Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 190-2: A Harvest of Families, Respect Earned Through Strength!

With someone setting an example, a tacit understanding quickly formed among the Inspectors.Just by exchanging a single glance, they instantly read the meaning conveyed in each other's eyes.

No more indulging them!

If they wanted to come, great; if not, forget it.

In particular, the group of Phase 1 and Phase 2 Inspectors already knew their hopes of competing for the Contract Management Qualification were slim, so they simply decided to stop caring.

Want to earn money from the Inspectors? Fine. Cooperate properly with the Assessment, and you will get what you deserve.

But trying to use the opportunity provided by the Inspection Station to make things difficult for the Inspectors? Did they really think the Inspectors of Happiness City were passive clay idols in a temple, allowing anyone to manipulate them?

"Brother Cheng, didn't we agree to only take families and not Able-bodied Youths?"

Wang Kang recorded the information on the side. After handing out Badges to the twelve brothers brought over by Bao Dashan, he could not help but ask in confusion.

Even though these Able-bodied Youths were extremely cooperative, offering full guarantees that they would build up Dabo Town properly, who knew what they would actually be like once they arrived?

They were far less reliable than a Family with Children like Lin Xiaoshan's. At the very least, those people had done hard labor and lived grounded, practical lives.

"The situation might have changed..."

Cheng Ye carefully observed the changes in the square formation, only exhaling after a long while. "I suspect the Families with Children and Elders in the square are all traps set by the Inspection Station."

"What?" Wang Kang exclaimed in surprise.

"Do not act so surprised. Look over there at a forty-five-degree angle from me. That family wearing dark brown clothes—especially their elders and children—do they not seem like complete strangers to one another?"

Following the direction Cheng Ye indicated, Wang Kang lowered his head slightly and observed them out of the corner of his eye.

Sure enough. Even though they were ostensibly a family of seven, there was a noticeable distance between the adults and the elders, and the children were standing even further away from the old folks.

Two elders, roughly sixty years old, sat foolishly on their chairs with vacant expressions, their minds seemingly wandering elsewhere.

"There is no doubt that there are plenty of Families with Children and Elders in the Migration Tide, but how could there be so many standard families consisting of 'three men, two women, and two elders'?"

"Out of twenty thousand people, even if they only accounted for twenty-five percent, that would still be five thousand people, making up over seven hundred families!"

Cheng Ye had found it strange from the start. Now, after some testing and observation, he was even more certain of his judgment.

Even ignoring the strict restriction of having exactly three men and two women, selecting five thousand people fitting that general demographic would be extremely difficult.

Furthermore, the families they screened might not even agree to participate in the Assessment. Any group capable of maintaining a seven-person household in the wasteland had absolutely maxed out their risk-resistance capabilities. Why would they risk their lives in a Satellite City just for a few Happiness Coins?

Let alone scraping together seven hundred families, even gathering two hundred families—amounting to fourteen hundred people—would be practically impossible.

"Then their purpose is to interfere with the Inspectors' choices?"

"It is possible, but maybe I am overthinking things."

Cheng Ye did not speak in absolutes, his gaze shifting faintly toward the North Inspection Station.

He did not know if Ding Yishan was currently observing the changes in the venue, but clearly, due to his sudden rise in prominence, the other Inspectors present seemed to have realized the problem.

Using 3x Points as bait to interfere with their judgment, if an Inspector thought about it too idealistically, they would easily fall into a massive pitfall.

Fortunately, each team had currently only recruited about two hundred Able-bodied Youths. If they reacted in time, there was still a chance to turn the tables.

Of course, it was only a slim chance.

Since they had already opened the floodgates by offering Additional Compensation for recruitment, trying to close those gates later would be difficult. The Refugees were not fools; why would they do the exact same work for less money?

"Then our next plan is..."

"Prioritize recruiting Families with Children, especially those coming from the mines. Their children can basically serve as 0.7 of a standard Labor Force. They can endure immense hardship and hold absolute hope for a better life."

Cheng Ye paused, his tone thoughtful. "But we must control the numbers. Assuming four-person households, we can recruit a maximum of seventy-five families."

Seventy-five families meant exactly three hundred people.

When introducing the benefits to the crowd earlier, he had not ignored the two children Lin Xiaoshan brought along.

