Embers Ad Infinitum
chapter-684

Shang Jianyao wasn't modest at all. "Of course! Furthermore, the improvement is considerable. As for the exact details…"

He cast his gaze at Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong reflexively took a few steps back as if he had foreseen Shang Jianyao's sinister intentions.

Shang Jianyao smiled. "I'll try using a psychological trauma later. It won't be too different from reality."

"…" Long Yuehong was stunned for a moment. "That wasn't what you said previously."

Shang Jianyao explained seriously, "The room owner of the previous psychological trauma—the one in Iron Mountain City Ruin's Second Food Company—wasn't an Awakened back then, so I couldn't sense human consciousness inside. My abilities were greatly interfered with, so I couldn't compare with reality; therefore, I didn't discover this. The cruise trauma felt relatively close to reality."

Although what you said makes sense, I keep having the feeling that you're bullsh*ting me… Long Yuehong muttered inwardly.

He didn't attempt to 'expose' Shang Jianyao. After all, he had already escaped the fate of becoming an experimental subject.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian looked at the sunglasses that had fused with the Chaotic aura and thoughtfully said, "The Sea of Origins can't directly correspond to reality. The data obtained from the experiments there is inaccurate. I have to figure out how large this pair of sunglasses' range of influence is later and how many people it can be used against. I need to know the different effects it has on Awakened who have already stepped into the Mind Corridor, Awakened who are still in the Sea of Origins, and ordinary people…"

"Uh…" Long Yuehong was a little stunned. Team Leader, you're known to be kind, but now you are in cahoots with Shang Jianyao?

Jiang Baimian smiled at him and said, "The Mind Corridor-level experimental subject is naturally Hey. I'll be the one responsible for the one in the Sea of Origins. When the time comes, I'll get Hey to use the item. Then, who do you think is the better experimental subject for ordinary people—you or Little White?"

Upon hearing his team leader's question, a scene that often appeared in the Old World entertainment surfaced in Long Yuehong's mind: someone spreading their pitch-black, vile devil wings out their back.

"I'll do it!" Long Yuehong blurted out without hesitation.

Jiang Baimian looked at him, and her lips seemed to tremble. Finally, she couldn't help but laugh. "Haha! Little Red, you're really the most innocent and gullible boy I've ever seen!"

"Ah…" Long Yuehong was confused and embarrassed. He subconsciously turned his head to glance at Bai Chen and realized that his companion seemed to be holding in her laughter.

Jiang Baimian smiled and said, "There's no need for me to experiment personally. I can just return the item to Hey and get him to bring the aura into another person's psychological trauma for testing. Won't that work? This is no different from experimenting with how much his abilities have improved. At most, I'll use him as my experimental subject after he's back in reality to test how much influence it has on Awakened at the Mind Corridor level."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao applauded this 'exciting' con.

The person in question instantly realized what was happening, and his face flushed red.

Jiang Baimian knew when to stop and quickly praised Long Yuehong. "The fact that you didn't go into detail shows your trust in your companions and how you're willing to make certain sacrifices for the team. Well done!"

She gave a thumbs up.

Team Leader, have you never heard the story of 'the boy who cried wolf?' If you continue making such jokes, nobody might take it seriously when the time comes and cause a strategic misunderstanding… Long Yuehong criticized inwardly and waved his hand. "It's only right."

He couldn't say that he had turned flustered out of concern for someone, right?

Jiang Baimian then changed the topic and looked at Genava. "Seriously, Old Ge, you have to be an experimental subject later. I want to try to see if the Chaotic aura comes with the Electromagnetic Interference ability."

"You can first try to see if you can interfere with matter and carry out an elimination," Genava replied according to his programming.

"There's no way to eliminate the possibility. Perhaps both abilities are present." Jiang Baimian shook her head. "Although I can still use walkie-talkies and electrical appliances as experimental subjects, they can't give me the most accurate and direct feedback. It's not that easy for Hey to find a real smart bot in psychological traumas."

Genava accepted this explanation. "Alright, no problem."

After a series of attempts, Shang Jianyao finally concluded: After the cruise ship's trauma, the number of people he could affect had increased to 100. The range of Literary Hipster-Corny Person reached 150 meters. Limbs Immobility and Electromagnetic Interference were 200 meters. Matter Interference was 100 meters. Thought Guidance didn't change in this regard; it was still based on the requirement that one heard the corresponding words clearly. Therefore, it could affect people through phones, radio stations, and other means from a distance.

The price of the Chaotic aura was that it was cryophobia—fear of the cold. To a certain extent, one had to wear a sweater even in summer, or they would be trembling.

Its effect was to make ten humans within 100 meters fall into a chaotic, crazy, and subconscious state. Even if the influence was interrupted, this state could be maintained for nearly two minutes.

