Happiness City has three major legions.

Each fulfills a unique role, forming three interlocking lines of defense for survival.

The first line, the Blood Dragon Legion, focuses on sweeping and deterrence, patrolling the surrounding areas year-round to weave a dynamic defense network. Through frequent operations, they reduce the threat of infected entities, excelling in mobile warfare and surprise attacks.

The second line, the Cross Legion, is primarily stationed near the hydroelectric power station, protecting core infrastructure like nearby industrial factories to ensure the city's energy and production lifelines remain secure.

The third line, the Happiness Legion, guards the Happiness Wall, equipped with elite forces and a systematic defense network, forming a comprehensive, ultimate defensive line.

"Could something have happened at the hydroelectric station?"

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat.

To maximize energy efficiency, Happiness City's large factories are mostly built near the hydroelectric station.

If something went wrong, it was either an infected tide ambush or an armed attack from another sanctuary city.

But with the combat strength of Happiness City's three legions, the latter hadn't occurred in nearly twenty years, making an infected tide the more likely scenario.

Of course, there was also a worst-case scenario he dared not entertain.

Opening the Civilization Collector panel, he glanced at the charge level in the top right corner, now at 54%.

Cheng Ye felt slightly reassured and calmly instructed, "Raven, pass the order: the guard team delays shift change and comes to assist with the inspection."

"Owl, follow me inside. If anything seems off..."

"Understood, sir," Owl replied, instantly grasping the issue.

If the Cross Legion was returning on official business, they should have reported to the inner city remotely and notified the checkpoint in advance.

But now, they were approaching at high speed, only signaling the checkpoint via their vehicle.

Recalling the recent deadly incident at the Central Main Checkpoint, it wasn't hard to imagine what might be approaching.

A vehicle full of infected entities?

"A newborn calf isn't afraid of tigers. You've got some guts, kid!"

Lee Matteo had already packed his bag, but seeing Cheng Ye sit back down at the alloy desk, he let out a low sigh and quickened his pace.

By the time the vehicle entered the diversion channel, his figure had vanished into the rain.

"Guts, huh?"

Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the rain, locking onto the slowly approaching vehicle.

It wasn't the usual Jinbei van but a new model he'd never seen before.

Its design resembled a compressed Hummer, long and flat, with angular lines forming a boxy silhouette. The metal body gleamed coldly under the lights.

The vehicle stopped steadily before the iron netting, and the passenger door popped open with a bang. A massive man ducked out.

Wearing the gray-blue uniform of the Cross Legion, he was broad-shouldered and thick-backed, like a standing grizzly bear. Standing well over two meters tall, his presence was utterly intimidating.

Despite Cheng Ye's recent rigorous training, which had honed a bit of ferocity, seeing this grizzly stomp through the puddles still made his breathing uneven.

Damn, even if wastelanders' genes were reverting to primal states, how could they produce such a monster?

Cursing inwardly, Cheng Ye's hand instinctively rested on the Bison 9mm combat pistol at his waist.

Even infected entities born from the same infection source varied in strength.

The stronger the host, the more terrifying the mutated monster.

The infected entities named in books were often once-powerful wasteland warriors, never obscure nobodies who turned into scourges.

"Wait... the stronger the person, doesn't that mean I could search for stronger skills?"

The thought of searching for skills eased Cheng Ye's apprehension, replaced by a spark of excitement.

There were no such formidable figures in the isolation ward.

In the wasteland, opponents wouldn't cooperate.

Only now, seated at the inspection desk with the authority of an inspector, did he have a chance to "search the strong while weak."

As long as the target wasn't infected, the odds of obtaining a good skill were high.

Owl, standing nearby, clearly noticed the change in Cheng Ye.

Seeing the inspector shift from fear to excitement, Owl inexplicably grew bolder too.

Having chosen to be an observer and aiming to climb the ranks, following someone like Cheng Ye, compared to a slacker like Lee Matteo, offered a real chance for merit and advancement.

What was there to fear?

"Halt!"

Cheng Ye grabbed the megaphone, his voice cracking through the rain like a whip, aimed at the grizzly.

"I'm Wu Rui, second-level squad leader of the Cross Legion. We've communicated with the checkpoint. Sorry to trouble you with overtime, Inspector."

Wu Rui announced himself, standing obediently outside the alert line.

"Overtime's no issue, it's just past eight. I need to know why you rushed back without notifying the inner city."

"There was an incident. One of my team members was injured by an infected entity and needs treatment in the inner city."

"What?"

Owl, holding his gun in a vigilant stance, was shocked. Was that an acceptable excuse?

Being attacked by an infected entity sounded as casual as tripping on the road.

"I can vouch for him. He hasn't been parasitized by an infected entity. Please, Inspector, show some leniency and give my brother a chance to live."

"You vouch for him?"

Cheng Ye tapped his fingers on the desk, shaking his head slightly. "You know the checkpoint's rules, don't you, Captain Wu?"

"Understood."

Wu Rui's throat bobbed, his heart sinking.

As an Easterner, he chose the North Station to avoid being hassled by Easterners at the South Station with their strict rules.

Even if he had to pay a bribe at the North Station, it was fine.

But no one expected the Zone A inspection post at the North Station to be manned by an Easterner.

And this young inspector wasn't as easy to deal with as he appeared, displaying a calm and seasoned demeanor, like a veteran checkpoint operator.

