Chapter 141: Wildfire in Chaotic Times, Qualification Assessment!

Lying dormant is the survival wisdom of preserving oneself in chaotic times.

Since crossing over to this crisis-ridden wasteland world, Cheng Ye had spent over a hundred days learning to survive.

Through countless scheming encounters with human hearts, through life-and-death confrontations with infected entities, through the silent yet fierce struggles between the Eastern and Western factions at the inspection station.

He had learned too many survival rules that weren't found in books, and had personally verified much knowledge that once existed only in fantasy.

He was no longer that ordinary young man trapped in Earth's living circle, burdened by invisible pressures.

Nor was he that trembling trainee inspector who feared being noticed by others.

In corners where no one watched, during countless nights of tossing and turning, in dark places that even Liu Bi had never glimpsed, he had silently completed his journey of dormancy, achieving his own sudden rise.

From walking with his head down in cautious fear, to gradually straightening his spine step by step, he had finally grasped the power to stand firm on this wasteland but at this moment, staring at the lines of information on the defense communicator screen, Cheng Ye felt a clearer sense of dissatisfaction rising in his heart.

What he wanted, he had obtained, but it was far from enough.

He wanted to build a sanctuary city of his own, one that didn't need to follow old rules, didn't need to bow to compromise, operating entirely according to his own will, allowing the spark of civilization to take root in safer soil.

He wanted to know where that mysterious giant entity that brought about the catastrophic changes had gone after the disaster, whether it had dissipated, or traveled to the ends of the universe to affect the next civilization, or might even be hiding in some unknown corner, continuing to watch over this broken land.

He wanted to understand even more where the final destination of this long journey of collecting civilizational information would be and what role he himself would play in this journey.

Cheng Ye pressed the lock screen button, placed the defense communicator on his knee, and sat quietly on the bedside in contemplation.

Just like over a hundred days ago, when he had first crossed over here, he had also sat on the bedside like this, looking at the unfamiliar room, thinking about the unknown path ahead.

Even though there had been moments of fear, moments when thoughts of ending it all had emerged but he had never truly feared the "crossing over" itself, had never given up on himself, and had never become hysterical.

The order of the old era had already shattered, new rules had not yet fully solidified, every inch of land was waiting to be redefined, and every soul had the opportunity to tear open the cracks of fate.

He understood better than anyone that there had never been a time when it would be more "simple" than sitting here, on this wasteland, to realize ideals and fulfill life's value.

After thinking for a while, Cheng Ye stood up, pulled open the drawer under the desk, and felt around in the moisture-proof compartment for a cigarette.

This was the cigarette that Li Changfeng had handed him that night.

It represented Li Changfeng's past, contained his unfinished ideals, and harbored his deeply buried ambitions.

That night he hadn't joined Li Changfeng in smoking and sharing their hearts.

It was because at that time, he still couldn't see his own past clearly, much less fathom the direction of the future but at this moment.

Click.

The lighter flared up with a wisp of blue flame. Fire Sprout, who had been sleeping soundly on the bed, suddenly woke up, its round eyes reflexively looking toward the flame in Cheng Ye's hand.

But what seemed somewhat unfamiliar to it was that this big friend's eyes were now churning with an emotion it had never seen before, like that mountain in its memory that had been ignited by heavenly fire, so intense it seemed ready to explode.

It squeaked twice, but saw the big friend pull out a chair and sit at the desk, taking a deep drag of the cigarette.

The acrid smoke made his throat tighten, but he didn't cough, only his eyes became brighter.

"I won't forget it now, and I'll never forget it in the future!"

He raised his hand, and the pendant automatically appeared in his palm, held up before his eyes. Through the blurred patterns, he looked toward the window.

In his long exhale, carrying the gloom that had accumulated for over a hundred days, it dissipated into emptiness.

Outside the window, the sound of rain grew louder, dense raindrops beating against the glass like countless hands knocking and asking about something.

The chill penetrated through the window cracks and drilled into his neck, spreading along his skin, but couldn't extinguish the blazing flame in his heart in the slightest.

Human growth often completes itself in a single moment.

Those books read in the past, knowledge learned, and disordered information received would suddenly settle and ferment at this moment, finally transforming into nutrients nourishing new life.

And at this moment, he heard the sound of his own imminent emergence from the soil.

…

Central Station.

Station Affairs Building.

This was the only building at the Central Station inherited from the old era, and also the core administrative processing point of the entire inspection station.

