The snow had stopped.
Cheng Ye, wrapped in the black raincoat wide enough to cover three people, stood in the bus like a moving "black tent," particularly conspicuous.
Several scavengers returning home were scattered throughout the bus, along with uniformed staff members who had boarded midway. All their gazes would invariably drift toward him.
There was no malice, their eyes were full of curiosity, but being stared at still made Cheng Ye somewhat uncomfortable but he had no choice. If he took off the raincoat, the golden-red Fire Lotus battle armor underneath would be even more eye-catching.
In the gradually peaceful buffer zone, he would definitely be the most dazzling person, and then he'd probably be surrounded with questions.
As for Master Zhang's bus...
Cheng Ye had called before going out, but got a message saying the number was out of service area.
It seemed Master Zhang had already been requisitioned by the Works Department and was now most likely driving large vehicles in the wilderness for deliveries.
After all, with satellite city construction imminent, some materials definitely needed to be transported to the sites first.
"Still need to get my own vehicle as soon as possible..."Cheng Ye stood by the rear door, watching the gradually melting snow outside while calculating silently.
Buying a car was definitely out of the question given his contribution points and permissions but he had over 500 contribution points within the inspection station system, which could rent a large van for over a month.
He wondered if he could buy it outright, and if he could somehow "borrow" additional funds.
Soon, the bus stopped at Bank Station.
Cheng Ye bent down to get off the bus, deliberately choosing familiar side streets, sneaking back to the Sunrise Electronics Factory like a thief.
The snow in other places outside had mostly melted, but the complex courtyard was still piled with a thick layer, like a white velvet carpet.
Several six or seven-year-old children were running around wildly in the courtyard, clutching snowballs and throwing them at each other. Nearby stood four crooked snowmen, some missing arms, others without eyes, showing childish clumsiness.
Probably hearing footsteps, the children turned around in unison.
Seeing the massive Cheng Ye almost filling half the iron gate like a dark shadow, the children immediately froze, their snowballs dropping to the ground with "splats," their eyes wide as saucers.
"Am I that scary?"
Cheng Ye muttered under his breath and deliberately took a large step forward.
"Waah!"
The children immediately burst into screams, running toward the building entrance, even forgetting to pick up the gloves they'd dropped.
Hahaha...
Cheng Ye stopped and held back, but ultimately laughed silently.
What a peaceful environment indeed, even the unpleasant sewer smell in the air felt so familiar.
Although he had only been in the wilderness for one day, returning here and standing in this courtyard full of life, his entire spirit completely relaxed but before he could enjoy it much longer, the building door "clanged" open and several adults quickly walked out.
Some held brooms, others carried mops, and one middle-aged man was actually holding a guard pistol. All had alert expressions, their gazes fixed tightly on Cheng Ye.
Among them was a familiar person from the first floor of Building Three.
Old Sun, whom he had carried outside when it rained before, and who had been saved by him when the Stand-In Starfish outbreak occurred.
Ah, this... Cheng Ye immediately stopped awkwardly.
"Eh?!"
Seeing Cheng Ye, not only was Old Sun stunned, but the other adults who had rushed out were also dumbfounded.
"Mr. Cheng?" Old Sun called out tentatively, his tone full of surprise.
"It's me," Cheng Ye quickly pulled at his raincoat collar, exposing most of his face, smiling somewhat embarrassedly. "Dressed too strangely, probably scared the children."
Ever since Huang Sheng and his two companions had publicized it in the complex, the entire Sunrise Electronics Factory now knew that the person who saved everyone that night was called "Mr. Cheng."
However, except for Old Sun, the others were seeing him in person for the first time.
"So this is Mr. Cheng..."
Everyone looked at him curiously.
The young man before them looked even younger than the rumors suggested, with sharply defined facial features.
Probably due to frequently merging skills and refining his body, his skin had a healthy wheat color, and his brow carried the masculine righteousness similar to guard soldiers, making people feel particularly safe.
Several children hiding behind the adults heard "Mr. Cheng" and timidly peeked out their heads, their eyes bright as they sized him up.
Especially the little girl behind Old Sun, who stared with round eyes and asked loudly, "Daddy, is this the Mr. Cheng you mentioned who can go anywhere, punch infected bodies flying far away, and chase after fusion..."
Before she could finish, Old Sun awkwardly interrupted, "What are you saying, silly child!"
"Mr. Cheng, this child always likes listening to stories, so I made up some for her. Please don't mind."
"It's fine, children have rich imaginations."
