"This nutrient paste is really not nutritious, it just tricks your stomach. If you drink it every day, you'll end up falling sick sooner or later."
Taking the five coins, Uncle Dong shook his head and pulled out a small folding stool to sit opposite Cheng Ye.
"Your dad left you quite a bit, and now you're an Inspector too. Why bother with yourself? Isn't the next-door Meat Hall much better?"
"The Meat Hall?"
Cheng Ye shuddered, and some unpleasant memories flashed through his mind.
When he first arrived, he really got tricked by the name, but once he saw the menu, he rushed out without any hesitation.
The big meat was the affectionate nickname Happiness City residents had for 'cockroaches.'
Plates of big meat sandwiched in sugar wafers, heard they crunch crisply and are juicy when bitten!
But Cheng Ye decided that unless there was a life-threatening situation, he would eat it as little as possible, or avoid it altogether.
To get protein, nutrient paste extracted plant protein, the absorption wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.
"I'm not used to it, this is better."
"Well... after all, you grew up in the Inner City, where the worst is at least synthetic meat."
Uncle Dong's wrinkled eyes glanced at Cheng Ye, chewing on the sugar wafers, feeling a bit emotional.
"When you first came out, you wanted to die, who would've thought you'd adapt so quickly, just two months and you're starting to show the style of your dad."
"It's all because the environment forces people to be like this. There's nothing I can do, my dad also pushed himself like that back then."
Cheng Ye shrugged, pretending to be relaxed.
Since he arrived in this world and got familiar with it, he never forgot to keep his disguise, even in front of people he knew well; he would not show any weakness.
After all, in this man-eating wasteland, who knows if the next second, the person who will turn on you might be someone beside you.
The two chatted now and then.
The sun gradually declined in the west, and when the last bit of sunset was swallowed by the horizon, the Defense Communication suddenly vibrated.
[Liu Bi: Meet at the usual place, there's a surprise.]
"Brother B is calling me, Uncle Dong, I have to go now."
"Take care."
Pulling out a pendant to tie around his neck, Cheng Ye quickly left, walked through two blocks to the main road, and got on the only bus in the Buffer Zone.
This route connected the east and west ends, spanning the entire Buffer Zone.
Because it was an electric bus, during the flood season, the bus operated for free and had a lot of passengers.
Boarded at the Electronics Factory workers' community stop, got off at the training ground stop.
Cheng Ye stepped off, landing steadily.
A strong smell of gunpowder filled the air, and the greenhouse-like training ground in the distance was already lit up.
Not far from the bus stop, a bearded man wearing a tactical vest like a tower waved.
Cheng Ye couldn't help but smile.
If there's anyone he could trust in Happiness City, it would be the "Brother B" Liu Bi in front of him.
As Cheng Long's comrade in life and death, during their last field mission, Cheng Long risked his life to get Liu Bi out and entrusted his only son to this rough man.
"I haven't said what the surprise is today, and you're already smiling so happily?"
The two bumped their heads, Liu Bi wondered.
"Did someone tell you beforehand?"
"Huh?"
"I don't know, don't know why you're laughing."
Liu Bi smacked his lips a couple of times, took out a small half-bag of blackened jerky from his pocket, and dangled it in front of Cheng Ye, "Synthetic meat from the Inner City, I know you're not used to the big meat, specially got it for you."
"Don't be polite with me, I don't want to tell Old Cheng that his son starved to death."
"Thanks, Brother B." Cheng Ye didn't hold back. Such favors he could repay when he returned from field service alive, and if he was unlucky and died out there, at least it could be said Cheng Long covered for him.
He deftly took the jerky, pulled out a piece, and chewed it slowly, his tongue tasting a faint beef flavor.
Though synthetic meat had the word 'meat' in it, it was actually plant protein, just mixed with a bit of beef powder for flavor.
The wealthy in the Inner City wouldn't eat this, but in the Buffer Zone, it was a top-notch delicacy.
"Besides, from today until your field service is over, you'll get one hundred free bullets every day."
"What?"
"Don't be surprised, it's Old Ding's approval. The Harlem gang has been getting bolder, openly taking bribes from survivors to let them go. Old Ding is burning inside, fearing there might be actual action on the next field service, and many people might die."
When mentioning the east and west factions' struggle, Liu Bi's face turned somber.
Except when it comes to protecting the Inspectors' interests, the east and west factions are always fighting.
This is a situation the Happiness City higher-ups are happy to see. After all, the checkpoint's power has some influence, and if just one voice remained, managing would be somewhat tricky.
Now it was just right, with Ding Yishan at the forefront for the East and Harlem leading the West, their conflict was endless. A word from the higher-ups, and both would treat it like a decree from the old times.
"Increasing the specifications for external missions, won't I be doomed?"
Cheng Ye's face turned pale.
