After hearing Genava’s answer, Shang Jianyao suddenly raised his right hand that was holding the Berserker assault rifle vertically and chanted a Buddhist proclamation. “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.”
“What do you mean?” Genava asked sincerely.
He knew that this was a Buddhist mantra, but he didn’t know why Shang Jianyao used it here.
Shang Jianyao sighed. “Maybe the ripples we stirred up last time killed the Heartless here.”
Genava—whose head had become a chameleon’s—moved his metal neck up and down. “There’s a non-zero chance.”
Shang Jianyao then pointed the muzzle at the dilapidated apartment in front of him and said, “Let’s head in.”
He and Genava quickly found Aester’s home in Ceningmis according to the detailed information provided by Gitis.
It was a penthouse, and it was formed by two connected apartments. The living room was abnormally spacious, but there were only a few armchairs, a coffee table wrapped in leather at the edge of a junk pile, and some cabinets by the wall. All kinds of toys were scattered everywhere on the ground—this included a large number of Lego blocks.
Some of them had been stacked into fortresses, some had become animals, and some had yet to be completed. The corresponding parts could be seen scattered around.
There was a visibly thick layer of dust covering every spot.
The red glow in Genava’s eyes flickered as he sized it up for a while before saying, “It isn’t used for reception here; it has become a children’s playground.”
It was obvious that this was under the wishes of Aester or his mistress back then. They didn’t consider entertaining guests at home and weren’t even willing to set up more sofas.
“They should love those two children very much…” Shang Jianyao suddenly said.
Genava fell silent when he recalled his daughter.
In silence, his gaze swept across every corner of the living room before finally landing on a photo frame on the coffee table.
In the photo were two children. The older child was a boy—four or five years old. He was slightly chubby, and his blond hair had a side parting. He had an awkward and disdainful expression as if he were unwilling to take the photo. The younger child was a girl, only about a year or two old. Her blond hair was tied in a small braid, and her blue eyes were clear and confused as she smiled carefreely, sweetly, and adorably.
Compared to other ruins, many things here—which had only been destroyed for about ten years with no Ruin Hunters daring to enter—remained relatively intact as if they had been sealed in a time stasis.
Genava stared at it for a while before saying, “The residents probably never returned.”
Shang Jianyao suddenly turned his head and asked, “Why do you say that?”
“First, there are no traces of biological activity here. Second, everyone in the city should’ve become Heartless when the disaster began,” Genava explained dutifully.
Shang Jianyao shook his head and said very seriously, “Heartless also know how to head home.”
Genava didn’t retort and only analyzed the logic. “There are no traces of Heartless in the living room either—unless they entered and left through the bedroom windows.”
“We’ll know after checking.” Shang Jianyao held the Berserker assault rifle and walked into the living room, heading deeper into the rooms.
Every scene he and Genava saw felt quiet but desolate. The owners seemed to have never returned.
Shang Jianyao fell silent for a long time as he looked at a large fenced bed and the teddy bear on it.
Genava stared at it for a while before saying, “They should’ve been strolling or playing outside back then and weren’t home…”
Considering the collision of many cars on Ceningmis’s roads, the disaster happened during the day.
Shang Jianyao and Genava’s previous judgment was that the residents of Ceningmis couldn’t calm down when they first became Heartless. A large-scale massacre had happened between them.
Shang Jianyao didn’t say a word. He walked to the bed, picked up the teddy bear and the diamond necklace on the nearby cabinet, and stuffed them into the empty backpack on Genava’s back. He then walked back to the living room, found a Lego box, dismantled a small chunk of the fortress, and placed it inside.
Similarly, this ultimately entered Genava’s backpack.
After doing this, Shang Jianyao looked around and said in surprise, “We actually didn’t encounter any accidents!”
He had an expression as if he were laughing at fate and the enemy’s lack of intelligence.
“It’s very normal,” Genava analyzed. “This isn’t the area that overlaps with the New World, and there isn’t any Heartless activity. Aester isn’t a particularly powerful figure that involves many secrets. We came to his house to retrieve a few ordinary items, so it would be strange if we encountered an accident.”
“Lame.” Shang Jianyao had a look of disappointment. He then used the communications system embedded in the military exoskeleton to tell Jiang Baimian that Aester’s mission had been completed.
Jiang Baimian specially reminded him, “Don’t be careless. You have to be absolutely careful in what follows.”
