Embers Ad Infinitum
chapter-639

Chapter 639: ‘Memory’

Translator: CKtalon

Upon seeing Jiang Baimian remain silent, Shang Jianyao looked at Genava. “Old Ge, there’s one for you too.”

As he spoke, he took out the new phone he had bought and threw it to Genava.

Genava expressed his thoughts as he accurately caught it. “I don’t need it. I won’t be affected by the nightmare.”

“Every companion needs to be protected.” Shang Jianyao had a look of fairness.

The red glow in Genava’s eyes flickered for a moment, in agreement with the reason.

Shang Jianyao added, “Besides, this is our last hope.”

Jiang Baimian already understood what Shang Jianyao meant and helped him explain. “Old Ge, write a program and simulate the random code that we copied from Avia. Think of a way to get it into the phone. Once we are in an extremely dangerous situation and you sense it, don’t hesitate to call that number and see what will happen.”

The mysterious code copied from Avia involved a lot of secrets. It was evaluated by the former First City emperor, Oray, as abnormally terrifying and dangerous.

Normally, it couldn’t be entered into a phone—the corresponding symbols were missing. However, the Old Task Force had Genava. He could even code a brand-new phone operating system that allowed such a situation.

As a smart bot, it was clearly impossible for him to dream. This also meant that he wouldn’t be affected by the nightmare. He could observe the other four team members’ conditions as a bystander and pay attention to any abnormalities that happened to them.

When the time came, Genava could choose to push them awake, electrocute them, sound an alarm, or dial the mysterious number based on the severity of the situation.

Every time she encountered such a scene, Jiang Baimian always wanted to heap praises upon the smart bot.

Upon seeing that every member had been assigned special items, Long Yuehong deeply realized for the first time that his team had a very deep background.

Regardless of whether these items could be used by them, it was better than nothing!

Of course, Shang Jianyao was missing one item, but there was something special about his Sea of Origins.

“Alright, what we need to do now is wait patiently.” Jiang Baimian clapped her hands and signaled for everyone to find a seat.

Bai Chen pursed her lips and didn’t say a word as if she were enduring something. She only used her actions to show her compliance with her team leader’s orders.

Shang Jianyao lay on the tattered sofa first and smiled. “I have to make some preparations too.”

He then raised his right hand and massaged his temples.

…

In the Mind Corridor, Shang Jianyao appeared in his Room 131.

This time, he didn’t push open the door and leave. Instead, he turned around and entered the cramped room along the aisle.

On one of the walls of the small room was an LCD television. It was broadcasting a thinly-misted sea and indistinct islands.

This was Shang Jianyao’s manifestation of the Sea of Origins.

Shang Jianyao stretched out his right hand and pressed it on the LCD screen.

His entire body turned illusory as he fused into it.

In the Sea of Origins.

Shang Jianyao’s figure appeared in midair. He looked up and cast his gaze at the sizable rift above.

It was like a scar in this world, an incurable scar.

On the other side of the rift, a large number of glimmers flickered as countless shadows overlapped.

“Xiaochong! Xiaochong!” Shang Jianyao conjured a blue and white loudspeaker and shouted at the gap.

He shouted for three minutes, filled with passion and anticipation. Unfortunately, nobody bothered with him from the other end of the rift.

“The soundproofing is too good?” Shang Jianyao muttered to himself. He then split out the honest Shang Jianyao and the rash Shang Jianyao, allowing them to extend out from his back.

Just like that, Shang Jianyao obtained a pair of wings.

He flapped the honest Shang Jianyao and the rash Shang Jianyao as he flew toward the rift and reached its surface.

“Xiaochong! Xiaochong!” The Shang Jianyao that valued relationships and wore childhood clothes shouted at the dark rift.

His voice reached the other end, but it was like a rock sinking into the sea. It didn’t cause so much as a stir, nor did it bring about any subsequent developments.

Shang Jianyao then changed his shouting. “Teacher Du Heng is here! Teacher Du Heng is here!”

The rift remained silent.

“This won’t work!” The rash Shang Jianyao immediately swapped positions with the Shang Jianyao that valued relationships.

He exerted strength with his hands, attempting to widen the gap before burrowing in to visit Xiaochong. If Xiaochong doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to him!

