Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 299 Guan Tong's Interpersonal Investigation

12 month 20 day.

Lu Cheng's promise to Shi Jingyi to take a seven-day break from training has come to an end.

After he entered the training room, Shi Jingyi immediately called him over; she was also very concerned about this matter.

“Instructor, I haven’t practiced for the past seven days,” Lu Cheng said. “Aside from feeling a little out of sorts, I haven’t experienced any significant discomfort. This means I’m not addicted to the spores, right?”

Shi Jingyi looked at him for a few seconds: "Really?"

"Yes."

"...Go to your seat."

"it is good."

Lu Cheng turned around and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Unbeknownst to him, Shi Jingyi looked at his retreating figure with a mixture of disappointment and worry in her eyes.

How could she not see that he was lying?

only……

Shi Jingyi sighed inwardly. She knew that even if she pointed it out, it would only embarrass Lu Cheng and wouldn't do any good.

The fact that Lu Cheng couldn't even last seven days indicates that he is already showing signs of addiction.

As a lecturer, she couldn't bear to see an excellent student harmed by the rules.

This time, even the authorities are helpless with the rules, and can only try to persuade the public through various channels every day. What can she, as a lecturer, possibly do?
If Lu Cheng were willing to frankly admit to making an exception, things might be better.

To correct a mistake, you must first recognize the mistake.

Lu Cheng's choice to deceive shows that he does not believe his decision to make an exception was wrong.

Shi Jingyi composed herself and continued today's lesson.

After class, Lu Cheng took the initiative to come and find her.

She thought that the latter, after an internal struggle, wanted to tell the truth.

But that wasn't the case.

"Lecturer Jingyi, I have mastered everything you have taught so far. Are there any advanced topics you would like to cover?"

Lu Cheng was eager to try. He felt that with his progress far surpassing that of others, Shi Jingyi might look at him with new eyes and teach him more advanced things.

Just like two months ago when Ye Lianka hadn't dropped out of school, Guan Tong gave her extra tutoring.

He was quite jealous at that time.

Now he wonders if he might have a similar opportunity.

"Building a solid foundation is more important than rushing ahead," Shi Jingyi said calmly. "You should consolidate your knowledge further."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng could not hide his disappointment. He muttered "I understand" and left the classroom.

Shi Jingyi frowned as she watched his hurried departure.

She knew Lu Cheng was dissatisfied. But knowing he was addicted to the spores, and still continuing to push him to improve, wouldn't that only make him more reliant on the enhancements the spores provided?
However, Lu Cheng seemed completely oblivious to her good intentions. Instead, he thought she didn't want to teach him anything more advanced.

...So what should we do?

Just as Shi Jingyi was troubled, a young woman suddenly walked in from outside the door, knocked on the door with her finger, and smiled, "Hello, Lecturer Jingyi."

Shi Jingyi looked over and asked, "Hello. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Silver Fox, a member of the Ascended Team under the Countermeasures Research Office." The woman said, taking out an ID card with her photo, code name, and the name of her unit.

The certificate looks brand new; it must have been issued just a few days ago.

"What do you want from me?"

"Yes. The authorities asked me to speak with Instructor Jingyi to learn about the situation of one of your friends."

Shi Jingyi's heart skipped a beat: "Which friend?"

Silver Fox said, "It's that Teacher Guan, Guan Tong, who you recommended as an agent for your courses."

……

At the same time, several people related to Guan Tong were questioned by designated personnel.

Wang Yan and Chen Na, mother and daughter; Xu Xiaotian; Li Meng...

Besides those he met after the known apocalyptic rules, people also inquired about his social circle before the apocalyptic rules.

This includes his classmates who are still alive.

"Do you know anything about Guan Tong?"

Inside a meeting room at the Pinglu City Public Security Bureau, Fang Qian, dressed in her police uniform, looked in surprise at the investigator from the Countermeasures Research Office who had come to find her. "Yes," the investigator said, holding a tablet with a list of documents on it.

