Embers Ad Infinitum

After having their fill and returning to the Fire & Iron Hotel, Jiang Baimian looked around and said, "That's the end of our R&R. Get yourself together and be highly vigilant. You have to recall Eidolon Nun's gaze or Master Zhuang's dream from time to time."

"Why?" Shang Jianyao was the first to express his confusion. "There will only be a bloody disaster the day after tomorrow!"

Jiang Baimian exclaimed. "There are too many explanations for a prophecy. We can't place all our bets on one possibility."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shang Jianyao immediately changed his view.

"That's right, that's right." Long Yuehong nodded in agreement.

Shang Jianyao then said, "Indeed. There are too many examples in the Old World's entertainment that misread prophecies and produce counterproductive results."

Don't remind me that my experience in prophecies comes from the Old World's entertainment… Jiang Baimian muttered silently.

The Old Task Force had yet to encounter many prophecies at the moment. One came from the Crystal Consciousness Church, one came from the Asceticism Department, and the other came from the Subhuti figurine.

Jiang Baimian further explained, "Even if the bloody disaster really happens the day after tomorrow, it doesn't mean that there won't be any dangers in the next two days. What if the enemy launches an attack tonight and controls us? What if they only execute us the day after tomorrow? That will still be in line with the prophecy.

"Also, the Eighth Research Institute might come in the next two days to flip through our memories to confirm the situation here and prepare for the ambush the day after tomorrow. When the time comes, we will be in big trouble if they know our plan and use it against us."

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"How cunning!" It was unknown if Shang Jianyao was cursing the prophecy for being misleading or the Eighth Research Institute's people for acting so furtively. He then applauded Jiang Baimian.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Bai Chen nodded slightly. "These are indeed situations that match the prophecy and require vigilance."

"Under normal circumstances, it won't be difficult to recall Eidolon Nun's gaze and Master Zhuang's dream from time to time. However, we still have to sleep. Who can make themselves recall specific memories in a dream?" Long Yuehong raised a technical problem.

The red light in Genava's eyes flickered. "Ask Gitis to use Destiny Connection?"

Jiang Baimian denied this thought. "This will affect her condition. She's different from us; she hasn't undergone genetic enhancement. She usually has to focus on controlling many bodies, and that consumes a lot of her mental energy. She probably hasn't kept up with her daily training."

She then gave a smile that terrified Long Yuehong. "Since we can't control ourselves and find it difficult to recall those memories when sleeping, we can resolve this problem at the root."

"How?" Shang Jianyao was a perfect assistant in stand-up comedy.

Jiang Baimian looked around and said, "No sleep! We can totally handle not sleeping for today and tomorrow. We will still have good combat strength."

"…" Long Yuehong fell silent for a few seconds before saying, "That's true."

He didn't have much of a problem staying awake for just two days. He just didn't expect his team leader's solution to be so simple and crude.

"You guys." Shang Jianyao became proud. "You're really inferior to me in this regard. We can take turns resting."

How do you smoothly switch between 'I' and 'We?' Jiang Baimian criticized inwardly and ignored him before looking at Genava. "Old Ge, pay attention to the electricity expenditure and replenish it in time."

As a smart bot, it was a piece of cake for Genava to not sleep for months and have his components get some rest.

"Any other questions?" Jiang Baimian had always known how to use the intelligence of the masses to find any flaws.

Shang Jianyao raised his hand. "I do."

"Speak." Jiang Baimian habitually composed herself.

Shang Jianyao asked, "Since we have to be wary of the situation you mentioned, why didn't you say anything previously and instead allowed us to eat and drink without any vigilance?"

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian to speak, he 'came to a realization.' "To teach us a lesson!"

"You're the only one who needs to be taught a lesson. Thank you very much," Jiang Baimian replied bluntly. "Do the math. How long has it been since Murray and Benito 'woke up' and sent a telegram to the Eighth Research Institute from us having dinner? Unless the Eighth Research Institute's people had long sensed something abnormal and had secretly planned against us for a long time, it won't be that fast. If they had their sights on us from the beginning, they would've 'seen' everything we did. There were no secrets to keep, and it didn't matter if we relaxed while eating."

