On the side street, a figure was walking slowly along the roadside.

He was in his forties, almost six feet tall, wearing a dark black robe and long black hair, with a distinguished mustache around his mouth. It was none other than Du Heng, whom the "Old Task Force" knew.

However, Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen felt no joy at meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land. In fact, their backs were covered in cold sweat.

They couldn't stop Shang Jianyao in time.

When Du Heng heard Shang Jianyao's greeting and turned to look over, the inside of the jeep fell into a deathly silence.

Seeing Du Heng smiling and walking towards them, Bai Chen resisted the urge to slam on the gas and make the vehicle speed away. She rationally applied the brakes and parked on the side of the road.

Shang Jianyao opened the door and got out of the car, happily welcoming him.

Jiang Baimian adjusted her facial expression and followed behind.

"Why are you here in Gesterburg too?" Du Heng asked with a smile.

Shang Jianyao was about to answer when Jiang Baimian interjected:

"Teacher Du Heng, some things are not convenient to discuss in public. How about we chat at the hotel where we are staying?"

She had initially calmed down and, with the belief that since they were already here, they might as well take the plunge, she planned to gather some information.

Du Heng looked around and nodded:

"Alright."

Although they were in Gesterburg and speaking Ashlands language, there were many local relic hunters, and some of them might be proficient in foreign languages.

To punish Shang Jianyao for his impulsiveness, Jiang Baimian had him give up his seat to Long Yuehong, and the guest, Du Heng, sat in the passenger seat.

Shang Jianyao could only squeeze into a seat with Genava, but that was no problem for them.

Back at the "Fire and Iron" hotel, inside the team's suite, after everyone was seated, Jiang Baimian looked at Du Heng and said:

"Teacher Du Heng, we just explored Konigsmiß in the Icefield and came to Gesterburg to resupply."

She observed Du Heng's expression and noticed that he didn't have any particular reaction to Konigsmiß, simply nodding slightly.

"What about you? What are you doing in Gesterburg?" Shang Jianyao asked impatiently.

Du Heng smiled faintly:

"Didn't I hear that the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters has been found? I suddenly remembered something."

Heard? Heard from whom? Teacher Du Heng, you don't belong to any major force… Jiang Baimian didn't say this out loud.

"Remembered what?" Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

Du Heng revealed a look of reminiscence:

"It seems that something important is hidden deep within the Eighth Research Institute. I want to take a look."

"The Eighth Research Institute's headquarters has many powerful people. It might not be so easy to infiltrate," Jiang Baimian said with a tentative thought, using a concerned tone.

Du Heng smiled nonchalantly:

"Analyze the specific situation and decide what to do after I see it.

"What if the Eighth Research Institute has already evacuated and moved to a backup base? Then I can enter their headquarters without any effort.

"If those powerful people are still there, I'll wait. Someone will always cause them trouble, and then there will naturally be an opportunity."

Clap clap clap, Shang Jianyao applauded:

"Very reasonable."

Reasonable my foot? Do you know how large the sensing range of a "New World" powerhouse is? Do you know what kind of Old World creations the Eighth Research Institute has? Without knowing any of this, trying to lurk around their headquarters is just wishful thinking… But then again, Teacher Du Heng might not be impossible… Dusk City has "New World" powerhouses… Jiang Baimian muttered silently, not interjecting.

She assumed that this Du Heng was indeed that Du Heng, and that there was indeed a group of people on the Ashlands who uniformly "claimed" to be Du Heng.

--With "New World" powerhouses in Dusk City, Qin Ke, who had become Du Heng, still escaped. Only "Truth" personally took action to kill him.

On the other side, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen were doing their best to stay quiet, and Genava was shouldering the heavy responsibility of vigilance.

Regarding Shang Jianyao's praise, Du Heng smiled:

"Anyway, I've been living like this for many years, pursuing certain things to certain places, deciding what to do based on the situation, and I haven't encountered any major difficulties."

That's because you are you… Jiang Baimian chose to slander him in her heart.

"When will I be able to be like this…" Shang Jianyao said with a look of envy.

Before Du Heng could respond, he asked expectantly:

"Can we go with you to the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters to take a look?

After speaking, he remembered that he was making a decision on his own, so he quickly turned to look at Jiang Baimian:

"What do you think?"

Jiang Baimian's heart skipped a beat. She didn't stop him, nodding slightly:

"It depends on whether Teacher Du Heng is willing."

