Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 803 Longing

“Then, I’ll ask around now!” Shang Jianyao volunteered.

Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him. “Are you afraid that you won’t attract attention if you don’t ask questions on your first day here, as though you are acting too normal? Have a good rest tonight and go to Room 506 to inquire about some details.”

“Alright.” Shang Jianyao pulled a chair over and sat down.

Just now, the village chief had asked for their opinions and arranged three adjacent rooms for them. Long Yuehong and Bai Chen took one, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao took one, and Genava took another.

Jiang Baimian’s rationale was that they were about to go to Icefield, so Long Yuehong and Bai Chen should have a chance to spend some time together.

Now, they planned on returning to their respective rooms after dinner.

Before long, there was a knock on the door. A girl in a dark cotton coat walked in with a meal box in hand.

“Your dinner.” As she placed the meal box on the coffee table in the room, she opened the lid and introduced, “There’s braised rabbit meat, roasted mutton, and stir-fried pork…” Jiang Baimian took a deep breath of the fragrance in the air and smiled. “It’s quite sumptuous.” “You guys are VIPs.” The girl smiled and served the dishes in the meal box one by one.

Jiang Baimian nodded. “What kind of meals do you guys usually have?”

“It’s alright,” the girl replied softly. “Although such sumptuous meals are only eaten during the Lunar New Year, it’s usually not too bad. There’s meat every few days.”

Perhaps it was because of the way she was educated, so she then added, “This is all thanks to the company.”

With that said, she widened her eyes and asked in concern, “Does the company have a plan to recruit foreign employees this year?”

If there was the intention, vassals like them would always receive two to three spots. Otherwise, they would have to make significant contributions or have outstanding talent.

This was also a way for Pangu Biology to win the minds and hearts of people.

“I’m not sure about that,” Jiang Baimian said truthfully.

This was an annual plan that only the Board of Directors could finalize.

Long Yuehong curiously asked the girl who delivered the food, “You guys are doing well now. Why do you still want to enter the company? The company’s low-ranking employees aren’t treated much better than

you.”

He remembered that before he joined the Old Task Force and earned a large number of contribution points, his family had to squeeze into a small room. They also only had meat every few days. The girl seemed to have fantasized about it many times and replied without stuttering, “But once you enter the company, you don’t have to worry about the harvests being bad. You don’t have to worry about being targeted by bandits, nor do you have any illnesses that can’t be treated.

“Besides, once you enter the company and become a low-ranking employee, it’s not like you will always be a low-ranking employee. I heard from the employees who previously came that you can be promoted by two to three ranks just by working hard…”

As he listened to the girl from Cliff Village speak frankly, Long Yuehong suddenly felt like the company was heaven in the eyes of the vassals. Yet, they themselves had plans on rebellion.

He suddenly came to this realization: In the Ashlands, there were really only a few factions that could ensure that their members didn’t starve to death, had hope, and led a stable life.

The company had done well in these areas, so much so that Long Yuehong wavered. Even if Big Boss was a Kalendaria and the Kalendaria reared the company’s employees as livestock, it was acceptable as long as it wasn’t done in an overboard fashion.

It will be best if Big Boss isn’t like the one from the Fourth Research Institute… Long Yuehong sighed inwardly, retracted his gaze, and cast his gaze at the dishes on the coffee table.

Upon seeing the anticipation in the young and delicate girl’s eyes, Jiang Baimian didn’t discourage her. She said with a smile, “Even if the company doesn’t recruit foreign employees this year, it will happen next year. There will always be such an opportunity every two to three years. You’re still young, so you can afford to wait.”

Without waiting for a response, she changed the topic. “But there are at most three spots assigned to your village. Are you confident that you will definitely be chosen?” The girl stammered for a while before answering softly, “Yes.”

“Why are you so confident?” Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn’t tell what outstanding talent this girl had.

The girl looked at the door and suppressed her voice. “The village chief is my uncle.”

“…” Long Yuehong and the others were speechless.

Jiang Baimian could only smile. “However, it doesn’t mean that the company will definitely want you just because of your uncle’s recommendation. It only gives you bonus points. The most important thing is that you have to have a certain level of talent. Yes… Learn more and grasp more skills while you’re young and energetic. This will make it easier for you to join the company.”

