Embers Ad Infinitum

When Long Yuehong in the back row nodded slightly, Shang Jianyao next to him clapped his hands:

“He has a great showmanship.”

He seemed to appreciate it.

Jiang Baimian turned his head, looked at Long Yuehong, and asked with a smile:

"So which part do you think is most likely a lie?"

Long Yuehong said thoughtfully:

"I remember Bishop Renato mentioned that he had decided to end the mass and let Viel come out, but there was no response.

"I also observed just now that there are loudspeakers installed in many places here. Renato's voice should be able to spread throughout the entire underground level. It is impossible for Viel to not hear it, and it took him a whole night to come out. .”

"Very good." Jiang Baimian praised, "Your observation skills are up to standard."

She turned to ask:

"What if Viel was asleep at that time?"

"He can't hide from the bishop's search if he's asleep... doesn't it mean that the awakened person can sense consciousness within a certain range?" Long Yuehong was more confident after receiving the praise, "A sleeping person can't move his position. .”

Because there is an awakened person like Shang Jianyao in the team, he still has a lot of "common sense" in this area.

Shang Jianyao immediately smiled and said:

"Don't you allow him to be an awakened one too?"

After asking the question, his expression turned serious:

"I suspect the hide-and-seek ritual was an awakening ritual."

"Why?" Long Yuehong blurted out.

Shang Jianyao began to analyze:

"look……"

As soon as she heard these two words, Long Yuehong's scalp went numb:

"stop!

"Don't look at what I'm looking at, just tell me."

Shang Jianyao glanced at him, raised his fingers and said:

“First, the hide-and-seek games of the Vigilance Sect are very ritualistic;

“Second, the number of awakened people who believe in the religion is obviously more;

"so……"

Long Yuehong clapped her palms and said very firmly:

"So, the hide-and-seek ritual is an awakening ritual!"

Jiang Baimian, who was watching the whole process, breathed out silently, raised his hand and pinched his face:

"Stop bullying Xiao Hong..."

"..." Long Yue's red eyes moved slightly, and he looked sideways at Shang Jianyao in a daze.

At this time, Jiang Baimian added:

"There is no evidence whatsoever that a religious organization's Mass is equivalent to an awakening rite."

Only then did Long Yuehong wake up:

"Forehead……"

Shang Jianyao smiled:

"Look, I can convince you without 'look'."

"Can this be called persuasion?" Long Yuehong replied angrily.

Jiang Baimian looked at the road ahead and stopped the two from "disputing":

"Then the question is, when the awakened person is asleep, can he maintain his disguise and not be sensed?"

"I haven't tried it before." Shang Jianyao looked regretful.

Jiang Baimian continued to ask:

"Whether Viel is an awakened person or not, why didn't he come out when the bishop decided to end the Mass?"

Shang Jianyao replied without hesitation:

"Fun!"

Jiang Baimian turned to look at Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong said quite rigorously:

“It depends on the character.

"If it's Shang Jianyao, he might not come out on purpose just for fun.

"If not, what good will it do to him to keep hiding? Will it be easier for him to awaken if he is never found by the bishop?"

"You are indeed my good friend." Shang Jianyao praised.

Only then did Long Yuehong realize that she had unknowingly used the judgment that "the hide-and-seek ritual may be equal to the awakening ritual."

He hesitated and said:

"I, this is my normal reasoning.

"And it is indeed a possibility."

"Yeah." Jiang Baimian nodded and asked with a smile, "Are there any other possibilities?"

"He didn't hear it." Shang Jianyao answered again.

Long Yuehong was about to say that Vier was not deaf or had hearing impairment, but suddenly felt that this seemed to be a metaphor for the team leader, and she closed her mouth forcibly.

Bai Chen, who was driving, looked ahead and participated in the discussion:

"If Viel doesn't come out, there are only two possibilities: one is that he doesn't want to, and the other is that he didn't hear it.

"Whether you want or not is a subjective factor. You have analyzed it just now. It is difficult to make further guesses at the moment. And based on the number and layout of the loudspeakers at the mass venue, if Vier really didn't hear it, it can only mean that he was not there at the time. basement one."

"Yes!" Long Yuehong suddenly realized, "Did Viel use the ventilation duct to enter Dimarco's 'underground ark'?"

In this way, no one could find him outside, and he couldn't hear the bishop's announcement to end the mass!

"It's theoretically possible, but actually it's very difficult." Jiang Baimian explained, "With the style shown by the Dimarco family, I don't believe that the ventilation ducts they designed would be so easy to sneak into. There must be dedicated personnel for the corresponding exits. Guarded."

Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian laughed:

"I also suspect that the 'Underground Ark' has vents not only on the church side, but also in other places, and they are very hidden. Otherwise, if the enemies outside block this place, the Underground Ark will not be able to hold on for long.

"If you think about it, companies that can establish internal ecological cycles would not dare to completely shut down air exchange with the surface under normal circumstances."

If the corresponding surface area is seriously polluted, it is another matter.

"Yeah." Long Yuehong agreed.

Jiang Baimian continued with a smile:

“It’s unlikely to go down, but it’s not certain to go up.

