Shang Jianyao scratched his chin and pinched his cheek, looking troubled.
In the end, he gave a vague answer:
"It depends. If there are understanding people and elders supervising, it will definitely be stricter. If not, it depends on their self-awareness. Sigh..."
As he spoke, Shang Jianyao sighed.
He acted like a loyal warrior worried about the future of the "Savior Army."
Isn't this nonsense? Long Yuehong complained inwardly about Shang Jianyao's answer.
It was roughly equivalent to saying, "If a cold air mass moves south, it will definitely get colder. If not, the fluctuation will be relatively small," when someone asked, "Will it get colder tomorrow?"
Bai Chen expressed her opinion:
"Judging from the current situation, I'm more inclined to believe that the person in Room 214 has really handed over the warhead to the next person or accomplice, and is quite confident that he is using a conspiracy to force the 'Savior Army' to evacuate the public so that the other party can safely take the warhead out of Wubei.
"In this case, he originally only needed to drag on until tonight, and tomorrow he could leave Wubei with the hotel guests without being checked for any problems. Who knew he would run into us."
The plan of the person in Room 214 actually had a high fault tolerance rate. Putting aside the fact that the "Old Task Force" didn't understand, or even was unsure of, the existence of the next person or accomplice, in the small environment of the "Ashlands Hotel," he, with the "Clairaudience" item, could monitor the content of everyone's communication in real-time. Once he detected a wrong sign, he would blur the corresponding memories, which would not only not cause a big commotion and attract the attention of others, but also could support him for several days, or even longer, under normal circumstances.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he didn't expect that the "Old Task Force" had seen too much of the world, was powerful, had a variety of items, and possessed bioelectrical signal sensing, a second reconnaissance method that could have a certain effect even through several walls.
Hearing this, Jiang Baimian couldn't help but have the same question as Shang Jianyao earlier:
Was the price paid by the person in Room 214 really high blood pressure, or was it just bad luck?
Ah, when people are down on their luck, they can choke even when drinking cold water!
After discussing this question for a while, Jiang Baimian suddenly sensed that multiple human consciousnesses were coming up the stairs and heading towards them.
"Are they coming to arrest us?" Shang Jianyao not only didn't panic or fear, but instead looked excited.
He shouldn't be thinking of having a big fight with the "Savior Army"... Judging from his expression, he doesn't seem to be scaring Little Red either... Jiang Baimian looked at the guy sideways, puzzled:
"What are you so excited about?"
The honest Shang Jianyao replied:
"Once I'm successfully arrested, I can join the 'Savior Army' by atoning for my sins!
"I don't think any force would reject an Awakened at the 'Mind Corridor' level."
"..." Jiang Baimian and Long Yuehong were both stunned.
After two seconds, Jiang Baimian gritted her teeth and said:
"You don't need to be arrested. You can defect openly now."
Shang Jianyao shook his head:
"No, that's a betrayal of the company!"
So you know that too? Before Jiang Baimian could speak, Shang Jianyao added:
"After being arrested, the company should understand my idea of enduring humiliation and preserving my useful body."
Jiang Baimian gradually had the feeling that debating with Shang Jianyao was better than giving him a slap with her left hand. Anyway, the final outcome was the same.
At this moment, the fortunate Shang Jianyao discovered that the several human consciousnesses coming upstairs had stopped outside their room.
A knock on the door followed.
"Please come in." Jiang Baimian withdrew her gaze and looked at the door.
Unsurprisingly, Shang Jianyao was the one responsible for opening the door.
Outside the door were Ding Ling and Committee Member Huang, who was wearing a black "Savior Army" uniform but without epaulets.
Behind Committee Member Huang were several other people, some wearing black "Savior Army" uniforms and others wearing olive green uniforms representing the Security Management Committee.
Committee Member Huang, who was nearly 1.7 meters tall, looked back and said to the security personnel protecting him:
"You guys stay outside."
No one objected, and no one suggested that it was against security protocols for Committee Member Huang to enter the room alone.
This was enough to show Committee Member Huang's consistent style and the confidence of the security personnel in his strength.
After taking two steps forward, Committee Member Huang thought for a moment and said to Ding Ling:
"You don't need to follow. Close the door."
Ding Ling nodded:
"Yes, Committee Member Huang."
She exited the room and closed the wooden door.
Committee Member Huang then looked around and smiled at the members of the "Old Task Force":
"Don't worry. According to feedback from all sides, it's impossible for you to have transferred the warhead.
"This shows that you were really the first to dig out the suspect and take timely action. On behalf of the Wubei Materials Coordination Committee and the Wubei Security Management Committee, I thank you!"
Shang Jianyao, who was being thanked, was not happy at all, and even a little disappointed.
Committee Member Huang noticed the change in his emotions and looked at him with slight confusion.
However, this wasn't anything too important to care about. Committee Member Huang smiled and sighed:
"I told you the general situation of the missing warhead because I wanted you to help pay attention to the things inside the 'Ashlands Hotel' and the outsiders here.
"It's not that we don't have the ability to investigate one by one, but I've always adhered to a concept: the more helpers in development, the harder it is for the enemy!
"Sure enough, you really found the problem, found the clues, and solved that dangerous element."