The effects suffered by ordinary people and Sea of Origins-level Awakened were no different. When it came to Awakened at the Mind Corridor level, the duration and level of chaos clearly decreased. The former lasted only 15 seconds left, while the latter allowed the target to maintain a certain level of consciousness. However, it was easy to hallucinate. They would easily treat the hallucinations as real and carry out actions that targeted them.

In other words, Mind Corridor-level Awakened wouldn't truly enter a state of unconsciousness and go completely crazy even if they were affected by the Chaotic aura. They would only be a little unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

In such a situation, he could react if a certain action was taken against him unless the attacker was coincidentally replaced by his hallucination.

"Therefore, it really suits you," Shang Jianyao said sincerely as he looked at Jiang Baimian.

As the Old Task Force's team leader, Jiang Baimian had the hallucinatory abilities of Spatial Hallucination and Item Agnosia.

Under normal circumstances, she—who was only at the Sea of Origins level—couldn't affect a Mind Corridor Awakened with her created illusions. At most, she could give the other party a feeling that they were watching a holographic projection or be in a temporary daze.

But when the target fell into 'chaos,' the effects of her 'hallucination' would be completely different.

Jiang Baimian laughed and said bluntly, "Since you're so sincere about giving it to me, I'll reluctantly accept it."

She knew that refusing would only hurt the Shang Jianyao that valued relationships.

"However," Jiang Baimian smiled and made a request. "It's best to fix the aura on my glove. It will be more convenient."

She took out a pair of black leather gloves with some fluff.

Although the Old Task Force estimated that it would be midsummer when they arrived at Icefield's Tai City and that it was the best season in the area, Jiang Baimian wasn't sure if they would meet with any delays. Therefore, she still got her team members to make some preparations while buying all kinds of supplies in First City.

Shang Jianyao naturally wouldn't refuse such a simple request. He used the Mind Corridor to transfer the Chaotic aura to the right-hand glove. Therefore, this item was named Chaotic Right Hand.

Jiang Baimian picked up the glove and said regretfully, "Unfortunately, this can't interfere with electromagnetism or matter."

She wanted to sigh, but she felt that exhaling hot air was too extravagant.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao made a strange sound. "Coo, coo. The cold wind is freezing…"

Jiang Baimian glared at him and placed the item back into her tactical backpack. She then looked around and said, "After what happened last night, I have some confidence in defeating the island of fear. I'll give it a try now."

Nobody objected.

…

In the Sea of Origins, in the solemn and quiet Pangu Biology underground building.

Jiang Baimian stood outside her house and spoke as if she were chatting with someone. "I've figured something out now: Being in the Ashlands, accidents are inevitable. Even if I don't do anything—or rather, do everything to the best of my ability, it's still possible for me to face all kinds of accidents when I wake up. This might be because someone nearby had retrieved an item in a ruin, or it might be a surgery that some innocent man nearby had previously undergone… These are things beyond our control. There can even be undiscovered anomalies that might result in my companions, friends, and family suddenly being infected with the Heartless disease."

Jiang Baimian paused, and her expression gradually turned solemn and serious. "I'm afraid of losing my family, relatives, friends, and companions. I'm afraid of losing my current way of life. However, it doesn't mean that I won't lose these just because I'm afraid! As long as I don't figure out the cause of the Heartless disease or the reason for the Old World's destruction, everyone will live in fear! I will work hard at advancing so that I won't have to be on edge one day!"

She frankly voiced her feelings before laughing. "I'll install explosives in a few key spots here later and personally blow up this underground building. Terror can't stop me from moving forward. It can only become a driving motivation for me to move forward!"

Nearly half an hour later, at the parking lot entrance of the underground building.

Jiang Baimian put on her sunglasses and walked to the door. She even hummed a song. "Do you remember the dreams of your youth?

"Like a flower in eternal bloom…"

Rumble!

Behind her and under her feet, a series of explosions shook the ground violently.

The entire island seemed to collapse, and flames flickered amidst the dust. Jiang Baimian didn't even look back as she walked to the edge of the island.

After the explosion completely subsided, she knew that she had overcome the corresponding fear.

…

After leaving the Sea of Origins, Jiang Baimian tested the improvement of her abilities.

Her Spatial Hallucination could now affect seven people, and the range became 30 meters. Item Agnosia could affect two targets at once. The range was 20 meters, with a period of 90 seconds. Stimulation Disorder could only modify one related reaction at a time for one target. The duration increased to two minutes, with a maximum range of 15 meters.

After Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian had their breakthroughs, the Old Task Force set off again.

After nearly two weeks, they finally arrived at the border between First City and the Salvation Army after taking many detours.

This was a continuous mountain range.

1. From the primary school passage, Cold Trumpet Bird.
2. Price of Love, Lee Tsung-Sheng.