Chapter 160: United Mounting, Information-Type Skills!

Scavenging is a technical job.

After settling on the chassis, Lee Matteo claimed he understood some mechanics, but judging by his guilty expression, his understanding probably only extended to knowing what the thing was called, with no ability to assess its performance quality.

As for Cheng Ye, civil construction was his expertise, but when it came to mechanical aspects, he was completely ignorant.

"No worries, I'll find a few veteran masters from the Works Department to help us evaluate!"

Lee Matteo pulled out his defense communicator and made three consecutive calls, but after hanging up, he shook his head helplessly, "We're a step too late. Yesterday they were all on break with plenty of time, but today they're all back at work and swamped. Batches of broken machines from the Works Department have been hauled into the workshops for repairs. They're all busy in there, and the earliest they could spare time would be tomorrow or the day after when they get off work."

"Too late?" Cheng Ye felt somewhat regretful.

He had no connections in the mechanical field, not even an acquaintance he could consult but upon reflection, relying on heaven and earth was not as good as relying on himself.

All along, the skills he had searched for were concentrated in combat areas, never touching knowledge-based skills.

Now that he was setting up a merchant convoy and promoting the construction of Dapo Town, he would inevitably need to get involved in industrial matters, and not understanding mechanical knowledge simply wouldn't work.

This was the perfect opportunity. By using the chance to visit the Works Department, he could search for a mechanical-related skill, which would both solve the immediate problem of dismantling car parts and pave the way for future development.

Moreover, he previously lacked sufficient energy and permissions, but now searching for Lv2 skills only required 50% compatibility, which wasn't particularly difficult.

Plus with Lee Matteo's introduction, it would be easy to connect with veteran masters from the Works Department.

"You want to go to the Works Department to check out the situation?"

Lee Matteo pondered briefly, then smiled and nodded, "Alright! I'll give you a number, it's an old friend of mine. When you get to the gate, call him and have him come out to meet you. That's better than wandering around aimlessly by yourself."

"Good." Cheng Ye saved the number, glancing at the note 'Sang Hezheng' on Lee Matteo's defense communicator, another Easterner.

"How is it that you, a Westerner, only know Easterners?"

"Hey, what's strange about that." Lee Matteo shook his head, his tone carrying some sentiment, "Back in the old era, the whole world was engaged in transcendent activities. Many people from the Western continent didn't want to get involved in combat, so they all moved to the Eastern continent, looking for a safe place for shelter. My father came over that way back then, surrounded entirely by Easterners. I grew up in an Eastern community, so naturally most of my friends are Easterners."

He paused, then added, "Actually there's no need to worry about ethnicity. The inspection station's current division into Eastern and Western camps is fundamentally about unequal resource distribution, just using ethnicity as an excuse. When Station Chief Cheng Wu was around, there was never talk of Easterners and Westerners. Everyone worked for Happiness City, whoever had ability got promoted, none of these complications."

"Mm, I know."

Cheng Ye nodded lightly. He had discovered this during daily inspections.

At the grassroots level, there was no difference between Easterners and Westerners. Everyone was struggling to survive, different skin colors but speaking the same Chinese language, even helping each other repair houses and exchange supplies.

The so-called "camps" were just divisions created by those above to compete for resources.

As the two chatted casually, Cheng Ye glanced at the time on his defense communicator, it was already 11:30 AM.

Lee Matteo also pulled out his device, quickly scanning through a message, his tone becoming urgent, "I have to go. Although I'm planning to give up the contract, I still need to go through the station's evaluation process properly, can't be careless."

"It starts at one o'clock, being late means point deductions."

"Alright, you handle your business. Don't worry about the merchant convoy, I'll go to the Works Department first to inquire about the situation." Cheng Ye waved his hand, telling him not to worry.

"Good! Call me anytime if anything comes up!"

Lee Matteo left quickly, his retreating figure looking much lighter than before, as if he had set down some burden.

Watching the departing figure, Cheng Ye couldn't help but ponder. Actually, he quite hoped Lee Matteo could secure the Dongping Town contract point.

Dongping Town was adjacent to the industrial zone, making it much more convenient than Dapo Town for obtaining raw materials or connecting with production equipment.

