Embers Ad Infinitum

Su Na looked at Shang Jianyao’s smile and slowly raised her hand to take the United 202.

The sensation of something cold and hard entered her brain, making her feel as if she were holding a crutch to aid her walking. Strength appeared out of nowhere in her body.

“Do you know how to use it?” Jiang Baimian asked.

“I’ve used a hunting rifle before and a shotgun,” Su Na said hesitantly. “I think it’s about the same.”

“I know how to use it. I’ve used it around our perimeter,” blurted out another girl in her twenties.

Jiang Baimian smiled and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Li Qiong.” The girl looked at the beautiful lady in front of her with bright eyes.

Jiang Baimian looked around and said, “Who else knows how to use them? Including submachine guns and various rifles.”

Among the original Ashlandic prostitutes, several women slowly raised their hands.

Jiang Baimian smiled warmly. “You will be in charge of teaching everyone how to use such firearms in the future. The more people that are proficient in them, the stronger you will become, and the better the footing you’ll have in First City. Is there anywhere to practice?”

“Yes,” Su Na quickly replied. “There’s a shooting range in the basement. Boss and the others use it for practice.”

“Ogre.” Shang Jianyao emphasized that he was no longer their boss.

“Yes, Ogre.” Su Na looked at her former boss-turned servant and said the name.

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged his words. “Don’t be afraid of wasting bullets. You can still recycle the shells after firing all the bullets, and you can also buy new ones. If you die, nothing matters. We’ll get a batch of bullets later; there’ll be a discount. It’s definitely the lowest price in the Green Olive Zone.”

“Okay!” Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Baimian looked at Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and Genava—who had instinctively scattered around the area to monitor the scene. She deliberated and said to the group of women that was still a little confused and terrified, “Actually, I know that it’s very difficult to support so many of you with just a restaurant. It should be possible before the Old World’s destruction. In the New Calendar, it might take another decade or two, perhaps even longer.

“Beyond the restaurant, you still have to desperately search for other opportunities and do all kinds of things to truly fill your stomach and fantasize about the future. This will be very tiring and risky. Do you think it’s better not to be rescued and maintain your previous state?”

Just as she said that, several women in the group replied in unison, “No! We yearned to be rescued every single day.”

Bai Chen—who was not too far away—was stunned when she heard that and turned her head to the side.

“Is that so?” Jiang Baimian asked.

Among the women, a tall and rather charming woman—who was almost 1.7 meters tall—took a few steps forward and smiled bitterly. “I’ve been here for almost three years, and only four or five people have stayed longer than me. Why do you think so? Nobody here cares about how our bodies are. Nobody cares if we get sick or if we are infected. Many people have only been here for two years, but they are already very sick. Their bodies have festered, and they are then carried to a small room to be locked up. They look forward to receiving some simple treatment, but most of them die not long after.

“That’s for the ones with hope of being cured. The hopeless ones are directly carried to the harbor and thrown into the river. In another year or perhaps in a few months, I might be like one of them. Likewise for the rest.”

Another woman sobbed and added, “I had a good friend; we were sold here together. She contracted a dirty disease in less than a year, and things grew all over her body… When she was about to die, she lay in that dark room and moaned to the air, saying, ‘Xiaozhen, I want to see the sun… Xiaozhen, I miss Mommy’s potato pancakes…’ S-she was only nineteen!”

The woman named Xiaozhen suddenly squatted down and wailed.

The Ashlandic women wiped their tears one after another. Some sobbed, and some cried bitterly.

Long Yuehong suddenly felt a little ashamed. He had previously hesitated about stopping Shang Jianyao.

After the crying subsided a little, Jiang Baimian sighed and said, “In the future, you have to unite and protect each other. In First City and the Green Olive Zone, it’s very easy for a single person—or even a duo or trio—to be bullied by the gangs. Don’t count on the sheriff. You can only expand your living space by keeping your weapons close and giving your backs to one another.”

The women nodded with tears in their eyes.

At this moment, Su Na hesitantly said, “I have another question.”

“What?” Jiang Baimian asked with a gentle smile.

Su Na pointed at Ogre and the others. “You previously said that they will be our servants for the time being and will listen to us without resisting. However, we don’t know the Red River language. We only know some words related to cooking. We can’t communicate with them or instruct them.”

Jiang Baimian had long considered this problem and took out a machine from her tactical backpack. “This is a translation device. It can help you translate Red River language into Ashlandic; it can also be done in reverse.”

The translation device was one of the Old Task Force’s gains in Tarnan. After all, the electronic products there were very cheap.

After teaching Su Na, Li Qiong, Xiaozhen, and the others how to use the translation device, Jiang Baimian coughed lightly. “I have to emphasize something.”

The women looked up at the same time and cast their gazes at her.

“The translation device is only a stopgap measure. Uh, it means that there are many problems with it. What if it breaks one day? Besides, there are so many of you. How can one translation device be enough?” Jiang Baimian saw that the women were focused on listening to her and seriously voiced her intention. “You have to master the Red River language as soon as possible. At the very least, you have to be able to deal with daily communication. Yes, this translation device can be used to help you learn the Red River language. I’ll also organize a simple textbook and give you some lessons for a period of time.”

Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others didn’t appear to be put on the spot. They replied in surprise and joy, “Alright!”

“Okay!”

“Alright!”

“…”

Their eyes were filled with desire as they looked at Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian cleared her throat and said, “We’ll deal with the people and matters related to Ogre and the others. What you need to do now is take over this place with your servants. Uh… The business at Wolf’s Den definitely needs to be ceased. The excuse is that a strange infectious disease was detected. You can maintain the marijuana business for the time being, mainly so that this won’t be discovered by regular customers…”

She methodically arranged what everyone needed to do and distributed the firearms that Ogre and the others had.

During this process, Bai Chen helped her fill in the gaps—this was mainly in matters she was inexperienced with.

Under the guidance of the ‘Lead Party,’ Shang Jianyao visited the people in the building who had deep ties with Ogre and the others with the list he had compiled. He successfully ‘convinced’ them and made them happily choose to cooperate with Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others.

After finishing all of this, it was almost 10 p.m. It was late at night.

As Shang Jianyao walked out of the eight-story building where Wolf’s Den was, he looked at the list in his hand and casually said, “There’s only one person left—the second boss of the Black Shirt Gang, Terrence.”

Previously, the Old Task Force had already learned of the Wolf Den’s background from Ogre. It was the Black Shirt Gang’s business and one of their important sources of income. It was directly managed by the second-in-command—Terrence—and Ogre was his trusted aide.

The Black Shirt Gang was one of the largest gangs in First City. They were inextricably linked to the upper class.

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged his words. “There’s no rush. It’s very easy for Terrence to sense that something’s amiss if we suddenly visit him at this hour. It’s better to bring Ogre over tomorrow morning.”

Shang Jianyao put away the list and mentioned another detail. “In Ogre’s memories, Terrence is a little mysterious and unfathomable. He seems to be involved with some religious figures…”

At this point, he raised his hand to wipe the corners of his mouth.

“Be careful when the time comes.” Jiang Baimian nodded.

After discussing this matter, she subconsciously looked back at the building where the Wolf’s Den was.

The rooms upstairs were dark, and some of them were lit with yellow light.

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and smiled at Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genava with a sigh. “I can finally deeply understand what An Ruxiang meant.”

She paused and said with a complicated expression, “There’s really light in their eyes.”