Chapter 58

Without waiting for Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen to respond, Jiang Baimian let out a "haha" and said:

"There's no subordinate relationship between us, and he hasn't obtained temporary war authorization. He's just a bit higher in rank than me, but not at the management level. Why should I be afraid of him?"

"In other words, even if Wang Beicheng, as the captain of the action team, forcibly recruits us to participate in the next event, we can ignore him?" Bai Chen was still adapting to the detailed rules within "Pangu Bio."

Not to mention her, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, who had just left school to join the security department, were also unclear about the authority issues in such scenarios.

"That's right," Jiang Baimian replied with a smile. "We are a special team directly under Deputy Minister Xi Yu. Even if the action cluster director, who is at the management level, hasn't obtained temporary war authorization from the board, he can't command us."

Xi Yu is a deputy minister of the security department, at the same level as the action cluster director, both are M1 level. The action cluster director and deputy minister are just different in focus, with no hierarchy. Sometimes, some action cluster directors also serve as deputy ministers.

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were not unfamiliar with Xi Yu. This was not only because she was the top boss of their top boss, but also because she was very famous: she is one of the few Red River people in "Pangu Bio," with distinct features, eye color, and hair color, different from most employees. Additionally, she is a deputy minister who rose through the ranks in the security department's civil service system, a rare exception.

The security department's civil service system is not open to new employees participating in their first job allocation, unless they are exceptionally talented and designated for cultivation before entering university, and Xi Yu belongs to this category.

After listening attentively, Shang Jianyao calmly asked:

"Can the minister command us?"

"..." Jiang Baimian's smile became strained. "Of course."

Hearing this, Bai Chen roughly understood the authority structure of the security department and asked:

"What if Wang Beicheng insists on recruiting us? Forcibly?"

"I don't care," Jiang Baimian answered without hesitation. "When the time comes, I'll just leave. Can he stop me?"

"Aren't you afraid he'll use force?" Bai Chen pressed.

Jiang Baimian's expression became a bit more vivid. She looked at Bai Chen's delicate face and said with a smile:

"You need to remember, this is a major force's army, not a team of wandering nomads.

"Even if Wang Beicheng dares to go crazy, his subordinates wouldn't dare!

"The consequences of attacking colleagues without cause are clear to every employee of the security department: at least ten years of imprisonment and forced labor, or even the death penalty, and even the exile of the entire family."

"Can't he frame, harm, and silence us, and keep it secret?" Bai Chen asked.

"That would be a crime on top of a crime," Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong. "Who would go crazy with Wang Beicheng? We risk our lives for the company, for the company that provides us and our families with a stable life and basic necessities. Can Wang Beicheng guarantee these?

"What else can he offer? At most, opportunities for promotion and a tilt in the distribution of war spoils, but compared to the severe consequences of exposure, what's the point?

"Even if someone is tempted by greed, how many opportunities can Wang Beicheng offer? Can he cover the entire action team of over a hundred people?

"If there were only him and five or six confidants, I would indeed need to worry, but with dozens or hundreds of people in this area, how can he frame, harm, and silence us? Once a few people regret and secretly report, the whole thing will be exposed, with very serious consequences.

"Let alone, this madness is just for a bit of personal grudge, who would do it?"

Bai Chen nodded slowly:

"Indeed, with so many people, it's hard to keep secrets.

"Besides, you can't just keep confidants and eliminate everyone else."

If the entire action team returned with only a few people, the problem would be almost written on their faces.

Moreover, a few people trying to deal with nearly a hundred people, with no significant difference in weapons, who would silence whom?

"Even Wang Beicheng's confidants might not dare to go crazy," Jiang Baimian said with a slight smile. "Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, if I asked you to beat up Wang Beicheng in front of many people, would you dare?"

Long Yuehong was silent for a few seconds and weakly replied:

"Can't beat him..."

"If you could beat him, would you dare?" Jiang Baimian asked with a laugh.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao nodded seriously:

"I would!

"No need to assume, once we get back to the company, I'll beat up Wang Beicheng!"

"Haha..." Jiang Baimian sneered.

Beating someone up back at the company is called a "fight," usually resolved by order supervisors with a few words, each going home, or a more serious case might result in a ten to fifteen-day detention and a month's worth of contribution points deducted, which are spread over a year to prevent the punished from starving.

As long as the other party isn't seriously injured, the worst outcome of such a fight is being reassigned to a worse position, but in "Pangu Bio," there are almost no positions more dangerous than the "Old Adjustment Team," and few with similar danger.

Hearing Shang Jianyao and others talk, Bai Chen suddenly interjected:

"What did Wang Beicheng do wrong?"

