Jiang Baimian also connected Xu Datong's words with the reality of her own team's experiences.
They clearly went to the same place, so why did they see different situations?
Moreover, not long after the "Old Task Force" left the Second Food Company, the "Salvation Army" members clearly came from another direction. This indicates that they explored first, and the "Old Task Force" arrived later. It's impossible for the collapsed building's gate to rewind time and become intact again.
There must be some problem in between!
As Jiang Baimian raised her hand to touch her bio-cochlear implant, Shang Jianyao, who had been waving his arms, mocked Xu Datong and the others:
"Did you guys go to the wrong place and mistake another building for the Second Food Company?"
Xu Datong signaled Li Shouyi to pull the vehicle to the side, and got out of the car himself, saying:
"Isn't it in that direction, that building that hasn't collapsed yet?"
He was referring to the direction the "Old Task Force" had come from.
Jiang Baimian glanced at Bai Chen, signaling her to stop the car as well.
Then, Jiang Baimian got out of the car and, keeping a distance, asked Xu Datong:
"Can you describe the situation there in detail?"
Xu Datong was experienced, and immediately understood that something was abnormal. He focused on the key points and described the various details he had seen inside the Second Food Company.
Except for the gate being knocked down by them, everything else was basically consistent with what the "Old Task Force" had seen.
"You guys really didn't get lost." Shang Jianyao, who had also gotten out of the car, was quite gratified.
Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said:
"The Second Food Company we saw is a bit different from the one you went to. We plan to go back now to confirm."
"Together?" Xu Datong suggested.
Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said:
"Okay."
She then asked:
"Did you only come in one vehicle?"
There were only four people in the car.
Xu Datong nodded:
"The others are waiting at Redstone Collection for the trade. Coming over wouldn't be of much use. It's best to have a small and elite team for this kind of operation, making it easier to move."
Hmm, strategic transfer... Long Yuehong mentally completed his sentence for him.
Jiang Baimian didn't say anything more, got back into the car, and had Bai Chen drive back to the Second Food Company.
The "Salvation Army's" dark-colored vehicle maintained a distance, following behind them.
After a while, the Tieshan City Second Food Company, standing in the ruins but missing its signboard, reappeared before the eyes of the "Old Task Force" members.
Its exterior was covered with a lot of green and retained some withered yellow, giving it a desolate and dilapidated feeling.
What Jiang Baimian and the others were concerned about at this time was not this, but the gate.
They stared intently, and saw that it had collapsed entirely, forming a pile of construction waste, which they needed to climb over in order to enter the food company.
But when the "Old Task Force" had explored earlier, it was clearly still intact enough!
For a moment, Long Yuehong had the feeling that he had just had a dream.
This dream started when they entered the Tieshan City ruins and lasted until they met the "Salvation Army" members.
Jiang Baimian steadied her mind, turned around, and asked Xu Datong and the others loudly:
"When did you guys arrive here?"
Xu Datong quickly gave the answer:
"Yesterday morning!"
The gate of the Tieshan City Second Food Company collapsed yesterday morning.
Hearing this answer, the "Old Task Force" members fell silent at the same time.
After a while, Bai Chen couldn't help but mutter to herself in a low voice:
"What exactly was the place we saw and explored just now..."
Jiang Baimian came back to her senses and looked at Genawei:
"Old Ge, did you notice anything unusual at the time?"
"No." Genawei shook his head and replied, "The gate I saw was also intact, and we didn't climb over any obstacles during the process of entering."
Xu Datong understood what Xue Shiyue's team had encountered after hearing the intelligent robot's words.
He considered his words and said:
"Perhaps you triggered the anomaly as soon as you approached this area and entered an illusion."
"Maybe." Jiang Baimian didn't refute.
She looked around, stopped the suddenly excited Shang Jianyao, and said to Xu Datong and the others:
"The specific situation still needs to be investigated, but it's getting dark, and we plan to withdraw from this ruin first and come back tomorrow morning."
"Very rational." Xu Datong praised, "That's what we planned too."
Jiang Baimian looked up at the sky and added a question:
"Where did you go after exploring the food company?"
"We were looking for the government building, hoping to get the old city renovation plan and construction data to find out what unusual things Montis had encountered here." Xu Datong answered truthfully.
The Montis matter was something the "Old Task Force" told this "Salvation Army" team in the later two exchanges, but it wasn't explained in so much detail. They just mentioned that the first owner of the "Underground Ark" had been to Tieshan City, participated in the old city renovation project, and awakened the "Bodhi" domain ability after the destruction of the Old World.
In the eyes of Xu Datong and the others, who knew that the Tieshan City Second Food Company was a Buddhist holy site, such an association was indeed suspicious enough and an important direction of investigation.
"Did you find it?" Jiang Baimian was also interested in this aspect.
