Chapter 70

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Chapter 70: Review After Return

Liujin City is a place built in the desert, where the hot summer winds carry the scent of sand, seeming to instantly drain the moisture from one’s body.

The welcome they received was quite grand. Apart from Zhu Long, most of the high-level leaders from the Time Bureau and the Inspection Department were present. However, each of them wore sunglasses and stood with stern expressions, making it seem less like a welcome and more like a gathering to accept defectors.

This stark atmosphere made Hu Jiao, dressed in sporty attire, feel as though she had entered the wrong scene. As she saw the three of them coming down the gangway one by one, she hurriedly stepped forward. Taking off her sunglasses, she quickly winked at Luo Yu and then smiled, “You finally made it back! That wasn’t easy! The Shan Hai Jing is nearly ready for a major overhaul after this trip!”

Luo Yu understood the implication behind her wink and knew that everything they had stored in the tail section was set. She smiled lightly in response, “Yeah, it was indeed a challenge.”

Hu Jiao paused again, sizing them up for a moment. “You all seem a bit heavier—not thicker, but sturdier!”

Zhu Huai lifted her chin slightly, “We had good meals and slept soundly over there. The air and food were pure and clean, so of course we got stronger.”

Hu Jiao laughed heartily, patting her on the back, “I need to visit that place sometime too, to see what makes it so great that even Sister Huai can’t stop raving about it!”

As they joked, they approached the crowd. With Hu Jiao’s boisterous voice adding humor, the atmosphere seemed less serious than before.

They stood under a massive mobile sunshade, and after a brief greeting with everyone, Hu Jiao brought the three of them toward the airport terminal, preparing to take the base’s official vehicle to the administrative area.

The air here was always a bit murky, with a thin layer of dust hanging everywhere. The scattered high-level buildings shimmered under the bright sun, creating a mirage of heat waves.

As Luo Yu sat in the back seat of the official vehicle looking out the window, the scenes before her were both familiar and strange. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the world had become somewhat unreal since her return, as if she hadn’t just journeyed back from a dream world but instead had entered an illusory realm from reality.

The official vehicle moved steadily across the empty airport, this being the exclusive airport of the Space Administration, a place that had always seemed so desolate.

In the distance, she could see a corner of the city outside the base. The main area of Liujin City was built on a desert oasis, with a bustling downtown at its center and clusters of impoverished alleyways scattered around. The administrative base of the Space Administration was situated about half an hour’s drive away, on a separate oasis, far off from the city and separated by a stretch of desert.

Liujin City wasn’t large; its main economic support stemmed from industries related to the Space Administration. The city seemed to exist solely for the administrative base’s needs.

Around fifteen minutes later, the official vehicle stopped in front of an unassuming building. This was the review building of the Bureau, positioned next to the spacecraft maintenance area, where launch and return procedures were reviewed. Luo Yu and her companions would complete their routine checks for this return here.

They each got out of the vehicle under the intense midday sun, just past noon, which should have been lunchtime. However, they had eaten onboard the plane, and Hu Jiao stated that the Bureau required them to complete their checks as soon as possible, meaning everyone who came to pick them up had to skip their breaks and work overtime alongside them.

As they walked inside, Zhu Huai whispered to Luo Yu, “Right back to work for checks—I’m getting that familiar suffocating feeling.”

Luo Yu just gave her a glance, shook her head silently, and the three of them followed the staff up the stairs to their pre-prepared review rooms, where personnel from the Inspection Department and the Time Bureau conducted individual checks on them for their return.

First, the Inspection Department’s assessment team evaluated their memory and mental state, followed by administrative personnel from both departments conducting cross-examinations about the unexpected descent and other related incidents during their mission.

The focus of the Time Bureau was mainly on the retrieval task they initially performed, the subsequent loss of control of the recovery panel, the streaming disorder, and finally the forced closure of the deployment process, as well as the events that led up to it.

Meanwhile, the Inspection Department concentrated its inquiries on the unexpected death of Test Subject 014, the criminal actions of Test Subject 015, his subsequent confessions, and the entire process of his eventual death by starvation.

Additionally, a group of recorders from the Time Bureau asked them detailed questions about the historical time periods from thirty thousand years ago.

In round after round of cross-examination, they repeated their prepared statements over and over, until their mouths grew dry, and their gazes distant. It wasn’t until evening that their entire return check was formally concluded.

After the check team left the inquiry room, the three of them unconsciously leaned over the table, feeling that this afternoon had been even more exhausting than the return itself.

Although today’s review was complete, they couldn’t leave the review building until the Space Administration issued a final confirmation of the results. Therefore, they could only stay in the temporary apartments upstairs until the results were published, regaining their freedom afterward.

Once all the relevant personnel left the review building, Luo Yu and the others were led by the staff to their respective rooms to rest. They quickly had a bite to eat in their rooms, and after washing up, there was nothing much to do, so they lay on their beds staring at the ceiling.

Luo Yu gazed at the white walls above her head, trying to recall her conversation with Yao Chi from yesterday. Suddenly, she heard a tapping sound at the window. Turning her head, she was surprised to see Hu Jiao waving at her from outside.

Hurrying over, she opened the window, and Hu Jiao nimbly climbed inside. With a gentle smile, she said, “Being cooped up here is pretty boring, right? Someone’s inviting you all out for drinks.” After saying that, she gestured out the window. Luo Yu leaned over, and sure enough, she saw a hover convertible parked below, with Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao sitting inside.

