Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 877: Problem

The operating theater was clearly not in the living room. After a simple search, Shang Jianyao and Genava discovered the target location on the right side of the suite.

This was a room that had been repurposed. A surgical light hung above, and under the lamp was a mobile operating bed. Beside the bed were many high-tech instruments.

An uncovered skeleton lay quietly on the bed. Around it were several corpses and unrusted medical equipment.

Slinging the Berserker assault rifle over his shoulder and carrying his bulging backpack, Shang Jianyao walked to the operating bed and seriously observed the corpse that was suspected to be the Kalendaria’s Son. After a while, he turned his head and asked Genava, “Can you tell what surgery it was?”

Genava—who had a chameleon head—moved his metal neck from side to side. “It’s very difficult to determine from bones alone.”

At this point, he changed the topic. “However, it’s impossible for a surgery to be carried out without any preparations. We definitely have to figure out the source of the problem in advance.”

He meant that the doctor in charge of the surgery should have a relatively complete medical record.

Bang!

Shang Jianyao patted his chest—which had the Blessings from all Kalendarium covering the metal skeleton—and said in enlightenment, “Quick, check the surrounding corpses!”

As he spoke, he looked at the bones on the operating table. “Is this the Kalendaria’s Son? The bones left behind are no different from ordinary people.”

Genava—who had already done a round of checks—said, “There’s a high chance that the child left behind by a Kalendaria’s body of descent is a normal human.”

Shang Jianyao skipped the sentence and continued, “Which Kalendaria’s child is it? April’s Kalendaria, Shadow of Distortion?”

This guess was based on the influence he had suffered in the stairwell.

“There’s an 82% chance.” Genava gave a calculated outcome.

Shang Jianyao’s thoughts jumped to another matter as he said in pain, “The mighty Kalendaria actually failed to treat ‘His’ child and allowed him to take the risk of surgery!”

“The Kalendaria’s interference with the Ashlands is clearly limited in some way.” Genava didn’t attempt to understand Shang Jianyao’s train of thought. He only answered the questions.

The Shang Jianyaos finally controlled themselves and squatted down to examine the corpse in a white coat by the operating table.

Surgical knives, biological agents, and other items were scattered around the corpse. The body was clean, and there was no information.

“Found it,” Genava said as he squatted diagonally behind the corpse.

Shang Jianyao relied on the military exoskeleton to do a 180-degree turn.

“What is it?” he anxiously asked without pulling down his visor.

Genava flipped through the information and acted as a translator. “The surgery’s goal is to resolve the patient’s heart problem. For this, they prepared a cardiopulmonary bypass.”

Ceningmis didn’t suffer much from the Old World’s destruction. Hospital equipment was relatively well-preserved, but as time passed, it gradually entered a state of having few doctors and drugs since it didn’t have any drugs or medical equipment production lines.

“It seems like an accident did happen during the surgery. It triggered a disaster before it ended.” Shang Jianyao stood up and stared at the remains of the Kalendaria’s Son again.

Genava then said, “The pre-op evaluation indicated considerable risks, but the Old Task Force still wanted to give it a try. The patient agreed after fully understanding the situation. They probably didn’t expect the failure of the surgery to bring about a disaster that destroyed the entire city.”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Shang Jianyao agreed. He then raised his right palm vertically and said, “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti, saving a life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda.”

Genava continued talking about the listed medical information. “The surgical plan mentioned that the patient is a powerful Awakened. After being anesthetized, he might unconsciously interfere with the electromagnetic information in the surroundings. It required the help of a Mind Corridor-level Awakened who is good at such abilities…”

“How powerful?” Shang Jianyao interrupted Genava.

“One that explored the Mind Corridor’s depths and can also interfere with matter to a certain extent,” Genava replied. He then said, “The patient is 81 years old and very weak. This was the main risk.”

“81 years old?” Shang Jianyao blurted out in surprise. “He’s only a child!”

Genava knew that this was a superficial understanding Hey had of the term ‘Kalendaria’s Son.’ He seriously explained, “The destruction of Ceningmis happened in Year 37 of the New Calendar. The Chaotic Era before the New Calendar lasted for about 20 years.

