Chapter 687: Storage Room and Detention Cell (This Chapter

The next morning, Li Li Banfeng returned to the Dark Star Bureau.

He had no intention of making a deal with He He Jiaqing, no matter how tempting the terms.

This building was just one structure; even if he walked every corner and guessed blindly, Li Li Banfeng was certain he could find the real data room.

Last time, he'd found the fake data room through the stairwell; this time, he went straight to the stairwell again.

The data room had been destroyed, so the stairwell should have been sealed—he prepared himself, ready to enter using the Unimpeded Passage technique; if that failed, he'd borrow the Grand Mansion Technique from Xiang Xiang Hongying.

His wife had once said Xiang Xiang Hongying's Unimpeded Passage could pass through mountains; even if he couldn't fully borrow its power, Li Li Banfeng was confident he could walk through the building's walls.

But when he reached the stairwell door, Li Li Banfeng froze—the stairwell wasn't sealed, unattended, and not even locked.

This was exactly what Gao Gao Yina meant: don't put defenses on display.

Superiors must have strengthened the real data room's security, yet outwardly, nothing had changed.

Li Li Banfeng began ascending from the first floor, passing through walls from each stairwell landing to inspect every level—the stairwells still held dense surveillance equipment, but as long as the projector was active, every lens-equipped device was under control.

His logic was sound, but the result left Li Li Banfeng deeply disappointed: every exit from every stairwell landing was identical—the elevator lobby.

The stairwell had become just a stairwell, no longer an entrance to hidden areas; even the fake data room on the twelfth floor was gone.

The Dark Star Bureau had changed; this building was no longer the same.

It seemed the building had undergone some massive transformation overnight—could traces of that change be found within the stairwell?

Li Li Banfeng walked the stairs once; every level was spotless, swept clean, leaving no trace behind.

He returned directly to his office, about to call Chen Chen Zhangrui to ask about last night's events, when a commotion suddenly erupted from the Security Team.

"I never submitted any paperwork to leave the Security Team—what right do you have to take my locker?"

It was Zhong Er's voice.

"Your physical condition makes it impossible for you to return to the Security Team. New recruits are coming—I need to clear out lockers for them!"

That was Old Sun, the logistics manager—this old bastard hadn't retired yet, so why was he over here in the Security Team?

Zhong Er shouted at Old Sun: "You're just fixated on my locker—you're really determined to pick a fight with me?"

Old Sun glared: "I handle logistics—that's my job. If you think I'm wrong, go complain to our section chief. What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying right here—I'm going to argue this out with you! Even if our section chief comes, I'll make my point clear!"

Old Sun sneered: "Fine, young man, you're full of fire—our section chief can't control you? Then let's skip him—let's go straight to Director Chen. I've got plenty to tell him, and some things you might've forgotten, I still remember."

Zhong Er fell silent.

Did this kid just back down?

Had Old Sun caught him in a trap?

Old Sun was just a logistics clerk—what trap could he possibly have on Zhong Er?

If Old Sun were just blustering to scare Zhong Er, that'd be one thing—but he was daring to take this to Chen Chen Zhangrui? This must be serious.

Zhong Er was silenced; Old Sun gained the upper hand: "How many years have I worked here? Even your team leader would call me 'Big Brother'—how dare you speak to me like this? What kind of attitude is that?"

Wu Xiu He He Bensheng tried to mediate: "Big Brother Sun, it's just a small matter, no need to escalate."

Old Sun shoved He He Bensheng aside: "Small matter? A brat points his finger at my nose—is that a small matter? Does he have any discipline? Any manners? Who gave him the backing? Who spoiled him into this rotten behavior?"

Old Sun's voice grew louder; the landline on Zhong Er's desk rang.

"Li Ju, yes, I'm coming right away." Zhong Er hung up and immediately went to Li Li Banfeng's office.

Old Sun glanced around and asked Haitangguo: "Has Li Ju returned?"

