Although it was agreed that Tao Fengche would bring bodyguards on this trip, Xu Song and Tao Fengche once again had differing opinions on the number of bodyguards.

Xu Song used both hard and soft tactics, but Tao Fengche flatly refused. After a long negotiation, they finally reached a compromise—three bodyguards in plain clothes, with their weapons securely hidden, would accompany Tao Fengche. They also coordinated with Director Wang and presented themselves as researchers coming for observation and learning.

Of course, no one knew how many bodyguards were secretly following them.

As long as Tao Fengche didn’t discover them, it meant zero visibility. Xu Song, who had years of experience in “public compliance and private defiance” when it came to security issues, was well aware of this.

The production base they were visiting was located in an industrial park in the suburbs of Jingpu, a considerable distance from the nearest airport. Even though the Tao driver had parked the Maybach at the airport exit early and rushed to the destination as soon as they arrived, they did not reach the site until after eleven in the morning.

Tao Fengche and Director Wang got out of the car one after another, followed closely by the disguised bodyguards. A group of staff members waiting at the door came forward to greet them, led by a middle-aged alpha wearing a shirt and tie, with a large beer belly and a slightly receding hairline.

… He looked very much like the typical corporate executive.

As Tao Fengche’s gaze briefly circled around the other’s receding hairline, the man introduced himself as Chen Jun, the quality director of the base.

“Hello, Director Chen,” Director Wang said with a smile, extending his hand for a handshake. “We brought a few students to gain some experience, thank you for coming to welcome us.”

“Director Wang, you’re too kind. It’s our honor to have you come to guide us at the grassroots level,” Chen Jun said, shaking Director Wang’s hand with both of his, his expression sincere.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tao Fengche stayed a step behind Director Wang, standing quietly by his side, making an effort to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

However, despite his efforts, several eyes that thought they were well-hidden kept glancing over at him. Tao Fengche had no choice but to pretend not to notice, acting as if nothing had happened.

He understood that this situation was unavoidable.

Although Director Wang had not clarified his identity and had vaguely mentioned bringing new researchers to gain experience, the young bodyguards accompanying them were in their twenties and adept at disguise and infiltration. However, Tao Fengche, an underage alpha without any pheromones, was indeed very conspicuous.

How could an underage person be working at the research institute? According to the labor laws in Jingpu, this would be considered child labor, and companies caught violating the law would face severe penalties. A giant like the Tao family would definitely not break the law and create a scandal.

It was clear to the group who came to welcome them that the young alpha was the young master of the Tao family and the future leader of the company. With such a rare opportunity to see the heir to a prominent family, and it being their own company, how could they not take the chance to look a little longer?

Tao Fengche understood their curiosity, but under the intense scrutiny of so many eyes, although he managed to maintain a calm exterior, he felt a pang of discomfort inside. He suddenly thought: Was Sui Yuesheng, back at the mourning hall, feeling the same way when being scrutinized by various people?

Amused by his own dark thoughts, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he relaxed a bit.

However, the others were far from relaxed.

In August, Jingpu felt like a furnace. That day was an exceptionally sunny day, with the sun relentlessly baking the earth. The air was filled with an astonishing heat wave, as if they were in a giant oven constructed by the heavens, making it hard to breathe.

Even in the short time spent greeting people at the entrance, several staff members had their clothes soaked with sweat, clinging to their bodies as if they could be wrung out.

Tao Fengche frowned and subtly stepped back a half-step.

At middle age and having spent his career in the laboratory, Director Wang’s physical condition was no match for the strong young alphas. While others were only sweating, the “researchers” Tao Fengche brought seemed unfazed, but even so, Director Wang felt a bit dizzy from the heat.

He glanced at his watch and thought to himself—this timing was quite awkward.

According to his original plan, he and Tao Fengche should have arrived at the production base around 2 PM, leaving a day and a half for work, then flying back home that night, and returning to work the day after. However, Tao Fengche had arranged for a private jet and had a dedicated driver waiting at the airport. Although it improved comfort and greatly shortened the commute time, it disrupted his original plan.

If they went straight to the factory to look at the production line now, they would see little before lunchtime, and after lunch, they would have to start over, wasting an hour.

Wait.

Director Wang suddenly remembered something. Previously, Jing Ning had mentioned that Tao Fengche had never been to a production base before and had asked him to be more accommodating. Since that was the case, why not…

“Since time is a bit tight, Director Chen, if you don’t mind, how about we first tour the base and visit the production line in the afternoon?”

Chen Jun quickly nodded, picked up his pager, and said, “Sure. If I remember correctly, Director Wang, this is your first time at our base.”

“Isn’t environmental protection promoted nowadays? We actively respond by planting many trees. I’ll have the security arrange a few sightseeing cars to take you around the base.”

“Sightseeing cars?” Tao Fengche asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Yes,” Chen Jun explained. “The base is too large. In the past, when people from the company or research institute came for inspections, they also used these cars.”

