What was the status of a duty station chief at the checkpoint?

According to Liu Bi, they were the inner city’s designated successors to the head station chief.

To become a duty station chief, one either made significant contributions to Happiness City or possessed exceptional personal ability.

If Ding Yishan were to die unexpectedly, the head station chief position would be chosen from among the duty station chiefs.

Yes, Deputy Station Chief Harlin couldn’t directly inherit the role. Despite his competitive edge, he’d still need to vie fairly with other duty station chiefs.

In Cheng Ye’s view, duty station chiefs were like princes.

If Ding Yishan, the emperor, fell, the next emperor would be chosen from Harlin, the crown prince, and the other princes.

Victory depended on who played the dirtiest at the “Xuanwu Gate.”

Of course, this was just a power analogy. Interpersonally, the station chief and duty station chiefs were equals.

“I saw Downs this morning. No infected entities infiltrated the North Station, so it can’t be here.”

“The South Station or Central Station, then…”

Cheng Ye paused. Was his luck really so good that choosing the North Station dodged a bullet?

Logically, the Central Checkpoint rarely encountered tough infected entities.

Powerful infection sources drained their hosts heavily. Those that made it to Happiness City were usually weaker, like Whispering Tentacles, creepy but low in combat strength.

Rapid inspection stations were different.

Take Barrett, infected by the Corrupt Vine. Four days in isolation, and he still hadn’t hit the outbreak phase.

If such a powerful infected entity went berserk in a crowd, it could wipe out dozens in minutes.

“It’s not your issue. Just wait patiently.”

Cheng Ye reassured the anxious four brothers.

Setting an example, he sat under the rain umbrella, waiting calmly for further news.

A duty station chief’s unexpected death, regardless of the zone, triggered an immediate lockdown of all three checkpoints.

No entry, no exit.

Like in Zone B next door, dozens waiting to enter were stuck until the alert lifted.

Poor Simo, cleared by Cheng Ye’s inspection but now trapped, unable to get treatment. Talk about bad luck.

“The Central and South Stations are run by Eastern inspectors. No matter who died, Ding Yishan’s got a headache. The already unbalanced situation will likely tip further toward the Westerners.”

“Is this a blessing or a curse for me? If Ding Yishan goes crazy…”

His thoughts churned.

Inspectors seemed glamorous to outsiders, but who knew the tightrope they walked in private?

Cheng Ye could only try to see the bigger picture, analyzing how the shifting dynamics might affect him.

If I were Ding Yishan, what would I do?

“The Eastern inspectors are weak because the younger generation isn’t stepping up. But the mid-tier forces are still solid. Big B mentioned that among fourth-stage senior inspectors, Easterners slightly outmatch Westerners. At the top, fifth-stage inspectors hold a 4-to-2 advantage. It’s only at third-stage and below where Westerners dominate.”

“Plus, two of the three duty station chiefs are Easterners, keeping the balance.”

“Now, with one Eastern duty station chief dead…”

Step-by-step analysis.

Cheng Ye’s eyes lit up.

From Ding Yishan’s perspective, the top priority was filling the vacant duty station chief position.

If Easterners held onto two chief spots, the stalemate would persist.

But if Westerners snagged it, the checkpoint’s dynamics would flip upside down.

With the fire at his eyebrows, would Ding Yishan even notice a lowly trainee inspector like him?

Even if Ding Yishan was dead-set on crushing him and gave the spot to his own, so what?

“Worst case, I flip the table and join the Westerners. Who’s afraid of who?”

To thrive in this iron rice bowl, there were two paths.

Either stay low-key, sip tea, read reports, avoid factions, and coast to retirement, or fight tooth and nail, relying on cunning without a backer, letting strength do the talking.

The first wasn’t an option for Cheng Ye, nor did he want it. The wasteland wasn’t civilized; the bottom rung had no say over life and death.

The second? His biggest backer, Cheng Long, was gone before they met, leaving only Liu Bi.

But Liu Bi alone wasn’t enough to shield Cheng Long’s sole heir.

“Though he’s gone, he left a ton of favors. If I die at this critical moment, someone could stir trouble, giving Ding Yishan a real headache!”

The more he thought, the clearer it became.

Only when the East-West faction fight hit a fever pitch, with no clear winner, would attention turn to the bottom.

No one knew if that’d be days or months, but one thing was certain: it gave him enough time to prove his worth!

“Inspector Cheng, hey, over here…”

Hearing his name, Cheng Ye snapped out of his thoughts, looking over.

To his surprise, it was the Western inspector from Zone B.

A gaunt middle-aged man, balding, with deep-set eye sockets and a typical European face.

This guy, who shoved everyone into isolation, wasn’t here to kick him while he was down, was he?

