Embers Ad Infinitum

The next morning, the Old Task Force sent a telegram to Zhao Zhengqi, confirming that the manor’s problems were truly a result of the Anti-intellectualism Church’s actions.

They didn’t mention the possibility that this was the Anti-intellectualism Church’s bait because they couldn’t be sure if there were spies around Zhao Zhengqi and Zhao Yide. By the same logic, there might also be Anti-intellectualism Church believers hiding in the households of Weed City’s aristocrats.

Jiang Baimian planned on warning the ultimate leader of the faction formed after Zhao Zhengqi used all his connections in First City and mobilized the resources.

Before long, Zhao Zhengqi sent a telegram back and got the Old Task Force to hold back temporarily and wait for further notice.

This was exactly what Jiang Baimian had expected.

After that, the Old Task Force split up again. Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao ‘visited’ the Black Shirt Gang’s second-in-command, Terrence, and tried to ‘persuade’ him that Ogre had only found a new mistress he doted on dearly. There was nothing abnormal about Wolf’s Den.

Bai Chen, Long Yuehong, and Genava went to the Hunter’s Guild to see if anyone had discovered Han Wanghuo’s whereabouts. At the same time, they circled the city and familiarized themselves with the terrain while helping Su Na, Li Qiong, and the others understand which jobs in First City had better prospects.

Terrence lived in a bungalow at 25 Stern Street in the Red Wolf Zone. Two subordinates with submachine guns were guarding the door.

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian found a spot by the side of the road and parked the jeep. They ‘followed’ Ogre and walked to the door.

“They are?” The Black Shirt members guarding the door raised their submachine guns.

Ogre smiled and replied, “I’ve given the boss a call. They are friends I’ve known for a long time. They want to buy large amounts of marijuana and new toys from Paradise Island.”

First City had a telephone network, but it wasn’t that widespread. Many people didn’t need phones.

One of the Black Shirt members picked up the walkie-talkie beside the door and exchanged a few words. He then put down the walkie-talkie and pointed at the brownish-red double doors. “Go on in. The boss is waiting for you in the activity room.”

Ogre opened the door with great familiarity and led Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao through the living room and into the activity room on the first floor.

In the activity room, a middle-aged man in a black shirt carried two white porcelain teacups and placed them on the short table.

“Boss.” Ogre nodded respectfully at the man. “These are the clients I mentioned.”

He’s Terrence… Does his family not have servants? Does he need to serve tea himself? It’s not convenient to hire servants because he often does illegal things at home? Jiang Baimian cast her gaze at the middle-aged man.

Terrence was in his forties, and he was very obese. His shirt buttons were almost flying. He had short brown hair, a pair of blue eyes, and a fierce-looking face.

After hearing Ogre’s introduction, Terrence looked at Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao. He smiled warmly and pointed at the white porcelain teacups on the table. “This is black tea produced by the Linhai Alliance. You can’t not try it.”

Upon hearing the term ‘black tea’ and seeing the rippling liquid in the white porcelain teacups, Jiang Baimian immediately felt thirsty and wanted to gulp it down.

However, she didn’t dare to eat or drink indiscriminately in the home of a gang leader with a relatively complicated background. Even if she wanted to, she had to wait for Shang Jianyao to make a ‘friend.’

At this moment, Shang Jianyao had already taken a few steps forward and stretched out his right hand. “Hello.”

“Hello.” Terrence nodded in greeting but didn’t extend his hand. He then explained, “I’m not used to having physical contact with others. Haha, apart from beautiful ladies.”

At this moment, there were four armed bodyguards in the room.

Shang Jianyao didn’t mind and sighed. “We were introduced by Ogre; friends often only greet each other with ‘hello.’ So…”

Terrence smiled and nodded in agreement before widening his eyes. He enthusiastically took two steps forward and gave Shang Jianyao a bear hug. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I was just wondering when you would come.”

“Are you surprised?” Shang Jianyao smiled and hugged him tightly. He was a full head taller than Terrence.

After letting go of each other, Terrence’s expression suddenly changed as he anxiously said, “Don’t drink those two cups of tea. They are drugged with potent sleeping pills!”

