Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 106: The Technique to Report

“Deceased’s Return...” Shang Jianyao repeated this slightly strange term and asked curiously, “Where does this term originate from?”

Xiong Ming curled his lips indiscernibly and said, “It’s said to be part of the Old World’s rite of birth or funerals. This is the domain controlled by our Lady, Arbiter of Fate.”

Shang Jianyao seemed to find this very interesting and quickly asked, “Apart from First Seven, what else is there? Which ones are empty? When I become a Doctor of the Church, I can choose one for myself.”

Xiong Ming nodded slightly in agreement. “Ambitious. Not bad. That’s the spirit a Neo-Human should have.”

He seemed to have pondered this question long ago, and his wooden eyes glowed slightly. “The ones currently known are Full Month, Hundred Days, Coffining, Wake, Funeral Procession, Memorial, and Mourning...

“Among them, Coffining, Mourning, Hundred Days, and Funeral Procession are still vacant. You can consider one of the four, or think of a way to snatch the titles from the other Doctors of the Church.”

Shang Jianyao seriously discussed with Xiong Ming which name sounded better before asking, “Which department is the Doctor of the Church, Deceased’s Return, from?”

Xiong Ming looked at Shang Jianyao for a few seconds with his seemingly immobile eyes and chuckled. “You should ask the Doctor of the Church, Wake, about such matters. I shouldn’t or can’t meddle in the affairs of others.”

Wake... Shang Jianyao silently memorized this name.

Wake was probably the most mysterious of the Doctors of the Church.

“I’ll ask when I get back.” Shang Jianyao didn’t force the issue. He looked at the ceiling lamps and casually asked, “How did Shen Du die? Who made him contract the Heartless disease, or rather, appear to contract the Heartless disease?”

“Who’s Shen Du?” Xiong Ming asked with a frown.

“Ah... Then it’s fine.” Shang Jianyao smiled.

Xiong Ming thought for a moment. “At present, I’ve never seen an Awakened’s ability turn others into Heartless. There’s none that gives similar symptoms either.”

Shang Jianyao nodded and said without hesitation, “I should go.”

He was worried that the more questions he asked, the more likely he would be exposed, destroying the effects of Inference Clowning.

At such a close distance, Cardiac Arrest could kill him instantly.

Furthermore, Shang Jianyao had obtained the most critical information. Hence, he had no need to stay any longer.

Xiong Ming—who was wearing a black shirt—smiled and waved his hand. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Shang Jianyao smiled brightly as he waved his hands enthusiastically, using a great deal of force.

After bidding Xiong Ming farewell, Shang Jianyao entered the corresponding elevator, swiped his card, and pressed the number ‘647.’

...

As this was only the second round of bravery training, Jiang Baimian continued hiding two rooms away like she was torturing herself. She would immediately appear and comfort her teammates if anything went wrong.

However, it was not 8 p.m. yet. There was still some time before lights out. Jiang Baimian lay on the sofa in a rather relaxed state as she flipped through the information she had obtained ahead of time.

Upon seeing Shang Jianyao enter, Jiang Baimian muttered loudly, “I’m just a worrisome person.”

She then retracted her casually placed legs and sat up straight. “How was it? Got anything?”

Jiang Baimian knew that Shang Jianyao would make friends with Xiong Ming tonight. This was also one of the reasons why she stayed on the 647th floor tonight.

If not, Shang Jianyao might not be able to divulge the important, critical, and urgent information immediately if he obtained it.

Sometimes, an opportunity was fleeting.

“He admitted that he was the one who killed Wang Yafei.” Shang Jianyao went straight to the point. He then sat in the chair opposite the sofa and repeated Xiong Ming’s words as completely as he could.

Jiang Baimian originally had a serious expression when she heard the information, but the words ‘Deceased’s Return’ seemed to have some kind of magic. It instantly shattered her psychological defenses and made her unable to stop cracking up.

“Haha, your parish. Haha, what a genius at naming! I’ve read the descriptions of funerals in some of the Old World’s books. Who knew that someone would use these milestones as their title? Haha, that’s too funny. Haha, don’t you find it a little ridiculous?”

After laughing for a while, Jiang Baimian held her stomach and ‘seriously’ said, “Xiong Ming still doesn’t know much about funerals. I think you will definitely like one of the titles: Singing In Spirit. It’s the act of singing scriptures for funerals.”

Shang Jianyao listened attentively and shook his head. “Team Leader, this is a very serious matter.”

At this moment, Jiang Baimian felt like she was acting like Shang Jianyao and that Shang Jianyao was acting like her.

“Huh? What did you say?” Jiang Baimian habitually touched her ear. “Yes, this matter involves two lives. We can’t deviate from the main point.”

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “Choosing a title is a very serious matter.”

“...” Jiang Baimian suddenly took a deep breath in and sized up Shang Jianyao several times as if she was searching for a place to hit him.

