Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had no idea what Mr. Zhang's expression was under the gray-white deep-bottomed aluminum pot. They could only watch as he raised his right hand slightly tremblingly, trying to press it on his left chest.

However, this action was not completed. Zhang Lao's palm just touched the clothes, paused for two seconds, and then slid down again.

His voice seemed to be a little lower and hoarse, and his speaking speed was as fast as ever:

"The thing about brain control is simply that the mastermind behind the destruction of the old world wanted mankind to remain in its current state and never be able to rebuild a true civilization, so they used brainwave machines to secretly control a large number of people, including members of major forces. The upper class makes them lose their enterprising spirit, forget their former ideals, stop working hard for the recovery of all mankind, and become degenerate people.

"The brainwave machines were the main culprit that brought about the 'Wuxin Disease' in the first place. To this day, they still play a role in many places and contribute to the behind-the-scenes efforts to eliminate the humans who discovered the secrets."

"However, many of the 'unintentional' patients we encounter are ordinary human beings, and there is no possibility of discovering the secrets of brain control." Even in the face of former "Salvation Army" veterans, honest Shang Jianyao still should If you refute, refute.

Mr. Zhang and others had obviously considered this issue. They had already thought of the reasons and answered without any hesitation:

"You are too young, you are confusing the waters!

“If we just eliminate people who know the secrets of brain control, it will be easy to find something wrong. We must also turn some ordinary people into ‘unintentional people’ in order to muddy the waters and make things less abrupt.

“In the old world, there was an old saying:

“The best way to hide a needle is to throw it into the ocean.”

"It would be difficult to find out." The honest Shang Jianyao commented pertinently.

Mr. Zhang took a breath and said in a lowered voice:

"Anyway, before you are brain-controlled, quickly find two aluminum pots to wear. If you don't have an aluminum pot, you can also use an iron pot, a copper pot, or a stainless steel pot. Only in this way can you maintain your independent thinking. Ideal purity will not be corroded by a little benefit and a little enjoyment.

"This is all a lesson learned! How many Salvation Army soldiers risked their lives and blood in order to save all mankind, and were not afraid of anything. However, after the situation got better, it deteriorated.

"They are all brain-controlled!"

The more Zhang Lao said, the more heartbroken he became.

"Yes, yes!" Shang Jianyao seemed to have found a soulmate, "That must be the case, otherwise they wouldn't have abandoned their ideals and forgotten their oaths so easily."

They have been tempered in blood and fire without fading.

Jiang Baimian tried to interrupt the conversation between the two several times, but was unable to join the exchange between the old and the young.

Mr. Zhang nodded so hard that the aluminum pot on his head shook:

“It seems that even though you have only been here a few days, you have seen some ugly phenomena.

"Well, Hong Guangming is still the one who issued the pass for you, right?"

"Yes." Shang Jianyao didn't hide anything.

Mr. Zhang waved his hand and became excited:

"I scolded that old boy Hong Guangming every time I saw him, pointing at his nose and scolding him!

"Back when he was still under my command, he was such a simple and enthusiastic boy. When he saw that the children of wanderers in the wilderness were not full, he secretly gave half of his share of food to them.

“Once, we were surrounded by a group of people who at that time only knew how to burn, kill and loot. In order to cover the evacuation of the large troops, he stood up and asked for a break. He almost died there.

"That's it. Is he afraid? No! He still charges forward again and again. You have also seen that he lost an arm and a leg one after another. Fortunately, we found and seized many mechanical prostheses at that time, and we are good at it. Only if a person who performs surgery in this area joins the team can he survive to this day.

"Now, if we don't say that we can have enough to eat, at least no one will starve to death under normal circumstances. If we don't say that we can wear clothes, at least no one will freeze to death. How did he become like this?

"After I found out, I thought about it for a whole year but didn't understand it. Later I learned the secret of brain control and put on this aluminum pot, and I understood it all at once.

"Why……"

"Hey." Shang Jianyao sighed.

It was a rare encounter with a close friend, and Mr. Zhang finally became less vigilant. He thought for a while and said:

“Don’t you want to ask us if we encountered any suspicious people while walking around during the martial law period?

"Follow me to the nursing home and ask them one by one."

Although he was still worried that Shang Jianyao and the others were spies trying to infiltrate the anti-secret control organization, he thought he would just take them to ask about martial law-related matters and not involve anything else, so he thought there would be no problem.

Jiang Baimian was overjoyed and was about to agree when Shang Jianyao said firmly:

"no!"

"Why?" The gray-white aluminum pot concealed Mr. Zhang's puzzled and surprised expression.

Shang Jianyao replied righteously:

“It’s martial law now and we can’t leave the hotel without permission.

