One, one hundred? What were you counting just now? You hadn't finished counting, and we already ran into those people! Even after being a member of the "Old Task Force" for several years, Long Yuehong still couldn't fully adapt to Shang Jianyao's style.

This was because the other party often came up with new tricks.

"Close to a hundred people?" Jiang Baimian said, frowning to herself while signaling Bai Chen to slow down the car, "Why would a team of this size appear in the icy plains?"

"Just ask them and we'll know," Shang Jianyao said, with an expression that said, 'What's there to be worried about?'

His face was filled with these words:

If you have questions, just ask the people involved. It's a simple matter; everyone within the four seas is a brother!

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said:

"Let's find a place to observe them from a distance first, and then consider whether to make contact.

"Hey, get your megaphone out and get ready to shout. Lao Ge, monitor the condition of the others. If there are awakened ones at the 'Mind Corridor' level on the other side, they'll know we're approaching."

"Okay!" Shang Jianyao responded excitedly, and then volunteered, "Lao Ge, you drive. I'll sit in the passenger seat, which will make it easier to observe and react."

Jiang Baimian said with a hint of satisfaction:

"Your idea is good, but why do we have to drive over there?

"Why don't we hide the jeep somewhere nearby and have Xiaobai, Xiaohong, and Lao Ge guard it? You and I can conceal our consciousness and sneak over quietly. Wouldn't that be better?"

"That's right!" Shang Jianyao clapped his right fist into his left palm.

Jiang Baimian quickly issued the order:

"Xiaobai, pull over."

Soon, the "Old Task Force" split into two teams. Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao put on their military exoskeletons, concealed their own consciousness, and set off towards the target area.

They didn't take the main road, but used the snowy alleys to approach the place where a large number of human consciousnesses were gathered in a roundabout way.

Before long, they entered the third floor of a building, looking down at the scene in front of them from a high vantage point.

The first thing that caught their eyes was the row of icicles hanging from the half-opened windows, followed by a plaza that had been cleared of snow.

There was a monument and human-shaped statues in the plaza, but they had been severely eroded, so much so that the surfaces were deformed and had holes, making them look extremely frightening.

Surrounding the monument and human-shaped statues were heavy trucks, fitted with anti-skid tires, and motorhomes, forming a camp.

The plastic tarps used to shield against rain and snow on these trucks had all been pulled open, revealing the empty truck beds.

In the camp, there were also several motorhomes and off-road vehicles of various colors: black, white, brown, and red, as if it were an exposition.

At this time, fifty or sixty people were gathered around several bonfires, looking blank and speechless, as if their souls had been extracted.

According to Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian, there were another thirty or forty people inside the vehicles.

Every vehicle had someone inside.

"This way of setting up camp..." Jiang Baimian had a look of reminiscence.

Shang Jianyao was quite excited:

"My brothers, the 'Rootless'!"

The "Rootless" were a group who made motorhomes their home and were accustomed to wandering. Their customs and habits were different from ordinary human groups.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"This is a bit different from the 'Sangzi' merchant group we've seen before.

"'Sangzi' mainly uses motorhomes. This team has roughly half motorhomes and half trucks, and 'Sangzi' is basically Ashen Earth people, while the vast majority here are Red River people."

"Cousins," Shang Jianyao corrected himself, acknowledging his mistake.

He then said with concern:

"These 'Rootless' seem to have encountered something and lost their goods."

He made this judgment from the empty trucks.

Before Jiang Baimian could respond, he continued:

"As a group whose main business is the transportation and resale of goods, they lost their goods and their credibility. They can only come to the icy plains to find a quiet place, collectively repent, and decide whether to commit suicide..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Jiang Baimian forcibly interrupted his speculation.

It was getting more and more outrageous!

She looked at Shang Jianyao and said with a "hehe" smile:

"I know, you want to go over and ask what happened, and care about your cousins."

"Yes, yes," Shang Jianyao admitted frankly.

"The problem now is that it's hard to tell whether the 'Rootless' are friends or foes," Jiang Baimian said after a little thought. "Get your megaphone out and express some goodwill."

"Goodwill" to become friends.

Shang Jianyao, having been given permission, immediately took out his blue and white megaphone from the tactical backpack hanging on his body.

He had previously experimented and found that when applying influence, using a separate megaphone was more effective than relying on the built-in amplification module of the military exoskeleton. It seemed that the excessive transfer and complex circuitry resulted in too much loss.

Of course, this attenuation was probably only around ten percent, and at the current distance, it didn't affect Shang Jianyao's use of "Thought Guidance" on the group of suspected "Rootless" people at all. He just simply found it more fun to shout through a megaphone.

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted politely, in the Red River language.

The group of suspected "Rootless" people immediately reacted.

They came back to their senses one after another, scattering in all directions to find cover.

