Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 141 The Choice Between the Strong and the Weak
Liu Yuqiang looked at the black hand gripping his neck, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He knew Guan Tong was not joking; if he didn't say anything, he would definitely die here.

Will I die here?
Liu Yuqiang has always refused to admit defeat, as evidenced by his choice to trade his secretary's life for his own survival from the very first rule.

But as time went by, especially after arriving at this base, he increasingly felt that living like this... didn't seem to be very enjoyable.

The Forty-Nine Rules—only one-fifth of them have passed, and the world has already become this wretched place. When another one-fifth passes, when all the rules have ended, will humanity still truly exist?
Five seconds passed quickly, and Liu Yuqiang's spirits waned. He sighed and said, "Let's do it. I have nothing to say."

Guan Tong was somewhat surprised. He had thought that even if Liu Yuqiang refused, he would do so in a more resolute and forceful manner. That was the tough-guy image he had projected in public and on camera before the rules of the apocalypse.

But right now, Liu Yuqiang gives Guan Tong a feeling of despair. Despair for the world, and for himself.

Liu Yuqiang's display of despair actually gave Guan Tong a chance to ask him something.

He didn't make a move, but said, "I know that Mr. Liu came from a poor background. He built Jule Technology from scratch and can be considered a legendary figure in the business world."

The public knows about Liu Yuqiang's story because the authorities used to frequently use him as a role model of the poor achieving success, promoting him to young people and encouraging them to learn from him.

Guan Tong also remembers that the school organized an event where the whole class watched Liu Yuqiang's inspirational speech together and learned from his hardworking, tenacious and hard-working spirit.

“…What do you want to say?” Liu Yuqiang asked.

“I want to ask, has Boss Liu lost his compassion for the poor after achieving success?” Guan Tong said. “At the very bottom of this base, there are nearly two thousand people imprisoned. Judging from their situation, they are no longer treated as human beings, but purely as a resource.”

"Mr. Liu, how can you, a child from a poor family, be so indifferent to this kind of thing? Don't those imprisoned people remind you of the injustices you and your parents suffered when you were poor? Or does money really have such great power that it can change a person's nature so thoroughly?"

"Enough!" Liu Yuqiang hissed. "What do you know about my affairs?"

“I don’t understand, and I don’t want to understand. But if you still have a shred of conscience for the poor and ordinary people, you should tell me what you know.”

Guan Tong released his grip on Liu Yuqiang's hand, and Liu Yuqiang sat on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

Perhaps Guan Tong's words touched him, for after a complex change in expression, he finally spoke slowly: "...I am a member of the Green Plum Society. Before the era of apocalyptic rules, the Green Plum Society was a secret business alliance."

"The president of the Green Plum Society, whom we call 'Big Sister,' is a mysterious and extremely powerful figure."

"After the rules of the apocalypse came, the eldest sister announced that the Green Plum Society would be transformed from a business alliance into a survival mutual aid society. In order to obtain more resources, she, along with several members and perhaps others, secretly manipulated violent groups in various cities to kidnap people with high mental strength."

Upon hearing this, Guan Tong's pupils contracted violently.

It turns out that the mastermind behind the kidnapping case that she and Xu Xiaotian encountered was the eldest sister of the Qingmei Society.
"The kidnapped people are kept in this base to provide them with Ascension Coins and items. This time, they are responsible for customizing rules for a small number of people."

"As for us members, in order to survive in this era of rules, we have no choice but to rely on the eldest sister and follow her orders. After the official announcement of wartime management, we have basically all left the city and moved into the base."

"Gradually, I also realized that, having lost our former social connections and resources, we were no longer of much value to the eldest sister. Her focus of training shifted to the team."

Guan Tong asked, "Who exactly is this eldest sister? Does she have a name or a photo?"

Liu Yuqiang shook his head: "We don't know the elder sister's name. Although we've met her, we don't have any photos. She's an elderly woman in her seventies, but she's very energetic and has a loud voice."

Over seventy years old... It's truly unimaginable how energetic he is to be able to manage all this behind the scenes at this age.

Liu Yuqiang raised his head, looked at Guan Tong, and said in a deep voice, "I don't know if you are that Shadow. But even if you are, going against Big Sister is a very dangerous choice. The resources she can mobilize are beyond your imagination. Even if you destroy this base, it may not be a serious blow to her."

Guan Tong looked at this business tycoon who was once known for his tough style.

"To obediently submit to a strong enemy is the choice of the weak. The strong are those who will fight back against injustice and oppression, even if they fail."

"..."

Liu Yuqiang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Yes...without realizing it, I've become someone who only knows how to silently obey, haha..."

Liu Yuqiang suddenly initiated a face-to-face transaction between the Ascended Ones.

He put his Ascension Coins and tradable items on the list, and Guan Tong accepted them.

"...In this base, Han Ling has always maintained a one-way communication with her eldest sister. If you want to investigate her, start with her."

After saying that, Liu Yuqiang got up and walked to the table, took out a pistol from the drawer, and pointed the muzzle at his temple.

“Shadow, I hope you can become a true strongman and reach the end of the forty-nine rules.”

boom!
With a muffled thud, Liu Yuqiang collapsed to the ground.

