Inner City Lords?

Cheng Ye pondered briefly without asking if he could pretend not to hear and not go for the rescue.

In principle, that was impossible.

Inspectors hold an extremely high status in the Buffer Zone, but in terms of the entire power structure of Happiness City.

They essentially resemble sentinels, striking hard externally but adhering to rules internally.

To put it bluntly, Happiness City is like a residential community, and the Inspectors are its security guards.

Even if this security guard has guns, authority, and people, far more imposing than Country Garden's five-star generals, they cannot turn a blind eye to the "owners" in the Inner City.

This is a fundamental issue; after all, the security guards' wages are paid by the owners through property fees.

If even this rule isn't upheld, there would be no need for everyone to scramble to get into the Inner City; they might as well all be security guards riding over the owners' heads.

"Can I go to the back and rest when there's no one in line?"

"Don't say no one is lining up, even if there are people in line, who dares to stop an Inspector from resting?"

Raven spoke bluntly, without reservation: "As long as no Inner City Lords are waiting for inspection, ordinary people can queue outside all day, and whenever they become obedient, let them in when the Lords are in the mood."

The implication is that the Westerners' practice of "entry fees" is still prevalent at North Station now.

Those who pay get in first; those who don't wait outside.

"Alright, you two can go rest at the back, I'll sit here."

"Okay, I'll get you a rain umbrella."

Not having to stay with the Inspector in the quarantine area was undoubtedly good news.

After all, they had jobs to execute. Just sorting the isolated people's information took a long time, often needing to work overtime until two or three in the morning to complete.

The two exchanged a glance, happily turned away, and soon returned with a big umbrella, securely setting it up by the table.

Cheng Ye, taking advantage of the opportunity, crossed his legs and sat down, sipping Nutrient Paste while watching the queue in Zone B next door grow longer.

Admittedly, it was quite leisurely.

The Inspector job is good; as long as you are strong enough, there are no troubles.

Everyone must respect you and listen to you.

For those who defy, unless they are Inner City Lords, there's no responsibility for cutting first and reporting later.

What's more, the Inspector controls the lifeline of the Buffer Zone's security; the stricter the inspection, the more the ordinary residents commend and adore them.

Indeed, as the saying goes: As long as interests align, someone will philosophically argue for me.

Who dares criticize the Inspector?

They'd be drowned in the spittle of hundreds of thousands of Buffer Zone residents in no time!

"Wait, why do I feel like I have avoided decades of detours in life?"

Cheng Ye thought, his smile freezing.

Oh no, this security job indeed dulls ambition; he intended to make a big effort at the inspection station.

Yet, just after sitting for a few minutes, he was already close to dozing off in enjoyment.

No way.

He must bolster himself up!

Drinking the remaining Nutrient Paste in one go, Cheng Ye sat up and started to review today's actions.

Bullying these brats had nothing to say; these second-generation wealthy kids were naively similar to modern people.

Playing tricks in the Wasteland; they wouldn't even know how they died if they met truly ruthless characters.

But as for Station Manager Towns...

Cheng Ye vaguely sensed someone standing behind the screen when speaking, but couldn't be completely sure.

However, upon further reflection, it didn't matter even if someone was there; he didn't reveal any anomalies from start to finish.

"Regarding getting 90 points without firing a gun..."

Cheng Ye shook his head slightly.

If he truly scored 90 points at Towns, there's no way he could lie here so comfortably now, right?

Fame is intimidating.

Appearing too smart in the short term won't change Ding Yishan's views on him.

But falling into the Western Faction's eyes would be entirely different.

There would undeniably be difficulties, targeting, and even constant testing of his limits, creating various unnecessary high-pressure scenarios.

So bearing the title of a brute, in the short term, is actually a good thing.

"Now is the time to hide talents and bide time, first endure the first week, giving Ding Yishan time to realize my change..."

"And with slow-charging replenishment, before the end of rotation, at least four more searches are possible."

"With my current strength, finding any skill can bring significant improvement!"

In the midst of his thoughts, Cheng Ye suddenly remembered searching Barrett earlier, getting double Action Points back after canceling the search.

At this moment, he opened the panel with his mind.

"Hiss, why is there a new function unlocked for the Action Points..."

Glancing over, Cheng Ye suddenly stopped.

He initially thought Action Points were a minor feature, applied within the search function.

Unexpectedly, there was an "Action" option parallel to "Search" behind the search function.

They aren't integrated but independent of each other?

This made Cheng Ye excited.

The mere search function transformed his strength drastically.

Could this newly unlocked Action function dramatically enhance combat power as well?

Moreover, importantly, as long as the search fails, Action Points are guaranteed, only the amount varies.

This means that before the three Skill Bars are filled, temporarily unable to expand new slots or replace skills to enhance strength, Action Points will only accumulate.

After all, as his ability enhances, the bonus from LV.1 skills will gradually diminish, and sooner or later, he will turn his attention to LV.2 skills.

But the success rate of cross-level searching is only 25%, and the probability of gaining action points will naturally increase significantly.

Moreover, sometimes abandoning the operation after finding an infected body can also reward extra double action points.

"The search function is this powerful; please don't let the action be a letdown."

