Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 274: Another Possibility

The steelworks factory’s medical record was something Long Yuehong had found during his first search of ruins. Furthermore, it had a certain research value. Therefore, he had a deep impression of it and recalled all the relevant details.

“Yes, they really are alike!” he replied to Jiang Baimian excitedly. “They became vegetables because of something. They signed a volunteer agreement and were then sent somewhere in the north to receive experimental treatment.”

The biggest difference between these two matters was that there were differences in certain descriptions, but this didn’t affect the essence of the problem.

Just as Long Yuehong said that, Bai Chen blurted out, “That hospital—no, that place has secrets?”

She began to suspect that it might not be a hospital. The hospital might very well be a cover!

Jiang Baimian controlled the excitement in her heart and looked at Shang Jianyao. “What do you think?”

After spending so much time together, she increasingly felt that Shang Jianyao’s novel ideas or unconventional ideas always gave her a different kind of inspiration. Although more than 90% of them were worthless and only made people exasperated and amused, the remaining 10% often penetrated the fog and pointed at the problem’s core in a strange way.

Shang Jianyao acted like the most professional detective. He looked around and said, “I thought of something else.”

Man, can he deduce more truths if we give him a pipe at a time like this? Long Yuehong—who had heard the same radio programs as Shang Jianyao—suddenly had such a baffling thought.

“What is it?” Just as Jiang Baimian said that, she felt inspired.

She and Shang Jianyao then said in unison, “Research institute!”

Shang Jianyao nodded slightly and said to Bai Chen and Long Yuehong, “Didn’t the lady boss say that before the Old World was destroyed, the largest Ashlandic country and the strongest Red River country jointly established nine future-facing research institutes.”

Long Yuehong understood what his friend meant and asked, “You suspect that Jiang Xiaoyue and the others actually became participants in an experiment at the research institute?”

Frankly speaking, he was a little unaccustomed to the solemn, serious, straight-faced, and non-mentally-ill Shang Jianyao.

Of course, being completely different was also a manifestation of his mental illness.

“Yes.” Shang Jianyao nodded, bent down, picked up the phone, and dialed the front desk. He quickly asked, “Hello, is this the lady boss?”

“Call me Madam Aynor! How rude!” Aynor grumbled on the other end of the line.

Shang Jianyao laughed, and his serious expression vanished. “I don’t think there’s a need to be so polite given our relationship, right?”

“What relationship can we have?” Aynor scoffed.

An invitatory relationship... Long Yuehong guessed Shang Jianyao’s answer. Although the lady boss had been joking back then, he felt that Shang Jianyao might remember it.

“A relationship of watching a horror film together.” Shang Jianyao’s answer was even more unconstrained.

Without giving Aynor a chance to retort, he directly asked, “Which of the nine research institutes are in the north?”

“How would I know? I only know that the Third Research Institute is in the south and that the Second Research Institute is in the west,” Aynor replied angrily. “The next time you disturb my drama watching, you have to pay!”

She hung up with a smack.

“There are no further clues.” Shang Jianyao shrugged at Jiang Baimian and the others.

Jiang Baimian nodded and muttered to herself in puzzlement, “But what has this got to do with the Superior Heartless?”

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “He might be Jiang Xiaoyue’s son.”

This time, nobody ignored this answer.

Bai Chen deliberated and said, “Are you saying that the experiment was very successful? Jiang Xiaoyue woke up and joined someone in a union after the Old World was destroyed and gave birth to a child?”

Union... Wouldn’t it be more elegant to use the word ‘marriage?’ Long Yuehong criticized inwardly. However, he also knew that in many places in the Ashlands, the state of most men and women couldn’t be described as marriage.

Thus, the word ‘union’ was more accurate.

“Yes.” Jiang Baimian nodded. “But that doesn’t explain why he’s so obsessed with Tarnan. We saw the information just now. Jiang Xiaoyue’s hometown and the place where she later committed suicide were north of the Lake of Wrath. We’re south of Mount Chilar, south of the Lake of Wrath.”

Long Yuehong voiced his guess. “Could it be that the Superior Heartless isn’t related to Jiang Xiaoyue but comes from that mysterious research institute? He came into contact with the vegetative Jiang Xiaoyue and the related project information there, which left a deep impression on him?”

“We can’t rule out that possibility.” Jiang Baimian sat cross-legged in the chair as her thoughts raced. “But I think there’s a deeper connection; otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown us the scene of Jiang Xiaoyue jumping off a building for no reason. Even if he only has the intelligence of a beast, he wouldn’t do something meaningless.”

To be precise, the closer one was to a beast, the less likely they were to do something without reason.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian really wanted to put her finger on her head and ‘rack her brains.’ But in order to maintain her image as a team leader, she gave up on the idea.

“Let’s review the scene again in our minds.” Shang Jianyao became serious again as if he was acting as a detective again.

