Chapter 98: The Moon Remains, and So Does the Path!

When Cheng Ye left the medical station in the afternoon, he had already completed the health procedures.Actually, his injuries had completely healed two days ago, but to avoid drawing attention, he waited until the last day to leave.

The inspection station had also allocated accommodation for Wang Kang. At Wang Kang's strong request, he was assigned to the fourth floor of the same tube building at Sunrise Electronics Factory where Cheng Ye lived.

That was the same room where he had previously killed the infected body. This way, with one living on the fifth floor and the other on the fourth, they could look out for each other.

"Someone died here before, aren't you scared?"

As soon as they entered, Cheng Ye pointed to the entrance area and smiled, "It was an infected body that I personally stabbed to death."

"What's there to be scared of?"

Wang Kang threw his backpack onto the bed, glancing nonchalantly around the empty room, "Even if a corpse was placed right next to me, I'd sleep just the same."

This was the biggest difference between wasteland people and modern people. Wang Kang was, after all, a wasteland person.

He had long been exposed to life and death partings, so he felt no fear toward such things.

"Alright then, make do with it for now. We'll slowly add furniture later."

Cheng Ye still felt somewhat superstitious, so he had already asked Big Dragon to lead people in clearing out all the original furniture from the room, replacing it with brand new beds, tables, and stools. Even the mold stains in the corners had been carefully scraped clean.

"Thanks, Brother Cheng!"

Wang Kang paused, seeming to want to say something more, but Cheng Ye raised his hand and patted his shoulder.

Everything was understood without words.

"Rest early, you still need to get up early tomorrow."

"Mm!"

Cheng Ye casually closed the door behind him, and somehow, a sense of security welled up in his heart.

The feeling Wang Kang gave him was different from anyone else, a relationship of equals, a pure friendship.

This feeling was very comfortable. When the two were together, both their moods became more relaxed.

Returning to the fifth floor, he opened the security door.

A musty smell mixed with dust and dampness hit him in the face. Cheng Ye quickly opened all the doors and windows, then opened the hallway window, letting the cross-breeze flow through. After airing it out for a full half hour, the smell gradually faded.

Compared to the clean and tidy hospital room at the medical station, the environment of this tube building was absolutely terrible.

Peeling wall paint, uneven floors, and thin layers of mold in the corners.

But after sitting in the room for just a short while, Cheng Ye felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

There were no medical staff watching, no Garcia staying next door, no waves of people coming to test him, only his own little corner of the world.

He bent down and lifted a corner of the wooden bed, taking out two long rifles from underneath, carefully disassembling them.

Barrel, bolt, magazine... each component was carefully wiped with an oil-soaked cloth until they gleamed with a warm metallic luster, then reassembled.

It had to be said, holding these big killers in hand gave him a sense of security.

Cheng Ye aimed at the air a couple of times and decided to carry both guns with him during his next duty shift.

If he encountered another super-strong infected body like the Rotting Vine, at least he would have the confidence to fight back directly.

As for Wang Kang's side, there was no need to give him such weapons that were clearly beyond his current capabilities.

These were for fighting tough battles.

What he taught Wang Kang was to run away directly when things looked bad, relying on guard teams to tangle with infected bodies, which was also the current duty pattern for most first and second-phase inspectors.

Moreover, he had already bought Wang Kang a Buffalo combat pistol, which would be sufficient for initial situations.

After handling the weapons, Cheng Ye carried a bucket to the water room to get water, planning to simply wipe off the sweat from his body.

As soon as he entered, he saw Huang Sheng washing at the faucet. Hearing the movement, the other man turned his head, his face showing some surprise and joy, "Sir, you're back?"

"Mm, just got back."

Cheng Ye filled his bucket with water while glancing at Huang Sheng's body. The large bruises left from tangling with infected bodies on the pedestrian street that night still hadn't faded.

"Get more rest. You need to take care of your body, don't wear yourself out."

"Don't worry, sir, I'm in great spirits!"

Huang Sheng laughed heartily, his tone carrying energy, "Thanks to you, sir, I've already reached Level 5 authority at the Works Department. I've been busy with land reclamation in the southern suburbs lately. A large batch of new people are coming soon, and people from the industrial area need to relocate back. We can't afford any delays!"

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly fell on Cheng Ye, blinking in surprise, "Hey, sir, the injuries on your body..."

Cheng Ye took off his shirt, revealing his strong muscles. Under his healthy wheat-colored skin, every muscle was as distinct as if carved by a knife, not exaggerated, but filled with a sense of solid strength.

"What did you think, where I went? I stayed at the medical station for a week."

Lifting the bucket, Cheng Ye poured it over his head.

