Embers Ad Infinitum

After hearing Jiang Baimian's words, Long Yuehong also looked around.

With the help of the flashlight, he discovered that this was not the place where he had been separated from Gnawa before.

In other words, the crate containing the military exoskeleton device and the box with the bionic smart armor taken out should have been somewhere further away in the cave, but now, they have been moved forward by at least three hundred meters.

Therefore, Jiang Baimian didn't think about looking for Gnawa until he saw the box.

And as an intelligent robot whose loyalty is engraved into its chip, Gnawa unexpectedly left his post without authorization and was not nearby!

"Lao Ge! Lao Ge!" Shang Jianyao, who had already put the "Six Senses Pearl" into his tactical backpack, shouted loudly.

His voice echoed in the cave, layer by layer, and the lingering sound continued.

However, no one responded to him.

Shang Jianyao shouted again:

"Did you run out of battery?"

"There are so many high-performance batteries in Laoge. Even if they are not replenished, they will definitely be fine for a week." Bai Chen denied Shang Jianyao's guess.

Shang Jianyao asked distressedly:

"Then why did you say that you were abducted by a passing ruin hunter?"

In his words, Gnawa was like a weak, helpless, and easily lost child.

Bai Chen fell silent.

Under the yellowish light of the flashlight, her expression was quite solemn, as if she had made some guess.

After a few seconds, Bai Chen spoke slowly:

"Will Lao Ge enter the ruins and look for the secret laboratory?"

"No way?" Long Yuehong was so shocked that he almost jumped up, "There is no need for him to take this risk. An intelligent robot like him has no power to resist against Wu Meng!"

"We have the same thing." Honest Shang Jianyao retorted.

"Isn't that unclear before..." Long Yuehong replied in a low voice.

Wu Meng's performance before was still within the range that the "old tune team" could prevent and avoid, but now, he has shown a crushing strength advantage, even though he is still sealed.

This made Jiang Baimian feel that the poisonous sores and the awakened people at the "soul corridor" level were not like people from the same world at all.

Jiang Baimian cleared his throat and stopped Shang Jianyao from continuing to talk.

She nodded gently and said:

"I agree with Xiaobai's guess."

"But..." Long Yuehong still didn't quite believe that Gnawa would enter Wasteland No. 13 ruins so recklessly.

He is not Shang Jianyao!

Bai Chen understood his doubts, pursed his lips and said:

"Perhaps Lao Ge is now controlled by the 'Source Brain'."

"How, how could it be?" Long Yuehong opened his eyes wide, "We didn't mention the secret laboratory, Orei's legacy, formatting the 'Source Brain' and other words after that. We tried our best not to irritate him, and the 'Source Brain' was Separated by thousands of miles..."

There are no satellites in the sky to serve as repeaters.

Bai Chen glanced at Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian, exhaled and said:

"The person who communicated with us about related issues before might already be the 'Source Brain'."

This... Long Yuehong seemed to be listening to a horror story.

Jiang Baimian nodded heavily:

"That's what I guessed too.

"Perhaps after we contacted Avia and conveyed the words left by Aure, a 'personality' named 'Source Brain' gradually appeared in Laoge's core module, but he himself did not notice it, or even though he noticed it, , but was controlled.

"If this is the case, then during this period of time, the person communicating with us is sometimes Lao Ge, and sometimes it is 'Yuan Nao'..."

"Completely, I can't feel it at all..." Long Yuehong recalled all the details after seeing Gnawa again.

When Jiang Baimian heard this, he sighed and said:

"After all, it is the 'source brain'."

"Mechanical Paradise" is the source of all intelligent robots.

Moreover, its "personality" is hidden in the core module of Gnawa, and Gnawa itself runs according to the program.

Therefore, it is easy for the "Source Brain" to simulate Gnawa's various reactions.

"After the split personality, there are really only a few people who are as harmonious, lively, united and friendly as we are." Shang Jianyao was proud and sentimental at the same time.

Sentimental for Gnawa.

The honest Shang Jianyao immediately refuted the speaker:

"Have you forgotten the gentleman blocking the golden elevator door?"

"Do you want to speak so eccentrically?" The cowardly but vicious Shang Jianyao was angry.

Jiang Baimian, who had returned the "Angel of Life" necklace to Shang Jianyao, raised his right hand and made a downward movement:

"Stop arguing, first check the marks on the ground to confirm Lao Ge's whereabouts."

As an intelligent robot, although it is made of alloy and part of its body is a skeleton structure, Gnawa is still not light in weight and will inevitably leave "footprints" when walking.

