In Wang Kang's eyes, Cheng Ye seemed to see himself from two months ago.

Having just passed the assessment, starting his internship at the Central Station, nearly scared to death by infection sources.

Then actively begging Liu Bi for special training, this whole process he was all too familiar with.

But the two were ultimately different.

From the very beginning, his desire for power had far exceeded Wang Kang's.

Moreover, having witnessed terrifying monsters beyond his understanding with his own eyes, his thirst for that kind of power was even more intense.

But what about Wang Kang?

The fire in his eyes seemed more like frustration at his own insufficient strength, unable to achieve his goals.

At the training ground.

Miao Yang was about to step forward to spar, but Cheng Ye waved his hand to stop him.

"Come, you attack, I'll defend!"

"Alright!"

Both had come out of the inner city at the same time. Although Cheng Ye looked more than twice as sturdy as before, Wang Kang didn't instinctively develop the reverence one feels when facing a stronger opponent.

Especially seeing that familiar face, he subconsciously remembered their playful fights in the inner city.

Back then, he had always had the advantage, always been the stronger one.

Bang.

Wang Kang threw a straight punch, and Cheng Ye extended his palm, steadily wrapping around the fist, instantly dissipating all the force.

"Hm?"

Wang Kang's expression changed. He tried to pull his hand back, but found that Cheng Ye's palm clamped onto him like an iron vice, completely immobile.

His heart tightened, and he immediately lifted his left leg to kick, but as soon as his leg was raised, Cheng Ye suddenly yanked him backward, causing him to instantly lose balance.

Thud.

The sound of hitting the ground was particularly jarring.

A flash of shock crossed Wang Kang's eyes, followed by more fury surging up from the depths of his heart.

It was the frustration of seeing thugs bullying ordinary people during the day, robbing them of Happiness Coins, while he himself lacked the courage to intervene.

It was the frustration of watching migrants being surrounded by scavengers for forced buying and selling, while he was powerless to uphold justice.

It was the frustration of finally being unable to endure it and stepping in to help, only to be chased and beaten by the thugs.

It was the frustration born from weakness!

"Very good, I can already feel your anger!"

"Treat me as your enemy, tear at me, take me down, only then can you improve!"

As these eerily familiar words came out of his mouth, Cheng Ye was slightly stunned.

Liu Bi's teaching methods might not have been as clear and easy to understand as Miao Yang's, but in certain moments, they had the feeling of breaking through all mysteries.

Wang Kang was indeed fired up with fighting spirit, rushing forward like a madman with punches and kicks.

But just like when he had faced Liu Bi back then, these attacks landing on Cheng Ye couldn't even achieve the most basic breakthrough of his defense.

Punches were easily deflected, incoming legs were smoothly redirected, causing him to lose balance.

Every charge was like hitting a solid wall, only making him fall harder.

Cheng Ye stood in place, barely even moving his feet, but his gaze gradually grew heavier.

He gradually discovered that Wang Kang was completely different from his past self.

Facing the powerful Liu Bi, his thoughts had always been about practicing hard and becoming stronger.

Wang Kang's current state was more like he was struggling against himself, an impotent rage with nowhere to vent, carrying a confused sense of not knowing why he should become strong.

"Stop!"

Cheng Ye gave a gentle push, and Wang Kang sat straight down on the ground, completely drained of strength and gasping for air like a bellows, his chest heaving dramatically.

"Today is just the first day. Tomorrow I'll arrange for you to go to a new place."

"You're still missing something, and that's what can truly support you to keep going."

The method Liu Bi had used to teach him to find anger was far inferior to what he was now arranging for Wang Kang.

However, their worldviews were different. Even if Wang Kang witnessed the same filthy deeds hiding in the sunlight, he might not necessarily develop much anger.

He would only more clearly realize that he must continue to become stronger, strong enough to leave all this filth far behind, strong enough to no longer have to entangle with these sordid affairs.

What Wang Kang needed now was not explosive power ignited by anger, but an obsession to fundamentally understand "why one must be strong."

And this was precisely the core of the Idealist faction.

"Rest for a while. When you're rested, go practice marksmanship. No need to practice hand-to-hand combat tonight."

Big Dragon was still standing nearby, not knowing where to put his hands, his face full of embarrassment.

Especially after learning that Wang Kang was also an inspector, he felt even more at a loss.

"Sir, today..."

"You don't need to report to me. This is Wang Kang's own path. Later, go guide him in some marksmanship practice."

