Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 191 A meteoric rise in status: A small step for Prosecutor Cheng!

Recruitment begins at 2:30.

The recruitment ended at 6:30 PM after four hours.

However, just after 5:40, the recruitment for the No. 32 contracted point was officially declared over, and all 500 slots were distributed.

Among the thousands still queuing, there were many families who looked simple and hardworking, and they all showed expressions of regret.

Many children even wiped away tears, looking pitifully at Cheng Ye.

"What a pity." Cheng Ye stood up and stuffed the empty badge box under the table. "If we could recruit more people, we could build up the team in Dabo Town in a day."

But no way.

Good things are always in high demand, and so far, no prosecutor has been able to put on such a show of force.

At most, they would call in some cheerleaders to help with the promotion. How could they directly set up a model house, invite 300 militiamen to help, and have three veterans from the pioneering army talk about survival skills?
"Da Long, tell everyone not to leave yet, I have something to share."

Cheng Ye quickly sat down at the typewriter, his fingers flying across the keyboard, and soon typed out a line of text, which was then typed out and printed out one hundred pages.

There was only one sentence on the paper:

Those who present this document will have priority approval for subsequent recruitment in Dabo Town.

"Link, could you please cut these strips of paper? By the way, do you have a stamp?"

Link paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head.

He's just a lowly clerk; he wouldn't have access to something as prestigious as a seal that signifies status.

This reaction made Cheng Ye secretly annoyed; he had planned so many details, yet he had overlooked this one.

However, just as he was pondering whether to add some unique patterns as markings, the Western inspector from booth number 31 next to him suddenly came over: "Inspector Cheng, I have some here."

He pulled a lipstick-like tube from his pocket, opened the cap, and saw that the bottom was engraved with patterns and two words:

Colin.

"Let me introduce you, Colin Ashton."

Colin stretched out his hand as he spoke. Although he was a Westerner, his appearance was not typical. Instead, he looked a bit like an ethnic minority from the old days. His eyes were bright and piercing, which made him particularly memorable.

"Hello, Cheng Ye."

Cheng Ye reached out and shook hands with him, handed the seal to Link, and then walked to booth number 31 to greet Colin's partner, 'Dale'.

Both were second-term prosecutors and were assigned to Nanzhuang Town, where the competition was not too fierce. Like Dabo Town, they were divided into two opposing teams.

If Cheng Ye hadn't caused such a commotion that diverted the flow of people, their competition with No. 17 would have been somewhat uncertain.

Now the situation has reversed, and recruitment for No. 31 is going very well. The two of them followed his example and recruited some families, ranking among the top five in all the sheds.

This gives us a huge advantage right from the start when it comes to the upcoming on-site and practical assessments!
"Thank you, Prosecutor Cheng."

Dai Le's Mandarin is very standard, with a familiar broadcaster's tone. "If I can pass the assessment, I hope our two satellite cities will have more exchanges in the future."

Cheng Ye was taken aback for a moment, then immediately searched his memory for the source of the voice and asked in surprise, "Did you broadcast the evening news before?"

“Huh, Inspector Cheng recognized my voice?” Dai Le couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s both a personal hobby and a job assigned by the station. They often ask me to broadcast news related to the checkpoint so that the radio station staff won’t say the wrong thing or misinterpret the meaning.”

"Oh, I've heard so much about you!" Cheng Ye quickly extended his hand, and the two shook hands again.

Since the fog cleared, he occasionally listened to the news on Little Sun Channel for a bit of fun, but he never missed a single serious evening news broadcast, and often adjusted his plans based on the information in the news.

Judging from that standard broadcasting tone, he initially thought it was someone from the East, but it turned out to be another case of stereotypes; there was even a Western prosecutor doing broadcasting on the side.

Surprisingly, after the two clasped hands, Dai Le looked longingly at him and said:
“Prosecutor Cheng, actually I am the one who has long admired you.”

"Hmm?" Cheng Ye raised an eyebrow.

"The songs you sang, whether they came from the inner city or the recently popular 'Old Boy,' have already spread to other super-sanctuary cities in the Firelink Alliance!"

