Embers Ad Infinitum

Translator: CKtalon

Shang Jianyao looked at the residents in the Fourth Research Institute’s residential area with stiff and cold expressions that left one apprehensive. He then strode over.

Behind him, thick smoke spewed out, and redness flowed. The entire entrance had become an abnormally active volcanic crater, but it didn’t affect any plants or trees in the residential area.

The two seemed to be in different worlds.

Shang Jianyao’s first target was the white-haired old lady sitting under the tree, who he had previously chatted with.

Just as he approached and before he could speak, the old lady stood up with a cold and slightly abhorrent expression and took two steps back.

Bang!

A puncture wound suddenly appeared on Shang Jianyao’s chest!

This came from a shot, but he didn’t detect its source. The military exoskeleton’s comprehensive warning system didn’t react at all. The bullet seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and it originated from the rules. It was destined to hit and couldn’t be dodged.

Shang Jianyao slowly lowered his head and looked at his chest.

It was gushing red amid mangled flesh. He could vaguely see his expanding and contracting heart.

This shot made Shang Jianyao feel intense pain from his heart, but miraculously, the injury wasn’t fatal despite being very serious.

The honest Shang Jianyao muttered, “Can you make any sense? I’m wearing a military exoskeleton and have bulletproof armor protecting my chest. How can I be penetrated by a single shot and collapse so easily? Even a Gauss rifle can’t do it that easily!”

He then stroked his chin. “Could this be the so-called ‘heart-breaking’ strike?”

The Shang Jianyao that sought novelty popped his head from the side and came to a realization. “This is because we are acting as the room owner and are hated by the old lady in front of us. It’s as if the corresponding memories were evoked after they saw an unwelcome stranger, and the hidden psychological trauma surged out. Therefore, the feelings of being sad essentially manifested as a heart-breaking gunshot to the heart. Emotional trauma is something that a military exoskeleton can’t block. Furthermore, there are no warning signs. Once it happens, there will be an immediate reaction.”

This was a psychological trauma. Many things didn’t follow logic, and many things that happened were more symbolic.

The ruthless Shang Jianyao immediately scoffed. “Isn’t the room owner’s mental fortitude too weak? He got heart-broken just like that?”

He opened a mouth on the forehead.

The honest Shang Jianyao couldn’t seize control of the body and could only respond from his other shoulder. “Otherwise, why would it evolve into a psychological trauma?”

The calm and rational Shang Jianyao nodded thoughtfully. “If that’s the case, Big White’s guess is right. This psychological trauma is actually the room owner’s painful memories of being abandoned, hated, and ostracized by all his acquaintances and even some of his family.”

“Let’s confirm it again. I think we can still withstand two to three more ‘heart-breaks.'” Shang Jianyao—who sought novelty—eagerly cast his gaze at the middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses.

The other Shang Jianyaos shrank back to avoid scaring the target and affecting the experiment’s effects.

The Shang Jianyao that sought novelty walked to the middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses. He pushed up his visor and smiled.

The middle-aged man’s cold and emotionless face suddenly warped as he shouted hysterically, “F*ck off!”

With a sizzling sound, Shang Jianyao’s abdomen—which was protected by the military exoskeleton—was sliced open. His armor and flesh were sliced open, and his bloody guts gushed out. Some of them were already in pieces.

Zen Master Redemption replaced the Shang Jianyao who sought novelty and sighed. “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti. This is ‘gut-wrenching.'”

“Ah, I won’t complain even if it’s gut-wrenching…” The Shang Jianyao who sought novelty and loved singing and dancing seized the initiative.

The ruthless but timid Shang Jianyao finally couldn’t help but make a mouth on his forehead again and urged, “Can you guys treat the wounds? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Heart-breaking and gut-wrenching were high on the pain scale.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you!” The Shang Jianyao who sought novelty gave up control over the body immediately.

After treating his wound, Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “We can now basically confirm that this psychological trauma is essentially the room owner’s painful memories of being abandoned. But facing the pain directly seems dangerous. There’s a high chance we’ll die here if we take another two more times of damage equivalent to ‘heart-breaks’ and ‘gut-wrenching.'”

In reality, he would become a vegetable.

“Let’s try something else first.” The timid Shang Jianyao didn’t want to suffer another ‘heartbreaking’ or ‘gut-wrenching’ damage.

“That’s right, that’s right.” The Shang Jianyao who always echoed agreed immediately.

The Shang Jianyao that valued relationships but was still a child mentally was more afraid of pain. He also felt that they couldn’t rashly endure the pain.

After a round of communication, they suppressed Zen Master Redemption—who had a self-sacrificial spirit—and the rash Shang Jianyao. They decided to think of another way.

The Shang Jianyao that liked to joke chuckled and said, “Since the room owner’s psychological trauma was of him being abandoned, hated, and ostracized by the people here, can’t we just let him be accepted again? This is what we’re good at!”

