And the South Station looks more like a large ancient city gate, with only a wide entrance at the front.

Seeing Cheng Ye stride over, the guard on duty at the door immediately lit up and quickly greeted him.

His shoulders under the raincoat were slightly tense, with obvious respect, "Inspector Cheng, you're here!"

"Yes," Cheng Ye nodded, "I've come to report today, but I'm not sure which direction to go."

"Please wait a moment, I'll call the staff out to take you through the reporting procedure."

Compared to the disregard he faced at the North Station, the experience at the entrance of the South Station immediately became favorable.

Cheng Ye turned his head discreetly to scan around, noticing that every guard he locked eyes with instinctively showed a smile, their eyes filled with flattery and awe.

Is it Liu Bi's influence?

Or... Cheng Long?

Perhaps it's his change in status, being pushed to the forefront by Ding Yishan?

Maybe, it's all three.

Before he could ponder further, less than half a minute later, two staff members in blue uniforms quickly rushed out of the gate.

"Inspector Cheng, sorry for the wait! Please come with us; the Station Chief specifically instructed us to escort you directly to the office as soon as you arrived."

"Thank you."

Cheng Ye nodded slightly and followed the two into the South Inspection Station.

Passing through the wide gate, the internal layout opened up brightly.

The South Station has reduced the size of Zones E and F and forced open a spacious main passageway between the two areas.

Whether it's residents going out, vehicles, or people returning to the city, they all enter and exit through this passage.

Isolation doors are set on both sides of the passage.

The staff opened the door and stepped in, revealing an interior much like the North Station's Zone E.

The buildings spread across different heights, with the most prominent being the five-story Station Chief's building.

Leading Cheng Ye to the building's entrance, the staff stopped, "Inspector Cheng, the Station Chief is waiting for you in the office on the fifth floor. We'll first assist you with your duty procedures; you're looking to serve in Zone B, right?"

"Yes, I appreciate the help."

Cheng Ye responded, taking out his inspector badge from his pocket and handing it over.

Then, he took off his raincoat, shook off the water droplets, and hung it on the specially designated rack at the building entrance.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, at the end of the corridor, the office door was ajar. Cheng Ye raised his hand and knocked.

"Come in."

A slightly hoarse, deep male voice came from inside, carrying a sense of steady authority.

Cheng Ye pushed the door open, and the first thing that met his eyes was an arrangement so simple that it was almost austere.

In stark contrast to Towns, the old man who loved indulgence.

The outer office area only contained a large solid wood desk, with nothing on it but a Defense Communication device and a few stacks of files, devoid of any decorative plants.

Against the wall stood a row of iron lockers reaching the ceiling, with at least forty cabinet doors lined up, each labeled with black marker handwriting - bold and meticulous.

The inner side of the office was partitioned by frosted glass, forming a reception area furnished with a set of dark grey fabric sofas, a regular ceramic tea set placed on the coffee table, steaming slightly with freshly boiled water.

The entire office exuded a pragmatic and brisk atmosphere, with no semblance of pretense.

"Cheng Ye, it's nice to meet you for the first time."

Lei Hu has a typical square face, a few shallow scars around the left eye, and deep wrinkles when he smiles.

He stood up, noticeably taller than Liu Bi by a small margin — at least over two meters and five centimeters in height, with a tall and straight physique; even while simply standing, he emanated a robust vigor.

"Station Chief Lei, I look forward to working together."

"No need to be so formal, have a seat." Lei Hu pointed to the sofa in the reception area and walked over himself to pour water into the teacups, "I heard you just transferred from the North Station? Towns didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

His directness carried a certain strange familiarity. Cheng Ye paused slightly when seating himself, then smiled faintly, "Station Chief Lei jokes, Station Chief Towns is actually quite nice."

"Quite nice?" Lei Hu scoffed, pushing a cup of hot tea in front of him, "The South Station doesn't play games. As a person, I only trust capability. If you have what it takes, you'll be rewarded."

"As an intern, I'm quite pleased with your capabilities, so now you can make a request or ask a question. Going forward, I'll set targets for you, and after completing each one, you can come directly to me to negotiate terms."

Again?

Cheng Ye's brow subtly twitched, pretending to ponder while actually opening the panel to glance at it.

[Lei Hu, 47%, searchable range: intelligence, items]

"This high?"

Getting this value on the first meeting was rather surprising.

Glancing at the upper-right corner, where the charging value had recovered to 52%, Cheng Ye paused momentarily and decided to search for intelligence.

According to Luo Xiaoxue's introduction, Lei Hu and Cheng Long have a decent relationship, cooperating on work matters but without personal connections.

Often, those appearing to have decent relations are the most ruthless when they strike.

A faint stream of light flashed through the edge of his vision — his first attempt at intelligence search.

After the last update, the collector added targeted search functionality.

He silently repeated in his mind "related to me," as line after line of blurry text swiftly passed across the panel.

Unlike skills, intelligence doesn't have success rates; investing charging value always yields results.

Suddenly, the surrounding light dimmed intensely.

Cheng Ye suddenly realized his perspective detached from his body, resembling donning VR goggles, entering fragments from another time and space.

In front was still this office, but the ones seated on the sofa weren't him and Lei Hu, but Lei Hu and an unfamiliar man.

Facing that man, Lei Hu's face was devoid of the earlier robustness?

His expression was nearly filled with humble reverence, akin to the guards at the entrance upon seeing him.

Who could make an acting station chief so awed?

Cheng Ye was absorbed in thought when he heard the unfamiliar man speak, "The higher-ups are watching closely; I've locked onto the target. This time, I have to disguise my identity for a secret entry and exit, so it can't be detected by anyone."

"Director Liu, rest assured, I'll personally arrange everything to ensure nothing goes awry."

Director Liu?

Cheng Ye's heart shook fiercely, followed by a sudden realization. This was the extraordinary person from the inspection station... Liu Kun?

He attempted to adjust his perspective, and with a single thought, he saw Liu Kun's form.

Chubby, with a slightly overweight face, somewhat resembling Uncle Dong, but with a younger, sharper brow.

"The items will enter from Gate D. I'll arrange manpower for the transfer."

"You'll enter through Gate B, where there are two interns. No matter who, neither has encountered you."

"Two interns?" Liu Kun hesitated, "At this time, letting two interns guard the inspection station?"

"It's Cheng Ye, Cheng Long's son, and the other is Wang Cheng's son Wang Kang. It's all Station Chief Ding's arrangement."

"Is that so?"

Liu Kun nodded, "Then it's settled. The day after tomorrow, or two days later, I will set off!"

As the words fell.

The scene completely shattered at this moment, and the dimmed light returned.

Cheng Ye suddenly came back to his senses, realizing he was still sitting on the sofa in the reception area, with Lei Hu's voice seemingly just fading away.

Looking up, Lei Hu maintained the earlier posture, unchanged. It was as if what he had just seen happened without affecting real-time.

"Hm, have you decided?"

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.