"Are you okay? Why have you been so absent-minded these days?" Jiang Wenwen sat on the sofa, holding a box of mixed juice in her hand, and she kept blowing into it.

"It's normal. Comrades who have encountered the 'Meat Mountain' all start to doubt life like this. Even after resolving the incident, they'll still fall into the psychological problem of doubting reality. Anyway, let's communicate more!"

Around the second day after the "Meat Mountain" incident, two people claiming to be from the Countermeasures Bureau came to Jiang Ling's home. They first expressed their approval of Jiang Ling's approach, then recommended a psychological counseling expert and said that all expenses would be free.

Now, Jiang Ling is staying in the hospital for desensitization treatment.

"Everything you see in your hallucinations is fake! Don't dwell on those painful memories, try to find those loopholes! The mutant can't read your thoughts, those things are all deliberately made for you to believe."

Jiang Ling closed her eyes, her mind enveloped by relaxing incense. She tried to recall the negative memories, but since her beast transformation, her powerful mental strength had effectively dispelled those hallucinations. Her recent distraction was simply due to the message the repairman had sent her. Master Sun had contacted the old factory, but the problem now was that they could negotiate for the modules, but not the core.

A military exoskeleton without a core might not even be as good as a civilian version, so it's better not to repair it. But she was itching to get this high-tech device, and she couldn't let it go. Just imagine, what man would pass up such an opportunity? Jiang Ling definitely wouldn't give up. She hadn't had the chance to handle those weapons and equipment before, but she wasn't going to let herself be useless.

So she'd been racking her brains for the past few days, trying to find a way to fix the core issue. Maybe the Countermeasures Bureau she'd visited could do it, but how would she tell them? "Hey, I have a broken exoskeleton. Give me two cores and I'll fix it." And then what? Try the repaired exoskeleton on and return it to them? She might as well let it rot in her hands while she figured out another solution!

Jiang Ling frowned.

The doctor thought she was recalling some bad memories and quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, don't worry! Take your time, feel it with your heart, and when it passes, you will feel better!"

"If only Master Sun could still make an exoskeleton! Making an exoskeleton... Yeah, if they won't sell it to me, I can always make my own!" Jiang Ling realized there was no need to ask the Countermeasures Bureau for the core; she only needed to ask for the blueprints. The blueprints for the third-generation and a half exoskeleton weren't exactly top secret; they were having a sale before the war, so it was clear they'd already completed research on the next generation. She felt this approach was highly feasible, and she hadn't even asked them for compensation yet!

Jiang Ling's brows relaxed and the corners of her mouth began to turn upwards.

The doctor was relieved after seeing this. Under normal circumstances, those well-trained Countermeasures Bureau agents would take several days to recover. However, this "ordinary person" whose personal information was top-secret had a psychological quality that was almost the same as those agents. This made the doctor admire the Countermeasures Bureau's ability to judge people.

"Okay, let's stop here for today! Take one more pill of this tonight, and then you can be discharged after a checkup tomorrow!" The doctor only prescribed a vitamin C tablet to relieve stress. Similar placebos are prescribed for many acute mental problems.

Jiang Ling took the pills after she went out. In a sense, she cooperated with the doctor so much these days just for the daily fruit-flavored vitamin tablets. She hadn't eaten fruit for a long time, so she missed the taste a little.

The two Countermeasures Bureau operators were temporarily based in the core area guesthouse on the third underground floor. They said she could always visit them if she needed anything in the next few days. The elevator from the second to third floors was hidden near the station unloading area at the regional junction. Just exit the residential area, turn right again, and walk a little further. The elevator, located behind the two control room doors, led directly to the core area on the third floor.

To enter this small door, you first need to scan a pass. Only those with A-level or higher clearance can open it. Many people have no idea where this door leads to. Some people who like to wander around have marked it as the employee lounge at the stop on the station website. Therefore, Jiang Ling has never been able to find the elevator directly to the third floor online. The last time she accidentally entered the revolving passage, she just believed the online rumors.

After exiting the elevator and exiting the hotel-like waiting area, Jiang Ling saw a circular corridor lined with various departments. Some departments seemed bustling, with paperwork piled at the entrances; others were quiet, with even the occupants sitting in their offices all in their fifties. Jiang Ling felt as if she had arrived at a government office building, and she suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Make way! Make way!" A few electronic voices echoed behind her. Turning, she saw a wheeled robot carrying a pile of documents. Only then did she notice some peculiar lines on the ceiling and floor of the corridor. These lines, about five centimeters wide, were painted blue-purple.

Jiang Ling quickly stepped aside, and when the robot passed by, she asked, "Do you know where the guesthouse is?"

"Guesthouse? You've gone the wrong way! It's on the other right! I have something else to do, so I'll go first!" The robot stayed for a few seconds, left this sentence, and left.

Watching the machine quickly move away, Jiang Ling felt a wave of confusion. She felt as if the robot was mocking her. She seemed to see a subtle glimmer of disdain in the inorganic camera.

Jiang Ling followed the robot's instructions and walked for more than ten minutes. The department signs on both sides became increasingly sparse. It wasn't until she passed what looked like a conference room that she saw the sign for the guesthouse. The guesthouse was probably a small area, but it was fully functional. The two Countermeasures Bureau agents lived in Room 2, just to the right of the entrance. When she arrived, the two were still inside, talking to someone.

"...They were pre-war mutants, yes, probably transformed from children... They couldn't be controlled, and escaped from the designated area... the ventilation ducts... Probably several thousand people, but it's hard to count exactly. Maybe they even made it to the surface... Yes, they've been dealt with now, but not by us... My suggestion is to increase vigilance. Their abilities are too complex, and we haven't yet summarized them."

Jiang Ling eavesdropped for a while, but the noise inside drowned out the conversation. She knocked on the door, and the call was quickly disconnected.