Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Genava arrived at Phocas’s residence nearly ten minutes before the scheduled time.

Hundreds of people had already gathered in a clearing. They were either gathered around the grayish-green military vehicle or lined up in a straight line.

Jiang Baimian found a guard outside the iron fence and asked him to report to General Phocas that the Ruin Hunter team hired by the Zhao family had arrived.

Three to five minutes later, a man and a woman walked out the main entrance and walked along the path in the middle of the lawn.

They were not short. The man was more than 1.8 meters tall, and the woman was more than 1.7 meters tall. They were both Red River people, and they wore gray military uniforms with epaulets indicating the rank of major.

“The general mentioned you.” The man nodded slightly.

He had short, brownish-red hair, and his eyes were the same color. His arm muscles bulged his clothes, and he had a cold bearing. He wasn’t one to smile.

He then looked at Genava—who was wearing a cloak. “This is?”

“A member of our team, a secret weapon,” Jiang Baimian said with a smile. She emphasized the last few words.

The male major glanced at the three of them. “You mean you don’t want him to remove the cloak for our inspection?”

“You can go over and take a look, but don’t let him take off his cloak. There are too many people here, and there might be Anti-intellectualism Church spies.” Jiang Baimian had long thought of a solution.

“That’s right. He will be embarrassed if he takes off his clothes in public.” Shang Jianyao considerately helped Genava consider his dignity.

The male major signaled to his female companion beside him with his eyes, indicating for her to guard against any accidents. He then took two steps forward and approached Genava.

At such a distance, the difference in height between the two minimized the cover provided by the cloak.

The brownish-red-haired male major immediately revealed a look of enlightenment.

He turned around and restored his coldness. “There’s no need for you to bring him along; we have our preparations. If you bring him along, you have to stay away from the general’s vehicle later.”

“No problem,” Jiang Baimian replied with a smile.

The male major glanced at her and Shang Jianyao before nodding slightly. “With your height, you’re still too thin and lack muscles.”

The sudden change in topic surprised Jiang Baimian—it was as if the person opposite her was another Shang Jianyao.

The male major added, “If you had muscles like mine, I wouldn’t be able to resist pursuing you.”

As he spoke, he bent his elbows and bulged his muscles.

This exaggerated act nearly burst his clothes.

There’s no need for that… Jiang Baimian replied silently.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao scoffed. “Excessive pursuit of muscles are often only good for show.”

The male major glanced at him. “I won’t argue with you during the mission; we can have a one-on-one battle later. You can choose whether we fight or arm-wrestle.”

Shang Jianyao smiled and pointed at Jiang Baimian. “You want to compete with me at arm-wrestling? You can’t even beat her! We’ll talk about it after you defeat her.”

You make it sound like you can defeat my left hand… Jiang Baimian couldn’t say the words that she held back.

The muscular man opposite him had clearly fallen into Shang Jianyao’s trap.

“Alright.” The male major controlled his urge. He turned around and passed through the iron-fenced door, heading for the house’s main entrance, prepared to report to General Phocas.

The female major—who came with him—fell a few steps behind him and smiled. “Ignore him. He’s obsessed with muscles and almost changed his sexual orientation.”

“He’s stronger than I imagined,” Shang Jianyao praised sincerely.

Upon seeing the female major’s amiable attitude, Jiang Baimian asked, “How should I address you?”

The female major’s hair was dark-yellow in color. It was combed neatly through the middle, and its length just passed her ears.

Her facial features weren’t bad, but like most Red River people, her skin was rough, and her pores were large. In addition, her face wasn’t that soft; it was very carved and masculine.

She swung her right hand and smiled. “My name is Cassiel. He’s Ducas.”

With that said, Cassiel followed behind Ducas and entered the general’s residence.

At nine o’clock sharp, a gray armored vehicle drove out. Phocas was wearing his military uniform, and he waved at the soldiers through the window.

He saw the jeep that Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had parked in the distance. He nodded slightly and signaled for them to follow.

The convoy headed south and left the Golden Grain Zone.

Three to four hundred soldiers were waiting outside the city. Some of them drove tanks, some carried drones, some rode motorcycles, some brought along iron-black combat robots, and some drove armored vehicles.

All of them were fully armed.

This was also an army that had accepted Phocas’s orders. The two groups combined numbered about 500 people.