“Since Ceningmis’s Council of Virtue claims that the Kalendaria’s Son protected this city and the villages around it from the Old World’s destruction, it means that the other party had relatively strong autonomy and mobility back then. Coupled with the information that he was 81 years old, the Kalendaria’s Son was about 24 years old when the Old World was destroyed. It matches our previous guess.”

Different factions had different takes on how long the Chaotic Era lasted—it could only be said that it lasted about 20 years. If it weren’t for the fact that the major factions in the Ashlands had been communicating more frequently in recent years, the New Calendar would have different varieties with their own unique characteristics, requiring conversion between them.

Shang Jianyao sighed without hiding anything. “I thought he was the same age as Xiaochong. He’s already in his seventies or eighties, but he’s still addressed as the Kalendaria’s Son. He’s using his father’s prestige to showcase his identity. Tsk, tsk, he wasn’t doing well.”

At this moment, Genava deeply understood an idiom: whistling in the wind.

He didn’t know what Shang Jianyao was sighing about.

Shang Jianyao quickly forgot what he had just said. He checked the remaining corpses and didn’t discover any useful clues.

He looked at the remains of the unclothed Kalendaria’s Son and turned to the door. “Search the other rooms.”

“Should we report our discovery to Big White?” Genava’s red eyes flickered.

Shang Jianyao looked up and laughed. “Is there a need to ask?”

Without giving Genava a chance to react, he relied on the communications system embedded in the military exoskeleton to give Jiang Baimian a simple report of the situation in the operating theater.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “There’s a problem.”

“What problem?” Shang Jianyao asked excitedly.

Hey, is this how someone who just discovered their father’s corpse should behave??Jiang Baimian couldn’t help but criticize inwardly. However, she also knew that Shang Jianyao had long accepted the fact that his father had passed away. He only wanted to figure out what his father had done and the reason for his death.

Now, Shang Jianyao’s grief was undoubtedly still there. The relief and acceptance of having his wish fulfilled were definitely there.

Besides, it was very difficult to guess a mental patient’s condition with a normal person’s thoughts and logic.

Jiang Baimian fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “The Kalendaria’s Son was already 81 years old and had explored the Mind Corridor’s depths. Why did he take the risk to undergo heart surgery and not directly enter the New World? His father is a Kalendaria. A room with a New World door can easily be made to appear in front of ‘His’ child.”

It was recognized that the Kalendaria could adjust the order and location of rooms. Shang Jianyao had encountered it several times.

Shang Jianyao immediately smiled. “From the looks of it, the Kalendaria doesn’t want ‘His’ child to enter the New World either.”

Jiang Baimian fell silent. This was also the conclusion she came up with.

Of course, this wasn’t the only possibility. Jiang Baimian deliberated for a moment and said, “Maybe there’s an obstacle that prevents the Kalendaria from providing help to ‘His’ child.”

“How pitiful.” Shang Jianyao suddenly felt empathy, even though he didn’t have children.

Time was of the essence, so Jiang Baimian didn’t say anything else. After giving some brief instructions, she took the initiative to end the communication.

Shang Jianyao and Genava then left the operating theater and entered the room next door.

This was a sizable study. Rows of shelves were filled with books, and there were even ladders in some places.

At a glance, Genava saw books in the field of music, painting, sculpture, and other arts. He also saw medical books like How Humans Stay Healthy, Love Your Heart, and Unlock Your Brain.

“The room owner’s reading preferences are very mixed.” Genava made a preliminary judgment.

This dealt a relatively serious blow to the Old Task Force’s idea of searching for clues based on the book list.

Shang Jianyao—who had his visor up—smiled. “After the Old World was destroyed, there were too few ways for humans to entertain themselves. They can only read.”

The next second, he retorted himself. “Who said so? As the ruler of Ceningmis, you can’t imagine the joy of being a Kalendaria’s Son!”

“You make it sound like something you can imagine…” The Shang Jianyaos argued.

This made Genava wonder if his condition had deteriorated.

He was just about to stop the argument when Shang Jianyao—who was wearing a military exoskeleton—walked to the desk by the window.

There were pen holders, books, and other items. In the most eye-catching spot was a photo frame.

Shang Jianyao stretched out his right palm, picked up the photo frame, and turned it to face him.

There were two men in the photo. One was a middle-aged man, and the other was less than 20 years old.