Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 44 The Struggle for Power: The Beginning of the Pursuit of Genius!
After a full day, the floodwaters on the main roads of the city center have finally been drained.

The large Jinbei van traveled smoothly all the way to the gate of happiness, where two teams of sixteen guards came to greet it from afar.

"Thank you, Inspector Cheng, for your support of the Crusaders. Now, please hand over the wounded to us for further arrangements."

The captain stepped forward, first giving Cheng Ye a standard modern military salute, and then slamming his right fist heavily into his chest to express his heartfelt gratitude.

Seeing this, Dai Zun on the stretcher wanted to follow suit, but Cheng Ye held down his right hand: "Don't be a hero. Remember what Captain Wu said, you owe me a life."

"Of course, one phone call and I'll be there anytime."

A faint smile appeared on Dai Zun's pale face. Before he could finish speaking, he was lifted up on a stretcher by the guards and quickly disappeared behind the heavy city gate.

In the darkness, countless gazes were cast from the shadows, intertwined with greed and burning desire.

Some of the gazes were cast on Cheng Ye, making him feel uncomfortable as if he were being spied on. He couldn't help but glare back, and those gazes abruptly withdrew.

Even the driver of the large Jinbei van couldn't help but swallow hard, staring intently at the fast lane slowly closing beneath the alloy gate.

That's the inner city!

Countless people struggle their entire lives in the buffer zone, only to rot in the tide of infection, never even managing to touch the frame of this door to happiness.

But this finish line is the starting point that some people can easily set foot on.

"Let's go. If it's convenient, could you take me to the chemical plant's staff quarters?"

"Convenient, of course it's convenient!"

The driver nodded emphatically, reluctantly turning his gaze away.

The large golden cup turned around in front of the gate of happiness and gradually moved away from "happiness".

Night, 10 PM.

The tires rolled over the puddle and slowly came to a stop next to the iron gate of the chemical plant's staff quarters, which was covered in vines.

Just as Cheng Ye's fingers were about to press the door handle, he caught a glimpse of two figures floating under a streetlamp a hundred meters away out of the corner of his eye.

I subconsciously squinted and took a closer look. To my left was Luo Xiaoxue, and to my right was...
Zhou Changhai?
Cheng Ye froze, almost thinking he had misread it.

Why would a fifth-term inspector from the Dongren faction at the checkpoint come to the chemical plant residential area to see Luo Xiaoxue late at night?

As the two approached, the dim streetlights gradually outlined the man's facial features.

With his distinctive horse-like face and a hideous scar on his jaw, it really is Zhou Changhai!

What is he here for?

The metal car door slammed against the side of the car with a bang. Cheng Ye stepped out of the car and stood about five steps in front of the two people.

"Sister Luo, Prosecutor Zhou."

"Hey, Inspector Cheng's off-duty?" Before Luo Xiaoxue could speak, Zhou Changhai's eyes lit up as he stepped forward, as if he had expected it. "Speak of the devil, and he appears. I was just talking about you with Instructor Luo, and here you are."

Instructor Luo?
Cheng Ye's lips twitched, suppressing his curiosity. "Prosecutor Zhou, why are you here so late?"

"Oh, it's nothing serious. There was just an accident at the station today. As you know, Station Chief He sacrificed his life."

A hint of grief flashed across Zhou Changhai's voice. "As a prosecutor in charge of the fifth phase of the investigation, I have to visit the family members on behalf of the station to explain the situation clearly and to avoid causing them worry."

"I see. Thank you for your hard work, Prosecutor Zhou."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, "Brother B is out on field duty and I was just about to come over to talk to Sister Luo about things at the station and tell her not to worry. I've already made this trip for you."

"Hey, why are you being so polite with me?" Zhou Changhai laughed heartily, then suddenly took half a step forward and patted Cheng Ye's shoulder. His scar twisted into a distorted arc as he smiled. "Back in the day, your father and I were sworn brothers in the exploration team. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Zhou."

Uncle Zhou?

Cheng Ye was unaware of what had happened at the checkpoint, but out of the corner of his eye he caught Luo Xiaoxue subtly pursing her lips.

Clearly, the "life-or-death friendship" between Zhou Changhai and Cheng Long is probably more exaggerated than the rainfall in Xingfu City these past two days.

That old guy is shameless.

Wait, why is this guy trying to get so close to me?

The person is not good!
"Uncle Zhou is right." Cheng Ye smiled appropriately. "I was just thinking that I should use my position when I'm working, and I didn't realize that I was off work and it was my break time. Unlike you, Uncle Zhou, who is still thinking about visiting families late at night. You are truly a role model for the station."

These words, though seemingly flattering, subtly draw a line between the "work setting" and "private relationships."

After that compliment, the subtle yet sharp edge made Zhou Changhai's smile freeze for half a second.

However, he was still a fifth-term prosecutor and had long since become a shrewd and experienced person.

Zhou Changhai maintained his smile as if nothing had happened, and turned to look at Luo Xiaoxue, "Instructor Luo, now that Cheng Ye is back, I won't bother you anymore. Don't worry, the hydroelectric power station is not like the station, it's very safe there."

"Thank you for your concern, Prosecutor Zhou."

Luo Xiaoxue nodded politely, and the two escorted Zhou Changhai to the end of the street, watching him get into the large Jinbei van parked in the shadows, its headlights piercing the night as it drove towards the city.