The cool water flowed from his hair to his neck, somewhat like taking a shower, but far less comfortable, more of a rough man's efficient approach.

"Tomorrow the inspection station opens, be more careful. If any infected bodies slip in..."

"Don't worry, sir, I understand!"

Huang Sheng immediately put away his smile and nodded seriously.

Cheng Ye hummed in acknowledgment and said no more. Only the sound of rushing water remained in the water room.

After showering and returning to his room, Cheng Ye lay down on the bed. Glancing at his defense communicator, it was only nine o'clock, still early. He instinctively reached toward the bedside to grab a book.

After fumbling twice, he realized there was no bedside table, and the room was empty without anything to pass the time.

The books from the hospital room had been sent for lamination and would probably take two or three days to retrieve.

Late at night like this, with no books to read and nothing else to do, Cheng Ye simply closed his eyes to sleep.

But his mind wasn't so easy to quiet down.

Before he knew it, Liu Bi had been gone for more than half a month.

The buffer zone encountering an infection tide, large numbers of personnel migrating away, increasingly fierce open and covert struggles between factions, more frequent ideological clashes, life-and-death battles with fusion bodies, probing and maneuvering when dealing with all kinds of people...

One event after another flashed through his mind like movie clips, and he couldn't help but start reviewing them.

Every detail was repeatedly chewed over, which places weren't handled thoroughly enough, which choices might have been made differently, which people were worth deep friendship, which people needed constant vigilance...

The more he thought, the more awake he became. Cheng Ye simply sat up and stood by the window, gazing at the bright moon.

People today cannot see the ancient moon, yet today's moon once shone on ancient people.

He hadn't quite understood this line at the time, but now it seemed tailor-made for him.

Taking a deep breath of the cool night breeze, the churning restlessness in Cheng Ye's heart gradually settled.

The moon was still there, and so was the path.

Tomorrow would be a new beginning.

The moon set and sun rose.

When the sky began to show a fish-belly white, Cheng Ye unusually hadn't slept deeply, waking up more than ten minutes before his alarm went off.

Getting water, washing up.

Everything felt so natural. After living in Happiness City day by day, he had completely adapted to the rhythm here.

After getting ready, Cheng Ye disassembled the two long rifles, carefully wrapped the parts in canvas, stuffed them into his backpack, and carried it downstairs.

Sure enough, the door on the fourth floor was open, and Wang Kang was already dressed and ready.

Wearing brand new long sleeves and pants, carrying the canvas bag Cheng Ye had picked out at a street stall, with the Buffalo Combat Pistol at his waist, standing in the hallway in the morning light, his eyes showed some nervousness but more irrepressible excitement, full of energy.

"This state is good, maintain it."

"Don't worry, Brother Cheng!"

The two went downstairs together. Cheng Ye went to the Big Meat Cafeteria and bought a bag of fried big meat. He didn't dare look closely at what was inside, but Wang Kang ate it with relish, one bite at a time, crunching loudly.

From time to time, he would praise the big meat shop at the community entrance, saying the quality was much better than what you could buy elsewhere.

At the street corner, it was time to part ways.

One heading to the South Station, the other to the North Station.

Cheng Ye walked a few steps, then instinctively turned back to look at Wang Kang's retreating figure. The young man was taking big, hurried steps, as if eager to prove himself.

It wasn't until he was about to turn the corner that he completely disappeared from view.

He withdrew his gaze and turned toward the North Station.

But he didn't notice that just as he turned around, Wang Kang at the street corner suddenly stopped and also turned his head.

He silently watched Cheng Ye's retreating figure leave, the determination in his gaze becoming even more intense.

"Inspector Cheng, going on duty?"

Master Tian stood by the bus, unusually not wiping the vehicle today.

Cheng Ye glanced over and found that heads had already filled more than half the bus.

Compared to the surging crowds of previous days, today's migrants were obviously much fewer, probably only two or three thousand for the entire day.

But these people were much better equipped than before, many carrying rifles on their backs.

Although they were privately circulated guard rifles with mediocre power, compared to small handguns, the advantage was obvious.

"Today the inspection station restarts, there might be quite a few people."

Master Tian heard the implication and immediately smiled, "People from outside can't afford bus fare. Those riding my bus are all people who've already taken root in the buffer zone, very well-behaved."

"Better to be careful."

Cheng Ye got on the bus and sat in the front seat that Master Tian had specially cleared for him.

Within two minutes, the bus was packed full, swaying as it headed toward the inspection station.

"Buddy, with your gear, do you work at the inspection station?"

Cheng Ye was particularly conspicuous in the bus, completely different from the migrants around him who carried luggage and looked anxious.

Someone couldn't help but strike up a conversation. In the past, they would never dare be so casual, but now that they were leaving this land, many unspoken rules were no longer rules.

