Koninmis, the edge of the main urban area.

Genava and Shang Jianyao, wearing a military exoskeleton device, walked from under an overpass towards the suburbs.

They didn't return the same way, and the latter also hid his human consciousness throughout the whole journey, so as not to be discovered by the Eighth Research Institute members summoned by that giant feline creature.

The reckless Shang Jianyao had proposed an ambush, but it didn't even enter the voting process, and was rejected by the other Shang Jianyaos, because they were not sure how many people the Eighth Research Institute had sent to Koninmis, and what their overall strength was.

Even if the "Deputy Director", "Professor Li" and other "New World" powerhouses weren't brought over and put into slumber here to guard this area, two or three Awakened who had explored the depths of the "Mind Corridor" would be enough to give the "Old Task Force" a hard time.

After walking a few steps in the desolate fields, Shang Jianyao suddenly turned his head and laughed.

"What's wrong?" As a smart robot, Genava's temper was quite good.

"No, not that sentence." Shang Jianyao looked at Genava, hoping he could understand what he meant.

"What's not that sentence?" Genava was puzzled.

Shang Jianyao answered, exasperated:

"At this time, you should ask 'Why are you laughing?'"

Genava quickly retrieved this sentence from the database and suddenly realized:

"You want me to cooperate with you and recreate a classic scene?"

"Yes!" Shang Jianyao coaxed, "A real person can't be rigid and inflexible, but must keep pace with the times, fully grasp the corresponding customs and culture, and be able to catch the puns thrown by companions."

Genava, who was shaped like a chameleon, moved his neck up and down and followed suit:

"Why are you laughing?"

Shang Jianyao laughed:

"I laugh at the people of the Eighth Research Institute for being stupid and rigid, and they didn't even guard the main exits from the city to wait for us like rabbits, ambushing us.

"Did they think we would definitely return the same way?"

"Maybe they just don't have enough manpower and can only choose the route that is most likely to block us." Genava analyzed the current situation.

Shang Jianyao chuckled:

"If it's really like what you said, their problem is that they only sent such a small number of people to guard Koninmis.

"It's not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth!

"Too arrogant and presumptuous."

Speaking of this, Shang Jianyao raised his right hand and rubbed his chin on the surface of the "Berserker" assault rifle, as if talking to himself:

"It's also possible that they think that people who go deep into the main urban area of Koninmis can't come out unscathed, either they die or become 'Mindless Ones', so they simply didn't send anyone to block or ambush us.

"That big cat is tracking us just to confirm whether we have really entered the depths of the main urban area, the most dangerous area."

Genava had a question about this statement:

"But nothing is absolute, there will always be someone who enters the depths of the main urban area and comes out alive, such as you.

"And like you, it shouldn't be an isolated case. Over the years, it's normal for similar situations to occur three or five times."

Shang Jianyao smiled:

"Then tell me, why am I able to come out unscathed?"

"The long night is endless, and the Destiny provides blessings." This time, Genava cooperated very well, "It may also be Namo Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, or the Perfected Person has no self, and the New World is right in front of us."

Shang Jianyao nodded in satisfaction:

"So, even if there were people who came out alive like me before, it was most likely because they had obtained the blessing of the Year Star.

"Faced with a target blessed by the Year Star, how dare the Eighth Research Institute rashly ambush us, aren't they afraid of encountering a repeat of the 'Doctor' being frightened by 'Yougu'?"

Genava completely understood what Shang Jianyao wanted to express:

"Those who die inside don't need to be taken care of, and those who come out alive can't be taken care of, right?"

Bang bang bang, Shang Jianyao tapped the "Berserker" assault rifle with his chin, using it to replace applause.

He then added:

"The problem now is, since there is no need to manage them, why did the Eighth Research Institute send people over to patrol with the big cat?"

"Lacking the necessary conditions, it is difficult to complete the analysis." Genava replied truthfully.

Shang Jianyao no longer made fun of the Eighth Research Institute, and returned with Genava to the place where the sky was getting brighter and brighter.

As they approached the woods, they stopped, one after another.

Genava first, Shang Jianyao after.

"The meeting point has been changed..." Shang Jianyao said with emotion, looking at the secret sign left by his companions.

Genava turned his neck a circle, then turned it back in the opposite direction:

"Dabai and the others must have encountered something and had to move the camp."

"I missed it again!" Shang Jianyao was heartbroken and looked disappointed, "I knew I should have stayed in the woods today and let Old Ge explore the main urban area of Koninmis by himself."

As he spoke, he and Genava bypassed the woods from a distance according to the prompts on the sign and headed to the predetermined second meeting point.

In a hidden place in the mountains, they successfully reunited with Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen.

