Chapter 33: Good News, Bad News!

After seeing off the containment team, Cheng Ye, lost in thought, reentered the isolation cell to inspect it thoroughly.Cell 48 had been washed down with high-pressure water jets, and within minutes, the stench of blood had dissipated.

Only a few small holes etched into the walls by the Corrupt Vine's sap silently testified to the earlier battle.

"Transcendent..."

Stepping out of the isolation cell, Cheng Ye took a few deep breaths, yet the pounding in his chest refused to subside.

His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

Three parts were shock at uncovering the truth about transcendents, three parts were an intense desire for transcendent abilities, three parts were a creeping fear of the unknown, and one part was a growing curiosity about the deeper secrets of the wasteland.

"Humanity buried its past and severed ties with the Old Era. Was it to prevent excessive probing from triggering disasters, or are they secretly repeating the same mistakes, researching a 'harmless' S-5?"

Following this train of thought, Cheng Ye dared not delve deeper.

The infected entities were already troublesome enough. If an even more terrifying catastrophe were unleashed, the wasteland, seemingly on the path to recovery, might instantly revert to its brutal apocalyptic origins.

Moreover, something in Qin Feng's explanation didn't add up.

If the S-4 virus's rampage was truly over, why did transcendent beings need to stay hidden? They could simply step forward and prove themselves.

This secretive behavior suggested there were still undisclosed issues.

"If I could search for transcendent abilities..."

"Equip them when needed and unequip them immediately. Could that bypass the S-4's effects?"

Cheng Ye entertained this "genius" idea for a while before firmly suppressing all his desires.

Keeping these secrets from trainees was the right call.

Even someone as strong as Big B, a fourth-stage inspector, had never mentioned transcendents to him.

Before reaching a certain level of strength, knowing too much too soon could lead to overambition or even straying down the wrong path.

"Are the people from last night's shift still awake?"

"No, the alarm just woke them up. They're calming the other isolated personnel now."

"Good. Have them gather later; I have something to say."

Instructing Raven to assemble all the staff and guards, Cheng Ye turned to Owl.

Having just escaped death's door, even after ten minutes, Owl was still shaken but had finally recovered from his initial dazed state.

"Scared like that, how did you become an observer?"

"Sir..."

Owl gave a bitter smile. "I thought I was done for. I never imagined you'd save me."

"I'm not made of wood. You think I'd just watch my own people get taken out?"

Cheng Ye was a bit exasperated.

Perhaps in the eyes of Owl and Raven, his actions marked him as an outlier among inspectors.

But he knew saving someone was just an instinctive reaction.

Yet, this "instinct" was a rare glimmer of humanity in the dog-eat-dog wasteland.

"Thank you, sir," Owl said quietly, saying no more, though a fervent spark lit up his eyes.

Cheng Ye shook his head with a wry smile, knowing Owl had etched this life-saving act into his heart.

This was rare and sparked a bit of calculation in him.

To establish and solidify his footing at the checkpoint, relying solely on the favors left by Cheng Long was far from enough. He needed to gradually cultivate his own loyal allies.

Owl had that potential.

If he could navigate the vortex of the East-West faction struggle, starting with Owl might be a good choice.

"By the way, is there an Arthur at the station?"

Suddenly recalling the person Liu Bi had mentioned before leaving, Cheng Ye asked curiously.

Though he never planned to pin his survival hopes on others, Liu Bi's claim that this person could save his life piqued his interest.

"Arthur... There are quite a few Arthurs at the station. Which one do you mean, sir?"

"Arthur Amir."

"Oh, Machine Gunner Arthur!" Owl pointed toward Zone F. "He's on duty at the watchtower behind the isolation corridor."

Following Owl's gesture, Cheng Ye turned and saw a figure holding a gun, faintly visible through the metal railing of the watchtower behind the isolation corridor.

It clicked for Cheng Ye. No wonder Liu Bi said this guy could save his life.

Machine gunners held a higher status at the checkpoint than observers like Owl, second only to inspectors.

More importantly, as core defensive forces, machine gunners reported directly to the station chief, beyond the direct command of inspectors.

This unrestricted status naturally made them valuable allies in certain situations.

"Looks like I should find time to connect with him. If an unstoppable infected entity breaks in, it might buy me some time to escape."

Noting this mentally, Cheng Ye waited in place.

Since he’d be on duty in Quarantine Zone A for the next week, it was necessary to at least get familiar with the station’s guards and staff.

But only familiar.

"I’m here for three things: find infected entities, kill infected entities, and earn contribution points!"

