There were still five days until the inspection station reopened.

Cheng Ye was in no hurry. After training ended, he brought Wang Kang back to the medical facility to rest.

According to Miao Yang's assessment, even if Wang Kang pushed himself to train with all his might over the next few days, there was absolutely no chance he could master the essence of standard combat techniques in just three days like Cheng Ye had done back then.

Since improving basic abilities couldn't be accomplished overnight, rather than focusing on martial arts skills, helping Wang Kang truly understand "what to fight for" might be the more important matter at hand.

As for the direction of martial improvement, Cheng Ye already had a plan. Just like how Liu Bi had taught him initially, he would prioritize setting aside an hour each afternoon specifically for shooting practice.

Once marksmanship improved, survival rates would be much higher than in close combat.

"Brother Cheng, I'm going to sleep," Wang Kang said as he returned to his room, his face still carrying some excitement from training, his eyes flashing with naive longing for the future. Clearly, he didn't understand what he was about to face.

"Go ahead," Cheng Ye waved his hand.

After Wang Kang's door closed, he turned around, took a shower, and lay comfortably back on the big bed, continuing to read through the books Uncle Dong had left behind under the lamplight.

As for the transcendent-related books those inspectors had delivered during the day, he wasn't in a hurry to read them.

Though this power was tempting, it ultimately wasn't something to consider right now.

He had to thoroughly understand all the dangers he might encounter first, so he wouldn't end up celebrating prematurely.

The night passed without incident.

The 7 o'clock alarm rang on time, and Cheng Ye rolled out of bed.

Lifting his shirt to check his injuries, the areas that had shown faint red coloring yesterday had completely returned to normal skin tone, while the black and red bruised areas marked on the report had turned to deeper red. The recovery speed was frighteningly fast.

He tried pressing the previously obvious pain points. The originally sharp stabbing pain had weakened by more than half, leaving only a dull, aching sensation.

"At this rate, I'll be back to full condition the day after tomorrow!" Cheng Ye calculated silently.

According to the experts' initial expectations, injuries of his severity would require at least a full month to heal.

Now it had been shortened to just five days. By this calculation, the recovery enhancement from Wild Grass Physique was a full six times faster.

Extraordinary.

But it completely matched his prior expectations.

After all, the direct enhancement from Wild Grass Physique was already impressive enough, not to mention its main effect.

"With this, I can use Iron Body without restraint and not worry about getting injured!" Cheng Ye felt slightly pleased.

Checking his defense communicator, he found that the 72-hour communication restriction had also been lifted at 7 AM.

However, it seemed quite a few people were making calls at the same time. It wasn't until 7:06 that he managed to get through to Big Dragon.

"Big Dragon, assign some people today to help me with something," Cheng Ye said. After thinking for a moment, he added, "It would be best if you or Second Dragon personally oversee it. Don't let anything go wrong."

"Sir, please give your orders! The major demolition at the pedestrian street has been running smoothly these past few days. I'm free with nothing particular to do," Big Dragon's voice carried its usual straightforward, crisp tone.

This kind of subordinate who was both obedient and capable was exactly what Cheng Ye liked. If there was a chance in the future, he would definitely invest heavily in developing him!

"Good!" He cleared his throat. "Where is the most chaotic and dangerous place in the buffer zone right now?"

"Uh, which kind do you mean, sir?"

"Literal meaning. The kind of place where people would risk everything and use any means necessary to climb up."

"That would be the southern shantytown," Big Dragon immediately responded. "It's packed with scavengers, nine out of ten are desperados. Most of the troublemakers these past few days have come from there."

"Good. I have a little brother who hasn't yet seen the dark side of human nature. Take him there to open his eyes."

"No problem, sir!" Big Dragon agreed immediately, but then hesitated. "However, that place is truly dangerous. Many people draw weapons at the slightest disagreement. Sir, your little brother must follow my arrangements, otherwise I'm afraid there might be accidents."

"Don't worry, I'll make it clear to him."

Cheng Ye gave a few more detailed instructions about precautions before hanging up.

Since kindness was restraining his killer instinct, why not first let Wang Kang see just how evil this world could become.

Moreover, this kind of exposure couldn't be done with him leading the way, otherwise Wang Kang would inevitably develop dependence, or even secretly compete.

It had to be someone local like Big Dragon who could make him truly immerse himself.

Besides, Big Dragon understood the rules there, knew which people could be provoked and which pitfalls to avoid, and was clearer about when to give a push.

