(Phew, I felt so much more relaxed after a good night's sleep.)
I'll head straight to the cable car after washing up. Senior Brother and the others are nowhere to be seen. They've probably already gone over.
With a toothbrush in one hand and shampoo in the other, Xu An finished up in no time (*^▽^*).
Okay, done in ten minutes. Let's go.
He soon reached the cable car and looked around at everyone.
Belle wasn't there yet.
I thought she'd already gotten up. Turns out she slept in even later than me.
"Morning, Master, Senior Brother, Senior Sister." After greeting everyone from the temple, Xu An draped an arm around Paro's shoulders.
"Hey, buddy, with this many of us, how are we going to sneak in?" Xu An asked quietly, looking at the cable car attendant nearby.
"Let's wait until everyone's here and go in together. We're heading to the production area over there, right?"
"Don't look at me. How would I know? I'm just here to help. As for what exactly we're doing, no clue." Xu An spread his hands.
"Hmm... Belle isn't here yet," Yixuan murmured.
But Belle arrived soon enough.
"Sorry, everyone! I stayed up a little late preparing the Hollow data last night and almost ended up late. Sorry, sorry!" Belle panted as she ran over.
"Oh, there's no rush." Xu An stepped forward to steady her, gently rubbing her back.
"Catch your breath, catch your breath."
"All right, since everyone's here, let's get ready to go.
I've got the employee cards from my coworkers changing shifts. We'll swipe in together to enter the production area, and I'll introduce you to someone familiar with the workplace accident.
But don't go wandering around once you're inside the Hollow. There's Corruption everywhere over there. If you get lost, you'll be in trouble!"
Xu An and Belle exchanged a smile at that. Everyone here was quite capable; Paro was the only ordinary person among them.
"Understood! Don't worry, Paro. We'll be sure to stay safe," Belle said, giving Paro a reassuring look.
They soon boarded the cable car without trouble and chatted while they waited.
"Senior Brother? Can you teach me how to make your stir-fried pork intestines? They're so tasty."
"Sure. It's been a long time since I made them anyway. I could use a refresher myself."
They soon reached their destination and found the person Paro had mentioned.
As soon as they arrived, they heard him say, "You must be the investigators Paro told me about!"
Xu An looked at the man's gentle expression.
Yep! He doesn't look like a bad guy.
Eric continued, "Wonderful. With your help, we'll have a chance to discuss compensation with Hui Crystal Meike."
Belle was a little puzzled. "And you are?"
"I'm Eric, the head of the Glitter-Mech Employee Mutual Aid Association. When people are having difficulties, I organize support and relief activities.
I imagine you've already heard about what happened."
"We know the general outline. Something went wrong with the anti-corrosion medicine, causing most of the miners to develop Ether Corruption, right?" Ju Fufu stepped forward to talk to him. Yixuan didn't join in and simply listened quietly.
Xu An stood to one side too, rolling two stones around in his hand.
"Senior Brother, do you think I could sell these stones if I polished them up enough to develop a patina?"
"I don't know whether you could sell them. All I know is that you're really bored (๐•̆·̭•̆๐)," Pan Yinhu couldn't help quipping.
"Aw, I didn't actually want to come this time." A woman with red streamers and a big tail surfaced in Xu An's mind.
"Master insisted I come!" Xu An didn't dare say that loudly, though Yixuan could actually hear him.
After glancing at him, she said nothing.
Eric continued, "That's right. Ever since the workplace accident, I've been organizing everyone to negotiate with Damian and find out when the compensation will come through.
Now we hear that he's been stalling, hoping for a chance to drive down the amount. We're trying to find a way to negotiate with him."
"I told you that bastard didn't look like a good person! That gloomy face-one look and you can tell he's utterly devious!" Xu An couldn't help complaining.
"Exactly, exactly!" Recalling the face she'd seen a while ago, Ju Fufu chimed in repeatedly.
"Then what are you planning to do?" Belle was a little curious about what the workers had in mind.
"The only reason they refuse to compensate us is that they think we have no evidence and can't prove there was something wrong with their medicine.
If they wanted, they could even claim that everyone in the hospital had suffered a simultaneous flare-up of Ether Corruption left over from the fall of the old capital.
That faulty batch of medicine is the evidence."
"But don't you still need that cheap medicine to slow down your lingering Ether Corruption?" Fufu frowned. "Even if you get the evidence, won't you still be done for if you fall out with them?"
"That's right, but recently, a doctor named Lor has been willing to provide us with even cheaper treatment.
Thanks to him, we can finally break free of Hui Crystal Meike. He's already become one of our core members."
Belle's eyes widened. "Really? How can he provide cheaper anti-corrosion medicine?"
"Um, I don't understand the details. Apparently, he's been using production equipment Hui Crystal Meike abandoned in the Hollow early on to manufacture medicine privately," Eric said.
"Why does that sound so unreliable?" Xu An couldn't help questioning it.
"Whatever. It's better than letting them keep holding our lives in their hands.
Oh, right, Lor seems to be planning to go to the accident site to look for evidence. If you're willing, go ask him about the details."
"Oh, okay. By the way, there's one more thing I'd like to ask. Have you seen the person in this photo?"
Belle asked apprehensively.
Just as I thought, Belle still had to ask about her teacher's whereabouts.
Seeing Belle's apprehension, Xu An let out a somewhat wistful sigh. I'd better go bring that doctor, Lor, over.
Eric said he hadn't seen the person, but judging by the location, it should be deep inside Lemnian Hollow.
"I see. Anyway, thank you. I'll ask some other people."
Belle had finished asking, and Xu An had brought Doctor Lor over just in time.
"Here we are! This is Doctor Lor. He happened to be nearby." Xu An raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? You must be the investigators Eric mentioned. He told me about you over the communicator earlier."
"Doctor Lor, we heard you've been providing everyone with medicine recently. Is that true?" Fufu asked very directly.
Lor froze, then chuckled despite himself. "Hahaha... Eric even told you about that? Don't go spreading it around. If Hui Crystal Meike finds out, I'm afraid I'll be in trouble."
"Of course!" Xu An solemnly promised.
"Hui Crystal Meike's thinking is simple. They don't want to give up this large pool of cheap labor, and they'd also have to pay them a hefty sum in compensation.
After all, who else would be willing to work here...? And Hui Crystal Meike's medicine will only ever be a weak formula that slows the condition, precisely so these people can keep working here.
So the medicine they provide can never be trusted. We can only find a way to make it ourselves.
What I'm doing may be risky and against regulations, but at least it's feasible."
Yixuan suddenly spoke. "Doctor Lor, you said Hui Crystal Meike has been delaying compensation... do you have evidence of that?"
"Of course. A friend of mine works at the local hospital. He saw Hui Crystal Meike's medical records and data.
The victims' records have all been falsified. There's no mention of the cause of their illness or any related compensation matters.
But although I've been trying to get the evidence, that area is too dangerous. I haven't been able to go there to investigate.
Still, since you're investigators sent by the mayor, you should have the ability and means to investigate this, right?"
"Don't worry. We know what we're doing."