She glanced at Hu Jiao, then went into the bathroom to change clothes. The two of them climbed out through the window and landed lightly in the front seat of the convertible. Hu Jiao settled into the driver’s seat and fiddled with some controls, causing the roof to extend from the back and cover the convertible, then smiled widely at the three of them, “Let’s go! I’m taking you into the city.”

Tonight, Hu Jiao dressed rather low-key, changing from her usual colorful style to a black knit cap, a sleeveless black top, and long pants, an outfit specifically selected for her nighttime outing.

She drove the car, smoothly passing through the three checkpoints of the Bureau and speeding into the darkness of the desert toward the main district of Liujin City.

Zhu Huai realized once she got into the car that it was something special. After they passed the checkpoint, her certainty grew, so she worriedly tapped Hu Jiao on the shoulder, “Where did you steal this car from? Did you just help us escape so easily?”

Hu Jiao chuckled, “Steal a car? Escape? I don’t have that kind of skill. Tonight, I’m just a runner.”

Luo Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, also smiled, “Stealing Zhu Long’s car? She definitely doesn’t have that ability.”

“This is Zhu Long’s car?” Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao exclaimed together in surprise.

“Oh, impressive,” Hu Jiao looked at Luo Yu with some surprise, “How did you figure that out? This is a new car—I just picked it up for her a couple of days ago; you couldn’t have seen it.”

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao began to look around. The car was indeed brand new, without any decorations, making them curious about how Luo Yu recognized it as Zhu Long’s vehicle.

Luo Yu pointed to Hu Jiao’s gloved hands on the steering wheel, “Because you’re wearing gloves. Only she would have that requirement for driving.”

Hu Jiao paused for a moment, then laughed and shook her head, “That’s a pretty unique observation.”

“Hu Jiao’s doing well, driving the leader’s new car,” Zhu Huai teased.

Hu Jiao laughed heartily, “What can I say? Someone as outstanding as me always gets recognized by the leaders.”

They then chatted about the contents of their afternoon reviews, and Zhu Huai excitedly said, “Did the assessment team measure your height too? I’ve grown! Before we left, I was 177.2 cm, and now I’m 182.5 cm—I’ve grown 5.3 cm! Finally broke 180 cm!”

Whenever they returned from missions, the lack of gravity in space usually added a centimeter or two to their height, but growing more than five centimeters was a first. Luo Yu nodded, saying she also grew about five centimeters in height during the afternoon.

Ying Zhao chimed in, “I also measured over 170 cm! It’s probably because of the lack of gravity in space, plus the Ponsuo Tribe’s gravity level is different from ours. But don’t celebrate just yet, we might shrink back after being here for a while.”

Zhu Huai pouted and gave her a look, “I’m ignoring you. Anyway, my official height is 182 cm now, and I won’t measure it again.”

The four of them chatted cheerfully in the car. Hu Jiao, hearing that people thirty thousand years ago were over two meters tall, curiously asked many questions about local matters, and Zhu Huai described the sights of the Ponsuo Tribe with vivid detail and emotion.

The hover vehicle sped through the dark desert night, surrounded by the expansive and undulating sand dunes.

In such a place, one would expect the night sky to be beautiful, but due to the colorful lights of Liujin City and the Bureau base shining throughout the night, light pollution obscured the starry sky above, leaving a gloomy haze over the small desert, with no trace of stars or moonlight visible.

Before long, the vehicle reached the edge of the city, passing through dark, low-income areas, and headed north toward a lively night market filled with bright lights, turning three blocks before stopping at the entrance of a somewhat retro building. Luo Yu looked up to see “Blue Night Bar” written on the sign.

Hu Jiao handed the car over to a valet and led the three of them inside with ease. Upon entering, they were greeted by a mix of music, beats, and voices; the chaotic scene only settled somewhat as they walked down a long corridor.

Hu Jiao pushed open an invisible door for the three of them to enter, and as soon as they stepped inside and she closed the door, the outside noise was instantly cut off, leaving the room eerily quiet.

Inside, the lighting was dim, with a long sofa against the wall, independent sofas on either side, and in the middle a long low table. Someone sat at the back on one of the independent sofas, holding a glass of blue liquor. Dressed in black, with one eye darker than the other, it was Zhu Long.

“Welcome. Please, have a seat,” Zhu Long said expressionlessly, nodding toward the long sofa, “You’ve all worked hard coming back. The afternoon review was probably exhausting; it’s good to unwind a little.”

The three looked at each other, shrugged, and moved to sit by the sofa. Hu Jiao went to grab an ice bucket and some cups, then poured drinks for everyone, finally taking her own cup and sitting down on the other independent sofa, enjoying a sip. “Just the right chill, it’s refreshing.”

Luo Yu didn’t reach for the drink. After sitting down, she looked at Zhu Long, “Tomorrow is the ceremony for the new Strategic Commander. You called us here tonight. Is there something you want to discuss?”

Zhu Long smiled gently, “Discuss isn’t quite right. I invited you here for drinks, but I actually want to make a deal.”

Luo Yu glanced back at Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao, then smiled at Zhu Long, “What a coincidence! We happen to have a deal we want to discuss with you too.”