This coffee shop was neither large nor small, with a total of three chandeliers, all of which were lit at this moment.

Besides Shang Jianyao, Flora, and Barnard, there was one other person in the shop, the owner who was focused on carving a design into a cup of coffee.

He was a grey-skinned person with medium-length hair and a very artistic air.

At first glance, the man in the white t-shirt and blue jeans looked young, with clear and bright features, but upon closer inspection, fine wrinkles could be seen on his forehead, around his eyes, and at the corners of his mouth.

Facing Shang Jianyao's declaration, he didn't even raise his head, still focusing his attention on the coffee in front of him.

Seeing this, Flora and Barnard successively withdrew their gazes. The former, with a slightly stiff smile, asked Shang Jianyao:

"What problem do you want to solve?"

Shang Jianyao answered with a full voice:

"This is a prison of the mind, and your experience is illegal detention.

"Even a Ruling God shouldn't do this!

"We have to find a way to end this situation. Where there is oppression, there is resistance!"

Flora and Barnard listened with trepidation, occasionally glancing at the windows, afraid of suffering unwarranted disaster.

If their bodies didn't have such serious impairments, making it very inconvenient for them to move, they would most likely choose to distance themselves from Shang Jianyao.

After Shang Jianyao finished speaking, Flora and Barnard exchanged glances and forced a smile:

"You didn't have to enter this large prison in the first place. Why take the risk to help us get out of this predicament?

"Um, what should we call you?"

Shang Jianyao pulled up a chair and sat down:

"Just call me Doug. My grey-skinned name is Shang Jianyao."

He directly used the pinyin for the three characters "Shang Jianyao."

After introducing himself, he puffed out his chest and placed his right hand over his left chest:

"My ideal and goal is to save all of humanity!"

Flora and Barnard both revealed a look of sudden understanding.

The former smiled:

"Aren't you from 'Pangu Biology'?

"Could you be a 'Salvation Army' spy planted there?"

"I remember you seem to be a favored one of the Ruling God 'Siming'..." Barnard added tremulously.

Shang Jianyao looked embarrassed:

"I am indeed an employee of 'Pangu Biology', but I have always wanted to join the 'Salvation Army', but they haven't approved my application yet."

What is this all about? This is called biting the hand that feeds you! Barnard was stunned.

The Lin Hai Alliance is dominated by grey-skinned people, and as the first Red River race president, he has a fairly deep understanding of grey-skinned culture.

Then, Shang Jianyao said again:

"Besides 'Siming', there are several other Ruling Gods who have bestowed favor upon me."

He said it with exceptional pride, without the slightest hint of guilt.

Flora and Barnard listened in stunned silence.

After several seconds, Flora asked:

"Since you are favored by several, several Ruling Gods, then why do you want to solve the problems of the 'New World' and help us get out of this predicament?"

Shang Jianyao smiled:

"I remember that the Red River people have a saying, 'I love my teacher, but I love truth more.'

"In order to achieve the goal of saving all of humanity, I am willing to bear the wrath of the Ruling Gods."

Then, he added with a slightly sinister tone:

"Besides, how do you know that no Ruling God wants to change the status quo of the 'New World'?"

Barnard and Flora exchanged glances again.

"Why do you have such a strong obsession with saving all of humanity?" Barnard's left half of his body, including his lips and face, was trembling.

Shang Jianyao thought seriously:

"My father told me a lot of things that influenced me from a young age and gave me such thoughts. Later, I went crazy, and this became my action goal and ultimate ideal."

"You're crazy?" Flora blurted out.

Shang Jianyao nodded sincerely:

"I have a doctor's certificate."

Flora observed him for a while, recalling his every action and every word.

After confirming, she believed that this guy was really crazy.

"No wonder..." Flora visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

She thought for a moment, picked up the notepad placed on the table, and conjured a pen.

Swish, swish, swish, she wrote a passage on the first page of the notepad.

Then, she tore off the paper and handed it to Shang Jianyao.

Shang Jianyao took it and saw that it said:

"No one doesn't want to get out of this predicament. We have been here for many years, summarized some rules, and established a not-so-small alliance.

"Do you want to join?"

"Of course!" Shang Jianyao responded loudly.

Flora took back the notepad, restored it to its purest spiritual power, and absorbed it into her body.

