Embers Ad Infinitum

The answers to all the questions are in the New World… Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others silently repeated this sentence.

Their conversation with Viel convinced the Ark citizens present that the act of overthrowing DiMarco’s tyranny was indeed under the orders of a deity!

After a brief silence, Shang Jianyao—who was wearing a monkey mask—suddenly looked at Viel and asked, “You have the Awakened ability, Extreme Terror?”

Jiang Baimian quickly asked, “You killed Helvig?”

She remembered that during the few days when Viel was missing while the Vigilance Church held a hiding Mass, Helvig had died from shock during that period!

It was originally very difficult to put these two matters together. After all, Viel was young and had no feud with Helvig. Furthermore, it only made people feel that he had secrets but not signs of being an Awakened.

Now, Viel’s words clearly revealed that he had the ability of Extreme Terror.

Helvig had died under the influence of this ability!

Viel replied casually, “Blame it on him; always mocking me for being short. He should’ve died long ago. Most people here want him dead, including his wife.”

You killed him because he mocked you for being short? Over-sensitive? Jiang Baimian muttered to herself in enlightenment.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao laughed and stared at Viel before taking two steps forward.

Viel jumped in fright and instinctively retreated. “What are you trying to do?”

“Guess.” Shang Jianyao pressed the smug monkey mask on his face.

Viel could imagine the smile that spread out from under his mask. He hurriedly said, “D-do you want to avenge Helvig? He’s a devil. Most people in Redstone Collection will only applaud me for killing him!”

Shang Jianyao didn’t respond. He wore the monkey mask and took two more steps forward.

Viel’s expression changed a few times before he snapped, “If you come any closer, I’ll use Extreme Terror!”

Shang Jianyao laughed and pointed at Genava beside him. “See that? He won’t be afraid. I also prepared a FECA shot to prevent me from being shocked to death so easily.”

Viel’s gaze swept across the silver-black smart bot, Genava, and he blurted out, “I-I’m a reserve Oracle!”

He arched his back slightly, and he looked like he would attack at any moment.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao laughed. “What’s wrong? There’s no need to be nervous. I’m not Redstone Collection’s sheriff; I have no right to judge you.”

As he spoke, he took off his tactical backpack and took out his beloved small speaker. “I will only drive around Redstone Collection and make it constantly repeat ‘it was Viel who killed Helvig.'”

Viel was momentarily speechless. After a long time, he said hatefully, “Up to you!”

As he spoke, he turned around, ran a few steps, jumped up, climbed to the ceiling, and disappeared into the ventilation duct.

Shang Jianyao watched him leave before turning around and walking back to Jiang Baimian and the others.

“You said so much just to tease him?” Jiang Baimian touched her metal cochlear implant. “Why bother? This fellow bears grudges.”

With a beaming smile, Shang Jianyao replied, “It’s only interesting when you bully such dangerous children.”

Jiang Baimian was just about to roll her eyes when she saw a large group of servants rush over.

Their expressions were filled with unease and worry, but their eyes appeared rather numb.

After slowly sweeping their gazes across DiMarco’s corpse—which was wearing a black, white-patterned mask—their eyes gradually lit up.

…

A few days later.

In a field near the lake northwest of Redstone Collection.

“From today onward, this piece of land will be yours.” Yu Tian—who had become a member of the Underground Ark Management Committee—pointed ahead and said to the two sisters, Ge Lin and Ge Miao, “We will organize people to clear the ditches here and do all kinds of work with you in clearing out the weeds. However, you will mainly have to rely on yourselves in the future.

“Don’t worry. The first year’s seeds will be distributed for free. You can also apply to Redstone Collection or the cathedral to borrow all kinds of machinery. The corresponding fees will be subsidized by the annual smuggling business. Therefore, apart from the first year, you will have to submit a portion of your harvest every year after that. It will feed the members in charge of the smuggling business and the Ark guards…”

“O-okay!” Ge Lin and Ge Miao looked at each other and replied in surprise. For them, who came from small settlements, the value of arable land was obvious.

After receiving the corresponding title deed, the two sisters returned to the Vigilance Cathedral. They faced Eidolon Nun’s Sacred Emblem and sincerely prayed.

They didn’t choose to live in the Ark because they weren’t accustomed to living underground and were still very afraid.

They planned on staying in the basement of the Vigilance Cathedral first. When spring came, they would find a relatively intact abandoned house near their fields that was conducive for hiding. They would tidy it up and hire people to repair and wire it up.

Under the Vigilance Church’s mediation, Redstone Collection barely acknowledged the Underground Ark Management Committee’s existence and allowed them to use uninhabited buildings and reclaim the currently abandoned farmlands. Of course, the Underground Ark also paid a certain price and gave up many of its smuggling businesses.

After returning to their assigned temporary housing, Ge Lin—who had been busy the entire day—picked up a tattered towel and said to Ge Miao, “Go wash your face first.”

“Let me lie down for a while longer, pretty please? I’m so exhausted.” Ge Miao lay on the bed and wheedled.

It was unknown how long it had been since Ge Lin had seen her sister acting this way. She recalled the past and smiled. “You can go when I return.”

She briskly walked to the nearest bathroom and washed her face and hands with cold water.

