49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 321: Chapter 298: Guan Tong’s Interpersonal Investigation

December 20th.

The seven days Lu City had promised Shi Jingyi he would stop practicing were over.

As soon as he entered the practice room, Shi Jingyi immediately called him over. She was paying close attention to the matter.

"Lecturer, I haven’t practiced at all for the past seven days," Lu City said. "Other than it feeling a bit strange, I haven’t experienced any noticeable discomfort. This proves I’m not addicted to the spores, right?"

Shi Jingyi watched him for a few seconds. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"...Go on to your seat."

"Alright."

Lu City turned and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What he didn’t know was that as Shi Jingyi watched his retreating back, her eyes were filled with both disappointment and worry.

How could she possibly not see that he was lying?

It was just that...

Shi Jingyi sighed internally. She knew that even if she called him out on it, it would be useless, serving only to embarrass Lu City.

He couldn’t even last seven days. It was a clear sign that Lu City was already showing symptoms of addiction.

As his lecturer, she was unwilling to watch an excellent student be harmed by the Rules.

But even the authorities were helpless against this particular Rule, reduced to repeatedly pleading with the public through various channels every day. What could she, a mere lecturer, possibly do?

If Lu City had been willing to frankly admit he had broken his promise, things might have been a little better.

To correct a mistake, one must first recognize that a mistake has been made.

Lu City’s choice to deceive her proved that he didn’t think there was anything wrong with having broken his promise.

Shi Jingyi reined in her emotions and continued with the day’s class.

After class, Lu City took the initiative to approach her.

She thought that after some internal struggle, he had decided to tell the truth.

But that was not the case.

"Lecturer Jingyi, I’ve already mastered everything you’ve taught me so far. Is there any more advanced material?"

Lu City’s heart leaped with anticipation. ’With progress like mine, so far beyond everyone else’s,’ he thought, ’Lecturer Jingyi will have to see me in a new light. She might even teach me something more advanced.’

It was just like over two months ago, before Yelena dropped out, when Guan Tong had given her special, intensive training on the side.

He had been quite jealous back then.

Now, he felt that perhaps he had a similar opportunity.

"Building a solid foundation is more important than rushing ahead," Shi Jingyi said calmly. "You should spend more time reinforcing what you’ve learned."

Lu City couldn’t hide his disappointment at her words. He muttered a quiet, "I understand," and left the classroom.

Shi Jingyi frowned as she watched his retreating figure hurry away.

’I know Lu City is unhappy,’ she thought. ’But I also know he’s dependent on those spores. If I accelerate his training now, won’t that just make him even more reliant on the boost they provide?’

’It’s just... he doesn’t seem to appreciate my good intentions at all. Instead, he probably thinks I’m holding back, that I don’t want to teach him anything more advanced.’

’...What on earth am I going to do?’

Just as Shi Jingyi was agonizing over this, a young woman appeared at the door. She tapped it with her fingers and smiled. "Lecturer Jingyi, hello."

Shi Jingyi looked over. "Hello. And you are...?"

"I’m a member of an Ascender team under the Strategy Research Room. Codename, Silver Fox." As she spoke, the woman produced an ID card bearing her photo, codename, and unit affiliation.

The ID card looked brand new, as if it had only been issued a few days ago.

"How can I help you?"

"Yes. The authorities have sent me to ask you, Lecturer Jingyi, about a friend of yours."

Shi Jingyi’s heart skipped a beat. "Which friend?"

Silver Fox replied, "The man you once recommended to substitute for your classes, Mr. Guan. Guan Tong."

...

At the same time, specialized personnel were sent to question multiple people connected to Guan Tong.

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

In addition to those he had met after the start of the Apocalypse Rules, people from his social circle before the apocalypse were also being questioned.

This included his surviving classmates.

"You want to know about Guan Tong?"

Inside an interview room at the Pinglu City Public Security Bureau, Fang Qian, dressed in her duty uniform, stared in surprise at the investigator from the Strategy Research Room who had sought her out.

"That’s right." The investigator was holding a tablet computer, which displayed a large amount of data.