If Lee Matteo could establish roots there, he might even be able to help make connections and secure some industrial resources for Dapo Town's construction but thinking it over, Dongping Town's competitors were Song Hai and Gu Xinjing, and he felt the prospects were slim.

Both were veteran third-term Easterners who had been navigating the inspection station for years, with deep-rooted connections and considerable resources in hand. Lee Matteo had virtually no advantages.

As for Garcia?

A second-term officer competing against three veteran third-term inspectors, Cheng Ye really didn't know how that guy could win but these were other people's affairs, and he couldn't force Lee Matteo to do anything.

Cheng Ye quickly refocused. The most important thing right now was to go to the Works Department, not only to meet Sang Hezheng, but also to try searching for mechanical skills and select dismantled car parts for the merchant convoy. There was no time to think about unrelated matters.

Getting the merchant convoy set up early and securing a contract quota was the real business.

However, he didn't go directly to the Works Department, but first returned to the convenience store.

After heating four packets of nutritional paste to solve lunch, he turned and went into the convenience store's basement to rummage for things.

Lee Matteo's connections were built up over years, inevitably involving mutual interests.

Now that he was borrowing Lee Matteo's relationship to find Sang Hezheng for help, going empty-handed would not only show insincerity but also risk making this connection a one-time use.

From the moisture-proof bags in the basement, Cheng Ye rummaged around and picked out six salted fish that had been dried to a glossy finish.

He also took four different flavored canned goods from the shelves, including meat and fruit preserves.

While these might be common in Xinghuo, in Happiness City they were absolutely hard currency.

He found an opaque plastic bag left by Uncle Dong and put the items inside. Seeing the bag still had some space, he simply added four more salted fish, making it ten total.

A heavy bag full of salty, fresh aromas.

In the buffer zone, any fancy, impractical gifts wouldn't be as good as these practical items.

"The two Lees really are benefactors on my development path."

Cheng Ye carried the bag, couldn't help but sigh, and walked all the way to the bus stop heading toward North Station.

The Works Department was located in the northern suburbs, two stops past the training ground, then a few hundred meters walk.

He hadn't waited for the bus here in a long time. The platform had three or four people scattered around, much quieter than when large numbers of residents were migrating away from Happiness City.

Some people were attracted by the salty, fresh aroma from the fish in the bag and curiously glanced toward Cheng Ye, but seeing his tall, sturdy build and the cold, distant expression on his face, they quickly looked away. No one dared to strike up a conversation.

He didn't wait long before a blue bus slowly approached.

Cheng Ye was about to step forward to board when his gaze swept ahead and his steps involuntarily stopped.

"You all go first, I'll wait for the next one."

A moment later, the second bus made a nimble turn and stopped steadily in front of the platform. The door opened and Master Tian's familiar smiling face appeared, "Inspector Cheng? Are you heading to North Station for work?"

"Not for work, I'm on leave now." Cheng Ye boarded with his bag, couldn't help but smile, "Perfect timing, I'll charter the whole bus!"

"You got it!"

Master Tian efficiently closed the rear door, and the bus slowly pulled away from the platform, leaving just the two of them in the cabin.

After not seeing each other for about half a month, Master Tian still had his amiable appearance, showing no sign that he was actually a fierce individual with Lv4 skills.

"The Works Department is recruiting drivers to go to satellite cities for major infrastructure projects. Old Zhang and the others all went, didn't you go?" Cheng Ye sat in the front seat, asking casually.

"I'd like to go, but our buffer zone has clear regulations limiting it." Master Tian's smile remained, but his tone carried some helplessness, "Only one person per family can work in the satellite cities outside. My daughter was fighting to get out there, so this old man can only stay in the buffer zone, can't go anywhere."

"Do you want to go?" Cheng Ye suddenly had a thought.

Having a master with Unity of Heaven and Man driving buses in this buffer zone was truly wasteful.

The merchant convoy currently lacked someone who could control the overall situation while handling sudden dangers. Master Tian not only had excellent driving skills but also combat power far exceeding ordinary team members, making him the perfect candidate.

"Mm, half and half." Master Tian pursed his lips, smiling at Cheng Ye with knowing eyes.

Cheng Ye immediately understood that Master Tian was waiting for him to make an offer.

This "third-rate killer" who was willing to trap himself for his family's sake naturally couldn't abandon his family to go out and risk his life.