Knock.

Walking to the next room, Cheng Ye knocked on the door.

"Brother Cheng?" Wang Kang's voice came from inside, carrying the confusion of just waking up.

"Get up and wash. I've arranged a lesson for you later."

"Coming right away!"

Wang Kang's initiative was indeed good. In less than ten minutes, he appeared at the door fully dressed, his eyes still carrying anticipation for the new day's training.

"What are we practicing today?"

"We're not practicing combat or marksmanship this morning," Cheng Ye waved his hand. "I'm having a friend take you around the buffer zone to see the world. Getting familiar with the situation here will only benefit your future work as an inspector."

"That's great!" Wang Kang's eyes lit up as he immediately became excited.

Being cooped up in the closed probationary training camp, he had long been curious about the buffer zone.

Seeing this naive expression, Cheng Ye's mouth twitched. He hoped the kid would still be able to smile tonight.

Before long, Big Dragon arrived at the medical facility entrance with ten trusted men.

Apart from Big Dragon, Cheng Ye recognized all ten others. They were all skilled fighters who had followed him to clear the infection tide that night.

"Little Kang, this is Big Dragon," Cheng Ye pulled Wang Kang forward, his tone becoming serious. "Today you must absolutely follow his arrangements. When he tells you to look, you look. When he tells you to leave, you leave. Don't make your own decisions. The rules outside are completely different from those in our inspection station. Saying the wrong thing or making the wrong move could cost you your life. Understand?"

"Brother Cheng, I understand. Don't worry!" Wang Kang immediately straightened up and nodded, then turned to Big Dragon. "Brother Dragon, shall we go then?"

"Don't call me Brother Dragon, that's too much honor for me," Big Dragon scratched his head honestly, showing his white teeth. "Just call me Big Dragon. Come on, I'll take you to a 'lively' place."

Watching everyone leave, Cheng Ye returned to his room and waited. Soon Wei Zhou arrived along with today's attending physician, Liu Neng.

"Inspector Cheng, please remove your clothing."

Cheng Ye quickly took off his T-shirt. Instantly, Wei Zhou and Liu Neng exchanged glances, both showing undisguised shock in their eyes.

"This..." Liu Neng instinctively put on gloves and gently touched the areas that had been red and swollen yesterday.

"This recovery speed..."

"Your medicine was too effective," Cheng Ye grinned, his tone relaxed, but this statement certainly couldn't fool the two people in front of him.

Especially when Liu Neng called up the imaging data from the first day for comparison, even having seen similar cases before, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Inspector Cheng, did your injuries always heal this fast before?"

Liu Neng frowned slightly. "We've treated many people with strong recovery abilities, but someone like you is indeed rare. Usually only those martial arts geniuses..."

"What, I don't look like a martial arts genius?" Cheng Ye reflexively asked back, then smiled. "But my injuries do heal quickly. Why don't we go check the equipment and look at the data?"

"Good idea. Having data for judgment would be more accurate."

Coming to the outpatient building, they ran through a full set of equipment.

Cheng Ye received the latest report. In just two days, the original six black bruised areas had completely disappeared and turned red, while the four purple and twelve red areas had all turned yellow.

As for the previous yellow areas, they had all disappeared, representing complete recovery.

"Today's medication should be adjusted slightly. The bone medicine can be completely stopped," Liu Neng couldn't help but click his tongue, while Wei Zhou standing nearby showed an envious expression.

Cheng Ye caught this expression completely, knowing the opportunity had come.

Back in the room, while Wei Zhou was preparing medicine, he asked with feigned casualness, "Xiao Wei, I heard the medical facility is going through restructuring. Do you have any more specific news?"

Wei Zhou's movements paused briefly. While continuing to mix the medication, he answered honestly, "If it weren't for this wave of infection tide, restructuring would probably be pushed to after next spring. But according to the Medical Department's latest intentions, I'm afraid we'll have to advance restructuring before autumn."

"So soon?" Cheng Ye nodded slightly. "Are you planning to stay at the medical facility or go to outside medical stations?"

"Go out," Wei Zhou answered without hesitation. "My grandfather and father both traveled the world with military corps. If the corps hadn't disbanded in recent years, I definitely would have joined. Now that there's a chance to go out and gain experience, I naturally want to try."

"Ambitious. Have you decided which medical station to go to?"

