Towns finished speaking.

The office sank into a brief silence.

Logically speaking, their conversation today should never have reached this point.

No one expected that the initial casual questions and answers would gradually change in tone with Cheng Ye's repeatedly unexpected responses.

Evolving into a mutual, unspoken probing.

And awkwardly, the probing revealed that their ideologies seemed not to conflict but instead align highly.

Wait, my ideology aligns with that of the Westerners' Fifth-stage Inspector and the North Inspection Station's Duty Station Chief?

What a coincidence?

The moment Cheng Ye reached this conclusion, he wasn't delighted but immediately sensed that something was off.

As a first-generation inspector since the station's establishment, when Cheng Wu left with his people, Towns did not leave.

This indicates that he did not agree with the Initial Heart Faction's ideology.

Later when the Idealist Faction rose and fell, some left, some entered the Inner City, yet Towns, this first-generation inspector, always remained as steady as an old dog.

This further proves that he wasn't on the same path as the Idealist Faction either.

Neither Initial Heart Faction nor Idealist Faction; if Towns shared an ideology with him, he should have been squeezed out by the station's factional struggles long ago.

But until today, he still firmly holds the position of Duty Station Chief, and can, as he said, do whatever he wants without caring about anyone's opinions.

This indicates that in the eyes of Ding Yishan and Harlem, Towns is a person who poses no threat at all.

What kind of person poses no threat? The answer goes without saying.

This guy is probably a feckless old loafer relying on his seniority.

"Thank you, Station Chief Towns!"

Cheng Ye was startled, immediately stepped forward, and took the badge on the desk into his pocket.

When dealing with people, the most taboo is to speak deeply in a shallow relationship.

He introspected that his relationship with Towns hadn't reached this point, yet Towns showed such enthusiasm.

It was almost too deliberate.

"Hmm, aren't you planning to ask anything more?" Towns was slightly taken aback, then his smile grew more pronounced, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

"I've already learned enough today." Cheng Ye shook his head, speaking with sincerity, "Asking more would exceed what I should currently be involved in, instead adding unnecessary worry."

"Not bad, it seems you already have a choice in your heart."

Towns nodded approvingly, "Station Chief Ding truly has an eye, realizing your uniqueness before I did... If you can get through the internship period, stop taking on duties within the station. Happiness City is becoming less suitable for people like you."

"Every Extraordinary person's emergence injects a kind of obsession into this Shelter City, even if these obsessions are positive, like protection, construction, order... But when countless obsessions entwine and merge, it ultimately only twists into invisible shackles, forming various regulation restrictions, leaving no room for change."

"Because these rules are their lives."

"If you want to realize your ideals, to break these rules, you're essentially..."

Towns paused, swallowed his words, and only gently sighed.

"Try to see more of the Wilderness, like your grandfather, it's okay even if you don't come back."

"Thirteen years ago, all the extending chains in the Buffer Zone were severed by the Elders, turning it into an independent small world, but with just one wall, who can guarantee those chains won't quietly extend again?"

Saying so, he turned his head to gaze out at the gray sky, his voice light as if speaking to himself, "Only out there is the realm of us ordinary people. No matter how long the hands of the Extraordinary reach, they're firmly locked in the city by their own obsessions, by us old conservatives... locked, dead tight!"

...

He pushed the door open and stepped out.

Cheng Ye couldn't help but glance back, seeing Towns still standing by the window, his gaze wistful.

He gently closed the door and looked far into the distance in the direction Towns was gazing.

Beyond the inspection station lay the Wilderness, and in the distant horizon, rain seemed to be brewing again, with lead-gray clouds hanging low as if ready to roll down at any moment.

However, inexplicably, Cheng Ye didn't feel oppressed; instead, he felt a sense of sudden clarity.

It seemed the reason for Happiness City's unique structure was finally unfolding before his eyes.

"Inner City, Buffer Zone..."

"So the high walls protect not just the Inner City residents, but also the obsessions of the Extraordinary?"

Cheng Ye pondered silently, slowly descending the stairs, considering the validity of this assertion.

The orderly appearance of the Inner City in his memory now indeed resembled a prison bound by countless regulations.

No freedom to speak of inside, with residents living like marionettes, leading stable lives.

No conflicts, no noises, even the distribution of benefits was neatly arranged, living in the enviable "ideal happiness" of outsiders.

Cheng Ye previously found it bizarre why it seemed so divided; finally, someone answered this question.

If anyone dared to break the inside's happiness, to destroy the rules within, it would be equivalent to taking all the Extraordinary people's lives.

"However, this explanation is somewhat extreme..."

As Cheng Ye walked out of the North Inspection Station, he paused, turning to look at the five-story administration building.

Towns somehow already stood at the end of the corridor, quietly watching him.

Their gazes met in the air, and the old man smiled faintly, raising his hand in a gentle wave, as if genuinely assuming the role of a kind elder.

However, can someone hold their position through two internal disruptions so simply?

Cheng Ye nodded slightly, turned, and walked toward the bus stop, yet stealthily ranked Towns' threat level another notch higher in his mind.

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