Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 160 The Third Generation Battery, Li Matai's Terrifying Connections!
The idea of ​​forming a caravan was not something Cheng Ye had just decided on a whim.

When he first encountered the "Flying Bird Caravan" at the North Station, he was amazed by the huge profits they made from buying low and selling high.

Differential crystals, fur, bone meal, amber
These common items alone, when collected from the settlement and sold in the buffer zone, can generate several times the price difference.

He had considered it back then, but after inquiring, he gradually realized that for a caravan to go deep into the wilderness settlements to collect goods, it not only needed strong connections to get through various checkpoints, such as the difficulties and competition within the settlements, but also had to deal with infected sources and mutated creatures along the way.

As a trainee prosecutor, he had never even ventured into the wilderness. Without a well-established network of connections, he would find it impossible to make any progress, which is why he temporarily suppressed his thoughts.

But things are different now. After venturing into the wilderness the day before yesterday, I have a clear understanding of the dangers outside.

With the launch of satellite city construction in Xingfu City, the landscape surrounding Sichuan City will undergo a major transformation.

The old routes that run through gathering areas are still monopolized by those long-established caravans, but the new routes that connect various satellite cities are a blue ocean waiting to be explored.

Cheng Ye knew perfectly well that some caravans were already considering this new route, hoping to gain a share of the market through differentiated competition.

Can a caravan run by ordinary people be compared to a caravan led by an inspector?

The construction of satellite cities was led by various inspectors. Before the infrastructure was perfected and the management system was established, the checkpoints were the most powerful single departments in each satellite city.

Caravans run by inspectors, regardless of how many privileges they receive, will certainly enjoy more convenience and preferential treatment than ordinary caravans in areas such as passage, security checks, and the allocation of supplies.

These seemingly minor advantages were precisely the most crucial driving force for the caravan's initial launch.

Once the satellite cities are fully built and the market structure is established, it will be extremely difficult to squeeze in and compete.

“Caravan,” Li Matai repeated, first shaking his head subconsciously, but then nodding slightly a few seconds later, signaling Cheng Ye to follow him out.

The two walked out of the street and came to the sales center run by the local government, where they found a private meeting room to sit down.

As soon as Cheng Ye settled into his seat, Li Matai spoke up directly: "Do you know? Prosecutors aren't allowed to drive caravans; that's an old rule at the checkpoint."

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye was slightly surprised; he really didn't know that.

Is it because the higher-ups are worried that prosecutors will abuse their power for personal gain?

For example, could allowing vehicles to pass freely under the guise of caravans increase the risk of infection sources being leaked?

However, judging from Li Matai's tone and the fact that he brought him here to talk, it didn't seem like the rules were to completely block the way.

"This rule was established by the original checkpoint, and it is still in effect today after all these years."

Li Matai pondered, "A few years ago, an inspector suggested revising the rules, saying that after the environment stabilized, the checkpoints would also need to generate revenue. He suggested that when inspectors went out on patrol, they should take a caravan with them to transport goods, which would bring back a lot of revenue for the checkpoints. But in the end, it was never put to a formal meeting for a vote, and the matter was dropped."

"That's impossible. The checkpoint won't change its rules just because of our ideas." Cheng Ye shook his head slightly.

Although he had gained some influence with Lao Ding, he hadn't really reached the point of being a key figure.

Moreover, even if he really has that influence, he can't openly propose changing the rules to open caravans. Wouldn't that be putting the blame for personal gain on himself?

“That’s impossible.” Li Matai nodded in agreement with Cheng Ye’s assessment, but a knowing smile played on his lips. “However, this rule has long been broken in private. Here’s the situation.”

As he spoke, he simply took out his defense mobile phone, clicked on the checkpoint icon, and went inside.

There are many small icons that Cheng Ye has never seen before, which probably means that this is a feature that can only be unlocked by a third-term prosecutor.

After a few steps, an interface resembling a 'task panel' popped up, and Li Matai handed over the device: "Take a look at this."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course I can. If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who will know that I showed it to you?"

As expected of a seasoned scoundrel, he knows exactly which rules he can break and which he should be careful of, as Li Matai has figured them all out.

Cheng Ye took the defense communication device and scanned it from top to bottom.

