The images of those skeletons were successively recorded by Genava's main module and compared rapidly with the database of Shang Jianyao's father that had already been established.
After ten seconds or so, Shang Jianyao turned his head to look at this intelligent being companion and asked in a slightly low voice:
"How is it? Any results?"
Genava's eyes flickered red for a few seconds, then he raised his hand and pointed to the skeleton in the very center of the living room:
"It should be that one."
With a clang, Shang Jianyao used his military exoskeleton to jump over directly.
He knelt down on both knees and reached out his right hand, fumbling through the gray camouflage pocket on the skeleton's body for personal items, seemingly wanting to find corresponding evidence.
As for whether he hoped to confirm or disprove it deep down, Genava had no way of knowing.
Shang Jianyao first pulled out a few simply packaged candies and chocolates, and then found a palm-sized black notebook from the inside pocket of his camouflage uniform.
He was stunned for a moment, as if forgetting what to do next.
"Is it your father's?" Genava approached, on guard, and asked.
Shang Jianyao shook his head:
"No."
Genava wanted to say that this was a good thing, but then he thought that similar items could very well have been picked up by chance during an exploration and kept on hand for later use.
Next, Shang Jianyao began to flip through the notebook.
Genava kept his eyes peeled and his ears open, paying attention to the contents of the notebook while on guard:
"The Fruit Rat is a type of mutated creature in the northeast of the Black Marsh Wilderness. It's larger than normal rats, and its meat is very similar to chicken. The best way to cook it is to roast it until the skin turns yellow and a fruity aroma溢出 (yì chū – overflows)."
"However, it carries many viruses and bacteria, so you need to take precautions when catching and handling it."
"In several settlements of the 'White Knights Order,' raising Fruit Rats is their industry and their largest source of meat."
This was all that was recorded on the first page, leaving Genava confused.
He originally thought that this was a key piece of information recorded by the old task force member who was suspected to be Shang Jianyao's father, or a change in mood during a long adventure, but who knew it was more like a food record.
The first few pages were indeed similar content, but Shang Jianyao quickly turned to something different:
"Hester is a rather special settlement within the 'White Knights Order.' Here, the people have pushed the two knightly virtues of 'Temperance' and 'Discipline' to the extreme.
"They wake up, eat, and sleep at fixed times every day, day after day, never changing. They always like to say things like 'Discipline makes a man, indulgence makes a beast.'
"They only ever eat to seventy percent full, even if infants and children cry for more, they will not get it.
"This is simply against human nature.
"According to our investigation, we found that the people here secretly worship a religious order called 'The Heart of Discipline.' They believe that people are born with too many bad tendencies, so they cannot enter the New World. Only by using strict discipline and temperance to resist these tendencies and change themselves can they ultimately be redeemed.
"This view overlaps with the knightly virtues of the 'White Knights Order,' so the knights here have also been persuaded and are also observing the corresponding rules. The senior knights who come to inspect find it difficult to detect anything abnormal, simply thinking that the residents of Hester are doing things a little too extremely, but in essence, it is still good, and they are practicing those two knightly virtues.
"This has also led to many strange rules in Hester, such as the time for hugs cannot exceed three seconds, parents can only kiss their children's cheeks once a day, when going to bed, uh, this cannot be written, it will corrupt children...
"When I was about to leave Hester, I finally couldn't stand seeing several children being starved, and had a fight with their parents and the local sheriff, haha, my teammates are all very powerful.
"What I didn't tell them was that I secretly fed those children some food."
How did this become a record of customs and sights again? After careful analysis, Genava found a suitable position for this notebook:
Travelogue!
But if it were a travelogue, it would be too simple, closer to a memorandum, filled with content that could help the owner recall what they had eaten, seen, and experienced.
And so far, everything that the notebook has shown is consistent with a previous judgment made by Genava:
Members of that old task force could not record mission-related information on their own.