Haitangguo shot him a glance: "I heard he's back. Don't go far—you'll probably be called in soon."

"Why call me? I didn't do anything—it's just a locker! How could they punish me over this? Even if Li Ju comes back, I'm not afraid—I'm in the right!" Old Sun's voice faded as he lowered his head and left the office.

Watching Zhong Er limp, Li Li Banfeng asked: "Who cleared you for discharge?"

Zhong Er said: "Doctor Kang approved my discharge, told me to rest at home. I know he did his best—I won't recover any further."

"Who said you can't recover better? You need to follow Doctor Kang's advice and rest properly at home."

"No more rest," Zhong Er shook his head. "Li Ju, I'm fine now. I can walk, I can run—I just can't run fast anymore, but it won't interfere with work. I can still fight—I still have my third-level combat foundation. I'm still useful. You know I've always been reliable!"

As he spoke, Zhong Er's voice trembled—he was truly hurting inside.

"Who said you're useless? I told you to rest, and you come back to work just to fight over a locker!" Li Li Banfeng had the projector disable the office surveillance, then asked Zhong Er: "What exactly did you do that gave Old Sun leverage over you?"

Zhong Er lowered his voice: "I went to the stairwell before. Old Sun caught me."

At the mention of the stairwell, Li Li Banfeng paused: "What were you doing there?"

Zhong Er shook his head rapidly: "I never intended to go to the stairwell—I accidentally broke a rule."

"Rule?" Li Li Banfeng frowned. "Which regulation forbids entering the stairwell?"

Zhong Er kept shaking his head: "Entering the stairwell isn't against any written rule. According to procedure, we're allowed to enter if we get superior approval—but we must exit from the same floor we entered. We're forbidden from entering other floors."

Li Li Banfeng blinked again: "Where does this rule come from?"

Zhong Er lowered his head: "It's not written—it's oral. In the Security Team, these oral rules are passed down by masters to apprentices."

"Once, during equipment maintenance, an electrician needed to work in the stairwell and required a Security Team member to supervise. At the time, Director Chen was still team captain—he assigned Seeing Datou to supervise. I was Seeing Datou's apprentice, so he took me along to the stairwell on the sixteenth floor."

"Technically, he should've explained the rules to me beforehand, but that day, for some reason, he was distracted, muttering to himself as if speaking to someone."

Li Li Banfeng said: "Was he holding some kind of communication device?"

Never underestimate Zhong Er's investigative instincts—he'd actually noticed this: "I'm not sure if it was a communication device—I only remember he kept fiddling with his shirt button."

"Combined with later events, I suspect he was contacting He He Jiaqing."

Li Li Banfeng nodded slightly: "Go on."

Zhong Er continued: "Two electricians checked from the sixteenth floor up to the eighteenth. They found damaged wiring on the eighteenth floor, filed a work order, and immediately cut power for repairs."

"All surveillance equipment in the stairwell lost power. The electricians focused on their work; Seeing Datou stood at the stair landing, still fiddling with his button."

"I thought his behavior was strange, so I watched him closely. He must've noticed—I was told to check other power sources upstairs. Clearly, he was trying to get rid of me."

"I didn't understand electrical work, but he ordered me, so I obeyed. When I reached the nineteenth floor, I found the stairwell door open. Behind it was a heavy iron door—also open. Inside, I saw a detention cell."

"The nineteenth floor was supposed to be the recreation center—gym and billiards room. When did a detention cell appear? I had no idea."

I thought he was acting strangely, so I watched him closely; he probably noticed, and told me to go upstairs and check the other power equipment—clearly trying to get me out of the way.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "How did you know it was a detention cell?"

"Behind the heavy iron door was another iron door—closed, with 'Cell No. 6' written on it. But I knew the Dark Star Bureau only had five detention cells."

"Were there guards at the detention cell?"

"No. But I heard movement inside. I stood by the door for a while and heard what sounded like someone sighing."

