Outside Ubei City, on a hill by the Moonscale River.
Xu Lan, dressed in a denim outfit, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and keeping both sides of her body symmetrical, turned her gaze towards the tablet computer in front of her.
It lay quietly on the ground, the surface of the LCD screen projecting rays of light that coalesced in mid-air into a gigantic figure.
This figure was indistinct and hazy, making it difficult to discern its features, only barely distinguishable as having a head, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and a torso, like a human magnified more than ten times.
Overall, it was as if a god had descended from the heavens, or a demon had crawled out of the abyss.
"Doctor" had indeed returned from the "New World," but he could only return to his body hidden within the Eighth Research Institute.
And most current modes of transportation were insufficient to support him in reaching Ubei within a few hours after receiving the news.
A jet might be possible, but it would be too conspicuous, and upon entering the "Salvation Army" airspace, it would be highly likely to be intercepted by missiles, making it very unsafe.
Therefore, "Doctor" chose to continue using his mastery of electromagnetism to influence the target in Ubei through the tablet computer in Xu Lan's hands.
Of course, compared to before, now that he had fully returned, the threat he could create using this method was definitely on a different level altogether. He could completely bring about "Heartless Disease" within a certain range, but the intensity was still significantly different from when his real body was present.
If Committee Member Huang, Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others had remained in Ubei, together with the main force, "Doctor" would have really had no way to deal with them, because if human consciousness gathered together, and there were multiple pillars at the "Mind Corridor" level to maintain it, it would be difficult for him to remotely spread "Heartless Disease" and achieve his intended purpose. He could only, like in Initial City, weaken people's spirits, causing them to have nightmares at night and gradually develop headaches and nausea the next day.
If no one intervened, and this situation continued for more than a month, gradually worsening the mental state of those affected, then "Heartless Disease" might still break out. But this was Ubei, one of the core cities of the "Salvation Army." How could no one intervene?
If the "Old Task Force" hadn't noticed the danger, "Doctor" could have had Xu Lan quietly sneak into Ubei and, before her symmetry OCD acted up, help him find an opportunity to strike the target using other means. But Shang Jianyao, Jiang Baimian, and the others were too vigilant.
Forced to act, "Doctor" had to "stir up the grass to scare the snake."
He requested assistance from his colleagues in the "New World," briefly trapping the sleeping one in Ubei and telling a story about a "New World" powerhouse about to arrive in person, thereby alarming the local "Salvation Army" higher-ups and causing them to hurriedly evacuate the citizens and relocate important figures in batches.
This broke the gathering effect, and "Doctor" could then infect the evacuating squads with "Heartless Disease" one by one.
This was the reason why, after failing to contact the sleeping one in Ubei, he had delayed launching an attack, allowing the people of Ubei time to "evacuate."
Normally, if a surprise attack were to be launched, it would definitely be at the moment "Doctor" was about to act that his colleagues in the "New World" would suddenly strike, giving the "Salvation Army" no chance to react.
Although limited by his ability range and the speed of the helicopter evacuation, "Doctor" reckoned that he would only have time to influence three to four teams. But that didn't matter. A near 50% probability was already quite considerable, and he could also have Xu Lan continue to trace the targets afterward. In any case, the sleeping one in Ubei and his primary elimination targets were definitely not in the same group, to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop.
By then, even if other powerhouses in the "Salvation Army" managed to resolve the predicament of the Ubei one in time, he would be too late to help the "Old Task Force" after returning!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, the gigantic figure extending from the tablet computer turned its gaze towards an armed helicopter that was about to leave its range of influence.
On Helicopter Number 5, whether it was the old warriors of the "Salvation Army" or the members of the "Old Task Force," they all straightened their backs, waiting for an attack that might or might not come.
Shivering slightly, Jiang Baimian adjusted her mindset, making herself extremely focused, no longer thinking about whether she would die or contract "Heartless Disease."
She concentrated all her attention on monitoring her own condition. If she detected anything amiss, she would immediately try to sense the enemy in reverse, striving to lock onto their location by relying on the connection at the consciousness level.
By then, even if she inevitably contracted "Heartless Disease," the auxiliary chip in her bionic limbs could record the relevant information and transmit it, allowing Genaeva to know.
And Genaeva, as an intelligent robot, would definitely not become a "Heartless One" and could, based on the location information, fire signal flares in the correct direction, attracting the ballistic missile coverage of the Ubei defense zone.
At the same time, Genaeva could help operate the helicopter and use the various weapons it was equipped with.
That was Jiang Baimian's plan, and Shang Jianyao's too. Long Yuehong, on the other hand, had relatively no way to help and could only let his thoughts wander aimlessly:
If I really get "Heartless Disease," I choose to be euthanized...
