Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 456: Deterioration

After Bai Chen drove off, Ruin Hunters and public security officers constantly rushed over. From time to time, they would stop and ask passersby on the street. Then, they would head for the parking lot based on the answers they received.

The most experienced among them chose to circle around to the other exit.

After they arrived at the corresponding area, they carefully observed the cars and compared them to the black car in the intelligence report.

The Old Task Force’s dark SUV with a sunscreen plastering the windows passed by them and drove into the distance.

...

Before long, Theodore, Wall, and Konstanz arrived at the parking lot northwest of Antanna Street from different places.

“Have you discovered the target vehicle?” Theodore was the most anxious because he had the person under his custody snatched away by October Xue’s team. He picked up his phone and questioned a subordinate who had arrived early.

In fact, there were people more powerful than them presiding over this search operation. However, powerhouses of such status definitely wouldn’t personally investigate. Instead, they chose to stay somewhere and cover the target area as much as possible. The details were left to their subordinates.

What Theodore regretted the most was that after discovering that Han Wanghuo only had one female companion, he felt that he could easily handle it. He didn’t request backup from the higher-ups and only got his colleagues to help chase and intercept them. By the time he was attacked and subsequently reported the matter to his higher-ups, it was already too late for that person to rush over.

There was no such thing as ‘teleportation’ in the Ashlands. Without any marking, even Mind Corridor-level Awakened would find it difficult to pinpoint the human consciousnesses. Thus, it was impossible to track them.

Theodore’s subordinate quickly replied, “We’re looking. There are many cars here.”

Theodore looked around and issued a new order. “Send people to block the other exits first!”

They could search the parking lot slowly.

At the same time, Wall and Konstanz issued similar orders to their subordinates.

Unlike Theodore, Wall specially emphasized, “Check the surveillance footage in the parking lot.”

After a few minutes, the public security officers reported, “Boss, we’ve found the target vehicle. It’s parked in a corner, but nobody is there!”

“Sir, the surveillance cameras here were destroyed.”

...

Information was sent back to the three-man team, allowing them to determine the current situation quickly. Almost at the same moment, a phrase flashed across their minds—change of cars!

Wall immediately issued a new order. “Check the existing surveillance footage and see which cars entered the parking lot in the past hour!”

Konstanz added, “Ask the people in the parking lot if any cars are missing.”

They were considering two possibilities. One was that October Xue’s team had someone waiting in the parking lot, and the other was that they had stolen another car.

As the surveillance cameras outside the entrance had been smashed, there was no recording of which vehicles had left in the past ten minutes. Therefore, Wall and the others could only use such a tedious method.

Obviously, this would waste them a lot of time investigating.

After hearing Wall and Konstanz’s words, Theodore’s heart palpitated as he anxiously instructed, “Check the surveillance cameras on the streets outside!”

This allowed them to see which vehicles had passed by in a short period of time. They included the parking lot’s exits.

Theodore didn’t believe that October Xue’s team would shoot every camera along the way. That was equivalent to leaving clues behind.

Before long, his subordinate reported to him. “Boss, there are no surveillance cameras along the streets outside the three exits. This is the Green Olive Zone; it’s very close to Antanna Street.”

The Green Olive Zone was a place where low-ranking citizens and foreigners gathered. Security had always been poor, and the corresponding funding was insufficient. How could it be like the Red Wolf Zone and the Golden Apple Zone, where there were enough cameras to monitor the streets?

Here, there were people who were hungry and willing to risk their lives for food. If the Hand of Order really dared to spend a large sum of money to install a large number of cameras in the Green Olive Zone, these people would dare to dismantle these electronic products and exchange them for a few loaves of bread. The major gangs would also hire some lower-ranking citizens to ‘deal with’ the surveillance cameras.

It was a game of who was faster—arrests or destruction of property.

The other Green Olive Zone streets were the same—how could Antanna Street, famous for its black market, be an exception? How could people here allow surveillance cameras to exist nearby?

Only in private property like the parking lot would the boss install a few because cars were lost all year round.

Han Wanghuo had chosen this area to live in back then not without such considerations.

His subordinate’s report made Theodore’s face turn livid. He wanted to flare up, but he didn’t know who to vent it on.

His subordinates definitely wouldn’t screw up this matter. After all, this wasn’t their usual area of jurisdiction.

Theodore didn’t know much about this himself. He was active in the Golden Apple Zone and the Red Wolf Zone all year round and only came to the Green Olive Zone for the occasional case.

...

Bai Chen drove the vehicle all the way to the Green Olive Zone’s port. Along the way, the team members remained silent and were on high alert for any accidents.

After passing through alleys and streets, the dark-colored SUV stopped in an empty corner.

