Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 285: Black Zone Secrets, Liu Bi's Belief!

At a certain moment, Cheng Ye suddenly realized that his previous understanding of Liu Bi had been far too shallow.When they first met, Liu Bi seemed like an honest, reliable older brother. He sometimes acted with a reckless, headstrong drive that made it easy for others to dismiss him as simple-minded.

However, as Cheng Ye grew more familiar with the Inspection Station and came into contact with numerous High-Tier Inspectors—whether it was Third-Stage Western Inspectors like Matthew Li and Luo Kuke, or Eastern Inspectors like Song Hai, Gu Xinjing, and Zhang Wen—he noticed a pattern.

Without exception, while their individual combat strength might vary significantly, they all possessed incredibly resilient and formidable willpower.

This mental fortitude acted as a clear dividing line, sharply separating them from the Phase One and Phase Two Inspectors.

Since Liu Bi was an even higher-ranking Fourth-Stage Investigator, how could he possibly just be a brainless brute?

Pondering the nuances, Cheng Ye felt even more convinced that Liu Bi was far from simple.

Most of the other Inspectors who followed Cheng Long cared very little for their own bloodlines and descendants. Liu Bi was the sole exception. He always cared deeply for his family, and his dedication to the Inspection Station never changed his attitude toward them.

What was even rarer was that at the critical juncture when Cheng Long prepared to do something big, Liu Bi decisively chose to part ways with him, yet still retained Cheng Long's complete trust. Cheng Long had felt comfortable entrusting his final affairs to Liu Bi, even leaving behind those intriguing words.

Such discretion and capability were absolutely beyond the reach of an ordinary person.

As for the words Cheng Long had left behind...

Pioneer?

One had to become a Wish-Guarding Transcendent to cross that critical threshold?

Cheng Ye could not help but fall into a moment of reverie. Compared to the impoverished imagination of the Wastelanders, his mind, armed with modern knowledge, brimmed with much richer ideas.

Even if he had not read many sci-fi novels, those two sentences gave him a strong sense of an Inner World and an Outer World.

'Could it be that one can only truly step into that hidden Inner World when their spiritual power reaches a specific level?'

But the moment this thought emerged, Cheng Ye rejected it.

The Walker also fell into the category of a Wish-Guarding Transcendent. With formidable strength and bizarre abilities, he had single-handedly altered the landscape of Happiness City. The farmer who had previously influenced Master Tian also resided in the Black Zone, and beyond them, many other Wish-Guarding Transcendents lingered there as well.

These individuals had not completely vanished from human sight or retreated into some so-called Inner World. Instead, they remained in reality, stubbornly following the Obsession from their past lives and doing things that ordinary people could not comprehend.

Even the extremely powerful Tan Ming was a Wish-Guarding Transcendent, and he had not vanished into an Inner World either.

This proved that merely becoming a Wish-Guarding Transcendent was fundamentally different from the goal Cheng Long had so desperately pursued.

Since An Xingfu, Cheng Wu, and all humanity hoping to end the Wasteland Era were grouped onto the same path by Cheng Long...

'Could this path have some secret connection with the mysterious Giant Creatures and the Starship?'

"The City Lord, An Xingfu... is he also a Wish-Guarding Transcendent?" Cheng Ye asked aloud, unable to suppress his astonishment.

"In the Inspection Station, the only ones who have ever seen the City Lord are your grandfather and your father," Liu Bi replied, shaking his head with a firm tone. "No one else, not even Station Master Ding, has had the chance to meet the City Lord."

Liu Bi emphasized the word chance, clearly implying a deeper meaning.

"Then what about the rumors outside claiming the City Lord was robbed and killed?"

"Hah, you actually believe that?" Liu Bi sneered, his tone brimming with disdain. "It's just the people Brother Long disciplined back in the day taking advantage of his absence. They're deliberately spreading rumors to ruin his reputation. If we brought it out into the open, which of them would dare say it to our faces?"

