage is average. I wonder if he'll survive his first field operation." Deputy Manager Harlem shook his head.
He was responsible for combat training, and among all the rookies he's trained, Cheng Ye's performance was among the worst.
Sometimes, Harlem even felt like Cheng Ye was a human from the old era, getting startled by his own shots.
"Poor combat talent, isn't Liu Bi giving him special training?"
Ding Yishan frowned, a bit dissatisfied with Harlem's attitude, "How many times have I said we need to be more accommodating to newcomers? So, go tell Liu Bi that before going on an external mission, Cheng Ye has a daily quota of a hundred free training bullets, and these bullets are counted as public expenses of the checkpoint."
"Yes."
Harlem immediately agreed verbally, but after turning around, he smirked, a trace of undisguised disdain flashing in his eyes.
The station is divided between the Eastern and Western Factions. Since Cheng Ye's father, Cheng Long, died in a field operation, the Eastern Faction has lost a major player, and its influence has dwindled.
Ding Yishan is also muddled, frantically clutching at straws, considering supporting this greenhorn Cheng Ye.
With his little talent?
Not to mention a hundred rounds, even throwing ten thousand at him would be a waste.
Therefore, Harlem didn't bother to stop them.
Anyway, it's public expenses, let them use it. Would Happiness City's upper management miss these few bullets?
...
Passing through the quarantine area, entering the Buffer Zone.
The narrow streets are flanked by old residential buildings, crowded with pedestrian streets of vagrants, and malls converted into temporary shelters.
Compared to the colorful, neon-lit Inner City, this place still retains the look of the old era, but it gives Cheng Ye a very familiar and nostalgic feeling of the modern age.
After passing through several alleys, Cheng Ye sniffed his way back to his home located in this part of the Wasteland.
'Chaoyang Electronics Factory Staff District'
Despite the unimpressive name, it is one of the bona fide "mansions" of the Buffer Zone.
With a huge living space of 12 square meters per person, Cheng Ye can exercise within his room without worrying about squeezing into a space the size of a bathroom like the ordinary residents of the Buffer Zone, where families of four or five people live, hitting their heads when they get up at night.
At the entrance of the Staff District, there are three shops.
From left to right, there are 'Uncle Dong's Small Shop,' 'Big Meat Canteen,' and 'Resource Collection and Sale Station.'
The first two are personal stores, while the latter is one of the official Buffer Zone stores, responsible for recycling and selling rare resources.
"Uncle Dong, two packs of nutrient paste, and a pack of malt sugar."
Entering the small shop, Cheng Ye skillfully called out.
"By the way, my Defense Communication is out of power. I'll charge it here for now instead of going home."
"Go ahead. It's the rainy season recently, and electricity fees are waived temporarily."
Happiness City has a hydropower station for energy supply. It's currently the summer rainy season, with abundant electricity, so the upper management has decided to give some benefits, temporarily waiving electricity charges.
Cheng Ye took out his Defense Communication, which resembled an old mobile phone, connected it to the power strip, and then unobtrusively removed a pendant, inserting it into a slot, with the Defense Communication pressing on it.
The pendant, discovered over two months ago, requires 2000 kWh of electricity to be activated, based on the percentage and consumption conversion.
Only Happiness City could manage this. Other Shelter Cities would probably take at least a year and a half to gather such a number.
To prevent the large power consumption from being noticed, Cheng Ye was very cautious. Aside from initially charging it entirely at home, he later only found excuses to charge the Defense Communication in small shops, connecting the pendant to "steal electricity" in the process.
The shop's wires are mostly 2.5 square meters, with the pendant charging about 2 kWh per hour, quite efficient.
Now only 50 kWh is needed to activate it. Charging it at home tonight should meet the activation conditions by tomorrow morning.
"Here you go, two packs of nutrient paste, one pack of malt sugar. Cheng, you can just give three Happiness Coins."
Uncle Dong, an old warrior within Happiness City, about fifty-five years old, chose to retire due to an injured right arm that couldn't hold a gun.
"How can that be fair? Outside, the minimum is five coins. Even though you're familiar with my dad, you should earn what you deserve."
Cheng Ye took the nutrient paste, which resembled blood plasma, twisted it open, drinking while taking out the money to pay.
Happiness Coin is the currency circulating in Happiness City, used for food, rent, and other daily life needs, different from scarce Contribution Points. His father had left nearly five thousand when he died, more than enough for him to spend lavishly.
Besides, the Inspector's monthly salary is five hundred coins, which is more than enough for just one person!
...