She had never considered going to the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters before, because it was too dangerous. It was better to leave it to the company, the "White Knights," and other major forces to deal with. However, if Du Heng, who had a mysterious origin and obvious strength, was going with them, exploring the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters wouldn't be a bad choice.

In any case, they could make the final decision after seeing the specific situation.

Du Heng chuckled:

"What, are you also interested in the Eighth Research Institute?"

"Yes," Shang Jianyao nodded without hesitation.

Du Heng pondered for a moment:

"Sure, riding in your car can save me a lot of time."

Jiang Baimian immediately said:

"Teacher Du Heng, please allow us to have an internal discussion to discuss the corresponding plan."

"Alright," Du Heng said, expressing his understanding.

Jiang Baimian immediately called Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, Shang Jianyao, and Genava, left the suite, and went to the rooftop of the "Fire and Iron" hotel.

"Team Leader, weren't we going to return to the company?" Long Yuehong spoke first.

Jiang Baimian "hmm"ed:

"But searching for the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters ahead of the major forces is a big temptation. This might allow us to obtain a lot of crucial information.

"Not to mention what exactly is hidden deep within the Eighth Research Institute, just their mature awakening process is priceless. You two might be able to take the opportunity to become Awakened."

Since she had initially unraveled the mystery of the Calendar Star's raising of humans, Jiang Baimian certainly wouldn't place her hopes on the company's higher-ups.

Long Yuehong's heart was stirred.

Considering that he might have to face the die-hard elements within the company in the future, leading everyone to escape the underground building, he had an urgent desire to improve his strength.

The same went for Bai Chen.

"Yeah, yeah," Shang Jianyao chimed in.

Jiang Baimian's gaze swept across Long Yuehong and Bai Chen's faces, and the conversation changed:

"To ensure everything is foolproof, I plan to split up this time.

"Little Bai, Little Long, you two return to the company. Old Ge will be with your team, staying in the Blackmarsh Wilderness, acting as a liaison, while Wei and I will follow Teacher Du Heng to the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters."

Bai Chen subconsciously opened her mouth, about to refuse.

Jiang Baimian knew her personality and persistence, and preemptively said:

"In this way, no matter what Wei and I encounter at the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters near Teacher Du Heng, whether we can return or not, at least some people will know the mystery of the Calendar Star's raising of humans, and be ready at all times to lead everyone to escape the underground building in the future.

"Little Bai, Little Long, my family, Wei's friends, everyone in the company, I'm entrusting them all to you.

"I know this is a heavy burden for you, but I have no choice."

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen's hearts immediately felt that suffocating heaviness.

After several seconds, Bai Chen bit her lip and said:

"You convinced me."

Long Yuehong followed up:

"Team Leader, don't worry, our families are also in the underground building. We have to shoulder that burden even if we don't want to."

Jiang Baimian nodded with relief, and Shang Jianyao clapped enthusiastically.

After a brief silence, Jiang Baimian planned to refine the plan.

Just then, Bai Chen pursed her lips, her eyes slightly red, and said:

"You must come back!"

Her voice was slightly higher than usual, with a trembling feeling.

"Definitely!" Shang Jianyao said confidently, "We will save the entire company and save all of humanity together."

Jiang Baimian blinked her eyes, exhaled, and said:

"Once we find a way to awaken at the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters, I will notify Old Ge by telegram.

"If you haven't returned to the company by then, you can directly try to awaken. If you have already entered the underground building, be proactive and apply to Deputy Minister Xi Yu for regular wilderness training on the surface. Meet with Old Ge according to the agreed method. The reason for going out is simple: to be ready at all times to meet up with Wei and me."

Going from Gesterburg to the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters is definitely closer than returning from Gesterburg to "Pangu Biology's" underground building.

But considering the weather in the Icefield and the unknown situation at the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters, Jiang Baimian still made two plans.

"Alright," Bai Chen and Long Yuehong nodded at the same time.

Then, Long Yuehong asked:

"Team Leader, what are you going to tell the company?"

If two people come back and two people don't, everyone will be suspicious.

"Tell the truth," Jiang Baimian said with a smile, "Just say that we ran into Teacher Du Heng and had the opportunity to enter the Eighth Research Institute's headquarters, so we decided to take a risk and try it out. And you two aren't Awakened, so the risk factor of participating in this action is too high, and you were sent back to the company."

"Very credible," Shang Jianyao commented.

This is basically the truth, but not the whole truth.

Bai Chen thought for a moment and said:

"What if the company sends people to look at our memories?"