“Let’s give it a try.” The calm and rational Shang Jianyao agreed with this plan.

They pressed their palms together and used the loudspeaker attached to the military exoskeleton to shout at the middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses and the other 100-plus people not far away. “We’ve been together for so many years; shouldn’t there be some feelings for one another? I know you guys have your difficulties, and I don’t blame you. I can accept it. I hope you can also abandon those unpleasant memories and allow us to return to the past…”

He directly used Thought Implantation.

In order to allow Thought Implantation to produce sufficient effects, he played the emotional card of them knowing each other for so long.

The middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses and the nearby 100-plus people gradually smiled.

Shang Jianyao quickly said the same words to the other 100 people to prevent them from destroying the effects of Thought Implantation.

He could only affect so many people at once, so he had to do it repeatedly. Furthermore, he had to be constantly careful not to arouse suspicion.

If it were in the real world, others would see a 180-degree turn in their colleagues and neighbors’ attitudes. In the beginning, they might think that Shang Jianyao’s playing of the emotion card had taken effect. But after two to three times, they would definitely sense something abnormal and attempt to shake the affected people to their senses, wasting all of Shang Jianyao’s previous efforts in Thought Implantation.

However, this was a psychological trauma. The room owner might not have had such an interaction with the people here, so she probably lacked the corresponding experience. Therefore, Shang Jianyao could ‘persuade’ a specific group over and over again under the watch of hundreds to thousands of people without suffering any backlash. It was as smooth as a speech.

Finally, Shang Jianyao completed the ‘Thought Implantation’ of all human consciousnesses in the Fourth Research Institute’s residential area.

He saw everyone’s smiling faces again, felt the amiable attitude of most people, and received enthusiastic treatment.

Everything returned to before the change happened, but this psychological trauma didn’t collapse. The problem hadn’t been resolved at its core.

Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and muttered to himself silently, “Could it be that the room owner’s subconscious can determine that such understanding and acceptance are fake, and he is unwilling to believe it?”

Suddenly, his heart palpitated as he repeated, “Unwilling to believe it…

“In a psychological trauma, it’s like I’m acting as the room owner. I clearly know that the amiable enthusiasm in front of me is fake and that it’s brought about by Thought Implantation…

“I don’t believe it, so will the room owner not believe it?”

“So I’m the one who slipped through the cracks!” The honest Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and punched his left palm.

In order not to let any Shang Jianyao slip through the cracks, they didn’t use the method of Shang Jianyao using Thought Implantation on Shang Jianyao. Instead, they returned to the beginning and used the military exoskeleton’s visor as a mirror to persuade themselves. “Look, being here is like returning to the company. Everyone smiles sincerely and speaks nicely. So…”

The Shang Jianyaos came to a realization. “Isn’t this home?”

He chatted with people everywhere and slowly organized groups of people to dance. One group sang, and another group dutifully played the role of the Rec Center’s PIC.

The joyous atmosphere gradually enveloped the Fourth Research Institute’s residential area.

…

Tarnan, Serene Dream Hotel.

The lady boss, Aynor, sat at the front desk. She propped her chin up with one hand and watched an Old World drama serial with a distracted expression.

Suddenly, she shivered.

She vaguely recalled some of the past buried deep in her heart and recalled the originally amiable, cold, and stiff faces.

She had actually gotten over it when she cleared the island of fear, but her heart still ached when the corresponding scenes occasionally flashed across her mind.

Unlike the past, the scene that flashed through her mind was: Everyone suddenly smiled at her and sang and danced enthusiastically!

“This is even more terrifying, alright…” Aynor muttered to herself.

She said this because she knew very well: the people in the residential area were already dead.

The dead wouldn’t change their expressions and smile. Due to this, Aynor suspected that someone had infiltrated her Mind Room and was exploring her corresponding traumas.

After a while, she shrank her body and muttered, “I’ll just keep watching dramas. He will leave after he’s done exploring.”

The price she paid was ‘avoiding reality.’

…

It was only when his mind was almost exhausted and he had no choice but to leave Room 506 that Shang Jianyao escaped the effects of Thought Implantation and found the corresponding judgment.

He stroked his chin and muttered to himself in confusion, “It didn’t work even when we believed it…

“What should we do?”

At this moment, in Room 12 of the 349th floor’s Zone C, Jiang Baimian was also thinking about Room 506’s psychological trauma.

As her thoughts wandered, questions suddenly flashed across her mind. The owner of Room 506 should be a resident of the Fourth Research Institute’s Residential Zone or someone who has lived there for a long time. He’s familiar with almost everyone and has a certain level of affection for them.

Then, why was he unanimously ostracized by the people in the Fourth Research Institute’s residential area? Why was he treated coldly and with hatred?

What did he do? What trouble did he cause? Or what secret did he discover—one that he shouldn’t have discovered?