Cheng Ye waved his hand with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the adults and children gathered in the courtyard. Suddenly he realized, "How come everyone's not working today?"
"Mr. Cheng truly is a busy person, even forgetting it's a rest day!" Old Sun laughed heartily and explained. "From the end of that incident until now, people from all departments in the buffer zone have been working around the clock for over half a month. Yesterday the higher-ups finally issued a notice that all employees get one day off today, returning to normal tomorrow, and from then on it'll be six days on, one day off, to let everyone catch their breath."
"Oh, I was too busy and forgot!" Cheng Ye slapped his forehead.
So it was a rest day.
No wonder he didn't remember this. The inspection station's system was indeed different from other departments, using a weekly rotation duty system.
Thinking about it carefully, the buffer zone was indeed busy enough.
They had to handle the aftermath of the Stand-In Starfish, receive large numbers of refugees, and next came the major construction period of autumn. Taking a day off before contracting started was reasonable.
As they were talking, from the corner of his eye he saw residents from other buildings poking their heads out. Cheng Ye quickly slipped toward the unit building, "I'll go upstairs to pack some things first, won't disturb everyone's rest."
Just as he entered the building, the children's chattering questions could still drift in from outside:
"Daddy, can you have Mr. Cheng show us how to fly? Just whoosh from the fifth floor to the first floor!"
"I saw red stuff hidden under his raincoat. Is that the battle armor?"
"Mr. Cheng is so handsome. I want to be like him and beat all the bad things away!"
"..."
Good heavens.
Became the children's hero?
Cheng Ye couldn't help but grin, yet found it somewhat amusing.
No wonder those celebrities had to cover themselves completely when going out. So this was what it felt like to be watched as a "person from stories."
Strange as it was, the worshipful look in the children's eyes just now made him feel a bit ashamed.
On the fourth floor, Cheng Ye first walked to Wang Kang's door and knocked, but inside was quiet with no response.
"Out for training?"
Yesterday before departing, he had specifically sent Wang Kang a message saying he was going to the wilderness on business and not to worry about safety, but he still hadn't received a reply.
Thinking this, he took out his defense communicator and stood at the door to call Wang Kang.
The call connected quickly, but it sounded noisy with metallic collision sounds and people shouting slogans.
Wang Kang had to shout, "Brother Cheng, you're back from outside?!"
"Yeah, just got to the complex. Where are you? Why is it so noisy?" Cheng Ye frowned and switched the defense communicator to speaker.
"I'm here at the community helping with work!"
Wang Kang's voice carried excitement, "Today the last piece of old shantytown was finally demolished. Everyone's moving construction waste out now, and we're going to have a demolition ceremony later!"
Huh?
Cheng Ye was stunned. Had Wang Kang, this inspector influenced by him, already integrated into the community to this extent?
He smiled helplessly and could only remind him, "Alright then, you go ahead. I had someone deliver a truckload of fish to the community. Help me sign for it later and find a shady place to store it first, don't let it get sun-damaged. I'll clean up and rest a bit, then come find you."
"Got it, leave it to me!" Wang Kang agreed readily, then shouted hurriedly, "Big Dragon is calling me, Brother Cheng, I'll hang up now. See you later!"
Big Dragon...
Listening to the cheerful voice on the other end and the final "click" of the busy tone.
Cheng Ye was stunned for several seconds, not knowing whether to say Wang Kang was too carefree, or that this route of taking root in the community and mingling with residents was naturally suited to him.
After all, not everyone was like him, with clear goals and ways to improve strength.
Wang Kang seemed to enjoy this kind of working together with everyone, the lively days. Even helping a group of ordinary people work could be done with enthusiasm.
However, one thing was certain: if he could really take Wang Kang to Dapo Town for contracting next, having him supervise construction and handle daily coordination work, that silly kid might jump for joy.
"Really not the type to sit quietly at the inspection station..."
Cheng Ye shook his head. Actually, thinking about it carefully, the inspection station did need some "Inspector Dongs."
Like Dong Xing, who was steady, meticulous, and could follow rules, staying at the station to handle daily affairs and maintain order, so others could venture out for contracting with peace of mind.
Otherwise, if everyone left, the main duties would fall behind, which would be counterproductive.
Returning to the fifth floor, just as Cheng Ye stepped on the last step, his footsteps paused again.
Three people in blue uniforms were crowding around his security door, holding registration books and scribbling.
Only when he got closer did he realize they weren't registering his room, but the door of neighboring 529 was open, with two similarly uniformed people inside shining flashlights.
