Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 195: Dominator, Thorn Bird Disaster!

The off-road vehicle continued forward, and sure enough, descendants of Westerner Inspectors stood one after another along the roadside.Some peered out from under temporarily erected tin shacks, while others stood beside the workers, offering guidance.

Compared to the Easterner Inspectors who kept their children in the inner city to receive a complete academy education, the Westerner Inspectors' training methods were the exact opposite.

Sending them to the Inspection Station for tempering was one thing, but now they were actually sending their children into the danger-ridden Wilderness. They really weren't afraid of an accident wiping out their bloodlines.

Cheng Ye did not stop the car. However, whenever he slowed down, the Westerner second-generation wealthy youths by the road would instantly stand at attention, their postures so respectful they bordered on rigid.

Wang Kang clicked his tongue in wonder at the sight, though he smartly refrained from asking too many curious questions.

As he came to understand the political landscape of the Inspection Station, he was no longer a clueless Trainee Inspector; he was gradually getting the hang of things.

And this was the advantage of the Easterners' cultivation methods.

With a complete educational system as a foundation, their speed in building complex social awareness was faster, and their scope of understanding was much broader.

It was hard to judge for the moment which side's training philosophy was superior.

Soon, the vehicle reached the intersection near Wenlu County.

Under a stretch of tin shacks spanning over a dozen meters by the road, Raul had indeed received the news and was waiting on the shoulder.

Seeing the car pull up, he immediately came forward. "Inspector Cheng!"

Compared to the other second-generation wealthy youths, Raul's attitude, while equally respectful, held a touch more natural ease and lacked their stiffness.

"Not bad. Leaving the supervision of this road to you proves the Inspection Station didn't misjudge your capabilities."

Cheng Ye managed a faint smile.

He wasn't just spouting empty praise; Raul had genuinely fulfilled his responsibilities.

The workforce he brought in had a dedicated on-site supervisor for every kilometer. If a problem arose, accountability would be easy to enforce by directly questioning the person in charge of that specific section.

This way, these second-generation youths didn't dare slack off. Once they took on a task, they had to ensure it was built properly.

"You flatter me, Inspector Cheng," Raul chuckled, tapping the radio at his waist. "I heard from Jamie that you want to repair the Township Road from Wenlu County to Dabo Town?"

"That is right."

"The repairs are not an issue. I can help coordinate the manpower on my end, but the materials..."

Raul mused before continuing, "Additionally, the area around Dabo Town is currently undeveloped. According to infrastructure regulations, an empty buffer zone of at least three hundred meters—one hundred and fifty meters on each side—must be cleared along the road to guarantee worker safety before we can get approval to start construction."

"Understood. We will just follow the regulations."

Cheng Ye nodded. "I want to build a three-lane road leading to Dabo Town. Please draw up an architectural plan and list the specific material requirements. Also, help me reserve the manpower in advance. We might be breaking ground in a few days."

"No problem!"

Raul agreed without a second thought.

He could simply hand this task over to a Public Works Department engineer. Earning a favor from a Rising Star Inspector like Cheng Ye was an absolute win with zero downsides.

As for whether Cheng Ye could stand out in the upcoming contract assessment and secure the Contract Management Right for Dabo Town... other second-generation youths might be hoping for Luo Kuke and Garcia to win, but Raul's father was a Phase 5 Inspector of the Inspection Station and the Deputy Station Master of the North Checkpoint. How could Raul not understand the intricate politics at play?

This Inspector Cheng, whom he could not read from the very beginning, was deploying increasingly terrifying methods!

"Please wait a moment."

Raul quickly jogged back to the tin shack, pulling a few folders from a towering stack of documents.

"Since Wenlu County used to be a transportation hub connected in all directions, the Public Works Department planned a road network leading to the surrounding towns a long time ago. Take a look and see which of these routes is the most suitable."

"The surrounding road network is already planned out?"

Cheng Ye paused. Meeting Raul's meaningful smile, he instantly understood.

This guy was truly a clever piece of work.