"Because many people like to choose ventilation ducts when hiding, I made a special observation before and after entering the church and found that the Vigilant Sect did not send people to guard those places.

"Well, I don't rule out the possibility that they are already hiding inside, but from what I sense, it's not completely covered."

Long Yuehong added thoughtfully:

"In other words, it is very possible that Vierle left the church out of sight of the guards through the ventilation duct not long after the mass started, hid in the ruins of the nearby city, and then returned when he felt that it was almost done?

“His goal is to be the ultimate winner?

"Is this a great honor for believers?"

Shang Jianyao immediately gave the "answer" with great interest:

"Can a hide-and-seek champion gain divine grace and awaken his abilities?"

"Who knows?" Jiang Baimian replied, "Strictly speaking, Veyer's behavior obviously violated the rules, but it has nothing to do with us being vigilant about the internal affairs of the sect. We just need to exercise our thinking skills. Okay, okay, let’s go back to the Red Stone Collection and see what other tasks we can take on.”

Seeing the ruins of the city close at hand, Bai Chen suddenly said:

"After hearing what happened to the Dimarco family, I feel even more strongly that the investigation into the cause of the destruction of the old world must start from within the company, starting with the big boss, board members and the earliest files."

How could Jiang Baimian not think about this, but he currently does not have the qualifications and authority.

The company could concentrate a large amount of resources and use unimaginable technology to build such a magnificent underground building with internal circulation before the old world was destroyed. Who would believe it if they said they had no premonition of the old world's destruction? ?

Even the employees of “Pangu Bio” wouldn’t believe it!

Even Long Yuehong, who is good at self-deception, doesn't believe it, but often finds various reasons to excuse the company.

Regarding Bai Chen's words, Jiang Baimian could only laugh dryly and said:

“Waiting for opportunities.

"Xiao Bai, the fact that you can say such things shows that you have enough trust in us!"

As she spoke, her eyebrows danced with joy and she looked very proud.

Bai Chen was still looking ahead, as if he was focusing on driving.

After a few seconds, she said:

“I didn’t feel this way when I was wandering in the dust.

"When I discovered that the company had such an underground building, I wondered if I had entered the camp of the ultimate villain."

"This is a good thing." Shang Jianyao emphasized.

Long Yuehong also sighed:

"Fortunately, the major forces on the surface don't know where the company is and what it looks like inside. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them not to suspect that the company is related to the destruction of the old world..."

At this point, he suddenly became speechless and found that the company's villain image was so indestructible.

Jiang Baimian smiled and said:

"In the future, if others are not willing to get along well with our 'Old Tune Team', we will show you what the ultimate villain looks like!"

"Okay!" Shang Jianyao responded extremely positively.

…………

Entering the Red Stone Collection, because it was still early for lunch, the four people of the "Old Tune Team" came to the Hunter Guild again.

Although they all wear masks, men as tall as Shang Jianyao and women as tall as Jiang Baimian are relatively rare in the entire Hongshiji. If they still act together, it is the only one in this family. There are no other branches.

"The arms mission has a follow-up." The clerk wearing a tiger mask greeted him proactively.

"Did you see through my disguise?" Shang Jianyao was shocked.

"Breaking your own legs will be more effective as a disguise." Long Yuehong rarely had the opportunity to harm his business, so naturally he would not let it go.

"When I entered Hongshiji, I kept my legs bent all the time!" Shang Jianyao emphasized.

"I didn't." Jiang Baimian sighed.

Then, she smiled and joked:

"You look more like a monkey when you walk like this."

At this time, the clerk wearing a tiger mask interrupted weakly:

"Are you still continuing the arms mission?"

"Yes." Bai Chen walked up and answered calmly.

The clerk immediately said:

"Herwig's widow, Mrs. Teresa, has come and said that she wants to continue this mission. She is waiting for you at 'gunfire'."

After understanding the situation, the "Old Adjustment Team" quickly arrived at the "Gunfire" on the third floor.

Teresa did not hide. She was wearing thick black clothes and a hat with long black gauze hanging down, and she sat quietly on the chair.

Through the blocking black gauze, Jiang Baimian could vaguely see that she was from Honghe, with green eyes and a straight nose.

So, she switched to fluent Honghe dialect and said:

"Good morning, Mrs. Theresa."

"Good morning." Teresa responded with a slightly hoarse voice, and then pointed to the chairs next to her, "Sit down."

As expected, she spoke Honghe dialect.

When the four members of the "Old Tune Group" were seated, she said bluntly:

"I wish to attach a task:

"Investigate the true cause of my husband's death."

"Isn't this the responsibility of the Sheriff?" Jiang Baimian asked.

Teresa's voice became a little louder:

"Han Wanghuo is a Gray Whisperer, so he will definitely lean towards that side!"

When she said the name "Han Wanghuo", she was purely imitating the pronunciation, rather than replacing it with any words.

"Grey Whisperer?" Jiang Baimian frowned slightly.

"They are the people in the town who speak the Gray dialect." Teresa explained, "They are jealous that we Red River people have a monopoly on the arms trade, and they have always wanted to deal with us. Han Wanghuo was pushed here by them. Haha, he appears to be an outsider. , isn’t he also a Gray Whisperer? He actually said that Hervig died of fright!”