Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian looked at Zhou Yue's smiling face and was silent for a while.

In the yellowish light of the light bulb, she gave up all extra thoughts and said to herself:

"I have seen a lot of information, which comes from certain wilderness wanderer settlements. Some are private diaries, some are production records, and some are distribution lists.

“Through them, I seem to see groups of human beings struggling to survive in that era of chaos and harsh environment, relying on less clean water sources, less productive farmland, and abandoned towns and villages.

“I can feel their sincere joy when they finally find a clean water source or a water purification chip, I can feel their pride when they work hard to clear ditches and lay the foundation for next year’s planting, and I can feel their harvest or hunt. The happiness of being a wild beast can be felt by their cherishing of every sacrifice and the gratification of the settlement under their protection.

"Looking at these materials, I felt like I joined them and experienced the satisfaction from nothing to something."

Zhou Yue listened with some rapt attention:

"and after?"

Jiang Baimian looked down at the corpse, smiled and said:

"Later, an 'accidental disease' broke out, and many people lost their minds overnight, turned into beasts, and launched attacks on their comrades who had fought side by side.

“The settlements built little by little by so many people were destroyed in a blink of an eye, leaving only some information to tell about their efforts and struggles.

“If we had discovered it later, maybe the information would have been lost in the wind.

"Well, some have appeared plagues, some have experienced famine due to weather changes, and some have been defeated by bandit groups or certain powerful forces after trying their best to resist. However, these and the outbreak of 'Wuxin Disease' Compared with the sudden situation and the situation where there is no way to effectively resist, it is better."

Zhou Yue opened her mouth, not knowing whether to sigh or to say, "Everything is a dream, why take it seriously."

At this moment, she heard Jiang Baimian's tone become a little erratic:

“That’s why I have always hoped to figure out the pathogenesis and transmission mechanism of ‘Wuxin Disease’, and figure out the reason for the destruction of the old world, otherwise all my efforts will ultimately be in vain.

"Even if this is just a dream, I will work hard to change it before I wake up."

Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian laughed at himself:

“Rebuilding order, restoring production, and changing the environment are also important parts of saving the world, but it’s just the big forces that do it, and it’s not our turn to worry about it.

"We can only set ourselves a goal that sounds unrealistic."

At this time, Shang Jianyao raised his head, looked at Zhou Yue, and asked with a smile:

"So, do you want to save all mankind with us?"

Anyone else would have secretly sneered at this moment, but Zhou Yue adhered to the concept of "everywhere is a fantasy, why take it seriously" and responded with a smile:

"We are also saving all mankind.

"Our goal is for everyone to believe in the 'Broken Mirror', serve Him, please Him, and ultimately, with His help, escape from the dream and enter a new world without 'unintentional illness', war, plague, or famine."

Since Zhou Yue did not laugh at her ideals, Jiang Baimian did not say such words as "self-reliance" and "don't place your hopes on the illusory Zhi Sui". She smiled and said:

"Then let's see which of us can succeed sooner."

"Want to compare?" Shang Jianyao helped with a question.

Zhou Yue shook her head and said with a smile:

"No matter which side we succeed in, it's a good thing. There's no need to compare."

As she spoke, she sighed:

"With the strength your team has shown, you will never have to worry about the source of food in the dust. You can definitely find a big force to settle down and live a better and more stable life, such as Tarnan."

"But maybe one day, they will suffer from 'unintentional disease'." Jiang Baimian looked at Shang Jianyao, "And I don't know if it will be my turn next. There is no way to prevent it, and there is no way to prevent it. Healing, let alone knowing who will be 'drawn'."

Perhaps it is precisely because of this unknown fear that those who have initially solved the problem of food and clothing within the major forces will also be developed into believers by various open or secret sects.

On top of the dust, almost no group truly feels safe.

If you really want to find one, the employees of "Pangu Biology" can barely do it.

Zhou Yue was speechless for a moment, and then said after a while:

"I just want to express my admiration for your strength."

"Did you see it?" Shang Jianyao was "surprised".

Jiang Baimian also added funnyly:

"It seems like we didn't do anything?"

In addition to knocking out a bunch of people in the "Wild Pigeon" bar to prevent them from hallucinations, not killing each other, and sticking to their own defense zone all day and night, not allowing the "higher unintentional ones" to break through these two things, the "Old Tune Team" "None of them showed much strength.

Zhou Yue replied casually:

"Being able to survive after he repeatedly exerted the influence of hallucinations, allowing him to actively create an illusion originating from Jiang Xiaoyue's spiritual world, being able to speculate and decipher the hidden information behind it, and being able to choose to stay behind without fear of danger, all show that you have brains. And I am very confident in my own strength.”

"He" refers to the "higher heartless one" on earth.

"Maybe it's just a random guess, and the person is reckless." Shang Jianyao gave another possibility.

