Throughout the day, the accumulated water on the main district’s primary roads was finally drained.

The Jinbei van cruised unimpeded, and as it approached Happiness Gate, two teams of sixteen guards greeted it from a distance.

“Thank you, Inspector Cheng, for your support of the Cross Legion. Please hand over the wounded to us for arrangements.”

The lead captain stepped forward, offering a standard modern military salute, then pounded his right fist against his chest to express heartfelt gratitude.

Dai Zun on the stretcher tried to mimic the gesture, but Cheng Ye held down his right hand. “Don’t push yourself. Remember what Captain Wu said, you owe me a life.”

“Of course, one call, and I’m there.”

A faint smile crossed Dai Zun’s pale face. Before he could finish, the guards lifted his stretcher, swiftly disappearing behind the massive city gate.

In the darkness, countless gazes from the shadows fixed on them, laced with greed and intensity.

Some landed on Cheng Ye, giving him an uneasy feeling of being watched. He glared back, and the gazes abruptly retreated.

Even the Jinbei van’s driver couldn’t help swallowing hard, staring longingly at the rapid passage slowly closing beneath the alloy gate.

That was the inner city!

Countless people struggled their entire lives in the buffer zone, rotting in infection tides, never touching the frame of Happiness Gate.

Yet, for some, this endpoint was a starting line they could casually step onto.

“Let’s go. If it’s not too much trouble, can you drop me off at the Fertilizer Plant Workers’ Compound?”

“Convenient, of course it’s convenient!”

The driver nodded eagerly, reluctantly tearing his gaze away.

The Jinbei van made a U-turn in front of Happiness Gate, gradually moving away from “happiness.”

Night, ten o’clock.

The tires rolled over the wet pavement, coming to a slow stop beside the vine-covered iron gate of the Fertilizer Plant Workers’ Compound.

As Cheng Ye’s fingers touched the door handle, his peripheral vision caught two figures under a streetlamp a hundred meters away.

Squinting instinctively, he saw Luo Xiaoxue on the left and, to his surprise, Zhou Changhai on the right?

Cheng Ye froze, almost thinking he’d seen wrong.

Why would a fifth-stage inspector from the Eastern faction at the checkpoint show up at the Fertilizer Plant Compound late at night to meet Luo Xiaoxue?

As they approached, the dim yellow streetlight gradually outlined the man’s face.

A distinctive horse-like face with a jagged scar on the jaw—it was indeed Zhou Changhai!

What was he doing here?

The metal door clanged against the van’s side as Cheng Ye stepped out, positioning himself about five steps in front of them.

“Sister Luo, Inspector Zhou.”

“Hey, Inspector Cheng, off duty?” Before Luo Xiaoxue could speak, Zhou Changhai’s eyes lit up as he approached, acting as if he’d expected him. “Speak of Cao Cao, and he appears. I was just talking about you with Instructor Luo, and here you are.”

Instructor Luo?

Cheng Ye’s mouth twitched, suppressing his curiosity. “Inspector Zhou, coming here so late, is it...?”

“Oh, nothing major. There was an incident at the station today, as you know. Station Chief He died.”

Zhou Changhai’s tone carried a trace of sorrow. “As a fifth-stage inspector, I have to represent the station, visit the families, and explain the situation to ease their worries.”

“I see. Thank you for your efforts, Inspector Zhou.”

Cheng Ye nodded lightly. “With Big B on an external mission, I was just coming to talk to Sister Luo about the station to reassure her. Didn’t expect you to beat me to it.”

“No need to be so formal with me.” Zhou Changhai laughed heartily, stepping closer to pat Cheng Ye’s shoulder, his scar twisting with his smile. “Back in the day, your dad and I were brothers-in-arms on the survey team. If you don’t mind, just call me Uncle Zhou.”

Uncle Zhou?

Unfamiliar with the checkpoint’s past, Cheng Ye caught Luo Xiaoxue subtly pursing her lips out of the corner of his eye.

Clearly, the “brothers-in-arms” claim between Zhou Changhai and Cheng Long held more water than Happiness City’s rainfall these past few days.

This old guy was shameless.

Wait, why was he trying to get so chummy?

Something’s off!

“Uncle Zhou’s right.” Cheng Ye plastered on a perfectly timed smile. “I was thinking we use titles at work, so I didn’t realize I’m off duty now. Unlike you, Uncle Zhou, still visiting families late at night. You’re a true role model for the station.”

The compliment carried a hidden barb, drawing a line between “work” and “personal ties.”

The subtle jab made Zhou Changhai’s smile freeze for half a second.

But as a fifth-stage inspector, he was a seasoned operator.

Maintaining his smile as if nothing happened, Zhou Changhai turned to Luo Xiaoxue. “Instructor Luo, since Cheng Ye’s back, I won’t intrude. Don’t worry, the hydroelectric station’s safer than the checkpoint.”

“Thank you for your concern, Inspector Zhou.”

