Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Genava turned around at the same time when they heard that. The door to a room on the second floor opened, and a man in his late twenties walked out.

He had black hair, blue eyes, and a thin face. His short hair was messy, and he wore a pair of round, black-framed glasses over his nose. He wore a dark shirt and pants. He was none other than Lehman’s highly paid bodyguard, Richardson.

He also came from United Industries. It was said that he was an engineer in the past and had worked with Lehman many times. He had always had a good reputation.

Richardson looked at Shang Jianyao and the others and asked in a deep voice, “You are?”

Rondar enthusiastically answered for them. “They are Boss’s friends and business partners. Part of the reason we came to First City is to trade with them.”

The thin-faced Richardson’s blue eyes sized up Jiang Baimian and the others through the slightly thick lenses. “Who told you about this apartment?”

“Lehman,” Jiang Baimian replied with a faint smile. “As the boss, doesn’t he have the right?”

Richardson fell silent for two seconds before turning to look at Rondar and Lehman’s subordinates. “Although they are partners, we can’t allow them to go upstairs. Safety is of utmost importance.”

“But…” Rondar was in a dilemma. “They’ve already gone upstairs.”

As Richardson’s eyes widened, Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian had already charged at him.

The next second, the two of them suddenly felt languid. They didn’t want to do anything but lie down and let time pass.

How troublesome. We still have to fight, draw guns, threaten, and investigate later. There’s a ton of things to do. It’s better to just slack off and hide by the side until Old Ge deals with them… Jiang Baimian felt the laziness she had accumulated over the years erupt at this moment.

Shang Jianyao lay down on the spot and firmly adhered to the principle of ‘never stand when sitting is possible, and never sit when lying down is possible.’

Such a performance stunned Richardson. Then, a bowl-sized iron fist surfaced before his eyes.

Thud!

Richardson fainted.

Jiang Baimian immediately escaped her languid state and became energetic.

“So this is his ability…” Jiang Baimian recalled the feelings she just had. Her charge was actually intentional. With Genava backing her, she chose to personally experience the different abilities of different Awakened to accumulate experience for decision-making in the future.

Although Lehman didn’t know Richardson’s exact abilities, he could roughly determine the other party’s level from their few partnerships.

As for why Shang Jianyao was the first to rush out—and why he didn’t use his own abilities—Jiang Baimian couldn’t make a conventional guess.

Upon seeing the Old Task Force trio attack Richardson, Rondar and the others subconsciously raised their muzzles at this moment.

Shang Jianyao jumped up from the ground and solemnly said, “He’s a traitor, the person who wants to harm Lehman! Safety first—we have to deal with him immediately.”

Upon hearing the words ‘safety first,’ Rondar and the others revealed enlightened expressions. They didn’t care if there was any evidence—they seemingly chose to believe anything without reservation as long as it was related to safety.

What kind of thinking pattern is this? The logical structure of Shang Jianyao’s sentence doesn’t seem like he used Inference Clowning… Jiang Baimian’s gaze moved back and forth between Rondar and the others. She then looked at the stairs that led to the third floor and slightly raised her voice before shouting, “You can come down now.”

About ten seconds later, Lehman—who looked like an honest, old farmer—quietly walked down the stairs to the second floor.

“Boss, you shouldn’t be out.” Rondar and the others advised him one after another.

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “This is to deal with the traitor; safety is of utmost importance!”

Although the two halves of the sentence didn’t have any necessary connections, Rondar and the others still ‘understood’ and supported Lehman’s decision.

Tsk, Shang Jianyao seems to have found the keyword to success… Jiang Baimian laughed inwardly when she saw this.

This keyword was ‘safety.’

There was a certain difference from Inference Clowning. Inference Clowning could only lead one to a conclusion and make those who came to the conclusion believe it. In subsequent experiences, if those people encountered matters that were opposite and contradictory to the conclusion, the effects or desired outcome would come to an end. It wasn’t something that could continue just by repeating the conclusion.

