Chapter 2: Iron rice bowl, civilization collector!

"I wished for a stable job, but I didn't say it would be in the wasteland!"

How did I travel through time?

At a graduate school graduation party at the age of 26, Cheng Ye half-jokingly made a wish at the instigation of his friends: he wanted to find a high-paying and stable "iron rice bowl" as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that when he woke up, he would travel directly to this wasteland sanctuary city called "Happy City".

The father of the predecessor was the inspector of Happiness City, who unfortunately died during a field mission.

According to the rules, the original owner, who had lived in the inner city since childhood, had to walk out of the high walls and come to the isolation area to inherit his father's business. However, after only one day, he committed suicide by swallowing pills due to excessive fear.

When Cheng Ye woke up, he had become the third-generation successor to the identity of "Prosecutor".

Fortunately, the prosecutor's job is indeed a stable one.

As long as an intern does not go out on field work during the three-month protection period and does not do anything stupid, the sacrifice rate is still very low.

"I'll be going on a field mission in just two weeks. I need to get used to this kind of situation...quickly."

Staring at Edmund gradually stopping his convulsions, Cheng Ye sighed heavily and finally suppressed the nausea that was surging in his abdomen.

"Also...activate!"

Raising his hand to grasp the star-shaped pendant on his chest, Cheng Ye's eyes flashed, and a virtual interface that only he could see popped up.

【Civilization Collector】

[Current activation progress: 97.4%]

The interface flickered with a faint blue light, like waves, and the gentle swaying made Cheng Ye's uneasy mood ease a little.

This pendant is one of the legacies left by my predecessor's father.

It's a pity that the predecessor was too frightened and didn't discover the secret at all. It was not until Cheng Ye was searching for the relics that he accidentally knocked it down and stuck it into the socket board, and then he discovered that the pendant could absorb electrical energy and activated this mysterious interface.

"I hope this thing works for me after it's activated, otherwise I'm in big trouble."

Cheng Ye prayed silently in his heart.

For modern people who have experienced the knowledge explosion, it is not difficult to wait in front of the door and ask questions, but when it comes to confronting the infected body head-on with real weapons, he really has no confidence.

After all, the infected creatures in this world are not the zombies in American blockbusters, who rely solely on plasma and roars to maintain their presence. Except for having some combat power when they gather into a tide of zombies, they can be easily killed by adults if they are alone.

In this wasteland world, even the most common source of infection, such as the tentacle that was just shot in the head by the Sentinel, can help dead humans to be resurrected on the spot.

As long as no one points out the fact that they are "dead", these infected corpses can walk, talk, and live in human society like normal people, until the source of infection in their bodies accumulates enough strength to cause a second large-scale infection.

As for stronger sources of infection, such as dandelions, once they die, they will instantly release spores covering two kilometers. If humans inhale even one micron of spores, they will become new infected bodies.

Compared with its strength, if there is a choice, Cheng Ye would rather have the brainless cheat code such as "hundred-fold reward" and "punch in to get magical power", or at worst "gate between two worlds" and "infinite upgrade system" will do.

But the reality is cruel. It seems that the five words "civilization collector" of Golden Finger sound very simple.

Mentioned simplicity.

There were footsteps in the distance, and the four cleanup team members with their upper bodies naked seemed to need these two words to describe them.

There were no protective suits, let alone weapons, only a body bag, a shovel, and an isolation box to contain the source of infection.

The four of them chatted and laughed as they first opened the iron cage and killed the still twitching Edmund with a shovel. Then they grabbed the tentacles covered with suction cups with their bare hands and stuffed them into the isolation box.

After the containment was complete, while the remaining three were cleaning the isolation cage, the leader turned around and said with a smile, "Inspector Cheng, the specific contribution point rewards remain the same. They will be distributed to your personal account after the number of infected bodies is determined."

"Okay, please... I'll buy you a drink, brothers."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, then took out two bottle caps from his trouser pocket and threw them over.

The man took it, his smile growing even brighter, but he still said, "How can this be so embarrassing?"

"Flynn, let's not be so polite. Just help me clean up faster next time."

"Leave it to me. I'll definitely get there as soon as possible and won't delay the inspector's work."

Flynn patted his chest, not caring at all about Edmund's blood stuck to it.

This roughness and "simplicity" made Cheng Ye's eyelids twitch, and it took him a while to calm down.

And the next half day.

Perhaps due to Edmund's influence, the number of survivors choosing conveyor belt No. 8 suddenly decreased significantly.

No one came for half an hour, so Cheng Ye simply packed up the table and clocked out early.

What is a "iron rice bowl"?

Although being an inspector would prevent one from entering the inner city for the rest of his life, he would also gain many privileges accordingly.

Compared with following in his father's footsteps, slacking off at work, leaving get off work early, accepting bribes... ahem, these are just appetizers.

