I let out a surprised "Ah," then thought for a moment. I had watched quite a few sci-fi movies before. I smiled faintly and began to speak offhandedly.
"Hey, do you know what technology is? Got it? Technology is the primary productive force. Nowadays, you can store your brain's memories and, whoosh, transfer them into a computer. When your brain dies, you can, just like that, put all those memories back into your brain. Get it? I don't know the specifics—I'm just a cosmic janitor."
With a thud, I saw Old Ren leaning back on the ground, flailing his arms and legs, mouth wide open as if he was laughing so hard he was rolling all over the place.
"Right, Ethan Zhang, what exactly does that cosmic janitor do? Tell Old Eccentric so he can hear it." Old Eccentric looked at me with great interest. I nodded in response.
"Oh, it's just outside of Earth—tens of thousands of meters up. You operate cleaning robots to clear out the trash floating in the sky. That's the job in a nutshell."
"Impressive..." Old Eccentric said, giving a big thumbs-up. I saw a look of relief in Mr. Blackmask's eyes, as if he'd just heard something that set him free. He paced alone, slowly leaving the campfire.
"Has it really been achieved? Ah, humanity's dream of immortality... What meaning is left for me to be here?"
When I saw Mr. Blackmask enter his little cabin, I felt that he'd become melancholy after hearing me say humanity had already achieved immortality.
I couldn't help but become very interested in Mr. Blackmask's reason for coming here. After all, the Immortality Society is my enemy—I need to know certain things.
After that, everyone returned to their own cabins. I felt a chill, as if even sitting by the campfire couldn't keep me warm anymore.
"Here, Ethan Zhang, make do with this for tonight."
Vincent Swallow tossed me a thin sheet as he spoke. I thanked him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was getting colder and colder. The flames before me didn't seem to give off any heat at all.
"Or maybe, could one of you spare me a spot for the night?"
"Are you looking to die, Ethan Zhang?" Vincent Swallow poked his head out and said, then paused for a moment.
"You're just a rookie who just arrived, only a day in and you've already lost a leg. If you don't learn to control your desires, you'll be finished. You should spend more time learning from Old Ray."
There was a rustling sound. I saw Old Ray digging at something. Under the leaves, he cleared out a small ditch, curled up his body, and crawled inside, letting the leaves cover him except for his head.
"Ethan, good night. Hurry and get some sleep. At first light tomorrow, you have to get up, or you'll die."
Old Ray tucked his head under the leaves and ignored me.
I started shivering, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. Why was it suddenly so cold now?
Wrapped in a thin cloth, I couldn't keep out the cold at all. The flames before me were just for show, providing no real warmth. The chill kept seeping into my body, and I couldn't help but sneeze.