Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 255 "Operation Fallen Petals" Begins

10 month 6 day.

In the afternoon, Silver Fox drove Chen Na to the college, where Guan Tong, whom he had arranged to meet by phone the day before, was waiting at the college gate.

As soon as Chen Na got out of the car, she waved to Guan Tong and ran over: "Brother Guan!"

Guan Tong waved back and came forward.

"Xiao Na, you've grown taller again."

The last time Guan Tong saw Chen Na was during the earthquake. However, he disguised his identity that time, and Chen Na didn't know that he was Shadow; she just felt that he was somewhat familiar.

It has been more than four months since that rule was established, almost half a year. Chen Na has grown taller again, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she is the height of a second or third-year junior high school girl.

"Hehe." Chen Na smiled shyly, "It's probably because the food at the base is better, and there's also the factor of mental power modification."

Guan Tong nodded.

The younger the age at which one awakens their spiritual power, the greater their future potential—this has long been a well-known fact. People like Chen Na, at her age, will reap many benefits from this.

At this moment, Silver Fox parked the car and came over. Chen Na introduced, "Brother Guan, this is Sister Silver Fox. Sister Silver Fox, this is... Brother Guan Tong."

“I know.” Silver Fox took off his sunglasses and extended his hand to Guan Tong. “Your lecturer who replaced Shi Jingyi is quite a celebrity online.”

Although Guan Tong had met Silver Fox several times, her acting was quite good this time. She shook hands with her and said, "It's just a substitute teaching position. Shi Jingyi will be back next month, and I will leave the academy after that."

"Huh?" Chen Na didn't expect this. After thinking for a moment, she suggested, "How about you come to our side, Brother Guan? Sister Silver Fox, the base will definitely agree, right?"

Silver Fox chuckled, "Of course. The base would be more than happy to have someone as talented as Teacher Guan. But it seems Teacher Guan isn't interested?"

“Yes.” Guan Tong looked at Chen Na. “Xiao Na, I don’t plan to join you.”

"But... Brother Guan, after you leave the academy, will you be going to the wilderness by yourself again?"

"We'll talk about that later. Shall I show you around the academy now?"

"Okay, okay," Chen Na nodded in agreement. "I've never been here before!"

Silver Fox also said, "Sure, I've never been to an academy either."

It's normal that Chen Na hasn't been here before. Even if she meets the admission requirements, she's too young compared to the other students, and she'd likely have various difficulties adapting to the college. It's better for her to stay outside.

Silver Fox... Guan Tong knew that all the members of her "Dragon Soul Squad" were from the military. It was estimated that their team members were selected and trained as an official team at the very beginning of the apocalypse, so there was no need for them to go to the academy.

Guan Tong led the two into the academy and they strolled around the campus.

Thanks to its uniquely beautiful scenery, the campus environment is truly wonderful, comparable to that of tourist attractions.

After they finished shopping, Guan Tong asked, "Xiao Na, I didn't ask you on the phone yesterday, why did you suddenly come to see me today? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, this..."

Seeing her hesitate, Guan Tong immediately reminded her, "If it's inconvenient, don't say it. Don't accidentally break the rules."

“That’s right,” Silver Fox said. “We’re about to embark on a classified mission, and Xiao Na wanted to see you before we left, so we came here.”

"I see. It seems this mission carries some risk."

"Brother Guan, don't worry. With Sister Silver Fox and many other capable people with you, you'll be very safe."

"Ah."

After the two left, Guan Tong also changed her appearance and went to a safe place.

When he returned, Coal Ball was gone; he guessed it had gone hunting in the mountains again.

I turned on my computer and logged into the Ascendant's Home. The "Desperate Situation" person had sent me a new message while I was offline.

At our wits' end: "The commander concealed our existence from our contact. After making us swear an oath not to betray her, she told us that the contact would arrive at the border in five days to escort us out of Beixing and into a safe area outside the country."

At his wit's end: "If I can't get written guarantees from you and the station chief in the next few days, I will never reveal the meeting place. By then, once the commander leaves Beixing, it will be much more difficult for you to take revenge."

Five days...

Looking at the message, Guan Tong knew that this "dead end" wasn't stupid and would definitely want a definite written guarantee.

During the period of the "self-punishment for lying" rule, everything, whether it is language, text, or even data streams published on the Internet, will be bound by the power of the rule.

If Guan Tong disagrees but sends a message offering a guarantee, it constitutes deception and violates the rules, and will be punished.

But since he never intended to provide a guarantee in the first place, he naturally wouldn't take the warning he received now that he was "at his wit's end" to heart.

"Jiang Lanying wants to flee abroad, but where can she go? After the establishment of the Confederation of Peoples, member states naturally have extradition treaties. Does she intend to flee to a place outside the Confederation of Peoples?"

"...No matter where she runs to or who her contact is, the saying 'at her wit' is true to some extent. If she escapes overseas, it will be very troublesome for me to find her and take revenge."

