The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Chapter 139 Opening a Third Path in Despair!

The buzzing sound caused by the mental energy explosion was still lingering in Jiang Chuan's ears.

He stared dizzily at the forest that seemed to have been swept by a strong wind, and at the headless corpse that had fallen to the ground, speechless with astonishment.

Jiang Chuan was not the only one speechless with shock.

Fang Yi took a step forward, but fell heavily to the ground.

Without pausing, he quickly got up and staggered toward the corpse.

Jiang Chuan looked at him, shook his head vigorously, and remained silent.

Zhong Huahua also stood up. She looked at Jiang Chuan, then at Fang Yi who was staggering over, and remained silent as well.

Fang Yi finally arrived at the body, but he just stood there with his back to everyone.

Jiang Chuan glanced at the sky.

It didn't rain, and the sky was clear and blue.

Jiang Chuan thought he would break down and cry, and that he would ask the corpse some random questions...

But I never expected them to be so silent.

He didn't know what the story was between Fang Yi and this field team leader.

However, they must have been through a lot together.

Perhaps it's fighting side by side, perhaps it's raising a glass in celebration, or perhaps it's something else entirely...

But from now on, the opportunity to create memories together will no longer exist.

Jiang Chuan stopped looking at the sky and looked at Fang Yi again. He saw Fang Yi walking back and said:
"Our boss said we can go back."

"Then go back."

"He must have wiped out all four teams."

His tone was calm, but his reddened eyes held immense grief.

The others remained silent, but Fang Yi took the lead and started walking back.

Fang Yi and Jiang Chuan each carved a cross and a circle on the tree trunks they had passed on their way here. Although they couldn't confirm the direction, at least they had no problem finding their way back.

They walked back in silence, for a long time.

The one who broke the silence was Fang Yi, who was walking alone at the front.

He opened his mouth and said:
"The team leader said the tomb's occupant was Princess Anle..."

"Princess Anle, do you... know anything about this?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head and looked at Zhong Huahua.

Zhong Huahua shook her head and looked at Shi Changzai again.

Shi Changzai nodded and said, "Princess Anle, Li Guo'er... is the daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, and her mother is Empress Wei."

"She was described as the most beautiful woman in the Tang Dynasty, whose beauty captivated the world."

"Besides being stunningly beautiful, Princess Anle was a woman who was quite power-hungry. She once asked Emperor Zhongzong of Tang to make her the Crown Princess."

"This woman is extremely dissolute. She colluded with Empress Wei to interfere in politics, sell official positions and titles, and many officials below the prime minister were her protégés."

"After that, she even poisoned her father, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, and seized control of the court..."

"According to the Taiping Guangji, Li Longji executed the rebellious Wei and killed Anle, beheading him and hanging his head on a pole, changing him to a rebellious commoner."

Fang Yi asked:
"You said Princess Anle was killed by Li Longji and became a rebellious commoner, so what's the story behind this tomb?"

Shi Changzai shook his head and said in a low voice, "I don't know."

Jiang Chuan added, "There's no need to delve into that..."

"Whether they didn't kill her at all or Li Guo'er escaped through a scheme, it doesn't matter anymore."

"If we know that the tomb's occupant is Princess Anle, then we should be able to find some clues in various records."

"Especially what exactly her mental abilities are capable of..."

"Our chance of victory lies in mastering these things."

Zhong Huahua asked, puzzled, "Don't we need to go find the members of Group Four?"

Fang Yi's voice came through: "Since the team leader said we should go back as soon as possible, then let's go back as soon as possible."

"The fact that he risked his life to deliver the message naturally shows that this information is of paramount importance."

"Moreover, he doesn't want us all to die here."

Jiang Chuan nodded:

“If we continue deeper, we are very likely to be attacked by other ‘Faceless’ beings.”

"If even someone as powerful as that team leader could be controlled, then it means that there can't be just one person being controlled."

"Going any further would be too irrational."

Fang Yi remained silent for a long time. Although he pretended to be relaxed, his feelings were still extremely complicated when the topic of his team leader came up.

Jiang Chuan didn't say anything more.

He was thinking to himself, "That team leader risked his life to get this message out..."

What exactly did he go through during that long period of time?
He's been playing along, waiting for an opportunity to get the message out.

