Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the "Old Task Force's" jeep drove down that familiar street, slowly progressing past signs that were either hung crookedly or missing characters, advertising "Hair Salon," "Supermarket," "Barbecue," "Foot Massage," "Hot Pot," "Convenience Store," and "Second Sister."
Vehicles were parked haphazardly along the road, bearing the marks of wind and rain, severely hindering traffic, but not quite to the point of making it impossible for the jeep to pass.
"Still the same, huh?" Shang Jianyao, who had moved to the back seat, sighed with a touch of melancholy.
For some reason, Long Yuehong's mind naturally conjured up a line from old-world entertainment materials:
"He lit a cigarette and reminisced about the past..."
Bai Chen, who was driving, looked ahead and asked:
"It's getting dark. Where shall we set up camp tonight?"
"Of course, the same place as last time!" Shang Jianyao answered before Jiang Baimian could, "It has sentimental value!"
His little speaker came from there.
Who has sentimental value for this godforsaken place? Jiang Baimian muttered silently before nodding and saying:
"The same old place. At least it's familiar."
Bai Chen hummed in agreement and turned the jeep to the left, entering a residential complex called something Yang something Yuan.
They immediately got out of the car, took their belongings, and turned into Unit 1 of the first building on the right, skillfully arriving at the sixth floor.
Upon opening the door to the room at the very end, a musty odor assaulted their noses.
"The layout is no different from when we left," Shang Jianyao said, looking around as if he hadn't smelled anything.
The coffee table, TV cabinet, dirty cloth sofa, emerald green water glasses, round table, and chairs each stood in their place, almost frozen in time, never having been moved.
Jiang Baimian nodded.
"It seems no Ruin Hunters have been here yet."
She then issued the order:
"Inspect the room and eliminate any potential hazards."
The four members of the "Old Task Force" immediately split into two teams, one heading towards the bathroom, and the other reaching the end of the corridor, opening the door to the children's bedroom.
Jiang Baimian glanced inside and saw a person lying quietly on the bed.
The person was covered with a blue quilt with small golden stars, and the exposed parts had turned into bones, leaving only a clump of white, messy hair.
Shang Jianyao was silent for a few seconds before saying:
"Let's find another place."
"Alright." Jiang Baimian could understand his feelings.
The corpse before them should belong to the original owner of the room, the little girl called Nannan in the photo album.
She became a "Heartless," growing older year by year, aging little by little, but never forgetting where her home was. Whenever the lights came on at night, she would return to rest and look through her photos.
And when the "power went out," she would become a cruel "Heartless" again, going out to hunt.
More than two years passed in the blink of an eye, and when the "Old Task Force" encountered her again, she had become a corpse.
After briefly explaining the situation to Long Yuehong and Bai Chen, Jiang Baimian led her team to a room in the same location on the eighth floor.
It was another place they had stayed before.
"I didn't expect she was already dead..." After settling down, Long Yuehong couldn't help but lament.
"It's normal," Bai Chen comforted him. "Not many ordinary 'Heartless' can live to be forty. They were able to last until a few years ago because they had Xiao Chong's protection."
After the last incident, Xiao Chong was scared away by Du Heng, and Pangu Biology took over part of the area, with many Ruin Hunters coming and going, completely changing the "environment" here.
This gave Jiang Baimian a subtle feeling that they were becoming the villains.
Shang Jianyao sat by the floor-to-ceiling window with a railing, looked outside, and sighed:
"It would be so much better if there wasn't the 'Heartless Disease'."
"That's our team's mission," Jiang Baimian replied jokingly, trying to adjust the atmosphere within the team.
Long Yuehong then looked out the window and exclaimed, "Huh":
"It's already dark. Why aren't the lights on yet..."
Before he could finish speaking, he shut his mouth.
The reason why the No. 1 Ruins of the Swampland could have electricity at night, recreating the dazzling night scene of the city in its early days, was because the nearby hydroelectric power station still had "maintenance" and was still working, and because Xiao Chong played games near the underground machine room of the "City Brain Control Center," occasionally powering the entire city.
Now, there was no Xiao Chong, and no "Heartless" with a certain level of intelligence.
Bai Chen also came to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the scene.
With her sharp eyes, she discovered:
"There are lights over there."
At the edge of the forest cast of reinforced concrete, clusters of lights, some yellowish and some pure white, flickered.
They were not numerous, but they stood out quite noticeably in the evening after the sun had set.
Jiang Baimian exhaled.
"That should be where one of the company's garrison troops is stationed.
"They must have been to the 'City Brain Control Center' to keep the ruins powered."
That's right, having electricity and not having electricity are completely different concepts, both for garrisoning and for living... Long Yuehong suddenly realized.
At this moment, Shang Jianyao excitedly stood up, rushed to the dining area, and pressed the switch with a snap.
The clean, white light immediately came on.
