"I'll go inquire right now!" Shang Jianyao volunteered.

Jiang Baimian glared at him:

"It's your first day here, and you're already asking questions everywhere. Are you afraid of appearing too normal and not attracting attention?

"Rest well tonight, and find out more details from room '506.'"

"Okay." Shang Jianyao pulled over a chair and sat down.

The village chief had consulted their opinions earlier and arranged three adjacent rooms for them: Long Yuehong and Bai Chen in one, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao in another, and Genaverre by himself.

Jiang Baimian's intention was that they were heading to the Frostlands soon, giving Long Yuehong and Bai Chen, the couple, a chance to spend some time together.

Now, they planned to return to their respective rooms after dinner.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

A young woman in a dark cotton-padded jacket walked in, carrying a food box.

"Your dinner." She placed the food box on the coffee table in the room, opened the lid, and introduced the dishes, "There's braised rabbit meat, roasted mutton, stir-fried pork..."

Jiang Baimian inhaled the aroma filling the air and said with a smile:

"It's quite lavish."

"You are honored guests, after all." The young woman smiled sweetly as she took out the dishes from the food box one by one.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"How's your usual diet?"

"It's alright." The young woman replied softly, "Although we only eat this richly during the New Year, it's not too bad usually. We can have meat every now and then."

Perhaps someone had taught her, she then added:

"It's all thanks to the company."

After saying that, she widened her eyes and asked with concern:

"Does the company have any plans to recruit external employees this year?"

If they did, their affiliated forces would always be allocated two or three slots, or they would have to make significant contributions or have outstanding talents.

This was also a way for "Pangu Biology" to win people's hearts.

"I'm not too sure about that." Jiang Baimian said truthfully.

This was an annual plan that only the board of directors could finalize.

Long Yuehong asked the young woman who delivered the food out of curiosity:

"You're doing pretty well, why do you still want to join the company?

"The treatment of the company's grassroots employees isn't much better than yours."

He remembered that before he joined the "Old Task Force" and earned a lot of Contribution points, his family lived in a small room and could only afford meat every now and then.

The young woman seemed to have fantasized about it many times and replied almost without stuttering:

"But if you join the company, you don't have to worry about a bad harvest, being targeted by robbers, or dying from a random illness.

"Besides, after joining the company, becoming a bottom-level employee doesn't mean you'll be a bottom-level employee forever. I heard from previous employees that even if you just coast along, you can still be promoted two or three levels..."

Listening to the young woman from Cliff Village speaking eloquently, Long Yuehong suddenly felt that the company was like paradise in the eyes of the affiliated forces, while he and others were thinking of rebelling.

He was struck by this realization:

On the Ashlands, there were very few forces that could ensure their members didn't starve, had hope, and lived a stable life.

And the company did well enough in these aspects, so well that Long Yuehong began to waver:

Even if the big boss was a Fate, even if the Fate treated the company's employees like livestock to be raised, as long as the degree was reasonable, it was acceptable.

The big boss wasn't the best like the Fourth Research Institute... Long Yuehong sighed inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and turned his attention to the dishes on the coffee table.

Seeing that the pretty young woman, whose face still retained some youthfulness, was full of longing, Jiang Baimian did not discourage her and said with a smile:

"Even if the company doesn't recruit outside employees this year, it will next year. There will always be such an opportunity every two or three years. You're still young, you can wait."

Without waiting for the other party to respond, she changed the subject:

"But the number of slots allocated to your village is at most three. Are you confident that you will definitely be selected?"

The young woman hesitated for a while and replied softly:

"Yes."

"Why are you so confident?" Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn't see any outstanding talents in this young woman.

The young woman glanced at the door and lowered her voice:

"The village chief is my uncle."

"..." Long Yuehong and the others were speechless.

Jiang Baimian could only say with a smile:

"But it's not like the company will definitely want you just because your uncle recommends you. This is just one of the bonus points.

"The most important thing is that you have to have some talent yourself. Well... while you're young and energetic, study and master more skills. This will make it easier to join the company."

The young woman was very grateful to hear this:

"You're so nice. You're willing to teach me these principles. The employees who came before either fobbed me off or wanted to sleep with me."

Long Yuehong almost spat out a mouthful of water, but fortunately he didn't drink any.

