Under the rash Shang Jianyao’s lead, the few of them entered the Sea of Origins and flew straight for the rift that represented Xiaochong.
Due to their increased independence and autonomy, they no longer distinguished who were the wings and who were the main body. They used all the methods they had learned from the Old World’s entertainment, such as flying via nimbus clouds or by riding the wind.
Of course, this was mainly to entertain themselves. They—who had already passed through the New World’s door—didn’t need this in their Sea of Origins. They could go wherever they wanted.
In the blink of an eye, a few Shang Jianyaos floated in the air and surrounded the rift.
They tried their best to look over and realized that there was still a faint glow inside. There were many black shadows, and it was no different from before.
“How can there be no changes?” The rash Shang Jianyao was very disappointed.
He went closer and squeezed into the gap, just short of squeezing through the entire way. The next second, he shouted in surprise, “Come and listen! There are voices!”
The other Shang Jianyaos immediately approached and gathered around the entrance. They then heard rustling sounds coming from inside.
It was soft and vague—the Shang Jianyaos couldn’t hear what was being said. They could only barely tell that they came from different sources as if there were more than 10 to 20 people discussing and communicating about a topic.
“I can’t hear it!” The rash Shang Jianyao tried to pass through the rift to the other side to shorten the distance between him and the speakers. However, his ‘body’ didn’t listen to his instructions.
His legs were tightly hugged by the other Shang Jianyaos, making it difficult for him to escape.
“This opportunity can’t be missed. It won’t come again!” the rash Shang Jianyao shouted.
Nobody answered him.
“The more dangerous it is, the more one should take risks!” The rash Shang Jianyao’s tone was filled with disappointment.
Unfortunately, the other Shang Jianyaos worked together and forcefully dragged him away from the rift.
After some arguments and negotiations, they reached a consensus not to enter Xiaochong’s mind world rashly. After all, this person was most likely Master Zhuang’s childhood. His mind world was equivalent to Master Zhuang’s mind world.
…
Eighth Research Institute, at the end of the tunnel, behind the door.
Jiang Baimian—who was sitting against the wall—took out a candy, peeled off the wrapper, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The sweetness slowly seeped out and slushed in her mouth, calming her emotions to a certain extent.
The other her was actually right. Everyone had a selfish side, and saving all of humanity was too illusive to her. It couldn’t resonate with her too strongly.
Although she had been irrepressibly touched when she saw Commissioner Huang and the others shout the slogan ‘for all of humanity’ and die selflessly in Ubei, times had changed. She knew that she probably couldn’t do such a thing herself.
If danger pointed at herself, her family, and her friends, Jiang Baimian believed that she had the courage and confidence to face danger and death head-on. But for the sake of unrelated people—people she didn’t have a specific image in her mind for—it was inevitable that she would have thoughts like ‘there’s no need for it.’
When she was capable of helping, Jiang Baimian was still willing to help when ordinary people were harmed. However, that depended on her having seen those tragedies and those humans.
In comparison, the goal of ‘for all of humanity’ was really too grand. It was so grand that it became abstract.
She was escaping reality and only protecting her family and friends. Jiang Baimian felt different from her other self.
Among the company’s ordinary employees, there was no lack of people she had met, chatted with, and interacted with. When she thought about how these people—who couldn’t be considered acquaintances but were familiar faces—would unknowingly become food for the Kalendaria and New World powerhouses and lose their minds without warning to become Heartless, she felt a strong sense of pity and compassion.
As the old saying went: When one has seen them while alive, he cannot stand to watch them die. If he hears their screams, he cannot stand to eat their meat. Therefore, he stays away from the kitchen.
If that was the case for animals, what more for her own kind that she often met?
Jiang Baimian sucked on the candy as all kinds of thoughts rose and fell in her mind.
…
There was no distinction between day and night in the New World. Shang Jianyao could only rely on Jiang Baimian to communicate with him three times in the morning, noon, and night to roughly know what time it was.
As for watches and alarm clocks, it was quite simple for him to materialize them. However, the problem was that they were products of his mental structure—they didn’t have the corresponding mechanical or electronic structure. In other words, the time displayed on them was the time Shang Jianyao believed it to be. It had no effect on helping him keep time.
