Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 259: Gathering Manpower, Charging Stations Take Place!

Tianyuan Mall.

The three district elders had just finished discussing the latest changes to the buffer zone and were sitting around drinking hot water and catching their breath.

Cheng Ye, holding his defense communication device, made calls to acquaintances one by one to let them know he was safe, his tone relaxed and casual.

"My lord, Hou Genbao has arrived." Erlong tiptoed over and reported in a low voice.

"Oh, Sister Luo, I have some urgent business to attend to. Don't worry, I'll definitely come see you this afternoon, or at the latest tomorrow!"

Cheng Ye quickly gave a couple of instructions into the microphone, hung up the phone, and turned to look at the entrance passage of the mall.

Sure enough, three figures were walking quickly towards them.

Da Long walked on the left, Huang Yong guarded the right, and the person protected by the two on the left and right in the middle must be Hou Genbao, the district manager of Yongxing Community.

Cheng Ye calmly observed the newcomer.

Around forty years old, his face showed signs of fatigue. He was not particularly tall, about 1.75 meters, and his posture was slightly hunched. Wearing a simple and neat short-sleeved shirt and jeans, he looked refreshing and capable.

The man's gait was fairly steady, and his footing was firm. Cheng Ye could tell at a glance that he had probably forged his martial body and mastered the four basic forces, but he had not been able to fully open his meridians. However, his strength was still considerable among ordinary people.

To his surprise, Hou Genbao had styled his hair in a slicked-back style, giving him a resemblance to the God of Gamblers, Chow Yun-fat.

"interesting."

Cheng Ye found it amusing; this was the first person he had met since transmigrating to the wasteland who paid so much attention to appearance, even to the point of being "showy."

More importantly, although Hou Genbao seemed to keep his head down and adopt a very humble posture, he kept scanning the environment inside the mall out of the corner of his eye, and even secretly glanced at him several times.

This demeanor is completely different from the law-abiding residents of Tianyuan Community; he is clearly not an honest person who is content to maintain the status quo and resist risks.

“Elder Qu, I was very satisfied with this person at first sight.” Cheng Ye turned to Elder Song and smiled.

"Oh? Is that so?" Old Song chuckled upon hearing this, his eyes filled with approval. "It seems that Prosecutor Cheng has truly mastered the art of recognizing and judging people."

"Brother Cheng, what's the secret?" Wang Kang asked curiously, following Cheng Ye's gaze to Hou Genbao, his eyes full of inquiry.

Cheng Ye's lips curled up slightly as he uttered two words: "Ambition."

Ambition?

Wang Kang pondered the two words carefully, then looked at Hou Genbao who was approaching again. He saw Hou Genbao's seemingly respectful but actually scrutinizing appearance, his eyes flickering, and he gradually seemed to understand something.

When the three approached, Da Long gave a slight nod.

Hou Genbao immediately stepped forward, a respectful smile on his face, and bowed slightly to greet him: "Prosecutor Cheng, hello!"

"Hmm, sit down." Cheng Ye gestured to the chair opposite him, his tone flat and indifferent.

"Thank you, Prosecutor Cheng." Hou Genbao quickly replied, carefully sitting down with only a small part of his bottom touching the edge of the chair. His body was taut, and he looked restrained and nervous.

As he sat down, he glanced quickly at Cheng Ye out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat.

The rumors about this prosecutor, Cheng, being young were indeed true; he was at most in his early twenties, truly frighteningly young!
However, that's not entirely true; many people say that the prosecutor was rather thin and muscular.

But the two arms in front of me were as thick as pillars, almost bursting out of my short sleeves, with clearly defined muscle lines, exuding an explosive sense of power.

What unsettled Hou Genbao even more was the subtle aura emanating from Cheng Ye.

The invisible yet extremely oppressive aura made his whole body tense, as if he were being watched by a lurking mutated beast, and he even subconsciously softened his breathing.

However, what truly startled him so much that he almost jumped out of his chair was the very first sentence of their conversation.

“I asked the police, and they said that Yongxing’s main business is making money through illegal means, and that you can earn four or five thousand happiness coins every month from this?” Cheng Ye’s voice was still calm, but it was like a thunderclap in Hou Genbao’s ears.

"Uh..." Hou Hougenbao's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his face turned slightly pale, and he hurriedly waved his hands to explain: "Prosecutor Cheng, this is a misunderstanding! Yongxing is just a small business that repairs second-hand appliances, how could we possibly make any extra money?"

"No need to rush to cover it up."

Cheng Ye interrupted him, pushing the defense device forward so the screen was facing Hou Genbao. "Take a look for yourself. Is this what Yongxing did?"

On March 12th, a batch of smuggled refurbished electronic components (including 3.12 boxes of used radios and modified circuit boards) were seized. The contact person was "Old Ghost," and the payment was 3800 coins.

