"Brother Wu, what do you mean by that?" Yang Bo was a bit confused; the remark seemed somewhat off.
Wu Bin let out a chuckle and asked, "Yang Bo, you don't actually think I'm an F-class resident, do you?"
"But Brother Wu, you're wearing a wristband..." Yang Bo grew even more perplexed.
"This wristband is just an official certification. This world holds many secrets, and you only see what they want you to see. Let's go. We'll finish the job first. If you still want to do this work after we're done, I'll explain everything to you in detail," Wu Bin said, shaking his head.
Yang Bo sensed that something was wrong—very wrong. Could it be that this cleaning company handled dirty work?
"Even dirty work pays." At the thought of doing dirty work, Yang Bo actually felt a slight thrill. His previous life had been painfully dull. Having died once already, he refused to live such a mundane life again, existing insignificantly like a mere weed.
Even if he were to become a butterfly that could only fly for a few days, that would be enough. At least his life would have been brilliant.
Wu Bin held the task sheet; Yang Bo's clearance level wasn't high enough to view it. However, the equipment they received made Yang Bo feel that something was amiss. There was a combination briefcase and a handbag containing a stack of garbage bags. Yet, he had never seen garbage bags like these before—they looked like ancient woven sacks.
Someone still came to pick them up for the task. After getting into the vehicle, Yang Bo felt he had finally pinpointed the reason for his extreme dissatisfaction with his current life: he simply didn't want to live like a weed anymore, or like a pile of closely monitored, scrutinized garbage.
Wu Bin looked at Yang Bo's solemn expression and muttered inwardly, "If it weren't for the fact that social welfare is so good right now, making it hard to recruit, a young guy like him would never have been able to join the company. Many people are content to be happy pigs rather than come out and work."
This time, the vehicle arrived at the foot of a mountain enclosed by high walls. Security personnel stood at the main gate. The two were taken into separate rooms for inspection, where their wristbands were removed and placed into special boxes.
They exchanged them for identity cards before someone came to guide them. A security guard led the way. Past the main gate was a road paved with stone slabs; the stones looked quite old. The surroundings were shaded by green trees. It was evident that these green trees weren't artificially planted, as many of them grew in a wild, haphazard manner.
After walking for a while, they began ascending the mountain via uneven stone steps. Plants like ferns and weeds sprouted from the crevices between the stones, surrounded by vines and shrubs. It felt like a secluded path that hadn't been walked on for a long time.
Upon reaching the mountainside, Yang Bo casually glanced back and realized there was a helipad at the foot of the mountain. Moreover, the area here was massive, though he couldn't discern the exact layout or orientation at all—mountains surrounded them completely.
A temple? After climbing another flight of stairs, Yang Bo was somewhat taken aback by the building before him. Upon closer inspection, it looked more like a Taoist monastery.
The group didn't enter the building, and without stepping inside, it was impossible to tell whether it was a temple or a monastery.
Following a bamboo grove beside the monastery, they walked along a stone-paved path. It was clear this path led to various different locations, as there were several forks in the road.
"You two, this is your work area. Please ensure you strictly abide by the contract," the staff member said as they arrived in front of a small courtyard.
"Understood," Wu Bin nodded.
The courtyard looked like a rustic countryside yard with a bamboo fence. The ground inside was paved with stone slabs, dotted with flowers and plants. There was also a fish pond, which appeared to house some goldfish.
The house itself was built entirely of bamboo. Its color suggested it had been there for many years, giving it a deeply poetic ambiance, especially when paired with the surrounding environment.
However, it gave Yang Bo a gloomy, eerie feeling. The surrounding bamboo grove was too dense, and the mountain behind it was too high. This kind of environment might look nice, but actually living here would be terrible. First of all, the humidity would be heavy. Additionally, the dense bamboo would block the breeze, and there would be an abundance of mosquitoes and insects. Sunlight might only pierce through around noon each day.
Yang Bo still hadn't seen what today's task entailed, so he asked, "Brother Wu, what is our task today?"
"You stay right here in the courtyard. I'll go inside to fetch the items. Once I bring them out, toss them all into these bags," Wu Bin said as he opened the briefcase.
"Alright." Yang Bo nodded.
Wu Bin opened the briefcase, which was roughly fifty centimeters long, forty centimeters wide, and thirty centimeters high.
Yang Bo was quite curious about its contents. Once Wu Bin opened it, he saw an object about the size of a wok lid... A shield?
The entire shield possessed a bronze hue and was engraved with mysterious patterns. It looked remarkably similar to the bronze artifacts he had seen on antique streets in his past life.
The briefcase had a second tier. Beneath it lay a short sword, which appeared to be made of purple copper.
"Remember, do not touch anything here," Wu Bin instructed Yang Bo, holding the short sword in one hand and the shield in the other.
Yang Bo nodded, his mind teeming with questions. Looking around, he didn't see a third person. The plants and the overall environment in the courtyard seemed very ordinary.
"Kid, don't doubt my words. This world is far more complex and far colder than what you see. Let me ask you a question to think about: if humans can be classified into various levels of Genetic Enhancers, then what about other living creatures?" Wu Bin looked at Yang Bo and uttered this profoundly.
Hearing this, Yang Bo's heart skipped a beat. He thought, "Right, if humans can become Genetic Enhancers, what about other living creatures? Since human genes can be altered, doesn't that mean any other biological organism with genes has a chance to change as well?"
Yang Bo didn't ask why. However, he felt a twinge of regret about taking this job as a cleaner. He had no idea what secrets this company was truly hiding.
Soon after, Yang Bo felt a bit strange. Why wasn't he afraid? Was it because he had already died once?
Recalling Wu Bin's instructions, Yang Bo instinctively backed away from the bamboo house. If any danger arose, it would be easier to just bolt.
Yang Bo looked again at the items in the small courtyard by the door. The cyan stone slabs and the discolored bamboo fence crawling with various vines—it all looked far from ordinary. The plants were potted in various earthenware planters.
Near the bamboo house lay a small, irregular rectangular water pool. Inside it sat a miniature rockery adorned with small plants. The entire environment gave off a simple, elegant vibe, brimming with rustic, pastoral charm.
Right at that moment, Wu Bin emerged, but his hands were empty. Yang Bo found this bizarre. After making such a huge fuss, he actually came out empty-handed.
"Brother Wu?" Yang Bo quickly approached and asked.
"Go clean up over there," Wu Bin said, his face looking somewhat stiff as he pointed toward the fish pond.
Hearing this, Yang Bo subconsciously replied, "Alright."
He then turned to leave. However, in the very instant he turned around, Yang Bo felt something was wrong. Wu Bin's voice... why did it sound slightly off? He was clearly speaking right in front of him, yet it felt as if the sound waves had come from the side.
It was his Sound Wave Positioning ability that detected this discrepancy.
He glanced up toward the direction the sound had originated from. To his shock, it was the small, inconspicuous fish pond...
Struck by a sudden thought, he let out a whistle!