Embers Ad Infinitum

Shang Jianyao and Gnawa stood not far from the apartment, looking up.

The building in front of them was full of design. Viewed from the side, it looked like a blade cutting vertically into the dark sky.

Its exterior walls are dark black, with light spilling out of every window, making it as luxurious as ever.

"Have you felt the whirlpool?" Gennava asked Shang Jianyao.

Last time in Cornimis, after they caused "ripples", they felt that there was a huge vortex deep in the main city, which was slowly accelerating and expanding outward.

Shang Jianyao shook his head:

"No."

His tone gradually became obviously complacent:

"Didn't the whirlpool calm down when we left before?

"Our strategy was indeed successful this time. We got to the source of the problem, and the vortex has not yet been activated."

"But you still have to be careful next." Gnawa looked at the luxury apartment in front of him and said, "Except for a few places, the rest is shrouded in light. Are there so many strong people from the 'New World'?"

According to the previous experience of the "Old Tune Team", each light corresponds to one or two strong people from the "New World", and this luxury apartment has more than 30 floors, with two rooms on each floor.

"Yes, yes." Shang Jianyao agreed with Gnawa's previous words, "I have to make some preparations."

He slung the "Berserker" assault rifle on his body, and used his movable right hand to take out the "Six Senses Pearl" and the Small Jade Buddha from the tactical backpack.

Then, he put the former on his left wrist, side by side with the "Angel of Life" necklace wrapped there.

As for the latter, Shang Jianyao chose to stuff it into the pocket of his gray camouflage uniform - it was on the waist, with no armor and no exoskeleton support.

Gnawa thought that his preparations would end here, but who knew that Shang Jianyao took out something else.

It was neatly folded paper.

Shang Jianyao unfolded it religiously, revealing the simple drawings on it that looked like children's graffiti.

The heavens bless you throughout the year!

Of course, this is not all, there are still a few missing.

Shang Jianyao immediately took out the transparent tape and pasted the picture of blessings from the heavens on the chest armor of the military exoskeleton device, with the front facing outward.

"Okay." He sighed with satisfaction.

Without waiting for Gnawa's response, he moved his body and muttered to himself:

"No, there's something missing..."

After a few seconds, Shang Jianyao suddenly realized:

"I know what's wrong!"

He quickly stood up straight and shouted towards the luxurious apartment where the "old man" once lived:

"Who dares to kill me!"

Then, Shang Jianyao lowered his voice:

"Uh...this is so sexy..."

He adjusted and shouted towards the building again:

"Who dares to stop me!

"Who dares to stop me!

"Who dares to stop me!"

After shouting three times in a row, Shang Jianyao put his hands on his hips and smiled with great satisfaction:

"It's okay now."

Gnawa glanced at the picture of blessings from the heavens on his chest, analyzed it and said:

"The words you shouted just now have the effect of 'thought implantation'?"

He felt that Shang Jianyao was crazy, but he rarely did anything meaningless.

Even if he likes to make the steps very complicated, he still has his own purpose after all.

Shang Jianyao sneered:

"Old Ge, are you stupid? I can't even sense that there is human consciousness in the building. How can I use 'thought implantation'?"

"When you use a loudspeaker to increase the area of ​​influence, can you also sense the human consciousness of the target? This should exceed your sensing limit." Gnawa has not discussed this issue with Shang Jianyao before.

Shang Jianyao explained seriously:

"After my power is integrated into the sound through the radio waves, during the propagation process, I can sense the human consciousness within a certain distance around me."

"I understand." Gnawa moved his metal neck up and down.

He turned to ask:

"Why did you yell that just now?"

"To be brave." The honest Shang Jianyao replied without hesitation.

Gennava chose to remain silent.

Shang Jianyao picked up the "Berserker" assault rifle again and stepped forward.

He also said:

"Let's go, now the gods will protect us!"

In a sense, this may be true, but the number of Zhi Sui who protects you cannot be that many... The red light in Gnawa's eyes flashed a few times.

He followed and walked with Shang Jianyao to the open door of the apartment.

On the way, he glanced at Shang Jianyao and asked without understanding:

“Why are you still carrying an assault rifle?

"Even if you think the enemy's flesh here still can't stop bullets, the military exoskeleton device itself also has weapon modules and grenade launchers. You might as well hang up the assault rifle and free your right hand."

Shang Jianyao asked in astonishment:

"Don't you think it would be more handsome to move forward step by step with a weapon in such an environment?"