On April 4.27th, Yongxing Community illegally sold controlled communication equipment (30 modified walkie-talkies and 5 signal jammers), which were smuggled out by manpower, and received 5200 coins.

On May 5.21, Yongxing Community privately purchased and resold stolen industrial raw materials (8 rolls of copper core cable and several aluminum alloy profiles), and settled the matter with truck driver "Ali" for 4500 coins in cash.

【6.19.】

【.】

Clear lines of records scrolled across the Defense Connect screen.

Hou Genbao could no longer hold back. He jumped up from his chair, his face turning deathly pale.

These are all Yongxing's most closely guarded secrets. Even if the goods he resold are discovered, he has a way to cover it up. But how come the names of the contacts and the transaction amounts are recorded so clearly?
Moreover, does the fact that Prosecutor Cheng produced such detailed records mean he intends to use official means to thoroughly investigate Yongxing?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Hou Genbao's mind: the community being sealed off, thousands of people being homeless, and him being arrested and put on trial—just like when he went to the Legion Court years ago.

The more panicked he became, the less he could utter a single word. He could only stand frozen in place, cold sweat streaming down his face.

"Don't be so nervous." Cheng Ye leaned back in his chair, his face expressionless, yet exuding an air of complete control. "Your secrets aren't really secrets to me. If I want to know something, it's just a matter of making a phone call and asking."

He pointed to the chair opposite him, "Sit down, you haven't finished watching yet."

Hou Genbao sat back in his chair like a puppet, staring blankly at the screen.

Cheng Ye lightly tapped the Defense Communication Device, the interface switched, and a detailed personal profile appeared:

Hou Genbao (ten-year resident)

[Personal Strength]: D+ (Formerly a patrol leader under the 47th Regiment of the Pioneer Corps, who was dismissed from his post and forced to retire by the Corps Court for making wrong decisions that resulted in the deaths and injuries of 217 of his subordinates)
[Stability]: C+ (During my tenure as the district manager of Yongxing Community, there were a total of 142 cases of "mysterious disappearances" in the community. After investigation, it was found that all of them were violations of community regulations and were dealt with privately by me. The stability rating is downgraded by one level; however, due to the lack of malicious feedback from residents and neighbors, it is upgraded by half a level.)
[Threat Level]: C- (No family ties, exhibits moderate violent tendencies, disregards the current rules of Happy City, repeatedly tests the boundaries of the rules, and has 3 clear records of bribing police officers)

[Abnormal Data]: None available (Due to the residents' low social status, they are not included in the in-depth investigation at this time).
[Personality Tags]: Utilitarian, Violent, Disregards Rules, Socially Acumen

[Potential Rating]: None available (Due to the low resident status level, the supercomputer is not currently generating a potential assessment).
[Full Experience]:
The lines of cold data felt like sharp knives stabbing into Hou Genbao's heart.

His face gradually turned from pale to crimson, and then slowly faded to ashen.

Discussing personal privacy in Happiness City is a luxury in itself.

This super sanctuary city may not be able to immediately grasp the background of newcomers, but for long-term residents like them who have been here for more than ten years, the Department of Human Resources and Social Security, in conjunction with the Department of Statistics, updates their files every year. The so-called rating is the result of a supercomputer generating a complete record of their experiences, and there is no room for concealment.

Let alone a mere community supervisor like him, even an inspector like Cheng Ye couldn't tamper with these records.

Seeing that every detail of Yongxing's smuggling and every violation of his own rules were clearly recorded, Hou Genbao's smooth-talking demeanor vanished instantly. He felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he slumped back in his chair.

It was like a battle with no suspense whatsoever. Before he could even reveal his hand, his opponent had already figured out everything about him, leaving him no room for negotiation.

Since Cheng Ye dared to put these things on the table, it meant that he and Yongxing had absolutely no right to bargain with this prosecutor.

"So, are there any omissions or oversights in the records?"

"No, no!" Hou Genbao's face grew increasingly grim as he forced out a few words through gritted teeth.

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, then changed the subject and asked a question that piqued his curiosity: "I'm a little curious, since Yongxing can make a stable income by making money through shady dealings, why do you limit yourselves to doing only one deal a month?"

"I"

We can't exactly tell this Prosecutor Cheng that if he takes too much bribery, he'll be targeted by higher-ups, right?
But now that things have come to this, there's no point in hiding it, so he simply answered honestly, "Because this income is enough to sustain Yongxing's basic operations for a month, there's no need to take any greater risks."

What is Yongxing's current expenditure structure?

“The biggest expense is the land rent.” Hou Genbao composed himself and began to list the expenses. “The warehouse and the surrounding work area cost 4,000 Happiness Coins to the Civil Affairs Department every month; the daily living expenses for 1,500 residents are about 10,000 Coins; plus the cost of raw materials for repair equipment and water and electricity, the total monthly expenditure is about 15,000 Coins.”

