Chapter 27 Detector
“Fragments of a signal sphere, four pieces in total, plus the core of the sphere.” Jiang Ye leaned back in his chair and stretched. “High-dimensional technological products, even if they break, it doesn’t matter, they can be put back together.”
"A signal ball." Bai Chenzhu returned the fragments to Jiang Ye, her fingertips lightly tapping the blanket, her long eyelashes lowered thoughtfully. "Who is it meant to signal to?"
Jiang Ye curled his lips and leaned closer to observe his expression, jokingly asking, "Would you believe me if I told you?"
“If you say it, I’ll believe you.” Bai Chenzhu looked at him earnestly.
Jiang Ye fell silent, seemingly assessing the truthfulness of Bai Chenzhu's words. He leaned back, gazing at the ceiling in deep thought.
This clearly shows he's still wary of him. Surely, Jiang Ye doesn't consider them friends by now? Bai Chenzhu sighed deeply, raised his palm and placed it on the back of Jiang Ye's hand, suppressing Jiang Ye's attempt at an excuse.
He looked directly into those abyss-like eyes, as if he knew what the other was worried about, and said in his usually indifferent but gentle and firm tone, "Jiang Ye, don't be anxious, I'm the same as you."
They both feel out of place in this world, both feel lost about the future, and both overestimate their abilities to try and change something.
"You can believe me. No matter how absurd the facts you're about to tell." Bai Chenzhu's eyelashes trembled, revealing phoenix eyes so sincere and full of invitation, as if trying to see through the skin and directly into Jiang Ye's soul.
A moment later, he took Jiang Ye's hand and pressed it against his injured calf through the blanket, as if to say: We've been through thick and thin together, why are you still hiding this from me?
Jiang Ye recoiled as if he had been burned.
Bai Chenzhu waited quietly for him to speak.
Jiang Ye's Adam's apple bobbed up and down a few times, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose with some distress, lowered his head and pressed his fingers together as if trying to avoid the issue. "This matter is a bit complicated. Let me tell you the story simply."
"The person who destroyed the signal sphere is from the laboratory from which the zombie virus leaked out."
What does that mean? Bai Chenzhu's pupils shrank sharply. "Who could have such ability?"
"What could alter human genes and cause such a massive catastrophe is not humanity itself." Jiang Ye wanted a cigarette again. He touched his pocket and searched through his drawers, but found nothing. He squeezed his fingertips and forced himself to suppress his craving.
He used a different approach, "Do you know chickens? Humans raise them in captivity to eat them, and gene editing technology is used to make them meatier and fatter."
Bai Chenzhu suddenly couldn't eat the last two pieces of roasted chicken. He looked at the pieces of meat in his bowl, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Are you trying to say that we're like genetically edited chickens?"
“You could say that,” Jiang Ye said, spreading his hands. “However, it’s without a purpose. Just like accidentally creating a monster chicken with unknown abilities during gene editing, the best way to deal with it is…”
He left it at that, and Bai Chenzhu understood: "Kill them, wipe them out, leave no trace."
But wouldn't that mean we're completely powerless against them? Bai Chenzhu frowned.
Jiang Ye spoke his mind, "We are so weak. The spiritual power in this fragment alone far surpasses that of all current mental ability users. You can feel it, right?"
“I can sense it.” Bai Chenzhu was puzzled. “But since they are so powerful, who can punish them, and who would be willing to help such a weak and backward planet?”
"You can think of this thing as a token of an alliance formed by chicken lovers, a kind of protective agreement." Jiang Ye's dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. He leisurely twirled the semi-circular ring with his fingertips. "In the current situation where we are powerless to resist, it can be considered a way to save ourselves."
“But until now, I have neither seen nor heard of the ‘them’ you’re talking about,” Bai Chenzhu said. Based solely on Jiang Ye’s words and the object mentioned, who could believe such a fantastical story?
“Of course.” Jiang Ye looked up at him. “Leaving no trace is very important. They target those forces that can stabilize the situation, so that the world can be thrown into chaos. As for us ordinary people, we are just the best evidence of humanity’s march toward ‘natural extinction’. We are just tools, and tools don’t need to see them.”
He closed his eyes, stopped the semi-circular motion of his fingers, and recalled the night of his 'rebirth,' feeling particularly excited. But when he saw the date, he knew it was too late.
Bloodshed and violence had already permeated the high-level circles of various countries from the very very beginning.
"So, you've gathered all these fragments because you want to contact that alliance?" Even though he had only heard part of it, Bai Chenzhu quickly caught up with the train of thought.
Jiang Ye was about to speak when his expression changed. He abruptly stood up and turned around, the chair scraping against the floor with a dull thud, accompanied by Jiang Ye's stern voice, "Come in!"
Bai Chenzhu was startled by his sudden change of attitude. Then she noticed that the door had been pushed open a crack, and two pairs of eyes were blinking.
After Jiang Ye's reprimand, the door opened, revealing the outspoken Zhou Zhuohua and Bai Tao, who pretended to be invisible.
