Temporary Team

At 7 p. m., Fang Pingfang sat in the waiting hall of Baoqing City Airport, waiting to board her plane.

Last night, when "Mr. Liang" mentioned an unusual situation in Haixi Province and asked her to investigate, although he didn't specify a departure time, based on her past experience and the mission details described by "Mr. Liang," she packed her things that very night, gave instructions to Dr. Yang, and prepared to be ready to be deployed at any time.

Sure enough, the next morning I received a call arranging my flight and itinerary; I was to fly to Jianzhou City Haixi Province that evening.

Since Fang Pingfang joined the secret department of "Shenxing Technology", she has gone out on field missions and conducted field investigations more than once, but this time the process was obviously different from the past, which should be "Mr. Liang's" spur-of-the-moment idea.

She realized that because of this trip to the Qinling Uninhabited Zone, because of what she discovered the night before last, and because of the report she gave last night, "Mr. Liang" seemed to be preparing to let her access more research projects from secret departments and more classified information.

In the past, Fang Pingfang would have been very happy, as exploring the mysterious and the unknown was precisely why she joined "Shenxing Technology".

But after what happened the night before last, her attention and curiosity were completely drawn to the Rabbit Woodcarving and the possible existence and phenomena hidden behind it.

For more than a day, she had been thinking and deducing the possible reasons for those strange phenomena. In addition to the guesses she reported to "Mr. Liang", she had several new ideas, but they lacked actual observation and experimental evidence to support them. Therefore, she hoped to return to D2 and "Lab Nine" in person to assist "Mr. Liang" in dealing with the wooden carving.

Even if you don't let her participate, just letting her watch how "Mr. Liang" handles it is a good option.

But clearly, whether for safety reasons or other reasons, Mr. Liang did not want her to participate.

Fang Pingfang arrived in Jianzhou City in the middle of the night. A short young man from the secret department of "Shenxing Technology" picked her up at the airport, but did not take her away immediately. Instead, he waited at the airport because other people would be arriving later, and they would leave together once everyone was there.

As midnight approached, Fang Pingfang chuckled as she looked at the four newly arrived people. Just as "Mr. Liang" had said, some of the members of the temporary team were indeed "old acquaintances" of hers—she knew two of the four.

One was Li Shiping, the Team Leader Li had previously gone on an exploration trip with her to the Qinling Uninhabited Zone; the other was Zhou Rui, a member of her team in Qicheng City, who was considered her subordinate.

There were two other people, a man and a woman, who simply exchanged names without further introductions, a common practice in their department when collaborating across regions.

However, Fang Pingfang could still glean some information. The man named Gao Shu looked tall and strong, with a capable air, and should be a professional security guard or field agent like Li Shiping. The other young woman with short hair named Chen Tianhua, although dressed like an executive, Fang Pingfang could tell at a glance from the details of her fingers, makeup, and posture that she was also a technical professional.

The short young man who was responsible for picking them up drove them away from the airport in an MPV. After driving for more than an hour, he took them to a remote villa area in the middle of nowhere. He didn't book a hotel for them, but rented a detached villa instead.

Upon arriving at the villa, no one went to their rooms to settle in immediately. Instead, they put their luggage in the living room on the first floor and sat down to eat the soup noodles they had brought back from the road while listening to the short young man explain the situation.

"Yesterday morning, between 9:00 and 9:30, an incident occurred at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area where two tourists were attacked and frightened by an unidentified bird, causing them to fall off a cliff. Based on my on-site investigation today, interviews with witnesses, and the video footage I collected, the specific situation appears to be as follows: First, a small bird, about 20-30 centimeters long, with wings and a head resembling both a bird and an insect, flew into the crowd, causing fright. Then, a raptor with a very large wingspan swooped down and attacked the small bird, causing further panic among the crowd. The two tourists likely fell off the cliff at this time. The small bird and the raptor quickly flew away and their whereabouts are unknown. We can see a glimpse of the raptor moving away in tourist videos taken by other tourists in other areas, as well as videos from two surveillance cameras within the scenic area. Although the clarity is poor, we can still roughly estimate its wingspan by comparing it with surrounding landmarks..."

The short young man earnestly reported the information he had gathered, while Fang Pingfang listened intently, forgetting all about eating. She put down her chopsticks, listened and thought, her brows unconsciously furrowing.

Watching the short young man play several videos on the simple projector in the living room, along with his analytical texts and image materials, accompanied by his explanations, Fang Pingfang quickly understood the purpose of their visit to Jianzhou City, and also what the "abnormal situation" that "Mr. Liang" mentioned last night referred to.

