Xiao Chong lowered his head and glanced at the clothes he was wearing, muttering:
"I haven't had scrambled eggs with tomatoes in ages."
"Me too…" Shang Jianyao showed a reminiscent expression, raised his right palm, and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Jiang Baimian listened to their conversation, her expression gradually becoming a little strange.
Then, she tried to join in:
"I can make that dish.
"It's just that, in the wild, eggs are relatively easy to find, as long as you don't insist on chicken eggs. Tomatoes are a bit difficult."
Xiao Chong pondered:
"I remember there's a cold storage facility in Tianxing District that's packed with tomatoes, but I don't know if they've been eaten all up, or if they're still edible."
"We can go check it out if we have the chance." Jiang Baimian steered the topic back on track. "Let's get out of here first."
"Okay." Xiao Chong was the first to respond, carrying the red schoolbag and skipping towards the door.
Watching his back, Shang Jianyao took the initiative to say:
"I'll go in front."
"Alright." Jiang Baimian didn't stop him.
Thus, they changed their tactical formation—mainly Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian switched positions.
The "Old Task Force" once again walked along the silent, dark corridor. Most of the light relied on Jiang Baimian at the very end of the team. The others' flashlights couldn't be held, so they could only shine straight down, illuminating only a small area.
"Hurry up!" Xiao Chong, carrying the red schoolbag, would occasionally turn around to urge these adults, but Shang Jianyao and the others remained unmoved, maintaining their own pace.
"Sigh." Xiao Chong sighed after urging them for a while, "Back when the school organized parent-child activities, my mom and dad were the same way, they had to follow slowly behind, as if running would make them lose face as adults."
"What are parent-child activities?" Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong asked in unison.
"It's, it's…" Xiao Chong organized his words, "Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."
As they spoke, they returned to the stairwell safely and uneventfully.
This made Jiang Baimian reveal an expression that confirmed her initial guess.
During their return to the first floor, they didn't encounter any attacks either, smoothly passing through the smashed open security door and seeing the elevator lobby.
Jiang Baimian considered it for a moment and said to Xiao Chong, who was wearing yellow clothes, in a gentle but slightly loud voice:
"Is it okay to wait here? We still have some things to do."
She hadn't forgotten the plan to snipe Qiao Chu here.
Before Xiao Chong could answer, Shang Jianyao added:
"We're going to play a real shooting game.
"It's like moving the game from before to the real world."
Xiao Chong's eyes lit up as he muttered:
"I'm just a child, I shouldn't play such dangerous games.
"But I can be a spectator!"
While speaking, he looked expectant, as if hoping Shang Jianyao would give him a handgun.
Shang Jianyao ignored his subtext:
"Remember to cheer and applaud!"
"Okay…" Xiao Chong looked around in disappointment, "Where should I stay?"
Jiang Baimian pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor:
"You sit there, you can see what's happening here, and it's safer."
"Okay, okay." Xiao Chong, carrying the red schoolbag, skipped over and sat down without any fear of getting dirty.
Jiang Baimian then said to Bai Chen:
"You go next to Xiao Chong, lie there, and watch your three elevators.
"When the time comes, we'll press the up button to make the elevators stop on this floor.
"When the elevator doors open, you immediately snipe Qiao Chu inside.
"Well, one thing to pay attention to, Qiao Chu is likely to be prepared and use abnormal postures to avoid the attack, for example, half-crouched on the ground, or jumping up, grabbing the top of the elevator, hanging there, and shrinking his body."
Although Bai Chen had rich combat experience in city ruins, those places no longer had working elevators, so she spent some time imagining the corresponding scenes, and then said:
"I understand."
She seemed to associate the similar scene with a past experience, her expression changed slightly, and she raised her hand to tug at her scarf.
At this time, Jiang Baimian was already looking at Shang Jianyao, pointing to the three elevators that could not be seen in the stairwell:
"You go to the button position, with your back against the wall.
"There are two tasks:
"One is to assist Bai Chen, to prevent Qiao Chu from thinking of any way to prevent her from finding the target in the first time, or from hitting the vital point;
"Second, after the empty elevator passes, help me press the up button again."
She then pointed to herself:
"I'll go in the middle of the three elevators that Bai Chen is responsible for, also standing with my back against the wall. Well, it's best to choose a kneeling position at this time.
"I'm responsible for sniping the three elevators on the left and right sides of Shang Jianyao, and at the same time, if there's any accident that prevents Shang Jianyao from making a move in time, I can also press the up button again.
"Also, I will try my best to sense the changes in electrical signals and determine in which elevator Qiao Chu is in advance."
Seeing the team leader stop, Long Yuehong couldn't help asking:
"What about me?"
"Not bad, you have a sense of teamwork." Jiang Baimian praised, pointing to the stairwell, "You monitor the stairs leading to the underground, and be ready to shoot at any time. There's a good chance that Qiao Chu will give up the elevator and choose the stairs."
"Yes, team leader!" Although Long Yuehong was nervous and uneasy, he was still quite happy that he could contribute to the team and be praised by the team leader.
…………
Next to the underground machine room, the building's electrical room.
Qiao Chu cast his gaze into the dark room illuminated by the flashlight, with a hint of surprise.
He didn't expect to find the target so smoothly.
Smoothly doesn't refer to the "finding" part, after all, he had spent a lot of time, but rather that he hadn't encountered any attacks from fanatic "admirers" along the way. No accidents occurred during the entire process.
