The survival alert was officially lifted, meaning the infected entities in the inner city and buffer zone had been completely eliminated.

Cheng Ye tried to call Luo Xiaoxue, but the prompt indicated that resident communication privileges would only be available after 72 hours.

He had no choice but to dial the inspection station's public line first, then transfer through the public line privileges.

"Sister Luo, nothing happened at home, right?"

"Nothing, nothing. I kept watching your B-7 district the whole time. The first half of the night it was clearly yellow, but how come the second half kept jumping between red and yellow until it stabilized this morning? You really scared me."

He could hear Luo Xiaoxue let out a big sigh of relief. "You weren't injured, were you?"

"No, my B-7 district kept having infected entities wandering over, so that's why the colors kept changing."

"That's good."

Luo Xiaoxue paused, then changed her tone. "The inspection station won't be open for the next 7 days. When it's convenient for you, come over once. There are some things we need to discuss face to face. Yiyi misses you too, she keeps asking me when Brother Cheng Ye will come play with her."

"Mm, alright. I'll rest for one night and come over tomorrow!"

Cheng Ye clearly understood this was Luo Xiaoxue being cautious about the public line being monitored, so some things couldn't be said directly.

But from the change in her tone, he could also hear that after this infection tide passed, Luo Xiaoxue wasn't as relieved as he had imagined, but instead became more tense.

After hanging up, he transferred to Miao Yang's number.

"Master Miao, everything alright on your end?"

"Inspector Cheng?"

Miao Yang's voice carried some fatigue. "I'm doing fine. Last night in the second half, I even went out to fight a few rounds and took down two junior fusion bodies."

"Impressive, the sword is still sharp!"

"That thing charged right into our residential area. Did it really think there was no one here who could handle it?"

Complimented by Cheng Ye, Miao Yang's tone became excited.

But as soon as he finished speaking, several unfamiliar voices broke into the call, "Old Miao, who is it? Who has the privilege to make calls during this special time?"

"Yeah, the higher-ups are now afraid that if they open privileges, the buffer zone will get rowdy. There aren't many people qualified to make calls!"

"Let me see, why is this public number from the inspection station?"

"It's the inspection station, right. Inspector Cheng called me!"

Miao Yang seemed to have pressed speakerphone, his voice getting louder. "Oh no, no, I don't have that kind of clout to know an inspector. I'm just his sparring partner..."

Eh?

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, leaned closer to the microphone and raised his voice, "Master Miao, you must take care of your health. Even a young person like me couldn't last the whole night, don't wear yourself out!"

"Oh my, Inspector Cheng, don't worry about me. My body is still strong!"

Just from the voice, Cheng Ye could picture Miao Yang's mouth stretched from ear to ear at this moment, full of excitement.

"That's good. I'll hang up now."

"Alright, alright. If there are any problems, call me anytime. I'm always available!"

Emotional value, well, this was what he was best at.

Although Miao Yang didn't have Lv4 skills, after the collector upgraded, as long as compatibility reached 50%, he could search for Lv2 skills.

As long as he could gather enough charge value, it shouldn't be long before he could collect all four forces from Miao Yang, meeting all the requirements for the second stage of the new martial arts.

For the remaining contacts, Cheng Ye flipped through his phonebook and decided to wait until resident communication privileges were opened.

First, current calls had to go through public line transfers, inevitably being monitored, making many things inconvenient to say.

Second, he didn't want the inspection station to have a clear picture of his network of relationships.

"Big Dragon!"

Called upon, Big Dragon quickly strode over. "Inspector Cheng, your orders."

"Don't rush with collecting the bodies. Take it slow and don't cause any trouble. Remember my address. These days when phones won't work, just come find me directly if anything happens."

Thinking about the possible side effects of the blue medicine, Cheng Ye didn't forget to add, "Oh, if I'm resting, you can also find Huang Sheng. I'll arrange for him to coordinate with you."

Big Dragon nodded with an honest smile, excitement barely contained in his eyes.

Standing at the wind's mouth, even a pig could fly.

For Tianyuan Community to be noticed by an inspector and receive an investment of twenty thousand contribution points was simply making it impossible not to soar!

As for whether anyone would be jealous or cause trouble during this process.

After respectfully seeing off Cheng Ye and his three companions, Big Dragon's eyes immediately flashed with a hint of murderous intent as he found Second Dragon, who was squatting by the wall in a daze.

"I don't care how much Zhang Can's impact affected you. The community is about to develop greatly, and those bastards in the shantytowns will definitely be jealous. Go take people over there right now and spread the word.

During this period, anyone who dares enter the community... no, anyone who dares cause trouble in our B-7, I'll immediately take people to kill his whole family, even if they run to the ruins!"

Second Dragon stood up and nodded woodenly.

The obedient and sensible behavior in front of Cheng Ye was just a disguise worn by both of them, a required course for surviving in this man-eating wasteland.

Only they themselves knew their true inner selves, what they had paid and experienced step by step from the disbanding of their corps to reaching today.

