Under the reckless Shang Jianyao's lead, the group entered the "Sea of Origins," heading straight for the rift high in the sky that represented Xiao Chong.
With their individual independence and autonomy enhanced, they no longer distinguished who was the wing and who was the main body. They either stepped on clouds or rode the wind, utilizing all the methods they had learned from the old world's entertainment materials.
Of course, this was mainly for self-amusement. Having already passed through the "New World" gate, they didn't need any of this within their own "Sea of Origins." They could go wherever they wanted.
In the blink of an eye, several Shang Jianyaos floated in the air, surrounding the rift.
They peered into it with all their might, discovering that it still shimmered with faint light and was filled with shadows, no different from before.
"How can there be no change?" The reckless Shang Jianyao was very disappointed.
He moved closer, squeezing his entire body into the rift, almost completely passing through.
The next second, he exclaimed with joy:
"Come and listen, come and listen! There are voices!"
The other Shang Jianyaos immediately gathered around, blocking the entrance to the rift completely.
They then heard rustling voices from within.
It was very low and blurry. The Shang Jianyaos couldn't understand what was being said at all, only barely distinguishing that the voices came from different sources, as if there were a dozen or twenty people discussing and exchanging ideas about a certain topic.
"Can't hear clearly!" The reckless Shang Jianyao tried to pass through the rift to the other side to shorten the distance between himself and the speakers.
But his "body" did not obey his command.
His legs were held tightly by the other Shang Jianyaos, making it difficult to break free.
"A chance missed may never come again!" The reckless Shang Jianyao shouted loudly.
No one answered him.
"The more dangerous it is, the more you have to take risks!" The reckless Shang Jianyao's tone was full of disappointment.
Unfortunately, the other Shang Jianyaos cooperated this time, forcibly dragging him away from the rift.
After some arguing and consultation, they reached a consensus not to rashly enter Xiao Chong's mental world.
After all, this person was likely a childhood version of "Zhuang Sheng," and his mental world was equivalent to "Zhuang Sheng's" mental world.
…………
Eighth Research Institute, the end of the tunnel, behind the door.
Jiang Baimian, sitting against the wall, took out a piece of candy, peeled off the wrapper, and put it in her mouth.
The sweetness slowly spread out, echoing within her oral cavity, allowing her emotions to be somewhat soothed.
The other her was actually right.
Everyone has a selfish side, and saving all of humanity was too hollow and ethereal for her, unable to evoke a strong resonance within her.
Although she had experienced an uncontrollable surge of emotion when she saw Huang Yuanwei and others in Wubei shouting slogans like "For all of humanity" and going to their deaths generously, time had passed, and she asked herself if she were to do such a thing, she might not be able to.
If danger was directed at herself, at her family and friends, Jiang Baimian believed that she had the courage and confidence to face danger and face death, but for those unrelated people, people for whom she couldn't even conjure a concrete image in her mind, she inevitably had thoughts like "It's not worth it at all" and "What's the point?"
When she had sufficient ability and encountered ordinary people suffering harm, Jiang Baimian was still willing to lend a helping hand, but the problem was that this was based on her having already seen those tragedies, having seen those humans.
In comparison, the goal of "For all of humanity" was truly too grand, so grand that it was empty and abstract.
On the other hand, when it came to escaping reality and only protecting her own family and friends, Jiang Baimian had different feelings from the other her.
Among the company's ordinary employees, there were many people she had met, chatted with, and had contact with. Thinking of these people, who she had no particular friendship with but whose faces she recognized, and how they could become food for the Arbiters and "New World" powerhouses at any time, losing their minds without warning and turning into "Heartless," she once again felt a strong sense of compassion and pity.
As the ancient saying goes, having seen their birth, one cannot bear to see their death; having heard their cries, one cannot bear to eat their flesh. Therefore, a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen.
If that was the case for animals, how much more so for those of the same species that she often encountered?
Jiang Baimian held the candy in her mouth, and various thoughts surged in her mind, fluttering about and difficult to stop.
…………
In the "New World," there was no distinction between day and night. Shang Jianyao could only rely on Jiang Baimian communicating with him three times a day, at fixed times for morning, noon, and evening, to know roughly what time it was.
