Chapter 397: Chapter 154: Buying a Home Outright, Demolition Gifts, and a Beautiful Life of Hard Work

Just as he was speaking, out of the corner of his eye, Cheng Ye noticed other residents peeking out from the stairway. He quickly stepped inside the building, "I’ll head upstairs to pack my things. I won’t disturb everyone’s rest anymore."

As he entered the hallway, the chatter of children outside still drifted in:

"Dad, can Mr. Cheng show us how to fly, just like swoosh from the fifth floor to the first floor?"

"I saw something red under his raincoat. Is it the battle armor?"

"Mr. Cheng is so cool, I want to be like him and knock out all the bad things too!"

"..."

Goodness.

Have I become the leader of the kids?

Cheng Ye couldn’t help but smile, feeling both amused and bewildered.

No wonder those celebrities always cover themselves tightly when they go out. Being watched as a ’character from a story’ feels just like this.

Though it feels fascinating, the children’s adoring eyes just now made him feel a bit embarrassed.

He reached the fourth floor.

Cheng Ye first walked to Wang Kang’s door and knocked. It was quiet inside, and no one responded.

"Out for training, perhaps?"

Before leaving yesterday, he specifically messaged Wang Kang, telling him he had some business in the wilderness, so he’d be safe. Yet, he hadn’t received a reply.

Thinking this, he took out his Defense Communication device and stood at the door, dialing Wang Kang’s number.

The call connected quickly, and there was some noise on the other end, the sound of metal clashing, and people shouting slogans.

Wang Kang had to shout, "Brother Cheng, you’re back from outside?!"

"Yeah, just got to the neighborhood. Where are you? Why’s it so noisy?" Cheng Ye frowned, switching the Defense Communication to speaker mode.

"I’m helping out over here at the community!"

Wang Kang’s voice was filled with excitement, "Today, the last section of the old shanty houses was dismantled. Everyone’s moving out the construction debris, and we’re going to hold a demolition ceremony later!"

Huh?

Cheng Ye was taken aback. Wang Kang, the inspector, was influenced by him to the extent of being this involved in the community?

He smiled ruefully and had to remind him, "Alright, you keep busy. I had a truckload of fish sent to the community. Help sign for it later and store it in a shady place to avoid the sun. I’ll come over after I finish packing and take a breather."

"Got it, leave it to me!" Wang Kang agreed readily, and hurriedly shouted, "Brother Long is calling me, Brother Cheng, I’ll hang up now, see you later!"

Brother Long...

Listening to the delighted voice on the other end and the final click of the disconnection.

Cheng Ye stood there for a few seconds, unsure whether to say Wang Kang was too carefree, or that this route of rooting in the community and mingling with residents was naturally suited for him.

After all, not everyone is like him, with clear goals and a way to improve their skills.

Wang Kang seems to enjoy these bustling days working with everyone, even if it means helping a bunch of ordinary people, he does it with enthusiasm.

But one thing is certain, if I can take Wang Kang to handle affairs at Dapo Town next, let him oversee construction and daily coordination, that silly guy might just jump for joy.

"He’s not cut out to just sit quietly at the inspection station after all..."

Cheng Ye shook his head, thinking that indeed, the inspection station needs some Inspectors like Dong.

Like Dong Xing, who is stable and meticulous, sticking to the rules while staying in the station to handle daily affairs and maintain order, so others can safely go out and handle things.

If everyone leaves, and the routine work is neglected, it would be counterproductive.

Back on the fifth floor, just as Cheng Ye stepped on the last step, he paused again.

He saw three people in blue uniforms clustered in front of his security door, writing in a registry book.

When he got closer, he realized they weren’t registering his place, but the door to room 529 next door was open, and there were two more people in uniform inside, shining flashlights into the room.

"What’s going on?" Cheng Ye stepped closer, his imposing presence causing the three at the door to instinctively hold their breath.

Before they could speak, they noticed the badge in Cheng Ye’s hand.

The large "Inspection" character made the three immediately show respect and step back half a step.

"Sir, we’re from the Civil Affairs Bureau responsible for housing statistics. We’re here today to register vacant houses in the Buffer Zone that haven’t updated resident information for over a year, to match them with new residents later."

"Oh? No one’s living in this house?" Cheng Ye peered inside, seeing that the layout was almost identical to his, but it was empty, no furniture, only a nearly broken wooden bed in the corner.

The floor was covered with thick dust, large patches of wall paint had peeled off, and there were clumps of black and green mold growing at the window corner, showing it hadn’t been maintained for a long time.

"The registered owner in the system is called Zhang Sheng, but..." The staff member’s sentence trailed off, but the implication was obvious.

In this wasteland, people die all the time.

For houses registered but long left vacant, there’s a high chance the owner died out in the wilderness or vanished during the infection waves, never to return.

Leaving it empty is wasteful, so we might as well register it for the new migrants to live in.

"Alright, you guys carry on." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Cheng Ye didn’t ask more, he took out his key, opened his security door, and stepped inside.

The moment he closed the door, the familiar musty smell mixed with the scent of dust hit him.

Because he left in a rush yesterday, the room was slightly disheveled.