Embers Ad Infinitum

Floor 495, Area B, Room 196.

After listening to the entire news, Shang Jianyao leaned back against the pillow, raised his hands and pinched his temples.

His consciousness quickly entered the shimmering "Sea of ​​Origin" and he swam in any direction.

As we swam, a thin yellow-green mist filled the junction of "sea and sky" again. In the mist, a majestic old world city loomed.

Shang Jianyao immediately adjusted his direction and swam towards the target with all his strength.

But no matter how hard he tried, the yellow-green mist only got a little closer to him, and it kept changing its position, seemingly never reaching it.

Shang Jianyao stopped and divided his body into nine parts according to the predetermined plan.

The nine Shang Jianyao set off separately, heading to different places, as if they were weaving a dragnet, leaving the thin yellow-green mist with nowhere to escape.

In the vast "Ocean of Origin", Shang Jianyao can see targets appearing in front of them from time to time, but this will soon change.

After an unknown amount of time, the nine Shang Jianyao reached the maximum distance apart from each other and had to stop.

The yellow-green mist is still at the junction of "sea and sky", seemingly never far away.

The nine Shang Jianyao took a breath at the same time, and their figures gathered together.

He sat cross-legged in the shimmering "Sea of ​​Origin" and entered a state of contemplation.

A minute or two later, Shang Jianyao made a piece of black cloth and completely covered his eyes.

Then, he took out two balls of cotton and stuffed them into his ears.

As a result, Shang Jianyao entered a state where he could neither "see" nor "hear".

He just swam randomly like this, not knowing what was ahead or where it would lead.

When he was almost exhausted from swimming, Shang Jianyao stopped, took out the cotton from his ears, and took off the black cloth in front of his eyes.

The first thing that caught his eye was the light and thin yellow-green mist.

It's so close and within reach!

Shang Jianyao smiled, held his right fist in his left hand, and saluted the yellow-green mist:

"No one has himself, and a new world is just around the corner."

After completing this ceremony, Shang Jianyao set his sights on the mirage-like old world city within the yellow-green mist.

There, buildings tens to hundreds of meters high stand, forming a magnificent architectural forest.

Their surfaces were bathed in reddish sunlight, and they were so quiet that not a single sound could be heard.

Shang Jianyao did not rush through the fog and entered inside, but swam quickly around the outside.

The phantom city showed itself from different angles.

After a while, Shang Jianyao suddenly saw an arched tunnel exit, thousands of glass curtain walls reflecting sunlight, and a street with dilapidated signs on both sides.

Shang Jianyao stopped, letting his gaze penetrate the thin yellow-green mist and fall towards the street ahead.

Words such as "Second Sister", "BBQ", "Convenience", "Hot Pot", "Foot Bath" and "Supermarket" came into his eyes.

The shops corresponding to these signboards are either dilapidated or covered with dust, but the one thing they have in common is that they are all empty.

Shang Jianyao looked back and forth several times, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

He shouted loudly:

"Xiao Chong! Xiao Chong!"

The image in the mist was too familiar to him. It was the ruins of Swamp No. 1, the place where they were taken by Qiao Chu, the mysterious city where they met Nightmare Ma and Xiao Chong!

The only difference is that this is not as broken as Shang Jianyao's memory.

The phantom city echoed his voice, but there was no additional reaction.

Shang Jianyao swam forward a few meters and passed through the light yellow-green mist.

During this process, he didn't feel anything unusual.

The city ahead no longer feels like a mirage, it is as real as the spiritual islands.

Shang Jianyao randomly found an unlocked bicycle on the street, rode it, and headed deeper into the city.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, it didn't take long for him to arrive at a tall building with its own courtyard. He didn't meet anyone on the way, and he didn't meet a single "unintentional person". The whole city was nothing but dead silence.

Shang Jianyao got out of the car and looked at the black marble plaque placed horizontally in front of the courtyard.

On the plaque, gold characters form a name:

"Urban Intelligent Network Control Center"

This is exactly the same as what Shang Jianyao and the others saw in the ruins of Marsh No. 1.

Shang Jianyao started running, running through the courtyard as fast as he was racing against someone, and entered the building where the "City Intelligent Network Control Center" is located.

He skillfully descended layer by layer along the safety passage and arrived at the underground machine room.

Then, he ran down the dark corridor with a flashlight and found the room where he met Xiao Chong.

While pushing the door open, Shang Jianyao shined the flashlight in and shouted:

"Xiao Chong! Xiao Chong!"

There were still tables and chairs in the room, no one was around, and it was extremely quiet.

Shang Jianyao showed a disappointed expression.

At this moment, everything around him slowly began to fade and gradually became transparent.

In less than ten seconds, the city disappeared like a dreamy bubble, and the light yellow-green mist surrounding it also disappeared, just like the last time it ended.

Shang Jianyao returned to the "Sea of ​​Origin".

He immediately felt intense fatigue and had to withdraw from the spiritual world.

…………

The next day, floor 647, room 14.

