Embers Ad Infinitum

The grayish-green jeep and the black SUV followed Slumber Cat to a container dump.

Jiang Baimian and the others didn’t dare to continue forward because their vehicles were large. There was nothing that could provide them concealment on route to Pier 1, and the street lamps along the harbor were relatively intact.

The night sky also wasn’t that dark. This made it easy for the people at Pier 1 to see cars approaching—if there was anyone there.

Slumber Cat turned around and glanced at Shang Jianyao and the others. Without stopping, it passed through the containers and walked through the various shadows toward Pier 1.

Jiang Baimian suppressed her voice and said to Shang Jianyao and the others, “Observe the area.”

She took out a pair of binoculars from her tactical backpack, pushed open the door, and alighted. She found a good spot and looked in the direction of Pier 1.

Long Yuehong and Han Wanghuo did similar actions.

As for Genava, he didn’t use binoculars. He had such functions integrated.

At this moment, the street lamps around Pier 1 were no different from the surroundings. But scattered sporadically around the many stacked wooden crates below were humans.

The Red River beyond the port had a wide body of water—it was pitch-black and without light. In this moonless and starless night, it seemed to be capable of devouring all the ships.

In the darkness, a ship sailed out and approached Pier 1 extremely quietly. Only the sound of water splashing and the rotation of the turbine could be vaguely heard.

Under the navigation light’s guidance, the ship stopped at Pier 1 and opened the door at its ‘abdomen.’

At the door, the plank bridge extended outward and opened up a path for vehicles to drive on. The people waiting at the dock either drove small trucks and directly entered the ship to move goods or used forklifts, cranes, and other tools. All of them got busy.

All of this happened in a nearly silent environment. There was no noise or conversation.

“Smuggling…” Jiang Baimian—who was holding the binoculars—nodded in enlightenment.

After moving all the goods on the ship, the people began to send the wooden crates that had been piled on the dock into the ship’s belly.

At this moment, Slumber Cat approached from the side. With its relatively small size, agile movements, and silent footsteps, it easily avoided the eyes of most humans and arrived beside the ship.

Suddenly, a human guarding the ship’s door closed his eyes. His head drooped, and his entire body swayed as if he had fallen asleep.

Seizing this opportunity, Slumber Cat dashed into the ship’s belly and hid behind a pile of wooden crates.

The ‘dozing’ person suddenly woke up as his body sank. He rubbed his eyes in fear and yawned.

This is how Slumber Cat enters First City without being discovered by the officials… By relying on smuggling ships… They should be closely related to the First City army patrolling the Red River… Long Yuehong roughly understood what was happening when he saw this.

Han Wanghuo lowered the binoculars in his hand and asked Jiang Baimian with a solemn expression, “How are we going to drive the cars into the ship? There are so many people here. Once a conflict erupts, it will attract sufficient attention even if it’s on a small scale and can be resolved in less than a minute.”

He believed that October Xue’s team had the ability to deal with these smugglers. However, what was needed now wasn’t to deal with them but to resolve the problem silently without causing so much as a stir.

This was very difficult. After all, they had many people.

Jiang Baimian didn’t answer immediately. She looked around and observed the environment.

Her gaze quickly landed on a street lamp at Pier 1.

There was a PA system set up there. It was usually used for reporting the situation and commanding the loading and unloading.

This was the basic configuration of the port.

Before Jiang Baimian could speak, Shang Jianyao smiled and said, “Treat them to a song. If it doesn’t work, they can listen to it another time.”

Do you want to make everyone at the dock use the bathroom? The Red River is just there. They can resolve it on the spot… Long Yuehong couldn’t help but criticize. He naturally knew that Shang Jianyao definitely wouldn’t make such a flawed suggestion. However, this fellow preferred songs over the PA system.

Jiang Baimian then looked at Genava. “Old Ge, hack into the system and take over those speakers.”

“Alright.” Genava immediately ran to the nearest street lamp with a PA system.

Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo were confused. They didn’t know what October Xue’s team was up to and how they could achieve their goals.

Listen to music? Use the PA system? What’s the use? The two of them had relatively calm personalities. They didn’t ask questions and only observed.

Before long, Genava gained control over a few speakers at Pier 1. Shang Jianyao then walked to his side, took out his portable recording device, and connected it to a certain circuit.

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and smiled at Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo. “Next, cup your ears.”

…

At Pier 1, Gauden and the others were busy finishing their first business of the night. Suddenly, they heard a few loudspeakers on nearby street lamps emit sizzling static.

Gauden—who was in charge of commanding—cast his gaze over, confused and wary.

