"Come in."
A resonant, deep voice called from inside. Cheng Ye turned, patted Raul's stiff shoulder, and pushed the door open.
As the Duty Station Master of North Station, Binn Downs commanded a private office spanning one hundred and fifty square meters.
The space was divided into an outer and inner section.
In the outer area, massive floor-to-ceiling glass windows covered the entire western wall, offering an unobstructed view of the wilderness beyond the checkpoint.
Before the windows sat an executive desk of dark walnut, its surface neatly arranged with leather folders and a brass paperweight. An antique mantle clock ticked steadily in the corner.
The inner lounge was partitioned off by a sandalwood screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl, beyond which the faint silhouettes of a leather sofa and a whiskey cabinet were visible.
This was an older man who knew how to enjoy life.
Cheng Ye stepped inside at an unhurried pace, his gaze sweeping past the wall facing the entrance. Portraits of former Duty Station Masters of North Checkpoint hung there, and his eyes eventually settled on the single portrait in the center.
The man in the photograph possessed a neatly trimmed, grizzled beard and eyes as sharp as a hawk's—the quintessential image of a British gentleman by Cheng Ye's stereotypes.
At this moment, the man in the flesh sat behind the executive desk, holding half a cigar between his fingers as he leafed through files. Ash flaked into a carved wooden ashtray, piling into a small drift of pale gray snow.
"Station Master Downs, good day. I am Cheng Ye, the probationary inspector reporting for duty at North Checkpoint today."
"Young man, I've heard your name before."
Binn Downs slowly looked up, set the documents down, and offered a faint smile. "Though that traces back seventeen years, to when your grandfather was still around."
"My grandfather?"
Cheng Ye showed no reaction.
How Cheng Long had died and where he had fallen remained secrets that Liu Bi kept under tight wraps, claiming he would only reveal the truth once Cheng Ye completed his first field mission and proved capable of surviving independently. That made an unknown "grandfather" whose name he hadn't even heard an even greater mystery.
*Wait, where on earth did the previous owner of this body get so many formidable relatives?*
*With a background like that, how did he manage to end up in such pathetic shape back in the Inner City, dying as nothing more than a... cough, cough.*
"Ah, you don't resemble Cheng Long in the slightest, but as for your grandfather... you're truly spitting images..."
Downs's eyes drifted, his words disjointed as if he were reminiscing about things long past.
It took a dozen seconds or so before he gradually collected himself.
"If you hadn't fired a shot, I would have given your performance today a score of ninety. At your age, you've already displayed potential far exceeding Cheng Long's. You're more mature than he was, and you have far better methods."
"If you had fired only one shot, I would have knocked your score down to seventy. Knowing how to use the rules to protect yourself, knowing how to use the rules to check your enemies—a wise man always deserves praise!"
"Unfortunately, you fired two shots. I can only grant you a passing grade of sixty. Don't take after Cheng Long, and certainly don't take after Liu Bi. How they managed to get to where they are today wasn't through muscle or reckless bravado, but... luck."
Speaking slowly, like an elder lecturing a younger relative, Downs tapped the ash from his cigar from time to time.
"All right, you don't need to worry too much. I share some history with that old bastard Cheng Wu. Even though he didn't have the face to beg me to look after his descendants before he left, I won't go out of my way to pay special 'attention' to a junior like you at a time like this."
"Stay inside the checkpoint, and I will guarantee your absolute safety. No one will deliberately target you."
"Step beyond that line, however..."
Downs pointed toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Cheng Ye turned to look. Running in front of the eight inspection lanes was a widened yellow line roughly three meters across.
The yellow line was exceptionally conspicuous. To cross it meant leaving the lanes entirely, equivalent to stepping into the wilderness outside the quarantine zone.
"Any other questions?"
"None. Thank you for your consideration, Station Master Downs. I will keep it in mind!"
Cheng Ye bowed slightly, his impression of the old man warming a degree.
A person of Downs's standing had no reason to deceive him. If he truly wanted to play dirty, there were countless ways he could have done so.
Yet the fact that he said this meant the West Faction was not as monolithic as Cheng Ye had assumed; there were differing voices within.
That was only natural. It would be bizarre if an entire faction spoke with only a single voice.
"Very well. Since you reached sixty points, you've earned this first evaluation. Also, remember to come to me for a signature before every shift rotation."
Downs pulled a sheet of white paper covered in text from a leather folder.
The upper half contained Cheng Ye's basic profile, the lower half held the probationary evaluation section, and at the bottom was the vermilion stamp of North Checkpoint.
According to the rules for completing probation at the checkpoints, Cheng Ye needed to collect three such evaluation forms from each of Central Checkpoint and the North and South Checkpoints before transitioning from probationary status to a full Rank 1 inspector.
Downs's willingness to give him one right now was clearly an acknowledgment of his performance during intake. Both his methods and his disposition met the baseline standards for an inspector.
Of course, Cheng Ye suspected that had he achieved Downs's so-called 'ninety,' he would be holding not one sheet right now, but two, or perhaps all three at once.
Even so...
