The Transcendent Opportunity Was Right Beside Him!

Li Maitai was rarely this serious for a shady operator. As he spoke his final words, he seemed to glow.

He perfectly illustrated that true loyalty only came from shared interests and a deep bond.

"Going by what you've said..."

Cheng Ye furrowed his brow. "But the Central Station's Field Mission board only lists deliveries, reconnaissance, patrols, and support for Inner City operations?"

"What do you think choosing a faction is for?"

Li Maitai gave a derisive laugh. "The Duty Station Chief assigns Field Missions to you Dongren. The Station Chief Halin assigns them to us Xiren. If you plan to stay neutral like me, you'll have to slowly build up your contributions by completing those backbreaking Field Missions."

"But once you've chosen a faction, there are more lucrative jobs than you can handle. You'll have no shortage of ways to earn contributions."

So that was the advantage of choosing a faction?

Cheng Ye suddenly perked up. He was beginning to understand how the Checkpoint system worked.

"Your grandfather, Cheng Wu, was one of the Elders who founded Xingfu City."

"Back then, he was a genuine High Level figure in Xingfu City. Unfortunately, he never managed to awaken as a Transcendent, so in the end, he and a group of Elders voluntarily came to the Outer City, which is now our Buffer Zone."

Cheng Wu again?

Cheng Ye couldn't find that name in his inherited memories. He barely had any memories of Cheng Long, either.

Ever since his original self had turned ten, he'd only seen Cheng Long once every two or three years.

And they hadn't met in the Inner City. The two of them would exchange a few hurried words at the Happiness Gate Passage, then Cheng Long would make an excuse to leave.

"This Checkpoint was built by that group of people with their own hands. Strictly speaking, if the First Generation Inspectors hadn't risked their lives back then, Xingfu City wouldn't be where it is today."

"The Inner City was also perfectly protected, which allowed it to grow rapidly amid the chaos of the New Era's early days. It absorbed a huge population and drove industrial progress. One step ahead led to being ahead at every step, and it became the dominant force in Shi Province and the surrounding provinces."

"Now, plenty of Sanctuary Cities and even settlements are trying to copy our Checkpoint system, but they never figure out what makes it work."

"That's because their Inspectors are just watchdogs kept by the Inner City, appendages to its power rather than partners in its development. They've never had a hard-nosed Inspector willing to risk his life to fight for power, nor one with an iron fist. So their whole system can collapse at any moment over one problem or another!"

An appendage, a partner.

A difference of two words, yet worlds apart.

Cheng Ye gave Li Maitai a curious look. "What's the situation like now?"

"The Inspectors have certainly gotten worse with each generation. But as long as the Old Guard at the Checkpoint haven't all died off, you can't call us appendages. We're just getting further and further from being partners. Haven't you noticed how many people here are fighting over power and profit?"

"Yeah. The High Level people in the Inner City have gotten worse with every generation, too. The infighting is fierce these days. One faction wants to embrace the Transcendent path again, cultivate elite Combat Power, and use violence to wipe out the Infected."

"The other faction wants to develop technology and industry, gradually expand the borders, establish a safe, united zone for survival, and keep the Infected out."

As Li Maitai spoke, he suddenly chuckled. "And then there are people like me in the Neutral Faction—the Idealists. We just want to bring happiness and safety to the residents. Things like reducing water and electricity bills, controlling prices, and rolling out all kinds of policies to benefit the public are all done by the Neutral Faction. They're also the ones who support our Checkpoint the most."

"Hmm."

This time, Cheng Ye didn't scoff.

The Idealists in Xingfu City had certainly helped him a lot. Otherwise, it would've taken a year or two to activate the Collector, let alone charge it quickly for Search.

And Li Maitai might've been a shady operator, but he was still better than those mindless climbers who chose a faction just to rise through the ranks. Garcia came to mind.

"How many of those Old Guard are there?"

"About a third. Most of them are out on Field Missions. They'll return gradually in the fall."

So, fifty people?

Cheng Ye nodded slightly. There were three Checkpoints, with eight Inspectors at each one. They only needed twenty-four Inspectors to rotate through each cycle.

If the old Inspectors held onto their positions for too long, the newcomers would never get a chance to take over.

Besides, the Infected were less numerous in summer and fall, leaving time for training.

That was why he'd been able to report to North Station and start working right away. The old Inspectors would make room for newcomers by default.

"What kind of person is my father?"

"Your father..."

Li Maitai swallowed, then hurriedly shook his head and slipped back into the uncommitted mode of a seasoned operator. "I can't comment on that. He's an incredibly capable man. If it weren't for certain special circumstances, your father would definitely have become the next Chief Station Master. There's no other possibility."

