Xiao Liu bowed deeply in gratitude and, urged by the staff, turned and left the corridor.
On the other side, Yu Yili frantically arranged the items on the table symmetrically along the central axis while watching the surveillance footage gradually recede into the distance.
At this moment, the camera followed Xiao Liu's footsteps away from ISSAC Company, completely separating from the original monitoring target, Yi Heye.
"Aren't you going to keep an eye on him anymore?" Yu Yili asked Pei Xiangjin, who was standing to the side.
The reason for forcing Yi Heye to participate in this mission was not only because of his outstanding personal abilities, but more importantly, because Pei Xiangjin wanted to take this opportunity to find out about his relationship with SHEEP.
He had several attempts to drive Yi Heye to the brink of despair, and the responses from the other side were mostly within his expectations, corroborating his suspicions one by one.
It seemed that if they continued to monitor him, the truth would be revealed. But at this moment, Pei Xiangjin allowed Yi Heye to escape his surveillance, letting the fish that was about to take the bait escape.
"Because given that guy's nature, even if I disagree, he'll still do it anyway, so I might as well do him a favor." Pei Xiangjin sneered, lighting a cigarette and taking a puff.
“Besides, we are police officers,” Pei Xiangjin said. “No matter what happens, human life should always come first, shouldn’t it?”
"As for catching mice—as long as there are cats, it will never stop."
Author's Note:
Congratulations to Ye Bao for unlocking a new identity: a charlatan of metaphysics.
Chapter 108, number 108
After seeing off the three students, the instructor gathered the remaining students together to review the exam results.
It was only at this point that everyone heard the full version of Yi Heye and Boss Yang's story.
"Holy crap—I want a sugar daddy too—"
"Why bother working? If it were me, I'd be lying in my sugar daddy's arms, sob sob..."
"You can't say that. Maybe they're not after money, but after a dream."
Yi Heye didn't dare to speak; it was the first time he had heard the complete version of this story.
Yi Heye suddenly felt at ease realizing that he had actually taken the acting exam and performed very well. He had thought he was just an idol, but it turned out he was actually a talented actor.
The entire exam summary was utterly devoid of substance; it sounded like another endless brainwashing session, just like before.
Despite suddenly transforming from a poor student to a top student, Yi Heye still showed no intellectual progress. Looking at his classmates who were full of energy, he couldn't understand why he started to doze off.
Yi Heye only woke up from his dream of the bustling sheep after the bathing party ended. Just as he was about to sneak away with the crowd, Xiao Wang, who was waiting at the door, intercepted him.
This time it was the real Xiao Wang, not the fake Xiao Wang with green eyes. Yi Heye suddenly woke up, thinking that he had finally been caught dozing off in class.
"I..." Yi Heye was just about to use his academic excellence to escape discipline when he saw a joyful smile on Xiao Wang's face.
"Bao'er, your performance this time was truly outstanding!" Xiao Wang said excitedly. "The leaders all like you very much."
Yi Heye subconsciously took a step back—what does this mean? I have a sugar daddy protecting me, you wouldn't be so blatantly engaging in underhanded practices, would you?!
Xiao Wang, oblivious to his fear, excitedly announced, "Because of your extremely high popularity and excellent personal qualities, the company has decided to waive your assessment for the next few weeks and proceed directly to the final stage."
Yi Heye, who had been indifferent and wary, gradually opened his eyes wide after hearing these words.
He pondered for about three or four seconds before asking incredulously, "...What does that mean?"
Xiao Wang said, "It's like skipping a grade. They're exempt from the training and assessments for the next month and can directly enter the pre-debut group."
Yi Heye was stunned for a full five seconds before cautiously asking, "...Huh?"
Xiao Wang patted him on the shoulder: "That's great! You're the only student I've ever tutored who skipped a grade. I've really struck gold!"
Yi Heye finally realized what was happening, but his first reaction was to worry that skipping a grade would cause him to miss more evidence and procedures—after all, he came to investigate the case and rescue the hostages, not to make his debut.
