New Function, Action Points, Infinite Uses!

Inner City Lord?

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, not asking if he could pretend not to hear and not go to the rescue.

In principle, this was impossible.

Inspectors held extremely high status in the Buffer Zone, but within the entire power structure of Xingfu City.

Their role was essentially similar to Sentinels: they could act decisively externally but had to abide by rules internally.

To put it more plainly, Xingfu City was like a residential compound, and the Inspectors were the compound's security guards.

Even if this security guard had a gun, power, and personnel, and was far more imposing than a five-star general of Country Garden, they couldn't stand by and watch the "homeowners" of the Inner City suffer.

This was a fundamental issue, as the security guards' salaries were paid by the property fees collected from the homeowners.

If such basic rules weren't followed, there would be no point in everyone scrambling to get into the Inner City; they might as well all become security guards and lord it over the homeowners.

"When no one is queuing, can I go rest in the back?"

"Let alone when no one is queuing, even if there are people queuing, if an Inspector wants to rest, who would dare stop him?"

Raven said frankly, without reservation: "As long as there are no Inner City Lords waiting for inspection, it's fine to make ordinary people wait outside all day. We'll let them in when they're obedient and the Lord is in a good mood."

The implication was that the North Station was still practicing the "entry fee" system commonly used by the Xiren.

Those who paid got in first; those who didn't had to wait outside.

"Okay, you two can go rest in the back. I'll sit here."

"Alright, I'll go get you a rain umbrella."

It was undoubtedly good news that they didn't have to wait with the Inspector in the Quarantine Zone.

After all, they had their own work to do. Just organizing the data of those quarantined individuals took a long time, often requiring them to work overtime until two or three in the morning to finish.

The two exchanged a look, turned around with joy, and soon returned with a large umbrella, which they firmly secured to the edge of the table and opened.

Cheng Ye casually crossed his legs and sat down, sipping his Nutrient Paste while watching the queue in the adjacent Zone B grow longer and longer.

He had to admit, it was quite pleasant.

The Inspector job was great. As long as your strength was sufficient, you wouldn't encounter any trouble.

Everyone had to respect you and obey you.

As long as the disobedient weren't Inner City Lords, you could execute them first and report later without bearing any responsibility.

Even better, Inspectors controlled the safety lifeline of the entire Buffer Zone. The stricter the inspections, the more ordinary residents would praise and adore them.

It truly lived up to that saying: as long as interests align, even great scholars will debate scripture for me.

Who would dare criticize the Inspector?

In minutes, he'd be drowned in the spittle of hundreds of thousands of residents in the Buffer Zone!

"That's not right, why do I feel like I've skipped decades of detours in life?"

As Cheng Ye thought, his smile froze.

Damn it, this security guard job really grinds down one's fighting spirit. He had planned to make a big splash at the Checkpoint.

But after sitting down for just a few minutes, he was already so comfortable he could barely keep his eyes open.

No.

He had to pull himself together!

Finishing the remaining Nutrient Paste in one gulp, Cheng Ye sat up and began to review his actions today.

Bullying a bunch of brats was nothing to talk about. These Second Generation Heirs were naive, almost like modern people.

Playing those convoluted games in the Wasteland, if they encountered truly ruthless characters, they probably wouldn't even know how they died.

As for Station Chief Towns...

Cheng Ye vaguely felt someone standing behind the screen when he was talking, but he couldn't be entirely sure.

But then he thought, even if someone was there, it wouldn't matter. He hadn't shown the slightest abnormality the entire time.

"As for getting 90 points without firing a shot."

Cheng Ye shook his head inwardly.

If he had really gotten 90 points from Towns, he wouldn't be lying here so comfortably right now.

People fear fame like pigs fear fattening.

Appearing too intelligent wouldn't change Ding Yishan's opinion of him in the short term.

But in the eyes of the West Faction, the implications would be entirely different.

There would be no shortage of difficulties, no shortage of targeting, and they would even constantly test his limits, creating all sorts of unnecessary high-pressure scenarios.

So, carrying the title of a brute was actually a good thing in the short term.

"Next is to bide my time and hide my strength. I need to survive the first week first, and give Ding Yishan some time to realize my changes."

"And with the Slow Charging Pile replenishing energy, I can still conduct four more searches before the rotation ends."

"With my current strength, I can make significant progress just by searching for any skill!"

While deep in thought, Cheng Ye suddenly remembered that after he searched for the Barrett and canceled the search, the Collector had returned double the Action Points.

At this moment, he opened his panel with a Thought.

"Hiss, how come these Action Points unlocked a new function?"

His gaze swept across, and Cheng Ye suddenly stopped.

Initially, he thought Action Points were a minor sub-function, enhancing the search function.

He hadn't expected an "Action" option to appear alongside the "Search" function.

Were they not integrated, but mutually independent?

This made Cheng Ye instantly excited.

The search function alone had brought about earth-shattering changes to his strength.

Could this newly unlocked Action function also greatly enhance his combat power?

And one point was very important: a failed search would always yield Action Points, with only the quantity varying.

This meant that before his three skill slots were filled and he could no longer expand new slots or change skills to improve his strength, Action Points would only accumulate.

After all, as his strength increased, the bonus from LV.1 skills would gradually decrease, and he would eventually aim for LV.2 skills.

But the success rate of searching across levels was only 25%, so the probability of obtaining Action Points would naturally increase significantly.

