Chapter 385
Bylaws and Visits
Chapter 385 Return Journey and Visit
In the afternoon, Guan Tong and Shang Yuanzi packed their things and came out of the manor.
A car was already waiting at the gate.
The car window rolled down, revealing Sgorchin's face.
"Get in the car, I'll give you a ride."
The two got into the car, and Guan Tong said, "We have Commander Rolls-Royce."
After Yelena quelled the situation, she officially appointed Stochkin as the commander of the Sisya Legion. It was indeed more reassuring to entrust this position to her most trusted subordinate.
“I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet.” Skochin looked at Guan Tong through the rearview mirror. “You and Miss Shangyuan Zi have been a great help to us this time. If you need my help in the future, just let me know.”
"Okay." Guan Tong nodded without any pretense of politeness and said, "I'll remember that."
From the manor's attic, Yelena watched the vehicle carrying the two of them drive away, a wave of melancholy washing over her.
Sgorchin dropped the two off on the outskirts of the capital, after which they would proceed on their own and did not intend to use public transportation such as airplanes.
"Then we'll go ahead."
"Hold on."
Sgorchin walked up to the two of them, his expression somewhat complicated.
"I have a few words to say to you. It's not something someone else told me to say, but something I want to say myself... The Consul has almost no friends. During your time here, although you experienced some crises, I know that she was actually very happy inside."
Guan Tong and Shang Yuanzi remained silent.
"Therefore, out of my own selfish desire, I hope you can come to Sisya to see her often."
Skochin looked at Guan Tong, knowing that he was the one Yelianka cared about: "I heard from the governor that you have established an organization aimed at exploring the truth of the rules of the apocalypse. If you are rejected by others, you can come and develop here. Sisia welcomes you anytime."
Guan Tong understood the meaning behind Stochastic's invitation, and both she and Yelena welcomed his decision to establish the Origin Tracing Brigade's base in Sisia. This was certainly a good thing, but given the current number of members in the organization, discussing matters such as a large base or stronghold was still premature.
"Thank you for your invitation, we will keep it in mind," Guan Tong said.
Sigachin nodded without saying anything more, turned around and got back into the car to start the return journey.
The two watched the car drive away, and Shangyuan Zi said, "I think her invitation is worth considering."
"Oh?"
"Because the country's ruler, Yelena, seems to trust you completely. She has now eliminated domestic threats and holds absolute power. With the support and protection of such a person, you don't need to worry about anything when developing your organization."
"You mean there might be other issues to worry about?"
"Hmm. I think even in your home country of Beixing, you might encounter difficulties in developing an organization and establishing a base."
Guan Tong pondered for a moment after hearing this and said, "We don't need to think about these things now. Let's wait until we have more people in the organization. Let's go to Twin Star Bar."
The two went to the bar to find Black Star, who had already completed his collection of mental energy for the day and was somewhat surprised to see that Shang Yuanzi had also come.
After completing the transaction, Guan Tong told Black Star, "We will leave Sisia today."
"You two are leaving? Then what about the long-term commission to collect spiritual power..."
"This long-term commission will not be interrupted. You can continue to collect it, and I will have someone else collect it."
The "others" Guan Tong referred to were naturally materialized shadows, indistinguishable from humans once dressed. In special circumstances, he could also teleport to them... Compared to the mental energy he received, the daily cost of maintaining the illusory form was negligible.
"okay, I get it."
At this moment, Bai Xing walked over, looked at Guan Tong and Shang Yuanzi, and hesitated as if she wanted to say something.
Black Star frowned at her, but White Star didn't say anything more.
Before leaving, Guan Tong said to Hei Xing, "If you know anyone who sells items that can store mental energy, please ask them for me. I will buy them at a high price."
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"That's settled then."
After the two left the bar, Shangyuan Zi said, "That woman, Bai Xing. She seemed to have something to say to you? But Hei Xing stopped her with a look."
“I noticed that too,” Guan Tong said. “But since they haven’t said anything, there’s no need for us to ask. As long as my commission goes smoothly, there’s no need to create unnecessary trouble.”
"Okay, where to go now?"
"Beixing," Guan Tong said to her, "I have some things to take care of after we get there, and I also want you to meet someone."
"Who?"
……
The recently concluded sixteenth rule challenge in Beixing did not have a significant impact on this vast nation.
Under strong official control, all competitors successfully passed the challenge—although they didn't receive the ranking rewards, at least their mental strength cap didn't decrease due to forfeiting.
For many people, being neither outstanding nor making any mistakes is enough.