"Yeah, the inspection station restarts today, so I have to start duty too."

"Then good luck to you."

These four words came out not with the usual envy, but with sincere earnestness.

Cheng Ye looked around, and many people who met his gaze nodded slightly, offering silent blessings.

It seemed they were all old-timers who had stayed in Happiness City for a long time, clearly understanding what the inspection station's restart after an infection tide meant.

"Will you come back?"

"We won't come back." The middle-aged man sitting beside Cheng Ye shook his head slightly. He was with his wife and two boys who had just come of age, "We've struggled here for so many years, finally seeing them grow up. It's time to look for opportunities elsewhere."

"Do you have a destination?"

"1,400 kilometers away, Blue Dragon Super Sanctuary City in Shan Province."

The middle-aged man moistened his dry lips, his eyes showing some yearning, "The broadcast says they allocate land to everyone, farming right within the protection circle, only paying half the harvest in taxes. And the industrial infrastructure there is supposedly catching up to Happiness City."

"Really?" Cheng Ye nodded slightly, then looked toward a young man diagonally across carrying an old canvas bag.

Caught by his gaze, the young man forced a smile, "I'm not going to a sanctuary city. I plan to check out some settlements, deciding where to go after leaving the city."

Cheng Ye didn't ask more, just raised his chin toward both men, "Well then, good luck to you too."

The scenery flashing by outside the window gradually blurred in his eyes, but some thoughts inexplicably arose in his heart.

The outside world might really not be as terrifying as imagined.

The longing in these migrants' eyes made him look forward to his upcoming external duties with new anticipation.

The bus reached the inspection station, and everyone lined up to exit from the back door, walking along the right-side passage toward the verification area.

Cheng Ye waited a moment in his seat until most of the people ahead had gone, then got off from the front door and walked directly toward the left-side staff passage.

No one in the queue found it strange, since they had learned on the bus that he worked at the inspection station.

But the next second, the eight guards stationed at the entrance saw Cheng Ye and immediately straightened their backs, running over with respectful smiles on their faces, "Inspector Cheng, you're here!"

This bowing and scraping manner made the middle-aged family and the young man who had just reached the right passage entrance stop in their tracks, their fatigue instantly replaced by astonishment.

Just moments ago, they had thought Cheng Ye was so young and seemed to have no airs, just an ordinary low-level employee, but an inspector?

Everyone instinctively froze in place, their gazes following Cheng Ye's retreating figure as he disappeared into the passage.

It wasn't until the next busload of people arrived, pushing the queue forward, that their hearts settled, each with their own ripples of emotion.

Having spent so much time in the buffer zone, they rarely had contact with inspectors, but this last glimpse before leaving added a layer of indescribable flavor to their impression of Happiness City.

Entering the departure passage, the normal exit on the left remained tightly closed, while the right side had a separate passage opened, with a wooden sign hanging above it written in red paint with two large characters:

Deregistration!

According to the procedure, everyone had to first return their defense communicator, then throw their resident documents into the iron trash can beside the passage to complete the final formalities.

Beep.

The staff member took the defense communicator, scanned it on the device, then reached into a box behind him and pulled out five nutrition packets plus four strips of medicine.

One strip of red anti-inflammatory, one strip of blue fever reducer, one strip of purple anti-diarrheal, and one strip of green life-saving pills.

"This is Happiness City's final gift to you. We hope that even after leaving here, you can continue walking on the path of pursuing happiness!"

"Thank you!"

Whether traveling alone or as a family, everyone received exactly the same gift, with no reduction even for families.

Continuing forward, staff members along the way smiled and nodded, with no one checking or hurrying them along.

Unlike the strict layered inspections required when joining, the atmosphere during departure was filled with a peculiar quality, like seeing off travelers going far from home, tinged with both melancholy and blessing.

It wasn't until they stepped across the isolation line, their feet touching the soft soil outside the city, that everyone suddenly looked back.

That giant wall spanning across the earth remained silent, and suddenly scenes from when they first arrived here many years ago exploded in their minds!

The shock of seeing electric street lamps for the first time, the surprise of receiving free nutrition packets for the first time, the security of finding shelter for the first time, the joy of starting a family and having children for the first time...

These emotions, worn smooth by the years, now seemed like awakened seeds, sprouting bit by bit from the depths of their hearts, making their noses tingle.

"I hope there will be a day to return..."

The middle-aged man who had previously stubbornly said he would never look back gazed at the giant wall and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

His wife beside him quietly wiped the corner of her eyes, while their two sons curiously observed the wilderness outside the city, their eyes showing no nostalgia, only anticipation for the road ahead.

Some people had left.

But their roots remained here!

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