"Yongxing can manage on 15,000 a month, you district manager have some tricks up your sleeve!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Based on Yongxing's monthly windfall income of 5,000 coins, it means that they can earn 10,000 coins per month just by repairing second-hand tools.

This skill is far superior to that of Tianyuan Community, which had twice the number of members as Yongxing back then.

"Prosecutor Cheng is joking." Hou Genbao forced a smile, subconsciously reaching for the rag in his pocket to wipe his sweat, only to remember he had changed his clothes. He could only wipe the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand. "Actually, Yongxing has been struggling to make ends meet for the past year or two. It's barely surviving on the savings we've accumulated. We have to send some people out to do odd jobs in order to keep the community running normally."

"How did you guys get through the last time with the stand-in starfish?"

"We..." Hou Genbao bit his lip. "After receiving the warning of the infection wave, I immediately organized the young and strong people in the community into teams. When the infection wave broke out, we took the initiative to clean up the starfish in Zone B9 and guarded the warehouse."

"How much did you make?"

“2400 starfish,” Hou Genbao answered in a low voice. One starfish is worth 1 contribution point, which is equivalent to 7 happiness coins, so the income for this night is as high as 16800 coins.

However, money is not important; what is important is that Yongxing took the initiative, which is quite surprising.

"Not bad!"

Cheng Ye nodded repeatedly in admiration, then posed a pointed question: "Aren't you worried that after the people from Yongxing follow you to do shady business and learn a trade, they'll take over the channels and steal your business?"

"Yongxing is everyone's home. Only by staying at home can we all make money together."

Seeing that Cheng Ye seemed completely unconcerned about Yongxing's shady dealings, Hou Genbao simply stopped pretending and spoke more frankly, "Leaving home to work independently and becoming familiar with all the steps takes too long. No one can single-handedly support an entire smuggling system. Moreover, I have assigned different people to be responsible for each step. Even if someone wants to leave, I have ways to use the rules to block those steps and open up a new channel."

"What about the people who followed you to learn the proper craft of refurbishing old machines?"

"Craftsmanship is not important; what matters is the origin of the old machines."

Hou Genbao reached out and touched his wrinkled face, his tone somewhat resolute, "Prosecutor Cheng, don't laugh at me, but this old man of mine still has some influence in the circles of scalpers, smugglers, and swindlers. No one would sell their goods to them for refurbishment if they didn't see my face."

"Impressive, impressive indeed." Cheng Ye smiled and gently shook his head.

Two months ago, someone like Hou Genbao, who walks the line between the light and the dark, would never have been easily approached, even if he had the identity of a prosecutor.

You might not get any benefits, but instead end up with a lot of trouble.

But things are different now. Most of the people in Tianyuan Community under his command are honest people who want stability. What he lacks is a "sly old fox" like Hou Genbao who is shrewd, resourceful, and knows how to maintain a proper balance.

With that in mind, Cheng Ye decided to stop beating around the bush and directly state his price:

"I want Yongxing, name your price!"

hum!
Hou Genbao's eyes suddenly narrowed, his body involuntarily tensed, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.

As expected, this seemingly "courtesy" invitation turned out to be a trap.

The prosecutor invited him here to support Tianyuan's plan to annex Yongxing.

He has no right to set an offer.

With just a single sentence, the man before him, relying on that detailed record, could plunge him and Yongxing into an abyss.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Hou Genbao forced a smile and said, "Prosecutor Cheng, the little money Yongxing earns each month is probably not enough for you."

"What I want is not money, but people."

Cheng Ye interrupted him, "Dabo Town, sixty kilometers away from the buffer zone towards the industrial zone, is now my territory. I'm going to build a satellite city there. We don't lack supplies, but we lack reliable manpower."

"Huh?" Hou Genbao was stunned, his brain unable to keep up with this sudden turn of events.

"Yongxing has little chance of development if it stays in the buffer zone."

Cheng Ye continued, his tone becoming more enticing, "Don't you like refurbishing old equipment? With just one word from me, I can get you tons of old equipment, enough for your thousand men to work themselves to the bone and still not finish."

"Aren't you good at smuggling? I'm going to build a factory in Dabo Town. Those contraband items that are strictly prohibited from export in the buffer zone, once they get there, I can let you take them out and sell them openly and make as much money as you want. But you need to think carefully about what you're working so hard to make money for?"

After saying this, Cheng Ye himself felt that he looked a bit like the "Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King".

But now, facing Hou Genbao and Yongxing, he really doesn't need to hide anything anymore.

The little bit of power he wielded was enough to make the entire Yongxing Group extremely wealthy.

Of course, this is on the premise that Yongxing is willing to jump up and catch it, and is willing to risk his life for him.

