96: Chapter 96 The Longevity Society's Finishing Blow

In the remnants' stronghold of the Longevity Society, the lighting was dim.

On the table sat a cracked Life Lamp. The circle of grey-white scorch marks on the lamp wall was still there; no one dared to wipe it, and no one dared to get close. That was something left behind by the previous Lamp Watcher. After the auction, the Lamp Watcher's Life Lamp was pierced through by the Purifying Flame, and along with it, a section of the Longevity Society's Old Object Chain in Qinghe collapsed.

Now, sitting at the table was the Remnant Lamp Recorder.

He did not use the position of "Lamp Watcher" again.

That title was too scorching.

And standing in front of the Remnant Lamp Recorder was a person codenamed Lamp Folder.

Lamp Folder looked young, his complexion was very pale, and there was a scar behind his left ear that looked like a burn from lamp oil. He was in charge of the Jiangbei line, and what he excelled at was not confronting anomalies head-on, but rather stuffing Old Objects into the places most prone to trouble.

"You failed once," the Remnant Lamp Recorder said.

Lamp Folder lowered his head: "The Eastern Station was pinned down by them; that doesn't count as failure."

"Are you bargaining with me?"

The temperature in the room dropped a little.

Lamp Folder kept his mouth shut, and only after a few seconds did he say: "Torch doesn't rely on any single person to save the day. They now have early warning, evacuation, medical support, logistics, Safe Houses, and that Grey Net. Probing single points is meaningless."

The Remnant Lamp Recorder opened the records on the table.

Qinghe Safe House, Jiangbei First Anchor, Torch arrival, Fire Seal marking, Grey Net archiving, Guardian Lamp prototype.

Every item made the Longevity Society uncomfortable.

In the past, what they were best at was disguising anomalies as commodities, packaging greed as Legacy, and turning fear into a price. Ordinary people didn't know the truth, the wealthy only saw life extension and fortune, and second-hand dealers only wanted to make a spread. But the Xinhuo Council was breaking these chaotic things down into processes.

Processes were more troublesome than individual powerhouses.

Individuals could be avoided, induced, or have their weaknesses found.

Processes grow.

Lamp Folder placed three Old Objects on the table.

An old bus monthly pass, with worn edges, and a few discontinued station names written on the back.

A yellowing express delivery slip, the delivery address shifting slightly every few seconds.

A piece of old station sign iron, with only three characters left on it: Terminal Station.

"These three aren't powerful," Lamp Folder said, "but they can scramble roads, addresses, and stations."

The Remnant Lamp Recorder looked at him.

Lamp Folder continued: "They can save people, so let them save too many people at once. They have Safe Houses, so let the Safe House become the Terminal Station. They have logistics routes, so change the destination. They have peripheral collaborators, so hit the periphery first."

"What about core members?"

"Don't touch them yet." Lamp Folder raised his head, a trace of a cold smile in his eyes, "The auction already proved that calling the Fire Keeper out directly is useless. He doesn't take the bait. Shen Qinghe, Zhao Ye, and Bai Ya are also harder to chew than ordinary people. But those who haven't been truly wrapped in fire are different."

He pushed a list over.

Sprite.

Prophet.

The Youth.

Li Xi.

Chen Shi.

Chen Jue.

Next to each name were notes: network intelligence, data analysis, survivor, medical assistance, the missed one, kinship weakness.

The Remnant Lamp Recorder looked for a long time.

"You know the consequences of touching the periphery."

"I know," Lamp Folder said, "they will save them."

He smiled.

"That is the consequence."

The room quieted down.

The Remnant Lamp Recorder did not approve immediately. He looked at the Life Lamp that had been pierced through by the Purifying Flame, a trace of imperceptible fear appearing in his eyes for the first time.

He hadn't forgotten that moment at the auction.

That ball of grey-white Purifying Flame was not ordinary fire. It didn't burn lamp oil or flesh, but the cracks in the rules they relied on to hide. After the Lamp Watcher's Life Lamp was burned through, what remained was not just an empty seat, but a fact that everyone was unwilling to admit.

Torch could really burn them.

Therefore, Lamp Folder's plan was dangerous.

And precisely because it was dangerous, it might be useful.

The Remnant Lamp Recorder finally spoke.

"Do not let the Old Objects point directly to us."

Lamp Folder nodded.

"I will make them look like leaked remnants."

"Do not touch the Fire Keeper."

"I can't reach him," Lamp Folder said frankly, "and I don't want to."

The Remnant Lamp Recorder pushed the old bus monthly pass back to him.

"Then go and test it."

"See if that fire can protect so many small lamps at the same time."

Lamp Folder picked up the three Old Objects and turned to leave.

When he reached the door, he suddenly looked back at the cracked Life Lamp.

The scorch marks inside the lamp wall looked like a grey-white eye.

His smile faded a little.

After tonight, if Torch could still hold the periphery, the Longevity Society would have to admit one thing.

Lamp Folder did not like the Remnant Lamp Recorder.

In his view, people like the Archivist always stood in the back, holding reports of other people's failures. But he also had to admit that after the auction, there weren't many people left in the Longevity Society who dared to organize Torch's data.

Many people were afraid.

Afraid that the grey-white Purifying Flame would burn over along the names, lamp fires, and records.

Lamp Folder was also afraid, only he was more afraid of being useless. The Longevity Society never kept useless people, especially after the Lamp Watcher died, all positions became colder. Whoever couldn't prove their value would be treated as the next experimental Material.

So he targeted the periphery.

Core members were too tough. Shen Qinghe could identify rules, Zhao Ye could suppress close-range contamination, Bai Ya could track lines. Not to mention the Fire Keeper; no one was willing to gamble their Life Lamp a second time.

But the periphery was different.

Sprite hid behind the network, Prophet relied on data to speak, the Youth was just a survivor, Li Xi was just a nurse, Chen Shi and Chen Jue hadn't even truly entered the Torch list. They knew a little truth, were stained with a bit of firelight, but didn't have a complete fire wall yet.

Such people were best suited for testing boundaries.

Lamp Folder picked up the old bus monthly pass. There were many names on the back of the pass, repeatedly wiped off and written on. It wasn't a strong Old Object, but it could make people have the illusion that "I should have been on the bus."

The express delivery slip was more troublesome. Every time the address was changed, it was like sticking a layer of "deliverable" skin onto a place in reality.

The Terminal Station iron piece was the final nail.

Together, the three didn't kill the strong, but only dragged down ordinary people.

This was despicable.

And very effective.

The Remnant Lamp Recorder saw through this, but didn't stop it.

"Remember," he said at the end, "we are not here to win a small game."

Lamp Folder put the Old Objects into the box: "I know."

"We need to know to what extent Torch will burn for the sake of the people on the periphery."

Low laughter came from outside the door. It was a recording left by the Clown; no one knew where he was now.

In the recording, he seemed to be humming.

"Next stop, everyone."

After Lamp Folder left, the Remnant Lamp Recorder remained in the room alone. He picked up his pen and wrote four characters in his notebook: Peripheral Fire Test. After writing, he paused for a long time, then added a sentence next to it: If the fire rolls back, cut off the Jiangbei line immediately. People in the Longevity Society never lacked greed, but after the auction, caution was written into their rules for the first time.

What they were facing was not a group of people who could handle anomalies.

But an order that was growing teeth.