Embers Ad Infinitum

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian stood at the end of the tunnel. In their eyes was the small city surrounding the tower and the walking dead that staggered out. They heard the ear-piercing sounds of a gale blowing through the valley, the streets, and many buildings. It was as if a group of beginners was playing their musical instruments.

Du Heng—who had come here with them—was like a bubble that shattered and evaporated under the sunlight.

To Jiang Baimian, this was like an illusion.

The next second, she and Shang Jianyao felt their heads throb at the same time. They became dizzy, and their souls seemed to be leaving their bodies.

Having experienced this before, they knew that this was a sign of them contracting the Heartless disease. This was very likely a Kalendaria or a New World powerhouse attempting to absorb their consciousness!

Shang Jianyao didn't hesitate, nor did he have the time to pinch his helmet that blocked his temples. He sank his mind, and he retracted his consciousness before entering the Mind Corridor.

He ran out of Room 131 and came to Room 205 without taking any detours. Then, he pushed open the door and entered.

The heavy and illusory black door stood quietly in the dream. It didn't change, but it was no longer open.

Shang Jianyao stretched out his hands and pushed hard. The door silently opened.

As rays of light shone over, Shang Jianyao couldn't be bothered to size up the situation inside. He glanced at the towering tower and suddenly pounced forward.

…

As the dizzy Jiang Baimian's head ached, she suddenly obtained an indescribable calmness. The intense dizziness and extreme headache disappeared as if they had never happened.

If not for the veins on her forehead still twitching, Jiang Baimian would've suspected that she had encountered an illusion again.

Considering how Du Heng was beside her, she hadn't gotten Shang Jianyao to take out the Life Angel necklace, the Six Senses Beads, and the small jade Buddha. Such a situation probably wasn't a result of the Kalendarium's protection.

Her heart palpitated as she cast her gaze at Shang Jianyao beside her.

Shang Jianyao stood there motionless. It was all thanks to the military exoskeleton's support that he didn't lose his balance.

Jiang Baimian—who roughly understood that Shang Jianyao had already entered the New World and had provided her with a certain level of protection—immediately stretched out her hand, 'lifted' Shang Jianyao, and rushed out of the tunnel with him. They entered the valley and arrived at the small city's periphery.

This wasn't a result of her being directionally challenged, but Jiang Baimian recalled Du Heng saying that he suspected that entering the New World with only one's mind or consciousness was seriously flawed. One had to simultaneously enter in both body and mind to be considered a perfect New World powerhouse.

But as the two of them stepped into the small city, Shang Jianyao's body didn't lighten or disappear, nor did it undergo any other changes.

The walking corpses that staggered out from different corners of the city surged over. It was only then that Jiang Baimian saw them clearly.

All of their eyes were turbid and bloodshot, and their bodies were slightly hunched.

Heartless!

This small city suspected to be the New World had a large number of Heartless! However, these Heartless's expressions weren't too warped. Furthermore, their eyes were dull, and they didn't resemble starving beasts.

It was precisely because of this that Jiang Baimian had previously thought that it was the 'living dead' in the Old World's entertainment.

Upon closer inspection, her heart palpitated.

Among the Heartless, dozens to a hundred wore relatively new clothes. Their hair was smooth, forming a sharp contrast with their greasy and ancient-looking companions.

Could it be that the Eighth Research Institute members who didn't leave ended up taking the elevator to the fifth floor's tunnel, entered, and became Heartless… The Eighth Research Institute's last 'sacrifice?' As Jiang Baimian's thoughts raced, she saw the Heartless's eyes gradually change. They became fierce, hostile, and bloodthirsty.

This was like an outsider waking up a sleeping gravekeeper and suffering the most violent attack.

Jiang Baimian assessed the situation and felt that it was very stupid to use the military exoskeleton to fight head-on without knowing how many Superior Heartless were here.

She planned on a temporary retreat. After Shang Jianyao had a preliminary understanding of the New World's situation and could provide some support or information, she would hide her human consciousness and use the military exoskeleton to secretly infiltrate this place. She would then confirm and 'identify' the Heartless that posed a threat and investigate the small city's secrets. Following that, she would cooperate with her companion in the New World in reality.

