Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 859: Plan

Gitis was already accustomed to Shang Jianyao’s clapping, so she gave one final addition. “I want to prove that women can become real knights and reliable protectors like men.”

“No, you don’t need to prove it.” Jiang Baimian smiled. “Don’t have such a mentality because that’s how it is, isn’t that so?”

As she raised the latter question, she looked around.

Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genava nodded in unison.

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and smiled. “Carrying that in mind will affect your performance and give you unnecessary pressure, preventing you from seeing things clearly. Yes, I firmly believe that you can become a real knight and that you can change the White Knights’ situation to a certain extent.”

Gitis didn’t fully understand Jiang Baimian’s words and nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

Jiang Baimian casually asked, “Did the monk mention why he came to Gesterbourg?”

“No.” Gitis shook her head. “Before he gave me the figurine, I always thought he was an ordinary monk. He was no different from the monks who occasionally stayed for a period of time in the past. Therefore, I never asked him such a question.”

“Was there anything abnormal about his actions?” Jiang Baimian asked.

Gitis shook her head again. “We spent very little time together and had very little contact.”

“Alright.” Jiang Baimian didn’t ask any further.

Shang Jianyao glanced at Genava and asked Gitis in concern, “Who else saw it when the monk gave you the figurine? In the past three years, has anyone chanced upon you carrying the figurine?”

“No.” Gitis smiled slightly. “If such a person existed, I would’ve long become a bounty.”

Shang Jianyao then shrugged at Jiang Baimian, indicating that the information they had obtained from the sheriff was useless and that they had wasted a Grand Knight gold coin and Old Ge’s electricity.

Jiang Baimian glared at him, indicating that investigating a matter was mainly via trial and error until they found the right direction. She then said to Gitis, “I’ll give you the biological agent tomorrow morning.”

“No problem.” Gitis clearly trusted them.

The Old Task Force then bade Gitis farewell and returned to their suite upstairs.

After sitting down, Jiang Baimian heaved a long sigh of relief and sighed with emotion. “Our two goals in Gesterbourg can be preliminarily considered as complete.”

The Old Task Force had come to Gesterbourg to investigate two matters. The first was what Shang Jianyao’s father’s team was here to ask and what their main goal in heading to Ceningmis was. The second was the Eighth Research Institute’s situation.

Through Gitis, the Old Task Force now knew what information Shang Jianyao’s father’s team had obtained in Gesterbourg and who they were mainly visiting in Ceningmis. After capturing the clues that resulted from Mor, Jiang Baimian and the others controlled the two commissioners—Murray and Benito—and planned on using them as bait to find the Eighth Research Institute’s exact location.

This basically achieved the Old Task Force’s preset goal.

“That’s right, that’s right.” Long Yuehong nodded in agreement. “Everything has gone relatively smoothly. The next step will depend on when the Eighth Research Institute replies to Murray and Benito’s telegrams.”

He glanced at Shang Jianyao and deliberated before saying, “I wonder how many days it will take. Should we take the opportunity while we still have time to go to Ceningmis and find the luxurious apartment where the Kalendaria’s Son lives?”

Jiang Baimian—who knew that he meant well—smiled. “It’s not like Ceningmis will run. It’s fine if we go later, but the Eighth Research Institute’s reply might come at any moment.”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Shang Jianyao chose to agree.

“What we need to discuss now is how to use Murray and Benito to circle around the Eighth Research Institute’s heavy firewall and lock onto their exact location.” Genava let out a slightly synthetic voice.

Jiang Baimian and the others fell silent at the same time and thought seriously.

After a while, Jiang Baimian deliberated and said, “It’s indeed very difficult to deal with the Eighth Research Institute’s secret review and filtering by relying solely on our abilities, but what if we have Heavenly Eyes?”

Bai Chen came to a realization. “Team Leader, are you saying that we should borrow the Subhuti figurine from Gitis?”

“Yes.” Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. “The Subhuti domain’s abilities are rather useful in such matters, especially abilities like Heavenly Eyes, Heavenly Ears, and Mind Reading that can prevent the target from appearing abnormal.”

In other words, under the influence of Heavenly Eyes and Heavenly Ears—which covered such a large area—the Old Task Force had no need to control Murray and Benito. They could completely make them return to normal and ‘tail’ them from afar.

This way, they could pass the secret review and filtering.

“Will Gitis lend it to us?” Long Yuehong believed that this was the biggest problem.

“We’re already friends!” Shang Jianyao emphasized.

