Embers Ad Infinitum

Shen Du immediately smiled and said:

"Go there, be careful to avoid..."

Before he finished speaking, he looked up at the ceiling and signaled Shang Jianyao to be careful.

Surveillance cameras are installed on every floor of the "living area", but the number is not many, only at key intersections and indoor public places.

In comparison, no matter the "inner ecological zone" or the "factory zone", the number of surveillance cameras is much more, but it is far less than the "research zone" and "management zone".

Shang Jianyao followed Shen Du's gaze, looked at the intersection ahead, and said with a smile:

"It probably wasn't on at all."

"That's right." Shen Du actually agreed with Shang Jianyao's statement.

This is because similar situations in the company are too common. From time to time, it is revealed that a certain device has been damaged long ago and has been unusable. It is usually just a matter of putting it there.

It is said that this is related to the chaos when some surviving humans hurriedly retreated into the underground building when the old world was destroyed.

Moreover, it has been 46 years since the new calendar. It is very normal for some equipment to be damaged. The corresponding production line may not be rebuilt due to shortage of resources, loss of technology, lack of data, etc., so it cannot be replaced or repaired.

"However, you still have to be careful, the company has always been very strict about religious beliefs." Shen Du warned, holding a flashlight, and walked forward.

At the intersection, he turned off the flashlight, and turned to the right by carefully moving against the wall.

Shang Jianyao followed behind him, and once again turned his attention to the surveillance camera on the ceiling of the intersection.

There's a red dot that's blinking slowly.

Shang Jianyao looked at the red dot, and suddenly raised his hands, pinched both cheeks, and pulled up the corners of his mouth.

He made a face.

Then, he rubbed the muscles of his face that had been irritated by the flashlight, learned to be calm, and moved against the wall.

After wandering around like this for a while, Shen Du stopped in front of Gate 35 in Area A.

He immediately raised his left hand and tapped three times.

"New life is like the sun." A deliberately low voice came from the room.

Shen Du stretched his neck forward, and responded with the same deep voice:

"Life is the most important thing."

With a creak, the door opened, and a dim yellow light flowed out, shaking slightly.

"This is?" The woman who opened the door saw Shang Jianyao behind Shen Du.

She is in her thirties and has obviously undergone genetic modification. She has straight black eyebrows, a straight nose, and raised eyes. She is both beautiful and has her own characteristics.

Shang Jian Yao took a step forward and said sincerely:

"It's my first time participating.

"Uncle Shen led me here."

The woman's slightly frowned brows gradually relaxed, and she said thoughtfully:

"It turned out to be a new church member."

She glanced left and right and got out of the way:

"Come in, don't let anyone see you."

Seeing that the woman recognized Shang Jianyao's identity, Shen Du strode into the room without any doubts and turned off the flashlight.

Shang Jianyao followed behind, looked around, and fully took into account the situation in the room.

This room is much larger than the one he lives in now, and there is a door on the innermost wall, indicating that there is an inner bedroom, bathroom or kitchenette.

This reminded Shang Jianyao of his previous home, which indicated that the owner of this room was either a husband and wife who were both D4 and above, or one of them had reached the D7 team leader level.

The outside room is about 2.5 meters wide and nearly 5 meters deep. There is a wardrobe and a cabinet next to the innermost wall. A bedside table is separated from these two pieces of furniture by a double bed. It is placed horizontally on the bed. The foot position leaves an aisle leading to the inner bed.

Outside the big bed is a small living room composed of armchairs, square stools, low stools, coffee table, desk, and cloth sofa.

At this time, two candles were lit on the coffee table, creating a dim light, and there were many people sitting around, including men and women, old and strong.

Shang Jian Yao didn't count them in detail, but looking at the posture of the seats being full, he felt that there were at least ten people.

"Xiaoshang, make a registration first." The woman who opened the door took out a soft-shell notebook from nowhere.

Shang Jianyao took the pen and wrote his name on the blank page opened by the other party.

"You know me?" He asked curiously.

The woman smiled and said:

"When your parents lived here, we were barely neighbors.

"However, you shouldn't remember me. You can call me Aunt Li."

"Well, Aunt Li." Shang Jian Yao was not polite at all.

"Okay, go and sit down, the 'Guide' is about to start preaching." The woman surnamed Li pointed to an empty low stool.

"Where are you sitting?" Shang Jian Yao asked politely.

"I can sit by the bed." The woman surnamed Li replied with a smile.

Seeing that Yao didn't ask any more questions, Shang took a few steps sideways and sat down.

After about two or three minutes, the door leading to the inner bedroom opened, and a figure came out.

This shadow dealer Jian Yao is not unfamiliar at all, it is the Aunt Ren Jieren whom he met in the "Activity Center" in the evening, a D3 employee who serves in the company's "Strategy Committee".

