Chapter 24 - 23: Fate, Shackles, and Recklessness

The main city was flooded, and the suburbs weren’t much better.

The water still formed a thin layer, covering the shoes, spinning into small vortices on the ground.

Cheng Ye walked nearly four kilometers north before finally seeing a bus parked at a platform.

"Sir, due to the heavy rain damaging the Buffer Zone’s power infrastructure, we have been notified that starting today, the buses will officially stop free operation and charge according to former standards."

The middle-aged driver was wiping the window with a cloth and reminded Cheng Ye when he saw him walk over.

"Additionally, the bus now requires five passengers to depart, and if there are fewer than five, you need to pay for five times the fare."

During the wet season, the hydropower station had abundant electricity that could be used freely.

But due to the persistent heavy rain, the hydropower station struggled to maintain itself and had to open floodgates to relieve pressure.

Affected by this, the free bus service—which lasted only a month and a half—was hastily ended, returning to the normal operation fee period.

"How much per person?"

"2 coins."

"Let’s go, I’ll pay for five people."

Cheng Ye turned and looked at the empty space behind him, directly pulling out a Happiness Coin of value 10 and inserting it into the coin slot.

If it was closer, he would have walked, but both North and South Stations were in the suburbs of the suburbs, at least about 15 kilometers from the main city.

"Alright then, we’ll head out."

The driver operated according to the rules of the Public Works Bureau, realizing from Cheng Ye’s decisive manner that his identity was unusual.

He quickly put away the cloth, climbed into the driver’s seat, and once the engine was slightly heated, sped away like an arrow off the string.

Along the way, Cheng Ye saw several buses coming from the opposite direction and long queues of a dozen or so people by the roadside heading downtown for work.

When the wheels hit the water, they splashed half-person-high waves, drenching pedestrians in raincoats and drawing waves of curses.

Yet even so, not a single person chose to board the bus to the main city.

"Was it always like this before?"

Cheng Ye, sitting in the front row, couldn’t help but look at the driver and ask.

"Before? It was much worse than now." The driver’s hand paused on the steering wheel, and he said with a grin, "Now these people can at least get to the city and have a meal; back then, whenever there was a bigger disaster in the Buffer Zone, bodies would be lying everywhere on the streets. Thousands of people could disappear just like that."

Saying this, the driver sharply turned the wheel, causing the vehicle to drift around a puddle, the interior light flickering with the car’s jolt.

Cheng Ye’s gaze swept past the window; such a simple act earned a thumbs-up from the refugees by the roadside.

"Back then, even the body collectors had to queue by district, where’s the happiness now?"

Happiness?

Cheng Ye suddenly fell silent, his mind inexplicably recalling Edmond’s wails before his death.

Happiness, fake...

When all the lovely fantasies in one’s mind are shattered, he must have been in terrible pain at that moment, right?

The vehicle bumped forward over the rugged road, the workers’ housing of the chemical plant blending into a gray shadow in the rain curtain.

Suddenly, Cheng Ye’s gaze sharpened.

"Sir, would you like to stop here?" The driver saw Cheng Ye’s change through the rearview mirror and inquired.

"Yes, stop here."

The chemical plant’s neighborhood was about two kilometers from the North Inspection Station, but through the window, Cheng Ye already saw a familiar silhouette eagerly waiting by the roadside in the rain.

After getting off, the figure immediately hurried over, completely ignoring the splashing muddy rainwater on her trousers.

It was none other than Luo Xiaoxue.

"Sister Luo, what are you doing here early in the morning, standing in the rain like this? Yiyi is alone at home and must be scared."

"Stop the nonsense—I can’t sleep knowing you’re headed for the North Station."

Luo Xiaoxue’s voice was hoarse, as if she hadn’t slept all night.

"The North Station isn’t a place that’ll eat people. Didn’t Brother B also go there for duty many times before?"

Cheng Ye felt warmth in his heart. In his previous life, he was a rootless wanderer, growing up in an orphanage.

He’s never lacked people to talk to along his journey, yet he silently envied others whenever they spoke of family ties.