The children appeared shy and quiet, but their eyes were astonishingly pure. There was a high probability they were born and raised in the mines, having never braved the Wilderness in their entire lives.

Whenever he mentioned phrases like "enough food to eat," "a safe home," "warm even in the rain," "stable future jobs," and "bright and clean work environments," the light in those two children's eyes simply could not be hidden.

If Dabo Town was already stabilized, these children would become the main force of the new generation, the most dutiful and hardworking group of people.

But right now, they had to participate in the Assessment and face the threats of the Wilderness directly, so he had to think things through clearly:

The children were not afraid of hardship and were fully capable of handling assorted chores, but someone had to block out the cruelty of the outside world for them, carving out a safe zone where they could shine.

Therefore, three hundred people was the absolute limit. They could not take any more.

"Additionally, I originally planned to interact directly with the Drifters to find families with an adventurous streak to serve as the Satellite City's Patrol Team. That way, both loyalty and capability could be guaranteed."

"But looking at it now, the demographics the Inspection Station filtered and diverted to us seem to have very fixed personalities. These families are all the honest, hardworking type. It might be very difficult to find the kind of people I want."

"So, we cannot just sit here passively waiting for them to come to us for screening. Our approach to the Patrol Team has to change: we will guarantee the recruitment of fifty Able-bodied Youths. Assuming sixteen people per team, a two-shift rotation requires thirty-two people, and a three-shift rotation requires forty-eight. Fifty people is just barely enough to meet the quota."

When it came to the Able-bodied Youths, Cheng Ye's thoughts were straightforward.

Rather than exploiting their labor, it was better to utilize the fact that they were unattached and eager to earn merits.

They had no ties anyway, and all of them wanted to live a good life.

That was fine. They would not have to work themselves to death with heavy labor; they just needed to take up the most dangerous guard and patrol duties. Earning a bit of extra compensation for that would not be an issue.

But if he sent honest family men with dependents to the Patrol Team, their attachments would inevitably make them flinch when it was time to risk their lives.

"Then for the remaining one hundred and fifty people, we give those spots to two-person married couples?" Wang Kang nodded, following his train of thought. "Actually, we could increase the Able-bodied Youths to one hundred, but that would put too much pressure on our points. Fifty people should be enough strictly for security and protection."

"Right, as long as we have enough Labor Force. Dabo Town's terrain will not require heavy labor for clearance missions. Besides..."

Cheng Ye paused. When that time truly came, he would finally have a place to use his accumulated Action Points.

As long as there were no real-time proctors monitoring them, he could simply spend a few Action Points to smooth out any minor shortfalls in labor. There was absolutely no need to drag along a massive pile of Able-bodied Youths.

Fewer people meant they would be more obedient; too many people, and the two of them would not be able to manage them anyway.

Of course, it would be wonderful if he could pull some militia members over from the community, but he knew without thinking that it was impossible.

If the militia were allowed to assist with construction, the higher-phase Inspectors would only be able to pull in even more talent. The lower-phase ones, even if they just threw money around, could recruit a horde of desperate thugs from the Shantytown willing to sell their lives.

At that point, it would no longer be a competition of who could best settle the Drifters, but rather a contest of whose financial backing was thicker.

"We are not taking a single Family with Children and Elders. Since they might be traps, there is no need to test it."

Cheng Ye made the final decision, setting the tone.

This was also the reason why he had not bothered with a personnel allocation ratio from the very beginning.

If he could choose from the entire Drifter formation, he could definitely pick out a bunch of Large Families willing to follow him.

But since he was restricted to selecting from the people provided by the Inspection Station, he had to consider a host of extra factors. He could not merely focus on Dabo Town's future development.

Once he obtained the Contract Management Qualification, he would have plenty of time to return and recruit more ideal personnel.

"Understood. Whatever you say, Brother Cheng, we will do it!"

Wang Kang nodded heavily. At the end, he smiled and joked, "Following Brother Cheng is great. If I had to sit here and make these choices myself, my head would definitely explode from overthinking!"

"Your task isn't just to sit here registering information and handing out Badges. I'll explain things once more for the second round, but after that, it'll be up to you to give the presentation to the third and fourth rounds of people!"

"No problem!" Wang Kang agreed readily. "This isn't any different from learning to sing or tell stories. We're just chatting with people anyway. Whether I speak right or wrong, there'll always be a chance to smooth things over."