This was completely different from his original expectations—he was very clear that there were many dangerous creatures in this building, so after the first "breakthrough" failed, he changed his approach and drove the members of the "Old Task Force". Otherwise, according to his habits and preferences, he simply didn't want to pay attention to other people, and if other people had to get close, he wouldn't mind shooting them directly.
Although he didn't understand why there was such a development, since success was near at hand, Qiao Chu didn't think too much about it, and strode into the room in front of him with his metal-framed legs.
…………
"There's one more problem." Jiang Baimian said with a solemn expression after assigning tasks to everyone, "Qiao Chu's 'charm' ability has a relatively large range. According to the current arrangement, even Bai Chen, who is the furthest away, will be affected. Therefore, we have to make some preparations in advance."
She looked directly at Shang Jianyao:
"Is there any way?
"If not, we'll give up here and go to the top of the building to snipe from a distance when Qiao Chu leaves. Well, by then, the city's lighting must have been partially restored."
Shang Jianyao smiled and answered without hesitation:
"Yes!"
He continued:
"But I have to do it with each person separately, otherwise, with mutual witnessing, the effect will be greatly reduced, or even have no effect."
"You didn't ask other people to avoid it when we were underground, did you?" Long Yuehong asked in confusion.
"At that time, you were under the influence of 'charm', you would actively ignore some things and emphasize some things, and the conditions I used were all considered by you to be taken for granted at the time, and the conclusion was also." Shang Jianyao explained seriously.
Jiang Baimian expressed her understanding:
"Then let's start, as soon as possible."
Shang Jianyao pointed outside the elevator lobby:
"Team leader, come with me."
"Okay." Jiang Baimian strode over and followed Shang Jianyao to a place where Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn't see or hear.
Shang Jianyao looked into Jiang Baimian's eyes, his pupils instantly turning deep and dark:
"Team leader, look:
"Eighty percent of the couples at 'Pangu Biology' are assigned by the company;
"Among them, many families are doing very well, the couples are harmonious and depend on each other.
"So…"
Jiang Baimian was stunned for a moment, and blurted out:
"Only what the company assigns is a partner, is love.
"Love at first sight must be a scam!"
Shang Jianyao nodded and said with a smile:
"So we have to smash the scammer's dog head."
"Where did you learn the word 'dog head'?" Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao.
Inside "Pangu Biology", how could ordinary employees afford to raise dogs?
Even if there were any, they would be supplied as food.
"On the radio program." Shang Jianyao looked at Jiang Baimian suspiciously, "Haven't you heard that serialized story?"
"No." Jiang Baimian responded, sighing, "I feel like I might not have had a childhood."
Shang Jianyao didn't say anything more, and returned to the elevator lobby with the team leader, and said to Long Yuehong:
"It's your turn."
Long Yuehong followed nervously and asked in a low voice:
"How are you going to fool me, no, influence me?"
"That's very simple." Shang Jianyao said casually, "Look, you've always wanted to have a beautiful female spouse and have several children so they can eat meat three times a week. Can a man do that?"
Long Yuehong's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice:
"No!"
He quickly distanced himself from Shang Jianyao:
"You're disgusting.
"It's disgusting to be with a man!"
At this time, they hadn't reached the designated location yet.
Shang Jianyao smiled and patted the side of the assault rifle, turning to Bai Chen and saying:
"It's your turn."
"Am I, am I done?" Long Yuehong next to him looked blank.
Shang Jianyao replied very seriously:
"You don't need to, you're fine."
"What…" Long Yuehong walked back to his original position, muttering with a bit of doubt.
Bai Chen, who was coming towards him, glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Shang Jianyao led Bai Chen to the previous place and said sincerely:
"Can you talk about the people or things you value?
"The more I understand you, the better the final effect will be.
"It doesn't have to be too detailed, just mention it briefly."
Bai Chen thought for a while, pulled at the scarf around her neck, and said in a slightly low and hoarse voice:
"I used to have a robot that accompanied me through the most difficult dozen years.
"Later, it died to save me…"
Shang Jianyao's eyes had unknowingly turned deep and dark:
"Look:
"That robot accompanied you to grow up and always protected you;
"It even sacrificed itself to save you;
"So…"
Bai Chen's eyes suddenly became a little moist.
She was silent for a moment, then said in a firm tone:
"Only robots are true partners, humans are not worth loving!"
Clap, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands:
"Don't be so extreme, okay, you can go back now."
Bai Chen restrained the urge to think and entered the sniping position.
At this time, Shang Jianyao walked to the gray-black elevator, looking at his reflection illuminated by the flashlight, and whispered with an exceptionally serious expression:
"The humans on the Greylands are still suffering from famine, pollution, disease, mutation, and war, and are still living in the shadow of 'Heartless Disease';
"This is something that everyone will inevitably face, no one will be an exception;
"So…"
Shang Jianyao paused and said in a deep voice:
"Loving someone will only affect my saving humanity!"
He then turned around and said to Jiang Baimian:
"Okay."
Jiang Baimian didn't hear Shang Jianyao's whisper just now, didn't react any further, and directly said:
"Everyone to your positions!"
The members of the "Old Task Force" quickly adjusted their positions and postures, patiently waiting for changes.
About a minute or two later, the elevator lobby suddenly lit up.
The entire first floor lobby lit up.
The bright white light dispelled the darkness and dominated this area.
The building's power was restored.
PS: Asking for recommendation tickets~