It was built in the third year of the millennium in the old era, and had a history of over a hundred years.

The five-story building stood like a silent elder, bearing witness to the rise and fall of this land.

Time had carved countless marks on the walls, the blackening from artillery fire burns, the ravines washed by rainwater, the mottled wear ground by wind and sand.

These marks had been covered by layer upon layer of paint, yet they remained hidden in the depths, silently witnessing the growth and departure of generation after generation.

From Cheng Wu to the current Ding Yishan, there had been six station chiefs in total at the inspection station.

Among them, during the five years when the Idealist faction was dominant, two station chiefs had died in the line of duty, and another had chosen to quietly leave when the Idealist faction fell from power.

The names of these four station chiefs were now engraved on the welcome wall at the entrance of the Station Affairs Building, for every person entering and leaving to look up to and pay respect.

The remaining one was the most special existence in the history of Happiness City's inspection station.

The unlucky predecessor of Reagan Carl, Xiao Shuntian.

He was the only inspection station chief who had betrayed Happiness City, and also a malformed product of the Great Development Era's frenzy.

In the whirlpool of power, strength, and resources, this former idealist gradually lost his way, finally becoming a puppet of desire.

After being killed by Reagan Carl, his name was not completely erased, but had never appeared on the welcome wall either.

His "destination" was the kneeling stone sculpture at the main entrance.

The sculpture was entirely black, the figure's head bowed, hands bound behind his back, his posture humble yet twisted, as if in eternal repentance.

Whenever the inspection station held major meetings, a tacit "ritual" would always be performed here.

Everyone passing by the statue would subconsciously pat its head, or kick its knee, and some would even spit on it.

To prove that their ideals had not yet been corrupted by power, that their beliefs had not yet been devoured by desire.

"This treatment really isn't worse than Qin Hui's," Cheng Ye said, walking into the Station Affairs Building wearing a raincoat. He took off the raincoat with some unmelted ice chips still clinging to it and handed it to the staff at the entrance for handling.

Then he raised his hand and patted Xiao Shuntian's statue on the head. It was still a bit warm, probably from someone who had just finished proving their loyalty.

After that, he turned and walked up the stairs toward the third floor, his gaze sweeping over the portraits on the walls.

Most were major events from the inspection station's history, from its founding to the present. Cheng Wu's face continued for a full floor and a half, only switching to the second station chief near the transition from the second to third floor.

Standing at the stairway entrance, Cheng Ye adjusted his breathing.

Although he didn't know how many people Ding Yishan had arranged to attend this first infrastructure meeting, how many Easterners, how many Westerners, it would certainly be a strict selection process.

Just like the layers of examinations before getting an iron rice bowl job, perhaps first a written test, then several rounds of interviews, and finally passing small-scale tests to stand out.

After all, this major matter of migrant settlement was both an opportunity and potentially destruction for the inspection station.

If done well, the inspection station could steadily extend its power to the outer city, truly grasping the initiative in development.

If done poorly, the next statue kneeling at the entrance might be Ding Yishan himself.

Reaching the third floor, this building inherited from the old era seemed to have been a government center before.

The entire third floor was a conference hall, far more impressive than the inspection station's renovated grand theater. The wooden floors were polished to a shine, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of old paper and turpentine.

"Inspector Cheng, this way please, that's the back door," came Jiang Chuan's voice from the side. Cheng Ye stopped and turned back with a slight smile.

"You look in very good spirits today."

"Really?" Cheng Ye tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone carrying some teasing, "Maybe it's because I don't have to be on duty in this ghostly weather."

"Really?"

Jiang Chuan smiled and repeated the phrase, stepping aside to gesture him in but Cheng Ye didn't immediately enter, his gaze sweeping over the conference hall entrance as he casually asked, "How many people in the first round?"

"Among the inspectors qualified for duty, except for the 16 inspectors currently on duty, everyone else received invitations. Well, Inspector Wang is an exception," Jiang Chuan's answer was straightforward.

Alright.

So he wasn't the special one, Wang Kang was.

Currently, there were 96 inspectors remaining at the inspection station not counting Wang Kang. According to the latest duty rotation rules, only 16 people were needed each day to maintain normal operations at the three inspection stations.

That meant there should be 80 inspectors present.

Cheng Ye calculated silently in his mind, following Jiang Chuan through the door he had pushed open, stepping into the interior of the conference hall.

The layout inside was somewhat unexpected. It wasn't arranged like a school auditorium with rows of seats, nor like the grand theater with tiered seating, but rather resembled the conference hall where Churchill gave speeches in movies.

