4:00 PM.

Cheng Ye walked out of the inspection station in a daze, glanced up at the sky, and felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Who could have imagined that just this morning, before stepping into the inspection station, he was a pauper with a debt of 107 points?

Eight short hours later, he could clear all his debts and still have savings?

Wait a minute.

Perhaps this comparison is not clear enough.

Converting it to earning a house in one morning and paying off a 30-year loan might be more appropriate.

Of course, now is not the time to repay the debt; it's urgent to quickly acquire equipment to fend off the Stand-In Starfish.

After suddenly coming into wealth, Cheng Ye didn't even bother saying goodbye to the Western inspector who had just switched shifts with him. After hurriedly completing the procedures, he rushed out.

"Inspector Cheng!"

Carson, squatting by the door, waved excitedly as he jogged over, "The car is ready. Which resource trading point do you want to go to?"

Cheng Ye retracted his drifting thoughts and looked at the small pickup not far away:

"Do you know the Super Material Store near the Giant Wall?"

"I know! Of course, I know! I even dream of getting some super material to sell there!"

Carson rubbed his hands excitedly, "There's a trading point within three hundred meters of that area, and I'm very familiar with it."

"Let's go to the Giant Wall trading point then."

Cheng Ye nodded and got in the car with Carson, settling into the passenger seat.

I have to say, the front row of this small pickup is much more comfortable than the Big Golden Cup, with a strong sense of seat wrapping, far superior to the BYD Qin he often took before his crossing, and comparable to the Aion Y.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the seat surface seemed to be covered in mutant beast skin, explaining its comfort.

"This is a deer hide I received a long time ago. The quality was too poor, so I used it myself."

Carson, sitting in the back, stuck his head out to introduce, "Sir, it's rare to see an Eastern inspector like you at the North Station."

An obvious probe, which Cheng Ye clearly understood.

To the residents of the Buffer Zone, whether scavengers or caravan leaders, the more inspectors they can befriend, the more enjoyable their lives become.

"I'm quite unique; I can go to both the South Station and the North Station, whichever I prefer."

Talking big, who doesn't know how?

Cheng Ye chuckled, "My Defense Communication ID is 96061. If you encounter any trouble in the future, feel free to give me a call. As long as it doesn't involve principle issues, helping with small matters is no problem."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Carson rejoiced, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.

Although he knew in his heart that the definition of a "small matter" was entirely up to Cheng Ye.

But so what, since Cheng Ye opened this door, it meant he didn't reject their attempts to befriend him.

And that was enough!

Many wanderers simply lacked this opportunity to connect, which is why they remained stagnant.

They chatted along the way.

Carson babbled incessantly about interesting anecdotes from the ruins and the current affairs of a few nearby settlements.

While Cheng Ye felt curious, he suppressed his urge to ask questions to maintain a seasoned persona.

The small pickup soon reached the main road and joined up with two Big Golden Cups.

This was the first time Cheng Ye rode a "private car" to the main city area, and he was somewhat unaccustomed to it.

The car attracted too much attention, with hundreds of eyes instantly focused wherever it went.

It was more eye-catching than even modern supercars.

Fortunately, although water barriers were set up along the route to divide the crowd, the control over vehicles was relatively lax.

The journey was smooth, and in no time, they reached the Happiness Giant Wall Bus Station.

The driver skillfully turned the wheel, weaving through alleyways until stopping at a shop hidden deep in an alley.

[Giant Wall Material Collection and Sale Station]

"Sir, this place is only open to caravans, not individual scavengers. Caravans usually have vehicles, so for privacy, the station was set up in such an inconspicuous spot."

Carson noticed Cheng Ye's confusion and hurriedly explained enthusiastically:

"Also, the purchase price here is one point higher than other places. We usually prefer trading here."

No wonder he was so happy; he could earn an extra point here?

Cheng Ye immediately understood, thinking to himself that next time, it's indeed better to choose this place for similar transactions.

Firstly, it's indeed discreet, and secondly, the caravans are willing to cooperate.

He got out of the car.

Walking into the collection and sale station, the process was surprisingly straightforward.

Cheng Ye handed over his badge for a scan, and without a word, the staff at the acquisition area started counting the goods.

In less than half an hour, the transaction was complete, and the money was promptly transferred.

[New Era 35, June 30, 17:03, Duty Bonus: '34' Contribution Points]

[Balance: 119 Points]

[Note: Duty Assignment, Sell Goods (Giant Wall Material Collection and Sale Station)]

"Sir, do you need to go anywhere else? I can have someone drive you."

"No, that won't be necessary."

Declining Carson's goodwill, Cheng Ye walked briskly through the alley, unable to resist whistling a couple of times.

Indeed, people don't get rich without unexpected wealth, and horses don't grow fat without eating grass at night.

The Hidden Ice Snake brought in 57 points, and combined with the revenue from the convoy and the Bloodthirsty Rat, his earnings surged by 119 points in a single day.

Once the Rotting Vine reward settles, even after buying a complete set of equipment, he might still have some leftover!

...

First, go to the super material store to get weapons.

Second floor.

Seeing Cheng Ye coming up the stairs, Master Liu reached under the counter and pulled out a small square box:

"Inspector Cheng, you're really lucky. This 'Vortex Stab' was just made by Elder Song who had an itch to create something. Take a look."

"Elder Song?"

