novelcrest Chapter 681: A Trap or an Opportunity?
Chapter 681: A Trap or an Opportunity?
The ventilation duct blueprints in Wu Wang's hands were more detailed than he had imagined.
The drawings not only show some of the publicly available information about the talent incubation center, but also include the layout of the ventilation ducts from the fourth floor to the twenty-eighth floor.
The original drawings were also marked with a large number of handwritten arrows and numbers, indicating potential risks for each ventilation duct. These markings were in varying shades of color, some drawn in one go with the same pen, and others clearly added later.
This means that Zhang Mingyuan spent a long time adding information bit by bit to complete the task.
One of the most clearly visible red lines starts from a ventilation opening in Zone D on the fourth floor, and extends upwards through the seventh, twelfth, and nineteenth floors...
Finally, turn onto the twenty-eighth floor, which is the Wish Exhibition Hall.
And there were also tiny notes next to it—
[Maintenance access for the Wish Ball Experience Pod]
[Accessible outside of trial hours; appears to provide direct access to the core memory data, allowing external programs to be launched here]
This memory data core is most likely where memories are stored.
Zhang Mingyuan couldn't find the location of the memory storage library, but he found a path that seemed to lead there.
He verified every floor node along this route, and wrote down the verification time and ventilation status next to each arrow.
The only regrettable thing is that the last record was from more than a year ago, just a few days before the strike broke out, and the subsequent notes have never been updated.
Over a year has passed, and no one knows if anything has happened to the ventilation ducts.
Furthermore, there is no record of any external programs.
Nobody knew what he was talking about.
Clearly, this is also a test for Zhang Mingyuan.
If the person he chooses is truly determined to continue, then they will naturally risk being discovered by the factory to go back to him.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
From the storage boxes in the break room to the blueprints hidden on the employees' keyboards, it's clear that Zhang Mingyuan has a cunning mind; he hides these clues in different places so that the factory can't extinguish the last embers he left behind all at once.
Wu Wang then switched to the projection of the artificial intelligence [Bai].
He handed over the blueprint card and asked, "Bai, can you create a path based on this blueprint?"
With the blueprints in hand, this path-building process became extremely convenient for [White], who resided within the Desire Bracelet.
Because all she needed to do was check these areas on each floor to see if Wu Wang's bracelet had the necessary permissions to enter, or where she might encounter any obstacles, and then cross-reference that with the ventilation duct diagram.
After a moment, [Bai] spoke:
"Sir, the scan is complete."
"This route is still 70% feasible. Three ventilation shafts were closed one after another six months ago, but two of them can be bypassed by taking another route from the power maintenance area."
"The only place that cannot be bypassed is the entrance to the maintenance passage of the Wish Ball Experience Cabin on the 28th floor. It requires the Wish Advisor's workbench access to open. Otherwise, if you enter directly through the ventilation vent, landing will trigger a factory-wide alarm."
What are the permissions for the Wish Advisor's workbench?
Wu Wang narrowed his eyes.
It's a bit of a shame, because when he was doing that substitute job, the factory had granted him temporary permission to search for wishes without approval.
Although this permission probably doesn't allow direct access to the maintenance channel, if [Bai] had tampered with the system and opened a backdoor during the operation of the workbench, there might have been room for manipulation.
However, at the time, I was unaware of the existence of the maintenance channel.
It seemed that they had figured out what Wu Wang was thinking.
[Bai] suddenly spoke up: "Sir, when you asked me to erase the search records, I made a mirror backup before the permissions were closed. If you approach the workbench to scan the bracelet again next time, I can temporarily grant you access to the maintenance channel."
"However, there is a risk in doing this: the factory will detect unauthorized maintenance behavior after five minutes."
Her tone carried a hint of smugness, like that of a student who had finished their homework early and was waiting for praise.
Because of what she experienced in the Eternal City, her brother Bai Ta and Hua Wuyou taught her one thing over a lifetime: always have a backup plan in everything you do, and don't be bound by rules and regulations. A program is just a program; the one who programs it is the human.
Hearing this, Wu Wang was both surprised and delighted.
Giving a thumbs-up is the highest form of praise for a man.
"You're pretty good."
As for whether it takes five minutes or not, that's enough time.
Xiao Qiu then jumped onto Wu Wang's head and asked, "Meow~"
Boss, are we going to infiltrate now?
As a feline, he loves squeezing into these small, confined spaces.
