It was almost time to get off work when the members of the "Old Task Force" packed up their belongings, preparing to leave.
Long Yuehong, holding his portable computer, passed by Jiang Baimian and opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Baimian noticed his abnormality.
Long Yuehong hesitated for a moment and said:
"Team Leader, you've always insisted on investigating the cause of the Old World's destruction and the origin of the 'Heartless Disease.' This is definitely full of danger. Aren't you, aren't you afraid of dying?"
"There will be successors!" Shang Jianyao shouted with a smile from not far away.
Jiang Baimian glared at him, looked at Long Yuehong, and smiled slightly:
"Of course I'm afraid."
She paused, and added solemnly:
"But some things always have to be done by someone. In the Greylands, most of the time, it's not like you won't die if you're afraid of death and don't take risks. No one knows when the 'Heartless Disease' will fall on their head. Rather than dying in a muddle-headed way, I'd rather fall while searching for hope."
"Wouldn't it feel better to use 'searching for light'?" Shang Jianyao asked in a deliberative tone.
Jiang Baimian "Heh"ed:
"Did you use 'Literary Youth' on yourself?"
She turned to Long Yuehong with a smile:
"Besides, it's not like we're definitely going to die. There's still a chance of success."
At this moment, Bai Chen interjected:
"At least while my abilities can still keep up, I want to continue staying in the team.
"When the team faces more and more danger in the future, and I can no longer improve myself, I will voluntarily withdraw and not be a burden to everyone."
"What burden or no burden," Jiang Baimian said, amused and exasperated. "But that's a good idea. Anyway, do what you can. That goes for you, and it goes for me too. If the danger ahead is really too great to handle, I definitely won't rush over stupidly. 'While the green hills last, there's no fear of running out of firewood.' If my generation really can't complete the investigation into the cause of the Old World's destruction, I'll focus on cultivating the next generation."
Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said:
"Anyway, don't rush to make a decision. Long Yuehong, don't be impulsive and give up the opportunity. Maybe you'll regret it in a few days. Bai Chen, you too. Genetic modification has some risks no matter what. You can consider it for a while longer and see if the situation changes. No one knows which will come first, tomorrow or an accident."
As for Shang Jianyao, he had already given up on treatment!
Seeing that the team leader spoke quite formally, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong both nodded in agreement.
On the way back to the 495th floor, Long Yuehong remained silent, while Shang Jianyao argued with himself.
He didn't offer any advice or encouragement, waved his hand, and strode off on the road home.
Back at home, Long Yuehong began to get busy, sometimes going to the "kitchen" to help Gu Hong, and sometimes going to the small room to tutor his younger sister, Long Aihong, with her homework.
After the family finished dinner, tidied up the dishes, and took a stroll outside, the two of them took turns playing on the computer, while the three of them chatted and gossiped while listening to the radio.
"Hello everyone, I'm the hourly news announcer, Hou Yi. It's now 8:00 PM...
"Today, Su Yu, a director of the company's board of directors, went to the surface to慰问the employees guarding the surrounding outposts, and commended them for their persistent spirit in the harsh environment..."
Hearing this, Gu Hong turned her head and looked at her eldest son:
"Is the surface environment really that bad?
"You didn't say that before."
"It depends on the area," Long Yuehong explained simply. "Many areas were severely damaged during the destruction of the Old World, and even today, they often experience extreme and harsh weather. It's possible that it's sunny in the morning, making people feel like they're about to have heatstroke, and in the afternoon, it starts snowing heavily, accumulating to nearly a meter thick."
"Those people guarding the outposts and the external employees of the Security Department are really working hard..." Gu Hong sighed.
Long Dayong immediately echoed:
"Yes, if it weren't for their sacrifice, how could we possibly live such a peaceful and stable life?"
Even if resources are a little scarce, it's still much better than Shuishui Town and Hongshi Settlement.
Long Yuehong listened quietly, habitually raising his right hand to touch his cheek.
The cold sensation immediately woke him up.
…………
In the middle of the night, Long Yuehong's body twitched, and he opened his eyes.
He had just had a nightmare.
In the dream, his parents, younger brother, and younger sister all contracted the "Heartless Disease."
He wanted to save them, but he was hit by a shell and blown to pieces.
Long Yuehong subconsciously raised his hand and touched his forehead, feeling a chill.
He habitually used his right palm again.
After switching to his left hand, he found that his forehead was covered in sweat.
Long Yuehong took a breath, exhaled slowly, and decided to go to the bathroom to relieve himself and wash his face.
Just as he arrived at the door of the small bathroom at home, he saw dim light seeping through the crack in the door.