"What is he here for?"

Cheng Ye paused for a moment, "He Fei just died, and you're already in such a hurry to pull someone else into the position?"

Within the system of the checkpoint.

The transition from intern to the first phase is a significant hurdle.

Three stations, nine evaluation forms, and a field mission with a rating of B or higher, without any major incidents occurring along the way—it typically takes an average prosecutor about two years to complete this process.

Phase one through four is another hurdle.

There are three stations, each requiring 300 shifts, totaling a minimum of 900 days. No major incidents can occur during this period; otherwise, the count will restart. Furthermore, sufficient contributions must be accumulated before a spot becomes available.

For example, if four positions for prosecutors become vacant at the station and five people meet the requirements at the same time, then the person with the highest contribution among the five will be selected for promotion first.

As for the higher levels, from stage four to stage five, these are areas that ordinary prosecutors cannot touch.

According to regulations, two generations must have worked at the checkpoint, which is known as "endorsement".

Without this background, even if your contribution value is off the charts, it's useless. Liu Bi was stuck in the fourth phase because he didn't meet this requirement, and he didn't even have the qualifications to compete for the fifth phase.

Being a fifth-term inspector is also a prerequisite for serving as a duty station chief.

"Hey, you guessed it?"

Luo Xiaoxue shook her head speechlessly. "It wasn't just him. All four fifth-term Dongren prosecutors from the checkpoint came today, and it was as if they had tacitly agreed to stagger their arrival times."

"All four of them are here?"

Cheng Ye was slightly startled, not expecting that on the very day He Fei died tragically, the four of them would immediately start vying for a spot.

"They all use similar excuses?"

"Well, in the end, they just want Liu Bi to vote for them."

"Have you set any conditions?"

"Hmm? You know quite a lot, don't you?" Luo Xiaoxue looked him up and down nervously, then said strangely, "You really showed off your prowess at the North Checkpoint today. Every single one of those fifth-term inspectors had to tell me a few things about you."

"Absolutely, everyone in this station knows about my relationship with Brother B."

Cheng Ye's smile froze.

Damn, just as Li Matai said, there really isn't anything new at this checkpoint.

And Raul's secrecy is really poor. Didn't he say no one would know?
Before he even got home from get off work that evening, these things had already reached Luo Xiaoxue's ears.

Did they not give you the details?

"No, not at all. You went into the West checkpoint and taught those rich kids a lesson, then went into the isolation ward, found an unknown infected person with just a few words, and easily took him down, proving your professional ability and giving the Dong people a big boost."

Luo Xiaoxue revealed a playful expression, "You're quite something, aren't you? I underestimated you."

"Uh"

Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh, not daring to mention that he had saved a Crusader warrior near the end of the workday.

His day was truly remarkable.

"If Station Chief He hadn't been ambushed by an unknown infected entity, this wouldn't have been a big deal for me."

"It's just an infected person locked in a cage. Sister Luo, you don't know, when I went there, that guy had a pointed head. Although he was strong, he looked like he had taken too much veterinary drug. How could he be considered normal?"

"As for those second-generation rich kids, I only tried to scare them a couple of times, but I didn't expect them to back down so easily."

Cheng Ye made up a story off the top of his head, and the two chatted downstairs for a while.

Perhaps it was He Fei's death that made Luo Xiaoxue suddenly realize that there was no absolutely safe place in this buffer zone.

Whether you go to the North Station or the South Station.

Whether one can survive or not ultimately depends on one's strength and methods, plus a bit of luck.

Therefore, she was at ease with Cheng Ye's insistence on choosing the North Station.

Humans are strange like that; some obsessions suddenly become clear when faced with life and death.

Cheng Ye couldn't quite find the right words to describe this psychological change. He could only say that from the moment they arrived in the wasteland, everyone should be prepared to die at any time.

The only difference is whether one dies a glorious death or waits to die in a corner.

"Sister Luo, I've been on duty all day today. I think I have to take a day off tomorrow to go to that study session. I'll go back tonight, okay?"

“Go ahead, do you think Zhou Changhai called me ‘Instructor Luo’ for nothing?” Luo Xiaoxue smoothed her hair, a helpless smile playing on her lips. “I have to go to the training session tomorrow too, and I’ll have to give a lecture as an instructor.”

"That's great, I guarantee I'll support you."

They didn't discuss the situation at the checkpoint, nor did they discuss the dangers inside.

The two chatted and laughed for a while.

Cheng Ye stood there, watching Luo Xiaoxue walk into the staff residential area until her figure disappeared into the building entrance, before turning around and stepping into the deep night.

The distance between the chemical plant residential area and the electronics plant residential area is more than ten kilometers.

But as he jogged back, Cheng Ye felt unbearably hot all over, and the flame that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time finally burst forth.

Finding skills can at best shorten the gap with the old guys, but it's still a long way from being a genius.

But talent is different; it's something that can directly bridge the gap in basic abilities and allow him to completely escape mediocrity.

"Iron Body!"

The two words rolled around on his tongue, and Cheng Ye could almost taste the scalding heat.

Excited?
Of course I'm excited!

But no one knew better than him that this was just the beginning.

　P.S.: It turns out that if you tell stories in a down-to-earth way, there will still be people who read them. Thank you all for your positive feedback; every single one makes Sanjin incredibly excited!
　　PS2: The feast is on Tuesday! Please vote and read on!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)