Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 296: Lv5 Skill, Heart Lake Still Water!

The September wind swept across the wasteland, sounding the prelude to a busy season.Stepping into the golden autumn of October, the scorching sun shed its sharp edge, transforming into a gentle golden veil that lightly draped over the heavy ears of rice.

As the primary food source for humans, the late rice planted in June smoothly entered its harvest season just before the harsh winter arrived.

Despite the bizarre weather and frequent disasters of the New Era's Year 35 compared to previous years, it still did not affect the growth of the winter grain that humanity had meticulously guarded.

Silhouettes bustled along the field ridges. Farmers with rolled-up pant legs weaved through the golden waves of rice. With the rise and fall of sickles, bundles of plump rice stalks were neatly stacked.

Harvesters roared past, rolling up layers of rice waves. Plump grains cascaded down the grain tubes, forming small mountains inside the burlap sacks.

Even through the screen of the Defense Terminal, Cheng Ye felt as if he could smell the sweet fragrance of new grain permeating the air, mingling with the moist, earthy scent to refresh his very soul.

[That is wonderful. I hope we can have a harvest like this next year too.]

Cheng Ye typed out the line and pressed send.

The Research Institute clearance unlocked on the advanced Defense Terminal currently only had two functions:

One was to monitor Yu Yong's fusion progress in real-time to prevent the Ghost Shadow Spider from taking over his body again.

The other was a chat group where all the researchers could communicate.

On her way to Flower Province, Yu Erlan had recorded this video and sent it back through the alliance network, allowing everyone remaining in Shi Province to see how the outside world operated.

However, before he could turn off the screen, a reply popped up:

[Shi Xu: It is only just past five-thirty. Inspector Cheng is up this early?]

[Cheng Ye: My biological clock wakes me up at this time. Do not tell me Director Shi has not slept yet?]

[Shi Xu: (▽)]

The playful emoticon seemed to flip a switch.

Soon, a flurry of replies followed, entirely consisting of "I have not slept either," "Hey, how did you know I pulled an all-nighter too," and "Just finished revising the experimental data, I can barely hold on..."

In the massive Research Institute, nearly eighty percent of the researchers had pulled an all-nighter. It was simply absurd.

Cheng Ye watched the chat for a while, shaking his head with a chuckle. He placed the Defense Terminal on his bedside table, stretched, and got out of bed.

His room after moving was significantly larger than the one in the buffer zone, but daily life did not feel much different.

Little Flame was nestled in the corner by the headboard, mimicking his sleeping posture. The little chick was fast asleep with its feet pointing straight up, its small belly rising and falling gently with every breath.

Cheng Ye glanced at this adorably naive little creature, resisting the urge to reach out and tease it, and turned toward the window.

At this moment, the sky was still dark, though dawn was approaching.

The streetlamps of Dabo Town flickered with dim yellow light, dispelling the heavy pre-dawn darkness.

Downstairs, Liu Bi had woken up at some unknown hour. Wearing only a thin undershirt, he stood in the open space in front of the collection station, slowly practicing his martial arts forms, stance by stance.

His movements were expansive and steady. Every punch he threw carried a faint whoosh of displaced air.

Sensing the gaze from behind, Liu Bi turned his head, and their eyes met.

Seeing Liu Bi mouth the words "Come down," Cheng Ye threw on his coat and quickly went downstairs.

"Brother B, do you wake up this early every day?"

"It is not early. I wake up at four-thirty every morning. This is the most peaceful time; it is quiet outside, and the heart is calm as well."

The autumn morning already held a bit of a chill, yet Liu Bi's entire body radiated waves of heat from the inside out.

"Come, it has been a long time since I led your training. Come practice your forms and gather your breath with me."

"Alright," Cheng Ye nodded in agreement. Mimicking Liu Bi's breathing rhythm, he followed along, mirroring every stance and move.

His movements were inevitably a bit of an imitation, failing to grasp the profound meaning within the forms. But Liu Bi did not care in the slightest about such superficial efforts, only occasionally voicing pointers. "Slower. Yes, slow down, and steady your breath."

Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Only with a calm mind can one clearly discern their true self.

Cheng Ye did not originally feel anxious, but after practicing forms with Liu Bi for half an hour, right at the moment the morning sun broke the dawn and scattered its golden rays across the earth, he suddenly felt an indescribable sense of clarity. It was as if all the stagnant energy pent up in his heart had dissipated, completely broadening his state of mind.

