Means, Courage, Bloodlust!

"That's all I know, Inspector. If you have any other questions..."

"No more."

Cheng Ye didn't press the guards at the gate, who were clearly at the bottom of the checkpoint's food chain.

It wasn't out of sudden kindness, but rather, from a brief understanding, he had already guessed where the trouble he might face was coming from.

But, was the problem big?

To gain a foothold at a checkpoint, one relied not on "my father is so-and-so," but on methods, courage, and grit.

In a sense, this place was still an extension of the Wasteland, just with a few more protective rules.

His fingertips brushed against the Wild Bull combat pistol at his waist, the cold metallic touch crawling up his arm from his palm.

He looked up, glancing at the dark gunports on the city wall.

Noticing that the guards operating the machine guns were deliberately avoiding his gaze, Cheng Ye suddenly let out a soft chuckle:

"Alright, they should be ready too. Open the gate for me."

"Ah, yes, yes!"

The tall guard, as if granted a great pardon, turned his three steps into one, flying back to the gate to swipe his card for identity verification.

Thump.

The heavy anti-riot door slowly pushed open from the inside. As the opening became wide enough for three people to pass side-by-side, the scene inside gradually became clear.

It wasn't as high-tech as the Inner City. The overall style perfectly matched the Old Era aesthetic of the Buffer Zone.

A straight main road paved with gray-black epoxy resin flooring stretched towards the end of Zone E, where several trucks waiting to exit the city were undergoing inspection.

On both sides of the road, neat, square workstations were arranged in rows. The dark green plastic steel windows were half-open, and acrylic electronic signs stood at the entrances, with red LED digital tubes scrolling through displays like 'Data Room,' 'Archive Room,' 'Reporting Room,' 'Inspection Room,' 'Disinfection Station,' and so on.

It had rained all night, and the Buffer Zone was flooded, but there wasn't much standing water to be seen here.

Several staff members in blue work uniforms were pushing squeegees back and forth to clear the water. As soon as the rain fell, it was pushed into the drainage ditches on either side, leaving only winding watermarks.

"You can go directly to the Reporting Room. A staff member will be responsible for helping you register your identity as a North Station Inspector."

"Thank you."

Not having been given a hard time by Cheng Ye, and even being thanked, the tall guard found it quite strange.

Earlier, when he said he was a tool, he wasn't demeaning himself but stating a fact.

After all, the Wasteland didn't support idlers. Being considered a tool by an Inspector was their honor.

But now, he had a strange feeling in the depths of his heart.

"It must be my imagination. Why would an Inspector treat us like people?"

The gate closed.

Watching the receding figure blur in the rain, the tall guard shook off the absurd thought along with the rainwater.

Yes, it must be his imagination!

Entering Zone E, Cheng Ye didn't rush to report. Instead, he stood there and observed for a while.

Whether it was the staff coming and going or the people sweeping the roadsides, they were all Xiren faces.

As a Dongren, his face was indeed very conspicuous at the North Station.

But strangely, everyone acted as if they hadn't seen him. No one cast an odd glance his way.

Even when he looked at them, they would flinch away as if startled, as if he were Flood and Fierce Beasts.

"They're so afraid of me?"

This surprised Cheng Ye, and at the same time, he secretly thought that this move of his must have been the right one.

Rather than going to the South Station first, where he wouldn't understand the rules amidst a sea of flowers and be pushed into a ditch to die.

He would rather head straight for the North Station, prepare for a fight from the beginning, and battle to the death.

Just like now, everyone knew that he, a Dongren Inspector, was here to "cause trouble." Ordinary people who lacked the ability to get involved in factional struggles naturally scrambled to distance themselves, fearing implication.

And the remaining enemies instantly became clear.

Twenty to thirty pairs of eyes looked over from the various workstations by the roadside. Even when Cheng Ye stared back, those gazes did not waver, filled with amusement and disdain.

In the few minutes since the guard had relayed the message, they had already pulled up all of Cheng Ye's information, and incidentally figured out why Cheng Ye had been transferred to the rapid quarantine post.

