Embers Ad Infinitum

It was still a while before lights went out at 8:30 p.m. The street lamps continued to glow, illuminating the area ahead for pedestrians.

However, it was incomparable to the interior of Pangu Biology’s underground building. Many of the street lamps on South Street were long defunct. Only one was intact for dozens of meters out. There were only faint, flickering lights in many places, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Bai Chen had brought Long Yuehong out for a walk before dinner. She had several plans for what to do next. She walked calmly as if she were a woman on her way home and was carrying a large object.

Long Yuehong was undoubtedly a little nervous, but he had experienced too many things during his first trip. He had become somewhat immune to such situations, so his hands and feet didn’t go limp, nor did his heart race.

He quietly followed beside Bai Chen, occasionally blocking the passersby’s line of sight to prevent the Orange rifle wrapped in cloth from being too eye-catching.

There was a sentry at South Street Slave Market’s entrance. The two guards inside carried the same standard assault rifles. They looked around distractedly, occasionally sitting or standing.

Bai Chen passed them and walked toward Central Square at an adequate pace.

She and Long Yuehong soon entered the street lamps’ blind spot. They were akin to two blurry shadows on the dark street.

At this moment, Bai Chen suddenly turned around and came to the courtyard entrance of the neighboring building. In a second or two, she nimbly climbed over the metal gate.

Long Yuehong was impressed because Bai Chen had to focus on stabilizing the rifle in her arms during this process.

Without any delay, Long Yuehong followed closely behind and flipped over the metal gate. He didn’t make a sound.

He and Bai Chen then entered the building adjacent to South Street Slave Market. Under the dim yellow light, they walked up the cold stairs to the top floor.

Bai Chen took out a piece of wire that she had prepared in advance and inserted it into the keyhole. After adjusting it a few times, she opened the door that led to the rooftop.

Although this building looked like it had flying eaves and corbeled columns, it was mostly a type of imitation and decoration. It had the usual layout as one would expect.

After arriving on the rooftop and closing the door behind them, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong arrived at a spot close to South Street Slave Market under the dim moonlight.

In this quiet night and in this open area, they heard singing, shouting, music, and all kinds of mixed sounds coming from West Street.

At this moment, Long Yuehong looked in the direction of South Street Slave Market and tilted his head slightly. “Some sounds seem to be coming from there?”

Just as he said that, the commotion in South Street Slave Market became much clearer as the din at West Street temporarily subsided.

It consisted of many whimpering sounds.

Every sound was not loud, so weak that they didn’t seem to exist. However, after they overlapped, they quietly echoed in the pitch-black night. Occasionally, there were a few heart-wrenching coughs and a faint grunt of pain.

“It’s the slaves; they are crying.” Bai Chen looked down at the market expressionlessly.

Long Yuehong fell silent for a moment before sighing. “How tragic… Unfortunately, there are only four of us. We can’t save them.”

Bai Chen turned around and looked at the alley opposite her. After a while, she said, “In this season, you might as well let them stay there if you didn’t prepare sufficient supplies.”

Long Yuehong thought about it and realized that it made sense. However, it was this reasoning that made him feel an indescribable sense of grief.

He watched as Bai Chen chose a spot and mounted the Orange rifle. He then placed his eyes in front of the binoculars and monitored the alley opposite them. He also followed Bai Chen’s instructions and used the binoculars to observe the rooftops and rooms on the other side of South Street Slave Market.

“Nothing from me.” Long Yuehong made repeated observations and came to a conclusion.

“Do an observation every three minutes,” Bai Chen emphasized.

“Yes…” Long Yuehong was stunned when he said the first word.

Usually, he would say, “Yes, Team Leader.” This time, he didn’t know what to say. It didn’t seem right to directly add Bai Chen’s name at the back.

Bai Chen thought nothing of it and focused on monitoring the target area.

Long Yuehong looked across and happened to see his team leader and Shang Jianyao turning into the alley after their meal.

…

“Wait beside the broken street lamp in front.” Jiang Baimian wore the hoodie that came with the black cotton jacket over her head. A circle of brown fur was embedded along the rim of the hoodie.

