Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 765: Back then

Translator: CKtalon

Jiang Baimian was rather curious about the encounter of Room 506’s owner. From her point of view, the other party’s relationship with the Fourth Research Institute was like the Old Task Force’s relationship with Pangu Biology. At present, she couldn’t imagine how they would leave Pangu Biology and be hated, vilified, and treated coldly by their families, relatives, neighbors, and fellow familiar employees.

Jiang Baimian couldn’t help but wonder if the owner of Room 506 had done something wrong back then, causing the Fourth Research Institute to be wiped out. Only then could the situation in the psychological trauma be explained.

Of course, this was only a guess based on the situation Shang Jianyao had come into contact with and the details he had learned. Once a clue pointed to another possibility, they had to throw away everything and start over.

This hypothesis also had certain problems. The two psychological traumas in Room 506 that Pangu Biology currently knew and the third place that Shang Jianyao had entered didn’t involve scenes like guilt, shame, or being guilty-conscience.

Jiang Baimian didn’t believe that a person who missed their hometown would accept the huge mistake they had made with a clear conscience while treating this as a painful memory.

Even if they instinctively deceived and hypnotized themselves, the truth would still reflect in their subconscious—unless they really didn’t think that it was a mistake. In hindsight, they still insisted that they had carried out the most correct choice. However, they couldn’t understand why their family, relatives, friends, and neighbors would view and treat them that way.

From this angle, Jiang Baimian had to believe that perhaps the problem was with the Fourth Research Institute. Coupled with the mutated corpses Shang Jianyao had seen in the first psychological trauma, she felt that this guess was reasonable.

Phew…

Jiang Baimian exhaled and retracted her thoughts. She planned on asking Shang Jianyao tomorrow if he had cleared Room 506’s psychological trauma and how he had cleared it.

At this moment, the radio in the corridor outside sounded.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Newspoint broadcaster, Hou Yi. It’s 8 p.m. now…”

…

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Newspoint broadcaster, Hou Yi. It’s 8 p.m. now…”

Long Yuehong sat by Bai Chen’s bed and listened to the familiar, slightly childlike voice echo. He couldn’t help but laugh. “I heard that Hou Yi is actually one of the special cases in which genetic enhancement failed. She’s less than 1.6 meters tall, but she’s cheerful and born with a good voice. She never gave up on herself, and she ended up becoming the most popular broadcaster among the company’s employees in the past seven years.”

“She’s quite young then. She can’t be more than 30 years old.” Bai Chen nodded. “I thought she was a broadcaster you listened to growing up and that she’s already in her forties or fifties.”

“How can a person in their forties or fifties have such a voice?” Long Yuehong replied in amusement. He then retorted himself, “Not necessarily. Hou Yi is already in her late twenties, and her voice hasn’t changed much.”

“Some people are born with a childlike voice. It doesn’t change until they are over 60 years old.” Bai Chen had encountered such people in the past.

It was during her time in First City.

After chatting for a while, Long Yuehong stood up and said, “I have to go back.”

He had been promoted today and received a bonus. He couldn’t wait to share it with his family.

He was now a D8 employee. Once he had an internal transfer and left the Security Department, he could directly be promoted to D9.

This was the highest status an ordinary employee could pursue. As for management positions, they could only be chanced upon.

In addition, Long Yuehong chose to return today because he and Bai Chen had yet to register their marriage. It wasn’t good to stay over all the time.

“I’ll walk you out.” Bai Chen stood up as well.

Long Yuehong’s heart warmed, and he didn’t refuse.

After leaving the room and arriving at the corridor, Long Yuehong still held Bai Chen’s hand and slowly walked toward the elevator.

Bai Chen fell silent for a moment before asking, “What should I take note of when going to your house?”

Long Yuehong thought for a moment before saying, “There’s nothing to take note of. Just be normal and polite like Team Leader said.”

Frankly speaking, he didn’t have much experience and could only trust Jiang Baimian.

As for Jiang Baimian not having the corresponding experience either, Long Yuehong didn’t mind because Jiang Baimian told him and Bai Chen that she had always been invited to someone else’s house since she was young. She was the child who was praised by everyone and used as a model example for comparison.

Back then, the honest Shang Jianyao said in a hushed tone, “Maybe it’s not because you’re polite and know how to read people but because your father is in management.”

Jiang Baimian used actions to bring across the idea to Long Yuehong and Bai Chen what the consequences of being rude and not being observant would be.

“Okay.” Bai Chen recalled the core things her team leader had taught her—listen more, talk less; praise more, complain less; and smile more, move less.

Long Yuehong was just about to say something when he suddenly saw a person walking over.

The person had tanned skin, and his face was pockmarked. His eyes were bloodshot, and his looks were average. It was obvious that he hadn’t undergone genetic enhancement.

Long Yuehong knew this person—he was the foreign employee he had previously encountered in this floor’s public bathroom in the middle of the night.

