Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 292: Legion Split, Autonomous Power!

As the core pillars of Happiness City, the three major legions were not only the central force protecting the shelter city from being destroyed by Infection Tides, but also the ultimate deterrent in Shi Province, instilling fear into any faction that dared covet Happiness City.Yet, in Ding Yishan's eyes, the legions had somehow become a mouthwatering piece of fat?

Cheng Ye carefully savored the profound meaning behind those words. Combining them with the documents he had just reviewed, a sudden realization dawned on him.

"Do you have any related data on the legions?" he asked, looking up.

"We do, but the volume of information is massive. Even just skimming through it would probably take three to five days," Jiang Chuan replied with some hesitation.

"I don't need all of it. Just give me the files on the Heavy Machinery Faction, the one Qin Zhaoye belongs to."

Cheng Ye added, "It doesn't need to be too detailed, either. Basic information explaining the legions' factional structure and the current situation of the Heavy Machinery Faction will be enough."

"Alright, I'll go look for it right now." Jiang Chuan agreed and turned around. He had barely taken two steps into the archives.

Halin, who had been keeping his head down while flipping through documents, suddenly looked up and pointed to a neatly organized stack of files by his hand. "This is it. Take it."

Jiang Chuan froze for a moment. He looked down and saw the words "Heavy Machinery Faction" clearly written on the cover of the file, prompting him to speak subconsciously, "Station Master Halin..."

"If he still has any questions after reading it, he can come in and discuss them with me anytime," Halin said in a flat tone, pushing up his glasses.

"Yes, sir!" Jiang Chuan's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly picked up the documents and returned to the reading area.

Catching this scene from the corner of his eye, a trace of surprise flickered in Cheng Ye's heart, though he quickly realized it made perfect sense.

Ding Yishan's sudden move had stirred up the situation in the Buffer Zone. Anyone with a discerning eye could guess there was a deeper motive behind it.

It probably wasn't just Halin. The Heavy Machinery Faction, to which Qin Zhaoye belonged, should also be making their move by now.

Recalling Garcia's abrupt invitation from earlier, the underlying thread of the entire situation became abundantly clear.

"Cheng..."

"Hand over the files. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll ask Station Master Halin directly," Cheng Ye interrupted, reaching out to take the documents.

"Uh..." Jiang Chuan was instantly at a loss for words, that familiar feeling of being completely read and controlled washing over him once again.

Spending time with people who had such meticulous and calculating minds always made him feel somewhat redundant.

Cheng Ye paid no mind to Jiang Chuan's inner turmoil. He sat up straight and opened the dossier Halin had compiled.

The document was about thirty pages long, with over five hundred words per page. Every single word was concise, containing virtually no fluff, yet the amount of information it held was staggering.

Frowning slightly, Cheng Ye read through it meticulously, word by word. It took him a full ten minutes to gradually unravel the complex internal structure of the legions, along with the shifts and entanglements among the factions over the years.

It wasn't actually surprising that Happiness City harbored different schools of thought and varying directions for development.

After all, during the process of building the shelter city, they were bound to encounter all sorts of difficult problems. Relying solely on a single ideology was completely insufficient to tackle every challenge; pursuing multiple approaches simultaneously was a logical choice.

However, even when combining the Cross Legion and the Blood Dragon Legion, including all reserves and recruits, their total size was only around one hundred thousand people.

Furthermore, the core nature of a legion was the most direct output of violent force. Logically, it shouldn't breed so many divergences. Under the unified leadership of the higher-ups, they should have been twisted together like a strong rope, standing united against external threats.

That was the theory, but the crux of the problem lay in one question: what exactly were the legions fighting against?

Their enemies weren't concrete human factions, but rather Infection Sources with bizarre and elusive movements. They were Infected Bodies that could suddenly leap out from nowhere, and even Transcendent Mother Sources capable of snuffing out a person's life from afar without ever showing their faces.

Without a tangible, defined enemy, or even the ability to establish a standardized protocol to uniformly deal with the various kinds of Infection Sources, it was simply too difficult to completely unify the legions from within.

After all, when the subordinate squads executed missions, different captains held differing philosophies on how to handle the Infection Sources.

Since absolute unity was a lost cause, the legion higher-ups simply lifted the restrictions and stopped forcibly suppressing the ideological differences within their ranks.

It was precisely because of this that, in the years following the end of the Great Reclamation Era, numerous factions gradually spawned within the legions.