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged it. “Let’s make more contact with Gitis and enhance our trust before the Eighth Research Institute replies. We’ll then provide sufficient collateral when the time comes.”

“That nuclear bomb?” Shang Jianyao was terrified.

“Why do you keep thinking about the nuclear bomb? Are our other things worthless?” Jiang Baimian replied angrily.

After discussing this matter for a while, Bai Chen changed the topic. “Then, what should we do with Murray and Benito?”

Jiang Baimian had a plan in mind and smiled. “Find an opportunity. It’s best to get the help of one of Gitis’s identities so that Murray and Benito can discover something amiss by chance and discover the contradiction, thereby escaping Hey’s Thought Implantation. This way, their experiences will naturally pass the test.”

“Not a bad idea,” Long Yuehong praised his team leader.

“But there’s a problem,” Shang Jianyao said coldly. “After Murray and Benito report this matter to the Eighth Research Institute, the Eighth Research Institute might not be in a rush to recall them. Instead, they will secretly organize people to surround and kill us in Gesterbourg by catching us off-guard.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Genava applauded Shang Jianyao.

This was indeed a possibility.

“After Murray and Benito return to normal, can we hire Gitis to monitor their situation using Heavenly Ears? This way, she can grasp the Eighth Research Institute’s actions immediately,” Long Yuehong suggested.

“What if the Eighth Research Institute doesn’t allow Murray and Benito to participate in the mission to eliminate us at all? After all, they are only at the Sea of Origins,” Shang Jianyao retorted.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment before saying, “Get Gitis to predict our future? I don’t believe that the people sent by the Eighth Research Institute can hide from the prophecy.”

In short, without Gitis’s help or the Subhuti figurine’s help, the Old Task Force really couldn’t do much to the Eighth Research Institute. After all, this was also a large, secret faction.

Jiang Baimian’s initial idea was to use the slow burn characteristics of Corny Person. They would similarly restore Murray and Benito to normal before using Corny Person to influence them. When they returned to the Eighth Research Institute or saw the escorts, they would gradually do something irrational and expose their location to the Old Task Force.

The biggest problem with this plan was that once Murray and Benito left Shang Jianyao’s range of influence, their corny behavior would be out of the Old Task Force’s control. Jiang Baimian and the others couldn’t predict how this would happen.

After discussing and formulating the corresponding plan, the Old Task Force members entered their rooms.

“Now that I have time, can I continue exploring the Mind Corridor?” Shang Jianyao asked Jiang Baimian.

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged it. “Sure.”

“Alright!” Shang Jianyao lay on the bed excitedly.

…

In the Mind Corridor, he arrived outside Room 205 again.

There was a high chance that it belonged to February’s Kalendaria, Dawn.

Shang Jianyao split into ten and surrounded the vermilion door.

“We have to go in after all. The Kalendarium’s interference is becoming increasingly obvious.” The rash Shang Jianyao encouraged his peers.

The calm and rational Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and said, “I think we still need to wait.”

“Wait till when?” the honest Shang Jianyao asked.

The calm and rational Shang Jianyao slowly exhaled. “After we determine the Eighth Research Institute’s location and after we finish exploring Ceningmis. When that happens, we will have no regrets even if we encounter anything in this room.”

“I’ve never seen you afraid of death in the past,” scoffed the timid Shang Jianyao.

The calm and rational Shang Jianyao smiled. “Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer and closer to the answer that we have hope and worries.”

“You make yourself look like a philosopher,” the honest Shang Jianyao said.

However, most Shang Jianyaos still agreed with the calm and rational one. They decided to lock onto the Eighth Research Institute’s location and figure out their father’s location before exploring Room 205.

Like the previous times, they chose the rooms they had yet to enter to explore.

…

After dawn, the Old Task Force had breakfast and returned to the hotel. They saw Gitis—who had just completed the handover—and led her to their jeep.

Jiang Baimian took out the biological agents and gave two to Gitis. “One every three days. It takes about half a day to see any effects, and the effects will reach their peak on the third day.”

“Alright.” Gitis took the medicine and carefully placed it in her backpack.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao frankly said like a friend, “We might have to borrow your Subhuti figurine later.”

Upon seeing Gitis cast a vigilant gaze at him, he quickly added, “We will give you enough collateral that can be sold for the latest genetic enhancement drugs, certain drugs, and biological agents.”

“Military exoskeletons?” Gitis frowned slightly.

Shang Jianyao was ‘shocked.’ “How do you know?”

He then replied to himself, “Oh right, you’re also Aester.”