Embers Ad Infinitum

Translator: Calon

All kinds of thoughts surged in Jiang Baimian’s mind before disappearing like a receding tide, leaving only a portion.

She looked at the sliding metal door in front of her and solemnly said, “1215 represents an Awakened in the Arbiter of Fate domain. What did he want to do when he came here and passed through the door?

Without waiting for Shang Jianyao’s answer, Jiang Baimian answered her question, “Either the Arbiter of Fate’s believers had designs on Big Boss and hoped to gain full control of the company, resulting in them coming up with a way to infiltrate this place. In the end, they encountered something extremely terrifying and left a psychological trauma. Otherwise, something abnormal had long happened behind the door, causing the Arbiter of Fate domain Awakened –who was loyal to the company and in charge of guarding this place-to be frightened and suffer some form of restriction.”

The Shang Jianyao that valued relationships muttered, “Can’t you be more optimistic?

“That’s not what you say every time you cook up a story for Little Red,” Jiang Baimian retorted skillfully. She then exhaled and said, “At this point, we can only advance; there’s no room for retreat.”

She had already said something similar once.

“Let me do it.” Shang Jianyao seemed to be the one offering to serve the food.

He strode toward the silver-white metal wall and the sliding door.

Jiang Baimian didn’t fight him for the honors. She slowly followed behind, raised her left arm, and prepared to deliver a high-voltage electric shock.

In a few steps, Shang Jianyao came to the door. Through the small gap, he saw a deep darkness behind the door.

Shang Jianyao didn’t hesitate; he became even more excited. He stretched out his hands, grabbed the door’s crack, and suddenly pulled it to the side.

The ajar metal door immediately emitted a grinding sound as it quickly provided passage to the interior. The light in the corridor flowed in before Shang Jianyao could enter, illuminating the area near the door.

The ground there was paved with large, milky-white square bricks. There was nothing-it looked like it was part of a spacious hall.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian suddenly said, “There are bioelectric signals inside. They are suspected to be human!”

She couldn’t sense the other party’s consciousness.

Just as Jiang Baimian said that, lamps began turning on in the area behind the metal door which wasn’t illuminated by the corridor lights.

They illuminated the large computer deep in the room and the dense screens hanging on three walls. These screens displayed Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian’s figures. From the moment they left the Old Task Force’s office and headed to Xenny’s place to the moment they took the elevator to the fifth floor, all the way till they came here via the stairs-their entire process was recorded.

This made Jiang Baimian tremble. She felt like her and Shang Jianyao’s actions were being watched by others quietly. There were no secrets!

Of course, this didn’t include the scenes they saw in Room 14 or their home. The process of them going down the stairs from the fifth floor to the lowest floor was also affected by the corresponding interference. The light was dim and indistinct, only revealing two figures.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao sighed and said with abnormal sincerity, “The Doctor of the Church has always been watching us.”

Jiang Baimian jolted to her senses and saw a black leather chair with armrests placed in front of the large computer.

At this moment, a man was sitting in the chair.

He looked to be in his forties. His hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His cheeks were relatively thin, and his nose was very high. His lips were neither thick nor thin.

This man wore a white shirt, a black coat, and a dark-red tie. Even as he sat there, he gave off the feeling that he was high and above.

This was a bearing he had developed from being in a high position for a long time. It blended with his elegant bearing and had a unique charm.

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian knew this man. This was because from the moment they had memories, this man would extend the new year greetings on behalf of Big Boss through the LCD screens at the Rec Center on each floor at the end of the year.

He was Ji Ze, a board member of Pangu Biology’s Board of Directors and the number one-ranking vice-president. He answered directly to Big Boss and was equivalent to the company’s Chief Executive.

He was second only to one person and above all others!

There were no guards around Ji Ze. He leaned back slightly and leaned against the leather chair before smiling at Jiang Baimian. “When you followed your father to the management’s end-of-year banquet in the past, my impression of you was that you were obedient, polite, and eloquent. I didn’t expect you to actually be so calculative. You are deep while also being firm, decisive, and fearless. As of now, nobody in the younger generation can compare to you.”

Jiang Baimian deliberately made her smile look bitter. “This is something that can’t be helped. The company is our home. We will definitely work hard to resolve any abnormalities we discover. Since time immemorial, countless people have defended their homes at the cost of their lives.”

