Embers Ad Infinitum

As Pangu Biology had yet to give any further orders, the Old Task Force could only choose to rest and recuperate as if they were skiving during working hours. They either read books, studied modules, or used the Old World’s entertainment to kill time until it was late and quiet at night.

After the Old Task Force members returned to their rooms to rest, the living room was completely empty and dark.

The light shining in from the window made the objects here vaguely visible, highlighting a series of blurry outlines.

As the moon slowly moved, the portable transceiver on the table in the empty living room suddenly produced the sound of static. It was as if someone had set it to wake up at that very moment.

In the blink of an eye, the electrical appliance automatically played the stored content. “Therefore, we have to remember…”

As the slightly magnetic male voice echoed, the static noises in the background became obvious. It was like a noise that drowned out the sentence, making the corresponding content sound abnormally vague.

“Shh…

“Shh…

“Shh…”

Amidst the static, a child’s voice gradually became louder.

An instant later, everything returned to normal. The portable transceiver was still in its original spot, no different from before.

The next morning.

Jiang Baimian looked at Shang Jianyao—who was staring blankly at the food—and asked in confusion, “What’s on your mind?”

Isn’t eating the most important thing in the world?

Shang Jianyao sighed with emotion. “I dreamed of Xiaochong.”

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and the others to respond, he continued, “This means that we have to find him today and play games with him.”

“Whoa, your main point is in the latter half of the sentence, right?” Jiang Baimian asked in exasperation and amusement. She then deliberated for a moment and made a decision. “Since there’s nothing else, let’s go.”

This was the Old Task Force’s trump card in First City. They definitely couldn’t let go of the opportunity to pull strings.

Furthermore, Xiaochong physically resembled a child, and he also didn’t have any relatives. Other than some ‘followers,’ he appeared to be alone and unattended.

…

Red Wolf Zone, 19 Rosta Street, Hand of Order headquarters.

Ducas drove through the gate after receiving a call. He didn’t know why he had been summoned, but since his superior had given the order, he could only choose to obey.

As he walked, Ducas sized up the surrounding Hand of Order personnel and shook his head from time to time. This one is too thin.

That guy’s physique is fine, but it lacks sufficient muscles.

It’s obvious that all those muscles are without strength. The training method is inappropriate, and he only focuses on its appearance…

As he muttered silently, Ducas circled around the Hand of Order building and arrived at the back garden.

Just as he passed through the glass-window corridor and arrived at a corner with blooming flowers, the scene in front of him suddenly changed.

He was no longer in the garden. Instead, he came to a place with many rooms.

This place was luxuriously decorated and had an extravagant style. It was obvious that it was somewhere high class.

The aristocratic VIP room in the Apex Gladiator Arena? Ducas looked around and made a judgment.

As he looked around, he also saw figures. These figures were well-dressed and brought attendants. They were all famous nobles in First City.

They sat, stood, conversed with each other, or looked down. They were no different from real people.

At this moment, with Ducas’s intelligence, he couldn’t help but suspect that the Hand of Order building, courtyard, and garden he had previously seen were illusions.

As the figures walked, Ducas cast his gaze at a trio in the room beside him.

Two of them were nobles, and the Ashlandic was both a servant and a bodyguard.

At a glance, Ducas suddenly found the two nobles familiar.

The man among them had brown hair, deep eye sockets, and a well-defined outline. He also had a masculine bearing and was relatively good-looking. The woman was an Akson—her eyes were blue, and her long hair was slightly curled. Her skin was a little rough.

Just as Ducas was recalling where he had seen these two nobles, they conversed with each other.

“Ducas didn’t come.” The male noble was the first to speak.

The female noble nodded. “Cassiel didn’t come either. They are city defense officers, not Phocas’s personal bodyguards. It’s impossible for them to follow him at all times.”

“What, do you want to use your current appearance to arm-wrestle with him?”

Upon hearing this, Ducas’s eyebrows twitched as he recalled something.

The next second, the male noble looked at the arena below and seriously said, “No, I want him to arm-wrestle with the current you again. If he doesn’t recognize you, he would imagine that he has lost to women twice in a row. He would definitely suffer a huge blow and stop believing in muscles. That will stop him from looking down on women who don’t have exaggerated muscles.”

“…” The blood vessels on Ducas’s forehead throbbed uncontrollably. His face almost flushed red as he felt like he was about to die from embarrassment.

Suddenly, a slightly aged male voice sounded in his ears. “You should know them. Tell me their original identities.”

…

The Old Task Force knocked on Xiaochong’s apartment door again, bringing with them some ingredients.