"The rougher the better, the more mindless the better, don't feel sorry for this weak Collector!"

Cheng Ye prayed silently in his heart and clicked on the action function with his mind.

The interface lagged slightly, as if it was loading.

About four to five seconds later, a brand new function panel appeared before him.

[Action]

[This function is a derivative add-on of 'Search', designed to perfectly utilize the energy lost during search failures]

[Reasonable use can help Collectors save time and greatly improve information collection efficiency]

[Function Introduction: When the Collector is performing a certain repetitive event, they can use action points to substitute quick completion]

[Current Remaining Action Points: 4 (lv.1)]

[Currently Actionable Target: The Collector can silently recite the action function command to automatically search for actionable targets within 10 meters around]

[Please be aware of the following precautions:

1. The action target must be within the Collector's ability range; slightly exceeding it will display the necessary unlocking conditions...

2. The effect of action points will automatically bio-shield perception and automatically conduct non-biological monitoring shielding, ensuring the rationalization of action logic, please rest assured to use...

3. The level of action points is tied to the Collector's rank, and raising the rank can unlock more action directions...]

...

"Performing repetitive events, using action points to replace fast completion?"

He skipped over the tedious description, only looking at the summarized overview in the front.

Cheng Ye pondered for a while, suddenly feeling that this function seemed somewhat familiar?

He recalled his memory.

Around the years 13 to 20, many time-based pay-to-win mobile games emerged on the market, especially RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games, like "Shore of [Redacted]", "Clash of [Redacted]", "Room Wars".

Players would just enter the game to construct buildings, taking seconds, ten seconds, at most a minute to complete, quickly setting up a territory framework.

But at a certain node, the construction time would soar: from one minute to ten minutes, twenty minutes, one hour, or even waiting several days, completely defying normal growth logic.

Some couldn't wait, and the game offered acceleration options too.

With money to buy acceleration charms, they could shorten the time by several folds, not having to wait at all.

Thus, it was often seen that a wealthy player would suppress an alliance of dozens of people alone.

"But it's somewhat different, the game's targets are all pre-set by planners, players are just puppet lines for spending money, but the Collector's action function allows me to set targets."

"Let's try out the effect first..."

Cheng Ye was motivated, following the panel's instructions to scan the surrounding targets.

In an instant, a blue light, the same color as the panel, burst out from him as the center, expanding thunderously to the surroundings within ten meters.

Something magical happened, every item swept by the blue light glowed with a faint luminescent shimmer.

The alloy floor, the table in front of him, a rain shelter umbrella stuck in the table corner, the backpack on the table...

All the items gleamed with a clear blue glow under sunlight, as if endowed with a special life.

"Could it be that others can't see this?"

Cheng Ye was astonished and quickly scanned the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Among the people in line in Zone B, only a few glances were thrown this way, but it wasn't due to discovering anything unusual, more out of boredom, glancing around idly.

"It's really just me who can see it."

The scanning ripple that glowed blue was visible as clearly as something tangible in his vision, yet invisible to others.

This completely put Cheng Ye at ease, as he began to study the changes that the blue light brought.

"As for the action target..."

The items in the quarantine area definitely couldn't be chosen, if the action succeeds, it might raise suspicions.

Cheng Ye's gaze swept over the table, quickly locking onto the backpack on it.

This backpack was something he bought from a street vendor scavenger after his traversing.

There were a few holes on the side, and it gave off a worn-out vibe, but its structural design was reasonable, with outstanding load-bearing capacity and durability, far superior to those knockoffs from general stores.

Cheng Ye had long intended to buy some thread and needles to mend the holes, but he often forgot when he was busy, usually remembering only when heading out.

Now was the perfect time to see if the action points could finish this stitching task on his behalf.

"Mend the backpack, mend the backpack, mend..."

For the first time using thought to create a target, Cheng Ye had no experience, only able to silently recite like memorizing.

But magically, just as he had this idea, a blue panel suddenly appeared beside the backpack, lines of text unfolding.

[Wanderer Canvas Backpack (lv.0)]

[Description]: A handmade backpack stitched from coarse canvas, treated with a triple-wax coating, capable of resisting mild surface tears even when brushed against thorns in the wilderness or coarse rock walls.

[Action Directions]:

1. Basic Optimization (Repair backpack holes, slightly improve backpack structure, increase durability)

Estimated action point consumption: 3 (Collector can provide materials and tools, reducing action point consumption)

2. Deep Modification (Significantly improve backpack structure, enhance user experience; replace backpack material with quality leather, effectively resist scraping and abrasion from sharp objects; add open single-compartment design, equipped with side-hidden rope loops and weapon pouch, slightly increasing functionality).

Estimated action point consumption: Locked (Prerequisite: Proficiency in sewing-related skills)

3. Complete Transformation (Replace material with Happiness Alloy, make it indestructible; feature an intelligent weapon system, capable of automatically targeting and firing at threats within a 50-meter radius; integrate a full-function survival equipment library, including but not limited to: simple lifeboat, full-functional climbing hook, automatic freshwater collector, etc.)

Estimated action point consumption: Locked (Prerequisite: Locked)

[Please select an action direction, Collector!]

...

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