Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 73: Imagery Destroyer

The sudden depression quickly vanished, and Jiang Baimian and the others quickly returned to normal.

Although Long Yuehong was still terrified and did not want to venture deeper into the City Intelligence Network Control Center, he felt that he could take the risk for the angel-like Qiao Chu.

As Qiao Chu needed to wear the military exoskeleton, he had long taken off his mechanical watch and placed it in his pocket. But this did not stop him from knowing the time because the corresponding time was displayed on the goggles.

He looked at the goggles’ bottom-right corner, calculated the time before his Bewitching Charm would mutate, and quickly urged them. “Let’s go to the underground engine room.”

This time, Shang Jianyao and the others didn’t have any objections. They followed the Eighth Research Institute’s commissioner around the pool and arrived in front of the city’s Intelligence Network Control Center.

The door here was made of glass. It was unknown when it had been opened—or rather, it had not been closed since the Old World was destroyed. In short, the wide and dark hall inside was directly revealed.

Qiao Chu was in no rush to enter. He used the comprehensive warning system and scanned the exterior for about 20 seconds.

He then bent down slightly and rushed to the elevator.

Jiang Baimian and the others followed closely behind, maintaining their tactical formation.

During this process, the only sounds in the hall were the sound of metallic bones colliding with the ground and their light, echoing footsteps. There was no other sound but dead silence.

They soon arrived at the elevator area.

There were three grayish-black elevators on each side. Of course, they couldn’t be used because there was no electricity.

Qiao Chu’s target was not the elevators, but the door to the emergency access by the side.

The vermilion wooden door had decayed a little. It was closed, but it was unknown if it was locked.

Bai Chen was just about to take a few steps forward and open the door for Qiao Chu when she suddenly had a strange realization—Behind that door was an abnormally precious item that had to be obtained!

This gave her an uncontrollable urge and desire to open the door immediately, rush to the designated spot, and pick up the item.

Qiao Chu, Long Yuehong, and the others also had the same feeling. They couldn’t wait to approach the door.

Jiang Baimian frowned slightly and shouted, “Do you remember what Wu Shoushi’s teammate described?”

Jiang Baimian was referring to the matter of the Superior Heartless creating a temptation and setting up a trap. It was precisely because Jiang Baimian remembered this that she had not been completely blinded, allowing her to resist the baffling feeling to a certain extent.

Her feet eagerly moved forward, and her body had already assumed a charging posture. However, she remained firmly rooted to the ground and did not take a step forward.

Her words snapped Qiao Chu and the others to attention, making them struggle momentarily without opening the door.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao—who was at the back—had already run over, but he didn’t continue forward. Instead, he stopped beside Jiang Baimian.

“I think there’s a secret in there that can save all of humanity,” he said seriously. “However, such secrets are definitely protected by layers of protection. There will be many dangers hidden around it.”

For a moment, Jiang Baimian didn’t know whether to roll her eyes or praise Shang Jianyao.

“We have to be careful; we can’t be rash.” Shang Jianyao followed this train of thought and thought for two seconds. He then jumped in front of an elevator and used the metallic surface as a mirror—along with the moonlight and starlight shining in through the window—to see his blurry reflection.

While looking at himself, Shang Jianyao said, “Jiang Baimian has long legs, and so do I. Jiang Baimian is amazing, and so am I.

“So?” His eyes had turned dark at some point in time. Shang Jianyao opened his mouth and muttered to himself, “So, we’re the same.”

During this process, Qiao Chu originally wanted to stop Shang Jianyao. But on the one hand, he had to resist the baffling and strong desire, so he was unable to divert his attention. On the other hand, he felt that Shang Jianyao could create some different changes and break the impasse. He felt some anticipation, so he finally chose to be prepared and watch coldly.

After deceiving himself, Shang Jianyao turned his head and looked at Jiang Baimian.

His eyes turned darker.

A strong thought suddenly surfaced in Jiang Baimian’s mind: Although I really desire the item behind the door and want it, I definitely can’t appear so desperate. I can’t say it out loud; it will only embarrass me!

With this thought in mind, Jiang Baimian turned around and gently stomped her foot. “If you guys want to go, go ahead. I’m not going.”

Shang Jianyao turned to the same spot and gently stomped his foot. “If you guys want to go, go ahead. I’m not going.”

