After using the brass-colored key to open the door, Shang Jianyao, aided by the light from the ceiling-mounted street lamp, saw the familiar wooden bed, washbasin, expansion bolts, red-lacquered wooden table, and matching chair with backrest.
It was exactly as he had left it.
Thanks to the underground building's good ventilation system and unique geographical environment, Shang Jianyao didn't even feel the room was stuffy, nor did he see any obvious dust accumulation.
He slowly entered, closed the door behind him, took the old rag hanging by the washbasin, turned on the tap, and wet it.
Then, Shang Jianyao sometimes bent over, sometimes squatted, and wiped every place he could reach.
By the time he finished all this, it was exactly 7 o'clock.
Having showered and changed into casual clothes in the Security Department, Shang Jianyao then took his key, went out, and headed for the "Activity Center" on the same floor.
Along the way, employees who had finished dinner were returning one after another, many of whom recognized Shang Jianyao.
They nodded to each other as a greeting.
Soon, Shang Jianyao arrived at the "Activity Center" located in Zone C, and saw several young men squatting or standing at the door chatting, while Shen Du walked towards him.
The middle-aged man who had "guided" Shang Jianyao to join the "Life Ritual" cult showed a look of surprise and said:
"Xiao Shang, you're back from an assignment?"
Shang Jianyao smiled and replied:
"Yes, I went to collect trash."
"..." Shen Du couldn't quite understand Shang Jianyao's answer, and instead explained, "I heard it from Old Chen. I hadn't seen you for several days, and I thought something had happened to you. It turned out he told me you joined the Security Department and went on an assignment."
"What a pity," Shang Jianyao responded.
"..." Shen Du couldn't keep up with his train of thought at all, and could only say to himself with a smile, "Everyone misses you. See you around."
Shang Jianyao showed a troubled expression:
"It's a shame I didn't bring you any gifts.
"How about I put on a performance?"
"No, no need," Shen Du realized that he was talking at cross-purposes.
He hinted again about the gathering at dawn tomorrow and hurriedly said goodbye to Shang Jianyao.
Shang Jianyao then entered the "Activity Center" and greeted the people he knew and didn't know.
Chen Xianyu, the director of the "Activity Center," was sitting on a squeaky small stool. When he saw Shang Jianyao come in, he hurriedly raised his right arm, waved, and motioned for him to come to his side.
"How was it? What did you get this time?" he asked curiously.
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao to answer, he pointed to the scattered items in front of him:
"Do you want the old man to help you sell them?
"I'll only take a small cut of contribution points."
Shang Jianyao squatted down, picked up the broken mechanical watch that Old Chen had been trying to sell for a long time, and asked seriously:
"Wouldn't an armored vehicle be too crowded here?"
"?" Chen Xianyu didn't understand what he meant for a moment.
Shang Jianyao continued to ask:
"Can a heavy machine gun be sold in a place like this?"
"Do you think the company is dead?" Old Chen scolded instinctively, "They'll definitely make you hand it in! Uh... that's right, you just came back, all the gains are still under review, and I don't know what you'll get in the end."
Speaking of this, Chen Xianyu laughed and scolded:
"You could have just said it directly, why go around in such a big circle?
"Armored vehicle, heavy machine gun, why don't you say you got a military exoskeleton device?"
Shang Jianyao thought for a moment:
"It depends on whether you really want it.
"What a pity..."
"What a pity my foot!" Chen Xianyu blurted out, then turned to ask with concern, "How was it? Was this assignment successful?"
Shang Jianyao recalled for a moment:
"Very exciting."
"Exciting my foot!" Chen Xianyu laughed, "What dangerous assignments could you rookies have? At most, you'll be hunting rabbits in the area around the company, playing at wilderness survival."
Shang Jianyao said "Mm":
"Rabbits are really hard to deal with."
"Haha," Chen Xianyu laughed. "I remember the first time I hunted rabbits, I used an old-world rifle. It should be obsolete now. Anyway, one shot and the whole rabbit was shattered. My heart ached so much..."
At this moment, an employee came over to look at the items on the stall, and Old Chen hurriedly started introducing them, ignoring Shang Jianyao.
