Embers Ad Infinitum

Long Yuehong replied with a stunned expression, “Alright.”

Jiang Baimian then said, “We’ll help you put on the military exoskeleton then. This way, even if there’s an accident, you can resolve them more easily.”

“Sure, sure.” Long Yuehong snapped out of his reverie and quickly nodded.

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian immediately divided the work. One remained on guard, while the other helped Long Yuehong wear the AC-45 military exoskeleton they had bought from Lehman.

“If anyone proposes to contact the advance base camp later to seek help, give them the go ahead,” Jiang Baimian instructed as she carried the remaining old military exoskeleton.

She and Shang Jianyao quickly ran into the forest and disappeared from Long Yuehong’s sight.

After moving forward for a while, Jiang Baimian stopped and looked back. “Why don’t I stay here and watch Little Red in case anything happens to him?”

“He can handle himself,” Shang Jianyao said seriously. “Trust him.”

Jiang Baimian fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “Alright.”

As the team leader, she was more eager to enter the cave, personally observe the environment, and set up the subsequent hunting operation.

The two of them didn’t delay any further. According to Genava and Bai Chen’s descriptions and the various traces along the way, they rushed toward their target destination.

In the area where the intense gunfight had taken place, Long Yuehong—who was wearing a military exoskeleton—stood guard at the spot where the two cars were hidden. He dazedly looked at Bob’s corpse and the weeds more than ten meters away.

He then exhaled and perked up. He cast his gaze at the Ruin Hunters—who had received first aid treatment for their injuries.

Some of these people sat with their backs against the trees, moaning in pain from time to time. Some of them weren’t fully awake yet, and they sat there like wooden sculptures. Some panted and constantly observed the environment as if they wanted to confirm their current situation and think about what to do next.

The seriously injured people were basically dead, and the ground was strewn with corpses.

This was different from the riot in Weed City. Most of the deaths were a result of the Old Task Force.

Long Yuehong monitored the area instinctively, but his mind was empty. He didn’t know what to think or what he should be thinking until he saw a Ruin Hunter with relatively light injuries stagger to his feet and walk toward him.

His slightly blank eyes quickly returned to normal as he looked at the Ruin Hunter. “What’s the matter?”

He asked very politely, but the assault rifle in his hand was already raised. As for the grenade launcher, laser, and mini submachine gun attached to the military exoskeleton, they were also locked and loaded.

The Ruin Hunter was in his early thirties, with a scruffy beard and messy brown hair that was dirty and greasy. His clothes were tattered, and it was unknown how long it had been since he washed and patched them.

At this moment, he held his right rib with one hand and raised the other, indicating that he was unarmed.

“I want to ask how you plan on dealing with us?” The Ruin Hunter’s gaze swept across the military exoskeleton on Long Yuehong’s body, and his expression became increasingly humble as he smiled.

Long Yuehong thought for a moment and said, “You aren’t criminals.”

He had gathered himself and didn’t hide his curiosity by asking, “What happened to you previously? Nobody knows each other at all. There’s no hatred, nor are there any spoils of war to vie for. Why did you suddenly attack us?”

After asking in one breath, Long Yuehong recalled that he should be polite. “How may I address you?”

“Just call me Roen.” The Ruin Hunter relaxed a lot when he saw that Long Yuehong’s attitude was relatively amiable. His blue eyes then revealed a look of reminiscence. “It’s also very difficult for me to understand why we were so crazy to kill you. It’s as if someone had issued such an order into our minds.”

“Were you guys… following that white wolf all this time?” Long Yuehong thought for a long time before finally coming up with the more appropriate term—’follow.’

Roen’s face immediately clouded over. “You can say that. That day, my companions and I encountered it. I watched helplessly as the few of them became fanatical—as if they had become wolves themselves and were no longer humans. Their eyes were filled with hatred and vigilance when they looked at me, so I was terrified and quickly turned around to escape. But after running a few steps, I actually—actually felt that I should obey the white wolf. It was so powerful, so charming—a natural master.

“Subsequently, my companions and I—as well as the other hunters—have been following it, helping it eliminate traps, drive away prey, and finish off enemies. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t be able to recognize myself. I’ve willingly done so many irrational things. I-I suspect that my mind was controlled by it…” At this point, a horrified and confused expression couldn’t help but appear on Roen’s face.

He paused and said, “That white wolf will eat a person regularly. My two companions died in such a manner, but I wasn’t sad at all back then. I felt that all was fine as long as Master was satisfied…”

At this moment, a sentence surfaced in Long Yuehong’s mind: Holding a candle to the devil.