The center was a sunken circular area with a huge mahogany round table.

On both sides were elevated viewing stands extending upward in circles along the steps, each seat having a small desk board in front, like honeycombs embedded in the walls, orderly yet carrying a sense of solemnity.

Ding Yishan was sitting at the main seat of the central round table, with stacks of materials piled in front of him.

What made Cheng Ye unable to keep his composure was that Station Chief Ding was actually wearing reading glasses today. Behind the silver-rimmed lenses, his gaze had lost some of its usual sharpness and gained more warmth, making him look just like Cheng Ye's high school history teacher.

When he entered the conference hall, Ding Yishan happened to look up at just the right moment.

The instant their eyes met, Ding Yishan nodded slightly, seeming to show approval, or perhaps just a routine greeting, making it impossible to fathom the depth of this old fox.

Harlin stood beside the round table, holding a thick folder and checking something, occasionally signaling staff to distribute paper materials, looking very professional and serious but as Ding Yishan turned his head, he also looked toward Cheng Ye, his face wearing an appropriately measured light smile.

With the chief and deputy station chiefs taking the lead, the seated inspectors also looked over following Ding Yishan's gaze, their expressions varied, but no one spoke.

There was no face-slapping showoff scenario as imagined, nor did any brainless person jump out to be a target, criticizing why a trainee inspector should be here.

Reality was very real.

As a descendant of Cheng Wu, the founding station chief of the inspection station, even without the illustrious reputation Cheng Long had earned, the three words "Cheng family member" alone were enough to qualify him for entry.

Moreover, although Cheng Long was dead, the favors and prestige he had left behind had not completely dissipated.

Add to that Cheng Ye's various performances these days, plus Ding Yishan's proactive statement about cultivating young inspectors.

Both emotionally and rationally, he had sufficient qualifications to sit here and obtain the right to know about outer city infrastructure.

He could even participate in outer city construction like other inspectors. No one would really treat him as an ordinary trainee inspector.

So the Eastern inspectors each had very enthusiastic expressions, especially those factional fanatics, who actually waved at him across several rows of seats to show goodwill.

On the other side, the Western faction inspectors, though mostly expressionless with scrutinizing gazes, also had exceptions.

Lee Matteo actually stood up from his seat, his face showing undisguised excitement, waving vigorously at Cheng Ye and pointing to the empty seat beside him, indicating he should sit over.

This old rascal was starting his "performance" again.

Cheng Ye shook his head helplessly but still followed Lee Matteo's indication, walking up the left side steps.

Neither of them had other inspectors sitting nearby, looking isolated, as if they were neutrals but because both factions' gazes were focused on them, they also looked like a rising new faction at the inspection station.

"Not bad, you," Lee Matteo asked knowingly, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you, a little trainee, would be filtered out of the list! Why didn't you bring Inspector Wang along? The three of us together would be more lively."

"Come on."

Cheng Ye sat down, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt and breathing lightly a couple of times.

It wasn't from being tired, but the tense atmosphere in the conference hall made breathing somewhat difficult, "If he came, someone here would flip the table."

"But you, this rascal, being able to come is really surprising."

"What's wrong with being a rascal?"

Lee Matteo wasn't angry at all, but rather puffed out his chest proudly, looking pleased, "You don't know about my achievements back in the day. Among the inspectors who traveled north and south with the Pioneer Corps, which one hasn't led construction teams? I once led two thousand people to build a temporary settlement, and at its peak the population soared to eight thousand! If it weren't for remembering Happiness City, I'd be at least a small lord by now, pretty impressive, right?"

"That is indeed impressive," Cheng Ye curved his lips slightly, "It's hard on Lord Lee to still remember Happiness City."

After the two bantered for a few exchanges, the unfamiliarity from a week apart immediately disappeared, returning to their previous familiarity.

"How is it, is the work at South Station going smoothly?" Lee Matteo lowered his voice, his tone becoming more serious.

"It's alright," Cheng Ye answered concisely.

"That's not a high evaluation," Lee Matteo raised an eyebrow, "Could it be that it's still not as comfortable as North Station?"

"Not really," Cheng Ye shook his head, "It's just a duty location, there's no essential difference between north and south."

Though he said this, he was clear in his heart that although South Station had observers to help handle miscellaneous tasks and seemed relaxed, whether being far from grassroots practical affairs was good or bad was hard to say.

