Having entered the underground building, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen, as per routine, handed over all their belongings.
During their security check, the employee responsible for the initial inspection wore gloves and meticulously went through their items.
While rummaging, he looked at Long Yuehong and Bai Chen and said:
"A voice recorder?"
This was something repeatedly emphasized in the security manual.
"Yes," Bai Chen replied calmly, looking at the voice recorder in the other person's hand.
The male employee responsible for the initial check used an electronic device to request the manifest of items the two had when leaving the company and compared them, saying:
"You only got this in the last few days?"
"How should I put it?" Long Yuehong put on a smile. "It belonged to us before, but this is the first time we've brought it back."
At this moment, the team leader responsible for the entrance area approached, frowning as he asked:
"What do you mean?"
Long Yuehong looked left and right, lowering his voice as he said:
"We often go out on missions, and some items are left outside to avoid having to hand them in."
The Security Department employees protecting the entrance to the underground building all had experience with external field work, and many of them understood immediately what he meant:
Any items they obtained during missions had to be handed over to the company and then converted into contribution points, which were then distributed to them. This inevitably resulted in "losses," and despite their contributions, the employees only received rewards equivalent to a fraction of the value of their gains.
Of course, "Pangu Biology" would compensate for this in terms of rank promotions.
Therefore, teams that consistently went on external field work would leave some items outside, hidden in concealed places, and if they had the chance later, they would use them to exchange for things they rarely enjoyed from ruin hunters, smugglers, or "Rootless" teams.
This was considered an open secret within the Security Department, and the higher-ups turned a blind eye to it as long as it wasn't too excessive.
The team leader nodded and asked further:
"Why bring it back this time?"
This was a routine inquiry.
"It contains recordings of our team's discussions and firsthand intelligence," Long Yuehong said with a smile, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head with his Iron Hand. "We've been relatively free recently, and during our exchanges, we realized that we didn't remember some details clearly, so we specifically brought the voice recorder back to listen to it."
"Has the intelligence inside been submitted?" The team leader wasn't very familiar with the "Old Task Force," but he knew Jiang Baimian, who had a famous reputation.
"It's been submitted a long time ago," Long Yuehong replied sincerely.
The team leader grunted.
"I don't have any problems here. You can go back now, but this voice recorder and other items still have to be sent for review to confirm there are no anomalies before they are returned to you.
"You should be very clear about this, right?"
"Understood." Long Yuehong knew that after the "Naturalism Church" incident, the company was very strict with voice recorders, computers, and other devices.
Having already completed the security check, he and Bai Chen returned to the car and drove the off-road vehicle deeper into this level.
After getting away from the entrance, Long Yuehong slowly exhaled.
He knew that the waiting ahead would be the most difficult.
He wondered if the team leader's trick would be able to deceive the company's reviewers… If any abnormalities were discovered, Xiao Bai and I would be done for… Long Yuehong turned his head to look at Bai Chen in the passenger seat, only to find her face calm, without the slightest hint of tension.
"Your mental fortitude is much better than mine…" Long Yuehong said, suppressing his voice.
Bai Chen pursed her lips and said:
"We've been through so many storms."
She then added:
"Don't say similar things again."
Lest there be ears on the other side of the wall.
…………
Underground building, Floor 649, inside a certain room.
A man and a woman turned on the voice recorder and began listening to its contents.
Next to them was a recording device, already turned on, ready to record the sounds from the voice recorder at any time.
After such a detour, possible anomalies would be filtered out, so that the people who listened to the recordings and compared them to the written records in the second round would not be affected.
The man and woman each held a fountain pen, and in front of them was a stack of blank paper.
They both possessed shorthand skills, and while listening, they had to convert the words inside the voice recorder into text to be handed over to those in the second round for review.
At the same time, they themselves were "inspection equipment." After listening to the recording, specialized personnel would come to determine whether they had been affected.
This was a meticulously designed process by "Pangu Biology" professionals:
First, these two people, by listening to the original recording, would directly confirm whether there were any anomalies;
Second, they would listen to the transcribed content and look at the written records to review from the meaning of the words whether there were any bad tendencies or hidden tricks;
Third, they would compare the transcribed content and the written records to confirm whether there were any problems in the previous two steps.
As a child of management, as a d9-level employee, as an Awakened, Jiang Baimian had long learned about this process through her own channels.
Zzzzzz, after a brief burst of static, Shang Jianyao's voice came out:
"I have a very serious matter to tell you."
"What is it?" Long Yuehong's voice asked.
Jiang Baimian then scoffed:
"This guy is never serious. Why would you believe anything he says?"
"He occasionally seriously discusses issues," Bai Chen said without "discriminating" against Shang Jianyao.
Shang Jianyao said solemnly:
"About, uh, the Big Boss, thing."
"What's wrong with the Big Boss?" Jiang Baimian's voice also became serious.