"Not bad. Keep up that spirit!"

Cheng Ye nodded in gratification.

By now, more and more people were gathering around. The legion simply drove over four armed pickup trucks to help maintain order.

There were at least a thousand people lining up at the scene, yet they were only accepting five hundred. Obviously, it was impossible to let everyone in for an interview.

In accordance with Cheng Ye's instructions, Dalong had already begun the first round of screening on the perimeter.

The core standard of the screening was heavily focused on families, but it explicitly stated that they did not want families of seven.

As soon as this rule was announced, many of the Large Families waiting in line were instantly stunned. Voices of doubt immediately rang out from the crowd. "Why aren't seven-person families allowed in? We work just as hard as anyone else!"

"Cut the crap!" Erlong walked up from behind with his men, glaring as he retorted, "Are you the only ones allowed to pick your Inspectors? Are the Inspectors not allowed to pick their people?"

His gaze swept across the crowd, accurately locking onto the man leading the complaints. "You right there! Weren't you just eliminated by us for demanding Additional Compensation? What are you yelling about here now?"

An awkward smile flashed across the man's face. He quickly grabbed the woman beside him and retreated to the back of the crowd, not daring to make another sound.

Cheng Ye's gaze tracked the two figures the entire time.

Sure enough, after the two left the line, they headed straight for the recruitment points of the other Inspectors.

In their so-called "Large Family," there was not a single trace of an elder or child. They were clearly a couple in disguise, trying to fish in troubled waters.

If the Inspection Station had not deliberately arranged this, then these two were highly likely "bad seeds" influenced by a Walker. They had already lost the mindset of normal people, becoming corrupted to their very core.

'Could it be that the Inspection Station deliberately filtered these types of people in, using a controllable environment to let the lower-phase Inspectors familiarize themselves with the methods of dealing with Drifters first?'

Cheng Ye was lost in thought.

The first batch of Contract Management Phase 3 and Phase 4 Inspectors were all veterans of the Great Reclamation Era. They only needed to take a spin outside the city to gain a general understanding of the Drifters, knowing exactly what methods to use to handle them.

But the lower-phase Inspectors had never experienced such things. The second batch of Satellite City Assessments served perfectly as a training opportunity.

Compared to holding study sessions in the Grand Theater, this kind of live-fire, practical scenario was obviously far more educational.

'No wonder it's called a practical, live-combat drill.'

Realization dawned on Cheng Ye. 'Even if they ultimately fail to win the Contract Management opportunity, they will at least harvest some growth and experience. At the very least, they won't remain as naive as they are now.'

Different positions led to different considerations and different points of emphasis.

He was pondering the construction of Dabo Town, how to attract Drifters, and how to win the competition.

Meanwhile, Station Masters like Ding Yishan and Halin had to consider the overall coordination of the Contract Management points, personnel arrangements, and the cultivation of lower-phase Inspectors.

Everyone had their own "missions." After giving it some thought, Cheng Ye did not instruct the guards to drag those two troublemakers out.

Looking at the current scene, the Inspectors had awakened and banded together.

Although some partner groups might be eliminated right here in the selection phase, it had completely turned around the originally passive situation.

However, none of this had anything to do with him.

The second round of five families entered. These four-person households could be recognized at a glance as genuine families.

Three of the families came from the Iron Stone Mine, and all of them were honest families just like Lin Xiaoshan's.

Cheng Ye simply called Lin Xiaoshan, who had already received his Badge, over and had him accompany the presentation.

Of the other two families, one was a small household from a nearby Gathering Place. Their risk-resistance capabilities were likely quite good, and their attitude was extremely respectful.

"Inspector Cheng, my name is Sun Dazheng. I am a carpenter from the Tumo Gathering Place. My wife, my children, and I can all do carpentry work."

The man looked to be nearing fifty, but his wife was only in her early thirties.

This was completely normal in the wasteland. In fact, having such a pairing indirectly proved that Sun Dazheng's abilities were genuinely strong enough to support them.

However, his children—an eleven-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy—were both painfully thin and weak. They definitely could not handle any heavy labor, which was why he preemptively highlighted their technical value.

"Inspector Cheng, my name is Sun Xiaozheng! I can do carpentry work too! And I know how to make hunting traps!"

