The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 183 Team Building?

On the contrary, they have a deep understanding of the organization's internal operations and core projects.

The researchers' managers are not without ability; Shen Zhaoming is a good example. Sometimes they lack opportunities, and sometimes their abilities are simply not enough to start a project independently. For various reasons, they can only circulate at a certain level.

Su Ninglong opened her communicator and sent a message to Shen Zhaoming: "Recently, have any other organizations contacted you, trying to poach you to switch jobs?"

Shen Zhaoming was engrossed in the experimental data at the time, and only had time to check the information after the work was completed.

He rubbed his tired temples and replied, "No one has directly tried to persuade me to switch jobs yet. However, the two managers who left complained a lot to us before, saying that the benefits and compensation in our research institute are far worse than those in many other companies. They've been testing our team members to see if anyone is thinking of leaving."

He pondered for a while, then added, "A few researchers in other project teams were indeed persuaded and wavered a bit. But everyone in our team is very clear-headed. Especially one of our senior colleagues, who knows the outside environment all too well and is against leaving. He even advised us, 'Without half of Director Funi's strength, you'll be marginalized no matter where you go, and you'll never be truly valued.' His words may be rough, but they're true. If you don't have the strength, you won't have a good time in the Star Alliance either."

Seeing Shen Zhaoming's reply, Su Ninglong finally saw through some of the fog and had a clearer direction.

Bai Xuan, Yuan Xi, and Samantha's gathering at the teahouse, the appearance of Principal Xing Yao, and then the precise poaching of key personnel from within the Star Alliance...

The forces behind these three individuals are likely to have some unknown connection with the Star Alliance.

Their goal is not simply to poach a few talents; they want to shake the foundation of the Star Alliance and dismantle this massive organization from within.

Su Ninglong had a question lingering in her mind: Did the Star Glory Alliance also participate in the hunt that targeted her six years ago and was intended to kill her?

Although there is no conclusive evidence pointing to them taking direct action, the Star Alliance is highly likely to have been behind the rampant online slander and malicious hype targeting her.

Thinking of this, a faint, cold smile appeared on Su Ninglong's lips.

Even if she leaves the Star Alliance in the future, there is absolutely no possibility that she will switch allegiance to the Star Glory Alliance.

The fact that they were willing to accept a special ability user like "trash" Phoebe with a bad track record was enough for her to despise the organization and draw a clear line between them.

An idea immediately came to mind: since the clues pointed to the Star Glory Alliance, could she turn the tables and follow the Star Glory Alliance to completely expose the mastermind behind the scenes?
This might be a path worth trying.

Meanwhile, the controversy stirred up by Assistant Sun intensified with the help of the internet.

Clearly, someone deliberately invested resources to hype things up, trying to make the fire burn even brighter. This fire inevitably affected Su Ninglong, and those malicious speculations and personal attacks once again dragged her into the center of the vortex.

The students around her saw this and felt indignant and sympathetic for Su Ninglong; those vile insults were simply too unpleasant to hear.

The situation involving Assistant Sun escalated, with someone deliberately stirring things up and affecting Su Ninglong. Her classmates felt very sorry for Su Ninglong, and the insults they hurled at her were extremely harsh.

Su Ninglong is not without the power to fight back.

She actually possesses some evidence that has implicated Sun's assistant.

However, on second thought, given Ms. Funi's caution and skill, since she was wary of Assistant Sun, she couldn't possibly be unprepared and just sit there waiting to be killed.

Principal Yan was aware of Phoebe's plans beforehand, but Star Alliance remained silent.

Taking action rashly at this moment might disrupt the plan.

Let's just be bystanders and enjoy the show.

But sometimes, the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. When marijuana is aimed at you, it will always find a way to come to your door, leaving you with no way to avoid it.

After two weeks of peaceful days, Su Ninglong decided to take some time to go back to Zou's Bar.

Xingyuan was somewhat surprised by this. "You'd better inform Ms. Zou in advance so she can be prepared."

Having not seen her "old mother" for many days, Su Ninglong certainly didn't dare to suddenly go back on her own initiative.

A moment later, Zou Shuyi's excited voice came through the communicator: "I was just about to contact you, but I forgot to tell you, the bar has moved to a new address."

"Where to move to?"

Zou Shuyi gave an address: "Now that your building is completed, I certainly won't rent the old place anymore."

Su Ninglong suddenly remembered that Zou Shuyi had indeed mentioned it before.