Thinking about it now, family must be like this—someone caring for you deeply, worrying for you with all their heart.

"He’s him, but you are you."

Luo Xiaoxue hesitated even over the phone last night, and even after hanging up, her hesitance lingered.

But today, Cheng Ye saw only razor-sharp determination on her face.

No longer the full-time housewife; she had returned to who she was eight years ago—a warrior fighting the Infected Bodies.

"A person’s fate is determined by heaven but also by himself!"

"What you told me last night—I treated it as nonsense. I was too lazy to listen, didn’t want to listen."

"But today, I’m standing here waiting for you just so you can answer me, face to face, looking into my eyes!"

Luo Xiaoxue enunciated each word with solemnity:

"It’s easy to go with heaven’s will, hard to go against it. The path you’ve chosen is hard, and above you is not just a mountain, but colossal boulders ready to crush you at any moment."

"Today, if you go forward, it’s a point of no return; even half a step back is a fate worse than death!"

"To survive, you must fight desperately."

"Cheng Ye, are you prepared to fight to the death?"

Fight desperately?

Luo Xiaoxue’s series of questions left Cheng Ye momentarily stunned.

But soon, he couldn’t help but laugh, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

For more than two months, he had stood on the rooftop several times, never lacking the courage to die, only a reason to convince himself to let go.

Now, he not only found no reason to give up but rather found a reason to strive to live.

Why fear...a desperate fight with someone?

Moreover, he was alone now; those at the inspection station all had families, concerns, and interests. Who dared to stand out and fight to the death with him?

"Sister Luo, trust me!"

"Other than the Infected Bodies, really no one at the station can harm me."

Patting the standard-issue pistol at his waist, Cheng Ye smiled more wantonly.

The position of Inspector wasn’t high, but in that Buffer Zone, there were very few who could easily take his life.

Instead, to take someone’s life, all he needed was to raise his hand and gently pull the trigger.

No worries, no concerns.

If worse came to worst, he’d flee to the Wasteland, make friends with the Infected Bodies, and roam the ruins of the Wilderness.

"Okay, I trust you!"

Luo Xiaoxue nodded heavily, reaching into her shoulder bag.

It turned out to be a Wild Bull Fighting Handgun that Cheng Ye had intended to buy earlier, and judging by its condition, it hadn’t been long since it was manufactured.

It was clear Luo Xiaoxue had gotten up at dawn, went to the material exchange store, and bought it for him.

"Your gun is too weak. It suffices to scare people but falls short for Infected Bodies."

"Use this one: it packs a punch. If someone wants your life, let them taste the bullet first!"

"Okay!"

Cheng Ye gently took it, sliding it into the empty holster on his right side.

"Then I’m off?"

"Go, and remember: I’ll still be here waiting for you to come home after work."

"Okay."

No more words were needed. Just this promise weighed heavily on Cheng Ye’s heart.

Turning around, he found the bus still waiting where it had stopped.

Seeing Cheng Ye looking over, the driver smiled and waved, "You paid five times the fare; it’s only right to take you to your destination."

"Thanks."

Boarding the bus, the driver, lost in thought, shook his head with mixed feelings, "Sir, your aura is too intense; timid people might be scared to death."

"What if someone’s not scared?"

"Then maybe they really want to die." The driver shrugged, "When I was still out there getting by and not yet part of Happiness City, I always avoided people like you."

"Oh, what did you do before?"

"If you don’t mind me saying, I used to be a... third-rate hitman?!"

The middle-aged driver laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, "But then I had a wife, a son, and the more ties I had, the more it felt like wearing shackles, and I couldn’t keep doing it."

"So now, I’m even more scared of people like you."

"Afraid that one man’s wrath could spill blood within five steps?"

"Not exactly. We’re all just living on borrowed time, not like those Inner City lords; fighting to the death is really unnecessary."

"Then?"

"Can’t say, won’t say."

Cheng Ye gradually put away his smile, giving an unusual glance at the middle-aged driver.

The Wasteland is vast and full of wonders.

Even a driver being so insightful—surely, no one at the large North Station would lack sense, right?

...