Seeing Cheng Ye look toward him, the little boy added softly, his voice carrying a timid hint of pride.

Ah?

Cheng Ye was highly amused. "Your dad is named Sun Dazheng, and your name is Sun Xiaozheng?"

"The Lord helped name us. Xiaozheng has great talent, much better than mine."

Sun Dazheng hurriedly explained, but his expression dimmed right after. "The Tumo Gathering Place was overrun by an Infection Tide, and the Lord died as well. We hid in the surroundings for a few days before coincidentally running into a migrating convoy, so we followed them all the way here."

The distance between the two places was over three hundred kilometers—not too far, but traveling purely on foot would still take the better part of a month. Bringing two small children along was indeed no easy feat.

Cheng Ye mentally noted down this family, then looked toward the final household.

To his surprise, it was a family of four originating from the neighboring Yueye Shelter City.

This family evidently understood the twists and turns of the Happiness City Inspection Station much better. Without asking a single question, they stated they wanted to join Dabo Town. It was obvious they recognized the weight behind the surname "Cheng."

It was a pity they only knew the surface details and were completely unaware of how wretchedly Inspector Cheng had struggled just to stay alive in the past.

But as things stood now, the completely unique spectacle he had set up, layered with the halo of his family background, truly made him the optimal choice in the eyes of these Drifters who were ignorant of the truth.

'Wrapping myself in this tiger's skin really does save a lot of trouble.'

Cheng Ye chuckled inwardly. 'That's fine. The prestige of the Cheng family will continue on and flourish in my hands.'

He stood up and took the five families through another explanation of the policies.

Lin Xiaoshan stood beside him, mimicking Bao Dashan's role as a hype man. He boasted about the benefits of Dabo Town while using his own choice as reassurance to set everyone's minds at ease.

The result was exactly as expected. All five families chose to stay, instantly adding twenty more people to his roster.

"Xiao Kang, I'll leave the rest to you. I'll take charge of the initial screening."

"Rest easy!" After sitting through two waves of people, Wang Kang had basically learned the ropes and agreed confidently.

There were still three hours left before the Assessment deadline. Time was tight, so they had to pick up the pace.

Cheng Ye simply set up a triple-screening system. Dalong would perform the first round of screening on the outermost perimeter, Cheng Ye would do a second pass, and finally, Wang Kang would finalize the quotas.

With this setup, their efficiency immediately skyrocketed.

In just a little over an hour, more than three hundred Badges had been handed out, fully finalizing all seventy-five households.

Forty-nine of those families were from the mines—all honest people willing to work diligently, perfectly fulfilling the baseline Labor Force requirements.

Of the remaining twenty-six families, seventeen came from surrounding Gathering Places, all bringing varying degrees of craftsmanship or survival skills.

The last nine families all hailed from surrounding Shelter Cities. Their cognitive abilities were visibly vastly superior to the other families, and it was easy to see they had come purely for the "Cheng" name.

Cheng Ye did not mind this. Generally speaking, these types of "smart people" were actually much easier to win over and groom into Confidants.

The higher their level of education, the stronger their ability to assess the situation.

Once Dabo Town truly began operations, they would be the least likely to abruptly uproot themselves and start over in another Satellite City.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!"

Cheng Ye clapped his hands. The crowd of over three hundred people gathered around the model house instantly quieted down.

"For the next half-day, I will be inviting three Veterans from Happiness City's Reclamation Corps to impart Wilderness survival skills that could save your lives in critical moments, as well as Pioneering Experience that you can put to use in Dabo Town."

As Cheng Ye spoke, he pointed to the pickup truck parked nearby.

Hearing this, Elder Song and the other two, who had been resting with their eyes closed inside the cabin, were instantly invigorated. They pushed the doors open, stepped out, and strode over.

Having observed for so long, Cheng Ye's methods were becoming increasingly unfathomable, yet this only further cemented their initial judgment of him.

"Everyone, please welcome Elder Song, Elder He, and Elder Zhou!"

Before Cheng Ye even finished speaking, thunderous applause had already erupted from the crowd below.

Drifters who had struggled in the Wilderness knew all too well exactly what "life-saving skills" meant.

Furthermore, the faces of the three community elders were simply far too persuasive. To have survived to such an advanced age in this world, and to be so highly praised by Cheng Ye—they absolutely possessed genuine skills.

