Hearing Jiang Baimian's question, Bai Chen slowed her pace and replied calmly:
"I quite like him."
"Ah..." Jiang Baimian was first stunned, then looked left and right, and lowered her voice unconsciously, "Since he likes you, and you also like him, with your style, you should have already taken the initiative."
It was because of this that Jiang Baimian couldn't quite figure out Bai Chen's thoughts before.
Frankly, her mind was filled with, "With Bai Chen's style, she should have already walked up to Long Yuehong, reached out and grabbed his collar, pulled him in front of her, and directly asked him, 'I want to sleep with you, are you willing?'"
Of course, this imagined, exaggerated scene definitely couldn't be said. One had to be polite and not act like a certain someone.
Bai Chen frowned slightly, pondering her answer:
"I feel that my style in this regard conflicts a bit with the atmosphere within the company.
"As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'm not afraid that being too proactive will damage my image, but I'm worried about scaring him, making him lose face in front of others. So, I've been waiting, waiting for him to take the initiative."
Sigh, I thought you were a bit insecure because of your past experiences, and I was thinking about how to enlighten you... Jiang Baimian quietly breathed a sigh of relief, happily using the interjection she learned from the Old World entertainment materials.
She carefully considered her words:
"There are only a few people in our team. If I don't say anything, Wei doesn't say anything, Old Ge doesn't say anything, who would know what happened between you and Xiaohong?"
"Wei really won't say anything?" Bai Chen expressed her concern.
Jiang Baimian "uh"ed and couldn't guarantee it.
Even Shang Jianyao couldn't guarantee it!
Jiang Baimian changed the subject and said:
"Ding Ling said one thing very accurately: on the greylands, often there is today, but no tomorrow. You must learn to cherish the people in front of you and not waste time on inexplicable worries. You're from the wasteland, you should understand this better than I do."
Bai Chen was silent for a few seconds and nodded gently:
"I understand."
Jiang Baimian didn't say anything more. After all, this was someone else's relationship, and getting too involved would be an inappropriate act.
The two of them walked back to the camp in silence.
At this time, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were walking around the jeep to digest their food after dinner.
Suddenly, Bai Chen quickened her pace and walked towards Long Yuehong.
Long Yuehong immediately stiffened, and Shang Jianyao嗖(sou) pulled away.
Genaava, who was responsible for guarding, continued to focus his gaze outside the camp.
"Is, is there something wrong?" Long Yuehong asked stutteringly as he saw Bai Chen stop in front of him.
Bai Chen asked calmly:
"Do you like me?"
Wow! Just as Shang Jianyao was about to whistle, a hand wrapped around and covered his mouth.
It was Jiang Baimian.
Hearing Bai Chen's question, Long Yuehong was first stunned, then became extremely nervous.
He blurted out:
"I, I'm only 1.75 meters tall after gene modification, and I look average..."
Bai Chen interrupted him:
"Like, or dislike?"
Long Yuehong stammered for a while, his face flushed red, and he answered with a slightly wandering gaze:
"Li, like, don't feel troubled..."
Bai Chen nodded:
"I like you too."
"..." Long Yuehong was stunned for a few seconds, and his eyes suddenly lit up, "Really?"
Without waiting for Bai Chen to answer, he hurriedly added:
"It's not that I don't believe you, I'm just habitually asking."
Bai Chen nodded again:
"Really."
Long Yuehong opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment, his mind filled with various thoughts, like wild horses that had broken free of their reins and couldn't be stopped.
Bai Chen took the initiative to reach out and grab Long Yuehong's left hand.
She glanced at the jeep and nodded slightly:
"It's outside now, many things are inconvenient. It would be even more troublesome if I got pregnant. Otherwise, tonight we could..."
"No, no need to be so fast!" Long Yuehong waved his mechanical arm, both embarrassed and happy.
Then, he saw a faint smile on the corner of Bai Chen's mouth, slightly showing a hint of playfulness. Only then did he realize that in addition to sincerity, the girl in front of him was also teasing, or rather joking.
Not far away, Shang Jianyao tried hard to shout "I can lend you the Six Senses Bead," but failed to do so, his mouth being tightly covered by Jiang Baimian.
At the same time, Jiang Baimian glared at Genaava, telling this clueless robot not to applaud randomly and disturb others' heartfelt expressions.
However, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong didn't whisper for too long, after all, there were three pairs of six eyes looking at them, and red lights flashed from time to time.
After sitting back around the campfire, Jiang Baimian looked at the two who were still holding hands and joked with a smile:
"You can't be like this when patrolling later, it will affect your combat effectiveness!"
