After circling a few times, Shen Jingye sat back in his seat, quietly watching Li Qi.
The other directors also sat back down, some pretending to sort their notes, others pretending to browse through documents.
They could vaguely sense that Director Shen was about to explode in anger, about to completely fall out with this new Balancer.
Shen Jingye sat silently for a moment, then smiled at Li Qi and said, "Director Li, do you know there are cameras in the venue? Do you know that our meeting process will be recorded? Do you know that your current irrational behavior will bring many problems?"
Li Banfeng suddenly realized, "So the whole meeting has been recorded? Should I make the meeting content public? Or should I first show it to the Public Security Team and the Explosives Team?"
Shen Jingye’s temples pulsed with anger, and he gritted his teeth, "How long are you going to keep pestering?"
Li Banfeng glanced at his watch, "Nothing can be accomplished in one stroke. I can understand your eagerness to leave the conference room, but as for how exactly to leave, this issue still needs to be analyzed and discussed further."
Someone wanted to make a phone call, but the phones were not on them. Before entering the venue, all phones were collected by the staff.
Someone wanted to call the staff outside, but after glancing at Li Qi, they dared not speak.
From eleven in the morning until one-thirty in the afternoon, the discussion finally had results.
The result was that enduring hunger was possible, but not having access to a bathroom was unbearable.
After in-depth research and discussion, the responsibility attribution and reward scheme were finalized.
The Explosives Team was found not responsible, and the Public Security Team was rewarded with the Harmonizing Agent.
Li Banfeng had seen the concept of the Harmonizing Agent in related documents; it was equivalent to the Elixir in Puluo State.
Li Banfeng agreed to the meeting results, and Shen Jingye finally succeeded in leaving the conference room.
Deputy Director Wang followed behind Director Shen, asking in a low voice, "Should we bring security personnel next time we have a meeting with Director Li?"
Shen Jingye nodded, "It should indeed be considered."
...
The Public Security Team distributed the Harmonizing Agent, and Chen Changrui knew that it was Li Banfeng who helped them obtain it.
"Director Li, I have to thank you for this matter. Our team members..."
Chen Changrui was earnestly expressing gratitude, while Li Banfeng was earnestly looking at the distribution table.
All the Public Security Team members received the Harmonizing Agent, including those who did not participate in the battle from start to finish.
According to Dumpling’s description, if converted to Puluo State’s calculation, each person’s Harmonizing Agent was equivalent to a Snake-Patterned Pill.
Dumpling, He Bensheng, and others contributed more, so they received an extra day’s worth of Harmonizing Agent.
The distribution plan was personally formulated by Shen Jingye, and the team had to strictly implement it.
Li Banfeng chuckled wryly, but Chen Changrui didn’t think it was insufficient, "I feel this is the fundamental way to enhance ability. With this inspiration, I believe all the team members will be greatly encouraged,
I believe that some people and some things will not change because of environmental changes. I believe I am not wrong."
This remark was to test this Director Li, as Chen Changrui believed he was Li Banfeng, who left Yuezhou two years ago.
Li Qi put down the form and said to Chen Changrui, "I think you need to change. You should strive for more for the Public Security Team; it’s your duty as the captain."
Chen Changrui was somewhat surprised, wanting to give more guidance as an elder, but didn’t expect that Li Banfeng didn’t need his guidance.
...
Back at his residence, Li Banfeng received a call from Luo Zhengnan; the key to the New Land had been made.
Though called a key, it wasn’t shaped like one; it was shaped like a test pen.
Luo Zhengnan brought the key to Flower Lake Park and first demonstrated how to use it.
He pressed his thumb against the tail of the test pen, allowing the screwdriver-like tip to slowly sweep across the ground until it lit up, indicating the position of the keyhole.
This process was simple for Luo Zhengnan because he could sense the direction of the entrance.
However, it was difficult for Li Banfeng, who lacked the Taoist Sect aptitude for Electric Cultivation and could only rely on the test pen to probe bit by bit.
After probing for over ten minutes, the test pen finally lit up. Luo Zhengnan instructed Li Banfeng to insert the test pen into the soil and start to rotate it.
"Don’t rush, turn slowly. As long as the pen lights up brighter, it proves you’ve turned in the right direction."
After nearly three turns, the level ground began to blur, and Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan fell into the lake water.
Beneath the water, the test pen is used the same way—searching through the silt at the lake bottom, rotating the pen to open the next entrance.
Upon entering the New Land, Li Banfeng studied the test pen for a moment and asked Old Luo, "Should I directly memorize the position of the keyhole, saving the repeated probing on the ground?"
Old Luo shook his head, "I’ve tried, but it doesn’t work. The position changes every time."
Li Banfeng didn’t understand, "The entrance to the New Land changes each time—is this a characteristic of the New Land from the Outside Provinces?"
Luo Zhengnan explained, "Seventh Master, actually, even in Puluo State, the entrance to the New Land changes every time too."
Li Banfeng laughed, "How is that possible? I often go in and out of the New Land, and the entrance is always the same."
Luo Zhengnan said, "Seventh Master, you haven’t looked closely enough. Not just you, but out of ten thousand people, rarely one can notice the change,
Take the New Land entrance of Blue Poplar Village—whether you go now or later, even with just an hour’s interval, changes will be there."
"What changes?" Li Banfeng had no impression of this.
But this indeed can’t rely on impressions; it was measured out bit by bit by Luo Zhengnan using a ruler.
"Seventh Master, remember the shanties near the New Land entrance of Blue Poplar Village?"
Li Banfeng nodded, "I remember; in Blue Poplar Village, those too poor to find a place to stay would live in the shanties, and the closer to the New Land, the easier it was to find, as there were fewer fights over them."
"The shanty closest to the New Land is thirty-two feet from the entrance; generally, people dare not stay there, due to the risk of Strange Monsters,
One time, I entered the New Land at eight in the morning, measured from the shanty to the entrance, and it was thirty-two feet six inches,
Then at eight-thirty, I entered again, measured from the shanty step to the entrance, and it was thirty-one feet three inches, a difference of one foot three inches."
"Such a big difference?" Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, "Old Luo, could there have been a measurement error? And what exactly do you consider the New Land entrance? Is there a precise location?"
"Of course there is," Old Luo replied, "Seventh Master, my Taoist Sect abilities are special; I can truly sense the boundary between New Land and Proper Land without error,
The shanty stays in place, but the boundary constantly moves. Sometimes it changes in length, sometimes it shifts left and right, and each time the measurement result is different,
I can’t explain the patterns here, nor the reasons, but this change truly exists."
Can’t explain the length, can’t explain the direction.
Li Banfeng thought for a moment, "Should it be called The Unnamable?"
Luo Zhengnan nodded, "I think it’s the same as what some Taoist Sects refer to as The Unnamable."
Li Banfeng, holding his chin, fell into deep thought.
Luo Zhengnan did not speak, knowing not to disturb Li Banfeng at this time.
But even if he didn’t want to disturb, he did. A vibration ran through his head as a call came in.
Retrieving an antenna from his pocket, he plugged it into the top of his head and took the call.
After the call, Luo Zhengnan said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, a message from Master Wu has come in—Qin Tianjiu has been found."
Li Banfeng asked, "Is he still alive?"
"For the moment, yes," Luo Zhengnan replied solemnly, "But it’s hard to say how long he can last."