“Good idea.” Jiang Baimian praised him and closed her eyes. Then, she replayed the scene of Jiang Xiaoyue jumping off the building in her mind.

After an unknown period of time, Long Yuehong said, “There aren’t any other clues...”

Jiang Baimian opened her eyes and smiled. “No, I found a very valuable clue.”

“What is it?” Bai Chen didn’t hide her curiosity.

“The illusion’s perspective or the source of the corresponding feelings,” Jiang Baimian said with a smile. “The windows, the pairs of eyes, and the faces at the door represent the paparazzi’s prying, the public’s curiosity, and the fans’ disdain.”

They had just learned the term ‘paparazzi’ from searching and flipping through the information.

“Th-this is...” Long Yuehong suddenly felt a little terrified. “This was what Jiang Xiaoyue felt!”

That illusion seemed to be Jiang Xiaoyue’s mental process before she jumped off the building!

“How did the Superior Heartless know about Jiang Xiaoyue’s feelings and corresponding performance back then?” Jiang Baimian asked further.

Pa!

Shang Jianyao clapped his hands and said, “The answer is very simple.”

Upon seeing Long Yuehong and Bai Chen look over, he said in all seriousness, “The Superior Heartless is Jiang Xiaoyue.”

“...” Long Yuehong said helplessly, “One is a man, and the other is a woman.”

“Transgender surgery, such as organ transplant, neural reconstruction, and so on,” Shang Jianyao replied smoothly.

“B-but there’s no need, right?” Long Yuehong weakly argued.

“That’s a possibility.” Jiang Baimian didn’t blindly deny it. “For example, the transferring and uploading of human consciousness, which would definitely involve Eternal technology.”

She deliberated for a moment and said, “Yes, there’s another possibility. Jiang Xiaoyue and the child of the steelworks factory’s patient are both in a vegetative state. They receive new experimental treatments or undergo experiments that can wake them up.

“During this experiment, could there be an instrument that can project the memories stored in the recipient’s brain as a step in the awakening, just like how Awakened in Last Man’s domain can read memories?”

This was an inference based on the status of the person involved and the experiment’s possible developments.

Bai Chen followed this train of thought and made a guess. “That Superior Heartless is one of the researchers? He experienced Jiang Xiaoyue’s feelings before she jumped off the building?”

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged her words. “This is a very reasonable idea, but the question is once again: Why is the Superior Heartless so obsessed with Tarnan? What’s the goal of showing us this illusion?”

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “Maybe he fell in love with the unconscious Jiang Xiaoyue and kept trying to wake her up; this became his obsession. In the end, he contracted the Heartless disease and will never be able to fulfill this wish. He can only use an illusion to get us to help him complete it.”

Q-quite a touching love story... Jiang Baimian evaluated inwardly and asked, “What has this got to do with Tarnan?”

This was a place to study robots!

“I get it.” Shang Jianyao acted as if he had come to a realization. “He wants to insert the memories extracted from Jiang Xiaoyue into a certain smart bot’s main module and let it live as Jiang Xiaoyue.”

“It’s too complicated.” Jiang Baimian shook her head without hesitation. “It doesn’t seem like a plan that a Superior Heartless can come up with.”

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen raised some guesses, but they couldn’t explain the entire matter. There were too many problems.

The Old Task Force’s brainstorm lasted until evening, but they still couldn’t find any clues that could penetrate everything.

“Phew, we’ll discuss for another half-hour before we get something to eat.” Jiang Baimian pointed at the open computer and said, “Let’s summarize all the key information and put them together to see if we can get any inspiration. I’ll write first; you guys can add.”

She typed rapidly and wrote short sentences and terms in the document.

“Jiang Xiaoyue jumped off a building; the Fan family’s child was in a car accident; vegetables; somewhere in the north; experimental treatment; research institute; Superior Heartless; good at hallucinations; powerful; suspected to have contracted the disease after awakening at the Sea of Origins’ end or entering the Mind Corridor; illusions created contain dragons; obsessed with Tarnan...”

As she wrote, Jiang Baimian heard Shang Jianyao’s voice. “I thought of a possibility.”

This time, his voice was a little deep and sounded very serious.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen looked over and saw Shang Jianyao standing beside the computer, bathed in the setting sun’s glow. His expression was rather solemn.

Jiang Baimian asked solemnly, “What?”

Shang Jianyao rarely appeared like this.

Shang Jianyao looked around and said, “Do you still remember Harbinger Song’s description of the Mind Corridor’s essence?”

“The Mind Corridor connects all Awakened’s minds. Every door there corresponds to a mind world...” Long Yuehong replied like he was reciting a book.

Without waiting for him to finish, Jiang Baimian already understood what Shang Jianyao wanted to say and blurted out, “You mean that the Superior Heartless entered the Mind Corridor before he fell ill? He opened a door in that corridor one day, and Jiang Xiaoyue’s mind world was behind the door?”

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