Jiang Ye had been so focused on something that he hadn't noticed anyone eavesdropping outside the door. Seeing it was just the two of them, he breathed a sigh of relief, but then his anxiety returned, as he couldn't quite grasp their intentions.
Zhou Zhuohua was carrying a small pot. "Jiang Ye, we made some rice and wanted to ask if you wanted some." Bai Tao had already changed out of her school uniform and cleverly hid behind Zhou Zhuohua to avoid his anger.
Bai Chenzhu looked around but couldn't spot the two of them. "When did you arrive?"
Bai Tao poked her head out, her face slightly pale, but she looked a little better. She answered Bai Chenzhu's question in Jiang Ye's tone, but looked at Jiang Ye and said, "Brother Jiang, 'Do you know chickens?' You really love chickens."
"I really love it." Bai Chenzhu couldn't help but smile. "His roast chicken is delicious too, have you all had some?"
Bai Tao's obviously teasing tone made Jiang Ye stand up, roll up his sleeves, and walk towards the door.
Adding fuel to the fire, Bai Tao exclaimed, "Oh! Sister Zhuohua, Brother Jiang is furious!" With that, she nimbly hid behind Zhou Zhuohua, using her as a shield.
Zhou Zhuohua was left staring at the two of them.
Zhou Zhuohua raised the pot in her hand, "You can put aside all that talk about humanity and the future for now. I only have one question right now."
Do you want to eat?
Bai Chenzhu said, "Eat!"
The atmosphere among the four was strange. They ate their meal at the small table on Bai Chenzhu's bed without saying a word.
Bai Chenzhu had sighed countless times in his heart, wanting to say something but holding back. In fact, he really wanted everyone to go outside. What was the point of having a meal around a sick person like him?
However, no one could understand what he was thinking.
Zhou Zhuohua finished the last bite of rice with the chicken, breaking the silence with an exclamation, "I've never seen anything like this before. There really is such a thing as saving the world. Actually, I didn't understand much of what you just said."
"Let me summarize," Bai Chenzhu said succinctly, recalling the events. "Jiang Ye needs to find the signal sphere fragments, otherwise we're all doomed."
Jiang Ye nodded in satisfaction at the mouth double.
“This is dangerous.” Zhou Zhuohua bit the tip of her chopsticks and asked the question that had been bothering her: “Since Jiang Ye knows so much, why doesn’t he consider telling the authorities? We’re not as well-trained as him.”
"Do you think the high-ranking officials in various countries know about this?" Jiang Ye put down his chopsticks.
Zhou Zhuohua looked puzzled. Bai Chenzhu keenly sensed the unspoken implication and paused for a moment before asking, "Are the people who know these things still alive?"
If aliens have existed for so long, why don't ordinary people know about them?
Because someone had already shielded them from everything, bearing the burden for them. Through negotiation and bargaining, agreements were made that would not disrupt the peaceful lives of humanity, maintaining a life that people enjoyed and that news of extraterrestrials became a pastime rather than a reality that everyone feared.
Since the news was blocked, the number of leaders in various countries who knew about it was certainly limited. According to Jiang Ye, those with ulterior motives, in order to create chaos and expand the scope of the virus as much as possible, must have already taken action.
Those who know the secrets, those who can stabilize the situation, those who can lead... have probably all met with misfortune, which is why the chaos is getting bigger and bigger.
Just as the dinosaurs died out without a known cause, they too will be driven to experience an 'unknown extinction in the course of evolution'.
In order to sever ties, traces must be erased. Those 'people' will try their best to observe the process of human extinction, but anyone who tries to stop them will be eliminated.
"Moreover, without any evidence, how am I supposed to tell those remaining people who don't know the reason about this? They'll think I'm crazy." Jiang Ye pinched the bridge of his nose, quite worried.
Instead of wasting time explaining, we should hurry up and find it while the signal sphere fragment still retains some spiritual energy.
"Oh right." Zhou Zhuohua belatedly realized, "So Jiang Ye, how did you know about this?"
Jiang Ye's gaze wandered, drifting among the furniture. He coughed softly twice, "Sister, don't ask."
"You're not just telling me a story to fool me, are you?" Zhou Zhuohua looked doubtful. "This sounds too much like one of those clichéd savior tropes."
Jiang Ye took a deep breath.
Bai Chenzhu spoke up for him, "Sister Hua, you know Jiang Ye's personality. He doesn't even need to make up a reason to lie to you. Now that even you doubt the truth of the matter, do you think those strangers will really believe it?"
Zhou Zhuohua was speechless for a moment, and she wiped her mouth with a tissue.
After a moment, she looked at the two people exchanging glances, adjusted her thin glasses, and offered a suggestion, "In that case, we can just collect them secretly, like a trip. We're not big shots, we won't get caught if we're careful. But, if you can think of this, can't they? Why not just destroy them?"
“Sister, the signal ball can’t just disappear for no reason.” Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. “It even has a location tracking feature; it can’t leave Earth.”
