New Era Year 35, July 11th.
Night 8:03.
The wind gradually subsided, but the rain curtain became increasingly torrential.
Bean-sized raindrops smashed down from high altitude, creating ripples of water on the ground.
The vast North Station was now completely sealed, with heavy Steel Tooth Barriers deployed at all exits.
In the F District clearing, two 9.6-meter cargo trucks were quietly docked in front of a two-story building.
Over ten staff members were busily but orderly moving containment boxes of various sizes and materials from inside the building.
Opening the truck's rear compartment.
A cold air rushed out. The compartment was divided into dense grids, specially designed spaces for storing infection sources.
"Everyone handle with care, don't bump them! The infection sources inside aren't that stable!"Qin Feng stood guard at the door, occasionally calling out reminders while directing the staff to load the trucks in order by number.
Regardless of how many days this infection tide lasted, the inspection station had to "close down" for a week according to regulations.
To prevent accidental spread of contained infection sources, they all had to be loaded onto trucks and taken back to the inner city research institute.
"I'm talking to you, the Armor Vine inside here was specifically requested by Director Liu. If you damage it, you'll pay with your life!"
Seeing two of the four staff members slip underfoot, nearly dropping the containment box holding green vines, Qin Feng's brow furrowed sharply as he stepped forward and steadied the box.
However, upon grabbing it, he was shocked to discover it wasn't the staff slipping, but the vines inside the box restlessly writhing.
With the constant shaking from transport, they were actually trying to break through the box and escape.
"Entered this containment box and still want to leave? Really think Happiness City is some city ruins where you can come and go as you please?"
Qin Feng reached out and pressed a button on the box, instantly triggering a hissing sound from inside.
In just four or five seconds, the struggling vines suddenly stiffened, completely settling down and no longer moving.
"Old Qin, your inspection station has quite a few good things."
The two researchers at the door immediately stepped forward upon seeing this, their faces full of curiosity as they examined it.
"Even our Infection Source Research Institute doesn't have such good stuff. Your..."
"Just some small gadgets. My equipment here is limited, so I have to figure out some methods myself."
Qin Feng couldn't help but shake his head.
The research institute didn't use such archaic methods, they all used special sound waves to suppress infection source activity.
"This time when I go back, I'll see if I can apply to come try working at the inspection station."
"You?"
Qin Feng shook his head with a wry smile.
In this place, the benefit was encountering new live infection sources for research every day or two, but the drawbacks were also obvious.
Like the inspectors, researchers who chose to work in the buffer zone also couldn't enter the inner city normally, only able to apply for return permissions when infection tides struck.
At the same time, research equipment had to be applied for through the inspection station budget. Most of his equipment was sponsored by Director Liu from the inner city, otherwise it would just be an empty shell now.
"What, looking down on me? I'll be Level 2 next year too."
"Alright, alright, then you guys come out and help me. This place is quite lively every day."
Qin Feng was too lazy to explain the pros and cons to them, waving his hand as he continued supervising the loading.
About twenty minutes later.
The last infection source was carried out. After double-checking to confirm everything was correct, the cargo doors of both trucks slowly closed.
"Station Chief Halin, I've finished loading."
Taking out his defense communicator, Qin Feng called the nominal highest authority of the North Station.
"Funding? That's not a problem, it's completely sufficient now."
"Mm, don't worry, I'll come back after the infection tide passes. I won't leave this place empty."
Harlin's pie-in-the-sky promises were as straightforward as always.
Telling him that after the infection tide passed, the North Station branch would be allocated 30,000 contribution points.
But given the current status of inspection stations in Happiness City, how easy could that be?
Never mind allocating funds to research institutes, even renovating internal inspection station facilities was stretched thin.
"Alright, let's go!"
Qin Feng dismissed the staff and beckoned the two researchers to board the lead vehicle.
The interior was quite spacious, with eight seats, even more roomy than a large van.
The soldiers responsible for escort didn't board the vehicles. Ten per truck, they used hook locks to attach to the cargo hold latches, hanging from the vehicle exteriors like flying tigers.
Armed to the teeth, with the four prominent characters "Happiness Legion" on their chests.
Anyone who wasn't tired of living would quickly dodge away upon seeing such a formation from afar.
The two trucks drove out of the North Station one after another.
"The last time I came to the buffer zone was 13 years ago, back then I came to help clean up the battlefield."
"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. This place has really changed a lot."
Lu Jian, sitting beside Qin Feng, looked out the window with curious sentiment.
