A territorial war with the dog-like orcs? Interstellar communication with the alien insectoids? Full cooperation with a state secrets agency? The revival of spiritual energy under the Daoist principle and the Nine Star Thunder Tribulation?
The director reread all the novels he had read and finally realized that they were "more important than work." With the prospect of promotion, raise, and bonuses in mind, he finally let him off the hook.
"Alright, boss, remember to come back early."
Bei Sining nodded in satisfaction, changed into a beautiful new outfit in her office, and prepared to go home.
Suddenly his expression changed, and the cat body that was with Wen Zheng suddenly heard an unbelievable message.
He vanished from his spot in an instant, and in less than thirty seconds, he returned to Wutong Garden out of thin air.
The black cat vanished with a wave of his hand, leaving the bedroom floor littered with things. A suitcase lay wide open, with a few pieces of clothing thrown inside.
Where are you going?
"Didn't I tell you?" Wen Zheng ignored him, opened the drawer, threw useful items into boxes, threw useless items on the ground, and stuffed back items he wasn't sure were useful or not. His actions were rough but efficient.
"The notice has come down; I have to leave tonight. Goodbye."
"Stop!" The cat spirit's face darkened as he recalled the question he hadn't asked yesterday due to the atmosphere—"Are you going to do something very dangerous?"
He thought Wen Zheng said he was leaving because he was angry that Wen Zheng wouldn't acknowledge his identity and wouldn't go home.
A slight tendency to avoid the issue made him think that he could ask again in a day, that it would only be a day and wouldn't matter... But it didn't even last a day?
Shocked, Bei Sining also felt a little wronged.
I've even told you about my true form, and you're not telling me where you're going or what's going on?!
Wen Zheng then tossed the last t-shirt into his suitcase. Seeing that it could fit, he didn't bother folding it. He zipped it up with a whoosh.
Hearing the sound of the suitcase wheels, the smart home system suddenly said, "Dear owner, it is 3:36 PM. Are you going on a long trip? For your safety and comfort, please check if you have a charger, mosquito repellent, self-cleaning clothes hangers, and personal hygiene kit..."
Bei Sining's brow twitched, and she mimicked Wen Zheng by patting the wall.
As a result, after being slapped several times, the smart home assistant kept chattering away, making the cat's fur stand on end in frustration.
"..." Wen Zheng couldn't help but chuckle, then slapped the wall in the entryway before the sound abruptly stopped.
The lingering smile hadn't faded when he turned his head and said, "I can't tell you where we're going, nor can I tell you whether it's dangerous or not. But if you find out on your own and come with me, there's nothing I can do."
He paused, then added, "I heard... you're very strong?"
Bei Sining: "…………"
This fragile human being is tempting me!
Bei Sining thought through gritted teeth.
Author's Note: Volume Two is complete!
Let me give you a brief explanation of the Beaufort cipher. Those who are interested can take a look!
Make a mental note of it, so that if anyone asks later, you can smugly say, "Oh, this was invented by the British, it's simple. What, you don't even know this?"
First, let's make a table.
The first line, abcdefg……za, consists of 27 letters, starting and ending with 'a'.
The second line, bcdefgh……ab, consists of 27 letters, starting and ending with b.
………
The vertical format is also abcdefg... all the way to the last line, exactly the same as the first line.
In this way, we have obtained a table with 'a' in all four corners.
Next comes the encryption and decryption process.
First, let's assume the message we want to convey is "gugu".
We can't let anyone else know this top-secret information, so we'll assign it a key (it sounds like a code), let's say it's the king.
Okay, now we'll use king to encrypt gugu.
First, find the first letter in line g, and then find the first letter k of the key in line g.
Found it! Circle it! Then we move our gaze upwards and find that the column containing k is e.
Therefore, the first letter of the password is 'e'.
Then, by finding the corresponding letters for the remaining three letters, gugu will become eohm.
Okay, the password is eohm! Just slip a little note with "eohm" written on it to your buddy and whisper, "That stupid author named Xingxing didn't update again today. This is his last message. What? Idiot, 'The King' told me to tell you!"
The clever friend's head popped up with an exclamation mark, and he successfully deciphered the dying words using the Beaufort cipher—"Coo coo!"
Okay, did everyone learn it?
There are two more passwords. After reading this article, you'll be a top student! (Applause)
Volume 3, Chapter 81 of the Third Code
The Beihai Base is a large-scale comprehensive military base, covering a vast area and equipped with complete facilities. It is the most advanced and highest-standard military base in the Xia Kingdom.
Captain Xu Qian was only twenty-five years old when he obtained the rank of captain and two months ago he was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter the Beihai base for classified training.
As one of the best among his peers, Xu Qian has always been somewhat arrogant. Of course, he has the right to be proud.
He studied at a military academy and graduated with a double degree in the shortest time. After joining the local military, he thrived and always came out on top in various competitions.
Xu Qian believes in the saying: "Intelligence is the key to victory or defeat."
After arriving at the Beihai base yesterday by special plane, Xu Qian tidied up his new dormitory and had a good night's rest.
