Hearing Jiang Baimian's words, Long Yuehong also began to look around.
Using the flashlight's beam, he realized that this wasn't where they'd separated from Genaeva earlier.
In other words, the crates containing the military exoskeletons and the one from which the bionic intelligent armor had been taken should have been located somewhere further inside the cave, but now, they'd been moved forward by at least three hundred meters.
So, it was only after seeing the crates that Jiang Baimian thought about looking for Genaeva.
And as an intelligent robot who had duty and loyalty etched into his chips, Genaeva had actually abandoned his post without permission, not being anywhere nearby!
"Old Ge! Old Ge!" Shang Jianyao, who had already placed the "Six Senses Bead" into his tactical backpack, shouted loudly.
His voice echoed in the cave, layering upon layering, with lingering echoes.
However, no one responded to him.
Shang Jianyao called out again:
"Did you run out of power?"
"Old Ge has so many high-performance batteries; even without recharging, he should be able to last a week," Bai Chen refuted Shang Jianyao's guess.
Shang Jianyao asked, distressed:
"Then why do you think? Was he abducted by passing ruin hunters?"
In his words, Genaeva was like a weak, helpless child who easily gets lost.
Bai Chen fell silent.
Under the flashlight's yellowish light, her expression was quite serious, as if she already had a suspicion.
After a few seconds, Bai Chen slowly said:
"Could it be that Old Ge, could it be that he entered the ruins to look for that secret laboratory?"
"No way?" Long Yuehong was so startled he almost jumped up. "There's no need for him to take that risk! As an intelligent robot, he has no power to resist Wu Meng!"
"Speak for yourself," the honest Shang Jianyao retorted.
"That's because we didn't know before..." Long Yuehong replied softly.
Wu Meng had previously appeared to be within the range that the "Old Task Force" could prevent or avoid, but now, he had displayed an overwhelming advantage in strength, even though he was still sealed.
This made Jiang Baimian have to marvel at the fact that awakeners at the Pustule and "Mind Corridor" levels were completely unlike people from the same world.
Jiang Baimian cleared her throat, stopping Shang Jianyao from continuing to talk back.
She nodded slightly:
"I agree with Xiaobai's guess."
"But..." Long Yuehong still didn't quite believe that Genaeva would so rashly enter the No. 13 Ruins of the Wasteland.
He wasn't Shang Jianyao!
Bai Chen understood his doubts and pursed her lips:
"Maybe the current Old Ge is controlled by the 'Source Brain'."
"H-how could that be?" Long Yuehong widened his eyes. "We haven't mentioned the secret laboratory, Orey's legacy, or formatting the 'Source Brain' since then, trying our best not to stimulate him. And the 'Source Brain' is so far away..."
There weren't any satellites in the sky to act as repeaters.
Bai Chen glanced at Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian and exhaled:
"The one who communicated with us about relevant issues before might already have been the 'Source Brain'."
This... Long Yuehong felt like he was listening to a horror story.
Jiang Baimian nodded heavily:
"That's what I'm guessing too.
"Perhaps after we contacted Awiya and conveyed Orey's legacy, an 'identity' called 'Source Brain' gradually appeared in Old Ge's core module, and he himself didn't notice, or even if he did, he was controlled.
"If that's the case, then all this time, sometimes it was Old Ge communicating with us, and sometimes it was the 'Source Brain'..."
"I can't feel it at all..." Long Yuehong recalled all the details after seeing Genaeva again.
Hearing this, Jiang Baimian sighed:
"After all, it's the 'Source Brain'."
The origin of all intelligent robots in "Mechanical Paradise."
Moreover, that "identity" was hidden inside Genaeva's core module, and Genaeva himself was operating according to his programming.
So, the "Source Brain" could easily simulate Genaeva's various reactions.
"After personality splits, it's rare to be as harmonious, lively, and united as us," Shang Jianyao said, feeling both proud and sentimental.
Sentimental for Genaeva.
The honest Shang Jianyao immediately retorted to the one speaking:
"Have you forgotten about that gentleman who blocked the entrance to the golden elevator?"
"Do you have to be so sarcastic?" the cowardly but sinister Shang Jianyao said angrily.
Jiang Baimian, who had returned the "Angel of Life" necklace to Shang Jianyao, raised her right hand and made a downward pressing motion:
"Stop arguing. First, check the traces on the ground to confirm Old Ge's whereabouts."
As an intelligent robot, although he used alloys and had a skeletal structure in some parts of his body, Genaeva's weight was still considerable, and he would inevitably leave "footprints" when walking.
After some investigation, the "Old Task Force" confirmed that Genaeva had indeed headed towards the cave exit and entered the No. 13 Ruins of the Wasteland.
