Wish-Guarding Transcendent?

Cheng Ye was stunned for half a second, then immediately realized that Jiang Chuan was talking about transcendent earthbound spirits.

For this type of "being," the authors of related books had given various names: obsession earth spirits, transcendent lingering souls, obsession earthbound souls, clinging hometown spirits... and so on. Ultimately, they were all descriptions of special forms of residual consciousness from deceased transcendents.

"This name is more appropriate."

The thought flashed through his mind as Cheng Ye nodded slightly.

Compared to the "transcendent earthbound spirits" he had seen in the survival library before, the "Wish-Guarding Transcendent" that Jiang Chuan mentioned now seemed more precise.

However, the name didn't matter. What was important was the actual impact it brought.

As a main player in the annual winter infection tides, the threat of Wish-Guarding Transcendents had long been written into countless bloody lessons.

Their most terrifying characteristic wasn't their own transcendent combat power, but their disaster-like calling ability.

Once a Wish-Guarding Transcendent left its activity range, wherever it passed would be like a giant magnet attracting iron filings, continuously drawing surrounding infected entities to join the team, quickly gathering into a massive infection tide that would attack all human sanctuary cities and settlements along the way.

Only when the distance reached its limit or the wish was fulfilled and it left would the infection tide disperse accordingly.

After leaving the infection tide, the threat level of Wish-Guarding Transcendents would significantly decrease, rarely causing substantial impact.

After all, transcendents who could form earthbound spirits after death often had extremely strong mental resilience in life.

This resilience would continue into their post-death consciousness, making them more inclined to achieve certain purposes rather than destroy everything and release desires.

"Did it come through the fog passage?"

"Basically confirmed. Based on the backpack photos we provided, Xinghuo conducted a basic comparison and indeed found it almost identical to what you saw last night, with only minor wear differences. Hmm, they just finished searching the entire B4 District and found nearly 600 backpacks of the same style."

Jiang Chuan deliberately slowed his tone, reducing the pace of information output to try to ease the tension in the call. "But you can rest assured, the Wish-Guarding Transcendent has already left our Happiness City area. This guy might have just been borrowing a path and had no intention of staying in our Happiness City."

"Gone?!"

Cheng Ye was stunned, nearly dropping his defense pass.

Good heavens, so carefree?

"Can you confirm?"

"I dare not say for certain, but there's at least a ninety-nine percent possibility. Director Liu personally led people to investigate and trace the source in a circle, found no traces, and the last breath residue was near North Station. If it's not a deliberate deception, it should have already left."

Jiang Chuan pondered for a moment. "Inspector Cheng, because you were the first to discover this matter, you're qualified to know information about the Wish-Guarding Transcendent. But regarding information about transcendents in Happiness City and some core emergency defense mechanisms, according to regulations, you'll only have the authority to understand them after you're promoted to third-term inspector. Sorry, I'm just a messenger, I really can't say more."

"Understood."

Cheng Ye didn't persist, breathing a long sigh of relief. As long as it was confirmed not to be a mother source infected entity, that was good.

Throughout this day, he had been on edge, constantly worried that another terrifying mother source would emerge and deliver another devastating blow to the already fragile buffer zone.

Now, whether it had left or was hiding, the threat of the Wish-Guarding Transcendent seemed to be within controllable range.

"As for the backpack style..."

Jiang Chuan continued explaining, "You only noticed the backpack, but its influence went far beyond that. For example, Zhang Daniu's shoes were almost identical to those of the person you saw last night. This is because Wish-Guarding Transcendents continuously influence surrounding humans, gradually making everyone's thoughts and behaviors converge toward themselves."

"Such as living habits, clothing styles, and naturally including patching techniques and backpack styles."

"Hmm, if you were already similar to the Wish-Guarding Transcendent, you'd be easily influenced. Like Zhang Daniu having a backpack of the same style, so he and his wife immediately became objects of assimilation. However, this influence has a range and is reversible. As long as you leave its radiation zone, you'll return to normal after some time."

Assimilating humans?

Cheng Ye was shocked. This information was completely absent from all the books he had read.