Shang Jianyao agreed very quickly.
He and Genava then headed for the luxurious apartment labeled on the map from where they were. Before long, the area shrouded in fog—which seemed to be in perpetual darkness—appeared in front of them.
Shang Jianyao and Genava were familiar with the route. They switched on their flashlights, circled around the area illuminated by the light, and approached their destination step by step.
The deeper they went, the wider their detours to prevent themselves from being sensed by the powerhouses in the New World projection. After all, there was no guarantee that they were acquaintances or friendly people like Flora and Barnard.
Flora and Barnard were the two New World powerhouses Shang Jianyao and Genava had first encountered in the overlapping area. They had been chatting in a lit café.
Of course, the café was a projection of the New World. In reality, it was only an empty room with piled-up trash.
As they made another detour, Genava looked at the corpses by the street and on the road. He turned his head to look at Shang Jianyao—who was maintaining a certain distance from him to prevent them from being wiped out together—and said, “Our current strategy is very useful. It should help us reach our destination successfully.
“However, it will probably be very difficult to use tricks like circling around subsequently. Aren’t you worried that the Life Angel necklace won’t be able to protect you anymore? Just like how we encountered the man in the library’s projection last time.”
Shang Jianyao looked ahead through the military exoskeleton’s visor and smiled. “Since fate has arranged for us to come this far, I believe we will definitely turn misfortune into a blessing and gain something. Isn’t it good to relax when you can?”
“But when fate achieves its goal and no longer favors us, things will be completely different,” Genava reminded in a slightly synthetic voice. “Big White said that a mountain or wall you rely on can also collapse. You yourself are the one that can always be relied on.”
Shang Jianyao scoffed. “Try getting a person to live their entire life on their own. He’ll be dead while still a baby!”
“You can dispute that with Big White.” Genava indicated that this wasn’t his words.
Shang Jianyao laughed and said, “If fate really doesn’t favor us anymore, that should be the end of our story.”
His tone gradually turned serious and solemn.
“Aren’t you afraid that the story will have a tragic ending?” The red glow in Genava’s eyes flickered twice.
Shang Jianyao turned his head to look at Genava and smiled. “I’ll work hard to strive for the outcome I want, regardless of whether it’s beautiful or tragic. This is my dream. I’ve done so much for the sake of an opportunity to have a choice when fulfilling my dream.”
With that said, he slapped the Berserker assault rifle to his left chest and solemnly said, “For all of humanity!”
Before Genava could respond, Shang Jianyao anxiously asked, “How is it? Am I becoming more and more like a real Salvation Army soldier?”
He acted like a child looking forward to being praised and afraid of criticism.
“…” Genava almost failed to appreciate the turn of events and bugged out.
The honest him finally moved his metal neck up and down. “Yes.”
Shang Jianyao was immediately excited, making Genava momentarily unsure if he was acting or if he was being sincere.
The two of them walked for a while before encountering a street with lights shining through the fog. There seemed to be roadside stalls there.
Shang Jianyao’s eyes widened. He retracted his gaze with great difficulty and said to Genava, “We have to circle a block this time.”
“Yes.” Genava’s analysis was the same.
After circling around for a few minutes, Shang Jianyao suddenly said, “Why are there lights in the New World projections? We came in at two different times. Why can’t a pitch-black New World projection overlap with a dark and foggy street? That way, we won’t be able to sense it in advance and circle around it!”
Genava had to admit that it was a good question.
He quickly analyzed for a moment before saying, “Maybe the New World’s projection in Ceningmis is related to New World powerhouses. At least we encounter humans every time.”
He meant that powerhouses had increased the strength of the corresponding area, causing the New World to overlap with Ceningmis.
Genava then added, “And those powerhouses can only live in places with lights in the New World?”
“Interesting.” Shang Jianyao thumped his chest with the Berserker assault rifle. He looked as if this guess suited his appetite.
At this moment, Genava confirmed their current location and compared it to the map. He then said in a slightly synthetic voice, “We should be able to see the luxurious apartment where the Kalendaria’s Son lives once we circle around this block.”
“I’m looking forward to it!” Shang Jianyao said without hiding anything.
After moving forward for nearly 20 minutes, the two of them finally successfully circled the dangerous area they had identified.
What appeared in front of them was a high-rise apartment building more than a hundred meters away.
It stood quietly in the darkness, shrouded by a faint fog. Yellow or pure white light emitted from every floor and room.