Cheng Ye waved his hand, "Tomorrow I have new arrangements. Take him to the community to do a day's work, let him swing sledgehammers and demolish houses. As long as there's no life-threatening danger, don't worry about him."

"Ah? Swinging sledgehammers?"

Big Dragon was dumbfounded, a trace of bewilderment flashing across his rough face.

"I went to the community today and saw that this work suits him well. It can both build his strength and temper his spirit."

"By the way, before taking him there, first walk around the neighboring districts and let him properly experience the difference between other places and our B-7 district."

"Got it!"

Big Dragon could only nod. Cheng Ye's instructions were not something he was qualified to question, much less ask why.

But he vaguely felt that Cheng Ye's training methods seemed somewhat similar to the Pioneer Corps?

Prioritizing the tempering of a person's hardworking character, only focusing on strength and other aspects afterward.

"Inspector Cheng, you've become even stronger."

Miao Yang had been sitting nearby watching the match, his gaze falling on Cheng Ye with a tone of certainty.

He could naturally see that Cheng Ye's current ease in every gesture was far beyond what it had been days ago.

"My injuries haven't healed yet, so I temporarily can't spar with you."

Cheng Ye immediately saw through the eagerness in Miao Yang's eyes and quickly spoke to interrupt this dangerous thought.

Sparring with Wang Kang was nothing, but if he were to fight with Miao Yang, a Unity of Man and Heaven expert, and accidentally add new injuries when the inspection station was about to open, he had to maintain peak condition and couldn't afford any mishaps.

"I came today to ask about the four forces. Which force should I practice first?"

"Dragon Force, of course." Miao Yang answered without hesitation, "Dragon Force is the most orthodox and can lead to mastery of all others. If you can develop Dragon Force, it will be of tremendous help in understanding the other three forces."

"Good!"

Cheng Ye nodded slightly. He actually already had the Dragon Force Embryonic Form and had originally planned to search for Tiger Force first.

However, since Miao Yang said so, he naturally had to take the advice.

The panel flickered. Ever since the two had become familiar, Miao Yang's cooperation level had never dropped below 50%.

"I wonder what Big Brother's cooperation level is..."

As the thought flashed through his mind, Cheng Ye had already clicked on Level 2 search.

The panel flashed chaotically, and unsurprisingly, it failed.

Two action points were credited.

Without the scenario cooperation of an inspector, the search probability was exactly as marked on the panel, a solid 50%.

However, with 55% charge remaining, he wasn't panicked and clicked search again.

The panel suddenly froze, and lines of text rapidly assembled and formed on it.

Success!

[Miao Yang]

[Lv2 Skills]:

Talent: Tiger Sinews (Excellent, slightly increases sinew strength)

Talent: Tireless Constitution (Excellent, slightly increases resistance to fatigue)

Talent: Longevity Constitution (Excellent, slightly slows bodily aging)

Skill: Blood Dragon Breathing Method (Excellent, slightly improves combat performance)

Skill: Dragon Force, Tiger Force, Eagle Force, Snake Force, Blood Dragon Standard Marksmanship, Blood Dragon Standard Ambush Method, Blood Dragon...

"Hiss."

"I didn't expect that although Master Miao doesn't have Level 4, his physical bonuses... he's actually a stat monster?"

Cheng Ye looked at the data on the panel and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Three excellent-level talent skills, just from their descriptions alone, radiated full practicality.

Based on literal interpretation, Miao Yang's constitution seemed tailor-made for the battlefield. When others reached the age where they couldn't lift weapons, he would probably still be as active on the front lines as in his youth.

The passage of years wouldn't cause Miao Yang's strength to plummet suddenly; instead, he might become more mellow and fierce like aged wine due to his experienced wisdom.

However, this time Cheng Ye didn't covet the talents and directly locked onto Dragon Force for the search.

[Search Successful]

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Dragon Force (Lv.2)]

[Same-type skill detected, absorption and fusion in progress...]

[Dragon Force Embryonic Form and Dragon Force have completed fusion, Dragon Force Embryonic Form has disappeared, Dragon Force has received minor enhancement]

"Huh, it can automatically fuse?"

Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised, then a surge of joy rose in his heart.

In the martial path, even if everyone cultivated the four forces, there were still obvious differences in superiority.

Just like the twelve sinew barriers, breakthrough far exceeded ordinary.

The current fused Dragon Force, if equipped, would definitely be several points stronger than Miao Yang's Dragon Force.