"Behind the big iron gate is another iron gate, closed, with 'Cell Six' written on it—but as far as I know, Dark Star Bureau only has five cells."

Someone was inside Cell No. 6.

"No, but I heard movement inside the cell. I stood by the cell door for a while and heard what sounded like someone sighing inside."

Zhong Er shook his head: "I don't know who it was. I couldn't open the cell door. I was scared and didn't stay long—I hurried downstairs."

"I wanted to tell Seeing Datou, but he was still muttering, fiddling with his button. When I asked what he was saying, he claimed he was preparing for an exam and memorizing questions, and told me to go back downstairs and keep checking the wiring."

Seeing Datou had moved Zhong Er away twice—he clearly had something important to discuss with He He Jiaqing.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Did you go downstairs?"

"He told me to, so I did. I went down from the eighteenth floor—seventeenth and sixteenth were fine. But on the fifteenth floor, I found the corridor door open. Behind it was another heavy iron door. When I pushed it open, I saw a storage room."

In Li Li Banfeng's memory, the fifteenth floor had no storage room—but that didn't matter. What one saw entering a floor via the stairwell was entirely different from normal conditions.

When Li Li Banfeng went to the twelfth-floor fake data room, he'd encountered a similar situation: a corridor door led to a heavy iron door, but that door had been closed, requiring gloves and projector to open. Why had both doors been open for Zhong Er?

"He told me to go, so I had to go. I walked down from the eighteenth floor—the seventeenth and sixteenth floors were fine—but when I reached the fifteenth floor, I found the stairwell door open too; behind it was another big iron gate. When I pushed it open, I saw…"

"Did you enter the storage room?"

"Yes. It was full of equipment, and stored a batch of blending agents and guiding agents."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Is this fifteenth-floor storage room the same as the Carrier Department's storage room on the eleventh floor?"

Zhong Er shook his head: "No—it's much larger and far older. Most of the equipment inside, I'd never seen before. Judging by appearance, many were no longer functional."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "How do you know those devices were useless?"

Zhong Er said: "I saw a steam locomotive."

Li Li Banfeng stared: "You saw a locomotive in the storage room?"

"Yes. I'm certain it wasn't a model—it was a real steam train. I don't know how they got such a huge thing inside. The locomotive was bigger than the storage room's entrance."

"No trains are allowed in the Dark Star Bureau. This equipment can't be removed—what practical use could it possibly have?"

"I felt I'd entered the wrong place and left immediately. When I returned to the eighteenth floor, the electricians had finished. Seeing Datou said he had urgent business and left the bureau once power was restored."

"I planned to tell him the next day—but that afternoon, Captain Chen found me. He knew I'd gone to other floors via the stairwell and gave me a severe reprimand."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Didn't you explain the reason to Chen Chen Zhangrui?"

"I explained—I didn't know about the rule. Captain Chen forgave me, but told me Old Sun already knew. He warned me to be more careful."

With that, Zhong Er had explained everything—Old Sun indeed held leverage over him.

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Was I already at the Dark Star Bureau then?"

Zhong Er nodded: "You'd just been appointed."

"There's a detention cell on the nineteenth floor and a storage room on the fifteenth—and no one ever told me?"

Zhong Er explained: "Li Ju, back then, I didn't know you well. I didn't even know how many people knew about that prison cell. I couldn't report it to you voluntarily."

At this point, Zhong Er clarified the matter—Old Sun indeed had leverage over him.

Li Li Banfeng asked, "Had I joined the Dark Star Bureau back then?"

Zhong Er nodded and said, "You had just been appointed."

"The 19th floor has detention cells, and the 15th floor has a storage room—why didn't anyone ever tell me about this?"

Zhong Er explained, "Li Ju, at that time I didn't know you well, and I wasn't sure how many people even knew about the detention cell—I couldn't possibly report it to you proactively—."