"You and Guan Tong were high school classmates. Later, you became a counselor at the academy, and he became a substitute lecturer there... After resigning from the academy, you joined the Public Security Bureau as a patrol officer. As far as I know, you’re the only one of his classmates who has had any contact with him since the Apocalypse Rules began."

Fang Qian shook her head. "We may have crossed paths since the Apocalypse Rules started, but we were just regular classmates. There’s no special relationship."

"Is that so."

"May I ask, why is the Strategy Research Room investigating him?"

She was well aware of the authority wielded by the Strategy Research Room. For an organization like that to be investigating Guan Tong, it meant he must be in some kind of serious trouble.

"First, you’ll need to sign this."

The investigator tapped the screen a few times before handing the tablet over. Fang Qian took it and saw a non-disclosure agreement displayed on the page.

The agreement stipulated that leaking any information related to this investigation, in any form, was strictly forbidden, and violators would be severely punished.

Having to sign an NDA meant the matter was incredibly serious.

After a moment’s hesitation, Fang Qian pressed her finger to the screen.

"Good."

The investigator took back the tablet and said bluntly, "Based on reliable intelligence and evidence, we’ve concluded that your high school classmate is the renowned Ascender known as ’Shadow’."

"What?!"

Fang Qian couldn’t stop a gasp from escaping. She covered her mouth with both hands, her face a mask of disbelief.

"Judging by your reaction, you were completely unaware of his identity."

"I... Guan Tong is Shadow? I... I honestly had no idea..."

Fang Qian knew Guan Tong was powerful, but she never imagined he was powerful on this level.

"We only confirmed his identity recently. That’s why we’re reaching out to people connected to him."

Once she snapped out of her shock, Fang Qian recalled the news everyone at the bureau had been buzzing about for the past few days. "Is this about the assassination?" she asked. "Are you trying to find him?"

"That’s only one of the reasons," the investigator said. "The authorities want to re-establish communication with Guan Tong to get his side of the story, but he’s deliberately avoiding us."

"Then..."

"Don’t get the wrong idea," the investigator said. "We’re not approaching the people he knows to put pressure on him. We just want to find out if any of you can get in touch with him and might be willing to act as an intermediary to pass on a message from the authorities."

Fang Qian was still reeling from the revelation of Guan Tong’s identity, unsure of what to think.

"It seems you can’t contact him at the moment?"

"...I can’t. We’re not close."

"Alright, thank you for your time." The investigator stood up. "Please remember the terms of the non-disclosure agreement. And if you think of any useful intelligence on him later, feel free to contact me."

The investigator left, leaving Fang Qian to sit alone in the room for a long time.

’Guan Tong is Shadow... That means he...’

Fang Qian racked her brain, searching for any clue, any hint that might have allowed her to realize the truth sooner, but she came up empty.

Before the first Rule had even ended, Guan Tong had kicked her out of his house. They didn’t meet again until more than a year later at the academy.

"Ah."

A jolt went through Fang Qian’s mind as she suddenly remembered something.

It was during the first Rule. She had been at Guan Tong’s home and, out of a crazed fear of death, had tried to attack him, but he had seen right through her.

Back then, Guan Tong had revealed a hidden piece of information about the Rule: the existence of Sober Mint Candy.

She had been shocked at the time and had even asked him how he knew.

The information hadn’t spread yet. The only reason she’d known about it was because her father, a scientist, had broken protocol and secretly called to tell her.

’Guan Tong knew that hidden information back then, but he hardly ever went online. He just sat by himself, reading. That means he... ’

Fang Qian felt like she was vaguely grasping some kind of connection.

She knew this information was undoubtedly crucial.

But...

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

When she and Guan Tong met again at the academy, considering her past transgressions, she felt he would have been justified in treating her however he pleased.

But he hadn’t kicked her while she was down. On the contrary, he had even helped her out of a tight spot. And during their last conversation, his words had finally allowed her to let go of the burden she carried.

Fang Qian knew she had wronged Guan Tong once. She would not do it a second time. Regardless of whether his actions out in the world were right or wrong, she would not tell the investigator what she had just realized.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!