Luo Xiaoxue nodded politely. They escorted Zhou Changhai to the street’s end, watching him climb into a Jinbei van parked in the shadows. Its headlights cut through the night as it drove toward the city center.

“What was he here for?”

Cheng Ye paused. “With He Fei’s death, is he already trying to pull people for a promotion?”

Within the checkpoint system, advancing from trainee to first-stage was a hurdle.

It required evaluations from three stations, nine assessment forms, and a B-grade or higher on an external mission, with no major incidents. Most inspectors took about two years to clear this step.

From first-stage to fourth-stage was another hurdle.

It demanded 300 duty rotations at each of the three stations, totaling at least 900 days, with no major incidents, or the count resets.

Additionally, enough contribution points had to be accumulated, and a slot had to open.

For example, if a fourth-stage inspector slot opened and five people qualified, the one with the highest contribution points advanced first.

Beyond that, reaching fifth-stage was beyond ordinary inspectors.

By regulation, two generations had to have served at the checkpoint, a so-called “endorsement.”

Without this background, even sky-high contribution points were useless. Liu Bi, for instance, was stuck at fourth-stage, ineligible to even compete for fifth-stage.

Fifth-stage inspectors were also a prerequisite for becoming a duty station chief.

“You figured it out?”

Luo Xiaoxue shook her head, exasperated. “Not just him. All four fifth-stage Eastern inspectors came today, staggered as if by some unspoken agreement.”

“All four?”

Cheng Ye was slightly shocked. He hadn’t expected them to start vying for the position the same day He Fei died tragically.

“Same kind of talk?”

“Yeah, all trying to get Liu Bi’s vote.”

“Did they offer anything?”

“Huh? You know a lot for a newbie.” Luo Xiaoxue gave him a strange, teasing look. “You made quite a splash at the North Station today. Every one of those fifth-stage inspectors mentioned you when they came.”

“No surprise there. Who at the station doesn’t know my bond with Big B?”

Cheng Ye’s smile stiffened.

Damn, just as Lee Matteo said, nothing stayed quiet at the checkpoint.

And Raul’s confidentiality was awful, didn’t he say no one would know?

Yet, before Cheng Ye even got home, the news had already reached Luo Xiaoxue.

“They didn’t spill details, did they?”

“Not really. Just said you walked into the Western station, put those second-generation brats in their place, then went into the isolation ward, spotted an unknown infected entity with a few words, and took it down cleanly, proving your skills and boosting the Easterners’ pride.”

Luo Xiaoxue’s expression turned playful. “Not bad, kid. You’re bold. I underestimated you.”

“Uh…”

Cheng Ye hesitated, chuckling awkwardly, not mentioning how he saved a Cross Legion soldier just before clocking out.

His day had been eventful.

“If Station Chief He hadn’t been ambushed by an unknown infected entity, this wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Just an infected in a cage. You didn’t see it, Sister Luo, but that thing had a pointy head. Sure, it was bulky, but it looked like it overdosed on beast steroids. Hardly normal.”

“As for those second-generation kids, I just spooked them a bit. Didn’t expect them to cave so fast.”

Cheng Ye spun a casual tale, and they chatted under the building.

Perhaps He Fei’s death made Luo Xiaoxue realize there was no truly safe place in the buffer zone.

Whether at the North or South Station, survival came down to strength, cunning, and a bit of elusive luck.

So, she came to terms with Cheng Ye’s stubborn choice to go to the North Station.

People are strange, some convictions become clear only in the face of life and death.

Cheng Ye couldn’t quite describe this shift, only that from the moment he arrived in the wasteland, everyone had to be ready to face death.

The difference was whether you went out in a blaze of glory or lingered in a corner, waiting to die.

“Sister Luo, I was on duty all day. Tomorrow, I think I’m forced to take a rest day for that study session. I’ll head back tonight, yeah?”

“Go on. You think Zhou Changhai’s ‘Instructor Luo’ was just for show?” Luo Xiaoxue tucked her hair back, a wry smile on her lips. “I’ve got to attend the study session tomorrow too, and give a lecture as an instructor.”

“Perfect, I’ll be there cheering you on.”

Avoiding talk of checkpoint formalities or dangers, they laughed and chatted for a bit.

Cheng Ye stood in place, watching Luo Xiaoxue enter the compound until her figure disappeared into the building’s entrance, then turned into the heavy night.

From the Fertilizer Plant Compound to the Sunrise Electronics Factory Compound was a good ten-plus kilometers.

But as he jogged back, Cheng Ye felt a burning heat, the long-suppressed spark in his heart finally flaring up.

Gaining a skill only shortened the gap with the veterans, still miles from genius.

But a talent was different, it could bridge the foundational divide, lifting him beyond the ordinary.

“Iron Body!”

The two words rolled on his tongue, almost tasting the searing heat.

Excited?

Of course he was!

But no one knew better than him that this was just the beginning.