Tao Fengche nodded.

The sightseeing cars inside the base were similar to those commonly found in tourist attractions. Painted in blue and white to match the Tao family’s logo, they had a top speed of no more than 40 km/h. Although there were no seatbelts, safety was not a concern.

Nevertheless, Tao Fengche was still flanked by two bodyguards on either side, with one more sitting in the back seat facing the opposite direction, vigilantly observing the surroundings and ensuring his protection.

With limited seats in the sightseeing car, Tao Fengche was closely accompanied by the three bodyguards, leaving the remaining seats for Director Wang, Chen Jun, and a young QC from the laboratory. The rest of the group was split into two parts—one returning to their workstations, and the other boarding another sightseeing car to tour the production base with them.

As the driver pressed the accelerator, the sightseeing car slowly moved forward. With Chen Jun’s unhurried commentary, Tao Fengche looked around with curiosity.

Unlike the smaller production bases Tao Fengche had visited in the central area a couple of days ago, which focused on research and development with a secondary emphasis on storage and manufacturing, this base was located in the suburbs. The land was cheaper, and the area was much larger.

Looking around, he saw rows of factory buildings with pure white exterior walls and large Tao family logos in the top left corners. The buildings were square, neatly arranged, and appeared very modern. There were so many of them that he could not see the end.

“Further ahead is the staff living area, with supermarkets, dormitories, and entertainment centers. The base is quite far from the city, so we provide food and accommodation. Most employees choose to live here and go home only on weekends,” Chen Jun explained as they passed the base’s back entrance.

“Then shall we… head back?” Director Wang turned around, seemingly asking for the students’ opinions, but his gaze was solely on Tao Fengche.

They had already taken a tour of the base in a sightseeing car and had seen all the important places. The remaining employee living area wasn’t particularly interesting. Tao Fengche was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly noticed something unusual.

— On the right side, there was a dilapidated factory building. Unlike other factories that were built right next to the asphalt road, this one was set back a bit further and surrounded by several tall trees. If it weren’t for his sharp eyesight, he might not have noticed it at all.

He squinted and examined it closely.

There were probably about four or five of these factory buildings. The exterior walls were quite shabby, with many layers of paint peeling off, revealing the deep brown bricks underneath. The area around was overgrown with weeds, looking very desolate and starkly different from the other factories they had passed earlier. It was like an out-of-place puzzle piece forcefully inserted, giving a sense of oddity.

If it weren’t for the faint Tao Corporation logo seen in the upper left corner of the factory, Tao Fengche would have doubted if he was in the wrong place.

“What’s that area on the right…?” he asked.

“Oh, you’re asking about that.” Chen Jun swallowed nervously.

He was somewhat shocked by Tao Fengche’s keen observation and somewhat resentful that the driver hadn’t sped up to avoid showing this rundown place. It might lead Director Wang and the others to suspect that the maintenance funds had been misappropriated or embezzled.

But that wasn’t the case.

Since Tao Fengche had already pointed it out, Chen Jun gave up on hiding the truth and explained, “That used to be a traditional Chinese medicine factory. But you know how the weather is in Jingpu, with its damp and rainy springs. The herbs used as raw materials are mostly harvested once a year, and in such weather, they’re prone to mold and spoilage. The ointments produced can easily get infested with bugs. Although there are devices to remove moisture, the initial conditions are just not as good as in the north.”

“About seven or eight years ago, the company built a large traditional Chinese medicine factory in Taiqing, so this one was abandoned, and the machines were moved out. The place has since fallen into disrepair.”

“Actually, everyone has always thought it was a pity for this place to remain empty and wanted to repurpose it. However, there were differing opinions. The employee union wanted to use it as an activity space, while the base management wanted to build new factory buildings… With both sides holding their own opinions, no resolution was reached, and it has been left as it is.”

“That’s also why, every year when we repair the factory buildings, we don’t take care of this area. Fixing it while it’s still empty would be a waste of money!”

After Chen Jun finished explaining, he nervously glanced at Tao Fengche’s expression, afraid he might be angry.

Tao Fengche showed no particular expression and simply nodded after hearing the explanation. He suddenly said, “I’ve never seen an abandoned factory. If it’s convenient, Director Chen, could you take us over to have a look?”

For someone who was used to being in a high position, even a question had an undeniable tone.

The bodyguard sitting next to Tao Fengche tilted his head slightly and exchanged a discreet glance with Tao Fengche.

— “Curiosity about the abandoned factory” was not the real reason.

Tao Fengche was exceptionally talented, and the three bodyguards personally chosen by Xu Song to protect him each had their own areas of expertise and were outstanding alphas.

Even from such a distance, both noticed that the ring of weeds at the factory entrance was slightly bent towards the ground, with a very neat arc, as if pressed down by shoes.

…But how could anyone be walking around such a remote place, especially around a factory that had been abandoned for seven or eight years?