Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 287 The Cruelty of Blood Ties
"Princess, shall I go with you?"

Sgorchin looked at Yelena, who was dressed in her finest attire. Today was her grandmother's birthday, and a family banquet was being held to celebrate.

Yelena looked at herself in the mirror; she was even more radiant than usual today, having dressed up carefully.

“Just take me to the manor,” Yelena said. “You know my grandmother’s personality; she’s always preferred peace and quiet.”

"Ah."

Yelena's grandmother was notorious for her eccentricities within the upper echelons of Sisyah's society. It was hard for outsiders to imagine that someone of her status and wealth would have only one or two maids and a gardener by her side.

In contrast, people in Sissia who were one or two classes below her had at least double-digit numbers of servants in their households.

"So, besides the princess, only Lady Konia, your brother, and your father were present at this birthday banquet?"

"Ah."

“I will be waiting at the manor gate,” Sgorchin said. “If anything happens, please contact me immediately and I will come to your side right away.”

"What's going on?" Yelena looked at Scout behind her in the mirror. "It's just a birthday party, what could possibly happen?"

"You know, it's early December now, a critical period. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, we still have to be careful."

"...Okay. I'm ready, let's go."

After leaving their residence, Sgorchin drove Yelena to one of the Konya family's estates.

On the way, Yelena said, "We've done quite well lately. In terms of handling official business and communicating with certain people, we've probably surpassed my brother."

“Yes,” Schoch said. “You have a high level of support in the circle right now, and if nothing unexpected happens, you will take over Mr. Konia’s position on the 1st of next month.”

Yelena looked out the car window. Although she was only seventeen years old, she had already developed a level of psychological maturity beyond her years, thanks to her family background.

Then she saw some Sisyans drinking and breathing heavily on the street outside, looking quite intoxicated.

Yelena's gaze shifted: "Sgorchin, there must be many people in our Sisyah affected by the spores, right?"

"Yes, there's nothing we can do about it. Even the usually strict Beixing couldn't handle this rule, so it's even more out of control in our country full of alcoholics."

"..."

Although Yelena didn't want to, she had to admit that almost everyone in the country of Sisyah, from men to women and from the young to the old, drank alcohol.

Of ten people, at least half will have serious alcohol problems as adults.

There is no doubt that excessive drinking will cloud your judgment, and now with the added effect of spores, the consequences will certainly not be good.

However, the dependence on alcohol is ingrained in the Sisyphus people. The country's climate is too cold, and many people drink not because they find it delicious, but simply to warm up their bodies.

If people follow this example, drinking can be passed down as a way of life within just one or two generations.

“North Star’s response was to establish administrative zones,” Si Gaoqin said with a chuckle, her tone somewhat cold. “It’s probably in preparation for centralized executions.”

"Centralized executions..."

“I can assure you, Your Highness. If the parasite ever transforms into some kind of monster, Beixing will eliminate the threat immediately. You know how efficient they are.”

“If the parasite is a monster that threatens humanity, then there is nothing wrong with doing so.” Yelena did not object.

“Yes. Actually, we should do the same, but…” Sgorchin shrugged, “We’re receiving too many spores here, we simply can’t concentrate them all.”

“Moreover, our official departments are too inefficient.” Yelena frowned. “Many small things are dragged on and on.”

“I heard that in Somaro, the law enforcement personnel have all been replaced with robots,” Sgorchin said. “I guess it’s for efficiency. After all, robots don’t think or do anything else besides obeying orders, and they certainly won’t deliberately hold us back… Maybe all the countries in the Human Alliance will do this in the future.”

"..."

Are all law enforcement agencies being replaced by robots?
Yelena disagreed with this approach.

This is because it means that if a decision-maker issues a wrong order, a robot that executes it without thinking will only cause irreparable and serious consequences.

"There's something else, which I only received today," said Sgorchin. "The launch dates for the two manned rockets, Soroma and Northstar, have been postponed to January next year."

"Are you worried about being affected by the rules?"

"Yes. I heard it's because they're worried about astronauts developing parasitic infections. You know, if something goes wrong in space, there's nothing people on the ground can do."

As the two were talking, ten minutes later, a pastoral-style manor came into view.