Amidst the applause, Elder Song stepped up onto the makeshift high platform and cleared his throat. "I won't waste words with nonsense. Dabo Town's terrain isn't overly complicated, but there are a few key points you must memorize. First, dirt slopes are prone to collapsing during the rainy season. How do you judge the risk? Look at the grass on the slope. If there's fresh dirt around the roots of the grass, it means the soil is loose. Get far away from it immediately..."

He didn't speak quickly, but every sentence struck directly at the heart of the matter.

The people below listened with utmost concentration. A few women simply took their children and stepped back, allowing their men to squeeze even closer, terrified of missing a single word.

No one expected Cheng Ye to have prepared such a segment. By comparison, the empty promises and meager Happiness Coin rewards offered by the other Inspectors fell completely flat.

It even prompted the Inspectors under Sunshade Canopies 31 and 30 to curse under their breath, though their curses were swiftly followed by secret pangs of regret.

Such a simple method for winning people's hearts—how had they failed to think of it from the very beginning?

Fortunately, no matter how capable Cheng Ye was, he could only recruit five hundred people. He wouldn't be competing with them for the rest.

Furthermore, his Contract Management location didn't conflict with theirs. The unlucky ones were Luo Kuke and Garcia.

Otherwise, with such a formidable opponent right next to them, what was the point of even taking the Assessment? They might as well just go home, wash up, and go to sleep.

Meanwhile, under Sunshade Canopy 21.

Although Luo Kuke and Garcia weren't speaking, the atmosphere beneath their Sunshade Canopy was as heavy as an impending storm.

Compared to the bustling line of over a thousand people at number 32, their own side didn't look entirely empty—they had a few dozen people lined up.

The problem was that a third of them were slick Human Resource Agency brokers, and the rest who came over simply opened their mouths to ask, "How much extra compensation can you give?"

Asking was one thing.

The real issue was that after asking, these people would shake their heads and walk away, sporting a disappointed expression that practically screamed they were 'shopping around' and found their offer lacking. It made Garcia grind his teeth in frustration.

"We aren't going to fail to recruit even five hundred people and get eliminated in the first round, are we?"

Glancing at the box, which still held at least four hundred Badges, Garcia's face was ashen.

He was tempted to have the guards chase these brokers away, but he also feared that offending people would make it even harder to fill their quota. He was caught in a dilemma.

"It won't come to that. You're a Phase 2 Inspector, after all. How is your performance even worse than those Phase 1s?"

Luo Kuke retracted his gaze from Sunshade Canopy 32 and asked back, an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

Garcia didn't dare speak back, merely putting on a 'you do it if you're so smart' expression.

"Go over there and type. I'll dictate, and you write."

Luo Kuke pondered for a moment. Once Garcia was in position, he spoke in a deep voice: "Dabo Town possesses unique and highly advantageous geographical conditions, making it extremely competitive among the Satellite Cities and a prime location highly coveted by all factions. The announcement regarding the contracting qualifications and recruitment affairs for Dabo Town's construction is as follows: The units that have currently obtained contracting qualifications are numbers 21 and 32. Of these, unit 32 has a recruitment quota of only five hundred people."

"Those interested in participating in the construction of Dabo Town are requested to register as soon as possible. All construction plans for unit 21 will align with those of unit 32, and there will be no significant differences in policies. Due to limited slots, priority will be given to applicants registering as families. Able-bodied Youth applicants must pass the relevant reviews before selection. We hope all interested parties grasp this opportunity and eagerly register!"

"Ah, this..."

Garcia's hands paused on the keyboard. He looked up at Luo Kuke. "Doesn't that make us look like we're eating leftovers?"

"Leftovers?"

Luo Kuke scoffed. "Turn your head and look around. Others want to eat these leftovers, but they don't even have the qualifications to!"

An Easterner Administrator standing behind the two couldn't hold back and almost burst out laughing.

Fortunately, they were professionally trained. They quickly reached down and pinched their own thigh, grimacing in pain just to suppress their amusement.

"..."

Garcia noticed the commotion and turned his head to glare at the two administrators.

Seeing the two of them with lowered eyelids, adopting a picture-perfect posture of focused neutrality, his ashen expression relaxed slightly.

The flyers were quickly printed out—a full hundred copies.

"Handing flyers to the people over there doesn't count as breaking the rules, right?"