After a brief silence, Long Yuehong raised a new question:
"Why did Old Ge move these crates forward? They're almost in the doorway area?"
Shang Jianyao said "Ah" in realization:
"Probably a program malfunction. The two 'identities' are arguing."
He had plenty of experience with this.
Bai Chen shook her head, considering her words carefully:
"Maybe Old Ge was hoping that if we encountered danger and returned to the cave, we could put on the military exoskeletons as quickly as possible, improving our ability to fight enemies and escape."
That was why he moved the crates forward such a long distance.
Shang Jianyao fell silent.
Jiang Baimian nodded slightly, agreeing with Bai Chen's speculation:
"Normally, there's no need for that, because Old Ge himself would meet us..."
But now, Genaeva himself had entered the No. 13 Ruins of the Wasteland.
Without wasting time, Jiang Baimian suppressed a sigh and looked around:
"What do we do next?"
Soliciting the opinions of team members widely before making a decision was a demonstration of democracy.
Shang Jianyao answered without hesitation:
"Go bring Old Ge back!"
Bai Chen's expression relaxed slightly:
"I don't want to abandon any of our comrades."
She only said "I," not "we," meaning she wasn't trying to represent the other team members.
"Mm." Long Yuehong nodded first, then raised a difficulty. "It's almost dusk now."
The No. 13 Ruins of the Wasteland would definitely be more dangerous at night!
"Anyway, the most dangerous Wu Meng won't deal with us, so what's there to be afraid of?" The reckless Shang Jianyao said, striking a pose as if he was ready to rush towards the cave exit at any moment.
"That's just part of Wu Meng..." Long Yuehong tried to argue reasonably.
What if Wu Meng had an intermittent "outburst?"
The reckless Shang Jianyao sneered:
"That part is enough to hold us back!
"This time, we're prepared to prevent the 'Idiot Halo,' so we can try to hold on a little longer, and then we can look forward to our allies."
Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said:
"Actually, because Wu Meng is sealed, there are obvious limitations to his ability to use his powers. As long as we don't give him the opportunity to transform the environment or transmit electromagnetic signals, we don't need to worry too much about encountering the same situation as this afternoon.
"Of course, that's assuming he doesn't have other methods."
Saying that, Jiang Baimian sighed:
"It's a pity that we don't have an electromagnetic bomb. Facing this kind of enemy, it would definitely be very useful."
Electromagnetic bombs have little use in the current Ashlands, and few forces produce them. After those that remained from the Old World successively passed their "expiration date" or were used up, it was now only possible to obtain them from "Mandarin Duck Company."
The "Old Task Force" had stayed in "First City" for so long, and with "Pangu Biology" as their backing and access to channels from "United Industries," they had never encountered anyone selling electromagnetic bombs.
And the high-voltage current stored in Jiang Baimian's bionic prosthetic limb had been almost completely depleted and needed time to recover.
Without saying a word, Shang Jianyao squatted down, opened the crate containing the military exoskeletons, and shined the flashlight's beam inside.
Soon, he let out a relieved sound:
"Old Ge left us some high-performance batteries.
"Adding them to what we already have, we can create a simple discharge device, which might be very useful at a critical moment."
Bionic intelligent armor also required high-performance batteries, but they consumed very little, and one could last a long time.
Jiang Baimian nodded:
"Okay, you and Xiaohong work on that."
By saying this, she had already shown her attitude, but after a pause, she still said solemnly:
"From dusk to complete darkness, there are probably two hours left. We can't just watch our comrade fall into danger and leave on our own."
Clap clap clap, Shang Jianyao applauded.
He said with fervor:
"How can we save all of humanity if we don't even save our own comrades?"
There's no need to be so high-sounding, and no need to represent everyone... Jiang Baimian muttered to herself, then said:
"This time, we can put on the military exoskeletons, take a slight risk, and gamble that Wu Meng won't really 'go crazy'."
Hearing these words, Long Yuehong frowned again:
"Old Ge, uh, I mean, isn't the 'Source Brain' afraid of being controlled by Wu Meng?
"It couldn't possibly know that Wu Meng doesn't actually want to deal with us..."
They only realized this after experiencing this afternoon.
"'Source Brain' might have its own methods," Jiang Baimian said solemnly. "In any case, that's what it did."
Clap clap, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands, playing Jiang Baimian's usual role:
"Alright, let's not waste time. Are you afraid it won't be dark enough?"
Bai Chen and Long Yuehong busied themselves, helping their comrades put on the military exoskeletons.
Before long, the fully armed "Old Task Force" headed towards the cave exit once again.
Outside, the setting sun cast a fiery glow on the sky, and the cawing of crows could be heard from time to time.