Sgorchin drove to the gate, got out, and opened the car door for Yelena Kara.

“Remember what I told you before I left, Princess.” Sgorchin pointed again to the purple earring on Yelena’s right earlobe, where a portable signal communication device was hidden.

"Contact me immediately if there's any situation. Also, if the signal is interrupted for more than fifteen seconds, I will come over immediately."

"Ah."

Yelena entered the manor, and as Sgorchen watched her figure, he suddenly looked up and glanced at a window of the manor.

Rijeka, behind the window, lowered his binoculars and scoffed, "What a sharp-eyed fellow."

"Lord Rijeka, has your sister entered the manor?"

In the shadows of the corner of the room, Rijeka's confidant, Gelkin, asked.

"Yes. She came in by herself, but that woman, Sgorchin, was waiting at the manor entrance, probably because she was worried. And she seemed to have seen me."

“It’s perfectly normal for you to attend your grandmother’s birthday party, and there’s nothing wrong with discovering it. Besides, even if Sgorchin is capable, if everything happens in the blink of an eye, she won’t have time to intervene,” Gellkin said.

Rijeka nodded and turned to look at him: "Gelkin, it has to be you. You actually thought of taking advantage of my grandmother's banquet to make your move."

"Hehe, I was just going with the flow. This definitely wouldn't have been possible without Mrs. Konia's tacit approval... It seems she really loves you."

“Of course.” Rijeka smiled smugly. “My grandmother has always doted on me since I was little. How could Yelena compare? Now that the two of us are competing, she will definitely support me.”

"In that case, I'll go and prepare."

"Go."

A few minutes later, Yelena entered the room, where a woman in her sixties with curly hair was sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace, watching the flames burn.

“Grandmother, I’m here,” Yelena said. “Happy birthday.”

Mrs. Konia turned around at the sound of her voice and said with a smile, "Yelenka, my good child. Come and sit down." Yelena sat down next to her grandmother, who took her hand and looked at her face.

"Good child, you're getting more and more beautiful. You truly are the pearl of our Sisya."

"Yelenka is here?"

Rijeka then came down from upstairs.

"Brother," Yelena greeted, then looked at her grandmother, "Where is Father?"

A fleeting, unnatural expression crossed Mrs. Konia's face: "Your father has some urgent business to attend to and has gone back to his office. He'll come over when he's finished."

Yelena was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded: "There have indeed been quite a few things going on lately."

“Who told him to sit in that position?” Konia patted Yelena’s hand. “Don’t be fooled by the envy of other families; you know how hard your father has worked all these years.”

“When your father was young, he was a proud young man, like a lion. But after he took over your grandfather’s position, he became more and more silent. That position can completely change a person.”

“I know, Grandmother,” Yelena said softly. “I know.”

"so……"

Yelena interrupted her grandmother: "So if my father chooses me, I will learn from him and dedicate my life to this country and make it better."

Mrs. Konia's face fell almost instantly upon hearing this. She remained silent for several seconds before managing a smile: "Good child... very good. I'll go to my room to rest for a bit. You and your brother can talk."

After Mrs. Konia finished speaking, she got up and went upstairs. Halfway up, Yelena stood up and said, "Grandmother, is that all? It's your birthday."

Mrs. Konia paused, but continued upstairs.

Yelena was utterly disappointed. Her grandmother, to whom she was bound by blood, would actually use her own birthday party to harm her granddaughter for the sake of her grandson.

The pain caused by betrayal among family members is many times greater than the pain caused by external enemies.

Even though she was in pain inside, she didn't show it on her face.

Rijeka looked at the expressionless Yelena and sneered, "Yelenka, my foolish sister. Didn't you see that Grandmother was just giving you a chance? If you were willing to go along with her and give up the competition..."

"Will anything change? If I say that, will you abandon today's plan?" Yelena asked, her purple pupils reflecting Rijeka's gloomy expression.

"...That's right. No matter how you answer, the result will be the same."

A large number of footsteps sounded outside the room, and all the people lying in ambush started to move.

