High up on the building’s roof, on the empty terrace, a mournful female voice echoed, melodious and drawn out.
Jiang Baimian listened quietly for a while, then surveyed the surrounding silent and dark city, saying with a slight sigh:
“This song is actually pretty good.”
Without waiting for Shang Jianyao and the others to respond, Jiang Baimian continued:
“Let’s go down. With the lights out, who knows what situation will arise. We need to constantly monitor the jeep and the armored vehicle.
“One oversight, and if we lose them, it’ll be even more troublesome facing dangers later.”
She wasn’t worried about whether they’d have transportation to travel tomorrow morning, because within this city ruins, there seemed to be quite a few cars that could be driven.
“Yes, Team Leader!” Long Yuehong answered reflexively.
Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao again:
“Turn off the speaker, or else it’ll easily become a target.”
Shang Jianyao didn’t refute, squatted down, picked up the small blue and black speaker, turned it off, and threw it into his tactical backpack.
The surroundings immediately became extremely quiet again, with only the wind howling high above.
As the “Old Task Force” quartet headed towards the stairwell, Bai Chen couldn’t help but turn back and take another look at the city scenery that stretched out into the distance.
Those buildings were hidden in darkness, without any sound coming out, nor any glimmer of light appearing.
“Team Leader, don’t you think this looks like tombstones?” Bai Chen asked softly as she retracted her gaze.
Jiang Baimian turned her head to look, and after a moment of silence, said:
“Yeah, those buildings are like tombstones of the old world, one tombstone after another…”
Before she finished speaking, Shang Jianyao proactively asked:
“What is a tombstone?”
There were no cemeteries within Pangu Biology; each deceased employee only had a line of text engraved on the corresponding wall.
“It’s…” Jiang Baimian organized her words, “Forget it, I’ll explain it to you later.”
She immediately stepped into the stairwell and turned on her flashlight.
This time, they couldn’t take the elevator anymore and could only jog all the way down.
Fortunately, their physical fitness was quite good, and three of them had even undergone genetic modifications. Therefore, when they returned to Room 805, they were only slightly out of breath and not too tired.
Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao checked the room again separately, confirming that no dangerous creatures had broken in.
“Bai Chen, you and Long Yuehong take a break. I’ll be responsible for monitoring the jeep and armored vehicle, and Shang Jianyao, pay attention to the streets outside.” Jiang Baimian, holding her flashlight, returned to the living room.
“Okay.” Bai Chen watched her Team Leader walk to the restaurant window and set up the "Orange" rifle before thoughtfully saying, “The place where the explosion happened just now seems to be the mysterious laboratory that Qiao Chu mentioned.”
Jiang Baimian didn’t turn her head, concentrating on monitoring downstairs:
“That direction, that location, it’s likely.
“I don’t know if Qiao Chu’s mission was to destroy it, or if being entangled by the Mechanical Monk Jingfa led to all sorts of accidents, resulting in this big explosion…”
Shang Jianyao stared at the place where the fire and airflow had just erupted, and said seriously:
“I guess it’s the former possibility.”
“Concluding from the Eighth Research Institute situation described by Du Heng?” Jiang Baimian subconsciously retorted.
Shang Jianyao shook his head:
“I just counted how many cars there are on the side of the road.
“The result is an odd number.”
“…” Jiang Baimian spat. “I shouldn’t discuss issues so seriously with you.”
Long Yuehong hadn’t spoken since leaving the terrace. At this moment, he looked at the city ruins submerged in darkness and said with a slightly ethereal tone:
“Team Leader, I now somewhat understand why you want to investigate the cause of the Old World’s destruction, and why you like to excavate the past history from the city ruins…”
Jiang Baimian listened quietly, and said with a gratified smile:
“Good that you understand.”
Long Yuehong wanted to say something more, but he didn’t know how to express it, so he could only continue to gaze at the silent city that hid many dangers, and instead said:
“What will happen next?”
“Who knows?” Jiang Baimian continued to watch the jeep and armored vehicle. “I just hope that all the changes don’t affect us, and that Qiao Chu is chased out of this city ruins by Jingfa, or that both sides fight to their limits and are seriously injured. In short, let us guard here safely until dawn, then drive away.”
