"People from the 'New World' can actively spread 'Heartless Disease' to those around them!"

This sentence was like an electrified arrow, shot into the minds of Long Yuehong and the others, shattering their thoughts into fragments and causing their bodies and minds to tremble and become paralyzed.

The connection between 'Heartless Disease' and the 'New World' was something the 'Old Task Force' had already speculated about to some extent. They suspected that when the strong from the 'New World' returned, the strengthening of nodes would cause the 'Heartless Disease' virus to spread from the 'New World', infecting the surrounding humans.

Even without a return, as long as the body of a person who entered the 'New World' was still alive, it would be equivalent to a natural node. This would similarly result in the 'Heartless Disease' virus spreading to the graylands, depending entirely on whether the person was willing to control it.

Of course, such nodes were very weak, and the corresponding 'channels' were extremely narrow. The 'Heartless Disease' virus that entered the graylands through this means would have a very low viral load and insufficient survival ability. It could only affect a small area near the node, with the virus decreasing further out until it disappeared.

With this understanding as a psychological foundation, Long Yuehong originally thought that even if the speculation was confirmed, and it was clear that 'Heartless Disease' came from the 'New World', he wouldn't be too shocked. His main emotion should be a sense of heaviness.

But Committee Member Huang actually told them that people from the 'New World' could actively spread 'Heartless Disease' to those around them once they returned to the graylands!

This meant that every strong person from the 'New World' was equivalent to a weapon of mass destruction, and a precision-guided one at that. It also meant that humanity currently had no chance of winning against 'Heartless Disease'. If the 'Old Task Force' really encountered the returning 'Dr.', they would have no chance of survival!

At this moment, Jiang Baimian's mind was in a chaotic and fragmented state.

Then, she remembered something:

The last city where Shang Jianyao's father appeared was one of the few places that experienced a large-scale outbreak of 'Heartless Disease' after the New Calendar. This led to a human settlement not much smaller than Ubei being instantly reduced to ruins.

Could it be that they encountered a strong person who had returned from the 'New World' there? Jiang Baimian's various thoughts gradually subsided, and she slowly regained her normal train of thought.

At this time, Committee Member Huang looked around, taking in the changes in the expressions of Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and the others.

He sighed and said with a wry smile:

"When this matter was initially confirmed, my reaction was similar to yours.

"Hehe, this was originally highly classified intelligence, but firstly, you encountered a threat from a strong person from the 'New World', and this is likely to affect Ubei, so we must respond. Secondly, I have always insisted that this should be made public to all of humanity so that everyone can be more vigilant. Therefore, based on the special regulations in emergency situations, I am sharing the relevant situation with you within my authority."

Before Jiang Baimian and the others could respond, Shang Jianyao had already asked:

"Then why not make it public to all of humanity?"

This seemed to be what he was more concerned about.

Committee Member Huang wasn't too surprised by his reaction and answered frankly:

"Because we haven't figured out the real reason for the destruction of the Old World and the secrets of the 'New World'. Once we announce the source of 'Heartless Disease', we are afraid that humanity will once again encounter a 'Great Cleansing' similar to the one that happened back then. In that case, we can't be sure whether humanity can continue to exist or whether it can slowly rebuild civilization."

"A very reasonable concern." Jiang Baimian interjected before Shang Jianyao could comment.

She regained her composure and asked:

"How did you confirm that people who return from the 'New World' can actively spread 'Heartless Disease' to those around them?"

This was very important.

Committee Member Huang, with an unlit cigarette between his fingers, paced back and forth twice and said:

"In the beginning, we encountered several humans who had been asleep for many years but had not died. Once you stayed near them for too long, you would inevitably be infected with 'Heartless Disease'..."

Similar to Yan Hu's situation... Bai Chen pursed her lips, recalling the first strong person from the 'New World' that the 'Old Task Force' encountered, who was also the only one so far who couldn't return on his own and was praying for help there.

Committee Member Huang continued:

"At that time, the strongest among us had only just entered the 'Mind Corridor', and we couldn't figure out what was going on. We could only issue a ban, telling all soldiers not to approach the corresponding area."

Hmm, the 'Salvation Army' was formed gradually in the mid-to-late chaotic era, after many humans had experienced disappointment and witnessed failures time and time again. At that time, it was indeed possible that some Awakened ones had opened the door to the 'New World'... Jiang Baimian analyzed the truthfulness of Committee Member Huang's words from another perspective.

