It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Since there was no surveillance system installed in the factory, Xiao Niao and Tongzi could not obtain intelligence by hacking into the surveillance system.

Surveillance equipment is not popular these days. Basically, only large enterprises and formal factories are equipped with it. Private factories like this will not buy it at all in order to save money.

If we move forward to this year, when most factories have begun to popularize digital monitoring, the system will be able to know the underground conditions almost immediately.

But now, the meat processing plant only has a camera placed at the door as a pretense - after Tongzi hacked in, he found that the lens was broken and could not be used at all.

"We need to find the hostages first," Xiao Niao quickly clarified his goal, "I need to understand the situation in the underground area."

System: [The people below are all unlucky, so my scanning module is hardly useful.]

This is completely different from the situation during war: the movements of large groups of people can be easily monitored, and even errors of dozens or even hundreds of people are not a big problem.

In a real war, confusing the identities of a dozen soldiers would not affect the final outcome of the battle - but the situation underground simply does not allow for such errors.

Even if just one or two people are mistaken, it can easily put Xiao Niao in danger.

"It's best to confirm with your naked eyes beforehand," the system said. "But if you rashly enter the underground area, I'm worried you'll run head-on into the traffickers..."

Tongzi doesn't have much confidence in Xiaoniao's fighting ability.

Although weapons have been purchased, if they face too many people at once, they will most likely be defeated.

Xiao Niao seemed very calm - she seemed to have already come up with a solution - and she confidently opened the zipper of her shoulder bag.

She opened the clasp of the bag, grabbed the two corners and shook the fabric vigorously, causing a large furry creature that had been curled up in the shoulder bag to roll out.

After this thing rolled out of the bag, it quickly spread out on the ground like a semi-fluid, like a piece of fat bread that was slapped in the face.

Fat Bread lay on the ground cluelessly, smacking his lips—it was none other than Cat System No. 4.

Tongzi and Xiaoniao looked at Number Four.

Xiao Niao moved closer and observed for two seconds, and found that the girl had been lying in the dark bag and had actually fallen asleep.

The bird callously shook it awake.

“Meow?! Meow???”

Cat number four flapped its claws like a big moth and looked around blankly, as if it had not figured out the current situation.

"In short, we don't have many opportunities for trial and error. We must have some understanding of what's going on underground before entering. It would be best if someone could provide me with real-time intelligence."

Xiao Niao calmly picked up Number Four and said seriously, "I need a pair of eyes."

Number Four stretched out his trembling cat paw and pointed it at himself, unable to speak: "Meow?"

[Let Xiao Si pass? Is that even possible…] The system seemed lost.

"The ventilation ducts of the meat processing plant are connected to the ground, and the nature of the ventilation and purification system ensures that there will be basically no major changes."

"The layout of the ventilation ducts is also marked on the old drawings. We can then remotely direct No. 4's actions."

Xiao Niao replied, "The most important thing is that its body shape is perfect for stealth. Even if it's discovered, it won't alert the enemy."

The system thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

Tongzi and Xiaoniao looked at cat number four.

The latter uttered a panicked meow.

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Because of the system's early warning, Xiao Niao successfully bypassed several workers who were hanging around nearby and went into a room inside the factory.

She didn't go through the door, but chose to go through the window. When she entered the house, she found someone inside.

The man was dressed like a security guard. At this moment, he was facing the window with his back, concentrating on watching the small TV on the wall. When Xiao Niao sneaked in, he didn't see her at all.

It seemed like God was helping her. Xiao Niao didn't hesitate at all. She took out the electric shock device she had bought not long ago and pounced on the security guard and hit him on the neck.

There was a crackling sound from the electric current, and the security guard who was concentrating on watching TV suddenly froze. He twitched all over and then passed out.

Xiao Niao looked at the black stun gun in his hand: "...Ha, this is really useful."

"Close-range weapons like stun guns are only suitable for occasional surprise attacks," the system said slowly. "If someone is wary of you, it will be difficult to shock them."

Xiao Niao nodded. She confirmed that the other person was really unconscious, then walked to the door, locked it, and took the rope to tie the person up.

He was tied up on the spot and his mouth was blocked with a rag.

Now, all the people who might get in the way have been dealt with.

Xiao Niao raised his head and looked at the ceiling. There was a square railing there - that was the entrance to the ventilation duct.

She brought a chair from her desk and stepped on it so that she could just reach the railing at the entrance.

The system exchanged for a wrench and a screwdriver. Xiao Niao took them with swift hands and feet, and soon unscrewed all the screws on the four corners.

She removed the railing from the vent, lowered her head and said to Number Four, "Go in from here and go all the way to the underground area."

"Tongzi has already checked the route in advance," Xiaoniao stroked its fur, "When the time comes, I'll tie a remote camera to you and tell you which direction to go."

Number Four's cries became increasingly pitiful.

"Meow, meow," the cat desperately clung to the bird, "Damn, dude, no, I can't do it."

Xiao Niao gently encouraged it: "Xiao Si, you have to believe in your potential."

The system is rather unscrupulous: [Mimi, if you don’t go, who else will go?]

Cat number four seemed to have been stabbed in the lungs: "Meow, meow, meow—why doesn't Brother Tong have to go!!!"

System: [Hee.]

Xiao Niao was trying to smooth things over. She thought: You two are both in the same boat. One is a prisoner in a labor camp, and the other is on probation. As long as the eldest brother doesn't mind the younger brother, don't bother each other.

"Okay, Tongzi, don't always bully Xiaosi." Xiaoniao said.

System: [I have a feeling you're thinking of something very disrespectful...]

