Chapter 204 - 105: Zone C Quarantine, Smuggling Inspection! (Part 2)

After all, there aren’t many tasks that a trainee can take on, and with his current abilities, it’s a piece of cake.

"It’s just that if I leave, there’s no one to look after Wang Kang, and that’s not feasible."

"Moreover, the rain line hasn’t moved away. Once it rains during an external assignment, the infected bodies’ range and frequency of activity increase, significantly raising the danger level."

Cheng Ye was not anxious; there were so many inspectors in the Buffer Zone right now, and not a single one went out.

It’s not just because of the factions but also due to the unusual weather that greatly increased the danger probability in the Wilderness.

He, as a trainee, going out hastily just to get a promotion, is really not worth it.

It’s best to wait until Liu Bi returns and go on an external assignment together, which would be safer.

Moreover, Ding Yishan was still testing him, which was the most crucial matter at the moment.

As long as he can get the support of the station chief, just as Matthew Lee said, he can go wherever he wants on external assignments.

"So many inspectors vying for factions just to get external assignments with profits; there’s really no need to take risks when there’s a straight path laid out for me."

When he got downstairs, the staff hadn’t returned yet, so Cheng Ye put on a raincoat and waited for a while.

He didn’t wait long.

In less than ten minutes, two people had returned, "Because Inspector Song, who was on duty with Inspector Wang yesterday, handled the registration today, causing some procedural conflict. You see... could you go on duty in Zone C this morning and switch back tomorrow?"

"Someone registered?"

Cheng Ye frowned slightly, recalling that list Matthew Lee gave him.

There were three Eastern inspectors with the surname Song, two first-phase, and one third-phase.

"Which Inspector Song is it?"

"Inspector Song Hai."

The third-phase one?

Logically, Wang Kang was on duty yesterday morning, so Song Hai should have come in the afternoon.

However, sometimes an inspector might temporarily need to switch shifts, and according to the rules, Wang Kang should have been notified.

But one is third-phase, the other a trainee.

If it were him, Song Hai might have made a phone call, but clearly didn’t feel the need with Wang Kang.

Cheng Ye pondered for a moment, "Alright, then go on duty in Zone C."

The intel from Liu Kun mentioned the day after tomorrow or the day after that, but it’s unclear which exact day it refers to.

Cheng Ye was a bit worried about missing the opportunity, but then again, Lei Hu shouldn’t be so careless.

Since Liu Kun’s words were already agreed to, if it were set for this morning, he would’ve definitely told him to replace Song Hai.

Following the two staff members, he walked through Zone E.

At the quarantine inspection area, the South Station and North Station were no different, both set up in the same way.

Two observers waited in front of the quarantine gate, and seeing Cheng Ye approach, they couldn’t help but be taken aback.

"This is Inspector Cheng, Cheng Ye, the duty inspector for this morning."

The staff introduced.

Actually, there was no need for an introduction; just by looking at the appearance, the two observers already recognized Cheng Ye’s identity.

Too similar.

He resembles Cheng Long, the fifth-stage inspector, the backbone among the Eastern people, at least a 60-70% likeness.

If Cheng Ye weren’t so young, just by looking at his profile, they’d almost think Cheng Long had come back to life.

"Thank you for your trouble."

The quarantine gate opened, Cheng Ye nodded slightly to the staff, then stepped inside.

Passing through the disinfection tunnel, the two observers were already waiting at the end.

"Hello, sir, we are the observers for Zone C... My name is Bao, and my name is She."

They introduced themselves one by one.

Bao was a seasoned middle-aged man, and She was a robust young man.

One old and one young, with clear division of labor.

Bao’s duties were similar to Raven’s, responsible for document registration, data recording, and other desk tasks.

She, however, was different from Owl in that he needed to accompany the inspector during duty.

"Does our South Station have observers accompanying inspectors on duty?"

"Yes," She explained immediately, "mainly because the Eastern people’s accents are too diverse, from all over the place, and our Zone C is responsible for inspecting personnel from the Shelter City and surrounding areas. Some people not only bring their accents but also don’t understand our rules; we can’t let you, sir, teach them personally, right?"

He smiled and added, "Moreover, sometimes those from Shelter City come over with several cars; inspecting vehicles and goods is laborious work. You just give the orders, and I’ll handle it."

"Do people smuggle?"

"Of course, they do, and quite a bit," She nodded, "For ordinary materials of outsiders, our inspection station can’t take a cut; only high-value items like Mutated Crystals, Extraordinary Ores, and precious metals are subject to a 20% inspection tax."

"Some people, harboring a fluke mentality, don’t want to pay, so they smuggle, hiding things in tire linings, or sealing them in bags and stuffing them at the very bottom of the goods pile. Some even embed crystals in prosthetics."

"But the reason they dare to do this is mainly because the cost isn’t that high. Even if they get caught, they only have to pay an additional 10% tax, totaling 30%. For them, hiding means a chance to earn, not hiding surely means a loss, and even if they’re found out, it’s still within their bearable range."

"Furthermore..."

All the way forward, She introduced non-stop.

In Quarantine Zone A, everything is subject to a 30% cut, because they are all Happiness City’s own caravans, and no one hides goods.

After all, once discovered, the cost is far more than an additional 10% tax.

At worst, their credit scores get deducted, and all goods confiscated; at worst, their car rental privileges get revoked.

However, Quarantine Zone C is different; the caravans coming here are gathered from surrounding areas, or sent by smaller Shelter Cities. But no matter how small the scale, as long as they’re under the guise of ’trade’, the inspection station treats them as equal subjects, following Happiness City’s trade regulations.