He offended a West Faction Inspector and still dared to barge into the North Checkpoint? Did he really think Xiren were soft persimmons to be squeezed at will?

Furthermore, ordinary people at the station just wanted to make a living and were afraid of offending Inspectors.

They were not afraid.

After all, they were all people who would inherit their fathers' positions as Inspectors. Who would take a young brat who "lost his father early and took over early" seriously?

Under the eerie atmosphere, Cheng Ye walked towards the reporting office.

The staff by the roadside immediately took to their heels, each darting into the alleys of the workstations.

But the young people in the various workstations tacitly opened their doors and stood in groups of two or three at the entrance, implicitly surrounding Cheng Ye and the reporting office.

"Hello, I'm a Trainee Inspector. It's my first day reporting for duty at the rapid inspection station."

Walking up to the window, Cheng Ye took out his Identity Badge.

The reporting room was about twenty square meters. Sitting behind the window was a young man in his early twenties.

He had a standard Western face, with gray-blue irises and a few dark red bloodshot veins creeping into the whites of his eyes. His hair was greasily plastered to his temples, clearly indicating he'd stayed up all night.

"Do you know the rules of the rapid inspection station?"

The young man sized up Cheng Ye, muttering something under his breath, showing no intention of taking the Identity Badge.

"No, I don't."

Cheng Ye honestly shook his head. "I was previously a trainee at the Central Main Checkpoint. This is my first time at the rapid inspection station, so I'm not familiar with any special rules here."

"It's good that you don't know."

The young man stood up and couldn't help but chuckle. "Inspector Cheng, you might not know this, but every Trainee Inspector who reports to the rapid inspection station must prove their capability is sufficient for the job on their first day."

"How... how do I prove that?"

"It's very simple." As the young man spoke, he picked up a few sheets of white paper and walked out of the room. Standing beside Cheng Ye, he pointed into the distance. "Do you see those trucks waiting to leave the city at the end of the passage? Yes, the third one. All the cargo declaration forms for that truck are here. But we discovered several items of cargo that don't match during our inspection."

"As long as you can find three discrepancies, you'll pass the reporting assessment."

Following the young man's direction, Cheng Ye squinted and observed.

There were six trucks currently undergoing inspection. The other five were driven by Xiren drivers, but the third one was driven by an Easterner.

"This simple?"

The young man paused, then a slightly mocking smile appeared. "It's that simple."

They wouldn't dare to make things difficult for Cheng Ye outside the rules, but within the rules, how interesting it would be to make the Easterner dogs fight each other.

"Pike, he's coming over. Have the truck close its doors."

"Got it."

Noticing Cheng Ye walking towards the truck, 'Pike,' who was responsible for the inspection, immediately put away the data sheets in his hands.

"Alright, sir, your cargo is fine."

"Really?"

The Easterner driver, who had been filled with anxiety, immediately let out a sigh of relief.

He usually entered and exited through South Station. But after the heavy rain last night, the road from the suburbs to South Station was completely blocked. He had no choice but to come to North Station to declare his cargo.

The appetites of these people were truly enormous. He had stuffed nearly two hundred Happiness Coins into them before they finally agreed to nod.

"Wait."

But just as the Easterner Driver was about to get into the car, Pike raised his hand again. "Sorry, a Trainee Inspector believes there's an issue with your cargo. Please step out of the vehicle for a secondary inspection."

"What?"

Following Pike's pointed direction, the Easterner Driver's face changed drastically.

Damn it.

He actually saw an Easterner Inspector at the North Checkpoint. What in the world was going on?

"M-Mister?"

Facing Cheng Ye, the driver was clearly flustered.

Normally, for minor matters like vehicle inspections, he might drive hundreds of times without ever encountering an Inspector personally handling it.

If it were at the South Station, it would be fine. After long-term arrangements, there were some familiar faces. But at the North Station...

If the contraband on his vehicle was discovered, he was as good as dead!