Cheng Ye pondered briefly, but didn't immediately give conditions, instead pointing to the defense communicator at his waist.

"What time do you get off work?"

"I'm on the early shift today, off at 2:30, free after that."

"Remember to wait for my call after work, shall we have a chat?" Cheng Ye's tone was serious, not concealing anything.

"Alright!"

Facing Cheng Ye's undisguised recruitment, Master Tian showed no resistance at all.

After all, Cheng Ye had once saved his and his daughter's lives, that favor remained.

Plus with Cheng Ye's current inspector status, any "work" he proposed definitely wouldn't be ordinary business. Even if he ultimately declined, there was no harm in hearing the conditions.

"By the way, are you familiar with mechanical repairs?" Cheng Ye asked another question. The merchant convoy's vehicles would need regular maintenance, and if Master Tian knew repairs, that would be icing on the cake.

"Fixing minor problems is no issue." Master Tian smiled and nodded, "Simple motor failures, circuit problems, replacing parts and such, I can handle."

Cheng Ye was even more satisfied, nodding lightly, "Good. Just drop me off at the Works Department station later."

The bus traveled smoothly on the northern suburban road. Outside the window, the scenery changed from residential areas to low factory buildings. In terms of development, the northern suburbs of the buffer zone were indeed much better than the southern suburbs.

Cheng Ye leaned back in his seat, quickly calculating in his mind.

Compared to other inspectors, he lacked connections above but had quite a few people doing practical work below.

This was his advantage.

"We're here, Inspector Cheng." The bus slowly stopped, and Master Tian reminded him.

"Mm."

Cheng Ye got off with his bag, watching the bus drive away.

In his vision, the panel automatically opened.

Due to previously exchanging for bait, he had spent 50% of his charge value but as soon as he returned, he immediately charged up, able to replenish 13% daily, and by now had recovered to 55%.

Still insufficient for searching Lv3 skills, but more than enough for Lv2 and Lv1.

Walking out of the platform, Cheng Ye closed the panel and looked up at the nearby Works Department.

Located in the northern suburbs of the buffer zone, the Works Department had a completely different style from the high-rise buildings of the southern Works Department. Gray walls enclosed a large compound containing over a dozen scattered two-story factory buildings.

The concrete wall surfaces were covered with scratches of varying depths, exuding a sense of industrial ruggedness accumulated over years.

Before even approaching, he could hear the cacophony from inside the compound, the rumbling of machinery, hammering sounds, the sizzling of electric welding, and the sharp noise of air guns starting up, all mixed together like a bustling construction site.

Occasionally, black smoke would puff from factory chimneys, spreading into large clouds of faint gray mist before quickly being blown away by the wind.

He walked to the guard booth by the compound wall and pulled out his defense communicator to call Sang Hezheng.

The phone rang only once before being answered.

"Inspector Cheng?" A rough but enthusiastic male voice came through the phone, with vague machine sounds in the background.

Cheng Ye spoke politely, "It's me, Master Sang. I've arrived at the Works Department entrance, sorry to trouble you to make the trip."

"Don't say that!" Sang Hezheng's laughter came through the phone, particularly hearty, "Inspector Cheng coming to our Works Department is giving me face! I'll come out from the workshop to meet you right now. Please wait by the entrance for two minutes, I'll be right there!"

"Alright, I'll wait for you by the guard booth."

Cheng Ye hung up and leaned against the wall, his gaze passing through the open gate to fall on the compound.

Each factory building seemed to be an independent work team.

Hundreds of workers in blue uniforms hurried about. Some pushed carts full of parts, others carried long steel pipes into the factories. Everyone moved quickly with sweat beading on their foreheads, but no one stopped their work.

In the warehouse near the gate, two bright yellow excavators were parked.

There seemed to be some internal problem, as the bodies were completely disassembled with the bucket lying on the ground being maintained.

Without waiting two minutes, he saw a slightly plump, middle-aged man with graying hair jogging out from the compound. He looked like he had hurriedly changed clothes, wearing neat blue work attire with a brilliant smile on his face, "Inspector Cheng! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Master Sang, you're too kind."

Cheng Ye hurried forward to meet him, showing no airs of an inspector.

He smoothly handed over the bag in his hand, smiling as he explained, "Just some small items, salted fish from Hai Province and some canned goods from Xinghuo Sanctuary City. Nothing valuable, take them home for your family to try."

