Embers Ad Infinitum

In a doctor’s conference room in the mental hospital, Laurice sat opposite the long table. She had one arm placed horizontally across the table to prop herself up as she held the other unclasped hand to her mouth.

She recalled and said, “Actually, Oudick and I have only known each other for less than two years. He was introduced by a friend. He’s an Advanced Hunter, and I know what that entails. I thought he would be very arrogant or rude on our first official meeting, but that wasn’t the case in reality.”

Shang Jianyao, Jiang Baimian, and the others didn’t interject. They watched as Laurice moved her hand—which was placed by her mouth—to her ear and combed the hair that fell to her temples.

Her tone unconsciously softened. “He was very polite, not the superficial kind of politeness, but the kind of politeness that shows true respect toward a person…

“He had sufficient knowledge, experience, and strength. No matter what he did, he did it calmly, confidently, and methodically with great composure. He could resolve almost everything that I found relatively difficult. He made me unconsciously rely on him and trust him…

“He’s very gentle, but it’s not gentleness in the colloquial sense. He remembers all my hobbies, knows what I don’t like, and what I hate. He always arranges everything to my liking before I realize it…

“If he didn’t confirm it himself, I wouldn’t have believed that he had been a Ruin Hunter for more than ten years. He has wandered the wilderness for a long time and killed many bandits…

“He was very proud of being a Dream Guardian and felt that he was contributing to the continuation of humanity…

“He likes children very much. We planned on having children next year. As First City’s citizens, we would receive a fertility allowance…

“He hates stimulating smells, especially things that smell like vinegar…

“He’s very responsible and never shirks…

“He kept promises, and he promised me that he wouldn’t take on very dangerous missions or go to very dangerous places again. He never did so after the promise…” As she spoke, her eyes turned vacant, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Shang Jianyao unfolded a black, soft leather notebook in front of him and recorded her words with a fountain pen.

After the other party finished speaking, he asked, “Can you go into detail regarding your interactions with him?”

Laurice hesitated for a while before continuing to recall. “Although he’s an Advanced Hunter, he hasn’t saved up much money or supplies over the years. This is because their Church has many believers living in true hardship, so he’s always happy to provide help. Before we got married, he was worried that I would mind. He even specially took me to see those people and understand their lives. Although my parents have a relatively decent job in First City, it’s not like I don’t know anything. Among the neighbors around me, there are often people who lose their lives because of the Heartless disease, war, bandits, and various diseases. This impoverishes the entire family. I lost several of my childhood playmates because of this.

“I remember the day when I told him that I understood him and was willing to support him. As long as he didn’t sacrifice his family and himself for this, not only would I accept it, but I would also help him. He was so thrilled that he hugged me tightly as if he wanted to fuse me into his body…”

As Laurice recounted her memories, Oudick’s image became clearer and more three-dimensional in Jiang Baimian and the others’ minds.

Finally, Shang Jianyao stopped recording and smiled at Laurice. “What you described is very helpful for the subsequent treatment. I’ll give it a try now. Of course, you have to stay away, lest we agitate him.”

“Alright.” Laurice nodded with anticipation.

The Old Task Force quintet returned to Oudick’s ward on the third floor.

The crazy Advanced Hunter sensed the commotion outside and rushed to the iron door again. Through the small hole, he shouted, “Let me out! Let me out!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of him banging on the iron door sounded incessantly.

After Oudick calmed down a little, Shang Jianyao looked into his eyes with a deep gaze and said in a deep and mellow voice, “You’re Oudick, an Advanced Hunter. You’re very polite, which isn’t an act, nor is it the superficial kind of politeness, but the kind of politeness that shows a person true respect…

“You have sufficient knowledge, experience, and strength. No matter what you do, you do it calmly, confidently, and methodically with great composure. You can resolve almost everything that others find relatively difficult. You make others unconsciously rely on you and trust you…

He repeated Laurice’s words almost verbatim. He only added additional descriptions in certain places and modified the pronouns.