Even standard external missions are deadly enough, and if they further raise these specifications, getting caught in faction conflicts...
"Don't worry, with me protecting you, I'll make sure you die after everyone else."
This promise, though seemingly heartfelt, only served to diminish the little sense of security Cheng Ye had.
Upon entering the training ground, he quickly reached a state of heightened concentration.
Draw the gun, fire, shoot.
A hundred bullets were expended swiftly. Compared to some time ago, Cheng Ye had improved his score in shooting a pistol at a 25-meter target. He could now rapid-fire ten rounds with the bullet holes about fifteen centimeters apart, which is a level of 6-8 rings.
This score would definitely not be considered bad in modern times, qualifying as an amateur skilled shooter.
But in the Wasteland, this only earned a mild "not bad" from Liu Bi.
"You're quite smart; your learning ability actually far surpasses others. You can quickly imitate my posture to about sixty percent of my level. But shooting doesn't really need much intelligence. In fact, being a bit dull makes it easier to succeed. Take the action of handling recoil, for instance. You always instinctively preempt, thinking you can calculate the ballistic trajectory..."
"But a fool like me..." Liu Bi suddenly drew his pistol and fired ten rounds in quick succession. "I only focus on smashing all my strength into the gunstock the moment I pull the trigger, pounding the recoil into the ground like I'm hammering the earth."
Cheng Ye stared at the target holes, pupils narrowing. The dispersion of ten bullets was no more than five centimeters, essentially at an all ten rings level. In modern times, this would definitely be Olympic-level competence.
Yet he had clearly mimicked Liu Bi's posture and firing technique, so why was there such a large gap?
"Do you know why Old Ding never assigns the meritorious big jobs to those smart guys from Harlem?"
Liu Bi suddenly lowered his voice. "Two months ago in the old city, three young men were all taken out by a tentacle monster that spits acid. That damn thing didn't attack based on the strategies those smart guys developed."
Then he yanked open his tactical vest, revealing the ghastly claw marks on his chest: "And this scar, I took it for your old man. We all calculated that the Infected Body wouldn't hear the gunshots, yet that bastard had sharp ears. So, do you think the rules of the Wasteland are set for people who can formulate equations?"
"What should I do?"
"Forget the technique, don't use your brain. Let your muscles remember the feel of recoil impact, which is a thousand times more useful than figuring out the parabolic trajectory with your mind."
Easier said than done.
Cheng Ye nodded dully; he wasn't sure if he could eventually learn Liu Bi's methods.
But he understood one thing: until he completed an external mission and overcame his fear of the Wasteland, he could not afford to abandon his intelligence and become a mindless brute.
Because the only thing he could rely on was his mind.
"Shooting's done. Now let's train for close combat."
The sound of fists and feet striking filled the air. Cheng Ye attacked, while Liu Bi defended.
Frustration welled inside Cheng Ye, driving him to punch and kick wildly, but he still couldn't break through the defenses.
If it weren't for the fear of hurting his pride, Cheng Ye suspected Liu Bi could fend off all attacks with just one hand.
That damned brute, this damned Wasteland!
Soon, Cheng Ye was gasping for air, his body exhausted, and only then did Liu Bi shout for a stop.
"You're making progress. I can already feel your anger. Yes, let your rage take over in battle, not that useless reason!"
"Consider me your enemy. Rip into me, take me down, that's the only way to improve!"
The theory that anything can be solved by a brute force approach.
Cheng Ye didn't argue back; he had already realized the genetic disparity. Modern people and Wastelanders had taken completely different paths in gene development.
The former excelled in using their brains and dealing with people.
The latter excelled in combat and at intimating with Infected Bodies.
For instance, Cheng Ye could pick up on survivor interrogation in the quarantine zone within two months, whereas Liu Bi couldn't claim proficiency even after over a decade.
His innate combat genes were pitifully weak. Compared to Liu Bi, he was a complete academic laggard. To close the genetic gap, he needed effort, and more effort!
"Training is over for today. Rest well tonight. I've arranged for you to skip the morning shift tomorrow."
Unrestricted leave is one of the perks of an iron rice bowl.
Liu Bi's home was in the fertilizer plant residential area further east. The two separated at the bus stop, boarding buses heading in opposite directions.
As the scenery outside the window rapidly receded, Cheng Ye felt the nameless fire in his chest continue to burn, growing ever fiercer!
The sense of helplessness of being unable to match even one hand with both of his kept him constantly imagining, what if the Infected Bodies were as strong as Liu Bi?
Surrender?
No, I have to survive, I need to go home, I cannot die nameless in this Wasteland!
Become stronger.
I want to become stronger!
I must become stronger!
Countless voices shouted in Cheng Ye's heart, making him unconsciously tighten his grip on the pendant hanging around his neck.
After tonight, the Collector can finally be activated.
Useless junk, since you brought me to the Wasteland, better be of some use!
...