"Anyway, if you want to know more, you'll have to ask Liu Bi. He's Fourth Stage, and I'm Third Stage. He can talk about some things freely, but I can't comment."

"All right."

Cheng Long was clearly hiding a major secret, especially when it came to the Civilization Collector he'd left behind.

"By the way, can you bring your family into the Inner City?"

Cheng Ye suddenly asked a new question.

"Of course not," Li Maitai said firmly. "The High Level people in Xingfu City allow Inspectors to take refuge there because of their personal contributions. Your family hasn't risked their lives for the city, so why should they be allowed in and out?"

"Even Fourth and Fifth Stage Inspectors can't?"

"Not even Fifth Stage. Even Director Ding can't bring his family. That's a hard-and-fast rule laid down by the First Generation Inspectors. It's a matter of principle."

"A hard-and-fast rule? Then where's your family?"

"Of course they're in the Inner City." Li Maitai looked surprised. "The rule says you can't bring your family in. It doesn't say your family can't already be from the Inner City. My wife and kids are all inside. Wait, didn't you grow up in the Inner City? Why would you ask that?"

So that was why his original self had been able to grow up in the Inner City?

Cheng Ye finally understood.

He'd thought Cheng Long had found a way to get his son into the Inner City. It had never occurred to him that Cheng Long had entered the Inner City and started a family.

"I don't know about any of this. No one ever told me."

Cheng Ye shook his head.

His original self's mother had died in childbirth, leaving behind only a few blurry photographs in his memories. And his father, Cheng Long, had abandoned his only son in the Inner City and never looked back.

That was why, on the first day he'd stepped outside the Inner City, he'd been so terrified by the "real" world that he'd literally died of fright.

"Oh." Li Maitai slapped his forehead and pretended to smack his own mouth as he apologized. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"What about Fourth Stage? What privileges did it have?"

"Fourth Stage..." Li Maitai hesitated, then finally squeezed out four words through gritted teeth, as if he were full of resentment.

"The Transcendent Opportunity!"

Dong.

Dong!

The Class Bell suddenly rang through the hall, immediately drowning out the chatter.

The people who'd come to the Study Session weren't just Inspectors on break. Dozens of Observers wearing Blue Armbands were seated in the back, along with staff from several important positions.

The stand for the Projector Equipment scraped across the concrete floor with a piercing screech.

Cheng Ye didn't hear any of it. He was still absorbed in the bombshell Li Maitai had dropped.

Compared to the Transcendent Opportunity and the purpose of Inspectors' Field Missions, being able to enter the Inner City as a Third Stage Inspector was nothing.

"Xingfu City actually kept Special Infected in captivity?"

Cheng Ye was horrified.

According to Li Maitai, this wasn't about infecting people with the S-Series Virus and using its power to awaken and guide them toward transcendence. Instead, Xingfu City was secretly raising and keeping Special Infected.

The Transcendent Plants that grew on the Special Infected grew extremely slowly. They could only be harvested once every five to eight years.

After each harvest, the amount distributed depended on the yield.

In the previous round, each Fourth Stage Inspector had received nearly five grams.

That sounded like an incredibly small dose, but it could still activate the Transcendent genes latent in the human body.

And the Transcendent genes each person activated seemed to be different.

The last time anyone at the Checkpoint had successfully awakened a Transcendent ability was eleven years ago. Back then, Duty Station Chief Liu Kun had entered the Inner City after awakening his ability and taken over as head of the City Defense Department.

It was only because he'd risen to the High Level ranks in Xingfu City that the Checkpoint's status had been greatly elevated.

The Public Security Bureau, which had once been able to restrain the Checkpoint's power, had been stripped of its authority again and again. It was finally disbanded eight years ago, leaving the Checkpoint as the sole dominant force!

Before that, there had been the Chief Station Master who served before Ding Yishan took office thirteen years ago—the last time a Duty Station Chief had died in the line of duty.

Regan Carl!

No one knew exactly how he'd awakened his Transcendent ability.

But after that, he'd resigned as Chief Station Master at lightning speed and become the Industrial Zone Executive.

Now, he wielded immense power and was one of the core representatives of the Inner City's Tech Faction.

The two of them had risen so rapidly, wielding Transcendent Power while holding positions of authority. It was no wonder they continually stoked the Inspectors' desire to climb the ranks.

"So what the East and West Factions are fighting over is... transcendence, and the power that comes with it?"

With enough information, Cheng Ye immediately understood the root cause of the conflict between East and West.

Fourth Stage, Fifth Stage, Duty Station Chief, Deputy Station Chief, Station Chief.

