Wasteland Border Inspector

Chapter 29 Unspoken Rules: The Hidden Benefits of Fast Checkpoints!
Having Raul lead the way was a spur-of-the-moment idea for Cheng Ye, but to his surprise, it brought many unexpected delights.

For example, when Raven introduces the quarantine area now, he can be said to be completely unreserved.

Not only did it clearly explain the powers of prosecutors on the surface, but it also dissected and revealed the unspoken rules, methods of exploiting loopholes, and ways of taking advantage of others without reservation.

Aside from the usual methods that Cheng Ye knew, one in particular caught his attention.

"Illegal materials" stored in Material Room No. 3.

What are prohibited items?

The PCB boards and electronic components that were previously seized from the driver cannot be considered illegal materials.

These items are only worth several times more if smuggled out and sold to other sanctuaries, settlements, or individual scavengers. They are actually worthless within Happiness City, so keeping them is not very meaningful.

What's truly valuable is what deserves to be labeled 'illegal'.

It contains the crystal cores of mutated beasts, the infected sources that have been contained, various extraordinary minerals, special plants, and other good things that didn't exist in the old era!
"Can you just take it off whenever you want?"

“Of course not.” Raven quickly shook his head. “These things can be exchanged for a lot of contribution points. If the prosecutor arbitrarily confiscates them, those people will probably be forced to fight desperately.”

"That?"

"Sir, it's like this."

The owl, who had been standing silently to the side, chimed in, "According to the rules, these things are not allowed to be brought into the buffer zone by individuals because there is a risk of them being contaminated by the source of infection. Even if someone manages to find a way to evade the inspection and bring them in to sell at the supply exchange, they can only get 70% of the normal price."

“But the inspectors detained it and took it out of the buffer zone to find the material exchange point, where they could get 100% of the normal price. The 30% difference in price was the inspectors’ compensation for bearing the ‘risk of material contamination’.”

What a risk of material contamination!
Cheng Ye couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. It seemed that Garcia was being too restrained by collecting a small entry tax at the central checkpoint.

In comparison, the "illegal tax" created by this fast checkpoint through collusion between officials and businessmen is nothing short of blatant robbery.

"So they're willing?"

Cheng Ye asked a question that he himself felt was somewhat foolish and naive after he finished speaking.

What can you do if you don't want to?
Are we to fight against such a huge checkpoint and Happy City with just our own strength?
"Your Honor is too kind, they would be more than willing."

The owl seemed oblivious to Cheng Ye's implied meaning and continued to explain with a smile, "Not only can the adults help them bring contraband into the buffer zone, but they can also get them the same price as if they sold it themselves. Why wouldn't they want that?"

"Is it?"

Cheng Ye frowned in thought, then suddenly realized what was happening.

Due to the limitations of the era, Luo Xiaoxue was unable to understand the internal structure of the checkpoint.

However, he also failed to immediately grasp the logic built upon the foundations of the wasteland.

Think about it carefully.

Without this unwritten 30% tax, adventurers might see a short-term increase in income, but in the long run, it would only exacerbate more conflicts.

How could inspectors not be tempted when they see these things while going in and out of checkpoints?
When selling goods, how could the purchasing agency not forcefully lower the price?
It may even breed new parasites, such as the underground black market and scalpers, which will significantly increase the purchase price of Xingfu City.

The proposed 30% not only protects the adventurers' fixed income but also perfectly restrains the greed of all participants in the process from entering the city to selling the goods.

That's why the owl said, "Why wouldn't they want to?"

While it may seem like 30% is being taken away, in reality, the rules are being used to secure a more stable profit.

"What about charging here?"

Cheng Ye pretended not to care as he walked into the garage, glancing at the nameplate of the fast charging station.

As expected, it uses a three-phase AC input, with a maximum voltage of 380V and a maximum current of 160A for fast charging.

If it can run at full capacity and achieve the ideal purely resistive load, it can probably reach a charging efficiency of 100kW.

However, the charging station actually has heat dissipation protection and cannot maintain full power supply for a long time. The current will quickly drop to about 110A and the power will return to about 65kW, which means it can charge 65 kWh per hour.

"Sir, you mean this? Since our A area is mainly responsible for inspecting vehicles and convoys, some people will inevitably be quarantined, so the vehicles will be temporarily stored here. Charging is also an alternative value-added service that can bring a considerable amount of operating revenue to the checkpoint."

"Isn't it free?"

“How could it be free? Our Happiness City waives electricity fees for ordinary people for the sake of people’s livelihood, but these people drive out to make money. If they are all exempted from electricity fees, wouldn’t that be too unfair?”

Seeing that Cheng Ye seemed very interested in charging, Raven took the initiative to say a few more words.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that our charging speed is slow and the cost is three times that of the buffer zone, but all these people are crowding here to charge their phones."

"Why is that? It's because charging in the city not only requires paying fees, but also getting approval and a permit from the Public Works Department. Not every fleet of vehicles is qualified to charge. If you want to drive out of the city, you have to feed those 'big shots' at the Public Works Department first."

"Does charging require a permit?"

Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, the image of the bus driver, Master Tian, ​​flashed through his mind. He seemed to have said that he needed to get a charging permit from the Public Works Department before he could leave the city. However, at that time, he did not think much of it and only assumed that it was a matter of vehicle usage rights.