No wonder the short young man chose to stay here; this villa area is very close to the Wushu Mountain Scenic Area.

Fang Pingfang knew that in the secret department of "Shenxing Technology" headed by "Mr. Liang", in addition to a considerable number of field teams and related supporting facilities, various secret research centers and Research Base, laboratories with a large number of advanced equipment, there was also a team that was dedicated to collecting and analyzing various information on the Internet.

She wasn't really sure what the full name or location of this functional team was. Every time she made contact, they wouldn't give a full self-introduction; they would just go straight to the task-related information without any unnecessary chatter. Unless she was on a field mission, even people in secret departments often didn't know these teams existed.

Unlike employees in other departments or branches of "Shenxing Technology," those who join the "Secret Department" do not have a clear and intuitive understanding of the organizational structure of their department. Depending on the level of confidentiality, the information they know varies, but it is mostly limited to the specific project they are assigned to.

However, judging from Fang Pingfang's several contacts with these people, they must be distributed throughout the country and even the world, and their investment in related hardware and technology must be huge, perhaps even comparable to that of various research centers and laboratories, otherwise they would not be able to collect information so efficiently.

Similarly, the members of these teams are also kept under a high level of secrecy.

However, Fang Pingfang felt that, given Shenxing Technology's consistent style, what they knew probably wasn't much more than what she and Dr. Yang, the researchers, knew; it was just a matter of perspective and direction. They might not even be clear about the true purpose and ultimate goal of Shenxing Technology in establishing this "secret department."

Just like these researchers who spend all their time in the lab, it's all "Mr. Liang" who decides what direction to take and to what extent. Many of them don't even understand what the use of what they're doing is or why they're doing it.

Fang Pingfang was certain that the short young man named "Ye Chong" who was explaining the situation to her was from one of those information gathering teams, and his style of doing things was exactly the same.

According to the short young woman, when "Mr. Liang" contacted her last night, he had only just learned the rough details of the accident at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area. He immediately defined the incident as an "abnormal situation" and asked her to come over to "find out" it.

This short young man only received the order last night, but he rushed over last night and started the investigation during the day today. Much of the subsequent information comes from his investigation results today.

Fang Pingfang also knew that although he appeared to be alone, he must have a team behind him providing technical and other support and collaboration, and this information was not obtained entirely by a single person.

However, what she was more curious about was what information Mr. Liang had used last night to determine that the accident at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area was unusual and worth their investigation. After all, this short young man hadn't been sent to investigate at that time, so Mr. Liang's information was likely limited and inaccurate. There must have been some crucial information or background knowledge she didn't know that allowed Mr. Liang to make a quick judgment.

After giving a general overview of the situation, Ye Chong handed the tablet computer containing the data to Fang Pingfang and said, "As instructed by 'Mr. Liang,' Dr. Fang, you will be in charge of this investigation team for Wushu Mountain. I will provide you with logistical and information support. You can tell me directly what equipment, tools, and funds you need."

Fang Pingfang nodded and didn't ask any more questions, because she knew very well that Ye Chong had already proactively shared all the information he knew, or rather, could share. Asking questions like, "How did Mr. Liang determine that the accident at Wushu Mountain Scenic Area was unusual?" or "Is the main target of this investigation the 'little bird' or the 'big bird'?" would certainly not yield any answers.

In addition to the materials related to Ye Chong's investigation, the tablet also contained more detailed information about the members of this temporary investigation team.

Li Shiping and Zhou Rui, needless to say, one had just worked with her, and the other was her old subordinate; she already knew their situations very well.

As for Gao Shu, just as she had guessed at the airport, he was indeed a professional responsible for security, just like Li Shiping.

However, the information about the young woman Chen Tianhua was so rudimentary that it was practically nonexistent, consisting of only the three words "observer," without any introduction to her background or role, which puzzled Fang Pingfang.

Fang Pingfang told the others to rest first, and then kept her old subordinate Zhou Rui behind to briefly inquire about what had happened while she was away.

In fact, Zhou Rui hadn't been back in Qicheng City for long, and because he had a holiday, he had only returned to Qicheng City yesterday after his vacation ended. Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to his unit to report for duty, he received a notice that he had to go on another business trip.

To be honest, his last trip to the Qinling Uninhabited Zone terrified him, and now he feels a strong aversion to fieldwork.

But he also knew that such a high salary and bonus weren't given away for nothing by Shenxing Technology. If he didn't have a good enough reason to refuse when the higher-ups assigned him the task, there would be a lot of trouble later on, and he couldn't bear to give up this job.

Fortunately, upon arriving in Jianzhou City, they discovered that the person in charge of this operation was their superior at work Fang Pingfang.

