Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 739: One After Another

Translator: CKtalon

Long Yuehong’s heart sank as an idea came to him. “Is there a possibility that they returned home after school?”

School’s out for Tai City’s No. 1 Senior High School!

Before Genava could give the analysis results, Bai Chen shook her head and denied Long Yuehong’s guess. “Impossible. We’ve been waiting for Team Leader and Hey at the door the entire time. Even though the dreamscape expanded, I didn’t miss out on my observations.”

If they could see Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao walk out of the school gate, why would they have taken the risk to enter?

“Maybe it was when we infiltrated the school and headed here?” Long Yuehong didn’t blindly agree with Bai Chen.

During the corresponding process, they couldn’t fully observe the students leaving the school.

Bai Chen tersely acknowledged it. “The probability isn’t high; there weren’t many students left back then. However, this possibility can’t be ruled out.”

Genava quickly suggested, “If we don’t find Team Leader and Hey in school, should we visit Du Shaochong’s house?”

Long Yuehong expressed a different opinion. “The anomaly in the dream is still ongoing. I’m afraid something will go wrong if we stay too long.”

Genava turned his head 360 degrees and checked his surroundings as he said, “You should indeed evacuate. I’m no longer affected by the illusion, so I can stay a little longer.”

“Stop wasting time.” Bai Chen was accustomed to facing danger when she was still a wilderness nomad. She knew that one had to make a swift decision in such situations; otherwise, everyone would die together with barely a few lucky people surviving.

She was the lucky one once.

Bai Chen didn’t stop and quickly explained her plan. “After searching the rooftop area, we’ll go to Grade 12’s Class 5 and Grade 12’s Class 1 to see if Team Leader and Hey are in the classroom. If not, we’ll leave the school where the dreamscape is at its strongest. There should still be a buffer period when we are outside. Let’s take advantage of the buffer period to visit Du Shaochong’s house. If we don’t discover anything, we’ll evacuate Tai City and request help from the company.”

She didn’t ask Genava and Long Yuehong if they agreed. She turned around and checked the areas she couldn’t see previously.

Genava and Long Yuehong didn’t argue any further. They followed Bai Chen’s plan and worked as a team.

There weren’t many obstacles on the rooftop, so they quickly confirmed that Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao weren’t there.

As they headed down the stairs, Genava—who was never worried that running would affect his speech—briefly recounted his previous encounter.

Dajiang City… Another Buddhist Holy Land… But why are they all from Dajiang City’s Elite Middle School? Long Yuehong frowned slightly. He felt that his team leader and Hey’s experiment had indeed found the key, but for some reason, it resulted in such a strange follow-up.

Bai Chen also couldn’t understand what had happened. She only knew that the dreamscape had mutated after the key information was obtained.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

They ran to Grade 12, Class 5’s classroom.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen looked over with joy because Xu Qiao—who Jiang Baimian was acting as—was sitting in her seat with a dazed expression.

Although Long Yuehong didn’t understand his team leader’s current state, he felt that it was better to find her than not!

The three of them accelerated and rushed into Grade 12, Class 5.

Xu Qiao—who was acting as Jiang Baimian—looked up when she heard the commotion. Clear panic first appeared on her face before her entire face darkened.

She propped herself up with her hands, stood up, and ran to the window on the other side of the classroom. At this moment, she seemed to have erupted with her original physical qualities. She was as fast as a cheetah as she jumped onto the windowsill.

She suddenly pushed open the glass window, planning to jump down the building to commit suicide!

Bai Chen and Long Yuehong saw that they couldn’t save her in time, and Genava lost the best trajectory to leap due to their and the ceiling’s obstruction.

Bam!

A syringe-like anesthetic bullet flew out of Genava’s palm, passed through the gap, and stabbed into Jiang Baimian’s back.

Jiang Baimian swayed, and her eyes quickly glazed over. Even if she had an outstanding physique and was as strong as an ox, she couldn’t withstand the anesthetic round that hadn’t been diluted.

Jiang Baimian’s attempt to jump off the building quickly became a feeble attempt as she tottered. Half of her body slammed into the window frame, and she bounced back before collapsing backward.

Bai Chen took a stride forward and caught Jiang Baimian. After a brief inspection, she carried her team leader and said, “Let’s go! Grade 12, Class 1!”

This was on the floor below.

Genava and Long Yuehong turned around and ran toward the corridor.

Upon seeing that there were no more students in the school, they flipped over the wall railing and easily jumped to the next floor.

Just below Grade 12, Class 5 was Grade 12, Class 1.

Long Yuehong looked over, and Shang Jianyao’s figure was reflected in his eyes.

The latter wore an old school uniform with blue and white colors as he paced back and forth.

Shang Jianyao picked up a pen and gestured at his neck twice as if he were searching for a carotid artery in a bid to stab it in.

At this moment, he raised his left hand and slapped himself. His face swelled up as his pen flew out.

His split personality is resisting the suicidal thought? This thought flashed across Long Yuehong’s mind. He didn’t expect an advantage to come from the Shang Jianyaos’ disagreements.

However, the one who looked like he wanted to commit suicide now had the upper hand. It might not be long before he succeeded.

At this moment, Genava jumped over and landed behind Shang Jianyao. The next second, he raised his bowl-sized iron fist.

Bang!

Genava knocked Shang Jianyao out with one hand and picked him up with the other, placing him in a fireman’s carry.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He ran with Long Yuehong and Bai Chen—who had rushed down the stairs.

