"Sir, we’ve arrived at the North Checkpoint. Please take your belongings, and welcome to ride again next time."

The driver stopped the bus at a platform 400 meters from the checkpoint, standing to address Cheng Ye.

"My defense comm ID is 41504, surname Tian. If you need a ride later, you can call me anytime."

"You’d pick me up in a bus?"

Cheng Ye chuckled.

Counting it up, this was the third person after Uncle Dong and Aisy Gwen who seemed eager to invest in him.

Oddly, the latter two had only met him once, barely exchanging a few words before wanting to back him.

"Not just the bus. I also do delivery for the Works Department and have a small truck."

Master Tian pointed at the checkpoint outside the window. "If you can get charging clearance from the Works Department, I can drive the truck beyond the checkpoint too."

Cheng Ye nodded, entering the ID into his defense comm. "Fair warning, you might never get a call from me."

"No, I’m good at reading people. Someone like you won’t stay confined in a peaceful place."

"Here’s hoping."

Grabbing his backpack, Cheng Ye stepped off through the back door, squinting toward the checkpoint.

Happiness City’s buffer zone was enclosed by a perimeter of iron netting, forming a massive arc to block outsiders and mindless infected entities.

The three-meter-high netting, topped with sharp barbs maintained and replaced regularly, was complemented by watchtowers every 500 meters, making the buffer zone far more secure than those of other sanctuary cities.

Unless it could fly or burrow, no infected entity or human could enter the buffer zone without passing through one of three checkpoints:

The Central Main Checkpoint, and the North and South Sub-Checkpoints.

Unlike the main checkpoint, built when Happiness City was founded and only expanded within its original framework, the North and South Stations were completed twelve years ago. Inner city construction teams used heavy machinery to drive foundations twenty meters into the ground, ensuring these massive structures could withstand any assault.

Shaped like ancient fortresses, square and imposing, the eight-meter-high, nearly one-kilometer-long walls loomed like gray beasts, enclosing an internal space of almost 1,200 acres.

In front of the main gate, eight channels, resembling modern highway toll booths, stood neatly aligned like the open throat of a giant beast.

Each channel’s entrance was equipped with automatic steel spike barriers and self-sensing machine gun turrets. If the embedded metal detection coils sensed an intruder, the turrets would unleash full firepower, turning the trespasser into a sieve.

After passing the entrance, the inner city divided the checkpoint into six zones.

Entrants were sorted into the first four isolated zones based on their type:

Zone A: Primarily for vehicles

Zone B: Primarily for scavengers and ordinary people with resident permits

Zone C: Visitors from other sanctuary cities

Zone D: Special personnel, such as patrolling sentries, inspectors on external duty, or inner city guards

The remaining two zones were Zone E, the administrative office, and Zone F, the combat readiness area.

The former was where Cheng Ye would soon handle his “onboarding,” while the latter was a rest area for checkpoint patrol guards.

"Now this is what a checkpoint should look like!"

Cheng Ye couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

The Central Main Checkpoint, used for refugees and survivors, was kept simple to ease their wariness and fear.

But the North and South Stations were Happiness City’s face to the world, handling traffic from neighboring sanctuary cities.

If they looked rundown or shabby, it would diminish the city’s prestige in the eyes of outsiders and embarrass Happiness City’s leadership.

As an industrial sanctuary city, Happiness City also needed to flex its strength here to attract more partnerships.

"Hey, you over there! What are you staring at? If you’re heading out, line up at the channel!"

Cheng Ye’s lingering gaze drew the attention of a few patrolling guards under the checkpoint’s wall.

The North and South Stations aligned with the East and West factions.

Easterners typically used the South Station, where following the rules meant they were rarely targeted.

But coming to the North Station by mistake? Leaving might only earn you some snide remarks, but entering would guarantee a thorough shakedown, with a layer of profit skimmed off.

So, Cheng Ye, with his Easterner appearance, stood out like a sore thumb.

As for the “channel” the guard mentioned, the wall had three gates: smaller ones on either side for pedestrians and a larger central gate for vehicles.

Though it wasn’t yet eight o’clock opening time, over a dozen people were already lined up at the right-side pedestrian gate, waiting to head into the wasteland ruins.

"Hey, I’m talking to you! Pretending you can’t hear?"

Seeing Cheng Ye unmoved, two guards approached, grumbling.

