Chapter Forty-Four: King of Gossip

"Qiaomu Cao, can you drive?" Ye Chen looked at the stream of vehicles passing by, unable to hide his envy.

Qiaomu Cao paused for a moment, then grinned. "Not only can I drive, but I truly know how to savor the experience.

"Before I get in, I usually test out the feel of the leather, grip the headlight to check the size, then insert the key and set off gently.

"You have to listen to the engine and adjust the depth and pressure on the pedal accordingly.

"Once on the main road, you gradually pick up speed, and if the car isn't responding fiercely enough, you try changing your driving posture.

"And when the engine roars at its loudest, you stomp it hard enough to blow the cylinder apart…"

Ye Chen glanced at the vehicles on the road, then back at Qiaomu Cao, utterly bewildered.

I have a suspicion you're not talking about driving at all, but I have no proof...

The two chatted idly as they walked.

It wasn't long before Ye Chen finally realized the true value of having Qiaomu Cao as his guide.

For anyone entering the Inner City for the first time, if you don't have someone to explain things to you, you'll do nothing but wander around aimlessly, exclaiming in amazement now and then.

At best, you might snap a few photos and find a public restroom.

Then, when you return and someone asks what you saw, you'll rack your brain and manage only, "It was… amazing!"

But Qiaomu Cao was clearly a master at guiding curious newcomers around the Inner City—a true professional tour guide. Ye Chen began to suspect that the Patrol Bureau had deliberately trained people like him, and that this was actually Qiaomu Cao's main job.

"Brother Ye Chen, do you see that building over there? That's the Land Transport Bureau.

"All the private cars on the streets, and the big freight trucks going in and out of the wilds, are under their jurisdiction.

"In the Inner City, buying a car isn't difficult—prices are clearly marked, and if you have the money, you can buy one. The hard part is actually getting the permit to drive it."

Following Qiaomu Cao's gesture, Ye Chen saw a complex of buildings. In front of them was a massive parking lot, packed with vehicles of every kind.

"If all you want is a permit to drive on Inner City streets, that's not too complicated. But—" Qiaomu Cao chuckled, "—you'll have to wait in line.

"See all those cars parked there? They're all waiting for their permits. Without one, no one dares drive out of that gate.

"But if you want a permit to freely enter and exit the Inner City and drive out onto the wilds, that's another story.

"Sometimes, just that one permit costs more than the car itself. And you still need connections to get it."

Ye Chen asked in confusion, "Why do you say 'enter and exit the Inner City'? What about driving in the Outer City?"

Qiaomu Cao seemed prepared for the question. "Because to people in the Inner City, there's no difference between the Outer City and the wilds.

"In their eyes, only the Inner City counts as the capital. The Outer City is nothing more than an outpost set on the wilds.

"And I heard the Land Transport Bureau's chief has a whole collection of luxury cars—some of them are worth as much as an entire residential block!"

Ye Chen could only curse inwardly. He couldn't even imagine what a house in the Inner City cost.

The price of a house in the Outer City was already far beyond his means.

He'd also noticed something: he'd never seen private cars in the Outer City. The only vehicles he ever saw were long-haul trucks.

The former were for improving one's quality of life, the latter purely for a livelihood.

"Now, look over there—that's the Personnel Bureau.

"They're in charge of appointments for all the departments in the Inner City," Qiaomu Cao said earnestly. "Man, that's definitely a prime place to be."

He looked around, then leaned in, lowering his voice. "The bigwigs in the Personnel Bureau are all filthy rich.

"If you want to move up to a better position, you can't get around the Personnel Bureau.

"In the Inner City, aside from the directors and deputy directors of each bureau, who are appointed directly by the Lord Governor, every other post can be influenced by the Personnel Bureau!"

Amazing—where did you pick up all this gossip?

If even a chatterbox like you knows this, it probably means everyone in the city does.

At the next intersection, Qiaomu Cao nudged Ye Chen with his elbow. "Look that way.

"See that group of buildings where a construction vehicle just entered? That's the Construction Bureau—they handle city construction, roadworks, and building houses.

"Let me tell you a secret: the Construction Bureau and the Personnel Bureau are very close. Rumor has it, the chiefs of both bureaus are having an affair."

What?!

Ye Chen stopped in astonishment, giving Qiaomu Cao a long look. How do you know everything? Aren't you afraid of knowing too many secrets and getting silenced?

Qiaomu Cao was clearly enjoying himself, gleefully sharing one juicy piece of gossip after another.

It was immensely satisfying for him—and Ye Chen got a full helping of intrigue.

Absolutely worth the trip—just listening to these stories made it all worthwhile.

Of course, Ye Chen knew that not everything Qiaomu Cao said could be taken as pure fact; some of it was bound to be embellished.

But even so, Ye Chen could easily imagine, just from common sense, that much of it wasn't baseless rumor.

The Inner City was the densest concentration of power and interests. People either looked out for themselves with ruthless cunning or, once their needs were met, succumbed to all kinds of desires.

In this walled forest, no matter how bizarre the birds that appeared, nothing would surprise him anymore.

And so, Ye Chen mentally gave Qiaomu Cao the title: "King of Gossip."

If he could befriend Qiaomu Cao, he’d never be short of information in the future.

Since joining the Outer City Patrol Bureau, Ye Chen had met several new friends.

There was Chen Bingfeng, meticulous and rigorous, with a genuine passion for learning—after all, he’d even asked Ye Chen to pick up a few books for him at an Inner City bookstore, and the list was still tucked in Ye Chen’s pocket.

Then there was Xu Fan, whose head was always filled with long, shapely legs and nothing but mischief. Yet, Ye Chen had discovered that beneath that carefree exterior was the courage to face danger for his friends.

Even though Xu Fan wasn’t especially strong, he was always willing to keep pace with his teammates.

As for Team Leader Dai—well, he was Ye Chen's superior, so calling him a friend would be premature. They hadn't interacted enough yet for Ye Chen to make a judgment.

...

After walking for about half an hour, they reached another intersection.

Qiaomu Cao pointed to a distant, strangely shaped building on the right. "We're almost there—that's our destination.

"The administrative district has a lot of intersections, and there are many bureaus we haven’t passed today. Next time, if you have the chance, I’ll give you a proper tour."

Ye Chen nodded slowly, but his attention was caught by the building ahead.

Its design was truly unique, completely unlike any of the other government offices they'd seen.

The whole building looked as if a steel plate had been twisted again and again in the same direction.

Ye Chen, not being well-versed in such things, didn't realize that this design had a technical name—DNA.