Chapter 282
What are you doing here?
Seeing her reaction, Chen began to believe Shi Lei's claim of demonic possession:
"This isn't a question you should be asking us, but rather a question we should be asking you. Can you recall the last thing you remember, what happened?"
Talulah pondered upon hearing this, her brow quickly smoothing out:
"It was the Inner Guards! He attacked me from behind and knocked me unconscious. After that, I don't remember anything."
Chen paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, behaving like a seasoned detective interrogating a criminal.
"You said you were knocked unconscious, do you remember when and where?"
"It's in Chernobyl, on the morning of the 24th. How long have I been asleep? How did I end up here?"
Today is December 24th, which means that the Inner Guards who attacked Talulah were in cahoots with that evil spirit.
Instead of answering the other party directly, Chen went straight to the heart of the matter:
"Was the attack encountered before or after you were leading the Rhodes Island's attack on Chernobyl?"
Talulah glanced at Shi Lei somewhat timidly, not daring to lie to this man:
"Before."
"Okay, I'm fine with it, let's go."
Chen's sudden end to the interrogation surprised Talulah, who asked him blankly:
"Go? Where to?"
"Going to the Lungmen Guard Department will mean facing the consequences of your various charges. I brought Shi Lei to this Safe House first to confirm if you were innocent. If so, I would do everything I could to help you get a reduced sentence. But now, it seems there's no need for that."
Shi Lei didn't speak, but wrapped Talulah in Rock Constructs again and began to lead her downstairs.
Inspector Officer Chen is very efficient; he skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
Once it's confirmed that Talulah is not innocent, there's no need for her to ask any further questions. She can be sent to the Lungmen Guard Department, and the court will decide its verdict accordingly.
Shi Lei liked this kind of efficiency; it saved her a lot of trouble. Besides, Chen was her sister, so how she handled it was really their family matter.
His employment contract with his employer ended the moment he brought Talulah here. What happens next is not really Shi Lei's concern.
"Mister Zhongli, thank you for your help this time. I need to take care of her matter first and cannot pay you immediately. Can I transfer the money to your account tonight?"
Shi Lei is practically a money-printing machine now, so his need for banknotes is waning, and he readily agreed.
"Sure, we'll be going now."
After saying goodbye, he got into the passenger seat. Texas started the engine and drove away from the scene.
I got back just in time for lunch, the usual home-cooked meal. The news was playing on TV, the anchor sporting a professional smile. They were saying that, thanks to the efforts of the Ursus government, the Rhodes Island had been eliminated.
Shi Lei didn't take it seriously at all. He believed the media was simply a mouthpiece for the Ruler to speak to the people. Expecting them to report the news objectively was nothing short of wishful thinking.
Before we knew it, it was afternoon.
Shi Lei promised to treat everyone to dinner, and he wouldn't go back on his word. He invited the three warehouse workers and they took a car or taxi to a high-end restaurant in the Upper City for a good meal.
The Sarkaz mercenaries, who had initially resented Shi Lei for not taking them to the battlefield, felt remorseful after learning of the carnage on the scene.
If they were a little stronger, they could help adults solve problems in the future. What they should regret now is their own lack of ability, not complain about anything else.
Shi Lei didn't take it seriously and invited everyone to sit down:
"Order whatever you like, don't be shy. The most important thing is that everyone is happy."
"You're right, I'll toast you, sir!"
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the lively atmosphere, the atmosphere was quite convivial.
When Shi Lei returned from the restroom, he overheard people in the next private room discussing the situation in the Lower City.
The Lower City is now overcrowded. In addition to refugees from Chernobyl, there are also some infected people from the Rhodes Island mixed in there, so we need to be extra careful every day.
Shi Lei cared about wasn't the content of the conversation, but rather that the speaker was a purebred duck. Since his transmigration, he had seen very few purebred animals. Who knew, this person might be Beast Lord, just like his boss?
Suddenly, a burly bear-like man wearing sunglasses opened the door, stared warily at Shi Lei, and questioned him:
What do you do?
Hearing this, the ducks inside the house poked their heads out to look:
"Gopnik, what happened?"
"Duck Lord, this man is acting suspiciously at the door; there's definitely something wrong with him!"
