Embers Ad Infinitum

As there were lights in the laboratory, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao saw the corresponding scene clearly from a distance without using their flashlights.

The three grayish-white metal beds were placed side by side in an arching instrument of the same color. Above them were electric wires with circular pads hanging down.

At this moment, there was a white skeleton on each of the two metal beds. They were wearing tattered blue-and-white checkered clothes and lay in perfectly still fashion apart from having their heads tilted to the side.

The other bed was empty and clean—speckless.

“Is the air purification system here perpetually switched on?” Shang Jianyao looked up at the ceiling in confusion.

Otherwise, it was impossible to have no dust fall on it after so many years.

Jiang Baimian ignored his words and walked to the metal bed with the human corpses, carefully observing them for a few seconds. Then, she organized her words and said, “There are many leftovers on the metal surface, indicating that the corpse rotted here…”

As she spoke, she turned to look at the corpseless metal bed. “While this is very clean. Preliminary judgment indicates that nobody lay here, nor were there any corpses on it after the Old World was destroyed.”

She meant that Long Yuehong might’ve really been hallucinating.

The honest Shang Jianyao immediately retorted, “Maybe the corpse above woke up and staggered away before the laboratory’s cleaning robot came over to deal with it?”

From the current situation, Jiang Baimian couldn’t deny that cleaning-type robots were used in this laboratory because of its relatively high confidentiality level. She even suspected that the robots here had entered hibernation mode after the Source Brain arrived and were no longer loyal to their duties.

First City’s former emperor—Father of the Source Brain, Oray—had a high chance of possessing some identification at this laboratory, allowing him to obtain the robots’ recognition. This was Jiang Baimian’s guess from the fact that there was no obvious damage to the laboratory.

Stop telling ghost stories… Long Yuehong wasn’t grateful that Shang Jianyao had spoken up for him at all.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao conversed verbally as they seriously checked the empty metal bed.

They didn’t find any clues worth paying attention to.

Jiang Baimian then came to the equipment’s control panel.

There was a stack of paper.

Jiang Baimian was rather familiar with this—lab notebook!

As she focused, Jiang Baimian realized that the lab notebook was flipped open. It listed many columns: serial number, heartbeat, blood pressure, frequency, intensity…

Perhaps this experiment had just begun when the Old World was destroyed, so apart from the numbers under the serial number column, everything else was blank.

Three sets of numbers were written in sequence: “14 (left bed); 27 (middle bed); 32 (right bed).”

Jiang Baimian turned her head and cast her gaze at the three metal beds in the arched instrument.

According to her experience, the empty one was the left bed, with the serial number ’14.’ She quickly informed her team members of this information.

“This should be the experimental subject’s number…” Bai Chen observed the area she was in charge of monitoring while muttering to herself, “What’s the basis of the number?”

Long Yuehong suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Could it be the ward number? ’14’ means the experimental subject lived in Room 14?”

When the Old Task Force entered the hall along the corridor, they noticed that the ward doors were labeled with numbers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shang Jianyao applauded Long Yuehong by thumping the Berserker assault rifle’s side.

“That’s very likely.” Jiang Baimian agreed. She then fell silent for a moment before her tone turned solemn. “Since this is what’s written in the experimental records, it means that three people were indeed lying here back then. Now, there are only two corpses left.”

Although Long Yuehong was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he heard his team leader’s words. He blurted out, “One of them ‘ran’ off just now?”

“It’s also possible that he ran away when the Old World was destroyed. He goes out during the day and comes back to sleep at night. Just as he lay down today, he realized that an outsider had entered, so he could only sneak away.” It was unknown which Shang Jianyao had made up the complete ‘process.’

That’s rather… humanistic… Jiang Baimian didn’t know how to evaluate his answer.

Long Yuehong glanced at Bai Chen and subconsciously retorted, “These experimental—uh, volunteers probably weren’t dead when the Old World was first destroyed. If our guess is right, they were still in a vegetative state back then.”

Shang Jianyao smiled. “So, which do you think is more realistic—a dead person secretly running away or a vegetable secretly running away?”

None of them are realistic! Long Yuehong roared inwardly.

Jiang Baimian’s expression changed slightly as she said in a deep voice, “At the very least, Jiang Xiaoyue—a vegetable before the Old World was destroyed—still has a corresponding Mind Corridor room today. When the Old World was destroyed, it wasn’t impossible for a vegetable to suddenly wake up from the stimulus…”

Bang!

Shang Jianyao thumped the Berserker assault rifle’s side and came to a realization. “I understand! The Northern Company and this secret laboratory study how to inherit the power of darkness, imbuing humans with special abilities. Nobody is more suitable as an experimental subject than vegetables who have lost their consciousness. Without one’s consciousness, one can’t clash with the darkness’s corruption!

“The Old World was destroyed because of such experiments. Darkness broke through the barrier and completed a large-scale erosion. This melted away the corresponding human consciousness, turning them into Heartless.

“A small number of these vegetable representatives lucked out because of a lack of consciousness, thereby Awakening and becoming traitors that serve the darkness. Jiang Xiaoyue is one, and so is the person on this bed. Doctor, Charlie, and Vice President as well!”