Wonderful!

"This means that if I have abundant charge in the future, searching for multiple same-type skills can continuously stack them?"

Cheng Ye pondered privately, though it was just a thought.

If he really had that kind of time, it would be more practical to first collect all four forces and make up for his realm.

Then search and fuse as many Level 1 talents as possible to improve his life level and open more skill slots, that was fundamental.

Training ended.

Returning to the medical station, Wang Kang collapsed and fell asleep, clearly exhausted to the extreme.

The relationship between the two was somewhat delicate now, probably because a companion from the same batch who came out of the inner city had suddenly become so powerful, dealing a considerable blow to Wang Kang's self-esteem.

Or perhaps after being frustrated all day, by evening he simply had no energy left to joke around.

Cheng Ye wasn't surprised. He returned to his room, showered, and sat on the bed to equip Dragon Force.

A subtle warmth instantly flowed through his entire body, followed by the familiar sensation of hunger.

He was delighted, but before he could finish the ten nutrition packets in the room, by the seventh packet, that hunger sensation completely disappeared.

"It seems my current stats are far beyond Level 2. The enhancement brought by this kind of ordinary skill is indeed no longer obvious."

"Even the illusions that should appear when learning Dragon Force didn't manifest."

Standing up, Cheng Ye lightly threw a punch forward.

A mysterious and indescribable feeling flowed through his body. The force from his waist and abdomen naturally extended along his arm, the force lines were adjusted to be exceptionally smooth, perfectly filling the last trace of subtle sluggishness that had existed in his Dragon Force Embryonic Form.

The punch's wind swept through the air. Although using only 50% of his strength, it created a light whistle, exactly like a dragon's roar.

Unequipping Dragon Force, the sluggishness reappeared.

Repeatedly equipping and experiencing it, Cheng Ye concluded that within at most one week, he would be able to master Level 2 Dragon Force.

"This progress is fast enough!"

Also lying in the medical station, Garcia next door probably could never imagine in his lifetime that he could improve his strength this way.

Turning on the desk lamp, Cheng Ye read for a while until drowsiness struck, then fell into deep sleep.

Perhaps because the recent days had been too peaceful, he, who hadn't dreamed for a long time, rarely fell into a dream.

In the dream, he had already collected all transcendent abilities. His skill slots had expanded to a full ten, each slot filled with Level 5 and Level 6 transcendent skills.

With a light punch, he could blow up a small mountain like Superman. With a thought, his body could soar freely through the air.

In the eyes of Happiness City residents, he had become an omnipotent god.

He laughed heartily, but just then, a thick black shadow suddenly flew out from the inner city direction.

"The City Lord is coming!"

Someone shouted, and that black shadow instantly reached his eyes, suddenly grabbing his throat.

Despite having reached such a powerful state, he couldn't break free from those hands at all. The feeling of suffocation rushed over him like a tide...

"Ah!"

Cheng Ye suddenly woke up, sitting up abruptly. Outside the window, dawn was breaking.

He raised his hand to touch his forehead, which was covered in cold sweat, and the hair on the back of his neck was still standing up.

The outline of that black shadow in his mind lingered, extremely similar to the approaching dawn's darkness. Even though daybreak was right before his eyes, that deepest darkness pressed heavily on his heart.

"Intercepting and killing the City Lord..."

What one thinks about by day, one dreams about by night.

Cheng Long was dead, but the Red Blade was brought back, as if nothing had happened.

If the interception was real, compared to the mess Cheng Wu had left behind back then, what Cheng Long left for him was probably even more deadly.

Moreover, all of this was too bizarre. He had thought about it countless times but couldn't make sense of the connections.

But one thing was certain.

An Xingfu's strength must be extraordinarily powerful to have steadily occupied the City Lord position for so many years, forcibly blending the four major factions together without any trouble.

"The recent days of comfort, being noticed by the elders, being invested in by the Idealists, plus strength improvement, power expansion, and having the Tears of the Horned Starfish... unconsciously, I've actually started to overlook the dangers of the wasteland."

"Entering the power struggle of the inspection station means I've already entered the eyes of the higher-ups."

"From now on, every move must be more careful."

Cheng Ye stood by the window, quietly watching the sunrise slowly climb from the horizon.

The suffocating feeling of being grabbed by the throat in the dream was clearly his subconscious warning him not to be carried away by recent successes, or he might very well experience extreme joy turning to sorrow.

It was time to wake up.

