Chapter 56

Facing the heavy stone door embedded in the black metal wall, Shang Jianyao silently took a deep breath, leaned forward, and placed both hands on it.

Above the stone door, three recesses lit up with brilliant light, as if stars had fallen from the sky.

Within these three "stars," illusory words rolled and soon stabilized, reading:

"Reasoning Clown," "Sentimental Person," "Lack of Hand Movements."

Shang Jianyao focused slightly, and the white light representing the "Reasoning Clown" suddenly became brighter and more dazzling.

Almost simultaneously, the gray stone door trembled lightly, and with a creaking sound, it slowly retreated, moving backward continuously.

In just a few seconds, the gray stone door that had troubled Shang Jianyao for many days was completely open.

He then withdrew his hands, inserted them into his pockets, and stood quietly, gazing at the back of the stone door.

There, a silver metal staircase stood silently, extending upward without an end in sight.

On both sides of the staircase was boundless darkness, deep and seemingly capable of swallowing the entire world.

"Indeed..." Shang Jianyao murmured, withdrew his hands, and took a step forward, passing through the door and onto the staircase without any hesitation.

One step, two steps, three steps... Although he could not see the end of the staircase, he still walked steadily and powerfully, without any hesitation or haste.

During this process, only his footsteps echoed around, and there was no other movement.

This, combined with the profound darkness on both sides, brought an indescribable fear.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Shang Jianyao finally saw another color in the deep darkness.

It was a gray stone door similar to the previous one, still embedded in the black metal wall with no visible boundaries, and it also had three recesses above it.

If not for the change in the situation under his feet, and if not for the absence of "stars" around, Shang Jianyao would have thought he had returned to the original hall.

He thought for two seconds, quickened his pace, and ran to the new stone door.

Then, he slightly turned his body, one hand in his pocket, and the other on the door.

As expected, the three recesses on the gray stone door lit up with white light, converging into illusory stars.

In the "stars," countless words rolled and soon stabilized, reading the same:

"Reasoning Clown," "Sentimental Person," "Lack of Hand Movements."

Among them, the white light representing the "Reasoning Clown" was much brighter than the other two.

Unfortunately, this time, the gray stone door only trembled lightly and did not retreat.

Shang Jianyao pushed with one hand, gradually using both hands, and even bent his back, as if trying to press his entire weight onto the stone door.

The heavy stone door continued to tremble, but the gap did not widen.

Shang Jianyao withdrew his hands, straightened his body, and glanced at the relatively bright "Reasoning Clown" and the slightly dim "Sentimental Person" and "Lack of Hand Movements," nodding thoughtfully.

As the three white lights gradually dimmed and disappeared, Shang Jianyao's figure also became blurry.

He truly entered a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Shang Jianyao suddenly felt his body shaking.

He instinctively opened his eyes and saw Jiang Baimian's straight, black eyebrows and her bright, spirited eyes.

"What happened?" Jiang Baimian, seeing that Shang Jianyao had finally woken up, let out a sigh of relief.

Shang Jianyao thought seriously and replied:

"I slept too well."

Jiang Baimian's eyebrows twitched, seemingly using great effort to restrain herself, while Long Yuehong in the back seat let out a laugh.

The driver, Bai Chen, pressed the gas pedal harder, and the jeep sped up, almost veering off the "main road" with few obstacles.

"Phew..." After a few seconds, Jiang Baimian slowly exhaled, "It seems we have left the abnormal area. Bai Chen, find a relatively hidden place to park nearby."

She then turned her gaze to Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong in the back seat:

"We will camp here for the next few days. After lunch, Long Yuehong, you and Bai Chen will take a nap, while I and Shang Jianyao will be responsible for vigilance and patrols.

"Until the company's team sends a signal, we will train in this area for wilderness survival."

"Yes, Team Leader," Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong agreed without objection.

...

One day later, at the Old Adjustment Team's campsite.

After lunch, Long Yuehong took out a fruit the size of a longan, covered with a gray-green hard shell.

He then bit into the shell with his teeth, revealing the tender, white, and plump flesh inside.

Long Yuehong first sipped the juice that overflowed, then sucked out the flesh and chewed it in his mouth.

"Really delicious..." He swallowed the flesh and sincerely praised.

During the past day's training, his greatest gain was recognizing this food called "Fresh Fruit."

It came from a drought-resistant hard-leaf shrub with a wide distribution, a short growth period, and a long shelf life, with no toxins. The only problem was the low yield; a shrub could only produce a few fruits, making it unsuitable as a staple food, and no one would collect it specifically.

According to Bai Chen, this was one of the best memories of many wilderness wanderers' childhoods.

Shang Jianyao also had a Fresh Fruit in his hand, and he was putting the last piece of tender, white flesh into his mouth.