He now realized that it was probably because Cliff Village had been doing well in the last twenty years, and this young woman was a close relative of the village chief, so she hadn't suffered too much and still retained some innocence.

"Those who fob you off are actually good people." Jiang Baimian said seriously, "The employees within our company don't look up to people who take advantage of their relationships to get benefits. The most respected are those who have skills themselves. Whether it's being good at shooting, good at farming, or being able to make clothes, cook, or various handicrafts, we all admire them."

The young woman suddenly understood:

"I will study hard!"

She left the "Old Task Force's" room excitedly and expectantly.

Shang Jianyao, who had been holding back for a long time, grumbled:

"If your dad wasn't in management, I would have believed those words."

Jiang Baimian raised her left hand expressionlessly.

Shang Jianyao quickly added:

"But I really admire your skills.

"Let's eat, let's eat!"

He picked up his chopsticks.

…………

In the evening, Shang Jianyao once again entered the "Mind Corridor" and pushed open the door to room "506."

He was pleased to find that the room's owner was "as scheduled" dreaming.

In the dream, the sky was clear, the sun was bright, the mountain scenery was beautiful, and the female figure was driving a red off-road vehicle, traveling on the potholed road.

Shang Jianyao stood by the roadside and waved excitedly at her.

Vroom!

The off-road vehicle drove past him at an extremely fast speed, blowing his hair.

"You didn't even ask what I wanted to do? You have no spirit of helping others!" Shang Jianyao complained.

Because it was just a dream, the environment soon changed, and the car drove over from a distance again.

Shang Jianyao swiped and walked into the middle of the road, lying there.

The red off-road vehicle was getting closer and closer, but the speed increased instead of decreasing!

It looked like it was going to run over Shang Jianyao.

"People will die!" Shang Jianyao shouted.

Then, he split into ten, and nine hurriedly rolled to the side.

They all shouted at the remaining one:

"Try it and see if you get run over!"

The reckless Shang Jianyao responded loudly:

"I'm not stupid!"

He also rolled out of the road.

Although he could still manifest the military exoskeleton device and use steel to fight the wheels, the weight of the off-road vehicle was there, and his bones would definitely not be able to withstand it.

With a whoosh, the red off-road vehicle drove past without reducing its speed.

"Too much." The Shang Jianyaos shook their heads in unison and gathered together.

He put on the military exoskeleton device and waited for the environment to change. When the red off-road vehicle drove over again, he jumped directly onto the hood of the car.

The female figure screamed, closed her eyes, and stepped on the accelerator to the maximum.

She seemed to think that the problem would be solved when she opened her eyes.

But the next second, her feet and hands lost the movement they were trying to make.

With a clang, the windshield shattered, and Shang Jianyao followed his inner impulses and completed this matter.

Then, he got into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and used his ability:

"Wake up, it's me!"

"Can't you recognize me? We've been meeting every day recently."

The female figure was no longer stiff and relaxed.

She opened her eyes, glanced at Shang Jianyao, and complained:

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I waved at the roadside, why didn't you stop?" Shang Jianyao asked back.

"Haven't you wandered in the wilderness? When you encounter someone waving at you to stop, or blocking the road, you have to be vigilant. Rather treat them as bad guys than believe they are good people." The female figure taught Shang Jianyao plausibly.

Shang Jianyao, who took it upon himself to save all mankind, did not quite agree:

"When I encounter similar situations, I will choose to stop. Most of the people who need help and don't have bad intentions."

"Really?" The female figure driving the car didn't quite believe it.

Shang Jianyao replied sincerely:

"Really, as soon as they see Old Ge, they cry and snot all over him, complaining."

"Old Ge..." The female figure driving the car suddenly felt that this name reminded her of something.

She shook her head and threw out this strange feeling:

"What about the few bad guys?"

"They're all dead." Shang Jianyao replied seriously.

The blurred female figure was speechless for a moment.

Shang Jianyao then asked:

"There's something I've never quite understood.

"Why are you sure that the one in the room deep in the laboratory is a Fate?"

The female figure was silent for a long time:

"I once secretly believed in a Fate."

"What's the connection?" Shang Jianyao first stroked his chin, then asked curiously, "Which Fate?"

The female figure's voice suddenly became erratic:

"'Zhuang Sheng'..."