Embers Ad Infinitum

When the scene was somewhat silent, Shang Jianyao suddenly said with "horror":

"You want to kill people and silence them?"

Butler Ulrich was stunned for several seconds before responding:

"Mr. DiMarco allows you to carry weapons, but not military-style exoskeletons."

Very confident... Jiang Baimian came back to his senses and decided to agree after thinking about it for a while:

"good."

Whatever the reason DiMarco suddenly wanted to see them, this was a rare opportunity.

Moreover, before entering the "Underground Ark", you can also go to the Vigilant Church to report it to ensure your safety.

When Jiang Baimian went out and walked to his Jeep, he did not hide his doubts and directly asked Butler Ulrich:

"Why did Mr. Di Marco suddenly change his mind? He just refused our request to meet yesterday."

Ulrich shook his head slowly:

"I'm not too sure. I'm just following the master's instructions."

Jiang Baimian was about to ask what unusual things had happened in the "Underground Ark" last night, or what news Di Marco had learned, when Shang Jianyao asked out of curiosity:

"Are you really sure that's still Mr. DiMarco? He's been wearing a mask every day lately."

Good question... Jiang Baimian closed his mouth and waited for Ulrich to respond.

Ulrich glanced sideways at the four members of the "Old Tune Team":

"If any one of you is replaced, even if the disguiser's hair color, height, and body are very close to the original one, and he wears a mask all the time, won't you recognize him?

"If it is just a brief contact in an emergency, confusion is indeed possible, but living together every day, habits, behavior, hobbies, manners, accents, etc. cannot be hidden from others unless they have been observed for many years in advance, and this is in' It is impossible to be in an underground ark. Whoever dies and who lives is counted."

"Indeed." Jiang Baimian agreed with Ulrich's statement.

After they got in their cars, they headed all the way to the Vigilant Church in the north of the ruins of the city.

After exchanging a few words with the alerter Song He, the four members of the "Old Tune Team" followed Ulrich to the underground floor and entered one of the elevator halls.

There are three thick-looking gray-black elevators, with two small LCD monitors embedded in the intervals.

After Ulrich communicated via video with the interior of the "Underground Ark", one of the elevators opened its door.

The interior of the car is well-maintained, with a wood-colored floor underneath and metal walls surrounding it.

"The dedicated reception room is on the second underground floor. It will be relatively easy for you to escape from the Ark." Ulrich introduced.

"Thank you." Jiang Baimian didn't know how to reply, so he simply imitated Shang Jianyao.

While they were talking, the elevator door closed in front of their eyes, and the box slowly sank down.

Soon, the elevator stopped, and the four members of the "Old Tune Team" saw a long beige carpet spread outside.

Along the corridor with thick carpets and illuminated wall lamps, they arrived at a room where eight people were guarding.

Two of them were also wearing gray-black military exoskeleton devices, which looked like newer models.

No wonder we are allowed to bring weapons... Long Yuehong suddenly realized.

The "Underground Ark" has an absolute advantage in firepower!

Ulrich knocked on the door, waited for two seconds, and said:

"Sir, the guests are here."

"Let them come in." A slightly magnetic voice came from the room.

Pushing open the red wooden door with reliefs, Jiang Baimian looked around habitually, taking in a panoramic view of the situation inside.

This seems to be a very normal living room, with coffee tables, sofas, carpets, wooden cabinets, chairs, and crystal chandeliers. Apart from being relatively luxurious, there is nothing special about it.

At this time, DiMarco was the only one in the room.

He has flaxen sideburns and wears a black priest's robe in an old world style, an old-fashioned soft hat of the same color and a mask with black background and white stripes. Because he is sitting, he cannot tell how tall he is.

With a quick glance of light blue eyes, Dimarco pointed to the couch opposite the coffee table and said:

"sit down."

After Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao and others took their seats, Butler Ulrich exited the room and closed the heavy wooden door.

Just as Di Marco was about to speak, Shang Jianyao suddenly smiled and said:

"You are not a qualified member of the Vigilant Cult."

DiMarco put his right leg on his left leg and asked without any annoyance:

"How to say?"

His voice is a standard baritone with a bit of magnetism, and he speaks the pure Honghe dialect of the Nuhu area of ​​the old world.

"Your guards are outside the door. If we launch an attack without warning, we can completely subdue you and make you a hostage before the support of two military exoskeleton devices comes in." Jiang Baimian explained on behalf of Shang Jianyao, "It's really not vigilant enough."

DiMarco leaned back slightly and laughed:

"Maybe it's because I have enough confidence?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Jianyao asked curiously and enthusiastically:

"Are you stronger than that fish-man angel?"

Di Marco was speechless for a moment, and then said after a few seconds:

"Maybe there are other arrangements in the room."

