Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 883 - 513: Who Stole the Human Energy? (Part 4)
Li Banfeng looked at the stack of documents and remained silent for a long time.
He just asked Chuuni to review the battle of that day, but unexpectedly Chuuni organized the entire history of the textile factory so clearly.
Chuuni is an excellent security team member, the best among those Li Banfeng has interacted with.
But this also exposed a problem; the data was gathered bit by bit by Chuuni.
"Isn’t there a dedicated file for Ruirong Textile Factory in the Dark Star Bureau?"
Chuuni shook his head: "I’ve investigated the textile factory before. The bureau indeed doesn’t have a dedicated file, or maybe my access level isn’t sufficient."
The Public Security Team is a frontline institution of the Dark Star Bureau. Such important files, if not shown to frontline members, who else are they reserved for?
Could it really be nonexistent?
The operations of the Dark Star Bureau left Li Banfeng increasingly perplexed.
...
In the Soda Kiln, inside a private residence, Xiao Zhenggong was studying notes dug out from the mountains.
These were notes left by himself, totaling seventeen books, only one of which was useful. Xiao Zhenggong knew which one was useful because he knew his own habits.
But this fact must not be revealed to Da Boyins.
Da Boyins resurrected him and kept him alive for this day because he still has value to be exploited.
His value lies in these notes, which record the confidential information he investigated within the Dark Star Bureau regarding the boundary secrets.
As dusk fell, Da Boyins returned to the residence, sitting on the bedside panting heavily.
Xiao Zhenggong put down the notes in his hand and asked with concern: "How’s the situation?"
Da Boyins glanced at the cover of the notes and shook his head: "Not too good."
"You didn’t find the Inner State people?"
"I found them, but his situation seems not quite right."
"Is there any change?"
"Hard to say. I know there’s an entrance to the Inner State here; I visited once, but hadn’t seen a gatekeeper from the Inner State before. Today, I saw him, and his condition was quite different from what I imagined."
Xiao Zhenggong said: "I’ve seen quite a few people from the Inner State. Tell me what he looks like."
"Just a skeletal frame, fish bones."
"I’ve never seen a pure skeletal-framed Inner State person, but Inner State people come in all shapes. If you trust me, why not take me to meet him? I’ve interacted with the Inner State a lot and might be able to converse with them."
Da Boyins shook his head: "I advise you not to meet him."
Xiao Zhenggong smirked coldly: "Even today, we’re still suspicious of each other. Continuing this way, we’ll accomplish nothing in the future!
If the Inner State people don’t supply you with the antidote, you can’t help me restore my cultivation level. If I can’t recover my cultivation level, you can’t expect me to remember those things."
"It’s not about suspicion, I won’t let you go for your own good." Da Boyins unbuttoned his clothes, revealing over a dozen wounds, some showing bone and others revealing internal organs.
Da Boyins took out some medicine to apply while saying: "All these were bites from that fish-bone frame, lucky I left a thread on the shore earlier, or I’d have lost my life."
Xiao Zhenggong was stunned: "Why did he bite you?"
Da Boyins shook his head: "I don’t know either; maybe there’s some misunderstanding between us and the Inner State."
...
Late at night, Li Banfeng stayed in the office instead of leaving.
Gloves remembered something: "Boss, I know where I smelled that scent; actually, it wasn’t me who smelled it. It should have been that black glove, it had been to that place, on the twelfth floor."
The twelfth floor was the archive room; Big Head must have found critical information there.
What did he discover?
Li Banfeng planned to visit the twelfth floor, but Gloves stopped him: "Boss, that thing which moves up and down by itself, is it called an elevator?"
"Yes."
"Using that is useless; you have to take the stairs to find the place."
Walking the stairs and taking the elevator are entirely different.
There’s The Unnamable space.
Li Banfeng prepared to take the stairs, and he took out a projector, first allowing it to establish a rapport with the nearby camera in the stairway.
A few minutes later, the projector responded: "Seventh Guide, please return to your office first."