Li Li Banfeng waved his hand. "It's not your fault. I just don't understand why Old Sun knew about this."

Zhong Er said: "At first I thought Old Sun watched the surveillance, but I asked the guys in the security room—they said during the electrical work, all the corridor cameras from the fifteenth to the twentieth floor were shut down."

After long thought, Li Li Banfeng asked: "Besides the train, did you see anything else in the fifteenth-floor storage room?"

Zhong Er thought a moment: "There was a floor-standing radio, a floor-standing TV, a wire recorder, and a planer."

"Back then I was inexperienced—I thought equipment like that belonged in museums gathering dust. But now I wonder, maybe such devices still hold high research value."

"Gathering dust—" Li Li Banfeng thought again. "Did those devices actually have dust on them?"

Zhong Er rubbed his forehead, thought long, then shook his head. "No dust. The storage room was spotless."

The storage room was spotless. The stairwell was spotless too.

"Spotless means someone cleaned it. Who's responsible for the bureau's cleaning?"

"Cleaning is handled by logistics—" Zhong Er suddenly realized. "It's Old Sun! He's in charge of all cleaning in the bureau!"

Li Li Banfeng said: "Call Old Sun in."

If Old Sun assigned people to clean the stairwell, he must know many secrets hidden there.

From him, we might uncover clues to the real archive room.

Not long after, Old Sun arrived.

Seeing Li Li Banfeng, Old Sun wasn't fazed. He sat down in front of the desk, calm and deliberate. "I don't know what Xiao Qin told you, but I handled the locker issue properly."

"Who asked you about lockers?" Li Li Banfeng stared at Old Sun without expression.

Old Sun looked confused. "Then what are you asking about?"

"Think for yourself."

"I—I can't think of anything—" Old Sun grew nervous.

Li Li Banfeng said: "Let me help you. Start with the cleaning duties."

Old Sun broke into sweat. "The cleaning expenses this period were a bit high, but—I've got receipts for everything. Every penny I spent had a legitimate purpose."

This old bastard tampered with the cleaning budget.

"I'm not asking about your spending. Talk about something else."

"Then—what else could it be?" Old Sun licked his lips. "Li Ju, I'm just logistics—I'm about to retire. What could I possibly be involved in?"

Li Li Banfeng lifted his hat brim, eyes glinting coldly. "Let me remind you: who's responsible for cleaning the stairwell?"

Old Sun shook his head rapidly. "Li Ju, no cleaning was scheduled for the stairwell. I've never broken bureau rules."

"You're kidding me? The stairwell is spotless. You never assigned anyone to clean it?"

"Never!" Old Sun was tense, but his tone was unwavering. "Li Ju, you can check the accounts, you can check the staff—I wouldn't dare lie about this."

Li Li Banfeng asked: "Then how did you know about Zhong Er's incident?"

Old Sun wiped his sweat. "I heard it from the electricians. They said during their work, they saw Qin Qin Minghui going up and down the floors twice. They thought this new guy didn't know the rules, feared he'd cause trouble and drag them into it. I guessed Qin Qin Minghui had violated regulations by going to another floor, so I told their team leader. Unexpectedly, Team Leader Chen called Qin in that afternoon. When I saw it was true, I used it to scare Qin. I really don't know what happened—I wouldn't dare touch that stairwell."

Li Li Banfeng frowned. "Still not telling the truth?"

"Li Ju, I'm telling the truth!"

The aura of a Cloud Ascender wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand.

Old Sun looked like he might wet himself—he didn't seem to be lying.

Knock knock knock!

The head of logistics knocked and entered. He apologized first, then requested permission. "Li Ju, I heard there's an issue with Old Sun. As head of my department, I bear responsibility. May I first learn the details?"

Li Li Banfeng nodded, signaling he could take Old Sun away.

Outside the office, Old Sun walked unsteadily. The logistics head asked: "What trouble did you get into?"