Wait.

Could this be the reason why Wish-Guarding Transcendents could gather infected entities?

Cheng Ye immediately noted this key information in his mind and hurriedly asked, "Has the Wish-Guarding Transcendent's ability been determined?"

"Not completely confirmed yet." On the other end of the phone, Jiang Chuan shook his head slightly, glancing at Ding Yishan, Harlin, six fifth-term inspectors, and a bunch of fourth-term inspectors sitting in the meeting room, lowering his voice.

"Based on available information analysis, the ability is most likely related to 'motivation.'"

"Motivation?"

Cheng Ye repeated these three words. This answer was too abstract and somewhat incomprehensible.

"Specifically, within his influence range, humans are compelled to complete things buried deep in their hearts for a long time but never had the courage or opportunity to do."

Jiang Chuan seemed unsure how to describe it. "This is the preliminary conclusion from Xinghuo. After our guided questioning of Zhang Daniu, we found his goal was to earn more money and quickly move to the central city area, leaving the shantytown, which led to the idea of going out to fog passages."

"Earn more money? Then why didn't he think of killing and robbing people, but chose the more dangerous fog passages?"

"Amplifying negativity is the mother source's ability. Wish-Guarding Transcendents won't do that."

Jiang Chuan's tone became more certain. "They only stimulate positive emotions within humans, such as yearning for a better life, adherence to promises, persistence toward goals, and will never induce negative emotions."

"Really?"

Cheng Ye frowned, his mind flashing back to the greed in the man's eyes last night.

That didn't seem like any positive emotion.

"Based on existing cases, yes, but exceptions can't be ruled out."

Jiang Chuan added, "If the influenced person already lacks positive emotions and has their heart filled with negativity, the Wish-Guarding Transcendent's energy might stimulate in reverse, amplifying hidden malice. It's like sunlight reflecting off a mirror creates brightness, but shining on ink only makes the darkness more obvious."

"Any more detailed information?"

"Not for now. He hasn't influenced enough people, the sample size is too small. We're conducting city-wide screening for other influenced individuals, and Xinghuo is also compiling statistics on 600 cases from B4 District. We'll need to wait for data from both sides to be consolidated before drawing conclusions."

"Alright, thank you."

Vague chaotic voices could be heard from the other end of the phone, seemingly from a meeting discussion.

Cheng Ye didn't ask further and hung up.

From mother source infected entity to Wish-Guarding Transcendent, and the other party had already left Happiness City, the situation was completely different from his expectations.

"Good thing. If another mother source had come, I would have suspected that my crossing over to Happiness City had made the world's will punish this area."

Cheng Ye muttered to himself and pushed open the restroom door to walk out.

Thinking that he didn't have to face another scenario where the entire buffer zone would be eroded and undergo another great purge.

However anxious he had been from morning until now, his heart felt that much more cheerful.

It was as if the dark clouds weighing on his heart had been blown away by the wind, revealing warm sunshine.

And standing in front of the restroom, the afternoon sun really did slant down through the thin mist, falling warmly on his shoulders, so comfortable it made him want to sigh.

Cheng Ye stood there for a while until his body was thoroughly warmed by the sun, then leisurely walked toward the inspection area.

Liu Kun was leading people to investigate traces left by the Wish-Guarding Transcendent today, so there seemed to be no chance for searching.

But that was fine. He had used 25% of the charge value for searching this morning, so it would be safer to wait until after work to replenish it fully.

"Hey, Brother Cheng."

Hearing the voice from behind, Wang Kang turned around and almost thought he was seeing things.

Before Cheng Ye went to the restroom, he still looked grave as if the sky were falling. When he returned, he had recovered that lazy appearance from when he was at the hospital, all the pressure between his brows had vanished, and even his steps carried a lightness.

"Why don't you go rest? Jundao is helping me watch here, so there won't be any trouble."

"I'll just sleep right there, it won't affect you."

Cheng Ye shook his head with a smile and walked to the reclining chair, comfortably curling up inside and casually pulling the duty jacket hanging nearby to cover himself.

