Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 217: Ruin-Level Infection Source, Miserable Garcia!

"Damn it... damn it all!"The sun had already climbed high into the sky. Its rays beat down on his armor, transmitting waves of searing heat.

Garcia clung desperately to the alloy railing at the riverbank. His knuckles had turned a terrifying purplish-black, and waves of dizziness washed over his consciousness.

Never in his life had he felt such profound despair, such absolute helplessness.

He could only lament his terrible luck. Ever since he offended Cheng Ye, it felt as if he had been cursed by misfortune, spiraling downwards as one disastrous event followed another.

Beneath his feet, the White Water River sparkled in the sunlight. Occasionally, a large fish would breach the surface, sending up a spray of water. It looked far more peaceful than it had during the night.

But he dared not take the gamble. He dared not enter the water to check if those corpses were still there, dared not confirm whether the Abyssal Water Cave Crab infected bodies were still lurking nearby, and most of all, he dared not recall the fleeting, terrifying glimpse he had caught underwater last night.

Those massive eyeballs, each the size of a pickup truck, had been densely packed together. They had stared directly at him, as if ready to drag him into the abyss at any given second.

Compared to those eyes, even the sight of his entire team suffering parasitism and mutating into monsters seemed somewhat less horrifying.

"Ah, I am dying of thirst!"

The sunlight pierced through the clouds, growing blindingly bright once more.

Garcia felt as though a ball of fire had been stuffed down his throat. It was so dry it ached.

He absentmindedly touched his neck. The green veins there were becoming increasingly distinct, snaking and spreading like bulging blood vessels.

An intense wave of thirst surged from the depths of his being. It felt as if he had just swallowed half a kilogram of salt, and every cell in his body was screaming for moisture.

The river water was right in front of him, so clear that he could see the fish swimming within, yet he dared not lower his body or lean forward to take a drink.

Because there was still a way to remove the benign infection source, the Thousand-Strand Vine, from his body. But if he suffered parasitism from a new infection source, he would truly be at death's door.

"Luo... Luo Kuke! You are a damned Third-stage Inspector, why haven't you come to save me yet?!"

"Luo... don't tell me you are already dead? You can't die before me!"

"Luo... Inspector! Please, save me! I don't want to die yet! I am still young, I haven't climbed to the third stage yet, I still..." Chaotic thoughts churned in his mind. Garcia's consciousness grew increasingly blurry, and his right hand suddenly lost its grip.

Splash.

His entire body slid backward, his head nearly touching the freezing surface of the water.

Fortunately, he had previously used the vines pulled up from the riverbed to bind his left hand securely to the railing, preventing him from falling completely in.

Even so, a few strands of his hair still brushed against the river water.

That tiny trace of coldness sent an instant shiver through Garcia, jolting his mind into sudden clarity. Stimulated by the fresh water, the Thousand-Strand Vine attached to his neck reacted violently. The green veins bulged out abruptly, looking as if they were about to burst his blood vessels, and actually began creeping along his skin, reaching toward the river's surface.

He frantically tried to struggle upright, but his left hand had gone numb from being bound so tightly by the vines, rendering him completely powerless.

Weighed down by his heavy combat armor, he was left lying flat on the water like a plank of wood, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.

"I... I am not actually going to die here, am I?"

"No! I refuse to accept this! I refuse to die in Dabo Town, to die as a nobody like this!"

"Someone save me, someone... Calvin, I agree to your terms, I accept all your demands! Just come and save me, please save me..."

An intense desire to survive flooded his heart, rushing the blood straight to his head. Garcia struggled even more violently.

At this moment, his rank, his dignity as an Inspector, and his grudge against Cheng Ye were all tossed completely out the window. All that remained was his most primal instinct to live.

It was to the point where his mind broke into delirious rambling, cursing one moment and begging the next:

"Cheng... Cheng you dog, aren't you so capable? Come and save me then!"

"You dog! Aren't you from the Cheng family? Aren't you incredible? Hurry up and save me!"

"Inspector Cheng! Inspector Cheng, I was wrong! I am begging you, please save my life!"

"I do not want to die... I really don't want to die!!!"

"What on earth is he doing?"

Cheng Ye squeezed the brake of the jet ski, gazing from a distance at Garcia on the surface of the water.

Though he knew it was rather unethical to laugh right now, Garcia's current appearance was exactly like a mouse stuck to a glue trap. The more he struggled, the further his body slipped toward the water, entirely unable to free himself.

"Maybe he is suffering from some cramps?"

Luo Kuke also brought his jet ski to a halt, a hint of amusement in his tone. "We were nearly scared to death by the infection sources last night, but look at him. Has he seriously been lying here the entire night?"