"Of course, batteries are one of the most strictly controlled materials in Happy City. The vehicles in the buffer zone and the buses running back and forth are essentially assets of the Public Works Department and Happy City."

"But batteries have a lifespan. The more times they are fast charged and the more frequently they are cycled, the faster they will become unusable. How can we just let go of such a strategic resource?"

It turns out that the limitation isn't with charging, but with the battery itself!
Cheng Ye suddenly realized. During the time he had traveled here, he had rarely seen private cars or trucks on the road, apart from buses.

The reason for this is here.

If charging were readily available, coupled with the benefit of free electricity in the buffer zone, cars would have been running everywhere long ago.

However, the reality is that batteries, as a strategic resource that is controlled at every level, are tightly held by the Public Works Department from production to loss, so it is impossible to lift the restrictions on fast charging.

"If we charge a fee, there will inevitably be records, which will be a bit troublesome."

Cheng Ye couldn't help but frown and ask about the price.

The raven's answer was astonishing.

Goodness, it really isn't cheap at all, and it's not Happiness Coins they're charging, it's Contribution Points!

For every 100 kWh of electricity, the buffer zone costs 5 contribution points, while the isolation zone costs three times the price and 15 contribution points, which is equivalent to indirectly transferring the cost of battery wear and tear to the charging fee.

"What about these slow charging stations?"

Cheng Ye walked to the other side of the warehouse, his gaze falling on the three ordinary slow charging stations that he often saw in the underground garage of the rental house before crossing the border.

Eighty years have passed, interspersed with several apocalyptic disasters. Naturally, such basic equipment with little technological content could not have undergone significant qualitative changes.

It still uses the standard 220V voltage and 30A current, and can run at 6-7kW.

"These are private charging stations at the checkpoint, exclusively for vehicles used within the station."

Raven gave a meaningful, cryptic smile and respectfully explained, "To use the slow charging stations here, you don't need to consume contribution points or happiness coins, but you do need permission from our checkpoint."

"The permit for this first unit is with the stationmaster."

"Permissions for the second station are subject to approval by the deputy station chief."

"The permission for the third station in the corner belongs to the current duty inspector. For example, if you are currently on duty in area A, you are qualified to use it. When the shift changes, the qualification will be transferred to the inspector taking over the shift."

?

What the hell?
Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, then his brows twitched involuntarily, and he immediately felt that his level was still too low.

No wonder they say power is the best cosmetic procedure for men.

Damn it, the person who set up these rules is a genius; they're incredibly cunning.

First, set up a "compliance target" by charging fast charging at three times the price, so that the Public Works Department can't find fault with it.

Then they set up a slow charging station, secretly using it to curry favor and collect benefits.

The station chief took it, the deputy station chief took it, and the inspector on duty also took it; everyone was satisfied.

Those who need to recharge are equally satisfied. After all, everyone used to have to please the prosecutors, but now they can get free charging by "being the prosecutor's dog." What is there to complain about?
"This is truly eye-opening! I thought the people in this wasteland only knew how to fight and kill, but I didn't expect there to be such capable people in the checkpoint who could come up with something like this!"

Cheng Ye secretly did some calculations in his mind.

Of the four zones A, B, C, and D, only zone A can be used for charging, which seems unfair to the other three zones.

However, the prosecutors' duty areas are rotated. That is, if Cheng Ye is in area A this week, he will go to area B next week, and then to area C and D the following week. He needs to complete a full rotation before he can return to area A.

In this way, every prosecutor has a chance to be assigned to Area A, and everyone can share in this hidden benefit.

Based on an eight-hour shift per person per day, a slow charging station can charge about 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, which translates to approximately 3 contribution points when converted to the official electricity price in the buffer zone.

It's not a small amount, but it's not a small amount either.

To put it bluntly, it's just a small amount, maybe 20 points more in income per month. After three months of duty, you can only buy 1g of extraordinary minerals.

"Although we can't use this fast charging station to replenish our energy for the time being, a slow charger is still acceptable. It can charge an extra 50 kWh per day, and we can accumulate enough energy for one charge every two days."

Cheng Ye pondered to himself.

He had already decided that charging within the buffer zone was something he wouldn't touch without a solid foundation in the early stages.

If the person recording the battery consumption notices the anomaly and comes looking for him, he won't even have a chance to explain.

But free ones are different.

Firstly, even if the records are detailed, it's meaningless. As long as the unused resources don't cause trouble, nobody cares where they go.

Secondly, the charging stations in this warehouse are already a shady business, and if the records are kept too detailed, it could easily leave evidence against us.

"We're hesitant to start charging at fast charging stations because we're afraid of being recorded. We'll wait until we have a better understanding of the situation before making any moves."

"It's only 15 contribution points. There are plenty of ways to make money. The problem is not having the channels."

"But since the slow charging stations are a hidden perk of the fast checkpoints, what's there to be afraid of? Everyone's taking advantage of this, so why can't I participate!"

P.S.: Thank you to readers 20220726, Zhuozhuo, sdriver, and Kanhuakaikanzhe for your monthly tickets! Thank you for your support!

PS2: I read every single comment and message in this chapter. Some questions haven't been answered because they involve spoilers. Please rest assured that the setting of this book is absolutely unique, including the superpowers and the development mode. It's a brand new version and a brand new experience!
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(End of this chapter)