Ding-ling-ling! Ding-ling-ling!
Amidst the ringing of phones, rising in waves, the teachers and students of Taicheng No. 1 High School, on their way home after class, simultaneously raised their phones to their ears.
This was in perfect synchronization with Genaava dialing a mysterious number!
Even without fully understanding the reason, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen instinctively felt fear upon witnessing this scene.
Unlike Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao, they had heard Genaava mention the matter of the Da Jiang City Elite Junior High School, knowing that Du Shaochong, Xu Qiao, and Deng Tong all happened to come from that school, yet they had not known each other before.
This was entirely impossible. For ordinary students, not knowing each other while attending the same junior high school in the same grade would be considered normal, but Xu Qiao, Du Shaochong, and Deng Tong were either outstanding in their studies or notorious, making them influential figures anywhere.
Even if some of them only became like this in high school, it was impossible for all three to be this way.
Such a coincidence could only prove that it was not a coincidence at all; there must be a deeper reason behind it.
Hearing Shang Jianyao's assessment that "Zhuang Sheng" was in a worse condition than him, and that his illness was multiple personality disorder, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen naturally made a connection, combining it with the scene before them:
Could it be that everyone in the dream, or rather, the entire thought process representing that person, originated from "Zhuang Sheng," being different personalities that He had split off?
Therefore, while everyone seemed to have their own name and background story, in reality, when asked where they transferred from or which school they graduated from, they would all answer "Da Jiang City" or "Da Jiang City Elite Junior High School."
Thinking of this, and realizing that they were surrounded by "Zhuang Sheng" in the form of individuals who were simultaneously answering phones that seemed to be dialed by Genaava, Long Yuehong's legs went weak.
Just then, with a "beep," the ringing stopped.
The call connected.
Jiang Baimian wanted Genaava to forcibly disconnect, but it was already too late.
The surrounding light dimmed even further, the sky darkening as if the sun had already set, leaving only a sliver of afterglow.
In Shang Jianyao and the others' ears, all other sounds vanished completely, leaving only the sound of their own hearts pounding.
The air around them solidified as if it were viscous liquid, the "water pressure" making it difficult for them to breathe.
Almost simultaneously, the red light flickering in Genaava's eyes suddenly contracted inward, collapsing into two dark, deep "black holes" that seemed to connect to another world.
We are just calling for help, not fighting against "Zhuang Sheng"... We are just calling for help, not fighting against "Zhuang Sheng"... Feeling "Genaava's" gaze, Jiang Baimian kept repeating this sentence in her mind to alleviate the sudden surge of fear.
She attempted to inform "Zhuang Sheng" on the other end of the line of her request, as if making a normal call for help, hoping there might be room for maneuver.
Just as Jiang Baimian was about to speak, a voice preempted her:
"Great Ruling Age, help us escape the predicament before us!
"The Perfected Person is selfless, the New World is at hand!"
Shang Jianyao shouted without any shame or embarrassment.
His "tenfold" thicker skin was used for times like these.
"Genaava's" neck slowly rotated with a "click," and the two eyes turned into "black holes" looked at Shang Jianyao.
In unison, the students and teachers around them, holding their phones to their ears, turned or tilted their heads, silently looking towards this side.
Under the silent gaze of hundreds or even thousands of eyes, Long Yuehong's entire body was covered in goosebumps, and his back was drenched in sweat.
The next second, the entire world plunged into complete darkness.
Thump, thump, the heartbeats of Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, Shang Jianyao, and Jiang Baimian accelerated uncontrollably, pounding as if they were about to burst out of their throats.
At that moment, they all felt like they were about to die of a heart attack.
Suddenly, soft light appeared, the darkness receding like the tide, and the sky quickly returned to the clear brightness it should have in the morning.
Before Jiang Baimian and the others, the students and teachers who had just gotten out of class vanished into thin air, and Taicheng No. 1 High School turned back into its original overgrown, long-abandoned state.
Huff, huff... Long Yuehong gasped for air, feeling his heartbeat slowly return to normal.
Jiang Baimian looked around and found tire tracks left by vehicles circling the school again and again.
This confirmed to her that Bai Chen's actions of driving away from Taicheng earlier had actually only taken them in circles around the high school.
"Is it normal?" Bai Chen's forehead was covered in a dense layer of cold sweat.
As soon as she finished speaking, Shang Jianyao pounced and hugged Genaava, crying out:
"Old Ge, don't die!"
A speck of red light lit up in Genaava's eyes, flickering a few times before saying:
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Shang Jianyao stood up straight and said with a smile, "From now on, I am Carefree Wanderer."