Zou Shuyi won the bid (using Suninglong's money) and bought a prime piece of land in the city center, a valuable location freed up after the demolition of old buildings.

Today, a brand-new multi-purpose building has risen from that once empty land.

The new bar is located on the side of the first floor of this building, retaining the original signage.

The other floors of the building were given new functions.

A portion of it was rented to Star Alliance as a login point for the WebHunter emulator;
In some areas, quantum filters have been installed, turning the spaces into viewing rooms.

The most eye-catching part is the top floor, which has been designed as a special experiential space open to the general public.

This gives them the opportunity to experience an adrenaline-pumping "thriller game" under absolutely safe conditions.

This building represents a bold and successful upgrade to Suninglong's "business empire".

However, the core of the "thriller game" is not the haunting of real spirits, but a meticulously designed immersive experience project that replicates the gameplay mechanics of the Smart Computing No. 1 system one-to-one.

The terrifying atmosphere and the "mysterious spirits" that players experience are all realistic effects simulated by cutting-edge technology.

Of course, this highly attractive project also has its limitations.

Xingyuan explained to Su Ninglong on behalf of Zou Shuyi: "It's not possible to launch it to the entire universe right now, mainly because of the server capacity of Smart Computing No. 1. The existing architecture can't support the huge data flood brought about by a massive influx of players at the same time."

In addition, because the game's immersion and horror are so strong, strict psychological safety valves have been specially set up.

After each player's experience, they must undergo timely counseling and status assessment by a professional psychologist to ensure that their mental health is fully up to standard and that they can clearly distinguish between virtual and reality before they are allowed to leave the building.

The worst thing is if someone gets so carried away with the game that they encounter something unusual in real life and mistake it for a "mysterious spirit" from the game, which could cause a huge mess.

The new bar, along with the rooftop experience center, is scheduled to open on Saturday.

Zou Shuyi had only casually informed her daughter, but her tone couldn't hide her pride and smugness, carrying a hint of boasting: "Ninglong, once this place opens, you'll be able to lie back and count your money comfortably! The life of a landlady is wonderful." On the other end of the communicator, Su Ninglong could almost picture Ms. Zou's beaming face.

A slight smile played on her lips as she proudly thought: That's the 'Ninglong Center' built with my star coins (she silently gave the building a name in her mind). Perfect, the fun of being a landlady isn't just about listening to reports.

Su Ninglong casually sent a message to their lively little group chat: "Going home today, don't contact me on the weekend, leave a message if you need anything."

The message was sent out and someone replied instantly.

[Lian Qiuqiu]: What are you going home for? Don't you need to grind quests anymore, boss?
[Song Liu]: Tsk, have you forgotten? Boss Su's annual task quota is so small, and the end of the school year is still far away. If she uses up all her task attempts now, how will she pass the time in the following months?

Song Liu pointed out a key issue.

After the courses at the end of the academic year, there is a long vacation, during which the school usually arranges an internship.

Most students will choose to enter the simulator to continue honing their skills, taking on net-hunting missions to accumulate experience and points.

However, Su Ninglong's strength had already surpassed the level of a net hunter, so she could only look at the official list of higher-level official missions.

Once she has exhausted all these limited number of mission attempts, her only pastime will probably be staying in the workshop crafting magical artifacts.

Although Ancestor Su was particularly fond of weapon crafting, things were different now than before.

She helplessly discovered that her young body and active mind simply couldn't be like she was in her previous life, willingly sitting in seclusion in the weapon-refining room for more than ten years to polish a top-grade magic weapon.

Excessive boredom is a form of torture for her current state, and she can't help but want to find something new and exciting to do.

[Lian Qiuqiu]: That awful genius! [Lemon-faced biting a handkerchief.jpg]
Just then, the tone of the group chat suddenly shifted.

[Lei Qingya]: I'm going too. It's been so long since I've seen Sister Zou. I really miss her cocktails.

[Charlie]: +1, I want to go find Aunt Zou too. [Raises hand.jpg]
[Sally]: Signing up +1 [Raising hand.jpg]
[Xuanxi]: Registration +1 [Acceptingly queuing.jpg]
Surprisingly, even Shen Zhaoming, who usually buries himself in the laboratory, popped up during the day.

[Shen Zhaoming]: How could I be absent from the team building activity? It just so happens that the institute doesn't have any particularly urgent projects recently, and the director said that the researchers can take their accumulated annual leave in batches.

[Lian Jiujiu]: I'm so envious of people who have annual leave.

Lei Qingya: I don't have annual leave.

