Gu Ya urgently rescinded [Code Tampering], shouting angrily, "You're playing with fire doing this! It could plunge both of us into unconsciousness!"
Jean Ray smiled faintly and said, "This is my final test for you. People reveal their true intentions when they're under pressure."
"You've passed. I will cooperate with you completely."
Gu Ya's expression turned cold. He calmed his emotions and said, "Your caution is warranted. But please use other methods in the future."
Jean Ray nodded and closed his eyes again.
[Code Tampering]!
As the light tunnel appeared and vanished, Gu Ya smoothly entered Jean Ray's consciousness world.
Towering walls of reinforced concrete loomed around Gu Ya.
The walls enclosed Gu Ya within an area less than a square kilometer.
Beneath his feet was black, hard earth, perfectly flat and devoid of any vegetation.
Gu Ya looked up, feeling as if he were a frog in a well.
"This is your consciousness world, where you've imprisoned yourself," Gu Ya said flatly.
"What reason led you to choose self-imposed confinement?"
Gu Ya gave a light leap, soaring upwards rapidly.
The tops of the high walls drew closer, the gray sky widened, and at the same time, explosions echoed from outside.
Sprinting the final stretch,
Gu Ya reached the top of the high walls and surveyed the surroundings, seeing only scorched earth.
A strong wind carrying the scent of gunpowder swept towards him, the air intolerably hot.
Countless mechs were engaged in aerial combat,
Massive mech wreckage littered the ground outside the high walls, black smoke billowing from the debris and drifting towards the sky.
Flames burned across the land, consuming trees and destroying houses.
Beyond the high walls, the scene could only be described as chaos and devastation.
"You know the outside is a doomsday scenario, so you've built these walls to protect a sanctuary in your heart," Gu Ya murmured.
A weathered old man suddenly appeared beside Gu Ya and said faintly, "There's no choice, because this is Adaiya."
Gu Ya looked down, towards the base of the high walls.
Beneath a conspicuously charred large tree, stood a perfectly intact small house.
Gu Ya raised his foot and took a step forward, instantly teleporting to the house.
The weathered old man appeared alongside him and said, "Everything you wish to know is here. Go inside."
Gu Ya silently pushed open the door. Warm, bright sunlight streamed out, revealing a verdant meadow.
Inside the door was bright and radiant,
A stark contrast to the scorched world Gu Ya occupied.
Gu Ya stepped inside.
Sunlight like rain instantly nourished Gu Ya's inner being.
The fresh scent of grass and trees filled his nostrils,
Laughter echoed incessantly.
Gu Ya looked up to see small, detached houses appearing all around him.
He was standing in a peaceful village.
"Hahaha...! We're going butterfly hunting today!"
"See who catches the most!"
"Run slower!"
Two children dashed past Gu Ya, heading out of the village, while an old woman leisurely pursued them from behind.
A young Jean Ray appeared before Gu Ya, turning and smiling at him, "Let's go see Ye Ying."
They took a step forward simultaneously and instantly arrived before a house. A young aunt was boiling water at the entrance, her brows bearing a slight resemblance to Ye Ying.
On her back was a small bamboo basket containing a sleeping infant.
"This..." Gu Ya felt a flush of embarrassment. Ye Ying was so young!
"Hahaha!" Jean Ray let out a laugh and said, "This is her younger brother. Ye Ying is inside."
Gu Ya entered the house. A girl of about eight or nine years old looked up at him.
Her hair reached her earlobes, her eyes were large, her lips were rosy, and she looked incredibly endearing no matter how one looked at her.
Gu Ya couldn't help but smile,
Little Ye Ying also smiled sweetly and shyly at Gu Ya.
"Auntie, here's the firewood I brought for you."
A girl's voice came from outside the door. The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone was somewhat familiar.
Gu Ya turned his head and was instantly stunned.
This girl wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she exuded a natural white luminescence all over her body.
This was Jean Ray's consciousness world, and there was only one girl who could radiate white light all over her body.
"Is this Anayi?"
The young Jean Ray nodded.
"Alright, next..."
As Jean Ray spoke, he waved his hand, and the house and people vanished.