"It doesn't." The administrator beside them hastily replied. "As long as you don't personally enter the Drifter formations to make contact, it's all within the rules."

"Alright then. Go pass these flyers out to the people waiting in line at number 32."

Overjoyed, Garcia immediately ordered the administrators to take four guards and head over.

Seeing his eager and desperate display, Luo Kuke couldn't help but shake his head internally.

On the surface, the Inspection Station appeared to only have the Eastern and Western factions battling it out. In reality, they had long since fractured into numerous smaller factions and cliques in the shadows, becoming a total mess.

Currently, there were four main factions: the Radical Faction, the Conservative Faction, the Academic Faction, and the Emerging Faction.

The former two were mostly comprised of higher-phase Inspectors, while the latter two were predominantly lower-phase Inspectors.

The Radical Faction wanted to push the Inspection Station to restore its former glory and retake immense power.

The Conservative Faction focused on pragmatism, advocating for building high walls, accumulating vast resources, and taking a slow, steady approach to dominance.

The Academic Faction prioritized using science to prevent and treat Infection Sources. They sought to have the Inspection Station transition to the Technology Inspection Mode currently used by all Super Sanctuary Cities within the Kindling Alliance, abandoning the outdated Human-Powered Inspection Mode.

However, those three all placed the Inspection Station at their core. Only the Emerging Faction held a different ideology.

Garcia was a member of the Emerging Faction.

They wanted to unite talents from other departments under the Department System and bring them into the Inspection Station, forging the station into a massive, all-encompassing institution integrating scientific research, industry, human resources, production, and military might.

Of course, that was just their official stance. Put bluntly, they were just a faction seeking to defect to and rely on other departments.

Though Luo Kuke wasn't sure exactly which faction Garcia was closest to, his thoughtless demeanor truly made him resemble the reckless brutes of the Transcendent Faction.

If he kept being this brainless, he could forget about ever being promoted to Phase 3 in this lifetime.

He watched the administrators walk over to the line at number 32 and begin handing out the flyers.

After a burst of clamor, roughly a hundred people actually broke off and marched towards number 21.

Garcia hastily sat up straight, doing his best to look stiff and professional, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.

The first to line up was a married couple. The man stepped forward and said eagerly:

"My Lord, my name is Chang Wen, and this is my wife, Hu Yun. We are a family of seven, and we want to join your team."

"Oh? Where are your family members?" Garcia's heart leaped with joy, though his face remained impassive.

"They're all waiting in the formation! My parents can do heavy labor, and my children have been eating bitterness and enduring hardship since they were young." Chang Wen pointed toward the formation. Over there, a middle-aged man and woman immediately waved back. Standing beside them were three youths around fifteen or sixteen years old. It truly looked like all of them were capable of physical labor.

"Your parents are this young? And your children are so mature?"

Garcia frowned slightly. "Where is your identification? Let me see."

"Right here!"

Chang Wen hurriedly pulled out a slip of paper. Written clearly on it was "Family of Seven," and below that was the screening mark from the Inspection Station.

With this mark, they could earn 3x Points. Moreover, all seven people looked like capable Labor Force additions.

Even if their ages seemed a bit odd, they had been screened by the Inspection Station. It had nothing to do with him.

However, just as Garcia was about to accept them, Luo Kuke, who had been silent on the side, suddenly coughed lightly. "Were you two part of the very first batch to go to number 32?"

"Huh?" Chang Wen was taken aback before giving an awkward smile. "My Lord has excellent eyesight!"

"Then why didn't you join number 32?" Luo Kuke's voice carried no decipherable emotion.

"Number 32 isn't taking seven-person families! They only want families of four!"

"Is that so?" Luo Kuke turned his head. After receiving an affirmative nod from the administrator, he instantly felt confused.

Families of seven were worth 3x Points. Had Cheng Ye really just given them up entirely?

Why?

He couldn't quite figure it out, but looking at the long line forming behind them and the impatient Garcia, he didn't say anything more.

Seeing this, Garcia immediately said, "Have your entire family come over."

"Yes! Thank you, My Lord!"

Chang Wen left his wife to hold their place and sprinted back to the formation. He quickly brought his "whole family" over.

But this group of people looked extremely unfamiliar with one another. The "elders," "adults," and "children" each formed their own distinct groups, looking exactly like they had been temporarily cobbled together.