"What content did I skip?" Yi Heye asked tentatively. "I'm not very confident in my abilities..."
“It’s pretty much the same!” Xiao Wang said. “The next few months were just a repetition of the week’s lessons and assessments, with the aim of completely washing away any impurities from their minds. As the teacher said in class, the goal is to ensure that those who make it to the end reach an ‘absolutely pure’ state. But the teachers in class also reflected that you have already reached that state, so in every respect, you have already met the standards for direct debut…”
This so-called "absolutely pure" state obviously refers to the degree of washing one's genitals during class. As for why the teacher said he had already reached such a state...
Yi Heye thought that he was probably so focused on reading "Shaun the Sheep" during class that he didn't hear the teacher talking to him at all, so the teacher mistakenly thought that he was completely focused on meditation.
Yi Heye thought about it again. Since the following courses were all endless repetitions of the previous ones, it would indeed be a great thing for him to skip a grade directly.
But he was a little unsure – Jian Yunxian had limited contact with him recently, obviously thinking that some factors prevented him from keeping in touch anytime, anywhere, and the security department had completely lost contact with him.
He's a hunter, not a secret agent; frankly, he's not very good at making decisions and judgments.
But at this moment, Yi Heye was indeed all alone. For the sake of so many lives behind him, he had to seize this opportunity and make the right choice at the right time.
So he nodded, displaying his top-notch acting skills to show obvious happiness: "Great, what should I do now?"
Xiao Wang glanced at the time and said, "Perfect timing, the final exams for the previous year have also ended."
The trainees who took the final exam were in the exam room next to Yi Heye's. The last one to finish the exam and walk towards them was Tang Ruoqi.
He walked out the door with a smile and joy, and the other candidates from the same cohort came up to congratulate him—he had clearly achieved good results.
Xiao Wang walked straight over and said, "You're one of the trainees who debuted this season, right?"
Tang Ruoqi smiled and nodded: "Yes!"
Xiao Wang pushed Yi Heye forward: "Just go downstairs, there's a car waiting for you. Remember to behave well when you get there, your good days are coming soon."
Yi Heye and Tang Ruoqi looked at the car waiting downstairs and nodded, "Okay."
Earlier, Xiao Liu and two other eliminated students boarded another car arranged by the company.
The only people in the car were the three of them, who were in low spirits, and an AI that was unwilling to talk to them. This made the already enclosed car feel even more oppressive and suffocating.
This atmosphere made Xiao Liu a little uneasy. He nervously hugged the teddy bear that Yi Heye had given him while silently repeating Yi Heye's instructions to him.
"Only by letting it see the path you have walked can its eyes discern good from evil and serve their purpose."
Xiao Liu took a deep breath nervously, picked up the little bear, and scanned every corner of the carriage with his eyes. Afraid that he was moving too fast and the little bear wouldn't be able to see clearly, he held the little bear up and probed it little by little, as if he were using a magic spell to scan for treasure. Please, magical little bear, drive away all the bad things hiding in the nooks and crannies!
Whether the magical bear saw anything bad is one thing, but Pei Xiangjin behind the screen definitely saw it. Every detail of the carriage, from every angle, fell into his eyes. He could even clearly see the pornographic movie star posters that the trainees had pasted on their suitcases.
"..." Pei Xiangjin looked at the steady scene and commented objectively, "I can't decide whether he's suitable to be a star, but he is indeed very suitable to be a photographer."
The visuals and camera movement are so smooth that they completely outshine many low-budget horror films these days.
As the car continued to move forward, the location from which the transmitter was emitting signals gradually shifted away from Area B.
As the vehicle drove off in an unfamiliar direction, someone finally asked, "Excuse me, where are we going now?... Why haven't we got our phones back yet?"
The AI driving the car clearly did not receive the instruction to answer the question and simply continued driving in silence.
This reaction made everyone a little anxious. The three of them looked at each other, and the more they confirmed each other's thoughts, the faster this unease dissipated. Someone grabbed the door handle and wanted to get off the bus: "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
The AI remained silent, seemingly unafraid that they would escape.