Before leaving, Second Dragon asked again, "What about the surrounding communities?"

"Don't worry about them."

Big Dragon clenched his fists, his tone carrying unquestionable certainty. "With Inspector Cheng's investment, Elder Song will naturally negotiate with them. If anyone really refuses to submit, I'll beat them one by one. The communities that have been beaten into submission by these fists of mine over the years aren't just one or two."

"Anyone who wants to step on us to climb up at this time, first ask if Poison Hand Dragon agrees."

The number of people sharing the "cake" in the buffer zone had suddenly decreased, but the total amount of cake hadn't shrunk, and might even increase due to support from above.

Right now was the best time to fight for position.

Especially for those newly joined residents of Happiness City, as well as the poor bastards living in shantytowns who weren't willing to accept their fate, fighting now could immediately allow them to smoothly mix into the main city area.

After winter passed and a new wave of residents poured in, they would transform into buffer zone veterans.

And at this juncture of old and new transitions and class mobility, bloody conflicts were inevitably unavoidable!

For Tianyuan Community to continue growing.

Only by holding onto this current acre of land would they be qualified to talk about external expansion and seeking development.

Otherwise, if the vast pedestrian street was really invested in according to Cheng Ye's ideas, with Tianyuan Community's current strength, how could they suppress those external scavengers drawn by the scent?

"Mm."

Second Dragon nodded lightly and soon left with thirty to fifty people in a grand procession.

This kind of thing always required acting early rather than late. The earlier they went, the more they could prove to the outside world that Tianyuan Community's strength hadn't been affected by the infection tide.

After all, those bastards in the shantytowns were also cunning. If they really wanted to climb up, they would definitely prioritize targeting communities that had been severely damaged.

Leaving the community.

On the way back to the electronics factory, they could already see people heading to work in dribs and drabs.

In Happiness City, even surviving a catastrophe didn't allow people to catch their breath for long.

But everyone's acceptance was surprisingly high. Even though the ground was still covered with thick, undried blood plasma, no one showed the slightest abnormality, all expressionless.

It was as if last night's infection tide was just a nightmare that disappeared once they woke up.

However, Cheng Ye naturally became the focus of the crowd.

That gold-red battle armor on him was too eye-catching, refracting colorful streams of light under the sunlight. Walking on the gray streets, he looked like a moving flame, impossible not to notice.

"Huang Sheng."

"Captain, go ahead."

"The squad is disbanded, stop calling me captain."

Cheng Ye waved his hand. "Since we're all neighbors, just call me by name from now on. If you're not used to it, you can address me as before."

"Uh..." Huang Sheng awkwardly shook his head. "That won't do. Before, I was too stupid..."

After hesitating, he carefully suggested, "If there are outsiders, we'll call you sir. If there aren't, we'll call you Lord Cheng. How about that?"

"Whatever you want."

Cheng Ye didn't pay much attention to these forms of address.

The status of an inspector in the buffer zone was really too high, and combined with his "brave" battle record from last night, expecting Huang Sheng and the other two to treat him with the same casual attitude as before was obviously unrealistic.

But Cheng Ye didn't think it was a big deal. Leading one community was still leading, adding three more people didn't matter.

Too many things had happened this night.

The infection tide, fusion bodies, transcendent objects, attention from inner city factions, and a pile of messes waiting to be cleaned up...

Although his mind was currently confused and muddled, he was extremely clear about one thing:

Under the intentional or unintentional guidance of the upper levels, when stepping onto this path, power had already invisibly accompanied the inspector, it was just a matter of whether he wanted to use it and whether he could use it.

"Based on the infection tide 13 years ago, what will happen next?"

"Hmm..."

Huang Sheng hesitated, but Zhu Xiang, who had been silently listening, took over.

"There's definitely going to be chaos for a while. The Nightmare Parasites broke out in spring, and the chaos lasted about three months. Back then, there were intense gunfights every night. Forget ordinary people, even the duty guards couldn't help when they rushed over. Every day dozens or hundreds of corpses were carried out from the alleys, all killed fighting for territory."

"And back then, the Nightmare Parasites were still controllable, and Happiness City showed strong enough regulatory control. Even so, ultimately about eighty thousand people left gradually. This time the Stand-In Starfish had much worse impact. Just the direct deaths numbered over a hundred thousand. I estimate quite a few people will want to rush elsewhere before winter arrives."

"About how many people?"

"At least... a hundred thousand as a baseline!"

"That many?"

Cheng Ye was truly shocked.

The buffer zone originally had just over 520,000 residents. According to the information just pushed by the defense communicator, after this infection tide, there should be around 390,000 survivors now.

If another hundred thousand left, that would be equivalent to nearly half the population being sharply reduced by one infection tide!

"It might be even more than that..."

Wu Zhihong said somewhat dejectedly, "Sir, there are hundreds of sanctuary cities on this wasteland, each with unique advantages and philosophies. We still charge fees for housing and food, while some sanctuary cities let you drink nutritional paste freely, as much as you want, and directly assign you a house when you join.