"Blame it on your own insolence for daring to compete with me!" Rijeka suddenly erupted in rage, veins bulging in her neck. "Have you ever considered, Yelena, what others will think of me if you win? They'll just think I'm a piece of trash who can't even compare to my underage sister!"

"Aren't you?"

Rijeka laughed angrily: "Ha...does she think she can act with impunity just because that bitch Sgorchin is protecting her? She should worry about herself first!"

Yelena's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly rushed towards Riyeka, but was stopped by seven or eight men and women who rushed in from outside the room.

Rijeka coldly gave the order, as if the person before her was not her own sister, but a strange enemy: "You don't need to show any mercy because of her identity. Just keep her alive!"

……

Banzhen Public Security Bureau, Case 109.

Touching the large screen, the profile drawing by Suzuki is now displayed in the most prominent position.

The image is captioned "Shadow (suspected)" and is accompanied by several indicator lines, each connecting to a different person.

Among them are people from Beixing, people from Qian'an Daibang, and people from Shangyuanzi who are connected to it.

"What we need to do is investigate by assuming the target is a shadow," the team leader said, patting the screen.

The Goddess had already left, and only members of the task force remained in the room.

Everyone stood in front of the screen, watching the connections on it and engaging in a brainstorming discussion.

"If it really was Shadow who did it, what was his purpose? Why did he rescue Orochi? Do the two of them know each other?"

"The Divine Child provided some information," the team leader said. "Before our homeland sank, Yamata no Yukari met with the Shadow without permission and handed over an important item to the Shadow. This shows that the two had been in secret contact long ago."

"So the two of them know each other... But how did Shadow know she was here?" One of them was puzzled. "After she was placed under house arrest, her mental power was never able to recover, and she didn't have any devices to contact the outside world."

"There might have been a mishap during a handover. The information that the Divine Child gave me mentioned that one of Orochi's abilities is to create illusions. Perhaps she secretly manipulated someone to make contact on her behalf... Other groups are currently investigating this matter, but our focus should remain on finding Shadow and Orochi."

"Team leader, if I may be so bold, but if it really was Shadow who did it, finding him will be very difficult..."

The members of the task force were not optimistic about this.

There are far too many organizations and forces around the world that want to find shadows, including behemoths like the Solomon Empire.

If even Soma's intelligence department couldn't find a trace of them, it would be nothing short of a pipe dream for their task force, which had just moved to this unfamiliar land, to find them as well.

"Don't be discouraged!" Suzuki, an outsider, encouraged everyone. "The Divine Child values ​​us so much, we can't let him down!"

“Suzuki is right.” The team leader nodded. “We cannot let down the Divine Child’s high expectations. So, let’s start the investigation from two channels. One is to mobilize manpower to conduct a nationwide search… We don’t know the true appearance of the Shadow, but Yamata no Yukari’s features are very obvious.”

The team leader pointed to his neck and arms: "Her face has a portrait. And if the mind-controlling bracelet is removed, she will have scales on her body, which cannot be concealed. Deploy all the sheriffs to specifically investigate this point."

“Another channel requires the cooperation of the diplomatic department. Shadow is a Beixing person, and he has cooperated with the Beixing government on earthquake rules. The Beixing government must have his information... We can ask Beixing for assistance through diplomatic channels.”

"Will Beixing agree?" one team member asked, expressing doubt.

"Why don't you agree?" the team leader countered. "Both Beixing and Yingqi are members of the Human Alliance and have an obligation to share intelligence."

"Furthermore, even if both sides' borders are open, isn't it going too far for foreigners to infiltrate a place like an official administrative building? Not to mention that Shadow attacked one of our deputy ministers and abducted an important person. This is a serious crime and violates the new law recently promulgated by North Star."

"Yes, I'll contact them right away."

Ring ring ring!
The office phone suddenly rang, and the team leader immediately went to answer it.

After listening to just a few sentences, he was overjoyed: "What? Yes! I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, he turned around, and his team members looked at him curiously, wondering what good news he had received that made him so happy.

"Yamata no Yukari has contacted two of her former team members!" the team leader said excitedly. "Her team members immediately informed the Divine Child, and we can use this clue to find Yamata no Yukari directly, or even the Shadow!"

(End of this chapter)