It likely wasn't that Wenlu County had planned the road network ages ago, but rather that Raul was deliberately using this pretext to sell favors to the Inspectors of the neighboring towns.

That was fine too. Having a descendant of an Inspector so adept at Social Etiquette acting as a bridge would save a lot of trouble.

Cheng Ye took the folders. The planned road network contained three options:

The first option was to renovate the old path, repairing the Township Road left over from the Old Era, totaling seven kilometers in length.

Based on his requirement for a three-lane standard, it would cost 40 infrastructure points per kilometer. That added up to 280 points in total, roughly converting to nearly thirty thousand Contribution Points.

The second option was a newly blazed route, connecting the Wenlu County logistics park directly to Dabo Town in a straight line. The total length was 9.7 kilometers, rounded up to 10 kilometers.

To consolidate its status as a transportation hub, Wenlu County would subsidize part of the cost, lowering the price to just 25 infrastructure points per kilometer. The total would be 250 points, which was surprisingly nearly three thousand points cheaper than the first option. Clearly, they didn't want the surrounding towns to bypass Wenlu County by building separate thoroughfares, which would diminish the county's standing.

The third option was to take a wide detour to connect to the Provincial Road, offering direct access to the industrial zone and Happiness City. However, the route was 16.5 kilometers long, at 40 points per kilometer. The total came to 660 points, converting to over sixty thousand Contribution Points.

Even throwing in the entire net worth of a Tycoon like Wang Kang wouldn't be enough to cover it. Not to mention, the longer the route, the higher the subsequent maintenance, patrolling, and security costs would be.

Weighing everything together, the potential and shortcomings of all three roads were glaringly obvious. Cheng Ye found himself in a momentary dilemma.

Repairing the old road was undoubtedly the most convenient. The modern road network naturally balanced economic and geographical conditions; once repaired and linked to the county road, it could quickly merge into the main artery of the Provincial Road.

More importantly, this road bypassed the Wenlu County logistics park, reducing the risk of someone seizing them by the throat. If an Infection Source outbreak ever forced a lockdown in Wenlu County, Dabo Town's supplies could not be left to rot in their hands.

But the logistics park route was not without its merits.

Beyond the initial construction subsidies, Wenlu County would shoulder some of the maintenance and security work down the line, saving a lot of worry.

If a road network connecting all the towns could truly be built according to the plan, they could establish a Transfer Point in Wenlu County in the future. Goods could then be easily distributed everywhere, vastly improving efficiency.

As for the third road connecting directly to the Provincial Road, it would absolutely be the optimal choice if money were no object.

But reality was that even a hero could be stumped by a lack of funds. Over six hundred infrastructure points—what was he supposed to build it with?

While Cheng Ye was mulling it over, the road repair workers suddenly erupted into a chorus of panicked shouts. They threw down their tools and scrambled frantically toward the tin shacks.

Raul poked his head out to look, and his face instantly changed color. He hastily yelled, "Inspector Cheng, quickly drive the car inside!"

"What?"

Before Cheng Ye could fully process the warning, he leaned out the car window, and his expression darkened immediately.

He revved the engine, violently cranked the steering wheel, and surged under the tin shack, cramming in alongside the workers.

"Brother Cheng, what's wrong?"

The roof of the off-road vehicle did not have a modern sunroof; it was forged from formidably strong armored steel.

Wang Kang turned his head in confusion, but his face abruptly drained of color.

High up in the sky.

A densely packed flock of black birds swept across the sky, blotting out the heavens like a moving thundercloud looming directly over the tin shacks.

At a rough glance, there were at least three to five hundred of them. The collective beating of their wings merged into a thunderous roar that made their eardrums vibrate as it drew near.

"How can there be so many avian Mutant Beasts?"

Cheng Ye pushed his door open and stood at the edge of the tin shack, staring up at the sky.

This was his first time seeing such a spectacular gathering of Mutant Beasts. It felt like a plague of locusts passing through; even the sunlight filtering down to the roof was entirely obscured.

Gazing further out, several other flocks of similar size were circling around the county road.

