Chapter 686: Warehouse and Detention Room (Nuclear Energy in This Chapter)

The next morning, Li Banfeng arrived at the Dark Star Bureau once more.

He had no intention of making a deal with He Jiaqing, no matter how enticing the conditions offered. This was just one building; even if he had to explore every corner, even if he had to resort to pure guesswork and deduction, Li Banfeng firmly believed he could find the true data room.

He had found the fake data room through the stairwell last time, so Li Banfeng went to the stairwell again. The data room had been destroyed, so the stairwell should have been sealed off. Li Banfeng was prepared to use his "Unrestricted Movement" technique to enter directly. If his own technique proved insufficient, he would then use the "Deep Mansion and Grand Estate" technique to borrow abilities from Hong Ying. Madam had once said that Hong Ying's "Unrestricted Movement" ability could pass through mountains. Even if he couldn't borrow the full power of the technique, Li Banfeng was confident he could pass through the building's walls.

But when he reached the stairwell entrance, Li Banfeng was stunned. The stairwell was not sealed, there were no guards, and it wasn't even locked. This was what Gao Yina had meant about not making defensive measures obvious. The superiors must have increased the defensive strength of the true data room, but externally, no changes were visible.

Li Banfeng started walking upstairs from the first floor, passing through walls from each stairwell to check the specific situation on each floor. The stairwells were still equipped with dense surveillance facilities, but as long as the projector was present, all devices with lenses were under his control. There was no problem with his approach, but the result greatly disappointed Li Banfeng. From the first floor to the top floor, the exit point from the stairwell on every floor was the same: all led to the elevator entrance.

The stairwell had become a true stairwell, no longer an entrance to secret areas. Even the fake data room hidden on the twelfth floor was no longer visible. Changes had occurred in the Dark Star Bureau; this building was no longer the same as before. The building seemed to have undergone some massive renovation overnight. Could he find traces of the renovation in the stairwell? Li Banfeng walked up and down the stairs; the stairways on each floor were spotlessly clean, leaving no traces behind.

He returned directly from the stairwell to his office. Just as he was about to call Chen Changrui to ask about last night's situation, a sudden quarrel erupted from the security team's area.

"I haven't received any document stating I'm leaving the security team. What right do you have to take my locker?!" It was Zhong Er's voice.

"With your physical condition, you can't possibly return to the security team. New recruits are coming soon, and I need to free up some lockers for them to use!" This was Old Sun, who managed logistics. The old man hadn't retired yet; what was he doing in the security team's area?

Zhong Er said to Old Sun, "Are you specifically targeting my locker? Do you just have to give me a hard time?"

Old Sun glared. "I manage logistics; this is my job. If you think I'm doing something wrong, go argue with our section chief. What are you doing arguing with me here?"

"Today, I'm going to argue with you! I'm going to make my case to you! Even if your section chief comes, I'll still make myself clear!"

Old Sun sneered, "Alright, young man, you're really full of spirit, aren't you? Our section chief can't even hold you down now, so let's not bother with the section chief. Let's go talk to Director Chen. I have a lot to tell Director Chen; some things you might have forgotten, but I still remember them!"

Zhong Er fell silent. Did this kid back down? Did Old Sun have something on him? Old Sun was just a logistics manager. What could he possibly have on Zhong Er? If Old Sun was just spouting old rhetoric, trying to scare Zhong Er, that would be one thing. But he dared to escalate it to Chen Changrui, which meant this matter was significant.

Zhong Er was silenced, and Old Sun's momentum rose. "How many years have I worked in this bureau? Never mind you, even if your captain came over, wouldn't he have to call me 'Big Brother'? What kind of attitude is this, talking to me like that?"

He Bensheng, the Insect Cultivator, advised, "Brother Sun, it's just a small matter; it's not worth it."

Old Sun pushed He Bensheng aside. "What do you mean, 'small matter'? A young punk challenging me directly—is that a small matter? Does he have any manners? Does he have any upbringing? Who is backing him? Who indulged him into these bad habits?"