"What?!" Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Goodness, his impulsive act of plagiarism is really not going to be spread around. Won't he be exposed and reported?

But then I thought, so what if it's discovered to be an old song?

Who in this wasteland doesn't enjoy flipping through old magazines and digging up old information?

It's not surprising to see a song from over ninety years ago suddenly appear.

"Maybe we'll have a chance to share the stage at the next Happiness City anniversary celebration."

Dai Le added with a smile, "In the future, we will not only hold events in the inner city, but also in the buffer zone and satellite cities. It may become a landmark event and attract migrants from the surrounding areas and other places to join."

A bit exaggerated.

To be honest, it's acceptable for someone to go up and sing a song occasionally and show off a little.

Singing on stage and holding events like this is really not Prosecutor Cheng's style.

However, as soon as Cheng Ye turned his head, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Prosecutor Wang, come here quickly, let me introduce you to these two prosecutors!"

He didn't like to be in the public eye, but Wang Kang did.

If the satellite city ever holds a celebration in the future, the more lively it is, the more it will demonstrate its strength. It would be most appropriate to have Wang Kang take the lead in organizing it.

Wang Kang was counting heads when he heard this and quickly ran over: "Brother Cheng, what's wrong?"

"This is Inspector Dai Le from Nanzhuang Town. He's been a news anchor for the evenings," Cheng Ye introduced. "Dai Le, this is my partner, Wang Kang."

"Prosecutor Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you." Dai Le extended his hand to shake Wang Kang's, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "I'm also familiar with Prosecutor Wang's songs, it's just that the emotion often overpowers the melody."

This was a very tactful way of putting it, but the implication was that Wang Kang sang off-key.

"Huh?" Wang Kang was taken aback, then retorted somewhat defiantly, "Music is a medium for conveying emotions, just like 'Old Boys'."

"So what message did you want to convey with your song 'I Am a Big Banana' that you sang before?"

"Uh..." Wang Kang was a little dumbfounded, but he still stubbornly said, "That was the first time I had ever eaten a banana! I wanted other people to know what a banana tastes like and what it feels like to eat it."

Cheng Ye was amused to see that the two of them were actually discussing it.

Colin shook his head helplessly. "Prosecutor Cheng, if those higher-ups don't get along, it's difficult for us lower-ups too. But speaking of which, Dale and I both come from the inner city, we graduated from the same school, so we're practically academics. I hope we can communicate more in the future and not be influenced by those irrelevant things."

"Okay, tell me your number, I'll write it down."

Since Colin had already said so, Cheng Ye went along with it and took out his defense communication device to write down the number.

I dialed and it rang twice; both sides saved my contact information.

That means we've officially met!
In the future, we can gradually get to know each other using today as an excuse, and perhaps form a small group. However, given the current overall situation of people from both the East and West, it will most likely remain a private friendship.

After all, not everyone can be like Li Matai, completely ignoring the influence of factions.

the other side.

Link had already stamped the document; Cheng Ye had only printed five hundred copies, which was not a large quantity.

In fact, by this point, a prosecutor team that hadn't yet filled its quota was basically considered obsolete.

But the assessment is not over yet. If he were to "claim territory" prematurely, he would inevitably be resented by those who were eliminated, and he would offend people for no reason.

Cheng Ye was always meticulous about these kinds of personal details, and he didn't want to make any mistakes now.

"Dalong, hand out these slips to the people in line, one per family."

"Alright!" Da Long immediately led the militia forward.

It was obvious to the naked eye that every refugee who received the slip of paper showed a look of joy.

Especially those children who were just crying, stopped crying and started giggling as soon as their fathers waved the note in front of them.

so good.

As the sun set, its warm yellow light bathed everyone. Cheng Ye watched quietly, the contemplation in his eyes gradually fading, transforming into tenderness.

Hope is a powerful force that cannot be touched, yet truly exists.

It is the motivation to survive in desperate situations, a bright spot in a life of poverty. It is not only around ordinary people, but also around everyone who is striving for the future.

As long as you persevere and don't give up, you can seize this strength and live a good life!
The queue gradually dispersed.

Sure enough, after receiving the slip, no one went to report to the other prosecutors.