'Could it be that these seven-person families were all forcefully assembled by the Inspection Station?'

Luo Kuke pondered this secretly, and the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

Especially after glancing toward number 32 and then shifting his gaze back to the long line behind them, he simply stood up and declared, "Apologies, but we are not recruiting seven-person families here either."

"Huh?" Garcia had just pulled seven Badges out of the box. His hand froze mid-air before he instinctively pulled it back.

Chang Wen and his family's expressions drastically changed. First came disbelief, swiftly followed by seething indignation. Just as they were about to speak, they were stopped dead by Luo Kuke's glare.

Seeing this, the surrounding guards immediately understood and instantly closed in.

"Please leave."

"You..." Chang Wen opened his mouth, his fists clenched tightly, but ultimately, he took his "family" and left.

However, as he walked to the side and glanced back, his eyes were filled with a vicious resentment that Garcia was all too familiar with.

"Was that really necessary?" Garcia opened his mouth to ask.

"It was necessary." Luo Kuke shook his head gently. "Although I can't quite articulate what feels off about this, if even he is rejecting these seven-person families... then we aren't taking them either."

"Competing on the same stage, his advantage lies in his ingenuity and methods, which we lack. But our greatest advantage is our familiarity with the Wilderness and our construction experience, which he lacks."

"If we want to defeat him, we have to find a way to maximize our strengths and avoid our weaknesses. It's only to our benefit if the personnel we recruit align as closely with his as possible. If we take in these seven-person families, the variables will be far too massive."

"Yeah, what you're saying makes sense."

Since Luo Kuke had said so, Garcia didn't overthink it. He immediately had the guards pass down the new rules.

Curses instantly rang out from the line. However, perhaps because Cheng Ye's rules had already set a precedent, the rest of the people actually felt that the approaches of the two sides were identical, and their enthusiasm rose even higher.

On the other side.

Wang Kang had just finished leading a group through the presentation. He downed a full mug of cold water and panted, "Brother Cheng, they're poaching our people over there!"

"It's fine, let them poach." Cheng Ye counted out eight Badges and handed them to the newly selected Able-bodied Youths. Catching sight of canopy 21 kicking out the seven-person family out of the corner of his eye, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve up into a smile.

'Copying me to this extent?'

He felt a bit speechless and amused inside.

Human hearts could not be anchored by empty slogans. They required tangible methods and genuine hope.

He had prepared for so long; only then did he have the confidence to claim he could tie down these defecting families. He had the confidence and the plans to lead this group of people in launching their construction efforts.

If Luo Kuke had come up with some bizarre and unpredictable strategy, Cheng Ye might have been wary. But shadowing him step for step like this...

How did that saying go again?

Those who learn from me will live, but those who merely mimic me will die!

"Xiao Kang, there are only seventy people left. Give it your all, let's aim to finish work early!"

Cheng Ye stood up and stretched his shoulders. There were not many "Little Blackie" Badges left in the box. At this rate, they would be completely handed out in another hour.

Meanwhile, the crowd listening to the lectures of the three community elders beside them was growing ever larger. Every so often, the sound of someone asking a question would ring out. The scene was bustling yet orderly.

Compared to the exhausted and thoroughly frustrated appearances of the other Inspectors, who were currently besieged by brokers, Cheng Ye turned his head and met the gazes of the two Westerner Inspectors under the adjacent Sunshade Canopy.

Perhaps basking in his reflected glory, quite a few people who had grown annoyed with waiting in his line simply went over to number 31 to try their luck. At this moment, there were also two or three hundred people lining up in front of their canopy.

The two Westerner Inspectors under the canopy happened to look up, their gazes colliding directly with Cheng Ye's.

The two men were momentarily stunned before offering helpless smiles and shrugging their shoulders.

The slight upturn of their lips seemed to say, 'Stop criticizing us, this is the best we can do,' but it also looked like an honest admission: 'Brother, you've got real skills. We concede.'

"Good luck!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but chuckle.

As expected, the reality within the system was exactly this straightforward.

People could choose sides and factions could struggle against one another all they wanted. But in the end, those with true ability would always manage to cut through the convoluted mess and earn the respect they deserved.

This job as an Inspector was truly becoming more and more interesting the longer he did it!