Embers Ad Infinitum

A silver-white recording pen with old and mottled patterns appeared on Jiang Baimian’s table in the afternoon.

She looked up and asked Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong, “Shall we listen now?”

Shang Jianyao—who had already stored the Six Senses Beads in his tactical backpack—thought for a few seconds and said, “Wait, let’s close the door and turn off the lights first.”

“Do you think this is a horror tale?” Jiang Baimian naturally wouldn’t agree to such a lame request.

Long Yuehong nodded in agreement.

“It gives a sense of ritual,” Shang Jianyao tried his best to explain.

“We’re all in this together, so cut us some slack.” Jiang Baimian patronized him as she switched the battery and pressed the recording pen’s relevant button.

After some static sounds, a female voice—which didn’t sound special—sounded. “Ever since humans were born, they are constantly affected by nurture and gradually forget their true appearances. Our souls are like a sponge that has absorbed too many harmful things. They become heavier and weaker before finally sinking into this gray world forever, never to escape. This is the origin of the Heartless disease.

“To escape all of this and enter the New World, humans have to return to their original and strongest state. For this, we have to find our natural preferences and inclinations. We have to give up on our facades and return to nature…

“The Kalendaria, Monitor, has always been watching us, deciding if we’ve done enough to open the door to the New World for us…

“There are no masks in front of Monitor. Who you originally are will tell you the answer. Humanity came to this world naked, should live naked, and depart this world naked.”

Jiang Baimian quietly listened and sighed with emotion. “The philosophies of these religious organizations are quite capable of filling up gaps in their theories. But without additional powers, such an explanation violates most of humanity’s understanding. It’s impossible to be accepted and spread immediately.”

“That’s right.” Long Yuehong felt that a human definitely wouldn’t be convinced by such words as long as they weren’t in a tough situation or a rather confused state.

Even if the corresponding matter happened, it was most likely because many people around the target had already joined the Naturalism Church and were constantly instilling the teachings into them.

Shang Jianyao didn’t say a word. His expression was rather solemn as if he were considering the problems hidden in those words.

“What’s on your mind?” Jiang Baimian asked.

Shang Jianyao tersely acknowledged it. “I’m thinking that this religion isn’t suitable for Icefield. The weather there is very destructive to people who don’t like to wear clothes. Therefore, they should improve the teachings to solve the problem of localization for different areas.”

Jiang Baimian smiled. “You need to read more. When you reach Icefield, take off your clothes and run around. You will discover a different kind of satisfaction. This is akin to how many people in the Old World like to swim in lakes during winter. Not only can you strengthen your body as long as you don’t overdo it, but you can also enjoy the spiritual enjoyment of breaking through all kinds of restrictions and defeating difficulties. It’s very easy for it to be exploited by religion.”

Smack!

Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and punched his left palm. “I’ll let Little Red try it out when there’s a chance.”

“Why not yourself?” Long Yuehong immediately asked.

Shang Jianyao sighed. “I’m strong, so the effects wouldn’t be obvious. Only you are 1.75 meters tall after genetic enhancement. Your looks are average, and your grades are average…”

Long Yuehong regretted bothering with this fellow.

…

495th floor, Zone B, Room 196.

After Shang Jianyao listened in to Newspoint, he held the Six Senses Beads and the original copy of the medical record in one hand and the Life Angel necklace in the other before entering the Mind Corridor.

Just as he stepped out of Room 131, he transferred the auras in the two items inside. They remained in their original forms.

As for the original medical record, it was an ordinary item. Shang Jianyao could only materialize one copy according to his memories.

He then wore a yellow monk robe and a red kasaya. His face suffused an iron-black color, and his eyes lit up with a red glow.

This time, the Life Angel necklace paralyzed his left leg. Therefore, he did the same as before—moving this leg to the back of his butt and getting the original stump to ‘grow’ another leg.

The price of the Six Senses Beads—which directly affected the mind—wasn’t that easy to avoid. No matter what Shang Jianyao—who had the Buddhist title, Redemption—did, the red glow in his eyes was like flames that burned brighter and brighter.

“Woman! Woman!” he roared with a hushed tone.

“You look very strange.” Shang Jianyao then stroked his chin. “You give me a familiar feeling.”

The cyborg monk Shang Jianyao didn’t hide anything. “As a half-mechanical monk, Zen Master Jingfa is my only reference. Master Jingnian’s price isn’t increased desire.”

“Of all people, you must learn from that pervert!” The frank and honest Shang Jianyao reprimanded his peer.

The cyborg monk Shang Jianyao spun the Six Senses Beads. “Buddha is merciful. After all, there are no real women here.”

“It’s better not to chant a Buddhist proclamation in your current state.” The honest Shang Jianyao looked down at his crotch.

The cyborg monk Shang Jianyao casually said, “That’s simple.”

The next second, he mechanized his groin and turned it into an electromagnetic cannon that could fire bullets.

