Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 123 War Supplies, Expanding Power!
"The inspector assessment in the City of Fire's Shelter doesn't even require human review?"

As his gaze swept across the text on the screen again, Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat, realizing the value of the four-piece set.

It was pie in the sky.

Compared to the internship and promotion process at Happiness City, which requires multiple rounds of practical assessments, the assessment at Xin Huo is ridiculously simple.

Just like a math problem, right is right, wrong is wrong, and the answer is written out in plain sight.

Unlike in Happiness City, in addition to meeting the standards in terms of professional skills, one must also learn to choose sides, navigate interpersonal relationships, and even "pay back debts" to one's parents.

"Hmm, from this perspective, after the promotion of the 'Spark' rank, it seems more inclined to give me the authority I want, rather than directly linking it to real power."

Cheng Ye stroked his chin, quietly considering the pros and cons of this approach.

The easier something is to quantify and meet standards, the more ordinary its value tends to be.

Even in Happiness City, the delegation of power is handled with extreme caution.

The size and system of a city protected by the torch of civilization would certainly not tolerate such a simple expansion of power.

To put it bluntly, the evaluation criteria for prosecutors are almost identical to those used by the general police department in Happiness City.

It's more like training employees who follow procedures than developing decision-makers who can work independently.

"If we're only screening employees, the criteria won't be too strict. These three are really simpler than the last."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Is the energy reaction greater than 35?

When he boarded the Flying Wing earlier, Li Changfeng said that his energy reaction was 35, so he should have met the standard.

5000 photo verifications? That's just a matter of time. Take 500 photos a day, and you can get it done in ten days!

The only slightly challenging part was memorizing the internship materials, but that was exactly what Cheng Ye was most interested in.

Under different systems, the requirements for inspectors will definitely be different, and the information hidden in the documents is the capital to survive in the wasteland.

"I feel like I'll be able to complete my internship assessment in no more than half a month!"

Cheng Ye was secretly thrilled.

I never expected such a pleasant surprise.

No need to bother cracking it; just complete the task to unlock permissions, saving you a lot of effort.

As for whether there will be manual assessment during the later upgrades?

When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. First, we should try to advance to the highest possible level.

With that in mind, he picked up the "weighing scale"-like device and started operating it according to the instructions on his phone.

Although the patch wiring harness is densely packed, each patch is marked with a number, corresponding to the body parts marked on the phone: wrist, chest, and groin. It feels cool and comfortable when you apply it.

After applying the patch, Cheng Ye tapped "Start Detection" on his phone. A tingling, numbing electric current suddenly surged into his body from the patch, like countless tiny ants crawling on him.

He instinctively tensed his muscles to resist, and the numbers on the screen immediately started jumping:
【21】

"not enough."

Cheng Ye gritted his teeth and suddenly surged the power within his body. The veins on his arms bulged instantly, like green earthworms crawling under his skin.

The numbers on the screen then skyrocketed:
24、27、30、35最后卡在37上，任凭他再怎么发力，也难前进一步。

"It's done!"

As he breathed a sigh of relief, his tense muscles suddenly relaxed, and the tingling electric current disappeared without a trace.

However, before he could remove the patches, those patches that were pressed tightly against his skin suddenly started to heat up, especially the ones on his sensitive areas, which became so hot that they made his eyebrows twitch.

[Talent detection in progress]

A prompt appears on the screen.

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, not in a hurry to take it off.

This level of hype is still within tolerable limits; let's see what other tricks this "fireworks detector" has up its sleeve.

Unlike energy detection, which emphasizes efficiency (since users may need to perform frequent checks, speed is crucial), energy detection requires speed.

Talent testing is obviously different; a person may only be tested once or twice in their lifetime, so it is naturally done in an exceptionally detailed and slow manner.

After a good ten minutes, the hot patches gradually cooled down, but before Cheng Ye could breathe a sigh of relief, another batch of patches started to heat up again.

This time, the heat is more concentrated, almost entirely focused on the chest area.

To his surprise, as the heat intensified, the wild grass totem on his chest suddenly appeared without warning, its pale green veins moving across his skin as if they were alive.

The next second, my heart suddenly raced, and fine beads of sweat appeared on my body, as if I had been stimulated by some force and had a strong stress response.

[Physical talent detected; talent level being calculated]

Strong!

Cheng Ye was somewhat alarmed to learn that Xin Huo had such a detection method, but he let the detection device continue working.