After doing this, she said to Shang Jianyao:

"What you need to do is talk to the owner. His Red River name is Ruiweier, and his grey-skinned name is Liu Chuan."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao immediately got up and walked towards the owner who had started drinking coffee.

"Good noon." He greeted enthusiastically.

"How do you know it's noon?" Liu Chuan asked casually.

Shang Jianyao answered triumphantly:

"I have an artificial clock."

The artificial clock's name is Jiang Baimian.

Although Liu Chuan didn't quite understand, he didn't pursue the matter. He looked at Shang Jianyao and said:

"You just said you wanted to change the status quo of the 'New World'?"

"Yes." Shang Jianyao nodded heavily.

Liu Chuan's eyes deepened slightly:

"You need to know that once the action fails, we will become the food or batteries of the Ruling Gods.

"And if you compromise, besides not being able to leave here freely and occasionally suffering attacks, you can still enjoy your life and even protect those you want to protect, and relax in the Greylands every once in a while.

"Are you sure you want to do this quixotic thing?"

Shang Jianyao suddenly extended his right hand and pressed it to his left chest, answering decisively:

"For all of humanity!

"This is my ideal and goal, and it is very unfair that everyone is trapped in this so-called 'New World'.

"After the 'New World' is changed, we should establish a more humane and reasonable order, so that those who unscrupulously consume human consciousness will be judged, and good people like Flora, Barnard, and you will be freed..."

He not only answered whether he was willing, but also envisioned the plans after success.

Liu Chuan stared at Shang Jianyao for a while and slowly nodded:

"You must remember what you just said."

"Happy cooperation." Shang Jianyao smiled and extended his hand.

Liu Chuan, who was about to say something, had to shake hands with him first.

Shang Jianyao then asked:

"How do you plan to resist the Ruling Gods?"

Liu Chuan's face changed, and he almost threw the coffee cup in his hand.

He calmed himself and said:

"It's not resistance.

"We have summarized some rules and know that there will be an opportunity to escape from here soon."

Speaking of this, Liu Chuan paused:

"Um, you leave first and wait nearby.

"When only one lamp is left lit in the coffee shop, you can come back to me and talk about this in detail."

"No problem." Shang Jianyao followed his advice and replied in the Greylands language.

After watching him walk out of the coffee shop, Liu Chuan looked at Barnard and Flora and nodded to them, indicating that the hidden danger had been resolved.

At the same time, a piece of memory that appeared out of nowhere flashed in the minds of Barnard and Flora:

"I have 'hypnotized' him and strengthened his understanding that changing the status quo of the 'New World' and that we are comrades-in-arms.

"Even if he has been implanted with thoughts, had his memory modified, or is here as an undercover agent, he will not betray us in the future."

Whew, Flora and Barnard breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside the coffee shop, Shang Jianyao walked towards a nearby building while smiling and muttering to himself:

"With the 'thought implantation' just now, they should completely trust me."

…………

Eighth Research Institute, inside that tunnel.

Jiang Baimian finished a new round of exploration.

After repeated confirmation, she revised a judgment she had made before.

She originally thought that the Eighth Research Institute was supplying power to that real "New World" to maintain the operation of certain important items inside, but after checking the direction of the wires and the condition of the circuit, she believed that the opposite might be true:

That real "New World" was supplying power to the Eighth Research Institute!

In other words, the small nuclear power plant she guessed was deep within the real "New World."

And the core work of those "Mindless Ones" was to maintain the operation of the nuclear power plant, followed by ensuring their own survival, and finally maintaining the power lines leading to the Eighth Research Institute and the tracks through which the Eighth Research Institute provided them with supplies.

Because of this, only about one-tenth of the "Mindless Ones" were active on the periphery.

"Um, that power station must be in the area around the tower, protected by an illusion, and the power station itself exists for certain important things..." Jiang Baimian muttered to herself silently.

She had determined that the reason those "Mindless Ones" disappeared as soon as they walked to a certain place was that they had entered an illusion.

And if she wanted to touch that illusion, she needed to improve her strength as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Jiang Baimian restrained all her thoughts and entered the "Sea of Origin."

She came to the island with the golden elevator again, facing another version of herself wearing pajamas.

That "Jiang Baimian" smiled and asked when she saw her coming:

"Have you thought about it?"

ps: Asking for double monthly tickets at the beginning of the month~ This is the last month of The Long Night's Embers, asking for monthly tickets~