Without exaggeration, Wang Kang was naturally suited to be an inspector.

Although his academic performance couldn't match his and his martial skills were a mess, these were results of lack of parental education, not poor talent.

Take now, for example. In terms of duty performance, Wang Kang's showing was good enough that no one could find fault.

Cheng Ye even compared himself mentally and felt he might not be able to match Wang Kang's level of dedication and seriousness.

Why?

Because Wang Kang's world was too "pure"!

He received little information and didn't have so many random thoughts in his head, unlike him, a time traveler carrying modern memories, always having his energy scattered by various curiosities.

Sometimes he would also be led by the Collector, thinking about adventures and gaining some benefits.

Wang Kang was like a carefully pruned sapling, inheriting the rigorous and meticulous qualities he had taught, but without being infected by the restless wild streak in his bones.

A proper top student, excellent enough to put minds at ease.

Seeing Cheng Ye really close his eyes to rest, Wang Kang pressed his lips together and said no more.

For these two days, he had been carrying a stone in his heart, afraid that Cheng Ye would ask what happened on his first day of duty.

But Cheng Ye acted as if he knew nothing. This kind of protective freedom made his heart breathe a sigh of relief.

However, he didn't know that Cheng Ye wasn't ignorant, he had simply been too busy to remember.

From yesterday morning's merchant convoy investigation until now, the amount of information received in a day and a half might be more than an ordinary person would encounter in several months.

Even now while resting, he was still thinking about problems.

"Placed in Xinghuo Sanctuary City, this motivation indeed wouldn't have much impact, because the internal environment is too stable. People living inside would only work harder in factories and participate more actively in construction."

"But coming to Happiness City..."

Cheng Ye's brow slightly furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee.

The explanation of "motivation" was really too general.

Jiang Chuan said it was driven by positive emotions, but where were the boundaries of positive?

For Zhang Daniu, going into fog passages to earn money and move was positive.

But for another desperate person with low moral constraints, would casually robbing some money also be categorized as something that must be completed?

If it further triggered some antisocial personalities, no wonder... explosives weren't sold.

Behind each absurd rule was an even more absurd true story.

So they were guarding against exactly this kind of situation!

Thinking about it, irrepressible drowsiness surged up, his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as if weighted with lead.

Cheng Ye stopped struggling and let his consciousness gradually blur, curling up in the reclining chair to sleep deeply.

When he woke again, the sky had completely darkened.

Fine drizzle tapped against the canopy overhead, making rushing sounds.

Light mist drifted over from the wasteland direction, wrapping the entire inspection station like a thin veil. The distant city ruins had been completely shrouded, leaving only blurred outlines faintly visible in the night.

Cheng Ye sat up, rubbing his heavy temples. The duty jacket slipped from his shoulders, carrying the slight chill of the rainy night.

Today was one of the few days since he started duty that he hadn't heard gunfire.

Whether due to Void Mist or rain.

If this pace continued, autumn would arrive quickly, and everything would settle down.

"Brother Cheng... awake? Just heated the nutritional paste, it's in the thermal container."

Wang Kang's voice came from the metal table. Quarantine Zone B was empty, but according to regulations, the duty records still needed to be completed.

"What time is it..."

Cheng Ye stretched lazily, his joints making a series of light sounds, then took out his defense pass to glance at the screen.

"Seven-thirty, slept for over three hours. That's enough."

He got up and walked to the thermal container in the corner, lifted the lid and took out a bag of warm nutritional paste, tore open the opening and gulped it down.

The nutritional paste taste he had grown accustomed to seemed to have changed from yesterday to today.

There was a cheap, cloying sweetness, and after drinking it, he felt a bit of the nausea from when he first started drinking it.

After finishing one bag, Cheng Ye smacked his lips and closed the thermal container. "After duty ends, I'll take you for a good meal."

"What good meal?"

Wang Kang's pen paused, his eyes lighting up. When the two were in the inner city before, the money they had was basically all spent on food and drink.

Canned meat transported from outside, compressed biscuits, even occasionally encountered dehydrated vegetables, almost all the rare foods they could buy with money, they had tasted them all.

