Embers Ad Infinitum

Long Yuehong’s body was red and black, and he was badly mangled in many places as he lay there motionless.

Shang Jianyao didn’t attempt to shake him awake like he usually did. He quickly checked the latter’s injuries, took out the FECA biological agent from the first-aid kit, and injected it into him.

As a large faction in the Ashlands that specialized in biology and medical treatment, Pangu Biology was undoubtedly outstanding in this regard. The effects of FECA were immediate.

Long Yuehong—who was breathing weakly—stabilized, but he showed no signs of waking up.

Shang Jianyao then used the other items in the first-aid kit to treat Long Yuehong’s wounds.

“You’re almost wrapping him up like a mummy…” Jiang Baimian rushed over after she recovered. She took the bandages and other things from Shang Jianyao’s hand and demonstrated what a textbook example of battlefield emergency treatment was.

Shang Jianyao didn’t put on a brave front. He helped Jiang Baimian take off her tactical backpack, took out her medical kit, and replenished the supplies that were gradually expended.

On the other side, Bai Chen finally stopped her carnage and looked up. Her face was covered in blood, and streak marks were left by her tears.

Asus had almost stopped breathing, and blood was gushing everywhere.

Bai Chen snapped to her senses and hurriedly stood up to look at Long Yuehong. Upon seeing that Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were carrying out emergency treatment and had yet to show any signs of grief, she felt a little more at ease. After that, she bent down, picked up a United 202 not far away, and raised her hand to aim at Asus’s head.

Bai Chen exhaled heavily and pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

She fired three times in a row—only three, blasting Asus’s head apart like a smashed watermelon.

After doing this, Bai Chen quickly ran to Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao’s side.

Upon seeing that the emergency treatment was still ongoing and that she couldn’t help, she quickly held the United 202 and ran to the bedroom, firing a few more shots at Christina so as to snuff out any latent dangers. She then yanked off the bedroom’s bedsheet, blanket, and other items and made a very simple stretcher.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian had already finished giving battlefield emergency care. She turned her head and said to Shang Jianyao, “He needs surgery as soon as possible. Quick, make a stretcher and carry Little Red into the car.”

Long Yuehong’s current state was neither suitable for piggybacking or helping him up. It would easily worsen his injuries.

Just as Jiang Baimian said that, Bai Chen walked out of the bedroom with a simple stretcher.

It’s good to have companions with tacit understanding and rich experience… Jiang Baimian praised inwardly. She restrained her worry and exhorted Shang Jianyao to carefully move Long Yuehong onto the stretcher.

As they busied themselves, Bai Chen ran to Asus’s corpse and took out a withered, bookmark-like flower from his chest pocket.

“Do you want it?” she anxiously asked Shang Jianyao.

Shang Jianyao asked, “Can it reduce Little Red’s injuries?”

“No,” Bai Chen immediately replied.

This item made people undergo Sexual Eruption. To think of using it would mean they were afraid that the seriously injured person wasn’t dying quickly enough.

“Then, we don’t need it,” Shang Jianyao said, not finding it a pity at all.

Bai Chen didn’t say anything else as she threw the Six Senses Beads beside the corpse back to Shang Jianyao and picked up the Old Task Force’s weapons. Then, she held the dried flower and rushed into the bathroom before throwing it into the sewers.

After securing the unconscious Long Yuehong on the stretcher, Jiang Baimian got Bai Chen to carry the other end as she said to Shang Jianyao, “You’re in charge of providing cover.”

At this point, she revealed a slightly terrifying but smiling smile. “Hold onto the Life Angel necklace. Kill anyone in our way!”

“Alright.” Not only did Shang Jianyao hold the Life Angel necklace, but he also wore the Six Senses Beads on his left wrist.

The accessory woven from black hair had completely lost its luster. It scattered to the ground with a light touch.

The Bangle of Blindness’s energy was depleted, a little faster than Shang Jianyao had expected.

Without having the time to check if Christina had any valuable items on her, the Old Task Force rushed out of the room in a race against time.

Jiang Baimian glanced into the distance and saw an unconscious man in the corridor. The bioelectric signals were stable, and his life wasn’t in danger for the time being.

She retracted her gaze and carried Long Yuehong with Bai Chen under Shang Jianyao’s protection. They entered the elevator and returned to the ground floor.

By then, someone had already called the police. Several Hand of Order members had already gathered downstairs.

Jiang Baimian—who had previously disguised herself—carried the stretcher and calmly walked over. She then said to the Hand of Order members, “There are two thugs upstairs, suspected to be wanted targets. They had a gunfight with us and injured one of our companions.”

She spoke with confidence and even had the authority of an officer. After the Old Task Force left the general’s residence, they were wearing formal city defense uniforms with the necessary identification documents!

Upon seeing Shang Jianyao show his identification, one of the sheriffs quickly asked, “How are the two thugs?”

“They’ve been killed. Go clean up the scene,” Jiang Baimian instructed. Her appearance was closer to that of a Red River person, but one could still tell that she was beautiful.

The Hand of Order members didn’t suspect anything and rushed to the elevator.