This seemed to have the effect of making her face appear smaller.

Shang Jianyao shut his mouth and didn’t say anything rashly. He followed his team leader to the other side of the broken street lamp and hid his body in the shadows.

The light on the street couldn’t illuminate this area at all. Only some light seeped out from the buildings on both sides, vaguely revealing the silhouettes of various objects.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao remained silent. They observed their surroundings and paid attention to the pedestrians coming and going.

Every time someone approached, they would look at each other as if they were a couple on a date.

They believed that the couples in Pangu Biology—who met in certain corners despite the cold after lights-out—were representative. There were definitely similar people on the surface. It was even more so for a place like Weed City, which had a relatively good environment.

Bai Chen did not deny this.

Time passed minute by minute. Eight o’clock soon arrived.

After about a minute or two, a figure walked into the alley from the south street entrance. He wore a cyan cotton coat, a furry leather hat, and a black scarf. His body was slightly hunched, and his head was lowered like an elder trembling in the cold.

When he passed by Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao, the elder’s feet slipped. His body swayed, and something fell to the ground. He quickly squatted down and searched for the lost object using the light from the neighboring buildings.

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had long noticed that the elder had dropped a red badge with no words.

“Did you drop this?” Jiang Baimian bent down and smiled as she handed her red tag with gold text to the elder.

The elder took a glance and looked up. “Yeah.”

Under the dim light, he didn’t look old at all. He looked to be in his thirties. His eyebrows were neither thick nor thin, and his facial features were neither ugly nor handsome. He was someone who didn’t leave an impression.

After answering, the person quickly picked up his ‘badge’ and stood up.

After confirming that the other party was an intelligence agent hiding in Weed City, Jiang Baimian smiled and asked casually, “Have you already been here to recce and observe the environment?”

The intelligence agent nodded and casually said, “Regardless of you wearing your clothes right or inside out, wearing a hat or not, the way you wear your scarf, or your gait, they can make you look like another person at night. However, this requires a little skill.”

Jiang Baimian quietly listened and suddenly smiled. “You’ve already passed by here four times, right?”

The intelligence agent looked at Jiang Baimian in surprise. He was not surprised that the lady in front of him had sensed that he had been nearby, but she had accurately said the number of times he had passed by!

Jiang Baimian smiled and looked at his feet. “Remember to change your leather shoes next time.”

The intelligence agent immediately came to a realization.

Jiang Baimian made a terse acknowledgment and nodded. “Indeed. It’s not convenient to carry extra shoes with you. You can only consider dirtying them. Are you a little unwilling?”

In the Ashlands, apart from those self-proclaimed nobles, who would be willing to take the initiative to defile their own items?

The ordinary employees of Pangu Biology usually led a life with a relative shortage of supplies, but they were better than most wilderness nomad settlements.

“A little.” The intelligence agent nodded truthfully. He didn’t say anything else and looked around. “It’s not convenient to talk here. I’ll take you somewhere.”

Jiang Baimian then turned her head and looked at Shang Jianyao.

The intelligence agent noticed this and frowned. “You don’t trust me?”

At this moment, Shang Jianyao laughed. “Why wouldn’t I trust you? Look, we are all employees of the company. Our families are all in the company. So…”

The intelligence agent’s expression gradually softened. “That’s right. Everyone is trustworthy.”

His attitude was clearly a little warmer. “I’ve been stationed at Weed City for almost two years. I’ll be able to return in another year. I wonder if my daughter still recognizes me. She was only five when I left.”

“That’s not auspicious. Don’t say that.” Shang Jianyao interrupted him.

The intelligence agent was stunned and subconsciously glanced at Shang Jianyao, only to see his sincere face. “That’s true.” The intelligence agent felt a friend’s concern.

He then pointed at the other end of the alley. “Let’s go somewhere else. People come and go here.”

Intelligence agents had instinctive precautions and high requirements for a rendezvous point.

With the insurance of Inference Clowning, Jiang Baimian could trust the other party now, even if the other party was indeed untrustworthy minutes ago. Therefore, Jiang Baimian no longer hesitated and nodded slightly. “Alright.”

With that said, she took out the walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “You can stand down now.”