In this chapter, we learn that the special fire forces have been ordered by the government to do more scientific research. The narrator tells us that he's heard that all the companies are doing this, and that's a good time for him to be a member of one of them. He asks the narrator to tell him what a "sacred flame" is, and the narrator tells him that it can either be a destroying flame or a sacred fire that saves souls. He also tells the narrator that he has to be the one who discovered the "adolla link" , which is the link between the adolla flame and Hiroshima . He's not sure what that means, but he does know that it's the same thing that led to the end of the world as we know it: the "flame of perdition" . So, the narrator says, if the flame is a destroying one that threatens mankind or a holy one that saves people, then he'll have to be one of those "adsola link" guys. But he doesn't know what that is either, and he asks for the narrator's help in figuring it out. He says that the narrator has already discovered the link, but that the man who discovered it is already at the same company as the other men in the company. He wants to see the man in person, but the man hates the fire force, so the only solution is to send the narrator packing. If the narrator can't find the man, he says, then the only other option is to meet him in person. He suggests that they take Arthur and his sister, Iris