Chapter 8 (Catching Bugs)

The complete version of the "Employee Code of Conduct" is a booklet stapled with A4 paper, printed on one side, and filled with five sheets of paper.

Because the otter needs to rest, after Yuan Jiayi found the booklet, she took Xu Ming and the others to another small conference room to study it carefully.

First of all, the most noteworthy thing is that this code of conduct provides a complete work and rest schedule:

working hours are from 8:45 to 17:30, with a two-hour lunch break in the middle, and the lunch break time is from 12 to 2:00.

During the lunch break, employees can leave the company. But they must return before the end of the lunch break, otherwise they will bear the consequences.

Recalling the strange things he encountered in the corridor outside at the beginning, Xu Ming roughly guessed what kind of "consequences" were mentioned here.

As for the rules for using facilities such as storage rooms, meeting rooms, and reception rooms, they are all included in this code, as well as specific requirements for "work". In summary, there are three points:

First, each employee has work tasks, and can obtain information through designated computers or by sending emails. If the work is not completed on the same day, it is assumed that you have to work overtime that night, and you can leave work only after it is completed.

Second, the completed work content must be sent back via email or sent to a designated printer before it is considered completed. If it is completed early, you can also leave work early.

Third, there is a weekly assessment every Wednesday. The weekly assessment will summarize the work of the first half of the week. If you fail the weekly assessment, you will bear the consequences yourself.

... This part is also normal, and there is no discrepancy with the information you have obtained sporadically before. The key point is that the assessment on Wednesday is the big deadline. If you still can't hand in your work results by then, it will be really cold.

However, with the otter's experience as a precedent, Xu Ming estimated that no one in the group would be so stubborn as to want to work properly.

What surprised her a little was that this code of conduct specifically emphasized, "Our company advocates work first. Employees are not encouraged to participate in fire drills, exchanges, team building and other activities. Please arrange your time reasonably and consider the importance."

It looks like it has some complaints about a certain fire drill activity.

In addition, it also spent a lot of space to make regulations on the ID cards worn by employees -

[11. Code of conduct for employee ID cards:

[1. Employees must wear their ID cards at all times while in the company. If they take them off, they will bear the consequences.

[2. The ID cards of our employees are all made uniformly. Only rectangular objects that come from a specific computer and have complete and clear information are considered valid work badges. If an employee wears an invalid work badge, it will be treated the same as if he or she has taken off the work badge, and the employee will bear the consequences.

[3. It is prohibited to modify or paint the work badge without authorization. The modified work badge will be considered invalid.

[4. When wearing it, the work badge should be kept in place on the chest, revealing all information. If it is worn incorrectly, please correct it with the guidance of leaders and other colleagues. ]

...The question is, where did the leaders and colleagues come from?

Xu Ming guessed that this might be one of the reasons why Qiu Yufei and others saw strange shadows from time to time.

However, what she cared about most were the last two items in this section——

[5. When wearing a work badge, it is strictly forbidden to enter the fifth floor and below. 】

【6. If employees enter the fifth floor and below, they should voluntarily remove their work badges and destroy them promptly in accordance with regulations. And after returning to the company, they should voluntarily keep the newly assigned work badges. 】

Xu Ming: "..."

The fifth floor again.

Not only that, flipping back, there are special regulations that once again emphasize that the company does not hire any security guards or cleaners.

It matches the content in the "Fire Drill Notice".

"So, what is under the fifth floor?" Yuan Jiayi looked thoughtful, "and why do you emphasize that work badges cannot be taken down?"

"Obviously." Xu Ming said seriously, "There are enemies under the fifth floor."

Yuan Jiayi:... ?

"Sister Jiayi, don't pay attention to her, she's just joking." Qiu Yufei nudged Xu Ming with her elbow, "Be serious!"

"I'm serious. Of course it's just a guess." Xu Ming crossed his arms, "At least for now, it seems that the party that makes the rules is very wary of those below the fifth floor."

Yuan Jiayi: "The enemy of my enemy is a friend?"

"Not necessarily, it could be something more ferocious than it." Xu Ming said frankly, "There will be a lunch break at twelve o'clock, and the company door will open. It would be great if I could go and take a look then."

"...That's too scary, how about we look for other clues?" Qiu Yufei rubbed her arms and picked up the tattered notice that Xu Ming brought back, "And this one, is it really useless?"

She still felt that there might be some mystery hidden in this notice, or even vitality - after all, something like "escape drill" sounded full of vitality.

Moreover, assuming that Hongqiang Company itself had no intention of letting people escape, then why did they design such an activity? Just to scare people? They even specifically mentioned it in the "Employee Code of Conduct", as if they secretly didn't want people to go.

Xu Ming looked thoughtful and said nothing, while Jiayi simply shook her head:

"It is obvious that our company has bad intentions now, and this notice came from the company. Do you think it is trustworthy?"

Qiu Yufei: "..."

"But don't departments in the company also fight and infight?" She whispered, "Maybe one department within Hongqiang has a change of heart and deliberately leaves a way out for people?"

Sister Jiayi sneered, but Xu Ming raised his head.