"What are you doing?" Cheng Ye stepped closer. His massive frame and invisible pressure made the three at the door instinctively hold their breath but before they could speak, they saw the badge that appeared in Cheng Ye's hand.
The large "Inspector" character immediately made all three respectful, stepping back half a step.
"Sir, we're from the Housing Statistics Department of Civil Affairs. We came today to register vacant properties in the buffer zone that haven't updated residential information for over a year, so we can match housing when settling new residents later."
"Oh? This room is unoccupied?" Cheng Ye peered inside. The layout was almost identical to his, but the room was empty except for a rickety wooden bed sitting alone in the corner.
The floor was covered with thick dust, paint was peeling from the walls in large patches, and black-green mold spots grew in clumps near the window corner. It clearly hadn't been maintained for a long time.
"There's a registered owner named Zhang Sheng in the system, but..." The staff member stopped mid-sentence, but the meaning was obvious.
In this wasteland, people died all the time.
Registered but long-vacant houses were most likely because the owner had long since died in the wilderness or disappeared during infection waves, never to return.
Leaving them empty was wasteful, better to count them for new refugees to live in.
"Alright, you go ahead with your work."
Cheng Ye didn't ask more questions, took out his key to open his security door, and stepped inside.
The moment he closed the door, the familiar musty smell mixed with dust hit his face because he had left rather hurriedly yesterday, the room was slightly messy.
Perhaps because he was still wearing heavy battle armor and raincoat, the originally not-small room seemed somewhat cramped.
When he turned toward the wardrobe, his arm almost hit the mirror standing in the corner.
Looking at the walls again, the area that frequently molded had just been scraped clean not long ago, but somehow faint mold spots had appeared again.
Looking carefully, the position corresponded exactly with the moldy corner of neighboring 529.
It seemed the wall was seriously damp. Treating only his side was useless, both sides needed to be addressed together.
"Should I buy the neighboring house?"
Cheng Ye sat on the bed, pulled out a bag of nutrition paste, and pondered while drinking.
Actually, in terms of storage space, he wasn't exactly lacking now. Uncle Dong's convenience store downstairs was a good place to store infrequently used supplies but things like nutrition paste, emergency medicine, spare parts, and survival supplies that might be needed at any time couldn't require a trip downstairs every time. Piling them in the room was already taking up considerable space.
Moreover, after returning from the wilderness, he wanted to buy some new survival items and tool components, which would only make things more crowded.
If he could buy neighboring 529, it would not only solve the storage problem but also fix the damp walls together. He could even break through one wall to connect the two rooms.
One for living, one as a warehouse and simple workshop. The space would immediately become much more spacious.
Thinking this, Cheng Ye quickly finished the nutrition paste, crumpled the packaging into a ball and threw it in the trash, then opened the security door again.
In the hallway, the Civil Affairs staff were still registering at 529. Cheng Ye walked over and pointed at the empty room, asking the staff member who had answered before, "If I wanted to apply to purchase this house, what process would I need to follow? Do I just contact your Civil Affairs Department?"
It wasn't that he was deliberately pretending not to know, but his predecessor had moved here through procedures arranged by the inspection station.
He had simply lived here after crossing over, with no memories of "home buying" or "property transfer" in his mind, and only a vague understanding of the buffer zone's housing policies.
"This..."
The staff member was stunned, quickly put down the registration book, and patiently explained, "Sir, due to the tight housing situation in the buffer zone, especially buildings like Sunrise Electronics Factory that are close to the main urban area with relatively complete facilities, they're even more scarce. These vacant houses are generally listed in Civil Affairs' system after statistics and allocated by various departments according to need. They're not sold publicly."
He paused and added, "If you need to buy this room, you could consult the inspection station to see if there are still available quotas."
"I see."
Cheng Ye nodded, having found direction. "Wait a moment, I'll call to ask now."
Returning to his room, Cheng Ye dialed the inspection station's public number. The phone rang twice before being answered, with a respectful voice on the other end, "Inspector Cheng, good afternoon. How may I serve you?"
"I want to inquire about housing," Cheng Ye got straight to the point. "I want to purchase an additional property in the buffer zone, right next to mine, Sunrise Electronics Factory Building Three Unit One Room 529. I just asked Civil Affairs staff, and they said I need to first confirm whether the inspection station has available quotas."
"Alright, please wait while I check for you."
