Embers Ad Infinitum

Shang Jianyao instantly became excited. “But how can we get Oudick to question Bai Chen?”

In the dark room, Jiang Baimian walked to the window and looked at the silent alley. She smiled and said, “This requires us to take the initiative to create the necessary conditions.

“Think about it. Be it in terms of appearance or weapon of choice, Little White is worlds apart from the attackers. Furthermore, she’s a poor Ruin Hunter with no background. It’s unlikely that she has the support of a powerful faction. Hence, she’s definitely ranked last on the suspect list.

“It can even be said that, apart from having a grudge with Eugene and coincidentally encountering him before his accident, there’s nothing worth suspecting.

“Such people often won’t receive much attention during the cursory investigations. We can wait a while until the city defense forces and the representatives of Eugene’s gang are dispersed to investigate the more suspicious people and factions. After that, we can make Little White go to the Hunter’s Guild and take the initiative. She will then take on the mission of finding her to assist in the investigation. This will show how open she is.

“After that, she needs to emphasize that she only trusts the Hunter’s Guild and will only be questioned within the guild. In other places, such a request will definitely not be fulfilled. However, Weed City is different. The Hunter’s Guild and Castellan Manor are, to a certain extent, one entity. There’s no fundamental difference between accepting inquiries at the Hunter’s Guild and receiving inquiries at the City Defense Command’s headquarters.

“At the same time, we’ll get Little White to emphasize that she’s still busy with life and that she still has missions she has yet to complete. Her time is very limited, so she can urge the Hunter’s Guild to send people to question her as soon as possible and carry out the investigation.

“Anyone who has been a Ruin Hunter can understand this. In that case, it’s only logical for the Hunter’s Guild to choose a person skilled in interrogation and investigation from the list of direct associates or sufficiently trusted hunters under the premise that Little White isn’t highly suspicious while the city’s defense forces and Eugene’s gang are preoccupied.”

Shang Jianyao listened seriously and nodded. “This can’t guarantee that Oudick will be in charge of Bai Chen.”

Experts who could accumulate credit points and be assigned the rank of Advanced Hunter were sufficiently trustworthy and cooperative in the Hunter’s Guild’s eyes.

“There’s definitely no guarantee. I can only say that the possibility is very high.” Jiang Baimian smiled again. “Have you noticed that Oudick has a tendency to abuse his abilities? This abuse doesn’t mean that he uses them against people during unnecessary occasions. Instead, he seems to be very accustomed to using the corresponding abilities to resolve problems. Even if the problem isn’t serious, and there are other solutions…”

At this point, Jiang Baimian was suddenly a little speechless because she realized that the subsequent plan also relied on Shang Jianyao’s abilities more. However, she quickly found a reason to convince herself and continued speaking.

“Back then, there were many Ruin Hunters in Red Silk Alley. Many people came and went, yet Oudick actually dared to make Old Clothing Bazaar’s boss fall asleep, allowing him to obtain the corresponding scene and find clues. He wasn’t afraid of being exposed at all. This means that he’s skilled and bold. He’s very confident and isn’t afraid of accidents.

“Would such a person restrain himself when completing other missions? Would he leave behind a reputation for being good at finding clues, breaking through the target’s psychological defenses, and obtaining a real answer in his Hunter career?

“Would a person with such a reputation be the first person that the Hunter’s Guild considers when searching for a corresponding helper? We better confirm that Oudick is in the guild lobby before letting Little White enter.

“Yes… There shouldn’t be anyone in the local Hunter’s Guild who’s good at this. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been Oudick who took the lead to investigate Liu Dazhuang’s assassination.”

This was a description that excluded their team.

Shang Jianyao agreed and said, “The only problem is that we still have to determine if Oudick is an Awakened in aspects regarding dreams and sleep.”

“Therefore, we have to make preparations.” Jiang Baimian had a plan in mind and said with a smile, “On the one hand, it’s to prevent hypnotic and bewitching abilities. On the other hand, it’s to prevent influence from dreams.”

After saying that, Jiang Baimian recalled something and quickly asked, “Can your Inference Clowning stack the effects?”

This was the crux of the problem.

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said, “I’ve never tried it. In theory, it’s possible, but the different effects must not contradict each other.”

“Then, let’s give it a try later.” Jiang Baimian heaved a sigh of relief.

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and asked again, “What if it’s an Awakened ability related to memories?”

He seemed to have encountered one before.

“Then, there’s no hope. It’s not like you can control memories.” Jiang Baimian shrugged. “If that’s the case, Little White’s true memories will be triggered, and the corresponding Inference Clowning effects will be removed.

“Yes, we’ll need to get her to call for help immediately. We’ll rush in and bring her and Little Red out. We’ll then drive them out of Weed City. This requires us to drive the jeep to the parking spot closest to the Hunter’s Guild and place all our supplies in it.”

This was the worst-case scenario.

Back then, although Jiang Baimian had made two requests of Shang Jianyao to prevent him from affecting the subsequent missions, she didn’t stop him when they really began carrying out the operation.