Anyway, that was the general plan. Tongzi began exchanging the necessary equipment for Number Four: a mobile surveillance camera, a portable communication device, and a master key that might be useful...

"If you're lucky enough to find Zheng Qiong directly, you can try to find a way to get her out first," the system warned. "Your points are very low, so don't use them unless absolutely necessary."

The system exchange permissions of No. 4 and Tongzi are completely separate - No. 4 has high purchasing permissions but lacks points, while Tongzi has sufficient points but can only exchange for basic items.

Xiao Niao installed a camera and a communicator for cat number four.

Because cats can see at night, the bird did not buy any extra lights for them.

She grabbed the edge of the ventilation duct with one hand and supported Number Four's body with the other hand - since this fat cat weighed a full fourteen pounds, the action was very difficult - and used both arms to lift Number Four up.

Xiao Niao's wrist felt a little weak, so she asked, "How does it feel up there? Is everything okay?"

Number 4 replied: "It's a bit dark..."

Number Four actually felt that the entrance to the passage was a bit crowded - but he was too embarrassed to speak up - and crawled in the ventilation duct using all four claws.

Underneath it was a metal plate with small holes. Through those holes, No. 4 could see Xiao Bird below looking up at it.

It was almost pitch black inside the pipe, with almost no visible light source except for the thin wisps of light coming through the small holes.

Cats are creatures that are used to moving in the dark, but Number Four is not a cat in the true sense, so it is a little bit at a loss at the moment.

【Can you hear me? 】

The system's mechanical tone came from the communication device. "I'll connect the signal directly to the device so the three of us can communicate in real time."

[I will guide you to follow the ventilation duct to the underground area and find the hidden hostages.]

【Now, go straight to your left.】

Number Four nodded in the darkness, wagged its tail, and began to walk according to Tongzi's instructions.

In terms of stealth, cats actually have some racial advantages. They walk silently and it is not easy to make noise even if they step on very thin iron sheets.

【Keep going straight, don't turn, that's a dead end.】

[Okay, now you've reached the workshop. Looking down, you should be able to see workers working on the assembly line.]

[We are about to enter the underground area.]

Number Four grunted and crawled forward with great effort.

Given clear instructions, its infiltration process is almost unimpeded.

Occasionally, when encountering a pipeline structure that is different from the original drawing, Cat No. 4 can also cooperate with Tongzi to complete the scanning and analysis to find another channel.

The two of them actually work together quite well - after all, they are systems with the same factory number and the underlying operating logic is similar.

Number Four quickly arrived at the entrance to the underground area, where there happened to be a fence, so the view was extra clear.

It could see that the guarding here seemed particularly strict.

There was a password door and security guards carrying electric batons. One of them had a noticeable bulge on his waist - he was carrying a gun.

When it climbed up to the railing, a man in a white coat was about to pass through the door.

Number Four carefully fiddled with the surveillance device strapped to his stomach and pointed the camera at the password door below.

[…Four people, one with a gun.] The communicator rustled. [The code to open the door is 130097.]

[Number Four, follow him and keep going forward.]

The password door below is heavily guarded, but the pipes are unobstructed.

Number Four continued to crawl forward, and as Tongzi said, it struggled to catch up with the man in the white coat.

Perhaps because we are underground, there are corresponding ventilation holes in almost every room, but the pipes have become correspondingly narrower.

When it was on the ground, the ventilation duct could barely fit a small adult, but when it was underground, the duct was only the size of an A4 paper.

There was no chance of using the pipe to take the person away, Number Four thought, even a child of eight or nine years old couldn't get in.

It quickly moved to a ventilation hole, skillfully tugged at it, and extended the camera through the gap in the railing.

Number Four wasn't worried about being discovered because the pipes were buried in the ceiling.

Anyone who has participated in the decoration of a building will understand: for the purpose of beauty and practicality, designers always deliberately bury the pipes in a very hidden place.

There was an empty single bed with nothing on it, covered with dirty and worn white sheets.

The room is dimly lit and there are some plastic sheets on the floor... What are they used for?

After turning into a cat, Number Four's senses became much sharper.

It thought that there must be no living people in this room.

Keep going.

In the next room, the man in the white coat stopped here, and Cat No. 4 poked his head out stealthily.

It noticed that the man had changed into a blue robe and a wig of the same color.

This room is much brighter, with a light source hanging from the ceiling and a row of stainless steel sinks directly below the vents.

The man was washing his hands very carefully.

The floor of the room looked very dirty, with some old black dirt on it. I don't know how long it has been since it was cleaned.

"He's been washing his hands," Four meowed softly. "Should I keep waiting?"

[…Let’s move forward.]

Number Four continued to crawl forward. It was very quiet in the pipe, and the only sound he could hear was the whirring sound of the fan.

It smelled a strange smell.

Chapter 51: Life hangs on a thread [Please refresh

How to describe the taste?

Cat No. 4 stopped its paws, and the air was filled with a very strange refrigerator smell, just like the smell in the living room when Xiao Niao was defrosting the refrigerator.

This reminded it of zombie meat that had been hidden deep in the freezer and had been aged for who knows how many years.

Number Four had been walking in the passage for a long time. It was now passing through a downward-sloping pipe, and the next ventilation hole had not appeared for a long time.

Tongzi continued to direct Cat Number Four: [These two places have the largest space and are the most likely places to hide kidnapped people.]

【Go to the left first. It's closer to you.】

The iron sheet under the paw pad had dropped in temperature noticeably. No. 4 shook his paws, which were numb from the cold, and carefully followed the system's instructions.

It couldn't remember how many corners it had turned, but it only remembered that when it finally stopped, its paws were frozen and numb.