Large vans on patrol duty occasionally roared past on the roadside, charging straight into alleys before intense gunfire erupted.
For him, whose impression was still stuck in the resident conflict period, it was like visiting another place entirely.
"Thirteen years, there should be some changes..."
Qin Feng sighed lightly, his eyes showing emotion, "Back then, to exchange for control of the buffer zone, the Idealist faction completely gave up part of the inner city's power, investing all their ideals in this area. Looking at it over these years, the results really aren't bad."
"Now more and more buffer zone veterans have developed a sense of belonging here, and various strange community rules have emerged. Some sound incredible when you hear them."
"Oh, tell us about them?"
"Nothing much to say. Whether it works or not still needs to be verified by this infection tide."
The cargo truck entered the city district, and Qin Feng immediately lost some interest.
With only three hours left until the infection tide outbreak, the epidemic prevention stalls on the roadside hadn't closed yet, still distributing epidemic powder to pedestrians.
Some people drank it on the spot, immediately vomiting black blood, then collapsing on the ground convulsing within seconds, frightening the surrounding crowd into retreating.
At this point, staff in isolation suits would step forward and directly put the person into a body bag.
Terrifying?
Indeed shocking.
But not a single person in line to receive epidemic powder retreated.
Clearly, by now, everyone realized what was about to happen in the buffer zone.
It's just that no one dared say it out loud, with no official information to verify their judgment or dare to pierce through this layer of pretense.
"Hm?"
When the truck passed through an intersection, Qin Feng's gaze suddenly fixed on something outside the window, unable to help exclaiming in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, saw an acquaintance."
Near the building with the Tianyuan Shopping Center sign, he saw a familiar figure.
What was this guy doing here at this hour?
Qin Feng took out his defense communicator, pressed it twice, and couldn't help shaking his head.
This building housed over four thousand people. Right now it was a powder keg, and the probability of infection by going there was nearly infinite.
"Should I remind him?"
After thinking, Qin Feng composed a text message, but before sending it, he deleted and revised it several times.
What had originally been over 300 characters of reminders, including how to deal with Stand-In Starfish infected entities and how to escape when facing fusion entities, was ultimately reduced to four characters.
[Go home early!]
"What kind of person is worth Researcher Qin's reminder?"
Lu Jian leaned over to see the message content and immediately found it curious.
Though Qin Feng was only a Level 2 researcher, everyone at the research institute knew that if his research philosophy hadn't been completely at odds with the Technology faction, his professional ability alone should have earned him Level 3 researcher status long ago.
This was quite awkward.
The Infection Source Research Institute was the core of the Technology faction, yet it contained researchers with opposing ideologies.
Deal with it? Qin Feng's professional ability was there, and nitpicking would inevitably cause panic.
Don't deal with it? He was like a thorn stuck in the research institute, making everyone in the Technology faction uncomfortable.
So they simply calculated and exiled him.
Everyone was out of sight, out of mind, and Qin Feng himself was comfortable, enjoying freedom at the inspection station branch.
"An inspector, mm, trainee."
"A trainee is worth your reminder? He might well die in there this time."
Lu Jian couldn't help clicking his tongue, then slapped his forehead, "Could it be Cheng Long's son?"
"Mm."
"Tsk tsk, then I won't ask anymore. No one in the Cheng family is cowardly. Cheng Wu was like that, and Cheng Long was even bolder than Cheng Wu. Our Happiness City almost had to change city lords."
"He's different."
Qin Feng hesitated, "Cheng Wu was a firm Idealist, but forcibly applied parts of the Technology faction's ideology, wanting to transform the buffer zone into isolated island prisons according to his ideas. In the end, he was abandoned by everyone, even his most trusted subordinates were unwilling to implement this ideology."
"Cheng Long... he wanted transcendence but went mad, daring to target the city lord. His death was deserved. Fortunately, Ding Yishan cut ties quickly, otherwise the inspection station would now face pressure from three factions simultaneously. Even with Director Liu's support, the Security Department would have to restore its organization and implement power division."
"But this Cheng Ye..."
"Cheng Ye? That's a good name. 'Dragon battles in the wild,' did Cheng Long want to pass his ideology down to his son?"
"No, he's the only Idealist I've seen at the inspection station in my three years of duty."
"Idealist?"
Lu Jian couldn't help laughing. Who didn't know what the situation inside the inspection station was like now?
A trainee inspector being an Idealist was simply like a joke.
"Is he still holding onto some fantasy expectations? Like his grandfather, talking about giving people sufficient human rights on the surface, but actually wanting to strip everyone of their rights and make them marionettes according to his ideas?"