It was considered quite a grand lineup to deal with a few cultists hiding in a manor.

It’s similar to the company, being able to directly command and mobilize a battalion numbering about 400 to 500 people… Phocas should’ve obtained permission from the consul and commander-in-chief, Beulis. Otherwise, it would be a very serious mistake for such an army to carry out an independent operation in the suburbs… Jiang Baimian watched from afar through the windshield and tried to understand First City’s situation using Pangu Biology’s model.

In First City’s establishment, this was a city defense battalion. The commanders were often majors.

The team advanced toward the manor where Zhao Yixue and Meng Gang were in an orderly manner. It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination.

Under Phocas’s command, four-fifths of the troops and a few combat robots spread out and surrounded the area. The two majors, Ducas and Cassiel, led the remaining soldiers and combat robots. Together with Shang Jianyao, Jiang Baimian, and Genava, they took out their warrant and forcefully entered the manor.

After taking in the environment that, although small, contained the essentials, Jiang Baimian looked back at the armored command vehicle beside a small forest.

This time, Phocas didn’t act rashly. He didn’t lead the search of the manor but waited far away.

As Jiang Baimian followed Ducas, Cassiel, and the others, she subconsciously thought about something. He has the qualifications to be the Anti-intellectualism Church’s target. There’s a high chance that the trap this time was designed for him… If he doesn’t enter the manor, how will the trap unfold? The manor’s goal is to lure the strongest protective force beside him away and use the time disparity to attack? It’s impossible for Phocas not to think of this and make the corresponding arrangements. Besides, it’s very likely that he’s a powerhouse himself…

The servants and slaves in the manor shrank in fear when they saw the proper army barge in. Nobody dared to stop them, so the troops easily arrived at the main building.

“Did you discover the target?” Ducas turned his head and asked Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian.

Shang Jianyao shook his head.

The next second, the stewards walked to the main building’s door and respectfully waited for their superior to speak.

Shang Jianyao’s eyes lit up. He jumped to Zhao Shouren’s side and asked with a smile, “Where’s Meng Gang, Shen Kui, and Zhao Yixue?”

Upon seeing his brother, Zhao Shouren heaved a sigh of relief. Filled with emotions, he replied, “They entered the basement after breakfast. I’ve no idea what they’re doing. Sigh, they’ve been acting strange recently!”

“The basement…” Ducas repeated two words and instructed Zhao Shouren, “Lead the way.”

The basement entrance was on the first floor of the main building. Jiang Baimian and the others quickly saw the brown wooden door at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

Ducas raised his hand and pressed it down, indicating for everyone to stop. He then instructed the surrounding soldiers, “Blast open the door. Use flashbangs and release the incapacitating rounds.”

He had no intention of barging into the basement and fighting them head-on.

He isn’t all brawn and no brain… Jiang Baimian sighed silently.

Many soldiers immediately took up the corresponding positions.

Boom!

A round flew out of the shoulder-bearing rocket launcher and blasted the wooden door into pieces. The house shook a few times, and the glass shattered.

Immediately after, flashbangs were thrown into the basement. The sudden explosion of white light temporarily blinded most of the people looking at them.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had already secretly put on their sunglasses. The people without sunglasses chose to turn their backs and close their eyes.

After the flashbangs, shells that release hypnotic gases bombarded their destination one after another.

Before long, Ducas and Cassiel put on gas masks and led the soldiers in similar outfits into the basement.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao also took the corresponding equipment from the soldiers beside them and followed closely behind to help complete the identification.

As for Genava, the hypnotic gases had no effect on him.

The manor’s basement wasn’t too large—about the size of a normal living room. Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian saw the scene inside as soon as they passed through the broken door.

People had already collapsed on the grayish-white stone ground in the shape of a circle. Everyone wore a black robe and a white mask without facial features; they looked very strange and sinister.

Ducas walked to a black-robed man, squatted down, and removed the Anti-intellectualism Church’s signature mask. He looked up and asked Shang Jianyao, “Is he the target?”

“Shen Kui.” Shang Jianyao gave the unconscious person’s name.

Everything went so smoothly? The might of a proper army? Jiang Baimian frowned suspiciously.

Ducas took off the masks one after another, and Shang Jianyao identified them one after another.

But in the end, they realized that two people were missing: Meng Gang—who had Hypnosis abilities—and the Zhao family’s second son, Zhao Yixue!