He's climbed all over the cardboard boxes and bed seams in the house before, but he's never been inside the ventilation ducts yet, and he seems quite excited about it now.
Wu Wang shook his head.
He picked up the laminated drawing cards, folded them up, and flipped them deftly between his fingers.
He squinted and said, "Actually, even now, there's still something I'm curious about."
“Zhang Mingyuan did suggest to me in the consultation room that it was still not too late to leave. I wasn’t the only one standing behind that door; there were several other people in front of me who were also frowning at the factory rules.”
"His plan was very detailed and had been in the works for many years. It seemed like he was just one step away from success."
"But the people before me all went into that consultation room and ended up with the same fate."
Why did they fail?
This question caused both Bai and Xiaoqiu to fall silent.
Indeed, judging from the note in the break room, Zhang Mingyuan's plan seemed to be just one step away from completion.
All you need to do is get the so-called external program to remember the core data and start it up.
It's understandable that some people might be clumsy and get caught early.
Even the ventilation ducts that were successively sealed off were mostly because someone had sneaked in and been caught, and the factory sealed them off to prevent others from taking the same route.
There were just so many people before.
Is there not even one person with slightly better skills?
The factory repeatedly caught these employees with ulterior motives, but did nothing else except shut down the ventilation ducts.
"Is it because they made a mistake somewhere?"
"Or is it because... the factory saw through Zhang Mingyuan's screening mechanism from the very beginning, but simply chose to let him continue, treating the process as a more efficient mousetrap for abnormal employees?"
Zhang Mingyuan always felt that he was looking for like-minded people to fight against the factory.
In reality, the factory turned a blind eye to the strike in order to prevent it from happening again, allowing him to find abnormal employees and deal with them one by one, precisely targeting the problem.
Wu Wang's words made Xiao Qiu sit up straight.
Meow, this is a bit creepy to think about. There are so many scheming and cunning people among humans.
Oh dear, how could humans be so wicked!
It's easier being a cat.
"Bai, investigate which employees Zhang Mingyuan contacted and how they were sent to the talent incubation center."
Upon hearing Wu Wang's instructions, [Bai] began searching through Zhang Mingyuan's file.
Not long after, she responded:
"The previous file retrieval only contained partial information, and there were a total of ten employees who had contact with Zhang Mingyuan."
"Two of them were marked as inefficient assets and moved to the 49th floor, three were forcibly repossessed by the factory due to overdue loans, and four voluntarily applied for [retraining opportunities], with the system noting that the application was voluntary."
“There’s another person… his status is unknown. Zhang Mingyuan’s file doesn’t have any information about him, so he probably failed too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to you, sir.” Wu Wang tapped the card rhythmically on the edge of the table.
He said in a thoughtful tone, "None of the ten people left or were promoted normally, which means they didn't choose to give up or anything like that. They really wanted to help Zhang Mingyuan accomplish all of this."
"The first five inefficient assets and overdue loans can be explained as a lack of ability, as they are indeed slightly less capable than to complete the plan. However, the last four who applied for retraining opportunities are definitely people who are confident in their abilities. Otherwise, they would not knowingly go into danger."
"Hehe, Bai, under what circumstances do you think someone would voluntarily walk into a slaughterhouse?"
[Bai] blinked repeatedly.
This problem clearly cannot be solved by data; it requires a full understanding of human nature.
Even if an artificial intelligence possesses a human soul, this is still an area where she is not very good at it.
After all, the inhabitants of the Eternal City are far more human than normal people outside.
She hasn't had much contact with normal people.
Wu Wang answered for her: "When they thought that going into the slaughterhouse would save others."
“That’s how Zhang Mingyuan walked in back then. He felt he could save his fellow strikers.”
The strike, as recorded in the archives, lasted for eleven days.
The record states that the first person wavered on the ninth day, and by the eleventh day, fewer than fifty people remained, with most having already compromised with the factory.
The moment Zhang Mingyuan stepped into the forty-ninth floor, he wasn't forcibly dragged in by the factory.
He went in by himself.
He traded his own life for the condition of saving his comrades.
Unfortunately, he didn't know at the time that the condition was fake.
And now, the same script seems to be repeating itself.
Zhang Mingyuan continued to do the same thing. He used his authority as the Smiler to mark those who had the potential to sabotage the factory and pointed them out a seemingly clear path.