Because he had dealt with the source of infection, Cheng Ye specifically followed the rules and reported his health status when passing through the checkpoint.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for the station chief Ding Yishan to look at this young man with a higher opinion of him.

"Yes, this Cheng Ye... is very much like his father. He is efficient, decisive, and knows how to use his brain to solve problems."

"Well, most importantly, follow our rules!"

"It's a pity that his fighting talent is too poor and his courage is average. I don't know if he can survive his first field mission." Deputy Station Chief Harlin shook his head.

He was in charge of combat training, and among all the recruits he had led, Cheng Ye's performance was the worst.

Sometimes, Harlin even felt that Cheng Ye was a human being from the old times, and shooting would actually scare him.

"He has poor combat talent. Isn't Liu Bi giving him special training?"

Ding Yishan frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with Harlin's attitude. "I've told you countless times that we need to be more tolerant of newcomers. So, tell Liu Bi later that before going out on a mission, Cheng Ye will have a quota of 100 free training bullets every day. These quotas will be counted towards the checkpoint's public expenses."

"yes."

Harlin agreed immediately, but turned around and curled his lips, with a hint of undisguised disdain in his eyes.

The station is divided into two factions, the East and the West. Ever since Cheng Ye's father Cheng Long died in the line of duty, the East faction has lost a key member and is now losing influence.

Ding Yishan was also confused. In his desperation, he tried every possible means and even thought about supporting the young man Cheng Ye.

That's all his talent?

Not to mention one hundred, even if we send out ten thousand, I'm afraid it would be a waste of time.

Therefore, Harlem was too lazy to stop him.

It's a public expense anyway, so just use it. Do the top management of Xingfu City need this little money?

...

Cross the isolation zone and enter the buffer zone.

There are old residential buildings on both sides of the narrow road, pedestrian streets crowded with refugees, and shopping malls converted into temporary shelters.

Compared with the colorful and neon-lit inner city, this place still looks like the old times, but it makes Cheng Ye feel like he has returned to the modern era and is very familiar and friendly.

After walking through several alleys, Cheng Ye sniffed and returned to his home in this wasteland.

'Chaoyang Electronics Factory Staff Quarters'

Don’t be fooled by the name, it is one of the real “luxury homes” in the buffer zone.

The huge living space of 12 square meters per person is enough for Cheng Ye to exercise while staying in the room. He does not have to worry about being like ordinary residents in the buffer zone, where a family of four or five people are huddled in a space the size of a toilet and hit their heads when getting up at night.

There are three shops at the entrance of the staff community.

From left to right are "Uncle Dong's Store", "Big Meat Canteen", and "Supply Collection and Sales Station".

The first two are personal stores, while the latter is one of the official stores in the buffer zone, responsible for recycling and selling rare resources.

"Uncle Dong, bring two packets of nutrient solution and another packet of maltose."

After entering the convenience store, Cheng Ye shouted skillfully.

"Also, my defense communication is out of battery. I'm not going home later, so I'd like to charge it here first, okay?"

"Just recharge. It's flood season now, so electricity bills are temporarily suspended."

Xingfu City is powered by a hydropower station. It is the summer flood season and there is plenty of electricity. The top management simply gave out some benefits and temporarily waived electricity charges.

Cheng Ye took out a defense communication device that looked like a mobile phone, connected it to the power strip, then removed the pendant without leaving any trace, inserted it into the hole, and pressed it with the defense communication device.

It has been more than two months since the pendant was discovered. According to the percentage and consumption conversion, it requires two thousand kilowatt-hours of electricity to activate it.

Only Xingfu City has this ability. If it were other shelter cities, it would probably take a year or two to gather this number.

In order to prevent the large amount of electricity usage from being discovered, Cheng Ye was very careful. Except for charging the battery at home at the beginning, he would find a small store under the pretext of charging the defense channel and connect the pendant to "steal electricity" at the opportunity.

The wires in the convenience store are basically 2.5 square meters, and can charge about two degrees per hour, which is very efficient.

There is only a 50-degree gap left before activation. I will charge it at home tonight and it should be able to meet the activation conditions tomorrow morning.

"Here they are. Two packets of nutrient solution and one packet of candy. Xiao Cheng, just give me three happiness coins."

Uncle Dong is an old soldier in Xingfu City, about 55 years old. Because his right arm was injured and he could not hold the gun, he chose to retire.

"That won't work. The lowest price out there is five. Even if you're familiar with my dad, you still have to make a profit."

Cheng Ye took the nutrient solution that looked like blood plasma, unscrewed the bottle, drank it, and paid for it.

Happiness Coins are the circulating currency in Happiness City, used for daily necessities such as food and rent. Unlike the scarce contribution points, his predecessor's father left behind nearly five thousand when he died, which is more than enough for him to spend lavishly.

Besides, the inspector's monthly salary is 500 coins, which is far from enough for him to spend alone!

...