The clerk's voice paused, with faint keyboard tapping sounds audible. After a few seconds, the response came: "Inspector Cheng, the inspection station still has 4 housing quotas reserved at Sunrise Electronics Factory. If you need it, I can immediately help you check the contribution points required to exchange for a quota."
"Good, tell me."
"According to the inspection station's housing policy, active inspectors whose first property is under 20 square meters can enjoy preferential pricing when purchasing an additional second property. Your current Room 530 is 18.6 square meters, meeting the preferential conditions. Exchanging for Room 529 requires 100 contribution points."
So cheap?
Cheng Ye was surprised. Don't look at this tube building as old and run-down, with peeling paint and mold, but it was in the buffer zone's main urban area, peaceful despite being in the center, and the complex's plumbing had just been repaired last year.
Except for some drainage problems, there really wasn't much to complain about.
In modern times, this would definitely be prime "core location old and small" property with definitely high prices.
"Then please exchange it for me," Cheng Ye said without hesitation. "I have enough points in my account to pay."
"Alright, I see your current account balance is 559 contribution points. After deducting 100, you'll have 459 remaining. Confirm you want to exchange for Room 529's quota?"
"Confirmed!"
"No problem! I'll submit the application now. In ten minutes, you just need to use your defense communicator to touch your ID badge for identity verification, then give the badge to Civil Affairs staff for scanning and registration. We'll handle the subsequent transfer procedures with Civil Affairs. You just need to come to Central Station in three days to collect the property deed."
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble."
Cheng Ye was somewhat surprised by the efficiency and couldn't help thanking them.
"No trouble at all! Serving inspectors is our duty!" The clerk on the other end sounded somewhat flattered and quickly responded politely.
Hanging up, Cheng Ye sat on the bedside, suddenly feeling an irrepressible excitement.
Buying a house was this simple?
Good heavens, in modern times when he graduated, forget buying a house, even thinking about it felt luxurious.
After all, without six wallets to help with payment, relying on himself alone, who knew when he could save enough for a down payment but now, crossing over to the wasteland, just one phone call and 100 contribution points got him a property in a prime location. It was like a dream!
Awesome!
Just thinking about being able to clean up the mold in neighboring 529, break through the wall, connect the two rooms, no longer having to pile nutrition paste and tool parts everywhere, even being able to add a small bookshelf, small wooden table, storage cabinet and such...
Cheng Ye suddenly felt all his fatigue swept away, even more effective than drinking blue-bag nutrition paste or using blue medicine.
Ten minutes later, the defense communicator sent a notification.
After touching it with his badge, the interface showed a house icon and a simple animation.
The number under the house changed from '1' to '2'.
The area also changed from the previous 18.6㎡ to 37.7㎡. Unexpectedly, 529 was slightly larger than his corner unit.
He walked out with his badge. The Civil Affairs staff were still waiting in the hallway.
The leader took his badge and lightly touched it with his work terminal, "Alright, Inspector Cheng, this room is now yours."
In fact, seeing Cheng Ye so young yet imposing, the group had been guessing his identity.
Now they had confirmation, he really was an inspector!
Before the five staff members left respectfully, they specifically asked, "Inspector Cheng, would you like us to help clean Room 529? There's a lot of dust and mold inside. We brought cleaning tools and could fix it up quickly."
"No need, you go ahead with your work. It's rare to have a day off, yet you still have to work overtime."
"You're too kind!" The staff members quickly waved their hands, their tone sincere. "We just do some running around work, how can we compare to you, risking your life every day to protect the buffer zone's safety."
If it were before, Cheng Ye might have felt ashamed to accept such words but after returning from the wilderness this time and seeing the dangers outside, he simply nodded calmly and accepted this recognition frankly.
Or rather, he wasn't accepting it for himself, but for those inspectors still pioneering in the wilderness and standing guard at inspection stations.
For those facing danger directly, this was deserved praise.
And for inspectors resting in the buffer zone, this recognition was more like encouragement, reminding him not to slack off.
"By the way, what about the key to Room 529?"
The staff member scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "Sorry, Inspector Cheng. When we came to do statistics, we found the door was locked and couldn't contact the original owner, so we damaged the lock cylinder. There's no spare key now."
Cheng Ye walked to the door to look. The lock cylinder was indeed deformed by tools, and the door panel was somewhat loose.
This worn wooden door was even more damaged than his previous one, with broken hinges.
"Looks like this door needs replacing too."
He muttered to himself, suddenly getting an idea: why not just remove this door and wall it up?
But on second thought, he abandoned this idea. If he moved somewhere else to live in the future, this room could be left for Wang Kang or given to someone in need.