As expected of an old batch of "Savior Army" warriors, their hearts and minds are impeccable... Jiang Baimian looked at Committee Member Huang, who was much older than her father, and at his full head of white hair, and replied with a smile:
"It was just good luck that we got clues after asking only two or three people.
"Committee Member Huang, let's talk while sitting. We feel uneasy with you standing like that."
She didn't mention respecting the elderly because some old people don't like to be called old.
Committee Member Huang nodded, walked to the sofa in the suite, and sat down.
After Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others also found places to sit, he nodded slightly:
"I personally believe that you have no problems at all."
For some reason, Jiang Baimian felt that Committee Member Huang had put a little emphasis on "at all."
Committee Member Huang continued:
"I came here to hear your guesses about the whereabouts of the warhead. You have already proven with facts that you have excellent minds."
"Uh..." Jiang Baimian hesitated about whether to talk about the guess that the accomplice in Room 214 might be a family member of a high-ranking member of the Wubei "Savior Army." After all, it was important for outsiders to avoid suspicion, and not interfering in the internal affairs of the "Savior Army" was the primary rule of avoiding suspicion.
Regardless of whether they intentionally provoked the relationship between certain factions of the "Savior Army," just from the actual situation, their intentions were punishable.
At this moment, the "traitor" Shang Jianyao had already described the two situations guessed by the "Old Task Force" in detail:
"First, he really is a madman and has already installed the warhead somewhere in Wubei...
"Second, he is an intermediary, or rather, he has accomplices... and some people in Wubei may have already left the city at this moment. Will their checks be very strict?"
Committee Member Huang smiled dumbfounded:
"Did you get the inspiration for the second situation from Old Zhang?
"If he can think of it, how can I not think of it?
"From this afternoon to the evening, I personally oversaw and didn't give anyone face, strictly checking everyone before letting them go."
Shang Jianyao wasn't happy because of this, but instead "sighed."
"Are you trying to say, why could those people evacuate Wubei in advance? Well, Old Zhang will definitely ask the same thing." Committee Member Huang stood up and walked to the window.
He pointed to the soldiers outside who were responsible for the curfew and said:
"My colleagues chose to stay in Wubei and face the risk of nuclear explosion with me. My subordinates chose to stay in Wubei and face the risk of nuclear explosion with me. Those young people outside, whether actively or passively, also stayed in Wubei and faced the risk of nuclear explosion with me.
"They are willing to make sacrifices and contributions to this incident. How could I bear to leave their families in such a dangerous place? How could I not help them eliminate their worries?"
After listening to Committee Member Huang's words, Long Yuehong, who had originally resonated with Elder Zhang's indignation, actually felt that what the other party said made some sense.
Committee Member Huang slowly exhaled and continued:
"Old Zhang's disappointment, incomprehension, anger, and suspicion are all understandable. I have also been through such stages."
His gaze turned to the outside again, as if looking at the stars in the high sky that were mostly obscured by clouds:
"I've already forgotten which year of the New Calendar it was. The number of wasteland wanderers absorbed by our 'Savior Army' exceeded a limit, and the old world reserve warehouses and various food sources that we originally controlled were also consumed to a very dangerous point. As a result, a great famine occurred, and many people starved to death.
"Hong Guangming, you still remember him, right? One of his children died at that time.
"After this famine, we deeply realized that we couldn't continue like this. We had to be responsible for the lives of those who already belonged to the 'Savior Army,' and we had to slow down for a long time to consolidate the foundation of agriculture and industry and build up food reserves.
"At the time, many people didn't understand and felt that this was a violation of the original oath and a giving up of the ideals in their hearts?
"Well, although Old Zhang and the others didn't understand, they could accept it, after all, the great famine had really happened before their eyes.
"Later, alas, during the stage of reclaiming farmland and building industry, we encountered many problems. The most serious of these was that after settling down, many people wanted to live their lives with a small plot of land. People, ah, can't always be tense all the time.
"Those of us old guys have seen the prosperity of the old world and know what the goal is, but the little guys who were born after the chaotic era, or those who were less than seven or eight years old when the old world was destroyed, feel that the way things are now is very good, and they try to make themselves even better on this basis.
"The yearning for a better life is everyone's natural right, and we can't treat everyone as saints, selfless and unselfish. This is not realistic or scientific.
"Perhaps in a specific stage, everyone can demand themselves to be saints, perhaps in all stages, a small number of people can always demand themselves to be saints, but in all stages, it is impossible for everyone to always demand themselves to be saints. The selfish are always the majority.
"Faced with this situation, we can only accept reality and gradually adjust our management system and methods to mobilize the enthusiasm of more people. In the process, many problems inevitably arise. This is unacceptable to Old Zhang and the others, but we old guys have really been working hard to solve them. It's just that sometimes compromise is the only way to go further. When we get out of the corresponding predicament, it may be better to turn around and solve it."
Shang Jianyao listened quietly without interrupting.
ps: Please allow me to take another day off tomorrow. I'm traveling a long distance home today, but I don't have any drafts saved. My current habit is to save one or two drafts first, because it makes me feel more at ease and less anxious when I write. So, there will be no update tomorrow, and things will return to normal on Monday.