[Lian Qiuqiu]: It's normal that you don't have annual leave since you're working two jobs. Although I don't have annual leave, I'm on vacation.

Seeing the group chat instantly flooded with "Sign up +1" messages and the off-topic discussion about annual leave, Su Ninglong stared at the screen, a few invisible black lines sliding down her forehead, speechless: "When did I say this was team building? These people are really bored out of their minds."

[Su]: Have you guys been having too much free time lately?
[Lian Qiuqiu]: Don't you know? Professor Sun publicly attacked the Star Alliance, saying that we "damaged cultural relics" and "disregarded history" while advancing the exploration of the ruins, stirring up a huge uproar. Under pressure, the interstellar government had no choice but to suspend the hunters' auxiliary operations and let Professor Sun lead the team to deal with the ruins himself.

Those relic missions were forced upon them by the interstellar government; they were extremely dangerous, but the rewards were pitifully low, and ordinary hunters wouldn't even bother to take them.

Only an organization like the Star Alliance, with its official backing, would have to arrange for hunters to take turns doing manual labor.

Now that the quests have stopped, all the hunters are happily withdrawing and rushing to clear out the regional haunts, hoping to earn some real commission.

[Song Liu]: Hahahaha, the interstellar government directly transferred people from the Star Glory Alliance to fill the hole, but it collapsed as soon as they took over. The Star Glory Alliance must be kicking themselves now! [Slaps table and laughs loudly]
Su Ninglong almost spat out the tea in her mouth; this was a textbook example of "trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead."

[Xuanxi]: I received inside information that the Star Alliance has only been in charge for a week, and the number of hunter casualties has already exceeded one hundred.

Over the years, the Star Alliance has worked tirelessly to develop high-risk ruins, yet those people from Star Glory still make sarcastic remarks, saying things like "monopolizing resources" and "secretly profiting"...

Ha, making money? It's already a result of Star Alliance's careful calculations that they're not losing money.

This is really bad. The compensation alone will be enough to give the Star Alliance a huge headache. They might even lose everything.

Su Ninglong rubbed her temples. She had been in seclusion for the past few days designing her natal magic weapon, and it had just taken shape when the turmoil outside had already escalated to this point.

[Su]: Okay, see you on Saturday.

[Song Liu]: Mwah, Sister Su! Remember to treat me to a drink later~ [flying kiss]
[Shen Zhaoming]: I recommend trying the new Orange Mountain blend, which has a refreshing taste with fruity aroma.

[Lei Qingya]: Tsk, why don't you try Fire Fox Romance? That's really exciting!
[Shen Zhaoming]: Let Lian Qiuqiu try this wine; it's more suitable for him.

[Lei Qingya]: Hahahaha.

[Lian Qiuqiu]: What's so special about Firefox Love? Is it because it has a high alcohol content and makes you drunk easily? I'm very quiet when I'm drunk, I don't make a fuss.

[Lei Qingya]: Legend has it that he can make someone fall in love again in a second.

[Lian Jiujiu]: Is that amazing?

Lian Qiuqiu, persuaded by her best friend, suddenly became interested.

Thinking about how I've been single for so many years, and how my life has been as bland as plain water, maybe this wine can really rekindle my long-lost passion?
He immediately decided: "We have to order this on Saturday! It's time to recapture the restlessness of our youth!"

Su Ninglong: "..."

On Saturday morning, Suninglong, dressed casually with a baseball cap covering her stray hairs, a short-sleeved shirt and cargo pants, and spotless white sneakers, leisurely embarked on her journey home.

Ollie and Kiri, the two giant "bodyguards," were already squatting at the door, wagging their tails. They had been cooped up for a while, and as soon as they heard they could go to the main planet of Gemini, they immediately brought their leashes to show their loyalty.

Seeing the two excited little mountains scratching at each other, Xingyuan quickly warned Su Ninglong, "Make sure they're tied up tightly! These two little devils running wild in the Starship Building are a real menace!"

Although the navigator can travel through space, the underage Qirui is not yet able to accurately locate itself in interstellar space, so it has to obediently take the subspace passage of the Starship Building.

To keep his friends company, Ollie had no choice but to squeeze onto the shuttle, feeling rather aggrieved.

When the two large, sleek pets appeared in the lobby of the Starship Building, people scattered to create an open space.

The security guard's eyes lit up: "Hey! Aren't these Ollie and Kiri?"

He familiarly scratched Qirui's chin, "Where are you going to play, little darling?"