Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian looked at Shang Jianyao and saw his face filled with anticipation. She deliberated and said, “If we are invited, we can consider participating.”

She spoke with a measured tone, using the word ‘consider.’ The outcome of the consideration depended on the situation and subsequent developments.

Shang Jianyao nodded in satisfaction and didn’t ask any further.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen were indeed a little exhausted after the ups and downs. Therefore, they walked to their different bedrooms.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian exhorted them, “Don’t close the door.”

“Huh?” Long Yuehong was momentarily confused.

Jiang Baimian smiled and explained, “I’m afraid that there will still be some residual effects left on you. I have to pay attention to your condition at all times. If you feel that you won’t be able to sleep under our occasional gazes, you can choose to undergo Destiny Pearl’s clean-sweeping.”

Shang Jianyao looked at Long Yuehong, and his tone gradually turned sinister. “I’m afraid that you would suddenly raise your hands and strangle yourself while sleeping…”

“You’ve watched too much Old World entertainment!” Long Yuehong said, but he didn’t dare not take precautions against such a situation. Without any scruples, he opened the bedroom door a little wider.

After he and Bai Chen fell asleep, Jiang Baimian stood up and said to Shang Jianyao and Genava, “Let’s study the things we gathered at the scene first.”

As she spoke, she took out the small envelope containing the cigarette butt and placed it on the dining table.

The room rented by the Old Task Force in the Red Wolf Zone had a total of three bedrooms, one living room, and one bathroom. It wasn’t cheap, but they weren’t stingy with money in this regard due to their budget.

Genava also took out a pile of items that had been categorized and scanned them with the red glow in his eyes.

“What’s this?” Shang Jianyao swaggered over and sat down before picking up a container.

There were two black granules in the container.

“I’ve analyzed it. It should be coal residue.” Genava also pulled a chair over and slowly sat down.

Of course, he considered the old chair’s weight limits and let his feet share some of the weight.

“Where did you find it?” Jiang Baimian also sat down.

Genava explained in detail, “Several footprints were found on shrubs and rocks. These were extracted from the surfaces.

“This too.” He pushed out another container.

Inside the container was charred black soil. It looked ordinary and nothing special.

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian to ask, Genava explained the reason. “It is darker than the soil in the forest, and it is different from the soil in the southern suburbs. Furthermore, I’ve detected a slight amount of radiation. After comparison, there’s a 95% chance that it comes from the wastelands on the Red River’s north bank.”

Jiang Baimian nodded thoughtfully. “In other words, Father really left the city and went to the North Shore after changing his shoes recently… How did he step on the coal residue?”

As she muttered to herself, she recalled some of the phenomena she had observed while wandering First City.

Green Olive Zone often suffered from power outages, and the price of electricity wasn’t low. Therefore, the lower-class citizens and slaves preferred to use coal residue to create ‘pancakes’ with holes. They used low-quality charcoal and cheap firewood to start a fire, cook, and keep warm.

This resulted in there being many coal pancake factories on many streets near the Red River in the Green Olive Zone. If one passed by those areas, there was a high chance of stepping on some coal residue.

Similarly, the coal factory on the Red River’s north bank and the factory district in First City’s western suburbs had a similar environment.

“There are too many possibilities,” Jiang Baimian replied. “The greatest possibility is that the real Father recently passed by a coal factory on the Red River’s north bank.”

Genava added, “We can’t rule out the possibility that the real Father got it while in the Green Olive Zone. There are many low-class citizens who are part-time Ruin Hunters here. They often enter and exit the North Shore’s wastelands, so it’s normal for them to bring back some soil unconsciously. Iron Medallion Street isn’t too far from the port.”

It was the same for the coal pancake factories.

“You mean that the real Father stepped on it while monitoring us?” Jiang Baimian easily understood Genava’s meaning.

Genava moved his metal neck up and down. “It’s a possibility.”

“There’s another possibility,” Shang Jianyao said quickly.

“What is it?” Jiang Baimian wanted to see what magical train of thought this fellow had. It might give her inspiration.

Shang Jianyao said seriously, “The real Father might be working at a coal factory in the North Shore wastelands.”

“…” Jiang Baimian was first speechless before she laughed. “Has the Anti-intellectualism Church developed to the point of needing a quasi-high-ranking parishioner like Father to provide for the believers who have given up on thinking?”

“The real Father’s health might be poor because he works too hard.” Shang Jianyao further inferred.