But after coming out, Cheng Ye hadn't mentioned this, so naturally he didn't dare to bring it up proactively.

"Better than what we ate in the inner city."

Cheng Ye chuckled, keeping it mysterious without mentioning that he had been to Xinghuo Sanctuary City last night.

"I'm going to shower in the back. When the time comes, you come find me."

"Good!"

After staying up all night, Cheng Ye's hair had long become greasy and stuck together, clinging to his forehead uncomfortably.

Fortunately, the inspection station had simple shower facilities. Though not as well-equipped as the medical station, they were sufficient for washing away fatigue.

Hot water poured over his body, taking away two days' worth of accumulated tension and drowsiness.

Cheng Ye wiped his face in front of the mirror and tugged at the corner of his mouth. Unknowingly, he had actually become qualified to participate in disasters affecting sanctuary cities.

Really, fate was unpredictable.

After washing, his original clothes were stuffed in his bag, and Cheng Ye changed into the inspection station's regulation uniform.

This was the first time he wore this uniform since finishing the assessment.

Both top and bottom were black, with a large character "Inspection" on the back.

A bit strange.

Like a jailer, his originally refreshing temperament instantly gained several degrees of serious rigidity.

However, after putting on the dark blue duty jacket to cover the "Inspection" character on his back, the effect was much better.

The well-fitted cut made his figure appear even more proportioned, the exposed half collar made his neckline look sharp, and compared to his usual casual short sleeves, it added several degrees of heroic spirit.

As for the thinness when he first crossed over, Cheng Ye had completely forgotten about it by now.

Dong.

Eight o'clock.

The bell rang above the inspection station.

Once, twice, three times... until the sixth bell chime fell and the lingering sound gradually dispersed.

One more chime than usual, representing South Station's safe day, taking the auspicious meaning of double six bringing fortune.

For the guards and staff whose nerves had been taut for most of the month, this bell sound was simply heavenly music.

No matter what would happen tomorrow, at least at this moment, everyone's spirits relaxed.

Leaving the inspection station with Wang Kang, Master Zhang's bus was already waiting by the roadside.

True official vehicle for private use!

When boarding, a rich smell of salted fish hit them in the face, obviously last night's cargo hadn't completely dissipated its odor.

"How's the small store?"

"Finished renovation this afternoon, dozens of people working, progress was very fast!"

"Let's go back first. I'll get some things, then we'll go to Chemical Factory Complex."

The bus slowly drove away from the inspection station.

This was Wang Kang's first time enjoying chartered vehicle treatment. His eyes were full of curiosity, sometimes running to the front to lean on the driver's seat back, watching how Master Zhang drove, turned the wheel, and stepped on the brakes.

Sometimes he'd run to the back row, pointing at the scenery outside the window, lively as a bird just released from its cage.

"How come? I thought you weren't interested in these things anymore."

Cheng Ye leaned on the middle seat, unable to help teasing at Wang Kang's excited appearance.

Acting like an adult for several days.

Finally couldn't maintain the act anymore, exposing his long-suppressed nature.

"Usually don't have the mind to look at these things!"

Wang Kang scratched his head, smiling somewhat embarrassedly.

"Haha, that's right."

Cheng Ye looked at the shantytown passing by outside the car window, about to smile, but his mouth corner suddenly froze.

The three words "motivation" involuntarily flashed through his mind.

Wang Kang was indeed behaving somewhat too actively.

Looking further toward the shantytown, Cheng Ye's heartbeat inexplicably quickened by half a beat.

The shantytown that was still deathly quiet yesterday seemed to have been suddenly renovated. Almost every household had lights on. Though it couldn't be called vibrant with life, it had completely shed its previous oppressive deathly atmosphere.

"Master Zhang, drive slower."

"Sure thing."

The vehicle slowed down, and Cheng Ye pushed open the car window. Cold wind mixed with moist earth air rushed in.

He stuck his head out to look deep into the shantytown, and his whole person was stunned.

The garbage and construction waste that usually piled around the shantytown's periphery had completely disappeared.