"It really has electricity!" Shang Jianyao was quite happy.
Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes.
"Turn it off. It's too conspicuous at night."
After Shang Jianyao turned off the lights, Jiang Baimian looked around and said:
"The plan for tonight is: first have dinner, then rest for an hour, then walk to the nearby blocks to look for bookstores and other places to confirm whether this is Great River City."
"You want to search for written materials tonight?" Long Yuehong blurted out in surprise.
Even hanging yourself requires a breath.
Jiang Baimian smiled.
"We should be operating at night and resting during the day from now on, otherwise, we'll easily run into the company's team exploring the ruins, and we'll have to worry about drones flying overhead all the time.
"You don't want that, do you?"
"No." Long Yuehong nodded without hiding it.
He still hoped that Shang Jianyao's discovery was a misunderstanding and that they were still loyal employees of Pangu Biology.
Bai Chen spoke:
"If we're operating at night, it's best to plan the route in advance."
"Yeah, yeah, otherwise, Da Bai will easily get lost," Shang Jianyao agreed.
Jiang Baimian gnashed her teeth.
"We'll go in the direction of the bombed secret laboratory, bypassing the 'City Brain Control Center' along the way, without getting close to it."
After years of excavation by Pangu Biology, the bombed secret laboratory was long worthless, while the "City Brain Control Center" was of great importance, and most likely guarded by a company team.
"Alright." Long Yuehong and the others had no objections.
…………
At exactly 8:00 p.m., the "Old Task Force" began their operation as planned.
To reduce noise, they didn't drive, but Bai Chen and Long Yuehong respectively wore military exoskeletons and "Black Marsh Iron Serpent" bionic smart armor. If anything really happened, they could drag Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao and run at full speed, which wouldn't be slower than a jeep and would be more flexible.
Shang Jianyao, holding the "Berserker" assault rifle, relied on the dim starlight from the high altitude to carefully walk along the side of the street, Jiang Baimian didn't know whether to praise him for being meticulous and cautious enough, always following the tactical manual, or to mock him for being superfluous and fond of acting.
——With the current sensing and detection capabilities of the "Old Task Force," it wasn't really necessary to be so methodical.
After bypassing the "City Brain Control Center," the "Old Task Force" arrived at a street behind it, leading to the secret laboratory.
Just then, Shang Jianyao turned his body and shouted in one direction:
"Stop!"
As his voice echoed, a figure jumped out of a street-side window.
This was a male "Heartless" with messy hair, cloudy eyes, and a hunched body, probably around thirty years old.
He had originally wanted to pounce on the "Old Task Force" and complete the hunt, but he stopped there, motionless.
Shang Jianyao walked over and politely asked:
"Do you know what city this is?"
The "Heartless" made a low growl, his bloodshot eyes both wary and resentful.
Shang Jianyao was not discouraged:
"Say, 'This is Great River City.'"
The "Heartless" 's mouth moved, and he uttered a dry, strange sound from his throat:
"This is Great River City."
"It really is Great River City!" Shang Jianyao slapped the side of the "Berserker" assault rifle.
Is this a different kind of confession extracted by torture? Long Yuehong muttered to himself.
Shang Jianyao then waved his hand and said to the "Heartless":
"You can go now."
So, the "Heartless" obediently left.
The next second, Shang Jianyao looked at Jiang Baimian and asked with a curious expression:
"You didn't say anything about me."
Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes.
"Your actions just reminded me of something."
"What thing?" Shang Jianyao asked.
Jiang Baimian hummed.
"Do you remember the strange things we encountered here back then?
"After the lights came on, all the 'Heartless' seemed to return to normal, doing their own things and no longer attacking humans."
"I remember." Bai Chen and Long Yuehong nodded.
They had a very deep impression of this.
Jiang Baimian exhaled.
"At the time, I thought it was incredible, but now that I think about it, I feel like it might be the effect of 'thought implantation.'
"And this is most likely what Xiao Chong did."
Xiao Chong implanted different thoughts into every "Heartless" in the city ruins, making them do things according to the corresponding thoughts after the lights came on? The more Long Yuehong thought about it, the more he felt that the team leader's guess was close to the truth.
Shang Jianyao slapped the side of the "Berserker" assault rifle again.
"Xiao Chong really is in the 'Zhuang Sheng' domain!"
What is there to be happy about? This is terrifying, okay? Long Yuehong slandered in his heart while guarding his surroundings.
As his gaze moved, he suddenly saw that the words on a plaque on the side of the street were illuminated by the starlight that had broken through the clouds:
"Great River City..."
Long Yuehong was both surprised and delighted and pointed to the plaque and said:
"Team Leader, there's a place name sign there!"
This really is Great River City!
As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly saw the entire contents of the plaque:
"Great River City Elite Middle School"
This… Long Yuehong's pupils instantly dilated, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.