Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 345 - 141: Wildfire in Troubled Times, Aptitude Assessment! (Part 3)

The layout inside was somewhat unexpected. It wasn’t like rows of seats in a school auditorium, nor like the tiered seating of a large theater, but rather resembled the setting of a Churchill speech in a movie:

In the center was a sunken circular area, with a huge round mahogany table placed in the middle.

On both sides were elevated stands, extending upwards in circles along the steps. Each seat had a small desk in front, resembling honeycombs embedded in the wall, orderly yet solemn.

Ding Yishan was sitting at the center of the round table, with stacks of documents in front of him.

What Cheng Ye found hard to contain was that Station Chief Ding was wearing reading glasses today. His eyes, behind the silver-rimmed lenses, lost a bit of their usual sharpness and appeared more gentle, just like his high school history teacher.

When he walked into the venue, Ding Yishan happened to look up at the right moment.

The moment their eyes met, Ding Yishan slightly nodded, seeming to acknowledge, yet also like a routine greeting, leaving one completely unable to fathom the depths of this old fox.

Harlem stood beside the round table, holding a thick document folder and confirming something, occasionally signaling staff to distribute printed materials, looking very dedicated and serious.

But as Ding Yishan turned his head, he also looked at him, with a perfectly subtle smile on his face.

With the station chief and deputy leading the way, the seated inspectors also followed Ding Yishan’s line of sight, their eyes varied, yet no one spoke.

There was no dramatized pretense, nor did any dimwit jump out to make a target, accusing an intern inspector of not belonging here.

Reality was very real.

As a descendant of the inspection station’s first chief, Cheng Wu, even without the glorious reputation earned by Cheng Long, those three words "Cheng Family" were enough to grant him entry.

What’s more, even though Cheng Long is dead, the favor and prestige he left behind haven’t completely dissipated.

Coupled with Cheng Ye’s various performances these days, and Ding Yishan’s initiative to nurture a younger generation of inspectors.

Both emotionally and rationally, he had enough qualifications to sit here and gain the right to know about the outer city’s infrastructure.

Even participating in the construction of the outer city like other inspectors, no one would truly treat him as an ordinary intern inspector.

Hence, the Eastern People inspectors’ eyes were filled with enthusiasm, especially those allegiance maniacs, waving to him warmly from several rows away.

On the other side, the Western Faction inspectors were mostly expressionless, their eyes scrutinizing, yet there were exceptions.

Matthew Lee even stood up from his seat, unabashed excitement on his face, vigorously waving to Cheng Ye, and pointing to the empty seat next to him, signaling him to come over.

This old rogue was at it again, "performing."

Cheng Ye shook his head helplessly, but still followed Matthew Lee’s gesture and walked up the steps on the left.

There were no other inspectors sitting around them, isolated, appearing neutral.

But because of the focus of both sides’ gazes, it also looked like a new faction rising within the inspection station.

"Not bad," Matthew Lee asked knowingly, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you’d be screened out as a little intern! Why didn’t you bring Inspector Wang along? The three of us together could liven things up."

"Give it a rest."

Cheng Ye sat down, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and took a couple of breaths.

The tension in the venue made it a bit hard to breathe, "If he came, someone might flip the table."

"I’m more surprised that you, an old rogue, made it here."

"What’s wrong with being a rogue?"

Matthew Lee was not annoyed but rather puffed out his chest with pride, "You don’t know my achievements back in the day. Among the inspectors who traveled south and north with the Pioneer Corps, who hasn’t led a team to build something? I even led two thousand people to build a temporary settlement, with the population peaking at eight thousand! If it weren’t for keeping Happiness City in mind, by now I’d definitely be a Little Lord, wouldn’t it be impressive?"

"Indeed it is impressive," Cheng Ye smirked, "It’s admirable that Lord Li still remembers Happiness City."

Their banter quickly dissolved the awkwardness from not seeing each other for a week, resuming their previous camaraderie.

"How’s work at the South Inspection Station?" Matthew Lee lowered his voice, his tone a bit more serious.

"Not bad." Cheng Ye responded concisely.

"That’s not a high rating," Matthew Lee raised an eyebrow, "Is it not as comfortable as the North Station?"

"Not exactly," Cheng Ye shook his head, "It’s just a duty station, there’s no fundamental difference between north and south."

That said, he knew in his heart that although the South Station seemed relaxed with observers handling miscellaneous tasks, staying away from grassroots operations was uncertain.

In his own experience, had he not first trained at the North Station for a week, directly being posted to the South Station might have made it hard to truly grasp those practical knowledge in inspection fundamentals.

And these are precisely what the Dongren Academy faction lacks.

"Ha, probably only our Chief Cheng can speak so boldly in the entire inspection station."

Matthew Lee smacked his lips, shifting his tone. "What’s the plan this time? According to the basic rules, it’s definitely not a solo job. To go out, you have to pair up, ensuring mutual supervision to avoid accidents. Hmm, Lord Li can help you gather some achievements."

He paused, then added: "Of course, if Liu Bi can hurry back from the hydroelectric station, you could tag along with him too."