Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 259: Winning Over Manpower, the Charging Station Lands!

Tianyuan Mall.The three district elders had just finished discussing the latest changes in the buffer zone. They were sitting around, drinking hot water and taking a breather.

Holding his Defense Terminal, Cheng Ye called his acquaintances one by one to let them know he was safe, his tone relaxed and casual.

"Sir, Hou Genbao is here," Erlong approached quietly, lowering his voice to report.

"Ah, Sister Luo, I have some sudden official business to handle here. Don't worry, I will definitely come see you this afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest!"

Cheng Ye quickly gave a few more instructions into the microphone. After hanging up the phone, he turned to look toward the entrance corridor of the shopping mall.

Sure enough, three figures were walking over at a brisk pace.

Dalong was walking on the left, and Huang Yong was guarding the right. The person flanked and escorted between them was undoubtedly the district manager of Yongxing Community, Hou Genbao.

Cheng Ye quietly observed the approaching man.

He appeared to be around forty, and a heavy exhaustion was unmistakable on his face. Standing at about one point seventy-five meters, he wasn't particularly tall, and his posture was slightly hunched. However, his simple and neat short-sleeved shirt and jeans gave him a crisp, tidy look.

His walking pace was fairly steady, his steps grounded. Cheng Ye could tell at a glance that this man had likely forged a Martial Body and mastered the foundation of the four forces. It was just that he had not completely opened his Tendon Gate. Still, among ordinary people, his strength was quite respectable.

However, what surprised him a little was that Hou Genbao had slicked his hair back heavily, giving off a vibe similar to a classic movie star gambler.

'Interesting.'

Cheng Ye found it amusing. This was the first person he had seen since transmigrating to the wasteland who paid so much attention to his appearance—one could even call him a show-off.

More importantly, although Hou Genbao kept his head down and maintained a remarkably humble posture, the corner of his eye was constantly scanning the environment inside the shopping mall, and he even covertly shot several glances at Cheng Ye.

This demeanor was completely different from the law-abiding residents of Tianyuan Community. He was clearly not an honest man content with maintaining the status quo and avoiding risks.

"Elder Song, I am very satisfied with this man at first glance," Cheng Ye turned his head and smiled at the elder.

"Oh? Is that so?" Elder Song chuckled upon hearing this, his eyes carrying a hint of approval. "Inspector Cheng, this skill of yours in reading and judging people, it seems you have thoroughly mastered it."

"Brother Cheng, what did you see?" Wang Kang, who was standing to the side, asked with a face full of curiosity. He followed Cheng Ye's gaze to look at Hou Genbao, his eyes brimming with inquiry.

The corners of Cheng Ye's mouth curled up slightly as he spat out a single word, "Ambition."

Ambition?

Wang Kang pondered this word carefully, sizing up the approaching Hou Genbao once more. Observing the man's seemingly respectful but secretly scrutinizing demeanor, Wang Kang's eyes flickered continuously as he gradually seemed to understand.

When the three of them came close, Dalong gave a subtle gesture.

Hou Genbao immediately took a step forward, plastered a respectful smile on his face, bowed slightly, and greeted, "Inspector Cheng, hello!"

"Mm, sit down," Cheng Ye pointed to the chair opposite him, his tone flat and unruffled.

"Thank you, Inspector Cheng," Hou Genbao quickly replied. He sat down carefully, his buttocks only touching a small portion of the edge of the chair. His body was stiff and perfectly straight, making him appear constrained and nervous.

As he sat down, he used the corner of his eye to shoot a quick glance at Cheng Ye, and his heart could not help but jolt.

The outside rumors about how young this Inspector Cheng was were indeed true. He was in his early twenties at most—truly terrifyingly young!

However, the rumors were not entirely accurate either. Many people had said that this Inspector was relatively lean and fit.

But the two arms right in front of him were as thick as pillars, almost bursting the short sleeves. The muscle lines were distinct, radiating an explosive sense of power.

What made Hou Genbao even more uneasy was the faint aura emanating from Cheng Ye.

It was formless yet possessed an extremely strong Sense of Oppression, making his whole body tense up. It felt as if he were being targeted by a lurking Mutant Beast, causing him to subconsciously lighten his breathing.

