The checkpoint had six zones in total: A, B, C, D, E, and F.
Zones E and F were each twice the size of the other four. This determined the checkpoint's layout: Zones A, B, C, and D were lined up across the front, with Zone E behind A and B, and Zone F behind C and D, forming a "four in front, two behind" arrangement.
The Station Chief Office was on the sixth floor of the Administration Building in Zone E. As the highest point in the entire checkpoint, its floor-to-ceiling windows offered a sweeping view of the whole area.
Down the stairs and through three Isolation Retractable Doors, one entered the checkpoint's Core Area.
The Isolation Inspection Area.
The four zones were strictly separated by wire fencing, ensuring independent inspections while allowing for isolation and control in emergencies.
Behind the four zones, a Secondary Isolation Passage about twenty meters wide stretched from east to west.
The passage served two purposes. Normally, it was used to disinfect people and supplies that had passed inspection. If Infected ran amok in any zone, it could immediately become a Fire Interception Belt, forming the checkpoint's first line of defense.
What surprised Cheng Ye was that each Quarantine Zone had also been carefully divided into two sections.
The front half was the Quarantine Area, where people entering the checkpoint underwent an initial screening.
The rear half was the Observation Area, where people suspected of infection underwent more thorough testing and short-term isolation.
Through the wire fencing, Cheng Ye could see that although the Observation Area was open to the sky, it contained four huge warehouses and a few simple shelters.
"Zone A mainly handles the Quarantine Convoy. Just go through this door."
Raul led Cheng Ye to the Isolation Gate leading into Zone A, pressed the intercom by the entrance, and said a few words. Less than half a minute later, two staff members came jogging out.
"This is Cheng Ye, the Duty Inspector in charge of quarantine in Zone A today. Show him around and familiarize him with the layout."
"Uh..." The two staff members clearly froze when they saw Cheng Ye's East Asian features.
Only after repeatedly confirming that Cheng Ye was a pure-blooded Dongren, not mixed-race, did they exchange a glance, reading the same suspicion in each other's eyes:
Could Raul be speaking in reverse, hinting that they should give this Dongren inspector a hard time?
But they were only Observers, there to do odd jobs and lend a hand. How could they dare make things difficult for a Duty Inspector?
"Idiots. Since when is it your place to get involved in the Factional Struggle?" Raul rubbed his forehead in exasperation, his tone irritated.
Ever since the balance between the East and West Factions had been broken a few months ago, the conflict had gradually affected everyone at the checkpoint.
Now even the Observers wanted to get involved. Were they trying to get themselves killed?
"East or West, it doesn't matter. If you cross an inspector, one word from him is all it takes to get you killed."
"Understood?"
"Ah, yes. Understood."
The two nodded hastily. Though Raul had chewed them out, they felt relieved.
Compared to offending an inspector and losing their jobs, a little scolding was nothing.
At the same time, they couldn't help wondering. Raul was the Deputy Station Chief's son, and always had his nose in the air.
Who exactly was this Dongren, that Raul had personally "escorted" him to his post and specifically told them to cooperate?
"Inspector Cheng, I'll leave you to it."
"Thanks."
Cheng Ye nodded and slipped through the open Isolation Gate.
As the Metal Door Panel closed behind him, the Isolation Purifier mounted overhead kicked on and blew a gust of air that stirred the blond hair on Raul's forehead.
Watching the figure disappear, a hint of confusion rose in Raul's eyes, but it was soon replaced by something deeper.
"Inspector Cheng, only the inspectors at the Quick Inspection Area rotate through daily duty. Unless a staff member dies or something else unexpected happens, staff usually serve in three-month shifts."
"Our shift has two months left. While you're on duty, we'll serve as your Assistant Observers."
"Observers don't have names. You can just call us by our codenames."
"I'm Raven. I'll handle odd jobs for you, like fetching supplies, testing wounds, tracing infection sources, organizing documents, and calling the Cleanup Squad. Just tell me what you need."
"He's Owl. He's in charge of security, basically your Combat Assistant. If you think inspecting an Infected might be dangerous, just send him in."
"And if we die, don't worry. Our replacements will inherit our codenames and continue serving as your assistants."
Raven and Owl walked ahead, explaining everything with serious expressions.
The Quick Checkpoint had a very simple hierarchy.
The Duty Inspector ranked highest, followed by two Observers, then the staff and guards.
Cheng Ye nodded from time to time, thinking that having Raul bring him here had been a brilliant move. It saved him the trouble of figuring everything out on his own when he first arrived at the Quick Checkpoint.