No matter how tempting the rewards at the checkpoints may be, the choice between "one full meal" and "full meals every day" ultimately makes more people sober.

The crowd of homeless people was still gathered in the field, and it was impossible to tell how many prosecutors had completed their recruitment.

The clerks began tallying the numbers only after the bell rang signaling the end of the assessment.

Within ten minutes, the results came in: five teams were eliminated in the first round of recruitment assessment alone!
The most intense competition was between Hexi Town and Wanzi Town, where 8 people fought each other and were divided into 4 groups.

After the recruitment assessment, only two groups remained in Hexi Town.

One group was led by Yang Ming, a prosecutor in his third term, and the other group was led by a Western prosecutor in his third term.

Both the first and second phases were eliminated; some were simply giving up, while others failed to recruit enough people in the end.

The situation in Wanzi Town was even worse, with only one group left, unable to even gather enough participants for the competition.

Even though Yang Xingwen and Zhao Jia, who were quick to run, initially recruited 200 young and strong men with extra compensation, they were ultimately eliminated. The hole they dug themselves could not be filled in the end.

The reason is simple: if the people in front are paid a high price, who would be willing to do the same work for less money?
Even if it's a group that doesn't offer extra pay, I'd rather not come here and suffer this mistreatment.

In addition, only one group remains in Dongwa Town and Beiyuan Town.

Can these satellite cities, which have no competitors, win outright?

After the assessment, the prosecutors' activities were no longer restricted. Yang Xingwen and Zhao Jia walked over with wry smiles.

"Prosecutor Cheng!"

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, Prosecutor Yang and Prosecutor Zhao, there's no need to be discouraged," Cheng Ye comforted them gently.

The matter has come to this, and it is useless to say more.

If the two are willing to be the first to take the lead, they must accept the consequences of not having strong enough wings.

"Running fast doesn't necessarily mean you'll make it to the end." Yang Xingwen shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Prosecutor Cheng, it's good that you eliminated me. Today was a lesson for me. It made me see many things clearly and realize my own shortcomings."

Zhao Jia was even more straightforward: "Prosecutor Cheng's methods are truly impressive! If you need anything in the future, just call me. I also want to learn from you, just like Prosecutor Wang, and try not to embarrass myself like this again."

"No need to be so polite." Cheng Ye nodded slightly and offered a few words of comfort, "We're all colleagues and friends. We'll grow together as we interact more in the future."

This scene left Link and Jervy, the two clerks, dumbfounded. Two first-term prosecutors actually said they wanted to learn from trainee prosecutors.

But Colin and Dale, who were packing their things nearby, exchanged a glance, shook their heads slightly, and forced a knowing smile.

This scene is all too familiar, almost exactly like Jackie Chan back then, rising from humble beginnings and becoming the standard-bearer of the Eastern faction through personal charisma and tough methods.

Unexpectedly, like father, like son; none of the Cheng family members are ordinary people.

After Yang Xingwen and Zhao Jia left, Gu Xinjing and Zhang Wen also came over.

The two prosecutors, who were in charge of the third phase of the investigation, were much more composed. They first praised Cheng Ye without any reservation, and then changed the subject to get to the point:
"There's only one contracted site left, and we can qualify directly. Zhang Wenxuan and I are the only ones left in Dongwa Town, so we can start construction right away. Your Dabo Town still needs to be assessed again, but that's a good thing."

"Prosecutor Gu, what do you mean by that?" Cheng Ye's expression remained unchanged.

This calm demeanor, incapable of showing emotion, made Gu Xinjing nod secretly. "Now that you've passed the recruitment assessment, I can tell you some things."

"The contracting logic for satellite cities works like this: each partner team receives approved infrastructure points, which can be used to purchase materials, facilities, and supplies to help us advance construction. Judging from your expression, you must have already heard some rumors?"

The words were pointed, clearly a test.

Cheng Ye didn't hide anything and nodded frankly, "I only know the basics, I'm not very clear about it."

"Good to know, then it will be easier for me to explain."

