Jiang Baimian picked up the phone, said "Uh-huh" twice, then looked at Shang Jianyao with a strange expression:

"The C-14 project team wants you to go back and do another test."

After delivering the message, she said in a teasing tone:

"You're really busy!"

Shang Jianyao glanced at the clock on the wall of the room and said reluctantly:

"It's almost lunchtime, I'll go in the afternoon.

"They don't even provide meals!"

He was very resentful about this.

He had wanted to try the cafeteria at the research institute for a while.

"Tsk, that's undisciplined behavior." Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him, picked up the microphone, and called back.

She composed herself and said in a very formal tone:

"We have an internal routine meeting, which is very important. Shang Jianyao will be there after 2 p.m."

The C-14 project team didn't seem to have any objections. Jiang Baimian quickly hung up the phone and said to Shang Jianyao with a smile:

"Done!"

Then, she joked:

"An excellent superior like me isn't easy to come by."

Shang Jianyao looked at Long Yuehong:

"She's talking about you! Listen carefully."

Long Yuehong had intended to retort, but when he thought about who he would be working under after leaving the "Old Task Force," he became a little uneasy. So, he said with feeling:

"Yeah, it's really lucky to have a great superior like Team Leader for my first job after graduation."

He felt that if he had gone to another "Old Task Force" or another front-line team in the Security Department, it was unknown whether he would still be standing here intact.

Of course, going to another position would definitely not involve as much as it does now, and the dangers encountered would be much less. But Long Yuehong believed that his growth in the past year or so had surpassed that of others in ten years. This was not only reflected in his rank but also in his personal transformation.

"Yeah, yeah." Shang Jianyao deeply agreed. "Look, you even have a mechanical arm."

"Are you mocking me?" Jiang Baimian was amused.

She stood up and hummed twice:

"No, I must let you know the majesty of the Team Leader. You're treating everyone to lunch!"

"Okay." Shang Jianyao replied with a gleam in his eyes, "This way, I can get a lot of dishes."

Bai Chen listened and watched quietly from the side, with a faint smile.

...

At 2:15 p.m., Shang Jianyao met Mei Shouan, the person in charge of the C-14 project team, on the third floor of the underground building.

Mei Shouan sat in the softly lit office, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and pointed to the chair opposite the desk.

"Please sit down."

"Last time, you only said 'sit.'" Honest Shang Jianyao said whatever came to mind.

Mei Shouan was about to speak when he suddenly let out a long burp.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and said seriously:

"You should be very clear why I asked you to come here."

"Not clear." Shang Jianyao shook his head.

He then explained:

"There are too many reasons. I don't know which one it is specifically."

Mei Shouan picked up the thermos next to him and took a sip:

"Why didn't you say last time that you had become an Awakened?"

Shang Jianyao looked surprised:

"Don't you know I have mental problems?"

As he spoke, he pointed to his head, his voice confident despite the lack of reason.

Mei Shouan's five fingers on the thermos moved slightly, and he asked instead:

"What level are you at?"

"Just entered the 'Mind Corridor.'" Shang Jianyao was very honest.

The pupils behind Mei Shouan's gold-rimmed glasses seemed to widen slightly in an instant. He stared at Shang Jianyao for a long time without saying a word.

"Are you sure?" he asked again to confirm.

Shang Jianyao didn't respond verbally. He leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, the fluorescent lights in the office suddenly flickered on and off.

"Interfering with electromagnetism..." Mei Shouan no longer doubted Shang Jianyao's strength.

He frowned slightly and added a question:

"When did you Awaken?"

Shang Jianyao gave him a "are you stupid?" look:

"When I participated in your experiment."

Mei Shouan clasped his hands together, his expression rather strange, and asked:

"In other words, you only took one year and three months to enter the 'Mind Corridor'?"

Shang Jianyao nodded sincerely:

"Yeah, it was a bit slow. I wasted a lot of time at the end. Alas, I never managed to make that decision."

Mei Shouan decided not to discuss this topic anymore:

"Your team has experienced so many things on the surface. Your Team Leader should have realized that you were an Awakened a long time ago, but she didn't report it."

Shang Jianyao spread out his hands:

"A 'Reasoning Clown' can solve everything.

"If once isn't enough, then do it a few more times."

This was a plan that the "Old Task Force" had discussed internally. Once the company found out that Shang Jianyao was an Awakened, they would push all the responsibility onto him. Anyway, he was already an Awakened at the "Mind Corridor" level. No matter how severely similar "small mistakes" were punished, it would only be a slap on the wrist.

"One of your abilities is 'Reasoning Clown'?" Mei Shouan's focus was immediately diverted. "Are you from the 'Zhuang Sheng' domain? What are your other abilities?"