Though he said they were small items, Cheng Ye clearly mentioned their origins.

Sang Hezheng paused, his smile growing even warmer, and he accepted the bag with little ceremony.

"Then I won't be polite! Come, let's go inside and talk!"

Gifts certainly worked wonders. Cheng Ye glanced at the panel and saw Sang Hezheng's compatibility had already reached 31%.

Without him saying much more, just a little short of being able to search for Lv2 skills.

After entering the Works Department compound, the air was filled with a mixture of machine oil, rust, and welding smoke. Cheng Ye's gaze swept across the factory buildings.

Some had their doors open, showing workers inside hunched over massive equipment dismantling parts.

Others had blinding welding lights inside, with sparks flying out the doorways.

"The Works Department wasn't this lively before, it was almost dissolved and disbanded."

Sang Hezheng walked while introducing things to Cheng Ye, his tone carrying some sentiment, "Later the maintenance department from the Works Department was merged in, which barely kept things going. Now we mainly handle maintenance of Happiness City's ordinary mechanical equipment, like routine maintenance of official vehicles, that's all our work. But for high-tech precision equipment, like industrial zone production machinery, we still need research institute people to fix problems. We don't have that technical capability or authorization."

He paused, pointing at the cluster of factory buildings ahead, "These eighteen buildings, we internally call them the Eighteen Arhats, each with specialized tasks. Building 12 that I'm responsible for mainly does refurbishment of dismantled parts, taking old components from scrapped vehicles, testing and repairing them, then putting them back into use. I heard from Inspector Lee that you want to go to the inspection station's old car yard to dismantle some usable parts?"

"Yes, new cars are too expensive, can only piece together from old car parts, saves quite a bit of budget."

Cheng Ye didn't disguise his purpose for coming.

"I also want to learn some mechanical repair while I'm here. I'm quite interested in this area, and for future vehicle maintenance, maybe I can do it myself."

"Oh?" Sang Hezheng raised his eyebrows, showing some surprise on his face, "Our Works Department recruits hundreds if not thousands of apprentices each year, but at least seventy to eighty percent quit within a week. I never expected Inspector Cheng would actively come to learn this."

Cheng Ye was stunned, somewhat puzzled, "Isn't work at the Works Department pretty good? Stable, and you can learn a trade, why would people not want to come?"

"Stable is stable, but it's tough." Sang Hezheng sighed, slowing his pace to explain to Cheng Ye, "First, we often have to go to the wilderness on missions, encountering mutant creatures or infection sources, the danger level is considerable. Second, there's no fixed salary, everything depends on piecework. You get paid a little for dismantling and repairing each part. If you're slow, even basic subsistence is difficult. Third..."

He suddenly stopped, pointing at a nearby warehouse.

Several young people in their twenties stood inside, following behind masters with notebooks, but they were looking around with obvious confusion and a sense of superficial effort masking helplessness.

"Learning this trade depends entirely on personal discipline." Sang Hezheng couldn't help shaking his head, "The masters are so busy their feet barely touch the ground, where do they have time for one-on-one teaching? Apprentices can only stand nearby watching and taking notes, slowly figuring things out."

"But many people don't even understand basic electrical knowledge, so watching is useless. Even if a few learn some basics, they're unwilling to stay here being exploited. Merchant convoys and industrial zones pay higher wages, they poach talent easily."

Understood!

So this was a talent pipeline, right?

There was no shortage of people willing to come learn trades, but they couldn't retain those who learned the trades.

Most apprentices who signed up had low education levels, some could barely write. Without learning basic knowledge, even if they learned dismantling and assembly, they could only be skilled workers. The more they worked, the harder it became to develop into technical backbone who could independently research and repair high-precision equipment.

Anyone with self-discipline who could self-study to this level wouldn't stay at the Works Department to coast. They'd either choose to venture out for higher prospects or seek advancement opportunities in the industrial zone.

"So why does Master Sang stay here?" Cheng Ye asked curiously.

This was quite a direct question, but Sang Hezheng answered without concern, "At my age, I don't have the energy to learn new things or the drive to venture out. Besides, when you have a family, you have to consider your family. Although my two sons don't like doing refurbishment work here, they're very interested in mechanics. With some cultivation, maybe they could make something of themselves?"