These words struck Hou Genbao like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.

How is this going?

Is Yongxing about to be hit by a pie falling from the sky?
Endless equipment to search, smuggling business that can be done openly and legally
He opened his mouth, but found he couldn't even utter a complete sentence. He could only instinctively mumble, "Prosecutor Cheng, we..."

"I'm just giving you a chance." Cheng Ye raised his hand to interrupt him. "Whether you can seize it or not, whether you're willing to seize it or not, is entirely up to you. You've seen the changes in Tianyuan, and I don't need to elaborate on what benefits you can gain by following me."

He stroked his chin and gave her a final deadline: "I'll give you three days to consider whether you want to come with me to the satellite city for a chance at wealth and glory, or stay in the buffer zone and continue to barely keep Yongxing afloat with this smuggling business. The choice is yours."

After saying that, Cheng Ye turned to look at Da Long beside him.

Da Long immediately understood, stepped forward, gestured "please" to Hou Genbao, and smiled, "District Chief Hou, please?"

They came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

The conversation lasted no more than ten minutes, and when Hou Genbao walked out of Tianyuan Mall, his mind was still in a daze.

The efficiency and decisiveness of this prosecutor, Cheng, far exceeded his expectations.

But he really couldn't understand why Cheng Ye would choose Yongxing.

"Speaking of which, it was Elder Qu who gave you the opportunity. If Prosecutor Cheng needs a group of people to do the dirty work, I can definitely do it, and I can do it better than you, Houzi, but Tianyuan can't."

Da Long led him to the entrance of the pedestrian street and took out a crumpled cloth bag from his pocket.

Open the cloth bag; inside is a packet of candy.

He took out a small handful and stuffed it into Hou Genbao's hand, his tone unusually gentle, "Houzi, you know better than any of us how to seize opportunities. Back then, you rose from an ordinary soldier to a patrol chief in the pioneering corps, a rank even higher than Elder Qu, all thanks to this keen eye. I don't want you to miss this opportunity."

"Dalong, this is mine..." Hou Genbao took it awkwardly, still somewhat dazed.

"Go back and think about it carefully. If you still can't figure it out, have a piece of candy."

Da Long reached out and patted him on the shoulder, leaving him with a final, earnest message: "You need to figure out whether to continue going against the rules or to follow the people who made them. Once you've figured it out, you'll know which one to choose."

Six pm.

The last rays of the setting sun were gradually swallowed by the twilight.

Cheng Ye then inspected the construction site and the architectural details of the pedestrian street. When he reached the street corner...

The sky had already darkened.

The streetlights in the buffer zone began to light up one by one, casting long shadows on the ground in a dim yellow light.

Compared to the leisurely ten-plus days spent at Fuxing Medical Center, the days back in the buffer zone were obviously much busier, but also more fulfilling.

To his great surprise, in addition to the pedestrian street being built faster than expected, the power facilities he had been longing for had also been arranged in advance by the Public Works Department.

Two silver charging stations were installed on the open ground behind the shop, their brand-new shells gleaming coldly under the lights!

Considering the load in the urban area, the charging stations on the pedestrian street can only reach a power of 60kW, and the electricity cost is calculated according to industrial electricity rates. The current charge is 25 contribution points per 1000 kilowatts, which is 10 contribution points more expensive than the charging stations at the Public Works Department.

But this is just the listed price; there are a whole host of discounts to be calculated.

First, there's the 9% discount for being a prosecutor. Industrial circuits on the pedestrian street that are registered under his name automatically enjoy this discount.

Secondly, there's the industrial development support in the buffer zone, which also offers a 9% discount, plus an additional discount, bringing the price down to 20 points.

In addition, there is a summer industrial electricity discount, with electricity bills discounted by 50%, which is also a double discount.

“25乘以0.9，再乘以0.9，最后乘以0.5一百度电只要10贡献点！”

The moment he calculated the result, Cheng Ye was so excited he almost jumped up, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

How many days has it been?

Prosecutor Cheng has finally risen from the ashes and now owns his own charging station!

Moreover, it's 5 points cheaper than the Industry Department's price, and exactly the same as the welfare price at the checkpoint.

More importantly, this is his own industrial electricity, which he can charge however he wants, allowing him to fly freely.

"Sixty degrees Celsius in one hour, enough to charge six hundred degrees overnight."

Cheng Ye calculated that he could replenish his current 800 degrees in just half a day, which was quite efficient.

In addition, I can occasionally use the Public Works Department's high-power charging stations to my advantage, so I can finally enjoy a shopping spree.

As long as you have enough search materials at hand, you don't have to worry about your skills stagnating.

Moreover, even with electricity restrictions in winter, he can still continue charging after the hydropower station in Dabo Town is repaired!

(End of this chapter)