However, what truly shocked him so much that he almost sprang out of his chair was the first sentence of their conversation.

"I asked the people from the Police Department, and they said the main business of your Yongxing Community is making illicit money, pulling in about four to five thousand Happiness Coins a month from this?" Cheng Ye's voice remained calm, yet it sounded like a thunderclap detonating next to Hou Genbao's ear.

"Uh..." A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Hou Genbao's forehead. His face turned slightly pale as he hurriedly waved his hands to explain, "Inspector Cheng, this... this is a misunderstanding! Our Yongxing just does a little small business repairing second-hand appliances. Where would we get any illicit money to make?"

"No need to rush to cover it up."

Cheng Ye interrupted him and pushed the Defense Terminal in his hand forward, facing the screen directly at Hou Genbao. "See for yourself. Are these things on here done by your Yongxing Community?"

[March 12: Smuggled a batch of refurbished electronic components (including 12 boxes of scrap radios and modified circuit boards). Contact person: "Old Ghost". Payment received: 3,800 coins.]

[April 27: Yongxing Community illegally resold restricted communication equipment (30 modified walkie-talkies, 5 sets of signal jammers),]

[transported out manually. Payment received: 5,200 coins.]

[May 21: Yongxing Community privately purchased and resold stolen industrial raw materials (8 rolls of copper core cables, various aluminum alloy profiles). Contact truck driver: "Ah Li". Cash settlement: 4,500 coins.]

[June 19...]

[...]

Lines of clear records scrolled across the screen of the Defense Terminal.

Hou Genbao could no longer hold back. He sprang up from his chair, his face instantly turning as pale as a sheet of paper.

These were all Yongxing's deepest, darkest secrets. Even if the resold goods had been discovered, he would have found a way to smoothly talk his way out of it. But how could even the names of the contacts and the transaction amounts be recorded so clearly?

Moreover, for this Inspector Cheng to bring out such detailed records, could it be that he was going to use official means to thoroughly investigate Yongxing?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Hou Genbao's mind—the community being sealed off, thousands of people becoming homeless, himself being arrested to face trial... just like going before the legion court many years ago.

But the more panicked he became, the less he could utter a single word. He could only stand frozen in place, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks.

"Don't be so nervous," Cheng Ye leaned back against his chair. He had no expression on his face, but carried a calm demeanor of having everything under control. "Your secrets are not really secrets to me. Whatever I want to know is just a matter of making a phone call and asking."

He pointed to the chair opposite him. "Sit down. You haven't finished reading."

Like a marionette, Hou Genbao sat back down numbly, staring blankly at the screen.

He watched as Cheng Ye's finger tapped lightly on the Defense Terminal. The interface switched, and a detailed personal file impressively appeared:

[Hou Genbao (Ten-Year Resident)]

[Personal Strength]: D+ (Former Patrol Leader under the 47th Regiment of the Reclamation Corps. Stripped of his position by the legion court and forced into retirement due to making an erroneous decision that resulted in the casualties of 217 subordinate members.)

[Stability]: C+ (During his tenure as the district manager of Yongxing Community, there were a total of 142 cases of individuals "mysteriously disappearing". Upon verification: all were privately disposed of by him after violating community regulations. Stability rating downgraded by one tier; upgraded by half a tier due to no malicious feedback from neighborhood resident evaluations.)

[Threat Level]: C (No family bonds. Possesses moderate violent tendencies. Holds an indifferent attitude towards the current rules of Happiness City,)

[Has probed the boundaries of the rules multiple times, and has 3 explicit records of bribing Police Department personnel.]

[Anomaly Data]: None at present (Due to his low resident status level, he is temporarily not included in the scope of in-depth investigations.)

[Personality Tags]: Utilitarian, ruthless methods, ignores rules, socially slick. [Potential Rating]: None at present (Due to his low resident status level, the supercomputer does not currently generate a potential assessment.)

[Complete Experience]: ...

Rows of cold data stabbed into Hou Genbao's heart like sharp knives.

His complexion slowly flushed from a sickly pale to a deep crimson red, and then gradually faded from crimson to an ashen gray.

Talking about personal privacy in Happiness City was already a luxury.

