Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 581: Difference

The thing suspected to be long black hair was inside the brown floor’s gap. If one didn’t approach it, it would be very difficult to identify it even with Jiang Baimian’s vision.

Apart from this, there was nothing special about the living room. The valuable furniture was gone, leaving only the corresponding stains as proof of their existence.

All of this meant that Ruin Hunters had been to Building 4’s Room 302. Not only had they been here, but they had also plundered and returned with a bountiful harvest.

It was logical to infer that there was nothing strange here. However, the Old Task Force had experienced the matter regarding Jiang Xiaoyue and the Crystal Consciousness Church. Shang Jianyao had also used the information in the steelworks factory ruins’ medical record to create an abnormality that exceeded logic in someone’s psychological trauma. They had long treated Zone 2, Building 4, Room 302 as a tiger’s den. They naturally wouldn’t be ‘convinced’ so easily.

There weren’t that many coincidences in this world!

Jiang Baimian didn’t rashly enter Room 302 and recalled. “I remember that there were no rumors of ghosts in the steelworks factory ruins, nor did any Ruin Hunters point out any special dangers in Zone 2...”

Shang Jianyao’s tone suddenly turned creepy. “Maybe the Ruin Hunters who plundered this room didn’t have any problems on the surface. After they returned and went their separate ways, they quietly died one after another. Scattered across the land, nobody connected the cause of their death to Building 4, Room 302 in the steelworks factory ruins...”

“...” Jiang Baimian laughed involuntarily. “There’s no need to tell me a ghost story. I’m not Little Red; it’s not like I’ll be afraid.”

With that said, she tersely acknowledged Shang Jianyao’s recount. “It’s not impossible. Therefore, we can’t be rash.”

“We’ve already restrained the rash one.” Shang Jianyao wore a smug look.

Jiang Baimian glanced at him and picked up the walkie-talkie. “Little White, Little Red, circle to the back of Building 4 and climb to the third-floor balcony. Look around from the outside, but don’t go in.”

“Alright,” Bai Chen quickly replied.

She carried the military exoskeleton on her back and passed through a freshly grown patch of green grass with Long Yuehong, arriving behind Building 4.

“Let me do it.” Long Yuehong identified Room 302 and volunteered.

Bai Chen didn’t object and only exhorted, “Be careful.”

“Okay, okay.” Long Yuehong became braver and walked to the outer wall of Building 4. He originally planned on using water pipes, gas pipes, and other protrusions to climb up, but he realized that these had been taken away by the desperately ‘poor’ Ruin Hunters.

Most of them were metal!

Left with no choice, Long Yuehong could only extend his right palm—his T1 mechanical arm had suction cups.

After the iron-black metal in the corresponding spot spun and sank in, a special suction cup appeared between the mechanical hand’s five fingers.

With them and his left hand gripping the crevices and different protrusions on the facade, Long Yuehong ‘swam’ upward like a gecko.

He soon arrived outside Room 302’s balcony.

Even in the Old World, the buildings in the steelworks factory ruins were of some age. Therefore, the residential balconies here were completely sealed and had their own protective grills installed.

Of course, only small sections of the metal grills remained connected to the concrete. The rest had been sawed off by Ruin Hunters and moved out of the ruins.

In a sense, this was like a swarm of locusts sweeping across the land.

Long Yuehong looked inside through the shattered glass.

The living room with a brown floor was only covered in dust, stains, and trash. There were no items worth paying attention to.

If not for the fact that it was inconvenient to pry open the floorboards and that the only usage was to start a fire, the Ruin Hunters might not have missed out on such trivial items.

Long Yuehong had always been careful, and this was reflected in his meticulous but slow actions.

After not discovering any problems at a glance, he continued examining the area several times before picking up the walkie-talkie and reporting, “Team Leader, there’s nothing in the living room.”

Jiang Baimian habitually asked another question. She only issued a new order after she understood the types of trash there were. “Move to the side and take a look at the bedroom.”

She knew very well what functions Long Yuehong’s T1 mechanical arm had.

Long Yuehong slowly crawled to the windowsill attached to the master bedroom.

He prioritized caution, so he didn’t stand on the narrow ledge. Instead, he sneakily stuck his head into the sorry-looking glass windows.

Under the barrage of the elements, the glass windows in the master bedroom were downright dirty. Looking through them was akin to looking through a thick, gray veil—it was impossible to see anything clearly.

