Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 229 - 111: The Fog Cave Reopens, Firewood Shelter City!

Chapter 229: Chapter 111: The Fog Cave Reopens, Firewood Shelter City!

The bus smoothly entered the Public Works Bureau and drove unobstructed all the way to the parking and charging area.

As soon as the weather turned cold, the energy consumption of electric vehicles skyrocketed.

All the charging pylons were occupied, and it took a few minutes before a bus slowly drove away, freeing up a charging spot.

The remaining vehicles appear to be staying overnight and will wait until tomorrow morning to unplug and roll up the cords.

Master Zhang’s bus had just been charged during the day, and the dashboard showed 81% of battery power remaining, enough to run for four hundred kilometers easily.

However, upon hearing Cheng Ye suggest to plug in the charger to secure a spot and recharge fully before leaving, Master Zhang didn’t hesitate at all and immediately followed instructions.

"I’ll go charge. You and Long go find a pot and some seasonings."

"Okay."

Although he was curious why Cheng Ye was so keen on charging, Master Zhang didn’t suspect anything and cheerfully followed Long away.

There were no seasonings elsewhere, but the Public Works Bureau likely had them, and with Cheng Ye’s reputation, it was simple to borrow some over.

Once everyone left, Cheng Ye unhooked the charging head, tucked the pendant in, and swiped his card to start charging.

[Current recharging efficiency: Normal (lv.3 energy)]

[Time remaining to fully recharge charging value: 3.42h]

The prompt flashed across the panel.

This time Cheng Ye wasn’t planning to leave after charging to 80%; he intended to fully charge the pendant.

After all, Zone B doesn’t have garages, and plugging into a regular socket at home would only recharge about 5% overnight, which was too slow.

Liu Kun could come over any time in the next two days, so having a fully recharged charging value would be more reassuring.

But three and a half hours was still a bit much; luckily, eating and drinking could help pass some time.

Entering the rest area.

The heavy glass doors blocked the cold from outside.

Soon, Engineer Liu and two apprentices hurried over.

Being called back for a call from Cheng Ye after hours on such a late night would typically cause dissatisfaction.

However, upon hearing there was beef to eat, fish soup to drink, and salted fish to take home afterward, the three did not hesitate and rushed over.

Of course, they still maintained a respectful demeanor, as if appearing whenever the Inspector required.

"Inspector Cheng, what modifications do you want today?"

Engineer Liu rubbed his hands and placed the folder of blueprints onto the table, with a hint of professional tension in his tone.

For the client, modifying the blueprints was just a matter of a moment’s decision, but they had to measure, draw, verify parameters, adjust node structures, update material lists... Every step needed meticulous attention like embroidery; any mistake could lead to issues upon completion.

Back in the old days, if issues arose, they just imprisoned the person in charge.

But problems in the Wasteland implicated everyone from top to bottom.

"No rush, I’m not modifying the blueprints today. I want to hear industry insiders’ advice, just as casual talk over a meal, and it’s been quite troublesome for you recently."

Cheng Ye squinted and smiled, leaning against the chair back with a relaxed tone, "The pedestrian street demolition is almost done these days, and you are about to finalize the plans; construction will soon commence. My ideas... are ultimately limited, and I need to hear more from you to achieve results in one go and avoid repeated changes."

"Our ideas?"

Engineer Liu hesitated and instinctively pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose to hide the surprise in his eyes.

Yet, the two apprentices behind him exchanged a glance and looked equally astounded.

Everyone knew from recent interactions that Chief Cheng was straightforward in his approach, so why the sudden interest in their opinions today?

Cheng Ye observed their reactions with understanding, "Don’t be restrained, sit down. You’re on the site every day; surely you know better than me about where to leave drainage ditches, where to reinforce foundations. For example, with the temporary shop houses, I initially intended to make flat roofs across the board for a stylish look. But today, during heavy rain, I realized while passing through the shanty town... Would sloped roofs be more practical?"

Traveling back and forth to the inspection station, Cheng Ye kept his eyes on the scenery outside the window.

As a legitimate architecture graduate with excellent results, what he lacked was field experience, not the ability to spot issues with trained eyes or theoretical knowledge reserves.

"Sloped roofs are indeed good, but they require 30% more materials, and the construction period would need two more days..."

Engineer Liu frowned, pondering and tapping the blueprint folder unconsciously, "How about this? Keep the flat roof but add a 30-centimeter eave along the edge, and cut a hidden channel along the back wall directly connected to the main drainage ditch. The eave blocks slanting rain, and the hidden channel diverts water discreetly without interfering with paving the pedestrian path with tiles, keeping it practical and saving materials!"

"Eaves..."

Cheng Ye frowned in thought, feeling as if his architectural knowledge was slipping away, even after just a few months without practice.

Seeing his earnest contemplation, Engineer Liu grew more curious.

In this vast Buffer Zone, no Inspector had ever shown familiarity with construction.

"Engineer Liu."

"Yes."

"What material are you planning to use for the roof?"

"Colored steel plates," Engineer Liu answered forthrightly, "lightweight, easy to replace, requires less maintenance, most practical in the Buffer Zone."

"Hmm..."

Cheng Ye gestured an angle in midair, "Then the eave angle needs to align with the eave edging treatment; colored steel plates have poor flexibility, so if directly angled, rainwater will seep along the plate seams during heavy rain, rusting through in less than half a month, making refurbishment more troublesome."

"Regarding this?" Engineer Liu’s eyes brightened, "Therefore, it’s essential to add an L-shaped angle steel liner at the junction to enhance the bending resistance strength and guide water along the liner straight to the ground, making it particularly practical under low maintenance conditions."