Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian also connected Xu Datong’s words to her team’s encounter in reality.

The two parties had clearly gone to the same place, so why did they see different situations? Furthermore, it hadn’t been long since the Old Task Force left the Second Food Company, and the Salvation Army had clearly come from another direction. The Old Task Force arrived only after they had finished exploring. It was impossible for the collapsed building’s door to be intact as if time had reversed.

There must be something wrong!

When Jiang Baimian raised her hand to touch her cochlear implant, Shang Jianyao—who had been waving his arm—mocked Xu Datong and the others. “Did you guys go to the wrong place? Did you treat another building as the Second Food Company?”

Xu Datong signaled Li Shouyi to stop the car by the side and pushed open the door. “Isn’t it in that direction, the building that hasn’t collapsed?”

He was referring to the place where the Old Task Force had come from.

Jiang Baimian glanced at Bai Chen and signaled for her to stop the car as well. She then got out of the car and asked Xu Datong from a distance, “Can you describe the situation there in detail?”

Xu Datong was experienced. He immediately understood that something was amiss and focused on describing the various details he had seen in the Second Food Company.

Apart from the door being destroyed by them, everything else was basically the same as what the Old Task Force had seen.

“You guys definitely got the right place.” Shang Jianyao—who had also alighted—was rather gratified.

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and replied, “The Second Food Company we saw is a little different from the one you went to. We plan on returning now to confirm it.”

“Shall we go together?” Xu Datong suggested.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “Alright.”

She then asked, “You guys only came in one car?”

There were only four people in the car.

Xu Datong nodded. “The others are waiting to carry out the transaction in Redstone Collection. It’s useless for them to be here. It’s best to have a small but elite team in such operations so that it’s easier to move.”

Yes, a strategic retreat… Long Yuehong added inwardly.

Jiang Baimian didn’t harp on the topic. She got into the car again and got Bai Chen to drive back to the Second Food Company.

The Salvation Army’s dark car maintained a distance and followed behind them.

After a while, Iron Mountain City’s Second Food Company—which had lost its signboard—appeared in front of the Old Task Force members again.

Its facade was covered in greenery, leaving behind a hint of yellow. It looked desolate and dilapidated.

Jiang Baimian and the others weren’t concerned about this but the door. They focused their gazes and saw that the entire area had collapsed, forming a mound. They had to cross it to enter the food company.

It was clearly intact moments ago when the Old Task Force carried out the exploration!

Long Yuehong suddenly felt like he had been in a dream. This dream lasted from the moment they entered Iron Mountain City Ruin until they encountered the Salvation Army.

Jiang Baimian composed herself, turned around, and asked Xu Datong and the others loudly, “When did you guys arrive here?”

Xu Datong quickly gave an answer. “Yesterday morning!”

The door to Iron Mountain City’s Second Food Company collapsed yesterday morning.

Upon hearing this answer, the Old Task Force members fell silent.

After a while, Bai Chen couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “What kind of place did we see and explore just now…”

Jiang Baimian snapped to her senses and looked at Genava. “Old Ge, did you discover anything abnormal back then?”

“No,” Genava replied with a shake of his head. “The door I saw was also intact. Besides, we didn’t go around any obstacles when entering.”

Xu Datong heard the smart bot’s words and roughly understood what October Xue’s team had encountered. He deliberated and said, “Maybe you triggered an abnormality and entered an illusion as soon as you approached this area.”

“Maybe.” Jiang Baimian didn’t retort. She looked around, stopped the suddenly excited Shang Jianyao, and said to Xu Datong and the others, “We still have to investigate the exact situation, but it’s almost night. We plan on leaving this ruin first and coming back tomorrow morning.”

“Wise choice,” Xu Datong praised. “It’s the same for us.”

Jiang Baimian looked up at the sky and asked, “Where did you go after exploring the food company?”

“We searched for Government House, hoping to obtain the plans and building plans for the old city’s rejuvenation. We want to investigate what abnormal things Modeus had encountered here,” Xu Datong replied truthfully.

The Old Task Force had briefed the Salvation Army team about Modeus in the subsequent two communications, but they didn’t go into much detail. They only mentioned that the Underground Ark’s first owner had been to Iron Mountain City and participated in the old city’s rejuvenation project. After the Old World was destroyed, he had Awakened his abilities in the Subhuti domain.

In the eyes of Xu Datong and the others—who knew that Iron Mountain City’s Second Food Company was a Buddhist Holy Land—such a connection was indeed sufficiently suspicious. It was an important direction for investigation.

“Have you found it?” Jiang Baimian was also interested in this matter.

“We did.” Xu Datong smiled bitterly. “But we didn’t find anything. Too many Ruin Hunters have been here; they plundered everything.”

