Embers Ad Infinitum

Bai Chen followed Shang Jianyao's train of thought and said:

"The person who may have the Buddhist 'token' died in the Vegetative Rehabilitation Center of Renhui Hospital. The survivors either don't know why they and others entered Zhentai City, or they have guessed it, but they dare not go to Renhui again. The hospital hopes to find other ways to get out of here."

Jiang Baimian said "hmm" and said in an inspiring tone:

"Human beings are all path-dependent. After survivors escape from Renhui Hospital and get rid of the initial panic, they will most likely choose to evacuate along the most familiar road.

"When they arrived at the edge of the city, they probably found that the exit was missing and was buried by landslides and ground cracks.

"So, where is the corresponding exit, or which part of the city edge are the survivors returning to?"

Gnawa was the first to answer:

"If this group of people really belongs to the scientific expedition team that Ding Ling's husband Ji Qiang is on, then judging from the intelligence we have received before, they came from the southwest just like us."

This is the news that the "Old Tune Team" learned at the "Salvation Army" rest stop where they met the "Ascetic Ministry" monks.

Long Yuehong's heart moved when she heard this, and she blurted out:

"Did they enter Zhentai City from the place where we entered the city?

"Is this where you returned?"

The honest Shang Jianyao sneered:

“Have you forgotten that our coming over wasn’t so smooth?

"We encountered a fault zone in the middle. Thanks to the military exoskeleton device, Lao Ge and Dabai, we entered the city directly from that direction without taking a detour."

Why are you juxtaposing me with military exoskeleton devices and Lao Ge? It's like I wasn't wearing a military exoskeleton device at the time... Jiang Baimian suspected that Shang Jianyao was slandering that his power was comparable to intelligent robots and military exoskeleton devices, and there was evidence.

Long Yuehong admitted her mistake with some annoyance:

"yes."

He immediately made a suggestion:

"Then let's go back to the fault zone and see where we can enter the city through a detour?"

Jiang Baimian shook his head and said:

“It doesn’t have to be so complicated.

"Think about it from the logic of a normal person rather than a feeder. What would you do if you returned the same way and found that the exit was destroyed and insurmountable?"

Long Yuehong took a breath, calmed down, thought for a moment and said:

"Then it must be another intersection to leave the city. How can there be only one exit in such a big city?"

After peeling off the cocoon to this extent, his thoughts gradually became clear:

"After discovering that every exit cannot leave the city, they should choose the one that looks most promising, try to pave roads and build bridges to cross the chasm, and at the same time look for nearby supermarkets and other places to collect food."

What he said about paving roads and building bridges is not paving roads and building bridges in the true sense, but refers to a series of actions such as blowing up obstacles and laying baffles to pass through ravines.

"So, what we need to do now is to circle around the edge of the ruins of Taicheng and look for places with traces of paving roads and building bridges. The survivors are probably nearby, and there is a certain probability that they are still alive." Jiang Baimian took Long Yuehong's hand The words came out and the order was issued.

The citizens of Taicheng all died instantly when the old world was destroyed. It seems that no one has survived, and the food here has not been consumed.

Of course, decades have passed, and most of the time without electricity, many foods have long since rotted and are no longer suitable for humans. However, canned food, which can be preserved for a long time, is enough to support a team with only a few people left to survive for two years. to three years.

Hearing this, Bai Chen turned the steering wheel and drove the jeep towards the edge of the city.

At this time, Shang Jianyao, who took "saving all mankind" as his own mission and hated evil as much as hatred, said bitterly:

"If there were no missile strikes from the Eighth Research Institute, it would be much easier for us to find people."

Although those missiles mainly targeted Renhui Hospital and Taicheng No. 1 Senior High School, some of them inevitably deflected elsewhere, which might destroy the traces of survivors paving roads and building bridges.

"It's not confirmed that it is the Eighth Research Institute." Jiang Baimian retorted casually, "This is just our speculation. We think the possibility is very high. We cannot rule out that someone else did it."

Shang Jianyao, who changed his personality, laughed and said:

"Anyway, their base is somewhere on the ice sheet, just across from each other.

"Just think it was them who did it. For them, they have done so many bad things, and one more thing and one less thing doesn't hurt."

Saying that, Shang Jianyao became excited:

"Just like the destruction of the Buddhist holy land, you can blame them!"

After hearing these words, Long Yuehong looked sideways in the direction of Taicheng No. 1 Senior High School, and her emotions instantly became very complicated.

This Buddhist holy land did not escape the fate of being razed to the ground.