All the workers along the road had taken shelter inside the tin shacks, leaving their various tools scattered across the ground.

Not far away, someone had lit a bonfire. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, but it only caused the flock to shift slightly to the side; it completely failed to disperse them.

"It's been like this since a week ago."

Raul walked over, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "These damn things are too annoying. Nobody used to come out toward Wenlu County, so they've long treated it as their territory for nesting and breeding. By coming here to build a road, we've become the invaders destroying their homes. They harass us every few days. We didn't use gentle methods to drive them off at the beginning, which completely pissed them off. Now they have their sights dead set on us!"

He finished speaking and pointed at the numerous fire pits piled along the roadside.

Though they weren't lit at the moment, the ash traces on the ground indicated they had been ignited many times over the past few days.

"Using smoke to drive them away doesn't work either. At best, it makes them dodge for a bit, but they always come right back two or three hours later. It's annoying to death."

"Is it like this over in Wenlu County too?" Cheng Ye pressed.

"It's more than just Wenlu County."

Raul sighed in exasperation. "The situation in Dabo Town, where you're heading, is probably even worse. These birds have migration habits. When the Rain Line hovers near Happiness City, they leave temporarily. Once the Rain Line retreats and autumn and winter set in, they migrate back for nesting and breeding. And right now is exactly when they return!"

"No wonder!" Realization dawned on Cheng Ye.

The last time he followed Jiang Chuan to scout Dabo Town, apart from that Ant-wolf, they hadn't seen a single trace of any other Mutant Beasts.

At the time, he thought it was simply too remote for even Mutant Beasts to bother visiting. It turned out the area had long been claimed as territory by these avian Mutant Beasts.

"Is there really no way to deal with these things?" Wang Kang had also stepped out of the car, craning his neck to peer outside.

The flock formed a solid, oppressive mass of black, making it impossible to identify the specific species. Yet the overwhelming, suffocating pressure they exuded was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.

"We just have to wait for them to leave on their own. If we open fire and fight back, it'll only invite even crazier retaliation," Raul quickly shook his head.

"Retaliation?"

"Right. Most of the birds in these flocks are Thorn Birds, and they are incredibly aggressive."

"Thorn Birds..." Wang Kang pondered. "Are those the birds that spit poisonous spines?"

"There are many species of Thorn Birds; it's not just one type."

Mu Shuang stepped out of the vehicle, her clear voice picking up the thread of the conversation. "There are over a dozen species of Thorn Birds around Happiness City. Most feed on metal and black stone. Among the three most common ones, the first is the Iron-clawed Diving Thorn Bird. They aren't very large, but their wing muscles are exceptionally developed, making them experts at tucking their wings and launching fierce diving attacks from high altitudes."

"The one Inspector Wang just mentioned is another type, the Poison-sac Spitting Thorn Bird. They have a bulging sac on their necks storing venom. They never get close, preferring to hide in high places or bushes, waiting for the perfect moment to shoot out venomous short quills. If the venom touches the skin, it causes swelling and ulceration. If it gets into the eyes or an open wound, treating it becomes extremely troublesome."

"Finally, there's the Spine-thorn Sprayer. They have a row of sharp spikes growing along their spine. Normally, it just looks like an ordinary feathered crest, but when attacked or hunting, they can launch those bone spikes like crossbow bolts. Their range can reach forty or fifty meters, and their accuracy isn't bad. An adult sprayer's power is roughly equivalent to a .22 bullet, while a juvenile's strike is comparable to a slingshot."

"Right, those are the three most common," Raul nodded rapidly, pointing upward. "The ones above us right now are almost entirely Spine-thorn Sprayers, which is why we have to hide. If anyone without protective gear gets hit, they'd suffer severe injuries at best, or drop dead on the spot at worst."

"It's that serious..." Wang Kang furrowed his brows. If Dabo Town was facing this exact scenario, they would be in massive trouble.

Cheng Ye stood to the side, thinking quietly.

Although this was his first time seeing live Thorn Birds with his own eyes.