The girl was rather grateful. “How nice of you to be willing to teach me these principles. The employees who previously came were either patronizing me or wanting to sleep with me.”

Long Yuehong almost spat out a mouthful of water. Fortunately, he wasn’t drinking.

He now realized that perhaps it was because Cliff Village had been doing well for the past 20 years and that this girl was a close relative of the village chief, allowing her suffering to be minimized, that she still had some naivety.

“Those who patronize you are actually good people,” Jiang Baimian said seriously. “The employees in our company don’t think highly of people who gain benefits using their relatives’ connections. They admire those who are capable the most. Be it those who are good at shooting, those who farm well, or those who know how to make clothes, cook, or have all kinds of culinary skills, we are very impressed with them.”

The girl came to a realization. “I’ll study hard!”

In anticipation, she excitedly left the room where the Old Task Force was.

After holding it in for a while, Shang Jianyao muttered, “If it weren’t for the fact that your father is part of management, I would’ve believed those words.”

Jiang Baimian expressionlessly raised her left hand.

Shang Jianyao quickly added, “But I really admire your abilities. Eat, eat!”

He picked up the bowl and chopsticks.

At night, Shang Jianyao entered the Mind Corridor again and pushed open Room 506’s door. He was gratified to discover that the room owner had dreamed as ‘scheduled.’ In her dream, the sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the mountains were beautiful. The female figure drove a red SUV along a bumpy road.

Shang Jianyao stood by the roadside and excitedly waved at her.

Vroom!

The SUV drove past him at an extremely fast speed, ruffling up his hair.

“You didn’t even ask me what I want? You have zero spirit when it comes to helping others!” Shang Jianyao grumbled. As this was only a dream, the environment quickly changed. The car drove over from afar again. Shang Jianyao walked to the middle of the road and collapsed.

The red SUV approached, but its speed increased instead of decreasing! It looked like it wanted to crush Shang Jianyao.

“That’ll kill!” Shang Jianyao shouted. He then split into ten as nine hurriedly rolled to the side.

They shouted at the remaining one, “Try and see if you’ll be squashed!”

The rash Shang Jianyao replied loudly, “I’m not stupid!”

He also rolled out of the way.

Although he could still conjure a military exoskeleton and use steel to resist the wheels, his bones definitely couldn’t withstand the SUV’s weight.

With a whoosh, the red SUV drove over without slowing down.

“That’s too much.” The Shang Jianyaos shook their heads in unison and gathered together. Then, he put on the military exoskeleton. When the environment changed, the red SUV drove over again. He jumped over and onto the hood.

The female figure screamed, closed her eyes, and floored the accelerator. She seemed to think that the problem would be resolved when she opened her eyes.

But the next second, her feet and hands lost the ability to move.

With a clang, the windshield shattered. Shang Jianyao followed the urge in his heart and completed the matter. He then crawled into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and used his abilities. “Wake up; it’s me! Can’t you recognize me? We’ve been meeting every day recently.” The female figure no longer stiffened and relaxed. She opened her eyes and glanced at Shang Jianyao before grumbling, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Why didn’t you stop when I waved from the side of the road?” Shang Jianyao asked in response.

“Have you never wandered the wilderness? You have to be vigilant when you encounter people who wave for you to stop the car or block the road. You’d rather treat them as baddies than believe that they are good people.” The female figure educated Shang Jianyao eloquently.

Shang Jianyao—who was responsible for saving all of humanity-disagreed. “When I encounter such a situation, I will choose to stop the car. People who need help and have no ill intentions are the majority.”

“Is that so?” The female figure driving didn’t believe it.

Shang Jianyao sincerely replied, “Really. The moment they see Old Ge, they will share their weal and woe with tears and snot all over their faces.”

“Old Ge…” The female figure driving suddenly felt that this term reminded her of something.

She shook her head and threw out this strange feeling. “What about the baddies in the minority?”

“They’re all dead,” Shang Jianyao replied seriously.

The blurry female figure was momentarily speechless.

Shang Jianyao then asked, “There’s something I’ve never understood. “Why are you sure that the person in the room deep in the laboratory is a Kalendaria?” The female figure fell silent for a long time.

“I once secretly believed in a Kalendaria.”

“What’s the connection?” Shang Jianyao stroked his chin before asking curiously, “Which Kalendaria is it?”.

The female figure’s voice became ethereal.

“Master Zhuang…”