Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 464: Report

“To stir up such a storm... What did those people do...?” another of Selma’s companions, Tolle, asked in surprise.

They had been in First City for many years, and it was rare for the Hand of Order to cause such a commotion in order to pursue a target. Although the other party didn’t go into detail, a description like ‘a storm in the city’ still gave Selma and the others a direct visualization of the situation, albeit a vague one.

Shang Jianyao—who was fiddling with the fire—answered for Jiang Baimian. “A grand plot against First City.”

“What?” Sandro and Denise—who were in charge of security—blurted out. They could’ve written off what he said as a joke, but combining it with the Hand of Order’s reaction, the problem appeared rather serious.

Shang Jianyao kindly explained, “This is the mission description. It’s a one-sided accusation by the Hand of Order, so it might not be true.”

Why does that sound weird... Selma thought for a few seconds and inquired, “The Hand of Order issued a mission at the guild? How much is the bounty?”

He felt that he couldn’t base the severity and urgency of a matter on a subjective description. Comparatively, the bounty might be a better indicator.

Jiang Baimian smiled and said, “You can obtain 10,000 Oray if you capture a single person from the target team. Of course, this is the price they offered before we left the city. It’s unknown if there are any changes now.”

“10,000 Oray per target?” Selma, Tolle, and the others instantly felt a headache.

A bounty at this level made them shrink back—they didn’t believe that they had any hope of completing it. The corresponding risk was definitely too great to bear.

We can only see if we have a chance to obtain some clues and exchange them for money... This thought flashed through their minds at the same time.

“I think it’s too low,” Shang Jianyao responded to the Ruin Hunters opposite with a sincere expression.

“It’s not low, not low at all.” Selma shook his head repeatedly. “There aren’t many of such missions every year.”

Jiang Baimian didn’t continue the topic and frankly asked, “This wasteland has been explored for decades. There shouldn’t be any valuable gains, right?”

The Old Task Force members were all Ashlandic, so it was normal for them to be unfamiliar with the wasteland around the Red River’s northern bank. There was no need to hide anything.

Upon hearing this, Selma immediately made a judgment: This is a Ruin Hunter team that has just come to the surrounding area for an expedition.

The other party’s appearance and kindness, as well as the simple and ordinary question, made him not hide anything. He smiled and said, “It’s not what you think. Many places here are highly polluted, and it has only been restored to a minimum in recent years. It can be explored—uh, and there are some areas that aren’t recommended for entry now unless you can wear chemical or radiation protective clothing the entire time.

“Apart from exploring the ruins, hunting mutated creatures is also a choice. They have very high research value. First City’s officials are buying them, and some private researchers will offer prices that are tempting enough. That or they directly put up bounty missions.”

At least two-thirds of those private researchers are official and unofficial personnel, as well as intelligence personnel from the various large factions. They specialize in gathering biological materials for the organization... Jiang Baimian muttered inwardly and deliberately asked, “Is there any city ruin in North Anheford that can be entered only in recent years?”

“Of course.” Selma nodded. “It’s no secret.”

As the two parties conversed, the pot of roasted beef with potatoes was already heated. Shang Jianyao and the others took out oatmeal bread and ate it.

Selma, Sandro, and the others watched enviously, but they could only swallow their saliva and take out their biscuits that were turning soft. They then dipped them in the soup and filled their stomachs.

Even so, the rich fragrance and the taste that slushed in their mouths still moved them.

After taking turns with dinner, Selma suggested that they were leaving.

Although this Ashlandic team looked friendly and didn’t have any ill intentions, they still felt that they should maintain a sufficient distance. That way, the people on night duty wouldn’t be too stressed.

After displaying their strength, Selma felt that the other party wouldn’t take the risk of attacking them if there were no serious conflicts of interest.

As Sandro, Denise, and Tolle remained on high alert, Selma drove slowly to another spot with a relatively high vantage point.

The heavy rain soon covered their tracks.

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and covered her mouth to yawn. “Let’s make the best use of our time to rest. We still have to continue our journey later.”

After arriving at the Red River’s northern bank, the Old Task Force, Han Wanghuo, and Zeng Duo chose to travel all night—something against the norm—in order to avoid being found by First City’s drones.

Although they had Genava—a smart bot who wouldn’t have his ‘vision’ affected because of the dark environment—which meant they didn’t have to worry about any latent dangers compared to other teams, they didn’t dare to drive too fast. They focused on a safe and steady pace.