"I haven't decided that yet, but it would definitely be best to join a large community with over a thousand people. Medical stations level up quickly there, and you can encounter more complex cases."

"What a coincidence. I happen to have a place in mind. I wonder if you'd be willing," Cheng Ye said in a flat tone, as if just mentioning it casually.

"Inspector Cheng's meaning is..."

"It's like this. I invested in a community. Not much, just twenty thousand contribution points."

Cheng Ye spoke lightly, but Wei Zhou was stunned, suspecting he had heard wrong.

Twenty thousand contribution points were enough to get twenty people into the inner city, and he invested it in the buffer zone?

It wasn't until Cheng Ye slowly repeated it that Wei Zhou exclaimed in shock, "Your twenty thousand..."

"It's also responding to the higher-ups' call, wanting to create a model community," Cheng Ye smiled and clarified his intention. "For this community, I intend to set up a proper medical station. In terms of personnel, I'm missing a reliable leader."

"I'm willing!" Wei Zhou almost blurted out, nodding vigorously without hesitation.

That straightforward decisiveness made all the persuasive words Cheng Ye had prepared get stuck in his throat.

"Mm, this medical station also needs attending physicians and nurses. What about those?"

"Don't worry, Inspector Cheng!" Wei Zhou grinned, his eyes flashing with excitement. "If you trust me, I can find all these people for you. They're all people who really work hard, absolutely none of those slippery types who just slack off."

Seeing the eagerness in Wei Zhou's eyes, Cheng Ye knew he had made another correct move.

He had observed Wei Zhou for two days. Though this young man had an academic background, he hadn't picked up any of those arrogant habits. He was very down-to-earth in his work and didn't deliberately flatter him.

More importantly, all the military corps veterans he had encountered so far had excellent character.

Wei Zhou's grandfather and father were both from military corps backgrounds, which itself was a reliable endorsement.

However, was an inspector's reputation really this useful?

He suppressed his curiosity and waited until after the IV was connected, then had Wei Zhou go find those people he thought highly of.

Soon, from these people's expressions, he knew the answer.

"What a coincidence. Yesterday so many inspectors came to see me, making these people think I'm the inspection station's... crown prince?"

Cheng Ye was stunned, finding it hard to maintain his composure.

Indeed, from the perspective of outsiders who didn't know the truth, this probationary inspector seemed like he had eaten some kind of reputation fruit.

From first-term to fifth-term inspectors, one after another came to visit, wave after wave, creating an incredibly impressive scene.

And more crucially, without comparison there's no harm.

What kind of treatment did Garcia next door get?

Hospitalized for half a month, except for Harlin sending a third-term inspector to make a symbolic appearance once, there had been no follow-up.

One side was surrounded by stars and moon, the other was completely ignored.

No wonder Wei Zhou and the people he found agreed so straightforwardly, each one extremely excited.

"Well, this beautiful misunderstanding saved me a lot of talking," Cheng Ye shook his head. This inexplicable halo was also a stroke of luck.

After today's medication was finished, he moved his muscles and bones, feeling refreshed all over, then leisurely walked out of the medical facility.

Just as he reached the medical facility entrance, a sinister gaze suddenly came from behind.

Cheng Ye's steps paused as he spun around sharply, his gaze meeting Garcia's at a fifth-floor window.

Garcia was half-leaning by the window with no expression on his face, but the malice in his eyes almost seemed to overflow.

The two stared silently at each other for four or five seconds.

Only then did Garcia pull up an extremely faint, even somewhat twisted smile before disappearing from the window.

"This kind of persistent pest, if you can't kick it to death, will always cling to your feet..." Cheng Ye squinted.

The inspection station's rules had protected the weak him from two months ago, and now they also protected Garcia.

But fundamentally, there was no deep hatred between him and Garcia, just like with Zhang Can initially.

But it was precisely this kind of groundless hostility that was most unsolvable.

The current Garcia was probably the same.

Initially it was because of factional issues, now perhaps there was also 'jealousy of his recovery speed,' 'dissatisfaction with his star treatment,' 'being insulted as a sick dog.'

The grievances kept accumulating and could never be resolved.

"However, this kind of petty person will naturally slink away once I rise to power."

The bus to the city district slowly approached.

Cheng Ye found a window seat and sat down, quickly pushing thoughts about Garcia to the back of his mind.

There were more important things to do right now.