"I won’t send you on suicide missions, but in return, no one gets to slack off."

"If I catch anyone slacking even once, even the first time, don’t expect to stay at this checkpoint."

"That’s it. Those who haven’t slept, go catch up. Those on shift, keep your eyes sharp!"

With those four sentences, Cheng Ye dismissed the group.

As the crowd dispersed, some muttered, some exclaimed, but most were curious.

Cheng Ye’s brash style fit their stereotype of an Eastern faction inspector.

But was he really a brute?

No one thought so.

Raven had already let slip that this Eastern inspector was personally escorted by Raul, who had instructed them to take him seriously.

Moreover, identifying an infected entity among hundreds with just a few words was a testament to his sharp skills.

That kind of solid competence was the foundation for an inspector to stand firm at the checkpoint.

"Don’t just stand there. There’s another warehouse to check."

"Oh, right, got it!"

Raven and Owl snapped to attention, realizing this inspector hadn’t even made it to the quarantine zone before running into an infected entity in the isolation cell.

Talk about luck!

"Each full duty cycle assigns two observers and ten staff to assist the inspector, plus twenty patrol guards to monitor isolated personnel and counter infected entities when they appear."

"If anyone is lost, the station will replace them the next day, so there’s never a shortage of manpower."

Standing at the entrance of Warehouse 2, the living quarters, a faint stench of body odor mixed with the distinct sweat of Westerners wafted over.

Cheng Ye peeked inside.

To be fair, the checkpoint’s accommodations for these people were far from bad.

Though they were bunk beds, each was deliberately adjusted to one-and-a-half meters wide and two meters long, unusually spacious.

A large wooden table, like those in the Survival Library, sat between every four bunks.

Each bunk also had a small cabinet, giving everyone their own storage space.

Even by Cheng Ye’s modern standards, it was better than some eight- or ten-person college dorms.

"Alright, let’s head to the front quarantine zone."

Having grasped the rapid inspection station’s setup, Cheng Ye let out a slight sigh of relief.

One piece of good news, one piece of bad news.

The good news was that while the quarantine zone carried risks, they were generally manageable, so he didn’t need to worry too much.

The bad news was that the high casualty rate of inspectors at the rapid inspection station proved the quarantine zone’s dangers were likely far greater than he’d imagined.

Moving forward, the front half of the quarantine zone was again divided by iron plates and netting.

Cheng Ye touched it, his heart tightening. The material wasn’t ordinary steel but the same special alloy as the floor.

It was just coated with paint to look like steel.

"Could it be to trick infected entities?"

Some special infected entities could corrode steel, but Happiness City had yet to encounter one that could corrode this alloy.

After passing through three alloy doors, Raven stopped.

"Inspector, sir, this is your isolation inspection zone."

The so-called isolation inspection zone looked strikingly like the paid basketball courts in city squares from before Cheng Ye’s transmigration.

The square space, about three hundred square meters, was divided in half by a yellow line:

One half was the inspector’s area, the other for those being inspected.

Each area had an alloy table.

Similar to the central checkpoint’s setup, the table in the inspection area held various testing instruments, while the inspector’s table was for personal items.

The only difference was three additional buttons on the desk.

"This is your work desk," Raven said, pointing. "The leftmost button controls the door behind you. The middle one opens the entrance for incoming personnel. The right one is the lockdown button. Once pressed, the station will immediately dispatch rescue personnel, but until they arrive, both doors can’t be opened by any means."

Pausing, Raven pulled out the defense communicator on his belt. "This side button is for contact. Press it, and I’ll hear you."

"Yeah, I know this."

Having nearly aced his trainee assessment, Cheng Ye was no stranger to this infrastructure.

Standing there, he could clearly see the yellow line outside the station chief’s office window through the iron netting, as well as the armed corridor for directing crowds.

Due to the heavy rain, Zone B, which handled scavengers and regular drifters, had a dozen people queuing for the corridor to open.

Meanwhile, Zone A, responsible for vehicle inspections, was empty.

"When would I need to open the isolation door and step beyond the yellow line?"

Cheng Ye asked his most pressing question.

Since Downs had said staying behind the yellow line was safe, it meant there was significant danger beyond it!

Raven and Owl exchanged a glance, and the latter stepped forward.

"There’s only one situation where you’d need to cross the yellow line."

"When an inner city official on a mission is attacked within three kilometers of the checkpoint and sends a distress signal, the checkpoint will require the four duty inspectors to immediately go beyond the yellow line for rescue!"