Jiang Baimian imagined the scene and tried her best not to laugh out loud. The real Father’s mysterious and dangerous image temporarily collapsed.

Jiang Baimian, Genava, and Shang Jianyao discussed for a while with regards to what the coal residue and scorched soil could represent. However, they didn’t obtain a clear direction for investigation. They could only decide on finding time to visit the suspected locations later.

Jiang Baimian looked at the other containers and frowned. “We were saying that the real Father might’ve been monitoring us. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to grasp Little White and Little Red’s whereabouts accurately, nor could he have found them in time and ‘hypnotized’ them. However, I’ve thought it through, and I don’t think we’d exposed our tracks.

“We paid attention during every segment. We didn’t directly investigate the manor’s surroundings. When we returned, we seriously completed the necessary anti-tracking procedures, regardless of whether we sensed anything. Our vehicle’s appearance is relatively common, so it can’t be considered unique… With my, your, and Shang Jianyao’s senses and reconnaissance abilities, could we really be secretly followed by the real Father without noticing it?

“The real Father will at most know from Shen Kui’s memories that a few of us are investigating the Zhao family manor and will figure out from the spies in Weed City as to who sabotaged his business back then.”

Shang Jianyao raised another possibility. “Maybe the one following us is an Anti-intellectualism Church powerhouse at the Mind Corridor level. Their perception range is larger than ours. They might even be able to remember the characteristics of different consciousnesses and complete the tracking from afar.”

Jiang Baimian felt like laughing. “In theory, yes. However, is it necessary for an Awakened at the Mind Corridor level to do so? Couldn’t they just launch a sudden attack?”

At this point, Jiang Baimian exclaimed because she recalled Genava’s existence.

With such a smart bot around, an Awakened at the Mind Corridor level might not be effective. They might even be beaten up.

After all, abilities that could affect robots weren’t common.

Jiang Baimian added, “What I mean is that most Awakened abilities are bizarre, strange, and difficult to guard against. At the Mind Corridor level, they can completely toy with us without showing themselves, preventing Old Ge from even discovering the enemy. He can only watch us be affected and face danger.

“If they don’t want to ruin the matter of infighting in First City, they should’ve personally intervened in the future instead of letting the real Father make the attempt, thereby making us vigilant.”

“This might be their price.” Shang Jianyao pointed at his head. “Their train of thought is abnormal.”

They discussed for a long time and didn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. They could only continue examining the clues they had gathered from the scene to see what they could find.

“There’s no conclusive evidence.” Jiang Baimian sighed and said, “I can only hope that chemical tests of the cigarette butt will come up with something.”

She planned on using the company’s intelligence system to find a trustworthy laboratory to complete it without letting the Anti-intellectualism Church discover it to the greatest extent.

In the subsequent hours, the three of them revised and wrote introductory Ashlandic textbooks with the information they had previously printed.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen woke up at three in the afternoon and joined their ranks. They worked until evening.

“What are we eating?” Long Yuehong put away the papers on the table and raised this eternal question.

“Noodles?” Jiang Baimian deliberated and said, “After a few days in First City, I suddenly have a craving for noodles.”

Bai Chen doused her enthusiasm. “There are very few places in First City that sell noodles unless you go to the streets where Ashlandics gather. However, most of them are in the Green Olive Zone.”

“We have flour; we can make it ourselves,” Genava said.

“Alright.” Shang Jianyao was excited.

Before long, the four carbon-based humans from the Old Task Force surrounded the dining table and watched Genava tie a white cloth around himself to act as an apron. He skillfully and accurately kneaded the flour, kneading it into dough before slicing it into noodles.

Although the entire process wasn’t pleasing to the eye, it was definitely smooth and natural.

“How impressive.” Long Yuehong praised Genava.

The red light in Genava’s eyes flickered twice. “I previously downloaded some cooking videos in Tarnan to make myself more like a human. I didn’t expect them to come in handy today.”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao clapped for Chef Genava.

Long Yuehong hesitated for a moment and decided to applaud to boost Old Ge’s confidence. At this moment, Bai Chen was already clapping.

The only one who didn’t move was Jiang Baimian. She seemed to be in deep thought.

Shang Jianyao immediately waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Jiang Baimian snapped to her senses and deliberated before saying, “I just thought of a place that might put us in the sights of the Anti-intellectualism Church’s attention.”

“Where?” Bai Chen and Long Yuehong asked in unison.

Jiang Baimian’s expression gradually turned solemn. “General Phocas’s manor.”