With Zhang Can taking the lead, seven more people among those who came forward chose to leave.

The vast Tianyuan Mall, according to Happiness City's supercomputer calculations, was the place most likely to erupt into a large-scale infection tide.

Four thousand people, yet only eight infected bodies had flowed out to the outside world.

"Is every community like this?"

Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze and looked toward Big Dragon.

He didn't think there was a problem with the Happiness supercomputer's calculations. Most likely the supercomputer's built-in database was outdated.

It was very possible they were still using data from 13 years ago, from the last time the Nightmare Parasitic Worms attacked.

After ideological indoctrination by the idealists, the buffer zone had now undergone completely different changes.

Whether this was good or bad, this Stand-In Starfish incident would be the best test.

"Of course not, Lord Cheng. Since the big shots above allow us to talk about collective interests, naturally they must also tolerate those who only care about private gain."

Big Dragon smiled, preparing to explain and boast a bit.

Eight infected bodies flowing to the outside world was, in a sense, also an honor for Tianyuan Community.

But before he could finish speaking, the three district elders who had been sitting on stage earlier were already walking over.

"Inspector Cheng, hello."

The middle district elder bowed slightly, his tone apologetic, "Having you witness such a spectacle here has truly been a waste of your time."

"District elder, you're too kind."

Cheng Ye stood up, and the two men shook hands.

Even through two layers of rubber gloves, he could still feel the rough texture worn by years on the district elder's palm.

To be able to survive from the old era to the new century in this chaotic wasteland age, crossing the sixty-year threshold.

It truly wasn't easy. He must carry many stories on his shoulders.

"Big Dragon's answer just now was somewhat inappropriate. Please don't take it to heart."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Since the Nightmare Parasitic Worm incident, the buffer zone entered the era of self-governance. These five hundred thousand-plus people have spawned thirty to fifty different philosophies: some like our Tianyuan Community can attract thousands to join, others have only dozens or even fewer than a hundred people. But ultimately, everyone is trying to survive. The philosophies themselves have no inherent good or bad, and it's even harder to judge the superiority of collective versus individual approaches."

The district elder paused, his gaze growing heavy, "Only now with the infection tide approaching, all communities are being tested. Those that can survive will naturally have the correct philosophy. Before we've made it through, whether this distorted old-era philosophy of Tianyuan Community will work remains an unknown."

"Old-era philosophy?"

Cheng Ye nodded slightly.

The current Tianyuan Community indeed resembled his understanding of the clan model in the Lingnan region, but wasn't completely identical.

Everyone carried a mission, prioritizing collective interests, taking pride in them, not speaking of personal private gain.

However, as the district elder said, whether it was correct or wrong would need to be verified by the infection tide.

"Not speaking of the future, for now, district elder should be happy. I think the verification has been successful."

Cheng Ye praised sincerely.

"If every community could be like Tianyuan Community, then..."

"Inspector sir, that wouldn't work."

The district elder quickly shook his head, "The collective can only function during times of crisis. In terms of normal development, our Tianyuan Community can't even rank in the top ten."

As his words fell, the district elders on his left and right showed slight changes in expression, but didn't stop the middle elder from continuing.

"This model has been maintained for nine years, and its drawbacks are gradually showing. The consequence of emphasizing the collective is that individual potential is continuously compressed. Everyone doesn't dare go out and take risks, nor can they bear the consequences of being kicked out for taking risks. To be honest, Tianyuan Community hasn't produced anyone capable of entering the inner city for a long time. Even those forming merchant caravans are few and far between, and those going out to scavenge are even rarer."

"Look at this mall interior. We haven't had funds for repairs for over four years. The beds everyone sleeps on were purchased at their own expense. Some people's beds have collapsed, but they're reluctant to replace them, using screws and patches to prop them up. When water pipes in rooms break, individuals have to pay for repairs. Many can't afford it, so the entire mall's residents have to pool money together. This gap keeps getting bigger."

With the assembly concluded, the crowd gradually returned to rooms converted from various shops.

The district elder spoke like counting treasures, pointing to each of these rooms one by one, rambling about stories that had once occurred inside.

These malls inherited from the old era might have more complete infrastructure than residential buildings.

But in terms of service life, they were significantly shorter than the latter.

Things like burst pipes and burned-out electrical circuits had been happening more and more frequently in recent years.

According to Tianyuan Community's philosophy, this type of maintenance should be collectively funded, but now everyone could barely make ends meet. Everyone had to go out and work to earn food. Where would there be spare money for collective funding?

"People's hearts still need money to support them. Without money, hearts scatter quickly too."

"Ah Can was one of the rare talents in our community who dared to venture outside, but unfortunately heaven was blind. It could have chosen anyone, but it had to choose him."

The district elder rambled on while Cheng Ye listened quietly.

He didn't know why, but he really enjoyed hearing these "elderly people" recount the past events of the wasteland over the years.