If Shang Jianyao was willing to assign a ‘timekeeper’ to be in charge of the watch by counting down every second, that would’ve been able to determine the time. However, this was too much of a waste of energy.
“I actually waited the entire night!” Shang Jianyao looked out the window and saw that the fluorescent lamp on the top floor of the target building was still lit.
He rubbed his face and praised himself. “Not bad, not sleepy at all!”
He then said, “But we can’t keep waiting like this.”
The rash Shang Jianyao immediately suggested, “Why don’t we pay a visit? As a newcomer here, it’s very normal to visit neighbors. It shouldn’t attract hostility.”
“What if it’s a hungry and irritable fellow?” the honest Shang Jianyao asked.
The Shang Jianyao that sought novelty smiled and said, “We’ll take it one step at a time. Let’s knock on the door first while prepared for battle. At that distance, our chances of escaping are relatively high even if we are really attacked. We’ll then decide if we should go in to visit, speak at the door, or leave immediately based on the room owner’s attitude.”
The Shang Jianyaos conversed for a while and passed the proposal with a one-vote advantage under the objections of the two most intelligent members.
He then left the current apartment and walked down the dark street. Under the street lamps’ illumination, he arrived in front of the grayish-blue classical building.
Ding dong! Ding dong!
Shang Jianyao pressed the doorbell.
Nobody replied.
“I can’t sense any human consciousness on the top floor…” He stroked his chin and said, “What’s the point of hiding like this?”
When the lights were on, hiding one’s consciousness was as useless as tits on a bull.
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!
The rash Shang Jianyao kept pressing the doorbell.
The sound echoed repeatedly, but it didn’t cause a stir.
“Is anyone there? Is anyone there?” The rash Shang Jianyao slammed the door.
The fluorescent lamp on the top floor remained silent as if it was just an illusion.
Suddenly, the rash Shang Jianyao grabbed the wooden door handle and twisted it.
Before anyone could react, the door opened!
The first floor was ruled by darkness, and nothing abnormal could be seen.
“I’m coming in? I’m coming in?” the righteous Shang Jianyao politely announced.
Nobody in the room answered.
After another round of discussion, the rash Shang Jianyao obtained the majority of votes. He forced the calm and rational Shang Jianyao, the ruthless Shang Jianyao, and a few others to enter the house with him and the others and head straight to the fourth floor.
This made the previously depressed and rash Shang Jianyao sigh with emotion. “Who said that the price will worsen after entering the New World? It clearly got better!”
The other Shang Jianyaos chose to remain silent.
He walked up the stairs and arrived at the lit room door in less than two minutes.
The room was completely open, and inside was a small reception room. It had a brown floor, and crystal-like fluorescent lights hung from above. There was a coffee table, a set of sofas, and a few chairs. Apart from that, it was empty.
“No one?” Shang Jianyao stuck his head out the door and examined the room a few times.
With the lights on, there was actually nobody in the room!
Considering that the other person might be ‘invisible,’ the rash Shang Jianyao conjured a long broom as he walked through the door step by step. He stabbed left and right, hoping to force out the room owner who might be hiding in the air through actual contact.
At the same time, he listened carefully to his surroundings.
After some confirmation, Shang Jianyao became increasingly confused. He muttered to himself in shock, “There’s really nobody!”
Apart from the fact that his entry made the lights brighten significantly, nothing else changed.
Just as Shang Jianyao said that, he suddenly heard a creaking sound—
The open door automatically closed without any stir of the wind!
“No!” Shang Jianyao shouted and pounced at the door.
As he pounced, he interfered with matter, turning the air into a large hand that pressed against the door as a form of resistance. However, the force from closing the door was extremely great. With Shang Jianyao’s current level, it was difficult for him to stop it across the distance.
Thud!
The door closed.
Bang!
Shang Jianyao slammed into the door and rebounded.
As soon as he stabilized himself, he twisted the handle with all his might, but the door remained motionless as if it were painted on the wall.
Without hesitation, Shang Jianyao turned to the window. However, the window couldn’t be opened either.