Isolation Pod, Abundant Search Targets!

Since everyone was doing their best to profit within the rules, Cheng Ye had no reason to put on airs.

His motto was simple: "Go all out!"

When he needed to back down, he'd back down completely. When he needed to be bold, he wouldn't hesitate.

Following Raven's instructions, he swiped his Identity Badge on the Charging Pile, and the pile immediately entered power supply mode.

He removed the nozzle and pretended to examine the gun body, but in reality, he manifested the pendant on his right hand and gently attached it.

Surprisingly, while the Collector Pendant could only latch onto the outside of the socket when charging from a power strip, it now directly sank into the gun body.

"Huh? Did it clip through the model?"

Cheng Ye raised the gun head in surprise and looked inside, only to vaguely see a bit of the pendant's luster at the tip of the nozzle. If you weren't paying attention, you wouldn't notice something was stuck inside.

"Could it be because the Charging Gun Circuit is internal?"

This was a major discovery!

Cheng Ye's spirits lifted, and his thoughts raced as he realized the secret to "stealing electricity" from now on.

If the pendant needed to form a circuit to absorb energy, then everything made sense.

The Live-Neutral Wire of a power strip was close together, so it only needed to latch onto the outside. But the positive and negative poles of a charging gun were separated by a distance of about a pinky finger's length, requiring it to go deep inside to make contact with both simultaneously.

"This is great! Hiding it directly inside means I don't have to worry about anyone noticing anything unusual."

After the blackout last night, he had discovered that this pendant couldn't just be discarded at will.

It would immediately issue an alarm if any unexpected situation arose.

Coupled with the ten-meter recall mechanism, even if someone took the pendant, Cheng Ye could recall it with a single thought.

Of course, hiding it invisibly inside the gun body like this was undoubtedly the most secure method.

"Awesome!"

Cheng Ye summoned the Collector Panel.

He noticed that the charging number in the upper right corner, along with the Lightning Symbol indicating charging, had changed.

When using 2.5kw AC electricity, the symbol was a pale gray, as if it might vanish at any moment.

Now, switching to 7kw DC electricity, the symbol had solidified into a tangible gray, stably fixed on the interface.

As he focused his thoughts, two lines of smaller text appeared in a pop-up description.

[Current Replenishment Efficiency: Weak (Lv.3 Energy)]

[Time remaining until Charge Value is full: 13.32h]

"It finally shows the charging time, and there's even a description of charging efficiency?"

I didn't expect this panel to keep updating its functions.

Cheng Ye looked at it for a while, finding it quite novel.

So electrical energy isn't the lowest-level energy source; it can actually reach Lv.3?

"From now on, when I'm on duty, no one is allowed to touch this pile without my permission, understand?"

He hung the gun barrel back onto the charging pile.

Cheng Ye thought for a moment, then turned to Raven and Owl to instruct them.

The two nodded repeatedly and promised, "Don't worry, sir, this is our checkpoint's private pile. Anyone who dares to charge secretly is stealing our checkpoint's public assets, and according to the rules, they'll die!!"

"Mm."

Since charging is linked to battery wear, and private piles are one of the inspectors' sources of income, ordinary people really wouldn't dare to steal electricity unless they were tired of living.

The only hidden danger was that Raven and Owl might sell favors to others if he didn't use it for a long time.

But after this warning, Cheng Ye believed they wouldn't have the guts.

"Let's go, take me to see the other warehouses!"

Leaving the garage, Cheng Ye went to the other three warehouses in Quarantine Zone A.

The first was Warehouse No. 3. Its area was similar to the garage. Inside, boxes of Nutrient Paste were neatly stacked, along with various isolation supplies. In the corner stood two rows of shelves, filled with Bullet Boxes.

As for the 'Contraband' that Raven mentioned, Cheng Ye didn't see any.

However, since such goods were the main source of extra income for duty inspectors, it was unlikely anyone would forget to take them when they got off duty, let alone store them here to be cleared by the checkpoint after seven days.

"There's been continuous heavy rain lately, so it might be hard to buy Nutrient Paste outside. If you need it, Inspector, you can take two boxes when you change shifts."

Raven pointed to the Nutrient Paste stacked in the corner and reminded him.

Cheng Ye grunted noncommittally, but he had no intention of taking the Nutrient Paste.

With the authority of an inspector, there were countless ways to earn Happiness Coins, so there was no need to resort to such blatant methods.

Besides, during this time, he had gradually figured out the survival rules of the checkpoint:

If others are greatly corrupt, I will be slightly corrupt. If others are slightly corrupt, I will not be corrupt.

This way, even if the Xingfu City higher-ups suddenly decided to clean up their act, the spotlight wouldn't immediately fall on him.

"Let's go check out the isolation chambers."

Next to Warehouse No. 3 was Isolation Chamber No. 1.

Though built adjacent to each other, their styles were vastly different.

Constructed from thick concrete, the isolation chamber resembled a rectangular fortress. Rows of small ventilation windows dotted its side walls, each only about five centimeters square, reminiscent of modern prisons and exuding an air of strictness and oppression.

Rounding the corner to the front, the thick, rough outer walls gave off a damp, moldy smell.