Then I watched them walk into the cemetery one by one.
Perhaps, even now, Zhang Mingyuan still feels guilty, believing that he didn't work hard enough.
"Meow?"
"Boss, isn't this a dead end? Should we still go?"
Wu Wang hid the card in his sleeve; this kind of dungeon item couldn't be put into his inventory.
He stretched and chuckled, "Go ahead. Zhang Mingyuan sent ten people to the graveyard, but this time it's me walking into his consultation room. I won't die. Isn't it perfect to go down the path to my death?"
One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade.
Since Zhang Mingyuan has already walked quite a distance, following in his footsteps will naturally be easier.
However, one cannot continue following this path indefinitely; one must find an opportunity to forge one's own path.
We must use our own methods to fight against the factory; blindly following the example of others will not work.
Wu Wang waited in the room for a while.
After all, it's lunch break downstairs, and I just made quite a scene. Going down now would only attract more attention and make it harder to do anything.
I waited until the lunch break ended.
Wu Wang then went out and walked downstairs.
Back on the fourth floor, looking at the same deathly quiet office atmosphere as always, everyone was still busy with their own work and had no time to pay attention to others.
Wu Wang pursed his lips and walked towards the tea room.
Haha, I've been working here for over a day, but I haven't sat at my desk for more than a few minutes. Instead, I keep running to the break room.
What's the difference between this and getting paid to poop?
An employee like myself would probably be fired during my internship in the real world.
The moment Wu Wang pushed open the door to the tea room, he saw two people standing inside.
One of them was Lao Fan, holding a cup of coffee that had already cooled down. I wonder who treated him this time.
The other one was somewhat surprising; it was the police officer, who was also holding a coffee and seemed to be talking about something.
The conversation did not stop abruptly after Wu Wang entered.
Instead, they both turned to look at him, proving that the person they had just been talking about had just appeared.
"You've arrived."
The police officer spoke as if stating a fact rather than greeting someone.
His language habits still retained the conciseness of those used in the interrogation room.
Wu Wang walked to the coffee machine, took an empty cup, pressed the button, and laughed amidst the machine's hum, "When did you two start drinking coffee together?"
"Just now," Old Fan said, raising his coffee cup, "Tie Jian came down from the twentieth floor and said that in addition to sending Smilers to patrol the fourth floor last night, he also expects to send people to conduct a satisfaction survey today. The Smilers will talk to each person individually."
Tie Jian, that's the name of the police officer.
I don't know why, but hearing people address each other by their names instead of numbers in this factory gives me a strange feeling.
Tie Jian nodded, his expression even more somber than yesterday, and said:
"One of my tasks is to investigate a list of four people whose wristbands I need to collect."
"These four people are not only from the fourth floor, but they also have little contact with each other, and you could even say they don't know each other at all. They only have one thing in common..."
Wu Wang spoke up for him, asking, "Did you check the bills last night?"
He remembered that when the hawksbill turtle went to the tenth floor before, it seemed to be to assist the smileers in conducting a satisfaction survey.
It seems this matter has indeed escalated to a greater extent than I imagined.
Other floors were also affected.
Upon hearing Wu Wang's words, Tie Jian placed his coffee cup on the table and repeatedly rubbed his thumb against the edge of his bracelet, indicating: "That's right. The factory issued recycling tasks to four people under different pretexts. One was because his overdue payment exceeded the red line, and another was because his behavior rating had been below D for thirty consecutive days."
"The other two..."
"They voluntarily applied for the talent incubation program."
Voluntary, again voluntary—what an ironic word.
Old Fan's hand trembled, and a few drops of coffee spilled onto the table.
He didn't look for a rag or anything, but instead raised his hand and used his sleeve to wipe it, his expression showing considerable effort, as if he wanted to crush the word off the table.
He said through gritted teeth, "They're not recycling employees."
"They are making an example of someone to warn others."
"Is the monkey the one who triggered the audit? Or are we all monkeys?"
Tie Jian fell silent upon hearing this.
He certainly knew the answer was the latter, but as a police officer, he was also more interested in the former.
It could trigger an event involving such a large number of people and even several floors.
What kind of person could the other party be?
Wu Wang, standing nearby, observed the complex expressions on the two men's faces, especially the iron-willed inner thoughts revealed by the [Vision of Truth].
He picked up his coffee and gulped it down.
Haha, this coffee is really coffee! (End of Chapter)