Wasteland Border Inspector - Chapter 981

Chapter 981: Chapter 311: Death Word Leech, World Beyond the Walls!_3

In the deepest part of the inner chamber, Cheng Ye also discovered a sign marked “Temporary Escape Route.”

He pressed the button below the sign, and the floor beneath him sprang outward, revealing a staircase leading underground.

Every so often along the staircase walls hung a faint green atomic lamp, casting a soft glow that illuminated the descent.

“The exit is outside the courtyard, behind the wall.” Liu Bi glanced at the stairs and remarked casually.

Driven by curiosity, Cheng Ye followed the stairs downward and found they were designed as a “V” shaped switchback staircase.

At the end of the stairs was a thick metal cover with a button nearby. Pressing it opened the cover automatically, and the gray sky of the wilderness instantly came into view.

“Well designed. If not infected, hiding here with the doors locked would indeed allow for a peaceful sleep.” Cheng Ye closed the cover and returned to the courtyard.

The room where those two infected individuals emerged showed no signs of any backpacks or supplies, seemingly due to the nature of the Death Word Leech, which blurred scene memory, leaving them perpetually stuck in their pre-death state, unable to recall their personal belongings.

Cheng Ye entered another room directly opposite, and sure enough, there were two military backpacks on the floor.

He returned to the armored vehicle to fetch inspection equipment, following previous procedures meticulously: disinfect, scan, then dismantle layer by layer.

Soon, a pile of supplies was extracted one by one. Unlike the previous crazed alchemist’s backpack, the items within these two backpacks were as normal as could be.

Food consisted of hard dry rations specially preserved against decay, still mold-free after so long.

Besides, there were only basic items like drinking water, simple first aid kits, and spare clothes, with nothing of high value.

But on the fabric inside the backpack, two names were embroidered.

Yi Qian, Ivan, presumably brothers.

Cheng Ye repacked all the supplies into the backpacks and walked towards Niu Fu, who was digging a pit:

“Let’s bury them together.”

“I’ll handle it myself.” Niu Fu was full of energy, swinging the shovel briskly, flinging soil to the edge of the pit.

In the wilderness, dealing with worthless spoils is typically done by burying them directly in the ground, adhering to the three principles of “No contamination, no alteration, no death.”

The formation of these principles results from many scavengers and travelers who process their backpacks using extreme methods, either by coating fabric with poison or hiding phosphorus powder and incendiaries in layers. When danger arises, they ignite them immediately, preferring to burn them rather than leave them for later opportunists.

During the Great Expansion era, it was even common for people to set up sensor bombs in backpack layers, which would detonate instantly upon detecting signs of violent dismantling.

Of course, the core reason for such actions remains the threat of infection sources.

No one can guarantee if the backpack contains anything related to infection sources.

Many infection sources have bizarre abilities; contact might lead to marking, causing endless trouble thereafter.

So the safest method is to completely avoid direct physical contact, burying the backpack in the ground as it was, without any extra touches or actions.

Cheng Ye removed the rubber gloves from his hands, tossed them onto the two backpacks, and turned to walk back to the armored vehicle.

Yin Ruofeng and the other three witnessed firsthand how swiftly he dealt with the infected body, and their previously tense emotions gradually stabilized.

“Get off the vehicle and stretch. The courtyard is safe. If anyone needs to use the restroom, do it now.” Cheng Ye instructed, then added a second line, “Eat something later.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the chubby Zhang Daping quickly pushed open the car door, smiling sheepishly as he stepped out and hurriedly ran to the other side of the courtyard.

Evidently, he had held back for a long time, waiting for Cheng Ye’s signal, as none dared to make such requests in the crucial moments after departure, which could delay the journey.

“Inspector Cheng, you’re impressive!” Yin Ruofeng also got off the vehicle, loosening his stiff shoulders, giving Cheng Ye a thumbs up.

He hesitated for a moment, then moved a few steps closer and lowered his voice, “Regarding the malicious incident at Mountain Shadow Gathering Place, Rainbow Light Shelter City once sent people to investigate. But those sent ended up disappearing just like those missing from the gathering place, inexplicably vanished. Perhaps the infection source still lingers in that region, so Rainbow Light eventually erased it from the map, isolating it completely.”

Directly isolating and removing dangerous areas from the map, marking them as deserted wastelands is undoubtedly the most straightforward method.

No migrant would recklessly venture into unmarked areas on the map. No similar malicious incident has occurred since the method was employed, proving its crude simplicity to be remarkably effective.

“No worries, we’ll just avoid it. Once we’re strong enough, we’ll explore it someday.” Cheng Ye smiled, speaking lightly to soothe everyone’s nerves.

Niu Fu finished digging the pit, burying Yi Qian and Ivan’s bodies along with their backpacks, taking nearly half an hour in total.

Cheng Ye wandered around the courtyard for a while, feeling the cool wind of the wilderness; the tension from the unknown infection source gradually dissipated.

Opening the nutrient paste crate, everyone was given a Yellow Bag Nutrient Paste to replenish their strength.

Only Zhang Daping declined. Considering his awkward expression earlier when he got off the vehicle, it was clear that he had consumed several bags of nutrient paste in the morning before setting off for energy reserves, leaving him with no appetite for more now.