Cheng Ye lifted an eyebrow, quickly stepped up to the counter in a few strides.

He wasn't clear who Elder Song was, but judging by Master Liu's tone, the craftsmanship must be exceptional.

With a light push of his fingertips on the box, a flash of cold light suddenly burst forth.

"What a fine knife!"

Cheng Ye didn't actually have much concept of cold weapons.

To him, the training short knife that Liu Bi applied for him was already impressive enough, definitely a magical weapon by modern standards.

But when this Vortex Stab was placed before him, he truly understood the difference between good and bad.

3g of Fire Storage Iron sounded like a small amount, but once forged in, each arc of the blade shimmered with a faint orange halo, like a rising morning sun.

A sharp aura surrounded the blade, capable of seemingly cutting even the air in half.

Below, the special skin-friendly nylon handle had an equally impressive texture.

Cheng Ye couldn't help but reach out to grip it, and the instant his finger pad touched it, he felt as if his arm extended forward without any hindrance or obstruction.

"What a fine knife!"

Cheng Ye lightly swung his wrist, feeling the enhancements brought by the Fire Storage Iron, couldn't help but sigh again.

No wonder people in ancient times would fight over a treasured knife, such a handy weapon has truly irresistible charm.

"Feels good, right?" Master Liu broke into a genuine smile, seeing Cheng Ye's continuous exclamations, he laughed heartily as well.

A treasured knife deserves a hero.

Though Cheng Ye looked quite young, his fondness was unmistakable.

Such a fine weapon would be wasted in the hands of someone who couldn't appreciate it.

"There's also a sheath underneath, originally you'd have to pay for it, but Elder Song itched to help and made it too."

Master Liu said, pulling out a stylish metal sheath from the bottom of the box.

Though no dragon or phoenix patterns were engraved on the sheath, a simple mountain-like pattern stretched across it, emitting an indescribable aura when matched with its subtly reddish, oily surface.

"Remember, when not in use, keep the knife sheathed. Weapons enhanced with super materials must be stored in special sheaths, or their properties will continuously dissipate."

"Alright!"

Cheng Ye nodded, tried the sheath, and found it to fit perfectly.

"I wonder who Elder Song is?"

"An old acquaintance of your father."

Master Liu waved his hand, "Elder Song didn't want us to reveal too much to you, just said that giving you this knife is settling an old score with your father."

"Hmm."

Cheng Ye was momentarily stunned, then nodded gently.

He thought Cheng Long only had connections at the inspection station, not expecting ties in the Inner City too.

If it were the original owner, these favors would likely be worthless.

But in his hands, they became tangible support, he benefited greatly along the way.

"By the way, Master Liu, you mentioned this Vortex Stab can be reversed with a steel pipe to become a Triangular Spear. I'd like to forge the spear shaft now, how much would it cost?"

Cheng Ye stashed the Vortex Stab into his backpack, took out the meteorite iron given by four brothers the day before yesterday, and handed it over: "See if this ore can be used."

"Oh, it's Black Stone?"

Master Liu took the ore, tapped it lightly with a hammer, and after observing for a while, commented, "Not bad quality, more than enough for a spear shaft."

"Black Stone?"

"It's a derivative of the Extraordinary Curse underground in Stone Province, a one-of-a-kind."

Master Liu explained, "After the land was polluted, many stones mutated with it. Outsiders like to call this 'rock sickness,' and mutated stones occasionally have special properties. This Black Stone seems to have been excavated from deep underground, its trait should be 'hardness'."

"How many Contribution Points is it worth?"

Master Liu held up a hand, and Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Is one's luck limited, could it really be a lucky day today?

First encountering the Hidden Ice Snake, now this ore could fetch a good price?

"50?"

"Not that much, only 5 points."

Master Liu hurriedly shook his head, "This is already a friendly price on your behalf. If a scavenger brought it, I'd offer at most 2 points."

He paused, tapped the Black Stone with his fingertip: "Don't be fooled by its hardness; it's a troublesome material to work with. Stones polluted by Extraordinary Curse have a unique structure that risks cracking easily during quenching, nine out of ten pieces end up discarded."

"Besides, who still desires purely hard materials now? Those with a bit of ambition opt for composite super materials. This thing is only considered a treasure by New Era's early scavengers."

5 points, that's fine.

Cheng Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief; for just a spear shaft, it was enough.

After all, only when actively confronting an Infected Body would medium-range combat be needed, the short sword form was entirely sufficient for the inspection station.

Moreover, the 'hardness' trait granted by the Extraordinary Curse was just right for a spear shaft.

"The forging fee is 10 points, half-off because of your relation."

"Can it be credited? The reward for catching the Infected Body hasn't been settled, I'll pay you next time?"

"Sure, as long as you don't ask me to waive it, coming to reconcile within a month is fine."

Master Liu smiled, his straightforwardness was not due to the Inspector but Elder Song's attitude.

Even Elder Song was willing to settle favors for this Inspector, what reason was there not to secure a favor himself?

"According to the current schedule, pick it up in two days."

"Alright."

After receiving the pick-up slip, Cheng Ye shouldered his backpack and walked out of the shop.

The twilight sunlight poured across obliquely.

He squinted at the horizon, finding the warm glow exceptionally comforting.

Everything seemed to be moving in a better direction.

Even if the Starfish outbreak was inevitable, his chances of survival now far exceeded the past.

This is the confidence to stand firm in the Wasteland!

...

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