Shang Jianyao suddenly laughed:
"I was wondering if the Big Boss would participate in mandatory matchmaking.
"Who's lucky enough to become the Boss's spouse?"
"…" After a brief silence, Jiang Baimian sighed, "I knew you wouldn't say anything good. If the members of the Board of Directors heard this, they definitely wouldn't give you an easy time."
Shang Jianyao clicked his tongue.
"So what if they heard it? Even if, uh, the Big Boss is, is a Fate Ascendant, haven't we usually blasphemed against the Fate Ascendants enough?"
"We haven't. Only you have!" Long Yuehong flatly denied.
Shang Jianyao seemed to be counting on his fingers:
"The first one we encountered was 'Tutelary Deity,' then there were 'Lonely Matron,' 'Shattered Mirror,' 'Bodhi,' 'Zhuang Sheng'…"
He rattled off a list and finally said:
"The Board of Directors doesn't take orders from their Shepherd. What am I afraid of?"
"Shepherd?" Jiang Baimian said dismissively.
Shang Jianyao seriously explained:
"In the ancient legends of the Old World, there was a god whose clergy were called Shepherds, and we were the flock they herded."
"Now there are only the Fate Ascendants," Bai Chen pointed out.
Shang Jianyao said solemnly:
"The Fate Ascendants had legends even before."
"That's just a small part," Long Yuehong interjected.
"Let's not discuss this," Jiang Baimian changed the subject. "Let's discuss the intelligence we've gathered on the 'New World' so far."
"Mmm, mmm." Shang Jianyao followed suit. "It seems that what enters there is human consciousness, not the body…"
After discussing for a while, he said thoughtfully:
"I was wondering, what do the residents of the 'New World' eat?"
"Those who eat qi become gods and live long," Jiang Baimian said with a smile.
Shang Jianyao continued:
"Many clues point to the 'New World' as the origin of 'Heartless Disease.'"
"It cannot be definitively confirmed yet," Long Yuehong pointed out.
Shang Jianyao replied earnestly:
"Our role is to accomplish this."
"I don't think we should think too highly of ourselves," Long Yuehong disagreed. "One must know one's place."
Shang Jianyao said seriously:
"No, one must have confidence. Maybe I'll even become the Big Boss in the future."
"It's a good thing you have the doctor's certificate; otherwise, if the company heard this recording, you would be a current counter-revolutionary," Jiang Baimian laughed.
Shang Jianyao responded:
"We can't say that maybe one day we'll become food for the 'Heartless.'.
"Everyone, death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai…"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Jiang Baimian interrupted him.
Shang Jianyao's voice became low and deep:
"This is really something that needs serious consideration.
"The closer our investigation gets to the 'New World,' the more dangerous it becomes. The road ahead is full of crises, and disaster may be coming soon."
"What kind of disaster do you think it will be?" Long Yuehong asked.
Shang Jianyao maintained his previous state:
"I have many guesses. For example, the 'Heartless Disease' will break out again, or the 'New World' will shatter, destroying even the Ashlands… You must take this opportunity to improve yourselves as much as possible.
"If you encounter danger and cannot fight back, don't hesitate, escape immediately and return to the company."
"What about you?" Bai Chen asked.
Shang Jianyao replied without hesitation:
"Of course, I have to save all of humanity before returning to the underground building.
"By then, we will completely get rid of the threat of 'Heartless Disease.'
"Then, the Board of Directors should elect me to inherit the Big Boss's position."
"How did you circle back to that again?" Jiang Baimian's tone was full of helplessness.
Shang Jianyao replied with a serious expression:
"This is one of my goals after retirement.
"As a person, you have to know how to control yourself."
"Is this what you call control?" Long Yuehong asked curiously.
Shang Jianyao ignored him and said to himself:
"Everyone, let's work hard together and run towards the dawn and hope!
"A wonderful life is just around the corner!"
"Thank you for your encouragement," Jiang Baimian asked in annoyance. "What if we fail?"
"Then…" Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said, "Hurry up and find a chance to escape!"
The "Old Task Force" had several intermittent exchanges on the issue of the "New World," leaving behind many recordings.
After listening, the man and woman in the room put down their pens and looked at each other.
"There's nothing wrong," the man shook his head.
The woman echoed:
"Except that the male's mental state doesn't seem to be very good, and he likes to think out loud."
They stopped talking and compared notes to improve the shorthand content.
After completing all this, they left the room and handed the written records and transcribed content to their colleagues responsible for the second round of review, while they themselves underwent a professional check.
After confirmation, there was nothing wrong with the contents of the voice recorder.
…………
Room 14, Floor 647.
After fiddling with his belongings for a while, Long Yuehong took out the voice recorder, turned it on, and started listening.
After listening to the first long segment, he tilted his head and nodded almost imperceptibly at Bai Chen.
Bai Chen returned the same gesture.
ps: Asking for double monthly tickets at the beginning of the month~