Especially after the bombing at the Somali final, more people believed that Northstar's decision was correct, and some even gloated over what happened in Somali.
Turning this killing contest into a ticketed event, even if many people are willing to buy tickets to watch it, doesn't necessarily mean it will gain public support.
Even in Solomon Island, countless people began hurling insults from the very first day the official ticket sales were announced, and the anger didn't subside until the bombing on the last day.
Many people have added photos from the scene and screenshots of the bishop worshipping the fire-stealer to their collections of hellish jokes. Some have even publicly stated that the bishop named "Heath" was right, that Sororo should not have turned this fierce competition into a game of entertainment.
However, regardless of the various noises online, there is still one dominant view: the Fire Thief Cult has proven through various means that it poses a serious threat to humanity as a whole and must be eradicated.
The FBI also issued a statement hours after the bombing, saying it would not tolerate such behavior and would crack down on cult members entrenched in France and the country as soon as possible.
"This time, all countries will send their elite Ascensioners to form joint action teams, and small countries are no exception. In fact, several small countries are the most eager."
In the Countermeasures Research Office, in Gao Liangwei's office, he was discussing this matter with Zhang Minglu.
“They certainly have reason to be eager,” Zhang Minglu said. “Compared to large countries, small countries are more easily infiltrated and even attacked on a large scale by the Fire-Stealers cult.”
"If it weren't for geographical limitations, the Fire-Stealing Cult would probably have already attacked these small countries. It's just that France and the Roman Empire are located on the same continent, which is why they were somewhat restrained."
After Gao Liangwei finished speaking, he asked, "Do you have anyone in mind for the team that Beixing is sending this time?"
"We need to finalize the team leader first. Last time, the person in charge and I contacted Guan Tong and finalized this matter. I think we should stick to what we agreed on before and have him lead the team."
"Shadow's strength is beyond doubt, but his recent actions in Sisia..."
Seeing Gao Liangwei's serious expression, Zhang Minglu had some idea of the reason. Beixing had been conducting intelligence gathering on Xisia, and in the past few days, Xisia's new governor, Yelianka, had been arresting, trying, and executing people with astonishing speed and wide range of involvement.
According to intelligence, the reason she was able to move these things forward so quickly was because of the help of a powerful ascendant, who was none other than "Shadow".
During their last contact, Guan Tong said he had business to attend to in Xisia. Combined with subsequent intelligence, it becomes clear that one of his tasks was to assist Yelianka in seizing power in the country.
This kind of thing doesn't weigh more than four ounces on the scale, but once it's on the scale, it's a thousand or ten thousand pounds.
It's rather... especially since this incident once again demonstrates that the power of a top-tier Ascended Being can even change the situation of a country, which is something some people are unwilling to see.
Zhang Minglu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sir, although I also think his behavior was somewhat inappropriate, everything is changing too fast in this era. Perhaps everyone has to learn to accept these changes... If I may be overstepping my authority, it would be a huge loss for us if we distance ourselves from top-tier Ascensioners like Guan Tong because of grudges."
Gao Liangwei said, "Don't worry, Dr. Zhang. The top leadership is very clear about this, otherwise why do you think the investigation into 'Project Fallen Petals' was frozen?"
Zhang Minglu was taken aback; he had forgotten about that case. Indeed, if the "Fallen Petals Project" was still under investigation, there was no reason why they wouldn't take action against Guan Tong.
"The top leadership's intention is very clear now, not just regarding Guan Tong, but also including other individuals in China who have been elevated to higher levels. As long as they don't commit any major morally reprehensible or heinous mistakes, even if their behavior is somewhat out of line, they won't be investigated further."
Gao Liangwei then added, "Oh, right, there's one more thing. Do you remember Li Meng?"
Zhang Minglu nodded: "Of course I remember Li Meng, the former director of the Yunhua City Public Security Bureau who later took charge of investigating the Qingmei Society kidnapping case."
"I applied to the top leadership and had him join the Countermeasures Research Office. For this operation against the Fire Thief Cult, I plan to have him oversee the personnel command of the North Star Squad."
Zhang Minglu agreed, "I support him. He was originally the director of the Public Security Bureau, and it is said that he was promoted from the grassroots level after making many outstanding contributions. He must have experience in this kind of urban security operation. Moreover, he and Guan Tong are quite familiar with each other, so cooperating with him can save a lot of trouble."
"That's why I let him join," Gao Liangwei said. "Go and draft a team roster for me. Also, find out what Guan Tong's needs are."