From Jiang Baimian’s point of view, this was more like Hypnosis. Hypnosis was triggered by keywords. Once one heard the keywords, they would unconditionally believe the speaker’s Hypnosis. But if it’s Hypnosis, there are better ways to go about… Besides, he has hypnotized everyone around Lehman. Why not Lehman as well?

As Jiang Baimian’s thoughts raced, Genava followed standard operating procedures and asked Lehman, “He’s a bodyguard you hired with a high salary. Why doesn’t he live on the same floor as you?”

Lehman looked at Rondar and the others and felt much more relaxed than before. “He originally lived in the room next to mine. But after he suddenly became distant, he moved to the second floor as if he had deliberately turned the third floor into a prison.”

Shang Jianyao then looked at the unconscious Richardson and eagerly said, “Then, let us reveal the answer.”

“There’s no rush. Save it.” Jiang Baimian knew that Shang Jianyao wanted to use the Destiny Pearl to flip through Richardson’s memories.

Rondar’s previous performance indicated that their encounter could avoid Inference Clowning to a certain extent.

This didn’t mean that Inference Clowning wouldn’t have any effects, but they believed that everything was normal. Even if they became Shang Jianyao’s friends, they couldn’t tell that anything was wrong.

After stopping Shang Jianyao, Jiang Baimian pointed at Richardson’s room and said, “Let’s go in and search for clues.”

She then turned to speak to Rondar and the others. “Stand guard outside. Safety first!”

Rondar and the others immediately replied solemnly, “Safety first!”

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Lehman walked to Richardson’s room together. Genava dragged Richardson and followed closely behind.

The room was as messy as its owner’s hair. Along with a radio, there were electric wires, switches, magnets, and other items piled up.

As Shang Jianyao’s eyes lit up, Lehman introduced, “This is Richardson’s hobby. He likes to fiddle with mechanical and electronic products. He studies this to begin with and likes to tinkle around.”

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly, put on her gloves, and checked every item in the room.

Shang Jianyao also did something similar, but he went straight for the radio.

“Richardson also likes to listen to the radio. He said that in First City, apart from the official frequencies, there are also some small radio stations. It’s very interesting.” Lehman glanced at the radio and casually explained, “But I don’t like this and didn’t pay much attention to it.”

As Jiang Baimian and Genava nodded slightly, Shang Jianyao switched on the radio.

Sounds of static quickly sounded.

“Find some records later and see which radio stations Richardson likes to listen to. There might be clues hidden inside,” Jiang Baimian instructed.

Upon seeing that there was no other sound, Shang Jianyao smacked the top of the radio in disappointment and checked the items that might have words on the table.

After some work, the Old Task Force trio didn’t find any useful clues.

From the looks of it, we can only use Destiny Pearl… Jiang Baimian sighed inwardly.

At this moment, a rather magnetic male voice sounded from the radio. “Welcome, everyone, to 119.2, the Dao and Electrical Appliance Repairs radio station. I’m your friend, Wu Meng, who likes to preach.”

It was broadcast in the Red River language, and Wu Meng translated it directly.

Dao and Electrical Appliance Repairs? Jiang Baimian couldn’t help but glance at the radio.

Wu Meng’s voice continued. “Love is about equivalence. Blindly giving and begging for it will only lead to bad results. Fairness is very important, but in the Ashlands, having the ability to achieve fairness is even more important.

“Emphasizing safety is never an issue. To protect a person, you have to put them in an environment without outsiders, preventing danger from coming into contact with them…”

His magnetic voice gradually deepened and echoed in the room.

This… Jiang Baimian’s mind suddenly became a little confused.

Shang Jianyao suddenly walked to the door and said, “I have to lock Little Red up and keep him away from danger. Also, you guys…”

Before he could finish speaking, his voice suddenly sank as he retorted himself, “I just need to scare him back to the company.”

Shang Jianyao then stopped and nodded. “Why should I believe in this broadcast? He didn’t give any specific examples!”