"Thank you, Station Master!"
"Off you go."
Cheng Ye nodded, folded the evaluation form into his backpack, and pushed open the office door to leave.
To his surprise, Raul hadn't left. He was waiting by the railing not far from the office.
"Hm? Do you have something more to say to me?" Cheng Ye couldn't help asking.
Going by typical antagonist behavior, Raul ought to have dropped a couple of threats, warning him that this wasn't over.
As long as he remained at North Checkpoint, the privileged sons of inspectors would band together to make his life a living hell—unless one day Cheng Ye went down on his knees and begged for mercy to wipe the slate clean.
Yet reality proved the exact opposite of what he anticipated.
"Inspector Cheng, if possible, I'd like to make a deal with you."
Raul approached. The previous stiffness on his face had melted away, replaced by a composed look tinged with a hint of ingratiation.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Garcia is Jamie's uncle. His targeting of you was largely to vent on his uncle's behalf. When we egged Jamie on, all we wanted was to see an Eastern inspector make a fool of himself. Truthfully, whether it was you or another Easterner arriving today, we would have done the exact same thing. It wasn't personal."
Cheng Ye gave a noncommittal hum, signaling for him to continue.
"The feud between the East and West factions is a conflict between inspectors—a struggle over interests. It has nothing to do with juniors like us who don't even know when we'll inherit our positions."
At this point, Raul lowered his voice. "Jamie's father has only one son. Even if he knelt to you today, he'll still become an inspector down the road. But I'm different... My father has four sons, and I'm the eldest. If I backed down to you today, he would never let me inherit the position."
"So you want me to put on an act for you?"
"No need," Raul said quickly, shaking his head. "As long as you don't go spreading word of what happened today, and don't blast it everywhere among the Easterners like Jamie's uncle Garcia did, I'll make sure today is treated as though nothing happened. Everyone will forget these unpleasantries."
*Well now, this kid has some brains after all.*
Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes, sizing up the blond youth before him.
While the others still reeked of childish ignorance, in Raul he caught a glint of calculation that seemed beyond his years.
"What do I get out of it?"
"A promise."
Raul immediately straightened his posture, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the button of his cuff. "I've thought this through, and this is the most valuable chip I can offer. As long as it doesn't involve the faction struggle between inspectors, I can guarantee... within the bounds of North Station, no matter what happens, I will protect you unconditionally once."
"Or to be more precise, even if it does involve a direct clash between factions and you end up trapped in North Station, I can still buy you a bit of time to make a call and summon help from the Easterners."
Cheng Ye didn't care much about the first half, but the second half made his eyelid twitch.
"Aren't you being a bit daring?"
"You flatter me."
Realizing the deal was struck, Raul let out a long breath of relief, and a genuine smile surfaced on his face.
"There's only one inspector position, and my three younger brothers are all eyeing it. Do you think I should roll around in the mud with them, or make friends with someone who dares to open fire inside a checkpoint?"
"All right. I'll act as though nothing happened today."
Cheng Ye waved a hand and walked off.
They were just a bunch of privileged heirs raised in a greenhouse; when it came to ruthlessness, they couldn't hold a candle to the brats in the orphanage.
Besides, he hadn't planned on publicizing the incident anyway. Securing a promise from Raul on top of that was an unexpected bonus.
Yet after a couple of paces, Cheng Ye came to an abrupt halt and turned around, giving Raul a fright that nearly sent him into a panic.
"Is there... something else?" Raul forced down the flutter in his chest.
"My duty station today should be Zone A, right? It's my first time here—how about you lead the way?"
"The honor is mine."
*Damn it, you could've just said so. Scared the life out of me.*
Raul exhaled quietly, but resolved inwardly to stay as far away from this jinx as possible in the future.
Honestly, he should have realized it sooner: how could anyone who dared to come to North Station on his very first rotation be unprepared?
It was only because the fellow looked so young that everyone had fallen under the illusion he would be an easy push-over.
In truth, they weren't even playing in the same league as Cheng Ye. This guy's ruthless methods were harder than those of certain Rank 2 inspectors.
Worst of all, he knew exactly how to wield the checkpoint's rules.
Dealing with someone with brains was better left as a headache for Harlin's faction.
...
"That young man is too brash. If you ask me... he won't survive more than a few rotations before he ends up dead."
Outside the door, the footsteps faded into the distance.
A figure stepped out from behind the screen in the office. It was none other than Deputy Station Master Evan Davidson.
"His actions are ruthless, but his foundation is shaky. In the end, he's merely headstrong and arrogant, harming others and himself alike."
"That's why I said... he's rather like Cheng Wu."
Downs chuckled softly in reply. "Besides, if a young man isn't brash, can you even call him young?"
The words carried a subtle barb—a clear double entendre.
Davidson's expression shifted, and his spine snapped straight. "It is because I've been preoccupied with field operations lately and lacked discipline over them. Rest assured, Station Master, something like this will never happen again."
"It had better not. North Station has been rather chaotic of late, and it's bound to... make us a laughingstock to outsiders."
...
Chapter 27