"Understood, person in charge."
……
Pinglu City Comprehensive Healing Center.
In the corridor, a young doctor in a white coat led Shang Yuanzi through the corridor, saying as they walked, "Her emotions are usually quite stable, but she has a rather intense episode every few days. We're afraid she might harm herself, so we have to use sedatives when the situation gets serious."
“Frequent use of sedatives…isn’t that bad for your health?” Uehara Zi said.
"There's nothing we can do about it," the young doctor said helplessly. "Currently, the medical community hasn't developed any drugs specifically for her condition, so we're at a loss. However, she's an Ascended Being, and her body is much stronger than that of ordinary people, so sedatives won't cause her much harm."
Shangyuan Zi nodded and followed the doctor to a room with a sign that read "Special Detoxification Room." A nurse was coming out of the room.
"How is she feeling today?" the doctor asked.
"Not bad." The nurse looked at Shang Yuanzi, who was wearing a mask and sunglasses, with great confusion. "And who is this?"
"They came to see her; they have visitation passes issued by their superiors."
"Oh, please come in."
The nurse pushed open the door, and Shang Yuanzi walked in.
The room was spacious and bright, but what caught Shang Yuanzi's eye were the strange sketches covering the walls and the manuscript papers scattered all over the floor.
A woman in a white hospital gown was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly outside.
"Suzuki, someone has come to see you."
The nurse called out softly, and Suzuki stiffened and turned his head.
"You two chat, we'll head out now." The nurse and doctor left the room.
Meeting Suzuki's probing gaze, Uehara Yuki removed her sunglasses and mask. Upon seeing her pupils and face, Suzuki immediately stood up in surprise: "You're Uehara-nee!"
"Suzuki," Uehara Yukari said, "how have you been lately?"
"I……"
Suzuki looked at Uehara Yukari, and his eyes quickly welled up with tears.
"I'm fine, I'm fine... Thank you, thank you for coming to see me..."
Uehara Shi knew that Suzuki had no friends here, and naturally no one would come to see her, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
“Guan Tong sent me,” she said. “He had some things to take care of, so he didn’t come with me. But he’ll be coming to see you in the next few days.”
"Really?" Suzuki's eyes welled up with tears. "He still remembers me... I thought, I thought you had all forgotten me..."
"..."
Shang Yuanzi walked to her side and gave her a hug, somewhat awkwardly, to calm her down.
After a moment, Suzuki calmed down considerably, wiped her cheeks with a tissue, and said with a guilty tone, "I'm sorry, Uehara-nee, I may have to disappoint you..."
"You mean...you couldn't quit?"
When Suzuki admitted to being addicted to spores, Kanto used her connections in the Countermeasures Research Lab to send her to the withdrawal center in Pinglu, with the aim of trying to help her get rid of her spore addiction.
But now, based on what the doctor said before, and Suzuki's own words, Uehara Shizuka feels that it is very likely that they will fail.
Suzuki nodded, his expression pained, and said, "Every few days, that intense craving for spores comes back. I try to control it, but I can't. I can only distract myself by sketching... When all else fails, the doctor gives me sedatives... But lately, the sedatives are becoming less and less effective, and I'm worried that..."
After listening attentively, Uehara Yukari reassured him, "Suzuki, don't overthink it. There will definitely be a way."
Suzuki shook her head: "Thank you, Uehara-nee, I know you're just trying to comfort me... I heard from the nurses that spore addiction is incurable, and there have been cases of severely addicted people dying in the withdrawal center."
"..."
"Sister Shangyuan, I have only one wish right now. I hope to go back to Yingqi and see my former colleagues from the police station... to say goodbye to them. Is that alright?"
For Shang Yuanzi, her colleagues and superiors at the Public Security Bureau were probably among the few people she knew well.
"...Of course. I'll talk to Guan Tong...no, you can tell him yourself when he comes to see you."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Shangyuan."
Shangyuan Zi stayed with Suzuki for several hours before leaving, and as soon as she left the rehabilitation center, she called Guan Tong.
"How is she?" Guan Tong asked.
“Suzuki’s condition is very bad.” Uehara Yuki’s tone was heavy. “Once addicted to spores, it seems impossible to quit by willpower alone. There are no targeted drugs, and doctors can’t do anything except use sedatives… There have already been cases of severe addicts dying. If a solution is not found soon, Suzuki will definitely follow in his footsteps.”
"...I understand. I will try my best to save Suzuki's life...no, to save all spore addicts."
(End of this chapter)