Maybe Xiao Chong has hidden back there again? Long Yuehong felt a pang of fear, not thinking this was a good thing.
Although he had played with Xiao Chong, helped him clean his room, and cooked for him, finding him quite easy to get along with, aside from his powerful strength and mysterious origins. He was just an ordinary child lacking love and feeling insecure, addicted to games. But things were different now. The "Old Task Force" had intruded into "Zhuang Sheng's" dream, suspecting Xiao Chong was related to this Ruling Star, one of his split personalities.
Therefore, if the "Old Task Force" encountered Xiao Chong again, what they faced might not just be Xiao Chong, or rather, might not only be Xiao Chong.
This was full of unknowns and dangers.
As if sensing Long Yuehong's mental activity, Shang Jianyao continued with a smile:
"Dajiang City Elite Junior High School might be inside the Swamp Ruin No. 1."
As for Linhe Village in Dajiang City, it definitely wasn't part of the city.
Thinking about what Lao Ge had described about Dajiang City Elite Junior High School, Long Yuehong couldn't help but shiver.
At this moment, Bai Chen looked at Jiang Baimian and said, pursing her lips:
"But now, most of the entrances to the Swamp Ruin No. 1 are controlled by the company, or under their surveillance. If we want to sneak into that ruin without the company knowing, and find the relevant written materials, it might be a bit difficult."
More importantly, the "Old Task Force" currently had no intention, plan, or psychological preparation for a direct conflict with the company.
"Yes, yes." Long Yuehong nodded in agreement.
Shang Jianyao laughed:
"City ruins are so big, and the company has limited manpower, how can they keep an eye on every place? In recent years, haven't relic hunters still been entering and exiting the ruins?
"At worst, we abandon the vehicle in advance and enter through small paths, or play a lullaby for Wang Beicheng and his team."
"Why are you so sure it's Wang Beicheng's team on duty there now?" Jiang Baimian chuckled.
Her implied meaning was, why target Wang Beicheng again?
Before Shang Jianyao could respond, Jiang Baimian looked around and said:
"Actually, there's one entrance that the company doesn't control."
"Which one?" The words just escaped Long Yuehong's mouth when he had a sudden realization, guessing the answer.
Jiang Baimian smiled slightly and said:
"The entrance that Qiao Chu led us through before."
"You didn't report it?" Shang Jianyao looked "surprised," but Jiang Baimian thought it looked more like delight.
Jiang Baimian chuckled and said:
"When we left Ruin No. 1, didn't we think that path was too winding and dangerous, and without Qiao Chu leading us, we could easily get trapped in the swamp, so we changed to the path An Ru Xiang and the others used to enter?"
"Right." Bai Chen nodded.
She remembered encountering Wang Beicheng's team on the way back.
Jiang Baimian smiled and said:
"When I wrote the report later, I found it troublesome and didn't specifically describe which path Qiao Chu led us on. The company probably defaulted to the path we took when we left, and Wang Beicheng and his team should have confirmed that."
Swamp Ruin No. 1 was vast and dangerous. "Pangu Biology" had always been steady and methodical, pushing forward little by little, exploring slowly. Currently, at least two-thirds of the area hadn't been searched.
In other words, the possibility of them discovering that hidden entrance was quite low.
While Long Yuehong had a sudden realization, he said worriedly:
"Team Leader, I remember that the path is hidden deep in the swamp. It's not only concealed and winding, making it easy to get lost, but also very dangerous."
Those mutated creatures were fine; the "Old Task Force" currently had enough ability to deal with them. The most troublesome thing was the swamp itself, a quagmire that could devour all life.
Jiang Baimian smiled and comforted him:
"Have you forgotten what season it is?
"The Spring Festival has just passed, and the temperature in the depths of the Black Swamp Wilderness and the northern regions is still very low. The lakes and rivers are all frozen, allowing vehicles to pass through."
If the lakes and rivers were like that, the swamp was naturally the same.
In the depths of winter, it was equivalent to a flat road.
"That's true." Long Yuehong breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they could enter Ruin No. 1 relatively safely, without running into the security department employees of "Pangu Biology," focusing on collecting written materials to determine if that ruin was Dajiang City, he felt that this task wasn't so difficult to accept.
Jiang Baimian turned to Shang Jianyao and asked:
"What do you plan to do with this mining area?"
Currently, most of the bandits had gone wandering. Only those stationed in the mines, guarding the miners, were too far away to be affected by the small speaker and remained where they were.