He paused before continuing, "The City Lord and your grandfather are from the same era. Back then, your grandfather handled external affairs, single-handedly managing the expansion of the shelter city. An Xingfu handled internal affairs, overseeing the city's internal administration. Outsiders only know that Cheng Wu defected with the High-Tier Inspectors of the Inspection Station, but no one knows that when he left, An Xingfu went with him. This massive Happiness City was built entirely by the two of them working together. Their bond is deep; how could they separate so easily?"

"In the years that followed, although there was no news of your grandfather, the City Lord would indeed send back a sentence or two every few years. These messages served only one purpose: to prove he was still alive."

Liu Bi's voice grew heavy. "Until last year, when he sent another message, demanding that every faction in Happiness City send personnel to the Black Zone to help him complete an extremely important task. According to the rules, the Inspection Station didn't need to participate, but Brother Long took his people and set off anyway. It was the exact opportunity he had been waiting for all those years."

"However, the rumors of robbery aren't entirely baseless," Liu Bi added. "The item the City Lord needed was indeed taken by Brother Long. But immediately after, the City Lord sent a message explicitly stating that he wouldn't pursue the matter."

The information dropped by Liu Bi was far more explosive than Cheng Ye could have imagined.

'When Cheng Wu left back then, he actually dragged the City Lord, An Xingfu, along with him?'

'Doesn't that mean Happiness City has effectively been without a City Lord for over twenty years?'

'Cheng Wu, who managed the outside, left. An Xingfu, who managed the inside, left. And the Elders below them have just been steering Happiness City forward all this time?'

"The Black Zone... could it be the A-1 Black Zone?" Cheng Ye's heart stirred, and he could not help but ask.

If this matter was tied to the Starship, it would make tracking down the clues much clearer.

But Liu Bi's next words dashed his expectations.

"No, it's the E5 Black Zone. You have to go to Hai Province first, then take a boat halfway across the globe to get there."

E5...

A map flashed through Cheng Ye's mind. The location of the E5 Black Zone perfectly matched Antarctica, the very place the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch originated from.

This Black Zone gradually spread outward from Dome A, which was the highest point of the Antarctic ice sheet.

As one of the quietest and darkest regions on Earth, even in the technologically advanced modern era, it had only a handful of scattered research stations. No ordinary person had ever truly set foot there.

But as for how terrifying it was, the extreme low temperatures there were only around minus eighty degrees Celsius.

For a Transcendent, this hardly seemed like an insurmountable death trap. It was at least much easier to deal with than Mount Everest, which Yu Yong had once climbed.

Yet, for some reason, Cheng Ye's heart suddenly sank.

He abruptly remembered the bizarre nightmare he had experienced when affected by the Mental Pollution of the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch.

In the dream, he had become a pitiful miner. A blinding white light suddenly exploded across the sky, and all the miners in the quarry were instantly vaporized, leaving not a single trace behind...

'Could it be that the terrifying explosion had nothing to do with the Immortal Item at all, but was instead tied to another monumental catastrophe?'

Noticing the constant shifts in Cheng Ye's expression—fluctuating between solemnity and absentmindedness—Liu Bi quickly urged in a low voice, "Before Brother Long left, did he say anything special to you?"

Seeing Cheng Ye stay silent instead of answering immediately, Liu Bi's tone grew even more serious. "If he mentioned any crucial information to you, you must take it to your grave. You absolutely cannot tell a soul. Not me, not your future wife, not your children—no one. Just pretend you never heard those words and forget them completely."

"Brother B, don't worry," Cheng Ye nodded gently, understanding what Liu Bi meant.

Cognition itself was a curse. If one's strength could not match the secrets they knew, those secrets would only bring endless suffering.

Cheng Long had left in too much of a hurry. He hadn't even had the time to enter the Inner City to see the original owner of this body before hastily setting off.

But he had indeed left behind something incredible: a fate-altering Civilization Collector.

'Connecting this to what Liu Bi just said about Cheng Long taking the item An Xingfu needed... could he have taken the Collector?'

'No, these Relics were cleared out of Cheng Long's room. They were just meaningless, scattered trinkets. It was precisely because they were so inconspicuous that they smoothly passed the Inspection Station's screening and reached my hands. They weren't specially brought back by someone from a distant Black Zone...'