“Team Leader, what you’re saying doesn’t sound too auspicious.” Shang Jianyao casually retorted.
Jiang Baimian said helplessly and without good humor:
“We’ve been unlucky so many times, things must turn for the better. It’s time for things to turn around.”
Hearing the words "unlucky," Long Yuehong inexplicably felt guilty and touched his mouth.
Whether Jiang Baimian’s words were really effective or not, in the next few hours, although explosions, gunfire, and roars occasionally sounded throughout the city ruins, they didn’t spread towards the tunnel.
By midnight, the place had completely fallen silent.
Time passed second by second, and the sky gradually brightened. Buildings emerged from the darkness again, showing their figures.
But in the eyes of Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others, they looked more and more like tombstones, faded tombstones that were either dark black, grayish-white, or earthy-yellow.
“Let’s go.” After quickly finishing breakfast, Jiang Baimian gave the order.
This time, she had Bai Chen and Long Yuehong sit in the armored vehicle, taking turns driving, while she and Shang Jianyao were in charge of the jeep.
In the shining morning light, they didn’t return along the original tunnel route, because that road was too tortuous and dangerous. Without Qiao Chu, who was familiar with the situation, the vehicles could easily get stuck in the swamp.
Moreover, Jiang Baimian suspected that some sections of the road couldn’t bear the weight of the armored vehicle at all.
According to An Ruoxiang’s statement and the traces left by the ruin hunters, they made a detour to the north for a small half circle and left the city ruins from a relatively better road.
On the way, they didn’t forget to collect watches, LCD screens, sunglasses, and all kinds of useful metal. They even found two barrels of suitable oil for the armored vehicle.
While driving, Jiang Baimian narrowed her eyes and said to Shang Jianyao in the passenger seat:
“There’s a convoy coming ahead, dozens, hundreds of people.”
She had already realized it as soon as she said it.
“About a hundred people, that’s Wang Beicheng’s action team.”
That was the team sent by Pangu Biology to investigate the anomalies here.
Sure enough, they soon saw the armored vehicle and other things, and saw Wang Beicheng, the captain of the 23rd Squad.
Wang Beicheng was equally surprised to encounter Jiang Baimian and the others again. He straightened the gray-black beret on his head, looked at the armored vehicle behind the jeep that didn’t belong to the company, and said to Jiang Baimian:
“Didn’t you go to Qifeng Town?
“How did you end up here again, and even got an armored vehicle?”
More importantly, it seemed that they had entered the newly discovered city ruins earlier than them.
“Haha, accident, accident.” Jiang Baimian gave a dry laugh.
She immediately became serious and roughly explained how they had been bewitched by Qiao Chu and entered the city ruins through a small road.
This included the "City Intelligent Network Control Center," the mysterious laboratory, the "Higher Mindless," the Nightmare Horse, Xiao Chong, Du Heng, Galoran, and the final big explosion and other related intelligence.
In this, Jiang Baimian only concealed the Awakened knowledge provided by Du Heng, as well as the places where Shang Jianyao’s abilities had played a role, cleverly linking the reason why they got rid of Qiao Chu’s bewitchment to the "Higher Mindless" and the boy Xiao Chong.
From a certain point of view, this was actually the truth.
As Wang Beicheng listened, his expression became serious. Finally, he said sincerely:
“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for this information, we would have rushed in recklessly and don’t know how many people would have died!
“Moreover, there are definitely more ‘Higher Mindless’ and Aberrant creatures there than what you encountered. Relying on our action team alone, even with some prior knowledge, is still very dangerous.
“I will immediately send the information back and request reinforcements.
“Next, we should only temporarily establish a base on the edge of the city…”
Jiang Baimian waved her hand:
“What you do has nothing to do with us.”
Wang Beicheng looked at the armored vehicle again, rubbed his hands, and smiled hesitantly:
“Can you support your brother squad?”
For them, having one more armored vehicle and one more heavy machine gun meant one more considerable fighting force.
Jiang Baimian smiled:
“No problem.
“But we have a lot of things in the armored vehicle, and we definitely can’t take them all with just the jeep. You have to be responsible for helping us transport them back to the company. I have a list.
“Also, that armored vehicle and that heavy machine gun are our spoils of war, and contributions must be calculated.”