Judging by Garcia's posture, it really did look like he was lying flat on the water. However, considering his incessant twitching, there was no way he had just spent the night sleeping.

Cheng Ye understood that Luo Kuke was demonstrating his stance, deliberately lowering his posture and following Cheng Ye's lead in conversation, fully adopting an 'awaiting orders' attitude.

Cheng Ye watched for a few moments before he could not help but chuckle. "Let's go. Inspector Garcia must be terrified out of his wits."

He was still slightly uneasy about leaving Wang Kang alone in the town to pacify the residents and maintain order in the competition between the red and blue zones.

But as long as Garcia, a Second-stage Inspector, could hold on and help keep an eye on the town, the two of them would be able to investigate the underwater infection sources without any worries.

The jet skis chugged over. The commotion was by no means quiet, yet Garcia acted as if he couldn't hear a thing, completely absorbed in his desperate struggles.

It wasn't until they drew closer that Cheng Ye saw clearly what was happening. The blood vessels on Garcia's neck had ruptured, and several bright green vines had pierced through his skin. They were straining to reach the water, a clear sign that the infection source was wreaking havoc.

"It is the Thousand-Strand Vine!"

Luo Kuke recognized it at a glance. "A C-grade benign infection source. To think he actually had such a good item in his possession; no wonder he managed to survive."

Thinking about it, Garcia must have suffered the most direct mental pollution during the final patrol shift last night.

Cheng Ye paused slightly in thought. Even though Garcia's character was rotten, his professional capabilities certainly did not disgrace the title of a Happiness City Inspector.

"So what is his current condition...?"

"The Thousand-Strand Vine relies on large amounts of fresh water to maintain its parasitic balance. He is severely dehydrated. We just need to go back, grab some water, and pour it over him to temporarily stabilize the situation."

"Alright."

The two of them parked their jet skis. One reached out to grab Garcia's right hand, while the other leaned down to untangle the tightly wound vines from his left.

As Garcia was lifted from the water, the jet skis dipped slightly. His consciousness had completely faded, leaving him as limp as mud. The two had no choice but to carry him like a slaughtered pig—one supporting his head and the other holding his legs—draping him across the gap between the two side-by-side jet skis.

The chugging sound of the engines roared to life once more, and in no time, they navigated back to the dock's drainage outlet.

After tossing Garcia onto the dock, the two men nimbly hopped off their crafts and turned to head into the town.

Garcia's current state was quite frightening. Carrying him directly back into town would easily trigger panic among the residents. They could only leave him waiting here while they fetched the fresh water. "These infection sources are indeed extremely quiet during the day, not making a single sound." As they walked toward the town, Luo Kuke lowered his voice, his tone laced with gravity. "The more thoroughly they are suppressed in the daylight, the more it proves that the Ruin-level infection source active at night is anything but simple."

"According to what I have heard, infection sources that are active at night generally share a weakness: poor vision. They rely primarily on sensing fluctuations to hunt. Therefore, during our subsequent investigation, we must first figure out its safe perception range. We absolutely cannot approach recklessly."

"Furthermore, even though these types of infection sources fear intense light, using light underwater will actually backfire. A bright light is the ultimate target; the moment you shine it, your position is exposed. If we absolutely must use intense light, we need to find concealed locations to set up searchlights beforehand, and configure specific trigger conditions—like turning on only when they detect movement. We cannot just flip them all on from the start..."

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Over the years, Luo Kuke had traveled far and wide. While he had never genuinely encountered a Ruin-level infection source, his extensive interactions with Inspectors from other shelter cities had allowed him to accumulate a wealth of theoretical experience.

Even though much of this experience was merely on paper and remained untested in actual combat, its reference value was exceptionally high.

Cheng Ye nodded as he listened, occasionally interjecting with a question or two. The two men soon returned to the dock, carrying four water buckets filled with purified fresh water.

As if watering flowers, they sprayed the fresh water over the protruding Thousand-Strand Vines. The moment the glossy green vines made contact with the liquid, they immediately sprang to life, writhing frantically to absorb the moisture. They quickly spread across the ground, tangling into a large green sphere around Garcia.

"Now is the time!" Luo Kuke moved with blinding speed, drawing the short blade at his waist. The blade flashed with a cold light as it precisely severed the main vine connecting to Garcia's neck.

The vines on the ground instantly lost their vitality, rapidly withering and curling up. Meanwhile, the vines beneath Garcia's skin retracted abruptly, quickly vanishing from sight and leaving behind only a few faint green marks on his neck.

"Just from this single incident." Luo Kuke sheathed his blade and held up five fingers, his tone tinged with regret.