As Shang Jianyao’s voice echoed, Oudick completely calmed down. He listened with a slightly confused expression.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen finally understood what Shang Jianyao’s so-called treatment method was: Thought Implantation!

Jiang Baimian watched silently and didn’t attempt to stop him.

“You are a Dream Guardian of Dawn’s Morning Star. You fight the dangers in dreams and protect humanity… The way you express your intense feelings for your wife is to hug her tightly… You plan on having a child next year… You won’t attack your family, friends, or innocents, nor will you use your abilities on them unless they threaten your life…” After an unknown period of time, Shang Jianyao finally finished repeating and fabricating. He spoke in a long-drawn, tedious, and detailed manner.

Behind the iron door, Oudick’s eyes gradually turned clear. He slowly sighed and said, “I’m sorry to trouble you. I didn’t expect to see you again in such a state. I haven’t been there since I left Weed City.”

Holy sh*t… Oudick remembers us? Although he went mad, his memories aren’t damaged? Long Yuehong was dumbfounded.

Shang Jianyao laughed. “This world is always filled with all kinds of accidents, so there’s no need to worry too much about it. Who you need to comfort the most now is your wife. She has been wallowing in pain the entire day because of you and has constantly been seeking a way to treat you.”

Oudick nodded. “I feel very guilty about this.”

“It’s good that you understand.” Shang Jianyao turned his body and shouted, “Mrs. Laurice, you can come over now!”

In just a few seconds, rapid footsteps came from the stairs.

Laurice—who was wearing dark-colored dress culottes—rushed over as if she were jogging. She looked at Oudick behind the iron door and noticed the gentleness on his face.

“Oh, honey, are you really okay now?” Laurice raised her hands and covered her mouth. Her eyes couldn’t help but redden, and she became very agitated.

Oudick gently replied, “Sorry to worry you. I’ll be careful in the future; I won’t put on a brave front when facing nightmares. I understand that I’m no longer alone.”

Laurice’s tears fell. “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s fine as long as you’re fine! I-I’ll go get the doctor and get him to take a look to confirm it!”

She was afraid that this was a beautiful dream and that she would wake up once it burst.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Laurice ran to the doctor’s office.

Long Yuehong looked at her back and then at Oudick, suspecting that the latter was really no longer crazy. He couldn’t help but ask, “What did you see in the nightmare?”

Behind the iron door, Oudick’s expression warped, and his eyes turned vacant.

He muttered to himself, “A person on the left, a person on the right, with a small picture frame in the middle! One of your eyes is big, and the other is small. You’re not a good person. I’ll help you dig them all out!”

After repeating it twice, Oudick’s gaze swept across Shang Jianyao and the others at the door. He restrained his abnormal expression and sincerely said, “I’m sorry; I can’t provide you with effective clues.”

This was extreme politeness and calm.

Long Yuehong stared blankly and listened, speechless. He inexplicably felt that the wind in the corridor was cold.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao replied to Oudick. He raised his arms, raised his body slightly, and looked into the void. “Everything is but a dream. Why so serious?”

With that said, he turned around and walked to the stairwell without looking back. He didn’t stop even when he encountered Laurice, who had brought a doctor over.

…

In the jeep, Shang Jianyao sat on the left in the backseat and remained silent for a long time.

Long Yuehong looked at the sky and said, “Where to next?”

Jiang Baimian had a plan in mind and calmly said, “We’ll circle the Golden Apple Zone and the Red Wolf Zone a few times before finding a safe house at Xiaochong’s previous rented place. We won’t be returning to the Green Olive Zone tonight. I hope we can use this opportunity to escape the nightmare’s attention.”

“Alright.” Bai Chen found it a very safe decision.

The jeep drove for a while longer.

Genava patted Shang Jianyao’s shoulder and provided his suggestion. “Actually, there’s no rush. You can gather some more information and establish Oudick’s behavior database through me. This way, he can deal with most situations after we reinsert the information.”

Shang Jianyao suddenly laughed after quietly listening. He spread his arms again, raised his body slightly, and smiled. “Everything is but a dream. Why so serious?”