Embers Ad Infinitum

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn't answer, while Pudu Zen Master Shang Jianyao looked unconcerned.

He raised his left palm and whispered the Buddha's name:

"Namo Ayodoro Samyak Sambodhi, we generally call this Su Hui.

"Perhaps Montes was a Buddhist in his previous life. He fell into a sea of ​​suffering and was reincarnated again and again. Only when he woke up did he slowly remember his past and present lives."

Although he knew that this guy was talking nonsense, Jiang Baimian thought about it seriously and said in a pragmatic spirit:

“I don’t rule out the situation you mentioned, but the possibility is very small.

“So far, only ‘Fate Pass’ has shown the potential to accomplish this kind of thing, but it has not eliminated the aspect of its own memory waiting to be awakened.

"Unless there is an ability in the field of 'Bodhi' that is similar to 'Fate Communication' but with different details, otherwise..."

Jiang Baimian did not continue:

“The two possible directions currently are:

"One, finish reading the remaining books and leave this for tomorrow morning; two, enter the ruins of Tieshan City and see if there are any clues left there.

"If you are free tomorrow, you can also visit the bishop of the 'Vigilant Church' and the local Hunters Guild to see if they have collected more information about the ruins of Tieshan City.

“A little more preparation in this regard wouldn’t be a bad thing.

"Okay, go back to sleep and stay energetic."

…………

The next morning, two modified vehicles drove into Hongshiji.

"Why can't you see anyone here?" Bai Chen's former companion Chu Ge stuck his head out of the car window and looked at the collapsed or abandoned buildings around him.

At a glance, he felt that he had arrived at a ruins that had not been explored for a long time, rather than a smuggling node with a strong reputation. The only things with a sense of life here were the plants with new green colors in the spring.

"This is a characteristic of the Vigilant Sect. It seems that the townspeople of Hongshiji have integrated their faith into their lives." The old man sitting next to Shao Liang, a young man in a floral shirt, said with a smile.

He was also from a gray soil. His hair was so thin that his oily skin was visible. The wrinkles on his face were not too exaggerated. He always had a smile on his face and looked amiable.

"Archbishop, what do you mean..." Zug asked respectfully but not condescendingly.

Although he also believes in "Yugu", he actually doesn't know much about the Vigilance Sect and the Fear Sect. If he hadn't recently wanted to go south to preach and preach the importance of friendship and trust, and he happened to be on the way, he wouldn't have wanted to attend the inexplicable universal church meeting.

Before Zuge finished speaking, he suddenly felt something. He turned his head suddenly and cast his eyes on a relatively intact high-rise building.

"There's someone there." He acted as if he had met a kind neighbor while taking a walk. Although he was a little surprised, he was more happy.

The old man known as the Archbishop nodded, indicating that there was no problem with Zug's discovery.

"I'll go over to say hello and ask for directions." Zug confidently opened the car door and walked out.

——Mu Chi, a woman with smoky makeup, parked her vehicle on the side of the road after telling her that there was someone nearby in Zug.

"Hi, friends in the building, we are here..." Zug walked towards the tall building and climbed the steps leading to the door, waving his right hand.

At this moment, a dark grenade was thrown out.

Zug's pupils suddenly dilated.

Relying on his rich experience, he swooped to the side, flew out of the steps, and shrank to a sheltered place.

Boom!

Amidst the explosion, Zug felt that the wall of the steps he was close to was shaking violently.

Then, he discovered that the person in the building had left his sensing range in the opposite direction and fled away.

"We don't mean any harm! Hey, we're here to make friends!" Zug shouted several times, but no one responded.

He had no choice but to walk back to the modified vehicle and look at the old man:

“Archbishop, why didn’t you stop him?

"He shouldn't have run out of your sensing range yet."

The archbishop shook his head and smiled:

"That's not polite.

“When we do things, we must first show kindness and believe that emotions are shared.

"Zhi Sui said, believe each other."

There was no particularly strong sense of superiority or inferiority in his conversation with Zug.

Zug heard this and expressed his understanding:

“Suspicion is not the new world.

"Then let's move on, ask other townspeople for directions, and use sincerity to dispel their excessive vigilance?"

Ever since he joined the "Friendly Hands", he has become accustomed to being treated like a donkey with good intentions. After all, people like them are considered aliens in the dust.

The archbishop nodded with satisfaction.

Zug opened the car door, sat back in the passenger seat, and said thoughtfully:

"We simply went around the lake and found the farmland reclaimed by Hongshiji.

"Now is the season for sowing and farming. There must be people over there, and it's not easy to hide."

Mu Chi and Shao Liang agreed to his proposal.

After an unknown amount of time, the two vehicles finally arrived at the lake area northwest of Hongshiji and saw a large amount of farmland being reclaimed here.

There are many figures busy in the farmland.

After they discovered that Zug and others were approaching, they gathered at the predetermined place in a disciplined manner. Some hid behind the simple fortifications, and some stood outside, holding on to observe the subsequent changes and assuming a posture that allowed them to communicate.

