Embers Ad Infinitum

Wu Meng! This name flashed nearly simultaneously across Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Bai Chen’s minds.

Dao and Electrical Appliance Repairs radio station’s owner, Wu Meng!

Although the Old Task Force members had never truly seen Wu Meng, the deceased Ruin Hunter—Ferrington—had previously encountered a man with such a description in this ruin. Back then, the man had a red-eyed python coiled around him and a white wolf squatting beside him. They were certain that the two mutated creatures were mutated by Wu Meng, making them equivalent to his pets.

Therefore, Jiang Baimian and the others naturally came to the conclusion that the man was Wu Meng without needing to say anything.

The terrifying monster that the Eternal Time Church’s elderly Celestial Master sealed at the cost of his life has finally escaped? Jiang Baimian’s heart tightened before she made a different judgment.

She didn’t sense any electrical appliances being activated, nor did she sense any other human consciousness. However, she realized that the electromagnetic environment in the lobby on the Holm Fertility Center’s first floor was rather chaotic!

Jiang Baimian recalled that although they were certain that Wu Meng was sealed, he had still ‘appeared’ to meet Ferrington. With his help, he had passed a copy of the Fakh Post to the Old Task Force and the few lone Hunters who had explored Wasteland Ruin 13. Jiang Baimian suspected that Wu Meng had relied on the nearby appliances, circuit boards, and wires to modify the corresponding area so that the electromagnetic signals he transmitted could show images.

In order to break out of their current situation, apart from depriving themselves of their hearing and not listening to Wu Meng, the Old Task Force had a very simple solution: By changing the electromagnetic environment here, Wu Meng’s signal would be useless!

Jiang Baimian did as she thought. She threw down the rocket launcher and stretched out her left palm.

She wanted to use the remaining high-voltage electric current in her biological prosthetic limb to destroy the electromagnetic environment within range!

At this moment, Shang Jianyao suddenly laughed smugly as though he had some random screw loose. “Haha, you didn’t have your pets following you this time…”

Just as he said that, the man—wearing small, round glasses and a formal gray, black-lined suit—suspected to be Wu Meng looked up. He was leisurely flipping through the Holm Fertility Center’s pamphlet.

He looked at the four Old Task Force members, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

In an instant, Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen’s heads went blank; they didn’t know what they wanted to do or what they should do. They didn’t even remember who they were. They were in a daze as if they had lost the ability to think.

The electric shock that Jiang Baimian prepared to release came to an abrupt and premature abortion.

The black-haired, brown-eyed man chuckled and said in a strange Ashlandic accent, “Don’t worry. If I really wanted to deal with you, why go through so much trouble? All that’s needed is a flash of an electric spark. The Grand course is like water. It is mighty and unstoppable.”

His voice indeed belonged to Wu Meng.

As Wu Meng spoke, Jiang Baimian and the others finally found their rhythm. Their thinking abilities quickly recovered.

The first thought that flashed through their minds was: Isn’t this poisonous sore too powerful?

Shang Jianyao wasn’t afraid even though he had no way of resisting. He calmly and curiously asked, “Stupid Halo?”

This was an ability in the Master Zhuang domain. Shang Jianyao felt that it was very similar to the influence Wu Meng had just exerted.

Wu Meng remained on the sofa without getting up. He leaned back and smiled. “When you enter the New World, you will be able to control all the abilities in a major domain.”

Jiang Baimian recalled her previous experience. On the one hand, she felt that she and the others were indeed helpless. They needed to make sufficient preparations before they could resist Stupid Halo, so it was better to listen to what Wu Meng was up to. On the other hand, she still refused to give up. She wanted to find an opportunity to ‘send’ Wu Meng away and grasp the initiative.

However, this didn’t stop her from taking the opportunity to fleece him. In any case, we are already in such a situation. Why don’t we take it easy and counter every move that comes to see if we can gain some benefits!?

Jiang Baimian took the opportunity to ask, “What about the Kalendarium?”

Wu Meng smiled. “Ambitious, but that’s not a good thing. Only by giving up the competition for minor interests can a man find no competitors in this world.”

Just as Jiang Baimian thought that her attempt to fleece him had failed, Wu Meng patted the green cushion beside him. “From a macroscopic point of view, the Kalendarium each controls three domains. They naturally suppress all Awakened in their domains.”

Three domains… Three bestowments for one price… Jiang Baimian realized that they were all related.

Wu Meng—who was wearing small, round glasses—swept his gaze around and realized that Long Yuehong and Bai Chen were very tense.

“There’s really no need to be nervous. If I wanted to control you, I could’ve done it previously. There’s no need to wait until now.” The mysterious existence—who was known as a monster and poisonous sore—was like a real radio host. His attitude was amiable, and his words were filled with laughter. “After your last departure, three people should’ve committed suicide. Don’t tell me you thought I could only affect the three of them back then?”

Upon being reminded by Wu Meng’s words, Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, Shang Jianyao, and Jiang Baimian recalled Waite, Fars, and Ferrington—who had clearly finished the expedition and obtained a bountiful harvest, only to suddenly choose to commit suicide.