The next second, many selves hung from Shang Jianyao’s body. With all their might, the other seven Shang Jianyaos either hugged his thigh, dragged his arm, wrapped their arms around his waist, or gripped his head to stop this rash fellow.

Nobody knew the situation opposite them. Nobody knew what Xiaochong was like in the mind world!

Once the other party—who was suspected to be the King of the Heartless—showed his true side, the rash Shang Jianyao might directly become a Heartless and implicate the other nine for no reason.

“Awigh’… I… giv… up…” The rash Shang Jianyao—who had his mouth covered—pleaded.

The other Shang Jianyaos quickly fused with him, leaving only the two who took on the role as wings.

Looking at the widening gap, Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “Actually, we can make it bigger. This is my mind world, and it’s equivalent to my memory warehouse…”

After a fair and just vote by the Shang Jianyao Democratic Association, this motion was finally accepted.

The Shang Jianyaos worked together to double the gap’s size.

On the other side of the rift, countless overlapping shadows surged over and blocked the opening. The shimmering light transformed into rich darkness that seeped into Shang Jianyao’s Sea of Origins, dyeing the sky around the rift as if it were covered in shadows.

Shang Jianyao flapped the honest Shang Jianyao and the rash Shang Jianyao as he retreated a distance away and observed the various changes in the rift.

Finally, the situation stabilized, and the darkness didn’t spread any further.

Shang Jianyao shouted at the overlapping shadows stuck at the exit again. “Xiaochong! Xiaochong!”

Nobody replied, nor were there any anomalies.

After a moment of silence, Shang Jianyao sighed. “If I can figure out Xiaochong’s situation, I can be bolder now.”

With that said, he exhaled and said, “Unfortunately, there’s no Destiny Connection. We can only use clumsy methods next and do it bit by bit.”

Shang Jianyao cast his gaze at the shimmering illusory sea below and began recalling his interactions with Xiaochong.

If he had Destiny Connection, he could directly summon all the relevant memories, including those he couldn’t remember. But now, he could only act like an ordinary person and recall them bit by bit to complete the ‘stirring.’

As Shang Jianyao recalled, a faint glow flew up from the illusory sea and circled the rift.

It was filled with scenes related to Xiaochong.

When the light reached a certain intensity, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands and made them envelop the rift from all directions.

…

In the evening, the Green Olive Zone became noisy, crowded, and chaotic.

On the street dozens of meters away from the True Self Church’s stronghold, an ordinary small truck stopped by the side of the road.

Welf sat in the driver’s seat with ‘nobody’ beside him.

He looked at the tablet placed on the central console and slowly closed his eyes. Almost at the same time, his consciousness seemed to transform into an invisible tentacle. It crossed a considerable distance and extended toward the room where the targets lived.

After entering his destination, Welf split the ‘tentacles’ into four according to the human consciousnesses he sensed and made them burrow into the different targets.

After confirming that one belonged to the other party’s Mind Corridor-level Awakened, the ‘tentacle’ chose to hold back. The other three carefully flipped through the corresponding memories in an attempt to figure out what the enemy was relying on before he officially attacked.

Due to his previous ‘experience,’ he didn’t plan on altering Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen’s memories either—which would make them ‘betray’ each other in the subsequent battle.

He had a nagging feeling that the man named Shang Jianyao wasn’t scaring him but had a way to sense if his companion’s memories had been modified.

The Life Angel necklace that Pangu Biology believes can resist danger?

The Six Senses Beads that have fused with the Buddhist Holy Land’s abnormality?

A small jade Buddha taken out of a Buddhist Holy Land?

A very dangerous and terrifying mysterious number?

Xiaochong and Teacher Du Heng’s help?

Welf quickly learned what the Old Task Force’s contingency plans were. However, he couldn’t understand what was going on with the so-called help from Xiaochong and Teacher Du Heng.

He had repeatedly confirmed that these two weren’t in First City at the moment.

After hesitating for a moment, Welf—who felt that only the right answer lay with Shang Jianyao—activated the ‘tentacle’ that had been holding back. It searched the other party’s brain bit by bit for related memories.

Is this his usual interaction with Xiaochong? Welf quickly discovered something.

As he flipped through the pages, a very cracked rift suddenly appeared in front of him.