He took four different flavored canned goods from the shelf, including meat and fruit cans.

These might be common in Firewood, but in Happiness City, they're hard currency.

He found an opaque plastic bag left by Uncle Dong, packed the items inside, and seeing there was still some space, added four more salted fish, making it ten in total.

A heavy bag, filled with the salty freshness.

In the Buffer Zone, these practical gifts are more appreciated than any flashy ones.

"Two Old Lis have indeed been benefactors on my path of development."

Carrying the bag, Cheng Ye couldn't help but sigh, walking all the way to the bus stop heading towards the North Inspection Station and waited.

The Mechanical Bureau is located in the North Suburb, two stops ahead of the training ground, then walk a few hundred meters to get there.

It had been a long time since he'd come here to wait for a bus; the stop had three or four people scattered around, much quieter than when a large number of residents had migrated away from Happiness City.

Someone was attracted by the salty fresh scent from the bag and curiously looked over at Cheng Ye, but seeing his tall and strong physique and indifferent, distant expression, they quickly withdrew their gaze, no one daring to start a conversation.

It wasn't long before a blue bus slowly approached.

Cheng Ye was about to step on the bus when he glanced forward and his steps unknowingly halted.

"You go ahead; I'll wait for the next one."

A moment.

The second bus took a nimble turn and steadily stopped in front of the stop, its door opening, with Master Tian's familiar smiling face peeking out: "Inspector Cheng? Are you heading to the North Station for work?"

"Not to work, I'm on vacation now." Cheng Ye walked onto the bus with the bag, unable to hold back a smile, "Perfect timing, I'll charter the bus!"

"Sure thing!"

Master Tian deftly closed the rear door, and the bus slowly left the stop, leaving just the two of them in the compartment.

Even though they hadn't seen each other for half a month, Master Tian's demeanor remained amiable, showing no signs that he was a Level 4 skill powerhouse.

"The Public Works Bureau is recruiting drivers for large-scale infrastructure work in the Satellite City, Old Zhang and the others all went; weren't you going?" Cheng Ye asked casually from the front seat.

"I wanted to go, but there's a clear restriction here in the Buffer Zone." Master Tian's smile remained unchanged, though his tone carried a bit of helplessness, "Only one person per family can work outside in the Satellite City. My daughter was eager to go out, so this old man can only stay in the Buffer Zone, going nowhere."

"Do you want to go?" A thought suddenly arose in Cheng Ye's mind.

Keeping such a master of Unity of Heaven and Man driving a bus in the Buffer Zone is a waste.

The caravan currently lacked someone who could manage the big picture and handle sudden dangers; Master Tian not only had excellent driving skills but was also far more powerful than the ordinary team members, making him an ideal choice.

"Hmm... about half and half." Master Tian pursed his lips and looked at Cheng Ye with a knowing glance.

Cheng Ye instantly understood; Master Tian was waiting for him to make an offer.

This "third-rate killer," willing to be trapped for his family, naturally couldn't abandon them to venture out to die.

Cheng Ye pondered slightly, but didn't immediately state his offer, instead pointing to the Defense Communication at his waist.

"When do you get off work?"

"I'm on the early shift today, off by 2:30 PM, nothing after that."

"Remember to wait for my call after work, to have a chat?" Cheng Ye's tone was serious, hiding nothing.

"Alright!"

Facing Cheng Ye's undisguised solicitation, Master Tian didn't seem resistant at all.

After all, Cheng Ye once saved him and his daughter's lives, a favor that remains. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Plus, with Cheng Ye's current Inspector status, the "job" offer wouldn't be a regular task; even if he didn't accept, there'd be no harm in hearing the terms.

"By the way, are you familiar with mechanical repair?" Cheng Ye asked again, since the caravan's vehicles required regular maintenance; if Master Tian knew how to repair, it would be an added bonus.

"Fixing small issues is not a problem." Master Tian nodded with a smile, "Simple motor failures, circuit problems, replacing parts, I can handle all that."

Cheng Ye was even more satisfied, nodding slightly: "Good, drop me off at the Mechanical Bureau stop later."

The bus traveled steadily on the road in the North Suburb, with the scenery outside the window transitioning from residential areas to low factory buildings; compared to the South Suburb, the North Suburb indeed developed better.

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

Compared to other Inspectors, he didn't have connections above, but plenty of people working on the ground below.

That was his advantage.

"We're here, Inspector Cheng." The bus slowly came to a halt, Master Tian reminded him.

"Mm."

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

In his field of view, the panel automatically popped open.

Because of the previous bait exchange, 50% of the charging value was spent.

But once he returned, he immediately began recharging, able to supplement 13% each day, now back to 55%.

Searching for Level 3 skills wasn't enough, but Level 2 and Level 1 were more than sufficient.

Leaving the stop, Cheng Ye put away the panel and looked up at the nearby Mechanical Bureau.

Situated in the North Suburb of the Buffer Zone, unlike the high-rise style of the Southern Public Works Bureau, the Mechanical Bureau was enclosed by a gray wall, with more than a dozen two-story factory buildings scattered inside.

The concrete walls were covered with various depth scratches, exuding a sense of rugged industrialism accumulated over the years.

Before getting close, the noise within the courtyard could be heard: the rumbling of machinery, hammering, sizzling of welding, and the sharp noise of air guns starting up, all mixing like a bustling construction site.

Occasionally, a plume of black smoke would puff from the factory chimneys, dispersing into a mass of light gray mist, only to be quickly blown away by the wind.