"I heard from Lao Han and the others yesterday that this Ms. Chen was sent to Qicheng City by 'Mr. Liang' to study. They say she's a nice person, easy to get along with, and doesn't interfere with lab matters. She just occasionally asks questions and looks at some materials," Zhou Rui reported to Fang Pingfang, sharing the information he had learned from his colleagues yesterday.

"That Assistant Gao Shu also went to Qicheng City with Ms. Chen. It seems he's her personal security guard and assistant. Boss, uh, Dr. Fang, this Ms. Chen is probably 'Mr. Liang's' confidante!" Zhou Rui remembered that Fang Pingfang had told him last time not to call people outside their team "boss," so he quickly changed his address.

After chatting briefly with Chen Rui and obtaining some information, Fang Pingfang returned to her room to rest.

However, she had only been back in her room for two minutes when there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Chen Tianhua standing there, dressed in loose sportswear and holding two cups of hot drinks.

"Dr. Fang, I'm sorry to bother you. I know you must be very tired, but if I don't ask you some questions, I don't think I'll be able to sleep," Chen Tianhua, with her short hair, said somewhat apologetically.

"No, I don't usually go to bed that early." Fang Pingfang led her into the room and took the hot milk from her hand.

"I only Qicheng City last Sunday, and I was quite disappointed that I didn't get to meet Dr. Fang. I didn't expect to see you in Jianzhou City a week later. This is my first time participating in a field investigation, so I'd appreciate your guidance." After sitting down on the bed, Chen Tianhua exchanged a few polite greetings before stating her purpose. "Mr. Liang asked me to inquire with you about what happened in the Qinling Mountains and Ironpeace Town. You can confirm this with him."

Fang Pingfang was slightly surprised, but she immediately made a judgment in her mind: this "observer" was indeed, as Chen Rui said, a confidant of "Mr. Liang". In the secret department, his level of secrecy was probably even higher than hers.

Although she knew Chen Tianhua was probably telling the truth, Fang Pingfang still picked up her tablet, logged into the software used for internal communication, and contacted "Mr. Liang." After sending a confirmation question, "Mr. Liang" quickly replied with only three words:

"Tell her."

At this time, in Tongshi Town, which is only about 20 kilometers away from Fang Pingfang, Xiang Kun Kungang led a large group of people back to the hotel.

They spent almost the entire day at the "Youlong Restaurant" today, recording the second video of "Youlong Teases Rabbits" as planned.

Aside from You Meng, who appeared on camera, Tang Baona, Yang Zhuo, and Xiao Min, who helped with filming, Liang Yulong, who prepared the ingredients, and Xiang Kun, who was responsible for everything, everyone else was just watching the fun.

But with all the joking around and food, no one was bored. In fact, watching them film the video was even more fun than seeing the finished product.

Back at the hotel, the nine people split into two separate rooms.

One group consisted of five people, including Zhang Qian, Zi Cheng, and Yang Zhuo, who had been playing Honor of Kings together for two consecutive nights. The other group consisted of four people, including Xiang Kun and Tang Baona.

They're going to use the game "Honor of Kings" to compete against each other. The loser will have to carry the winner's bag, buy them water, and treat them to a meal when they go to the scenic spot the next day.

Of course, Xiang Kun and his group of four also included You Meng, who was at home and ready to go.

In terms of skill level, Zhang Qian and her group of five were all terrible except for Yang Zhuo, but Xiang Kun and his group were even worse. You Meng played occasionally, but his highest ranking was only Diamond, which was about the same level as Zi Cheng. Yang Zhen'er and Tang Baona had only played a few times a few years ago and were no different from beginners. Xia Libing had never played at all.

Basically, this is a "battle of the weak".

While Tang Baona, Yang Zhen'er, and Xia Libing were familiarizing themselves with the game controls and hero skills, Xiang Kun casually sensed the item he had established a "Super-Sensory Link with," much like checking new WeChat messages. He suddenly discovered that the 3x3cm piece of paper tucked inside Mi Qiao's soft leather notebook case was no longer in Qicheng City.

Although her exact location could not be pinpointed, it proved that the place she was in was one that Xiang Kun had never been to before.

But judging from the direction of his perception, Xiang Kun had a gut feeling that Mi Qiao seemed to be not far from him.

Seeing the three still studying the skills of Lu Ban, Cai Wenji, and Angela, Xiang Kun got up and went into the bathroom. After closing the door, he put down the toilet seat, sat on it, and entered "Hyper-Sensory State".

Relying on his sensory connection to the "Black Circle Graffiti" next to Mi Qiao, Xiang Kun successfully descended to the edge of that paper in a "Hyper-Sensory State".