All the ideologies of these factions were fundamentally established to combat the Infection Sources and Infected Bodies. They appeared fragmented, but in reality, their ultimate goal was the same.

And the moment there was a need for a shelter city-level, large-scale operation against a clear enemy, these factions could integrate in an instant, transforming into a tightly clenched fist to repel the threat together.

However, under the normal state of ideological division, each faction only received basic support from Happiness City. If they wanted to develop further and possess more abundant resources, they had to fight for it themselves.

This so-called fighting for it boiled down to two paths.

The first was to deliver outstanding performances during missions to sweep out Infection Sources, completing their assigned tasks with high quality and quantity every winter.

By doing so, they could secure special funding allocations from Happiness City. The amount of funding varied based on each faction's mission rankings; the better their performance, the more resources they received.

The second path was to subsidize the faction out of their own pockets.

This sounded somewhat unbelievable, but it was exactly what Qin Zhaoye had done. Many people within the Heavy Machinery Faction also privately raised funds from the outside and brought the money back to invest in the faction's development. It truly sounded absurd when spoken out loud.

Yet, according to the intelligence analysis, these people were all operating on the same calculation. They would grit their teeth and push the Heavy Machinery Faction through its difficult starting phase. As long as they could rank among the top in future Infection Tide sweeping missions, not only would their current investments be paid back in spades, but the entire faction's status would rise, granting them more say and greater resource favoritism.

'So, Old Ding feels that the Heavy Machinery Faction is a juicy piece of meat right now, well worth taking a bite out of?'

Cheng Ye's fingers tapped against the desk as he silently pondered.

Compared to the other factions within the legions, the Heavy Machinery Faction's financial needs were almost three to five times greater.

Precisely because they had to continuously inject massive amounts of capital, nearly everyone in the faction harbored some form of exploitable blackmail material.

Using this dirt as a breakthrough point, taking down the Heavy Machinery Faction would undoubtedly be much easier than dealing with the highly ranked, firmly rooted factions within the legions.

But then again, the legions infiltrating the Inspection Station was to carve up power. If the Inspection Station infiltrated the legions in return, were they trying to cultivate their own private army?

Cheng Ye couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Happiness City might seem to have a relaxed management style, but military power had always been an untouchable taboo.

Even the guards inside the Inspection Station were officially registered under the Guard Department; they were never said to belong to the Inspection Station itself.

To rashly intervene and influence legion affairs now—would the higher-ups agree to this?

Setting the documents down, Cheng Ye stood up, walked into the archives, and sat on the stool opposite Halin.

Compared to half a month ago, Halin didn't seem to have changed much, but upon closer inspection, one could acutely perceive that the sharp edge around him had faded slightly, replaced by a touch of refined composure.

"Teacher Halin..." Cheng Ye spoke first, deliberately avoiding the title of Station Master.

Halin paused his movements, put down the file in his hands, and looked up slightly, signaling him to continue.

"Could it be that the Inspection Station's next direction for restructuring is to equip its affiliated stations in the major Satellite Cities with a troop capable of combat operations and sweeping out Infection Sources?"

"You are half right," Halin's lips parted slightly, revealing a faint smile. "That is not the Inspection Station's direction for restructuring. We do not have that much power. It is the next phase in the development plan for the Satellite Cities."

"Satellite Cities?"

Cheng Ye was taken aback, his eyes flickering. "Are all the major Satellite Cities going to have legions stationed in them?"

"Exactly." Halin nodded. "The establishment of the Satellite Cities signifies that Happiness City is about to enter its next stage of development. Not only will the various department systems within the city undergo restructuring, but the bloated legions will also be divided. The original Cross Legion and Blood Dragon Legion will disband the majority of their troops, dispatching them to various Satellite Cities to serve as stationed defensive forces."

"What exactly does 'the majority' mean?" Cheng Ye's expression remained calm, but waves were already crashing in his heart.

This was an absolutely massive piece of news.

He hadn't expected the construction of the Satellite Cities to have such a far-reaching domino effect, forcing even the colossal legions to undergo such a drastic adjustment.

Thinking about it this way, it made perfect sense why the Integrity Supervision Department was in such a frantic rush to make trouble for the Inspection Station and fight for internal and external power right after its establishment.

Currently, the Inspection Station managed the Satellite Cities. Once the legions moved in, under normal circumstances, they would inevitably be constrained by the Inspectors.

However, if the Integrity Supervision Department could seize the initiative in advance, they could secure the right to stand on equal footing with the Inspection Station, or even directly lead it, turning the Satellite Cities into a series of military fortresses.