Fortunately, Shang Jianyao did not ridicule him, saying that he had a crow's mouth, a straight mouth, and that good things did not work but bad things did not work. Instead, he put the pot on the head of the Eighth Research Institute.

Yes, it was indeed them who fired missiles that destroyed Renhui Hospital and Taicheng No. 1 Senior High School! Long Yuehong gradually became convinced that this was done by the Eighth Research Institute.

Taicheng covers a large area, and many roads were seriously damaged. It took the "old adjustment team" a whole morning to circle the edge.

Except for the place that was accidentally bombed by a missile and was completely changed beyond recognition, there are no traces of paving roads and building bridges at the other exits.

"There's something wrong with our reasoning? Which part is wrong?" Long Yuehong looked away in disappointment.

He would rather believe that the missile destroyed the clue.

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"It's okay, the previous reasoning itself was based on several assumptions, and it's normal for errors to occur.

"Didn't I always say it? Make bold assumptions and verify carefully. Now we have at least eliminated some possibilities."

"Are there no other survivors? Only one escaped from Renhui Hospital and entered Taicheng No. 1 High School?" Bai Chen said to himself.

Jiang Baimian thought for a while and said:

"It's also possible that other survivors encountered changes along the way and lost their lives one after another before even trying to pave roads and build bridges."

"That would be troublesome." It was Gnawa who commented.

Because in this way, trying to find traces of survivors in Taicheng, which was bombed by missiles, is no less than finding a needle in a haystack, and it is possible everywhere.

"Yes, yes." Shang Jianyao agreed, "Those survivors may have had an accident while escaping from Renhui Hospital and returning to the exit, or they may have encountered changes while looking for another exit."

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said:

“Just do your best to obey fate.

"We are now using a stupid method: leave Taicheng, return to the fault zone, and then drive over the only option of detour to Renhui Hospital to see what we can find on the way.

"If there is still no harvest, then report to the company tomorrow that the target location has been destroyed, and inform the company that we will return."

"Okay!" Long Yuehong answered very simply.

He suddenly felt that he was taking action.

About two hours later, the "old tune team" circled back to the edge of Taicheng as planned.

When the buildings still standing there came into their sight, the pupils of Jiang Baimian and others dilated at the same time.

On the surface of a gray-yellow high-rise building, a window and the surrounding exterior walls were stained red.

Even from a distance, this is extremely conspicuous.

The "Old Adjustment Team" actually visited this entrance before, but they only checked whether there were traces of paving roads and building bridges, and never looked at the corresponding building complex from the direction of entering the city.

"It was splashed red with paint." After a few seconds, Gnawa made a slightly synthetic voice.

If it's blood, unless it's just been added not long ago, there's no way it won't oxidize and turn black.

Bai Chen thought about it and said:

"It feels like a signal for help..."

When some wilderness wanderers are trapped in a certain place, because they do not understand the written language, or are not sure whether the people who may pass by understand the written language, they often choose to use colors such as red and purple to attract attention.

Long Yuehong's heart moved:

"Did those survivors do it?

"They enter the city from here, thinking that people who come later will also enter the city from here."

So I chose to send out a distress signal here.

Bang bang bang, Shang Jianyao applauded Long Yuehong in a rare move.

Jiang Baimian thought for a few seconds and said:

“Go and take a look, be careful.

"Prepare according to the standards of possibly encountering a 'new world' node or a powerful aberrant creature or an advanced 'heartless'."

Not long after, the "Old Tune Team" arrived under the building. Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Bai Chen put on military exoskeleton devices, and Long Yuehong and Gnawa put on bionic smart armor.

Then, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong went to the opposite building and found a suitable position for sniping and fire cover.

Gnawa stayed downstairs, guarding the Jeep on the one hand, and preparing to pick up his teammates on the other.

The heavily armed Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao climbed up the stairs and successfully reached the 32nd floor where the "red" window was located.

The door to the corresponding room was ajar, and there was a smell of staleness coming out.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao looked at each other and shook their heads at the same time.

From their own perspective, they confirmed that there were no humans, no living humans, inside.

Relying on the anti-virus filtering function of the helmet of the military exoskeleton device, the two brave men pushed open the door and entered the room.

This is an ordinary residential house, with tables, chairs, benches, sofas, TVs, etc. all available.

Next to the "red" window, there is a computer desk with a stained computer on it.

Opposite the table, on a chair facing the door, sat a body wearing dark clothes.

He was lying on the computer table, his neck and head turned into white bones.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao moved over step by step. When they got closer, they discovered that there was a dark green canvas backpack placed between the thigh and waist of the corpse, and a handful of Wubei 7 was lying quietly on the ground next to it.

Except for this one, there were no other bones around.