"The reckless and brainless team will not survive today." Zhou Yue glanced at this guy with a smile.

As the visitor of Nankeyuan and the "Dream Taoist Priest" of the "Mirage Dragon Cult", she still has some good eyesight, but she can't remember faces.

"That's because our name is good." Shang Jianyao has a logical and self-consistent theory.

Jiang Baimian held back his smile and prepared to see how Zhou Yue would answer.

Zhou Yue's mouth moved slightly, and after thinking about it, she decided not to continue the debate with the other party.

No need to be so serious.

The three of them were sometimes silent, sometimes chatting, guarding the body of the "Higher Heartless One" until the horizon began to light up.

Looking at the gradually emerging outline of the Taoist temple patio, Jiang Baimian took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Gnawa's slightly synthetic baritone voice came from the other side.

"Sir Gnawa, the problem has been solved. You can send someone over to handle the follow-up matters." After Jiang Baimian finished speaking, he added, "Well, maybe what we experienced was just an illusion. Be careful on the road and don't give up. Mirror protection.”

Gnawa was silent for two seconds and said:

"good."

…………

At nine o'clock in the morning, after it was confirmed that the "Higher Heartless One" was indeed dead, and Tarnan was no longer affected by the illusion, the local residents, foreign hunters and caravan members who had previously evacuated to Hexi returned to Hedong one after another with corresponding supplies. .

Seeing Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian coming out of Nanke Temple, they nodded in greeting to express their respect.

They all heard that last night, these two ruin hunters stayed behind with Zhou Yue, the master of Nanke Temple, and got rid of the "high-level careless person". Earlier, they also rescued people in a bar.

"You are now celebrities in Tarnan." As soon as Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao opened the door of the jeep and sat in the back row, Long Yuehong turned around and said with a smile.

He was sitting in the passenger seat.

Shang Jianyao emphasized:

"us."

"Yes, it was our Qian Bai team that became a celebrity in Tarnan." Jiang Baimian understood very well what Shang Jianyao wanted to express.

Bai Chen, who was driving, couldn't help but whisper:

"Why is it still Team Qianbai?"

She has always been the most low-key one in the group.

"Because you are the only one who is an 'intermediate hunter'." Jiang Baimian replied with a smile.

Then, she and Shang Jianyao recounted their experiences last night, focusing on the three things of "consciousness being infected", "503" and "'high-level unintentional people' committing suicide by jumping off the building".

At the end, Jiang Baimian couldn't help but sigh:

“I would like to join any sect and try their mass rituals to see if I can awaken.

"The secrets hidden in Room 503 of the 'Soul Corridor' must be quite big..."

Now, it seems that only Shang Jianyao can explore that place in the future.

After hearing this sentence, Shang Jianyao made serious suggestions:

"Shall our group join the Melting Pot Sect and be baptized?"

It should be quite enjoyable to take a sauna... Jiang Baimian was a little excited.

Anyway, she just believed it casually, mainly for the sake of awakening, and had no piety towards the "Scorching Gate".

"There is a way..." Bai Chen whispered while driving.

Long Yuehong, the co-pilot, felt a little scared and asked weakly:

"Do you want to make a report to the company first?"

"Ha, I'm just kidding." Jiang Baimian laughed dryly.

Bai Chen turned to ask:

"Have you told Gnawa all the details?"

"No." Jiang Baimian shook his head, "We discussed it with Master Zhou and only mentioned the general development. We did not specifically mention the consciousness infection brought by Jiang Xiaoyue's spiritual world and the information that the 'Higher Unintentional Person' desperately passed on. What is it?"

"Yeah." Long Yuehong had expected this.

After all, this can be regarded as the secret of the "Mirage Dragon Sect".

At this time, he heard Shang Jianyao lower his voice:

"Will we be silenced?"

Long Yuehong was shocked and felt that this was not impossible.

"If it were another sect, I think we really shouldn't be careless." Jiang Baimian said with a smile, "But the 'Mirage Dragon Sect', uh, is full of illusions, so why should we take it seriously?"

"That's right." Long Yuehong thought of Zhou Guanzhu's appearance and performance, and felt that she was incapable of killing people and silencing them.

While talking, the Jeep drove back to Youmeng Hotel.

As soon as the four of them entered the lobby, the proprietress Aino, who was huddled at the front desk, stood up and asked curiously:

"Did you deal with that 'Higher Heartless One' yesterday?

"He is so strong..."

Before the landlady finished speaking, Shang Jianyao asked in confusion:

"How do you know he's strong?"

"Just, just, I heard it! Everyone is saying that this 'Higher Heartless' is very strong and different from the previous ones." Aino stuttered and organized his speech.

Why are you stuttering... Jiang Baimian had an idea and replied with a smile:

"We can't count it as a solution. This matter is closely related to the Mirage Sect.

"By the way, have you met other 'high-level heartless people' before?"