The flesh of this wild fruit was not as soft and smooth as he initially thought but was more like an apple, with a crisp texture.

Its taste was slightly sour and astringent but did not mask the sweetness, making one feel more energetic with each bite.

After chewing and swallowing the thin seeds hidden in the flesh, Shang Jianyao patted his hands and stood up.

Jiang Baimian was about to announce the start of the afternoon training when she suddenly saw three fireworks explode in the northern sky, one yellow, one green, and one blue.

"The company's signal flares..." She frowned and muttered, "They came too quickly, didn't they?"

"Could someone be forging them?" Bai Chen thought of a possibility.

Jiang Baimian carefully examined and shook her head:

"These are the company's specially made signal flares, and outsiders can't forge them. Moreover, the color sequence is correct.

"Perhaps, the Security Department just happened to have a team nearby for training and came directly? Or, the company had already noticed the abnormality north of Yuelu Station on the night we first heard the screams?"

Shang Jianyao, after hearing this, suddenly laughed:

"Why not send Long Yuehong to confirm first?"

"Why me?" Long Yuehong asked in surprise.

"I can only command you." Shang Jianyao was very straightforward.

Long Yuehong glanced at him, deliberately showing disdain.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian smiled and said:

"Shang Jianyao has a point."

Long Yuehong's face turned slightly pale.

Jiang Baimian continued:

"Let's return to the Black Rat Town area first. When we get close, we'll send someone in an exoskeleton suit to do reconnaissance."

Hearing about the exoskeleton suit, Long Yuehong immediately calmed down.

He raised his hand and patted his forehead, muttering:

"How could I forget this..."

Jiang Baimian tilted her head; although she didn't hear clearly, she could guess what Long Yuehong was saying.

She smiled and countered:

"Do you think you can handle the reconnaissance mission?

"How many Security Department employees do you know?

"When we get there, even if we need to do reconnaissance, it will definitely be me."

After saying this, Jiang Baimian took a step forward and walked toward the jeep, leaving a light remark:

"Clean up."

...

As evening approached, the Old Adjustment Team returned to the hilly area where Black Rat Town was located.

After Jiang Baimian's reconnaissance with the exoskeleton suit, they confirmed that the signal flares were from "Pangu Bio."

After putting away the exoskeleton suit, Bai Chen drove the jeep, taking Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Long Yuehong to the base of a small hill.

There were about ten Pangu Bio employees in gray-black uniforms, holding standard "Mad Warrior" assault rifles, blocking the road at different positions.

Bai Chen stopped the jeep according to the gestures from the opposite side. Jiang Baimian opened the door and walked over.

On the way, she took out a rectangular badge with a red background and gold letters and wore it on her chest.

The "Pangu Bio" letters on the badge glinted in the sunset.

Two fully armed employees with the same badge approached, one holding a handheld electronic device with a screen, and the other asked:

"Electronic card number."

"02310162155." Jiang Baimian fluently recited a string of numbers.

The Security Department employee with the handheld device entered the numbers and retrieved Jiang Baimian's information.

He quickly compared the photo and features and saluted:

"Good evening, Team Leader Jiang."

After Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen verified their electronic card numbers, the two Security Department employees simultaneously stepped aside.

"Which battalion are you from? How did you get here so quickly?" Jiang Baimian asked casually.

The Security Department employee who had asked for the electronic card number answered:

"After the news of the abnormality north of Yuelu Station was reported, we set out. On the way, we saw the emergency signal flares you launched."

The employee with the handheld device added:

"We are from Battalion 23."

Jiang Baimian was not surprised by their answer and felt relieved:

"How many teams did you bring?"

"The entire battalion came, with armored vehicles." The Security Department employee did not hide this information.

"Good." Jiang Baimian's face showed a slight smile.

In Pangu Bio, the "Security Department" is responsible for external operations, with the basic unit being an operational team.

Each operational team consists of 20 to 30 people, with a team leader (D7 level) and a deputy team leader (D4 to D6 level).

For easier command, the operational team is further divided into 3 to 4 squads, each with a squad leader (D4 or D5 level).

Similarly, three operational teams form an operational battalion. With additional personnel, an operational battalion has about 100 people, with the battalion leader typically at the D8 level.

Above that is the operational group, consisting of 400 to 500 people, which is the largest team configuration in the Security Department, with the corresponding supervisor at the D9 level.

If a large-scale war breaks out, operational groups will form multiple operational clusters, each commanded and managed by different operational cluster directors (M1 level management).

The boss's personal security team, management's direct operational cluster, and important project protection cluster are permanent exceptions, with fewer people than actual operational clusters.

In other words, the operational battalion is the backbone of the Security Department's configuration.

"Where is your battalion leader?" Jiang Baimian asked.

"He is in Black Rat Town." The employee with the electronic device answered honestly.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"Take us to him; we have important information."

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