During the day, the Green Olive Zone was much quieter than at night.

Shang Jianyao and the others pushed open the door, got out of the car one after another, and walked to another corner.

The team’s modified jeep was parked there.

They walked quickly, worried that someone would suddenly pass by and see them.

If such a situation really happened, the Old Task Force really couldn’t bring themselves to pull out a gun to kill the witness or use other methods to make the other party disappear. They would only choose to use Shang Jianyao to make the target ignore what they saw through Inference Clowning. However, this couldn’t prevent the Anti-intellectualism Church’s Shepherd, Bouillon.

Genava held Han Wanghuo while Jiang Baimian carried the short and thin woman to the jeep and sat in the backseat.

The Old Task Force had considered this situation in advance, so they didn’t place all the military exoskeletons in the car. Due to this, there was relatively more space.

“Sit in the back,” Shang Jianyao quickly said as he looked at Long Yuehong. His hand had already opened the passenger door.

Long Yuehong didn’t ask why—this wasn’t a good time to argue.

After all the team members got into the car, Bai Chen stepped on the accelerator.

Long Yuehong asked Shang Jianyao, “Why do you suddenly want to sit in front?”

“You’re only 1.75 meters tall. Your body is relatively thin, so you take the least space,” Shang Jianyao replied seriously with an academic tone.

For a moment, Long Yuehong didn’t know if this fellow was being honest or if he was taking the opportunity to humiliate him. He blurted out, “Old Ge occupies more space than you. Even if you want a swap, it should be him and me.”

Just as he said that, he heard a slight creaking sound from Genava’s body.

The smart bot ‘retracted’ his limbs and folded a portion of his body. If he didn’t have to carry Han Wanghuo, he definitely would’ve stuffed himself into a crate meant for the military exoskeleton.

“I can take up a small amount of space.” Genava used a fact to prove Long Yuehong wrong.

Long Yuehong was speechless.

After changing to the jeep, the Old Task Force headed for the Golden Grain Zone. When there was nobody around, they quickly brought Han Wanghuo and his female companion back into their safe house.

...

Han Wanghuo woke up in a daze and saw a few familiar faces. They were October Xue, Zhang Qubing, Qian Bai, and Gu Zhiyong.

“You’re awake?” Shang Jianyao asked happily.

Jiang Baimian and the others smiled as well.

Han Wanghuo was first stunned before his brain started to function. His heart stirred as he blurted out, “You’re actually the ones wanted by the Hand of Order?”

Jiang Baimian’s smile immediately stiffened. After a few seconds, she laughed dryly. “Sort of. It was purely an accident—an accident.”

Han Wanghuo confirmed his guess and turned to look for Zeng Duo. Before he could ask, he saw the other party lying beside him.

At this moment, Zeng Duo was gradually waking up. She looked at Shang Jianyao and the others in confusion and vigilance.

“My friends.” Han Wanghuo sat up straight and explained simply, “They are wanted by the Hand of Order.”

Zeng Duo’s eyes widened slightly as she couldn’t help but cough. How did this team get so valued by the Hand of Order that they made such a big fuss? What did they do?

“Ahem.” Jiang Baimian cleared her throat. “That’s a separate matter, and we’ll talk about it later. Old Han, no matter what mission you accepted, it doesn’t seem like it will be easy to complete it now. We have to lie low for a while. Yes, we know about your matter. Have you considered a mechanical heart?”

“That’s too expensive,” Han Wanghuo replied calmly. “Besides, even if you have channels and discounts, you can’t find anyone to install it for me.”

Yeah... Jiang Baimian replied inwardly, feeling a headache coming on.

In a situation where they were being pursued by the Hand of Order all over the city, it wasn’t suitable for them to appear in public, much less come into contact with a workshop that could perform a mechanical heart transplant.

Long Yuehong sighed with emotion at the hidden meaning in Han Wanghuo’s words: In the Ashlands, human hearts aren’t as valuable as mechanical hearts.

“What about artificial hearts?” Shang Jianyao suggested another solution.

“How long would it take?” Han Wanghuo didn’t question if the other party had the technology and directly asked the most important question.

We’ll first have to bring you back to the company, examine your body, extract your DNA, and do all kinds of analysis. Finally, it will confirm a strategy and officially execute it... Jiang Baimian deliberated and said, “At least five months.”

This wasn’t the Old World. If things were urgent, they could take a plane and send a sample back to save time.

Han Wanghuo slowly exhaled. “I should only have three months or less.”

“Didn’t the doctor say that medicine alone can last two years?” Jiang Baimian asked in confusion.

Han Wanghuo wasn’t surprised that they knew of his situation. He looked at Zeng Duo and said, “That was originally the case, but my heart was affected just now. I can sense my condition deteriorating.”