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 it was time to play it safe, he played it safe. When it was time to charge in, he didn't hesitate.
Following Raven's instructions, Cheng Ye swiped his Identity Badge over the Charging Pile. The charging head immediately began supplying power.
He took the charging head down and pretended to inspect the gun. In reality, his right hand manifested the Pendant and gently pressed it against the gun.
To his surprise, while charging from a Power Strip, the Collector Pendant could only stay lodged outside the socket. But now it went straight into the gun's body.
"Ah, did it clip through?"
Cheng Ye lifted the gun's muzzle in surprise and peered inside. He could just make out a glint from the Pendant near the top of the muzzle. Unless you looked closely, you'd never notice there was something lodged inside.
"Could it be because the Charging Gun Circuit is inside?"
This was a major discovery!
Cheng Ye was delighted. His thoughts raced as he realized how he could "steal electricity" from now on.
If the Pendant needed to form a circuit to absorb energy, then everything made sense.
The live and neutral wires in a Power Strip were close together, so the Pendant only had to be lodged on the outside. But the Charging Gun's positive and negative terminals were separated by about the length of a little finger, so it had to go inside to touch both at once.
"This is great. If I hide it inside, I don't have to worry about anyone noticing."
After last night's major blackout, he had discovered that he couldn't just throw this Pendant away whenever he wanted.
At the slightest sign of trouble, it immediately sounded an alarm.
And thanks to its recall function, which worked within ten meters, Cheng Ye could summon it back with a thought, even if someone took it.
Of course, hiding it inside the gun without anyone noticing was still the safest option.
"Sweet!"
Cheng Ye summoned the Collector Panel.
He noticed that the lightning symbol in the upper-right corner, which indicated that the Pendant was charging, had changed as well.
When he used 2.5 kW AC power, the symbol was a faint gray, as if it might fade away at any moment.
Now that he'd switched to 7 kW DC Electricity, the symbol had solidified into a steady gray and remained fixed on the interface.
When he focused his thoughts, two lines of smaller text appeared beneath it.
[Current replenishment rate: Weak (Level 3 energy)] [Time until Charge Value is full: 13.32h]
"It can finally show how long charging will take, and there's even a description of the replenishment rate?"
He hadn't expected the panel to keep adding new features.
Cheng Ye watched it for a while, fascinated.
So electricity wasn't the lowest level of energy after all. It could actually reach Level 3?
"While I'm on duty, no one is allowed to touch this pile without my permission. Understood?"
He hung the charging head back on the Charging Pile.
Cheng Ye thought for a moment, then turned to Raven and Owl and gave them a stern warning.
The two hurriedly nodded. "Don't worry, sir. This is our Checkpoint's Private Pile. Anyone who dares to charge secretly is stealing public assets from the Checkpoint. The rules say that's punishable by death!"
"Mm."
Since charging was tied to battery wear and tear, and Private Piles were one of the Duty Inspector's sources of income, ordinary people wouldn't dare steal electricity unless they were tired of living.
The only possible concern was that Raven and Owl might take advantage of his not using the pile and secretly sell favors to others.
But after this warning, Cheng Ye believed they wouldn't have the nerve.
"Come on. Show me the other warehouses!"
After leaving the garage, Cheng Ye headed to the other three warehouses in Quarantine Zone A.
First was Warehouse No. 3. It was about the same size as the garage, and rows of Nutrient Paste boxes and various isolation supplies were neatly stacked inside. Two rows of shelves stood in the corner, loaded with Bullet Boxes.
As for the "contraband" Raven had mentioned, Cheng Ye didn't see any.
But these goods were a major source of extra income for Duty Inspectors. No one would forget to take them home at the end of their shift, let alone leave them here to be cleared out by the Checkpoint after seven days.
"With all the rain lately, Nutrient Paste might be hard to buy outside. If you need some, sir, feel free to take a couple of boxes when your shift ends," Raven reminded him, pointing to the Nutrient Paste stacked in the corner.
Cheng Ye gave a noncommittal "Mm," but had no intention of taking any Nutrient Paste.
With a Duty Inspector's authority, there were countless ways to get Happiness Coins. He had no need to resort to such an obvious method.
Besides, he had gradually figured out the Checkpoint's rules for survival:
When others took a lot, he took a little.
When others took a little, he took nothing.
That way, even if the High Level figures in Xingfu City suddenly launched an anti-corruption campaign, he wouldn't be the first one in their sights.
"Let's see the Isolation Pod."
Isolation Chamber No. 1 stood next to Warehouse No. 3.
The two buildings stood side by side, but their styles couldn't have been more different.
Built from thick reinforced concrete, the Isolation Pod was shaped like a rectangular fortress. Rows of tiny ventilation windows lined both side walls, each only about five centimeters long and wide. It looked much like a modern prison, with an oppressive, forbidding air.
After rounding the corner and reaching the front, they were met by a damp, moldy stench wafting from the rough, heavy walls.
At the center stood a thick sliding steel door, as heavy as a floodgate. Two lines of glaring slogans had been painted across it in yellow:
[Isolation is an honor. Escape is a crime.] [Isolation for Xingfu City. Isolation for the future of humanity.]