After some inspections, the "old investigation team" confirmed that Gnawa really walked towards the cave exit and entered the ruins of Wasteland No. 13.

After a short silence, Long Yuehong raised a new question:

"Why did Lao Ge move these boxes forward, almost to the area near the door?"

Shang Jianyao said "Hey":

"There must be a program malfunction. The two 'personalities' are quarreling."

He has rich experience in this area.

Bai Chen shook his head, considered and said:

"Perhaps Lao Ge hopes that when we encounter danger, when we return to the cave, we can put on the military exoskeleton device as soon as possible to improve our ability to fight against the enemy and run for evacuation."

So he moved the box a long way forward.

Shang Jianyao fell silent.

Jiang Baimian nodded gently and agreed with Bai Chen's speculation:

"Normally, there is no need to do this, because Laoge himself will take care of us..."

And now, Gnawa himself has entered the ruins of Wasteland 13.

Without wasting time, Jiang Baimian restrained his sigh, looked around and said:

"What's next?"

It is a manifestation of democracy to extensively solicit the opinions of group members before making a decision.

Shang Jianyao answered without hesitation:

"Go get Lao Ge back!"

Bai Chen's expression relaxed slightly:

"I don't want to give up on every companion."

She only said "I" and not "we", which meant that she did not forcefully represent other team members.

"Yeah." Long Yuehong nodded first, then raised the difficulty, "It's almost evening now."

The ruins of Wasteland 13 at night are definitely more dangerous!

"Wu Meng, the most dangerous one, won't deal with us anyway, so what else is there to be afraid of?" Reckless Shang Jianyao spoke as if he was ready to rush to the cave exit at any time.

"That's just part of Wu Meng..." Long Yuehong tried to argue with reason.

What if Wu Meng goes "crazy" intermittently?

The reckless Shang Jianyao sneered:

“That part is enough to hold you back!

"This time we are well prepared to prevent the 'Halo of Stupidity', and try to hold on for a while longer, and then we can look forward to friendly forces."

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said:

"Actually, because Wu Meng was sealed, his ability to use it is obviously limited. As long as he is not given the opportunity to modify the corresponding environment and transmit electromagnetic signals, we don't have to worry too much about encountering the situation like this afternoon.

"Of course, the premise is that he has no other options."

Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian sighed:

"It's a pity that we don't have electromagnetic bombs. Facing this kind of enemy, it will definitely be very effective."

Electromagnetic bombs have little use in the current dusty world, and few forces produce them. Those that have survived in the old world have passed their "shelf life" or been used, and now they can only be obtained by going to the "Orange Company".

The "Old Tune Team" has been in the "Primary City" for so long, and has the backing of "Pangaea Biology" and the channels of "United Industries", but has never encountered anyone selling electromagnetic bombs.

The high-voltage current stored in Jiang Baimian's bioprosthetic limb has been exhausted and will take some time to recover.

Without saying a word, Shang Jianyao squatted down, opened the crate containing the military exoskeleton device, and let the light of the flashlight shine into it.

Soon, he made a sound of relief:

“Laoge left us some high-performance batteries.

"In addition, if we already have it, we can get a simple discharge device. It may be of great use at critical moments."

Bionic smart armor also requires high-performance batteries, but they do not consume much and can be used for a long time.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"Okay, you and Xiaohong will do it."

She actually made her attitude clear by saying this, but after a pause, she still said seriously:

"It's about two hours from dusk to complete darkness. We can't just watch our companions get into danger and leave on our own."

Bang bang bang, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands.

he said impassionedly

"If you can't even save your own comrades, how can you save all mankind?"

There is no need to be so arrogant, and there is no need to represent everyone... Jiang Baimian cursed, and then said:

"This time I can put on a military exoskeleton device and take a little risk, betting that Wu Meng won't really go 'crazy'."

Hearing this sentence, Long Yuehong frowned again:

“Lao Ge, uh, I mean, is ‘Yuan Nao’ really not afraid of being controlled by Wu Meng?

"It can't possibly know that Wu Meng actually doesn't want to deal with us..."

I and others only understood this after having the experience in the afternoon.

"'Yuan Nao' may have a 'Yuan Nao' method." Jiang Baimian said solemnly, "Anyway, it did this."

After two snaps, Shang Jianyao clapped his hands and played Jiang Baimian's usual role:

"Okay, don't waste time. Are you afraid it won't be dark enough?"

Bai Chen and Long Yuehong hurriedly gathered their thoughts and helped their companions put on military exoskeleton devices.

Not long after, the heavily armed "old tune team" headed towards the cave exit again.

The sun was setting outside, the sky was like a fire, and from time to time there were crows calling.