Chapter 12

Room 15 on the 647th floor, Shang Jianyao, dressed in a gray uniform, pushed the door open.

Long Yuehong followed closely behind, looking around with great curiosity.

What caught his eye was a variety of weapons, long and short, silver-white and iron-black, some placed on tables, others hanging up, like a hot weapons exhibition.

To be honest, Long Yuehong had only seen the term "exhibition" in books and heard his teacher explain its general meaning; he had never encountered one in real life.

The only time he felt close to an exhibition was a few years ago when the "Inner Ecological Zone" held a "New Varieties Exhibition of Experimental Fields."

Now, he felt that an exhibition should look like this.

Jiang Baimian stood by the door, glanced at Shang Jianyao a few times, and nodded in approval:

"You look stylish and have a great presence!"

The Security Department's uniform was well-designed and quite stylish, and Shang Jianyao, tall and strong, with a lean build and a masculine aura, exuded a cool and handsome vibe.

"These clothes aren't that good," Shang Jianyao replied with a slight frown.

"Why?" Bai Chen, standing nearby, asked in surprise.

Seeing this, Jiang Baimian opened her mouth and muttered:

"I think it's better not to pay attention to what he said..."

At the same time, Shang Jianyao's lips curved into a smile as he answered Bai Chen's question:

"I can't dance the Gold Coast Swing Hula."

"..." Bai Chen.

"..." Sometimes I really don't know if you're joking or if there's something wrong with your brain," Jiang Baimian scolded, then turned her head to look at Long Yuehong, "Stop daydreaming, go over there, and start the lesson!"

She paused, scanned him from head to toe, and smiled:

"You look very spirited, much more handsome than before."

Long Yuehong, who had felt a bit dejected and inferior because the two ladies were paying attention to Shang Jianyao and ignoring him, straightened his back and said:

"Yes, Team Leader!"

At the long table Jiang Baimian pointed to, Bai Chen picked up a silver-white pistol with a black anti-slip grip and said:

"This is a gun that both relic hunters and wilderness bandits love and hate.

"See? It has a thick and long barrel, using 11.18mm bullets, so it's very powerful and can be used to hunt larger wild beasts. There are a few similar ones nearby, some called Pythons.

"It has a strong recoil, and without a sufficiently strong body, you can't handle it. Well, you should have all undergone genetic modification, so it shouldn't be a problem.

"Its prototype comes from the ruins of an old-world city, and this one is the latest production by 'United Industries,' model 202. The downside is that it's more prone to jamming than other types of pistols, so be careful when using it..."

Bai Chen explained in detail, telling Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong about the general situation, structure, and usage experience of the "United 202" pistol.

After finishing, Bai Chen picked up a black pistol from another table:

"This one uses 7.62mm bullets, is powerful, small, has a good feel, high accuracy, and is easy to carry and maintain. However, it's not very friendly to people with larger hands, but it's perfect for me... The two most common types in the wilderness are the Wubei 6 and Wubei 7 produced by the 'Salvation Army.' One of their differences is that the former has design issues, with a jamming rate comparable to the 'United 202,' and...

"...This one uses 14.5mm bullets, so you can imagine its power. It comes from the ruins of Iron Mountain City, but 'Orange Company' has a replica, and we call it 'Fatso'... However, it's not the best sniper rifle; I prefer the 'Eagle Eye' and 'Eye of God,' which are over there...

"...The best sniper rifles are actually the Gauss rifle and the Plasma rifle, but we don't have them here. You won't encounter them in the wilderness unless you run into elite teams from major forces like 'First City' or 'United Industries.'

"...This is my favorite submachine gun, nicknamed 'Shorty'..."

Bai Chen introduced and explained each weapon, and Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong listened intently, occasionally handling the weapons to familiarize themselves.

Jiang Baimian didn't interrupt the lesson but pointed to a large steel pipe on a nearby table when Bai Chen was thirsty and drinking water:

"Guess what weapon this is?"

Long Yuehong looked over and read five characters in gray soil script on the steel pipe:

"Lin Nan Steel Pipe Factory."

"Haha," Jiang Baimian laughed, "It's actually a single-soldier rocket launcher. The main components come from a seamless steel pipe factory of the 'Salvation Army.' Alright, continue."

...

At 6:20 PM, after showering and changing into their regular clothes, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong each held a lunch box and found a seat in the No. 2 cafeteria on the 647th floor—the Security Department's small cafeterias opened at 6:10 PM, twenty minutes earlier than those in the "Living Zone."

"My whole body hurts; Team Leader was too harsh," Long Yuehong winced as he sat down, touching a bruise and complaining.

They had weapons class in the morning and combat training in the afternoon, and Jiang Baimian didn't hold back, pushing both of them to their limits.

Relatively speaking, Shang Jianyao could hold out a bit longer, while Long Yuehong would be defeated and fall to the ground in less than thirty seconds each time.