Ji Ze nodded slightly. “Why did you suddenly choose to do this? I almost couldn’t react.”

Shang Jianyao immediately said, “Well, here’s the situation.”

Ji Ze raised his hand to stop him. “Don’t speak.”

He looked at Jiang Baimian. “You do the talking.”

Although this successfully resolved Shang Jianyao’s Thought Guidance and indicated that Ji Ze had a certain level of understanding of their abilities and knew how to avoid them, Jiang Baimian still felt inexplicably relieved.

At least this meant that Vice President Ji Ze was still relatively afraid of Shang Jianyao’s abilities!

It would be despairing if he was immune to everything.

Jiang Baimian sensed her surroundings and saw that nobody else had rushed over. Therefore, she composed herself and spoke unhurriedly from the moment they discovered that Mu Renjie had died from a myocardial infarction. She kept talking about how someone had affected Long Yuehong and Bai Chen’s dreams and how Mei Shou’an and Xenny were members of the Life Ritual parish. In order to confirm the situation, she and Shang Jianyao were willing to pay the price of being punished. They used the opportunity of reporting to Xenny to affect this Security Department deputy minister and obtained answers.

As she spoke, she observed her surroundings and thought about her current situation. She suspected that the directors had collectively sided with the Kalendaria, Arbiter of Fate, in order to seize Big Boss’s authority.

The Arbiter of Fate domain Awakened in Room 1215 was one of the people who had participated in this battle back then. He had been traumatized by Big Boss —who had gone all out.

Ji Ze quietly listened and stroked his hands. “Brave, smart, and decisive. Furthermore, you have the spirit of sacrifice. It’s no wonder you could do so much on the surface and obtain so much. Unfortunately, your efforts are destined to fail.”

Shang Jianyao had never been an obedient person who would stay silent if Ji Ze requested him to shut up. Taking the opportunity, he asked, “Are you wake?”

Wake was the most mysterious and dangerous Doctor of the Church in Pangu Biology’s Life Ritual Church.

Ji Ze was prepared to interrupt Shang Jianyao at any moment. After hearing the question, he laughed and said, “No, I’m not Wake.

“It is.” Ji Ze pointed at the large computer behind him and smiled. “You’ve been to Mechanical Paradise, so you should know about artificial intelligence. Only artificial intelligence can activate cameras 24/7 and monitor most of the company, dealing with anything the moment any abnormalities are discovered. Only such a Doctor of the Church can be said to be always watching you.” Shang Jianyao was shocked by this matter and forgot to criticize Vice President Ji for not giving artificial intelligence human rights.

He habitually and instinctively clapped. “How did it join the Life Ritual parish?” Jiang Baimian asked. The more she knew, the higher the chances of her finding an opportunity to turn the situation around.

Ji Ze smiled and said, “After the matter regarding Mu Renjie, we actually caught the Life Ritual parish’s tail. But considering how we are all believers in the Arbiter of Fate, there’s no need to make things too difficult for them. We just have to restrain their actions and prevent the extremists among them from doing anything that will ruin the company’s stability and overall situation. Therefore, I got Omega to replace the real Wake, gradually control the other Doctors of the Church, and be in charge of all aspects of the Life Ritual parish.”

Jiang Baimian’s heart slowly sank. She didn’t feel heavy because of Wake’s identity but because Ji Ze had said that they were also believers of the Arbiter of Fate without any scruples.

This reminded her of an Old World proverb: “Dead men tell no tales.”

Jiang Baimian couldn’t help but ask the question she was most concerned about. “Are all the directors believers of the Arbiter of Fate?

Ji Ze slowly nodded. He then smiled and said, “Haven’t you figured out the answer yet? I’m very disappointed.

“Why are all the directors believers of the Arbiter of Fate? Why did I just say that your efforts are destined to fail? Why did I waste my breath talking to you? The answer is very simple.”

Ji Ze stood up, pointed at a door beside the supercomputer-Omega-and said to Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao, “That’s because Big Boss’s name is: “Arbiter of Fate.”

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian’s pupils instantly dilated.

Without waiting for their response, Ji Ze pressed his hand to his chest and spoke humbly and solemnly to the door. “The night is long; the Arbiter of Fate blesses thee.”