Shang Jianyao did not stop and continued to flip through the notebook, but the speed at which he turned the pages was noticeably slower than before.
"Geste Fort's pollution is too severe. This does not come from the destruction of the Old World, but from its own industry.
"The workers here are too miserable. The harsh environment and high intensity of labor cause people to die in the factories every day. It makes me want to organize them to resist such treatment.
"Unfortunately, this is the 'White Knights Order's' industrial base, with strong people sitting here, and we still have our own mission.
"Yes, I was ultimately cowardly, shrinking back. I have my own concerns, people I care about, and I can't stand up selflessly for strangers.
"The 'White Knights Order's' genetic modification potion is not the same as ours, it only adjusts each individual ability of the human body.
"This is also effective for adults, I hope the company can learn from it...
"The residents of Geste Fort are more wild and impatient in character, and do things quite simply and rudely, often relying on muscle rather than brains...
"There is nothing worth recalling about the food here, only the meat of a mutated cow left a little impression on me, um, I was mainly surprised that it was not much different from ordinary beef..."
After this record of Geste Fort, that old task force entered Konigsberg:
"We have arrived in a city called Konigsberg. It retains quite complete customs from the Old World. Melodious songs echo everywhere, and you can even see musical fountains in the square.
"The people here show a heartfelt sense of stability and happiness. The mental wounds and real-world tribulations left by the destruction of the Old World cannot be found here at all.
"Although it is a city belonging to the Red River people, I still felt a sense of homecoming here.
"This comes from the various graffiti on the walls, from the strollers and performers in the square, from the people walking among the various old buildings...
"Civilization belongs to all mankind."
Shang Jianyao turned another page, revealing new content:
"Today we are going to visit a mister to persuade him to tell us some things.
"He is already very old, and Konigsberg also lacks medical care and medicine, so his physical condition is very bad.
"This has also given us a breakthrough because we have skilled doctors and a good reserve of medicines and preparations in our team.
"Perhaps there will be an operation soon."
This was the last content in the notebook. Shang Jianyao, who had pushed up his mask at some point, lowered his head and looked at it, not moving for a long time.
"What's wrong?" Genava asked with concern.
Shang Jianyao raised his head and said, choking:
"Every time my dad came back, he would tell me what he ate outside, what he saw, what interesting things happened, and he always told me to be a kind person, to be a real man..."
His face was already full of tears, and he cried very ugly.
Genava wanted to say something, but could not find a suitable template or statement.
At this moment, he seemed to understand the subtleties of human emotion.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Baimian's voice rang through the communication system embedded in the military exoskeleton device:
"Can you hear me?"
"Yes," Genava immediately replied.
Jiang Baimian visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Are you on the top floor?
"How is Wei?"
"Wei found his father's body on the top floor," Genava replied truthfully.
Jiang Baimian was silent for a few seconds and said:
"Give him space to vent his emotions. Check the surrounding area and look for any clues."
"Okay." Genava analyzed and told Jiang Baimian about Shang Jianyao's father's last note.
Jiang Baimian muttered in confusion:
"They wanted to perform an operation on that 'Child of the Calendar' to exchange for some information?
"The operation resulted in an accident?"
"That's how it looks right now." It was Shang Jianyao who answered this time.
He wiped the tears from his face indiscriminately with his sleeves, his voice low and hoarse.
Jiang Baimian did not say "I'm sorry for your loss" or mention his father, but specifically reminded him:
"Pack up the items you want to take as soon as possible. The overlap may occur again at any time."
"Okay." Shang Jianyao, who had not gotten up, took off his backpack and picked up the bones one by one and put them inside.
When it was almost full, he transferred the other things to Genava.
After finishing this, he stood up again and looked around:
"Let's find the operating table first. There may be important clues there."
Judging from the current situation, the operation should have taken place in this penthouse suite, because the members of that old task force, their bones, were scattered here, on the stairs, and on the ground floor.
Of course, it is not ruled out that the operation had not even started before the "patient" had an accident.