Burning Eyebrows, Heavenly Hand Opening!

What is the status of an on-duty station chief at a checkpoint?

According to Liu Bi, they are the designated successor to the overall station chief by Xingfu City's higher-ups.

To become an on-duty station chief, one must have made significant contributions to Xingfu City or possess exceptionally outstanding personal abilities.

If Ding Yishan were to die unexpectedly, the final station chief position would be chosen from among the on-duty station chiefs.

Yes, Deputy Station Chief Halin cannot directly inherit the station chief position. Although he has a greater competitive advantage than others, he still needs to compete fairly with other on-duty station chiefs.

And according to Cheng Ye's understanding, the on-duty station chiefs are essentially princes.

If Ding Yishan, the emperor, were to die, an emperor would be chosen from Halin, the Crown Prince, and the other princes.

Who wins depends entirely on whose methods are sharp enough in a head-on clash at Xuanwu Gate.

Of course, this is just a metaphorical comparison of power. In terms of interpersonal relationships, the station chief and the on-duty station chiefs are on equal footing.

"I saw Towns this morning. No Infected have gotten into North Station, so there won't be any problems here."

"As for South Station and Central Station..."

Cheng Ye paused. Could he be so lucky that choosing North Station meant he narrowly escaped disaster?

Under normal circumstances, Central Checkpoint rarely encounters troublesome Infected.

After all, powerful Infection Sources consume a lot of their hosts. Most of those that can travel long distances to reach Xingfu City are like Death Whisper Tentacles, which look strange but don't have much combat power.

But Quick Checkpoints are different.

Take Barrett, infected by Rotten Vine, for example. He's been in the quarantine pod for four days and hasn't reached the outbreak stage yet.

If such a powerful Infected were to lose control and go berserk in a crowd, they could take down a large number of people in minutes.

"It's not your problem. Just wait patiently."

Cheng Ye comforted the four nervous brothers.

He set an example by sitting down under the umbrella, patiently waiting for further news.

If an on-duty station chief dies unexpectedly, regardless of the area, all three checkpoints must be immediately sealed and put on high alert.

No entry, no exit.

Just like Quarantine Zone B next door, dozens of people lined up to enter the city can only wait for the alert to be lifted.

No, Xi Mo is also waiting to go out for treatment now. He didn't expect to be stuck here after passing the inspection of this Inspector, his luck is truly terrible.

"Central Checkpoint and South Station are both currently manned by Dongren Inspectors. No matter which one dies, Ding Yishan will have a headache. The already imbalanced situation is likely to lean further towards the Xiren."

"Whether this is a blessing or a curse for me, I'm just afraid Ding Yishan will go berserk."

Conflicting thoughts surged.

Although being an Inspector seemed glorious to ordinary people, who knew the precariousness behind the scenes?

Cheng Ye could only try to elevate his perspective, analyzing the impact of the changing situation.

If I were Ding Yishan, what would I do?

"The East Faction Inspectors are at a disadvantage, rooted in the lack of a new generation of talent. However, looking at the mid-tier forces, they are still sufficient. Brother B mentioned before that in terms of senior Inspectors of the same rank, the East Faction is slightly stronger than the West Faction. In the highest rank, the fifth tier, they hold a 4-to-2 advantage. Only from the third tier downwards has the West Faction gained a significant advantage."

"Moreover, the East Faction holds two of the three duty station chiefs, which has prevented the situation from becoming unbalanced."

"Now that one East Faction duty station chief is dead, then next..."

Analyzing step by step.

Cheng Ye's eyes suddenly lit up.

From Ding Yishan's perspective, the most crucial matter now was definitely the vacant position of duty station chief.

If the East Faction could still hold onto two station chiefs, the situation would return to the previous stalemate.

But if the West Faction took this station chief position, the situation within the Checkpoint would likely undergo earth-shattering changes immediately.

With Burning Eyebrows, how could Ding Yishan possibly pay attention to a mere Trainee Inspector like him?

Even taking a step back, if Ding Yishan was determined to kill him and gave this vacant position to his own people.

"At worst, I'll flip the table and defect to the West Faction. Who's afraid of whom?"

To get by in an Iron Rice Bowl, there were only two paths.

Either be a quiet nobody, drinking tea and reading newspapers without getting involved in any faction, honestly working until retirement, or strive to catch up. If you have no backing, rely on your methods. If you don't know who to align with, let your strength speak for itself.

The former was not an option for Cheng Ye, nor did he want it. The Wasteland was not a civilized modern society; the lower class had no right to choose life or death.

For the latter, his strongest backer, Cheng Long, was gone before they even met, leaving only Liu Bi.

But relying on Brother B was far from enough to protect him, Cheng Long's only descendant.

"Although Brother Long is gone, he left behind so much goodwill. If I were to kick the bucket at this critical moment, someone with an agenda could stir up trouble, and Ding Yishan would definitely have a headache!"

The more he thought, the clearer it became.

Only when the struggle between the East and West Factions reached its climax, with no clear winner, would their attention turn to the lower ranks.

Although no one knew if this time would be days or months, one thing was certain: this period would be more than enough for him to showcase his value!

"Inspector Cheng, hey, over here."

Hearing someone call his name, Cheng Ye pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked towards the sound.

He hadn't expected it to be the Xiren Inspector from Quarantine Zone B next door.

A middle-aged man, thin and gaunt, with a receding hairline and deeply sunken eye sockets, a typical European facial structure.

This old geezer who only knows how to shove people into the Quarantine Zone, he's not here to kick me while I'm down, is he?

"I received news that He Fei, Station Chief He from the Central Checkpoint, has died unexpectedly!"

