Chapter 22 – Another Portal
Tu Ran thought about the elevator in their own apartment building.
Tsk tsk, it can’t be compared, it can’t be compared…
The mechanical voice continued, “Pioneer Xi Chunzhi, I have detected that your heart rate exceeds the normal range and has reached the edge of anger. I remind you that anger is harmful to your health and can impair your ability to make timely and accurate judgments, which will be detrimental to your upcoming tasks. Please adjust accordingly.”
“Have a nice day! Ding—”
As the mechanical voice ended, the elevator doors opened, revealing Conference Room 721.
Tu Ran was still wondering how the machine had detected Xi Chunzhi’s heart rate data when Xi Chunzhi stepped into the spacious conference room.
Tu Ran quickly followed her inside.
The room was already full. Some people looked up as they entered, while others remained focused on their electronic screens, engrossed in whatever they were viewing.
Tu Ran followed Xi Chunzhi to two empty seats and sat down, discreetly observing the surroundings. She then noticed a familiar face at the end of the conference table.
It was Xie Xu.
Wasn’t he a researcher? Why was he in the Pioneers’ meeting room?
Tu Ran was puzzled.
A person in a military uniform sitting next to Xie Xu tapped the table, causing the room to quiet down, and the door to the conference room automatically closed.
From her distance, Tu Ran couldn’t read the name on the soldier’s name tag, but his upright and stern appearance seemed familiar. She felt she had seen him somewhere before but couldn’t recall where.
However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts. Tu Ran focused her attention on the speaker.
“Today, I need to discuss a very serious matter with all of you.”
“Yesterday, in the northern state of Reigaken, seventeen sightings of alien species were reported within a single day.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the room erupted in murmurs.
Even Tu Ran, who didn’t know much about this world, realized the gravity of the situation.
Reigaken State was over two thousand kilometers away from the Federation’s central administrative building, and the only portal that allowed alien species to appear—the Threshold—was located near the administrative building.
Yesterday had been a Threshold opening day. The last group of pioneers who entered had all exited the Threshold yesterday, as long as they were still alive. The only contact alien species could have was with the pioneers. For alien species to exit the Threshold unscathed and not be shot by the surrounding guards, they would have to possess a pioneer.
However, pioneers’ locations were monitored in real-time.
If these seventeen alien species had possessed pioneers, even if they had passed the initial and secondary screenings, how could they have evaded the Federation’s extensive surveillance to travel two thousand kilometers to Reigaken State?
It seemed almost impossible.
“How did these seventeen alien species get to Reigaken State?”
Someone voiced the same question that Tu Ran had.
“Their movement trajectories haven’t been traced,” the officer said gravely, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present. “There were 241 pioneers who exited the Threshold yesterday. There are also 241 people sitting at this conference table now.”
“This indicates that the alien species didn’t come out with our Pioneer Squad, and the head of the Executive Department, who guards the Threshold daily, assures that they didn’t let any alien species escape.”
“So now there’s only one possibility: another portal, besides the one in the Federation Center, has appeared.”
After he finished speaking, the room fell so silent that only the sound of breathing could be heard.
