The Grand Assembly

By the time Gao Zheng and Lin Chenxing arrived at the conference room, all department managers were already present, though only a sparse few board members had arrived.

Gao Zheng asked Li Yueqi, "How many board members will be here today? Have they all been notified?"

Li Yueqi replied respectfully, "Everyone has been notified. Only six are confirmed to attend; one will arrive in half an hour, three are uncertain, and the remaining eight are in other provinces or cities and cannot make it."

Gao Zheng nodded, scanned the room, and sat down slowly. Lin Chenxing took the seat immediately to his left.

Guo Qichang, a board member of Xingyan who looked to be in his fifties or sixties, sat with his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair. "Old Gao, what happened today? Calling a meeting so suddenly, and with Young Director Lin here too—does he have some new ideas?"

The remaining board members present also fixed their gazes on Gao Zheng, waiting to see what he had to say.

Gao Zheng swept his eyes across the room, and seeing that everyone was seated, he cleared his throat and said, "This meeting is indeed sudden, but its importance is extraordinary, for this will determine the entire fate of our group moving forward."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the board members and attendees felt a jolt of alarm, each harboring their own conjectures.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Gao Zheng continued with satisfaction, "I believe you have all heard rumors during this period regarding incidents of animals harming people in various places."

"Today, the internet has exploded with reports of animals attacking people, leading to disappearances or deaths. These cases share a commonality: they have all occurred within the last few days."

He Qishun, one of the board members present, narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "We have naturally been paying attention to these matters. So, are we planning a large-scale transition into the pharmaceutical and security industries? It must be more than that, otherwise, this meeting wouldn't have been called so urgently."

Gao Zheng glanced at He Qishun and said with slight dissatisfaction, "Naturally, we wouldn't call this meeting just for that."

"Old He, think about it: among the animals appearing in reports from various places, how many are within your current understanding?"

He Qishun smiled and said, "Not many reports have actually captured those animals on film. Most are just speculation. Besides, you and I both know what the current internet environment is like—there are plenty of fakes and rabble-rousers. The credibility of such reports is far from certain."

Ma Tianxing, another board member, frowned and said, "Old He, as the saying goes, it is better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't. Furthermore, if it were just rumors and rabble-rousing, the internet wouldn't be like this, and many of these reports were released by official sources."

"If that is the case, it is indeed worth taking seriously, but in my opinion, it would be more prudent to investigate first."

The room began to buzz with discussion. Gao Zheng pressed his hands down, and once the room fell silent, he placed his hands on the table and tapped his fingers lightly. "Director Lin, please tell everyone about your experience."

Lin Chenxing nodded, his face grave as he clearly recounted everything he had seen along the way.

Just as Lin Chenxing finished speaking, the last board member, Meng Chang, entered the room. Seeing the solemn atmosphere, he smiled and said, "What happened? Why so serious?"

Gao Zheng looked at him and said, "Old Meng, you're here."

He then looked at Li Yueqi and said, "Little Li, give Director Meng a copy of the notes you just took and brief him."

After making the arrangements, Gao Zheng looked at the crowd and said, "Everyone, take a ten-minute break. Think about what was just said, and we will discuss the group's subsequent countermeasures shortly."

Amidst a flurry of activity, the ten-minute break passed.

Gao Zheng asked Meng Chang, "Old Meng, do you have any questions? Please bring them up first."

Meng Chang nodded and said, "As Young Director Lin said, the wolf pack they encountered has changed significantly from normal wolves, and the monkey troops reported by the county also seem to have grown single horns in some cases. I want to know, why are these creatures changing so drastically? Even with this RR Virus, the effect on us humans has only been to make us stronger. According to the hypothesis of species evolution and the exploration of human origins, the evolution of animals and humans should share commonalities, but the differences we see now are too great."

The board members and department managers present felt a sense of helplessness upon hearing this.