The muzzle passed through the cloth and stretched out. It was black and shimmering with a metallic luster.

“How’s this? I’ve always been an advocate of the superior firepower theory,” the cyborg monk Shang Jianyao asked his peers smugly. “Buddha is benevolent; superior firepower can redeem people.”

“I knew you were an indecent monk.” The honest Shang Jianyao sighed.

At the end of the day, Zen Master Redemption wasn’t a monk who truly believed in Subhuti. No matter which personality Shang Jianyao had, there was no such thing as pious faith.

The cyborg monk was a manifestation of Shang Jianyao’s romanticism toward machinery—a fusion of compassion and serenity.

When the Six Senses Beads’ negative price caused the latter two to deteriorate sharply, the former became stark.

The addition of a cannon didn’t affect the cyborg monk Shang Jianyao at all. He dragged the leg behind his butt and found Room 522 before walking in.

Shang Jianyao smoothly arrived at Iron Mountain City’s Second Food Company thanks to his prior experience. He expended very little mental energy.

He gave up on the first floor, which he had already explored. He kept the electromagnetic cannon out and walked up to the second floor.

On the way, he felt the baffling, unknown gaze again.

If it weren’t for the fact that Zen Master Redemption was the one currently controlling the ‘body,’ the Shang Jianyao that liked novelty, singing, and dancing would’ve definitely danced for the hidden watcher and invited them to join in on the fun.

Perhaps it was because he had arrived on the second floor much earlier than before, but Shang Jianyao didn’t discover the female figure at the end of the corridor despite shaking his flashlight vigorously.

He could only check the many rooms here in an orderly manner, only to realize that they were mainly offices with plenty of old documents.

Unfortunately, the owner of Room 522 didn’t read the corresponding content back then. After Shang Jianyao picked a document up, he realized that the text was incoherent or just nonsense.

When he came to the end of the corridor, Shang Jianyao heard light footsteps.

The red light in his eyes flickered a few times before he switched off the flashlight in his hand.

Right on the heels of that, even the red light extinguished.

Shang Jianyao shrank into the darkness. He crouched down, his back quietly pressed against the wall.

He was skilled as if he were playing hide and seek when he was young.

Before long, a figure came down from another flight of stairs at the end of the corridor and entered the room in front of Shang Jianyao. Then, rustling sounds constantly came from the window facing the street.

Shang Jianyao patiently waited until all the sounds stopped before slowly getting up and approaching the area.

With his destination inches away, he suddenly leaped up, raised his left hand—which was holding the flashlight—and flicked the switch.

A yellow beam of light shone in, reflecting many figures.

Sitting cross-legged on the guest sofa in the middle was the professional woman Shang Jianyao had previously encountered.

She wore the same clothes. At first glance, she looked to be in her twenties. Upon careful inspection, she was in her late thirties.

At this moment, she was sitting cross-legged with her eyes half-closed. Her hands were on her knees, and she looked a little solemn.

Around her, four to five humans in tattered clothes sat in the same posture. A few rats and a pile of cockroaches quietly circled them as if they were also immersed in the tranquil atmosphere in the room.

As Shang Jianyao’s flashlight shone in, the woman opened her eyes and yelped. She then stood up and ran to the window at an extremely fast speed.

After that, she jumped out and climbed up. She was as agile as an ape, but her eyes weren’t turbid—only bloodshot.

The humans sitting around her reacted simultaneously. They either jumped up or pounced to the side, displaying good physical fitness and reaction speed.

With the help of the flashlight, Shang Jianyao realized that their expressions were warped, their eyes were turbid, and their mouths were half-open. There was also flesh between their teeth.

Heartless!

The humans sitting there quietly were all Heartless!

As the rats and cockroaches scurried around, Shang Jianyao used Limbs Immobility.

The Heartless fell to the ground one after another amidst heavy thuds.

Shang Jianyao walked to the window and looked out. “It seems like there are Heartless here, but why aren’t the ones outside coming in?”

The next second, he was surprised to discover that he was on the third floor, not the original second floor!

Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and searched for a reason with his peers. “Like the last time I came in, the room owner encountered the woman on the second floor and scared her away. They then encountered her again on the third floor and saw such a scene? As I chose to hide and didn’t scare off the woman, what happened next is no longer in the room owner’s experience. Their subconscious had no choice but to change the floor and fill it in with the scene they saw?”

“Most likely.” The timid Shang Jianyao agreed before his peer that liked to retort could.

The cyborg monk Shang Jianyao looked around and realized that there was an employee introduction board on the wall near the door with photos pasted on it. He raised the flashlight and examined them one by one until he found the photo of the woman from before.

She was young and beautiful in the photo.

“Liu Lu, sales manager, Iron Mountain City resident…” Shang Jianyao quickly read the introduction and didn’t find anything worth paying attention to.

His gaze moved again.

The cyborg monk Shang Jianyao suddenly exclaimed.

A photo was missing from a corner of the employee introduction board.