Fortunately, Ruin Hunters had been here before, and the glass was already riddled with holes. Long Yuehong made some adjustments before throwing his gaze into the room with the help of a sizable hole.

The first thing he saw was a 1.8-meter-long double bed.

The bed linen was red in color and had a dragon and phoenix symbol embroidered on them. Some areas had their colors washed out.

The Hunters didn’t take away the blanket? Long Yuehong was surprised.

In the Ashlands and the wilderness, blankets were also a form of currency. How could they be spared by the ‘locusts?’

Long Yuehong frowned and adjusted his position in confusion so that he could see the bedhead.

Suddenly, his body wobbled, and he almost lost his balance.

He saw two white skulls!

The two skulls were each leaning against a pillow. The body supposedly connected to the cervical spine was covered by a large red blanket, and it was unknown if the body was even there!

If the bodies existed, there would be two corpses sleeping in Room 302’s master bedroom.

Long Yuehong composed himself and quickly reported his observations to Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian held the walkie-talkie and turned to look at Shang Jianyao. She muttered to herself, “There are still bedsheets and blankets left in the master bedroom. There are also two corpses lying on the bed...”

“Were the Ruin Hunters that came here previously blind?” Shang Jianyao had a ‘shocked’ expression.

Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him. “What do you think?”

Shang Jianyao immediately changed his tune. “Could it be that they all believe in Shattered Mirror?”

As he spoke, Shang Jianyao spread his arms, raised his body slightly, and looked into the air. “Everything is but a dream. Why so serious?”

“It seems like Room 302 is really strange.” Jiang Baimian gave up on discussing it with Shang Jianyao. She thought for a moment and said, “It’s not a solution to keep staying outside. Return the medical record to me, and I’ll try to see if I can enter the master bedroom. Stay at the entrance and watch my back in case anything happens.”

Shang Jianyao didn’t volunteer. He took out the folded original medical record.

Jiang Baimian took it and strode forward.

At this moment, someone patted her shoulder.

Jiang Baimian’s body tensed up as she prepared to turn around at any moment. She then realized that it was Shang Jianyao.

Without waiting for her to ask, Shang Jianyao pointed diagonally ahead and suppressed his voice. “You. Took. The. Wrong. Direction...”

“...” Jiang Baimian realized that she had almost rushed into Room 301.

She held down her emotions, not wanting to become an ostrich. She only slowly exhaled.

“Let me go in. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to find the master bedroom in a short time.” Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and stretched out his other hand.

Jiang Baimian’s rationality told her that such a predicament was indeed possible, so she quickly composed herself and nodded casually. “Alright. I’ll watch your back.”

Shang Jianyao didn’t immediately advance; instead, he took off his tactical backpack and wore the Six Senses Beads on his left wrist. He then threw the Life Angel necklace to Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian didn’t ask why. She knew that he was augmenting his reinforcement and leaving an escape route.

Her left arm suddenly sank the moment she caught the silver pendant, having lost all feeling to it.

“As expected, the price is a cognitive problem. Despite being a biological prosthetic limb, it’s still paralyzed...” As Jiang Baimian muttered, she threw the Life Angel necklace into the air and caught it again.

The price changed to a paralyzed right hand.

This was acceptable to Jiang Baimian.

Shang Jianyao—who was wearing the Six Senses Beads and holding the original medical record—strode forward.

Before entering, he politely knocked on the door. Of course, as there was no door, he could only pretend that there was a door there.

After entering the living room, the situation Shang Jianyao saw was identical to Long Yuehong’s description.

After a brief inspection, he walked to the master bedroom.

The master bedroom also had no door, with only the tenacious door frame hanging there.

Shang Jianyao suddenly raised his left palm—which the Six Senses Beads wrapped around—and whispered, “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.”

After chanting the Buddhist proclamation, he straightened his body, approached the door, and cast his gaze in.

The calm and rational Shang Jianyao was a little stunned.

There was indeed a derelict bed in the master bedroom, but it was only covered by a plastic film filled with holes. There were no red bedsheets or blankets. There was no dragon and phoenix embroidering or two skulls!

Shang Jianyao picked up the walkie-talkie and informed Jiang Baimian and the others of his discovery.

Long Yuehong couldn’t believe it because he could still see the red bed.