Embers Ad Infinitum

Esther lived in a four-story building near the castle.

It must have been newly built or renovated in the past twenty years. It is different from the heavy and serious houses around it. It uses warm colors, unrestrained style, luxury and grandeur.

"It's still a little short of perfect." Shang Jianyao commented with a "tsk, tsk".

Gnawa sitting next to him asked very honestly:

"What's wrong?"

Shang Jianyao pressed down the car window, stretched out his arm, pointed at the building and said:

"Isn't it in the old world entertainment materials? Such a building must be matched with a beautiful garden, preferably full of roses."

The building had neither a garden nor a lawn, but a concrete square in front of it to park cars and distance pedestrians from throwing bombs into the house.

"The weather here is not suitable for gardens and lawns." Gnawa explained seriously.

Shang Jianyao raised his hand:

"Go to the greenhouse garden and cold-resistant lawn. If you have money, you have to prove yourself!"

Gennava was unable to refute for a moment.

At this time, Sandro parked the car, came to the jeep of the "Old Adjustment Team", and said to Shang Jianyao and others:

"Will you follow me in now?"

"No need to apply in advance?" Jiang Baimian asked in surprise.

Even if Sandro is now Shang Jianyao's good brother, as Esther's security director, there is no reason to violate professional ethics and bring people into the house without the employer's permission.

He can help introduce and convince Esther, and he is worthy of the status of "good brother".

Seeing that the "Old Tune Team" was doing their job well, Sandro smiled slightly, nodded and said:

"I will take you to the reception room on the first floor, and then ask the boss for instructions."

This is within the scope of his authority and does not constitute an overstep.

He then added:

"But robots cannot follow them, nor can they carry military exoskeleton devices and bionic smart armors. Assault rifles and submachine guns, which are more conspicuous, should be avoided as much as possible."

Then you probably don't know that your good brother is much more dangerous than a robot... Jiang Baimian muttered in his heart.

The next second, she saw Shang Jianyao open his mouth.

She suspected that this guy wanted to ask "Can he carry a nuclear bomb?", so she responded to Sandro first:

"no problem."

She immediately opened the door and got out of the car, and said to Gennava, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong:

"Lao Ge, Bai, Hong, you stay here and look at the supplies in the trunk."

She spoke Honghe dialect, but it did not affect her calling Bai Chen and Long Yuehong.

Their Red River names are White and Red.

Seeing Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao taking off the grenades and other items from their armed belts, Sandro first nodded with satisfaction, and then kindly reminded:

“You can actually carry a pistol for self-defense.

"Of course, you can trust me completely. There is nothing to worry about."

"I plan to bring this." Shang Jianyao pointed to the only remaining black flashlight on the armed belt.

"What does this do?" Sandro asked, slightly confused.

Shang Jianyao picked up the flashlight and introduced with a smile:

"It looks like a flashlight, but actually..."

Just when Long Yuehong thought this guy was going to talk nonsense about "it's actually a laser transmitter", Shang Jianyao turned on the flashlight and let the yellowish light beam shine to one side:

"It's actually a flashlight."

This almost flashed into Long Yuehong's mind.

"But it's very strong and heavy. It can be used as a hammer." Shang Jianyao waved the flashlight a few times, as if he was holding a hammer or mace.

Jiang Baimian resisted the urge to cover his face and said to Sandro:

"We definitely trust you, there is no need to bring any weapons."

What she didn't say was that the strongest and most powerful weapons for herself and Shang Jianyao were themselves.

She has the ability of an awakened person and has an electric eel-shaped biological prosthetic arm. Shang Jianyao is an awakened person who has explored the depths of the "soul corridor".

Sandro said with some relief:

"Then let's go in."

With him leading the way, the heavily armed guards along the way did not stop them at all and allowed them to enter the four-story building.

The furniture and furnishings here match the style of the house, and are mainly luxurious and bright.

While Jiang Baimian was looking around casually, Sandro led him into a living room with a fireplace.

"Do you rely on burning coal to keep warm in winter?" Shang Jianyao was very interested in this matter.

It is strictly prohibited to burn coal in the living area of ​​the "Pangu Biology" underground building, and ordinary residents cannot exchange coal.

"No, this is decoration." Sandro shook his head, "Near Gerstburg, the production of anthracite is relatively small."

He didn't explain what he relied on for heating here. After all, he wasn't selling houses.

He pointed to the ceiling and said:

"Wait a moment, I'll go up and report to the boss."

"No problem." Jiang Baimian responded with a smile.

Sandro left the reception room and went up the stairs.

On the third floor, the surveillance increased.

As Esther's security director, he was extremely familiar with this and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor indifferently.