He had seen them mentioned many times before in the Inspector's manual and while memorizing the trainee assessment materials on the Kindling Terminal over the past period.

Kindling Shelter City was lush with vegetation and possessed abundant food sources, so even if there were Thorn Birds, they were mostly mild-tempered species.

But Shi Province was different. The underground supernatural curse had drained the traits from the flora. The vines and plants in the wild looked robust, but they couldn't serve as food for any living creature.

Most of the mutated creatures that managed to survive here fed on metal and stone, with only a small number surviving on fish in the water or preying on other mutant creatures.

Consuming so much metal and stone, compounded by the repeated catalytic mutations from the S3 Virus, meant these Thorn Birds had long since strayed from humanity's Old Era understanding of avians. Calling them alien lifeforms would not be an exaggeration.

"Generally speaking, Thorn Bird flocks have a leader. If you can take out the leader, the rest will scatter. They won't gather to harass again until a new leader fights its way to the top..."

Cheng Ye mused, his gaze sweeping over the flock above. He pointed toward one on the left. "That one, which is noticeably larger, is an Iron-clawed Diving Thorn Bird. It looks like the leader."

"Huh?"

Everyone followed the direction of his finger.

Amidst the densely packed flock, those with poorer vision only felt dizzy trying to spot it, but a few sharp-eyed individuals immediately let out low gasps.

The one Cheng Ye pointed out truly was distinct from the surrounding Thorn Birds. Its movements carried a subtle, commanding air.

"It really is," Raul said, grabbing a pair of binoculars from under a counter to take a look before passing them to the person next to him. "But these things are incredibly cunning. We've tried a few times, and we simply can't hit it."

Wang Kang also took the binoculars and stared for a moment, unable to help but click his tongue. "It's flying, mixing in with the flock, and constantly moving. That's a distance of at least a hundred meters. It's way too hard to hit!"

"Exactly. That's why all we can do is wait for it to get tired and leave on its own."

Cheng Ye didn't reply, simply watching that Iron-clawed Diving Thorn Bird.

The massive creature was circling the edge of the flock. Occasionally, it would let out a piercing shriek, and the Thorn Birds beneath it would instantly adjust their formation in response.

After staring for a moment and confirming his target, he pulled out his Defense Terminal and glanced at the time. Thanks to the convenience of having a vehicle, it was only 10:40 AM. He still had plenty of time before the assessment started at noon.

"How long do these Thorn Birds usually stick around?"

"Hmm... at most half an hour or so. Sometimes they scatter after just ten minutes."

"That's not too bad, then."

Cheng Ye answered verbally, but his mind was already calculating.

Waiting half an hour under a tin shack right now was fine, but if they were harassed by bird flocks while doing construction in Dabo Town, they couldn't just stand around waiting every single time, right?

Not to mention, he hadn't prepared the materials to build tin shacks. Before the residential units were erected, a real attack would mean massive trouble.

Thinking this, he instinctively reached for his waist, only to remember that he had left all his supplies behind when leaving the house.

Including his Bison Combat Pistol for self-defense.

"Do you have a gun?" he asked, looking at Raul.

"Eh? Inspector Cheng wants to get some practice in?" Raul was momentarily surprised before pointing a finger at a nearby worker.

The worker hurriedly ran to the side of the tin shack and brought over two Guard Rifles commonly seen in Happiness City, along with two specially modified small-caliber hunting rifles.

The Guard Rifles were capable of full-automatic burst fire and possessed decent stopping power. However, to prevent large-scale firefights, Happiness City deliberately adjusted the barrel machining precision, increasing the rifling error. This led to a decrease in bullet ejection stability.

Because of this, it was exceedingly difficult to achieve precision suppression at an effective range of 100 to 200 meters. The weapon was only effective for providing a firepower coverage deterrence effect at close ranges of a few dozen meters.

But the two small-caliber hunting rifles were an entirely different story. When Cheng Ye accepted one, his arm sank almost imperceptibly.

