Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 13 Handover of Relics
The receptionist quickly scanned the order QR code shown by Xu Yan on the computer.

"Mr. Xu, please walk straight along the left corridor to the third passage, scan your order code to enter, and proceed to the 'Low-Value Materials Recycling Department' for physical delivery." The process was handled with the same fluency as processing a regular express delivery.

After receiving instructions to go to the "Low-Value Materials Recycling Department", the two headed towards the left corridor.

The corridor was long, with pure white walls on both sides, without any decorative paintings or windows. Only the evenly distributed LED light strips overhead emitted a soft buzzing sound. After walking for a while, it gave people a dizzying feeling of disorientation.

The entrance to the third passage is a heavy metal door, next to which is a barcode scanner.

Xu Yan swiped the code, and the door slid open with a "whoosh," revealing a huge industrial freight elevator behind it.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Chen Zhiwei whispered quickly, "The aura is very chaotic, and many 'things' are suppressed, like... a pressure cooker." At this moment, her perception became another pair of eyes besides Xu Yan's.

The elevator interior has cold metal walls and only one button: "B4".

The descent was unusually smooth, but the feeling of weightlessness was still noticeable.

The numbers kept changing, B1, B2, B3... and finally stopped at B4.

The door opened again.

The scene before me was completely different from that downstairs.

This place resembles a huge, modern warehouse or sorting center.

The space is extremely high, and you can't see the end of it in the distance.

The tall shelves were piled high with all kinds of boxes and bags, all labeled with the same tags.

The chilling smell in the air intensified, mixed with a very faint, strange odor reminiscent of ozone and old paper.

Unmanned transport vehicles shuttle along the illuminated path, while a few staff members act like pre-programmed robots.

A worker in overalls saw them, walked over expressionlessly, and held a tablet computer. "Order code."

Xu Yan presented it again.

After the other party scanned the package, the tablet displayed the order details and a scanned image of the woven bag. "Low-value relics, and one piece of accompanying electronic storage fragment. Confirmed." He pointed to a device resembling an airport security conveyor belt. "Place it on this, complete the scan and handover. The balance will be paid within three minutes."

The process is simple, efficient, and non-human-based.

Xu Yan placed the woven bag onto the conveyor belt.

It moved slowly through a scanning tunnel that emitted a ghostly blue light.

He could feel the genuine artifact fragments hidden in the secret compartment were slightly warm, and the coolness of the calming tablet deepened accordingly.

Scan complete, green light turns on.

"Delivery complete. Thank you for your cooperation." The worker finished speaking, turned around and left without lingering.

It's that simple?
They didn't even open the bag to check the "USB drive"?
"Wait a minute." Xu Yan suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the empty space, "What is the source processing code for this thing? Which channel does the subsequent degradation process go through?" He threw out two extremely professional internal terms that he had seen in his master's notes.

The worker in overalls suddenly stopped, looked up for the first time, and a look of surprise and hesitation flashed in his eyes behind his goggles.

He clearly hadn't expected outsiders to ask this. Just then, a calm yet authoritative female voice came from not far away, saving him from the predicament and instantly capturing the attention of Xu Yan and Chen Zhiwei.

"The source code involves a project confidentiality level of L-3. The degradation process is assigned by an AI intelligent system and is not within the scope of manual inquiry."

Xu Yan and Chen Zhiwei suddenly turned their heads.

There stood a woman dressed in a dark gray high-end suit skirt and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Her posture was upright, and her eyes were as cold as a precisely calibrated optical instrument.

She held an electronic notebook in her hand, her gaze first falling on Xu Yan, then naturally sliding to Chen Zhiwei beside him. The half-second her gaze lingered on Chen Zhiwei's face was as if she were comparing an old photo in a file.

After a pause so subtle it was almost imperceptible, he looked at Xu Yan again.

“Mr. Xu, your professionalism is surprising.” Her tone was flat, neither praising nor warning. “I am the security supervisor for this floor. You can call me Lin Lan. Please come with me. There are some… follow-up matters regarding order E-0721 that I need to confirm with you.”

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked away, the sound of her high heels clicking on the ground rhythmic and clear, carrying a sense of control over everything.

Xu Yan and Chen Zhiwei immediately followed.

Chen Zhiwei subconsciously took a step closer to Xu Yan and whispered, "She knows me... or, she knows Grandpa." That look just now was definitely not the look one would give a stranger.

Instead of taking them to the meeting room, Supervisor Lin led them deeper into the warehouse.

As he passed through an area, the sight made Xu Yan's pupils shrink.

A section of the room was separated by a transparent special material. Inside, a burly man dressed in what looked like a hazmat suit was using a shockwave device that emitted a low hum to force a black, gelatinous substance that was trying to seep out of an old sofa back into a specially made metal containment box.

On the other side, a young technician wearing smart glasses was rapidly swiping on a tablet, adjusting the energy field parameters within the isolation zone.

"Item number S-11, 'Drowning Resentment' attached entity, originating from the sofa at the scene of the drowning case in the west of the city. Physical containment complete, ready to be transferred to Analysis Room 7." The technician reported without looking up.

Manager Lin simply nodded slightly, without stopping.

Xu Yan's heart sank.

He wasn't the only "contractor" here.

The center employs various people capable of handling "anomalies" as if they were tools, and manages "things" that are far more bizarre than the ghost in the lonely building.

Finally, they entered an observation room with one-way glass on all sides, overlooking several different work areas below.

"Sit down." Supervisor Lin sat down first, placed the electronic notebook on the table, and got straight to the point, "Order E-0721, target cleanup: Hao Defeng, completed. However, the mission triggered a Class B energy spill and impacted the local 'archive stability.' According to Article 11, Paragraph 4 of the agreement, the center has the right to deduct 30% of the final payment as environmental compensation."

She spoke at a steady pace, presenting the terms she had prepared beforehand, applying the first layer of pressure, and attempting to gain the psychological advantage.

Xu Yan did not immediately refute, but leaned forward, placed his hands on the table, and looked directly at the other person: "Manager Lin, the mission briefing did not mention that the target anchor point has the characteristics of 'active mental attack' and 'information pollution,' and its intensity far exceeds the standard 'lingering memory' category. This constitutes a major intelligence failure. According to the 'Contractor Risk Waiver Clause,' the responsibility for all resulting consequences lies with the client. The center not only has no right to deduct funds, but should also pay additional risk compensation."

His words carried weight, clearly indicating that he had carefully studied the lengthy electronic protocol.

Manager Lin raised an eyebrow very slightly, seemingly not expecting Xu Yan to be so difficult to deal with.

She paused for two seconds, seemingly reassessing him.

(End of this chapter)