By the time Gu Ya recovered, he was running towards the sea with a group of villagers.
Each villager held farming tools, using them as weapons.
"Quick! They're over there!!!"
"They're bandits! They have guns, but we have more people!"
"Anayi—!"
As the crowd rushed onto the beach by the sea,
Jean Ray lightly raised his hand, freezing the scene.
"Go..." he whispered softly, stopping his advance and no longer following Gu Ya.
Gu Ya walked onto the beach alone, slowly approaching the few figures.
At this moment, Anayi had fallen onto Ye Ying, her back riddled with dozens of bullet holes, the flowing blood frozen in place.
Behind them, bloodstains stretched dozens of meters across the beach.
Three men stood before them.
The two men behind them looked towards the villagers.
Gu Ya first approached the two men facing the villagers, a surge of hatred rising within him, wishing he could kill them right then and there.
But it was impossible. This was Jean Ray's consciousness space. Killing them would cause Jean Ray to forget their appearances.
Gu Ya suppressed his anger, opened the holographic display on his wristband, and found the corresponding individuals based on the five portraits.
After finishing, Gu Ya walked over to little Ye Ying, used his body to shield her vision, and gently crouched down.
Looking at little Ye Ying's terrified, helpless eyes, Gu Ya's heart felt as if it were being tightly constricted by a rope, causing immense pain.
"How I wish I could have been there with you then."
Gu Ya raised his hand and slowly reached towards little Ye Ying's face.
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, tracing a path down his cheek, detaching from his chin, and falling onto the beach, merging with the earth.
"Boom—!"
Suddenly, the earth began to tremble. All people and objects vanished, instantly transforming back into the initial four high walls.
"What was that sound!!!"
Jean Ray's frantic shouts echoed from all directions.
"Hey! Hey!! You—!"
Before Gu Ya could comprehend what was happening, his vision suddenly went black.
Beneath his feet, a bottomless black abyss abruptly appeared.
...
Jean Ray threw off his headset, his eyes wide with terror as he slowly stood up, looking forward.
What should have been the wall of the inner chamber was replaced by a colossal mechanical hand spewing flames.
The wall collapsed, the ceiling was torn away, revealing the already pale sky.
The camp was engulfed in fire, countless people lay on the ground, and others were fleeing in panic.
Above, dozens of mechs were locked in combat.
A dilapidated mech flew over, knocking away a mech that was destroying houses.
"Camp leader! It's the Fanlisha mercenary organization! They've launched a surprise attack on us!" came a voice from the dilapidated mech.
Jean Ray's eyes widened in panic as he looked down at Gu Ya.
Gu Ya was staring blankly ahead.
"This is bad..."
Jean Ray immediately hoisted Gu Ya onto his back, crossed the rubble, and rushed towards a mech within the camp.
Explosive fire raged all around,
Mech armor fragments rained down like pebbles, impacting around him.
Jean Ray ignored it all; he had to get into a mech!
Suddenly, a tall mech descended from the sky and crashed heavily in front of Jean Ray.
A massive shockwave kicked up tattered tent fabric and sand, blowing Jean Ray away.
"Hahahahahahaha!" a sinister laugh echoed. "Jean, I've finally found you, hee hee hee hee hee..."
Jean Ray cradled Gu Ya and ducked into a narrow alley, "Hey, kid, hey!! Wake up!!"
No matter how much he called out, Gu Ya remained listless, his body limp, as if his soul had been lost.
The giant mech's head emerged from the roof, "Jean, where are you going? Hahahahaha..."
Jean Ray quickly turned a corner, evading the mech's line of sight, and rushed into a small warehouse with Gu Ya.
This place had not yet been damaged.
Jean Ray lifted the lid of a large iron chest, placed Gu Ya inside, and left a small gap for him to breathe.
Having done this, Jean Ray quickly rushed out of the house and ran towards the mech.
...
...
What happened?
Where is this?
...
"Hk—!"
"Hk....."
"Hk...."
"Hk.."
"......"
Why is it so dark, and I can't see anything.
How did I get here?
I......
Who am I......