Long Yuehong’s feelings intensified when he recalled the Ruin Hunters’ relentless charge. At the same time, he sensed a problem and couldn’t help but ask, “When you encountered the white wolf, your companions were bewitched, but you were fine and could turn around to escape?”

“Yes.” Roen gave an affirmative answer.

Long Yuehong asked, “Were you walking at the back of the team back then?”

The people in front had entered the range of the wolf’s abilities, and he was just one or two steps away from being influenced?

“I was in the middle,” Roen replied without hesitation.

This… is different from Qiao Chu’s Bewitchment… Wait a minute, Team Leader and Shang Jianyao just said the same thing… Long Yuehong quickly picked up the walkie-talkie and reported this matter to Jiang Baimian and the others.

…

When Jiang Baimian received Long Yuehong’s report, she had already arrived at the cave described by Genava and Bai Chen with Shang Jianyao.

This spot was very well-hidden, hidden by a few boulders and the surroundings. If not for the fact that they had tracked the white wolf, even Genava wouldn’t have discovered it.

“There are no other exits in the nearby area.” Genava—who had just circled back—reported his harvest.

Bai Chen—who was in charge of guarding the cave entrance—said, “The target didn’t come out either.”

Jiang Baimian looked at the bottomless black cave and deliberated before saying, “We have no idea what’s inside. It’s not a good idea to enter and explore rashly.”

“It’s too deep. Part of the area has already exceeded my detection range,” Genava replied. “But everything is normal in the parts within my detection range.”

Just as he said that, the ground suddenly trembled. The entire mountain range seemed to shake a few times.

Following that, a dull and terrifying rumble sounded from the cave’s depths.

Shang Jianyao and the others quickly retreated. When they distanced themselves, the stone ceiling collapsed, sealing the entrance.

This… Jiang Baimian’s eyes widened a little. After everything returned to normal, she frowned and said, “The cave completely collapsed? The commotion and changes don’t seem natural…”

“Fortunately, Old Ge and I didn’t rashly enter.” Bai Chen sighed sincerely.

They would’ve been buried alive inside. For smart bots like Genava, this was also a fatal danger.

Jiang Baimian tried to analyze the situation. “Did that white wolf do it? It has a certain level of intelligence. After escaping from another exit, it used a certain method to detonate the explosives buried in the cave, hoping to use this opportunity to kill Old Ge—an enemy it thinks it can’t deal with personally?”

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

“What?” Jiang Baimian wanted to hear what this fellow had to offer.

Shang Jianyao replied with a wistful expression, “That white wolf is arrogant. Cornered by us and with no other way out, it detonated the explosives buried in advance and buried itself in a cave. It would rather die than become a human’s plaything.”

“What integrity…” Jiang Baimian echoed not-very-sincerely. She then exhaled and said, “Let’s form a team of two and search for other exits. This cave is so deep; who knows where it leads?”

At this point, she thought for a moment and said, “According to Little Red’s information, this white wolf’s abilities are similar but different from Bewitchment. It’s very likely that there’s a limit to the number of targets. It’s closer to the manifestation of holding a candle to the devil.

“Yes, the Ruin Hunters have been following it during this period of time. What have they been eating and drinking…? Did they rely on hunting? With so many people, they have to hunt every day to fill their stomachs. How does such a huge commotion escape the notice of a powerful hunter like Wang Fugui?”

She believed that the remaining ‘attendants’ might provide some useful clues, so she informed Long Yuehong through the walkie-talkie.

After they split up to find the other exits, the extended distance would render the walkie-talkies unusable.

…

After chatting for a while, Roen made a request. “Can I release a signal flare and request help from the advance base camp? It’s mainly to get medical treatment. Although my injuries aren’t serious, the others need it very much.”

He was considered one of the relatively lucky ones. A bullet had only grazed his ribs back then, and he suffered a light injury. He then escaped the abnormal state due to the intense pain and the white wolf’s distance. He quickly lowered his weapon, laid on the ground, and assumed a surrendering posture.

Long Yuehong thought of his team leader’s instructions and nodded. “Alright.”

With the military exoskeleton, he wasn’t too afraid that the reinforcements from the advance base camp would have any ill intentions. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, would it be a problem for him to escape?

After Roen released the signal flare, he felt the ground tremble. He looked at the source of the boom in confusion.

This quickly settled down, and Long Yuehong casually asked Roen, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Roen looked confused.

Long Yuehong then glanced at the injured and corpses on the ground. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Don’t you hate us?”

“Hate?” Roen laughed. “In such a situation, I would also attack clearly abnormal enemies. Do I have to consider their emotions? Heh heh, those who are still alive should thank you. There’s no question about hate for those who are dead. As for the deceased’s companions, I’m not sure either. My companions were either eaten by the white wolf or died in the mountains.”