"Encountered... infected bodies, fought while fleeing, got myself... injured."
Wang Kang lowered his head, his voice muffled, eyes somewhat evasive, his speech filled with obvious stuttering, clearly lying.
But Cheng Ye looked him up and down, not pressing for the truth.
As long as people come back alive, these injuries arenât a big deal.
Even if Wang Kang was bullied by other inspectors, thereâs no need to pursue it right now.
Tomorrow, heâll be on duty at the South Inspection Station. Heâll watch over him and slowly get to the bottom of things later.
"Go to my room, thereâs trauma medicine. Apply it and continue training tonight."
"Iâll take the first shift tomorrow, you stay home and rest until noon, then come over."
Wang Kang nodded slightly, his lips moved but eventually only whispered, "Thank you, Brother Cheng."
...
Training ground.
Miao Yang was in charge of training, while Cheng Ye sat on a bench at the edge of the field, opening Defense Communication, browsing the newly granted permissions.
In the corner of the screenâs desktop, an inspection station symbol had suddenly appeared, the emblem of the Central Inspection Station.
Entering it, there was currently only a solitary function placed at the forefront.
[Contribution]
Cheng Ye lightly tapped, and the Defense Communication screen flickered twice, switching to the contribution module.
Then a line of prompts appeared.
[Jade Stone has been fully recovered, Value: 18,650 points]
[Contribution Points Gained: 559]
"Huh, is the efficiency really that high?"
In just half a day, the contribution from the Jade Stone had already been settled.
At a 30% rate, he should have received 5,586 points, but the top displayed only 559 contribution points.
"Converted at a ten to one ratio?"
Cheng Ye nodded slightly, having figured it out.
It seems this contribution point system doesnât equate directly with actual contribution points; itâs a special currency for internal circulation.
Continuing to scroll the interface, he discovered that the layout of this contribution module was somewhat similar to the material purchasing office, with several main categories listed below, but currently, with limited permissions, only the top three could be viewed:
Vehicles, Equipment, Medical.
Clicking into Vehicles, the screen paused, then started to lag, taking four or five seconds before slowly refreshing to display a row of data.
Seeing the first line of content, Cheng Ye blinked rapidly, instinctively thinking he was seeing things.
[Rhino Tank]
[Rent: 800 points/day]
[Deposit: 8000 points]
[Note: Tank comes with complement personnel, no need to pay any salary]
[Note: Shell cost 100 points each, rental requires advance payment for 4 shells, unused shells are automatically refunded]
"The Rhino Tank can be rented too?"
Cheng Ye was completely stunned, his finger hovering above the screen, forgetting to move.
The last time he heard the name was during a call with Liu Bi, where it was mentioned that there seemed to be more than twenty over at the hydropower station.
At that time, it was considered a heavy weapon of the Corps, never expecting it to appear so blatantly in the rental list of an inspection station.
Could this really be rented?
Moreover, glancing at the notes, it wasnât just for show; this thing could actually fire shells?
Cheng Ye felt dumbfounded, his fingertips swiftly sliding the screen, the shock within him growing more intense.
My goodness, the vigor of this contribution system is much more exhilarating than the material purchasing office!
He was completely like holding a mountain of gold, running off to the sewers to pick through trash!
Line after line of data refreshed, with more vehicles unveiled one after another:
[Sparrow Helicopter]
[Rent: 500 points/day, Deposit: 5000 points, Note: Limited to tasks within a 300 km radius]
[Black Hawk Helicopter]
[Rent: 1200 points/day, Deposit: 10000 points, Note: Requires level 3 or higher inspector permission approval]
[Defender Patrol Armored Vehicle]
[Rent: 200 points/day, Deposit: 2000 points, Note: Can equip with heavy machine gun module (extra 10 points/day)]
[Scavenger Armored Personnel Carrier]
[Rent: 80 points/day, Deposit: 800 points, Note: Can carry 12 people, includes basic defense armor]
[...]
One vehicle name after another popped out, ranging from land heavyweights to aerial support, it was like flipping through the vehicle list from Ethics and Law 5, completely beyond Cheng Yeâs comprehension of "inspection station permissions."
However, Cheng Ye didnât have specific perception of these vehicles and didnât know whether the prices were cheap or expensive.
Fingers sliding still, he found the Big Golden Cup, and the information on the interface finally made him feel a bit of reality again:
[Fang Brick Transport Vehicle]
[Range: 100kWh version, 650 km]
[Rent: 15 points/day]
[Deposit: 150 points]
[Note: No driver included, requires inspector to provide or rent additional driver (2 points/day)]
[Note: If damaged, the deposit is fully deducted; if repairs needed, costs covered by inspection station]
"Towns, damn it, are you trying to make me suffer outside?"
Cheng Ye stared at this line of data for a few seconds, then flipped up and down to confirm the data displayed was correct, suddenly feeling his earlier shock couldnât fully describe his current mood.
He could only slap his thigh, mentally greeting the whole family of Towns.
points?
What does that mean?
The 559 points in his hand would be enough to rent this 100kWh battery version, which wasnât available at the material purchasing office, for a month with more to spare.
Even if he wrecked the vehicle completely, he would only need to compensate 150 points, more than enough to pay for three vehicles.
What does this signify?
It signifies that the inspection station has sufficient trust and support for inspectors under this contribution system!
And Towns, persuading him to leave the Buffer Zone, to roam aimlessly in the Wilderness, wasnât this clearly making him ditch a watermelon for sesame seeds?
At that moment.
Cheng Ye suddenly felt that Towns probably really treats him like one of those naive fools living in the Inner City, trying to fool him, because this kind of fool always has unfounded expectations of the outside world.
Just like Wang Kang, who only believed how terrible the outside was after being taken around the slums by Long.
No, somethingâs not right.
Thinking for a while, Cheng Ye realized that if it were the day he just got to North Station, with nothing happening yet, Townsâ belief might have been expected because back then he really acted like a brute, firing twice inside the inspection station.
A brainless brute is completely unsuitable for the inspection station, plus the Cheng Familyâs natural enmity, perhaps running away was a good choice.
But now, with Ding Yishan publicly elevating him to a higher position, with Townsâ experience, logically, he should understand the internal affairs, shouldnât he? Why treat him like a fool?
Unless...
Cheng Ye suddenly considered a possibility.
During his school days, he often saw online those who clearly had high-paying, decent jobs, were seen as life winners by others, yet always felt the air outside was sweeter "monsters."
These monsters, at all costs, ran outside, and even when reduced to picking trash on the streets, didnât feel it was suffering, but instead proclaimed they had gained freedom and found their ideal life.
Could it be Towns is such a person?
Does he genuinely think the outside world is better?
"If heâs not deliberately trying to fool me, then heâs both dumb and mean."
"Such a person isnât even close to Matthew Lee, no, far from it!"
"When I someday become the director, I must send this guy to experience the Wilderness, to let him know how truly wonderful the outside world is, why itâs so enticing."
"Yes, best to throw him over to Double Moon Lake, to personally understand what the Wilderness is all about!"
...