An unprecedented encounter made him unable to guess what would happen next. He was more willing to believe that this was a malfunction of the port PA system—perhaps a thief had entered the command room and caused a series of accidents due to a lack of corresponding knowledge.

Although there was some sense of anticipation, Gauden didn’t let his guard down. He immediately got his subordinates to urge the others to work as quickly as possible, transferring some of the supplies on the dock over and making preparations for an attack.

In the next second, the PA system sounded in the quiet night. “Therefore, we have to remember that when facing things we don’t understand, we have to humbly seek guidance and put down the prejudices brought about by experience. Do not be filled with conflicting emotions from the beginning. Adopt an attitude of accepting everything and learn, understand, grasp, and accept…”

The slightly magnetic male voice echoed in the area and entered the ears of every smuggler.

As soon as the voice sounded, Gauden and the others entered their intended positions and waited for the enemy to appear.

However, no subsequent attacks happened. Even the male voice on the radio calmed down after repeating the same words twice.

Everything was so quiet.

Gauden and the others looked at each other in confusion. If not for the fact that they still hadn’t moved a majority of the goods, they definitely would’ve immediately evacuated the dock and distanced themselves from this strange matter.

But now, wealth gave them courage.

“Continue! Hurry!” Gauden left his hiding spot and hurried his subordinates. Just as he said that, he saw two cars drive over one after another.

One was a gray-green jeep, and the other was a black SUV.

In the SUV, Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo were very nervous. They felt that they were like children playing house by heading straight to Pier 1 without making any preparations.

They had no confidence at all and felt seriously insecure.

The bearded Gauden was just about to raise his submachine gun and summon his subordinates to respond to the attack when someone in the grayish-green jeep held a loudspeaker and shouted, “Friends!”

Yeah, they’re friends… Gauden believed the statement.

His men believed it as well.

The two vehicles drove into Pier 1 one after another.

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others acted very friendly and put away their weapons.

“Did the transaction go smoothly today?” Shang Jianyao stuck his head out the window and asked in a familiar manner.

“Not bad.” Gauden heaved a sigh of relief. Since they were friends, the alarm could be lifted.

Shang Jianyao pointed at the ship at the dock. “Didn’t you say that you’d give us a ride across the river?”

“Haha, I almost forgot.” Gauden pointed at the door to the ship’s belly. “Go on in.”

He and his subordinates believed Shang Jianyao’s words without any doubt.

The two vehicles drove into the belly of the ship one after another. There were many wooden crates stacked here, but there was still ample space.

Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo were stunned by the development. They had all seen Awakened abilities, but they had never seen such ridiculous, exaggerated, and terrifying abilities!

If not for following them the entire time, they definitely would’ve thought that October Xue’s team had long known these smugglers and had even cooperated with them before. They could obtain help simply by alerting them of the situation slightly beforehand.

Just a PA broadcast made everyone who heard the content choose to help us? Han Wanghuo managed to compose his chaotic thoughts with great difficulty. He didn’t let the car deviate from the route and stopped inside and near the ship’s belly door.

From his point of view, this had already exceeded the category of superpowers. It was almost akin to a myth left behind by the Old World.

At this moment, the two of them raised their judgment of October Xue’s team’s strength again.

Han Wanghuo felt that the other party was clearly much stronger than back in Redstone Collection—much, much stronger.

After a while, the loading of cargo was done. The plank bridge in the ship’s belly was retracted, and the door closed.

With the whirring sound of machinery, the ship left Pier 1 and headed for the opposite shore of the Red River. On the way, it encountered the patrolling First City coast guards.

The other party didn’t stop the ship. Just as the two parties brushed past each other, they sent someone to shout, “If you can push the transactions back, do so. The situation is a little tense now, so the higher-ups might send people over to inspect and supervise at any moment!”

The ship owner replied, “No problem.”

As time passed, a hidden dock surrounded by mounds and hills appeared diagonally ahead of the ship heading upstream.

Many torches were lit here, mixed with some electric lamps that illuminated the surrounding area.

At this moment, many cars and people were waiting at the dock.

The ship sailed over and stopped at the designated spot.

The door to the ship’s belly opened again, and the drawbridge was set up.

Upon seeing this, the ship owner and the smugglers’ leader on the deck heaved a sigh of relief.

At this moment, they heard a revving sound. Right on the heels of that, a grayish-green jeep and a black SUV flew out of the ship’s belly and onto the shore.

They didn’t stop or slow down. They slammed through the obstacles and crazily raced toward the mounds and hills.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Da! Da! Da!

After a few seconds, the smugglers remembered to fire. However, the two cars had already pulled away.

Before the gunshots subsided, all that was left behind was their back figures that disappeared into the darkness.