The drainage work in the main district was still ongoing, leaving the streets in disarray.

The study session had to be relocated to an abandoned grand theater in the suburbs.

While the staff cleared the venue, Harlin pulled out a stack of lists from a file folder.

The lists were densely packed with names of instructors retired from the Security Bureau, as well as warriors who had retired due to injury, illness, or other reasons.

"Go invite the people on the list, aim for 300 for now, and have them take turns giving lectures," Harlin said.

He marked a few key names with a check, paused, and specified the compensation, "Security Bureau instructors will be paid 10 contribution points per lecture."

"Retired warriors from the Blood Dragon, Cross, and Happiness legions will each receive 8 points."

"Everyone else gets 5 contribution points, keep the accounts clear and report them to the station for public funding."

The staff acknowledged the order and immediately began contacting the listed individuals.

At exactly 4:00 p.m., the study session started on time in the abandoned grand theater.

After a brief opening speech by Deputy Station Chief Harlin, the first instructor took the stage to recite the response protocol for hydrophilic infected entities.

However, the audience below showed little interest, as this rote teaching method offered minimal help for the current situation.

After all, the casualties nowadays were caused by new infection sources not recorded in the database, rendering outdated response strategies obsolete.

"For the inspectors currently on duty, have them rotate in for training tomorrow, and hold an assessment three days later. As for the test questions..."

Harlin paused, his tone suddenly sharpening, "Within fifteen days, they must identify and kill an infected entity while on duty!"

So strict?

Several inspectors in the back row felt their hearts sink, especially those who usually slacked off, their foreheads instantly beading with cold sweat.

Fortunately, Ding Yishan had previously set a rule that demotion required failing three times, giving them a forty-five-day buffer period.

Once the study session was arranged, Harlin stepped outside, only to be quickly approached by someone.

"Dario, what's up?"

"Station Chief, Ding Yishan just summoned Cloud Leopard and met with him for about forty minutes."

"What about Thunder Tiger?"

"Still at the East Station, didn't go."

"Didn't go?" Harlin was momentarily stunned, a trace of unexpected amusement flashing across his face. "Good, Ding Yishan brought this on himself."

"Station Chief, do you think Ding Yishan noticed Thunder Tiger has been getting close to us lately?" Dario Haven trailed closely behind Harlin, his voice hushed.

To become a duty station chief, one had to first reach the rank of fifth-stage inspector.

Currently, aside from the station chief and deputy chief, there were two duty station chiefs and six fifth-stage inspectors at the checkpoint.

Four belonged to the Eastern faction, two to the Western faction.

Deputy Station Chief Davidson at the North Station was one, and the other was Dario Haven himself.

"He's not blind, he noticed long ago, but what can he do about it?"

Harlin sneered, "Back when Ding Yishan hadn't risen to power, didn't he also cozy up to our Western faction to outmaneuver those other fifth-stage inspectors?"

"The fight for duty station chief is coming up, so we won't make a move yet. Let's see what he says. After all, those four, including Cloud Leopard, aren't pushovers. If he can't maintain balance, his faction will fall into chaos first."

"No rush, then?"

Dario was slightly disappointed but could only nod in agreement.

"By the way, Station Chief, an Eastern inspector reported to the North Station today."

"Is that Cheng Ye?"

Harlin raised an eyebrow.

His memory was sharp. From the start of the year until now, of the four trainee inspectors at the station, three had passed the onboarding assessment, but only Cheng Ye had earned his "graduation" certificate in less than two months.

That speed ranked second in the checkpoint system's history, only half a month slower than Harlin's own record as a deputy chief.

The difference was that Harlin had set his record during an infected tide, while Cheng Ye had come close to it in non-combat conditions.

Their approaches were polar opposites.

"I recall his combat talent was particularly poor, yet he's bold enough to show up at our North Station?"

"More than bold, that kid's not simple. He's clearly there to make a statement at our North Station."

In a few words, Dario recounted what happened at the North Station that morning.

Hearing how Cheng Ye exploited psychological weaknesses to outwit a group of brainless second-generation heirs in a few moves, Harlin showed no reaction, even feeling amused.

As the chief examiner for the trainee assessment, he knew better than anyone Cheng Ye's intelligence.

If Cheng Ye had actually been bullied by those spoiled brats hoping to inherit inspector status, Harlin would have questioned his own judgment of character.

But as Dario continued, Harlin's expression soon shifted.

"You're sure he only asked a few questions and determined the target was an infected entity, stayed calm in combat, and even saved an observer?"

"Yes, I reviewed the full video. His performance..."

Dario thought for a moment and described it as effortless.

In the video, Cheng Ye showed no fear, whether proactively firing his weapon, counterattacking, or retreating, all executed decisively.

"Damn, where's the video? Bring it to me."

Harlin shook his head, his mind flashing to a few days ago when Ding Yishan specially approved a hundred bullets for Cheng Ye.

Could he have misjudged? Was this kid a double threat in both brains and brawn?

The tablet was quickly brought over.

Harlin furrowed his brow and pressed play, even rewinding the progress bar twice, finally confirming Dario's assessment.

Indeed, effortless!

"Tch, the Eastern faction's generation has gone to rot, yet they still produced a gem like this."

"Hmm, arrange for someone to approach him and see if we can pull him to our side."

Compared to Ding Yishan's hesitation, Harlin's decisiveness was almost startling.

"But... he's an Easterner?"

"So what? Isn't Thunder Tiger an Easterner too?"

Harlin looked surprised, sizing Dario up and down.

"Haven't I told you several times? In faction struggles, the key is knowing your opponent's background."

"Cheng Long is Cheng Long, and he's himself. This kid grew up in the inner city his whole life, untouched by station politics, with no loyalty to the Eastern faction."