"That's right, for the sake of the team's safety, let's simply change the pairings. Me and Xiaohong, Daba(Big White) you and Xiaobai(Little White)," Shang Jianyao said in cooperation.
"No need, we're fine," Long Yuehong shook his head quickly.
Jiang Baimian then chuckled:
"Then, after returning to the company this time, should we give you a honeymoon, maternity leave, and parental leave?"
"Pangu Biology" didn't have the concept of a honeymoon, it was included in the marriage leave, but who told the "Old Task Force" to be experts in Old World entertainment materials.
Honestly, Jiang Baimian breathed a sigh of relief because of this. She was worried about how to convince Long Yuehong and Bai Chen to stay after returning to the company this time and not participate in the subsequent investigations.
Long Yuehong was easier to persuade, but Bai Chen was more troublesome. But if they formed a family and started to nurture life according to the habits and procedures within "Pangu Biology," things would become simpler.
"See, see how it goes," Long Yuehong replied awkwardly.
However, despite the embarrassment, he couldn't bear to let go of Bai Chen's hand.
Bai Chen nodded in agreement:
"It depends on the team's arrangements."
Jiang Baimian suddenly felt a toothache.
She then waved her right hand with feigned boldness and said:
"It's okay, I'll give you leave!"
Amidst the laughter and jokes, the gloomy atmosphere within the "Old Task Force" caused by the sacrifice of Huang Yuan and Zhang Lao gradually returned to normal.
Two days passed, and the "Old Task Force" learned from the lumberyard-type settlement named Anse that the Ubei alarm had been lifted and the evacuated people were returning one after another.
So, they drove the jeep back to Ubei, their purpose being the Eighth Research Institute's intelligence that Huang Yuan had applied for before and intended to share with them.
Jiang Baimian believed that with the "Savior Army's" style, they wouldn't give nothing after the "Old Task Force" had proactively disclosed so much important information. The only point worth paying attention to was how much valuable intelligence they would provide, or rather, what intelligence they actually possessed about the Eighth Research Institute.
Seeing Ubei in sight, Long Yuehong looked at Bai Chen, who was driving, and said with some concern:
"Will the 'Savior Army' still be checking vehicles coming and going, looking for the missing warhead?"
Which was hidden on the "Old Task Force's" jeep.
Jiang Baimian laughed:
"If they find it, just tell them that we came back specifically because we found the missing warhead and planned to return it."
"Tsk..." Shang Jianyao had only "tsk"ed when he succumbed to Jiang Baimian's raised left hand.
As expected of the team leader... Long Yuehong muttered and focused his gaze on the entrance to Ubei.
The "Savior Army" soldiers there simply checked the "Old Task Force's" passes, told them not to take out military exoskeletons and bionic intelligent armor in the city, and then let them go directly.
On the way to the Ubei Materials Coordination Committee, Shang Jianyao rolled down the car window, leaned on the door, and looked at the scenery on the street.
Not far away was a non-staple food store belonging to the "Savior Army" official, and a dozen people were holding receipts, lined up, waiting patiently.
They were orderly, no one cut in line, and they occasionally chatted with each other, their eyebrows and eyes full of the joy of finally being safe to celebrate.
Further away was a market, and elderly people with vegetable baskets were coming and going.
As the jeep moved forward, Shang Jianyao also saw nurseries, kindergartens, and elementary schools.
One young figure after another was playing, listening, or doing exercises during recess.
叮铃铃(Ding Ling Ling), a bicycle passed by, heading to a factory on the edge of Ubei.
Shang Jianyao clung to the car window, watching quietly, without saying a word. Jiang Baimian was also the same.
Finally, they arrived at the Ubei Materials Coordination Committee. After informing them of their purpose, they waited for ten minutes and were led into a room on the first floor.
Not long after, a young man in a "Savior Army" black uniform, decisive and resolute, entered and handed them a document bag.
"Burn after reading," he simply instructed and sat down in the farthest seat.
Jiang Baimian nodded, opened the document bag, and quickly browsed through it.
There was a lot of information inside that the "Old Task Force" had already mastered, but there were also some things they didn't know, such as:
"Vice President," "Professor Li," "Charlie," and "Doctor" were unlike many "New World" powerhouses, and their interference in the greylands was quite frequent;
They and a part of the awakened ones who explored the depths of the "Mind Corridor" formed a Professor Liaison Council to manage the Eighth Research Institute—the latter group was responsible for the daily work;
Those commissioners of the Eighth Research Institute who were caught didn't seem to believe in any of the Ruling Gods…