Amid the pungent smell of Chemical Potion, the three of them passed through an Isolation Disinfection Passage more than ten meters long and finally entered the rear half of the isolation area in Quarantine Zone A.
His first impression was that it felt a bit like stepping inside a stadium.
The isolation area was about two hundred meters long and a hundred meters wide. Its floor wasn't covered with the epoxy flooring used in Zone E, but with Alloy Floor, the sort found only in the Inner City.
Gutters crisscrossed the floor, and rainwater was now pouring through them from above.
The open ground to one side held the four warehouses he'd seen earlier through the wire fencing.
Now that he was closer, Cheng Ye noticed that the warehouses were different sizes and built from different materials. They stood about twenty meters apart.
The first two were made from modular metal sandwich panels, commonly used in the Buffer Zone. Cheng Ye knew the material well. Their silver-gray surfaces were coated against corrosion, and the panels fit together seamlessly. They had a service life of up to fifty years.
But the two warehouses farther back were a little strange.
Noticing Cheng Ye's confusion, Raven immediately explained, "Because Quarantine Zone A is responsible for inspecting vehicles, its layout is a little different from the other three zones. The biggest difference is that we have a warehouse specifically for storing vehicles. That's the one right in front of you, Vehicle Warehouse No. 4."
"Apart from this warehouse, the other three are:
"Isolation Chamber No. 1, for people whose quarantine results are inconclusive. The Duty Inspector decides how long they're isolated, but they must remain there for at least seventy-two hours to make sure no Infection Source is living inside them.
"Living Quarters No. 2, where staff and guards live. Unlike you, we can't leave when our shift ends. We have to stay here for the entire three-month duty rotation.
"Supply Room No. 3, where food, daily necessities, and epidemic-prevention supplies are stored, along with some prohibited goods confiscated from outsiders. If there's anything in there you're interested in, you can take it. The checkpoint collects whatever remains on a regular seven-day cycle."
As expected of the Quick Checkpoint, the pride of Xingfu City. Every zone was equipped so thoroughly.
Quarantine Zone A had even built a whole garage.
Cheng Ye stopped and peered curiously into the nearest one, Vehicle Warehouse No. 4.
Since the Isolation Chambers took up much of the Observation Area's open space, the garage had been squeezed into a corner and wasn't very large.
The interior was cramped. Six Jinbei vans were parked nose to tail, almost filling the entire space.
Wait!
Cheng Ye's sweeping gaze abruptly stopped. His pupils shrank as he stared in disbelief at the garage wall.
Could it really be true that a great battle was always followed by supplies?
There were six brand-new charging piles mounted in a neat row on the wall of Shed No. 1, three on the left and three on the right!
The three silver-gray charging piles on the left had slim cables barely two fingers wide. Judging from experience, they were probably 7 kW slow chargers.
But the three gray-blue charging piles on the right had cables as thick as his forearm. They must have a minimum output of 60 kW.
60 kW?
Cheng Ye felt his thoughts explode with a bang. For a moment, he couldn't think at all.
He'd searched high and low, only to find it here without any trouble at all.
What did this mean?
If he charged at home all night, even if he drew the maximum 2.5 kW every moment, he could only get about twenty kilowatt-hours.
But if he could connect to one of these charging piles, he'd get sixty kilowatt-hours in an hour.
He was on duty for eight hours a day. If he could charge the whole time, wouldn't that be...
480 kilowatt-hours?
What did that even mean?
It meant he could go from using Search once every three days to using it four times a day.
"M-Mister?"
The two men had continued walking ahead, planning to show Cheng Ye how the inspection process worked.
But when they turned around, they found him standing motionless in front of the garage, his eyes blazing.
How could they describe it?
It was as if his longed-for dream girl were standing inside the garage, beckoning to him.
"Start by telling me about the Observation Area."
Cheng Ye took a few deep breaths, forcing down his excitement and doing his best to look normal.
It wasn't that he was overreacting.
Even though he could equip only three skills at a time, any surplus Search results could be converted into information points, which he needed to raise his Collector Rank.
With four Search attempts a day, even if he succeeded just once, he'd gain information points much faster.
And if he could advance beyond Intern Lv. 1 soon and reach Lv. 2, he'd unlock access to search for higher-level Lv. 3 skills.
What changes would equipping a Lv. 3 skill bring?
Cheng Ye couldn't imagine. But he knew it was the fastest way for him to put down roots in the Wasteland!
Before you continue