Hua Jun took the letter out from the Spatial Ring and handed it over.
Qin Jin received it, opened the envelope, and a folded letter along with a map slid out.
"A map?"
Everyone was taken aback, somewhat surprised to find such an item inside the envelope.
"Is this Anshan City’s map?" someone noticed the line of words at the top of the map, exclaiming in surprise.
"What, Anshan City’s map?"
"Isn’t Anshan City the place we’re currently in?"
"I get it, Chairman Li gave us this map to familiarize ourselves with the terrain, so we can handle any unforeseen circumstances in the future."
Several people were left speechless upon hearing this.
If it was Juque City, that would indeed be necessary. The area stretches for hundreds of miles and has some obscure places that would be unknown to them without looking at a map.
But Anshan City, a small city, they wouldn’t get lost even with their eyes closed, right?
"No, it’s not that simple."
Qin Jin shook his head and pointed to the map, saying, "Look here."
Beside him, Hua Jun almost looked over too, triggered by the words.
He hadn’t been particularly curious initially, but after hearing it was Anshan City’s map, he couldn’t help himself.
Now Qin Jin mentioned looking at the map, making it even harder for him to resist the urge to see what was special about it.
However, the map was left by the chairman for the people in front of him, not for him; sneaking a peek would be impolite.
Everyone directed their gaze towards the map.
The map did show a city, almost occupying ninety percent of the area, with what appeared to be mountain peaks around the edges.
Within the city, several places were circled in conspicuous red, and Qin Jin’s finger pointed at one of them.
"Four locations in total, all specially marked by Chairman Li?"
"Captain, does Chairman Li mean for us to go to these places marked on the map?"
"Could there be Fierce Beasts? But when we came here, we didn’t sense any Fierce Beasts within the city?"
Everyone talked one after another.
Qin Jin too felt puzzled; these locations were within the city. If Fierce Beasts appeared, they would undoubtedly cause panic, not remaining calm as if the waters were undisturbed.
Could it be that it’s not Fierce Beasts, but dangerous individuals here?
It’s indeed possible—wanted criminals, fugitives, or cultists might be concealed here, especially as the Beast Tide event shrinks their living spaces.
Smaller cities with weaker defenses are ideal for them to mix in unnoticed.
However, he didn’t say anything but opened the folded letter beside him.
He believed that as long as he read the letter, he would understand what the four red circles on the map meant.
The office’s atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
Others in the team focused their gaze on Qin Jin, eyes filled with curiosity.
Suddenly, Qin Jin’s pupils widened abruptly, and a look of disbelief emerged on his face.
"What’s the matter, Captain?"
"Captain, what’s written on the letter that shocked you so much?"
Qin Jin gestured with his hand, indicating it wasn’t time to speak yet, and continued reading downward.
Everyone exchanged glances, growing more curious.
Hua Jun’s heart also felt like it was being scratched by cat claws.
What exactly was written on the letter left by the chairman? It must be related to the circled locations on the map.
But what could it be?
Finally, Qin Jin set down the letter and took a deep breath.
"Captain!"
"Don’t rush."
Qin Jin waved his hand, saying, "I’ll now tell you what’s written on the letter."
Everyone immediately sat upright and listened attentively.
"Ahem."
Hua Jun stood up and said with a smile, "I’ll step out for a moment; call me when you’re done talking."
"Chairman Hua, you should sit and listen too."
Qin Jin smiled at him, "This matter concerns you as well."
"Concerns me too?"
Hua Jun was stunned.
He then obediently sat down.
"You must have noticed that these four places on the map are not only circled with red, but there are also numerical labels beside them."
"Yes, and?"
The green-haired woman glanced at the map.
1, 2, 3, 4—four numbers correspond directly to the locations.
However, these four numbers were arranged in a somewhat random way, without clear sense.
"These four numbers aren’t for counting, but indicate the sequence of timing."
"Sequence of timing?"
"What do you mean, Captain? I don’t quite understand."
"Wait, I think I understand what the captain means." The red-haired woman’s eyes brightened, pointing at the top right number one, saying, "Captain, does Chairman Li mean for us to first go here, then to the location marked as number 2, and then number 3, and finally number 4, right?"
The room instantly fell silent, all eyes turned towards Qin Jin.
"Exactly."
Qin Jin gave her a thumbs-up and said, "Xiaofeng, sharp as ever."
"Of course."
The red-haired woman crossed her arms, looking proud.
"But Captain," a man frowned and said, "What’s the significance of this order? What happens if we don’t follow it? Will there be consequences?"
Qin Jin shook his head, saying, "It’s not that simple. The sequence is just one part; the other part is that we must go at specific times. Going too early will be a waste of time, going too late could have dire consequences."