The originally potholed dirt road had been filled in by more than half, and he could even see people using stone fragments to build simple drainage ditches by the roadside.

Could this be a change that happened within one day?

The bus continued forward, passing the tent camp, and Cheng Ye couldn't help but gasp.

If the shantytown's changes could still be barely understood, then the tent camp's transformation was too exaggerated.

The originally scattered camp was now organized neatly by color.

Blue tents were clustered together, green tents formed a continuous area, and earth-colored old tents were relegated to the outermost edge, neat and orderly with even spacing barely different.

Crisscrossing simple drainage ditches had been dug in the ground, and murky rainwater flowed along the channels toward the distance.

All the garbage, rags, and waste piled beside the tents had also disappeared like in the shantytown, and even the sour smell in the air had lightened considerably.

"Is this the influence of the Wish-Guarding Transcendent?"

Cheng Ye was immediately astonished, trembling all over, feeling that the transcendent power of this world was too terrifying.

Mother sources brought destruction, using the most brutal methods to destroy everything and rebuild order from zero.

While Wish-Guarding Transcendents brought assimilation, equally brutal but hidden under a gentle facade.

This ability had completely exceeded fire-breathing, water control, flight, and other supernatural powers.

After all, no matter how strong those abilities were, they were just concrete manifestations of energy use, with boundaries and traces.

Compared to this power that could influence hearts and tamper with behavioral logic, they weren't even in the same dimension.

What was even more hair-raising was that the Wish-Guarding Transcendent might have already left, but just the remaining aftereffects brought such astonishing influence.

"If this went to the modern world, there would probably be crowds of people paying for Wish-Guarding Transcendents to transform themselves."

Cheng Ye was somewhat tongue-tied.

This ability was simply the nemesis of procrastination, except no one could say clearly whether changes catalyzed by external force were salvation or another kind of shackle.

Since they didn't need to make stops along the way, the bus quickly entered the city area.

Taking a vehicle back to the entrance of Electronics Factory Complex for the first time, Cheng Ye still wasn't quite used to it.

However, when his gaze crossed the street corner and he saw warm yellow lights in the small store window from far away, his vision blurred for a moment.

Through the rain curtain, for a trance moment, it seemed like he saw Uncle Dong bustling inside.

He unconsciously blinked, and the illusion dispersed.

Only a few workers finishing up were at the entrance, replacing the small store's tin door with a large security door.

The lighting wasn't Uncle Dong's usual energy-saving lamp either, but had been replaced with bright shadowless lamps.

"The small store is open!"

This was Wang Kang's first time seeing it lit up. "Brother Cheng, is this the shop you rented?"

Cheng Ye hummed in acknowledgment, and when the bus stopped, he was first to push open the car door and step down.

Looking through the security door inside, the layout basically hadn't changed.

The shelf against the left wall, the glass counter in the center, the narrow staircase leading to the sunken basement in the back room, even the plastic bag hooks hanging on the wall were in their original positions.

The shelves were still the three-tier old style, but had been replaced with moisture-proof stainless steel material. The bright metal reflections made the interior brighter.

The glass counter's wooden frame had been replaced with dark gray alloy, and even the cabinet doors underneath had magnetic locks installed.

As for the waterproofing that Cheng Ye was most concerned about, a section had been deliberately removed from the shop entrance, and three new steps had been built.

Near the steps, a half-foot-high water barrier had been built with granite, with a thin gap left on the inner side and a hidden channel buried underneath, leading directly to the drainage well at the street corner.

The steps themselves had also been modified. The front edge of each step was half a finger higher than the back edge, forming a tiny slope. Water falling on them would flow away along grooves on the sides of the steps.

Walking into the small store, the plastic handrail to the basement had also been replaced with stainless steel, the cold metal feel reassuring to grip.

Cheng Ye crouched down and pushed open the door. Instead of the usual musty smell, he was greeted by a light woody fragrance mixed with the salty freshness of salted fish.

Wang Kang followed behind, curiously poking his head in. When he saw the scene inside, he was so shocked he stepped back half a pace and nearly hit the door frame. "My heavens..."

