Though no one knew each other’s exact status, living in a tenement in the buffer zone meant wealth or influence.

Seeing Cheng Ye haul back so many materials, other fifth-floor residents poked their heads out, visibly alarmed.

“Kid, where’d you get all this?”

Someone asked, and Cheng Ye pointed toward the pedestrian street visible through the window. “Flea market. Hurry and grab some, or there won’t be a scrap left.”

“Grab?”

“What else? Infected entities have slipped in. You think this tin door will hold?”

Cheng Ye kicked the broken hinge on the ground. The old lady who asked paled, and the middle-aged folks nearby looked rattled.

Within five minutes, chaotic footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Every household sent someone with bags to join the frenzy. Soon, footsteps rang from below.

Cheng Ye leaned out to look—damn, the entire Sunrise Electronics Factory Compound was in an uproar.

Though many had reinforced doors and windows before, who could resist joining the panic-buying rush?

“In a way, Station Chief He’s death boosted consumption?”

What a grim joke.

Cheng Ye was briefly stunned but quickly grasped the reason.

After heading out that morning, he’d learned that while inspectors caught 99% of infected threats, some always slipped through in the buffer zone.

Rarely were people directly infected; more often, infection sources were brought in, sparking internal outbreaks.

Spring and winter saw frequent cases, roughly one or two a week.

Summer and autumn were hit-or-miss—sometimes several incidents a year, sometimes none.

This time, the frenzy was triggered by a station chief’s death.

The last time a duty station chief died was 13 years ago.

Infiltrating infected entities caused a riot that lasted over three months, with over ten thousand deaths.

Counting those who fled in the chaos, the buffer zone’s population dropped nearly 40%, a devastating blow.

Now, with He Fei’s death, people linked it to the past.

Coupled with frequent infected activity and natural disasters since the year’s start, the signs fueled widespread fear.

After the crowd dispersed, Cheng Ye patrolled the hallway, then returned to his door, silently chanting.

“Reinforce the door, reinforce the door, reinforce…”

He let the Civilization Collector’s thoughts flow, scanning the materials for action options.

A blue scan flashed.

A panel popped up, displaying delightful text.

[Broken Residence (Lv.0)]

[Description]: A dilapidated dwelling with only basic living functions, zero defensive capability.

[Action Options]:

1. Basic Reinforcement (Strengthen door and window frames, fill wall cracks, providing basic defense)

Estimated Action Points: 1 (Sufficient materials and tools acquired, reducing point cost)

1. Advanced Reinforcement (Fully utilize materials, reconstruct doorframe with alloy supports, install crisscross grilles on windows, significantly enhancing defense, capable of withstanding regular infected attacks)

Estimated Action Points: 2 (Sufficient materials and tools acquired, skill check passed, reducing point cost)

1. Perfect Reinforcement (Restructure, implant isolation alloy framework, add pressure-sensitive sealed cabin door, granting basic shelter properties, capable of withstanding common infected attacks)

Estimated Action Points: Locked (Prerequisites: Materials, engineering machinery)

[Collector, please select an action option!]

“Skill check passed, my engineering knowledge is enough.”

Cheng Ye was thrilled.

Civil engineering might be a low-tier field in the modern world, but in the wasteland, it shone.

Even the highest-difficulty perfect reinforcement was feasible with the right materials and machinery.

“But restructuring the framework is too extreme. The tenement’s foundation is set. With that ability, I could build a new place. The action points would be astronomical.”

Without hesitation, Cheng Ye chose Option 2.

Just one more action point, yet it maximized material use and explicitly withstood regular infected attacks.

Worth it!

With a thought, the mystical time-stop space reappeared, stripping away his control as his perspective soared.

In a third-person view, like a hundredfold speed-up, the rotten doorframe was cleared, wall cracks and hollows filled with special adhesive.

Expansion bolts were driven into the brick walls at intervals, anchoring alloy tubes.

Four high-strength alloy tubes were installed along the door’s edges, each joint injected with adhesive.

Ignited with a lighter, smoke rose, and corner brackets fused the tubes into a seamless frame.

The rickety, rusted frame was reborn, and the heavy anti-theft door, requiring two people to lift, was mounted in a flash.

Moving to the windows, steel bars of varying lengths crisscrossed at 45-degree angles, forming a diamond grid, like modern security windows.

Each bar’s end was embedded in the wall, secured with expansion bolts to the building’s structure.

[Action Complete!]

The mystical sensation faded.

Cheng Ye’s vision flickered. The materials were gone, replaced by a sturdy anti-theft door standing before him.

“This is unreal!”

Pulling the door’s key from his pocket, his hand trembled inexplicably.

Only when he inserted it, turned, and heard the crisp “click” of the lock engaging did he believe it was real.

The flimsy tin door was history. In its place was a security door radiating safety!

Pushing it open, the door’s weight felt reassuring.

Closing it, an unprecedented sense of security enveloped him, easing his taut nerves.

“This is what living feels like!”

Too excited, Cheng Ye let slip a curse, barely containing his joy.

Last night’s fear was now matched by exhilaration.

The lock’s knob clicked into place.

The door’s built-in firing port, sized for a gun barrel, allowed shooting without opening.

Staring at it, Cheng Ye planned to get a shotgun once the Corrupt Vine mission reward came in.

Anyone scratching at this door would get a blast, no questions asked.