"Who's inside?" Long Yuehong asked.
"Me," Long Aihong's voice came out.
Long Yuehong casually asked:
"Not asleep yet?"
Long Aihong laughed awkwardly:
"Brother, don't tell Mom and Dad, okay? I, I've been playing on the computer until now."
"Don't you have school tomorrow?" Long Yuehong asked, amused and exasperated.
"No school," Long Aihong replied with great confidence. "It's the weekend tomorrow."
I forgot about that... Long Yuehong thought for a moment and said:
"I won't say anything, but you can't hide it either. The family's energy allocation is only this much. You used so much, how could Mom and Dad not notice?"
"I, I accidentally discovered that the family's energy allocation suddenly increased a lot today, so I splurged a little, a little bit. It's almost the end of the month, and it would be a waste if I didn't use it." Long Aihong asked suspiciously, "Brother, do you know what's going on?"
Long Yuehong thought for a moment and said:
"Probably, the energy allocation corresponding to my promotion has been released."
"You, you got promoted again?" Long Aihong asked, surprised and delighted. "D6?"
Long Yuehong said a little embarrassed and a little proudly:
"Just confirmed, D7."
He hadn't told his parents about this yet, and Shang Jianyao hadn't advertised it all over the street today either.
"Wow!" Long Aihong praised sincerely. "Brother, you're so amazing! Seriously, do you want to consider my classmates? Several of them admire you."
Clearly, she had learned a lot from the Old World entertainment materials.
Long Yuehong coughed:
"How much longer will you be?"
"Wait, wait five more minutes. Chatting with you made me have to re-cultivate the feeling." Long Aihong estimated.
Long Yuehong considered slightly:
"Forget it, forget it, I'll go outside."
Five minutes is more than enough.
He wrapped himself in a thick cotton coat, took a flashlight, left the house, and headed for the nearest public toilet.
After comfortably relieving himself, Long Yuehong shrank his body, illuminated the road ahead, and walked back step by step.
He was already used to the cold after the lights were turned off, knowing that most of the precious geothermal energy was directed to the "Production Zone" through some kind of technology. The part provided by the "Energy Zone" for daily life was naturally saved as much as possible at night.
As Long Yuehong walked, a dark shadow suddenly jumped out from the side and pounced on him.
This... Long Yuehong's practical combat experience could be considered rich. Seeing that there was no time to dodge, he quickly raised his right arm to block in front of him.
Almost at the same time, his arm felt heavy as the shadow pressed down on it.
Using the remaining light of the flashlight, Long Yuehong saw the attacker clearly.
It was a somewhat familiar face, probably a neighbor from nearby. At this time, his expression was twisted, his eyes were cloudy, and they were full of bloodshot veins.
"Heartless Disease"... Another person has contracted the "Heartless Disease"... Long Yuehong's heart tightened, and his right palm suddenly turned a little red.
This was his subconscious reaction, but he quickly controlled his instincts and gave up using the "Laser Emitter."
This would pierce through walls or floors, making it very easy to accidentally injure others!
As thoughts flashed through his mind, Long Yuehong's steel-cast right arm shook, throwing the "Heartless" person away.
Then, he pushed off with both feet, pounced forward, clenched his iron fist, and swung it out.
Bang!
The "Heartless" person's head directly caved in, and an exaggerated wound appeared.
Watching the enemy slowly fall, Long Yuehong was a little frightened by the power of the mechanical arm.
He, who had just recovered from a serious injury, had solved a "Heartless" person so easily...
This simple fist's strength was already not much worse than the team leader's biological prosthetic limb, and its hardness was definitely better in many ways!
After standing there for more than ten seconds, Long Yuehong turned to the "Order Supervision Office."
…………
The next morning, room 14 on the 647th floor, inside the "Old Task Force" office.
"Another case of 'Heartless Disease' last night?" Bai Chen asked, having finished the work at hand, while preparing to go to the training room.
She had heard about this on the morning broadcast, so she asked Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, who were well-informed locals, for information.
Shang Jianyao looked at Long Yuehong.
Long Yuehong "Uh"ed:
"I ran into it."
"Are you okay?" Bai Chen asked.
"I'm fine," Long Yuehong said with a smile. "It was resolved relatively easily."
"Has the frequency of 'Heartless Disease' outbreaks increased this year in the company?" Bai Chen turned to another key point.
"I don't know," Shang Jianyao shook his head. "We have to let Da Bai check."
Mentioning Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong realized that the team leader hadn't arrived yet, and it had been more than twenty minutes since working hours.