This Super Sanctuary City might not be able to immediately grasp the backgrounds of newcomers, but for veteran residents like them who had been around for over ten years, the Department of Livelihood and the Statistics Department would update their files every year. The so-called ratings were results generated by the supercomputer based on their complete experiences, allowing no room for concealment.

Let alone a lowly community district manager like him, even an Inspector like Cheng Ye would not be able to tamper with these records.

Seeing every single detail of Yongxing's smuggling operations and every one of his own rule violations clearly documented, the slick confidence that Hou Genbao possessed vanished without a trace. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body, and he slumped dejectedly against the back of his chair.

This was like a thoroughly one-sided confrontation. Before he even had the chance to reveal his trump cards, the other party had already seen through all his secrets, leaving him not even a shred of room for negotiation.

And since Cheng Ye dared to lay all this out on the table, it proved that he and Yongxing had absolutely no bargaining power in front of this Inspector.

"How is it? Are there any omissions or things that weren't recorded?"

"N-no!" Hou Genbao's expression grew increasingly ugly as he forced a few words through his gritted teeth.

Cheng Ye gave a slight nod. Changing the subject, he raised a question that made him curious. "I'm a little surprised. Since Yongxing can steadily make money by doing illicit business, why do you restrain yourselves to only pulling off one job a month?"

"I..."

He couldn't exactly tell this Inspector Cheng that doing it too frequently would easily attract overwhelming crackdowns from above, right?

But at this point, there was no meaning in hiding it. He simply answered honestly, "Because the income from this one job is enough to maintain the basic operations of Yongxing for a month. There's no need to take greater risks."

"What exactly is Yongxing's current expenditure structure like?"

"The bulk of it is the land rent." Hou Genbao steadied his nerves and began to list them in detail. "For the warehouse and the surrounding work areas, we have to pay the Department of Livelihood four thousand Happiness Coins every month. The daily living expenses for one thousand five hundred residents are about ten thousand coins. Adding the raw material procurement for repairing equipment and the utility bills, our total monthly expenditure is around fifteen thousand coins."

"Yongxing can sustain fifteen thousand a month. You've got some skills as a district manager!"

Cheng Ye couldn't help but marvel.

Based on Yongxing's illicit monthly income of five thousand coins, it meant that by relying solely on refurbishing second-hand tools, they could earn ten thousand coins every month.

This capability was far more impressive than that of the Tianyuan Community back then, even though Tianyuan had double the population of Yongxing.

"You must be joking, Inspector Cheng," Hou Genbao forced a strained smile. He instinctively reached into his pocket for a rag to wipe his sweat, only to remember he had changed his clothes. He could only use his hand to casually wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. "Actually, Yongxing has been failing to make ends meet these past couple of years. We've been barely surviving entirely on our past savings. We even have to send some of our people out to do odd jobs just to keep the community running normally."

"How did you survive the last Starfish Epidemic?"

"We..." Hou Genbao bit his lip. "After receiving the Infection Tide warning, I immediately organized the Able-bodied Youth in the community to form teams. Once the outbreak started, we took the initiative to strike, clearing out the starfish in District B9 and securing our warehouse."

"How much did you earn?"

"Two thousand four hundred starfish..." Hou Genbao replied in a low voice.

One starfish was valued at 1 Contribution Point, which was equivalent to 7 Happiness Coins. Their income for that single night reached a staggering 16,800 coins.

However, the money was not the crucial part. What was truly surprising was that Yongxing had actually taken the initiative to attack.

"Not bad, not bad at all!"

Cheng Ye nodded repeatedly in admiration, then threw out another sharp question. "The people of Yongxing follow you to do illegal work and learn a trade. Aren't you worried that once they finish learning, they will take over your connections and steal your business?"

"Yongxing is everyone's home. Only by staying home can everyone make good money together."

Seeing that Cheng Ye seemingly did not care at all about Yongxing's illicit activities, Hou Genbao simply stopped pretending, and his tone became much more candid. "Going out to work alone and familiarizing oneself with all the processes takes far too much time. Nobody can support a whole smuggling network on their own. Moreover, I've assigned different people to manage every stage of the process. Even if someone wanted to break away, I have ways to use the rules to block those specific links and just open up a new channel."

"What about the ones who learn proper skills from you, like refurbishing old machines?"

