Embers Ad Infinitum

As Long Yuehong took out the team’s radio transceiver, Jiang Baimian wrote the report to the company on a piece of paper. She cleverly grafted her previous experience with the Dao and Electrical Appliance Repairs radio station into this matter to explain why she wanted Genava to switch modes to monitor the location.

She described Genava as a collaborator. This would subconsciously make the company believe that the smart bot came from Wang Fugui’s team.

After laying out the prelude using the survivors’ experiences, she got into the main topic at hand. She talked about how the Old Task Force and Wang Fugui’s team found the cave, how they methodologically ventured in, how they discovered Wasteland Ruin 13, how they confirmed that something was amiss, how they escaped Wu Meng’s strange invasion, and how they ran away. She talked about the matter at detailed length, not missing a key point.

If Pangu Biology wanted to find the survivor Jiang Baimian mentioned to verify the matter regarding the Dao and Electrical Appliance Repairs radio station, Jiang Baimian would tell them that the other party had unfortunately been infected during subsequent treatment, failed to hold through, and lost his life.

For this reason, the name she reported belonged to one of the Ruin Hunters that had encountered such a situation.

In short, the core was: The dead can’t speak!

After translating the report into electronic text and sending it out, Pangu Biology confirmed receipt of the Old Task Force’s report. This was only to confirm that they had received the Old Task Force’s telegram. Any further instructions might take a day or two, or even longer.

Jiang Baimian heaved a sigh of relief and said to the other team members, “Take turns resting and catching up on sleep.”

The other meaning of ‘rest’ was to charge up the high-performance batteries quickly.

In the advance base camp, electricity cost much more than in First City. The Old Task Force’s savings were decreasing at a discernible rate.

In the afternoon, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen—who were on patrol—walked back and forth with assault rifles in hand without any signs of slacking off.

Suddenly, they heard a thud coming from the team’s jeep.

Long Yuehong subconsciously took a step forward and opened the corresponding rear door.

Bai Chen had already raised the muzzle and aimed, ready to fire at any moment.

They then saw that Jiang Baimian—who was sleeping in her seat—had flipped over at some point in time. Her left hand was propped against the floor mat, almost vertically upside-down.

“Team Leader, what’s wrong?” Long Yuehong asked carefully.

Jiang Baimian straightened her back, bounced back to her seat, and laughed dryly. “I had a dream.”

She then wore a solemn expression. “That dream made me discover a problem.”

Her serious attitude and solemn expression naturally made Long Yuehong and Bai Chen ignore the fact that she had rolled off her seat from being ‘frightened’ by a nightmare.

After Shang Jianyao woke up in the other car and gathered over with Genava, Jiang Baimian solemnly said, “I dreamed of the Ruin Hunters who ‘followed’ the white wolf. They roamed the black wastelands like zombies in the city ruins. After I woke up, I sensed that something was amiss—the data doesn’t match.”

“What data?” Long Yuehong dutifully played the role of asking questions. Of course, he asked whenever he didn’t understand.

Jiang Baimian recalled and said, “In the past two months, even if the white wolf ate one person a day, it can only eat 61 people.”

Bai Chen reminded her team leader, “The survivors said that it doesn’t eat every day but regularly. It eats once every two to three days.”

“I’m giving a huge leeway in the estimate.” Jiang Baimian explained her thoughts and added, “The number of followers we killed and the surviving Ruin Hunters add up to 35. According to the guild’s statistics, almost 170 to 180 Ruin Hunters and wilderness nomads have disappeared from the North Shore Mountains in the past two months.”

Upon hearing this, Long Yuehong understood his team leader’s meaning: The data doesn’t match up!

Some of the missing people had disappeared without a trace!

“Even if we subtract the people who went missing because of hunting, exploration, and other matters, there are probably about 120 to 130 people who were affected by the white wolf,” Jiang Baimian continued. “In other words, about 30 people weren’t by the white wolf’s side or weren’t eaten by it.”

After a pause, Jiang Baimian said seriously, “Then, where did they go?”

Bai Chen thought for a moment and added, “According to the survivors’ descriptions, only 24 to 25 people might’ve been eaten by the white wolf. More than 60 people—or even more—are unaccounted for. This is because this is a unilateral statistic calculated by the guild. There will definitely be some missing.”

As for the situation before the white wolf mission was issued, nobody in the North Shore Mountains did the statistics. There were no unified organizations here, nor were there any powerful factions.

“It means that nearly half of the humans affected by the white wolf in the past two months have gone missing?” Long Yuehong said in an uncertain tone.

Shang Jianyao revealed a look of enlightenment. “They’ve been stored?”