Shang Jianyao sized up this intellectual-looking researcher:

"Are you an Awakened?"

"Yes." Mei Shouan didn't hide it.

After speaking, he burped again.

"What level are you at?" Shang Jianyao took the initiative, acting like he was an inspector.

Mei Shouan hesitated for a moment, and finally, based on the other party's strength, said frankly:

"I've also entered the 'Mind Corridor.'"

"You're already an Awakened at the 'Mind Corridor' level, and you still don't know that you shouldn't tell others about your abilities and prices as much as possible?" Shang Jianyao immediately "criticized" the C-14 project leader.

Mei Shouan couldn't help but raise his hand to adjust his gold-rimmed glasses:

"Whether you say your price or not doesn't matter. It's very obvious."

Mentally, no, there's something wrong with his brain!

"So, you shouldn't reveal your abilities to others even more." Shang Jianyao looked like it was a matter of course.

Mei Shouan slowly exhaled and said:

"Now that you have become an Awakened at the 'Mind Corridor' level, you will have to undergo two to three tests and reviews. This is the first time.

"Shang Jianyao, what is your goal? Or rather, what do you want to pursue?"

Shang Jianyao's expression gradually became serious:

"To save all of mankind!"

Mei Shouan had some psychological preparation. After a few seconds of pause, he asked:

"What about after you save mankind?"

"To be the director of the activity center on a certain floor and organize everyone to sing and dance!" Shang Jianyao became active and excited. "I wouldn't object if you transferred me to the Entertainment Department as a director."

Mei Shouan was speechless for a moment and had to pick up his pen and write on the notebook in front of him.

He completely recorded Shang Jianyao's answer and added his own opinion at the end:

"The review subject has a strong sense of belonging to the company."

After adjusting his mindset, Mei Shouan said thoughtfully:

"If you can pass all the reviews and tests, given your level, you will be in charge of your 'Old Task Force' afterwards."

"No way." Shang Jianyao shook his head very firmly.

"Why?" Mei Shouan asked in confusion. "If you're worried about your Team Leader's feelings, the company can transfer her to another team as a Team Leader."

Shang Jianyao's expression gradually became serious:

"Because...

"I can't beat her."

Mei Shouan raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, and then burped.

"Is she also an Awakened?" the research institute leader asked.

Shang Jianyao shook his head:

"Not yet."

Mei Shouan couldn't help but ask:

"Then why can't you beat her?

"What does she rely on?"

Mei Shouan was very clear about how powerful an Awakened at the "Mind Corridor" level was.

Shang Jianyao was silent for a moment and said:

"She relies on her brain."

Mei Shouan was silent for a long time, picked up his thermos, and took another sip:

"Ahem, what do you know about the 'Mind Corridor' level?"

Shang Jianyao explained most of what he knew, one sentence at a time, but he didn't mention Du Heng's last instructions.

Mei Shouan nodded slightly:

"You have indeed experienced a lot of things.

"I can remind you again: Never transfer the aura or power from the items into your 'Sea of Origin.' This will expose your mental coordinates and make it easy for corresponding experts who have explored deep into the 'Mind Corridor' to invade. Moreover, they can find helpers to come together.

"This is a very dangerous behavior. We can't hope that the other party hasn't noticed, although this is a relatively common situation. But it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I should have told you this when you entered the 'Sea of Origin,' but you hid your strength.

"Also, try not to tell others the door number of your mental room. This may cause you to be attacked in the 'Mind Corridor.' You probably don't want one real-world enemy after another to open your room in the 'Mind Corridor' and explore your mind, right? Exploration itself is a kind of invasion."

Shang Jianyao thought seriously for a while and said:

"Then I can wipe them all out?"

Mei Shouan felt choked and said after a long time:

"I hope your strength can match your ambition."

Shang Jianyao skipped this topic and asked proactively:

"Can exploring other people's mental rooms improve my strength?"

Mei Shouan sized up Shang Jianyao again:

"When you're normal, you're quite good at thinking.

"Yes, in the company's internal definition, it is to improve your mental strength through such tempering.

"However, exploring other people's mental rooms is also a very dangerous thing. It's best to do it little by little. If you find any abnormalities, withdraw and prepare for it before continuing."

Speaking of this, Mei Shouan mentioned another common sense:

"Under normal circumstances, you need to explore at least five mental rooms to improve your mental strength to the point where you can see the door to the 'New World.' Otherwise, you won't be able to find it no matter what."

"What about abnormal situations?" Shang Jianyao was very curious.

Mei Shouan's expression changed slightly:

"Upon entering the 'Mind Corridor,' you can see the door to the 'New World' just by opening a random room."

After saying this, his expression was solemn:

"Such people often claim that they have received the favor of the Year Star."