"Not bad," Liu Bi nodded in praise. "The forms are just the surface. The strength of the Heaven-Man Martial Domain depends entirely on your connection with this world. The more you perceive—whether it be emotional fluctuations or the laws of growth and evolution of all things in the world—the more power you can control."

He looked at Cheng Ye, his tone carrying a touch of gratification. "I never expected you to grow to this extent in just a few short months. It leaves me unsure of how to teach you to unlock the next step. Perhaps you have already found your own path and do not need any more reminders from me."

"Brother B, your Heaven-Man Martial Domain must be quite different from others, right?" Cheng Ye asked, glancing at Yu Yong, who stood silently in the shadows behind them.

Liu Bi did not deny it. He continued his slow forms and spoke clearly, "With belief as a blade, one can ascend to the realm of the Transcendent; with belief as a shield, one can see through the mysteries of nature. In this vast wasteland, everyone bustles about. Reaching our stage, most have their own pursuits and ideals, desperately needing formidable strength to realize them. So it is not that my Heaven-Man Martial Domain is different from theirs, but rather that the things we pursue are different."

"So your belief is a shield?" Cheng Ye asked thoughtfully.

"Not a shield, but a tranquil lake," Liu Bi exhaled a long breath, retracting his fists and standing with his hands at his sides. "It has the broad-mindedness to encompass all things, and the potential to accept hundreds of rivers."

Without turning his head, he called out, "Come over here. I will teach you a few things."

Liu Bi did not look at Yu Yong, but Yu Yong acted as if he had received a command, unconsciously shifting his feet and slowly walking over.

"Follow me and practice these forms," Liu Bi instructed.

"I do not know how..." Yu Yong shook his head honestly, his tone laced with unease. "I do not understand breathing techniques either. I just wanted you to cooperate with me..."

"You have no choice in the matter," Liu Bi interrupted him bluntly. "Only by practicing with me will you be able to sense the things you cannot see."

Yu Yong blanked for a moment, then offered no further rebuttal. He clumsily followed Liu Bi's movements, slowly raising his hands and stepping forward, beginning the routine.

Watching the two of them bathed in the morning sun, practicing as earnestly as an apprentice following a master, Cheng Ye could not help but smile. He quietly stepped back a few paces.

Opening his interface, Liu Bi's Cooperation Level was still fully open, and the Recharge Value in the upper right corner was full again.

Before resting last night, he had not wasted his energy charge.

After collecting two of Mu Shuang's physique Traits, he had recharged the zeroed-out Collector.

Now that a night had passed, it was the perfect time to try unlocking Liu Bi's skills.

Cheng Ye jogged to the Hydroelectric Station to retrieve the Collector, then quickly hurried back to the front of the collection station.

To his amusement and exasperation, aside from Li Matai who was still sleeping in, Wang Kang and Luo Kuke had also gotten out of bed. They were currently lined up behind Liu Bi, practicing the forms.

The four of them moved as slowly as old men practicing Tai Chi, yet Wang Kang's forehead was already covered in beads of sweat the size of soybeans. The drops rolled down his cheeks, indicating that the physical exertion was clearly not small.

"This is..."

Cheng Ye was momentarily surprised, then keenly caught the special energy lingering in the surrounding space.

Liu Bi's Heaven-Man Martial Domain could actually be used not only against enemies, but also actively released to influence the people around him?

'Is this not a bit too exaggerated?'

Filled with astonishment, Cheng Ye suddenly recalled the days when he first practiced martial arts under Liu Bi.

Every time they sparred, even though he had no real martial arts talent, he could always easily enter a state of flow. Was it not because he adapted quickly, but rather because Liu Bi had quietly released his martial domain all along, subtly influencing his state?

Lost in thought, Cheng Ye hesitated no longer. He pulled up his interface and decided to perform a search on Liu Bi.

[Liu Bi, 100%, Fully Open]

[Searchable Range: Intelligence, Items, Skills Lv1~Lv5]

He knew that Lv4 corresponded to the Embryo-Holding Stage, which meant Lv5 was bound to be the Heaven-Man Unity Realm at the apex of martial arts.

Liu Bi did not possess Transcendent Skills, nor was there a Lv6 tier. The Heaven-Man Martial Domain was definitely hidden within the Lv5 skill bar.

"Search, Lv5 Skill!"

The interface flashed abruptly. The 100% Recharge Value was actually drained in an instant, dropping straight to zero.

At the same time, light flowed across the panel, and the abilities belonging to the Heaven-Man Unity Realm began to be manifested by the Collector.