[Overview of the checkpoint's external procurement tasks]

【1. Purchase 18 tons of 'three-star' or higher specialty products from Hequan Shelter City (Difficulty 2)】

【2. Purchase 10 tons of 'Devil's Tree Flower' from Tiancheng Cluster (Difficulty 4)】

3. Procurement of 20 tons of 'Peak Gold' from the Four Gorges Shelter City (Difficulty 3)

4. Purchase 80 sheets of 'Super Energy Concentrated Photosynthetic Panels' from Guanghong Shelter City (Difficulty 5)

【5】

"what?"

Scroll down, and you'll see that there are 10 procurement tasks per page, with 4 pages currently displayed.

The fourth item is the Light Rainbow Shelter City, which is the super shelter city behind the Great Camphor Tree that supports Shuangyue Lake.

Cheng Ye tapped on the super-energy-concentrating photosynthetic board, and a line of small text appeared on it.

It is a special technology that can efficiently store electricity in low-light environments, and has a very high power generation efficiency.

"Procurement task."

Cheng Ye seemed to be deep in thought, and placed the defense communication device on the table. "What are the rewards for the procurement mission?"

"Personal earnings range from 1% to 5%, depending on the difficulty of the procurement task."

Li Matai explained, “For example, if you go to Guanghong to purchase this super-energy-concentrating plywood, it’s their core product. Even if they sell it to our Xingfu City, the price will definitely be outrageously high. But Xingfu City doesn’t have that much money to let you buy it so extravagantly. They will only give you a fixed amount of money based on the internal assessment price. If you can buy all 80 plywood boards within this budget, you will get a 5% commission, which is at least several thousand points.”

"If you can negotiate the price and get it for less, in addition to the commission you get according to the budget, the money saved is yours, and you can also get an extra cost control bonus."

"Purchaser? Escort?" Cheng Ye pondered for a moment and instantly understood the implication.

Large-scale transactions between cities require someone to negotiate prices, sign agreements, and be responsible for safely transporting the goods back.

In Happy City, the most suitable candidate is an inspector who is familiar with the wilderness and has the authority to coordinate checkpoints.

"The inspectors who are currently out and haven't returned are basically on procurement missions, meaning they've taken at least one caravan with them, which is actually a violation of the checkpoint's rules."

Li Matai paused, his tone becoming serious, "This is how I understand it: What the rules prohibit is when inspectors use their power to take away ordinary people's jobs. For example, if you run a caravan and specifically run routes to gathering places that others have already established, squeezing out the existing small caravans, that's called violating regulations for personal gain, and the higher-ups will definitely investigate and punish you."

“But the procurement mission is different. You led the caravan to get urgently needed supplies for Happiness City. You are making a contribution. If you can bring these things back, the station chief and the higher-ups will be happy. Forget about punishment, they will give you extra credit.”

"So, if we want to start a caravan, we need to figure out one thing first."

Li Matai didn't joke around; he said, word by word, "Do you want to use your power as a prosecutor to ruin ordinary people's livelihoods and make quick money? Or do you want to use procurement tasks to contribute to Xingfu City and the satellite city, while legally and legitimately making profits, and ultimately giving back to local development?"

"I don't understand this point. If we leave loopholes for other inspectors in the station to find fault with, even if the two of us can get the caravan up and running, it will be useless. One word from above and we're done for."

A very genuine question.

Since Li Matai spoke so seriously, he must be absolutely certain that this situation would occur.

Cheng Ye didn't rush to answer. He leaned back in his chair, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his chin.

Li Matai's intention was clearly not only to justify his own words, but also to silence others.

This means that the simple idea of ​​buying low and selling high to make a profit must be overturned, and a more rigorous logic that is more in line with contributing to the happiness city must be reconstructed, with the ultimate goal of promoting the development of satellite cities.

After a moment of silence, Cheng Ye suddenly looked up at Li Matai and said, "It's easy, but I have to ask you first: can you accept that the caravan will only go out and not come in during the early stages, and that there will be no profit for a period of time?"

Li Ma was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "I can bear the losses of the Giant Wall Station shops that I'm interested in for the first year or two. What's a big deal if the caravan doesn't make any money? As long as it can make money later, it doesn't matter how long the initial setup takes."