When talking about his two sons, Sang Hezheng deliberately acted somewhat exaggerated and helpless.

Cheng Ye thoughtfully understood but pretended not to catch the implied meaning.

As they spoke, they had reached a large warehouse with a number "12" sign. Above the warehouse door was a wooden plaque with four red-painted characters: "Parts Refurbishment."

Inside were scrapped cars everywhere, a dozen large and small vehicles at a glance, each surrounded by three to five people working.

"This is the warehouse I'm responsible for. Inside are old parts removed from scrapped cars, motors, electronic controls, wiring harnesses, plus many components from equipment, bearings, sensors. You can look around first. I'll go to the main building to get you some basic manuals written by veteran masters, suitable for beginners and for Inspector Cheng to quickly understand the mechanical trade. Much more useful than my verbal explanations."

Saying this, he turned toward a corner of the warehouse and called out loudly, "Sang Tao! Stop dawdling under that truck, come help me receive our guest!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man in blue work clothes crawled out from under a scrapped truck.

About twenty years old, with dust in his hair and two black oil stains on his face, clutching a wrench. His eyes showed some listless fatigue, clearly having been interrupted from his work and somewhat reluctant but when he looked up and saw Cheng Ye, Sang Tao's expression immediately straightened. How long had it been since his father brought such a young man here?!

Unlike the apprentice workers, Cheng Ye standing at the door was tall and upright, clearly not an ordinary person.

"This is Inspector Cheng, show him around the factory."

"Inspector Cheng?" Sang Tao was stunned.

"Surprised that I'm even younger than you?" Cheng Ye saw his amazement and couldn't help laughing, his tone relaxed, "Master Sang, go ahead and get the manual. I'll chat with Sang Tao, young people communicate better with each other."

"Alright! You two look around, I'll be back soon."

Sang Hezheng left confidently, not forgetting to give Sang Tao a meaningful look to perform well before leaving.

The Works Department had lots of varied work with little reward, not a place to stay for life.

With satellite city construction imminent, connecting with Lee Matteo and Cheng Ye to dismantle scrapped cars, the purpose was already obvious.

If his son could establish an external connection, this old father would feel at ease.

With only two people left in the warehouse, Cheng Ye proactively extended his hand, "My name is Cheng Ye, don't be so formal, you can just call me by name."

Sang Tao hurriedly reached out, but suddenly remembered his hands were covered in oil and frantically wiped them on the bottom hem of his work clothes but the oil was sticky and wouldn't come off no matter how he wiped.

Just as he was awkwardly at a loss, Cheng Ye had already grasped his hand, not minding the oil stains at all.

"Not that particular about it." Cheng Ye released his hand, smiling, "I heard from Master Sang that you have a brother?"

"I have a younger brother, Sang Zhe." Sang Tao also smiled, pointing toward a corner of the warehouse.

A younger man was crouched in front of equipment resembling a server cabinet, focused on fiddling with the circuitry inside.

"His personality is even more solitary than mine, just likes tinkering with electronic things others don't understand." Sang Tao's tone carried pride mixed with helplessness, "Unfortunately, the electronic items sent to the Works Department are basically scrapped old pieces. No one expects them to actually be fixed, they're just given to us for practice."

"Those cars and equipment mostly just need part replacements to work, but new parts are too expensive, so they're brought here for refurbishment. Use them one day at a time."

"Indeed, I heard many electronic devices use source guidance technology, which shouldn't be something the Works Department can repair, right?" Cheng Ye continued the conversation.

"We can repair them, but this technology has a very high threshold." Sang Tao's smile faded, his tone full of helplessness, "Items with source guidance technology are either thrown away when broken or sent to research institutes for maintenance. Even my father doesn't have clearance to know the core details of source guidance technology, let alone us. So we have no way to start, and what we're allowed to know is already obsolete old technology."

The two walked and talked, with Sang Tao becoming more animated, as if he hadn't discussed these things with outsiders in a long time.

From common types of scrap machinery in Happiness City, to his fantasies about source guidance technology.

From routine maintenance of ordinary low-voltage wiring, to high-voltage wiring's impact on vehicle performance. He even shared which parts were more durable on transport vehicles versus which were more flexible on pickups, and even the little secret of apprentices secretly taking small parts from the Works Department to sell to merchant convoys.

