Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 344 - 141: Wildfire in Troubled Times, Aptitude Assessment! (Part 2)
"Now you will not forget, and in the future, you will not forget either!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
He raised his hand, and the pendant automatically floated into his palm, lifted to his eyes, peering through the blurry patterns towards the window.
A long sigh carried with it a gloom that had been suppressed for over a hundred days, dissipating into nothingness.
The sound of rain outside grew louder, the dense rain threads tapping on the glass like countless hands knocking on something.
Chill seeped through the window crack, slipping into his neck and spreading across his skin, yet it did nothing to extinguish the flame blazing in his heart.
Growth in humans often completes in a single moment.
The books read, the knowledge learned, and the random information received will suddenly settle, ferment at this moment, and eventually transform into nourishment for new growth.
And at this moment, he heard the sound of something belonging to him about to break through the soil.
...
Central Inspection Station.
Operations Building.
This is the only building at the Central Station that traces its legacy back to the old era, and it's also the core point for official business within the entire inspection station.
It was initially built in the millennium year 3 of the old era, having a history of over a hundred years to present day.
The five-story building stands like a silent old man, bearing witness to the rise and fall on this land.
Time has left countless marks on its walls—the charred blackness from a burning fire, the gullies washed by rain, the mottled textures ground by sandstorms...
These traces are covered by layer upon layer of paint, yet they always hide beneath, silently witnessing the growth and departure of generation after generation.
From Cheng Wu to the current Ding Yishan, there have been six stationmasters at the inspection station.
Among them, during the five years dominated by the Idealist Faction, two stationmasters died in sacrifice one after another, and another chose to leave quietly when the Idealist Faction lost power.
The names of these four stationmasters are now engraved on the welcoming wall at the entrance of the Operations Building, where everyone can pay homage as they come and go.
But the remaining one holds the most unique place in the history of the Happiness City's Inspection Station.
The unlucky predecessor of Regan Karl, Xiao Shuntian.
He was the only stationmaster who betrayed the Happiness City's Inspection Station and an aberrant product amidst the tides of the Great Expansion era.
In the whirlpool of power, strength, and resources, this former idealist gradually lost himself, ultimately becoming a puppet of desire.
After being killed by Regan Karl, his name was not completely erased, yet it never appeared on the welcoming wall.
His "resting place" is the kneeling statue at the main entrance.
The statue is entirely dark, the figure bows its head, hands bound behind, a posture both humble and twisted, as if in eternal repentance.
Every time a conference is held at the inspection station, a tacit "ceremony" unfolds here.
As people pass by the statue, they would subconsciously pat its head, or kick its knee, some may even spit on it.
To prove that their ideals have not been corrupted by power, that their beliefs have not been consumed by desire.
"This is truly not much worse than the treatment of Qin Hui..."
Cheng Ye, wearing a raincoat, walked into the Operations Building, taking off the raincoat speckled with unmelted ice chips, handing it over to the staff at the door for handling.
Then he raised his hand and patted the head of Xiao Shuntian's statue, it was still warm, no doubt from someone just proving their loyalty.
Afterward, he turned and walked up the stairs to the third floor, his gaze swept past the portraits on the walls.
They are mostly the major events of the inspection station, from its inception to now, Cheng Wu's face covered up to one and a half layers, only transitioning to the second stationmaster upon reaching close to the third floor.
Standing at the stairway, Cheng Ye adjusted his breathing.
Though unaware of how many participants Ding Yishan arranged for this inaugural infrastructure meeting, how many Eastern People, how many Westerners, he thought it would certainly be a strict selection process.
Like the layer upon layer of assessments before getting a secure job, maybe starting with a written test, followed by several rounds of interviews, and finally, through small-scale tests one could emerge.
After all, this major task of settling the migrants is both a chance and potential destruction for the inspection station.
If done well, the inspection station could firmly extend its power to the Outer City, truly controlling the initiative of development.
If not, the next statue kneeling at the entrance might just be Ding Yishan.
Up to the third floor.
This building, inherited from the old times, seemed to be the government center back then.
The entire third floor is the conference venue, far surpassing the grandeur of the renovated grand theater of the inspection station, the wooden floors polished brightly, the air filled with a blend of old paper and turpentine aromas.
"Inspector Cheng, this way, that's the back door."
Jiang Chuan's voice came from the side, Cheng Ye paused his steps, turning back with a light smile.
"You look quite well today..."
"Is that so?" Cheng Ye tugged at the corner of his mouth, a hint of teasing in his tone, "Maybe because I don't have to be on duty in this damn weather."
"Is that so?"
Jiang Chuan repeated with a laugh, gesturing with a hand invitingly.
Cheng Ye didn't immediately enter the door, his gaze scanning the entrance of the venue, casually asking, "How many people are in the first round?"
"Among the inspectors who obtained duty qualifications, apart from the 16 currently on duty, all others have received invitations... hmm, Inspector Wang is an exception." Jiang Chuan replied smoothly.
Alright then.
Apparently, he is not that special one, but Wang Kang is.
Excluding Wang Kang, there are 96 inspectors currently at the inspection station, according to the newest round of duty rules, only 16 are needed daily to maintain the normal operation of the three inspection stations.
So, there should be 80 inspectors present.
Cheng Ye silently calculated in his heart, stepping into the interior of the venue through the door Jiang Chuan had opened.