Moreover, sometimes abandoning an operation after searching for an Infected could even grant double Action Points.

"Search is already so powerful, I hope Action isn't some lame gimmick."

"The rougher, the better; the more brainless, the better; don't go easy on this weakling Collector like me!"

Cheng Ye prayed silently in his heart and opened the Action function with a Thought.

The interface stuttered slightly, as if loading.

After about four or five seconds, a brand-new function panel appeared before his eyes.

[Action]

[This function is a derivative add-on to 'Search,' designed to perfectly utilize the energy consumed during failed searches.]

[Used wisely, it can help the Collector save time and significantly improve information-gathering efficiency.]

[Function Introduction: When the Collector is performing a repetitive event, using Action Points can substitute for rapid completion.]

[Current Remaining Action Points: 4 (lv.1)]

[Current Actionable Targets: The Collector can automatically search for targets within 10 meters by silently reciting action function commands.]

[Please be aware of the following precautions:

1. Action targets must be within the Collector's ability range. Slightly exceeding it will display the required unlock conditions.

2. The effects generated by Action Points will automatically perform biological perception shielding and non-biological monitoring shielding to ensure the rationality of action logic. Please use them with confidence, Collector.

3. Action Point level is linked to the Collector's job level. Increasing job level can unlock more action directions.]

"Repeat an event, use Action Points to quickly complete it?"

He skimmed over the tedious descriptions, focusing only on the summarized points at the beginning.

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, suddenly feeling that this function seemed a little familiar.

Recalling his memories.

Around the years 2013 to 2020, many time-gated, pay-to-win mobile games emerged, especially in the RTS (Real-Time Strategy) genre. Games like "Certain Land of Shore," "Certain Falling Conflict," and "Certain Room War."

When players first entered the game and built structures, it would only take a few seconds, tens of seconds, or at most a minute to complete, quickly establishing the framework of their territory.

But at a certain point, construction times would start to skyrocket: from one minute to ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour, or even days, completely deviating from normal growth logic.

Some impatient players found that the game also offered acceleration options.

By purchasing acceleration items with real money, players could directly shorten the time by several times, or even eliminate waiting altogether.

As a result, it was common to see a wealthy player single-handedly dominating a league of dozens of people.

"But there's a slight difference. In those games, all targets were pre-set by the developers, and players were merely puppet masters paying to win. However, the Collector's action function allows me to set the targets."

"Let's test the effect first."

Cheng Ye's mind stirred, and following the panel's instructions, he searched for targets around him.

In an instant, a blue light, the same color as the panel, spread out from him as the center, covering a radius of ten meters.

A magical phenomenon occurred: all objects swept by the blue light began to emit a faint, ethereal glow.

The alloy floor, the table in front of him, the rain umbrella stuck in the corner of the table, the backpack on the tabletop...

All items shimmered with a clear blue light under the sunlight, as if imbued with a special life.

"Can others not see this?"

Cheng Ye's heart leaped in surprise, and he quickly glanced around with his peripheral vision.

Only a few people in the queue next door in Zone B glanced over, but they weren't reacting to anything unusual. They were just looking around out of boredom.

"So it really is only I who can see this."

The blue scanning waves in his vision were so clear they seemed tangible, yet no one else could see them.

This put Cheng Ye's mind at ease, and he began to study the changes brought about by the blue light.

"As for action targets."

He definitely couldn't choose anything from the quarantine area. If the action succeeded, it would alert people to the anomaly.

Cheng Ye's gaze swept across the table and quickly locked onto the backpack on it.

He had bought this backpack from a wanderer's stall on the street after he transmigrated.

It had a few holes on the side and looked old overall, but its reasonable structural design, load-bearing capacity, and durability were far superior to the flashy junk sold in the general store.

Cheng Ye had wanted to buy some needle and thread to mend the holes for a long time, but he often forgot when he got busy. He would only suddenly remember when it was time to go out.

Now was the perfect time to see if Action Points could complete this sewing task for him.

"Mend backpack, mend backpack, mend."

This was his first time using his thoughts to create a target, and Cheng Ye had no experience. He could only recite it like memorizing a text.

But miraculously, the moment he had this thought, a blue panel suddenly appeared next to the backpack, and lines of text unfolded.

[Wanderer's Canvas Backpack (lv.0)]

[Description]: A backpack hand-sewn from coarse canvas, treated with a triple wax coating. It can resist minor surface tears even when scraped against thorny wilderness or rough rock walls.

[Action Directions]:

1. Basic Optimization (Mend backpack holes, slightly improve backpack structure, increasing its durability)

Estimated Action Point Cost: 3 (Collector can provide materials and tools, reducing Action Point cost)

2. Deep Modification (Greatly improve backpack structure, enhance user experience; replace backpack material with premium leather, effectively resisting scratches and abrasions from sharp objects; add an open single compartment design, equipped with a side hidden rope buckle and weapon pouch, slightly increasing functionality).

Estimated Action Point Cost: Locked (Prerequisite: Must master sewing related skills)

3. Complete Modification (Replace material with Xingfu Alloy, making it indestructible; add a smart weapon system capable of automatically locking onto threat targets within a 50-meter radius for precision shots; integrate a comprehensive survival equipment library, including but not limited to: a simple lifeboat, a full-function climbing hook, an automatic freshwater collector, etc.)

Estimated Action Point Cost: Locked (Prerequisite: Locked)

[Please Collector choose an Action Direction!]

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