“Okay, here’s what I’m thinking.” Cheng Ye sat up straight, quickened his pace, and laid out his new idea in its entirety: “We will form a caravan, but we won’t engage in buying and selling for profit. We will specialize in delivering goods to major satellite cities for free and selling them at fair prices. Whatever the factories in the satellite cities produce, we will help them transport it to the buffer zone or other satellite cities. We will sell the goods to consumers at the same price we pay for them from the satellite cities, without making a single penny of profit in between.”

He paused, then added, "But there are two prerequisites: First, all goods must be of high quality. We will not accept any defective or substandard goods, so as not to damage the reputation of the caravan. Second, we must establish an after-sales guarantee system. If consumers buy defective goods, we will only replace them, not repair them. The defective goods that are replaced will be recycled and disposed of by the satellite city that supplies them."

"Huh?" Li Matai was completely stunned. "Free shipping and selling at a low price can indeed avoid suspicion of personal gain, but what are we after? We'll still encounter the same problem if we switch from free to paid shipping in the future."

"Well," Cheng Ye smiled, but didn't continue.

This underhanded tactic of grabbing market share has indeed been overused by modern people.

But this is the first time in the wasteland, in Happy City.

Satellite cities are just starting out and lack the channels to deliver goods. Consumers lack channels to buy with confidence and at reasonable prices, and caravans are filling this gap.

The initial free and low-price approach may seem like a loss, but it actually helps caravans build a reputation by using goods from all satellite cities, allowing factories in satellite cities to provide after-sales support and establish credibility, and incidentally, figuring out sales channels.

Once time has passed and all consumers recognize the caravan's affordable, genuine products, will it still be difficult to sell anything then?
There are too many ways to make a profit; even the worst-case scenario is advertising, which can earn you a fortune.

However, Cheng Ye did not intend to share these thoughts with Li Matai.

Just like building Dabo Town, he could accept joint ventures, since caravans need a lot of capital in the early stages, and it would be good for someone to share the pressure, but he would not accept partners.

When it comes to taking the lead, Cheng Ye wants to have 100% decision-making authority.

As for whether Li Matai will choose to invest before the situation is clear, that depends on his vision and judgment. I have already given enough ideas.

As expected. Li Matai paused for a moment, pondering Cheng Ye's idea repeatedly, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"market?"

"you guess!"

Li Matai grinned immediately, his tone unwavering: "Stop beating around the bush, just tell me, how much do you want me to invest in the initial stages?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll rip you off and make you lose money?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell other people what you just said?"

"Haha, that's great!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but laugh and gave a thumbs up.

Trust between men can sometimes be that simple. If you've found the right person, you're willing to take the gamble, even if it means losing money.

"How much can you come up with?" Cheng Ye put away his joke and became serious.

"Twenty thousand points, is that enough?" Li Matai asked casually.

"So many?" Cheng Ye was surprised. Li Matai was indeed a hidden tycoon.

He guessed that even for Liu Bi, who was in the fourth cohort, it wouldn't be easy to come up with so many points at once.

“I’m not a materialistic person,” Li Matai explained with a smile. “Over the years, I’ve saved up most of the points I’ve earned from running missions and conducting inspections, except for my daily expenses. And I’ve always been lucky with my investments. Like today, I was prepared for the shop to lose money for a year or two, but then I met you, and now I have a new way out. It seems I’m not destined to lose money.”

Cheng Ye quickly calculated in his mind that there were ways to spend 10,000 yuan, and another plan for 20,000 yuan.

Twenty thousand may sound like a lot, but when it comes to actually landing a caravan, it's not a large sum.

"We need to run to satellite cities, so we need at least four brick transport vehicles, plus about 15 team members (drivers, loaders, security guards, and sales). I can cover the personnel costs, but the vehicles... I went to the supply and distribution center before and asked. A brick transport vehicle with a 75 kWh battery costs 15000 points. 20,000 points can only buy two basic 35 kWh battery vehicles at most, and you need the necessary permissions."

At this point, Cheng Ye casually mentioned the reason for his call, "By the way, the reason I called you is also related to cars. I'm thinking of getting a car myself. If I can get a fixed contribution point in the future, it will be more convenient to have my own vehicle, whether for inspections or transporting equipment. I wanted to ask you, besides buying one directly or renting one using contribution points, are there any other more cost-effective ways?"

Buy a car?

