Envy and jealousy
On the eighth floor, the large conference room of the Investigation Department.
The solemn atmosphere implies a sense of trial.
Among the all-black suits, the eye-catching red dress caught the attention of Lu Miao and Lu Xingyang.
The latter maintained a bright smile and led Lu Miao to sit next to him.
The head of Section 1 is here too, and everyone is very concerned about how to get extra rewards.
Lu Xingyang smiled. "Sorry, I kept you waiting for so long."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Lu Miao. Her cold and world-weary expression remained the same, unaffected by the outside world.
The director of the investigation department is Bai Tou Weng. He clasped his hands and spoke sternly. "Captain Lu, we have checked the surveillance video of the cold storage room in the early morning."
The sharp gazes around her were like knives hanging over her head.
Lu Miao remained calm and gave Minister Guan a faint look as a courtesy.
He changed the subject: "It confirms that you have nothing to do with the missing supplies."
The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed, and everyone else's tense bodies relaxed.
Minister Guan smiled and said, "Since it is an extra reward given to you by the ghost story, we will not force you to hand it over."
"Thank you." Lu Miao's voice was like the last snow in spring.
"However, we attach great importance to this first additional reward and are very wary of such changes. Therefore, we request to review your mission report."
She was too lazy to get involved in all the intrigues, so she looked at Lu Xingyang sitting next to her and threw the question to him.
Lu Xingyang was unusually straightforward: "This is related to the survival of all mankind, so of course we must take this matter seriously. I will show you Captain Lu's mission report."
He walked over to his laptop and logged into his work system account.
Minister Guan and others lost hope.
Displayed so easily, it seems that the information in the mission report is of little value.
As expected, the method of passing the level described by Lu Miao was in line with normal operations. The only shocking thing was the simple process of reversing the rules.
Minister Guan was also incredulous. "Captain Lu, are the rules you deduced very different from the real rules of the management office?"
"pretty close."
The others took a breath.
The participating scholars cast admiring glances at him. They immediately gathered in front of their laptops to study the recorded rules of Qingshui Apartment.
The woman in the red dress is called Tu Ying. She leads a warm-colored investigation team. She has a curly shawl that exudes fragrance, and the deep V-neck of her dress reveals her charming curves.
There were teardrop moles under her eyes, and her voice was charming. "Captain Lu, your mission report did not detail how the Yellow Team was annihilated. Can I ask you to explain the situation on the spot?"
She added with a smile, her lips red as cinnabar. "Please be more specific."
"No problem." Lu Miao remained calm. "When we met up with Team Yellow, there were only two members left in Team Yellow. Guo Li said the other two members had been mentally contaminated."
Everyone frowned.
"After the reunion, we rushed back to the apartment to get our meals and separated. Since there was a loophole in the plan of Team Yellow and the survivors, we decided to go to the management office before getting our meals. As written in the report, I served as the administrator and received the maintenance application."
"It was strange that the second application was to change the lock of 403. After I went to 403 to remove the broken lock, Liang Na, a member of the Yellow Team, rushed out and cried to me that the Yellow Team had taken her apartment key and locked her in the apartment. In the end, the three of them fought each other and died together."
The conference room was dead silent.
Someone cast a mocking look at Tu Ying.
"It seems that the psychological quality of ghost story investigators needs to be improved." The middle-aged man with glasses is the secretary of the Ghost Story Investigation Department and is responsible for taking minutes of this meeting.
Tu Ying smiled sweetly: "Secretary Wang is right. Our first department will strengthen the psychological training of each investigator. Team Yellow has been completely wiped out. We need to reorganize Team Yellow."
"Okay, we'll discuss this in detail after the meeting."
Tu Ying looked at Lu Miao with a smile, and her meaningful look gave Lu Xingyang a bad feeling.
He quickly changed the subject: "The police investigation report has been sent over. While Captain Lu is here, let's discuss the reasons why the strange story at Qingshui Apartment occurred."
No one objected.
Lu Xingyang first showed the forensic autopsy report. "The male corpse in Room 803 was eight years old. He died four days ago, the day when the power went out at Qingshui Apartment. He died of starvation."
