A yellow flag was raised, and five minutes later, the checkpoint's lockdown was declared lifted, returning operational control to the inspectors.
Cheng Ye opened the isolation gate to let the four brothers through so they could rush to seek medical treatment, then picked up his defense comm and placed a call.
"Sister Luo, don't worry. Everything's running smoothly on my end—nothing happened at all."
"Right, Stationmaster He had an accident, so I'll have to remain on duty here until evening before I can head back."
Luo Xiaoxue was stunned to hear that something had happened to He Fei.
He was a senior inspector from an older generation than Liu Bi and Cheng Long. How could an accident suddenly befall him out of nowhere?
"Be extra careful. Since a new type of hydrophilic infected entity has appeared, the handbook I gave you might not be of much use. You must be cautious—doubly cautious!"
"Don't worry. Quarantine Zone A, which I'm in charge of, deals exclusively with vehicles. Only one car came through all morning. At this rate, I doubt another will show up before evening."
Naturally, Cheng Ye wasn't about to mention that as soon as he had arrived at the checkpoint, he had uncovered an unknown infected entity and gotten into a fight.
With the situation in such turmoil, no one could predict what would happen next. It was better to talk face-to-face once he got back in the evening rather than make Luo Xiaoxue worry.
The defense comm clicked off.
Cheng Ye was inclined to find someone to ask about news from the Central Checkpoint, but unfortunately, he wasn't Liu Bi. Over the past two months, he had poured all his focus into preparing for the inspector assessment and hadn't built any reliable connections.
*If I want to make a name for myself in the checkpoints, I still need my own people—my own confidants...*
Glancing at Raven and Owl sitting outside the isolation gate, Cheng Ye felt that the two of them were actually quite suitable to groom. They worked efficiently and had a clear grasp of the checkpoint's dynamics.
Unfortunately, he had yet to secure a firm footing himself. Fostering confidants was, for now, like building castles in the sky.
*I'll familiarize myself with everyone during this shift. Once my first field mission is done, maybe I can start thinking about bringing people over to my side. After all, if I want to climb higher in the future, their support will be indispensable.*
Though the fast checkpoint was fraught with peril, it was a shortcut to racking up merit.
Most importantly, it had charging stations that could swiftly replenish power and tally up search opportunities.
In just half a day, Cheng Ye had changed his mind. He was no longer keen on returning to screen vagrants.
That job was far too troublesome, requiring endless lines of questioning to coax out the truth.
Even if one copied Garcia and shook people down by collecting entry fees, it amounted to very little money by the end of the day.
Yet here at the fast checkpoint, the very first person he inspected had slipped him a colossal sum of six hundred Happiness Coins and even thrown in a piece of meteoric iron.
*The ancients truly didn't deceive me: the greater the risk, the greater the reward.*
Casting a glance at the sea of heads in Zone B and the desolate, empty expanse of Zone A, Cheng Ye composed his thoughts.
***
Central Main Checkpoint.
The temperature had reached its peak, and the blazing sun baked the ground, sending up waves of humid, stifling steam.
Vagrants standing before the barricade peered inside with curiosity.
The quarantine area behind the inspection zone was packed with nearly a thousand people huddled together, the majority of whom were heavily armed guards. The display was exceptionally unusual.
Encircled by the crowd in the center lay a withered corpse drained of its blood and flesh. Its skin clung tightly to the skeleton, curled on the ground like a shriveled piece of dead tree bark.
"Investigate. This must be investigated thoroughly to the end!"
Ding Yishan stared at the desiccated body for a long while, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably, before he abruptly rose with a grim expression.
He Fei's death didn't actually require an investigation; one look at the corpse was enough to know it was an accident.
Ordinarily, an on-duty stationmaster had no reason to inspect the quarantine area. But last night's torrential rain had caused water to pool there, and for reasons unknown, He Fei had inexplicably insisted on going over to offer his sympathies to the vagrants.
He never could have imagined that the moment he entered, he would run straight into a hydrophilic infected person—and a novel infection source not recorded in the database, at that.
The instant the two came face-to-face, the infected entity lunged forward. In barely ten seconds, He Fei was sucked into a dried husk.
It was an utterly absurd way to die!
Who would believe that a seasoned veteran who had weathered twenty-odd years at the checkpoints and slain countless infected entities would meet such a ludicrous end?
Ding Yishan couldn't help thinking of himself.
