Raven and Owl stood in front of the quarantine door twenty minutes early to greet him. As Cheng Ye's figure appeared around the corner, they immediately stepped forward and tapped quickly on the identity verifier.

The electromagnetic lock slid open with a "beep" sound, and the alloy doors of the quarantine passage slowly retracted to both sides.

"Sir, you've arrived!"

"Hmm..."

Cheng Ye responded vaguely, his mind still mulling over Arthur's situation. As he walked forward, he casually asked, "Nothing major happened yesterday, right?"

"No, only three vehicles passed the quarantine zone A yesterday, the rest were all turned away, nothing happened."

"No? Wait, how many others?"

Cheng Ye abruptly stopped in his tracks and raised his head in astonishment, "How many people are in the quarantine chamber now?"

"319 people."

Raven reported the precise number, up 48 people from yesterday.

The quarantine chamber in zone A had a total of 75 rooms, accommodating 4 people per room, with a maximum capacity of 300 people.

This meant that quite a few quarantine chambers had surpassed the limit and held more than 4 people.

According to the manual, the Inspector must immediately conduct a personnel check to reduce the number to below the threshold.

"A total of thirteen vehicles were inspected, and although no data anomalies were found, Inspector Polk insisted on locking up more than half of the people, additionally..."

His tone became hesitant.

Cheng Ye frowned, "Say it, what happened next?"

"It's like this..." Owl took over, speaking in a heavy voice, "Because the number of people in the quarantine chamber exceeded the limit, Inspector Polk emulated your approach from the other day and went in for a thorough inspection with us. Indeed, an infected body that had been parasitized was eliminated on the spot, but also... um, 13 people were mistakenly injured, among them 3 died on the spot in the same quarantine chamber, and the remaining 10 are still being treated at the medical facility."

"Hmm?"

Cheng Ye was taken aback, furrowing his brows.

Emulate my approach?

No, I didn't intend to conduct a thorough inspection, it was just a simple skill search...

"No, this Polk wasn't learning from me, he clearly went in to complete the inspection task of the study session!"

Cheng Ye's mind raced.

His actions the other day couldn't be considered a thorough inspection, it was just a familiarization with the environment upon arrival.

Even if he happened to eliminate Barrett, it could only be said to be a coincidence.

And Polk claiming to emulate his approach, wasn't this an attempt to shift the blame to him for mistakenly injuring civilians?

"Damn it, made a mistake and still wants me to take the blame."

"Just you wait."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but curse silently, adding Polk's name after Garcia.

I don't provoke others actively, but if you want to put the blame on me or cause trouble for me.

If I get the chance, I will make sure everything is accounted for clearly!

"Where is he?"

"Station Chief Harlem suspended him, sent him back to reflect for a week."

"Suspended..."

What was just speculation is now solid evidence.

Cheng Ye's gaze darkened slightly.

Over the night, it seems the inspectors must have all received news about the Stand-In Starfish dispersal.

This Polk is quite clever, using punishment as an excuse to suspend, but actually going back to prepare.

Currently, the quarantine chambers are over capacity with 300 people. By regulations, he must reduce the number below 300 before the end of his shift, otherwise, a record will be left on his file.

If he's already an official, at most a bit of happiness coins could be deducted from his salary.

But he's still an intern, and this record could very well affect his official promotion progress.

"Alright, today I was just planning to search for infected bodies to earn contribution points. Now that the number is over capacity, it just gives me the perfect excuse to open the chamber and let people out."

A sharp glint flashed in Cheng Ye's eyes.

The other day when he entered the quarantine chamber, he noticed quite a few people had been held for over 7 days.

With a little inspection, it's not difficult to clear out 30 people.

If he could catch infected bodies among them, that would be an additional gain, the more the better!

"Raven, go get all the data on people who have been quarantined for more than seven days, I want to inspect them one by one."

"Owl, take the guards to set up the quarantine area. I want to open the chamber and let people out. During the inspection, no one is allowed to get close!"

Decisive action.

He meant what he said.

Before Cheng Ye's words were finished, Raven and Owl inexplicably felt a sense of relief and satisfaction.

Despite only having a day's time, it felt completely different following Cheng Ye compared to following this Second-Phase Inspector Polk.

The former acts decisively like a Second-Phase, while the latter drags along like an intern.

The guards won't be held accountable and don't mind whom they follow.

But they weren't here as observers just to idle around. With Polk, they couldn't even hope to stand out, just avoiding punishment would be enough to thank the heavens.

"Yes, Sir!"

In the gap when the two were busy, Cheng Ye took a detour to the garage, skillfully swiped open the access, and placed the pendant into the charging slot.

Then he walked forward to the quarantine inspection area, planning to seek advice from Matthew Lee.

The four quarantine zones serve different functions, but the building structures are quite similar, there's no reason Zone B's quarantine chambers can hold more people than Zone A.

Besides, Matthew Lee can manage to hold a hundred or so people in one day, even if he clears them quickly afterward, the quarantine chamber should be packed.

Entering the quarantine inspection area, he saw Matthew Lee half-lying in a chair, sipping nutrient paste.

His hands were also wearing rubber gloves, and his exposed skin seemed to be covered by a transparent gel protective layer, faintly reflecting light, physically isolating any body contact.

"You've come?"

Through the wire mesh, seeing Cheng Ye's shabbily equipped appearance, Matthew Lee finished his nutrient paste in one gulp and stood up.

"Didn't Liu Bi transfer some money to you? Want me to lend you a hundred?"

"No need."

Cheng Ye shook his head, not mentioning that he'd already reached his loan limit for the month.

"My quarantine chamber is overcrowded. According to regulations, we must clear it immediately. You cram so many people in there every day, how do you handle it afterward?"