No, what if a cure for "Heartless Disease" is found in a few years?
Hmm, let Old Ge lock us up, take good care of us, and wait for technological advancements.
As long as we're not dead, there's still hope!
Filled with a strong desire to survive, Long Yuehong turned his body and looked at Genaeva.
Just as he opened his mouth, trying to tell his robot companion his thoughts, Shang Jianyao's head suddenly twitched in pain.
As an Awakened at the "Mind Corridor" level, he had some ability to resist this influence, which led to him being subjected to even stronger treatment.
This prevented Jiang Baimian and the others from contracting "Heartless Disease" immediately; they only felt that the light inside the helicopter had dimmed a little.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to hold on for long, Shang Jianyao was about to sink his consciousness into his own mind world, and then open the crack representing Xiao Chong in the "Sea of Origins," which was mixed with the unique aura of Holm Fertility Center, to its maximum extent, waiting for a change.
Amidst the intense headache and dizziness, before he could even enter the Mind Corridor, Shang Jianyao suddenly saw dense darkness gushing out from the gaps in his right fist.
Subconsciously, he loosened that fist, revealing the small jade Buddha in his palm.
The lake-green jade Buddha had become illusory, as if it no longer had substance.
Moreover, it was not emitting a green light, but a tide-like surge of "darkness."
This "darkness" suddenly erupted, instantly filling the entire helicopter and, along invisible connections, obscuring the sky and enveloping the distant gigantic figure.
A scene suddenly appeared in "Doctor's" eyes:
In the dense darkness, a faint female figure was quietly watching him across a half-covered "barrier."
"Ah!"
A scream filled with extreme terror echoed through the clouds, seemingly extending all the way to the mountains north, deep into the ice plains.
With a cracking sound, the holographic projection-like gigantic figure vanished in an instant. Even the tablet computer supporting it had cracks appearing all over the surface of its screen, crisscrossing each other.
Xu Lan collapsed to the ground, her heart losing speed due to terror, almost causing her to be scared to death.
Fortunately, she was not the target, but merely an affected party.
The surging "darkness" quickly faded, no longer returning to the small jade Buddha.
Only a second or two later, the lighting in Helicopter Number 5 returned to normal.
Noticing this change, Long Yuehong shook his head and found that he could still think.
"It's over? We didn't get 'Heartless Disease'..." He blurted out, clutching the "Angel of Life" necklace.
During the anomaly just now, he seemed to have been frightened as well, going from having a paralyzed leg to being unable to move any of his limbs, only recovering now.
Hearing Long Yuehong's words, Jiang Baimian, Bai Chen, and Genaeva all turned their gazes to the lake-green jade Buddha in Shang Jianyao's palm.
It had regained its presence, warm and hard.
Shang Jianyao let out a long sigh, saying with relief:
"I knew the 'Chart of Heavenly Year Gods' was useful!"
Jiang Baimian wanted to smear his face with something, but she resisted.
Ignoring the presence of the old "Salvation Army" warriors and the pilot, she muttered to herself:
"'Yougu's' help?"
It now seemed that the gaze of "Yougu" at the Pujiang Conference in Redstone Collection had brought more than just the changes in the Second Food Company of Tieshi City; it was also equivalent to giving the "Old Task Force" a protective charm.
That's right, we got the small jade Buddha, which is actually equivalent to obtaining the key to unlock the remnant anomaly in the Second Food Company of Tieshi City. "Yougu's" gaze was just icing on the cake and not really necessary... Only now did Jiang Baimian suddenly realize.
Shang Jianyao looked down at the small jade Buddha in his palm and sighed again:
"Now it's gone."
The "protective charm" given by "Yougu" had been used up.
After saying that, Shang Jianyao's face revealed clear regret and disappointment:
"If I had known this would happen, we shouldn't have left. Committee Member Huang, Elder Zhang, and the others wouldn't have died..."
Hearing this, an old "Salvation Army" warrior in the front row sighed:
"Don't feel guilty. You couldn't have predicted this kind of thing at all.
"Regiment Commander Huang and Battalion Commander Zhang died for their ideals. They died a worthy death!"
To ease Shang Jianyao's emotions, Jiang Baimian turned to ask:
"What happened to 'Doctor'?"
Shang Jianyao shook his head:
"Maybe he was scared to death, or maybe he was scared crazy, or maybe he was just scared into becoming paralyzed."
He couldn't confirm "Doctor's" condition, but he could be sure of one thing:
This one will not be able to stir up trouble again in the short term.