Gao Zheng waved his hand with a bitter smile. "I shouldn't have asked you first; this isn't something we can figure out."

"The main problem we face now is that since this has become an established fact, what should be our primary consideration?"

Ma Tianxing looked at Zhang Guangkai, the manager of the administrative department, and asked, "Manager Zhang, did you get the results from the inquiries you were asked to make during the break?"

Zhang Guangkai reported, "We just contacted the authorities. The reply is: please have all villages, communities, and enterprises prepare emergency supplies in advance, do not stay in the same room as pets, reduce going out, and wait for the cleanup operation to conclude, after which everything will return to normal. They did not provide answers to other questions."

After receiving the definitive reply, Ma Tianxing suggested, "Based on the official response, I think the situation is indeed as Director Gao and Young Director Lin said. We should take this seriously. Logistics departments for various supplies must prepare quickly. Since the cleanup is expected to reach us in three days, we should temporarily suspend work for these three days, secure all entrances and exits, and prepare early warnings for animal impacts. We will resume work after the cleanup in three days."

He Qishun shook his head and offered a different perspective.

"Although I believe the cleanup will greatly reduce the current animal attacks, there will always be some that slip through the net. Given the high aggression of these animals, these stragglers will certainly have a major impact on us. Relying solely on the cleanup is definitely not enough; the increase in security forces must be accelerated." He Qishun's tone left no room for doubt.

Gao Zheng nodded slightly, signaling for Guo Qichang to offer his opinion.

Guo Qichang sat up straight and said, "Both of you have valid points, but they are all based on the possibility that these animals might attack our base."

"In all the years we have established the base here, how many wild animals has anyone seen near the perimeter?"

"At least in the years I've been here, I've only seen some birds and rats. Therefore, I don't think there is any need to be overly alarmed. As long as we don't go out much, it is still very safe here."

Upon hearing this argument, Meng Chang sneered and said dismissively, "Don't underestimate rats and birds. If those two mutate to be highly aggressive, they might be even more dangerous than the animals in the woods."

Gao Zheng and Lin Chenxing felt a sudden realization and exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a sense of urgency.

Gao Zheng immediately spoke up, "We hadn't considered what Director Meng just said. It seems the situation may be more severe than what Lin and I discussed earlier. We need to add another item to our previously discussed measures: clearing out rats and other pests from the base and its surroundings, and installing protective netting in the air across all corridors of the base."

"Director Lin, please state the measures we have initially decided upon."

Lin Chenxing, who had already organized the discussions from the office and the journey to the meeting in his notebook, repeated them point by point as written.

"1. Invite a construction team to thicken and reinforce the outer walls of the base, install protective netting in the air across all corridors, and leave specific gaps in the walls for defensive fire."

"2. Install cameras to ensure there are no blind spots in the monitoring of the base's perimeter."

"3. The logistics management department will..."

"4. The human resources department is responsible for recruiting security..."

"5. Each workshop will assign personnel to be responsible for cleaning..."

"6. The administrative department must be ready at all times to..."

"7. All employees will begin centralized morning exercises starting tomorrow."

"8. The production department must set aside a portion of capacity to produce explosives in case of emergencies."

"9. Purchase a certain quantity of cold weapons such as swords, sabers, and spears, and have them sharpened."

"10. Notify other branches and bases to communicate with the authorities and make preparations as soon as possible."

"That is all for now."

After Lin Chenxing proposed the established plan and measures, Guo Qichang asked with confusion: "Is it really necessary to have all employees participate in morning exercises?"

Lin Chenxing replied: "Although everyone's physical fitness has improved since the RR virus, based on my experience this time, it is still far from enough. The improvement in those animals far exceeds our own. Chairman Guo, you also know that the physical fitness of those of us who exercise regularly is actually much higher than those who do not, allowing us enough time to react and resist when facing danger. After undergoing training, even if those animals begin to assault the base, the force we can mobilize will be much more substantial."