"You and Guan Tong were high school classmates. Later, you became a counselor at the academy, and he became a substitute lecturer... Then you resigned from the academy and joined the Public Security Bureau as a duty officer. As far as I know, after entering the rules of the apocalypse, you are the only classmate who still has any contact with him."

Fang Qian shook her head: "Although we still have contact after the apocalypse rules, we are just ordinary classmates and have no special relationship."

"Is this so?"

"Why is the Countermeasures Research Office investigating him?"

She was well aware of the authority of the Countermeasures Research Office. The fact that this organization was investigating Guan Tong meant that something serious must have happened to her.

"You need to sign this first."

The investigator tapped the tablet a few times and handed it to Fang Qian, who took it and saw a confidentiality agreement on it.

The agreement stipulates that no information related to this investigation may be disclosed in any form; otherwise, the perpetrators will be severely punished.

The fact that a confidentiality agreement needs to be signed means that the matter must be very serious.

Fang Qian hesitated for a moment, but still pressed her finger on it.

"Ok."

The investigator put the tablet away and said directly, "Based on some reliable investigations and evidence, we have determined that your high school classmate is the infamous 'Shadow' among the Ascended Ones."

"what?!"

Fang Qian couldn't help but gasp softly, covering her mouth with her hands, her face full of disbelief.

"Judging from your behavior, you know nothing about his identity."

"I... Guan Tong is a shadow? This... I really didn't know..."

Fang Qian only knew that Guan Tong was very powerful, but she didn't expect him to be this powerful.

"We only recently confirmed his identity. So we are in contact with people connected to him."

After regaining her composure, Fang Qian recalled the news that everyone in the department had been discussing these past few days and asked, "Is it because of the assassination attempt? Do you want to find him?"

“That’s only one reason,” the investigator said. “The authorities want to resume communication with Guan Tong and inquire about the situation, but he is now deliberately avoiding us.”

"That……"

“Don’t misunderstand,” the investigator said. “We’re not trying to pressure you, the people he knows. We just want to find out which of you can contact him and help relay official messages as an intermediary.”

Fang Qian was still shocked by Guan Tong's identity and didn't know what to think.

"It seems you can't contact him right now?"

"...No. Our relationship is very ordinary."

“Okay, thank you for your time.” The investigator stood up. “Please remember the contents of the confidentiality agreement. Also, if you think of any useful information about him later, please contact me.”

After the investigator finished speaking and left, Fang Qian sat alone in the room for a long time.

Guan Tong is "Shadow"... then he...

Fang Qian tried hard to recall if there were any clues that would have made her notice earlier, but there were none.

Before the first rule was even finished, Guan Tong kicked her out of the house, and they didn't meet again until more than a year later at the academy.

"what."

Fang Qian's mind jolted, and she suddenly thought of something.

During the period covered by the first rule, when she was at Guan Tong's house, she lost her mind out of fear of death and tried to attack Guan Tong, but Guan Tong saw through her plan.

At that time, Guan Tong revealed the hidden information about the rules, namely the existence of the sobering mint.

She was quite surprised at the time and even asked Guan Tong how he knew.

Because this information had not yet been disseminated at the time, she only knew about it because her father, a scientist, secretly called her and broke the rules.

"Guan Tong knew about this hidden information back then, but he didn't go online much; he just sat and read books. This shows that he..."

Fang Qian seemed to vaguely sense some connection.

She knew this information was undoubtedly crucial.

only……

Fang Qian looked at the contact information the investigator had left on the table and shook her head.

After she and Guan Tong met again at the academy, given the mistakes she had made, it was only natural for Guan Tong to treat her however she wanted.

But instead of kicking her when she was down, he helped her out of the predicament. During their final conversation, Guan Tong's words relieved her of her burden.

Fang Qian knew she had already wronged Guan Tong once, and there would be no second time. Regardless of whether Guan Tong's actions outside were right or wrong, she would not tell the investigator what she was thinking.

(End of this chapter)