"Well"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Matai's tone became more practical. "Vehicles are something that few inspectors would buy. First, checkpoints are equipped with the corresponding vehicles for any field missions, so there's no need to buy or rent them yourself. Second, if you need to use a vehicle temporarily outside, you can rent one with points, so there's no need to spend a lot of money to buy one and pile all your contribution points on it."

"And the idea of ​​renting a car cheaply using points isn't that easy. The rules for renting a car at the checkpoint are very strict. You must have a reasonable mission reason, such as carrying out a procurement mission or going to the wilderness to investigate the source of infection. Reasons like running a caravan to transport goods simply won't be approved."

Cheng Ye's heart sank. Sure enough, things weren't as simple as he had thought.

The checkpoint's perks are only for official business; it's practically impossible to use the car rental service for merchant caravans.

“My suggestion is to rent batteries!” Li Matai suddenly changed the subject, bringing up an idea that Cheng Ye had never considered.

"Rent batteries? How do I rent them?"

"This all starts with the battery industry system in our Xingfu City. From the first generation to now, we have developed three generations of batteries. The first generation was 'flat-lay', which means it was laid under the chassis. Because it was often driven on rough roads, it was quickly phased out. This type of battery was the cheapest. The second generation was changed to 'sloping tower', where the battery was stacked on one side of the rear compartment of the vehicle, avoiding the problem of chassis impact. However, both of these generations were lithium iron phosphate batteries, which had average discharge power and were prone to rapid power loss when driving long distances or carrying heavy loads."

"The most widely used batteries at present are third-generation solid-state drawer-type batteries."

As Li Matai spoke, seeing that Cheng Ye looked somewhat bewildered, he smiled and waved his hand, "Talking about this is too abstract. Come on, I'll take you to find a car and you'll understand."

The two left the sales office and headed straight for the guard post in front of the gate of Happiness.

Li Matai greeted the guards familiarly and borrowed a patrol pickup truck.

Opening the pickup truck's hood reveals some cushioning material on the front, which covers a dark green body with densely printed parameter labels and the Happiness City logo at the four corners.

This was Cheng Ye's first time seeing the power batteries produced in Xingfu City up close. Judging by their size alone, it was hard to associate them with the "big" power batteries he had in mind.

It is no more than 70 centimeters long, about 40 centimeters wide, and a little over 20 centimeters thick, looking like a large suitcase.

He moved closer, his gaze sweeping over the parameter nameplate.

Rated capacity 75kWh, energy density 520Wh/kg, can withstand 500G instantaneous impact.

"Press these buttons in the order shown above, and you'll be able to retrieve it in a few seconds."

Li Matai pointed to the four green buttons on the side. The numbers on the buttons were laser-engraved and had slight bumps to the touch.

Cheng Ye pressed the buttons in sequence, and his fingertips could feel a slight feedback.

As soon as I pressed the last button, I heard a soft "click," like a lock popping open. Then the battery pushed forward slightly, a small movement, but I could clearly feel that it had unlocked.

He tried to reach out and grab the groove on the side of the battery, and gently lifted it up, but it didn't budge.

Ok.

Looking down, I saw the marking on the side: it weighs 145kg.

However, this battery installation method is clearly the same as the modern electric scooter battery swapping system.

Yes, it's somewhat similar to NIO's battery swapping system, except that swapping batteries is much more convenient and user-friendly.

Cheng Ye walked around to the side of the car and looked at the back of the battery. He saw dozens of gold-plated contacts arranged densely on it, with two symmetrical sliding rail slots below the contacts. The entire structure had no exposed wires, making it both exquisite and safe.

The so-called drawer-style design probably means that the battery can be pulled out of the car like pulling out a drawer, so that the car doesn't need to be disassembled when changing the battery.

"This thing is very expensive; the material cost alone is astronomical. It's used..."

"Source track technology?"

"Hmm, you know?" Li Matai was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "But apart from the battery, the other things are not cheap either, and ordinary people definitely can't afford them."

After pushing the battery back into place and reattaching the cover, the two returned to the previous meeting room.

Cheng Ye could already guess Li Matai's purpose in suggesting renting batteries.

Since third-generation batteries are so expensive, let's turn to rent cheaper first- and second-generation batteries and get things started first.

But the problem is, once we have the battery, how do we address the remaining aspects like the vehicle body, motor, electronic control system, and overall vehicle controller?