"The skills aren't important. What's important is the source of the old machines."

Hou Genbao reached up to touch his wrinkled face, speaking with a degree of certainty. "Inspector Cheng, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but an old thing like me still has quite a bit of prestige in circles like the scavengers, Water Ghosts, and middlemen. If they don't see this face of mine, absolutely no one will sell goods to those people for refurbishing."

"Impressive, truly impressive," Cheng Ye smiled and gently shook his head.

For someone like Hou Genbao, who navigated the gray area between the light and the dark, if this were two months ago, even with his status as an Inspector, Cheng Ye would never have casually interacted with him.

He might end up not getting any benefits and instead attract a bunch of trouble.

But things were different now. Most of the people under his command in Tianyuan Community were honest folks seeking stability. What he lacked was precisely an "old fox" like Hou Genbao—someone with a shrewd mind, ruthless methods, and a sharp understanding of boundaries.

Thinking of this, Cheng Ye simply stopped beating around the bush and threw out his offer directly:

"I want Yongxing. Name your price!"

Buzz!

Hou Genbao's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his body tensed up involuntarily. A wave of bitterness rose in his heart.

Sure enough, this seemingly "courteous" invitation was ultimately a trap.

This Inspector Cheng had invited him over simply to act as a backer for Tianyuan to annex Yongxing.

Naming a price? What right did he have to name a price?

The man in front of him needed only to say a single word, and using that detailed record, he could thoroughly smash him and Yongxing into an endless abyss.

Suppressing the panic in his heart, Hou Genbao braced himself and said, "Inspector Cheng, the little bit of money that Yongxing earns every month is probably..."

"I don't want money. I want people."

Cheng Ye cut him off. "Heading from the buffer zone towards the industrial zone, sixty kilometers away, lies Dabo Town. That is my territory now. I'm going to build a satellite city there. Right now, I'm not short on supplies. What I'm missing is reliable manpower."

"Huh?" Hou Genbao stared blankly. His brain failed to process this sudden twist.

"By staying in the buffer zone, Yongxing has no opportunities for growth."

Cheng Ye continued, his tone carrying a touch of temptation. "Don't you love refurbishing old equipment? With a single word from me, I can bring you tons of old machinery, enough to have the thousand people under you working until their hands cramp up and they still won't finish."

"Aren't you skilled at smuggling? I'm going to build factories in Dabo Town. Those contrabands that are strictly forbidden from export in the buffer zone—once you get there, I can let you carry them out openly to sell and make as much money as you please. But you have to think carefully: what exactly are you risking your life to earn money for?"

After saying this, Cheng Ye himself felt a bit like an overly dramatic mastermind.

But at this point, facing Hou Genbao and Yongxing, he genuinely had no need to hide anything anymore.

Even the tiny bit of power slipping through his fingers was enough to make the entirety of Yongxing gorge themselves full and fat.

Of course, the prerequisite was that Yongxing was willing to jump up and grab it—that they were willing to risk their lives for him.

But falling on Hou Genbao's ears, these words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely utterly dumbfounded.

What was going on here?

Was Yongxing about to be hit by a pie falling from the sky?

Endless equipment to refurbish, a smuggling operation that could be done openly...

He opened his mouth, only to find he couldn't even form a complete sentence. He could only mutter instinctively, "Inspector Cheng, we..."

"I'm merely giving you an opportunity." Cheng Ye raised a hand to stop him. "Whether you can grab hold of it, and whether you are willing to, is entirely up to you. You've seen the changes in Tianyuan yourself. I shouldn't need to explain any further what benefits you'll reap from following me."

He stroked his chin and gave a final deadline. "I will give you three days to consider. It's up to you to decide whether you want to follow me to the satellite city to take a risk in exchange for a chance at prosperity and wealth, or if you want to stay in the buffer zone and continue relying on your petty smuggling business to barely keep Yongxing running."

With that, Cheng Ye turned to look at Dalong.

Dalong immediately understood. Stepping forward, he made an inviting gesture towards Hou Genbao and smiled. "District Manager Hou, this way please?"

He had arrived in a hurry and departed just as hastily.

Their entire conversation took no more than ten minutes. When Hou Genbao walked out of Tianyuan Mall, his mind was still buzzing with confusion.