Runes flashed one after another, several times more complex than Li Matai's skill runes, yet they never formed the strokes of a second state, halting on a progressive trajectory from simple to complex.

The interface slowly unfurled, and lines of text appeared with stark clarity:

[Liu Bi]

[Lv1 Skill]: Locked

[Lv2 Skill]: Locked

[Lv3 Skill]: Locked

[Lv4 Skill]: Locked

[Lv5 Skill]:

Trait: Heaven-Man Martial Domain · Heart Lake △ (Perfect; Grants the ability to enter a special state)

Trait: Heaven-Man Martial Domain · Still Water △ (Rare; Grants the ability to influence another plane)

Trait: Clear Dao Heart (Rare; Reduces emotional fluctuation values, slightly increases processing speed)

Skill: Rosy Cloud Concealment Method (Rare; A specialized martial arts cultivation method, encompassing training, fighting, and killing techniques)

[Note]: Skills marked with △ are special informational skills. The Collector must be aware that acquiring and equipping such skills carries the following potential risks:

1. Detected that the Collector already possesses this type of informational skill. Choosing to equip it has a 92% probability of overwriting existing skills, resulting in unknown severe consequences. In extreme cases, this could lead to memory confusion and dissociative identity disorder.

2. This type of skill must be equipped to take effect. Every time it is unequipped, there is a 97% probability of causing the Collector to lose portions of their original memories, and a 100% trigger rate for 15 days of cognitive dullness.

3. This type of skill can be fused, but equipping the fused skill will result in unknown severe consequences. In extreme cases, this could cause the immediate death of the Collector.

[Note]: Influenced by the "Sharp Scout System" path, a special use function has been unlocked: Information Breakdown.

Using Information Breakdown can dismantle the special information in △-marked skills that would otherwise affect the Collector, retaining only the core buffs. This buff is influenced by the Collector's currently existing skills.

This core information cannot be equipped and requires no equipment slot. It serves purely as a basic fusion material. The Collector can use the fusion function to combine it with their own matching information without taking up an extra skill slot.

Influenced by the matching skill, the skill level may significantly drop, and each informational skill can only undergo Information Breakdown once.

Compared to Li Matai's richly populated interface, Liu Bi's Lv5 skills appeared exceptionally unadorned.

Or rather, someone who possessed even a single Lv5 skill was already a top-tier expert. He could not reasonably expect anyone to stockpile dozens of Lv5 skills.

"Heart Lake, Still Water..."

Cheng Ye's gaze swept over the interface's descriptions. Noticing the △ symbols at the end, he immediately shifted his eyes down to the notes section.

Unlike the irreversible, malignant effects denoted by the * asterisk, the cost warned by the △ was much smaller, but it was equally impossible to ignore.

'Special informational type... Does equipping these skills mean Brother B's memories will overwrite mine? Will my thought processes and behavioral style trend toward his?'

Rubbing his chin as he finished reading all the warnings, Cheng Ye could not help but feel a chill in his heart.

The Heaven-Man Unity Realm was, in essence, the condensation of belief, and the Heaven-Man Martial Domain was the very manifestation of that belief.

The consequences of adopting someone else's belief had already been somewhat reflected in the two runes obtained from Tan Ming. He had not expected the Heaven-Man Martial Domain to also carry the risk of memory infiltration, even potentially leading to dissociative identity disorder.

Each time the equipment was removed, he would face memory loss and cognitive dullness. Equipping a fused version could even result in death due to a clash of beliefs.

'The cost is far too severe!'

But because of that very reason, the "Information Breakdown" function provided by the Sharp Scout System pleasantly surprised him all the more.

The allied path's "Joint Mount" allowed informational skills to act as teachers, accelerating one's comprehension.

In contrast, "Information Breakdown" was like extracting the essence and discarding the dregs. More crucially, fusing them would not crowd his skill bar. It was unbelievably practical.

"Since the breakdown will not have any adverse effects on me, let us see how well it works..."

Cheng Ye did not hesitate. Recharging was convenient right now, giving him plenty of room for trial and error.

[Search Successful]

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Heaven-Man Martial Domain · Heart Lake △]

As the skill was integrated into the tab, a small arrow suddenly appeared on the left side of the Information Fusion function.

Cheng Ye selected it with his intent, and sure enough, a "Breakdown" button popped up underneath.