"After his death, the power went out. Where did the energy come from to form such a strange story? It seems that the theory of 'supernatural domination' is more reasonable." said the bald Mediterranean folklore professor.
The so-called "supernatural master" theory is one of the schools of thought in the academic and scientific circles. It means that there is a master with supernatural powers who controls all areas of strange stories.
"Currently, the rules in the field of ghost stories are divided into two camps. One camp is to protect humans from mental pollution and restrain creatures that have already been mentally polluted, and the other camp is fake rules that induce humans to be mentally polluted. It is easy to understand which camp the fake rules come from, but what about the rules of protection and restraint?"
Tu Ying supports the theory of "supernatural master". "The 'correct rules' may be what humans call 'master'."
Lu Miao was moved.
This "master" uses text rules to fool humans, uses despair and hope to manipulate human hearts, and finally rewards survivors who pass the level with fresh supplies.
opinionated.
"What's the connection between boys and fish?" the folklore professor was puzzled.
"Longing for freedom?" Secretary Wang guessed.
Tu Ying couldn't help laughing. "The situation in Qingshui Apartment has nothing to do with freedom."
"He died alone. Did he long for company?"
“No.”
"I want to eat as much as a fish and fill myself up." Lu Miao interrupted suddenly.
There was a moment of silence.
Tu Ying raised her red lips: "As expected of a rising star in our Ghost Story Investigation Department, you figured it out now."
Lu Xingyang smiled and said, "Keeping calm and thinking is one of the necessary qualities of every ghost story investigator. Maybe it is also one of the conditions for getting extra rewards? We need to work harder."
The hatred with Yike has been aroused, so I might as well push it to the limit.
Tu Ying smiled but said nothing.
Minister Guan suddenly interrupted: "I heard that Captain Lu's team is less than five people, right? If you are interested in recruiting people, I have some candidates here."
Secretary Wang immediately became alert to the intrusion of forces outside the department. "New members need to be strictly screened and then reported to the higher-ups. They also need to undergo arduous training and pass the assessment before they can become candidates. Minister Guan, if you have a candidate, can you send us his resume first?"
"Oh, I see."
The number of people at the meeting was reduced in the second half, and Lu Xingyang, Lu Miao and Tu Ying left first.
Tu Ying brushed her long curly hair and said, "Captain Lu, if you are not in a hurry to recruit service members, I will apply to reorganize the Yellow Team first."
"Please."
She giggled and walked into the elevator smelling of perfume.
Lu Xingyang and Lu Miao walked up the stairs.
"Be careful of that evil woman. She's deliberately praising the Green Team with ill intentions." Lu Xingyang was worried. "From what I know about her, she'll take revenge for losing the entire Yellow Team."
Lu Miao was concerned about something else. "Have the police contacted the boy's family?"
He sighed helplessly. "I couldn't contact his father. His mother is not in this city, and she was relieved when she learned of her son's death."
She asked no more questions.
Lu Xingyang knew that she didn't like to meddle in other people's business, so he told her: "Just take care of how to maintain the record of the Fluorescent Green Team, and I'll take care of the rest. By the way, I have some excellent candidates, do you want to see their resumes?"
"Are there any soldiers?"
He choked. "You're making things difficult for me."
"That's not interesting."
"...Ah..." He ruffled his red hair in embarrassment. "Okay, I'll try, but don't get your hopes up."
The military has elite troops that enter the field of ghost stories to earn supplies, so they don't care about the investigation teams of government departments.
He sighed deeply.
It was almost eleven o'clock in the morning and Lu Miao went directly to the cafeteria.
This time when she came to the cafeteria, all the colleagues she met looked at her a few more times.
The news of the "extra reward" spread quickly, and many colleagues came over to ask questions.
She was fed up with it and packed her lunch to eat in the dormitory.
She walked to the cafeteria door with her lunch and met a burly bear-like man.
He glared at Lu Miao fiercely.
She looked straight ahead and treated the man as air.
The man narrowed his eyes viciously.
He is the captain of the Science and Technology Team. He and Guo Li experienced the same field of ghost stories. They entered the Ghost Story Investigation Department together, received training together, and then became captains one after another.
He treats Guo Li as his sister.
Now my sister is dead.
