"Just finished reading it." Cheng Yeās tone was calm.
"What a coincidence, huh, we actually picked the same place. Fate!" Yang Xingwen chuckled twice, then changed the topic. "So, have you picked a partner yet?"
"Planning to team up with Wang Kang, why?" Cheng Ye didnāt beat around the bush and said it straight.
To his surprise, Yang Xingwen sounded like heād expected that and spoke frankly: "I know you and Inspector Wang get along well, picking him makes sense. But then again, an external contracted assessment isnāt a joke, youāll be facing some real deadly danger out there. Inspector Wangās only been on duty for a week, Iām afraid his experience is..."
He paused, lowered his stance: "Inspector Cheng, give me a chance, yeah? You team up with me, you point and Iāll hit, Iām just a grunt under your command. However you want me to work, Iāll work. How about it?"
Oh?
A First-stage Inspector, saying to an Intern Inspector that heās just a grunt under the latterās hand.
Thatās giving face to the extreme, full of sincerity.
But Cheng Ye only shook his head slightly and decided to make it clear: "No, Inspector Yang. I already agreed with Wang Kang. And... itās possible we wonāt even get through the assessment and get eliminated straight away, you know?"
"Heh, Inspector Cheng, now youāre joking." There was an undefinable tone in Yang Xingwenās laughter. "Alright then, I wonāt bother you anymore."
"Mm, okay."
The call ended cleanly, without any extra entanglement.
Cheng Ye stared at the dark screen of the Defense Communication for two seconds. He didnāt know Yang Xingwen at all.
Heād never thought about having any close contact with this kind of person either, or rather, with this batch of Academy Faction who were madly picking sides among the Eastern People for the moment, he wasnāt planning to get too close to them yet.
And it might well be that Yang Xingwen was just casting a wide net for a partner; not worth taking to heart.
However, before Cheng Ye could clip the Defense Communication back to his waist, another unfamiliar number popped up.
He answered, and a slightly sharp male high voice came through the receiver:
"Hello, Inspector Cheng Ye, Iām Zhao Jia, donāt know if you still remember me?"
"Inspector Zhao, how could I forget?" Cheng Ye chuckled. "You and I are six years apart, but we studied at the same school."
He repeated what heād said in the hospital before.
Zhao Jia was amused. "Yeah, so I saw that both our names are on the list. Want to team up?"
"Team up? Didnāt you sign up for East Ridge Town?"
"Itās fine, that doesnāt matter. Thereās no restriction on Inspectors from different Satellite Cities forming a team."
Zhao Jia explained, "I just checked with the station. After Inspectors on the list form a team, they can pick either one of their two assigned locations. For example, if you want to come to East Ridge Town to compete, that works. Or I can go to Dapo Town."
"So thatās how it is..." Cheng Ye frowned slightly. With this rule change, the original pattern would probably be completely scrambled.
Take West Slope Town: originally there were six people competing. If no one forms an internal duo and everyone picks outsiders, in the end youād have twelve people in a melee, with ten eliminated. Thatās basically a slaughterhouse.
But if someone thinks they have no chance, they can absolutely team up with Inspectors from back-row towns and bail.
Every person who leaves reduces West Slope Townās competition by two.
At that rate, it wouldnāt be surprising if the back-row towns end up more sought-after than the front.
"Sorry, I already have a partner." Cheng Ye was blunt.
"Inspector Wang Kang?"
"Yeah, we agreed long ago. Sorry."
"No worries, no worries." Zhao Jia was quite easygoing. "Inspector Cheng, just picking up my call already gives me enough face. Wish you a smooth assessment!"
Over at East Ridge Town, someone had already roped in a Fourth-stage Inspector as their assessment teammate.
For guys like them, First-stage Inspectors, that was basically a Dimensional Strike.
No choice but to look to Inspectors from other towns to team up with and escape the competition over at East Ridge.
And heād come to Cheng Ye because he felt Cheng wouldnāt reject him outright just because he was a First-stage Inspector.