If he walled it up directly, future residents would have to demolish it, which would be too inconvenient.
In the wasteland, leaving more convenience for those who come after was also a form of consciousness.
Moreover, if there really were dangers that could break through buffer zone defenses and fight their way upstairs, a security door and a thin wall had no difference in defensive power.
"Alright, I understand. I'll change the lock myself later."
Cheng Ye nodded to the staff, "You go ahead with your work, thank you all for your hard work."
"No trouble! Inspector Cheng, please take care!" Several people quickly responded, efficiently packed up their registration books and tools, and quickly went downstairs.
However, looking out the window, the group entered Unit Two after leaving Unit One, obviously there were quite a few empty rooms in the complex.
Unfortunately, most people who could live here had permanent positions, yet they still died outside, leaving only empty houses behind.
The hallway became completely quiet. Cheng Ye turned and entered Room 529, looking at the dusty floor and moldy walls, pondering how to clean them.
He had originally thought of calling the community to have someone help clean, but remembering Wang Kang saying the community was busy with a demolition ceremony today, he decided to do it himself.
He had no urgent matters anyway.
However, when he returned to his room to find a mop and had just dampened it in the bathroom, familiar voices came from the hallway.
Looking up, Huang Sheng was carrying a bag of jerky, chatting and laughing with Zhu Xiang as they returned.
Seeing the mop in Cheng Ye's hands and the open door of Room 529, they immediately understood what was happening.
"Sir, what are you doing!" Huang Sheng rushed over and snatched away the mop. "How can we let you clean yourself? We'll do it!"
Zhu Xiang also quickly chimed in, immediately bringing out a basin and towel from his room to fetch water for wiping windows.
When talking about breaking through the partition wall between the two rooms, Huang Sheng's eyes lit up, "Don't worry about wall breaking! I'll call people right now!"
He immediately pulled out his defense communicator and made a call, his tone particularly decisive, "Hello, Old Zhang, bring the brothers to Sunrise Electronics Factory to work for the boss! Got enough people? Great! Don't rest anymore, you'll have plenty of time to rest later. Hurry up, don't delay!"
"Rest day, you're really..."
"Rest what? Other departments are busy. With all this recent rain, Works Department has had no chance to start construction."
Huang Sheng grinned, "Don't worry, my guys are efficient workers. I guarantee they'll make it beautiful for you!"
Actually, he, Zhu Xiang, and Wu Zhihong had long been planning to help Cheng Ye improve his living environment.
Especially after the last meeting, when they sat in Cheng Ye's room and found it small and cramped without proper furniture, they had been thinking about finding an opportunity to show their appreciation.
Now was the perfect time!
Within half an hour, footsteps echoed in the hallway. More than ten men in work clothes came in carrying electric drills and crowbars, with cement bags on their shoulders and moisture-proof paint buckets in their hands.
"Sir, I'm not just breaking through the wall for you, I'm also replacing the floor tiles in both rooms with ceramic tiles, and completely redoing all the walls with moisture-proof treatment! Everyone's free today anyway, we have enough hands. If construction starts in a couple days, we really won't have this chance!"
"Alright then, thank you all."
Cheng Ye was delighted.
He had originally just wanted simple cleaning, but Huang Sheng had arranged a complete renovation, replacing concrete floors with ceramic tiles and treating walls for moisture, perfectly solving his most troublesome mold problem. It was exactly what he wanted.
As for material costs, Huang Sheng and the other two weren't polite, taking 1,500 happiness currency from him.
They'd settle any difference later, and also asked what furniture Cheng Ye needed, promising to help buy it, guaranteeing it would be cheaper and more durable than outside.
"Money really doesn't go far. Only 1,300 happiness currency left, need to find ways to earn more happiness currency."
Calculating his remaining money, Cheng Ye couldn't help muttering but happiness currency was easy to earn, so he wasn't worried. At worst, he could exchange some with contribution points.
After helping move the wooden bed out and storing ordinary miscellaneous items from his room at Huang Sheng's place.
As for battle armor and valuable items, they were stored at the convenience store.
After finishing all this, Cheng Ye stood in the complex courtyard, looking up at the afternoon sunlight.
Warm light fell on him, dispelling the last traces of fatigue.
On one hand, he had the clear goal of Dapo Town to strive for, on the other hand, he could enjoy current stability.
No need to worry about mortgages like in modern times, no need to struggle for livelihood. As long as he worked hard, he could see returns.
Such days were really solid and comfortable!