Why start a serious discussion about whether to beat him and how to do it?

"Uh..." Jiang Baimian fell into thought.

"..." Long Yuehong realized that Wang Beicheng's image in his mind had inexplicably become very bad, almost a major villain.

Only Shang Jianyao answered seriously:

"He's wrong because he sings badly."

"How do you know?" Bai Chen asked instinctively.

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"I guessed."

"..." Bai Chen once again realized that discussing serious issues with Shang Jianyao was a mistake, as one never knows when he is joking or "sick."

"Alright, alright." Jiang Baimian clapped her hands. "It's time to prepare dinner. By the way, Shang Jianyao will sleep first to see if he enters a real nightmare again."

After giving the instructions, she thought for a moment and added:

"To be honest, I'm still a bit afraid that Wang Beicheng knows we have military exoskeletons. Generally, such advanced equipment, each ordinary action team might only have a few, and they are concentrated in a specific group of a specific team. Wang Beicheng's team might not have them."

"Aren't you afraid?" Long Yuehong didn't understand why the team leader changed her mind.

Jiang Baimian smiled self-deprecatingly:

"I'm not afraid of him forcibly requisitioning them, I'm afraid of him begging.

"Their upcoming actions are definitely more dangerous than ours. Out of duty and reason, we should lend them the exoskeletons. Sigh, I'm a soft-hearted person.

"Besides, when we return to the company, this equipment will be handed over and allocated by the higher-ups, it won't belong to us."

"Then we can lend them..." Long Yuehong was even more confused.

Jiang Baimian looked at them:

"Isn't this to guard against unexpected events?

"I've noticed, this field exercise hasn't gone smoothly:

"Encountering a seemingly ordinary bandit group with exoskeletons; taking the most normal route, encountering swamp erosion with black swamp iron snakes; training at a worthless steel factory ruin, encountering mechanical monks; borrowing a radio at Black Rat Town, experiencing a town massacre; waiting for the company to send people, encountering anomalies and falling into a real nightmare... and, north of the Moonlu Station, just at this time, discovering the ruins of an old world city...

"In summary, we might be having a run of bad luck. Who knows what other unexpected events might happen, so we need to keep the exoskeletons to enhance our team's strength."

"Right, right!" Long Yuehong agreed, and Bai Chen nodded lightly.

After all, one's own life is the most important!

Shang Jianyao opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Jiang Baimian's glare:

"You don't need to say anything!"

Jiang Baimian then laughed:

"Unless it's very important."

Seeing Shang Jianyao didn't speak, Jiang Baimian added:

"Also, I'm hiding the exoskeletons and the Water Encirclement Town to cover for Shang Jianyao."

"Ah?" Long Yuehong looked puzzled.

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"These two things can't be hidden for long, they'll be written in the report when we return.

"By hiding them now, even if Wang Beicheng suspects something, he'll be enlightened when he asks: 'They were hiding these things, they had a bit of a hidden agenda...'

"This way, they won't think we have other secrets.

"Corroborated, the company won't suspect us."

"Ah, I see..." Long Yuehong thought this was impressive but couldn't quite follow the logic.

Bai Chen and Shang Jianyao nodded thoughtfully.

The night passed without incident, and the anomaly seemed to have moved away from the area.

In the morning, after breakfast, they were met by Wang Beicheng's deputy and taken outside Black Rat Town.

Wang Beicheng wore a gray-black beret, his expression serious, and said to Jiang Baimian:

"Several reconnaissance teams have reported back, with two key points:

"First, several members of the 'Hyena' bandit group and their subordinates died mysteriously the night before last, with no cause found. This scared the 'Hyena,' who abandoned his subordinates and led the remaining dozen or so core members north to the newly discovered old world city ruins.

"Second, the newly discovered old world city ruins are less than 50 kilometers away."

"So close?" Jiang Baimian was slightly surprised.

Wang Beicheng glanced at the northwest sky:

"Previously, it was said to be north of the Moonlu Station, but it's not directly north, it's slightly northeast, and it's not too far from here."

"No wonder..." Jiang Baimian murmured.

No wonder the real nightmare anomaly would "spread" to the Black Rat Town area.

"We need to set out immediately. Do you need any help?" Wang Beicheng asked.

"No," Jiang Baimian sincerely wished, "May we meet again."

"May we meet again." Wang Beicheng waved and began to gather the team, heading northwest.

After watching their various vehicles, including the armored car, drive away, Jiang Baimian sighed in relief:

"We also set out, to our original destination.

"Finally, I don't have to worry about the first-hand data from the old world ruins and the safety of two newbies!"

PS: Early update, please recommend!