Now that Cheng Ye was teaming with Wang Kang, he had nothing to say.
After hanging up, Cheng Ye thought for a bit and simply switched on fieldwork mode.
He didnāt need to guess to know thereād definitely be more people coming to him.
What could he do? He was an Intern Inspector, and on top of that carried the Cheng Family background.
Plus heād been performing extremely well all along. In terms of ability he was already not at all weaker than a normal First- or Second-stage Inspector.
The Third-Phase folksāFirst-stage Inspectors had no standing to ask them to form a team. But as for him, an Intern Inspector with no right to refuse, everyone wanted to come ask, just to put the question out there.
Rather than dealing with them one by one and turning them down, he might as well have some peace and quiet.
After washing up and returning to the room, Wang Kang was still carefully mopping the floor, like heād completely forgotten about the external contracted assessment.
This behavior made Cheng Ye nod inwardly.
He did want to give Wang Kang a hand, that was true, but heād never done brainless hand-holding. Instead, heād tried his best to help Wang Kang grow quickly and create a more suitable environment for his development.
If Wang Kang himself didnāt want to move up or refused to improve, there was nothing he could do.
As it was now, it was perfectāa two-way effort.
If Wang Kang was willing to put in the work, then whatever the outcome, heād deserve this opportunity.
Only when Wang Kang finished mopping, rinsed the mop clean, did Cheng Ye point at his shoes.
Wang Kangās face flushed at once. He hurried back up to the fourth floor to change shoes, and came back in a clean set of clothes.
"Do you know why I had you sweep and mop?"
"I do." Wang Kang nodded immediately. "I was too impatient. Brother Cheng, I really didnāt expect the inspection station to let me take the assessment. I havenāt even been to the initial assessment..."
"Donāt worry, I fought for this with Station Chief Ding."
Cheng Ye didnāt hide it and briefly laid out the plan heād reported to Ding Yishan.
"I want to take over the management authority of Dapo Town entirely. I canāt work well with the others, so I came to you."
"Heh, thatās perfect, that was exactly what I was worried about just now!"
Wang Kang instantly got excited. "I... I donāt know anything. How am I supposed to manage that many people out there? Wouldnāt that be embarrassing the whole Inspector system?"
"Then what if I have you oversee the people under you doing construction work?"
"Then no problem. I canāt promise anything else, but Iām confident about construction!"
Wang Kang grinned with a bit of pride. "Iāve been watching and learning these last few days. Brother Cheng, relax. I might not be able to help with other stuff, but getting regular folks to do construction, leave that to me!"
"Knowing where your strengths areāthatās very good already."
Cheng Ye nodded. "When the time comes, Iāll have the community people assist you. Donāt worry, everything has a first time. Those First-stage Inspectors arenāt necessarily better than you."
After a simple bit of reassurance, Cheng Ye didnāt treat Wang Kang like a child and went straight into task assignment.
His requirements for Wang Kang were simple on the surface, but also not simple.
First, he had to be able to hold the fort for him at Dabo Inspection Station and ensure basic safety in Dapo Town.
Second, once Cheng handed down the construction plan, he had to be able to supervise the masses under him to see it through.
Third, he had to promptly report any details or oversights that Cheng Ye might miss.
These three points meant that in Dapo Town, Wang Kangās authority would be second only to his, while the amount of work on his shoulders would be less than one-fifth.
But even that one-fifth, to do it well, was no simple matter.
Just holding the line at the inspection station aloneāDapo Town might not be any less dangerous than the North-South Express Station. Heād have to be even more meticulous and handle emergencies properly.
"Brother Cheng, donāt worry!" Wang Kang clenched his fists, eyes shining. "As long as you trust me, I will never let you down!"
"Of course I trust you. Otherwise I wouldnāt have picked you as my partner, would I?"
Cheng Ye smiled, glanced at the time. "Letās go. Before the assessment, itās about time I let you know what Iāve been busy with lately."
...