After all, memories of Earth were rapidly fading with changing living environments. The faster he integrated into this wasteland, the greater his chances of survival.

"During the last heavy rain, I saw people from the Works Department helping with flood prevention?"

"Yes, relying on us alone... that night we definitely would have been flooded on the first floor."

The district elder was stunned for a moment, a bitter smile appearing on his face, "Actually, the Works Department officials have been very considerate of us these past two years. Because Tianyuan Community has a very low probability of malicious incidents, the laborers who come out of here work diligently and never complain about compensation levels."

"But as the environment becomes more stable, if you want to eat meat, you still have to charge forward, to snatch food from other people's bowls... If we really did that, the community would fall apart, because the easiest targets are always the familiar people around you."

The district elder's words left Cheng Ye somewhat stunned.

Indeed, he had just been pondering Tianyuan Community's response when disaster struck, but hadn't considered at all whether Tianyuan Community's daily development was smooth or not.

The influence of philosophy wasn't just reflected at times like this, but would silently permeate every corner of daily life.

No wonder the district elder would say there was no distinction between good and bad, and it was difficult to judge superiority.

Different periods had different advantages. You couldn't just look at performance in one particular stage.

"What did you come here hoping to do?"

"Just to take a look."

Cheng Ye nodded, speaking honestly, "I live nearby. I heard that Tianyuan Mall might have an infection tide outbreak, so I came to check the situation."

"I understand."

The district elder nodded, "My surname is Song. For so many years everyone has called me Elder Song. I haven't used my real name for a long time."

"Elder Song, no need to be polite. You're already a living fossil of the buffer zone."

"Haha, Inspector Cheng really knows how to joke."

Being praised by Cheng Ye, even though he could only see his eyes, Elder Song laughed heartily.

To have made it to today, to have united over four thousand people together, whether it was sincere or pretense.

He truly only needed to look at someone's eyes to tell most of the story.

"Since Inspector Cheng lives nearby and is willing to come look at our place, this old man has a presumptuous request. I wonder if I might speak it?"

"Please, speak freely."

Cheng Ye took a deep breath. He could actually guess what Elder Song wanted to say.

Sure enough, Elder Song stumbled as he bent over, and the other two district elders also lowered their backs.

Under Cheng Ye's gaze, he spoke earnestly, "To be honest with you, with the infection tide approaching, this is the only way for Tianyuan Community to survive, and also the key to proving our collective philosophy's success. As long as the community still exists after tonight and the model verification succeeds, only then can this philosophy continue to be implemented and attract new members to join."

"Lord Cheng, although our Tianyuan Community has no skilled warriors, everyone is good at working, but we can still gather three hundred people for your command to clear the threats about to erupt in Zone B-7. Afterward, we'll only take forty percent of the contribution points to repair the mall, and the remaining sixty percent will all belong to you."

"Since Elder Song has this intention, why doesn't the community organize its own personnel?"

Cheng Ye paused and asked a counter-question.

Elder Song was obviously stunned, then shook his head, his gaze somewhat unfocused, "We can't organize them. It's difficult for a collective to produce a leader. We need someone to follow before we can form combat effectiveness. If it were thirty-plus years ago, when Happiness City was just established, this old man could still handle a gun and resist hundreds of infected bodies alone without problem."

"The two brothers beside me are also warriors who crawled out of infection tides. That's why we can convince four thousand people to trust us and be willing to fight for our philosophy alongside us."

"But today, I'm old, and they're old too. Ah Can was the successor I chose, but he couldn't hold on until the day of succession."

"Mm."

Cheng Ye nodded, suddenly having the illusion that he was recruiting soldiers in ancient times.

No wonder someone as powerful as Emperor Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of the Prince Jing of Zhongshan when raising his rebellion. Now this inspector title worn on his head actually had some similar rallying power.

It's just that before coming, he hadn't expected Tianyuan Mall to be this scene, with the people inside actually able to maintain special philosophies even in the wasteland.

"I'll assess the situation. Before then, you still need to guard the mall properly."

"Inspector Cheng, rest assured. In going out we might not compare to other communities, but when it comes to defending home..."

The district elder's mouth corners lifted, suddenly becoming confident, "This is our specialty. There probably aren't many communities in the buffer zone that can surpass us."

"Sir, if you don't come out soon, we'll have to charge in."

Seeing Cheng Ye finally emerge from the mall, the guards at the checkpoint breathed a sigh of relief.

They couldn't help but be nervous. Who could have known that after verifying his identity, the inspection station headquarters actually sent a message telling them to ensure this Inspector Cheng's safety at all costs.

What were they supposed to do?

Fortunately, Tianyuan Community was usually quite stable, having had no malicious incidents for many years.

If it were some of the more troublesome communities, they would have long since been unable to resist going in to check the situation.

"Sorry to trouble you."

Cheng Ye took out his defense communicator to check the time. There were still ten minutes before 9:30.