This made Long Yuehong feel like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and he couldn’t help but shiver. This cultured and polite man in front of me can control other people’s thoughts and kill them without them realizing it!

“Why did you let us go?” the honest Shang Jianyao asked in response.

Wu Meng crossed his legs and relaxed. “Because you have the Kalendarium’s attention.”

His gaze gradually stopped on Shang Jianyao. “Arbiter of Fate, Eidolon Nun, Dawn, Double Sun, Shattered Mirror, Subhuti…”

This was Wang Fugui’s guess back then, but he believed that we were pious believers of a particular Kalendaria… Jiang Baimian realized that her previous guess—which she had previously thought was virtually impossible—was actually true.

As for the fact that so many Kalendarium were watching, the Old Task Force found it nothing surprising. Their bodies and minds were numb to the fact.

In Redstone Collection, after the small jade Buddha underwent a magical change under Eidolon Nun’s watch, they knew that the situation was already so bad that to make it worse made no real difference.

“Then, why are the Kalendarium watching us?” Long Yuehong blurted out a question.

Wu Meng had an amused expression. “You need to ask ‘Them,’ not me.”

“Then, why did you come looking for us?” Jiang Baimian asked calmly.

Wu Meng straightened his gray suit with black stripes. “You injured my pets. It’s not too much for me to meet you, right?”

Here comes the main topic… Long Yuehong recalled that he had injured the white wolf’s tail and immediately became a little nervous.

Shang Jianyao’s thoughts jumped as he asked about something else. “Someone previously attacked us. Why didn’t you affect them and instead allowed them free passage in this ruin? Didn’t you say that dealing with people at our level is only a matter of a spark? Could it be that they are also being watched by a Kalendaria?”

Good question! This time, it was Jiang Baimian’s turn to applaud Shang Jianyao.

Wu Meng turned his head to look outside the automatic doors. “One needs some entertainment after being sealed for a long time. Besides, they have Doctor protecting them.”

“Doctor? The Eighth Research Institute’s Doctor?” Jiang Baimian acutely captured the keyword.

Wu Meng nodded. “Yes.”

Teacher Du Heng said that Doctor and the others had become traitors that lurked in the darkness, while Dawn’s Morning Star and the True Self Church believe that they are the nightmare’s minions… Therefore, the nightmare is part of the darkness? Jiang Baimian’s thoughts raced as she analyzed the situation.

Shang Jianyao raised another question. “Since you said you don’t want to deal with us, why did your pets attack us? Why did you repeatedly affect our team’s electrical appliances?”

Wu Meng laughed, and the eyes behind his small, round glasses suffused a red glow. “Guess how many of us want to kill you and how many of us are suppressing them with all our might?”

In Long Yuehong’s eyes, this poisonous sore’s smile carried indescribable cruelty and baffling joy.

No, don’t agitate him… He’s indeed from the Master Zhuang domain, and his price is very similar to Hey’s… Jiang Baimian made a gesture with her left hand, motioning for Shang Jianyao not to continue the topic.

Without waiting for the Old Task Force members to speak, Wu Meng chuckled and said, “I actually came to see you for a reason. The matter you are investigating has special meaning to me. It might help me break the seal in the future; therefore, I passed you the Fakh Post using that Hunter. Now, I mainly want to tell you: The Buddhist Holy Land you should explore next is Icefield’s Tai City’s No. 1 Senior High School.”

With that said, Wu Meng’s expression turned sullen. The air around him immediately froze like lead. “You may leave now.”

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others looked at each other and didn’t dare stay any longer. They carefully crossed the lobby and walked out of the Holm Fertility Center.

Just as she stepped through the automatic doors, Jiang Baimian recalled something and asked, “Can you really transform mutated creatures?”

Wu Meng smiled. “Guess.”

He didn’t answer directly.

After the four Old Task Force members left the Holm Fertility Center, a figure suddenly appeared behind Wu Meng—she was Xu Lan in a cowboy suit.

“Why didn’t you control them to help you escape?” Xu Lan asked with a frown.

Standing beside Wu Meng, her symmetry OCD seemed to have ‘recovered.’ She didn’t show it at all.

“It’s not enough with just you and them.” Wu Meng smiled. “Besides, Doctor will likely do his best to deal with them. The necklace’s owner isn’t simple.”

Xu Lan revealed a confused expression. “Don’t you care?”

Wu Meng shook his head, and his figure gradually faded until he disappeared. He only left one sentence: “What doesn’t kill them only makes them stronger.”

…

Jiang Baimian and the others returned to the cave passage before dusk.

They used the key information they had previously recorded to confirm that their memories hadn’t been modified or that they had no strange thoughts implanted in them. They then reminded each other and removed the ‘protection’ provided by Shang Jianyao.

“What did Wu Meng mean?” Long Yuehong muttered to himself in confusion.

Jiang Baimian was just about to answer when the flashlight’s beam swept across the crates on the ground, which were used to store their military exoskeletons and bionic artificial intelligence armor.

It wasn’t surprising for these boxes to appear here, but something else was strange.

Jiang Baimian looked around and asked, “Where’s Old Ge?”

Surprisingly, Genava wasn’t guarding the place.