From his own experience, if he hadn't first trained at North Station for a week and had been directly airlifted to South Station, he probably would never have truly familiarized himself with the practical operational knowledge that fell to basic inspection procedures in his lifetime.

And these were exactly what the Eastern academic faction lacked most.

"Heh, in the entire inspection station, probably only our Inspector Cheng has such big words."

Lee Matteo smacked his lips, then changed the subject, "What about this time? According to the basic regulations, it's definitely not single-person contracting. If we're going out, we'll need at least paired cooperation to ensure mutual supervision during the process and avoid accidents. Well, Lord Lee can take you along to earn some achievements."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if Liu Bi can rush back from the hydroelectric station, you could go with him too."

Really thoughtful.

Cheng Ye really hadn't expected Lee Matteo to be willing to team up with him, a trainee inspector.

From a God's perspective, he was the initiator of the contracting proposal, the chess player who participated in formulating the regulations.

He could sit and discuss with Ding Yishan, even making the other party lower his guard and teach through personal example but returning to Lee Matteo's perspective, Inspector Cheng was just a little trainee who hadn't been in contact with inspection work for very long.

At most he had some initial intention, some small abilities, and perhaps some cleverness.

"Don't overthink it," Lee Matteo seemed to see through his thoughts, sniffing and looking completely frank, "I don't have any other motives, I just don't want to team up with those rascals, it's purely a waste of time."

Saying this, he leaned in closer, lowering his voice even more, "If you team up with me, I'll control the overall situation to avoid chaos, and give you open authority to act. How about it? You can do whatever you want, as long as it's not so ridiculous as to send people to their deaths, there's no problem. Just don't run when it's time to take the blame."

"Giving me open authority to act, you're really quite clever."

Cheng Ye chuckled, deliberately teasing, "If Inspector Cheng really achieves something, wouldn't the credit go mostly to you?"

"Good that you know, this is called investment."

Lee Matteo showed no embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed, still grinning foolishly, "The higher the risk I invest, the higher the return should naturally be. If you really can make something of yourself, what's wrong with me having some soup along with you?"

Cheng Ye's heart stirred. It seemed teaming up with Lee Matteo really wasn't bad?

This old rascal was experienced and familiar with pioneering procedures, just right to complement his lack of field experience but on second thought, if he really agreed to this, leaving Wang Kang alone in the buffer zone would be a small matter.

But teaming up with Lee Matteo, what if they had ideological differences?

The "delegation of authority" sounded great now, but the two had received completely different educations and had completely different ways of handling things. When they really reached the outer city and faced specific matters like resource allocation and personnel deployment, conflicts would be inevitable.

Could he, a trainee inspector, override a third-term inspector in making final decisions?

By then, forget about carrying out work, internal friction alone could drag down the entire plan.

Not appropriate!

Cheng Ye even felt that probably even Ding Yishan wouldn't want to see such a combination.

However, he didn't directly refuse, only vaguely said, "Let's see today's selection results first. If both of us can stay, it won't be too late to discuss teaming up."

Moreover, since Ding Yishan had called so many inspectors here today, he would certainly initiate a round of selection.

Deciding on teams now would be awkward if one of them was filtered out.

Furthermore, Cheng Ye vaguely suspected that since Ding Yishan had proposed "paired cooperation," he must have already considered the issue of authority and responsibility, that set of power checks and balances that he wasn't good at and hadn't been exposed to.

When two people went out, there would definitely need to be one primary and one deputy, who would lead decision-making and who would be responsible for execution, all needed to be established in advance.

It would be absolutely impossible to let them decide on the spot, otherwise it would only intensify contradictions and repeat the internal strife of the inspection station's past.

Lee Matteo obviously understood this principle too, and even heard the vagueness in Cheng Ye's tone.

He indeed didn't continue pestering, just grinned, "Alright, let's pass this hurdle first before talking. From the intelligence I've gathered, this assessment won't be simple, they're even using supercomputer assistance for creating questions."

Supercomputer-generated questions?

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, his heart stirring. Ever since learning that Happiness City was the first force to use source guidance technology to break through chip difficulties, he had paid special attention to this supercomputer.

However, just as he was about to ask for details, three more people entered through the conference hall entrance.

As if by tacit understanding, Cheng Ye subconsciously looked up, his gaze directly colliding with the middle person of the three.

The other person raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth pulling into a half-smile, his eyes hiding some mockery, as if saying "we meet again."

Cheng Ye's face immediately darkened.

Garcia.

This sick dog was really lingering like a ghost!