"Save my brother, and the entire Red Guard squad will owe you our lives."

"Bring the person up. Let me see."

With the conversation reaching this point, inspecting the wounded was unavoidable.

As Cheng Ye pressed the isolation door button, he unholstered his Bison 9mm combat pistol and placed it on the desk.

Just then, Raven returned with ten duty guards in a hurry, and the checkpoint's atmosphere grew tense.

"Good!"

Wu Rui turned and walked to the armored vehicle.

A light drizzle fell, raindrops pattering on his face, leaving wet streaks.

The armored vehicle's side door opened, and four soldiers in Cross Legion uniforms quickly carried out an injured man on a stretcher.

Hiss.

Almost simultaneously, everyone gasped.

The wounded man's left leg was completely gone, severed at the hip, leaving blood-soaked bandages.

From his abdomen up, a ghastly wound tore to his shoulder, flesh splayed outward like a rag ripped by claws.

Could he be saved?

Sensing Cheng Ye's doubt, Wu Rui explained again, "The inner city has special bio-regeneration technology. It's just an external injury, with an 80% chance of survival."

"Bio-regeneration technology?"

Cheng Ye marveled silently, another term absent from his memory.

Strangely, despite such severe injuries, the man on the stretcher managed a faint smile toward him.

"What's with him?"

"A special talent from his reverted genes. His pain perception is one-tenth that of a normal person."

The response came not from Wu Rui but from the wounded man on the stretcher, who should have been barely clinging to life.

This guy could still speak on his own.

"Name?"

"Dai Zun."

"Age?"

"29."

"How'd you get injured? If you can't explain clearly, Captain Wu can speak for you."

"No problem. It feels like a minor scrape to me, the pain's long gone."

A faint smile crossed Dai Zun's pale face. "An infected entity infiltrated the battery factory, parasitizing a worker and hiding in the feed pipe. I crawled in and killed it."

That fierce?

Cheng Ye's eyelid twitched. He didn't know how wide the feed pipe was, but it was certainly a confined space.

Going in without support was practically a suicide mission.

"Everyone else, step back. I need to check the wound."

"Back off."

Wu Rui gave Cheng Ye a deep look, waved to the others, and the seven retreated to the alert line.

The isolation door slammed shut, and ten guards simultaneously aimed their weapons at Dai Zun on the stretcher.

"Damn, this Inspector Cheng's got some nerve."

Realizing Cheng Ye was putting on rubber gloves to closely inspect a high-risk suspected infected entity, the guards gasped. They'd never seen such a bold inspector.

Of course, Cheng Ye was a bit nervous himself, but the words "special talent" lit a spark.

He opened the panel and, after a moment's hesitation, gritted his teeth and decided:

Go for it!

At that moment, the Civilization Collector panel showed Wu Rui's cooperation level at 54%, barely enough to search for Lv.1 skills and unlikely to rise further.

But Dai Zun's cooperation level was unprecedented, soaring to 94%!

It was the highest cooperation level Cheng Ye had ever seen.

"Lv.2 skills... if I can search for that pain reduction talent, it'd be incredible."

Maintaining one-tenth pain perception long-term wasn't ideal, as it dulled awareness of external dangers, potentially weakening combat ability.

But... skills were different!

Once acquired, Cheng Ye could equip or unequip it at will, reaping the benefits of reduced pain without the risk of impaired perception.

"Brother, you need to fully cooperate with me, or I can't guarantee..."

Cheng Ye crouched, nodding toward the guards behind him.

He didn't need to hint further; over a dozen red laser dots already targeted the stretcher. Any overstep by Dai Zun would trigger an immediate "physical exorcism."

"Tell me, you want to live, right?"

"Absolutely. I don't want to die to some ordinary infected entity. That'd be too unjust."

Sweat beaded on Dai Zun's pale face, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Whatever you say, Inspector, I'll do. Full cooperation."

"Good. I like your attitude."

The cooperation level on the panel ticked up to 97%.

Cheng Ye was slightly pleased, picking up the instruments from the desk to start measuring.

"Temperature, 38.7."

"Heart rate, 144."

"Respiratory rate, 17."

With each reading, Wu Rui's expression outside the door grew grimmer.

Approaching the checkpoint, he had already heard about today's incident and knew it wasn't good.

By checkpoint rules, two or more abnormal readings meant mandatory isolation.

Dai Zun's temperature was definitely above normal, and his heart rate was teetering on the edge of 140.

Though there was a 5% measurement tolerance, if Cheng Ye deemed the data abnormal, Dai Zun faced only one outcome.

"One abnormal reading!"

Phew.

As the words landed, a wave of suppressed exhales came from outside.

Simultaneously, the number on the Civilization Collector panel jumped to 98.9%.

Just a hair's breadth from 100% cooperation.

"You're nervous. Even with your pain suppression, I can sense your fear."

"Relax. I'm not like other inspectors. As long as you're not infected, I can guarantee you'll leave here alive!"

Cheng Ye said, opening the black case to retrieve the Dual-Mode Vital Signs Detector and the Corrupt Light Metabolism Detector.

But as he prepared to start the scan, his movements paused, and a faint smile curved his lips.

[Dai Zun, 100% (Perfect), Searchable Range: Information, Items, Skills (Lv.1, Lv.2)]