Embers Ad Infinitum

behind to guard the vehicle due to their unfamiliarity with this rest stop.

Shang Jianyao went straight to a team of patrolling soldiers and was about to press his hand to his chest and shout, “For all of humanity.” However, one of the targets first pointed at the terrace houses in the rest stop with his elbow.

“Leave the questions for inside.”

He meant: Don’t interfere with my patrol or distract the guards.

“Alright.” Shang Jianyao was still rather polite when facing the Salvation Army.

After entering the house, Jiang Baimian and the others’ eyes lit up.

Amidst the whirring of the fuel generator, the energy-saving lamps emitted a white glow that illuminated the neatly arranged dining tables.

These were all four-person tables, but some were pieced together, with seven to eight people sitting around them.

Near the lobby door was a counter.
Behind it stood an ordinary Ashlandic man—who wasn’t tall but relatively wide in stature.
He also wore the Salvation Army’s black uniform and had a Ubei 7 at his waist.

“Do you want to see our pass?” Shang Jianyao asked casually.

The man was stunned for a moment.
“If you have one.”

Jiang Baimian immediately handed over the pass that Hong Guangming had given them.

The ordinary-looking man reached out to take it and casually glanced at it.
“This pass isn’t applicable for smart bots.
When the corresponding four people enter settlements, they are prohibited from bringing heavy weapons, high-tech equipment, or crates.”

Uh… The man looked up and looked at Jiang Baimian and the others in surprise and solemnity.

He interpreted the two lines attached to the pass from another angle: The team opposite them really had smart bots, heavy weapons, and high-tech equipment, not devices.

“We didn’t bring anything, nor are we carrying crates.” Jiang Baimian smiled.

Compared to people of Red River ethnicity, her looks matched the preferences of Ashlandics.
The man was stunned for a moment before saying, “If you meet the pass’s requirements, you can enter Beian Lake’s rest stop.”

“Are you really from the Salvation Army?” Long Yuehong asked curiously.

The man nodded, stretched out his right hand, and pressed down on his left chest.
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean much to you guys.
Does it mean that you guys aren’t allowed to rest here tonight and replenish your fuel and other supplies just because we aren’t from the Salvation Army?”

“There’s also a difference between being civilized and not when it comes to replenishing,” Bai Chen replied simply.

Uncivilized meant entering guns blazing.

The man was speechless.
After a few seconds, he smiled and said, “You can give it a try.”

He looked confident.

“Is that so?” Shang Jianyao was eager to give it a try.

Jiang Baimian took a diagonal step forward and blocked him behind her.
She smiled and said, “We’re just confused about why there’s a Salvation Army rest stop in Icefield.
Oh right, how should I address you?”

The man muttered, “Chang Haijiang.”

He paused and said, “Our Salvation Army has also rebuilt many similar rest stops in Icefield.
They are mainly to facilitate the resting and replenishment of our teams that come and go.
Don’t tell me you think our Salvation Army only sends people to Icefield during summer?”

That’s indeed what we believed… Long Yuehong suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Chang Haijiang pointed north.
“Simply put, we established several weather observation and research stations in Icefield.
People are stationed there all year round.
Icefield’s climate change indirectly affects our harvests in the northern territories of the Salvation Army.”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao clapped

Jiang Baimian’s heart palpitated as she took off her tactical backpack, found a photo, and handed it to Chang Haijiang.
“Have you seen this person?”

In the photo was Ding Ling’s husband, Ji Qiang.

Although Ding Ling didn’t have any additional photos, the Old Task Force had Genava.
They had completed the scan back then and gathered the electronic data.
After returning to Ubei, they relied on negotiables to find a specialized shop to print out the photo.

Chang Haijiang held the photo and examined it for a while.
“Never seen him.
What does he do?”

“Research.
He’s also from your Salvation Army.
He came to Icefield two years ago and never returned,” Jiang Baimian explained simply.
“We were commissioned by his family to come to Icefield to find him.”

“Two years?” Chang Haijiang’s eyebrows twitched.
“His unit didn’t issue a KIA notice?”

“I’m not too sure about that.
Maybe the family member isn’t willing to accept it and doesn’t want to give up,” Jiang Baimian said.

Chang Haijiang accepted this explanation and nodded.
“Yes, it’s a habit among Ashlandics.
We want to see the body whether dead or alive.”

He looked at the photo carefully for a while.
“I don’t have any impression of him.”

Just as Shang Jianyao sighed, Chang Haijiang changed the topic.
“But two years ago, a strange group of people passed by.
They didn’t enter the rest stop; they only sent three people in to replenish their fuel and supplies and bought a batch of cooked food.
They seemed to be very wary of us for some unknown reason..
We’re all from the Salvation Army.
Was there a need?”

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