Now, new varieties of infected entities were pouring continuously toward Happiness City, and even an on-duty stationmaster hadn't been spared.
Didn't that mean that he, the chief stationmaster, could also lose his life here at any moment?
"Starting today, the inspection intensity of the Central Main Checkpoint is raised to Level 4! The moment any abnormal data is detected, isolate immediately! Aside from guards, no one is permitted into the quarantine area!"
"The inspection intensity of the North and South Branch Checkpoints is raised to Level 3! Anyone showing two or more sets of abnormal data is to be locked in an isolation pod. Any unauthorized clearance is strictly forbidden!"
Ding Yishan issued his orders in a heavy voice.
The inspection intensity at the checkpoints was divided into five levels, with Level 1 being the lowest and Level 5 the highest.
According to the experience of previous years, only during the most perilous winter months would the intensity be raised above Level 3. Summers typically transitioned between Level 1 and Level 2.
Yet now, in the height of summer, Level 4 intensity was being implemented directly. The hearts of the surrounding guards and inspectors sank at once.
"Furthermore, starting today, the checkpoints will institute a wartime reward system. Battle merit will be accumulated based on the number of infected entities inspected and slain. I will submit an application to Director Liu of the City Defense Bureau to simultaneously open the inner storehouse rewards."
"More work brings more gain; more kills bring more loot. I don't want anyone sponging off the checkpoints without pulling their weight. Understood?"
"Understood!"
The gathered crowd answered in unison.
The previously suffocating atmosphere loosened at once, and eager glints flared in the eyes of many.
Wartime merit rewards were normally unlocked only when an infection tide swept through. None of them had expected that He Fei's death would inadvertently bring about such a measure.
This was an extraordinary boon; the good things that battle merit could be exchanged for were practically endless.
For the checkpoint's ordinary guards in particular, earning substantial merits offered a chance to fill vacancies and become inspectors, achieving a meteoric rise in status.
Who wouldn't be tempted by such a prospect?
"Harlin, organize a study session. All inspectors present who aren't currently on duty are to immediately review the response protocols for hydrophilic infected entities from start to finish! Set up an assessment: anyone who fails three times will be demoted by one rank, and anyone who fails five times will be assigned to a field mission of Difficulty 4 or higher!"
"Understood."
Having rattled off a string of directives in one breath, Ding Yishan ensured that the entire checkpoint was mobilized into motion.
Only then did he turn to leave, breathing heavily like a ravenous wolf that had failed to catch its quarry.
"Sir, you've let your anger flare today. That isn't good for your recovery."
As they stepped away from the crowd, the middle-aged man who had been trailing closely behind Ding Yishan hurried his pace and spoke in a lowered voice.
"Achuan, you've followed me for nearly twenty years. This stationmaster seat was practically fought for and won by our joint efforts. How could you not understand what I'm furious about?"
Ding Yishan let out an imperceptible sigh and said grimly, "Winter hasn't even arrived, yet that fool He Fei went and died, pushing the Eastern and Western factions to the brink of an early war."
"I deliberately tested Harlin just now. He backed down, but who knows whether he'll continue to do so down the line?"
Achuan fell silent for a moment. "Sir, if the West Faction uses Stationmaster He's death and the vacancy of the on-duty stationmaster seat to apply heavy pressure, I can step in and eliminate Harlin, forcibly buying a buffer period for both factions."
Ding Yishan's steps halted abruptly. His Adam's apple bobbed as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely managed a forced smile and patted Achuan on the shoulder.
"Let's head back first. The current situation hasn't reached the point where you need to trade your life. Besides, once that door is opened, there will be no turning back between the Eastern and Western factions."
***
The stationmaster's office.
Located behind the Central Checkpoint, it was a freestanding three-story pavilion within the grounds.
Its interior wasn't modern in design, but rather resembled an old-era teahouse.
The first floor was where Ding Yishan conducted his daily business, the second served as a reception parlor for inspectors, and the third was a restricted sanctum where he held private council.
At that moment, Ding Yishan went straight up to the third floor and pushed open the door to the room nearest the stairs.
The furnishings inside were very simple: a mahjong table in the corner and a tea table common to the southern regions positioned in the center.
Ding Yishan methodically rinsed the table and washed the tea leaves. Before the tea's aroma had even diffused, the door was gently pushed open by Achuan, and four men walked in one after another.
"Come, have a seat."