As for watches and clocks, it was quite simple for him to materialize them, but the problem was that these were products of his mental construction and did not have corresponding mechanical or electronic structures themselves. In other words, the time displayed on them was the time that Shang Jianyao himself thought it was, and it was of no use in helping him keep track of time.
If Shang Jianyao was willing to spare a "timekeeper" to be solely responsible for the watch, counting second by second, it would still be possible to determine the time, but this was too much of a waste of energy.
"I've been waiting all night!" Shang Jianyao looked out the window, only to see that the light in the target building's top floor was still on.
He rubbed his cheeks and praised himself:
"Not bad, not sleepy at all!"
He then said:
"But waiting like this isn't a solution either."
The reckless Shang Jianyao immediately suggested:
"How about paying a visit?
"As someone new to this place, visiting neighbors is a very normal thing. It shouldn't attract hostility."
"What if it's a hungry, irritable guy?" The honest Shang Jianyao retorted.
The novelty-seeking Shang Jianyao smiled:
"Let's take it one step at a time. First, go over and knock on the door, and be prepared for battle. At that distance, even if we are attacked, our chances of escaping are still relatively high.
"Then, we can decide whether to go inside for a visit, talk at the door, or leave immediately, depending on the attitude of the room's owner."
The Shang Jianyaos exchanged ideas for a while. With the opposition of the two most intelligent members, the proposal passed by a margin of one vote.
He then left the current apartment, walked on the dark street, and, illuminated by the streetlights, arrived in front of the gray-blue classical building.
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
Shang Jianyao rang the doorbell.
No one responded to him.
"I can't sense any human consciousness on the top floor..." He rubbed his chin and said, "What's the point of such concealment?"
Hiding one's consciousness while the light is on is no different from taking off your pants to fart.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!
The reckless Shang Jianyao kept pressing the doorbell.
The sound echoed layer by layer, but it did not stir up the slightest ripple.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?" The reckless Shang Jianyao "bang, bang" banged on the door.
The light on the top floor remained quiet, as if it were just an illusion.
Before anyone could react, the reckless Shang Jianyao suddenly grabbed the wooden door handle and twisted it hard.
Before everyone could react, the door opened!
The first floor was ruled by darkness, and there was nothing unusual to see.
"I'm coming in? I'm coming in?" The Shang Jianyao filled with justice politely reminded.
No one inside the house answered whether it was okay or not.
After another round of discussion, the reckless Shang Jianyao obtained a majority vote, forcing the calm and rational Shang Jianyao, the insidious and vicious Shang Jianyao, and other minority members to enter the house with him, going straight to the fourth floor.
This made the reckless Shang Jianyao, who had been frustrated in the past, sincerely exclaim:
"Who said that the price would increase after entering the 'New World'?
"It's clearly gotten better!"
The other Shang Jianyaos chose to remain silent.
He went up the stairs, and in less than two minutes, he arrived at the door of the room with the light on.
The room was completely open. It was a small reception room with a brown floor, crystal-like daylight lamps hanging down, a coffee table, a set of sofas, and several chairs. Other than that, it was empty.
"No one?" Shang Jianyao poked his head in at the door and looked around several times.
With the light on, there was actually no one in the room!
Considering that others might be "invisible," the reckless Shang Jianyao materialized a long broom as he stepped through the door, poking here and sweeping there, trying to force out the room's owner, who might be hiding in the air, with actual contact.
At the same time, he carefully listened to the surrounding movement.
After confirming this, Shang Jianyao became even more puzzled.
He muttered to himself in shock:
"There's really no one!"
Other than the fact that his entry made the light a little brighter, there was no change here.
As soon as Shang Jianyao finished speaking, he suddenly heard a creaking sound.
The open room moved without wind, closing violently, trying to shut!
"No!" Shang Jianyao shouted and lunged towards the door.
At the same time, he interfered with matter, turning the air into a large hand, pressing against the door to resist it.
But the force closing the door was enormous, and even with Shang Jianyao's current level, it was difficult to stop it "out of thin air."
Bang!
The door closed.
Bang! Shang Jianyao then pounced on the door and bounced back.
As soon as he regained his footing, he forcefully twisted the handle, but the door was as still as if it were painted on the wall.
Without hesitation, Shang Jianyao turned to the window.
However, the window could not be opened either.