Long Yuehong found Shang Jianyao's answer difficult to understand, so he simply didn't bother trying.
The two chatted casually, heading to the "Material Supply Market" together. When the "Employee Cafeteria" opened, they each spent 8 contribution points on a boiled egg, two multigrain buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables.
After breakfast, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong took their lunchboxes and entered the "Activity Center," sitting in a corner of the hall to await the allocation results.
At this time, the "Activity Center" was empty. Only the employees who worked there, under the watchful eye of Chen Xianyu, the old man Chen, were busy wiping, cleaning, and arranging things.
The elderly people who exercised and chatted here in the morning were gone, either sending the younger generation to school or heading directly to their jobs.
According to company regulations, employees aged 60 and above could be transferred to lighter positions or have their workload halved. At 75, they could finally stop working altogether, receiving monthly subsidies based on their employee grade.
However, there weren't many retired employees who were over 75 and could come to the "Activity Center" anytime they wanted, because in the pre-gene modification generations, when resources were scarce and nutrition insufficient, few people lived to 75.
Long Yuehong took a silent breath, trying to make conversation.
"I saw the daughter of one of my mom's colleagues yesterday."
"She's just 18, works at the broadcasting station under the 'Entertainment Department,' is a little over 1.7 meters tall, and is very pretty."
"Do you think she might like me? Sigh, I'm only 1.75 meters tall after gene modification, average looking, and my grades are just okay. No department reserved me..."
Shang Jianyao raised his right eyebrow slightly.
"What's her name?"
"Feng Yunying, haha, she doesn't know Hou Yi; they're not in the same group." Long Yuehong assumed Shang Jianyao wanted to ask about Hou Yi's situation, as many company employees were loyal listeners of this announcer.
Shang Jianyao didn't seem disappointed and continued to ask.
"Which floor and district does she live on? What's her room number?"
"Why are you asking all this?" Long Yuehong was both surprised and suspicious.
Shang Jianyao glanced at him.
"To go ask her if she might like you."
"..." Even the inexperienced Long Yuehong knew that would ruin everything. "Haha, don't joke around."
He didn't dare continue the topic.
"Shang Jianyao, which department do you want to join?"
"Security Department," Shang Jianyao replied without hesitation.
Long Yuehong almost couldn't control his voice.
"Are you crazy?
"It's very dangerous! Don't think having meal subsidies is a good thing! Haha, you're joking again."
The "Security Department" was the most dangerous department in the company. The annual employee mortality rate was several times higher than all other departments combined.
This was because they were responsible for many external operations, including but not limited to escorting bulk goods through the wilderness, fighting humans in encroaching territories or migrating monster groups, guarding outposts outside the underground building, venturing deep into the wilderness to find Old World ruins, and protecting scientific research teams to complete their plans.
This meant that "Security Department" employees often faced pollution, disease, monsters, Mindless, and gunfire. Injuries, illnesses, mutations, and even death were inevitable.
While Long Yuehong was shocked by Shang Jianyao's answer, Meng Xia and others entered the activity center one after another, finding different areas to sit based on their familiarity.
Yang Zhenyuan was very close to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong. They lived on the same floor, and they were admitted to the same university and the same major. Therefore, the fair-skinned and refined Yang Zhenyuan scanned the room and walked directly towards them.
"Hey, why do you look so weak? Didn't you eat breakfast?" Long Yuehong asked caringly, seeing Yang Zhenyuan approaching.
Yang Zhenyuan's face flushed.
"I ate."
"I'm just a little tired."
"Why are you tired?" Long Yuehong looked puzzled.
Yang Zhenyuan didn't know how to explain, so he turned to Shang Jianyao, sighed, and said.
"Turns out marriage is such a tiring thing.
"But it's still pretty good. You guys need to find partners soon too."
As he spoke, he unconsciously smiled.
Long Yuehong thought he understood and didn't ask further, continuing the previous topic.
"Yang Zhenyuan, Shang Jianyao was just joking about wanting to go to the 'Security Department'!"
Yang Zhenyuan thought seriously for a moment.
"If it could be limited to an internal affairs position, I'd want to go too. The benefits are really good."
The salaries of "Security Department" employees were no different from other departments; they all followed company regulations. However, because they needed high-intensity training, they could eat meat every day. On training and duty days, they ate in the "Security Department's" exclusive cafeteria, which was cheap and plentiful. On other days, they received meal subsidies.
This was fatally attractive to many company employees.
"That's obvious, isn't it? If it were really limited to an internal affairs position, everyone would want to go, well, except for the management and those who like to do research." Long Yuehong said dismissively, "Too bad the 'Security Department' rotates between internal and external affairs positions unless you can get into the big boss's exclusive guard, the management's direct action team, or the important project protection team."
Shang Jianyao, who hadn't spoken, suddenly said.
"I want to be on external duty."
"..." Long Yuehong waved his hand in front of Shang Jianyao. "Is your brain really messed up? Do you not know how dangerous it is outside?"
There were many employees in the "Security Department," and everyone knew at least a few, so they knew the current situation on the graylands, that chaos still outweighed order outside.
In comparison, the company's interior, with its peace, order, and guaranteed supply of basic materials, could be called paradise.