He didn't know what special metal this thing was forged from, but it was far heavier than it looked. The weight of the gun body pressed heavily into his palm, feeling as though he were gripping a solid iron rod.

Looking closely, the barrel was nearly half a foot longer than a standard Guard Rifle. Fine spiral grooves were milled into the outer wall, which not only shed excess weight but also allowed for rapid heat dissipation during continuous firing.

Rotating the weapon revealed a deep, dark luster on the inside. The rifling, treated with a special cold-forging process, was as exquisite as a work of art.

Cheng Ye test-pulled the bolt. The metallic friction was so faint it was barely audible, yet it moved with a perfectly seamless, damped resistance.

The locking mechanism inside the receiver had been swapped out for a double-lugs design. When locked, it forced the barrel and bolt to bite together securely as a single unit. Paired with the cylindrical muzzle brake, this meant the shooter could control the weapon much more steadily, ensuring accuracy even during rapid, consecutive shots.

"Good gun!"

Whether something was good or not was apparent the moment it hit one's hands.

Cheng Ye felt a thrill at the sight of an excellent weapon. He dry-aimed it a few times and found it felt incredibly comfortable—even better than the Ranger-1 and Thunderbolt-1 he had bought!

"These are two rifles my father personally modified. They were my coming-of-age gifts."

Raul introduced them with a smile, a trace of pride in his voice. "The muzzle brake is military-grade chrome-nickel steel mixed with fifty grams of Star-Sinking Iron Granules to absorb the impact force. The barrel is cold-forged high-carbon steel interlaced with three hundred grams of Flow-Stabilizing Wire, which drastically reduces ballistic deviation. And the lugs are made of Energy-condensing Alloy..."

Talk about inhuman levels of wealth.

Listening to Raul list off the internal supernatural ores like counting his family treasures, it would be a lie to say Cheng Ye wasn't envious.

His Whirlwind Spike only had five grams of Fire-Storing Iron added to it. This gun, however, incorporated six different types of supernatural ores, totaling a staggering four hundred grams—eighty times that of the Whirlwind Spike!

Even if these supernatural ores weren't as rare and their unit price was far lower than Fire-Storing Iron, added together, the manufacturing cost of this single gun still reached an outrageous three thousand Contribution Points.

And this was merely a coming-of-age gift from Davidson to his son.

Seeing Cheng Ye standing there holding the gun in a daze, a flash of longing and complex emotion in his eyes, Raul's eyes darted thoughtfully.

Raul's eyes darted thoughtfully before he suddenly smiled. "Inspector Cheng, this gun is fantastic, but keeping it with me is a complete waste. Over the years, I've only occasionally maintained it, and I can count the number of times I've fired it on one hand."

He paused, looking at Cheng Ye, then Wang Kang, and finally sweeping his gaze over Mu Shuang. "How about this? No matter who it is, whoever can shoot down that Thorn Bird leader gets to keep this gun. What do you say?"

Keep it?

Cheng Ye paused. Was Raul actually this generous?

However, he quickly realized what was going on. This guy was a real mastermind at social etiquette; no wonder he could win over so many of those second-generation youths.

The hunting rifle only had simple iron sights, lacking a high-precision scope. Trying to shoot from a low angle to hit a moving leader hidden amidst a high-altitude flock was something even a sharpshooter couldn't guarantee.

He turned to look at Mu Shuang. She shrugged her shoulders. "I can try, but I wouldn't call myself an expert with guns."

"Alright, give it a try."

Cheng Ye handed the rifle over and stood aside to observe.

If it were just simple Mobile Shooting, he didn't have much confidence. But if he paired it with the effects of Hundred Martial Arts Master, maybe it would improve his accuracy?

He'd watch Mu Shuang's marksmanship first before making any moves.

He watched as Mu Shuang took a deep breath, raised the gun, and aimed for three or four seconds before squeezing the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet fired, but it didn't even graze the Thorn Bird leader; it merely hit an ordinary Thorn Bird next to it.

With a fwump, the Thorn Bird spiraled downward and slammed into the ground.

