Compatibility.

Perfect!

An audible prompt for search sounded in his ear.

Cheng Ye had never found these two words so pleasant and beautiful.

It felt like a slippery screw suddenly fitting into the catch point, rotating slowly within a rusty nut, each turn accompanied by a crisp metallic friction sound that made one's scalp tingle with excitement!!

"Wait for me, I need to adjust the instrument."

After calming Dai Zun, Cheng Ye looked at the detector, but in reality, he used his mind to initiate the search.

Lines of phantom text flickered on the panel.

After five seconds, they combined into an information panel readable by Cheng Ye.

[Dai Zun]

[Level 1 Skill]: Locked

[Level 2 Skill]:

Talent: Iron Body (Rare, Reduced Pain Sensation, Increased Physical Toughness, Immune to Some Non-lethal Injuries)

Talent: Firearms Affinity (Common, Slightly Increased Control Over Firearms)

Skill: Crusader Standard Slash Skill (Common), Cross Legion Standard Shooting Skill (Common)

[Level 3 Skill]: Locked

...

"?"

"There's actually a grading system?"

Cheng Ye was momentarily stunned. When searching for Level 1 skills, the panel would list all the skills at once, making it overwhelming and difficult to choose.

However, the Level 2 interface in front of him was completely different. Not only did it categorize talents and skills separately, but it also added quality tiers, making strengths and weaknesses instantly clear.

For example, Iron Body was radiating a faint purple glow, with a note indicating it was [Rare].

Whereas Firearms Affinity was also a talent, but it glowed white, marked as [Common].

"Now it's much more intuitive. No need to study the names to find out their uses..."

Perhaps because Dai Zun was too young and hadn't mastered many Level 2 skills, only two Crusader standard skills were listed on the panel.

Cheng Ye did not hesitate at all and directly focused his mind on the highest-level 'Iron Body'.

Cross-level search, with only a 25% success rate.

But inexplicably, he felt sure this time he would succeed.

Because the Dai Zun on the ground wasn't cooperating out of fear of him but truly wanted to survive, believing from the bottom of his heart that cooperation was the right choice.

A faint purple hue enveloped the entire interface.

The panel began to flicker.

After one second.

The Civilization Collector did not disappoint!

[Search Successful]

[Civilization Collector has successfully recorded: Iron Body (Level 2; Talent)]

"It actually worked?!"

The panel automatically shifted, and the Iron Body on Dai Zun's skill bar glowed, flickered once, and was copied into the available skill bar for equipping.

An uncontrollable ecstasy burst open in his chest.

Cheng Ye felt as though his thoughts had frozen in this moment, the overwhelming joy almost about to spill over.

Though he had a premonition before the search, how could that compare to the excitement of personally seeing Iron Body appear in the skill bar ready for equipping?!

"Inspector, sir?"

Dai Zun was puzzled, looking at Cheng Ye's slightly trembling back, suddenly feeling a bit anxious, "Is there something wrong with the instrument?"

"No problem, just wait for me a bit longer, the instrument is starting up."

Suppressing his joy, he replied.

Whether Dai Zun was infected actually no longer needed instrument detection.

However, the quarantine process could not afford any oversight; skipping it might arouse suspicion.

Cheng Ye still followed the standard procedure and, incidentally, had to cut a piece of flesh for testing.

About ten minutes later, Raven returned with expected news.

"Alright, you're cleared!"

Cheng Ye tore off his rubber gloves, tossed them into the isolation area trash can like a basketball, and walked over, smiling.

"Huh?"

Dai Zun was stunned, doubting he had heard correctly until Cheng Ye repeated it, causing his eyes to widen as overwhelming joy instantly shattered all traces of calm.

Outside the quarantine door, Wu Rui also stiffened his back, his tower-like body first shuddering, then his rough palms furiously wiped across his face, heavily striking the quarantine screen with a muffled thud.

After being tense for so long.

His heart had been in his throat the whole time.

Thankfully, the final outcome did not disappoint!

"Captain Wu, I'm also from the Inner City, just finishing my shift. I can take him over, is that okay?"

Cheng Ye walked to the door and asked. Wu Rui only hesitated for a moment before nodding heavily.

"No problem. I'll communicate right away. You take him to the Gate of Happiness, someone will be there to meet you."

"Alright."

With one more person, there'd be another round of procedural checks. Cheng Ye turned to leave when a voice sounded from behind him.

"May I ask for the inspector's name, sir?"

"Surname Cheng."

"Cheng... dare I ask, is Cheng Long your...?"

"My father."

Wu Rui's face showed a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into an expected recognition.

Could it be that Cheng Long is famous even in the Cross Legion?

Cheng Ye was momentarily stunned, but didn't stop walking, instructing Owl and Raven to lift the stretcher and follow him.

Leaving along the isolation passage, Dai Zun's pale face still bore a dazed expression as if he had narrowly escaped disaster.

At the exit, Cheng Ye hesitated for a moment but ultimately pressed the number for Station Manager Towns.

In theory, requisitioning a vehicle in special circumstances is within the inspector's authority, but this is North Station, the territory of the Westerners.

