Next, anyone who can move around in the area the metallic liquid has just entered must have at least some level of clearance and status; it shouldn’t take long for it to find someone who can enter deeper into the Space Station.

At the very least, it will be faster than finding that guy Shi.

It was already close to nighttime, and most people had gone back to their own quarters to rest; aside from a few on night shift, there was basically no one moving around the Space Station.

Going deeper in at this time was obviously not a good idea.

Better to use this window to scout out this area.

Back when Chen Ming was still in space, during the tow into the Space Station, he had observed the Station’s structure.

If he remembered correctly, there should be an internal port in this area.

Exactly the port Uncle Mao had just mentioned, the one that had ships departing every midnight.

He needed to take a look.

Just as he was directing the metallic liquid to spread toward the port—

Chen Ming suddenly noticed that Shi, who had just entered this area, had walked into an office.

Sitting inside that office was the very same Deputy Chief Chang who, earlier in the day, had notified Uncle Mao to tell An Wuping to behave and not run around everywhere during the two days when Ye Lirong would be here.

Deputy Chief Chang looked at Shi Shao, who had just come in, and asked, "Shi Shao? What brings you here?"

"Deputy Chief Chang, I feel like there’s something off about that guy, An Wuping."

Chen Ming didn’t react to this line, merely watched calmly.

He had already considered that this might happen when he was testing the waters earlier.

But everything he’d done had been thought through.

Every move he made looked completely normal, with no logically defensible grounds for suspicion.

And Zuo Jing still seemed to care a little about logic; otherwise, Zuo Jing could have made a move back when his ship was being towed in.

Of course, it was also possible that Zuo Jing just wanted to keep him around for a few days, planning to replicate the handling method used on that group from over half a year ago, the one Uncle Mao had responded to after receiving a distress signal.

But even if the Zuo Jing faction really ignored evidence and went straight to action—

He could immediately change his operating plan; at worst, gathering leads would become more troublesome.

That would be the worst-case scenario.

Chen Ming kept watching, ready to explode into action at any moment.

What he’d planned before was one thing; if the situation changed, he would have to adapt.

At this point, Deputy Chief Chang showed no special attitude just because Shi had brought up Chen Ming; he asked as if dealing with some ordinary issue, "What’s off? What did he do?"

Shi Shao quickly recounted the events of the day.

The more he talked, the deeper Deputy Chief Chang’s frown grew.

When Shi finished, Deputy Chief Chang stared at him for a while, then suddenly slammed the table in anger and said, "Think it through before you talk, will you?"

"He helps you watch the equipment, wins some money in cards and treats you all to lunch at the cafeteria, switches a few TV programs, and you’re suspicious of him for that? I don’t see any problem at all."

"But..."

Deputy Chief Chang impatiently waved his hand and cut him off. "This isn’t something you need to worry about. Just keep the others in line. This An Wuping will be gone in a few days."

"Unless he shows some much more obvious abnormal behavior, don’t bring it to me."

Shi Shao wanted to say more, but when he saw Deputy Chief Chang’s expression, he gave up.

He turned and left the office.

And as he left, he didn’t notice that the metallic liquid under his feet had split off a bit and flowed along the floor to Deputy Chief Chang’s feet.

After Shi Shao left, Deputy Chief Chang suddenly shook his head and muttered to himself, "People who believe in Zuo Jing really don’t think like normal folk."

He had already told people to keep an eye on this outsider, An Wuping; aside from Mao Xingwang, of course there were others constantly watching An Wuping from a distance.

There was no way he would harbor no wariness toward an outsider like An Wuping. Anything that needed doing, he would definitely assign people to do it.

And all day today, An Wuping had been together with Mao Xingwang and the others.

He only went to look at his ship in the afternoon and did some repairs on the Power Armor; Mao Xingwang had followed him immediately to make sure he didn’t wander. You could say nothing unexpected happened the entire time.

An Wuping had also been very cooperative, not doing anything out of the ordinary.

As long as An Wuping stayed put for the next few days, then even at this sensitive moment with Minister Ye coming over, he could still let An Wuping leave here smoothly.

Several people who had dealt with An Wuping had said there was no problem, yet some low-level guy from Zuo Jing’s side was suspicious of him just because he casually changed a few TV channels.

If they used Shi Shao’s standards, wouldn’t all the ordinary people on the Space Station be even more suspicious?

They were in contact with Zuo Jing every day; any one of them might already have discovered something.

What’s more, Shi Shao’s job was to keep an eye on those ordinary people used to camouflage the Space Station; instead of doing his proper work, he was staring at this An Wuping, whom even Minister Ye had said was basically fine.

Wasn’t he practically saying that both he and Minister Ye had poor judgment, that they’d let someone who might threaten the Space Station in?

If something like that got out, his position might not necessarily be gone, but the number of people eyeing his seat would definitely increase.

The fact he didn’t just tell the man to get the hell out was already him being lenient.