Guan Tong thought to himself that he would completely resolve this old case and grudge that had been entangled with him for more than a year within these few days and within this rule period.

He calculated the time; today was Wednesday, and Jiang Lanying would meet her contact in five days, which would be next Tuesday.

He has classes according to his schedule, so he can only ask for a day off.

Before that day, he had to track the devices used to log into the account to pinpoint the location of the "dead end."

Five days later, on October 12th.

"Fallen Petals Project" Action Day.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The sound of the propellers spinning was extremely piercing. Chen Na, dressed in combat uniform, covered her ears uncomfortably and sat down inside the transport plane.

There were several other people who came in like her, among whom she only recognized Silver Fox and Dragon Soul. Although the others were also members of the official team, she wasn't very familiar with them; she just knew them.

Once everyone had arrived, the plane took off and headed towards its destination.

"Our mission this time is singular: to capture the target and eliminate his subordinates."

As Captain Longhun spoke, he tapped a smartwatch on his wrist a few times, and it projected a photo into the air.

The elderly woman with silver hair in the photo was Jiang Lanying, the target of this operation. The photos then switched to some young women with short hair.

Although these short-haired women have different appearances, they have a very similar temperament, and the photos arranged together are quite eerie.

A newly recruited member of the Dragon Soul team looked at the short-haired women and couldn't help but complain, "Captain Dragon, how come these people all look like they were made from the same template?"

The others nodded in agreement, sharing the same sentiment.

Long Hun explained, "According to the existing investigation results, the target, Jiang Lanying, has been secretly cultivating her confidants over the years. These young women are orphans she adopted through special channels, and each of them has undergone rigorous combat and special agent training."

"Isn't this just raising assassins?" one of the team members exclaimed in astonishment.

"In short, these women are extremely loyal to the target and will unconditionally carry out any orders he gives them," Dragon Soul warned. "Considering they are the target's direct subordinates, they must have received a lot of resources and training, so their combat power should not be underestimated. When you encounter them, you must not hold back and eliminate them immediately."

"Yes!"

"Beep beep beep."

The indicator light on the watch started flashing, and Longhun pressed a button on the side, and a new 3D projection appeared.

In the projection, a middle-aged man sits behind a long table with a very serious expression.

If Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian saw the refined and cultured man in the projection, they would immediately recognize him as Li Meng, the former director of the Yunhua Public Security Bureau.

"Team members, I am now providing you with remote information support and communicating with you under the watchful eyes of higher command. Please listen carefully to what I am saying."

"Yes, Section Chief Li."

Li Meng was transferred to the Special Investigation Department for Kidnapping Cases Nationwide more than a year ago, and is now the department head. His rapid promotion shows that he is highly valued by the higher-ups.

Li Meng said, "Based on our investigation, we have confirmed that the target and his men are hiding in Xun'an Town in the northern border region. You will arrive at the town in six hours—the requirement is to complete the operation and capture mission within three hours."

"Yes!" Dragon Soul replied, "We will complete the mission without hesitation!"

"Chen Na".

When her name was suddenly called, Chen Na was a little nervous, but she immediately responded, "Section Chief Li, please go ahead."

Li Meng said, "The target is very cunning. They've set up electronic jamming devices in the town, and they're likely carrying concealment artifacts. So, your perception is key to finding the target, understand?"

"Chen Na understands!"

She knew that she had been chosen to participate in the operation, which required her to use her sensory abilities to search for the enemy, and she was certain that she wouldn't let them down when the time came.

"Very good. The transport aircraft will land some distance from the town, and you will need to walk in. Once you enter the shielded area, our communication may be interrupted. At that time, Dragon Soul will be in full command, so be careful."

"Yes!"

“By the way,” Li Meng reminded him, “based on previous continuous investigations, the target does not use electronic jamming equipment throughout the entire process, and occasionally turns it off. This may mean that the target is in contact with unknown personnel outside the area.”

Contact with unknown individuals outside the area...

Long Hun asked in a deep voice, "Section Chief Li, does this mean that the enemy might have reinforcements?"

“That’s right,” Li Meng said. “So you need to be extra careful. Also, as the first team members, you are not alone. Reinforcements will arrive in about an hour.”

"Yes."

Communication was temporarily cut off, and everyone's expression turned serious upon learning that the enemy might have unknown reinforcements.

After all, known enemies are not scary; unknown enemies are the scariest.

Chen Na was also secretly cheering herself on. She knew that her role was very important, and whether she could find and grasp the target as soon as possible depended on her performance.

"Don't be nervous, Xiao Na." Silver Fox squeezed Chen Na's hand and smiled at her, "Just perform normally as you usually do in training."

"Well, I know."

"Silver Fox, don't wander off after we enter the town," Dragon Soul said. "Stay close to Chen Na and protect her."

"clear."

(End of this chapter)