495th floor, Zone B, Room 196.
After hearing the news, Shang Jianyao leaned back on the pillow and massaged his temples.
His consciousness quickly entered the shimmering Sea of Origins and randomly chose a direction to swim in.
As he swam, a faint, yellowish-green fog spread out from the intersection of the sea and sky. Amidst the fog, a magnificent Old World city was vaguely visible.
Shang Jianyao immediately adjusted his direction and swam toward his target with all his might. But no matter how hard he tried, he only shortened the distance between him and the yellowish-green fog by a little. Furthermore, it kept changing positions, making it seem as though he would never reach it.
Shang Jianyao stopped and split his body into nine according to the plan.
The nine Shang Jianyaos set off in different directions as if they wanted to weave an inescapable net that prevented the thin, yellowish-green fog from escaping.
In the vast Sea of Origins, the Shang Jianyaos could occasionally see the target appear in front of them, but this would quickly change.
After an unknown period of time, the nine Shang Jianyaos had no choice but to stop when they reached the maximum distance that could be maintained among them.
The yellowish-green fog remained at the intersection of the sea and sky as if it had never left.
The nine Shang Jianyaos took a deep breath at the same time as their figures fused together.
He sat cross-legged in the shimmering Sea of Origins and fell into deep thought.
In just a minute or two, Shang Jianyao created a black cloth and completely covered his eyes. He then took out two cotton balls and stuffed them into his ears.
Therefore, Shang Jianyao entered a state where he couldn’t see or hear anything. After that, he casually swam forward without knowing what was ahead or where it led.
When he was almost exhausted from swimming, Shang Jianyao stopped, took out the cotton balls in his ears, and removed the black cloth from his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the faint and thin yellowish-green fog.
It was already within reach!
Shang Jianyao smiled. He hugged his right fist with his left hand and bowed at the yellowish-green fog. “The Perfected Man has no self; the New World is before us.”
After completing this ritual, Shang Jianyao cast his gaze at the Old World city that resembled a mirage in the yellowish-green fog.
Over there, buildings—dozens to a hundred meters tall—stood, forming a magnificent concrete jungle. Their surfaces were bathed in red sunlight, and it was utterly silent.
Shang Jianyao was in no rush to pass through the fog and enter. Instead, he circled the periphery and swam quickly.
The illusory city revealed itself from different angles.
After a while, Shang Jianyao suddenly saw an arched tunnel exit. He saw thousands of glass walls that reflected the sunlight and a dilapidated street with signs on both sides.
Shang Jianyao stopped and let his gaze penetrate the thin yellowish-green fog and land on the street ahead. The words ‘clothing,’ ‘barbeque,’ ‘police,’ ‘hotpot,’ ‘foot bath,’ and ‘supermarket’ entered his vision.
The shops corresponding to these signs were either dilapidated or covered in dust. The thing they had in common was that they were devoid of humans.
Shang Jianyao sized them up a few times before a smile gradually appeared on his face. He then shouted, “Xiaochong! Xiaochong!”
He was all too familiar with the scene in the fog; it was Swamp Ruin 1, the place Qiao Chu had brought them to back then. It was the mysterious city where they had encountered Nightmare Horse and Xiaochong!
The only difference was that it wasn’t as rundown as what Shang Jianyao remembered.
The illusory city echoed with his voice, but there was no additional response.
Shang Jianyao swam forward a few meters and passed through the faint, yellowish-green fog. During this process, he didn’t find anything abnormal.
The city ahead no longer felt like a mirage; it was as real as the mind islands.
Shang Jianyao casually found an unlocked bicycle by the street, mounted it, and headed deep into the city.
Under the setting sun, it didn’t take him long to reach a high-rise building that had its own courtyard. He didn’t encounter anyone on the way, nor did he encounter any Heartless. There was nothing but silence in the entire city.
Shang Jianyao got off the bicycle and cast his gaze at the black marble signboard in front of the courtyard.
On the signboard, golden words formed a name: “City Intelligence Network Control Center.”
This was identical to what Shang Jianyao and the others had seen in Swamp Ruin 1.
Shang Jianyao ran, passing through the courtyard as if he were racing someone until he entered the building where the City Intelligence Network Control Center was located.
He walked down the emergency access one level at a time as though it was the back of his hand and arrived at the underground engine room. He then ran down the dark corridor with the flashlight and found the room where he had met Xiaochong.
As he pushed open the door, Shang Jianyao shone the flashlight beam in and shouted, “Xiaochong! Xiaochong!”
The tables and chairs in the room were still the same. There was nobody there, and it was extremely quiet.
Shang Jianyao revealed a disappointed expression.
At this moment, everything around him slowly faded and gradually became transparent. In less than ten seconds, the city vanished like a dream. The faint, yellowish-green fog around it also disappeared, similar to the last time it ended.
Shang Jianyao returned to the Sea of Origins again. He then felt intense fatigue and had no choice but to leave the mind world.
...
The next day, Room 14 on the 647th floor.
When Shang Jianyao arrived, Jiang Baimian was alone.
Jiang Baimian looked up and asked with a smile, “Little Red didn’t come with you?”
Shang Jianyao sighed and said sincerely, “The Old World entertainment is harmful.”
“Was he obsessed with it last night?” Jiang Baimian found it funny. Although she also felt that Long Yuehong didn’t have much self-control, she also believed that he wouldn’t be like this on the first day.
Shang Jianyao shook his head. “His parents, siblings, and neighbors are obsessed.”