The other party in the grayish-green camouflage uniform walked in a hurry and quickly brushed past them.

Bai Chen turned her head to glance at Long Yuehong. “You seem to know him?”

“When Hey played the prank, I went to the public bathroom and encountered him smoking inside,” Long Yuehong said truthfully.

Bai Chen tersely acknowledged it. “His name is Wang Xi. He just joined the company last year. I heard that he’s relatively short-tempered and often quarrels with others. If not for the company’s Order Supervisory Department, they might’ve fought.”

“Is that so? He has a pretty good temper.” Long Yuehong indicated that the other party had been rather polite during his short interaction with Wang Xi. Although he had been too rash back then, causing the situation to be relatively awkward, and Wang Xi had flown into a rage out of humiliation, he didn’t say anything nasty.

Bai Chen glanced at Long Yuehong’s mechanical arm and said, “It’s impossible for former wilderness nomads to always be irritable. Such people can’t live to this age.”

She paused and recalled something. “He seems to go to the public bathroom in the middle of the night often. Several neighbors encountered him.”

“That’s normal. He probably made it a habit,” Long Yuehong said casually.

At this moment, the two of them had already arrived at the elevator. He waved goodbye reluctantly and pressed the button representing the 495th floor.

Before returning home, Long Yuehong went to the Supplies Allocation Market and specially bought some fruits and snacks.

“Wow, there’s delicious food again!” Long Aihong ran over and took the bag from her brother the moment she saw him walk into the house.

Gu Hong grumbled with a smile, “Why are you buying these again? We just finished the previous batch!”

Long Yuehong took the opportunity to say, “The rewards for our mission have been distributed. I received 30,000 contribution points.”

“Another 30,000!” Although Long Aihong was already used to her brother receiving large bonuses every time he returned, she couldn’t hide her joy.

Long Dayong was gratified, but he sighed.

The smile on Gu Hong’s face widened as she suppressed her voice and asked, “Any promotions?”

Long Aihong immediately pricked up her ears.

“D8.” Long Yuehong was becoming more and more able to reveal his promotion frankly. He no longer needed Shang Jianyao’s help in publicizing his promotions.

“Ah, it’s really a blessing from the heavens.” Gu Hong clasped her hands and casually shook them.

Long Aihong said in anticipation, “Bro, you definitely won’t have a problem reaching D9. If you can enter management one day, I can be assigned a good job in the future! My classmates are so envious of me. Many of them want to be my sister-in-law!”

“What are you thinking about? You want to implicate your brother? It’s a taboo to interfere with job allocations!” Gu Hong reprimanded her daughter. “What I know is that they don’t do a thing during the job assignment, but they’ll find an excuse to transfer them after a year or two.”

“It’s still not confirmed,” Long Dayong muttered softly before saying to Long Yuehong, “Look at them. Sigh…”

Long Yuehong smiled and didn’t say a word.

As long as they were happy.

In any case, he had never thought of reaching management.

…

The next morning, Room 14 on the 647th floor.

Shang Jianyao recounted his encounter in the Fourth Research Institute’s Residential Zone with great detail about ‘heart-breaking’ and ‘gut-wrenching.’

He then said in confusion, “What’s the problem? Why was I unable to clear it despite making everyone treat me with their original attitude? Even I believed that it was real!”

Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen fell silent as they searched for a possible reason.

One guess after another was raised before they were denied.

Jiang Baimian suddenly had an idea and recalled something Shang Jianyao had mentioned: “You previously said that when those people looked at you after the explosion, their expressions were cold. The muscles on their faces were stiff like emotionless corpses.”

“Yes.” Shang Jianyao nodded.

Jiang Baimian fell into thought. “Maybe those people did become corpses. After the accident in the Fourth Research Institute’s residential area, those people might’ve died. What the room owner can’t shake off is their attitude toward him before they died; he also knows that this will never change. Therefore, this became a psychological trauma for him. No matter how you change those people’s attitudes, he subconsciously knows that it’s fake.”

“That’s possible.” Shang Jianyao stroked his chin. “Then, how did the room owner defeat the corresponding island and reconcile with himself?”

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “This might have to depend on why those people changed their attitude toward the room owner. Only by figuring this out can there be a basis for reconciliation.”

Jiang Baimian then talked about her guess last night: The room owner had made a mistake or discovered a secret that resulted in the Fourth Research Institute being wiped out. The people there had unanimously changed their attitude toward her.

Long Yuehong’s heart palpitated. “I really can’t imagine anyone betraying the place they were born and raised in.”

This was the same as how he couldn’t imagine leaving Pangu Biology. He felt that he might commit suicide if such a thing happened to him.

Shang Jianyao suddenly sang, “We lived like this for 30 years until the building?collapsed¹…”

Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him. She was just about to say something when the phone in the office rang.

Su Yu had received Shang Jianyao’s report and agreed to his request to meet him.