Swoosh.

The roller shutter was pulled open from inside the store.

It was past ten at night, and the cold wind swept in with the night dew, instantly dispersing most of the warmth from the beer he had just finished.

Matthew Lee burped, rubbing his round belly and laughing out loud, "Refreshing! It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying meal; it's a hundred times better than nutrient paste!"

"Do my goods have a future?"

"They do, of course they do." Matthew Lee's eyes lit up, "Once the caravan gets going, I'll definitely be the first major customer."

"You better start thinking about how to build Dongping Town."

Cheng Ye waved with a smile, "You don't have to worry about the caravan, the parts are no problem, I'll oversee the repair and assembly, and start operations at an appropriate time. As for manpower... I'll find suitable people."

"Great!"

After saying that, Matthew Lee took out his Defense Communication device, swiping his finger twice on the screen, but suddenly looked up:

"If Master Tian is willing to join, he'd be a good candidate."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Cheng Ye's Defense Communication device chimed with a "ding", and a new message popped up.

Upon opening it, it turned out to be Master Tian's complete file, prominently listing three core evaluations at the beginning:

[Tian Wuying (Ten-year Resident)]

[Personal Strength]: S- (Dominant Mutant Ability User, Ability Tendency: Concealment/Speed, Combat abilities have noticeably declined from Peak due to aging and prolonged suppression of abilities)

[Stability]: A+ (No records of any malicious incidents over the past decade, zero-error vehicle dispatch during tenure at the Public Works Bureau, no negative feedback from resident neighbors)

[Threat Level]: C- (With spouse Xu Jingyun

having a daughter Tian Lei , stable family ties, no inclination to leave Happiness City)

Scrolling further down.

From the year New Era 18 when Master Tian settled in Happiness City, every year's travels, times of entering and exiting checkpoints, and even the list of materials brought back are meticulously recorded.

"The threat level for general Buffer Zone residents is usually C grade, so a C- means that even if he has a past, he's completely tamed now."

Matthew Lee explained, "This type of person can be approached, but you can't coerce them. If you intentionally set up scenarios to lure him in, it will only make him more vigilant, and backfire instead. So how to win him over, you decide yourself, I won't suggest blindly."

"Alright, I understand."

Cheng Ye nodded, he was accustomed to slowly getting a feel for the other's temperament through interaction.

But everyone has different methods; Matthew Lee excels at assessing risks through data and files. Their approaches differ, but their goals are the same.

Matthew Lee pulled up a string of unremarked numbers and showed them: "Remember this number, in the future if you want to check someone, just report the name."

"What is this?"

"A contact in the Inner City, otherwise we're not Fifth-Phase, station foremen; we don't have such large permissions to freely access resident archives."

"Thanks." Cheng Ye saved the number in his Defense Communication.

Speaking of it, he met both Master Tian and Matthew Lee on the same day.

Unexpectedly, it was only today that he saw the other side hidden beneath the "ordinary person" facade of these two individuals.

Matthew Lee was not some idling old Inspector; he was clearly a formidable character with his sharpness hidden.

Master Tian was no longer the simple Unity of Heaven and Man, carrying the aftertaste of an Extraordinary from the old era.

"Starting tomorrow, it's a new assessment again; the next time you want to return to the Buffer Zone will be at least a month later, take care yourself."

Matthew Lee zipped up his coat, stepped outside, then suddenly turned back with a more serious tone than before: "Be careful, your father... Inspector Cheng Long has offended quite a few people, don't die out there."

"You take care too." Cheng Ye nodded.

In the darkness, Matthew Lee's silhouette soon disappeared around the corner.

Cheng Ye stood at the store's entrance, watching until that figure was completely out of sight, before closing the roller shutter thoughtfully.

He leaned against the door, letting out a long breath.

Feeling very sentimental, a thought suddenly arose in his mind.

Truly, heroes from all over the world are like crucian carp crossing a river, yet even the most extraordinary struggle to take a step forward.

"Cheep cheep!"

As if responding to his sentiment, a small flame darted into view, first chirping twice, then waddling like a drunken little lantern, suddenly spreading its translucent wings.

Swoosh~

The tiny body spun in the air, could it fly?

However, the next moment it lost direction and bumped into the wall with a thud, then slowly slid down along the wall to the ground, like an unburned ember.

"Hey, wanting to help with the pressure, then eat more..."

Cheng Ye laughed and took out a fire basin.

The small flame immediately dove back into the basin, the orange-red light brightened instantly.

Visibly, the dry firewood began flickering, transparent strands of light slowly reached out, linking over, transforming into streams of warm currents that drilled into its body.

After only a few bites, it became like a warmed Fire Jade, emitting a gentle red glow.

Seemingly sensing the weight on Cheng Ye's shoulders, this time it ate especially much, sipping a full 2%.

Once its body became somewhat translucent, it wobbled and then fell headfirst into the embers, completely motionless.

"Hey!"

"The more anxious you are, the more you need to maintain composure."

Cheng Ye brushed his hand over the heat above the fire basin, gently retracting the little creature back into the Spiritual Body Space.

His murmurs were as light as a sigh; it was unclear if he was comforting the greedy small flame, or counseling himself.

He turned off the store's lights.

He lay on the narrow folding bed, tucked in the blanket, his mind reviewing the entire day as if watching a movie.