Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 974

Chapter 974: Chapter 310: Perils of the Wilderness, Unknown Infection!

The wild autumn grass grows chaotically and low, with withered stalks bending towards the ground.

Only a few scattered stalks still hold their resilience, as the last vestiges of life in the wasteland, swaying shakily in the wind, making a gentle “rustle” sound.

But as soon as the autumn wind sweeps by, it lifts up countless withered grass fragments, like a flowing sand mist, spreading across the ground, enveloped in dust, making one’s nasal cavity dry and uncomfortable.

The climate in Stone Province has always been distinct; once autumn arrives, the greenery of the grass and trees fades rapidly, until only withered remains are left.

Looking as far as the eye can see, the world is an endless expanse of earthy yellow, with not a hint of vibrant color, nor a trace of human presence.

Occasional sand dunes, eroded by years of wind and sand, appear pockmarked and hollowed out, resembling strange honeycombs, like the earth’s exposed scars, shining with a dull and rough sheen under the gray-white sky.

Crunch.

A sudden crisp sound came from beneath the armored vehicle’s chassis, like running over a desiccated biological remnant or a rusty piece of metal.

In the wilderness, this was usually a common occurrence, but the tire pressure warning on the dashboard quickly lit up, the red warning light flashing and alarming.

Niu Fu dared not be careless, gently stepping on the brake, bringing the armored vehicle to a slow stop on a relatively flat highland.

The car door clanged open as Liu Bi was the first to jump out, his gaze sweeping eagle-like over the surroundings. Only after confirming no disturbances did he signal safety to the others inside the car.

Then, Niu Fu and Cheng Ye got out from the front seat, stepping onto this land that had long gone untouched by humans.

The soles of their shoes crunched against the dry sand, making a faint “creak” sound.

This place was just beyond the 200-kilometer radius set by Tan Ming, yet it retained the usual state of Stone Province.

Niu Fu walked quickly around the car’s body, ultimately stopping at the right rear wheel, his brows furrowing more deeply.

He got back into the car, moved it forward by a meter, and the object that punctured the tire became immediately visible.

Four triangular black barbs, each the size of a baby’s fist, with their pointed ends deeply embedded in the tire’s tread.

“Damn! It’s a hunter’s road spike!” Niu Fu’s face darkened instantly, cursing under his breath, “Who the hell is still doing this crap nowadays?!”

“Hunter?”

Cheng Ye felt a chill in his heart, quickly raising his eyes to survey the surroundings.

When they set off in the morning, the sun was still shining brightly, with only a few wisps of thin cloud in the sky, and the weather report had clearly forecast a sunny day.

Yet, after driving a hundred kilometers out, the sky had completely changed, with lead-gray clouds hanging heavily overhead, so thick it seemed they would fall. Not even birds flying past, or clouds drifting by—everything moved so slowly it seemed almost stagnant.

The horizon was already obscured, as if heaven and earth had merged into a chaotic mass of gray-yellow at the end, making it impossible to distinguish the boundary between sky and earth, leaving only a vast emptiness pressing down.

Fortunately, as far as he could see, there wasn’t any human figure moving—only the sound of the wind howling by, sounding like both crying and laughing.

Cheng Ye looked around anxiously, eventually feeling uneasy and returned to the vehicle, opened the heavy terminal Raul had given him, and activated the Falcon radar to scan the surroundings.

It wasn’t until the screen displayed “No living targets within a three-kilometer radius” that he rubbed his tense forehead, slightly relieved.

He seemed somewhat overly paranoid.

After all, with the help of Flame for vigilance, if someone were secretly watching, there would definitely be an alert.

But once truly on this desolate land, the sense of pressure that seeped into one’s bones really began to show:

Desolation, dead silence… a bleak aura permeated every inch of space, carrying with it the barren and desolate remnants of time.

Staring at the endless wilderness ahead, Cheng Ye suddenly felt a bit dazed.

It was hard to imagine, what kind of determination those migrants, who had left their homes, must hold, to trek on such land towards an unknown distant place with just their feet.

In some sense, what Jiang Chuan said previously was indeed true.

Stay in such a place for too long, and one will inevitably be driven insane.

It’s not just from the inescapable loneliness, but also the continuous mental strain under high pressure, eventually snapping completely.

Yes, the mind is like a rubber band, repeatedly stretched and tightened, gradually losing its elasticity.

Perhaps, in an unexpected moment, the string of reason will suddenly snap, the Sanity value plummeting off a cliff, plunging a person into permanent madness.

To escape this suffocating oppression, one must either choose to huddle together for warmth or reach a safe place quickly to release accumulated stress.

Yin Ruofeng and the others dared not get off the vehicle, obediently staying inside and waiting.

Going into the wilderness, their task was very simple: not to create any trouble.

Specifically in terms of actions, every two days, each person would drink only one bag of the yellow bag nutrient paste, maintaining basic physical strength while minimizing unnecessary excretions and accidents, reducing risks to the lowest possible.

On the other side, Niu Fu took out a wrench from the toolbox at the back of the vehicle, squatting down and tapping the road spike embedded in the tire, iron filings clattering down.

This thing had obviously been buried in the wilderness for a long time, rust mixed with sand, certainly not something recently planted.

“We’re just unlucky, stepping right on it,” Niu Fu spat, his tone filled with frustration.

“Can it be fixed?” Liu Bi looked down at the tire, his brows knitted into a knot.

Having just left and already suffering a punctured tire, if it can’t be repaired, the road ahead would only get more difficult.

“It can be fixed!” Niu Fu patted the toolbox with confidence, “As long as we don’t hit high speeds, a simple patch will do for now.”