Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 955

Chapter 955: Chapter 304: Overlord’s Foundation, Main City Structure

Upon boarding the bus, it was still the familiar emptiness inside.

Master Tian had cleaned the vehicle until it was spotless. Not only were the windows clear, but every seat was shining, showing evidence of careful maintenance.

Cheng Ye glanced at the coin slot at the front of the bus, where a promotional poster was displayed, reading:

[8 Coins per person/per week]

“Is this… changed to a weekly unlimited ride ticket?”

“Yes, the previous fare was too high for many to afford, yet they had to commute over ten kilometers daily, so the Public Works Bureau launched this discount,” Master Tian explained with a sheepish smile.

“So why is there still no one riding?”

“There are passengers during rush hours, but it’s this quiet at other times. We have to wait until next spring when the fare becomes free, then it can return to its former bustling state.”

Even though it only takes 8 Happiness Coins per week, less than the cost of three bags of Nutrient Paste, for unlimited bus rides, for migrant families who have just moved here, saving as many Happiness Coins as possible to survive the winter is the top priority, and no one is willing to spend on unnecessary commuting.

“Can I charter the bus now?”

“Not right now, we’ve switched to a schedule, and I have to wait fifteen minutes before departure,” Master Tian replied after checking his watch.

After being away for half a month, the Buffer Zone seemed to have changed quite a bit.

Cheng Ye sat down in a front seat on a whim and started chatting with Master Tian.

“The pipeline renovations are almost wrapped up. All the water and drainage pipes in the city have been replaced. Now we’re busy updating the city’s electrical facilities, laying new utility poles and cables… I heard it’s to prepare for the city’s factories. In the future, some special industries will be moved to the Buffer Zone and the No.1 Satellite City.”

“In addition, the North Suburb near the industrial area hasn’t expanded outward yet, but changes are being made to the Happiness Defense Line in the South Suburb, expecting to extend nearly ten kilometers further out, which could almost double the size of the Buffer Zone.”

Wow!

The Buffer Zone is actually starting to expand outward?

Listening to Master Tian talk about these plans that weren’t mentioned in the broadcasts, Cheng Ye immediately started contemplating. The existing area is indeed sufficient, but the only issue is the lack of depth. If the Infected Bodies break through the Happiness Defense Line, they could wreak havoc in the city.

The North Suburb is buffered by the industrial area and a number of satellite cities, with the No.1 Satellite City guarding the front, while the South Suburb is the weak link.

Expanding outward in the South Suburb, on the one hand, is to adjust the Buffer Zone’s depth and reinforce the safety line, and on the other, as Master Tian said, to establish a new special industrial area, thereby providing more employment opportunities.

“Is this adjustment to be completed before winter?” Cheng Ye asked.

“I’m not sure, but there are quite a few construction vehicles heading to the South Suburb every day. I reckon they’ll first prepare the expansion area and then immediately adjust the defense line, rather than changing the defense line first and slowly expanding the land,” Master Tian contemplated and replied.

“Not bad, not bad.” Cheng Ye nodded repeatedly, increasingly approving of the plan in his heart.

After discussing the changes in the Buffer Zone, Master Tian changed the subject with a smile, congratulating him, “I heard from Little Sun’s broadcast two days ago that your Dapo Town recruited another batch of migrants. This pace of development is really fast!”

“Eh, it’s nothing much,” Cheng Ye replied with a humble smile, “I only took in a bit over a thousand people this time, which is considered slow among all the satellite cities.”

The two casually chatted about the current state of the Wilderness.

In the Wasteland World, autumn has always been the safest season of the four, and the month from late September to late October is the safest of the safe.

Most migrants will stop moving before this time, whether finding a suitable Shelter City to settle or temporarily depending on a gathering place; they won’t choose to hurry on their way before winter, as surviving the winter requires accumulated resources over time.

And those wandering Infected Bodies will also be summoned by the malevolent mother source to gradually gather before winter, no longer roaming aimlessly and attacking humans as before.

Of course, the most crucial reason is the substantial decrease in population fluidity.

The thousands of residents in Dapo Town work and live within a fixed range daily, never stepping out of the designated Safe Zone.

And those ordinary infection sources wouldn’t spontaneously come looking for human infection, allowing the entire area to maintain a stable state.

“That’s indeed the case.” Master Tian nodded in agreement, “Moreover, this year’s autumn has been even more stable than previous years, with the weather particularly stable. However, the weather forecast says the first snow this year is expected to be earlier than in previous years, but it’s unclear how many days earlier.”

Will it snow earlier?

A thought struck Cheng Ye; there are still two full months until winter, yet it’s already possible to predict the snowfall time?

However, on second thought, the so-called “stable weather” is merely an appearance in the eyes of ordinary people.

The neighboring Flower Province is already on the brink of Eternal Night, with drastically reduced daylight hours causing temperatures to drop sharply, and Stone Province next to Flower Province will naturally be affected.

As the range of this cold influence continues to expand, spreading to the area where Happiness City is located, indeed, this year’s first snow is quite likely to arrive earlier than in previous years.

As they chatted, it was time for departure.

Master Tian pulled the handbrake, lightly pressed the accelerator underfoot, and the bus smoothly drove onto the newly paved asphalt road.

On the way into the city, Cheng Ye suddenly noticed that the vast wasteland in the North Suburb had begun large-scale development.