Another ten minutes or so passed, and as the last patch cooled down, detailed data finally popped up on the screen:

[Physical Talent: Excellent]

[Reaction Strength: 7]

[Expected maximum upgrade level: 11]

[Improvement Method: Locked (Please unlock level 2 or higher permissions to view)]

[Expected Evolutionary Direction: Locked (Please unlock level 4 or higher permissions to view)]

"Talent can actually be actively improved and evolved?"

Cheng Ye was taken aback.

He has always assumed that the talents awakened by humans in the wasteland era are innate, such as Dai Zun's Iron Body talent, which is the result of a "lottery" in genes.

Many books describe it this way: the aftershocks of the last extraordinary era stirred up the gene pool, and humanity underwent a leapfrog transformation in eighty years, which is why there is such a huge difference between wasteland people and people of the old era.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for such a radical evolution to have occurred in just three generations.

However, the information we have now seems to be pointing in a different direction.

Humanity's talents in the wasteland are not entirely predetermined; there is also the opportunity to change them through nurture.

This is something worth pondering.

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, then tore off the patch from his body.

With the testing device, it will be easier to know the changes in strength brought about by each skill in the future.

This is much more intuitive than measuring with nutrient solution.

"Hmm, it was 35 before. Camel Endurance should have given me 2 points, which is pretty good."

While he was cooking the beef, he had already equipped the Lv1 talent he had found.

At the time, I just felt more energetic, but I didn't expect the specific numbers to increase so much.

Two points of energy reaction translate to nearly a 5% increase, which is quite considerable for a Lv1 skill.

Since a search now only requires 20% of the energy and there's no chance of failure, it's practically a sure-fire way to make money.

If you can keep charging and searching every day, your strength can double in four days.

Of course, this is an idealized result.

Simply increasing numerical values ​​will only make things more difficult later on and will slow down the accumulation of information.

To achieve a qualitative leap and to advance in rank as quickly as possible, you must acquire advanced skills and extraordinary abilities!

"Sleep, and when the migrants arrive, it may be ten days or half a month before you can sleep comfortably again."

Cheng Ye shook his head, temporarily putting these thoughts aside, and buried himself in the covers.

The air was filled with a mixture of cotton wool and a faint musty smell, yet strangely comforting.

I don't know if those suggestions will be useful, but if they are adopted, we should hear back tomorrow.

Because the refugees will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow, there is no extra time for Happiness City to think things through.

Whether the checkpoint can get a share of the benefits during this process depends on the strategic maneuvering of Ding Yishan, the station chief.

The lower-level inspectors, in the end, only have the job of doing the work; they have no right to fight for any power.

Silent all night.

After the replacement starfish ended, Happiness City fell into a long-lost tranquility.

Having shed its former tension and hustle and bustle, it resembles a tranquil border town.

At 5:30 a.m., the alarm clock rang.

Logically, since we start work at seven o'clock, we don't need to get up this early.

However, the collector used 20% yesterday, and without a charging station to replenish it, it only recovered to 8% after a whole day.

There's still a 12% shortfall, which needs to be filled at the Public Works Department's parking lot, which only takes about half an hour.

Cheng Ye let out a long yawn, rolled out of bed, and first checked the download progress of Xin Huo Tong.

In the past seven hours, only 4% has been downloaded, as slow as a snail.

"At this speed, it seems like it will take more than 144 hours."

He smacked his lips, ripped off the charging cable, stuffed his phone into his backpack, and shuffled off to wash up.

The temperature seems to have dropped even lower.

The water pipes were frozen, and only a small stream of water was flowing out of the tap.

The moment the cold water hit my face, all the lingering sleepiness was dispelled.

Cheng Ye stretched lazily by the window, and the cool morning light rushed in, making him feel refreshed all over.

As I went downstairs and left the residential area, Mr. Zhang was already waiting at the gate with his bus.

The headlights of the car shone with a dim yellow light in the morning mist. The streets were deserted, with only the howling cold wind rustling the roadside trees.

"To the Public Works Department parking lot." "Okay."

Mr. Zhang responded and turned the key to start the vehicle.

When we arrived at the parking lot, there were already nine cars parked overnight, and six spaces were left.

Cheng Ye casually pointed to a spot further inside, directed Master Zhang to reverse and stop the car, and then skillfully took the charging card and got out.

