Wasteland Border Inspector

Yueye Shelter City?

Cheng Ye’s gaze suddenly sharpened. Since he reached the tenth floor, he had maintained a high-strung state of mind, afraid of saying the wrong thing or showing the wrong attitude.

But the "reward" Elder Qian personally mentioned still sent a jolt through him, leaving his thoughts somewhat disordered.

Almost as an instinctive response, he immediately opened a panel, randomly selected a past piece of intelligence, and instantly entered the time-stopping space.

It wasn’t until the surrounding scenes froze and shattered that he finally had a moment to think calmly.

Yueye...

Could it be that because Yueye Shelter City deliberately concealed the disappearance of two hundred thousand people, which angered Happiness City, and now it needs to be "dealt with," hence I’m sent to take over?

Thoughts raced through his mind, but within seconds, Cheng Ye couldn’t help but gently shake his head.

If it were a few months ago, back when he just became an Intern Inspector, perhaps he would have thought so simply and straightforwardly.

But now, standing at a higher level and having seen more of the survival logic in the Wasteland World, he already understood that this wasn’t a place about "right or wrong."

In the world of adults, the sole reality is the word "interest."

Indeed Yueye committed a major mistake, but even if Happiness City really absorbed Yueye, what benefit would they gain?

First, the distance between the two places is too far. The direct line distance is nearly one hundred and eighty kilometers, and considering the infected areas and damaged routes that need bypassing in between, the actual journey would be at least two hundred and fifty kilometers.

At such a distance, whether it’s transporting supplies, deploying personnel, or transmitting messages, it’s immensely difficult; the cost and the return simply don’t match up.

Second, Yueye is a complete mess right now. It was severely ravaged by the infected source, with a drastic population drop, resources depleted, and infrastructure almost utterly destroyed. The first task upon taking over would be reconstruction.

Yet Happiness City hasn’t even managed to build its planned Satellite City, so where would they find the extra manpower and resources to fill this "huge pit" of Yueye?

Third, and most crucially, is Yueye’s "shielding" position.

Autumn lasts only three short months, and winter will soon descend upon the Stone Province, causing those dormant Infected Bodies to gather like they smell prey, attacking human settlements and Shelter Cities.

From the map, Yueye is already a natural barrier on the west side of Happiness City. It’s precisely because Yueye stands in front that Happiness City’s effort and pressure on the western defensive line are greatly reduced every year.

Once Happiness City directly absorbs Yueye, it would mean having to deploy people and resources to guard that area, a cost far higher than allowing Yueye its autonomy.

Given such obvious disadvantages, why does Happiness City still want to eliminate Yueye?

Cheng Ye closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down, and a massive topographical map of the surrounding area slowly unfolded in his mind.

He first marked each resource point on the map, then delineated the scope of different forces, carefully analyzing their connections...

Wait!

Isn’t the location of Yueye Shelter City within a two hundred kilometer range surrounding Happiness City and Dapo Town?

Is it... right within the two hundred kilometer range covered by Tan Ming’s belief?

Cheng Ye’s eyes snapped open, his pupils slightly contracted. Just moments ago, his chaotic thoughts cleared in an instant, and a bold possibility suddenly appeared vividly in his mind.

If the two hundred kilometer range surrounding Happiness City can rely on Tan Ming’s belief to break through the "Prohibition Plant" restrictions, then having Yueye Shelter City occupy a critical area is just too wasteful.

Whether in terms of current resource planning or future development layout, incorporating this neighbor as early as possible is necessary to fully seize the maximum benefit of this area.

And now, there’s even a "pretext" at hand.

Yueye deliberately concealed the news about the infection source and Infected Bodies, and having just suffered devastation from the infected source, it is at its weakest.

Seizing this opportunity and acting swiftly, it’s possible to secure all advantages before other forces can even react.

Ingenious!

Truly ingenious!

Cheng Ye silently praised this realization, then turned his attention back to ponder the "reward" Elder Qian just offered.

Up to today, in front of Happiness City’s top hierarchy, he had really only shown three particularly prominent abilities:

First, the skill to win people over, demonstrated by the support from the Celestial Essence Community to the trust of the people in Dapo Town, proving this point.

Additionally, his willingness to proactively enter Dapo Town to contain Immortal Objects means his loyalty doesn’t need much questioning.

Second, his containment capacity is not weaker than that of senior inspectors, successfully containing Immortal Objects being the best endorsement.

Third, he inherited Tan Ming’s belief, and as long as he is willing to undertake tasks, he is bound to master powerful forces in the future.

With the mindset, loyalty, ability, and potential all possessing these four critical traits, it’s understandable why the Elders of Happiness City have discovered him in advance and entrusted him with important responsibilities.

But then again, Yueye is currently a real mess. Whether he can support it after going there, or "climb" out from it, remains unknown.

Just merging hearts and rebuilding infrastructure alone will consume an unknown amount of effort and manpower, potentially trapping him there for years.

Cheng Ye’s thoughts swirled endlessly, ultimately letting out a soft breath, suppressing all hesitation.

The intelligence space shattered in an instant; only a second or two had passed in the external world.

Elder Qian continued to leisurely sip his tea, the action uninterrupted in the slightest, completely unaware that Cheng Ye had pondered for several minutes.