Mistake? Sorry, take it up with the checkpoint.

“Now I can finally sleep soundly.”

Sitting on the bed, Cheng Ye exhaled a long breath, as if purging days of pent-up anxiety.

“You got lucky. That guy you saved last night really wasn’t infected.”

In the converted movie theater meeting hall, as Cheng Ye sat, Lee Matteo sidled up, winking, and plopped beside him.

This old slacker.

Why so chummy?

Cheng Ye glanced around. Sure enough, many inspectors shot them odd looks.

An Easterner and a Westerner together in this climate looked out of place.

“Ignore them,” Lee Matteo said, glaring back before grinning at Cheng Ye. “They’re obsessed with picking sides to climb ranks, never bothering to earn contributions honestly.”

“You and I are the same—hardworking, dutiful, the backbone of the checkpoint!”

Cheng Ye paused, amused by Lee Matteo’s shamelessness. “Backbone, huh? So, what happened last night, you know?”

“Well, word is there was an issue with Station Chief He’s body disposal. They didn’t know the unknown infection source’s capabilities, so it spread a bit. Shouldn’t be a big deal, and transcendents stepped in.”

“Transcendents.”

Cheng Ye mulled the word, a burning desire flickering in his eyes.

Not just survival-driven hunger, but a primal craving for higher power.

A single genetic reversion talent had transformed his strength.

What about transcendents?

What kind of world was that?

“You’re one of those chasing ultimate personal power, aren’t you?”

Lee Matteo saw Cheng Ye’s longing and shook his head with a smile. “With your background, skills, and cunning, barring accidents, you’ll be a fifth-stage inspector. If luck’s on your side, I might live to see Station Chief Cheng unite East and West.”

“Flattering me already?”

“No flattery. The checkpoint’s contribution system gives people like you the edge.”

Lee Matteo paused, locking eyes. “I know you grew up in the inner city, no ID checks there. But after two months out here, you get the weight of this badge, right?”

“Hm.”

Cheng Ye thought, not responding.

So far, his inspector badge had never failed him. Even at a super-material shop for weapons, mentioning “inspector” shaved 50 contribution points off.

Noticing his hesitation, Lee Matteo was surprised. “What, you don’t know? The rank system doesn’t restrict trainees from learning this. Liu Bi didn’t tell you?”

“Nope.”

Cheng Ye shook his head. It wasn’t that Liu Bi withheld it, his past self lacked the ability to pass even a first external mission. Why burden him with this?

To his surprise, Lee Matteo was unusually chatty today, diving in without prompting, “Trainee, first-stage, second-stage… fifth-stage!”

“Each rank-up upgrades your badge, and it’s not just a title, your privileges change.”

“First-stage inspectors can freely enter any Happiness City facility. Like the Cross Legion’s factories you saw last night, you walk in, no one stops you, including the hydroelectric station.”

“Second-stage inspectors, with the badge, can make demands at nearby shelters or settlements trading with Happiness City, and they must comply unconditionally. Don’t make absurd requests, though—use some sense. The station covers the costs.”

“Third-stage inspectors, now that’s a game-changer,” Lee Matteo lowered his voice. “Infection tides hit once or twice every winter, but with a third-stage badge, you can enter the inner city, no suffering in the buffer zone!”

“What?”

Cheng Ye’s head snapped up. Weren’t inspectors barred from the inner city?

“Don’t look so shocked, like we’re criminals.”

“Saying inspectors can’t enter the inner city is to calm the masses. We need them to see us as allies, standing together against infection tides to ease our workload.”

Lee Matteo flashed a knowing smile. “Don’t think the system’s crude or that hiding in the inner city is easy. Third-stage inspectors are either cunning or clever. They’d thrive anywhere in the wasteland.”

“Our station has fewer than forty third-stage inspectors. If we lost a batch every winter, how’d we keep going? Rely on newbies to guard the gate?”

“This is the buffer zone’s core. Sending greenhorns yearly, how do the higher-ups ensure loyalty or that inspectors will risk their lives to stop infected entities?”

It made sense.

Cheng Ye took a moment to process, resolving long-standing contradictions.

But new questions arose.

“If it’s for safety, why do higher-ups make inspectors take dangerous external missions?”

“Cheng Ye, let me correct you—external missions aren’t mandated by the higher-ups.”

Lee Matteo tapped the table. “The first and second generations of inspectors fought tooth and nail to win that right from Happiness City’s leadership.”

“That right lets us carry Happiness City’s banner, extending our authority beyond this tiny buffer zone into the outside world.”

“You think going out is dangerous?”

“Wrong!”

“Step outside, and you’ll see.”

“Whether it’s ruin-dwelling gangs or scavengers hunting humans, they bow to us. One word from you or me can cut their supply lines. Without bullets, tools, or energy, their days are numbered.”

“At settlements, leaders treat you like a god from the moment you arrive, practically licking your boots. Why? They need your green checkmark to join the trade network.”

“Even at small shelters, city lords clear their schedules to please you, hoping for bigger trade quotas.”

He paused, his tone laced with mockery, “Stay in the buffer zone? Sounds nice as Happiness City inspectors, but we’re just glorified gate guards. If the higher-ups frown, we’re running ourselves ragged.”

“Only by stepping out—you, me, us—do we become true wasteland border inspectors, deciding where the line of human civilization is drawn!”