Countless thoughts raced through his mind. Considering that the Starship organization could master portal-like technology similar to the Void Mist...

'If Cheng Long really wanted to send the Civilization Collector back from the Black Zone, it wouldn't be impossible.'

In that moment, a myriad of thoughts intertwined in Cheng Ye's mind.

His nature of planning carefully before acting ensured he never easily overlooked any minor detail that might harbor critical information.

When he activated the Collector, a prompt indicated that tens of thousands of people had attempted to activate it before, yet he was the only one who matched the traits and successfully turned it on.

'What exactly is this trait?'

'Could it be the very threshold Cheng Long risked everything to cross?'

Regardless of what earth-shattering secrets hid behind all this, a seed of curiosity had long since taken root in Cheng Ye's heart.

He faintly sensed that all the secrets responsible for the wasteland were hidden within those Black Zones—areas sealed off by humanity and frequently haunted by Wish-Guarding Transcendents.

It was just that ordinary Inspectors lacked the qualifications to step inside, while powerful Transcendents were bound by various Beliefs and rules. Even an expert like Tan Ming could only slumber deep underground.

One day in the future, when he possessed enough strength to contend with those Wish-Guarding Transcendents, he would definitely step into the Black Zone himself to unearth the truths of civilization.

'Just like how Cheng Long—or perhaps Cheng Wu back in the day—planted the seed of curiosity in Cheng Long's heart using this exact same method?'

"If your strength is sufficient in the future and you truly want to set off in pursuit of the path Brother Long mentioned, Brother B won't stop you," Liu Bi's voice interrupted Cheng Ye's contemplation. His tone was peaceful. "Just like back then, I didn't stop Brother Long, but rather supported his departure."

After speaking, he let out a heavy sigh, a trace of resolve in his voice. "But I still won't go with you."

"So what is the real reason you parted ways with my father?"

Liu Bi lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment.

When he looked up again, all the complex emotions in his eyes had faded, leaving only a tranquil calm as he uttered three simple words:

"Process and outcome."

He paused before explaining further:

"My divergence with Brother Long started many years ago. What he truly chased was the process, not the outcome. Except for me, none of the people following him cared whether they would ultimately succeed or not. They firmly believed that as long as they stepped onto that path and took action, success or failure didn't matter—it was a grand attempt, a magnificent pioneering effort. In their eyes, working purely for a predetermined outcome carried heavy utilitarian motives. And the moment they encountered setbacks, people would easily lose their fighting spirit, ultimately sinking into an inescapable Dead Loop."

'Hm?'

Cheng Ye was taken aback. 'Doesn't that sound exactly like he's bashing Yu Yong's code of conduct?'

If Cheng Long represented a process-oriented idealism that viewed the action itself as the entirety of its meaning—where the value of pioneering and attempting far outweighed ultimate success or failure in his eyes...

Then Yu Yong was the exact opposite. He adhered to an outcome-only utilitarianism, where the result was the absolute yardstick by which he measured the value of any action.

'Following this logic, does Liu Bi share Yu Yong's mindset? Does he also care only about the outcome?'

"I know you're curious about what Brother B's Belief is. It's actually very simple. Just a few words..."

Liu Bi paused, then slowly uttered, "The unity of self and the world!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he let out a bitter laugh, a faint trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes. "My master, Mr. Xiacang, once said I was the purest martial artist he had ever met, and that I might forge a narrow path humanity had never walked before. But after all these years, I honestly can't tell if the path I'm on now has strayed off course, or if I was walking the wrong way from the very beginning."

'It's actually this Belief?'

'Good heavens!'

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't the unity of self and the world the Daoist concept of forgetting both self and matter to follow the natural flow of all things?

This was ten, if not a hundred times more abstract than Jiang Chuan's Belief in protection.

Such a Belief required a person to act in accordance with the intrinsic laws of things while also calmly accepting whatever outcome arrived. It meant allowing actions to return to the purest form of self-actualization, rather than chasing external labels or predetermined goals.

Ultimately, it was more like a spiritual state one had to constantly strive toward, rather than a tangible goal that could be specifically quantified.

