"If his combat talent is lacking, isn’t Liu Bi training him?" Ding Yishan frowned, displeased with Harlin’s attitude. "I’ve said it before: we need to be more patient with newbies. Tell Liu Bi that before external duty, Cheng Ye gets a hundred free training bullets daily, charged to the checkpoint’s public expense."
"Yes, sir."
Harlin agreed immediately but smirked as he turned, his eyes flashing with undisguised disdain.
The checkpoint was divided into East and West factions. Since Cheng Ye’s father, Cheng Long, died on duty, the East faction lost a key figure, and its influence waned.
Ding Yishan must be desperate to think of propping up a greenhorn like Cheng Ye.
With that level of talent?
Forget a hundred bullets; even ten thousand would be a waste.
So Harlin didn’t bother objecting.
It was public expense anyway. Let him use it. Did Happiness City’s higher-ups care about a few bullets?
Passing through the isolation zone into the buffer zone, Cheng Ye saw narrow streets lined with dilapidated residential buildings, crowded pedestrian streets filled with wastelanders, and a mall converted into a temporary shelter.
Compared to the dazzling, neon-lit inner city, this place retained the look of the old era, giving Cheng Ye a familiar, almost nostalgic sense of modernity.
After weaving through several alleys, Cheng Ye sniffed and returned to his home in this wasteland.
"Sunrise Electronics Factory Workers’ Compound"
Despite the unimpressive name, it was one of the buffer zone’s legitimate "luxury residences."
With 12 square meters per person, Cheng Ye could exercise in his room without worrying about bumping his head, unlike the average buffer zone residents, where families of four or five crammed into spaces the size of a bathroom.
At the compound’s entrance were three shops.
From left to right: "Uncle Dong’s General Store," "Big Meat Canteen," and "Resource Exchange Station."
The first two were private shops, while the latter was an official buffer zone store, handling the trade of rare resources.
"Uncle Dong, two packs of nutrient paste and a pack of malt candy."
Entering the general store, Cheng Ye called out familiarly.
"Also, my defense comm is out of juice. I’m not heading home yet, so I’ll charge it here, alright?"
"Charge away. It’s flood season, so electricity’s free for now."
Happiness City had a hydroelectric power station, and with the summer flood season in full swing, power was abundant, prompting the higher-ups to waive electricity fees temporarily.
Cheng Ye pulled out his defense comm, a device resembling an old-school mobile phone, and plugged it into the power strip. Discreetly, he slipped off his pendant, tucked it into the socket, and covered it with the comm.
It had been over two months since he discovered the pendant. Based on its percentage and consumption rate, it needed 2,000 kWh to activate.
Only Happiness City could support that. In other sanctuary cities, it’d take a year or more to gather that much power.
To avoid suspicion from excessive electricity use, Cheng Ye was cautious. Initially, he charged at home, but later he used excuses like charging his defense comm at shops to secretly "steal" power for the pendant.
The shop’s 2.5 mm² wiring allowed the pendant to charge about 2 kWh per hour, quite efficient.
Now, with only a 50 kWh gap left, charging overnight at home should meet the activation threshold by morning.
"Here, two packs of nutrient paste and one pack of candy. Three Happiness Coins, Xiao Cheng."
Uncle Dong, a 55-year-old retired Happiness City soldier, had lost the use of his right arm and could no longer hold a gun.
"No way. The going rate out there is at least five coins. Even if you knew my dad, you’ve gotta make a profit."
Cheng Ye took the blood-like nutrient paste, unscrewed the cap, sipped it, and paid.
Happiness Coins were the city’s currency for daily expenses like food and rent, unlike scarce contribution points. His predecessor’s father left nearly 5,000 coins, more than enough for lavish spending.
Plus, an inspector’s monthly salary was 500 coins. For one person, it was impossible to spend it all!