The call was from none other than the checkpoint’s station chief, Ding Yishan!

Cheng Ye was genuinely surprised.

In his two months since transmigrating to the wasteland, he’d never met this mysterious chief.

Searching his predecessor’s memories, he’d only seen Ding once, when leaving the inner city. Ding had personally greeted him, instructing everyone to treat and train him well, ensuring Cheng Long’s passing was without worry.

Why’s he calling me?

Cheng Ye’s mind raced, but his hands were quick, pressing the accept button.

“Hey, Little Cheng, it’s me, Station Chief Ding!”

A warm voice came through the defense comm. “Not disturbing your sleep this early, am I?”

“Good morning, Chief Ding!” Cheng Ye raised his tone, moving to the window to glance below, chuckling just right. “The rain was heavy last night; I couldn’t sleep, so I went out to see if I could help. Just got back to wash up and head to work.”

“Ha, you’ve got your dad’s spirit, kid! Looks like you’re the model for hard work at the station.”

A hearty laugh came from the other end. “It’s good for young folks to hustle. I was just thinking how to bring this up, and you’ve made it easy.”

“Chief, I’m all ears.”

“Here’s the thing…”

Ding’s slow, kindly tone, like an eighty-year-old village elder, shifted as he got to business, his voice taking on a chief’s authority.

As a top-tier university grad, Cheng Ye’s mind automatically filtered fluff, distilling Ding’s three-minute talk to a few key points:

Garcia’s beating by Liu Bi sent him to the infirmary. The Western faction was unhappy but had no grounds to complain, being in the wrong.

The Western faction would likely target Cheng Ye, a trainee inspector, in work and life.

As station chief and Cheng Long’s comrade, Ding was pulling him out to lay low.

“Chief, you’ve thought of everything for me. I… My dad’s last words said you’re a rare, honest man in this world, and if I’m ever stuck, to seek your advice. I’m useless, always causing trouble for the station…”

Cheng Ye’s voice cracked with emotion.

On the other end, Ding’s stern tone softened. “Little Cheng, I’ve let you down. Your dad entrusted you to me, and I couldn’t shield you from this mess…”

“Don’t worry, after your first external duty, I’ll bring you back. Let’s see who dares talk nonsense then!”

“Chief, don’t say that…”

Back and forth they went.

Two minutes later, the call ended. Cheng Ye’s teary act vanished, his face turning grave.

In just minutes, he’d seen Ding’s emotional intelligence—enough to thrive in the wasteland or even modern bureaucracies with his top-notch diplomacy and acting.

Could Ding, like his predecessor, be an “old-era” human whose genes didn’t mutate toward combat?

“But… moving me from the main gate to rapid inspection to ‘lay low’?”

Cheng Ye sneered.

The buffer-isolation zone had three checkpoints: the main gate for regular inspections and the north and south gates for rapid inspections.

The main gate handled external survivors, while the others served certified personnel—scouts, sentries clearing infected, or licensed scavengers.

At first glance, the main gate seemed riskier, dealing with survivors from all over, more likely to encounter infected.

But reality, based on Cheng Ye’s knowledge and experience, was the opposite!

At the main gate, survivors were caged, their attack capabilities halved even if infected. Eight armed guards per conveyor belt stood ready in watchtowers, ensuring inspectors’ safety. Any anomaly, and the subject was shot dead.

Thus, despite a higher chance of infected, the main gate’s annual casualty rate stayed below 5%.

Rapid inspection posts, however, had no cages or armed guards.

Inspectors faced subjects directly, searching them up close. Even if infection was confirmed, they relied only on nearby patrol teams.

But that protection was a sham.

If Ding Yishan arranged it, the “supporting” guards might sit back, watch him fight infected, and if he got infected, he’d catch a few “peanuts” for a physical exorcism within seconds.

“Rapid inspection posts’ annual casualty rate never dips below 30%. Even veteran first- or second-term inspectors often die from carelessness.”

Cheng Ye’s thoughts raced, quickly grasping the deeper reasons behind this shift.