“You guys are here.” Xiaochong greeted happily, but he didn’t move his butt and continued facing the computer. His attitude appeared even closer than before; it was as though he treated the Old Task Force as one of his own.

“What are you playing?” Shang Jianyao looked over as he entered the room.

“The same game as last time,” Xiaochong shouted. “Didn’t you say that you were bringing your computer with you this time to play online with me?”

“I can’t wait.” Shang Jianyao smiled and took off his tactical backpack.

Xiaochong thought for a moment and said, “Let me clear this area first.”

Upon seeing this, Jiang Baimian summoned Long Yuehong and Bai Chen and got them to help her prepare lunch.

With nothing to do, Genava went to Xiaochong’s computer and observed it. After a few minutes, he voiced his opinion. “There’s something wrong with this game’s AI. It doesn’t make the optimum choices quite frequently. There might be flaws in the algorithm…

“You shouldn’t do that. Something bad will happen…”

Over in the kitchen, Long Yuehong’s heart palpitated when he heard that. Old Ge, you shouldn’t be doing that! Aren’t you mocking Xiaochong for being a noob despite his addiction? That he is equal to a retarded AI?

Be careful not to make him angry!

After Xiaochong heard Genava’s words, he couldn’t be bothered to respond and changed his plans.

After a moment, he cheered. “I’ve finally won!”

He quickly turned his head to look at Genava. “You’re amazing! Teach me more later.”

“You’re using cheats!” Shang Jianyao protested. “How can you use real AI to help you play games?”

As they chatted and laughed, noon came.

Shang Jianyao and Xiaochong reluctantly left the computer and sat by the dining table.

Shang Jianyao looked around and asked, “Where’s Slumber Cat?”

Xiaochong picked up his chopsticks and casually replied, “It went to the Red River’s North Shore to find my horse and take a stroll while at it.”

At this point, he finally recalled something. “Oh, right. If you record Wu Meng’s voice, you need to be careful.”

“Why?” Long Yuehong became vigilant.

Xiaochong gulped and said, “By using electronic products to store the power he leaves behind, he can sense the location if he senses its usage. He can also control it to a certain extent regardless of the distance.”

This… Jiang Baimian cast her gaze at Shang Jianyao.

Shang Jianyao picked up his tactical backpack and took out the portable transceiver.

“Is there a problem with us saving it in there?” Long Yuehong asked before Shang Jianyao could.

“Yes,” Xiaochong replied honestly.

Long Yuehong’s expression turned blank. While Bai Chen and Jiang Baimian wore solemn expressions, Xiaochong continued, “It secretly activated last night, but I stopped it.”

Uh, Xiaochong means that he can do it too? Jiang Baimian nodded slightly.

Shang Jianyao’s eyes widened as he praised, “You’re amazing!”

Xiaochong waved his chopsticks and smiled in embarrassment. “H-he’s only a boss with low HP.”

What a description… Jiang Baimian asked, “In other words, even if Wu Meng notices it, he won’t be able to use it against us if it’s recorded in this machine?”

“You can’t record too many sentences. If there are too many, I won’t be able to stop it. Unless…” Before Xiaochong could finish speaking, he had already stretched out his chopsticks and picked up the sweet and sour pork strip that he had previously suggested.

“How many at most?” Jiang Baimian was abnormally rational. She didn’t ask further and began to focus on the details.

“Three sentences, no more than three sentences,” Xiaochong said in a muffled voice as he chewed.

“Will the preventive effects decrease if we use your whistling too many times?” Jiang Baimian was extremely careful when it came to this matter. This was because Wu Meng had already shown how impossible it was to guard against him.

“It’s the same before it becomes ineffective…” Xiaochong replied succinctly as he focused on eating the meat.

In other words, Wu Meng’s remote control shares the same traits? Jiang Baimian focused her attention on the dishes in front of her.

…

In a temporarily uninhabited room in the Green Olive Zone.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao sat in front of the table and looked at the computer that had activated a certain program.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen monitored from a vantage point in the surrounding area to prevent any accidents. Genava acted as a signal base station nearby between the two groups.

This was the way the Old Task Force was meeting Ugo’s friend: Using a ‘network’ that could be controlled by themselves to communicate via video!

This way, the Old Task Force would at most lose a computer even if an accident happened.

The other room was situated in a hotel. A figure entered with the room card the Old Task Force had sent to Ugo.

He then saw the computer on the table and a piece of paper pressed against it. The paper said which network to connect to and how to start the program.

Very professional… The person nodded and commented.

Before long, Shang Jianyao saw the video window expand, revealing a figure.

Jiang Baimian’s pupils suddenly dilated.

She and Shang Jianyao knew that figure!