The sheer swiftness and decisiveness of this Inspector Cheng far exceeded his imagination.

But he truly could not fathom why Cheng Ye had singled out Yongxing of all places.

"Speaking of which, this is actually an opportunity given to you by the district elders. Inspector Cheng needs a group of people under his command to do the dirty work. I could certainly do it, and I'd do it better than you, Houzi. But... Tianyuan can't be seen doing it."

Dalong led him to the entrance of the Pedestrian Street and fished out a crumpled cloth bag from his pocket.

He opened the cloth bag; inside was a packet of candies.

Taking out a small handful, he shoved them into Hou Genbao's hand, his tone unusually mild. "Houzi, you understand how to seize opportunities better than any of us. Back then, you managed to rise from an ordinary soldier to a Patrol Leader in the Reclamation Corps, holding a rank even higher than a district elder. You relied on exactly this sharp sense of judgment. I don't want you to miss out on this chance."

"Dalong, I..." Hou Genbao accepted them awkwardly, still somewhat in a daze.

"Go back and think about it carefully. If you can't figure it out, eat a candy."

Dalong reached out and patted his shoulder, leaving him with one final piece of earnest advice. "You have to figure it out: do you want to keep fighting against the rules, or do you want to follow the person who makes the rules? Once you've thought it through, you'll know how to choose."

Six o'clock in the afternoon.

The afterglow of the setting sun was gradually swallowed by the twilight.

Cheng Ye went to inspect the construction details of the Pedestrian Street at the construction site. By the time he walked to the intersection of the street, the sky had already darkened.

The streetlights in the buffer zone began to light up one by one, casting long shadows on the ground under the dim yellow glow.

Compared to the leisure of lying in Revival Medical for over ten days, the days after returning to the buffer zone were obviously much busier, yet they were also far more fulfilling. However, what gave him an extraordinary surprise was that not only had the construction speed of the Pedestrian Street exceeded his expectations, but the power facilities he had been longing for

had also been arranged and prepared in advance by the people from the Public Works Department.

Two silver charging stations had been installed in the open space behind the shops. Their brand-new casings reflected a cold gleam under the lights!

Considering the power grid load within the urban area, the charging stations on the Pedestrian Street could only reach a power of 60kw. Furthermore, the electricity bill had to be calculated according to industrial electricity rates. The current charge was 25 Contribution Points per 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh)—a full 10 Contribution Points more expensive than using the charging stations at the Public Works Department.

But that was only the surface price. There was still a massive pile of discounts waiting to be calculated.

First of all, there was a 10% discount for his status as an Inspector. The industrial circuit of the Pedestrian Street was registered under his name for payment, automatically qualifying for this deduction.

Secondly, there was the Buffer Zone Industrial Development Support, which was also a 10% discount. Better yet, these stacked dynamically, instantly dropping the price down to about 20 points.

Additionally, there was the Summer Industrial Electricity Allowance, which directly halved the electricity bill—another discount that stacked on top.

'Twenty-five multiplied by 0.9, then multiplied by 0.9 again, and finally multiplied by 0.5... One hundred kWh of electricity only costs 10 Contribution Points!'

The moment he calculated the final result, Cheng Ye was so excited he almost jumped up, reflexively swallowing his saliva.

How many days had it been?

Inspector Cheng had finally turned his life around and sung a song of triumph—he now possessed a charging station of his very own!

Moreover, it was five points cheaper than the price at the Industrial Department, matching the exact welfare price given at the Inspection Station.

Most importantly, this was his own industrial electricity. He could charge as much as he wanted, however he wanted—he was flying free.

'Sixty kWh an hour... I can charge six hundred kWh in a single night...'

Cheng Ye calculated in his mind. It would only take half a day to fully replenish his current capacity of eight hundred kWh. The efficiency was immensely gratifying.

Add in the fact that he could occasionally mooch off the high-power charging stations at the Public Works Department, he could finally enjoy a thrilling wave of searches!

At the very least, before the search materials on him ran out, he wouldn't have to worry about his strength progression stagnating.

Furthermore, once the Hydroelectric Station in Dabo Town was repaired, even when winter arrived and power rationing was enforced, he would still have a way to keep charging!