"Her genetic modification must be better than ours! Look at that strength, that reaction speed, that coordination, like a monster! Ha, you're a monster too, a little monster!" Long Yuehong realized today that his friend hadn't used even half his strength in previous combat classes.

He actually managed to exchange blows with that monster!

Although it only lasted for a short time, it was still a back-and-forth fight.

Shang Jianyao smiled and looked at Long Yuehong:

"You can't even beat Bai Chen."

Long Yuehong's face turned red, and he stammered:

"She doesn't play by the rules! And you didn't win many times either, did you?"

He originally thought that with his size and strength, he could easily defeat the petite Bai Chen, but he lost time and time again.

After all, he had undergone genetic modification from the embryo stage, not just in size and strength but also in reaction speed, coordination, and balance, and he had years of combat experience.

"Combat in the wilderness has no rules, only life and death," Shang Jianyao replied calmly.

"You're right, her combat skills are very practical..." Long Yuehong said, lowering his head to look at his lunch box.

The white rice dotted with potatoes had black pickled vegetables spread over it, the juice already seeping through.

On top of the pickled vegetables was a piece of fatty meat, layer upon layer, dyed by the juice, thick and substantial, looking heavy.

This was the special meat dish Long Yuehong had exchanged for one contribution point—he had already enjoyed a plate of steamed pork with rice flour for lunch.

"Really fragrant... If I didn't have to go on field duty, this would be my dream job," Long Yuehong squinted his eyes.

"Tomorrow is another combat class," Shang Jianyao glanced at him.

The special meat dish had no choice, and his was also pickled vegetables with steamed meat.

"...Don't say that, let's eat quietly!" Long Yuehong's expression fell.

He found that after spending a day with the team leader, he was getting used to shouting.

Shang Jianyao ignored him and started eating the potato stew and pickled vegetables with steamed meat.

...

After dinner, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong took their lunch boxes, rode the elevator, and returned to the 495th floor, Zone C.

As soon as they entered the "Activity Center," they saw a tall girl with good features, a clean aura, and a simple dress walking over.

"Feng Yunying, are you looking for me?" Long Yuehong, forgetting about Shang Jianyao, walked over with a smile.

The girl was a bit surprised:

"Have you finished eating already?

"I'm here to return something to a friend."

Long Yuehong smiled and said:

"I ate in the small cafeteria."

"Small cafeteria? Where were you assigned?" Feng Yunying asked curiously.

Only special departments had small cafeterias.

The entertainment department, where she worked, only had one at the radio station.

Long Yuehong realized he had let it slip and forced a smile:

"Security Department."

Feng Yunying was taken aback and said politely:

"Then you have to be careful."

While they were talking, Shang Jianyao walked to the side, pulled over a chair, and sat next to the "Activity Center" supervisor, Old Chen Xianyu.

"How's it going? Which team were you assigned to? Do you want Old Chen to find someone to take care of you?" Chen Xianyu asked casually, looking at the items on the stall in front of him.

"Confidential," Shang Jianyao replied succinctly.

"Ha..." Chen Xianyu turned his head.

He didn't ask further and patted Shang Jianyao's shoulder:

"Be careful."

At this moment, an employee of Chen Xianyu's, holding his lunch box, returned from the "Employee Cafeteria."

Shang Jianyao watched as Old Chen held his lunch box in one hand and used his chopsticks with the other, and suddenly asked:

"Grandpa Chen, do you know everyone on this floor?"

Chen Xianyu mumbled:

"Not 100%, but at least 95%."

Shang Jianyao was about to choose his words carefully when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

It was the Li surname woman he had seen in the A Zone 35th area early this morning, a follower of the "Life Sacrifice Ceremony."

"Do you know her?" Shang Jianyao pointed to the beautiful lady.

Chen Xianyu looked up:

"Li Zhen, you should know her? You were neighbors before.

"But you were young then, so you might not remember.

"Ah, she's a pitiful person. She got married and had two children, then she and her husband were transferred to other positions, got contaminated, and couldn't have more children. Her two children died in an accident a few years ago..."

Shang Jianyao listened silently to Chen Xianyu's words and didn't speak.

After sitting in the "Activity Center" for a while, he returned to B Zone 196, and as usual, half-lying and half-reclining on the dim bed, waiting for the broadcast to start.

Soon, the familiar sweet voice echoed through every floor of the "Living Zone" again:

"Hello everyone, I'm the news announcer Hou Yi, and it's now 8:00 PM...

"...Due to the abnormal climate this year, monster groups have started migrating on the gray soil...

"...There are signs of the 'Monk Sect' near the company in the wilderness...

"...

"...The diarrhea problem in the livestock at the 59th farm in the Inner Ecological Zone has been resolved...

"...The Entertainment Department has decided to hold an employee basketball game at the Activity Center this weekend..."