Many people joined Happiness City just wanting to use it as a stepping stone, taking advantage of our industrial strength to accumulate weapons and equipment before leaving. They never planned to be locked here for life. This time is just an opportunity."

"The currently largest Beacon Sanctuary City already has nearly nine million people, and still has massive daily population flow. To retain people, you ultimately still need inspectors like you who can hold the defense line."

Instinctively, Cheng Ye thought this was flattery.

But thinking about it, he became somewhat silent.

Indeed, population flow was unsolvable. Since Happiness City itself was implementing a migratory bird model, when residents sensed danger, they could naturally pack up and leave.

Moreover, could people staying in the buffer zone really be considered as having entered Happiness City?

Some people leaving to seek other sanctuary cities, some drilling into settlements in the wilderness, was perfectly normal.

And to stabilize population and achieve growth, the root cause ultimately still lay with the inspection station.

Only by firmly blocking infection sources outside the defense line could they build reputation and truly strengthen Happiness City.

"Sir, you don't need to worry too much about population loss."

Seeing Cheng Ye's expression darken, Huang Sheng quickly smiled to smooth things over. "Before long, a large batch of new people will pour in. Our Happiness City just suffered an infection tide, it's not completely destroyed."

"If the autumn construction can keep up and really take root, for many people the temptation is enormous."

"Mm."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, but until he returned to the fifth floor and closed the security door, his mind was still turning this matter over and over.

A large batch of people leaving, a large batch of people pouring in.

The upcoming inspection station work was destined to enter the most severe testing period.

If another contact-type infection source was let in, the consequences would be simply unthinkable.

And as Huang Sheng said, the external population was quite wild.

To fight for territory and climb up, they dared do anything. At worst, they could pat their butts and return to their original settlements after causing trouble, leaving the mess for Happiness City to slowly clean up.

"One trouble ends, and another trouble is just beginning."

Taking off his battle armor, Cheng Ye stood by the window.

He hadn't felt anything while wearing Iron Body, but only after unloading it did he feel the unbearable soreness throughout his body.

His arms, back, and thighs were all covered in dark purple bruises, especially from being blown away by the high-explosive bomb. His back and chest were so purple they were nearly black, like spilled congealed blood.

He raised his hand to press his chest and several important areas, unable to help but groan softly.

Fortunately, these were all external injuries that hadn't hurt the bones. With ten days to half a month of recovery, they should gradually heal.

And once he put on Iron Body, these injuries wouldn't affect his combat ability.

"Sleep first, deal with anything when I wake up."

Irresistible drowsiness surged over him wave after wave. By now, he had actually lost the ability to think.

Lying down on the bed, as soon as his eyelids closed, his whole person sank into unconsciousness.

Rumble.

Vaguely, thunder seemed to sound outside again, followed by light rain.

But unlike before, the current rain was pattering softly, more like gentle white noise, making his sleepiness even deeper.

He didn't know exactly how long he slept. When Cheng Ye opened his eyes again, it was still bright outside.

He fumbled for his defense communicator and was immediately stunned.

This sleep had lasted a full twenty hours.

He had lain down at ten in the morning and woken up at six in the morning the next day.

"This... slept for a whole day?"

Cheng Ye muttered to himself, supporting himself on his arms to sit up. He felt most of the soreness throughout his body had dissipated. Although the bruised areas still ached faintly, they no longer burned like fire as they had before sleep.

"Is it the blue medicine's effect?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he gently shook his head, unable to suppress a smile at the corner of his mouth.

At first, it was just a shallow smile.

Within seconds, it turned into silly chuckling.

He reached toward the void with one hand, and the pendant charging on the socket appeared in his palm.

Looking at the Horned Starfish floating inside, he opened his mouth wide, unable to contain himself any longer, and burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter.

What side effects of blue medicine, what physical fatigue, none of it mattered!

It was transcendence, the absolute peace of mind brought by true power, that qualified him to sleep peacefully.

Even sleeping soundly for twenty hours, he didn't worry about anyone breaking down the door and bringing threats.

From now on, there might still be people who dared shout at him, but no one would ever again be able to easily take his life with just a word or a decision!

Whether it was Ding Yishan, Harlin, or any faction or person from the inner city.

Whether it was Stand-In Starfish, fusion bodies, or any other powerful infected entities.

No one could.

"Three months and four days, finally survived!"

Gripping the pendant in his palm, Cheng Ye stood dazed for a long time, his mind rapidly flashing through everything that had happened over the past three months.

Including standing in front of Tianyuan Mall, passionately discussing grand plans with Elder Song.

He hadn't felt anything special about it then, just acting instinctively. Looking back now, it was precisely the subtle change in mindset that had helped him rediscover that youthful spirit.

No longer timidly protecting himself, but standing firm with bold, sweeping actions.

With this thought, he focused his mind, and the familiar azure blue panel appeared before his eyes.

At this moment, all functional options on the panel had been hidden, leaving only vague outlines.

Only four golden characters remained, shining brilliantly in the deep blue light.

[Trainee Advancement]