As an experienced warrior, Jiang Baimian didn't hesitate to take action the moment she made a decision. She lifted Shang Jianyao up again and retreated into the tunnel with him before the Heartless could arrive.

It was only because the tunnel was so close that it was visible to the naked eye that Jiang Baimian didn't get lost.

As for whether this would affect Shang Jianyao's consciousness and body entering the New World at the same time, it wasn't something that bothered Jiang Baimian for the time being because there was a high chance that he would be eaten if she left his body in the small city.

They would literally eat him.

She hadn't seen any difference in bringing his body into the New World yet. Therefore, she definitely had to move Shang Jianyao's body out first to ensure his safety.

She would make up for it after Shang Jianyao gained a foothold in the New World and obtained the corresponding information.

After returning to the tunnel, Jiang Baimian didn't immediately retreat further. She calmly turned around and closed the heavy iron-black door again.

After doing this, she retraced her steps with Shang Jianyao. After getting lost several times, she finally left the Eighth Research Institute's main building with difficulty and saw the Old Task Force's jeep.

…

Pangu Biology, Room 14 on the underground building's 647th floor.

Like every time they returned, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong completed the usual procedures and returned to the team office to wait for the test results.

Long Yuehong—who was sitting in his seat—looked around and laughed self-deprecatingly. "I actually find it a little quiet."

"With only two people left, it will definitely be much quieter," Bai Chen said truthfully.

Long Yuehong quickly stopped her. "You can't say that! I-it's too inauspicious."

"Yeah." Bai Chen wasn't angry because of this, nor did she joke about how it wasn't he who said it. She nodded solemnly and said, "They will definitely return."

When the time comes, they might not return to the underground building. Maybe we will meet on the surface… Long Yuehong didn't dare to say it out loud.

He subconsciously wanted to discuss if the special state that Teacher Du Heng had attached to that portion of memories was effective, but he rationally remained silent.

The room fell silent again.

…

Around the tower that pierced into the clouds were lit buildings. They lined up one after another and formed streets.

Shang Jianyao bathed in the darkness and stood at the entrance of a street at the city's edge. He clicked his tongue and said to himself, "There are still many differences. The tower in reality isn't that tall, and there are no lights around them. I don't see those zombies here either…"

As soon as he entered the New World, he couldn't be bothered to observe the environment. He directly used the connection between his consciousness and body to penetrate the barrier and return to the Ashlands, adding a protective shield to Jiang Baimian's consciousness.

After doing this, he had the time to look around.

"That's right, that's right." Shang Jianyao echoed himself. He then stroked his chin and said, "As expected, at the New World level, one can directly extract human consciousness to replenish their expenditure. It's no wonder that a New World powerhouse can crush a Mind Corridor-level Awakened even without completely returning…"

At this point, Shang Jianyao suddenly felt a little excited. "I wonder if I can split into ten people in the New World and act separately?"

He gave it a try the moment he thought of it. After a while, he was still alone.

"It clearly feels like it can be done, but I'm restrained by a certain power. Furthermore, it's very difficult to materialize weapons…" The ruthless Shang Jianyao looked at the tower in the middle of the city again. "We have to obtain the permission of certain existences first?"

The rash Shang Jianyao urged, "Do you plan on standing here forever? Walk toward that tower. If you encounter Wu Meng, Flora, and Barnard on the way, ask them about the details of the New World."

This time, most of the Shang Jianyaos agreed with his suggestion.

Shang Jianyao immediately walked into the street ahead.

Silently, a street lamp beside the road lit up, scattering a yellowish glow.

"How friendly!" Shang Jianyao—who valued relationships and was the youngest mentally—said with sincerity. "They are afraid that I wouldn't be able to see the road, so they specially turned on the street lamps for me."

As he continued forward, another street lamp suddenly lit up, and the one behind him returned to darkness and silence.

"What's this? This is called conserving electricity!" Shang Jianyao applauded.

At this moment, he saw a dim yellow light shining from a second-floor room of a classic three-story building by the street that was in the Red River architectural style.

It was dead silent.