After a few seconds, she exhaled and said seriously, “Since Xiong Ming has already admitted to it, our guess has been confirmed. Furthermore, he clearly doesn’t want to reveal the true identity of the Doctor of the Church behind him.

“We should report this matter as soon as possible. If we continue investigating, it will be very dangerous and easily exposed. There’s no need for that.”

Shang Jianyao did not insist. “Alright.”

Jiang Baimian leaned back slightly and cupped her right hand around her mouth and nose, seemingly in thought. “The problem now is how to report the matter and who to report it to. I don’t want to become a Heartless.”

Shen Du was an example.

Without waiting for Shang Jianyao to speak, she laughed self-deprecatingly. “The other party seems to be shrouded in fog and hidden in the darkness. We have no way of knowing who their members are and who isn’t.”

“I am,” Shang Jianyao replied very firmly.

“...” Jiang Baimian was speechless. “I mean, I can’t even be sure that there aren’t any Life Ritual members among the Security Department’s higher-ups or board members. It will be troublesome if I report it to them.”

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said confidently, “I have an idea.”

“What is it?” Jiang Baimian was prepared to receive a strange answer. She didn’t stop Shang Jianyao because she felt that this might bring her inspiration. After all, Shang Jianyao’s perspective on problems was indeed different from that of normal people.

Shang Jianyao eagerly said, “Infiltrate the radio station, control Hou Yi, and broadcast this news in the middle of the Newspoint. When the time comes, everyone will be able to hear the news. The higher-ups who aren’t part of Life Ritual will immediately take action!”

Jiang Baimian listened carefully and thought for a moment before blurting out, “Whoa, that’s actually quite a good idea! This train of thought is really good. Not bad.

“Since the Life Ritual hasn’t controlled the company and doesn’t dare to preach openly, it means that they are a minority. Even if they have their people amongst the higher-ups, there definitely aren’t many of them. As long as we publicize this news and let most of the higher-ups know, the difficulty of them causing trouble will rise exponentially. They might even have to sacrifice their tails to survive.”

Shang Jianyao immediately stood up. “I’ll do it now!”

“Stop!” Jiang Baimian shouted for Shang Jianyao to stop in time.

She snapped, “I only said that the train of thought was good, but I didn’t say that it was feasible!”

“I can easily sneak into the radio station.” Shang Jianyao indicated that the plan was highly feasible.

“I know; you have Inference Clowning. If it weren’t for its other uses, you could change this ability’s name to Making Friends.” Jiang Baimian exhaled helplessly. “The problem is the possible consequences.”

She raised her finger and did the analysis for Shang Jianyao. “This can indeed resolve Life Ritual. But by broadcasting the information like that, everyone will learn of it. The company won’t be able to give the parish’s lowest-ranking members a slap on the wrist. Aren’t they the people you want to protect?

“Besides, how are they to withstand the strange looks from the employees around them?

“That’s the main problem. On a smaller scale, do you think the company won’t investigate the radio station after this? When the time comes, they can easily determine that you are an Awakened.

“Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to hide? After that, I’ll definitely be punished for helping you hide your secret of being an Awakened. Otherwise, I’ll receive an evaluation regarding my inability to read people.”

Shang Jianyao fell silent for a few seconds before sitting down again. He then voiced his current thoughts. “I’m not too afraid of the company finding out that I’m an Awakened. I’m only worried about being transferred away from the Old Task Force.”

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged it. “Don’t worry. We don’t need you to expose yourself for the time being. Your train of thought gave me a simpler and more perfect solution.”

Shang Jianyao cooperatively asked, “What is it?”

Jiang Baimian smiled. “The solution is to send an email to every board member and every Security Department senior executive to tell them the entire story.”

“Email?” Shang Jianyao had learned this term in textbooks and had experience using it in university.

“Yes.” Jiang Baimian nodded. “I will say that my team member, Shang Jianyao, came to a realization after Wang Yafei’s death and reported the Life Ritual to me. I then deduced that an Awakened was involved based on the routine investigation reports and medical statistics. Furthermore, the person in question was on the 478th floor. After that, Shang Jianyao confirmed that the suspect was Xiong Ming by asking the person involved and paying a visit.”

At this point, Jiang Baimian sighed. “This is the email I’ll send. But if Xiong Ming is captured and snitches on you, your identity as an Awakened will be exposed. Fortunately, you don’t mind too much.”

Shang Jianyao said seriously, “I didn’t tell Xiong Ming that I’m an Awakened. I only said that he has special powers, and so do I. His special power is that his eyes can’t move. My special power is my mental problems.”

“...Do you think the company will believe that Xiong Ming befriended you so easily?” Jiang Baimian covered her forehead.

She then stood up. “I’ll go back and send an email now. Be prepared to be questioned tonight.”

Shang Jianyao nodded and didn’t say anything else. He took the elevator back to the 495th floor.

Under the street lamps’ illumination, he strolled to Zone B, Room 196.

He was just about to take out his key and walk to the door when he suddenly saw a figure out of the corner of his eye.