Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 789

Chapter 789: Chapter 262: Severing Limbs, A Major Turn in Development!

The sky was nearing dusk, and by the time we finished visiting the eight satellite cities in the east, it was already four in the afternoon.

To tour all 23 satellite cities would take at least two or three days, and even then, it would only be a cursory glance.

“Let’s go, change direction, and head straight to Matthew Lee’s Dongping Town!” Cheng Ye decided swiftly.

“Aren’t we going to check the remaining towns?”

“No, there’s no need.” Cheng Ye shook his head. “The remaining ones are basically copy-paste constructions, with only differences in the speed of development; there won’t be anything new to see.”

On this journey, only the Tantou Town overseen by the Fourth-stage Inspector Forbes Jien showed some economic consideration, planning to utilize the local lagoon terrain to develop a specialized aquaculture economy and intending to introduce “Flowing Phosphorescence Algae.”

This is a special plant that can only survive in lagoon slow-current environments. At night, it secretes a sticky phosphorescent liquid that, after simple purification, can be made into “Phosphorescent Balm,” which emits a soft white light when the sealed copper tube is opened and exposed to air.

Phosphorescent Balm requires no additional energy and can emit light for a week. The light is soft and not glaring, making it one of the safest lighting materials in the Wasteland.

More importantly, this light source not only doesn’t attract infection sources and Infected Bodies outdoors, but it also has a mild repelling effect. The demand for it is enormous throughout the entire Wasteland.

Unfortunately, Forbes Jien, being an experienced Fourth-stage Inspector with vast experience, though not arrogant, has formed a closed-loop perception.

Even when the inspection station issues a reception notice, he only politely adheres to the protocol, taking the group on a brief tour of Tantou Town, barely skimming the surface.

As for the details of the town’s economic construction and architectural planning, there was no intention to discuss these core contents in detail.

Even when Cheng Ye deliberately brought up many valuable topics, Forbes only cautiously mentioned two products in high demand outside. When Cheng Ye pressed for details and he couldn’t elaborate, he no longer continued the topic.

He just cheerfully changed the subject, and no matter how Cheng Ye guided the conversation afterward, he wouldn’t pick it back up.

Apparently, as an intern inspector, even though he might have officially dealt with Destruction Level infection sources, he still couldn’t capture the attention of a Fourth-stage Inspector.

After all, those who could reach the fourth stage have all dealt with infection sources of this level.

Regarding the matter of Immortal Objects, it is currently under strict confidentiality; even if it will be disclosed later, the full details will not be revealed to ordinary Inspectors.

“As expected, you still need concrete achievements and insights.”

Cheng Ye leaned back in his seat, gazing at the rapidly retreating shadow of trees outside the window, and reflected silently, “In the current version of inspectors, having business capabilities alone is far from enough. To break through the barriers brought by identity and hierarchy, stronger measures must be taken.”

He, an intern inspector who hadn’t been out of Happiness City a few times, wanted to discuss economic development with a veteran Fourth-stage Inspector; only Ding Yishan was willing to listen.

After all, the two are considering from a strategic level, not dwelling on the detailed implementation specifics.

But Forbes is a pragmatic doer, he only recognizes results and focuses on details, not paying attention to vague concepts.

It’s indeed easy to talk about economic development. Anyone can say a few words like “adapt to local conditions; find unique industries.” But how to develop specifically?

How to find a breakthrough by combining local terrain and resources? How to solve technological, channel, and marketing problems?

All these need to be thoroughly studied and cannot be explained in a few words.

What he currently lacks is precisely this kind of practical experience and the endorsement of concrete results.

Additionally, there was another significant discovery that made Cheng Ye feel a bit heavy-hearted.

Faith, or rather… ideology!

At the level of the Fourth-stage Inspector, even if Forbes’s talent is not excellent, he has already touched the edge of the Unity of Heaven and Man Realm. More critically, he has already vaguely formed a complete ideology that he can practice.

This ideology allows him to persist through the difficulties and dangers of the Wasteland, but on the flip side, it also makes him reluctant to accept other ideologies easily, nor will he casually change his predetermined direction.

This is very troublesome.

The lower-level Second and Third-stage Inspectors have no formed ideology and are relatively easy to guide and change. Still, they have limitations in cognition, are conservative in thinking, and lack adaptability, making it hard for them to keep up with new development ideas.

Meanwhile, the upper-level Fourth-stage Inspectors have broad enough cognition and their thoughts and persistence, but their ideologies are deeply ingrained, making it extremely difficult to persuade them and integrate them together.

The more Cheng Ye thought about it, the trickier it seemed. The deviation in satellite cities’ development concepts is just a surface issue; the deeper problem lies in the ideological and cognitive barriers of these inspectors at different levels.

If all satellite cities are to form a unified force instead of fighting independently, it might be even harder than solving the economic problems of individual satellite cities.

Ding Yishan entrusted this difficult task to him as an intern, really treating him as Yue Ye’s station master in advance.

He pondered all the way.

The convoy sped along the national road until the road sign indicated only three kilometers to the industrial area, slowing down to pass a checkpoint, when Cheng Ye only then realized the road they traveled was almost without any damage or bumps, and the car ran exceptionally smoothly.

Looking up in the direction indicated by the road sign, the sky was still bright. Under the clear daylight, the silhouette of the industrial area stretched out to the end of the horizon, impressive beyond imagination.

Unlike a city’s architectural cluster, which is orderly, it rather resembled a vast expanse of continuous gray giants, spanning the distance, nearly blending with the skyline.