Regarding professional mechanical repair knowledge, Cheng Ye could only understand about half, occasionally nodding in agreement but when discussing the Works Department's internal difficulties and apprentices' survival situations, he could contribute to the conversation.

Occasionally inserting one or two supplementary comments that always hit Sang Tao's heart.

However, he didn't mention contracting Dapo Town or building industrial research and development.

These things were too ethereal, and also inappropriate to discuss on first meeting.

He'd wait until he had some technology and reserves, then figure out how to recruit talent.

When Sang Hezheng returned carrying a small bag, he could see from afar the two men standing by the second-floor railing of the warehouse.

Sang Tao was gesticulating excitedly with enthusiasm all over his face, while Cheng Ye leaned against the railing listening attentively, occasionally asking a question or two.

The two were close together, chatting warmly, not at all like strangers who had just met.

"Strange, is there really such a young inspector who likes hearing about this stuff?"

Sang Hezheng muttered to himself but didn't say much.

Generally speaking, only veteran inspectors who had been on many field missions would come to the Works Department to learn.

Their questions were also very targeted maintenance issues, like handling vehicle breakdowns in the wilderness.

Or how to repair damage when lacking complete spare parts.

There had never been an inspector like a new apprentice coming to learn things but even if Cheng Ye was just momentarily interested and would quit after a few days of finding it too hard, having his two sons connect with an inspector was still a good thing.

"Inspector Cheng, I'm going downstairs to work now, let's continue chatting later!"

Seeing Sang Hezheng return, Sang Tao quickly stopped talking, chuckled twice, went downstairs and immediately crawled back under the scrapped truck from before.

Seeing the oil stains on Cheng Ye's hands, Sang Hezheng couldn't help shaking his head, "This kid..."

"Master Sang's two sons are both good material." Cheng Ye smiled as he walked toward the sink by the warehouse entrance, turning on the faucet to wash his hands, "They're interested in mechanics and can settle down to study. Unfortunately, the Works Department isn't where talent should stay. They need space to fully display their abilities."

Not expecting Cheng Ye to speak so directly, Sang Hezheng was stunned, then sighed.

The two entered a small office in a corner of the warehouse. He closed the door and took out handwritten books from his bag, arranging them one by one on the table, "These are all introductory manuals left by veteran masters at the Works Department. Inspector Cheng, take a look and see which direction interests you?"

Human energy is limited, and learning ability weakens with age.

Cheng Ye glanced over the books on the table. Based on their titles, they could roughly be divided into five categories.

Repair, refurbishment, assembly, research and development, and theory.

Books on repair were the most numerous, covering various aspects found in Happiness City.

Next were refurbishment and assembly, decreasing in quantity accordingly.

As for research and development and theory, there were only scattered one or two books. Obviously, as Sang Tao had said, this was research institute work, not the Works Department's responsibility.

Cheng Ye picked up a refurbishment manual and began reading, thinking seriously when his eyes swept over the upper right corner of the panel.

Hey, unexpectedly Sang Hezheng's compatibility had easily exceeded 50% without him deliberately trying to increase it!

He was delighted and used his mind to click search for Lv2 skills.

Come to think of it, this was the first time searching someone with professional knowledge, somewhat novel.

【Search Successful!】

【Sang Hezheng】

【Lv2 Skills】:

Talent: Metal Affinity (Excellent, can sense the general condition of metal through contact)

Talent: Craftsman (Excellent, slightly increases finger dexterity)

Skills: Basic Mechanical Principles☆, Elementary Source Guidance Technology Principles☆, Intermediate Mechanical Repair☆, Intermediate Mechanical Identification☆, Intermediate Mechanical Assembly☆, Eagle Force, Legion Standard Combat Techniques

【Note】: Skills marked with ☆ are special information-type skills. Collectors must pay attention. After obtaining such skills, you may choose from three mounting methods:

Choosing this method, the collector has a 47% chance of losing some original memories and a 53% chance of experiencing mental sluggishness for a period of time.

Using this method, the 'prerequisite mounting' search function is retained.

The collector can actively study and understand skill-related information. The jointly mounted skill serves only to accelerate understanding, greatly improving learning efficiency and easing brain capacity limits.