Besides, living in this world meant being entangled by all sorts of mundane affairs.

When doing things, one would either immerse themselves in the joys and sorrows of the process, using those emotions to gain momentum, or hyper-fixate on the merits and faults of the outcome, hoping to earn the recognition of others.

To thoroughly cast aside these Obsessions and return to one's true nature was no less difficult than making a raging river flow backward or forcing the rising sun to set in the east.

"I understand," Cheng Ye said thoughtfully. "So, your separation from my father wasn't due to a clash of Beliefs. It was because you were unwilling to participate in that endeavor and actively chose to fall behind. Is that right?"

"That's right," Liu Bi nodded. "Brother Long never thought of forcing me to go with him. He knew very well that if he forced me to do things against my true nature, I would only slowly lose myself and eventually become a mediocre, ordinary person. And if he wanted people like that, he could easily gather hundreds or thousands of them with a wave of his hand."

He let out a soft breath, his tone holding a hint of relief. "In the half a year since Brother Long left, I've slowly figured out a few things. Although I've tried my best to strip away external Obsessions and allowed my spirit, body, and surrounding environment to reach a state of reconciliation, the place I reside in is ultimately no utopia. There are many things I genuinely need to do and complete myself; only then will it count as reconciliation in the truest sense."

These words were incredibly convoluted. Perhaps even he hadn't fully figured out what exactly he was supposed to do.

Because he always acted according to his true nature. The moment a thought formed in his mind, he would immediately put it into action without a shred of hesitation.

Knowing that Yu Yong's existence might pose an anomaly, he had rushed over immediately to investigate the situation.

Upon discovering that Yu Yong was an Infected Body, he had instantly taken action to handle him according to the containment protocols.

As for whether his actions were right or wrong?

Neither the Inspector's code nor his own true nature was bound by such mundane concepts.

However, applying this style of behavior to concrete matters inevitably made him seem reckless, completely lacking the ability to adapt or maneuver around obstacles.

Looking at it this way, if one wanted to make good use of Liu Bi, they had to cater to his pursuit of spiritual reconciliation.

For example, setting a clear goal for him—just as Station Master Ding had tasked him with coordinating the dispatch of supplies in the industrial zone. As for how he coordinated it or what methods he used, that had to be left entirely up to him, without excessive interference.

This not only required giving him a high degree of trust but also demanded that the person assigning the task be absolutely confident that Liu Bi was fully capable of completing it perfectly, while simultaneously refraining from meddling in his process.

Meanwhile, the monumental endeavor Cheng Long had set out to accomplish clearly harbored immense risks. Every single step required meticulous caution and comprehensive planning.

If someone as free-spirited as Liu Bi joined the team, a single mishandled step on his part could very well cause the entire plan to go up in smoke.

Liu Bi was well aware of this shortcoming himself. Therefore, even if he shared the desire to visit the Black Zone, he had never planned to go with Cheng Long.

It wasn't that he was unwilling; he was genuinely afraid from the bottom of his heart that he would drag the entire team down.

'He really is the pure and simple Brother B!'

Figuring this out, Cheng Ye breathed a sudden sigh of relief.

The fact that Liu Bi's Belief was so broad meant that the scope of what he could accept was extremely vast—he could even tolerate certain extreme situations.

The only difference lay in whether those things would go in one ear and out the other, or if he would take them to heart and truly attempt to accept them.

After all, since he could completely reconcile with himself, how could he fail to reconcile with the people and matters around him?

"Brother B, I think I can answer your question now."

"Hm?" Liu Bi looked up, the reminiscence in his eyes gradually fading away.

"If an Infection Source of immeasurable value were placed in front of me, I would absolutely never sacrifice anyone's life to preserve it. This is my principle, and it is my bottom line,"

Cheng Ye affirmed, before abruptly shifting his tone. "However, we cannot deny that this world is never short of people willing to sacrifice others for their goals. I imagine there is no shortage of such people inside Happiness City, am I right?"

Liu Bi froze for a moment, his expression flickering. It took a long while before he gave a muffled nod.

If Researchers encountered an Infection Source of such high value, they might genuinely choose to sacrifice a portion of people—even their own colleagues—just to preserve it for study.