But the next second, when they saw the badge in Cheng Ye’s hand, their expressions changed dramatically.

In the blink of an eye, their earlier impatience, disdain, and irritation vanished, replaced by fawning respect.

"Inspector, sir!"

The taller guard, sweating nervously, stammered, "What brings you here?"

"Station Chief Ding’s orders. I’m transferred from the Central Main Checkpoint to work the North and South Stations, starting today."

"Station Chief’s orders?"

The guard blinked, instinctively saying, "For duty, shouldn’t you be at the South Station?"

"I wanted to start at the North Station. Any problem?"

"No, no problem!"

There was an unspoken consensus among the guards:

No matter how fiercely the East and West factions clashed or how intense the inspectors’ rivalries were, it had nothing to do with low-level guards like them.

Whether Ding Yishan or Harlin ran the checkpoint today, neither would offer them a shot at becoming an inspector.

With the path upward locked tight, meddling in factional disputes was the dumbest move.

Even with Cheng Ye’s Easterner face, these Western faction guards had to treat him like one of their own and serve him well.

Otherwise, one report to the higher-ups wouldn’t kill them, but it would surely cost them their hard-earned positions.

Taking Cheng Ye’s badge, the guard scanned it with his defense comm, his deference growing.

"Inspector Cheng, please proceed. The onboarding office is at the fourth window in Zone E. I’ve notified them."

"Good. Is it fine if I wait here for a bit?"

"Huh?"

"Waiting for some people. Otherwise, it’s a hassle to deal with things unprepared later."

Cheng Ye squinted with a smile, and the guard froze, then shrank back, realizing what he meant.

He’d seen plenty of bold people, but someone as brazen as Cheng Ye was a first.

"You got something to say?"

"No, no," the guard said, shaking his head quickly. "Sir, we’re just tools of the checkpoint. Whether you or another inspector uses us, we wouldn’t dare have other thoughts."

"Is that so?"

Cheng Ye stepped forward, casually resting his left hand on the guard’s shoulder. "Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on at the North Station right now?"

"Uh, well…"

"You just said you’re a tool I can use. What, I can’t use you now?"

"No, no, I didn’t mean that!"

The tall guard jumped, a sheen of sweat breaking out on his back, wishing he could slap himself.

Why’d you have to open your big mouth? He was just standing there looking, and you had to say something.

Now look, this guy’s clearly no pushover.

Don’t talk, and you offend him directly.

Talk, and if he stirs up trouble inside, you’ll take the blame.

Damn it!

Cursing his fellow guard’s maker in his head, the tall guard forced a bitter smile. "Sir, what exactly do you want to know?"

"Break down the power structure at the North Station for me, from highest to lowest."

"Power structure?"

Relieved it wasn’t about digging into a specific inspector’s private info, the guard exhaled and quickly said, "The highest authority at the North Station is definitely Station Chief Binn Downs. Below him is Deputy Station Chief Evan Davidson, but the deputy’s often out on external missions, so he’s rarely seen."

"After the station chiefs, inspectors like you hold the most power. The checkpoint’s rule is that Zones A, B, C, and D are assigned randomly and rotate weekly."

"Shifts run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 4 p.m. to midnight, so eight inspectors are on regular rotation here each week."

"Go on."

"Below that are the inspectors’ children, handling clerical work and verifying entrants’ information."

"They have official positions?"

Cheng Ye narrowed his eyes. "As far as I know, inspectors’ heirs can’t work at the checkpoint before inheriting, right?"

"In principle, yes, but…"

The tall guard hesitated. "To prevent an inspector’s death from leaving their heir unprepared, the station chief allows them to intern unpaid, taking on some tasks to train early."

"Nice move, unpaid internships."

Cheng Ye couldn’t help but sigh. What a clever tactic!

What was a checkpoint’s salary, really? Did anyone actually live off those few Happiness Coins?

Stationed here, just skimming a little profit could bring in several times the base pay.

Even an honest guy like Liu Bi, who never skimmed, could easily pocket thousands of Happiness Coins a month.

This so-called “unpaid” internship could only fool idiots.

No, even an idiot would understand what it meant to hold a bit of power at the checkpoint.

"And below them?"

"Below that are regular folks like us: observers, guards, staff, errand runners, meal deliverers. Basically, we assist the inspectors. As long as we’re in the station and not outside, we’re at your beck and call, no complaints!"