"You and your old comrades have the right to go out for a walk, but we don't. We can't just ignore the rules just because you are in the way.

"In that case, what's the difference between him and a degenerate who uses power for personal gain?"

At this moment, two words popped into Jiang Baimian's mind:

He is upright and his sleeves are refreshing.

The latter word actually doesn't quite fit the scene, but it goes well with the previous word.

Mr. Zhang was stunned for a few seconds and said:

"Well done! It would be great if everyone in the new generation of The Salvation Army were like you."

It might not be good for everyone to have mental illness... Jiang Baimian only felt that Mr. Zhang's words were full of flaws.

After a pause, Mr. Zhang took the initiative and said:

"Then I'll go back to the sanatorium and ask for you, then record the answers and bring them to the hotel."

"Thank you." Jiang Baimian hurriedly said.

She thought for a moment and then added:

"By the way, I would like to ask your old comrades what noteworthy things have happened to you in the past three days. If there is nothing that normally doesn't happen, well, it doesn't matter if it is not noteworthy. As long as it doesn't happen often, record it."

"It's very detailed." Mr. Zhang was well-informed and praised it.

He immediately said:

"I will go back now and try to deliver the requested content before 10 p.m."

Shang Jianyao waved his hand enthusiastically:

"Have a nice trip!"

After watching Mr. Zhang disappear from another exit of the hotel parking lot, Jiang Baimian took Shang Jianyao back to the small building via the normal route.

Hotel manager Shen Kang stood by the door, pacing in place. When he saw the two people coming in, he quickly asked:

"Mr. Zhang is gone?"

"Gone." Shang Jianyao answered quite positively.

Shen Kang breathed a sigh of relief and said instead:

"Mr. Zhang is confused and suffers from war trauma syndrome. He can no longer distinguish between reality and fiction.

“Their generation has many bad habits, some are drunkards, and their views are conservative. Just like they lived a few decades ago, they don’t believe anything they say.

"Think about it, how normal can someone who can believe in brain control and wear an aluminum pot on their head every day be?"

Both inside and outside his words were pointing out that Mr. Zhang had mental problems.

"Indeed." Shang Jianyao nodded in agreement.

Jiang Baimian looked at him in surprise and said nothing.

"You are still very awake." Shen Kang was very pleased.

Shang Jianyao then pointed at himself:

"I also have mental problems, why do you believe me?"

"..." Shen Kang was immediately drawn in.

…………

In the evening, the radio announced that people would be evacuated tomorrow.

"If that nuclear warhead is taken away and sent to a certain force, I don't know what will happen..." Long Yuehong said with a little worry while looking forward to leaving Wubei early tomorrow morning.

Honest Gnawa replied:

"There should be no significant difference from leaving it in the hands of the Salvation Army."

They all lack the ability to manufacture on a large scale and are most likely used only as a deterrent.

Shang Jianyao was about to join the discussion when he suddenly heard someone shouting outside the window:

"That boy and girl this afternoon, we have collected what you want!"

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao looked at each other and opened the window. Sure enough, they found Mr. Zhang wearing the white-washed black uniform of the "Salvation Army" and a gray-white deep-bottomed aluminum pot, standing in the parking lot, holding his hands. Take a stack of paper and keep shouting.

In a matter of seconds, the two of them "rapidly descended" to Mr. Zhang's side.

"I asked them one by one and recorded them all on paper. Don't worry, I didn't miss anything, including my own."

Shang Jianyao and Jiang Baimian quickly expressed their sincere thanks.

"Look and see what's wrong." Mr. Zhang handed over the paper.

Jiang Baimian took the materials, took off the flashlight hanging from the armed belt around his waist, and started browsing on the spot.

The information recorded on the paper is in human order, and each person contains two parts. One is whether he has encountered any suspicious people during the martial law period, and the other is what normal and rare things he has encountered in the past three or four days.

Shang Jianyao came close to Jiang Baimian and read with her one by one.

"There's no useful information..." Shang Jianyao sighed in disappointment as he was about to finish flipping through the page.

Jiang Baimian didn't say much and turned his attention to the last page.

This page only records feedback from one person, and that is Mr. Zhang himself:

"Zhang: 1. I only met soldiers in charge of martial law along the way; 2. The day before yesterday, in the afternoon, a hotel guest's antihypertensive medicine was stolen. He failed to take the medicine in time and suffered a rapid attack of high blood pressure. The situation was very serious and he was sent to the hospital for treatment. For two days.”

He suffered a high blood pressure attack and was sent to the hospital for two days of treatment... Jiang Baimian's heart moved and he slowly raised his head.