He must cut that woman into pieces!
The time without tasks and training was extremely boring. The young deer, who ate and slept immediately, wasted his time, staring blankly at the ceiling, like a dead fish.
In the afternoon, she slowly remembered that there was a day's worth of supplies in the refrigerator to be processed, and she got up lazily.
Two barrels of 4.5L of pure drinking water, emerald green organic cauliflower, large yellow-hearted white vegetables, thick chunks of pork, free-range chicken with half a foot, plump and fragrant cucumbers...
Lu Miao's eyes turned black.
The portion was enough for her to eat for three days.
When she picked up the kitchen knife to cut the pork, she gave up resolutely.
Ah, Ping An’s mother is the chef of the hotel.
"Keke, are you free to go to Ping'an's for dinner later? It's my treat."
Not long after, she rang the doorbell of the dormitory next door while holding the foam box, and met Wang Keke who came back carrying some Happy Fat House Water.
She is not wearing any makeup and looks very pretty without any make-up.
"Captain, we bought some soda to liven things up. Eh? Are those stingy people willing to let you move back?"
“It came back on its own.”
Wang Keke: 6.
He Pingan opened the door and couldn't hide his surprise. "Captain, you didn't bring all of them?"
"yes."
She provides the ingredients and his family provides the manpower, which is reasonable.
"Won't you save some for yourself?"
"You're always on missions, do you have time to cook?"
“…”
Very sad fact.
He Ping'an's mother was shocked when she saw so many delicious ingredients for the first time. "Is this the legendary free-range porcupine that eats insects and grows naturally? The pork is so thick, it must be the legendary native pig... This is not good, Captain Lu, you should take it back!"
There are no vegetable markets anymore, only roadside vending machines selling nutritional powders, nutritional supplements and processed meat.
"It's okay. Pack up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator."
He Ping'an was ashamed.
It can be seen that she is too lazy to cook.
"Mom, you should help the captain make dinner."
Lu Miao nodded quickly and moved the ingredients to the kitchen.
"Okay. Hey, you kids, you have to cherish food..." Mother He covered her waist as she walked.
Wang Keke asked quietly: "Has Auntie's condition improved?"
He Pingan was sad. "I need to continue taking medicine and treatment to stabilize my condition. But my mother is reluctant to go for treatment and wants to save money for me."
He thought about reselling the drinking water he received as a reward to earn money for medical expenses, but the captain said that at least letting the aunt drink unpolluted water would prevent her condition from worsening.
Therefore, he left every bit of pure drinking water he got for his mother to drink.
"Why not lie to her and tell her that someone I know can recommend a good hospital for surgery and give her a discount on the surgery fee?"
"She won't believe it." He smiled bitterly: "It would be great if she is willing to undergo conservative treatment."
Wang Keke was speechless.
He Pingan went into the kitchen to help cook.
The Green Team had their first dinner together, and it was so sumptuous that it made outsiders jealous.
He's mother suffers from chronic renal failure and has a light diet. Except for the bland cabbage with garlic and stir-fried pork with cucumber, the other dishes are in line with the young people's taste for spicy food.
Lu Miao had anticipated this and specially made a steamed chicken dish for He's mother. "Auntie, eat more naturally grown chicken to replenish your body."
She picked up the thickest chicken leg and gave it to He's mother.
"Thank you, thank you." She smiled awkwardly. "Auntie is old and can't eat so much. You often go on missions, so you should eat more to replenish your energy."
Wang Keke smiled slyly: "That's right, Ping An needs to grow, so eat more."
He Ping'an's face flushed.
Lu Miao agreed solemnly. "You need to grow taller. The reputation of the Fluorescent Green Team depends on you."
He lowered his head in shame.
"Thank you for taking care of Ping An..." Mother He choked up and couldn't help crying. "I've lived in the dormitory for a long time, and I often heard how cruel the system of the investigation team is... I always think that Ping An is the youngest, if Ping An goes to another team... I..."
She burst into tears.
Lu Miao patted her shoulder and comforted her: "Don't worry, Auntie, I will do my best to lead all the team members out of the ghost story area."
He Ping'an and Wang Keke's eyes were shining, and their chests were burning with their burning hearts.
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