The sliding isolation steel door in the center was as heavy as a gate, its surface painted with two striking slogans in yellow:

[Quarantine is an honor, evasion is a crime]

[Quarantine for Xingfu City, quarantine for the future of humanity]

In Cheng Ye's imagination, this place would at most hold "Three Nos" individuals.

But in reality, before he even got close, he could already hear the noise inside, as chaotic as a marketplace.

"How many people are in quarantine?"

"271 people."

Are you crazy? So many people?

If this were all the quarantined people from North Station, fine. But nearly three hundred people in just Quarantine Zone A?

How many people leave the city each day? Does everyone have to stay here for a few days before they can leave?

Cheng Ye's brow twitched. He stared at Raven, verifying his identity, as the isolation warehouse doors slowly slid open to the sides.

Dampness, rot, the stench of sweat. A mixed, turbid air assaulted him, hitting his nostrils with tangible force.

Looking inside, the isolation chamber's layout indeed mimicked a modern prison.

Interlocking metal corridors ran through its interior, with isolation chambers arranged tightly in a honeycomb pattern.

Each cramped space, less than five square meters, contained four stacked iron bunk beds, leaving only a narrow passageway and a corner sewage outlet. People were packed in like sardines in a can.

Hundreds of eyes simultaneously turned towards them, some vacant, some dull, some savage. A portion of them, upon realizing Cheng Ye was a Dongren, showed a flicker of surprised curiosity.

Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, advancing instead of retreating. After a few steps forward, he met their gazes.

Visibly, heads rose like a surging tide, only to be forcefully pushed down as if by an invisible giant hand, and then quickly lowered again.

Heh.

Many people, seeing his youth, thought he was a soft persimmon they could easily bully.

Little did they know that once inside, the right to survive had already been handed over to others.

If a black-hearted Inspector were to put them in with a high-risk Infected, it would be a desperate situation with almost certain death.

"Wait."

Cheng Ye reacted quickly, his mind instantly buzzing with thoughts.

Since the right to survive was given to others, didn't that mean people here would be more cooperative than when they were in the Isolation Cage undergoing inspection?

Although the probability of triggering a "Golden Legend" might not be as high as carefully observing them outside, at least he had a stable target to search for!

With this in mind, Cheng Ye's interest immediately piqued, and his gaze swept back and forth across the isolation pods.

Now was a perfect opportunity. If he could find a suitable target, what harm would there be in searching him once?

After all, with the Charging Pile to replenish his energy, he could gather enough chances for another search by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.

Compared to passively accumulating chances and waiting for a target to appear, improving his strength as quickly as possible was clearly more worthwhile.

"Sir, sir, I've been isolated for seven days, please let me out!"

"Sir, I can prove I haven't been infected at all. Look at my spirit, a purebred Cattle and Horses, working diligently every day. Even the virus wouldn't dare to infect me!"

"Sir, I report him! He... he's definitely infected. He stares at my butt every night and often touches me inappropriately!"

"Sir..."

As Cheng Ye walked down the corridor, the people in the isolation pods clung to the railings and shouted like madmen.

Hearing someone make a report, Cheng Ye instinctively turned his head.

Holy cow!

A round face, buzz cut, and a small mustache. The burly man shouting the report fit Cheng Ye's stereotype perfectly.

As for the person he was reporting, well, he wouldn't be surprised if the two were cast from the same mold.

"Sir, I was just joking with him, how could I be infected?"

"Sir, he's lying! Last night he stuffed his socks in my mouth and wouldn't let me call for help!"

Fine.

So they wanted to play games.

Too lazy to deal with their love-hate drama, Cheng Ye realized he was likely a part of their little game.

Cheng Ye shook his head and continued walking forward.

The Great Thousand Worlds held all sorts of wonders.

The survivors who had rushed here from afar were already a mixed bag, but the people locked in the isolation pods truly showcased what a vast disparity meant.

He wanted to find a suitable search subject.

Suddenly, Cheng Ye's steps halted as he stopped before isolation pod number '48'.

What a robust man!

On the lower bunk of bed number 2 sat a man whose physique was comparable to Brother B's.

Tall as an iron tower, with muscles coiled like steel cables, veins bulging on his exposed forearms like needles, his hair standing on end, the man exuded a sense of explosive power.

"You, come here!"

Called by Cheng Ye, the man paused, slightly hunching his body as he leaned towards the isolation cage.

"What's your name?"

"Barrett Stuart."

"When were you locked up?"

"Four days ago."

"Reason?"

"Because out of our entire team of eight, I was the only one left alive. So the Inspector deemed I had a high infection risk and needed to be quarantined here for 15 days before I could leave."

"15 days? That long?"

Cheng Ye remained impassive, secretly opening his panel.

[Barrett, 57%, Searchable Scope: Information, Items, Skills]

As expected, people locked in isolation pods didn't require much coercion; their cooperation rate could easily exceed 50%.

Without hesitation, Cheng Ye immediately used his Thought to initiate the search.

He wasn't asking for much, just a skill that could increase his combat power.

However, the next second, as he looked at the panel that appeared before him, his heart was thrown into turmoil.

[Search Successful!]

[Barrett Stuart (Parasitic Ecosystem)]