Embers Ad Infinitum

There were many religions in Tarnan, and there were many Awakened. Genava was no stranger to this, but perhaps it was because he had done a good job with Tarnan’s public security that apart from this encounter with the Superior Heartless’s illusions, he usually didn’t have the opportunity to see the effects of various abilities. He mainly relied on the information on Mechanical Paradise’s public web to understand them.

At this moment, he asked with uncertainty, “Is that so?”

“You can ask them,” Shang Jianyao said with a smile. He was referring to Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong inexplicably shivered. “Y-yes.”

Jiang Baimian added, “In a way, human consciousness, memories, and self-awareness are also very fragile.”

Genava slowly nodded and didn’t raise any more questions.

Jiang Baimian then smiled. “Actually, you don’t have to think too much about it now. Since you’ve already come out, it’s best not to have any preset views. Listen with your heart, look, and experience it. When you experience enough, you might be able to obtain the answer you want. When the time comes, you will once again see mountains as mountains, and water as water.”

Genava didn’t really understand the last sentence, but he understood what the first part meant. He pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll work hard to find the answer.”

Jiang Baimian smiled and didn’t say anything else. She said to Shang Jianyao and the others, “Get in the car.”

After figuring out Genava’s confusion, she understood one of the reasons why the other party wasn’t obsessed with saving Susanna and Rides.

…

On the second day, the vehicle wasn’t far from Redstone Collection and was about to enter the Lake of Wrath. They should arrive the next day.

Long Yuehong looked out the window and realized that greenery had grown out of the hills, the rocks, and the areas far away from the road.

“Winter has passed?” With his experience, it wasn’t spring yet.

Jiang Baimian—whose turn was to drive—explained with a smile, “This place is in the south; it’s different from the Blackmarsh Wilderness. The weather warms up early.”

“Furthermore, this area is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The cold air is blocked, forming a relatively warm area…” Genava added from a geographical point of view.

Long Yuehong thoughtfully asked, “In this area, has winter passed?”

The most arduous season in the Ashlands is finally over?

“Yes.” Bai Chen—who was in the passenger seat—pointed diagonally ahead. “The nomads are beginning to come out to search for food.”

It was the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The food reserves were about to run out, and in the season before new food was planted, wilderness nomads from the various settlements began to venture out. They relied on the mountains and rivers for their survival.

As for those whose food couldn’t last until now, they might’ve long become one of the refugees outside Weed City.

Following Bai Chen’s finger, Long Yuehong saw a few small trucks. They were derelict and old. Many people with guns stood in the back of the cargo hold.

These people had rather dirty faces, and their clothes had obvious stitches. Their weapons were mainly homemade shotguns mixed with rifles and pistols.

Upon seeing that the Old Task Force only had one jeep, the team changed directions and approached them.

“They want to rob us?” Long Yuehong found it funny.

“Robbing is more efficient than hunting in this season,” Bai Chen calmly introduced.

Just as she said that, Shang Jianyao had already taken out a blue and white loudspeaker and opened the window beside him. His voice then echoed, “Abandon your fantasies and accept reality. It’s not too late to turn back now. Look, we have single-man combat rocket launchers…”

As he repeated these words in Red River language, he turned his head to look at Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong had a tacit understanding of this and instantly understood. He picked up the Death rocket launcher and stretched it out from his window so that the wilderness nomads could see it clearly.

Shang Jianyao continued shouting, “We also have an auxiliary-type combat robot…” He shouted in two languages as he signaled to Genava, who was squeezed in the middle of the back row.

Genava hesitated and asked, “You want me to intimidate them?”

Shang Jianyao nodded, an indication that this was the case.

Genava supported his back with one hand and allowed his body to pass Shang Jianyao as he tried to stick his head out the window.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian—who was driving—handed an item over. It was a pair of sunglasses.

Genava analyzed the situation and understood what she meant. He took the sunglasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose.

This way, the blue light in its eyes was concealed. If one didn’t observe carefully, nobody would suspect that he was a smart bot.

After spending some time together, he finally figured out something. The Qian Bai Team’s real name was Pangu Biology’s Investigation Unit for the Cause of the Old World’s Destruction. Their team leader was not Qian Bai but the woman with the fake name ‘October Xue.’ Also, her real name was Jiang Baimian.