Feeling the provocation, the leader instantly let out a sharp, grating squawk.

"Oh no, get back inside quickly!" Just as Raul's voice fell, Mu Shuang had already darted back into the tin shack.

The next second, the tin roof erupted with a frantic clattering, sounding like a dense hail shower pounding from above.

The ground in front of the shack was blanketed by a downpour of bone spikes. Each spike was a good seven or eight centimeters long, its surface gleaming with an ashen-white metallic luster.

It wasn't hard to imagine what would happen to an ordinary person if one struck a vital spot.

"This is troublesome," Cheng Ye said, gazing outside. "When these Mutant Beasts flock together, their threat level absolutely rivals a Swarm-level Infection Tide—maybe even exceeds it!"

He suddenly felt curious: could these bone spikes pierce through his silver light defense?

However, with so many eyes watching right now, it wasn't the time to test it out. He'd have to wait until he was alone later.

If they truly only had the stopping power of a .22 bullet, he actually felt somewhat confident. After all, modern smartphone manufacturers dared to use such bullets to test phone durability.

Wang Kang huddled inside the shack, staring at the dense carpeting of bone spikes on the ground. He clicked his tongue and said, "Brother Cheng, if we run into a situation like this in Dabo Town, we won't even have a place to hide, right?"

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly. After that round of shooting, the flock had grown incredibly agitated. Two neighboring flocks had also swarmed over, meaning there were now three leaders circling directly above the tin shack.

If anyone dared to step outside now, they would be shot full of holes like a sieve.

"Still want to try?" Cheng Ye asked softly.

"One more shot." Mu Shuang nodded. Waiting until her breathing calmed, she flashed out of the tin shack and fired once more.

This shot barely grazed past the target, but it still failed to hit the circling leader.

Another barrage of bone spikes rained down.

Cheng Ye instinctively looked up. Thankfully, two thick layers of vines had been laid over the tin roof, buffering the impact. Not a single bone spike pierced through.

"No good. We need Jiang Chuan for this; he's an expert with hidden weapons."

Mu Shuang shook her head and handed the hunting rifle back.

Everyone had their own specialties. If Jiang Chuan were here, he would definitely be confident in shooting down the leader.

"What about you, Xiao Kang?" Cheng Ye turned to Wang Kang.

"I'll pass. I haven't even mastered pistols yet, let alone playing with this thing," Wang Kang rapidly shook his head.

"Alright then, let me give it a try."

Cheng Ye took a deep breath, unequipping Eagle Power and Snake Force, simultaneously activating Mobile Shooting and Hundred Martial Arts Master.

An electrifying tingle surged through him. The hunting rifle in his hands felt as though it had fused seamlessly with his arms. The intuition of hitting precisely whatever he pointed at instantly surfaced, instantly calming his slightly rapid breathing.

Stepping out of the tin shack, Cheng Ye raised the gun and aimed. The sensation of a perfect head-lock became abruptly clear, and without a second of hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A hit?!

A Thorn Bird spiraled toward the earth. Cheng Ye didn't bother looking closely and immediately ducked back inside the shack.

Once the rain of bone spikes ceased, he poked his head out to check the Thorn Bird on the ground, a grin instantly spreading across his lips.

With its massive frame and hook-like talons, it was nearly a third larger than an ordinary Thorn Bird. It was unmistakably the leader.

The workers also peeked out, their exclamations weaving together into a chorus of shock.

Mu Shuang looked over as well. A flash of disbelief crossed her eyes first, but then she recalled what Jiang Chuan had told her, and it quickly morphed into a look of complete understanding.

As expected, he truly was different!

Because Cheng Ye had brought too many surprises, the people around him—including Wang Kang—were gradually getting used to it, to the point where they almost felt this level of performance was normal.

This was exactly how a genius Inspector, a member of the Cheng family, ought to perform!

"Hey, you actually hit it!" Raul stuck his head out too, though his gaze remained fixed on the bird flock above.

Without a leader guiding them, the flock that had swarmed over first instantly devolved into chaos. The Thorn Birds collided with one another; some merged with the left faction, while the rest plunged into the right.