Having acquired a huge sum yesterday, he had originally planned to go to the materials purchasing station that same day, but because of Ding Yishan's meeting and training Wang Kang, all plans had been disrupted.

"There don't seem to be many people leaving today?"

"The first wave of those who should leave have all left. About seventy to eighty thousand people left in these three days," the bus driver replied without turning his head while gripping the steering wheel. "The remaining second and third waves will probably have to wait until this round of rainfall completely ends before moving."

"Oh."

Arriving in the city district, he got off the bus.

Area A was still clearing debris. The previous Giant Wall Materials Purchase and Sales Station, as well as the super materials store, had been directly bombed out of existence.

The newest large purchasing station had moved to near Happiness Bank.

Cheng Ye entered and showed his badge. The manager immediately led him to a private trading room in the back hall.

"I wonder what Inspector Cheng is looking for today..."

"I have a Happiness Third-Class Merit. How many controlled items can I buy?"

"Third-Class Merit?" The manager was stunned for a moment, then his smile became even broader. "Inspector Cheng, you jest. The privileges of Third-Class Merit aren't limited to just 'buying a few items.'"

"According to regulations, Third-Class Merit can directly exchange for one A-level strategic controlled item."

"If you want to split the privileges, you can also convert it to three A-level privileges, allowing you to buy three A-level strategic controlled items."

"Can't I buy S-level?"

The manager quickly waved his hands, "That won't work. S-level controlled items have extremely strict privilege requirements. Only First-Class Merit or Special Merit can apply for purchase. Third-Class Merit doesn't reach that level yet."

"Alright, let me see what I can exchange for."

Cheng Ye took the tablet the manager handed over. The moment the screen lit up, a dense list of items appeared before his eyes.

There were quite a few exchangeable items, divided into seven major categories:

Transcendent Materials, Weapons and Equipment, Medical Resources, Technical Documentation, Energy Vehicles, Special Services, and Miscellaneous Items.

The first three categories were self-explanatory from their names.

When it came to Technical Documentation, Cheng Ye tapped a few times and raised his eyebrows slightly, finding the content completely different from what he had expected.

The most prominent items at the top of the screen were regional wasteland maps, covering areas from a hundred kilometers around Happiness City extending beyond Shi Province. The scale was precise to five hundred meters, with even abandoned highway ramps and dried tributary riverbeds clearly marked, and different colors indicating danger levels for infection body and mutant creature activity zones.

Following that were matching resource distribution maps, each with accompanying brief exploration reports and risk assessments.

Scrolling further down, there were technical documentation for establishing private factories.

Cheng Ye glanced through a few and found most were about parts processing, fertilizer synthesis, mechanical maintenance, and similar content.

These things had long been spread among civilians through handwritten copies and oral transmission, hardly secrets.

But the notation at the end of the documentation was very clear: "If the above technologies are used for commercial production within Happiness City's jurisdiction, this permit document must be purchased, otherwise it will be treated as illegal operation."

In plain terms, "patent fees."

Through this method, Happiness City brought civilian-circulated technologies into the official regulatory system. This way, the specifications, materials, and safety standards of factory production could be uniformly controlled, avoiding resource waste or safety accidents caused by small workshops building randomly.

On the other hand, it also formed an invisible threshold. After all, A-level privileges weren't easy to obtain, and their value was basically equivalent to a thousand contribution points.

"No wonder there's never been talk of anyone opening private factories in the buffer zone. These profitable technologies are basically all restricted. Impressive!"

Sorted by price, the three cheapest technical permits also cost a thousand contribution points each.

They were: Simple Parts Forging, Second-hand Equipment Refurbishment, and Garbage Recycling and Disassembly.

Cheng Ye pondered silently. Any of these three technologies, once acquired, could open a small factory that would form trade relationships with surrounding settlements, supporting Tianyuan Community.

However, he still needed to go on field duty and get a clear understanding before deciding what to establish.

When he reached Energy Vehicles, Cheng Ye perked up. After opening it, almost everything from top to bottom was what he wanted.

The Big Golden Cup was listed first, though Happiness City had given it a more rigid name.

Brick Transport Vehicle!

According to different standard battery configurations, it came in 75kWh, 45kWh, and 30kWh versions.

The corresponding ranges were: 450km, 340km, and 260km.

The prices also varied dramatically: 15,000, 12,000, and 9,000.

"Can I exchange for this one?" Cheng Ye pointed to the 75kWh version.