Joking, or did he split another personality? Jiang Baimian frowned.
She exhaled a long breath and said:
"It seems we've escaped the predicament, that 'call for help' really worked."
Directly asking the main person for help.
The red light in Genaava's eyes flickered for a moment and said:
"That string of garbled code has disappeared, and it's not in my backup database anymore."
Shang Jianyao suddenly laughed heartily:
"It's okay, Da Bai still has a handwritten copy."
Jiang Baimian glanced at him:
"When Olei dialed this number and talked to 'Zhuang Sheng,' the number didn't disappear from the phone; it was saved to the current one.
"This shows that 'Zhuang Sheng' deliberately erased the number stored by Old Ge, and the general meaning should be 'There will be no next time' 'Please do not disturb'.
"If you dial it again, I'm afraid everyone around us will turn into 'Heartless Ones'."
What the strong can do in the "New World," the Ruling Age can certainly do as well.
"I can piously worship Him." Shang Jianyao felt a little regretful.
At this time, Long Yuehong, who had recovered, exclaimed:
"I didn't expect that Olei's leap into becoming an Awakened who explored the depths of the 'Mind Corridor,' proclaiming himself the emperor of the 'Initial City,' was because he had received 'Zhuang Sheng's' blessing."
Representing the entire year, the most special Ruling Age, "Zhuang Sheng."
"Yes, yes." Shang Jianyao echoed.
Jiang Baimian was silent for a moment and said:
"It seems that the formation of the major forces back then had more or less the figures of the Ruling Ages behind the scenes.
"I just don't know if the 'Salvation Army,' which was established the latest, and the company that has been staying underground have..."
"Probably not." Long Yuehong's answer wasn't so confident.
In the current environment, it wasn't suitable to discuss this topic. Bai Chen looked at Taicheng No. 1 High School, which seemed to have been abandoned for a long time, and said:
"Still exploring?"
"No need, right." Long Yuehong sucked in a breath as if he had a toothache.
It was hard enough to escape the desperate situation, how could they seek death again?
Next time, there wouldn't be a "Zhuang Sheng" phone to dial!
Moreover, doing it again and again would likely anger "Zhuang Sheng."
Jiang Baimian glared at Shang Jianyao, who was eager to try, and agreed with Long Yuehong's opinion:
"A spirit of adventure is commendable, but a fondness for seeking death is a criticism. We must grasp that line well.
"Let's go..."
She originally wanted to say, "Let's go to the Inhuman Hospital Vegetative Recovery Center" to see, but she felt that the team members, who had just experienced such a thrilling and exciting exploration, needed some time to adjust their state after such a rollercoaster of emotions.
"Let's rest outside Taicheng first." Jiang Baimian finally chose to wait until after noon to talk about it.
Shang Jianyao walked towards the jeep with Genaava, revealing a thoughtful expression:
"I was thinking..."
Why does this tone sound so familiar? Jiang Baimian tilted her head and asked:
"Thinking about what?"
"I was wondering if Xiaochong has any relationship with Zhuang Sheng? Could it be one of His split personalities?" Shang Jianyao's eyes were bright, "Otherwise, why did the white light I obtained at the Holm Reproductive Medical Center go straight for the crack representing Xiaochong as soon as it entered my 'Sea of Origin', entangling together like enemies, intertwined and inseparable?"
Long Yuehong subconsciously wanted to deny this terrifying possibility:
"You said they were like enemies."
"It's common for different personalities to be enemies!" Shang Jianyao said righteously.
Where is that common? Long Yuehong protested in his heart.
"Besides, Taicheng No. 1 High School also has Du Shaochong." Shang Jianyao added.
Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:
"There is a certain possibility.
"There is also a direction for confirmation."
"What direction?" Shang Jianyao asked excitedly.
Jiang Baimian looked around:
"If we can determine that the Marsh No. 1 Ruins is Da Jiang City, then the answer will be self-evident."
The Marsh No. 1 Ruins was the ruins where the Old Task Force encountered Xiaochong.
"We can ask the company for the collected information later." Bai Chen suggested.
As they spoke, they had already gotten into the jeep, each in their own seat.
Just at that moment, they heard a bird's chirping and saw a bird flying from not far away, entering Taicheng No. 1 High School. After circling a few times, it left from another direction.
This was a sight that had never been seen before.
-- From the outside, Taicheng No. 1 High School was as dead as if there were no living creatures.
Shang Jianyao muttered to himself:
"Our phone call woke up 'Zhuang Sheng', and when 'Zhuang Sheng' woke up, the dream naturally faded away?"