Her original plan was to gather information first and take action in a few days. That way, the probability of people suspecting Bai Chen would be even lower. She could even deliberately leave clues behind in the attack to frame a hostile faction of Eugene’s gang.

Unexpectedly, Shang Jianyao was a man of action.

She could only think: At most, we’ll change cars and disguise ourselves before coming back into the city.

Given the messy situation in Weed City, this was not wishful thinking.

In short, helping Bai Chen vent her anger was more important than completing the mission! It wasn’t like there was nobody else available in the company. It was not like the Old Task Force had to do the deed.

Finally, Jiang Baimian concluded, “Nothing has a 100% chance of success. The most important thing is to be prepared for failure.”

When the sky lit up a little, Bai Chen took the initiative to knock on the door and voiced her thoughts. “It’s better if Long Yuehong and I disappear for a period of time. This won’t affect you and Shang Jianyao. You can continue investigating the reason behind the disappearance behind Lei Yunsong’s team.”

At most, they could stay with Auntie Nan for a week or two. It might even be shorter.

“I’ve also considered this method, but there’s a better solution now,” Jiang Baimian replied with a smile.

Jiang Baimian explained her plan, but she didn’t elaborate in case it affected Inference Clowning’s effects.

Bai Chen thought for a moment and said, “We can give it a try.”

Long Yuehong was a little worried. “Isn’t it too risky?”

“I can only say that it’s indeed a little risky. After that, we have to match our statements with Auntie Nan and the others.” Jiang Baimian didn’t persuade Bai Chen forcefully.

She looked at Bai Chen and said, “It’s up to you to decide which one to choose. In short, remember one thing—no matter what plan you use, it won’t make much of a difference to Shang Jianyao and me. What’s important is your own thoughts.”

Bai Chen fell into deep thought. After a while, she said, “We are unaware of how things will develop with Eugene’s ‘disappearance.’ If we reach the point of a city lockdown, and they start searching every door, it will be dangerous for us to hide here. It’s better to take the opportunity to be cleared of suspicion and watch the show play out.”

“Alright.” Long Yuehong’s thoughts raced before he finally made a choice.

Jiang Baimian smiled at him. “Not bad. You’re getting bolder.

“Let’s go out first to prevent any interference.”

Soon, only Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen were left in the room.

“Let’s begin,” Bai Chen said calmly.

A smile hung on Shang Jianyao’s lips as his eyes turned deep. “Look, there are many Ruin Hunters groups you don’t know in Weed City. Jiang Baimian and I are also a Ruin Hunter group. So…”

Bai Chen’s eyes gradually turned strange as if she was wondering why she was in this room. She looked at Shang Jianyao warily and said, “What are you trying to say?”

Shang Jianyao entered the role he had planned ahead of time and asked with a smile, “How much?”

Just as he said that, Bai Chen suddenly tensed her thigh and lashed out with her right foot.

Shang Jianyao seemed to have been paying attention to this matter and dodged the kick in time.

“There will not be a second time,” Bai Chen warned. She prepared to open the door and walk out.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao shouted, “Wait!”

Bai Chen looked back at him with an unfriendly gaze, seeming as if she would draw her gun and fire if he said anything wrong.

Shang Jianyao took out a piece of paper and folded it into a small star under Bai Chen’s confused gaze.

His eyes then turned deep again. “I’m a Ruin Hunter, and so are you. I live with Auntie Nan, and so do you. I have a folded star in my pocket, so…”

As he spoke, he showed his Hunter’s Badge and placed the folded star in his pocket in front of Bai Chen.

This time, his Inference Clowning had one more condition than before to guide the results.

Bai Chen fell into a daze, and she spoke in a slightly dreamy tone. “I also have a folded star in my pocket.”

Shang Jianyao immediately smiled. “It’s an important prop; it’s very mysterious, and it involves supernatural powers. You can’t attempt to touch it now, nor can you touch it… If someone interrogates you, reach out and search for it every minute. When you find it, it will remind you that you are in a dream.”

“Are you crazy!?” Bai Chen glanced at him suspiciously and cursed before walking back to her and Long Yuehong’s room.

After more than ten seconds, Long Yuehong came to the door and stuck his head in. “Did it work?”

He had been in the stairwell with Jiang Baimian.

“Sort of,” Shang Jianyao answered with a smile.

When Bai Chen no longer remembered that they were companions, the corresponding memories were temporarily hidden, including the part where they executed Eugene.

She would only remember everything when the facts violated the results of the inference.

Long Yuehong heaved a sigh of relief and curiously asked, “Is it my turn?”

“You don’t have to,” Shang Jianyao replied seriously.

Long Yuehong immediately felt intense unease. “Have you already used it on me?” He remembered that it was like this when he dealt with Qiao Chu last time.

“Stop teasing Little Red!” Jiang Baimian stopped Shang Jianyao from giving an answer and simply explained the situation to Long Yuehong. “You are now the link between Little White and us. If you forget, how can we make her follow the plan? When the plan is on track, Shang Jianyao will find an opportunity to use his abilities on you.”

“Alright.” Long Yuehong came to a realization.