Ding Yishan gestured, inviting the four to sit across from the tea table, and then went straight to the point:
"He Fei is dead. Who in the station do you think... can take the on-duty stationmaster seat?"
The four men's breathing grew slightly hurried. They exchanged glances, each seeing the fervent ambition in the others' eyes.
Long, Hu, Bao, Yun, Chang, Yuan.
These were the only six figures within the checkpoint's Eastern faction qualified to step up as on-duty stationmasters.
If Cheng Long hadn't met with an accident, there wouldn't have been any need for Ding Yishan to ask; the answer would have already been settled.
Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."
"I deliberately didn't invite Lei Hu over because I wanted to hear what the four of you thought."
Lei Hu was the on-duty stationmaster at the East Checkpoint.
Ding Yishan rubbed the rim of his teacup with his fingertips. "Whatever you have to say, just say it to me now."
***
After a long while.
The four men rose and retreated along the way they had come.
Ding Yishan wore a complicated expression. Only when Achuan saw them out and pushed the door back open did he let out a sigh.
"Achuan, what do you think of those four?"
Achuan shook his head. "Sir, a matter like this... I..."
"There's no need to hold back. There are no outsiders here. Besides, you might very well take an inspector position before long, so it's time you familiarized yourself with the intricacies of these matters."
"In that case..." Achuan remained silent for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "In terms of capability, none of them come close to Cheng Long. Zhou Changhai and Qiao Yuan are ruthless enough, but they lack valor; sitting in that seat, they won't command respect. Shao Yunfei and Lin Bao are bold and fierce, but their methods are too crude. Even if they took the post, they couldn't help relieve your worries, sir, nor could they steady the station's balance."
"That's why... it's difficult!"
Ding Yishan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "The wheel of fortune truly turns. To think that when Cheng Long was around, our Easterners held down the Westerners completely. Who could have imagined that once he was gone, the situation would collapse to such an extent?"
As he spoke, something suddenly crossed his mind. "What about that boy Cheng Long left behind? What was his name again—Cheng Ye?"
"Didn't he head to the fast checkpoint today? How did it go?"
"I'll go ask the subordinates. There should be news by now."
Achuan hurried downstairs and soon returned carrying a tablet, his expression looking somewhat strange.
"What is it?"
"Sir, Cheng Ye went to the West Checkpoint."
"Hm?" The corner of Ding Yishan's eye twitched violently, and the teacup in his fingers stirred a ripple of liquid. "Who gave him the nerve to go to the West Checkpoint?"
"Sir, it's hard to explain in a few words. You'll understand once you watch this."
Achuan handed over the tablet, which displayed two rather grainy video clips.
"Is this... him getting into a fight with those youngsters?"
After speaking, Ding Yishan suddenly recalled that Cheng Ye was around the same age, perhaps even more green than those youths. Making a few brash moves didn't seem all that surprising.
However, what unfolded next caused his expression to turn distinctly peculiar.
"These methods..."
Ding Yishan narrowed his eyes, caught entirely off guard.
Compared to the pale, fragile, scholar-like young man in his memory, the youth in the video was spirited, exuding an aura so formidable it felt unfamiliar.
Swiping to the second video, he watched Cheng Ye kick Owl aside, brandish the flamethrower without the slightest hint of fear, and then calmly pull Owl back to retreat once the guards arrived.
Ding Yishan's expression grew increasingly strange, to the point that he rewound and replayed that segment three times.
"A new infection source?"
"Yes. Researcher Qin Feng has already provided the baseline data, and there's no match in the infected entity database."
"How did he discover the person was infected?"
"I don't know. Should I send word and have him write a report when his shift ends?" Achuan shook his head candidly.
Killing people was simple; identifying an infected entity was hard.
What Cheng Ye demonstrated in that video alone was something that not only he, but even many inspectors, could not pull off.
"Hmm..."
Ding Yishan hesitated, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Forget it. Under the current circumstances, it's better not to draw too much attention to him. After all, he's on the Westerners' turf; doing too much or too little would both be wrong."
"Still... this kid has certainly given me a surprise."
Recalling that he had previously contemplated arranging an accident for Cheng Ye so Achuan could take the inspector slot, Ding Yishan pondered for a brief moment, his face revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
"Old Downs is a man of principle and from the same generation as Cheng Wu. He should look after the boy, so there's no need for us to meddle. Once he rotates to the East Checkpoint next week, find an opportunity on my behalf to meet him and feel out his depths first."
"Understood!"
Chapter 40