The manager nodded immediately, "Of course. However, there's a regulation. If Inspector Cheng only uses it within the buffer zone, you can exchange directly. But if you want to drive it outside the buffer zone, you'll have to purchase at market price. Vehicles exchanged through privileges cannot leave the boundary."

"I see..."

Cheng Ye frowned slightly. He had been thinking that once he had a car, he could go steal electricity anytime.

But if he could only operate within the buffer zone, with his frequent charging and the car not traveling much distance, if this pattern was noticed and investigated, having physical evidence would be a big problem.

It would be better to just go directly to the Works Department parking lot to steal occasionally. Even if caught, the probability of getting away by playing dumb would be higher.

"Let me look at other options."

Although he had gotten rich in one go, it was only 1/10 of the fragments needed for the Big Golden Cup.

Cheng Ye calmly swiped the screen, temporarily removing the transport vehicle from his candidate list.

Further down, there was the Iron Donkey patrol motorcycle, equipped with a standard 20kWh battery, 150km range, priced at 6,000 contribution points, with the same restriction of use only within the buffer zone.

As for energy batteries, they were sold externally in 10kWh standard units.

"Inspector Cheng, batteries are strategic consumables and cannot be exchanged through privileges. They must be purchased at market price," the manager quickly reminded him, seeing his gaze linger on the battery option.

Cheng Ye glanced at the price. The most basic battery cost 1,500 points, exactly what he could afford now.

For every additional 10kWh above that, the price increased by 1,500.

However, 10kWh was too little. He would need at least 50kWh to be sufficient.

He then looked at the power generation equipment options. The only thing A-level privileges could exchange for was a complete solar power setup, described as having "daily power extraction efficiency of 8-12kWh."

Exchange required no additional payment, while direct purchase would only cost 2,000 contribution points.

But this thing could only be used on sunny days. Winters in Shi Province rarely saw sunlight, so efficiency would probably be ridiculously low.

Scrolling to the bottom, Cheng Ye scanned through the subsequent Special Services and Miscellaneous sections.

The former had wide applications, such as applying for surveillance drone privileges, temporarily requisitioning transport fleets, being protected by the Blood Dragon Corps to designated locations, etc.

The latter was dazzling, with various special items that were difficult to categorize all crammed together.

For example, the Red Blade.

A very simple name.

Cheng Ye's eyes focused, settling on a straight knife with a thick blade, about the length of a forearm.

It was somewhat like a camping knife, with a flat-ground blade edge slanting upward from the base.

The blade's color was like blood-stained agate, dark red, yet showing a layer of cold iridescent light at the cutting edge, similar to his Cyclone Spike.

The price was the highest among all cold weapons, a full 3,500 points, and could also be directly exchanged.

Cheng Ye instinctively clicked on the details. When his eyes touched the information that refreshed below, he suddenly froze.

[Added 1.15kg Fire-Iron, added 0.45kg Jade Gold, added...]

[Forger: Song Qing]

[User: Cheng Long]

"The person died, but the weapon was brought here and turned into exchangeable goods?"

Cheng Ye was momentarily dazed, a wave of indescribable melancholy rising in his heart.

His finger hovered over the screen for a long time before finally gently backing out.

The current Cyclone Spike was sufficient. Even the best weapon needed to match one's strength and circumstances.

But he made up his mind that in the future, he would definitely exchange for this Red Blade!

"Must earn merit, must earn merit!"

"These things are all too expensive. The higher-ups probably never intended to sell them properly, the prices are outrageous!"

One Happiness Third-Class Merit could be worth 15,000 or 1,000.

This was basically telling everyone outright not to think about getting rich by saving up contribution points. Work for Happiness City, earn more merit, and weapons and vehicles would all be available.

"Inspector Cheng, do you need to exchange or split?" the manager asked respectfully, seeing him put down the tablet.

"Not in a hurry. I'll go back and think about it. I'll come back when I've decided what I want to buy."

Cheng Ye exhaled.

The several things he wanted either couldn't be exchanged or wouldn't yield high returns even if exchanged.

For splitting, he didn't have that many contribution points to purchase.

Unless...

Walking out of the materials purchasing station, Cheng Ye had already made his decision.

"I'll save the privileges for now, but I can't rely on just myself to accumulate contribution points, otherwise it'll take forever to gather these things."

"I must get resource support from the inspection station, whether contribution points or merit. Development speed will definitely skyrocket!"

[NEXT CHAPTER]