"Station Manager, here's the situation..."

Cheng Ye briefly explained Dai Zun's situation and was just about to justify the necessity of vehicle requisition when he suddenly heard rapid footsteps on the other end of the line.

No one expected Towns to rush down directly from his office.

On usual days, it's not unusual for the station manager to make a personal appearance, but given that a duty station manager had just sacrificed himself earlier today, hastily approaching someone with an unresolved infection risk was clearly not the wisest choice.

"Station Manager Towns, maybe you should keep your distance?"

When there were still a dozen steps between them, Cheng Ye spoke up to remind him.

Who would have thought Towns would scoff, quickening his pace with disdain, muttering, "When the inspection station was founded, your grandfather and I personally cut the ribbon. Do you think I'm like He Fei?"

Founded the inspection station?

Cheng Ye didn't care about Towns' bragging but caught onto an important piece of information.

His predecessor's grandfather was actually one of the founders of the inspection station?

Impressive!

"Alright, he's not parasitized. I'll specially approve a vehicle for you, hurry and take him for treatment."

Towns squatted and checked the wound confidently, then gave Cheng Ye a peculiar glance.

"This is just your first day, you've stirred up the station, taken down an infected body, and now saved someone from the Cross Legion—Cheng Long wasn't so capable back in his day."

"Uh..."

Cheng Ye neither agreed nor disagreed, taking it as a compliment.

But he also understood that Towns was reminding him that the attention he was receiving today was a bit too much.

As the saying goes, at the height of popularity, a downfall is inevitable; if he continues to shine, it might attract some unwanted attention.

However, it must be said, Towns considered the situation but didn't think from his perspective about one thing.

"I wish I could keep a low profile, but being too low-key could lead to death..."

...

The Big Golden Cup roared out of the inspection station, leaving a noticeable black streak on the ground.

Dai Zun was jolted so much that he coughed repeatedly, with bits of blood froth seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, slow down, we've got an injured person here."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but remind, leading the driver to ease off the gas with an apologetic smile.

It's only for this kind of urgent duty that higher-ups won't calculate the energy consumption.

For ordinary duties, there are strict standards, and if energy consumption exceeds the limit, at best they'll deduct pay, at worst they'll dismiss you, similar to how the road inspection teams of old would kick you out for exceeding average fuel consumption.

"Hey buddy, can you talk?"

"I can."

"Can I ask you something without it going against your Cross Legion's regulations?"

"Feel free to ask, Inspector."

Dai Zun was actually a bit curious about this inspector who was younger than him.

Cheng Ye's demeanor didn't resemble the old hands at the inspection station, always afraid of taking responsibility, scared of danger, with a suffocatingly bureaucratic manner.

One might say he's unafraid like a calf not fearing a tiger.

But the strange thing is his style is particularly steady, showing none of the inexperience and immaturity of a newbie.

Even Captain Wu Rui is ordered around by him without feeling pressured or awkward.

"My brother, Liu Bi, is also an inspector. Two days ago, he went with the Inner City's engineering team to support the hydroelectric station. Do you have any news about him?"

"Liu Bi..."

Dai Zun thought for a moment, then shook his head, "The Cross Legion is responsible for guarding the entire industrial zone, which has eight sections. The hydroelectric station is in Zone B; we guard Zone F, over ten kilometers apart... But you don't need to worry, at least until this noon, the hydroelectric station hasn't been invaded by infected bodies."

After speaking, realizing Cheng Ye wasn't familiar with the industrial zone, Dai Zun gave a brief overview.

Due to the wave-like nature of energy supply from the hydroelectric station, Happiness City must ramp up production from early summer to mid-autumn to stockpile enough supplies for the entire winter and spring seasons for both self-use and trade.

So every mid-spring, there is a large-scale recruitment in the buffer zone, hiring tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand people to enter the industrial zone.

When the electricity supply decreases in mid-autumn, the workers are sent back to the buffer zone to prepare for winter.

Such a massive change in personnel naturally draws the attention of nearby infected bodies, which continuously trouble and attack the industrial zone.

"It's a pity that when I transmigrated here, the spring recruitment was long over. I couldn't witness the grand scene."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but feel.

Each Shelter City has a survival strategy suited to its circumstances, and Happiness City's "migratory bird production model" is especially ingenious, a concept far beyond other Shelter Cities.

It not only perfectly mitigates the challenges of long-distance power transmission on infrastructure but also cleverly addresses the defensive dilemma between residential and industrial zones.

Summer and autumn are peak seasons for survivor migration.

The industrial zone actively attracts the attention of surrounding infected bodies, precisely avoiding infection risks caused by large gatherings of people.

During winter and spring when migration peaks end, the industrial zone personnel retreat to the buffer zone, where everyone holds their ground, maximizing the survival rate against potential infection waves.

"There's no absolute good or bad, only pros and cons. If not faced with an infection wave uprising, it is indeed stable. But like this year..."

Dai Zun sighed, "Since the beginning of the year, the frequency of infection wave outbreaks has multiplied many times over, and who knows what level of infection wave will surge towards our Happiness City this winter!"

...

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