After Jiang Baimian finished telling them about the attack they had encountered, Shang Jianyao took out the small blue-and-black speaker that had been put back in the jeep and patted it with a look of satisfaction:

"You have done a great service!

"You deserve the title of a member of the Old Task Force!"

Without waiting for Long Yuehong and the others to speak, he excitedly suggested:

"Let's track the traces now, follow the vine, and counterattack?"

"Don't rush." Jiang Baimian looked up at the sky, "The beginning is always the most vigilant. Besides, it's still a bit too bright."

She then asked:

"Did you find anything in the main urban area?

"Did you do something to stimulate the entire Koninmis to undergo certain changes?"

"Yes!" The Shang Jianyaos all spoke at once, telling their previous experiences, and Genava was responsible for filling in the gaps.

The more Long Yuehong listened, the more serious he became. At the end, he summarized:

"Koninmis and the 'New World' have overlapped, and the deeper you go, the more serious the overlap becomes?"

"That's about it." Shang Jianyao guessed with anticipation, "Maybe at the root of the problem, there will be a door to the 'New World', located on the graylands rather than the 'Mind Corridor'."

Bai Chen frowned and said:

"Koninmis has only been destroyed for more than ten years. It has never shown any signs of having a 'New World' gate before. And at that time, or even earlier, there were rumors that somewhere in the graylands there was an entrance to the 'New World'. This can't be referring to Koninmis, right?"

"Who said there is only one door to the 'New World'?" Shang Jianyao laughed, "The disaster that destroyed Koninmis might have created another 'New World' gate."

Bai Chen nodded, thinking that this situation was indeed possible.

Jiang Baimian "hmm"ed:

"The team that investigated the cause of the Old World's destruction came to Koninmis because there were certain problems here and some very important clues were hidden."

She was referring to the Old Task Force that Shang Jianyao's father was in.

"What are the problems and what are the clues?" Genava helped pick out the key points.

No one could answer.

Even Shang Jianyao just sighed and said:

"I can't find any survivors for the time being."

Speaking of this, he suddenly became excited again, looking in the direction of the main urban area of Koninmis and said:

"Apart from using nuclear bombs, how should we solve the problem of Koninmis overlapping with the 'New World'?"

"Approach the root of the problem, concentrate all the electricity, and destroy the overlapping phenomenon?" Long Yuehong said tentatively.

Genava reminded:

"The amount of electricity we have now may not be enough."

"Well, we can consider going to the White Knights' sphere of influence first and fully charging all the batteries." Jiang Baimian looked at the sky again, "If we could bring down the summer thunderstorms and direct them to the main urban area of Koninmis, the problem would be simple. I remember the Old World had weather weapons with similar principles, but no force can build them now."

She "uh"ed and continued:

"Besides, if we completely destroy the electromagnetic environment of Koninmis, it will be difficult for us to investigate what exactly happened back then."

Now, in the depths of the main urban area of Koninmis, past scenes are constantly replaying.

"Yes." Shang Jianyao chose to agree.

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said:

"Actually, it is possible to approach the root of the problem without stimulating the vortex."

"How to do it?" Shang Jianyao's eyes lit up.

Jiang Baimian explained:

"At the edge of that area, when you met Flora and Barnard, they couldn't see you or hear you. They could only sense the corresponding human consciousness when you walked next to them. However, the man sitting in the library seemed to be able to directly see you when you passed by, or rather, sense the human consciousness.

"In short, I suspect that the closer you get to the root of the problem, the more obvious the overlap is, and the easier it is for the strong in the 'New World' to observe the surrounding Koninmis scenes.

"In the beginning, they couldn't see or hear you, and had to be very close to sense you. Later, they could see, hear, and sense you within a certain distance...

"So, if you had chosen to bypass the square from the outside at that time, you would most likely not have alarmed the man sitting in the library. You can do the same with similar projections in the future, but the closer you get to the root of the problem, the more careful you have to be, leaving enough leeway, and preferring to take a detour rather than saving effort."

"That makes sense." Genava said, "But this method may not work in the deepest part, where there should be projections everywhere, and there's no way to avoid them."

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:

"At that time, you should be able to directly sense the vortex and determine where the root of the problem is."

Clap clap clap, Shang Jianyao, who had put away the small speaker and the "Angel of Life" necklace, applauded.

He also took off his military exoskeleton device to save power.

After discussing this issue for a while, the "Old Task Force" began to eat dry food and drink clear water, preparing physically and mentally to find the people of the Eighth Research Institute by following the tracks.

——Since Koninmis was controlled by the Eighth Research Institute, Jiang Baimian and the others did not think that the previous attackers would belong to other forces.