As his attitude changed, Jiang Baimian felt her thirst instantly ease. Potent sleeping pills? Did he long sense that something was wrong with us? No, if he knew in advance, there wouldn’t only be a few people now. For such a trap… He served the tea himself because he was in a rush and needed the tea to be drugged immediately. He didn’t have time to get the servants to do it?

As Jiang Baimian’s thoughts raced, she heard Ogre ask in surprise, “Boss, why did you want to drug us with sleeping pills?”

Don’t ask! Jiang Baimian’s heart palpitated, but she couldn’t stop him in time.

Upon hearing Ogre’s question, Terrence smiled and replied, “I can sense danger within a certain range…”

At this point, he paused and repeated a word in confusion. “Danger…”

Upon seeing the situation turn for the worse, Jiang Baimian gave up on her wishful thinking. She straightened her back, which was already prepared, and pounced at Terrence. At the same time, she drew the Ice Moss pistol hidden at her waist.

Shang Jianyao also made a similar attempt.

Terrence’s blue eyes flickered as he fell to the ground, avoiding Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian’s pincer attack.

Before the bodyguards in the activity room could react, Jiang Baimian landed, turned around, and aimed her gun at Terrence.

At this moment, she suddenly became abnormally calm. She no longer had the desire to attack, the desire to live, or the desire to turn the situation around. At this moment, she felt like she had entered a Sage Moment mentioned in the Old World’s entertainment.

She had abandoned all her desires and felt her mind clear. She began to think about the meaning of life, the essence of the world, the philosophy of existence, the mistakes she had made, and the subsequent responses.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Shang Jianyao freeze.

Terrence rolled out and stood up. As he signaled the bodyguards to point their guns at Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian, he laughed loudly. “You didn’t expect this, did you? I still have such an ability! You can hide from the potent sleeping pills, but you can’t hide from Sage Moment!

“Tell me, who sent you? You, don’t say anything. You do the talking!” He didn’t want to ‘hear’ Shang Jianyao say another word.

Jiang Baimian—who was in a Sage State—was abnormally calm. She simply and quickly said, “Your potent sleeping pills won’t have any effects at all. Our bodies are very strong, and we can resist the drugs’ effects to a large extent.”

Upon hearing this, Terrence seemed to be insulted. “I’ll prove it to you!”

Just as he said that, he had already picked up a cup of black tea and gulped it down.

Upon seeing this, Ogre—who had just escaped the effects of Inference Clowning—was stunned and blurted out, “Boss…”

After drinking most of the tea, Terrence was stunned. Who am I? Where am I? What was I doing just now?

Terrence was confused for a few seconds before he threw away the white porcelain teacup and hurriedly clasped his throat. He tried to vomit out all the black tea he had drunk.

Without his subsequent ‘replenishment,’ the effects of Sage Moment quickly subsided. Shang Jianyao easily subdued the bodyguards—who had yet to react—with Hands Immobility. At the same time, he also made Ogre lose the ability to resist.

Jiang Baimian quickly took three steps forward, raised her palm, and chopped Terrence unconscious.

After ‘convincing’ the others in the activity room, Shang Jianyao looked at Jiang Baimian and asked curiously, “How did you know to say that?”

Jiang Baimian shot him a glance. “I noticed that you, like me, tried to stop Ogre from asking that question. You believed that the question might very well remove the effects of Terrence’s Inference Clowning. Since I was able to launch an attack in time, you naturally had the time to give Terrence a relatively strong dose of ‘Corny Person’ for a relatively short period of time. Even if I don’t goad him into drinking the black tea, you would’ve made him unreasonable in another way and create an opportunity.”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao clapped.

…

Two hours later, in the activity room.

Shang Jianyao placed his hand over Terrence’s shoulder and asked with a smile, “Haha, what are your three abilities?”

“Haha, it’s Sage Moment, Eternal Thirst, and Danger Detection. Haha, I can’t tell you the price,” Terrence replied with a beaming smile.

“Haha, which domain is this?” Shang Jianyao asked with a laugh.

“Haha, Mandara.” Terrence—who maintained his arm around Shang Jianyao’s shoulder—laughed as he spoke truthfully.

“Haha, are you from the Church of Paragon Desire?” Shang Jianyao asked amidst his laughter.

In the sincere and exaggerated atmosphere, Jiang Baimian almost facepalmed from watching.

At this moment, Terrence said with a serious expression, “No. They are a bunch of damn heretics!”