After Mr. Zhang went to the rest area to wash up.

Inserting the charging gun, swiping the card, and confirming charging—the whole process was seamless.

However, even if Mr. Zhang didn't see it, he could have noticed the abnormality by checking the battery level when he returned.

But this kind of thing seems strange no matter how you explain it.

Cheng Ye simply skipped all explanations; as long as he didn't speak, there would never be a need for an "explanation."

On the contrary, taking the initiative to defend oneself is more likely to be superfluous and attract more questions.

It was past 6:20.

The panel pops up, the battery is fully charged, and the bright green progress bar stays steadily at 100%, the full charging value gives people peace of mind.

After glancing at the defense communication device, Cheng Ye suddenly had a strong premonition that if Liu Kun hadn't changed his mind, he would definitely try to leave and enter the city today.

After all, once the migrants arrive, the checkpoints will face increased pressure, and the checks will only become more stringent.

The difficulty of hiding one's identity and entering undetected will increase dramatically.

Moreover, Liu Kun is a member of the senior management of Happiness City, and he will definitely become busier in the future, leaving him no time to leave Happiness City.

"Let's go to the checkpoint."

Cheng Ye unplugged the charging gun, and the bus drove out of the parking lot, arriving at the checkpoint entrance precisely at 6:40.

Compared to being late yesterday, I arrived a full twenty minutes early today.

But as soon as Cheng Ye got out of the car, he was taken aback by the sight before him: more than twenty 6.8-meter-long medium-sized trucks were neatly parked at the entrance of the South Checkpoint.

Workers in Public Works Department uniforms were unloading goods with guards. Boxes of goods were unloaded and piled up in the open space like a small mountain.

"This is?"

He couldn't help but walk over, his gaze falling on the open box.

The box contained nutrient solution, but the packaging was completely different from the common transparent bags on the market, and it came in three colors: yellow, blue, and black.

Having stayed in Happiness City for so long, this was the first time Cheng Ye had ever seen such colorfully packaged nutrient syrup.

Good morning, Prosecutor Cheng!

A familiar guard saw him approaching and explained with a smile, "These are all nutrient solutions of combat readiness grade. The station chief gave the order last night to stockpile enough for all three checkpoints."

He pointed to the bags of different colors, "The yellow bag is for quickly replenishing energy. It works immediately after drinking it. The blue bag can replenish energy. It's effective when you've been outside for a long time. The black bag is the most powerful. It can improve athletic performance in a short time. It's very strong, but it can cause side effects after drinking it."

"There's this kind?"

Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow, picked up a bag of yellow nutrient solution, and weighed it in his hand.

The bag is much thicker than regular nutrient syrup, and it feels hard when squeezed, like a sealed compressed biscuit.

He shook the bag, and the slurry inside barely moved, indicating that its concentration was quite high.

"Shall I drink one to try it?"

"You can drink as much as you want!" The guard smiled even more enthusiastically. "Starting today, each inspector will have a daily quota of 100 packets of these three types of nutritional supplements. If you need any, just tell the staff at the station, and they will deliver them directly to your designated location."

Good guy.

If the soldiers and horses are not moving, the grain and grass will go first.

Cheng Ye's heart stirred slightly. It seemed that the suggestions he made yesterday might not have all been ignored.

Is Ding Yishan really about to take action given his reaction speed?

Upon tearing open the yellow bag, a faint sweet aroma immediately wafted out. The syrup inside was as thick as melted toffee, unlike the watery consistency of ordinary nutritional syrup.

It has a sweet osmanthus fragrance when you chew it, and it's sweet but not cloying. You can finish a whole bag without feeling any harshness in your throat.

Once the paste was swallowed, within half a minute, a gentle warmth spread from the stomach, instantly dispelling the chill of standing in the morning breeze.

Good stuff!

Cheng Ye's eyes lit up; what he needed most right now was something to quickly replenish his energy.

It's not just for duty purposes, but also because if we find any extraordinary skills on Liu Kun, it could consume a lot of energy.

Having this yellow bag of nutrient solution is great; it greatly reduces reliance on regular nutrient solution.

"Besides the nutrient solution, is there anything else?"

"Have!"

The guard immediately pulled out a printed list from a box next to him and handed it over, saying, "This list of supplies is for each inspector to receive according to their quota. Please take a look."

Cheng Ye took it and flipped through it, then froze.