Plans, building information, and other things could be used to start a fire or wipe one’s ass. The hard drive that stored the corresponding electronic data was a recyclable and tradeable resource.

“Sigh…” Shang Jianyao sighed and expressed his regret, fully immersed in the situation.

According to her observation and logical inference, Jiang Baimian believed that Xu Datong wasn’t lying. She flipped her wrist and looked at her electronic watch.

“After we make confirmation tomorrow, we do have something to share with you.”

They then discussed how special the Superior Heartless that had attacked the Salvation Army was. The Old Task Force bade Xu Datong and the others farewell and agreed to meet at the food company’s entrance at 10 a.m. the next day.

…

Under the deep night sky, in a hidden col outside Iron Mountain City Ruin.

The Old Task Force surrounded the bonfire after dinner and discussed their afternoon experience and gains.

“An initial suspicion is that it was an illusion. We’ll talk about it after we survey it tomorrow.” Jiang Baimian skipped the bizarre topic. “What we need to think about now is who Ge Junfei is and why the person possessing Liu Lu tore off his photo and introduction.”

Shang Jianyao already had thoughts on this matter as he eagerly said, “Ge Junfei and Liu Lu were once a couple, but he had an affair and abandoned Liu Lu. The person who possessed Liu Lu ripped apart the photo to help her vent her anger, fulfill her wish, eliminate her obsession, sever this karma, and completely take over her body…”

When Jiang Baimian and the others heard the first half, they felt that although it was a little contrived, it was still a possibility. However, they later confirmed that Hey’s train of thought couldn’t be inferred with common sense. As he spoke, he went from an urban romance film to an eastern fantasy immortal cultivation film.

After Shang Jianyao finished speaking, Long Yuehong hesitantly said, “We might not have had an effective harvest this time. We don’t even know if we entered the real Second Food Company.”

“Let’s assume that we did,” Jiang Baimian emphasized.

Long Yuehong tersely acknowledged it. “Then, I have another guess. First, Ge Junfei is the person who possessed Liu Lu. He destroyed his photo and introduction to keep it a secret, but Team Leader said that Liu Lu’s expression was relatively contorted with hatred back then. This detail isn’t right. Second, Little White previously speculated that the person possessing Liu Lu has a certain, very subtle affection for her.”

“That’s not what I meant. The person who possessed her was doing it for a prolonged period, and it happened to be the first time. So it’s natural that he has very subtle feelings for the body. Back then, Big White and Hey saw Liu Lu. It probably wasn’t long after she was possessed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have looked at the employee introduction board for so long.” Bai Chen interrupted Long Yuehong. “But your guess isn’t wrong. That person might’ve had a certain level of affection for Liu Lu before the possession. Therefore, when the Old World was destroyed, he directly chose Liu Lu—who had already become a Heartless. He hoped to allow her to continue living on with him.”

Jiang Baimian’s heart palpitated as she analyzed the situation. “Therefore, he never considered changing the target of possession. He didn’t occupy the body of Room 522’s owner until Liu Lu’s body completely lost its mobility.

“Yes… Coupled with Hey’s first half of his story, Liu Lu and Ge Junfei might really be a couple. After the person who likes Liu Lu possessed her and saw his love rival’s photo, he tore it up on the spot in hatred. This matches Liu Lu’s slightly contorted and hated expression back then.”

At this point, Jiang Baimian paused and said, “In that case, it seems like we can include Fan Wensi and Li Jinlong’s son—the vegetable who was sent to a hospital in the north for experimental treatment.”

Bai Chen’s eyes lit up. “Yes. He might’ve really worked at the Second Food Company back then and had a crush on Liu Lu or had an ambiguous relationship with her. He was just short of bedding her, but he ended up in a car accident and became a vegetable…

“A few years later, he returned in a certain state before the Old World was destroyed. On the one hand, he watched his parents from afar and confirmed their situation. On the other hand, he ‘came’ to Iron Mountain City to pry into Liu Lu’s life and realized that she was in a relationship with Ge Junfei, who later joined the company. Not only did Ge Junfei snatch his girlfriend, but the photo also occupied his original spot. He couldn’t control his anger when he saw it.”

Jiang Baimian nodded excitedly.

Although Bai Chen was only making a guess, it was rather reasonable. She had strung up many details!

As expected, only people with meticulous thoughts can make such a guess… Jiang Baimian subconsciously turned her head and looked at Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Genava, planning to ask if they had any different thoughts.

The three of them listened in a daze as if they couldn’t keep up.

Upon seeing Jiang Baimian look over, Shang Jianyao subconsciously raised his hands.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

He applauded.