Cheng Ye had expected the place to hold, at most, a few Three Nos.
But before he even got close, he could hear the racket inside. It sounded like a bustling market.
"How many people are in isolation?"
"271."
"Are you kidding me? That many?"
If these were all the people in isolation at North Station, that would be one thing. But one Quarantine Zone A had nearly three hundred people locked up?
How many people left the city each day? Did everyone have to stay here for a few days before they could leave?
Cheng Ye's brow twitched. He watched Raven verify his identity as the Isolation Pod's doors slowly slid open.
Dampness, rot, and the sour stink of sweat. The foul air rushed toward them, so thick it seemed to sting their nostrils.
Inside, the Isolation Pod really did resemble a modern prison.
Metal walkways crisscrossed the interior, and the Isolation Chambers were packed tightly together like a honeycomb.
Each cramped space was less than five square meters. Four iron bunks were stacked two high, leaving only a narrow passage and a waste outlet in the corner. People were crammed inside like sardines in a tin.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned toward them at once. Some were blank, some dull, some feral. A few let out startled exclamations when they saw Cheng Ye was a Dongren.
Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. Rather than retreat, he strode a few steps forward and met their gazes.
The heads that had risen were visibly bobbing like waves before an invisible giant hand slammed them down. In a moment, they had all lowered their heads again.
Heh.
Quite a few people had seen how young he was and thought he'd be an easy target.
They didn't realize that once they entered this place, they had already handed their right to survive over to someone else.
If a corrupt Duty Inspector decided to lock them up with a high-risk Infected, they'd have practically no chance of surviving.
"Wait."
Cheng Ye reacted quickly, his thoughts instantly picking up speed.
If they'd handed their right to survive over to someone else, didn't that mean the people here would be more likely to raise their Cooperation Degree than those being examined in Isolation Cages?
The odds of finding a "Golden Legend" might not be as high as carefully searching outside, but at least here he had a steady supply of targets!
The thought sparked his interest. Cheng Ye's gaze swept back and forth across the Isolation Pod.
He had a chance right now. If he found a suitable target, what was the harm in searching him once?
After all, with the Charging Pile replenishing his energy, he'd be able to save up for another search by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
That was clearly better than passively stockpiling searches and waiting for a target to appear. The faster he improved his strength, the better.
"Sir, sir, I've been in isolation for seven days already. Please let me out!"
"Sir, I can prove I'm definitely not infected. Just look at how energetic I am! I'm a purebred workhorse. I work hard every day— even viruses can't bear to infect me!"
"Sir, I'm reporting him. He... he's definitely infected. Every night he stares at my ass, and he's always putting his hands on me!"
"Sir..."
As Cheng Ye walked down the passage, the people in the Isolation Chambers clung to the bars and shouted like madmen.
When he heard someone making an accusation, Cheng Ye instinctively turned his head.
Good grief, what a bear of a man!
Round face, buzz cut, little mustache—the burly man shouting about reporting someone was exactly what Cheng Ye's stereotypes had led him to expect.
As for the man he'd accused, well, Cheng Ye wouldn't have been surprised if the two of them had turned out to be identical twins.
"Sir, I was joking with him. How could I possibly be infected?"
"Sir, he's lying! Last night, he shoved his sock into my mouth so I couldn't call for help!"
Right.
So they were having fun with it, huh?
Too lazy to get involved in their love-hate drama, Cheng Ye realized he might be part of their little play.
He shook his head and continued on.
The world was vast and full of wonders.
The survivors who had traveled all this way were already a mixed lot, but these people locked in the Isolation Pod really showed just how wide the gulf between people could be.
He needed to find a suitable search target—
Suddenly, Cheng Ye stopped in front of Isolation Chamber No. 48.
What a powerful-looking man!
On the lower bunk of bed No. 2 sat a man nearly as big as Brother B.
He was as tall as a steel tower, with muscles knotted like cables. The exposed forearms bulged with veins, and his bristly hair stood up like steel needles. He radiated the kind of strength that seemed ready to explode at any moment.
"You. Come here!"
The man looked stunned when Cheng Ye called to him, then bent forward slightly and leaned toward the Isolation Cage.
"What's your name?"
"Barrett Stuart."
"When were you locked up?"
"Four days ago."
"Why?"
"Because I was the only one left alive out of our team of eight, so the Duty Inspector decided I was at high risk of infection. I have to stay in isolation here for fifteen days before I can leave."
"Fifteen days? That's a long time."
Cheng Ye kept his expression neutral and silently opened the panel.
[Barrett, 57%, searchable categories: intel, items, skills]
Sure enough, people locked in the Isolation Pod didn't need much persuasion to reach a Cooperation Degree above fifty percent.
Cheng Ye didn't hesitate. He immediately triggered the search with a thought.
He wasn't asking for much. He just wanted to find a skill that would increase his Combat Power.
But the next second, the panel that appeared before him sent shockwaves through his heart.
[Search successful!] [Barrett Stuart (Parasitic Ecosystem)]
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