Industrial products smuggled out of Xingfu City could each sell for double or even triple the price of normal cargo.

The profit margin from the difference was huge. Because of the manifest, the checkpoint would take a large portion when entering the city. The driver only kept a tiny fraction. Everyone tacitly understood and let it slide.

But now, being intercepted before even leaving the city, the consequences of the contraband being exposed were unimaginable!

"I received a report from a staff member in the reporting office. Your vehicle's cargo doesn't match the manifest in several places, so I'm here to verify."

"Ah?" The driver's face instantly darkened. He couldn't help but glance at Pike.

However, what made his heart sink was that Pike happened to lower his head at that moment, clearly avoiding his questioning gaze.

Fine, fine, fine. You took the money and still reported me. You want me dead, don't you?

A hint of madness flashed in the driver's eyes. Even his gaze towards Cheng Ye became a bit more hostile.

But who would have thought...

"Don't be nervous. I remember you seem to be Old Zhang from the Autumn General Store in the East District, right?"

Cheng Ye casually fabricated a name, revealing a smile, and deliberately slowed his speech. "I even bought a charger for my Defense Communicator from your place before. What, you don't remember me?"

"A charger?"

The driver was clearly stunned. His surname was Bai, not Zhang. He had never even heard of an Autumn General Store in the East District.

But as Cheng Ye said this, the driver suddenly paused and realized there might still be a turn of events.

Since he could survive, his furious emotions vanished instantly. His eyes brightened, and he quickly replied, "Sir, how could I, Old Zhang, forget you? I just didn't expect to see you on duty at the North Station!"

"You're leaving the city in this downpour? The roads at the North Station are slippery during the rainy season, it's not easy to get out. Why didn't you go via the South Station?"

Cheng Ye circled the so-called truck and kicked at the burrs on the edge of the tire with his foot.

Xingfu City doesn't produce oil, so all the trucks are new energy battery vehicles. Their boxy shape strongly resembled the old era's Great Golden Cups.

"Sigh, to be honest, sir, I planned to leave through the South Station last night. The road is closer. Who knew the torrential rain lasted all night, and the water accumulation in the city was too deep to get through, so I had to detour to the North Station to borrow a path."

After all, he was a shrewd individual who had been running freight and smuggling for years.

'Old Zhang' replied subconsciously while his mind raced, pondering the specific words Cheng Ye had deliberately emphasized.

To survive long in this line of work, being perceptive isn't enough; quick wit in the face of danger is even more crucial.

The roads at the North Station are slippery during the rainy season.

North Station, slippery roads.

Extracting the keywords, Old Zhang swallowed and immediately realized what Cheng Ye was warning him about.

And the following phrase, "it's not easy to get out," didn't seal the deal, implying there was still room for maneuver.

As for why he didn't go via the South Station...

Aware of the conflict between the Dongren and Xiren at the checkpoints, Old Zhang's pupils constricted, and his mind instantly became clear.

"Sir, you know Old Zhang, and you must also know that Old Zhang never does anything illegal or against regulations."

"If there's really cargo that doesn't match the records, it definitely won't be my cargo. It must be from that group who came last night. They asked me to help them transport some goods."

"Oh? Who?"

A glint flashed in Cheng Ye's eyes, and he smiled with satisfaction, which further deepened Old Zhang's judgment.

He gritted his teeth and looked directly at Pike, saying, "It's Camilo Luke from the West District, a worker at the Wisteria Factory. He asked me to take some things to the settlement outside, saying it was pre-arranged."

"Wisteria Factory."

Pike's expression changed. The Xiren factory that specialized in small industrial goods, he wanted to say something.

But unexpectedly, Cheng Ye's expression turned serious, and he directly interrupted him, "Take it out and let me see. I heard there were three items, right? Perhaps these are the problematic items."

"Alright, sir, please wait a moment."

Opening the rear door of the Great Golden Cup, Old Zhang quickly took out three black oil-paper-wrapped packages from inside.

"Open!"

The oil paper package was peeled back from the edges, revealing colorful PCB boards, which were actually full of electronic components.