"I'll try again!"

Cheng Ye felt a rush of immense satisfaction.

No wonder some people were obsessed with hunting in the Wilderness. The feeling was simply too incredible.

It was completely different from dry-aiming at tin cans. When hitting live prey, an indescribable sense of solidity and accomplishment welled up from the bottom of his heart, as if his arm had suddenly elongated and smashed the Thorn Bird leader out of the sky with a single punch.

Furthermore, that single shot deepened his understanding of the auto-aim enhancement brought about by Hundred Martial Arts Master.

For example, when aiming at the new leader of the left faction, the locking sensation was extremely weak for the first two seconds. It wasn't until the fourth second that the intuition drastically spiked.

He pulled the trigger without a second thought, and another leader dropped at the sound of the gunshot.

Cheng Ye instantly retreated into the tin shack, but this time, no bone spikes came hailing down—only total pandemonium among the flock.

Leaderless, hundreds of Thorn Birds flocked chaotically toward the right faction. However, the leader on that side was entirely incapable of controlling so many of its kind. Its commanding squawks were completely drowned out by the chaotic flapping of wings.

"Heh, Inspector Cheng's accuracy is almost catching up to my father's. I have to admit, I'm impressed!"

With his hands on his hips, Raul stared at the dispersing flock, overcome with sudden emotion.

When the bird flocks first started gathering, Evan Davidson had driven them away exactly like this by shooting down the leaders. Raul never expected to see this scene replicated by the hands of a mere Trainee Inspector.

Cheng Ye waved his hand dismissively and fired another shot at the fleeing flock.

Unfortunately.

"A miss," he clicked his tongue.

Although the active effect of Hundred Martial Arts Master merged man and gun into one, ensuring he'd hit wherever he pointed, the flock was in such disarray that he couldn't even clearly track the leader's flight path. Naturally, he couldn't lock on.

He chased them with three more consecutive shots, taking down another three Thorn Birds. The flock that had swarmed over finally scattered entirely.

The roadside workers stepped out of the tin shacks as if waking from a dream, turning to look in his direction. Seeing Cheng Ye wielding the gun, someone started clapping, and soon, a round of applause broke out.

"Inspector Cheng, thank you for helping us drive away the bird flock!"

Raul stepped out, took a sweeping glance at the sky, and chuckled. "What I said earlier still stands. This gun is yours!"

"Does it not pain you to give it away?"

"I can't exactly sell it for cash; I can only keep it as a useless decoration. Giving it to you means it won't be wasted," Raul said sincerely. "If my father knew, he might even be happy about it."

"Thanks."

Cheng Ye grinned. He hadn't expected that right as he headed out for the contract assessment, good things would fall into his lap one after another.

And they all involved money. Inspector Cheng, who had been poor for four months straight, now held a single gun whose value exceeded his entire current net worth—to say nothing of Wang Kang's deep pockets!

"Don't worry, I won't sell it. I'll keep it for my own use."

"That's good." Raul nodded. "This gun is named 'Cyril.' In the Old Era's western language, it meant 'Master' or 'Dominator.' My father hoped I could master my own destiny. Now that it's in your hands, it's quite a wonderful coincidence."

"Dominator?"

Cheng Ye touched the gunstock and indeed found a line of letters carved into it.

Cyril.

"Not bad at all. I like the name."

Cheng Ye nodded, weighing the gun in his hands. Raul had already instructed a worker to bring out ten boxes of special hunting ammunition.

It was just a pity that this gun couldn't be used during the contract assessment. Otherwise, dealing with bird flocks would be a breeze!

He touched the fallen Thorn Bird to log it into the collector, not bothering to read the details—it was already eleven o'clock!

Hitting the road once more, the tin shacks gradually shrank in the rearview mirror.

Raul and a few workers were still standing in place, waving goodbye. That sincere smile left Cheng Ye feeling slightly dazed; he couldn't reconcile it with his memories of the North Checkpoint from over a month ago.