“Those by its side were also a form of reserve.” Jiang Baimian denied this guess. She immediately instructed, “We’ll split into two groups and ask the survivors to see who knows about this. Also, record the exact time they were affected by the white wolf. Sigh, I was in a rush back then. I might’ve missed some details.”

Nobody wasted their breaths. The Old Task Force formed teams with Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao in one and Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genava forming the other to search for Roen and the other survivors.

About 40 minutes later, they met at the third floor of the castle’s main building, which was where the survivors received treatment.

“From our questioning, we still can’t be sure if the white wolf has any other nests or other followers,” Long Yuehong reported.

Bai Chen looked at the note in her hand and said solemnly, “But there’s a problem. These people were only affected by the white wolf in the past month.”

“Same here,” Jiang Baimian replied.

“Those affected for more than a month have passed their shelf life and were abandoned by the white wolf?” Shang Jianyao blurted out in surprise.

His words left Long Yuehong and the others speechless.

Only Genava honestly said, “There’s still so much expired food in the cave. It shouldn’t be a problem to feed those people.”

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and deliberated. “There are two people we haven’t asked yet. The other survivors say that these two people were already following the white wolf when they were affected by the white wolf.”

One was Richard, and the other was Louis.

Richard’s injuries were relatively light. After treatment and rest, he could already walk freely. He then left this sad place and returned to First City, so the Old Task Force couldn’t find him for the time being.

On the other hand, Louis seemed to have some savings and booked a room in the camp hotel.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Long Yuehong knocked on Louis’s door.

The flaxen-haired Louis quickly opened the wooden door.

Upon seeing the Old Task Force quintet, the color in his face immediately drained. He subconsciously took two steps back. “W-what are you trying to do?”

“I have some questions to ask you.” Shang Jianyao smiled kindly.

Louis’s gaze froze as he broke down, and he shouted hysterically, “I don’t want revenge! I don’t want revenge!”

Upon hearing this, Long Yuehong suddenly recalled that this was the survivor who had previously looked at him with hatred.

Upon seeing Jiang Baimian raise her eyebrows and Shang Jianyao laugh, Louis became even more nervous. As he retreated, he pleaded. “I-I’ve thought of it, but I don’t have the ability. I-I don’t have the ability!”

After shouting this, he fell to the ground, covered his face, and sobbed. “I’ve already given up. I’ve really given up. I-I’m useless—I’ve let them down! I’ve let them down…”

A voice filled with despair, horror, and sorrow echoed in the room, making Long Yuehong sigh.

After Louis calmed down a little, Jiang Baimian deliberately lowered her voice and said, “You have two choices now. The first is to be killed by us. The second is to answer one of our questions and then leave this place and never return. Do not let us see you again.”

Louis fell silent for two seconds before releasing his palms and anxiously asked, “What question?”

His face was covered in tears.

“When you ‘followed’ the white wolf, there should’ve been dozens of people by its side. Where did they go?” Jiang Baimian asked the question she had long thought of.

Louis’s expression changed. “Th-they followed the white wolf deep into the cave and never returned…”

His eyes were filled with fear. This matter seemed to have become a nightmare that he couldn’t shake off.

They entered the cave’s depths? They were sent to Wasteland Ruin 13? This thought instinctively flashed across Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and the others’ minds.

After ‘exorcising’ Louis, they discussed this matter for a while before coming to a uniform understanding: The missing people were most likely related to Wasteland Ruin 13.

As for why the white wolf sent those humans into Wasteland Ruin 13, Jiang Baimian and the others lacked sufficient clues. They couldn’t even make a guess.

Instead, Shang Jianyao raised a terrifying story-like possibility: “Experimental subjects.”

…

The Old Task Force received a telegram from Pangu Biology the next day at the specific time meant for establishing communications with the company.

“Your situation is understood… Wu Meng can remotely exert influence without using words and is possibly able to do so through all kinds of electrical appliances, including smart bots. If you want to explore Wasteland Ruin 13, please eliminate the latent dangers in this area in advance…”

“The company is inclined to let us do some exploration…” Jiang Baimian said thoughtfully.

Genava immediately said, “That means I can only provide support.”

He simulated 30% frustration and 30% disappointment.

Just as the Old Task Force put away the radio transceiver and discussed this matter, Wang Fugui walked over under the street lamps’ light. He looked at Jiang Baimian and the others and sincerely said, “I’ve thought about it. Wu Meng’s ‘Dao’ should be in appliances and electronic products. If we don’t bring those along, we might be able to bypass his influence.”

This… Long Yuehong’s eyes widened slightly.

Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen were rather surprised.

Wang Fugui’s words were almost identical to the company’s suggestion!