"Let me make a few calls and ask, don't rush."

As Li Matai spoke, he took out his defense communication device and quickly swiped his finger across the contact list.

The network of contacts he had built up over a decade as a prosecutor came in handy at this moment.

The first call was made to the checkpoint logistics department to confirm the leasing policy for retired batteries.

The second call was to an old friend at the Industry Department to inquire about the sources and prices of car frames. The third call was to the manager of a junkyard to ask about the condition and prices of salvaged parts.
The next four calls were made to the mechanics at the Machinery Bureau, the sales manager at the supply station, and even two caravan leaders who had previously worked together on field missions, meticulously confirming every detail of each step.

Cheng Ye sat beside him, watching Li Matai skillfully switch his tone when speaking into the defense communication device, accurately asking for key information with each call.

Wow, experience really pays off.

While on duty at the checkpoint, it was impossible to tell what made these senior prosecutors so special.

I feel like just an ordinary person who has worked his way up to where he is today through seniority.

But when it really comes down to resolving issues, the senior prosecutor's logic, connections, and coordination become crucial.
Cheng Ye was relieved that he hadn't gone to Jiang Chuan to inquire in the morning, but had asked Li Matai first.

Given Jiang Chuan's position as a clerk, it was impossible to discuss details such as caravans and car rentals with him.

In particular, many of these processes involve skirting the rules and using gray channels.

Finally, after making the last call, Li Ma let out a long sigh of relief, a confident smile spreading across his face, and began to relay all the details to Cheng Ye:
“The path of third-generation batteries is not feasible. Their interfaces and wiring harnesses are proprietary and can only be matched with existing vehicles. They cannot be rented out separately. If you want to rent one, you have to rent the whole vehicle together, which is too costly and unnecessary.”

"But there are still quite a few discarded first- and second-generation battery stations. Some of them are battle-damaged repaired versions, and their capacity may be reduced, but it does not affect daily use. The key is that we have to pick them ourselves. We have to test the range on-site and check whether the battery casing has cracks to avoid getting completely useless scrap. Renting a 100kWh second-generation battery costs 500 contribution points per month. It's not points; it's a revenue-generating project for the checkpoint, and the price is quite reasonable."

"As for the car body, I don't recommend buying a scrapped car from the inspection station. Most of those cars have been flooded or crashed. The frame may not look broken, but the internal structure is already brittle. If we spend money to repair it ourselves, we will not only have to spend a lot of money to replace parts, but also have to find someone to check for hidden dangers bit by bit. If it breaks down in the wilderness on a long trip, with no village or shop in sight, it will be too late to cry."

He paused for a moment, then explained his plan: "I contacted an acquaintance at the Industry Department and asked him to help us get a few new frames—blank frames that have just come off the production line and haven't had any parts installed yet. They're brand new and show no signs of use. The key is the price; they're half the price of buying used frames."

"Then we buy new wiring harnesses ourselves and replace all the wiring from the steering wheel to the motor to avoid the problem of short circuits due to aging wiring. A set of wiring harnesses costs only 200 yuan. We go to the junkyard to dismantle the core components such as the motor and electronic control system. We specifically look for cars that have been wrecked, dismantle them, and have a mechanic check them. If there are no problems, we can use them."

"Finally, I asked the mechanics at the Machinery Department to help with the assembly. It was free. I know several experienced mechanics, so there won't be any problems. A car assembled this way has clear parts origins, and you can spot any faults at a glance. It's also easier to repair later on, which is much more reliable than buying a ready-made used car."

Rent batteries from the checkpoint and build your own chassis?
Cheng Ye's eyes lit up; this plan seemed pretty good.

"So, based on that calculation, what would the approximate cost of a car be?"

"Excluding salvaged parts, a new car frame costs 800 points, wiring harness costs 200, and we budget 1000 points for salvaged parts. So a car would cost 1800 points on the road. Then we'll add 500 for renting a battery, for a total of 2300 points."

Li Matai counted on his fingers, "An initial investment of 10,000 points is enough for us to equip 5 vehicles, and the rest of the money can be used for operation."

"Of course, the frames I'm referring to are for brick transport trucks. There are other frames with different prices, and various modification parts can be added. Anyway, the frames are ours. If you think this plan is acceptable, let's finalize it today!"

(End of this chapter)