Entering the breakdown interface, it still resembled the format of that quaint, ancient book. He dragged Heaven-Man Martial Domain · Heart Lake into the breakdown slot.

An illustration immediately surfaced on the left. First was an expanse of a crystal-clear blue lake, followed by Liu Bi's figure appearing above the water's surface, sitting cross-legged in the very center of the lake in vivid, lifelike detail.

At the same time, the Recharge Value required for the breakdown was displayed below.

100%.

"Alright, compared to Information Fusion, this Information Breakdown is the real resource hog!"

Cheng Ye scratched his head. By all rights, Lv5 skills should only be unlocked at the next Rank, at which point his Recharge Value would double again, expanding to 1600 units.

Then, using Information Breakdown would be like using Information Fusion in the beginning—only consuming 50% each time, instead of completely draining it in one go like it did now.

Cheng Ye returned to the Hydroelectric Station to recharge the drained Collector. By the time he made it back to the town again, the residents had gradually started getting up to go about their business.

Seeing him, Liu Bi slowly retracted his stance, halting his martial arts guidance for the three of them.

Wang Kang's movements noticeably paused, and a look of pleasant surprise instantly bloomed across his face. "Brother Cheng! I can sense the existence of Tiger Force!"

"What?" Cheng Ye blinked in surprise. He then saw Wang Kang excitedly throwing a punch. His form indeed bore the nascent shape of the Tiger Force, though there was still a considerable gap before true mastery.

"Xiao Kang's talent is quite good, far stronger than his father's," Liu Bi nodded in approval.

Beside him, Luo Kuke scratched his head. Though he had not felt any increase in strength, he felt that the despondency of losing his legs had largely dissipated. His whole being exuded a refreshing sense of looking toward the light.

As for Yu Yong, he thoughtfully threw a few punches, then shook his head, turned around silently, and walked away.

"What did he feel?" Cheng Ye asked, somewhat curious.

"Only he knows. I can merely help guide him into that state," Liu Bi shook his head, though he was clearly in a good mood.

Waiting until Wang Kang and Luo Kuke went back to shower and prepare for work, he added, "I would also like to participate in the research regarding Yu Yong. Perhaps it could bring about some new developments."

"No problem!" Cheng Ye agreed readily.

He had originally planned to find time to mention this to Liu Bi, never expecting Liu Bi to bring it up first.

Perhaps he wanted to help share the burden, or perhaps Liu Bi had also realized that researching Infected Bodies could pave the way for entirely different possibilities.

After heading back to take a shower, just as Cheng Ye changed into dry clothes, Li Matai woke up.

As an old slacker, he did not care in the slightest about increasing his strength, but he paid particular attention to the matters of East Peace Town.

He had originally intended to head back in the pitch black last night, only relenting after everyone repeatedly persuaded him not to.

Escorting him to the edge of the town, Cheng Ye arranged for Mu Shuang to drive him to East Peace Town. Before he left, Cheng Ye lowered his voice and instructed, "After you go back, hold off on interacting too much with Song Hai for now. I am guessing Station Master Ding also wants to use this incident to knock some sense into all the contract Inspectors of the satellite cities."

"Do not worry," Li Matai said as he got into the off-road vehicle, nodding in assurance. "I will not say a word. I will just wait for Inspector Liu's transfer orders to come down and for him to officially take office!"

"Good. Off you go."

Watching the off-road vehicle drive away, Cheng Ye let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that everything was back under his control again.

Those out-of-control developments and uncontrollable accidents all found a wider margin for error amidst his growing strength and expanding influence.

The troubles that used to give him headaches had now partly turned into manageable challenges, while the rest had simply become issues he could solve with ease.

"It is just a pity about the time; there is never enough. I have to fight for every second to keep up with the pace of development!"

Cheng Ye lamented with a sigh, then returned to his office, pulling out the legion files he acquired yesterday and beginning to leaf through them.

When formulating the wager plan with the Heavy Machinery Faction, he had to hit them where it hurt, striking directly at their pain points.

Furthermore, he needed to produce bargaining chips that would genuinely tempt the Heavy Machinery Faction to ensure the negotiations had a chance of succeeding.

However, now that East Peace Town had been added to the mix, holding the actual administrative control over two satellite cities, Cheng Ye felt that his negotiating leverage had increased significantly.

Considering Wang Rui's intelligence-gathering channels, since he could find out about Cheng Ye's appointment as the Station Master of Leaping Wilderness, he would surely catch wind of this news before he arrived, fully understanding the resettlement value those two satellite cities held for the Heavy Machinery Faction.