"The only trouble is Liu Bi, but Ding Yishan's foolish enough to send Liu Bi to the hydroelectric station. If we don't recruit him now, are we supposed to wait until he's entrenched?"

"You think this kid's naive? I bet he knows Ding Yishan sent him to the rapid checkpoint with ulterior motives, so he deliberately chose our North Station as his entry point, which gives us an opportunity."

"What about Garcia?"

Dario's mind raced, realizing Harlin was going all-in to secure the station chief position.

"He's barely out of critical condition, still lying in the infirmary. If we recruit Cheng Ye..."

"Let him come protest to my face when he’s able."

Harlin waved dismissively. "Do as I say. It won't take long. Once the Eastern faction falls into disarray, I'll have ways to ensure you secure the duty station chief position."

"Yes, Station Chief!"

The prospect of becoming duty station chief lit Dario's eyes with wild excitement, brushing aside any further doubts.

Ordinary inspectors scraped by their whole lives, risking death at the hands of infected entities.

But becoming a duty station chief meant escaping the bottom rung and gaining a shot at climbing higher.

Why was Harlin fighting Ding Yishan so fiercely?

Everyone knew the reason: Happiness City's "Transcendent Baptism," held every six years, was in its fifth year. If he didn't fight now, he'd have to wait another six years!

In the last cycle, Ding Yishan held the upper hand, and Harlin chose to step back, yielding the Transcendent Baptism.

But Ding Yishan squandered it, missing his chance to awaken, making blunder after blunder, losing key players like Cheng Long and several core inspectors just to curry favor with Happiness City's higher-ups.

This time, Harlin would not sit idly by.

The current faction struggle was merely the opening act.

The real storm would hit when winter arrived, or even next spring, sweeping through with full force.

When that time came, every inspector, from fifth-stage to first-stage, even trainees, would be caught in the storm's wake!

Night fell, and streetlights flickered on.

Warm yellow light bathed the quarantine zone, pushing back the inky darkness creeping in from the wasteland.

A drizzle began to fall. Occasional lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating the distant city ruins and sparking howls from mutated beasts.

"This damn weather..."

Lee Matteo sent off the last group of people, watching as guards escorted them into the isolation zone. He straightened up, rubbing his sore shoulders.

How many people had he sent to isolation today?

He forgot to count, but it was at least two hundred, all highly suspicious!

"Seven minutes until clock-out."

Checking the time on his defense comm, Lee Matteo stood, sauntering toward the iron netting between Zones A and B, planning to chat with Cheng Ye to kill the remaining time.

"Inspector Cheng, you're living the easy life here!" Lee Matteo sighed, gripping the grid barrier. "I was run ragged in Zone B today, while you in Zone A only had one vehicle all day."

"Is that so?"

Cheng Ye was doing push-ups on the ground, responding without looking up.

"I saw you send people to isolation without even asking questions. Doesn't seem too busy to me?"

"Huh?"

Catching the implication in Cheng Ye's tone, Lee Matteo paused, then laughed carelessly. "You don't get it. I've been at the checkpoint for over twenty years, seen isolation ward riots, survived infected tide invasions, and endured endless faction struggles. Yet here I am, chatting with you like it's nothing. What's my secret?"

"It's simple: I'm careful, cautious enough!"

"Is that right?"

Cheng Ye stood, unable to resist giving a thumbs-up.

The two had chatted a few times during breaks today and were now somewhat familiar. Besides Liu Bi, this old inspector was the first "friend" Cheng Ye had made at the station.

Compared to Liu Bi's recklessness, Lee Matteo's caution was practically etched into his bones.

In the morning, he sent every fourth person to isolation, but after the inspection level rose in the afternoon, it became every second person.

To Cheng Ye, it seemed like Lee Matteo was picking "lucky ones" for the isolation ward based purely on gut.

"I know what you're thinking: why's a coward like me at the rapid checkpoint, right?"

Relishing Cheng Ye's thumbs-up, Lee Matteo grinned cheekily. "It's simple. Don't underestimate that inspector badge in your hand. Focus on raising its rank, and once you hit a certain level, as long as you don't court death, you practically can't die."

Finally finding a topic to bond with Cheng Ye, Lee Matteo exuded a veteran's smugness.

"Back when your father was around, he wouldn't give me the time of day, always looking down his nose at me, barely sparing a glance. Who'd have thought his son would be praising me now?"

"Uh..."

Cheng Ye couldn't be bothered to retort.

This guy's skin was thicker than anything he'd seen, tougher than the quarantine zone's iron netting.

But just as he was about to ask about the inspector badge ranks, a clear bell rang through the checkpoint. Looking up at the watchtower, he saw the yellow flag, hung all day, finally being taken down.

"Finally made it through."

Lee Matteo yawned, rubbing his arms. "Twelve hours straight, they ought to pin a model worker medal on us."

Before he finished, he glanced into the distance, then turned and urged, "Clocked out and you're still standing there? Really aiming for that medal?"

"Move it, let's go!"

"Go?"

Following Lee Matteo's gaze, Cheng Ye saw a beam of light piercing the darkness through the rain.

The light swayed closer, and from its speed and brightness, it clearly wasn't a Jinbei van but a vehicle capable of high-speed travel.

Strange.

Who'd show up right at clock-out time, perfectly coinciding with the bell?

"Let's go, go, go."

If it were 7:59, Cheng Ye might have waited, but past 8:00, he wasn't an idiot.

After all, infected entities were ten times more likely to appear at night than during the day.

But just as he opened the isolation door to leave, Raven rushed up.

"What's wrong?"

"Sir, the incoming vehicle sent a signal to the station. It's someone from the Cross Legion."

"What, the Cross Legion?"