There are two mental seas in my mind, but I have to keep the other mental sea in control of my body.
What kind of cage would that be?
In the endless darkness, without emitting any mental fluctuations, he only wanted to convey the information in the fewest words possible before his death, and then face death with composure...

He's a real man.

However, just as Jiang Chuan was thinking this, he was interrupted.

"Jiangchuan..."

Jiang Chuan snapped out of his daze and saw Fang Yi's back.

Jiang Chuan thought he was going to talk about the team leader, but instead he only heard Fang Yi's shocked and horrified voice:

"Did you mark the same tree as me?"

Jiang Chuan was taken aback and looked at the tree in front of Fang Yi.

His pupils contracted slightly when he saw the mark.

A fork and a circle were clearly visible on the trunk of that tree.

Jiang Chuan hurriedly stepped forward to look at it, touching the two completely different engravings, his heartbeat gradually accelerating.

He then looked around at the trees.

The trees all around were covered with crosses and circles.

Jiang Chuan felt his breath catch in his throat.

"When?"

When did you get infected?

Fang Yi had no idea when they were affected.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Let's use our mental energy to explore and see if we can get out!"

Zhong Huahua and Jiang Chuan quickly unleashed their mental energy, their mental energy lines speeding along the forest.

Jiang Chuan rapidly scanned every tree within his range with his mental energy, but every single tree bore nearly identical circle and cross markings…

He opened his eyes, looked at Fang Yi with a serious expression, and shook his head.

As Jiang Chuan shook his head, Zhong Huahua also finished her exploration. She pushed up her large black-rimmed glasses, her small face somewhat pale.

"No...no way out."

Upon hearing this, Consort Shi's eyes widened, and she muttered to herself:

We're being watched!

Fang Yi frowned and said, "It's alright."

"At this distance, the only thing we need to worry about is mental manipulation."

"As long as we take precautions against this, we can just wait for rescue."

It seems the same thing happened to the fourth group before, which is why the car hit such an obvious rock...

The reason there was no sixth footprint was because the leader of Fang Yi's group was so powerful that he could fly through the air using his mental power.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chuan suddenly frowned: "No..."

"wrong."

"...Other controlled experts are probably already on their way to kill us." "We're trapped here and waiting to die; we must find a way out as soon as possible!"

Zhong Huahua said, "But in this situation, it's impossible to tell which way to go..."

“Jiang Chuan, as long as we move, we are most likely heading deeper into the area.”

"..."

"How to do?"

Shi Changzai looked at Fang Yi, who, as a feng shui master, was at a loss.

If he hadn't happened to have some historical knowledge, he wouldn't have been of any help in this operation.

However, Jiang Chuan also knew that even if Shi Changzai wanted to do something, he couldn't.

Feng shui techniques are completely ineffective at this time.

What they encountered was not a formation, but rather a disturbance of perception within a mental field, a kind of illusion that affected their brain's judgment.

Since it's not a formation, there's no way out, so how can we rely on feng shui to get out?

"I never imagined that a mental field could have such an effect..."

"We weren't affected yet...when did this effect begin?"

As Jiang Chuan was thinking this, Fang Yi finally turned around to face them, his eyes still red.

He kept walking ahead, clearly pretending to be relaxed.

This is a pretty good guy.

Did you deliberately bring up Princess Anle just now to ease the tension?
At this moment, Fang Yi rubbed his temples and then spoke:
"Jiang Chuan, you and Zhong Huahua are both right..."

"Since both are correct, we need to come up with a third way."

Shi Changzai's eyes were vacant at this moment, and the situation brought him to the brink of despair: "I can't move, but I can't stay still either... Is there any third way?"

Jiang Chuan had always known that Shi Changzai, whose physical abilities were average but whose mental strength was comparable to that of an ordinary person, would be the first to die if they encountered danger again.

Shi Changzai himself was certainly aware of this.

Despair under immense pressure can cause a person to subconsciously stop thinking.

Jiang Chuan had experienced that feeling before on that blue-faced, fanged face.

However, it is far from time to despair.

Jiang Chuan glanced at Shi Changzai, then spoke:
"We are not alone."

"There are still many people waiting for us outside."

Upon hearing this, Shi Changzai raised his head and looked at Jiang Chuan.