Shang Jianyao slowly straightened up, walked to the most remote and deserted corner of the "Activity Center," pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He didn't chat with anyone, but quietly looked around:
A group of men were gathered around a small wooden table, playing cards. Whoever lost the game would have their stool removed and had to squat while playing;
Next to them, a larger crowd was gathered. Some crossed their arms and made comments, some sighed loudly, expressing regret, some giggled and laughed, constantly mocking, and some frequently urged others to hurry up and wanted to play;
Further away, Ren Jie and the other women were sitting together, chatting about various rumors within the company. Some of them were still distracted, using scraps of cloth to make shoe soles, using woolen yarn exchanged from the "Materials Supply Market" to knit winter clothes for their children, and feeding their babies with plastic bottles that had been passed down for who knows how many generations;
In another corner, several young couples each occupied a space, whispering to each other. In front of them, some had packaged candies and snacks, while others had orange or greenish-blue glass bottles. These were luxuries exchanged from the "Materials Supply Market." Ordinary families would only exchange for some during festivals, but young people who had just been assigned to work and were in the midst of a relationship were relatively generous, as they could still freeload at home anyway;
Outside the "Activity Center" window, at the edge of the ceiling streetlights, in the hidden places between the two rows of houses, shadows flickered, sometimes lengthening, sometimes separating;
On the road leading to the "Materials Supply Market," someone was carrying a glass bottle of different colors but empty, wanting to exchange it for some contribution points;
Inside and outside the house, all the relatively open spaces had become the battlefield for children running around...
Shang Jianyao looked at this scene with a peaceful expression, without any movement.
After watching for who knows how long, Long Yuehong walked in from the door.
After greeting the people he knew one by one, Long Yuehong noticed Shang Jianyao in the corner:
"Why are you here?"
He remembered that Shang Jianyao liked to stay at home at this time, waiting for the hourly news and the various radio programs that followed.
Moreover, having just returned from outside, he must need more rest.
Shang Jianyao didn't answer Long Yuehong's question, but smiled and asked in return:
"Why didn't you go find that Feng, that girl from the broadcasting station?"
"Feng Yunying," Long Yuehong sat down and sighed deeply. "I just went to find her and found out she's dating someone else."
Shang Jianyao sighed along with him:
"Sigh, I even got gene modification before..."
"Stop!" Long Yuehong forcibly interrupted him and said instead, "Actually, I can understand. I'm gone for a month at a time, and I don't know when I'll be back, or if I'll even be back. Besides, we only just met, and we're barely even friends. How could she possibly wait for me?"
Shang Jianyao glanced at Long Yuehong:
"Do you know what I'm going to say?"
Long Yuehong replied with a solemn expression:
"This is the Ashlands."
"No," Shang Jianyao shook his head. "Even if you didn't go on an assignment, the chances wouldn't be great."
"..." Long Yuehong didn't know whether to cry or be angry. "You're so hurtful!"
"Have your mom introduce you to another one," Shang Jianyao pressed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Mm, there's at least two months before the next assignment..." Long Yuehong nodded and asked, "Are you going back?"
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao to respond, he muttered to himself:
"Yeah, after coming back from outside, I feel like my whole body is immediately at ease, relaxed.
"Once I relax, I feel very, very tired."
As he spoke, he also stood up:
"I should just go back to sleep."
Shang Jianyao glanced at him:
"The hourly news is about to start."
"You're not tired, and you're still listening to the hourly news?" Long Yuehong was a little surprised.
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized:
Within the "Old Task Force," the only one who feels so tired might be himself...
Shang Jianyao didn't say anything more, waved his hand, said goodbye to Long Yuehong, and returned to his own home.
Under the slightly white light of the ceiling fluorescent lamp, his shadow sometimes lengthened and sometimes shortened.
Not long after, Shang Jianyao opened the door, entered the house, took off his coat, and leaned back on the bed.
He didn't turn on the light, allowing the light from outside to shine through the window, making half the room bright and half dark, yet without a clear dividing line.
In this silence, the loudspeaker hanging from the ceiling outside first made a buzzing sound, and then a slightly childlike, sweet voice sounded:
"Hello everyone, I'm the hourly news anchor, Hou Yi. It's now 8 o'clock in the evening...
"Today, Lin Yang, the Vice President of the Company's Board of Directors, inspected the 'Energy Zone,' emphasizing the need to ensure winter energy supply...
"According to the Surface Meteorological Institute's forecast, in the next few days, a cold wave will move south from the Icefield, and the Blackmarsh Wilderness will drop to 5 degrees Celsius...
"...Today, another case of 'Heartless Disease' appeared in the Factory Zone, and the patient has been brought under control...
"...The Entertainment Department has invited the heads of various units to discuss the year-end report performance...
"..."
The sound of the broadcast echoed in the slightly chilly room, adding a bit of life to the place.
ps: The second update is for monthly votes. There will be two more updates during the day~