At this time, Ren Jie was still wearing the polyester shirt, but changed into a pair of gray trousers. On the pretty face where some traces of time can be seen, the expression is holy and dignified.

She walked between the big bed, the wardrobe, and the cupboard, and swept around in the direction of everyone.

"Xiao Shang?" She immediately saw Shang Jianyao sitting upright.

Shang Jian Yao stood up, took two steps forward, and said hello:

"Aunt Ren, I just registered.

"Uncle Shen led me here."

Ren Jie's eyes moved slightly, as if she was thinking about something, and then she smiled:

"It turns out that it is like this, it has passed the inspection."

"sit down."

When Shang Jianyao sat down again, she looked at the crowd and said:

"Since there are new church members participating, let me briefly introduce our church."

Clap, clap, Shang Jianyao applauded enthusiastically.

Shen Du and the others either turned their heads or turned sideways, looking at him with the same blank gaze.

Ren Jie probably heard that Shang Jianyao belonged to a person with a more eccentric personality, she was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:

"No need to do this, this is not a company meeting."

She paused for two seconds, and after Shang Jianyao stopped, she said in a deep voice:

"All of us here have actually never left the company, and have never really set foot on the surface.

"The situation we have about the dust comes only from the company's broadcast, the introduction of teaching materials, and the descriptions of the surrounding 'security department' employees, all of which have been screened confidentially in advance.

"We don't really understand dust, like we've never really seen the sky."

Her gaze swept around and fell on Shang Jianyao's face:

"We know that after the destruction of the old world, after a long period of chaos and disputes, human beings have finally rebuilt order in some areas. With the new calendar, we also know that the shadows are still shrouded in dust. The land of order is different from the land of chaos, No man's land, all kinds of wilderness and mountains are like the islands in the textbooks to the sea. Pollution, distortion, and famine are like tides, coming in waves without end.

"The deadliest thing is the heartless disease, which is the veterinary disease in textbooks. Until today, we still haven't grasped its pathogenesis and transmission law. Maybe we and the people around us will degenerate into real diseases as soon as we wake up. 'Beast', unable to communicate, only the instinct of predation."

Ren Jie breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"This is what we know, so what is it that we don't know?

"It is why the old world is destroyed, and why the new order can be rebuilt.

"On the ashes, among the many human beings, there are rumors like this:

"Some behaviors in the old world offended the gods, so they were destroyed by them, and the surviving people passed the test, so they were saved by them.

"This rumor is partly true and partly false.

"Really, there is indeed a group of gods in this world. They are in charge of the years together and manage different months respectively, so they are honored as 'Zhi Sui'. Of course, some people call them 'Zhiren' and 'Sui. God', 'God', 'Savior', 'Painter of the past', 'Officer of the present'.

"The truth is that the 'Zhi Sui' didn't destroy the old world because they were offended, it was just an inevitable result of normal development.

"Life is noble and holy, but it passes away, and so does the world, just as the old year always comes to an end and prepares for the new.

"Our sect is called 'Life Sacrifice', and we believe in the most special person in 'Zhi Sui', who is in charge of the 'Designer' in December. He is the end of the year, but it also symbolizes the coming of the new year. , He is the terminator of the old world and the creator of the new world."

When Ren Jie spoke up to this point, except for Shang Jianyao, everyone stretched out their arms together, as if holding a baby in their arms, shaking gently:

"It will eventually belong to Si Ming."

Their voices were low but clear, merged into one, and echoed in the room.

Ren Jie looked at Shang Jianyao and continued:

"In fact, the new world has not yet come. Now is the stage when the gods test all living beings. Only by piously believing in the command and entrusting yourself to the command in a sacrificial manner can you enter the new world, get rid of the cycle of time, and obtain eternal life without pain. .”

"Praise for your tolerance!" The congregation once again shook their arms and said in a low voice.

Shang Jian Yao imitated their actions and said:

"Praise be to your tolerance."

Ren Jie nodded in satisfaction, then said:

"Okay, let's start the sermon.

"Our Life Sacrifice Church worships life and fears death, so we value rebirth and funerals the most.

"Today's content is mainly about freshmen."

Shang Jian Yao sat with his back straight, listening very seriously like the people around him.

Ren Jie's voice gradually softened, and her expression became more holy:

"We shall put babies to sleep on their backs;

"We should let babies develop the habit of playing during the day and sleeping at night;

"We hum a song when the baby falls asleep;

"We should carefully distinguish the cry of the baby:

"Short and low, high and low is hunger; intense is anger; suddenly loud, very sharp, and paused for a long time, turning into a gentle mourning, is pain...

"We should pat the baby on the back to let the air out of his belly...

"When we hold the baby, we hold the back of his head...

"We must breastfeed..."

Shang Jianyao's eyes gradually became dull, and his mouth opened slightly, unable to close.