"I don't think so," replied the honest Gennava.

"Old Ge." Shang Jian Yao said with seriousness, "This is what leaves you a little short of a real human being. You were able to pick up the pieces last time, so why have you regressed again today?"

"This is not a joke." Gennava had already searched the database.

Shang Jianyao shook his head in disgust.

At this time, the two of them had already arrived at the door of the luxurious apartment. They did not talk anymore and looked inside through various ways.

What comes into view is an extremely spacious and modern hall dominated by light gray. An artistic crystal chandelier hangs in the hall, and its pure white light quietly illuminates the empty ground floor.

At the edges and corners where the light has not reached, the fog is rolling and the darkness is thick.

What was different from Shang Jianyao and Gnawa's previous experience was that although there were lights here, there was no one around.

"Haha, I was scared away by my God's Blessing Chart!" Shang Jianyao laughed.

"I can't tell whether this chandelier belongs to the New World or Cornimis, and I don't know where its light comes from." Gnawa brought the topic back on track very sensibly.

This is completely different from the relationship between the "New World" projections and Cornynmis they had encountered before. There is no forced superposition of contradictions that can be seen at a glance, as if there really is such an artistic chandelier in this luxury apartment. , the area it illuminates is really what it originally looked like at the same location in Cornynmis.

Here, it is difficult to distinguish between "new" and "old".

Shang Jianyao expressed satisfaction:

"This is the right thing to do. It is indeed the source of the problem!"

Gnawa's eyes flashed red a few times and said:

"Let's go to the elevator room and take a look first. It would be best if we could go directly to the top floor from there."

"The premise is that there is no projection of any powerful person from the 'New World' inside." Shang Jianyao said, calm and rational.

He didn't mention whether to confirm whether it was friendly or unfriendly, because there was no way to gamble. If the gamble failed, he and Gnawa would definitely be stuck here, basically finished.

Therefore, his plan was to observe the situation in the elevator in various ways from a certain distance. If there was anyone there, he would consider climbing the stairs.

Without waiting for Gennava's response, Shang Jianyao looked around and said:

"Before we go up, let's check the situation on the ground floor, mainly the places that are not illuminated by the lights and the places covered by the 'New World' projection."

"Okay." Gennava analyzed Shang Jianyao's purpose of doing this.

The two of them brought their own flashlights, slowly crossed the door, entered the hall, and walked towards the dark edge of rolling fog.

On the way, Shang Jianyao stepped sideways from time to time and stepped hard on the ground, as if he wanted to confirm whether there was anything buried "underneath" the marble.

Gnawa is doing similar things - the electromagnetic environment here is extremely chaotic and complex, and he cannot use many methods, so he can only follow Shang Jianyao.

After more than ten steps, the two came to a dark corner where the light of the chandelier was blocked.

As the yellowish light beam shone in, a slightly huddled corpse appeared there.

The corpse has rotted into bones, and the gray camouflage on the body is very similar to that of Shang Jianyao.

With a clang, Shang Jianyao fell to his knees, put down the "Berserker" assault rifle, and reached out to fumble in the pocket of the corpse's clothing.

He found nothing.

"This should be a member of the old team, but not your father." Gnawa said next to him.

Because he was coming to Cornynmis this time to follow the traces of the previous team, Shang Jianyao confidently applied for various information about his father through Jiang Baimian before setting off.

Gennava used this to enter relevant data, and combined with Shang Jianyao's memories and photos, he basically established a three-dimensional image of Shang Jianyao's father.

"Why?" Shang Jianyao asked.

Gennava patiently explained:

“First, he was the wrong height, and second, he left nothing behind except his clothes.

"The previous special correspondent of the Eighth Research Institute said that they found many corpses of your father's teammates. This should be one of them. All the items were taken away by them."

Shang Jianyao stood up with the power of the military exoskeleton device and asked:

"What was the cause of death?"

"Unknown." Gnawa checked, but found no reason.

The two of them found another seven or eight corpses on the first floor of this luxury apartment, but none of them belonged to Shang Jianyao's father, and not all of them were even members of the old team. It turns out that his belongings were also taken away by the Eighth Research Institute.

With nothing else to gain, the two people cautiously approached the elevator.

After observation, there was no one there.

Shang Jianyao rushed over and headed straight for an open elevator.

Suddenly, he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Gennava also came to a sudden stop.

Shang Jianyao pointed to the LCD panel of the elevator and said with disappointment:

"no power……"