A fence separated Zone A and Zone B. The Xiren Inspector walked closer, his expression complex, and lowered his voice as he spoke.

"What?! He Fei?"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but gasp, his memories instantly flashing back to his first day as an intern at the Central Checkpoint.

At that time, the broad-browed and big-eyed Station Chief He himself had brought him to Quarantine Station No. 8 and specifically instructed the other inspectors to help him, the new intern, with words full of enthusiasm and concern.

Although they hadn't met again since then, he had still called He Fei three days ago to request leave.

The other man had even reminded him, 'Don't let down Director Ding and everyone's expectations.'

To think that He Fei was dead after only a few days?

"A special hydro-attracted Infected got into the Central Checkpoint. Its abilities are very strange, and they're still investigating the cause of Station Chief He's death."

"Don't misunderstand me. Although I'm a Xiren, I never get involved in the East-West Faction's disputes. I just focus on doing my job well. Whether you're a Dongren or a Xiren has nothing to do with me."

Regardless of what Cheng Ye was thinking, the inspector from Zone B wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "But we're all inspectors. If an Infected gets into my area, you can't just stand by and watch."

Got it.

So that's what this is all about. Cheng Ye had been wondering why this guy had specifically come over, sharing information about the station and emphasizing his neutrality.

After all this, he's just a lazy old-timer trying to coast until retirement?

"Let's introduce ourselves. Matthew Li."

"Cheng Ye."

After exchanging names, they considered themselves acquainted.

Cheng Ye hadn't expected that the first inspector he would get to know at North Station would be in such a manner.

No wonder this guy sent people to the Quarantine Zone the moment he sensed something was wrong. Now I finally understand why.

For those just going through the motions, not causing trouble is the greatest contribution.

Stuffing all suspicious individuals into isolation pods, making it so few people could pass through the checkpoint smoothly – this method of going through the motions was simply "genius"!

"I know your Dongren customs. You can call me Li Maitai too; many people do," he said.

He chuckled twice and continued, "I had bad luck this week and was assigned to Zone B. Too many people. If only I could be paired with you in Zone A, it would be safer and less troublesome."

"I'm just a Trainee Inspector, and it's my first time at the Quick Checkpoint. Inspector Li is joking. If you were paired with me, I'd still have to learn from you."

"I'm not joking."

Inspector Li's expression turned serious, and he repeatedly shook his head. "There's nothing new at this checkpoint. Whatever happened in the morning, we know as soon as we start work. Your methods of educating those brats are quite harsh. They've really been spoiled, daring to provoke anyone. If they knew what your father did..."

"Ahem, I'm a bit curious. When you sent that person to the isolation pod, how did you determine they were infected in just a few words? That was a brand-new Infection Source. Don't tell me it was just luck."

"Sorry, you guessed right. It really was luck."

Cheng Ye's face twitched. He hadn't expected Li Maitai to guess the correct answer directly.

But even if this answer were true, it sounded perfunctory, as if he didn't want to get too close.

Fortunately, at this moment, the piercing alarm broadcast finally stopped.

Looking up at the Watchtower, the two warning flags had been replaced by one, changing to a yellow flag.

"Damn, why are we so unlucky?"

Li Maitai couldn't help but grumble. "It's already two o'clock. In another two hours, we could get off work. Now, all non-duty inspectors have to gather at the central station, and we on duty will have to wait until night to withdraw."

"Wait until night?"

Cheng Ye scratched his head, his expression unchanged, but a hint of joy bloomed in his heart.

Zone A of the Quarantine Zone rarely saw anyone all day. Even if he waited until night, it would be very leisurely.

And if the next duty officer didn't come to relieve them, wouldn't that mean he could keep charging up?

At this rate, he could get another Search opportunity before going off duty at night!

"Let's wait it out. Damn Infected. Fortunately, the yellow flag means the station closes at eight. Otherwise, working sixteen hours a day, even an iron man couldn't take it."

Li Maitai sighed, then suddenly lowered his voice and leaned in. "Inspector Cheng, if there's danger, don't just watch and not help. Help me out once, and I'll give you 20 Contribution Points, how about it?"

"Deal!"

Cheng Ye agreed readily.

One reason was that an Infected going berserk in Quarantine Zone B would affect Zone A anyway.

Furthermore, 20 Contribution Points isn't a small amount. He could earn money just by standing there and firing his gun to provide support. Why wouldn't he?

"Interesting. I didn't expect discovering the Barrett would make them think I actually have real skill?"

Cheng Ye returned to his seat and pondered, suddenly realizing that this start was unbelievably perfect.

If he hadn't Educated Xiao Deng and had gone straight to Quarantine Zone A to encounter the Barrett, they probably would have thought he got lucky.

But after he first displayed his capabilities, leaving a strong initial impression, and then went to the Quarantine Zone to discover the infected Barrett with a few words, the meaning would be completely different.

He understood Scheming in the workplace and possessed matching strength in his work.

In the eyes of those Inspectors, his image had likely instantly transformed from "new Dongren intern" to "a tough nut to crack who shouldn't be trifled with."

"Heh, brilliant! The charge is satisfying, and the danger isn't high."

"After the charge is complete tonight, I'll go search the Quarantine Zone again. If I can't find any Infected, I'll get a skill. If I do find them, I can earn Contribution Points to reinforce my persona, and then cancel the search to get double Action Points!"

"This start is truly a 'heavenly hand'!"

ps: Happy weekend to all my esteemed readers. Here's 3.2k words.

ps2: This newbie is begging, please give me Follow-up Reading, Collection, and Votes~