The originally pitch-black, damp basement now had thick moisture-proof wooden boards laid on the cement floor, with bright bulbs hanging every two meters, illuminating every corner clearly.

Twenty bags of rice, flour, grain, and oil were stacked on wheeled metal racks. The salted fish was wrapped tightly in vacuum bags and neatly stacked in moisture-proof cabinets in the corner.

Metal racks against the walls were filled with canned goods, with red, yellow, blue, and green labels crowded together, looking reassuring just to see.

"Brother Cheng, this..." Wang Kang poked his head in again, unable to speak properly.

"Just a small warehouse. When you're craving something, just come in and take it."

Cheng Ye casually took a can of yellow peaches from the shelf, opened it and handed it over.

Wang Kang initially wanted to decline, but smelling that sweet fragrance, he immediately froze in place.

"Try it."

"Then I won't be polite."

Wang Kang took the can, first drank a sip of the sweet juice, immediately squinting his eyes comfortably.

Then he bit into a piece of peach, feeling so satisfied it was like flowers blooming in his heart.

"Tasty, right? There are still thirty cans here."

Cheng Ye took two boxes of various canned goods and put them in his backpack.

He didn't forget the chunk of Yaksha Bull meat either, putting it in Wang Kang's backpack for him to carry.

Besides that, he also took out over ten packages of labeled seeds.

These were prepared by Li Changfeng, filling an entire burlap sack. He probably guessed that Cheng Ye wanted to try planting in Shi Province.

"Let's go!"

Taking Wang Kang out of the small store, the bus turned direction toward Chemical Factory Complex.

Cheng Ye called ahead, but didn't expect Luo Xiaoxue to be waiting at the complex entrance with Yiyi.

As soon as the bus approached, Yiyi in her pink jacket shot over like a little cannonball.

Wang Kang instinctively lowered his head, thinking the little one was going to jump into his arms, but saw Liu Yi go straight around him, opening her arms to pounce toward Cheng Ye, being steadily caught and lifted up.

Ouch, so wounded!

"Brother Cheng Ye! Seeds! I want to see the seeds!" Yiyi hugged Cheng Ye's neck, her little face pressed against his shoulder, her voice crisp and full of anticipation.

"Hey, only thinking about seeds? Don't want to eat fragrant beef?"

Cheng Ye pinched her little cheek.

"I don't eat beef!"

Puff.

Liu Yi said it seriously, and Cheng Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Master Zhang, want to come up and sit for a while?"

"No need, I'll just wait for you downstairs."

"Alright, thank you."

Cheng Ye threw his backpack to Wang Kang and carried Yiyi cheerfully down from the vehicle.

He had to say, he could now finally understand why those villain bosses occasionally felt inexplicable emotion when seeing the new generation.

This lively energy on Yiyi, like a small sprout growing wildly toward the sunlight, could indeed dispel the gloom accumulated in people's hearts.

"Hearing you were coming, this little girl's eyes lit up, insisting on dragging me down to meet you."

Luo Xiaoxue came over with a smile. "If her dad knew, he'd probably be jealous to death."

"Haha."

Going up to the fifth floor, Luo Xiaoxue pushed open her door, and a wave of heat hit them.

Water had already been boiled in advance. Looking at this setup, she was probably planning to treat them with boiled cabbage again.

However, after sitting down, Cheng Ye first took out several packages of labeled seeds from his backpack and handed them to Liu Yi, who was watching eagerly.

Then he directly took out the huge chunk of beef, still covered with a layer of unthawed white frost.

"This..."

Luo Xiaoxue paused. "Where did this come from?"

"Bought it from a merchant convoy."

Cheng Ye explained casually while continuing to take out canned goods. "There's also salted fish, but the smell is too strong, so I didn't bring it today."

Liu Yi, who was crouching on the ground using a small shovel to dig soil, immediately dropped her toy and ran back when she heard the sound of canned goods, grabbing the table edge and standing on tiptoes. "Wow, it's canned food!"

With Liu Bi's status, buying canned food wasn't difficult, but most were locally produced meat and vegetable cans. High-end fruit cans like these were extremely rare.