"We found it." Xu Datong smiled bitterly, "But we didn't gain anything. There were too many relic hunters who came before, and they searched it clean."
Paper versions of plans, construction data, and other things can be used to start fires and wipe butts, while hard drives storing their corresponding electronic data are recyclable and tradable resources.
"Sigh..." Shang Jianyao sighed beside him, expressing regret with a strong sense of empathy.
Based on observation and logical reasoning, Jiang Baimian believed that Xu Datong was not lying. She looked at her electronic watch and said:
"After confirming tomorrow, we do have some information to share with you."
After exchanging information about the special characteristics of the "Advanced Heartless" that attacked the "Salvation Army" team, the "Old Task Force" and Xu Datong and the others said goodbye, and agreed to meet at the entrance of the food company at ten o'clock the next morning.
…………
Under the deep night, outside the Tieshan City ruins, in a hidden mountain gully.
The "Old Task Force," having finished dinner, gathered around the campfire, discussing the experiences and gains of the afternoon.
"We initially suspect it's an illusion. We'll talk about it after investigating tomorrow." Jiang Baimian glossed over that strange point, "Now, what we need to think about is, who is Ge Junfei, and why did the person possessing Liu Lu tear up his photo and introduction?"
Shang Jianyao already had an idea and couldn't wait to say:
"Ge Junfei and Liu Lu used to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but he cheated on her and abandoned her.
"The person possessing Liu Lu tore up the photo to vent her anger, fulfill her wish, break her obsession, end this karma, and completely take over the body..."
When Jiang Baimian and the others heard the first half, they still felt that although it was a bit melodramatic, it could be a possibility, but then they confirmed again that this guy's thinking cannot be inferred with common sense. As he spoke, he changed from an urban romance drama to a xuanhuan cultivation drama.
After Shang Jianyao finished speaking eloquently, Long Yuehong said hesitantly:
"The harvest this time may not be effective. We don't even know if the Second Food Company we entered was real."
"Let's assume it is first." Jiang Baimian emphasized.
Long Yuehong "uh"ed and said:
"Then I have another guess.
"One, Ge Junfei is the person possessing Liu Lu. He destroyed his own photo and introduction to maintain secrecy, but team leader said that Liu Lu's expression at the time was relatively distorted, with a feeling of hatred. This detail is not quite right.
"Two, Xiao Bai previously speculated that the person possessing Liu Lu has a certain, very subtle feeling for her."
"That's not what I meant. It's that the person who possessed her had been possessing her for a long time, and it was the first time he had possessed someone, so naturally he had a very subtle feeling for the body. And Liu Lu, whom Da Bai and Wei saw at the time, should have only been possessed for a short time, otherwise she wouldn't have looked at the employee introduction column for so long." Bai Chen interrupted Long Yuehong's words, "But your guess is not wrong. That person may have had a certain feeling for Liu Lu before the possession, so, when the Old World was destroyed, he directly chose Liu Lu, who had become 'Heartless,' hoping to continue her life together with his."
Jiang Baimian's heart skipped a beat, and she continued to analyze:
"So, he never considered changing the object of possession, and didn't occupy the body of the owner of room '522' until Liu Lu's body completely lost its activity.
"Hmm... Combining Wei's first half of the sentence, Liu Lu and Ge Junfei may really have been lovers. After the person who liked Liu Lu possessed her, he saw the photo of his rival in love and naturally hated it, tearing it up on the spot.
"This is consistent with Liu Lu's slightly distorted, hateful expression at the time."
Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian paused and then said:
"In this way, it seems that we can add Fan Wensi, Li Jinlong's son, the vegetative person sent to a certain hospital in the north for new treatment."
Bai Chen's eyes lit up:
"Yes.
"He may have really worked at the Second Food Company and secretly liked Liu Lu, or they were ambiguous with each other, only a little bit away from sleeping together. As a result, at this time, he had a car accident and became a vegetative person...
"A few years later, before the Old World was destroyed, he returned in some state, on the one hand watching his parents from afar to confirm their situation, and on the other hand 'came' to Tieshan City to spy on Liu Lu's life, and found that she had gotten together with Ge Junfei, who later joined the company.
"Ge Junfei not only stole his girlfriend, but also took his original position in the photo. When he saw it, he was filled with anger and couldn't control himself."
Jiang Baimian listened and nodded frequently, quite excited.
Although this was still just a guess by Bai Chen, it was quite reasonable and connected many details!
Sure enough, only someone with enough delicate thoughts can make such a speculation... Jiang Baimian subconsciously turned her head and looked at Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Genawei, intending to ask them if they had any different ideas.
These three guys were all listening blankly, looking like silly geese who couldn't keep up with the rhythm.
Seeing Jiang Baimian looking over, Shang Jianyao subconsciously raised his hands.
Clap clap clap, he applauded.