CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 41: ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE MILITARY ROAD

Walking to the entrance, Xia You discovered that the entrance of the National Security Department was made entirely of seamless transparent glass. Through the glass, she could see people moving inside. Last night, someone from the logistics department had guided her out, and there had been a passage for entry and exit.

Inside, people noticed Xia You’s helplessness, but no one came out to assist her.

Helping oneself is better than seeking help from others. Xia You tapped the glass with her fingers, producing not even the slightest echo.

"Facade glass, also known as Nuclear Facade Bulletproof Glass, can resist small-caliber bullet attacks, with a thickness of 10.8CM. The surface is covered with infrared detection technology. It is a high-density military glass developed in 2063 by the Rockefeller Company, requiring electronic cards for entry and exit." The data that popped into Xia You’s mind shocked her. This feeling was a shared experience from the NPC, Maggie.

As Lin Yi parked his car and came in, he saw yesterday’s new recruit standing in front of the glass façade, looking bewildered. Most new recruits arriving at the National Security Department react just like Xia You on their first day of work.

He approached Xia You, and they exchanged glances. "Major," greeted Xia You, quickly concealing her previous astonishment upon seeing Lin Yi. Lin Yi suppressed a smile, took out his access card, and waved it over the glass. After a "beep" sound, the seemingly intact glass divided into two pieces in the middle, creating an entrance large enough for one person.

Xia You looked at the place where Lin Yi had waved his card and finally noticed a hole the size of a cat’s eye. It was better to set aside the shared experience from NPC Maggie for now and reflect on it when there was time. Xia You awkwardly put away her own access card.

"Go straight down the corridor to the end, turn left, and you will find the logistics department. A clerk will be responsible for informing you about the matters to note on your first day at work," Lin Yi said, his lips twitching suspiciously. He wondered if the same person who handled her affairs flawlessly last night, promising to join the National Security Department, was really the same woman who seemed confused so early in the morning.

Xia You nodded, "Ladies first," she said, recognizing that this young man, who had reached the rank of Major, was quite amiable. Lin Yi gestured for Xia You to enter first. After they passed through, the glass behind them once again became the seamless facade.

Following Lin Yi’s instructions, Xia You walked down the corridor. Inside the office of the logistics department of the National Security Department, there were seven or eight clerks. When Xia You entered, the clerks dispersed immediately, and the logistics clerk who had led her out last night appeared, seeming somewhat different from the night before.

The logistics clerk guided Xia You around the accessible areas. Unlike the murky colors of the outer National Security Department, the interior was primarily white marble. Most people’s offices were shared. Generally, one of the standards for determining the rank of military personnel was the office.

"The highest authority in the National Security Department is Vice Admiral Lin, who is also the father of Lin Yi, the Major who decided to hire you last night. However, they both don’t like others discussing their relationship in private. You should be mindful of that," the logistics clerk explained seemingly enthusiastically.

Xia You nodded, indicating she had heard. She was never one to gossip.

"You’re lucky. If you had encountered someone as strict as Vice Admiral Lin, a newbie with no qualifications like you would have had no chance of entering the National Security Department," the logistics clerk was unaware that Xia You was one of the members of the "Military Road" program, and that her joining the National Security Department had nothing to do with particularly good luck, "Speaking of which, everyone has been saying, did you know Major Lin Yi before?"

Xia You stopped in her tracks. Even if she pretended to be slow to catch on, she had already picked up on the ambiguous undertones in the logistics staffer’s words. Seeing that Xia You did not respond, the logistics personnel lost interest. After a perfunctory tour, they took her to an office.

"Your office hasn’t been arranged yet. According to Major Lin’s instructions, you’ll wait in his office for now," the words of the logistics department’s clerk seemed evasive, as if hiding something from Xia You.

After a brief introduction, Xia You could only wait in Lin Yi’s office. The office was about ten square meters, with a simple interior. A twisted lucky bamboo, a portable computer. A set of plainly designed wooden desk and chair, facing east, the two louvered windows opened to a neatly trimmed indoor green belt.

Having waited for over an hour, Xia You didn’t like being idle and thus decided to turn on that computer, which resembled a military black box. All office equipment in the Rand Military District is centrally procured by the government, characterized by an absence of labels and colors, using only black, white, and gray as their main color schemes. The computers of the year 2064 had already abandoned mouse functionality, with each one able to respond to hand movements as a mouse once the startup fingerprint was entered.

The computer equipped for Xia You was just like this, thin-bodied, 1 mm thick, with a titanium gold casing that had excellent shock and impact resistance. The boot-up speed was swift; within the blink of an eye, it had already reached the startup interface. This was simply incomparable to the outdated WINDOWS system she was accustomed to at home.

"!" What Xia You saw on the desktop, in addition to the standard office software, was an icon. A long spear symbolizing the age of cold weapons and a rifle symbolizing the age of firearms crossed over each other, with the words "Military Road" written directly below the icon.

(Now you know the consequences of bringing me out, binding me means binding ’Military Road’.) The voice of Little Eight transmitted clearly.

"’Military Road.’ Did you also cause that public test in all military regions? And the data that showed up on the screen wall before?" Xia You asked in a low voice, then vigilantly stood up, watching over the window and door’s position, the office’s soundproofing was well managed, and no one would notice her movements inside the office.

(You could say that. I also learned from you, acting first and reporting later. The ’Military Road’ network now covers the entire military region and is also connected with the military networks of several major countries around the world. During your eight hours of daily work, apart from completing your current tasks, you must be ready to enter ’Military Road’ at any moment, to strengthen yourself and constantly earn military merit. Only by doing this, can you reach the level of Sun’s Crown.) Little Eight was also resigned to fate, it didn’t know if the binding Sun’s Crown had arranged for her and Xia You had a time limit or not. Since things had already happened, all she could do was ensure Zero completed her mission and accumulated higher military merit; once Zero reached her level, whether or not she was bound wouldn’t matter.

"What if I say I refuse?" Xia You suddenly unplugged the computer’s wiring, yet the screen didn’t go dark. The military computer equipped with a solar battery could maintain power for five days and nights in normal daylight conditions.

(Of course, you can refuse. But soon, you’ll realize that there are some things you can’t refuse.) Little Eight had anticipated Xia You’s refusal, but it was ineffective all the same.

In the corridor, a faint rustle of footsteps. Since emerging from the last blood pupa incident, the acuity in surveillance in Military Road affected her as well—any slight movement in the surrounding environment could trigger her nerves.

"Comrade Xia," when Lin Yi walked in, he noticed the unplugged computer cord, "I’m sorry to tell you, you are not yet an official employee of the National Security Department."