That's why, even though the "Security Department" had corresponding subsidies for external duty and allowed employees to bring back grayland items that didn't need to be handed over or destroyed, not many people genuinely wanted to go.
To encourage people to join the "Security Department," the board of directors was very generous with promotions for those employees. Many people in ordinary positions might only reach d3 in their entire lives, unable to become senior employees. A "Security Department" employee might reach d4 in a year, or even half a year. At the same time, those who retired from the "Security Department" and transferred to normal positions were all promoted by one level.
Yang Zhenyuan also couldn't understand Shang Jianyao's thinking, but he didn't refute it, only pointing out.
"The 'Security Department' mainly selects employees who are already married and have children. They rarely look for those who are newly married or not yet married."
"Yes, yes," Long Yuehong said with a smile, nodding.
He looked at Shang Jianyao.
"Why do you want to be on external duty?"
"To save all of humanity," Shang Jianyao said without any change in expression.
"Cough, cough, cough." Long Yuehong and Yang Zhenyuan choked on their saliva simultaneously.
Just then, two people in black uniforms came in from outside and handed a sealed paper bag to Chen Xianyu, the old man Chen, the head of the "Activity Center."
Long Yuehong, Yang Zhenyuan, Meng Xia, and the others stood up at the same time, holding their breath.
The paper bag contained the allocation results.
Unlike the unified marriage allocation, which required public announcements, the allocation results involved confidentiality clauses, so they were given to the corresponding people in the form of letters. No one else knew about the process.
After confirming that the paper bag was undamaged and signing the handover, the two employees from the "Board of Directors" retreated to Chen Xianyu's side, supervising the distribution process that followed.
"So fast. Looks like we're the first batch... I wonder what position it will be..." Long Yuehong couldn't help but talk when he was nervous.
Shang Jianyao glanced at him.
"Assume you've joined the 'Security Department' first. That way, no matter what the final result is, it won't be worse."
"That makes sense!" Since Long Yuehong had no other options, he simply followed Shang Jianyao's suggestion.
Chen Xianyu showed the paper bag to everyone, then broke the seal and took out stacks of letters.
Then, he read out the names on the envelopes.
"Zhong Xiaomin."
A girl went up, took the envelope, and quickly walked to the side to open it.
"Yang Zhenyuan."
……
"Meng Xia."
……
"Long Yuehong."
……
"Shang Jianyao."
……
One by one, names were called out, and one by one, people went up to receive the envelopes that determined their fate.
None of them avoided it. They opened the envelopes directly in the "Activity Center" and pulled out the letters inside.
Long Yuehong stood not far from Chen Xianyu, his hands trembling slightly as he unfolded the paper.
"Long Yuehong, electronic card number 0:
"Please report to Room 14, 647th floor, before 12:00 noon."
647th floor... Long Yuehong's mind buzzed, and the letter in his hand fell lightly to the ground.
He quickly picked it up again and read it several times, hoping he had misread it.
Unfortunately, he hadn't.
"It's over, it's over..." he muttered to himself, his face ashen.
The underground building had 650 floors in total, with the top 5 floors closest to the surface belonging to the "Security Department."
Therefore, reporting to the 647th floor meant joining the "Security Department."
*Pat.* Shang Jianyao patted Long Yuehong on the shoulder.
Long Yuehong turned slowly, his eyes vacant.
"It's over, it's over..."
Shang Jianyao said with a slightly bright smile.
"I've been assigned to the 'Security Department.'"
"Ah?" Long Yuehong woke up from the nightmare and snatched the other's letter.
He quickly scanned it, seeing the contents clearly.
"Shang Jianyao, electronic card number 0:
"Please report to Room 14, 647th floor, before 12:00 noon."
"We're in the same place?" Long Yuehong calmed down a little.
"Looks like it," Shang Jianyao replied with a smile.
"Why are we so unlucky?" Seeing that he had company, Long Yuehong was no longer so lost and depressed.
Shang Jianyao tilted his head slightly.
"I applied for it myself."
"..." Long Yuehong was speechless.
At this time, Meng Xia, Yang Zhenyuan, Zhong Xiaomin, and the others all saw their allocation results, some excited, some happy, some low, some sad, but none of them reacted as intensely as Long Yuehong.
"Shang Jianyao, where were you assigned? I'm going to the research institute on the 36th floor," Yang Zhenyuan said, approaching with his letter.
Shang Jianyao replied with a beaming smile.
"Security Department."
In an instant, the hall of the "Activity Center" became extremely quiet. Those who were sad and depressed were first surprised, then felt that their allocation results didn't seem so bad after all.
Seeing this, Long Yuehong didn't want to stay in this place, so he pulled Shang Jianyao, and said in a low voice.
"Let's go report. Sigh, we can only report first."
This was an unassailable result, unless they wanted the company to exile their entire family.
Even if there were some channels to pull strings, they would have to report first and then try to transfer.
However, people with similar connections had already taken the "reserved" route.
Shang Jianyao waved to Yang Zhenyuan, took his lunchbox, and walked with Long Yuehong to the other side of Zone C.
There was an elevator leading to the top five floors.
Long Yuehong followed Shang Jianyao in silence for a while, then pursed his lips and said in a low voice.
"At least, we can see the real sky..."
ps: Thanks to 公输吟尘 for the Silver Alliance reward
ps2: Seeking recommendation votes~