"Well..."

Matthew Lee shook his head, "What else can I do? Stuff 5 people in each chamber first, then start over once they're full. Now in Zone B, there are 8 people in each quarantine chamber, and I've never heard anyone complain about it. Keeping them here is actually a good thing right now."

?

A quarantine chamber is just 5 square meters. Cramming 8 people inside, they can't even turn around, can they?

"Moreover, I have a few more quarantine chambers, a total of 90. Right now... there are nearly 740 people."

As if discussing something trivial, Matthew Lee shrugged, "You wouldn't dare think of opening the chambers to let them out, would you? Although we inspectors have isolation rate targets, it doesn't have much to do with you as an intern inspector. Just... pretend you don't know?"

"Easy for you to say, I'm hoping to get my evaluation report for conversion."

Cheng Ye shook his head speechlessly, "Every day there's one that doesn't meet the standard, and there're still five days left. Won't I have five failing grades?"

"Conversion..."

Matthew Lee smacked his lips, only then realizing that Cheng Ye was still an intern, "Then you really need to pay attention. How many people are you over by?"

"319, over by 19 people."

"What, only 19? I thought you were over by a hundred or so!"

When he heard the number, Matthew Lee immediately got interested. He crooked his finger at Cheng Ye and whispered:

"Alright, I'll teach you two tricks. Not to brag, but getting rid of 40 or 50 people is no problem."

"Explain in detail!"

Cheng Ye nodded immediately.

As he had guessed, someone like Matthew Lee, an old third-phase inspector who had been around the inspection facility for more than ten years, definitely had some techniques up his sleeve.

Of course, mixing in doesn't count; that he really couldn't learn.

"It's actually simple."

"The first trick is called: Whether you have money or not, go home for the New Year. You do it like this..."

Talking about "professional" knowledge, Matthew Lee was spitting all over, talking non-stop, completely oblivious to the shocked dilation of Cheng Ye's pupils.

The so-called "mixing in" is never about being a shrinking turtle.

It's about jumping back and forth through the gaps in the rules, ensuring one's safety while staying just on the performance red line without falling behind.

"The second trick is a bit harder than the first one, but I believe with your comprehension, you can understand it."

"I call it: Use common sense, eagle catching chicks..."

...

After a while.

Hiss.

Cheng Ye took a cold breath, "Seriously, can this work?"

"You think I've been just hanging around at the inspection facility for nothing?"

Matthew Lee snickered, a hint of lonely supremacy on his face, "Any old thing that's been in the inspection facility for more than ten years has two bottom-of-the-box tricks, right? Although others find my method low-grade, in ten years, it's never failed even once when needed!"

"Unless, unless one day the Infected Bodies suddenly grow a brain and turn into impostors. But if that day comes, don't mention my methods, the entire inspection facility from top to bottom probably won't have anyone who can walk out upright."

"Alright, if it works out, I'll thank you separately."

Cheng Ye nodded.

The two tricks admittedly sounded ridiculous, but whether they were effective required a try.

Anyway, as a newcomer, if he occasionally does something ridiculous, others should understand, right?

"Sir, the materials you wanted have all been brought over!"

The voice of Raven came, and on the alloy table were a whole four thick stacks of documents.

"How many people have been detained for more than 7 days?"

"A total of 199 people."

"Good, go help Owl, I will call you if there's anything."

Cheng Ye sat at the table and casually pulled out a file, scanning the pages quickly with his eyes.

Although it seems like inspectors detain people on a whim, the remaining process is surprisingly rigorous.

All resident data of those detained in the quarantine chambers are retrieved and compiled into a book, with a record attached besides basic information.

If it's a team, they'll be isolated separately for inquiry about one specific matter, forming a record.

If there are conflicts between them, Raven will mark them with a red pen in the file, making the points of conflict clear at a glance.

Additionally, their performance within the quarantine chamber is recorded, and violations, if any, are also noted.

"Alec Hawke, overly gluttonous, demands three more bags of Nutrient Paste each day while howling like a ghost, severely disturbing others' rest..."

"Marlin Rogers, self-harming tendencies, often deliberately taunts others with foul language, inciting beatings..."

"Andre Mason, moderate mania, loves mimicking an Infected Body outbreak at night to scare roommates."

"Tom Hardy, went on a hunger strike during quarantine, claims it's God's punishment on him, ignores epidemic prevention regulations."

"..."

Out of 199 people, 14 individuals aren't adhering to the regulations; each is an oddball that Cheng Ye finds hard to understand.

Buddy, you're already locked up, can't you just behave for a while?

He directly pulls away this section, choosing not to look at it, deciding to check it when they're more disciplined.

Among the remaining 185 people, 77 individuals' testimonies have conflicts, although some are minor, Cheng Ye sets them aside for now.

"108 people, just can be divided into 4 groups, 27 in each group."

He shuffled and divided the documents into four piles.

Cheng Ye called Raven and began arranging them according to the first trick taught by Matthew Lee.

"Consider each pile as a group. Find them according to the documents and tell them there's a chance to get out, but they need to pay a sufficient security deposit to prove their innocence, note… it's a security deposit, not a bribe. These security deposits will eventually be returned to them, and the inspection facility will only charge a 5% custody fee."

"Additionally, make it clear to them: there are 319 people in the quarantine chamber now, and only 108 quota for security deposit will be distributed, divided into four groups, each group of 27 people, but only the 10 highest bidders in each group can leave."

"And here's a key point: if there are two people in the same quarantine chamber who belong to the same group, they must be placed in different groups."

"Let them write their deposit offer on slips of paper, count them up, and bring them to me."

"Understood?"

...

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