"I don't know, but at least he hasn't given up... struggling."
Recalling these past days of contact, Qin Feng smiled, "Anyway, he's very simple. Compared to dealing with those old foxes, I'm at least willing to talk to him, mm, say more."
"Of course, Researcher Qin is our research institute's Idealist. 'Strong people' always recognize each other."
Jeremy Paul, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, his tone somewhat sarcastic.
However, both Qin Feng and Lu Jian were too lazy to pay attention to him, no one followed up on his comment.
The truck continued forward, reaching the Great Wall Station.
As the most densely populated area of the buffer zone, both Lu Jian and Paul simultaneously tensed up.
With less than three hours until the infection tide outbreak, if there was one safest place in the entire buffer zone, it would be near the Great Wall.
The strongest Happiness Legion was stationed here. Even if they truly encountered a Disaster-level infection tide, as long as no transcendent earth-bound spirits were mixed in, the infection tide absolutely couldn't break through the Great Wall defense.
But conversely, this was also currently the most dangerous place in the buffer zone.
Dense population meant infected entities were also clustering. The dense crowd would instantly become a breeding ground for Stand-In Starfish spread, with unimaginable chain reactions.
The truck slowly moved forward through the crowd.
Soldiers hanging from the cargo hold occasionally fired into the air to force back the surging crowd, clearing a narrow passage.
Fortunately, even when the truck reached the Happiness Gate, no one dared launch an assault on the vehicles.
Lu Jian patted his chest with lingering fear, "Thirteen years ago, nearly fifty thousand people launched an assault on the Great Wall. This time... it really has changed."
Paul cursed along, "Finally learned to be afraid. These bastards have eyes like ant-wolves, always thinking about getting something for nothing and reaching the sky in one step."
Had it changed?
Or were they afraid?
Qin Feng pursed his lips, looking at the cold-gleaming alloy gate ahead, looking at the "world of bright lights and wine" inside the gate, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed.
The longer he stayed outside, the more he could feel the division between these two places separated by just a wall.
Which was real?
Outside the Great Wall was the storm-tossed buffer zone, with infected entities lurking in every corner, rules crumbling before survival instincts.
Inside the Great Wall was "Happiness City" built with steel and order. Under the flashing neon lights lurked factional struggles and ideological conflicts, more deadly than sword and shadow though they lacked visible violence.
He suddenly couldn't tell which was more real: the bloody cruelty outside the wall, or the "stability" inside the wall disguised by rules that seemed more like a dream.
"Comrade Qin Feng, please exit the vehicle for inspection and disinfection."
The soldier standing guard at the Happiness Gate stepped forward and knocked on the car door, interrupting Qin Feng's wandering thoughts.
"Alright."
The car door opened, and under the watch of countless gun barrels, Qin Feng stepped across the Happiness Gate.
In the fantasies of buffer zone residents, crossing this threshold meant entering a new world.
But the reality was the opposite.
After passing through this gate, one still had to go through the isolation and disinfection station built within the wall structure.
Sixteen procedures in total. Failing to meet standards in any procedure would result in being sent back to the buffer zone.
"Stand-In Starfish infection test passed"
"4,107 infection source comprehensive detection passed"
"Organism vital response meets standards..."
"Respiratory circulation toxin filtration meets standards..."
"Blood analysis data meets standards..."
"Immune system stress response successfully activated"
"..."
One after another, test indicators passed.
Cold mechanical announcements sounded.
But Qin Feng paid no attention, only raising his head, his gaze fixed on the fire-red ivy clinging to the disinfection station's ceiling.
The red leaves wrapped around metal pipes were scanning humans through special methods, while station staff compiled and announced data based on the leaf reactions.
By the standards of humanity's old era technology, this would seem like fantasy.
But in the New Era, just after transcendent plants had run rampant, it seemed perfectly ordinary.
Now every super sanctuary city basically employed special transcendent plants as gatekeepers. Even when facing new infection sources not recorded in databases, these plants could reject 99% of threats through special physiological reactions.
Of course, compared to those transcendent plants that once caused catastrophe, the plant before him crowned with the name "transcendent" had long lost the ability to allow humans to achieve transcendence through symbiosis.
A fire-red leaf fell.
Qin Feng raised his hand to catch it, and two streams of dark red nosebleed immediately gushed out, landing on the leaf.
A faint golden-red light flickered, the leaf's veins clearly visible, gradually forming two Chinese characters.
Qin, Feng!
"Biological gene authentication, passed!"