Jiang Baimian led Bai Chen and steadily carried the stretcher as usual. They left the apartment and found their military-green jeep nearby.

After settling Long Yuehong in the backseat and letting Shang Jianyao watch over him, Bai Chen rushed into the driver’s seat and started the car.

“Where to?” she asked anxiously.

Jiang Baimian estimated the distance. “Antanna Street. Let’s find an unlicensed clinic.”

It was faster to go to Antanna Street than to return to the Golden Apple Zone. Besides, even if they found General Phocas, they would have to go through a lot of trouble to find a doctor. It was better to go to an unlicensed clinic directly.

It was hard to comment on the standards of unlicensed doctors, but they were definitely experts at treating gunshot wounds and blast injuries. Jiang Baimian was only worried that they didn’t have sufficient equipment.

Bai Chen didn’t say a word. She floored the accelerator and started the car in the Green Olive Zone.

“Slow down,” Jiang Baimian quickly said.

Bai Chen didn’t respond and maintained her speed. It was only with her excellent driving skills and familiarity with the road that nothing happened.

Jiang Baimian eased up and said seriously, “More haste, less speed. Ignoring the possibility of an accident, there’s definitely something wrong with driving so quickly in the eyes of the helicopters and drones above. When the time comes, it will be troublesome if we are intercepted by the Hand of Order and the city defense forces.”

Bai Chen finally listened. She released the accelerator and slowed down the car, making the jeep less eye-catching. However, it was still relatively fast.

Jiang Baimian turned around and looked at the backseat. She said to Shang Jianyao, “I’ve given you all the FECA. When Little Red’s condition isn’t right, inject him with a dose. Make sure he survives until Antanna Street.”

As for the problem of an overdose, they couldn’t be bothered now.

“Alright,” Shang Jianyao replied very succinctly, unlike his usual self.

Jiang Baimian composed herself and used the radio transceiver to inform Genava of the situation here. She told him that the reinforcements might be delayed and that there was a high chance only two people would be sent. She told him to carry out the operation with Han Wanghuo and Zeng Duo given the conditions. If not, they would wait for a rendezvous before coming up with a solution.

Due to the unrest caused by the Citizen Meet and the subsequent search, there weren’t many cars on the roads. The Old Task Force drove the jeep to Antanna Street in less than 15 minutes.

Most of the shops here were still tightly shuttered. The locals had yet to sound the all-clear and crawl out of hiding.

Bai Chen didn’t care about this and parked the car in front of the clinic that had treated Han Wanghuo.

The clinic’s door was also closed, but there was some sound coming from the residential unit on the second floor.

Jiang Baimian pushed open the door and alighted. She came to the clinic’s shutters and slapped them hard.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound echoed, but nobody responded.

Jiang Baimian didn’t waste any time. She drew her United 202 and fired at the shutter door’s lock a few times.

After three bangs, she bent down, raised her left hand, and easily opened the door.

“Come down!” she shouted at the second floor.

Upstairs, the unlicensed clinic’s doctor—who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses—looked out the window. Upon seeing a tall man guarding the street with a grenade launcher, he immediately gave up on the idea of jumping out of the building to escape.

He nervously went down to the first floor and looked at Jiang Baimian. “W-what’s the matter?”

“Can you operate? Our companion received blast injuries,” Jiang Baimian asked concisely.

The doctor in the gold-rimmed glasses wanted to say that he didn’t know how, but he didn’t dare to patronize the other party when he saw her stance.

The black muzzle was really terrifying!

“I can, but I’m not a Kalendaria. I can’t save him if the blast wounds are too serious.” He gave some warning.

“Carry Little Red in,” Jiang Baimian instructed Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen.

“Then, I’ll go to the operating theater at the back to prepare.” The unlicensed clinic’s doctor pointed at the area behind the clinic.

Jiang Baimian didn’t let him move alone, afraid that he would find an opportunity to escape.

After making the corresponding preparations and getting an assistant to come down to help, the doctor saw Long Yuehong—who had been carried to the operating table. He examined the latter carefully and blurted out, “He’s still alive?”

With such injuries, those with weaker physiques would probably die on the spot.

“We have some first-aid needles.” Jiang Baimian placed the remaining FECA beside her. “Use them all you want.”

The doctor didn’t say anything else and got into the zone.

Upon seeing that he was skilled, Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Bai Chen—who had put on their scrubs—took a few steps back to avoid disturbing him.

After a round of surgery, the unlicensed doctor reminded them, “There were no problems with the first-aid treatment. His physical fitness isn’t bad, and he’s lucky. I have the required blood for a transfusion, so the chances of him surviving are still high. However, he will definitely be crippled. He won’t be able to keep his right hand and arm.”

Jiang Baimian felt rather sad when she heard that. At the same time, she vaguely recalled an item that had been forgotten by the team for a long time.

Shang Jianyao directly said, “We have a mechanical arm. Can you help install it?”

The Old Task Force had previously traded for a T1 multi-purpose mechanical arm from United Industries’s arms dealer, Lehman.