Not just from the dream.

"There are still four days. I keep thinking about the benefits after rising to power, but I've never seriously considered what the consequences would be if I fail. It's time to rein in my thoughts and continue lying low..."

Cheng Ye took a deep breath. The turmoil churning in his chest gradually calmed, and his eyes, "blinded" by power, once again showed a clear light.

For the next four days, he no longer wandered around randomly, traveling back and forth between two points to the training ground.

Until only the last day remained before the inspection station reopened.

Evening.

"Come, you attack, I'll defend!"

As soon as the words fell, Wang Kang had already attacked with light, quick steps.

He had learned the Blood Dragon Corps' standard fighting style quite well. Although his strength was still insufficient, he had plenty of the spirit belonging to a warrior, with his punches carrying an increasingly brave momentum.

Cheng Ye blocked left and right, clearly feeling the force transmitted from the punches, which was more than twice as strong as four days ago.

In terms of systematic teaching, he couldn't compare to Miao Yang.

In terms of profound mastery, he couldn't even see Liu Bi's shadow.

But in terms of grasping human hearts and excavating human nature, both were far inferior to him, like ants compared to a giant.

Taking a direct punch head-on, Cheng Ye deliberately staggered back two steps, steadied himself, then spoke, "Little Kang, that's enough."

"Hey, Brother Cheng, you were pushed back by me!"

Wang Kang was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but open his mouth wide, breathing heavily while laughing loudly.

Simple as he was, he had long forgotten the frustration of being suppressed by Cheng Ye four days ago, forgotten the promise he had secretly made then to "definitely defeat Cheng Ye."

At this moment, merely making Cheng Ye retreat two steps was already a great victory in his eyes!

After all, even someone like Big Dragon, a Unity of Man and Heaven expert, could only fight Cheng Ye to a draw in the short term.

"You already understand what you're fighting for, so naturally you can push me back."

"Really?"

Wang Kang raised his hand, staring blankly at his fist.

The calluses on his fist weren't much different from a few days ago, and his knuckles even still bore the redness and swelling left from training, but that energy in his heart had become exceptionally clear.

No longer aimless anger, but the certainty of knowing who to protect and what to block.

"Brother Cheng."

Wang Kang clenched his fist, his eyes brighter than the morning sun, "Tomorrow when the inspection station opens, I want to try the South Station alone for a day."

"Are you sure?"

Cheng Ye was stunned but didn't directly refuse, "Do you remember everything I told you these past few days?"

"I remember it all!" Wang Kang nodded vigorously, his tone exceptionally firm, "How to survive, when to run, when to call for support, I remember everything clearly!"

"But even if you do all of these correctly, you might still lose your life."

"I'm not afraid. My dad is already dead, and as an inspector, I can never return to the inner city to see my mom. I didn't take any of the inheritance and left it all for him. Now I'm alone, and it's time to do what I want to do."

"Didn't you say you wanted to sing?"

"No, I don't like singing."

Wang Kang stiffened his neck and shouted once, feeling the momentum wasn't enough, so he raised his voice even higher, "Compared to singing, I have more important things to do!"

The voice was so loud that several people around the training ground couldn't help but look over.

For this little brother of his predecessor, Cheng Ye felt he had done his utmost in cultivation.

And Wang Kang's growth hadn't disappointed his expectations.

As someone who had crawled up from the line between life and death step by step, Cheng Ye understood better than anyone what Wang Kang needed now.

Just like how Liu Bi had chosen to let him fly free back then, now it was time for him to let Wang Kang fly free.

"Alright."

Cheng Ye nodded gently, his tone carrying some warmth, "Tomorrow before eight in the morning, if you're scared, you can come find me anytime. I'll report to the inspection station and let you adapt for one more day."

"After I finish my last day at the North Station, I'll go to the South Station to accompany you through your first duty cycle."

"Mm!"

Wang Kang nodded vigorously. For some reason, his eyes suddenly felt slightly warm.

He turned his head away, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the sob that had reached his lips.

He and Cheng Ye were no longer the children from the inner city who would cry together and sing together.

Now they were inspectors, bearing heavy responsibilities!

Even though they were completely unprepared, even though just three months ago they were still holding guitars and singing on the street corners, this was reality, just like the sudden infection tides that wouldn't give anyone time to prepare.

Because this wasn't the flower-filled world of old-era magazines.

This was the wasteland.

This was the man-eating apocalypse!

[NEXT CHAPTER]