Old Sun's voice grew louder and louder, and the landline on Zhong Er's desk rang. "Director Li, yes, I'll be right there." Zhong Er hung up the phone and immediately went to Li Banfeng's office.

Old Sun looked around and asked Haitangguo, "Is Director Li back?"

Haitangguo glanced at Old Sun. "I heard he's back. Don't go too far; he'll probably call for you soon."

"Why would he call for me? I haven't done anything wrong. It's just about a locker, isn't it? Is such a small matter going to get me into trouble? I'm not afraid even if Director Li is back. I'm in the right; I'm really not afraid." Old Sun's voice grew softer and softer, and he left the office with his head down.

Seeing Zhong Er limping, Li Banfeng asked, "Who discharged you?"

Zhong Er said, "Doctor Kang approved my discharge, telling me to recuperate at home. Actually, I know he did his best; I can't recover any better."

"Who said you can't recover any better? At the very least, you need to follow Doctor Kang's advice and recuperate at home for a while longer."

"No more recuperating," Zhong Er shook his head. "Director Li, I'm fine now. I can walk, I can run—just not fast—but it won't delay work. I can still fight; my foundation as a level-three combatant is still there. I'm still useful; you know I've always been reliable!"

As he spoke these words, Zhong Er's voice trembled slightly; the blockhead was indeed feeling distressed.

"Who said you're useless? I told you to recuperate properly, but you insisted on coming back to work and even got into an argument over a locker!" Li Banfeng had the projector handle the surveillance equipment in the office, then asked Zhong Er, "What exactly does Old Sun have on you?"

Zhong Er lowered his voice and said, "I once went into the stairwell, and Old Sun found out."

Hearing "stairwell," Li Banfeng paused for a moment. "What were you doing there?"

Zhong Er shook his head repeatedly and said, "I didn't originally intend to go into the stairwell; I accidentally violated a rule."

"A rule?" Li Banfeng asked. "Which rule states you can't go into the stairwell?"

Zhong Er still shook his head. "Going into the stairwell doesn't violate a rule. According to regulations, with a superior's permission, we are allowed to enter the stairwell. However, you must exit from the same floor you entered and absolutely cannot enter other floors."

Li Banfeng was stunned again. "Which regulation is this from?"

Zhong Er said, lowering his head, "This isn't a written rule; it's an unwritten one. In the security team, these kinds of unwritten rules are orally passed down from master to apprentice. Once during equipment maintenance, electricians needed to work in the stairwell and required supervision from a security team member. At that time, Director Chen was still the captain of the security team. He assigned Big Head to supervise, and as Big Head's apprentice, he took me with him to the sixteenth-floor stairwell. Logically, he should have explained the rules to me beforehand. But that day, for some reason, he was constantly uneasy and occasionally muttered a few words, as if he were talking to someone."

Li Banfeng said, "Was he holding some kind of communication device?"

Never underestimate Zhong Er's reconnaissance abilities; he had indeed noticed this. "I'm not sure if it was a communication device," he said, "I just remember he kept fiddling with a button on his shirt. Combining that with some subsequent events, I suspect he was contacting He Jiaqing at the time."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly and said, "Continue."

Zhong Er said, "Two electricians checked from the sixteenth floor all the way to the eighteenth. They found damaged wiring on the eighteenth floor, issued a work ticket, and immediately cut the power for repairs. At that time, all surveillance equipment in the stairwell was powered off. The two electricians focused on their work, while Big Head stood at the stairwell corner, still fiddling with the button. I thought he was very abnormal at the time, so I paid closer attention to him. Big Head must have noticed, as he told me to go upstairs and check other power equipment, which was clearly a way to send me away.

"I don't know anything about electricians, but he ordered it, so I could only comply. When I reached the nineteenth floor, I found the stairwell door was open. Behind it was a large iron gate, which was also open. After entering the large iron gate, I saw a detention cell. The nineteenth floor was originally an activity center, with a gym and a billiards room. When a detention cell