What a massive appetite!

"Out of a hundred thousand soldiers, only ten thousand will remain. That means only the absolute elite, the top-tier core combat power, such as the Silver Cross Squad of the Cross Legion and the Blood Dragon Squad of the Blood Dragon Legion."

Halin's tone was flat. "Moving forward, an elite troop system will be implemented. Those who remain in the two great legions will be top-tier powerhouses. Their duties will shift away from tedious daily defense and sweeping Infection Sources, turning instead to executing certain special missions."

When he mentioned "special missions," Halin deliberately slowed his speech, a clear hint hidden within his words.

Cheng Ye's heart skipped a beat as he instantly understood the underlying implication.

If they were no longer making enemies of Infected Bodies and Infection Sources, then the only opponents left were the other shelter cities in the surrounding areas.

Was Happiness City, which had been dormant for years, finally waking up and preparing for outward expansion?

"The top three factions within the Cross and Blood Dragon legions will be stationed in the industrial zone. The remaining factions will compete fairly for the right to be stationed in the Buffer Zone and the major Satellite Cities."

Halin continued, "The garrison quotas in the Buffer Zone will be decided by a vote from the various department systems within the city. Our Inspection Station holds eighty percent of the voting power, but these votes will be distributed among every Inspector for a general election. The three factions with the most votes will occupy the Buffer Zone."

"The remaining legion factions will compete for the garrison quotas in the Satellite Cities. The allocation of these quotas will be entirely decided by the contract-managing Inspector responsible for that specific Satellite City, giving them one hundred percent picking authority."

Having reached this point, the subsequent implications went without saying.

With this reform, the initially disadvantaged Inspection Station finally had the qualifications to negotiate directly with the legion factions. However, upon closer thought, the Inspection Station didn't actually hold many chips.

Aside from the three spots in the Buffer Zone which could dole out tangible benefits, the other Satellite Cities were mostly unappealing. Even Wenlu County had lost its competitive edge due to Zhou Changhai's defection.

It seemed that some legion factions had already taken early action, busying themselves with courting the votes of the Inspectors. Garcia was clearly one of them.

As for the Heavy Machinery Faction, it was evidently not Ding Yishan's ultimate goal. It was merely a tool he used to break the deadlock and bring negotiations to the surface. A series of complex exchanges with other legion factions would follow, and naturally, someone needed to shoulder the task of cleaning up the aftermath of the Heavy Machinery Faction conflict.

'Is Old Ding picking the Heavy Machinery Faction for me, making my Dabo Town take in this bottomless money pit?'

Cheng Ye couldn't help but feel surprised.

The Heavy Machinery Faction's combat power was debatable, but their ability to spend money like water was a certainty. If Satellite Cities were really given free reign to choose, absolutely no one would be willing to take on this faction.

Dabo Town itself was currently so poor its pockets jingled with nothing but dust. Where would they get the funds to support a legion faction?

Halin seemed to see through his hesitation. Shaking his head slightly, he looked down at the documents on the table and murmured softly, "The Heavy Machinery Faction privately supports an entire research team. There are about fifty of them, all talents poached from neighboring shelter cities over the years or scouted independently. Most of them have already reached the level of a First-Level Researcher..."

What?

They had an entire research team?

Cheng Ye jolted, his eyes lighting up instantly.

But Halin continued murmuring to himself, "The entire Heavy Machinery Faction consists of roughly eleven thousand people. Each Satellite City can recruit a maximum of two thousand personnel, limiting them to one faction. Wenlu County is an exception; it can take in four thousand personnel, meaning two factions, totaling fifty thousand people across the board. Aside from the ten thousand retained by the core legions, out of the remaining forty thousand, thirty-four thousand will be responsible for the industrial zone. The Buffer Zone will get about six thousand troops, accommodating three factions."

"In terms of combat power, whether it's individual strength or coordinated group combat capability, the Heavy Machinery Faction actually ranks near the top among the legion factions. It's just that their combat style is too expensive. But on the flip side, their acceptance of new equipment and novel tactical concepts far exceeds that of any other faction. As long as you can demonstrate the corresponding strength and resources, they will become your most staunch supporters."

"However, the Heavy Machinery Faction looks down on your Dabo Town. Right now, they are trying to compete for a garrison spot in the Buffer Zone. At the very least, they aim for Wenlu County and the Satellite Cities managed by a few High-Tier Inspectors."