Returning to the office, the projector said: "The cameras in the stairway are a bit unique; they’re quite suspicious, and don’t yet want to be my friends."
Li Banfeng found the projector’s friendship process hard to understand: "How do you communicate with them? Are they considered spiritual objects?"
"Seventh Guide, not only spiritual objects have life; as I understand, everything in the world possesses life. They need recognition, respect, sincere care, and tangible help."
This time, Li Banfeng understood the projector’s meaning: "It’s about exchanging sincerity for sincerity!"
"You’re absolutely right, which is why I wholeheartedly and intellectually follow the Seventh Guide."
Gloves spat nearby: "Taking every chance to curry favor!"
The projector continued: "The cameras at your residence are inexperienced; just talk, chat, help wipe the dust off their lenses—it’ll easily move them,
but the stairway cameras are weathered and sophisticated; their demands are much more practical, and they asked me for maintenance supplies."
"What maintenance supplies?"
"Grease, special lens-maintaining grease. I gave the stairway entrance camera some grease; it liked it very much, and now it’s my friend,
but it told me there are many cameras within the stairway that also like this grease. I calculated our stock, it’s just a drop in the ocean; it can’t possibly meet their demands."
Li Banfeng knew the grease mentioned by the projector, bought at Ling Miaosheng’s Phonograph Shop. Can similar goods be obtained in the Outside Provinces?
It’s difficult, Ling Miaosheng’s good items come from unique sources.
Should I have Ma Wu send some from the Phonograph Shop?
Things can be sent from Puluo State to the Outside Provinces, but the efficiency is low; once Ma Wu sends the parcel, it may take a month for Li Banfeng to receive it.
And it must go through thorough inspections; by then, the Dark Star Bureau will undoubtedly know Li Banfeng received grease from Puluo State, perhaps even deducing his intentions.
Have Luo Zhengnan make a trip?
Luo Zhengnan already has enough on his plate, so Li Banfeng decided to go himself.
That night, he went to Flower Lake Park, walked behind the manor, and activated the Golden Gaze Autumn Hair Technique.
Upon seeing the sobbing woman, Li Banfeng fell into the lake. After swimming to the surface, he neither rushed to Iron Gate Fort nor headed for far reaches.
He thought of visiting Big Head’s secret cave; last time he harvested a lot of human energy there, and perhaps he’d find more good things this time.
...
Creaaak~ The cave door opened.
He Jiaqing entered the cave, twisted the mechanism, and closed the cave door again.
He walked deeper into the cave and soon found the tea box Big Head left on the barrel.
The box’s packaging was torn, and He Jiaqing had a bad feeling.
Opening the box, he counted the items: two magnets missing, two circuit boards missing, earphones, antennas, nails all missing; only the fox tail remained untouched.
Who tampered with the items here?
He Jiaqing put the magnet on his head; inside, it was empty, devoid of human energy.
Trying piece after piece, it remained empty.
Trying the antenna, then the nail, still empty!
Ever since He Jiaqing went to Puluo State, these items have helped him steal human energy from the Outside Provinces, a considerable amount gathered!
Who stole them?
Who?
That is my energy! It’s all mine!
Who on earth stole it!
He Jiaqing clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, when suddenly he heard footsteps outside the cave.
He quietly stood up and looked towards the entrance.
At the cave entrance, Li Banfeng halted.
There was some dust on the ground, probably fallen during the movement of the Stone Gate.
The dust was clear; the Stone Gate had just been opened.
A chill invaded, and Li Banfeng sensed a bout of malice.
He Jiaqing suddenly rushed to the cave entrance, just as he was about to open the Stone Gate, a stabbing pain hit his foot.
From the right foot to the knee, skin was peeled off, exposing flesh.
Something was underfoot, a light halo.
What was the origin of this halo?
Boundary?
How could there be a boundary here?
Did they use the Door-Closing Technique?
Who is outside the cave?
Could it be the Local Deity?