Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 825

Chapter 825: Chapter 271: Cataclysmic Transformation, Pandora’s Box! (Part 2)

Cheng Ye raised his hands slightly, showing them, “Why didn’t you put handcuffs and shackles on me this time?”

“Because…”

Before Shi Xu could finish his sentence, a clear voice from the coffee shop interrupted, “Come in, don’t just stand at the door.”

Yu Erlan was sitting by the window, holding a small golden spoon, slowly stirring her coffee cup.

The aroma of milk and coffee blended, faintly wafting through the window.

Shi Xu paused for a moment and gestured invitingly.

As soon as the two settled inside, two cups of juice were served, one placed in front of Cheng Ye, and the other held by Shi Xu.

Yu Erlan turned around, dressed in a completely new outfit.

A charcoal-black tactical suit, a wide tactical belt fastened at the waist, high-top combat boots on her feet, with the boot shafts snug against her calves.

Her previously tied-up long hair was now encased in a tighter black hairnet, exposing her smooth forehead and crisp jawline, with black goggles perched on her nose, and a miniature communicator dangling from the temple.

At this moment, she had shed the gentle demeanor of a researcher, leaving the quiet of the laboratory behind, exuding a decisive and capable aura, transforming into a combatant.

She lightly touched her pocket, and then a card appeared in her hand, which she pushed over.

“What’s this?” Cheng Ye asked curiously as he accepted it.

The front of the card had his portrait on the left, with several lines of text on the right:

[Infection Source Research Institute]

[Intern Researcher]

[Cheng Ye]

Is this a formal researcher identification?

Cheng Ye’s eyes lit up as he flipped to the back, where five rules that researchers must follow were engraved.

He scanned through them quickly, looked up, and asked, “Can I freely enter and exit the research institute in the future?”

Shi Xu immediately chimed in, “Of course! You’re now an official researcher, considered one of us.”

Cheng Ye put down the card and curiously asked again, “Are there results from Yu Yong’s interrogation?”

“There’s some peripheral information, but more significant details should be revealed soon,” Yu Erlan replied softly.

“Can I still go in and communicate with him?”

“Of course you can, your specialized research project is Yu Yong,” Yu Erlan said, unable to suppress a slight smile before changing her tone, “But next time’s hospital bill, you’ll have to pay yourself.”

?

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, glancing at Shi Xu who was chuckling beside him, suddenly realizing.

It’s not that the research institute is stingy about money; they just don’t want him clashing with Yu Yong to the point of hospitalization.

“I’m about to set off for Flower Province to attend an academic exchange conference.”

Yu Erlan retracted her smile, her tone returning to calm, “It’ll probably take around two months, hopefully back before winter, or maybe it’ll extend into next spring.”

She added, “After I leave, you can come over anytime to interrogate Yu Yong for research, but there’s one condition: your vital signs can’t drop below 80% during the process. Exceed twice, and my set alarm line will automatically trigger, sealing off your research privileges.”

“Hmm…”

Cheng Ye nodded lightly, his gaze resting on Yu Erlan’s calm face, “Is the situation in Flower Province serious?”

“Yes, the duration of nighttime is rapidly increasing, currently up to about an hour and a half,” Yu Erlan explained, “At this rate, in at most half a year, it’ll reach the Eternal Night stage.”

“Aside from nights getting longer, are there other effects?”

“Not at the moment, but once this phenomenon spreads, no one knows what it might ignite.”

“What about Liang Province?”

“Daylight hours are increasing synchronously.”

Compared to the Infection Source, this strange natural anomaly seems just as deadly.

With the experience of Void Mist, Cheng Ye dared not imagine, should one day Eternal Night envelop Stone Province, the horror of an endless sunless day.

To avoid these crises relies entirely on the efforts of researchers, even figures like Director Yu have to personally go to the frontline.

“Then I wish Director Yu a safe journey.” Cheng Ye raised his glass in gesture.

“Thanks for your kind words.” Yu Erlan nodded, stood up, and left the coffee shop with her coffee cup.

Just then, a black off-road vehicle approached, and the door opened just right.

She bent over to get in, as if staying here was only to see him discharged, hand over his researcher card, and meet him once more.

Now that they’ve met, and the card’s handed over, she sets off for Flower Province.

Watching the black off-road vehicle completely disappear from view, Cheng Ye turned and asked Shi Xu, “In the past, were there often situations needing researchers to personally go into the Wilderness?”

“Quite often,” Shi Xu nodded seriously, “Truly valuable research materials have to be sought in the Wilderness outside, finding their origin for field studies. Those that can be studied inside Shelter City are mostly trivial. It’s really tough to research something out.”

“If someday there’s a place Prosecutor Cheng needs me to go, even if it’s…”

“Stop!” Cheng Ye quickly interrupted him, “Let’s just stay in Shelter City peacefully, alright? Don’t keep thinking about wandering the Wilderness; it’s so dangerous outside.”

Yu Erlan can go to Flower Province because she’s inherently powerful in the Extraordinary Control State.

At this level of existence, even an encounter with the Anti-state Extraordinary Mother Source has self-preservation capabilities.

But others in the research institute, at least Shi Xu isn’t an Extraordinary, just a regular person, going into the Wilderness would be purely sending himself to his doom.

“Let’s go, it’s still early, I’ll go talk with Researcher Yu a bit, once done, I have a ton of things waiting outside to handle.” Cheng Ye finished his juice in one gulp and followed Shi Xu towards the underground second level.

All along, there was still no guard surveillance; the research institute seemed to fully trust him now, and the permissions granted are beyond what an intern researcher can explain.