For them, traveling on the graylands was more convenient with a jeep.
Wang Beicheng sucked in a breath as if he had a toothache:
“Okay.”
After bidding farewell to Wang Beicheng’s squad, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen returned to the jeep.
While driving, Jiang Baimian said thoughtfully:
“Since we’ve encountered Wang Beicheng and his team, then it means that there shouldn’t be any danger on this road, and we won’t run into Qiao Chu again.
“Shang Jianyao, you can deactivate your ‘Reasoning Clown’ effect.”
Shang Jianyao was playing with a pair of black sunglasses, putting them on and taking them off from time to time.
Hearing his Team Leader’s instructions, he said with a smile:
“There are many couples within the company who came from free love.”
Jiang Baimian was stunned for a moment, then honked the jeep’s horn:
“That’s right, how could I think that assigned love is the only true love?”
Shang Jianyao immediately turned his head and said to Bai Chen:
“Humans can also be trusted and relied upon.
“After these few days, don’t you feel that we can also protect your back?”
Bai Chen was stunned, and a slight flicker uncontrollably appeared in her eyes.
At this moment, Jiang Baimian interrupted:
“Why does that sound so familiar?
“You plagiarized what I said!”
“This is called quoting.” Shang Jianyao replied solemnly.
Bai Chen couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth as she listened to them arguing.
Shang Jianyao looked at Long Yuehong, who was a bit confused, and smiled:
“Biological organ transplantation, nerve reconstruction surgery, artificial uterus.”
“…” Long Yuehong’s facial muscles twitched a few times, and he resisted the urge to beat up Shang Jianyao.
After all, he couldn’t win.
He recalled what happened before and realized that he had unknowingly been affected by the "Reasoning Clown." He immediately asked with some trepidation:
“Do you usually mislead me with the ‘Reasoning Clown’?”
Shang Jianyao didn’t turn his head and said directly:
“You’re not worthy.”
“…” Long Yuehong didn’t know whether to feel fortunate or sad.
Jiang Baimian finally couldn’t stand it anymore and said to Shang Jianyao:
“You sleep for a while. It’ll be your turn to drive later.
“Phew, finally rid of the mess here.
“Next, we can’t delay any longer. Our target is Qifeng Town!”
Hearing this, Shang Jianyao pinched his temples, put on his sunglasses, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
…………
Deep within the Great Hall of Stars, at the top of the silver staircase, in front of the gray-white stone door.
Shang Jianyao glanced at the three grooves above, put one hand in his pocket, and reached out the other to press against the door.
White light rose up in the grooves, converging into three illusory clusters of stars.
Among them, the white light representing the "Reasoning Clown" was much brighter than the other two.
In the next second, the white light displaying the words "Sentimental Person" rapidly brightened, quickly becoming equal to the "Reasoning Clown."
After a brief moment of solidification, the heavy stone door trembled slightly and slowly slid back.
As the door gap grew larger, Shang Jianyao saw the scene inside clearly.
It was a boundless illusory "sea," with dim light gently sliding across the surface of the water.
“The Sea of Origins.”
…………
Jiang Baimian drove the jeep out of the depths of the swamp and woke up Shang Jianyao:
“It’s your turn.
“Next, let’s have a smooth journey!”
Shang Jianyao opened his eyes, took off his sunglasses, and neatly went around to the driver’s seat, switching places with his Team Leader.
Once seated, he saw that ahead was a vast, endless gray-black wilderness, with few clouds in the high sky and bright, clear blue skies.
“The weather is really good.” Shang Jianyao nodded, first put on his sunglasses, then took out the small speaker from his tactical backpack.
Seeing Jiang Baimian looking over, he stretched his body and said with a smile:
“How can you drive without music?”
As Bai Chen and Long Yuehong looked over, Shang Jianyao turned on the speaker.
A hoarse, desperate shout followed:
“Arise, ye prisoners of starvation…
“Arise, ye wretched of the earth…”
In the rousing and passionate song, Shang Jianyao waved his hand:
“Let’s go!”
Before the words were out of his mouth, he slammed on the accelerator, sending the jeep speeding across the wilderness and heading into the distance.
(End of Part One)
Note 1: Quoted from "The Internationale," you can refer to the version by the Tang Dynasty Band.