“I got word. It’s He Fei, the Central Station’s duty chief, who died unexpectedly!”

Separated by the iron netting between Zones A and B, the Western inspector approached, his expression complex, voice low.

“What?! He Fei?”

Cheng Ye gasped, his memory yanked back to his first day as a trainee at the Central Checkpoint.

The bushy-browed, warm-eyed He Fei had personally taken him to Quarantine Station 8, instructing other inspectors to look out for the rookie with genuine care.

Though they hadn’t met since, just three days ago, Cheng Ye had called He Fei to request leave.

He Fei had even told him, “Don’t let down Station Chief Ding and everyone’s expectations.”

And now, days later, He Fei was dead?

“A special hydrophilic infected entity slipped into the Central Checkpoint. Its abilities were bizarre, and they’re still investigating He Fei’s cause of death…”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a Westerner, but I stay out of East-West faction nonsense. My focus is doing my job. Whether you’re Eastern or Western means nothing to me.”

Ignoring what Cheng Ye might think, the Zone B inspector wiped sweat from his brow. “But we’re both inspectors. If an infected entity gets into my zone, you wouldn’t let me die, right?”

Got it.

So that’s his angle.

Cheng Ye had wondered why this guy came over, spilling station intel and stressing his neutrality.

Turns out, he was just a slacker aiming to coast to retirement?

“Let’s introduce ourselves. Matteo Lee.”

“Cheng Ye.”

Exchanging names sealed the connection.

Cheng Ye hadn’t expected his first inspector acquaintance at the North Station to come about like this.

No wonder this guy sent everyone to isolation at the first sign of trouble, now it made sense.

For a slacker, avoiding screw-ups was the greatest achievement.

Shoving all suspects into isolation, ensuring few passed the checkpoint smoothly, was a “genius” way to coast!

“I know Eastern habits. You can call me Lee Matteo; lots of folks do.”

Chuckling, he continued, “I got unlucky this week, stuck in Zone B with too many people. If I could pair with you in Zone A, it’d be safer and easier.”

“I’m just a trainee inspector, first time at a rapid station. You’re joking, Inspector Lee. I’d need to learn from you.”

“No joke.”

Lee Matteo’s face grew serious, shaking his head. “Nothing new happens here. We heard about this morning’s incident as soon as we clocked in. Your way of handling those punks was ruthless. They’re spoiled, daring to mess with anyone. If they knew what your dad did…”

“Ahem, I’m curious. In the isolation cell, how’d you figure out that guy was infected with just a few words? It was a new infection source. Don’t tell me it was luck.”

“Sorry, you nailed it. Pure luck.”

Cheng Ye’s face twitched. Lee Matteo had guessed the truth.

But his answer, though honest, sounded dismissive, like he wasn’t keen on bonding.

Thankfully, the blaring alarm finally stopped.

Looking at the tower, the two alert flags had been replaced with a single yellow one.

“Damn, how unlucky.”

Lee Matteo muttered, “It’s already two. Two more hours, and we’d be off. Now all non-duty inspectors have to gather at the Central Station, and we’re stuck here till night.”

“Till night?”

Cheng Ye scratched his head, face neutral but inwardly delighted.

Zone A was dead all day. Even staying till night would be a breeze.

And if the next inspector didn’t show up, wouldn’t that mean he could keep charging?

At this rate, he’d have enough for a search by the end of the shift!

“Grind it out. Damn infected entities. Good thing the yellow flag means the station closes at eight, or sixteen-hour shifts would break even the toughest.”

Lee Matteo sighed, then leaned in, whispering, “Inspector Cheng, don’t let me die if there’s danger. Help me once, and I’ll give you 20 contribution points. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Cheng Ye agreed readily.

First, if Zone B had a berserk infected entity, it’d affect Zone A anyway.

Second, 20 contribution points was decent for just standing there, firing a few shots as support. Why not?

“Funny, spotting Barrett made them think I’ve got real skills?”

Back at his seat, Cheng Ye pondered, realizing his start was almost too perfect.

If he hadn’t disciplined those punks and gone straight to Zone A to face Barrett, he’d be seen as a lucky fluke.

But by first showing his edge, leaving a strong impression, then identifying Barrett’s infection in the isolation cell with a few words, the impact was entirely different.

Cunning in workplace games, backed by matching skills.

In other inspectors’ eyes, he’d gone from “new Eastern trainee” to “tough nut to crack.”

“Well, damn! Charging up nicely, low risk.”

“Tonight, once I’m fully charged, I’ll sweep the isolation zone. No infected means skills. Finding one earns contribution points, strengthens my rep, and canceling the search nets double action points!”

“This start is straight-up godly!”