"Five years?" Cheng Ye stared blankly for a second.

"Yes."

Luo Kuke nodded, letting out an empathetic sigh. "I suffered this same loss when I was younger. Three years were drained from me back then. Just those three years meant that even though I was only twenty-seven and had yet to reach my physical peak, I could never advance any further. From that point on, I could only barely maintain my status quo, without any possibility of future progress."

Just as his voice faded, Garcia on the ground finally showed some reaction.

He forced his eyes open with great difficulty. His gaze first landed on Luo Kuke, and a flash of excitement instantly crossed his face. His lips moved as he tried to speak.

But when his eyes swept over to Cheng Ye standing nearby, that excitement was immediately and forcefully suppressed. He stubbornly forced himself to put on an act of composure, yet his face was ghastly pale, making him look rather comical no matter how one looked at it.

"Inspector Garcia, you are awake?"

Luo Kuke leaned down and carefully helped Garcia sit up, leaning him against the concrete wall of the dock. "How do you feel? What exactly happened last night? Why were you here all alone?"

"Last night?" Garcia repeated weakly, his eyes still somewhat unfocused. It took him several seconds to process the question before asking in a hoarse voice, "Is there water? I want to drink."

"You just stabilized the Thousand-Strand Vine with fresh water. If you drink too much right now..."

"It is fine. Give me water to drink."

As soon as the words fell.

Cheng Ye brought over the remaining water bucket and placed it in front of him. Garcia stared at the bucket in a daze for a moment before plunging his head down. Gripping the rim with both hands, he began gulping down the water in massive mouthfuls.

Gulp, gulp.

In truth, his physical thirst had already been alleviated. However, the profound emptiness deep within his soul—the result of having his vitality drained by the Thousand-Strand Vine—could only be temporarily filled by drinking water.

The gulping sounds persisted for quite a while. It wasn't until he had consumed nearly half the bucket that he suddenly lifted his head, drops of water clinging to the corners of his mouth. The green vines on his neck, which had only just subsided, faintly began to gleam once more.

He wiped his face, finally recovering some semblance of clarity, and spoke, "There are many infection sources underwater. I sent you a message before I dove in. Did you not receive it?"

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Luo Kuke's expression froze slightly, and he instinctively looked toward Cheng Ye. Seeing that Cheng Ye remained silent, he gently shook his head.

"You didn't receive it?" Garcia was utterly stunned.

"It is not that I didn't receive it. It is that I... couldn't hear."

"What?"

Garcia trembled all over. He suddenly raised his hand, pointing shakily in the direction of Happiness City, his voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremor. "Then... can we still go back?"

"With luck, we still can."

Cheng Ye took over the conversation, staring directly at him. "You should have seen what is beneath the water. If we don't contain it, no one is leaving."

"Just the likes of you?"

Garcia instinctively retorted, but he froze as soon as the words left his mouth. After two seconds of silence, he corrected himself: "Just the likes of us?"

"To be exact, Luo Kuke and I will be going underwater."

Cheng Ye spoke in a deep voice, "The target is a Ruin-level infection source, as well as the Immortal Object fragment inside its body. You do not need to face the danger directly. You just need to work with Wang Kang to maintain order in the town, ensuring that the residents do not panic and do not trigger a pollution tide. That is your mission."

"As long as the mission is successful, you will secure a Ruin-level quota. You should know perfectly well what that means, right?"

One Ruin-level was equivalent to five Disaster-levels.

It was the primary promotion metric for a Third-stage Inspector, and he could obtain it just by staying alive.

Garcia's eyes lit up instantly. He quickly shot a look at Luo Kuke, and seeing him nod in confirmation, finally regained his senses. He spoke at a breakneck pace, "There are so many corpses underwater! They are the bodies of the drifters washed down by that water hazard in the Linjiang River tributary back in June. They all flowed along the river down to the bottom of the White Water River, converging right here in the Dabo Town section... And on top of that, they have all come back to life!"

"Resurrected corpses?"

Cheng Ye and Luo Kuke exchanged a glance, both seeing a look of sudden realization in each other's eyes.

There were only a handful of infection sources capable of resurrecting corpses. Once you factored in the modifier 'water hazard', the possibilities were even narrower.

They could essentially pinpoint it to the Death-Whisper Tentacle.

Cheng Ye paused for a moment. An image suddenly flashed through his mind; it seemed that the last infected body he had inspected and executed before activating the Collector was a drifter parasitized by a Death-Whisper Tentacle.

"It is undoubtedly a Death-Whisper Tentacle."