Long Yuehong wanted to say that Shang Jianyao was imagining things again and showcasing his advantage as a special mental patient, but he became more and more surprised the more he listened. Finally, he felt that the other party’s guess made sense.

Regardless, the logic was self-consistent. It could also explain some phenomena!

Jiang Baimian fell into deep thought and deliberated before asking, “Then, why is there still the Heartless disease now?”

“The darkness’s corruption remains; it has only been resisted and weakened significantly. For example, the Kalendaria, Dawn, has been resisting nightmares. Therefore, there are now sporadic Heartless cases and Awakened,” Shang Jianyao replied confidently.

Jiang Baimian didn’t comment on his guess. She chuckled and said, “According to your logic, you and I are now considered darkness-serving traitors?”

One could only complete the Awakening after suffering the corruption of darkness.

Shang Jianyao sincerely replied, “We aren’t qualified. We’re too weak.”

“Only those who have entered the so-called New World are considered?” Bai Chen joined the discussion.

Jiang Baimian’s heart palpitated as she muttered to herself, “Returning from the New World will carry the power of darkness, causing the Heartless disease to erupt in the vicinity?”

The Old Task Force had previously guessed that the Heartless disease’s source was the New World. If the powerhouses who entered the New World didn’t have their bodies destroyed, it was equivalent to establishing a node that connected the Ashlands and the New World, allowing the Heartless disease to spread.

This effectively explained why Heartless cases had simultaneously appeared in Pangu Biology during First City’s uprising and why one would contract the Heartless disease if they stayed in Yama Tiger’s vicinity for too long.

Now, this guess seemed to meld with Shang Jianyao’s ‘imagination.’

Without waiting for Shang Jianyao and the others to respond, Jiang Baimian looked around and said, “What’s the relationship between the New World and darkness? Hmm, we’ll talk about this after we leave the ruins. Remember to remind me when we return to search Room 14.”

“Alright.” Long Yuehong quickly swept his gaze elsewhere and focused on the hibernating robots.

Fortunately, these guards weren’t ‘woken up’ by the Old Task Force’s voices.

For some reason, Long Yuehong felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn’t feel like he had been blown at by someone or by a breeze.

Following the instructions in the tactical manual, he didn’t hide this matter. He turned around and asked Jiang Baimian and the others, “Do you find this place creepy, especially behind your necks?”

“No.” Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen shook their heads at the same time.

At this moment, Long Yuehong swept his gaze around from the corner of his eye and realized that a figure had appeared on the empty metal bed!

“There!” He moved the Berserker assault rifle’s muzzle over in horror. He then saw that it was Shang Jianyao lying down.

At some point in time, this fellow had secretly laid on the metal bed.

“…” Jiang Baimian forced a smile and asked Shang Jianyao, “What are you doing?”

“I’m wondering what the vegetable saw when he woke up,” Shang Jianyao replied frankly. “I was trying to reenact the scene.”

Jiang Baimian’s eyes flickered as she asked seriously, “Then, what do you see now?”

“The ceiling is pretty clean,” Shang Jianyao replied regretfully.

Jiang Baimian was stunned for a moment before her heart palpitated. “Try wearing the Life Angel necklace.”

She remembered that when she used the Life Angel necklace, she had sensed the darkness suspected to come from Doctor with the aura hidden inside.

Shang Jianyao’s eyes lit up. He picked up the tactical backpack beside him and took out the Life Angel necklace inside.

He didn’t show any signs of limb paralysis because he was lying down.

The silver pendant in Shang Jianyao’s left hand lit up with a glow just like the moon reflecting off the sunlight.

After a few seconds, Shang Jianyao smiled and said, “There are some black shadows on the ceiling. They occasionally peek out before quickly retracting.”

Long Yuehong subconsciously looked at the ceiling and realized that it was silver-white. There were no black figures.

Jiang Baimian deliberated and said, “Try making contact with them—using your consciousness.”

“I’ve tried, but there’s no reaction.” Shang Jianyao had always been proactive in this regard.

“Try firing at them?” Bai Chen suggested.

“Alright.” Shang Jianyao raised his Berserker assault rifle.

Jiang Baimian immediately focused on the guard robots, afraid that the gunshots would wake them up.

Clang!

A bullet struck the metal ceiling.

Nothing abnormal happened.

The guard robots didn’t wake up either.

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and exhaled. “We’ll try again if there’s a chance in the future. Let’s find Old Ge first.”

The Shang Jianyao that valued relationships put away the Life Angel necklace quickly and got off the bed.

The Old Task Force members took up tactical formation and walked toward the metal door on the side of the semicircle hall.

After passing through two open doors, they saw a large computer.

The computer wasn’t operating and seemed to have been destroyed. A tall figure stood in front of it.

The figure was 1.9 meters tall and suspected to be Genava. He was wrapped in a strange white outfit and stood there as if he had run out of power.

Upon sensing someone enter, the figure suddenly turned around. Red light emitted from his eyes as his mouth emitted a cold voice. “There’s nothing!”