But this was reality. This was the respect bought by strength and status.

It was the result of his gritted teeth, his fierce struggles, and his repeated, dangerous charges during this period.

If he had just cowered and survived like a coward...

'Mastering my own destiny, huh?'

Catching sight of Wang Kang curiously fondling the hunting rifle and occasionally leaning out the window to aim, Cheng Ye shook his head slightly.

He didn't want to be any sort of Dominator, but he truly and desperately wanted to be the master of his own fate.

Not relying on luck, but on pure effort, establishing a firm foothold step by step, and climbing his way to the top!

The car turned onto the bumpy Township Road. Perhaps because it hadn't rained, the surface was several times easier to traverse than the muddy mess it had been last time.

After a bout of shaking and rattling, the faint silhouettes of Dabo Town's buildings became faintly visible in the distance, along with the isolation zone barring the path ahead.

Wu Rui stood guarding the isolation zone with a large squad. Behind the line stood eight staff members, with various items piled on the ground—likely supplies for the assessment.

"We stop here. You'll have to get out and walk to Dabo Town."

Mu Shuang reminded them from the backseat, "Also, you must leave that gun behind. Its power level... slightly exceeds the permitted parameters."

"Heh."

Cheng Ye shook his head in speechlessness. Didn't this count as part of an Inspector's personal combat power?

But when he turned and saw Wang Kang's awkward smile, he couldn't help but laugh as well.

"It's fine, absolute fairness is good too. Otherwise, Luo Kuke might have had some crazy good items in his hands as well. Starting on the same line means we're not at a disadvantage."

Leaving the Dominator on the passenger seat, the two men pushed the doors open and stepped out.

The bear-like Wu Rui walked over to greet them, his voice deep and rumbling. "Inspector Cheng, we are responsible for clearing the outer perimeter, but you will need to be extremely careful around Dabo Town itself, including the area by the White Water River."

"I know, Mu Shuang already informed me," Cheng Ye nodded.

"If you encounter uncontrollable danger, you can contact us through this, and we will rush over to rescue you immediately." Wu Rui handed over a radio that looked like a black brick, featuring only a single red SOS button on it. "But please, do not cross the warning isolation line, and do not attempt to leave the Dabo Town area. Otherwise, you might be treated as an Infected Body."

"You aren't in charge of the covert agents?"

"No, they are dispatched separately by the Inspection Station," Wu Rui shook his head. "But if you run into something you truly can't handle, don't worry about them—contact me directly."

After finishing the security briefing, the staff members behind the table stepped forward. "Inspector Cheng, Inspector Wang, according to regulations, we need to conduct a search to ensure no contraband is brought in."

"Fine, search away. You're really treating us like criminals," Wang Kang pouted, though he cooperatively spread his arms wide.

Once the search was completed, a staff member handed over a checklist.

The standard supplies were indeed similar to what Cheng Ye had prepared himself. They were all meant for handling emergencies and were packed into four large backpacks.

There were also some quest items packed inside a 32-inch suitcase. Opening it revealed individually sealed boxes stamped with numbers. They could only be opened once the corresponding task was drawn.

As for the standard-issue Inspector battle armor and helmet, they looked somewhat similar to the Fire Lotus Battle Armor, but their paint job was cement gray, looking utterly unpretentious.

"Additionally, you can choose two main weapons, one sidearm, and one melee weapon. We will have them delivered before two o'clock."

Cheng Ye took the list. There wasn't any heavy firepower on it; the weapon with the most stopping power was the Thunderbolt-1.

He didn't hesitate, selecting the combination of the Thunderbolt-1 and the Ranger-1. For his pistol, he stuck with the standard-issue Bison Combat Pistol.

"Xiao Kang, just pick a hunting rifle and add a Ranger-1."

"Alright!" Wang Kang nodded, finalizing his loadout.

The two of them could share their firearms, so there was no need to pick the exact same loadout.

As for the melee weapon, when flipping to the cold weapons list, Cheng Ye's finger suddenly paused, stopping on two words.

Red Blade!