Fang Yi didn't speak, he just nodded.

Jiang Chuan continued, "What we need to do is to establish contact with the outside world as soon as possible."

Shi Changzai shook his head: "It's not that simple."

"How are we supposed to contact the outside world? Even if they can fix the cable, we'll have to get back to the car first..."

"We can't go back now..."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "There are too many ways to do this."

"Uncle Shi, do you have a lighter?"

Shi Changzai paused for a moment, then pulled out a lighter.

He lit a cigarette for himself, and the instant he lit it, he suddenly understood something.

"cigarette?"

Jiang Chuan smiled and nodded, saying:
"Yes."

"cigarette."

Jiang Chuan and Zhong Huahua worked together, using their mental powers to collect the withered branches and leaves from the surrounding area.

To ensure the smoke was thick enough, to ensure that people at the command base could see...

The amount of dead branches and rotten leaves they brought was quite terrifying.

"Can we survive...?"

"It all depends on when they can see it."

With that thought in mind, Jiang Chuan lit the dry branches and threw them into the pile of rotten leaves.

Flames slowly appeared, followed by thick smoke rising gradually.

Fang Yi looked up at the billowing smoke and said, "It takes about an hour and a half to drive here from where we are."

"If it were the Cao brothers, it would take them at least twenty minutes to get here even if they came straight."

"Hopefully, we can get through these twenty minutes safely."

Jiang Chuan nodded.

Fang Yi was right, but he overlooked one thing.

That is, when will Teacher Cao and his team be able to see the signal they created?

Looking at the raging flames, he suddenly said, for no apparent reason:
"Won't the Forestry Department come and arrest us?"

"If you set fire to a mountain, you'll spend the rest of your life in jail."

Shi Changzai gave a bitter smile: "Even going to jail... is better than waiting to die."

Zhong Huahua glanced at the group of them and then sat down silently by the tree.

Fang Yi remained silent. He stood by the fire, looking up at the billowing smoke, his pupils reflecting the flickering flames.

Time ticked by, and the wait was undoubtedly agonizing. The feeling of each day dragging on like an eternity had never been so real, even longer than waiting for the train to arrive at the station.

But at that moment, Jiang Chuan and Fang Yi's ears twitched simultaneously, and they both looked into the depths of the forest.

In the forest before them, the tall trees, their branches swaying, formed a path through the tranquil woods.

It appears that a huge animal is rampaging through the woods.

"coming!"

The four of them looked over there, their faces showing a sense of relief.

However, just as they were preparing for the arrival of rescue...

Fang Yi's horrified voice rang in their ears:

"Ten minutes! It's only been ten minutes!!"

"It couldn't possibly be the Cao brothers who came!"

"Jiang Chuan! Lead them and run!!"

As Fang Yi spoke, he suddenly hooked his foot, lifting the bright silver spear and gripping it tightly in his hand. His expression was extremely solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Before Jiang Chuan could react, he had just drawn his dagger when he heard an explosion coming from the jungle!
Peng!
A figure as large as a boulder charged straight out from the depths of the forest!

Peng!Peng!Peng!
Those trees, some hundreds of years old, were smashed open by this enormous and terrifying figure, collapsing with a deafening tearing sound!

Although Fang Yi was armed and ready, his tough body seemed too small in the face of such a huge impact, which was like a meteorite.

Jiang Chuan's pupils contracted, his sensory domain and second flow state activated simultaneously, and he tried to move to save her, but it was too late...

In his mind, he seemed to see Fang Yi's mangled limbs scattered to pieces...

"It's over..."

However, at the very moment this thought arose in his mind, Jiang Chuan sensed a completely different ending!

Jiang Chuan only had time to turn around before he saw two other dark figures flash past his eyes!

"boom!!!"

Just as Fang Yi was about to be smashed to pieces, the dark figure was stopped by two other figures rushing towards him!

The collision produced a deafening roar and a terrifying shockwave!

Jiang Chuan was hit by the shockwave, his clothes rattling loudly, but he couldn't suppress his joy...

The help is coming!

Cao Zhigang's lips curled into a domineering smile, and his voice boomed through the forest like thunder:
"Who says it won't be us coming?!"

"Jiang Chuan! Xiao Fang! Well done!"

(End of this chapter)