"To be honest, it's not impossible." She said seriously, "I have heard before that some upright souls will still shine even if they fall into the mud. They will become signposts in the maze and try their best to help every passerby."

"..." Jiayi raised her eyebrows, "Who did you hear that from?"

Xu Ming honestly: "My aunt."

Jiayi: "The one that will scare people?"

Xu Ming: "Yeah."

Jiayi: "Then have you seen it with your own eyes?"

Xu Ming: "...No."

"That's it." Jiayi sighed, "Imagination is beautiful, but it still has to be realistic."

"...That's right." Xu Ming thought for a while and nodded, "And it is not ruled out that this is essentially a double insurance."

The other two: "......?"

"That is, set up two seemingly conflicting rules, use human doubts about one side to enhance the credibility of the other side, and encourage humans to act according to the requirements of the other set of rules." Xu Ming explained, "But in fact, no matter which set of rules is followed, the one who benefits is the ghost story itself."

The other two: "..."

"So sinister." Qiu Yufei sighed and pointed at the booklet again, "Mingming, how should we understand these rules? I feel like we have been violating these."

"?" Xu Ming looked over and found that she was referring to several rules listed together.

They were all various weird requirements for employees. Including but not limited to "employees must be loyal to the company and willing to contribute to the company", "employees must participate in work with a positive and full mood, and it is strictly forbidden to spread negative emotions within the company", "may not produce, copy, or disseminate information that damages the company's reputation and hinders the stability of the company through any means", etc.

Xu Ming pondered: "Well, it's true that there are many requirements, but the binding force is not very strong, and violations are also obviously punished..."

"This should be considered marinade."

Qiu Yufei: "..." Huh?

"It's a rule specifically designed to increase suggestions and promote assimilation." Xu Ming explained, "Well, let me give you an analogy

." "Modern people mainly eat cooked food, and in order to make the food taste better, they will cook it. The same is true for the Monster Zone - in order to obtain healthier and more delicious food, they sometimes try to process the ingredients first. What we are experiencing now is almost a processing process. And in order for us to achieve the taste they want, we need to be 'marinated'."

"So, using this kind of information to tame our thinking?" Jiayi gradually understood, "Once you can consciously abide by these rules, it means you've been marinated?" "

That's about it." Xu Ming nodded.

"Wait." Jiayi suddenly reacted, "Before, Xiao Wang and I were moving things from the storage room as employees..."

"I wanted to say this before." Xu Ming looked at her sympathetically, "Good job, but don't do it next time."

The rule of the storage room is that as long as you are an employee, you can apply for unlimited stationery. Jiayi and her friends took advantage of this rule to get something for free, but in fact, it was also invisibly affecting themselves, making themselves more identified with the identity of "Hongqiang employees"...

In other words, pickling themselves.

Not as obvious as the otter, but the impact is definitely there. Like Jiayi, she had inadvertently said something like "our company" before.

"What if it's completely marinated?" Qiu Yufei panicked, "Is it going to be put into the pot?"

And it's marinated so quietly... Maybe I'm going to die and I don't even know it, jumping into the pot stupidly!

"That's why I said we should hurry up and escape." Xu Ming sighed, "If it doesn't work, I'll just change my work card."

Even if I'm going to die, I won't die in a delicious way, this is her last stubbornness.

"..." The other two were silent for a while, obviously they haven't realized that yet.

Only the strange voice in the mind quietly emerged again.

"Kid, I admire your courage." It sounded sincere, "But I think you can do something more meaningful than just looking for death."

Xu Ming: "..."

"For example?" She asked in her consciousness.

"For example, organize all your experiences here, put them in your handbag, and then open the door during lunch break and throw the handbag out." The voice said slowly, "People who come later will sincerely thank you."

"..." Xu Ming lowered his eyes and said nothing more. He turned over the rules in his hand again.

Qiu Yufei sat next to her, watching her flipping through the rules boredly. After looking for a while, she suddenly frowned.

"Mingming!" she shouted, "Staples!"

"This booklet is stapled with two staples!"

...?

Jiayi looked at her in surprise, not understanding what was so surprising; Xu Ming reacted quickly, hurriedly opened the bag, and took something out.

It was a piece of paper, a wrinkled paper. When it was opened, "I love Hongqiang" was written on each line; the biggest difference from other papers was that there were two torn gaps on its side.

Xu Ming placed the gaps on the position of the staples and compared them. It was just right.

After exchanging a surprised look with the other two people, she silently pieced the paper together more firmly. Immediately afterwards, there was an even more amazing scene.

On the wrinkled paper, the original "I love Hongqiang" suddenly faded like a tide. Instead, there were lines of light blue handwriting.

Xu Ming couldn't see it clearly, but Qiu Yufei next to her read it out loud.

The first sentence was, "Don't be afraid."

The second sentence was, "Don't believe." The

third sentence was, "Don't work."

Xu Ming: "..."

How to say it, the rule in the face of conflict is that her principle has always been not to stand in the wrong line.

But at this moment, just for this last sentence, she decided to stop thinking about this paper.