She was a woman who could solo a smart bot. Although she relied on a sneak attack, it was still ridiculous.

While wearing the sunglasses, Genava stuck his head out the window for just a few seconds. The derelict truck carrying people had already turned around and left with a roar.

Before long, they disappeared into the hilly area.

Genava shrank back, took off the sunglasses, and looked at Shang Jianyao. He asked very directly, “You used your Awakened abilities on them and changed their perception?”

Long Yuehong felt that he could answer this question, so he helped Shang Jianyao explain, “Yes, he can use a loudspeaker to enhance the range of his abilities, but he can only do it one-on-one for now.”

Shang Jianyao looked at him and Genava and asked in confusion, “When did you have the illusion that I used my abilities?”

“Uh…” Long Yuehong was a little stunned.

Shang Jianyao then smiled. “I only threatened them. Think about it; a combat-type auxiliary robot and a single combat rocket launcher can easily finish them off. If they still dare to rush forward, I’d have suspected that their brains were eaten by the Heartless.”

Even Heartless—who only had animal instincts left—didn’t dare to charge in such a situation unless they were truly starving.

Genava nodded. “There’s indeed no need to use any ability.”

Threatening and displaying strength could produce very good results.

He then corrected Shang Jianyao. “You previously mentioned auxiliary-type combat robot.”

“Haha, don’t mind these details.” Shang Jianyao laughed and stretched out his left hand to place it on Genava’s left shoulder. “A human can’t be too rigid.”

He looked like a good pal putting his arm around a friend’s shoulder.

“A human can’t be too rigid…” Genava repeated the words in a tone like he had learned something.

Jiang Baimian—who was driving—couldn’t help but frown. Will Shang Jianyao lead the smart bot astray? As the saying goes, one is marked by the company one keeps. Furthermore, smart bots rely on special learning algorithms to absorb ‘nutrients’ from their surroundings to build their own cognitive system. This will become more obvious later on.

“Ahem.” Jiang Baimian cleared her throat. “Genava, there are widespread differences among humans. You can’t just look at individual samples and accept only one opinion. You have to interact more with other humans.”

“I understand.” Genava expressed that he knew as he returned the sunglasses. “Back in Tarnan, I also tried to communicate and interact with many townsfolk and outsiders. However, they were relatively reserved and didn’t dare to show much.”

With that said, he sincerely suggested, “You can call me Old Ge. Calling me by my name puts a distance between us.”

“Who taught you to use this nickname?” Jiang Baimian was surprised and amused.

Genava explained seriously, “I analyzed your nicknames, found the pattern, and named myself this. Oh, I’ve never been able to find any similarities between his nickname and yours during this process. I can only eliminate it and not use it as a reference.”

This referred to Shang Jianyao’s ‘Hey.’

Just as he said that, Bai Chen—who was in the passenger seat—laughed indiscernibly.

Jiang Baimian couldn’t help but curl the ends of her lips. “I just said that there are general differences between people. His way of thinking is different from ours, so you don’t have to think too much about it.”

Genava tersely acknowledged it and muttered to himself, “From us smart bots’ point of view, nicknames don’t necessarily follow a pattern. It can also be a result of one’s habits and certain scenes. I don’t know much about him, so I can’t come up with an analysis.”

As he spoke, his blue-light-emitting eyes flickered as he glanced at Shang Jianyao as if he wanted to establish a special observation sample to enrich his database.

Shang Jianyao didn’t mind at all. He retracted his left hand and shook Genava’s hand heavily. “I welcome the exchange. Let’s have a dance together later.”

Genava might be a little resistant to dancing, but he eventually agreed when he thought of the need to be part of the group. “Alright.”

“…” Jiang Baimian looked at the road ahead and exhaled helplessly.

…

In the city ruin where Redstone Collection was located, silence was still the main theme here.

The jeep drove to the underground mall, which was also the entrance to Redstone Collection. As expected, they were aimed at by the guns and cannons hidden in the rock walls.

“Do you need me to negotiate?” Genava analyzed the situation and felt that it was safest and appropriate for him to step in.

Before he could finish speaking, Shang Jianyao casually pushed open the door and alighted.

Shang Jianyao raised his arms and waved them at the people hiding at Redstone Collection’s entrance. He then shouted excitedly, “We’re back!”

At some point in time, he had already put on the mask with the furry face and protruding mouth.