"How dare you! These are industrial goods explicitly prohibited by the Buffer Zone for personal export!"

Cheng Ye showed a hint of "anger": "Is this Camilo Luke tired of living? How dare he smuggle this kind of thing out."

"Alright, you can go. Today, I will investigate this thoroughly and see who dares to be so arrogant as to violate the rules of the Buffer Zone!"

"Yes, yes, sir."

Seeing Cheng Ye wave his hand, Old Zhang's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that he was truly destined not to die.

Although it seemed he had gotten involved in the East-West Faction dispute, he was determined that next time, even if the sky fell, he would enter and exit through the South Station. It would be fine to breach the contract if he couldn't.

To hell with this damned North Station and the motherless Xiren.

The large Jinbei van roared to life, leaving behind three bags wrapped in oil paper. The tires spun on the wet ground as it sped away.

Visibly, not only Pike's face was grim, but all the Xiren who saw this scene from afar looked as if they had eaten a dead fly.

That's it?

Picking up the oil paper package, Cheng Ye curled his lips. As expected, it was a child's trick, naive enough.

"Three copies, enough proof, right?"

"You're amazing." Taking the badge handed over by Cheng Ye, the young man's face turned uglier as he walked into the room and quickly typed on the keyboard to complete the onboarding procedures.

The young people outside the reporting office looked at each other, their expressions a mixture of surprise and shock, but more so a sense of helplessness, like young people with strength but nowhere to use it.

The expected dog-eat-dog scenario didn't happen. Cheng Ye lightly suppressed them with his influence, and the Easterner driver cooperated to shift the blame, pinning the hat on the Xiren.

"Jamie, I can't believe you're actually going to process his onboarding so easily?"

A voice came through the earphone. Jamie, who was about to hand the badge back to Cheng Ye, looked even more displeased.

"Your uncle was beaten by Liu Bi and sent to the infirmary. He's still receiving first aid."

"Shut up!"

Jamie cursed inwardly, but his fingertips inexplicably loosened their grip, and the badge "clattered" to the ground.

Water flowed gurgling on the road.

By the time he chased after it, the badge was already spinning in the current, swept towards the storm drain, and stuck in a pile of trash.

"Well done! Humiliate him like this, make him pick it up from the trash heap!"

The sound of laughter came through the earphone. A group of young people gathered around didn't understand what was happening, thinking Jamie was humiliating Cheng Ye in this way, and they all applauded softly.

This initially made Jamie a little flustered, but after being encouraged by their gazes, malice suddenly surged within him:

"Inspector Cheng, you dropped it yourself, are you going to make me help you pick it up?"

"Oh, really?"

Cheng Ye scratched his head and said honestly with a smile, "No need, I'll pick it up myself."

With that, he bent down and walked towards the drain. Amidst the snickers, he bent over and picked up the badge from the pile of garbage, casually wiping it on his pant leg.

"Hahaha, coward."

"With that kind of guts, you dare to come to our North Station?"

"An inspector rummaging through garbage, I've really seen it all!"

"."

The taunts rose one after another. Although it didn't cause any trouble for Cheng Ye, they took pleasure in this kind of spiritual insult.

Even Jamie showed a disdainful smile, as if he had led them to a victory against the Dongren.

"Hello, I've reported for duty."

Cheng Ye walked back, wiping the Identity Badge clean with his clothes. "Am I a North Station inspector now?"

Not knowing why Cheng Ye asked this, Jamie was stunned for a moment, then grunted through his nose.

But the next second, he suddenly froze.

He saw Cheng Ye, who had been smiling just moments ago, flick his wrist. The badge spun in an arc through the air and returned to the sewer the way it came.

"Go, pick it up for me!"

Ps: Here's 4.5k+ words. It's a shame the new book period rules don't allow for a massive update, otherwise I'd really want to drop over ten chapters at once, haha~

Ps2: The usual three requests are here again. I'm putting out my bowl, begging for Collections, Monthly Tickets, and Follow-up Readings~~