After doing all of this and walking back, Ge Lin suddenly heard a commotion ahead.

She was a little confused at first, but her heart tightened as she quickly rushed to her and her sister’s room.

She soon saw several people gathered outside the familiar door, and inside was her hunched sister.

Ge Miao’s eyes were turbid and bloodshot, and transparent saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth. Her face was contorted, no longer having the sweetness from a few minutes ago.

Ge Lin immediately felt the entire world peel away from reality and become abnormally surreal. The Heartless disease… Miao Miao contracted the Heartless disease…

Ge Lin stared at the door dazedly, not daring to approach or believe it.

Bang!

With a gunshot, Ge Miao collapsed. Blood pooled around her.

Her eyes were wide and bloodshot.

Ge Lin staggered over, squatted, and stretched her hand toward her sister’s eyes. Her vision had long turned blurry, and her throat was incapable of making a sound.

Someone approached her and bent down to comfort her. “This is the Heartless disease. No one expected it…

“Don’t be too sad. You just received a field. You will have your own family and children in the future. Everything will be fine…”

…

In the moving jeep, Jiang Baimian looked at Bai Chen in the passenger seat and sighed with emotion again. “Our previous understanding of Awakened was still too shallow. I didn’t expect DiMarco to have an ability that’s almost mythical…”

Destiny Connection, Divine Mirror Connection, and Six Senses Deprivation had completely exceeded the norm.

If it weren’t for the fact that the Old Task Force’s initial Operation Beheading had gone smoothly, allowing them to destroy DiMarco’s body, the subsequent development might’ve been very dangerous. They could only rely on Genava and the night pearl to last until Viel—Eidolon Nun’s reserve Oracle—to join the battle.

Even if their first step had been a great success, the Old Task Force’s confrontation with DiMarco had been fraught with dangers. Fortunately, they had obtained information in advance and managed to figure out DiMarco’s weaknesses in a split second. Furthermore, Shang Jianyao was sufficiently special and could effectively use this point.

Long Yuehong couldn’t help but say, “That’s why we were a little too rash regarding this operation…”

“You can’t put it that way.” Jiang Baimian deliberated and said, “We made sufficient preparations this time and even obtained Eidolon Nun’s blessing. If we didn’t give it a try this time, we might die without knowing why when we encounter Awakened with similar abilities in the future. At the very least, we’ll know why now.”

As she spoke, she laughed. “We also gained quite a bit. A total of 22 high-performance batteries, an M-45 military exoskeleton, and a night pearl that has DiMarco’s solidified aura.”

There were more high-performance batteries in the Underground Ark, but Jiang Baimian didn’t take them all, considering the management committee’s defense requirements.

These batteries had temporarily been left in Redstone Collection with Genava. As a former mayor of Tarnan, he became the Underground Ark Management Committee’s interim president. He would only head to Weed City’s Ah Fu’s Gun Shop and meet up with Shang Jianyao and the others when things were on track.

Considering that he was still wanted by Mechanical Paradise, Genava basically didn’t appear in Redstone Collection apart from needing to liaise with the Vigilance Church.

If anything happened, he would escape through the Ark’s Iron Mountain entrance.

As for the new military exoskeleton, M-45, it was something the Ark residents insisted on giving to the Old Task Force as a thank-you gift. Due to the Old Task Force’s actual situation, Jiang Baimian couldn’t refuse.

This way, Bai Chen’s combat strength would be greatly enhanced.

After Shang Jianyao’s experiments, the pearl—which had its color changed—was confirmed to have solidified DiMarco’s Destiny Connection. Of course, it was definitely much weaker than the original.

After talking about the harvest, Jiang Baimian—who was driving—looked at Bai Chen and smiled. “Only you were injured this time. Actually, I’ve always found it a little strange. Not only did Little White—who usually protects herself best—not object to Operation Beheading, but she also acted a little proactive.”

In the passenger seat, Bai Chen looked out the windshield and fell silent for a moment. “I’ve always believed that it’s already very difficult for everyone to survive in the Ashlands. They shouldn’t poke their noses into the business of others. Back when I was captured by Eugene and became a slave, I told myself the same thing.”

She paused for two seconds before her gaze gradually turned blank. “B-but I couldn’t help but think about how nice it would be if a team suddenly descended and rescued me…”

“It would be nice.” Jiang Baimian completely understood what she was getting at and didn’t mention it again.

Shang Jianyao smiled and said, “So, are you officially joining the operation to save all of humanity this time?”

Bai Chen ignored him.

As they chatted, Shang Jianyao massaged his temples, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

In the Sea of Origins, on an island with mountains, rivers, and sunlight.

A large, shocking crater appeared near the beach.

Shang Jianyao stared at the hole that hadn’t recovered from his departure and smiled.

He then split up more of himself. They dug ditches and directed the spring water into the hole.

While Shang Jianyao was ‘catching up on sleep,’ Long Yuehong listened to his team leader and Bai Chen chat. He would interject from time to time as he cast his gaze out the window.

At this moment, the sky was clear blue and dotted with clouds. The jeep was racing through the wilderness and hills, heading back to Pangu Biology in the distance.

Along the way, new greenery was everywhere, and beasts could be seen.

Winter was over, ushering in spring.

(End of Volume—Fate)