Cheng Ye confirmed in a serious tone, "I have dealt with a similar infected body before, a victim of that very water hazard. But the strange thing is, corpses resurrected by Death-Whisper Tentacles will usually act on instinct to complete their unfinished business from when they were alive, like returning to their hometown or seeking out a specific person. Why would they all just remain motionless at the bottom of the water?"

"That is crucial information. For this scenario to occur, there are two possibilities."

Luo Kuke immediately chimed in, beginning his analysis, "There is a high probability of two outcomes. First, these resurrected corpses have been seized by a new infection source—namely, that Ruin-level infection source down below. It has turned these bodies into 'puppets' to protect itself. Second, the Death-Whisper Tentacles were implanted with a new directive upon resurrecting the hosts, with their goal set to converge on Dabo Town. However, the chances of that are incredibly slim. The parasitic logic of the Death-Whisper Tentacle is extremely simple and very difficult to rewrite."

Controlled entities?

Serving as pawns for a predator?

There was not a trace of surprise on Cheng Ye's face. Like fixed NPCs, the infection tides that cropped up everywhere every winter would inevitably house one or more core infection sources.

Aside from possessing bizarre abilities and posing a massive threat to humanity, these infection sources could also rely on unique magnetic fields to gather surrounding infected bodies. The greater the numbers they amassed, the more terrifying the resulting infection tide would be.

Over a thousand infected bodies resurrected by Death-Whisper Tentacles, gathered in the waters of Dabo Town by an underwater Ruin-level infection source?

It sounded terrifying, yet at this stage in his journey, Cheng Ye felt not a single ounce of fear.

Compared to the Abyssal Water Cave Crab infected bodies, the corpses resurrected by Death-Whisper Tentacles had exceptionally weak combat power to begin with. Lacking any special abilities, they posed no significant threat as long as they were handled carefully.

However, Garcia's next words instantly tightened the nerves they had only just relaxed: "It is not just the Death-Whisper Tentacles..."

"Some of the corpses were also infected by the Abyssal Water Cave Crabs, mutating them into dual-infected bodies. When I sank to the bottom, I saw at least a dozen of these dual-infected entities that had already reached the fusion entity level..."

"Over a dozen Abyssal Water Cave Crab fusion entities?"

Luo Kuke instantly lost his composure, his voice pitching up a few notches.

The Abyssal Water Cave Crab was intrinsically different from the Starfish Epidemic that had just ravaged the inner city. It was an infected body renowned for its sheer combat power. Even dealing with a gathering of standard Abyssal Water Cave Crab infected bodies would demand an immense amount of effort.

As for fusion entities... those were monsters whose defenses could only be pierced by specially crafted armor-piercing rounds. They had no exposed fatal weaknesses, meaning conventional blanket firepower was completely useless against them!

At this thought, Luo Kuke instinctively turned to look at Cheng Ye. Seeing that Cheng Ye's face still bore no sign of panic, the heart that had just leaped into his throat settled down ever so slightly.

But this subconscious reaction, falling into Garcia's eyes, sent him into a disorienting trance that felt like his entire worldview was crumbling.

Since when did a Third-stage Inspector actually look to a Trainee Inspector for cues?

Was the man standing before him truly Luo Kuke, or was it... Li Matai?

'Am I still under the influence of hallucinations?'

He instinctively raised his hand to touch the green vines on his neck that had yet to fully recede. Only when the slightly swollen vines transmitted a distinct rhythmic pulsation did he snap out of his daze.

"Aside from these dual-infected bodies, is there anything else underwater?"

"Aside from them... there are also..."

Garcia paused, as if trying hard to recall the underwater scene. Then, like a waiter rattling off a menu, he rattled off the names of over a dozen infection sources in one breath, "There are Face-Swapper Fish, Soul-Reaping Catfish, Bone-Drilling Snails, Water-Walker Leeches..."

These were all essentially common underwater infection sources; there was nothing that demanded any special attention.

However, right after he finished, Garcia gasped for air, his eyes suddenly filling with terror. His voice began to tremble. "But none of those are the real threat... The true threat is that Ruin-level infection source you mentioned. That thing... that thing is a genuine behemoth, it is..."

After stammering a couple of times, he simply grabbed a scattered vine from the ground, dipped it in the fresh water, and began drawing on the concrete.

This was a mandatory skill for all Inspectors. When words failed to describe an entity, they had to be able to illustrate the morphology of the infection source as quickly as possible.

Garcia's artistic skills were rather decent, and he rapidly sketched out a rough outline.

As the central details were meticulously filled in, Cheng Ye froze for a second, unable to stop himself from glancing at Luo Kuke.

The two spoke in almost perfect unison.

"A sponge?"