After leaving the teaching building, they surreptitiously proceeded before climbing over the wall that Bai Chen took.

Of course, Genava had already used radar, infrared, and other functions to confirm that there was nobody outside.

Long Yuehong heaved a sigh of relief when they got into the jeep and placed Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao down. He watched Bai Chen start the car and return the way the team had used to enter Tai City.

On the way, they didn’t say a word.

Bai Chen focused on driving.

As Long Yuehong guarded against any possible accidents, he thought solemnly about how Du Shaochong, Xu Qiao, and Deng Tong had said that they came from Dajiang City’s Elite Middle School.

Genava gave Jiang Baimian a simple treatment, worried that he had injected excessive amounts of anesthetic due to his haste.

To Genava’s surprise, Jiang Baimian showed signs of stirring when the jeep was about to leave Tai City. This meant that her physique was stronger than Genava’s estimates!

From the rearview mirror, Bai Chen saw that Tai City appeared to be buried by a landslide again. She slowed down the car and drove toward last night’s campsite.

At this moment, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had completely woken up. They found their self-awareness under Genava’s stern shouts.

After returning to camp, Jiang Baimian pushed open the door, alighted, and said, “I’ll wash my face to clear my head. We’ll discuss the anomaly in the dream later…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly saw the small river in front of her turn abnormally blurry.

Teaching buildings, office buildings, experiment buildings, cement squares, automatic extendable gates, and other things appeared at the same time. Students and teachers were walking out of the school gate and going their separate ways.

The Old Task Force had ‘returned’ to Tai City’s No. 1 Senior High School!

“It—it can run by itself?” Shang Jianyao had a look of surprise.

Jiang Baimian stared at him for a few seconds before saying in a deep voice, “It’s also possible that we’ve never escaped the dreamscape and have been circling around the school despite appearing to have left Tai City.”

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen felt their blood run cold. As their thoughts raced, Shang Jianyao took out the Six Senses Beads and the small jade Buddha and chanted the Buddhist proclamation, “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.”

Tai City’s No. 1 Senior High School was still there, and the teachers and students—who were either riding bicycles or walking—were still around.

Upon seeing Shang Jianyao take out the Blessings from all Kalendarium again, Jiang Baimian shook her head. “It’s useless. If they were useful, they would’ve reacted to a certain extent when we first fell into the dreamscape and played different roles. This Buddhist Holy Land doesn’t belong to Subhuti. The Six Senses Beads and the small jade Buddha shouldn’t be of much use.”

Nobody had any expectations for the Blessings from all Kalendarium.

Although Jiang Baimian said that, she still took out her Chaotic Right Hand and tried everything she could. Unfortunately, she failed.

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said, “I remember obtaining white light at the Holm Fertility Center. It’s different from the previous green or lake-green colors. Then, it seems like it belongs to Master Zhuang. Only by using it can we be dispelled from this dreamscape’s anomaly?”

“Maybe.” Long Yuehong’s eyes lit up.

Shang Jianyao revealed a troubled expression. “However, it fused with Xiaochong’s rift and has gone silent. Do you think Xiaochong is related to Du Shaochong?”

This leap in logic… Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “Enter your Sea of Origins and see if there are any changes to the rift. Don’t make rash attempts.”

Shang Jianyao wanted to sit down excitedly, but Jiang Baimian pushed him back into the jeep.

If he sat on the streets, he would definitely attract the attention of the teachers and students.

In the Sea of Origins, Shang Jianyao flapped himself and flew to the dim rift.

“Xiaochong! Xiaochong!” He shouted twice, but there was no response. He then tried to touch the ‘dimness’ formed by the white light and black shadows, but he didn’t trigger any changes.

After leaving the Sea of Origins, Shang Jianyao suggested to Jiang Baimian, “Why don’t I try to widen the rift?”

“Let’s leave it as a last resort.” Jiang Baimian observed her surroundings.

Long Yuehong deliberated and said, “In any case, we’re already out of school, so we won’t be too affected. Why don’t we wait until the anomaly ends?”

Just as he said that, Shang Jianyao pointed at his legs. “That’s not what they think.”

“Ah…” Long Yuehong looked down and realized that his camouflage pants had turned into a blue and white school uniform at some point in time!

Bai Chen witnessed this change and pursed her lips. “Are we slowly being assimilated by the dream until we become one of the characters?”

Even though they had left the school, they were still affected!

Genava let out a slightly synthetic voice. “I’ll wake you up again…”

As he spoke, he saw his lower body disappear!

The rash Shang Jianyao blurted out angrily, “There are only two solutions now. The first is for me to tear open the rift in the Sea of Origins. The second is to detonate the nuclear warhead. In short, we will die together!”

Jiang Baimian frowned and thought for a few seconds before turning to look at Genava. “There’s another way—call the mysterious number obtained from Avia. This might give us a chance of survival.”

Shang Jianyao immediately agreed. “Then, do it one after another. Call the mysterious number first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll tear open the rift. If none of these two methods help us but bring about more danger, detonate the nuclear bomb and blow this motherf*cker up!”

Bai Chen—who was listening quietly—nodded. “Alright.”

Long Yuehong thought for a moment and suggested, “Why don’t we send a telegram to the company first? What if it can be sent out in a dream?”

“Sure.” Genava believed that there was no problem.

Upon seeing that all her team members had expressed their opinions, Jiang Baimian no longer hesitated. “Then, send a telegram first.. If there’s no response or if it feels like there’s no time, do as Hey says.”