Since the buffer-isolation zone’s creation, the checkpoint had grown, now exceeding 2,000 staff, including guards, workers, and sentries.

Yet, the inspector count remained fixed at 150, never increasing.

There were only two ways to become an inspector:

1. Hereditary, passing from parent to child.

2. Election, where the chief selects someone with significant contributions to fill a vacant slot.

This flawed system ensured that faction quality could vary greatly.

For example, before Cheng Long’s death, his combat power was a 10. After Cheng Ye took over, it dropped to 1, yet he held the slot, weakening the Eastern faction’s overall strength.

Or, if the Western faction’s new generation grew faster, the Eastern faction would decline, losing checkpoint control.

“First, Ding had Big B beat Garcia into the infirmary. As long as Garcia lives, he occupies a Western slot, blocking replacements.”

“Then, using me as an excuse to move to rapid inspection, he silences the Western faction while paving the way for Eastern plans. If I die, with no heir, he can pick a strong candidate to fill my slot, boosting the Eastern inspectors’ strength.”

“What a Ding Yishan, what a cunning double-edged scheme!”

A massive sense of urgency gripped Cheng Ye.

His predecessor’s inner-city antics were no secret to Ding.

In Ding’s eyes, Cheng Ye’s value was likely below a 3, a liability in the Eastern faction, always putting them on the defensive.

Garcia, though young and unreliable, had two years as an inspector, surviving over a dozen external duties with rich combat experience.

In the Western faction, he was at least a 5 or 6. His presence might not tip the scales, but his absence would disrupt their plays.

A small card against a bigger one, if both could be eliminated, it’d be a win for the Eastern faction.

“If it were Big B, he might’ve bought the ‘lay low’ excuse.”

“No, with Big B’s killer instinct, he’d never end up at rapid inspection.”

Rapid inspectors held as much power as danger. Suspect infection? One slash, and if wrong, a report sufficed.

Send Liu Bi there, and heads would roll in days.

“Damn, the external duty’s hurdle isn’t even here yet, and I’m already dragged into the East-West clash…”

“But it boils down to my weakness. Too frail to hold this iron rice bowl, I’m a target for coveting and scheming.”

“If I had Big B’s strength, faction fights or rapid inspection wouldn’t faze me.”

Yesterday, he might’ve hesitated or feared.

But now, with fine rain tapping the glass, humid air seeping in with the scent of earth, a strange calm washed over him, steadying his nerves into resolve.

Basic Power gave him the experience and technique to barely meet external duty’s minimum.

But limited by his weakest link, physical fitness, his damage output was capped.

Now, overnight, feeling the new tendons in his arm, he sensed the latent explosive power in his muscles.

Everything had changed!

Trained by muscle memory, his weakest link was patched, his overall strength soaring!

Still far from Big B’s human weapon, but against last night’s four-tenths punch, he wouldn’t fly helplessly anymore.

“It’s both danger and opportunity.”

“If I prove my worth and return to the table, I’ll secure my inspector seat!”

Cheng Ye flipped his right hand.

The pendant in the socket flickered, then appeared in his palm.

Using both search chances on Chu Yunfeng yesterday, overnight experiments clarified the Collector’s recharge rules.

Lv.1 searches needed 100 kWh per charge point, far less than the 2,000 kWh for activation.

More crucially, the pendant’s physical control had transformed.

Within ten meters, he could toggle it between tangible and intangible with a thought, summoning it to his hand instantly.

This made recharging simple.

As long as the rain kept the hydroelectric plant humming, even a 2.5-square socket could supply fifty kWh daily.

That meant a search chance every two to three days.

“Search alone isn’t enough. I planned to gear up for external duty later, but I need to prep now.”

“My contribution points are tight, but borrowing from Big B should tide me over.”

“But since Ding’s sending me to the north-south checkpoints, he’s likely counted on Big B helping, so…”

Cheng Ye’s eyes flickered, grabbing the defense comm to call Liu Bi.