When Shang Jianyao arrived, only Jiang Baimian was there.

"Xiao Hong is not with you?" Jiang Baimian looked up and asked with a smile.

Shang Jianyao sighed and said in a serious tone:

"Old world entertainment materials are harmful."

"He was addicted last night?" Jiang Baimian was slightly amused.

Although she also felt that Long Yuehong's self-control was not that strong, she also believed that the other party would not be like this on the first day.

Shang Jianyao shook his head:

"His parents, his brothers and sisters, his neighbors are addicted."

Hearing this, Jiang Baimian couldn't help raising his hand, pressing his mouth, and laughed.

Shang Jianyao further said:

"Probably not anymore."

"Why?" Jiang Baimian asked curiously.

Shang Jianyao explained:

"When I passed by their house this morning, I heard his father wailing: 'Why are you using so much electricity? This month's energy quota is almost gone!'

"His mother also lost her composure, as if she was saying to Xiaohong: 'Son, what on earth did you bring back? This is so harmful!'

"Xiaohong reassured them: 'I am now D5, and my energy quota is about the same as the two of you combined. It will not be a problem to last until the end of this month."

Shang Jianyao imitated the tone of each of the three members of the Long family so vividly that Jiang Baimian was overjoyed.

"So, you didn't wait for him?" Jiang Baimian calmed down and asked in a guessing tone.

Shang Jianyao nodded:

“I don’t think they can finish talking for a while.

"I still have something to ask you for."

"What's the matter?" Jiang Baimian sat up straight, "What's the matter with the yellow-green mist?"

At this time, Bai Chen also entered the office and happened to hear the last half of the sentence.

She looked at Shang Jianyao in surprise:

"You solved it so quickly?"

Shang Jianyao shook his head:

"Found, but not solved."

"Tell me more specifically." Jiang Baimian broke away from listening to gossip and jokes, and his expression became very focused.

Shang Jianyao described exactly how he found the yellow-green mist, how he entered it, and what he found.

The more Jiang Baimian listened, the bigger his eyes got:

"Are you sure it's the ruins of the city where you met Xiao Chong?"

"Unless there is an exact same layout elsewhere." Shang Jianyao answered calmly.

Jiang Baimian frowned:

"This thing feels very scary, complicated and mysterious..."

There was gradually more excitement in her tone.

"What are you discussing?" Long Yuehong walked into the office and looked left and right in confusion.

When Jiang Baimian simply repeated the matter, Long Yuehong blurted out:

"how come?"

What was wrapped in the remaining influence of "Coward" turned out to be the "Ruins of Swamp No. 1" that he and others had visited?

He immediately had an explanation, looked at Shang Jianyao and said:

"Could it be that part of your own memory is combined with the yellow-green mist?"

"Why not other memories?" Shang Jianyao asked.

What a coincidence... Long Yuehong was embarrassed to say this.

Shang Jianyao continued:

"I have 'fate knowledge' and can be sure that it is not my memory."

You should have told me earlier... Long Yuehong muttered in his heart.

Jiang Baimian sat in his seat, his mind spinning with thoughts, and he said thoughtfully:

"The yellow-green mist comes from a certain awakened person who explored the depths of the 'soul corridor', and it is a bit of his breath left behind...

"There is a high probability that Yan Hu obtained this when he explored a certain room in the 'Soul Corridor'...

"Warning Song said that each room corresponds to a spiritual world, and only those who belong to the awakened ones at the 'spiritual corridor' level can open it normally...

"What appears in those rooms may be the dreams of the original owner, or some of the fear islands he has visited. Well, according to this logical inference, what appears may also be scenes intertwined with some of his memories..."

Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian naturally gave a guess:

"The image of the ruins of the city comes from a memory or a dream carried by the yellow-green mist?"

Bai Chen's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard:

"The original owner of 'Coward' has been to the Ruins of Swamp No. 1?"

"Maybe he started his journey from there." Jiang Baimian gave another possibility.

The possibility made Long Yuehong's hair stand on end.

Shang Jianyao touched his chin and said:

"If this is the case, finding 'him' in the dream city should be able to completely eliminate the remaining influence..."

"Yes, the dream master is the most special in this kind of scene." Long Yuehong thought for a few seconds and agreed,

He immediately asked a question:

"Where can I find him? Where will he be in the dream city?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian replied in unison:

"That lab!"

The mysterious laboratory that Qiao Chu destroyed!

Jiang Baimian then smiled at Shang Jianyao, which meant that everyone really had a tacit understanding.

The next second, she saw Shang Jianyao extending his right hand to her.

Jiang Baimian's smile froze for a second, he puffed up his cheeks slightly, stretched out his right palm and struck Shang Jian Yao.

After retracting her hand, she quickly asked another question:

"What makes you think of looking for yellow-green mist while blindfolded?"

Shang Jianyao explained quite seriously:

"Since I am an awakened person in the realm of 'Zhuang Sheng', I should try to take things as they come."

PS: Ask for monthly tickets during the double period~