341: Departure from the restricted area.

The Coordinator hurriedly introduced a few more inconsequential facilities, such as the laundry room and emergency medical point, before re-emphasizing the discipline and the restricted zones. He then left on the pretext of having "other work arrangements."

Over twenty "newly appointed instructors" were left staring at each other in the living area. The atmosphere was a bit subtle, but most people quickly dispersed—some went to their rooms to unpack, some curiously eyed the cafeteria, and others lingered at the entrance of the training grounds.

Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing exchanged a look and tacitly walked toward a relatively secluded viewing balcony. It offered a wide field of vision and was not easily eavesdropped upon.

"Where do we start?" Wei Ziqing asked in a lowered voice.

Lu Jianchuan gazed out at the forest, which was so dense it looked almost primeval, and turned his eyes toward the eastern side of the island. "I'm more inclined to go check out those 'Indigenous People' first. The Coordinator specifically emphasized that place, which itself is strange. Would a place doing secret biological research be kind enough to keep Indigenous People around and even carve out an autonomous region? Either those Indigenous People are a problem, or that area isn't a village at all."

Wei Ziqing frowned. "Why not find a way to scout the restricted laboratories here first? The core evidence is likely inside."

"The risks are different," Lu Jianchuan analyzed. "The internal situation of the labs is unknown. There could be automated defenses, poison gas, or even more dangerous biological weapons. The cost of a failed forced entry or infiltration is too high."

"As for the 'Indigenous People' area, even if there are traps or guards, there's a high probability they'll be living defenses. In a relatively open natural environment, we'll have more room to maneuver."

"If they really are harmless Indigenous People, we can rule out a distraction. If not... it's very likely hiding something even more unspeakable than the labs, and their vigilance might be relatively lower."

Wei Ziqing thought for a moment and nodded.

"That makes sense. If it were truly a virus or high-risk experiment, placing it in an open outdoor village that's hard to fully control wouldn't be logical."

"That place is either a front or it's hiding some other 'living' secret. Fine, how do we get there? Just barge in?"

"Wait until nightfall." Lu Jianchuan glanced at the sky. "We need support from 'The Forger' to hack the surveillance along the way and at the destination."

"But the problem is..." He patted his empty pockets. "Our communication devices were all taken away. I don't know if 'The Forger' can locate and contact us now, let alone provide remote assistance."

He frowned with some annoyance and subconsciously looked up at a surveillance camera slowly rotating in the corner of the hallway, as if silently expressing his need.

The very next second after his gaze met the camera—

The camera's red indicator light tilted up and down imperceptibly but very clearly, as if it were... nodding.

Lu Jianchuan: "...?"

Wei Ziqing also noticed this extremely subtle yet abnormal movement and was stunned for a moment.

Lu Jianchuan blinked and tentatively whispered toward the camera, "...'The Forger'?"

The camera tilted up and down once more, imperceptibly but definitely.

The two looked at each other, seeing surprise and a hint of... absurd amusement in each other's eyes.

Wei Ziqing raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. They're already... hacked in? That's high efficiency."

Having confirmed that "The Forger" had quietly intervened to provide support, Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing felt slightly more at ease. Lu Jianchuan pointed toward an exceptionally tall ancient tree whose canopy stretched toward the night sky like an umbrella, visible from the balcony. "At eleven tonight, we meet near that tallest tree. Try to avoid the patrols. With 'The Forger' here, the cameras aren't an issue, but we'll have to handle the living people ourselves."

"OK," Wei Ziqing responded briefly.

The following day was calm and uneventful. No so-called "training" or "evaluations" were arranged; they were simply allowed to move freely and familiarize themselves with the environment.

This instead made the two even more certain that the so-called "instructor" positions were just a front. They each stayed in their assigned single rooms to conserve energy, occasionally going out to walk around and silently memorize the patrol shifts and the internal paths of the building.

As night deepened, the island sank into a primeval silence, broken only by the sea breeze and the chirping of unknown insects. At 10:50 PM, Lu Jianchuan noiselessly pushed open his door. The lights in the hallway were dimmed, and no one was around.

Like a cheetah merging into the shadows, he relied on his memories from the daytime observations to avoid the occasional passing patrol. He quickly passed through a small, loosely locked emergency exit door on the wing of the building and slipped into the damp, warm night wind outside.

The forest took on a completely different face at night; the darkness was heavy, and the rustling of leaves sounded like whispers. He quickly approached the tall tree that served as their landmark.

Wei Ziqing was already waiting there, his figure almost integrated with the tree trunk, difficult to detect unless one were looking closely. He gave Lu Jianchuan a slight nod.

Without redundant conversation, Lu Jianchuan pulled out a simple but reliable compass from his coat. Using the thin moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, he identified the direction—East.

The two traveled through the dense, gloomy forest for nearly an hour.

The path beneath their feet gradually vanished, the vegetation became increasingly primeval, and the air was filled with a complex scent—a mix of salty sea breeze and decaying plants.

Suddenly, through the gaps in the trees ahead, some highly unusual silhouettes appeared.

They were some low, simple structures crudely piled together using some kind of pale material, looking like landmarks or boundary markers.

As they moved closer to see clearly, Lu Jianchuan's eyes narrowed—those Materials were actually the bones of various large animals, and possibly even some large marine creatures!

The skeletons were assembled in a way that exuded a sense of primitive deterrence, gleaming bone-white under the sparse moonlight. The hollow eye sockets seemed to stare at all intruders.

"Looks like a territory marker, or... a warning." Lu Jianchuan lowered his voice and made a gesture, signaling Wei Ziqing to be doubly careful.

Wei Ziqing nodded, his gaze alertly scanning the surroundings, especially the dense canopy above, even looking up several times subconsciously.

"What are you doing?" Lu Jianchuan noticed his movements.

"Just being vigilant," Wei Ziqing replied in a low voice, his tone carrying a bit of helpless earnestness. "Don't all movies play out like this? As soon as the main group enters a strange forest, a bunch of people are guaranteed to jump down from the trees and tell you, 'You've stepped into our territory'... It's almost become a 'conceptual god' trope."

Lu Jianchuan was speechless and shook his head. "...Alright then." Despite saying that, both of them indeed raised their vigilance to the highest level.

They bypassed those unsettling bone markers and continued feeling their way forward even more cautiously.

After traveling a bit further, the trees ahead suddenly opened up—they had actually reached the edge of the forest. Beneath their feet was a sharp drop-off of black rock cliffs! The night wind became fierce here, bringing the roar of waves crashing against the reefs below.

The two lay flat on the edge of the cliff and looked down.

Below the cliff was an open area backed by the rock wall and facing a bay.

There was indeed a village of significant size there, but the style of the buildings was extremely primitive and crude, looking like they were haphazardly constructed from stones, seaweed, and driftwood. It matched the image of an "isolated indigenous village" described by the Coordinator.

At this moment, a few sporadic fires flickered in the village, looking like bonfires or oil lamps.

However, what caught their eyes even more was the large-scale modern pier next to the village, which was clearly man-made!

The pier was brightly lit, illuminating a nearby patch of sea. A medium-sized cargo ship was slowly docking, with figures moving on board, seemingly preparing to unload or load some cargo.