Upon seeing this, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong found it strange. They were stunned and amused. For a time, the strong desire in their hearts had attenuated significantly.

Jiang Baimian—who was still in a corny state—glared at Shang Jianyao. “Why are you mimicking me?”

“Why are you mimicking me?” Shang Jianyao mimicked her gaze, language, and microexpressions perfectly.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian’s corny emotions vanished. Recalling the scene from before, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you want us to die from laughter to resist the baffling realization and desires?”

“Do you want us to die from laughter to resist the baffling realization and desires?” Shang Jianyao laughed as well.

The corners of Qiao Chu’s mouth slightly twitched when he saw this. He subconsciously wanted to give them a stern warning to be more serious.

This was the city ruin’s Intelligence Network Control Center. Danger was everywhere here. The silence here ought to give one the creeps. How could they be bantering and laughing?

Jiang Baimian thought for two seconds before holding in her laughter. “My hair is very long, but yours is very short.”

“My hair is very long…” Shang Jianyao repeated Jiang Baimian’s words, but he suddenly couldn’t continue speaking.

His eyes returned to normal, and Shang Jianyao immediately said, “Seize this opportunity,”

Jiang Baimian suddenly came to a realization. She took advantage of the gap before the baffling desire could affect her again to reach the vermilion wooden door quickly.

“Keep close to the sides,” she instructed Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and the others as she gripped the rusted metal handle.

After waiting for a few seconds, Jiang Baimian suddenly turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

Without any pause, she jumped and rolled, hiding at the side of the elevator.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Da! Da! Da!

Consecutive gunshots sounded from the bottom and top of the stairs. A bullet storm enveloped the space at the emergency access’s entrance.

If Long Yuehong and the others had opened the door rashly, they would have been peppered with holes.

That strong, intense desire had controlled Qiao Chu, so he completely forgot to use the comprehensive warning system that came with the exoskeleton.

Amidst the gunshots, Jiang Baimian took off a tactical grenade hanging from her belt and prepared to pull off the ring before throwing it at the emergency access’s door. She had calculated the trajectory and wanted the rebound afforded by the wall to let the grenade fall down the stairwell.

At that moment, the shooting stopped.

Jiang Baimian silently attached the tactical grenade. She held the grenade launcher in one hand and the United 202 in the other as she focused on sensing the various electric signals in the emergency access.

“The Heartless above have already retreated. There’s interference below. The signal isn’t too clear, but there are two left at most…” Jiang Baimian quickly provided the information.

At this moment, the baffling realization and desire to quickly obtain the precious item—which was hidden in the emergency access—had vanished.

Qiao Chu returned to normal. With the exoskeleton and the comprehensive warning system, he rolled and entered the emergency access.

Deep in the stairwell that led to the underground engine room, a figure was looking up.

It was a woman with a relatively young appearance. Her facial features were relatively neat, but her eyes were more white than black. They were rather turbid and bloodshot. She was about 1.65 meters tall and wore a deflated white down jacket. From top to bottom, she was cleaner than the other Heartless.

She quietly stood in the darkness like a ghost that wandered the night, silently watching the targets she wanted dead.

If not for the comprehensive warning system, Qiao Chu wouldn’t have been able to see her clearly.

Before Qiao Chu could fire the grenade, the Heartless pressed down with one hand and jumped down, disappearing into the stairwell’s depths.

Jiang Baimian approached the entrance and asked, “Is it the Superior Heartless that Wu Shoushi and the others encountered?”

Qiao Chu nodded slightly and said, “Yes.”

“Phew, as expected.” Jiang Baimian exhaled.

At this moment, Long Yuehong sighed as if he had just survived a disaster. “Fortunately, the Heartless don’t have much intelligence. If they had just fired directly, at least half of us would’ve died before we could open the door.”

The vermilion wooden door couldn’t block the bullets. But in the eyes of the Heartless—who followed their instincts—obstacles were obstacles. Obstacles had to be removed before anything was effective.

“Don’t say such things now. It’s inauspicious.” Bai Chen turned her head and glanced at Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong was always especially sensitive when he heard the words ‘lucky,”unlucky,”inauspicious,’ and ‘fate.’ Hence, he shut his mouth tightly.

Qiao Chu glanced at the dark stairwell ahead and said in a deep voice, “Let’s go down.”

He paused and instructed, “You guys take point.”

It is time to use them to play the role of bait.