When it was daytime, they continued on their way while the sky remained dark with poor visibility. Finally, they left the detection range of First City’s drones before the storm arrived. First City had several outposts and observation points in the North Shore wastelands, and they were similarly equipped with drones and other equipment.

Just as Jiang Baimian said that, Genava had already walked down from the second floor of the main building. Red light flickered in his eyes as he asked, “Why did you let me stay up there for a while longer?”

Jiang Baimian’s eyes darted around slightly as she replied with a smile, “We mustn’t scare the guests...”

...

The storm subsided in the middle of the night, and Selma and the others waited until dawn before continuing their journey.

Their journey was smooth. They arrived at the Red River coast and returned to First City via a bridge.

As they had taken on several missions, they didn’t rest and went straight to the Hunter’s Guild.

As she waited for her companions to complete the handover, Denise habitually sized up the large screen in search of missions that they could take on later.

“Selma, look. That mission from the Hand of Order.” Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she patted the team leader’s shoulder.

Selma looked in the direction of the voice and found the content described by the Ashlandic team.

“A grand plot to target First City... The bounty i-is 20,000 Oray per person? What did they do to increase it so quickly?” Selma became more and more alarmed.

In just a few days, the bounty had doubled. It was inevitable for people to suspect that the severity of the matter was still increasing!

For Selma and the others, First City’s stability was the foundation of everything.

Having experienced dangers in the North Shore wastelands—their bodies and minds exhausted—the last thing they wanted was the inability to relax after returning to First City.

Sandro and the others also looked at the mission. Soon, the targets’ names and photos were reflected in their eyes.

“October Xue... Zhang Qubing...” Selma’s gaze suddenly froze.

His companions were no exception—their expressions were blank. We’ve seen this group before! It was the Ashlandic team that had described this mission to us!

After coming to their senses, Selma and the others couldn’t be bothered to be shocked. Their hearts were filled with fear and relief.

We actually communicated with such a dangerous team—each worth 20,000 Oray—for nearly half an hour. We even freeloaded their canned soup!

If we had said something wrong back then, we might not have been able to see the sun today... Selma couldn’t help but raise his hand and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Who would’ve thought that a Ruin Hunter team we casually encountered in the wilderness was such a dangerous existence! Yet, the other party had chatted about the bounty mission involving them.

After a while, Denise broke the silence and asked her teammates, “Selma, do you want to hand over the information? I think the payment won’t be bad.”

The highest was 300 Oray, and the lowest was 50.

Selma deliberated for a few seconds before saying, “Report it. The chances of encountering them in the future are very, very low, so there’s no need to worry too much. As Ruin Hunters, how can we miss such an opportunity?”

...

Red Wolf Zone, 19 Rosta Street, Hand of Order headquarters.

“October Xue’s team encountered a Ruin Hunter team and focused on inquiring about the situation in North Anheford...” Theodore entered the meeting room, picked up the materials on the table, and read them under his breath.

They had already learned from certain informants that the target had escaped First City through some means and had escaped to the North Shore wastelands.

This was also the main reason why they raised the bounty. The Hand of Order was in charge of internal security and the manors in the suburbs, and it was very rare for them to send people directly into the wastelands to capture targets. They mainly relied on the military and Ruin Hunters next.

“I thought they would return to their faction directly.” Wall was a little confused about the actions of October Xue’s team. Why stay in the North Shore wastelands after receiving such important information?

At this moment, his superior—Red Wolf Zone Orderly, Trevis—rapped the table. “Regardless, release this information and let the Ruin Hunters and the military pay more attention to that area.”

...

In an Old World town that had been abandoned for many years, the ground was littered with bones and feces.

Jiang Baimian and the others parked the car in a hidden spot. At the top of a building, they used binoculars to observe the black wasteland outside town.

“Many Ruin Hunters have gone over,” Han Wanghuo voiced out his observations.

Jiang Baimian chuckled. “From the looks of it, the information we took the initiative to send back has taken effect. Next, we’ll get these Ruin Hunters to help us probe the First City army in North Anheford. We can’t be rash when saving people, and it’s even more so when rescuing a town.”

Zeng Duo—who was beside her—was stunned. She never expected that the ‘invitation’ she extended to the Ruin Hunters during their chance encounter hid such a goal.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao applauded.