Having said this, Halin said no more. He refocused his attention on the materials at hand, his pen scratching against the paper, leaving clear traces of annotations.

Even after stepping out of the archives, Cheng Ye still felt his heart pounding wildly, feeling as though a massive windfall had just dropped right into his lap.

'Old Ding, you really do understand me!'

Cheng Ye marveled inwardly. According to the legion division plan, Dabo Town would eventually be allocated a stationed force sooner or later.

Yet, among all their traits, all their strengths and weaknesses, he could genuinely accept the flaws of the Heavy Machinery Faction.

It was nothing more than spending a lot of money. But as long as it was an armed force he could hold firmly in his own grasp, how could he possibly be stingy with his investments?

Even if another faction had been sent over, he would still constantly research and develop new equipment and promote new combat philosophies. Spending money was an absolute inevitability anyway.

And the strengths of the Heavy Machinery Faction hit his needs with laser precision.

Two thousand elite combatants that could rank in the top ten of all legion factions; a team of fifty First-Level Researchers, which represented an undeniable reservoir of technical expertise; and most importantly, their receptiveness to new equipment and tactics far surpassed the other factions. They were simply a partner tailor-made for him.

Ding Yishan had clearly seen right through his needs. Using the Inspection Station's name, he had already paved more than half the road for him.

Whether he could successfully rein in the Heavy Machinery Faction and truly clench this force in his hand now depended entirely on his own methods—how much he could swallow, and how much he could digest.

Cheng Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the restless excitement in his heart.

According to Halin's explanation and Ding Yishan's guarantee to settle things by spring, there was a high probability that the legion restructuring wouldn't wait until the winter Infection Tide completely ended before rolling out. All the major Satellite Cities currently had a desperate need for a professional defense force to safely tide them over this year's hardships.

The current situation was more like a two-way selection process. Winter would be the critical period for both sides to adapt to each other and deliver their answer sheets.

The grades on these answer sheets wouldn't just affect the subsequent resource focus of the legions, but would also heavily impact the level of support the Satellite Cities could secure.

It was completely reasonable that the Heavy Machinery Faction currently looked down on Dabo Town and was solely fixated on fighting for a spot in the Buffer Zone.

After all, the present Dabo Town truly had a weak foundation and lacked any presentable bargaining chips.

However, compared to the other Satellite Cities, Dabo Town wouldn't necessarily fall behind. Cheng Ye had absolute confidence that he could emerge victorious in this competition.

But the first step right now was to catch the eye of the Heavy Machinery Faction and rope them in as allies of the Inspection Station.

He couldn't be too hasty, though, and he certainly couldn't push the Heavy Machinery Faction to the point of maddeningly flipping the table. He needed a gentle approach to make the Heavy Machinery Faction willingly jump into the fray themselves, becoming the Inspection Station's breakthrough point into the legions.

"Inspector Cheng, do you need to look at any other files?" Jiang Chuan asked from the side.

"No need. I already have a plan in mind," Cheng Ye grinned, a flash of profound understanding crossing his eyes. "It's time to pay Section Chief Qin a visit."

Qin Zhaoye really hadn't taken that beating in vain. A trip to the emergency room was all it took to earn Inspector Cheng's undivided attention.

The two men went downstairs, where Li Matai had already selected the gifts for their visit.

Some fresh fruit exclusively supplied to the Inner City, a few durable dried goods, and a stack of magazines to kill time—it was simple yet decent enough.

"Is there anything else we need to prepare?" Li Matai asked.

"This is fine. It's just a matter of showing face," Cheng Ye shook his head, his tone indifferent. "He's just a lowly section chief of the Public Security Bureau, after all."

Although the Integrity Supervision Department was nominally a single entity, public security and integrity supervision were actually managed separately, with the former holding far less power than the latter.

Jiang Chuan lightly pressed the accelerator, and the pickup truck slowly drove away from the Central Inspection Station.

Cheng Ye cast his gaze out the window, looking back at the Station Master's small building in the distance. In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Ding Yishan stood holding a thermos, his eyes fixed right on the pickup truck.

The two exchanged a distant "glance". Given Ding Yishan's eyesight, there was a high probability he couldn't see what was happening on Cheng Ye's end, but Cheng Ye could see him with absolute clarity.

Ding Yishan's gaze was interwoven with complexity, expectation, and an indescribable trace of deep emotion.

"Jiang Chuan."

Cheng Ye withdrew his gaze and instructed softly, "When you go back today, remember to tell Station Master Ding that I am very satisfied with this gift!"