It wasn't just Jeanne; even Ch'en and Hoshiguma couldn't help but twitch their lips at the sight of the room filled with Manglerbeast decorations, seemingly speechless at such a choice of decor.
When Ch'en had led a team here for an investigation last time, these golden Manglerbeast ornaments were already standing there, so she didn't have much to criticize. But was a place that looked like a museum built by a Manglerbeast enthusiast truly reliable? Rather than a biotech company, this place looked more like the manor of some wealthy Ursus nouveau riche!
In such an environment, did those researchers truly have the heart to study? It felt more plausible that they were here on vacation rather than being actual scholars.
"This... you also understand that our company's investor is an Ursus noble. He knows almost nothing about things like companies, so this place was built according to the design of his manor."
The Ursus man beside them hurried to explain the origin of this nearly eerie environment to the three of them. He used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead as if the quick walk just now had exhausted him.
"Fortunately, he doesn't interfere with the company's operations, or even care if the company is profitable. He opened a company in Lungmen just to play with these novelties and, by the way, to leave a place for himself to vacation."
Jeanne and the others, however, didn't seem interested in such gossip. Their attention constantly scanned the surroundings, showing no desire to discuss the company's investor with him.
Jeanne scanned every spot that might be a secret room entrance, but the Manglerbeasts in various poses she saw didn't feel like what she was looking for. Some of these Manglerbeasts were golden, while others weren't. Some were paintings, some were sculptures or taxidermy specimens, and there were even inconspicuous Manglerbeast patterns on the wallpaper.
At a glance, one could guess that the owner of this building was a Manglerbeast fanatic—the kind of fanatic who wasn't satisfied with keeping them at home and would probably marry one if the law allowed.
Ch'en and Hoshiguma, who felt nothing for such creatures, didn't pay much attention to these things. Compared to the Manglerbeasts, they cared more about whether there was a problem here, or rather, where the problem was hidden.
The issue was that a fellow followed them as if monitoring their every move, sticking to them like glue no matter where the three of them went.
"Since the three of us have a general understanding of the layout of this building, let's split up! This will be faster, and we'll strive not to disturb your work tomorrow!"
Ch'en, appearing very concerned that her actions might affect the company's business, directly proposed the idea of splitting up. For other companies, such a suggestion would be good news. When the LGD came to investigate, it naturally affected work, so ending as quickly as possible was exactly what they wanted!
But this company was different; they truly had ghosts in their hearts! In other words, these people preferred the three of them to check slowly and then wrap things up carelessly after a couple of days.
However, he couldn't say much. After all, the other party was currently conducting an investigation on behalf of Lungmen. He had no choice but to agree and prepared to remind his subordinates to be a bit sharper.
"I'll check the situation in the research labs; Hoshiguma, go see if the various documents comply with regulations. As for you, Al... you just walk around and take a look; report any issues to me."
Ch'en split the three up to execute the mission, giving Jeanne (under the alias Al) the highest level of freedom. It seemed she hoped Jeanne could find something after they drew the enemy's gaze.
The three began to act separately. This approach indeed carried some risk, but if the mission went smoothly, they might find what the enemy was hiding today.
Meanwhile, in that massive secret chamber, a large number of combatants were hunkered down. This secret chamber was less of a room and more of an underground fortress! One couldn't tell what method these people had used to dodge the various wires and pipes, but they had managed to carve out an "underground city" in this massive moving city and escaped Lungmen's detection!
The people hidden below were currently complaining in low voices. They felt their boss's actions were meaningless, making them hide in this place as if they were in prison.
Looking at the Infected specimens around them, which were cut into pieces and soaked in unknown liquids, even these people who disliked the Infected felt their scalps tingle, not daring to look up.
There were several departments here conducting illegal human research; these Infected were their successes or were about to be used as experimental equipment. A small portion was due to the twisted tastes of certain researchers. Since the researchers here were people fired by Rhine Lab, it meant that even Rhine Lab—which could tolerate eccentricities—couldn't stand them and had thrown them away.
A common trait among these people, aside from their abnormal personalities, was that their humanity had withered to a certain degree. This was the fundamental reason why the combatants below didn't dare to speak loudly.
In a place they hadn't noticed, several creatures resembling small lizards crawled with difficulty out of something like a floor drain pipe. Though they were just a few little things that looked like someone could stomp their guts out in one go, the marks of teeth biting through the iron plating showed these little guys weren't as simple as they appeared.
These little things were what Jeanne had taken the opportunity to summon just now. Don't look at their small size—barely larger than a gecko—they indeed belonged to the category of Dragon-kin.
When she saw the massive garden, Jeanne suspected something was hidden underground. Since she couldn't find an entrance then, she could only let these little guys try digging a hole.
However, the biggest drawback of these little guys was their extremely low intelligence. Jeanne had no way to command them to do complex tasks; she could only give simple orders. Thus, after digging into the secret room, these little guys should have immediately run back to Jeanne to prove its existence. Instead, they seemed to catch a scent that distracted them and ran straight toward the warehouse storing food and water.
On Jeanne's end, she had no way to perceive the current state of these little guys. She could control them, but she couldn't know what they were doing at every moment.
At this moment, Jeanne appeared to be wandering aimlessly through the company, giving the impression that she was just a newcomer pulled in to make up the numbers, not knowing how to handle this kind of work. Strangely, no other staff followed her, as if they completely looked down on this rookie.
One should know that even if Ch'en and Hoshiguma were acting separately, they wouldn't be without someone following them. But Jeanne knew that while no personnel followed her, the surveillance cameras here didn't rest for a second; the enemy was likely observing her every move from the monitors.
So, she strolled through the building as if touring the architecture. She truly looked like a novice who didn't even understand what she was supposed to be doing.
A person who truly understood this job should be heading to the manager's office. Whether it was to drink tea and chat to scout for intelligence, or to search for confidential documents while no one was around. Usually, shameful things are hidden in the office of the company's leader to ensure secrets aren't leaked.
Therefore, Jeanne, running around like a headless fly, was considered the least threatening by those observing in the dark. If it weren't for the manager's requirement for strict monitoring, they wouldn't have followed Jeanne's movements all this way.
At this moment, they weren't afraid even if they guessed Jeanne was investigating the secret room entrance. The entire secret room had been locked from the inside by their own people, and once this room was locked, not even a drop of water could escape! Inside, there was enough food and water for a thousand people to use for three months. Even if the LGD tried to stall for time, it would be useless; they had the capital to wait out these coppers!
One should know that this underground secret room was originally a place prepared by an Ursus noble to hide private soldiers. Their plan at the time was to infiltrate a private army, and while a regular army distracted Lungmen, they would perform a decapitation strike on the Governor. However, that operation was too crude compared to Kashchey's plans and was temporarily abandoned. Nevertheless, this space built beneath the company remained as a backup plan.
Thinking of this, the Ursus general manager watched Jeanne on the screen with full confidence. No matter what their plan was, that idea would ultimately fall through!