But well, precisely because they were too far away, they hadn't yet realized that something had happened at the main camp.
Shang Jianyao immediately became energetic:
"I want to distribute the bandits' weapons to the miners, spend a few days training them how to use guns and cannons, how to build defenses, how to deal with enemies, and how to use the complex terrain in the mountains to move around."
For others, this was a very difficult task. After all, most wasteland wanderers had only seen guns and cannons, never used them, and didn't have the resources. But Shang Jianyao could directly implant a set of thinking into them, helping them quickly become familiar with the corresponding operations.
Although this couldn't replace muscle memory and mass-produce skilled warriors with hot weapons, it could save a lot of effort.
Jiang Baimian nodded:
"What are you going to do with the women and children left behind by the bandits?"
Shang Jianyao replied sincerely:
"I will persuade both sides to forget the past and get along well."
Hiss, Long Yuehong inwardly gasped.
As expected of an Awakened who had explored the depths of the "Mind Corridor!"
Jiang Baimian frowned and thought for a few seconds, then sighed:
"For now, that's all we can do."
At the same time, she lamented in her heart:
Jiang Baimian, oh Jiang Baimian, you've fallen!
She had always disagreed with Shang Jianyao using his abilities to create false peace. Back in Redstone Town, she had rejected Shang Jianyao's proposal to "persuade" the townspeople and the sub-population to get along amicably.
But now, in a time of emergency, she could only grit her teeth and accept it.
Alas, hopefully, his current abilities are enough to make the effect last a very long time… When a lie is told for a long time and isn't refuted, it becomes the truth… Jiang Baimian consoled herself with these two sentences.
Having received permission, Shang Jianyao excitedly turned around and walked towards the door.
Suddenly, he stopped, turned his head halfway, and solemnly said to Jiang Baimian and the others:
"Leave one for me, no, half is enough."
"What?" Long Yuehong looked blank.
Shang Jianyao pointed to the sweet potatoes that the bandit leader had roasted in the coal stove, swallowing his saliva, and said:
"They're almost ready."
Only then did Long Yuehong smell the fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes in the air.
In the cold weather, having one of these was definitely a top-notch treat.
Jiang Baimian smiled and clapped her hands, saying:
"Handle everything else first, then come back and eat."
She hadn't forgotten that the purpose of this trip was to get supplies.
For this reason, she adjusted the positions of those roasted sweet potatoes to prevent them from burning if they returned too late.
"Okay!" Shang Jianyao responded cheerfully.
Bai Chen and Long Yuehong also nodded casually.
As for where those bandits would eventually wander, whether they could escape the influence, and when they would escape it, these were not issues they needed to consider now.
…………
Amidst the white snow, the "Old Task Force" spent a lot of time finding the path that Qiao Chu had led them into Swamp Ruin No. 1.
Under the severe cold, those bloodthirsty mosquitoes and mutated vines had either disappeared, hidden deep under the ice, or were covered in white, appearing to have been dead for a long time.
With creaking sounds, the "Old Task Force's" jeep traveled on the ice and snow. Other than occasional skidding, they didn't encounter any sudden sinking.
"I think it's over there." Jiang Baimian, sitting in the passenger seat, pointed to a place.
Shang Jianyao nodded:
"Okay."
He turned the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to head to the other side.
"That's not right." Jiang Baimian quickly corrected, "I said it's over there!"
"That's right." Shang Jianyao laughed, "When it comes to giving directions, you have to listen to the opposite of what you say. The effect should be pretty good."
"So, you're eliminating the wrong answers, huh?" Jiang Baimian was amused and annoyed.
She was already used to being hit in this regard and had even started to make fun of herself about it.
"That's pretty much it." Shang Jianyao glanced at the rearview mirror. "Xiao Hong, you also point to a direction."
I'm not a directionally challenged person… Long Yuehong felt a little guilty and ignored the guy.
He did know how to find his way, but his luck was always not so good.
With Shang Jianyao's operations, the "Old Task Force" finally entered the tunnel leading to Swamp Ruin No. 1 as it was getting dark.
Jiang Baimian didn't know if this was ahead of schedule or a delay.
Soon, the jeep drove out of the tunnel, and they once again saw the sleeping city, the silent high-rise buildings.
Long Yuehong gazed at this scene and said with genuine emotion:
"We're back again..."
Maybe this is fate.
Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen also had similar feelings.
Shang Jianyao nodded in agreement, saying indignantly:
"Qiao Chu still owes us a military exoskeleton."