Li Changfeng had also considered this point, mainly packing fruit cans.

Cheng Ye casually opened strawberry cans, yellow peach cans, orange cans... These fruits that were commonplace in modern times had become rare treasures in Shi Province and Happiness City.

Even Luo Xiaoxue couldn't help swallowing, shaking her head. "This is too extravagant!"

"It's fine, not expensive."

Indeed not expensive, since they were obtained for free.

"Yay, delicious!"

Wang Kang used chopsticks to pick up a piece of orange and feed it to Yiyi.

The little one smacked her lips after eating, and her whole person seemed wound up like a spring, bouncing and jumping around the room, shouting "delicious, delicious."

Luo Xiaoxue also picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing carefully, a trace of nostalgia rising in her eyes. "The last time I ate this was probably five or six years ago... Back then, people around here still grew these things. Later, I don't know if it was because no one bought them or the yield was too low, but gradually they became impossible to find."

"I have more there, all prepared for winter. When the time comes..."

Cheng Ye smiled, about to talk about his winter plans when his defense pass suddenly dinged.

He stopped talking and took out his defense pass to look. It was a call from Jiang Chuan.

"It's a call from Jiang Chuan."

"Good, you can go to the next room to take it."

Cheng Ye got up and went to the bedroom, gently closing the door and standing by the window.

"Hmm?"

"Inspector Cheng, it's been confirmed. The Wish-Guarding Transcendent that came through the fog passage, code name: [Walker], has currently left our Chuan City area and entered neighboring Yun City."

"Confirmed?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, first breathing half a sigh of relief.

"Yes, we deployed massive manpower and resources and finally captured photos of him traveling in the wasteland. But due to confidentiality reasons, we can't send them to you for viewing temporarily."

"That's good, as long as it's gone."

Cheng Ye breathed out the remaining half sigh of relief.

The Wish-Guarding Transcendent was indeed independent, not continuing to entangle with Happiness City. The direct influence should dissipate quickly.

However, the next second, what came through the phone made him instantly freeze.

"The matter isn't over yet. Walker's photos can't be sent, but these can be sent for you to see."

"What?"

Cheng Ye moved his defense pass away from his ear and lit up the screen.

Sure enough, several video clips Jiang Chuan had sent were loading.

Opening the first one, he was completely stunned.

Under the pitch-black rainy night, the camera seemed to be filming from high altitude. In the distant wasteland, there were densely packed human figures moving, at least several thousand, maybe tens of thousands.

Everyone was wearing raincoats, carrying bulging military backpacks. The队伍 stretched endlessly, like migrating locusts passing through, pulling a wriggling line across the muddy ground.

An infection tide?

This was Cheng Ye's first reaction.

But the following video clips completely dispelled his notion. Although the people in the footage walked hurriedly, they maintained order. Some carried flashlights to organize the team, others carried the old, weak, sick, and disabled on their backs.

One segment was filmed from ground level, showing that the migration team, included many family combinations, with quite a few children around Liu Yi's age. It was clearly an organized migration.

After closing the videos, Cheng Ye pondered and asked, "What are these?"

"They are migrants."

Jiang Chuan's voice carried some helplessness. "Walker's target isn't us, and he didn't deliberately influence Happiness City much. What he really influenced were the surrounding settlements, even including Leaping Field Sanctuary City. Under his transcendent ability's influence, those who were previously hesitating about whether to come to Happiness City have had more and more people make up their minds. What you're seeing now is the first batch of people who set out at noon."

"How many people?"

"The first batch is thirty thousand people, already entered our Chuan City boundary. But based on Walker's route projection, the total won't be less than five hundred thousand people!"

"How many?"

Cheng Ye suddenly raised his voice, suspecting his ears were malfunctioning.

Five hundred thousand?

Not counting people in the industrial district, the buffer zone's peak permanent population was at most around four hundred thousand.

This number alone had already strained infrastructure, let alone providing sufficient job opportunities.

But now, he was told that five hundred thousand people wanted to migrate to Happiness City?!

Was this insane?