Old Sun sighed. "It's just about the locker. I thought Qin wouldn't come back, so I took his locker—"

The logistics head frowned. "Are you crazy? Those are just broken lockers in the changing room. You've been obsessing over them like family heirlooms. What are you trying to do? Every time you get a task, do you have to make things hard for people?"

Old Sun was frightened now. He hurried to apologize to Zhong Er. "Xiao Qin, I'm old, I talk too much and like to act superior. Don't hold it against me. I've got several lockers—I'll let you pick one."

He thought the matter was over. But Li Li Banfeng took it seriously—he checked personnel records and archives.

The result: the Dark Star Bureau had never assigned any cleaning duties to the stairwell.

But if the stairwell was so clean—who was cleaning it?

That night, Li Li Banfeng returned to the stairwell, walked up and down several times, saw nothing.

Back in his personal quarters, Li Li Banfeng still pondered the sequence of events. Did Honglian approached, quietly unfolding her petals.

Two lotus seeds burst open one after another—gloves and earrings appeared before Li Li Banfeng.

The lotus brushed his cheek with a leaf. "Qi, do you like them?"

Li Li Banfeng pushed aside the leaf, staring at the gloves and earrings. "Any changes?"

The gloves stood up, raising a finger. "Master, many changes—useful ones. Some techniques I'm not yet familiar with. I'll demonstrate once I've mastered them."

The earrings said: "Master, I feel my hearing's sharper than before."

Li Li Banfeng nodded. "Good. You've both worked hard. Rest well."

The gloves sensed Li Li Banfeng was troubled. He didn't dare disturb him, instead studying Xiao Xiao Qianshou's techniques carefully.

The next morning, Li Li Banfeng arrived at the Dark Star Bureau and returned to the stairwell.

This time, he changed his strategy.

From countless exams in school, he'd learned one valuable lesson: sometimes you don't need to understand a question—just copying the answer gets you points.

He stopped searching floor by floor. Instead, he performed a full scene reenactment: entered at the sixteenth floor, exited at the nineteenth.

The nineteenth-floor detention cell was key. In Li Li Banfeng's view, this cell was far more important than the storage room.

He He Jiaqing infiltrated the Dark Star Bureau to rescue He He Haisheng. Da Tou likely knew about Detention Cell Six. He He Jiaqing probably went there.

What he saw in Detention Cell Six was likely the real archive room.

That's why he said the place didn't look like an archive—it made sense now.

But unexpectedly, after exiting the stairwell, the nineteenth floor was still the activity center—no change.

He He Jiaqing infiltrated the Dark Star Bureau specifically to rescue He He Haisheng; Big Head likely knew about Cell Six, and He He Jiaqing probably went to Cell Six.

Had he missed a condition?

He said the place didn't look like a records room—that explains it.

Time must be accurately replicated.

Li Li Banfeng called Zhong Er. "When you saw Detention Cell Six, roughly what time was it?"

Zhong Er thought. "After three in the afternoon. I can't recall the exact time."

After three—that's too broad a window.

Li Li Banfeng thought a moment, then asked the archives department for the electrical work ticket from that day.

The ticket was issued by the system, with clear timestamps.

The ticket was issued at 3:26 p. m. After calculation with Zhong Er, Li Li Banfeng deduced he'd seen Detention Cell Six around 3:50 p. m.

At 3:50 p. m., Li Li Banfeng entered the stairwell on the sixteenth floor, walked to the nineteenth, pushed open the corridor door—and saw a heavy iron gate.

Li Li Banfeng thought for a moment and asked the archives room to bring him the electrical work permit from that day.

The Dark Star Bureau's stairwell labyrinth had appeared!

Behind this gate was surely Detention Cell Six, as Zhong Er described.

At 3:50, Li Li Banfeng reentered the stairwell on the sixteenth floor, went up to the nineteenth floor, pushed open the stairwell door, and saw a big iron gate.

What was this person's connection to the real archive room?