The dormitory was spacious, two people to a room, clean and tidy. He didn't have any issues with sleeping in unfamiliar beds and slept soundly. Truly worthy of the Beihai base—the conditions, the treatment—even the female officer leading the way was very beautiful…
My good mood was completely ruined when I woke up in the morning.
He didn't even notice when someone entered the dormitory!
His roommate seemed to have rushed over overnight. He had just come in and, seeing that he was awake, grinned, revealing eight white teeth, and stripped naked: "Hey bro! You're awake!"
Xu Qian: "…………"
Fuck your brother!
This guy looks all brawn and no brains. Xu Qian despised this kind of person the most, rolled his eyes, and went to the washroom. After coming out, he reluctantly said goodbye and went to the cafeteria.
"Oh my, so many new handsome young men have come these past few days." The cafeteria lady couldn't stop smiling as she stuffed large meat buns into his mouth, piling them into a bowl: "Hurry up and eat, the meat buns are delicious today!"
Xu Qian awkwardly hugged the basin, feeling like a complete idiot.
Although they eat quite a lot during physical training, aren't these many steamed buns a bit... too much?
"Brother Zhengzheng, I can't eat anymore."
See, you still can't eat, huh... Wait, why is that a child's voice?
Xu Qian placed the basin on the long table and turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.
A boy who was clearly underage and a young man who looked even younger sat side by side at a long wooden table, with scattered plates in front of them. Morning light streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
There was a lush potted green ivy on the table in front of them. After Xu Qian sat down, he could no longer see their movements clearly, but could hear their voices.
He thought absurdly, "Isn't the Beihai base notoriously difficult to enter? It doesn't even have a family quarters. Where did these two sneak in from?!"
"Don't force yourself to eat if you can't," a cool male voice said. "But you must eat that half egg."
"Ah... okay." The child reluctantly agreed, and the two ate in silence.
They arrived early, and by the time Xu Qian was eating his third bun, the two people, one big and one small, had already finished.
The young man quickly tidied up the dishes, asked the child to help him get a few empty bowls, and then walked out slowly in a very homely manner.
Xu Qian was in a daze. Why did he vaguely feel like he was watching a home furnishing advertisement? Was life at the Beihai base really this leisurely?
With training team members from all over the country arriving one after another, and the official start date in two days, this is now a time for rest and recuperation. Xu Qian doesn't get along with his roommate, who is all brawn and no brains, and the base restricts internet access, so besides going to the study room and library, he runs ten kilometers on the track every evening.
People gradually moved into the dormitory, and during the conversation, Xu Qian also discovered that he was already at the highest level in this selection training.
A 25-year-old captain is already a symbol of excellence in this peaceful era.
Apart from him, of the more than one hundred people in the building, only one captain of the same rank as him remained—his big-breasted but brainless roommate, named Sun Gaoda.
Speaking of Sun Gaoda, Xu Qian was furious. He was a complete brute, a fool, who one day even had the audacity to utter such an uncouth phrase as "you cultured people"—had he completely given up on treatment? If you don't need your brain, give it to someone who does!
On the other hand, it's not without its advantages that someone as uncompetitive as Sun Gaoda is on the same level as him—doesn't that make him seem more outstanding?
Xu Qian comforted himself, thinking that this selection training was a sure thing.
Yes, it's a two-month training and assessment program. Although the content is still unknown, there are targets at the end.
The idea of selecting 100 people from 500 based on their scores to embark on a top-secret mission is exciting for anyone.
But there was so little information. The Beihai base was so large, and every day when we went to the canteen, it felt empty; it lacked the bustling atmosphere of mealtimes. We encountered very few staff members on the road, let alone the big shots; their whereabouts were shrouded in mystery.
Apart from a good-natured counselor, these newcomers had almost no contact with anyone else, and after two days, they were all defeated by the mystery.
"Who do you think the instructor is? Could it be some general?" That evening, several people from Xu Qian's floor came to eat together, and naturally, they started talking about this topic that had been discussed to death.
"Hahaha, what's with the joke? It's already good enough that the general came by car for a quick look around, let alone be your instructor? He's probably just a major, or at most a lieutenant colonel."
"He must be a major, but I wonder what he's capable of? We were all handpicked from the best in our districts, so our instructors should at least be someone we're truly convinced of, right?"
"To be a major, I wonder what international competitions he's participated in. I'm so curious, I want to go too..."
"There haven't been many major competitions in recent years, but didn't our Xia country win the championship at the global joint summer training five years ago?"
“Yes, in the past, they would definitely have issued a commendation notice, but they didn’t that time. My comrades and I even speculated back then whether that person had committed some serious disciplinary violation…”
"A serious violation of discipline? What kind of serious violation could cover up such a merit? Did she have a romantic relationship with the general?"
The group burst into laughter.
Xu Qian laughed along, then drifted off into a daydream about the instructors' wisdom and prowess.
One day, he too can become an object of admiration for others, after all, he is only twenty-five years old! As long as he seizes this opportunity to participate in the selection training and enters that secret project, he could very well be promoted within five years if he makes a contribution.
A 30-year-old major... Xu Qian's mouth watered, and he quickly lowered his head to eat.
***
Even the best of the best from each region, who were well-trained, were stunned on the day the selection process officially began.