After passing two guard points and asking which room the boss was in, Sandro came to a heavy dark red wooden door, raised his fingers, and knocked three times.

"Come in." The voice inside was faintly tired and slightly old.

Sandro turned the knob and entered the room.

This is a quite spacious tanning room. There is a lounge chair by the window. There is a stack of books, a small cake and a cup of black tea on the coffee table next to it.

The sky in Gerstburg is often dark, and the sunlight has to be filtered through layers before it reaches the ground. Everyone is eager for the sun.

At this time, an old man of half a century was sitting on the recliner.

His blond hair has faded a lot, there are a few spots on the straight bridge of his nose, there are crow's feet that cannot be concealed around his blue eyes, and the skin on his cheeks, which is not too fleshy, has obviously become saggy.

This is not an ice field, and the weather today is quite good. The temperature is not low at all. This calm old man in his fifties only wore a light blue shirt on his upper body, paired with a dark red sweater, and a gray lower body. trousers.

He closed the books in his hands, took off his reading glasses, looked at Sandro and said:

"You brought guests?

"Has the goods been delivered to the warehouse?"

"It was delivered, and there were no accidents on the way. I suspect that the attacker was frightened by a team of relic hunters we hired and chose to give up." Sandro reported the business first.

The latter sentence was partly his guess and partly a rhetoric he made up to rationalize his introduction to the "Old Tune Group".

He is just a good brother of Shang Jianyao, and he is not a fool. Of course, he has to find a way to deal with the boss and prevent him from feeling that he is being self-serving and generous.

Esther nodded:

"That team of relic hunters is the guest you brought?"

"Yes." Sandro remembered his good brother's advice and did not go into detail about how strong the guests' firepower was.

Esther was silent for a while, as if thinking about something else.

Just when Sandro was a little uneasy, Esther looked at him again and said in a low voice:

"Sandro, you didn't behave like you did before today.

"I'm not saying you didn't do this right, but in the past you wouldn't have made your own decisions and brought the guests here directly. You would have arranged for them and then reported to me. When I confirmed the meeting and the date of the meeting, It took time to bring them here.”

The more Sandro listened, the more frightened he became. Later, cold sweat even broke out on his forehead.

He suddenly woke up and blurted out:

"I am affected by the Awakened One's ability!"

Esther nodded slightly:

"really.

"Tell me exactly what happened at that time without omitting anything."

After saying that, Esther closed her eyes and leaned back on the chair.

He put on a posture of patient listening and careful consideration.

Sandro recounted his experiences while recalling, focusing on his interaction with Shang Jianyao.

After he finished speaking, it took a while for Esther to make any movement.

The director of the Mining Federation opened his eyes, thought about it and said:

“Better bring them up.

"I wanted to see what exactly they were going to do."

"In this case, your safety is not guaranteed." Sandro stepped into the role of security director.

Esther was silent for two seconds, then smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I won't do anything I'm not sure about."

Sandro could only follow orders.

He went down to the first floor and led Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao to the top floor.

On the way, Shang Jianyao tried to talk to him, but he responded coldly.

So Jiang Baimian knew that he must have lost a brother.

After entering the tanning room and seeing Esther, before Shang Jianyao had time to speak, Esther said to him:

"Don't talk."

Esther then looked at Jiang Baimian:

"You tell it."

Similar scenes seemed familiar. Jiang Baimian was used to it and said straightforwardly:

"Mr. Esther, we want to ask you about something."

Esther laughed dumbly:

"Why do you think I will answer your questions?

"Can you offer me a reward I can't refuse?"

"How can you know if it doesn't work if you don't give it a try?" Jiang Baimian had already prepared himself mentally and responded accordingly, "How about this, Mr. Esther, you first listen to what we want to ask, and then offer a price that you think is appropriate. "

Shang Jianyao was babbling and wanted to put forward his own conditions, but no one agreed to let him speak.

Esther was silent for a while and said:

"What do you want to ask?"

"Have you seen this person?" Jiang Baimian reached out and took out the photo he had prepared in advance from Shang Jianyao's pocket.

Sandro took it and brought it to Esther.

Esther took a look and said:

“Someone asked me this question not long ago.

"I do know him."

"What we want to know is what they asked and what kind of answers they got." Jiang Baimian said in one breath, "Okay, you can make an offer."

She used her words in a subtle way, deliberately not mentioning the possibility of rejecting the offer, and focused directly on what price to offer.

Esther was silent again, so silent that Jiang Baimian suspected that Shang Jianyao was about to lose his patience and planned to make a violent attack, letting the other party know what it means to drink a toast and not eat as a penalty.

Finally, Esther smiled and spoke:

"I don't lack money, but I have some regrets that I need someone to help me solve."