Gu Xinjing continued, "Infrastructure points are very precious. One point has the purchasing power of 100 contribution points, and some discounted items are even more cost-effective. In addition to the initial basic points, subsequent points must be obtained by completing node tasks, such as construction targets, population gathering, and building defense perimeters."

"Is the number of missions fixed?" Cheng Ye asked thoughtfully.

"Smart!" Zhang Wen couldn't help but praise. "The total number of infrastructure points is fixed, and you can only get so many in the early stages. If you want to achieve results, you either need to get sponsorships from other departments in the buffer zone, but that path has been blocked by a group of inspectors, or you have to use your own wealth to fill the gaps."

He smiled and said, "Old Gu and I have saved up some points over the years, and we're willing to put them all into our efforts to get promoted to fourth-term prosecutors. But you're a newcomer, and you probably don't have as many points as your father, Cheng Long. Only a small portion of the points he accumulated were confiscated by the checkpoints; most of them were squandered by him to win favors."

No wonder, Cheng Long's influence is felt everywhere in Happiness City.

Is it true that relationships are built on points of contribution?
"If you want to build Big Wave Town and stand out among the satellite cities, you need to take this into account."

“If you participate in the practical assessment now, you’ll get some points right from the start, and there will be extra rewards if you win. Also,” Zhang Wen said meaningfully, “Rokuk also helped you clear some trouble. He lost, and all the materials and items he left behind belong to Dabo Town. You know what I mean?”

"I understand, I get it!" Cheng Ye nodded immediately.

If Li Ma Tai could casually produce 20,000 points, it wouldn't be surprising if Gu Xin Jing and Zhang Wen each had tens of thousands of points.

Investing his own money is the most direct way to build a satellite city, but unfortunately he doesn't have that kind of financial resources, so he can only rely on performance evaluations to make up for this gap and disadvantage.

"Let me show you another way."

Zhang Wen changed the subject, "Old Liu has followed your father around all these years. Although he hasn't saved much—most of it went down the drain like him, all for favors—he should still have some savings. Once you get the qualifications, just ask him. Don't hold back. You're different from your father; he doesn't have the brains to play these games, but you, kid..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Wen suddenly smiled and pointed to the poster board house, "Are Lao Gu and I qualified to take a look?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, still immersed in Zhang Wen's advice, but nodded immediately after realizing what he had said.

"Yes, yes, please come in, both prosecutors!"

Grass.

Why is this welcome message so overpowering?!
Cheng Ye found it amusing and led the two around the wooden house, giving them a general overview of the town's layout.

Since even refugees can see it, there's no need to hide it from other prosecutors; the details are naturally glossed over.

Gu Xinjing and Zhang Wen didn't ask any more questions, but their curiosity and admiration grew stronger.

They didn't linger after the visit, discussing as they walked away, clearly having drawn some inspiration from the planning and design of Dabo Town.

"Brother Cheng, the first and second phases had to learn from you, and now even the third phase inspectors have to listen to your plans. You're really impressive!" Wang Kang leaned over, his eyes full of envy.

"Wow, even the second-instance prosecutor wants to discuss music with you, aren't you impressed?"

Cheng Ye retorted.

The two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter at the same time, their laughter filled with the unrestrained joy of youth.

Not long after, Link returned from reporting the results, carrying a tablet.

"Inspector Cheng, the supplies have been distributed. Please finalize your selections before 10:30. Someone will prepare them tonight and deliver them to Dabo Town first thing tomorrow morning!"

“Okay!” Cheng Ye nodded emphatically.

The manpower is complete.

The supplies are about to arrive.

Tomorrow morning, I can finally go to Dabo Town to take up my post!

He turned to look at the crowd still listening to the pioneering knowledge, and then looked at the buffer zone that was already brightly lit.

Cheng Ye suddenly felt a strange sensation, and a burning hope welled up in his heart:

This is just a small step for Prosecutor Cheng.

But in the future, it will definitely be a big step forward in the development of Happiness City!
　P.S.: 1.3 views delivered! Thank you to all the readers for your monthly tickets and chapter comments! The prosecutor's activity level has surpassed 50%!

　　P.S. 2: I'm posting this to ask for some mid-month votes, I'll try my best to update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)