On the other end of the monitor, everyone's breathing became tense. They really couldn't escape—the car was speeding along the aerial track at 120 kilometers per hour. At high altitude and high speed, there was only one outcome if they jumped.
At this moment, the three of them could only console themselves that it was because this AI couldn't speak human language that everything seemed so strange and bizarre.
Half an hour later, the car drove to a suburb on the edge of the BC area and finally landed slowly in front of a huge factory.
Before the camera, a huge chimney dominates the view, and as the bear looks up, the top is not even visible.
It was submerged in the gray clouds and smoke above Zone B, with old stains on the outside and a thick layer of moss seeping from the bottom.
Looking at the factory as a whole, the atmosphere here is out of touch with the modern, flashy, light-polluting architectural style. Whether it's the winding pipes or the enormous cooling towers, they all look more like buildings from fifty years ago.
This is clearly a factory that was forcibly abandoned during the previous period of severe pollution. If I remember correctly, it has been left stagnant due to excessive pollutants, and no one should be going in or out of it.
Pei Xiangjin sensed something was wrong and immediately arranged for nearby police officers to be on standby for deployment.
—This rescue operation needs to be handled with extreme care. If things go too far, it could alert the enemy and expose Yi Heye's mission, which would render all previous efforts futile.
But they couldn't just stand by and watch these three children get hurt. The lives of those still at the company mattered, and so did the lives of these three. Since they were here, they had to rescue them.
At this moment, the three trainees finally realized that the situation was bad. They got out of the car and turned to run away, but were blocked by the robot behind them.
"Go in." The AI's cold voice was like a knife pressed against the back of their necks, forcing them to move forward.
A strong sense of fear told them that if they disobeyed, the AI on either side would immediately shoot them dead.
The three fell silent in unison. With the help of the other two, Xiao Liu limped into the factory, but kept a steady grip on Xiao Xiong's perspective.
"May it ward off evil and bring good fortune." Xiao Liu silently prayed to himself—"It's a magical little bear; it will help me see the road ahead."
Having lived in a bustling electronics city for a long time, they found it extremely difficult to adapt to the quiet factory in front of them.
Everything here is lifeless, except for the rusty walls and some overgrown weeds.
They walked through the desolate front yard, where old components were wrapped in vines. It was like an abandoned graveyard, a place even wandering ghosts wouldn't want to linger.
But as they continued forward, they could faintly hear the rumbling of machinery in the air.
All three of them instinctively stopped in their tracks, and Pei Xiangjin tensed up as well.
The AI leading the way pushed open the disguised courtyard gate in front of them. Behind the gate, instead of the horrifying scene that immediately appeared, there was only a somewhat gray sign in front of them.
But just those few words on the signboard were enough to set Pei Xiangjin on high alert—
"Defective product recycling station".
Meanwhile, Yi Heye and Tang Ruoqi also arrived at the factory. The sign on their side read:
"Qualified Product Sorting Center".
Author's Note:
I apologize again. As a miserable office worker with an extremely irregular work schedule, my daily update time depends on whether I'm working a day shift, a short shift, or a long shift. New chapters may appear at any time within 24 hours. Just think of me as a rare sprite that appears randomly. No need to wait, just check back every day according to fate.
However, I can assure you that I will try my best to update one chapter every day. If I don't update on a given day, I will ask for leave because I'm too exhausted to stay awake and need to catch up on sleep (x). Otherwise, I will not skip updates under normal circumstances. Please trust me!
Chapter 109, number 109
When Yi Heye stood in front of the plaque, he already sensed that something was wrong. However, Tang Ruoqi beside him seemed oblivious to the danger, maintaining her excited and expectant expression, seemingly unaware of the completely distorted environment.
Yi Heye glanced at him and tentatively asked, "Senior Tang...where is this...?"
Tang Ruoqi looked at him excitedly: "Didn't your mentor tell you beforehand? This is a filming location specially prepared for us."
Yi Heye knew he had missed what the teacher said in class again, so he didn't dare to say anything and just listened quietly to Tang Ruoqi's explanation.