Around the iron gate were many surveillance devices and retinal scanners—all handled by the projector.

The gloves felt the gate for a moment, then with a soft click, it opened.

His speed had improved. Li Li Banfeng patted the gloves. "Brother, there's another door inside. I'll need you again."

According to Zhong Er's description, behind the iron gate was the main door to Detention Cell Six.

After entering the iron gate, darkness swallowed everything. The gloves whispered: "Master, there's no door."

His gloves felt along the iron gate; with a creak, the door opened.

Li Li Banfeng struck a match. By its flickering light, he looked around.

He saw glass display cases of different styles and sizes.

He saw a wire recorder, a floor-standing radio, and a massive object.

The massive object was a steam locomotive.

Li Li Banfeng struck another match, studying the locomotive carefully.

Zhong Er was right—it wasn't a model. Li Li Banfeng confirmed it was real. This model was common in Pulu Province.

Why was a locomotive stored here? Li Li Banfeng couldn't fathom it.

But what puzzled him more: he'd come to Detention Cell Six on the nineteenth floor. Yet now, on the nineteenth floor, he saw the fifteenth-floor storage room.

Was this even the fifteenth-floor storage room?

Li Li Banfeng struck a third match, turning to examine the other items on the shelves.

A floor-standing TV, a steam-powered sewing machine, and that glaring planer.

But what puzzled Li Li Banfeng even more was that he was supposed to go to Cell Six on the nineteenth floor, yet now that he had reached the nineteenth floor,

why was he seeing a storage room from the fifteenth floor?

Is this really the fifteenth floor's storage room?

Li Li Banfeng struck a third match and glanced back at the other items on the shelves.

A floor-standing television, a steam-powered sewing machine, and that highly conspicuous planer.

This was the warehouse Li Er saw; many items here were still not outdated for Pulu Province.

As for why it had been moved to the nineteenth floor, Li Li Banfeng could not yet think of an answer.

Li Li Banfeng walked to the depths of the warehouse, carefully observing its layout, when suddenly the thread earrings said: "Master,

there's movement."

Sss~

It sounded like steam venting.

Li Li Banfeng whirled around and suddenly saw a steam locomotive appear behind him, less than three meters away.

That steam locomotive had moved!

"Shhh!"

Li Li Banfeng heard a low hum, so faint and muffled he could not make out its words.

But he sensed danger, and shivers ran down his body.

"Shhh!"

Another hum came—this time Li Li Banfeng understood!

The train was speaking to him.

It did not say one word, but two.

It said: "Brother!"

Why did the train call him brother?

"Is it you, He He Jiaqing?" Li Li Banfeng suspected He He Jiaqing was inside the train!

"Mistake!"

Another low hum—this time Li Li Banfeng understood.

It said "mistake"—what was mistaken?

As Li Li Banfeng pondered, the Leaving Suishenju whispered in his ear: "Qi, dodge!"

Without hesitation, Li Li Banfeng activated Bu Bu Wuhen and swiftly dodged to the right.

The locomotive sharply turned and chased after him.

Li Er made a serious mistake—he believed trains could not run inside the Anxing Bureau.

The truth proved otherwise: trains could run inside this warehouse, because its space was vast.

Li Li Banfeng darted between shelves and display cases; at full speed, he ran for over five minutes and still saw no end to the warehouse.

Worse still, if he ran in a straight line, Li Li Banfeng could not outpace this steam locomotive—any pause in his steps brought the locomotive instantly behind him.

To evade the train, he kept leaping sideways; after a few jumps, he realized he could no longer find the walls.

The four walls of this warehouse were extending—faster than Li Li Banfeng could run.

"Give it back!"

As the locomotive neared Li Li Banfeng, he dodged sharply left—the locomotive turned left too, when a thunderous crash echoed: two trains collided head-on.

"Little train?" the locomotive asked.

"Old train?" Leaving Suishenju replied.