With each step up the ranks, their authority no longer changed dramatically, but they received more Transcendent Plants to help them awaken their Transcendent abilities.

The last Transcendent Opportunity had come five years ago, and Ding Yishan had been in office for nearly ten years.

By rights, he'd already received a Transcendent Opportunity once, but he hadn't seized it.

The Dongren were now in a weak position. Halin definitely wouldn't pass up this opportunity to climb higher.

"Also, the Transcendent path was right beside me all along?"

Realizing that as long as he diligently rose through the ranks, he'd eventually get his chance to become a Transcendent, Cheng Ye felt a surge of excitement.

But he wasn't thinking of climbing the ranks one step at a time until he became Station Chief and waited for the Inner City to grant him a chance.

He planned to use his Search Ability to seize a fully developed Transcendent ability directly!

Before, he hadn't known who the Transcendents were. Now, thanks to Li Maitai, he knew two important targets.

"Liu Kun!"

"Regan Carl!"

"One East, one West. Just you wait—if you ever fall into this Inspector's hands..."

Repeating their names again and again, Cheng Ye committed them to memory. Then he forcibly put aside all distractions, suppressing the excitement surging inside him.

Even the weakest Transcendent ability would far surpass a genetic talent like Iron Physique. It would be at least Level 3 or Level 4, far beyond the Search Ability of his current Collector.

For now, he still needed to focus on advancing his rank and get through his internship as quickly as possible.

"Cheng Ye, Cheng Ye!"

Seeing Cheng Ye still lost in thought, Li Maitai lowered his voice and nudged him lightly under the table with his knee.

"The proctor's here. Stop slacking. You'll be in trouble if they make an example of you."

"The proctor?"

Cheng Ye looked up and followed Li Maitai's gesture. Two people had just entered through the hall's exit.

On the left was Qiao Yuan, the Dongren's Fifth Stage Inspector. On the right was Dario Haven, the Xiren's Fifth Stage Inspector.

Noticing Cheng Ye looking at him, Qiao Yuan gave a slight nod and returned a somewhat friendly look. But his face still wore the "aloof" expression leaders always seemed to have as he surveyed the hall.

Dario Haven's reaction, however, left Cheng Ye stunned. When he noticed Cheng Ye looking over, the Xiren's Fifth Stage Inspector actually smiled at him. His eyes were kind, as if he were looking at an exceptional younger relative.

Huh?

Was he seeing things?

Cheng Ye hurriedly looked away. He had a feeling that if they kept staring at each other, the man would come over and strike up a conversation.

"Don't look around. Pay attention. Even if you're bored, at least pretend to be focused."

Li Maitai's Huxue had reached the pinnacle. His lips barely moved, but his voice came through clearly.

"I heard yesterday that someone got caught taking a nap and was made an example of. They dragged him onstage and forced him to answer questions in front of everyone. It would've been bad enough if it was just us, but with all these Observers and staff watching, it was mortifying."

As he spoke, a round of applause suddenly rang out from the area where the East Faction's Inspectors had gathered in the front rows.

Cheng Ye's eyes narrowed. He hurriedly joined in, clapping along.

He hadn't expected Luo Xiaoxue to be the first lecturer to take the stage today.

Liu Bi might have been an oddball of a brawler within the East Faction, but this was about the reputation of their own faction. The East Faction gave Luo Xiaoxue their full respect, and even their Observers and staff joined in the applause.

The West Faction, on the other hand, seemed completely indifferent to Luo Xiaoxue's appearance.

Some even curled their lips, looking rather disdainful.

"Don't be surprised. This is just the beginning. There's still more than a year until the next Transcendent Opportunity. Once winter's over and spring comes next year, that's when the real fighting will begin."

Li Maitai never got involved in factional disputes, but now he clapped along with Cheng Ye, drawing angry looks from quite a few members of the West Faction.

But he seemed to enjoy it, as if he'd finally found a way to feel relevant.

Each lecturer had only five minutes. Luo Xiaoxue picked an Aquatic Infected she'd faced head-on and gave a concise explanation of how to deal with it.

After Luo Xiaoxue left the stage, the curtain at the rear entrance parted, and the next lecturer walked out.

He looked like an old soldier, but both the East and West Factions treated him with an extreme coldness.

No one applauded to welcome him, and after he finished, no one offered any feedback, either.

From Cheng Ye's perspective, though, the old soldier's advice on how to deal with the Infected did have some merit.

"What a realistic class system."

Cheng Ye sighed inwardly. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the entrance behind the curtain, where a group of lecturers were waiting to go onstage.

Wait, had he seen that right? Uncle Dong had said last night that he was going to settle an old score.

So why had he been invited here, too?