"I know the 'Sangzi' merchant group and Fei Lin is my brother. They are also 'Rootless', active on the vast land from the Wild Growth City to the Golden Coast," Shang Jianyao shouted, while Jiang Baimian used binoculars to pay attention to the people's situation.

When they heard "Sangzi" and Fei Lin, they all paused noticeably, and some even showed a look of thinking.

Based on this, Jiang Baimian judged that these people were indeed "Rootless," or at least had a close relationship with the "Rootless."

Shang Jianyao, holding the megaphone, continued:

"I really like the 'Rootless' and am willing to become friends with every 'Rootless' and form brothers and sisters..."

After he finished his "rambling," those people relaxed. Except for those who remained inside the vehicles, the others gathered around the bonfire again, smiling and waving at Jiang and Shang.

Shang Jianyao put down the megaphone with satisfaction.

"Let's go," Jiang Baimian didn't say anything more.

The two, wearing military exoskeletons, jumped down from the third floor easily and arrived at the camp in a few strides.

"What are your names?" Shang Jianyao pushed up the helmet's visor, extended his hands, and shook hands enthusiastically with the leader of the convoy who came to greet them.

Jiang Baimian, who also pushed up her visor, slowed her breathing because she was greeted by a strong smell of gasoline and diesel.

"Smith," the Red River man, about fifty years old with a weathered face, responded with a smile, "And you?"

He was said to be tall, but he was only five foot nine, but compared to most surface dwellers, this height was already quite good.

"Zhang Qubing."

"Xue Shiyue."

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian skillfully gave fake names, in the Red River language.

Smith, with blue eyes, asked in surprise:

"Zhang Qubing and Xue Shiyue, who are wanted by 'First City'?"

You "Rootless" are really well-informed, as expected of a group who make vehicles their home and wander everywhere… Jiang Baimian grumbled in her heart.

"Yes, we're very valuable," Shang Jianyao answered proudly.

The people who had gathered around nodded at the same time.

Indeed, they were very valuable.

And being very valuable often meant being very powerful or very dangerous.

Shang Jianyao asked in confirmation:

"Are you really 'Rootless'?"

"Yes," Smith admitted frankly, "Last year, we met Fei's 'Sangzi' merchant group in the Orange Company's sphere of influence."

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"What happened to you?"

He pointed to the empty trucks.

Smith showed a puzzled and bewildered expression:

"We took on a transportation job. The client asked us to transport a large amount of supplies to this snowy ruin, and someone would come to receive them.

"As a result, we found this morning that all the supplies were gone, so many supplies!

"And the people on night watch have no recollection of it at all! Neither do we!"

Thieves couldn't simply steal the supplies carried by twenty or thirty heavy trucks and motorhomes.

Without a convoy of the same size and loading capacity, it would be impossible to do this.

Moreover, even if there was such a convoy, the transfer of supplies would be a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, and the "Rootless" had no reason to be unaware of it.

That was why Smith and his people had been bewildered for a long time, at a loss as to what to do.

The only thing they were grateful for was that the vehicles, which they regarded as family and relatives, had not been lost.

"Oh..." Shang Jianyao was first sympathetic, then asked with barely concealed excitement, "Did you all have the same dream?"

You suspect that this group of "Rootless" were forcibly put to sleep? Jiang Baimian waited for the answer thoughtfully.

Smith and the others looked at each other and shook their heads one after another.

"The people on night watch all remember not falling asleep," Smith emphasized.

Jiang Baimian thought for a few seconds and said:

"Are you sure the client asked you to come here to complete the transaction?"

Who would come to the icy plains to do this kind of large transaction? Apart from being hidden, it's very inconvenient!

"We've confirmed it again and again," Smith replied.

Shang Jianyao asked with concern:

"Did the client pay you the freight? That's the main point."

"They paid half, and the rest would be given on the return trip." Speaking of this, Smith suddenly showed a painful expression.

He frowned and gasped:

"I, I don't remember the client's appearance, identity, or address..."

Jiang Baimian's heart skipped a beat when she heard this:

"Something actually happened last night, but you've all forgotten?

"Your corresponding memories were deleted on a large scale?

"And this might be the 'receiving' that the client mentioned."

Smith and the others looked at each other, unable to answer.

Jiang Baimian didn't urge them, but thought to herself:

Based on our experience dealing with the "Anti-intellectualism Church," large-scale memory deletion is a capability only available after the "Mind Corridor." Moreover, to simultaneously affect nearly a hundred people without leaving a trace means that they have at least explored deep into the "Mind Corridor"...

A mysterious and secretive large-scale material transaction... Both parties don't want to reveal their identities and used a high level of power... Involving some sensitive materials, or someone in a sensitive position, or...

Thinking of this, Jiang Baimian suddenly had a suspect:

That force is clearly located in the icy plains, but has never traded with the outside world or replenished supplies, so no one knows their specific location.

The Eighth Research Institute!