For the entire day, aside from going to the Hydroelectric Station to "harvest" the fully charged Collector...

...Cheng Ye spent all his remaining time cooped up in his office, poring over the legion's historical developments and understanding the Heavy Machinery Faction's needs and pain points.

And by nightfall, Liu Bi's four Lv5 skills had all been successfully collected!

Growing stronger was far simpler than he had imagined.

As long as he had enough energy and enough search targets who trusted him and opened up their Cooperation Levels...

...advancing was as easy as eating and drinking, completely devoid of any bottlenecks whatsoever.

'It is a shame that the Illustrated Handbook Traits require killing Infection Sources to collect, and finding more search targets requires going out and interacting with more formidable figures. Otherwise, if I just holed up in Dabo Town for three to five years, becoming the strongest in the world would not be a problem.'

Reclaiming his Recharge Value once more, Cheng Ye sat in the Hydroelectric Station's control room, unable to stop himself from thinking about it.

'If the Elders were willing to fully open up to me, how exhilarating would that search be?'

'Unfortunately, searching for higher-level skills in the future will only get harder. It will require greater strength...'

'...and an influence capable of awing others to meet those Cooperation Level demands.'

In comparison, collecting the Traits of Infection Sources and extracting them to manifest into skills, intelligence, and items was actually much simpler.

Opening the Information Breakdown function, he tossed the Heart Lake Martial Domain into it.

As Cheng Ye's thought settled, a faint silver radiance washed over the archaic Illustrated Handbook. The image depicting the Heart Lake Martial Domain on the left violently trembled. The faint light flowing between its lines flickered brightly and dimly, as if an ancient slumbering power had been awakened.

The lake water originally frozen in the picture was no longer calm. At first, only subtle ripples formed on the surface, but in the blink of an eye, they transformed into surging waves. The layered waves thrashed and crashed madly, kicking up a sky full of mist. It actually gave off a faintly damp chill right through the pages of the Illustrated Handbook.

It was as if a giant, invisible chopstick was vigorously stirring the bottom of the lake, churning the entire body of water into a cluster of whirlpools.

This lasted for about ten seconds. Just as the lake water surged to its absolute limit, nearly bursting through the constraints of the page, a sudden mutation occurred.

A clear blue stream of energy, pristine as glazed glass, suddenly flashed from the center of the whirlpool. As if pulled by invisible threads, it slowly broke free from the shackles of the left-hand image.

The energy stream slowly drifted along the crevice in the middle of the pages. Like an agile blue ribbon, it circled and converged on the blank space on the right side. The mist condensed along with it, and the shimmering light gradually stabilized.

A moment later, a pool of exquisitely clear lake water formed on the right side. Although its area was more than ten times smaller than the original image on the left, it was exceptionally crystalline and pure.

At the same time, an interface prompt popped up.

[Breakdown Successful]

[This Information Breakdown was influenced by a similar skill already possessed by the Collector (Lv3. Marsh Wilderness Physique), generating identical informational fragments. Can be fused.]

[Detected that the Collector is currently lacking Recharge Value, failing to meet the requirements for another breakdown. If you wish to re-breakdown to match other similar skills, please choose to discard this breakdown result.]

[Please choose whether to Collect / Discard]

"So this is how Information Breakdown works. It does not extract beliefs from Brother B's martial domain that are identical to mine to fuse; instead, it directly matches the skills I have already acquired?"

Cheng Ye paused, suddenly understanding. Breakdown violently filtered out all of Liu Bi's beliefs—which meant his memories.

It only retained the portion of power he had gained through his belief, providing some special ability buffs.

Thinking about it more carefully: if belief was a piece of research equipment, it allowed humans to perceive information that would otherwise be entirely impossible to capture under normal circumstances, and then use that information to affect reality.

Therefore, directly equipping it was equivalent to turning oneself into that piece of research equipment to perceive the information. The purpose of Breakdown was to skip the research phase entirely and directly take the research results for personal use.

Following this line of thought, did that not mean he could directly filter out Tan Ming's belief influences in the future, retaining only his power to command rebirth and withering?

"It can fuse with my physique. Not bad. Retain!"

Cheng Ye nodded lightly, not getting greedy to break it down again in hopes of a more powerful fragment.

The interface flashed for a moment as all the prompts receded, quickly followed by two new notifications.

[Collection Successful]

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Water-Gathering Physique (Lv3; Perfect; Fusion Material)]