He did not continue the topic, raised his hand and touched his mask with black background and white stripes, exhaled and said:

"I came to you because I wanted to talk about the temple on the island in the middle of the lake and about Yan Hu."

Yan Hu...that sleeping "god"? Jiang Baimian asked in surprise:

"You know Yan Hu, no, your ancestor knew Yan Hu?"

She didn't expect that it was because she and others explored the temple that she got Dimarco's invitation.

Di Marco leaned back on the single sofa and smiled:

“In the early years, when my great-grandfather and grandfather were still alive, they heard about the Huxin Island and Yan Hu.

"It was at the end of the chaotic era. The Ark began to connect with the outside world and exchange supplies. The intelligence agents sent by my grandfather and the relic hunters in the surrounding areas, huh, shouldn't be called this at that time, because there was no such organization as the Hunter Guild. In short, they all I noticed the situation on the island in the middle of the lake and learned about Yan Hu's existence.

"Yan Hu has shown extraordinary miraculous and powerful power and was treated as a god. Only after we accepted the Vigilant Sect and believed in 'Yougu' did we realize that this might be a very powerful awakened person.

“Initially, we had too many things to do and never had the chance to establish contact with the island in the middle of the lake. Then, they suddenly closed the island and no one went out.

"Gradually, my grandfather and my father also forgot about this matter. Anyway, the changes in the island in the middle of the lake did not affect Ark.

"I heard that you went to Lake Center Island last night. After exploring Yan Hu's temple, I suddenly became curious and wanted to invite you to have a chat."

I'm afraid this is more than just a curiosity... This matter can actually allow you to break the rules of the "Underground Ark" for many years and invite outsiders in... There is definitely a certain connection between you and Yan Hu... At this moment, Jiang Baimian's mind flashed I went through several thoughts.

"So that's it." She pretended that she understood everything, and gave an overview of her and Shang Jianyao's exploration. The only thing she didn't mention was that when Shang Jianyao used his awakener ability to influence the sleeping Yan Hu, I saw someone crawling in the dark asking for help.

DiMarco tapped the arm of the sofa with his right index finger and repeated a phrase thoughtfully:

"new world……"

He seemed very concerned about it.

A few seconds later, Di Marco looked around and said with a smile:

"Thank you for sharing. Don't you want to know about things in the old world? You can ask questions."

He didn't get to the bottom of it, giving the impression that he didn't care whether "Qian Bai Team" had anything to hide.

This is extremely contradictory to the concern shown before.

Jiang Baimian suppressed his doubts and asked:

"Mr. Di Marco, did your ancestors know in advance that the old world would be destroyed?"

DiMarco shook his head:

"He is just an avid fan of doomsday theory, and he happens to be relatively wealthy and well-established."

"Are there any signs before the destruction of the old world? Did you encounter anything before you hid in the 'underground ark'?" Jiang Baimian asked.

Di Marco said in a recalling tone:

"I heard my grandfather mention that they first decided to hide in the 'underground ark' to avoid the sudden war. As a result, not long after, 'Wuxin Disease' broke out outside.

"The inside was not spared either. Many servants turned into 'unintentional persons' without warning, causing a bloody chaos. My great-grandfather took my grandfather and other family members to further isolate themselves. Fortunately, 'Innocent disease' does not appear to be contagious."

Sure enough, disordered wars and "unintentional disease" are the superficial reasons for the destruction of the old world... Even people who hid underground in advance will suffer from "unintentional disease"? The company only organized the survivors to enter the underground building after the "unintentional disease" broke out... Jiang Baimian remembered a few key points and turned to ask about other things.

After some exchanges, they had a certain understanding of the status of the ruins of Hongshiji City in the old world:

The west and north of the Nu Lake area belong to the Gray Tu people, and the east and south of the Nu Lake area enter the Red River Basin. Nu Lake is the national boundary between a country that speaks the Gray Tu language and a country that speaks the Red River language.

Therefore, some of the islands in the lake are inhabited by Gray Earth people, and some are inhabited by Red River people.

The ruins of Hongshiji are located in the southeast corner of Nu Lake. They originally belonged to the Red River country. However, because it is a border city, many Gray Earth people immigrated and settled, accounting for more than 30% of the population.

Di Marco's ancestors were the largest builders in the country where the city belongs and maintained good relations with many local councillors.

"Thank you for your answer." After confirming that Di Marco could not extract any more information related to the destruction of the old world, Jiang Baimian sincerely said thank you, and then added, "We still have two simple questions. .”

Without giving Di Marco a chance to refuse, she asked directly:

"Have you met a relic hunter named Lars?"

While talking, she took out the photo given by Lehman.

"Lars?" Dimarco suddenly laughed, "You can go back and tell Leman that Lars found his true love in the Ark. If he doesn't believe it, he can come to the Vigilant Church. I'll ask Lars to Have a video chat with him.”

"Ah?" Jiang Baimian and others did not expect such an answer at all.