The first page of the list alone contains fifty items, ranging from reinforced protective gloves, stab-proof boots, and multi-functional helmets to portable detectors, emergency lighting sticks, medical kits, and even compressed biscuits, energy bars, sleeping bags, and water purification tablets.

After flipping through the three pages, there were nearly 150 items, covering almost all the equipment needed for fieldwork.

"This means they've laid bare all the checkpoint's resources?"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

He had considered allowing the checkpoints to profit from the contracting system, and letting the inspectors share some power.

But he suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into his head.

why?
Because his position was simply too awkward. For a trainee prosecutor who had only recently joined the force to identify the problems with the diversion of migrants and propose optimization solutions was already quite remarkable.

But it would be really strange if they jumped out to worry about the overall situation of the checkpoint and figure out how to fight for power and profit for the entire department.

These are things that the station chief should consider; at the very least, they are matters for the veteran inspectors of the fifth and fourth phases to ponder.

They are eager for promotion and have their eyes on the position of station chief. Naturally, they will rack their brains to secure benefits for the checkpoint so as to accumulate their own capital.

But as a junior intern, he took good care of his post, avoided making mistakes, and kept the overall situation of Happiness City in mind. That was good enough to earn him full marks.

Being too unconventional can easily backfire.

But now it seems that Ding Yishan has clearly made a choice: to take advantage of the migrants to expand the power of the checkpoints.

It's just a matter of whether the senior management of Happiness City will agree to his choice.

After all, once prosecutors get involved in the contracted management system and gain actual power to manage their assigned areas, their power can snowball and expand wildly, fueled by public opinion brought about by the migrants.

It's easy to give it away, but it will be difficult for higher-ups to take it back.

"Inspector Cheng?" The guard next to him, seeing him staring blankly at the list without moving for a while, offered, "If you're unsure what you need, I can have someone send one of each item to your quarantine area in the minimum quantity. You can then let me know whichever you prefer."

"Okay, I'll trouble you then."

Cheng Ye snapped out of his daze and nodded gently.

If the inspectors really want to get involved in the contracted work, these supplies will probably have to wait ten days to half a month, until the resettlement of the migrants is on track, before they can be truly put to use.

For now, there's no rush.

He handed the list back to the guard and turned to walk toward the checkpoint office building.

However, after taking only a couple of steps, when his peripheral vision swept towards the stationmaster's building, a direct gaze suddenly met his.

On the fifth-floor corridor, a figure stood quietly, his gaze fixed on him.

Cheng Ye subconsciously looked up.

The moment their eyes met, the smile on his face vanished almost imperceptibly.

strange.

No one expected that this face would be so firmly imprinted in the memories of its predecessor.

To reappear, it was in such a setting.

Moreover, in response to his gaze, the owner of that face actually nodded slightly and revealed a smile.

Hey, still laughing!

Cheng Ye paused for half a second, and the smile on his face returned, even more intense than before.

Since Ding Yishan is willing to show his face, it means that he has fully accepted the stepping stone that Ding Yishan handed over last night.

Is he planning to test me out in a face-to-face interview?

Cheng Ye was slightly tempted and walked slowly toward the office building, but his mind was already racing with calculations.

Normally, when facing a cunning old fox like Ding Yishan, he would definitely choose to retreat in order to advance, waiting for Ding Yishan to take the initiative.

But it's different now.

If the checkpoint really wants to intervene in the migration wave, the following conversations will likely directly determine its position in this chaos!

The question is whether to continue as a probationary prosecutor on the fringes, or to gain some authority beyond that of a probationary officer.

"Are you trying to test my ambitions by taking this opportunity?"

"But by revealing these things, you've essentially made your ambitions public."

Walking to the inside of the doorway, just out of Ding Yishan's sight, Cheng Ye put away his smile, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

It has to be said that, compared to the "straightforward" Harlem, he has begun to like Ding Yishan more.

Make your own choices clear, and come with the answers to your questions. As long as you realize this, it's practically a free point.

But it is precisely these easy questions that make them more challenging and put the subsequent answers to the test.

To be fair, dealing with such a cunning old fox who abides by the rules is truly exhilarating, like meeting a worthy opponent!
And
Only when such a person sits in the position of stationmaster will those below have the opportunity to truly demonstrate their abilities.

If it were Harlem Yu in charge, the situation would probably be very different right now.

　P.S.: Late update delivered~ Wishing all my dear readers a happy weekend!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)