"Later, one of my colleagues finally found the door to the 'New World' and went inside. From some of the hints he gave, we understood the root cause of the previous phenomenon and initially confirmed that people returning from the 'New World' could actively spread 'Heartless Disease'." This part of Committee Member Huang's memory seemed to be quite well preserved, or rather, he had been repeatedly reading the relevant information to form new memories again and again.

Shang Jianyao once again expressed his confusion:

"Why did your colleagues who entered the 'New World' only hint and not explain clearly?"

Committee Member Huang's expression changed slightly:

"I have forgotten the doubts I had at the time and can only make some guesses from the documents that record these things:

"My colleagues seemed to be restricted in some way. Even after giving hints, they gradually became real vegetables a few years later and could no longer transmit information back from the 'New World'. This situation continued until their bodies completely died.

"I still don't know if they are still alive in the 'New World'.

"Those of us who entered the 'New World' later learned a lesson from this and no longer gave similar hints. Most of our bodies have successfully survived to this day."

Speaking of this, Committee Member Huang sighed with a solemn expression:

"It seems that the situation in the 'New World' is very complicated.

"Maybe we will have to wait until a few more batches of people who share our ideals go in before we can stir up some waves."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao said in a tone that sounded like a promise.

Before Jiang Baimian could speak, Committee Member Huang pondered for a moment and said:

"The rules for transmitting information within the 'New World' are unclear. We still have to prepare for a possible attack by 'Dr.'.

"That's right, you wait a few more hours, and I will change the current arrangement. I will have the ordinary people leave Ubei from the other side, while you and the one sleeping in Ubei, as well as the team escorting him, retreat southwest along the Moonscale River."

The one sleeping in Ubei? Long Yuehong instantly understood that this represented a strong person from the 'New World' in the 'Salvation Army'.

The first thought that popped into his mind wasn't that he was finally safe, but that the strong from the 'New World' were also afraid of nuclear explosions.

Then, some indescribable emotions surged within him:

Committee Member Huang's arrangement to evacuate most of the humans in Ubei from another direction gave him the feeling that the 'Old Task Force' was the source of the disaster, and that being around them would easily attract misfortune.

Of course, Long Yuehong also understood why Committee Member Huang made this arrangement - he was worried that if 'Dr.' really attacked, a battle would break out, and if ordinary people were still nearby, they would easily be affected.

"No problem." Jiang Baimian, as the team leader, agreed to Committee Member Huang's proposal on behalf of the 'Old Task Force'.

After leaving the room where Committee Member Huang was and returning to the third floor, the four carbon-based humans of the 'Old Task Force' fell into silence simultaneously.

Genaver looked left and right and said:

"Isn't it something to be happy about that the relationship between 'Heartless Disease' and the 'New World' has been further confirmed?"

This was the 'Old Task Force's' main mission, after all.

"I mainly feel heavy." Long Yuehong didn't hide his feelings.

Shang Jianyao rubbed his chin and chuckled:

"I am thinking about some questions."

"What questions?" Bai Chen felt that although Shang Jianyao's way of thinking was always strange, it often had a strong enlightening quality.

This time, it wasn't Shang Jianyao who answered her, but Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian looked at the sunlight outside the window and said slowly:

"I am wondering, the company also has strong people from the 'New World'. The board of directors couldn't possibly not understand the source of 'Heartless Disease'. Why would they still establish one 'Old Task Force' after another, pursuing the truth in this regard?"

"Perhaps, the strong people from the 'New World' in the company are hinting even more vaguely, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the earliest batch of strong people from the 'New World' in the 'Salvation Army'." The calm and rational Shang Jianyao gave his explanation.

Jiang Baimian nodded:

"Then it depends on whether the company had someone enter the 'New World' first, or the 'Salvation Army'."

Normally speaking, humans who had survived the destruction of the Old World, having entered the 'New World' with great difficulty, would more or less try to transmit some important information outwards, since they would have no corresponding experience, and without having suffered enough.

Jiang Baimian looked at Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genaver respectively, and continued with a still solemn expression:

"I am reminded of the attention we have received from the Year Walker, and I am reminded of when we went to the graylands for training for the first time, and under several coincidences, we went to the Marsh No. 1 ruins and met Little Chong..."

Hiss... Long Yuehong gasped when he heard this.

He smelled the scent of "arrangement".