Guan Tong watched silently, but he did not stop Liu Yuqiang from choosing to commit suicide.

Is suicide an escape from one's own powerlessness by the weak, or a rebellion by the strong against fate? Perhaps only the person involved truly knows.

He left the room and continued toward the next door.

……

Countermeasures Research Office.

Gao Liangwei was talking with Dr. Zhang in his office.

Gao Liangwei asked, "How did the operation go?"

"It went very smoothly," Dr. Zhang said. "The teams performed well in this field sweep, eliminating several thugs and donor organizations. They also won first place in several challenge events."

"How many has Bai Xuewu, the one you're particularly interested in, gotten?" Gao Liangwei asked. Dr. Zhang looked embarrassed upon hearing this: "Bai Xuewu has gotten about twenty so far."

"Twenty?" Gao Liangwei immediately frowned. "Why so few? I remember some of the Ascended Ones offered to sell their Challenge Project Creation Rights in a transaction, right?"

"Yes."

Dr. Zhang also knows that some Ascended individuals living in the shelter feel that they are not competitive enough and cannot even compete with the people inside the shelter, so they decide to sell their challenge projects.

The official team would certainly be willing to spend some Ascension Coins to purchase more Firsts specifically for certain individuals.

In this situation, now that we're in the middle of the rule phase, Bai Xuewu's twenty first-place finishes are indeed not many.

"Actually, the reason is this," Dr. Zhang explained, "Because Bai Xuewu is a homebody and doesn't like going out, she doesn't want to take on challenges that are far away. In addition, I think the main reason is that she herself has some resistance to this kind of thing."

"conflict?"

"Yes. She felt that this was stealing other people's spiritual power, and she was very resistant to doing such a thing."

Gao Liangwei frowned: "We don't have any mandatory donor system, she should know that."

"I've explained that to her, of course, but this girl's personality... well, you can't force her. Besides, I think twenty first places are enough; there might be a few more later."

Gao Liangwei said unhappily, "She's so willful. Has she considered the official teams of other countries? Maybe someone can get fifty, a hundred, or even more first places? If the more first places someone gets, the greater their mental strength ceiling will be, how big will the gap be?"

Dr. Zhang looked helpless, and Gao Liangwei knew there was nothing he could do. As he said, this kind of thing can't be forced.

"Dragon Soul's group must have taken enough, right? All five of them are from the military; obeying orders is their duty."

"Yes, they are very cooperative. Captain Long Hun has already won more than eighty first places, and the team members have also won quite a few, and this number will continue to increase."

"That's still not enough. Let them accelerate and get more first place."

After Gao Liangwei finished speaking, he noticed that Dr. Zhang seemed a little hesitant, so he immediately told him to say whatever he wanted to say.

“That’s right,” Dr. Zhang said. “After careful consideration over the past few days, I feel that this rule may have hidden dangers.”

"Hidden danger?"

"Manager, you surely remember the first rule. That hidden rule is that knocking someone unconscious grants you a [Sobering Peppermint], but those who use this item generally have a lower maximum mental strength afterward compared to those who don't..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Liangwei immediately understood Dr. Zhang's implied meaning.

"Are you saying that the rule of taking first place from someone else might lead to similar problems after the rule ends?"

"Yes. Manager, think about it. This hidden rule was ultimately sold by the site owner of the Ascendant's Home website. Whether it can be implemented or whether there will be any adverse consequences, we don't know. We can only verify it after the rule expires."

"So I think we can't be too reckless in this matter... otherwise, if there are any adverse consequences, it could cause a lot of trouble."

“You’re right.” Gao Liangwei pondered for a moment. “We can’t put all our eggs in one basket. Let the Dragon Soul group continue to get more first place. As for Bai Xuewu, since she’s resisting, we won’t force her to get more.”

“That’s what I think too,” Dr. Zhang said.

He had barely finished speaking when a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door.

"Come in."

"Boss!" A young reporter rushed in anxiously. "Our intelligence department just received a report that a large foster care organization with more than two thousand victims has been discovered!"

"What? Two thousand people!"

Dr. Zhang stood up in surprise, and Gao Liangwei's face also darkened.

What kind of wilderness organization could control two thousand people?

"Yes. And more importantly, that field organization is located in the Yongzhou mountain range."

“The Yongzhou Mountain Range.” Gao Liangwei could no longer sit still. He stood up, his eyes unusually sharp. “It’s only a little over a hundred kilometers from the capital, Yong’an. To have such a large donor organization exist so close to the capital is simply outrageous… Dr. Zhang!”

"Please speak, person in charge."

"Have the first squad assemble at the designated location immediately. I will send a 500-strong armed force to assist and immediately airlift them to the organization's stronghold."

"Yes, I'll contact Dragon Soul right away."

After Dr. Zhang and the reporter left, Gao Liangwei hadn't even sat down when the landline on the table rang.

He stared intently at the ringing landline, waiting until it rang more than a dozen times before answering.

"The tissue found in the Yongzhou Mountains will be handled by other agencies," came a firm voice over the phone.

Gao Liangwei said, "I regret to inform you that I have already dispatched a combat team."

"Then let them withdraw."

"That's probably impossible; the person is already on the plane!"

　Day 21 of daily check-in; nine more days until I get the badge.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)