Were those Researchers wrong?

They were doing it for their mission and their ideals. Even the victims themselves might have volunteered.

How could he possibly judge whether they were right or wrong? It was only when applied to the role of an Inspector that doing such a thing was wrong, as it would trigger an unimaginable crisis of trust.

"Then what do you think we should do? Keep a respectful distance from such people and never interact with them?"

"You're asking me?" Liu Bi was stunned for a second, then shook his head, replying frankly, "I don't know."

"Then let me tell you. My goal is very simple: to deeply study Infection Sources and achieve controllable cooperation with Infected Bodies like Yu Yong. Only by doing this can the probability of the sacrificial events we worry about become smaller and smaller, until they never occur in Happiness City again."

"You still want to cooperate with Infected Bodies?!" Liu Bi's voice abruptly pitched up.

"If we went on a field duty mission together, Brother B, would you be willing to entrust your back to me?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a trace of deliberate pressure.

After probing him, Cheng Ye discovered that compared to Luo Kuke, Liu Bi was actually the one who needed more molding. Furthermore, his Belief provided a foundation to alter his ingrained perceptions.

It was just a pity that Cheng Long likely had many capable people around him back then and hadn't thought to spend the effort to reform Liu Bi.

Or perhaps Cheng Long himself hadn't fully smoothed out certain ideas, leaving him naturally unable to convince others.

But when it came to categorizing Inspectors, restructuring the Inspection Station, and carrying out a series of drastic reforms...

Cheng Ye had utmost confidence in these ideas, and he was currently walking the path of putting them into practice.

"You're Brother Long's child, and practically someone I raised with my own hands. How could I not—"

"No, right now I am also a core Inspector of the station," Cheng Ye smiled, casually pulling out his Defense Terminal.

Liu Bi glanced at it and instantly froze. He immediately recognized it as an advanced Defense Terminal on par with his own level.

But before he could recover from his astonishment, Cheng Ye fished a business card-like item out of his pocket.

"Aside from that, I am now an apprentice Researcher at the Infection Source Research Institute."

Liu Bi subconsciously reached out to take the card. His gaze fell upon the familiar face and name on the photo, yet an intense sense of unfamiliarity and disorientation swelled in his heart.

"Oh, right, and here is my reward certification for completing an Extinction-level mission." As Cheng Ye spoke, he swiped across the Defense Terminal's interface. Soon, an eye-catching character for 'Extinction' popped up, swirling with dark hues that made it impossible to ignore.

"Also, this very spot we're standing on right now? I fought a hard battle with a Fusion Entity here. The exact place you're stepping on is where I stood back then."

Liu Bi looked down at the massive, stained traces spreading across the ground, his mouth unconsciously falling slightly open.

"That's right. During the time you were gone, I really have done quite a lot," Cheng Ye said calmly.

If he wanted to discuss certain matters with Liu Bi, the first thing he needed to do was shift the dynamic between them.

Only by making Liu Bi realize that everything he was doing had yielded results and accomplishments...

Could it be possible to convince Liu Bi, to make him understand, and to prompt him to actively ponder the significance of the reforms.

"I also contained an Immortal Item from the bottom of the White Water River right behind you. I dove down and fished it up myself."

"The Rune on my hand was given to me by Tan Ming—yes, the very man who brought the Petrification Curse to Shi Province. He granted me the ability to wield Transcendent power."

"Of course, I have one more identity now."

Before Cheng Ye's words even faded, a fiery red brand suddenly surfaced on his glabella, instantly radiating a brilliant, majestic, and searingly hot aura.

Liu Bi was completely stunned. He clutched the Researcher's card so tightly it was almost deformed.

Niu Fu, who was still standing by the pier, noticed the commotion and hurriedly rushed over. The closer he got, the more frantic the beeping from the detection device strapped to his wrist became.

He gaped in astonishment, pointing at the device and then at Cheng Ye.

"You've been attached to by an Infection Source? You're a Source-Binder now?"

Cheng Ye slowly shook his head. "No, I'm not just a Source-Binder. I am a Transcendent!"