They had already entered curfew time, and in another half hour the guards would also withdraw.

"After the Blood Dragon Corps enters the field, will they deploy forces to every area?"

"No." The guard shook his head in explanation, "Because of the zoning, the Blood Dragon Corps' main role is to prevent adhesive infection tides. They'll prioritize deploying forces to places with large-scale outbreaks, preventing these infected bodies from spilling over to other areas and forming chain reactions."

"If the infection tide in Zone B-7 isn't particularly severe, the pressure might be relatively small, but also relatively large."

The guard spoke somewhat awkwardly, but his meaning was expressed quite clearly.

There wouldn't be large-scale infection tides, but don't expect soldiers to come provide support in the short term.

For ordinary residents hoping for Blood Dragon Corps rescue, this might be disappointing.

But it had to be said, it perfectly matched Cheng Ye's own expectations.

Compared to hallways full of infected bodies, with the corps' fire lines covering entire areas and stray bullets flying everywhere.

As long as there weren't too many infected bodies, with his current strength, he really wasn't afraid.

"In the end, it's still because this type of contact infection source has its individual limits. If it could catalyze thousands upon thousands of Corrupt Vine infected bodies, that would truly be despair."

On the way back, Cheng Ye suddenly felt some strange restlessness stirring in his heart.

In the previous three months, he had focused single-mindedly on the inspector assessment, knowing almost nothing about the buffer zone's true face.

He had just rigidly assumed that when people here encountered an approaching infection tide, they would be forced into great chaos.

But when the infection tide truly arrived and he was able to step back to observe and think, he suddenly realized a shocking fact:

Happiness City had survived over thirty years under the threat of infection tides that came every winter. If every time brought great chaos due to disaster, how could it have developed to today?

It wasn't just because the defensive forces here were formidable, but also because the humans rooted here had equally unimaginable resilience, which was why they could stand firm and unshaken!

"It's just that turning the path to making money toward infected bodies is indeed somewhat desperate."

With Tianyuan Mall's scale, a complete renovation would cost at least hundreds of thousands of Happiness Coins, or thousands to tens of thousands when converted to contribution points with stronger purchasing power.

Cheng Ye pondered as he turned directly into Uncle Dong's convenience store, pushed open the door to go down to the basement, planning to retrieve those six high-explosive grenades.

This stuff was absolutely contraband in the buffer zone.

Even when he inquired with his inspector status, people at weapon sales points told him these could only be received for free when approved from above, and couldn't be actively purchased with any status.

They probably felt that the threat of firearms flowing out was still controllable. After all, when everyone had guns, the deterrent effect was actually dispersed.

If high-explosive grenades got out and some idiot threw them around carelessly, the damage caused would definitely be more deadly than infected bodies.

However, now he had some different ideas. If the infected body threat was controllable, he might as well go out and fight a round, nipping the B-7 zone infection tide in the bud at its source.

"Uncle Dong left me so many books?"

After opening the hidden compartment, Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh softly.

Beside the six silver high-explosive grenades were two stacks of books, at least twenty-plus volumes.

He casually flipped through the top two volumes, finding they were all handwritten infected body response notes, with "Winter Squad" signed at the bottom of each page.

"Thank you, Uncle Dong."

He called out toward the rattan chair where the old man used to sit, then picked up the two stacks of books to prevent this heavy rain from flooding the basement again and soaking these books that might contain 'information value.'

Walking toward the residential area, usually half the lights would still be dark at this hour, but tonight it was brightly lit.

Accompanied by voltage flickering bright and dim, like monsters hidden in darkness breathing slowly.

Kicking up the security door with his foot, he placed all the books in a corner.

Cheng Ye took off his raincoat, removed his hood, collapsed on the bed and consecutively downed three bags of nutrition paste before finally letting out a long breath.

What he could prepare, he had prepared completely, from equipment to weapons, not missing a single item.

The intelligence he had planned to gather was also fully in hand, with unexpected pleasant surprises.

For a small trainee inspector, being able to make so many preparations before the infection tide's arrival was already quite remarkable.

He vaguely had some understanding. After that big shot Elder Song mentioned... no, more accurately, after being deliberately set free from buffer zone rule restrictions by the idealists.

The inspector identity brought not only privileges, an iron rice bowl, and many hidden benefits, but also accompanying responsibilities and obligations.

For slackers, these responsibilities and obligations were heavy burdens.

But if they fell on the shoulders of those with initial convictions or those determined to change the status quo, they became stepping stones upward.

As long as you prepared well and seized the right moment to leap, you could use this to catapult yourself to higher places, instantly gaining unimaginable influence, without having to rigidly stay within one circle, scheming and choosing sides for benefits.

However, thinking about these things was still premature. It was time to patiently wait for the infection tide to arrive.

Cheng Ye looked toward the window. A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the night sky, reflecting fragmented silver light in his pupils.

The rain was falling even more urgently!