Jiang Baimian paused and said, "Actually, there shouldn't be any problems for the next few hours. But since we have nothing to do, we might as well begin early and adapt to a highly vigilant life as soon as possible."

"Yes, yes." Long Yuehong and the others nodded.

After agreeing to this, the Old Task Force entered combat readiness.

…

In the safe house where Murray and Benito lived at midnight.

One of them was lying on the bed, and the other was on the sofa, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, something invisible seemed to fluctuate in the deep night, turning into two invisible, untouchable tentacles that silently stretched toward Murray and Benito and drilled into their heads.

Shortly after, the two invisible tentacles—which seemed to be a nightmare—retracted and melted into the darkness.

After an unknown period of time, a large number of invisible, colorless, tentacle-like objects rose from the darkness in the block where Mor lived. They were inseparable from each other in the darkness as they extended toward different rooms.

Just like that, the tentacles were like a nightmare monster in legends that ate human brains. They rose and retreated in different streets of Gesterbourg.

Someone woke up, but there was nothing abnormal. With his eyes half-closed, he left the bed and staggered to the toilet to relieve his bulging bladder that he had been holding in.

The invisible tentacles followed a certain pattern or traced a certain trajectory before finally arriving at the Fire & Iron Hotel.

A few minutes after one of them reached into Spant's head, the night surged. It separated into four tentacles and quietly stretched toward the Old Task Force's suite.

The lights were still on in the suite's living room.

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, Bai Chen, and Long Yuehong were either sitting in different spots or squeezed together. None of them had slept.

Among them, two were on guard while the other two watched the Old World's entertainment to keep themselves from losing their minds. Regardless, both parties would recall Eidolon Nun's gaze or Master Zhuang's dream every few minutes.

The invisible tentacles stopped in the night as if they were blocked by the light. They didn't extend into the room or reach for the four carbon-based humans' heads. Instead, they quietly clung to the curtained window like eyes peeping into the room.

Fifteen minutes passed… Half an hour passed… Two hours passed. The Old Task Force remained awake.

Finally, the invisible tentacles retracted and disappeared into the darkness.

…

In the blink of an eye, the day mentioned in the prophecy arrived. This was also the day Murray and Benito left Gesterbourg and returned to the Eighth Research Institute.

The two of them exchanged glances and informed the Old Task Force what time they were setting off and which intersection in Icefield they were heading to according to their original plan.

Genava received their telegram and knew that they were about to set off.

"It's time for us to head out," Jiang Baimian said as she ate a drug that stimulated her brain to maintain her clarity of mind. Although she could still hold on, and her mind was fine, she needed to be in tip-top condition to face the impending enemy.

Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Shang Jianyao also took the pill produced by Pangu Biology. They then went downstairs, settled the bill, and got into the jeep.

The jeep drove toward the exit that led from Gesterbourg to Icefield at an adequate speed.

Upon seeing the fortifications on the periphery, a dark-red SUV drove over from another street and moved alongside them.

There was only one person in the SUV—a man in his thirties. He wore a cap and grayish-blue clothes. The tip of his nose was slightly hooked, and there was obvious golden stubble on his face.

After Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong looked over, the male driver released his left hand and held it vertically like he was chanting Buddhist scripture.

This was the confirmation method that the Old Task Force and Gitis had agreed on in advance.

Shang Jianyao retracted his gaze in satisfaction and nodded at Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian couldn't help but sigh silently. Heavenly Eyes and Heavenly Ears are too useful. There's no need for us to contact her specially. Gitis can work with us in a timely fashion without worrying about being discovered by the hidden monitors…

At this moment, the traffic lights at the intersection ahead changed. The jeep and the dark-red SUV drove out of the street one after another and entered the periphery filled with fortifications.