Witnessing this scene, Zug was so moved that he almost wiped his eyes.

This is normal vigilance!

The people in the ruins of the city just now were so extreme that they were mentally ill!

Well, the only question is, is it necessary for you all to wear masks?

"We want to ask for directions." Zug waved his hand outward, indicating his intention.

He learned from the previous lesson, shortened the sentence, and said it quickly in both Gray Tube and Honghe dialects.

Among the group of "farmers", a man wearing an indigo theatrical mask mustered up his courage, took a few steps forward, and asked in Honghe dialect:

"Where do you want to go?"

"Beware of the church," Zug shouted back.

The man suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, not surprised that strangers were looking for a vigilant church.

He pointed in the southeast direction and said:

“Keep walking along this road, and when you almost enter the ruins, you can see the church.

"If you accidentally go astray, look around the farmland. We still have many people busy there who can correct your route."

"Thank you!" Zug made a trumpet shape with his hands and put them to his mouth.

He then asked again:

"How many forces does Hongshiji have now?"

“The original Gray Whisperers, Red River people and our ‘Underground Ark’ people.

"But everyone believes in 'Yugu' and obeys the orders of the church."

Zug showed a relieved smile.

He suddenly turned around, facing the group of "Underground Ark" people with his back, and praised devoutly:

"Weak individually, but strong in groups."

This is the "friendly hand" etiquette, which shows that you trust the other person and are willing to give them your back.

After asking again what an "underground ark" was, Zug said goodbye to the group of people and walked back to the car.

The archbishop in the back row retracted his gaze and said with emotion:

"The person in the 'Underground Ark' is not a simple character."

Shao Liang, a young man in a floral shirt, smiled and said:

"Can you be so powerful as an archbishop?"

The archbishop was silent for a few seconds and said:

"It's very possible.

"It's just that his condition isn't quite right."

Mu Chi, who was driving, didn't expect the owner of the "Underground Ark" to be so powerful, so he blurted out:

"Is he a vigilant sect, a fearful bishop?"

"No, he is just an ordinary believer." The archbishop simply replied.

Hearing this, Zug turned his head:

"Archbishop, you are very familiar with the 'Underground Ark'..."

The archbishop smiled kindly and said:

"When I was young, I heard about the owner of the Ark from the 'Hand of God' at that time, so I ran over here and stayed for a while."

"Then you must know where the Vigilance Church is..." Zug said in astonishment.

You don’t need to find anyone to ask for directions at all!

The archbishop smiled:

"This all happened forty or fifty years ago. How can I remember the specific path clearly at my age?"

While several people were communicating, two modified vehicles drove towards the vigilance church.

After driving like this for a while, they saw that some of the originally abandoned fields in the suburbs had been reclaimed, and many people were working there.

Seeing this, the archbishop thought for a moment and ordered Zug:

"Go and ask about the situation of the 'Underground Ark' in detail.

"Hey, I wonder how that old friend is doing now..."

Zug immediately agreed. When the vehicle stopped, he pushed the door open and found a girl wearing a devil mask nearby.

Considering that the other party was a member of the wary sect, he deliberately kept a sufficient distance and asked in a loud voice:

"Are you from the 'Underground Ark'?"

"Yes." The girl didn't deliberately amplify her voice, and Zug had to barely hear it clearly.

Because the other party was speaking in Gray dialect, he changed back to his native language and continued to ask:

"Who is the current owner of the Ark?"

"Master?" The girl asked in confusion, "There is no master. The management committee is now in charge."

Ah... Zug almost doubted his own ears and couldn't help but take two steps forward. The girl was so frightened that she stepped back. The "farmers" around her quickly came to support and drew guns from different places.

Zug raised his hands indifferently:

"Where is the original owner of the Ark? He is extinct?"

"He was overthrown and died at the hands of our five presidents." The girl's voice was filled with pride.

Zug's eyes moved slightly, resisting the urge to ask, and returned to the car.

He recounted what he had just learned.

"The owner of the Ark was actually killed..." The Archbishop was obviously a little shocked.

Shao Liang, a young man in a flowery shirt, had no clear idea of ​​how powerful the original owner of Ark was, so he just sneered:

"If you are wary of the church, just watch those five people deal with your own believers?"

"Well, this matter seems a bit complicated. Let's go to the Vigilance Church and inquire in detail." The archbishop had restrained his unnecessary expression.

The vehicle continued to move forward, and not long after, Zug and others finally arrived at the Vigilant Church.

Under the gaze of pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness, they walked into the blood-red hall mixed with a little gold.

"The color used is too..." As a believer of "Yougu", Shao Liang, a young man in a flower shirt, barely resisted ridiculing the aesthetics of his fellow believers.

Zug saw four familiar figures.

They just entered the elevator and went down.

"Bai Chen and the others?" Zug stared at them for a while and nodded slightly.

He planned to wait and say hello if the other party would return to the lobby.