“Most importantly,” Jiang Ye smiled at Bai Chenzhu, raising his index finger, “they don’t know what humans have evolved, let alone that humans have developed mental power that can be used to find fragments. And it will take at least ten years for them to discover this.”
Ten years. Bai Chenzhu sighed, finally understanding why Jiang Ye had clung to him all along.
Good grief, they've been using it as a 'detector' from the very beginning!
He noticed Bai Tao, who was pretending to be invisible and lost in thought, and keenly observed that her right hand was bandaged. The clean and efficient technique was clearly Zhou Zhuohua's doing. Looking at her high ponytail with a small braid, exactly the same as Zhou Zhuohua's on her forehead, it wasn't hard to imagine that Zhou Zhuohua had taken good care of her.
Bai Chenzhu looked at Jiang Ye and Zhou Zhuohua, who were discussing the details, and then at Bai Tao.
Seemingly noticing his gaze, Bai Tao rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked back. After a while, she sidled over with her small stool.
Bai Chenzhu found her clumsy movements amusing. "Are you still coming with us?"
This is too far-fetched. Bai Chenzhu was puzzled by the abrupt ending of the book, so she chose to be skeptical. Zhou Zhuohua dared to believe it, probably because she had her own considerations.
Bai Tao, on the other hand, stumbled in without really understanding what was going on. Not long ago, she had chosen to stay, so it was only right that she should leave as well.
The three of them now look like a bunch of lunatics.
Bai Tao looked confused. She looked left and right, and finally her gaze settled on Zhou Zhuohua, who was talking to Jiang Ye. She stared at him for a long time, then lowered her head and kept rubbing the silver bracelet on her wrist.
"Follow me." Bai Tao nodded.
She tilted her head and looked at Bai Chenzhu with a mixture of doubt, amazement, and curiosity in her eyes, making Bai Chenzhu feel a little uncomfortable.
"Brother Bai, your surname sounds very similar to mine," Bai Tao asked softly. "Can I just call you 'brother'?"
Bai Chenzhu didn't think it was a big deal and nodded in agreement, "Then, can you tell me where you and Jiang Ye went before?"
Bai Tao honestly replied, "We went to the place you went before. Brother Jiang said he wanted to check if the body was still there, and also asked me to see if I could find any clues to find out where those people went, so we could strike first."
"In the end, we found nothing and even ran into a few mutant dogs."
"A mutant dog?" Bai Chenzhu frowned. He didn't find this surprising. "Your hand was injured because of this?"
Bai Tao nodded. "They were so fast, I almost got bitten through my hand. Brother Jiang took care of them, it's just a pity we couldn't find that group of people."
Jiang Ye, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, couldn't help but interject, "Hey! Where did your arrogance go? When you actually encounter a problem, you just freeze up. And you still have the nerve to call yourself a superhuman."
It had a hint of disappointment and frustration.
Recalling her harsh words and the actual situation, Bai Tao felt ashamed and rolled her eyes at him, saying, "It's only natural to have a stress reaction when you're scared."
Bai Chenzhu curled his fingers. Sure enough, the next second Jiang Ye sneered, with a hint of provocation: "Then ask him how he was able to react."
Bai Tao choked up. She stood up and glared at Jiang Ye, her voice suddenly rising, "So what! At worst, I'll just carry a knife and splatter blood wherever there's a monster! I'll still be just as awesome!"
That was too rash. Zhou Zhuohua stopped her, saying, "Tao Tao!"
Jiang Ye, however, added fuel to the fire, saying, "Yes, yes, you're capable, you've got a lot of blood to burn."
"You bastard!" Bai Tao was furious and easily angered, ready to rush over and fight him to the death.
Bai Chenzhu quickly stopped her shoulder, "Jiang Ye! She's still young!"
She subtly reminded Jiang Ye that this girl had just awakened and was not yet someone who could challenge him.
Jiang Ye understood the implication in his words, and his eyes flickered slightly. Some things are not so easy to change. When he saw Bai Tao's face, his competitive spirit, which always sought to outdo him, immediately flared up, and he could no longer distinguish between them.
It was utterly despicable to provoke and bully a girl like that. Jiang Ye finally realized his lapse in composure, crossed his arms, leaned back, and sighed, "Fine, it was my fault."
Xiao Baitao reacted negatively, but he himself didn't fare much better.
Bai Chenzhu pressed down on Bai Tao's shoulder, gesturing for her to sit down. "No need to look anymore, I roughly know where they are."
"You know?" All three of them were somewhat surprised.
Bai Chenzhu was either with them or recuperating in the house, so how did he know?
Bai Chenzhu rubbed his aching temples. "On my first day here, I noticed dogs barking and cats meowing, but I thought it was just my imagination."
That wasn't the barking of one dog, but the barking of many mutants, along with a gradually increasing, chaotic mental energy. To Bai Chenzhu, it was like a swarm of flies buzzing around, making him uncomfortable.
"It's about two kilometers away, we can get there tomorrow," Bai Chenzhu said, rubbing his calf and looking at the sunset outside.
"No," Jiang Ye objected first. "You can't go."
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