Before Shi Lei could explain, a male Feline in the room stood up and, smiling, tried to smooth things over:
"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Mister Zhongli was just eating around here, how could there be a problem?"
He didn't know this Feline, but many people in Lungmen knew him, so he pointed to the next room.
Duck Lord's gaze swept quickly over Shi Lei, and he hurriedly called back the Ursus security guards to avoid any friction:
"Gopnik, come back quickly."
"Yes, Duck Lord."
Shi Lei nodded to Feline in thanks. He then pushed open the door next to him and continued to eat and drink heartily.
The Catastrophe in Chernobyl will inevitably create a large number of refugees. Overcrowding in the Lower City is to be expected. How to handle it is the responsibility of the Lungmen Guard Department and the Longmen Governor; Shi Lei doesn't need to worry about it.
As he returned to the private room, laughter and chatter filled the room once more. Only after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill did they reluctantly head home to rest.
December 24th, 7:12 pm
Chernobyl, Lot A3.
The last rays of the setting sun were replaced by night, and countless stars were set against the vast Sky Curtain. The pale moonlight shone on the refugee line that stretched for kilometers, and also on the ruins of the Core City.
An Inner Guards dressed in black robes and clothes paced back and forth beneath the dilapidated clock tower.
As agreed beforehand, he would wait for Koschei to finish dealing with the trivial matters of the Rhodes Island before joining them.
We've been waiting since sunset, and more than an hour has passed, but there's still no sign of them.
What on earth is Koschei up to?
Finally, he heard the sound of footsteps.
But the person who emerged from the shadows was a member of the Rhodes Island, not Koschei.
"Is the Inner Guards here?"
Suppressing his displeasure, the Inner Guards stepped out from behind the low wall of ruins and questioned sharply:
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Sir, I'm just a messenger. The leader came to me this morning and said she might not be able to make it to the appointment tonight. If she doesn't contact me again to cancel the plans, she'll bring this to you."
Having said that, he presented the sealed letter with both hands.
The Inner Guards reached out and took it, asking:
Have you read the contents?
The infected person shook their head, making a rattling sound like a rattle:
"No, the leader said he'd kill me if I dared to peek. If you have nothing else to say, sir, I'll be leaving now."
The Inner Guards tore open the envelope, his first words being to kill the messenger to prevent leaks. He raised his hand and summoned Black Mist, silencing the infected before their astonished eyes.
Only then did he continue reading the contents of the letter.
The Inner Guards were willing to cooperate with Koschei because both were beneficiaries of the aristocracy. To enjoy privileges in the long term, it was necessary to maintain the interests of the aristocracy.
For example, they plunder the wealth accumulated by ordinary people through various means. For example, they provide stable housing for the infected on the outskirts of cities. Yet they deliberately make ordinary people and the infected live vastly different lives, so that the common people can find self-esteem and self-confidence in the infected.
However, contradictions will not disappear simply by being covered up. While the contradictions between the infected and the uninfected are certainly sharp, they are not as acute as the class contradictions between the aristocracy and the common people.
Within Ursus, signs emerged that threatened the interests of the aristocratic class. The filthy, stinking mess under the table was beyond the concealment of a single tablecloth.
To change the status quo and maintain the rule of the aristocratic class, it seems there are only two paths to take.
Firstly, just as Emperor Fyodor of Ursus had hoped, funds were raised through brokerage reforms, and the profits were distributed among the various classes to achieve a appeasement effect.
Secondly, like the Duke Koschei, the Grand Duke Baikal, and the Governor Pine Resin, they sought various pretexts to wage war and divert domestic conflicts. They also weakened parliament to give the aristocratic class more say.
Inner Guards groups generally agree with the Two Strips.
Only in war can the value of the Inner Guards be demonstrated and the glory of the Former Emperor's era be restored.
The first path was extremely difficult to take.
Tax reform, leveraged interest rate hikes, continuous money printing, and dumping of foreign debt—this path is completely beyond the comprehension of these military men in the Inner Guards. They might be lured to their doom at any moment, only to be left holding the bag for someone else.
Duke Koschei's letter mentioned only two things. He said he had his eye on a perfect body and wanted to possess it through Originium Arts. This body was even more important than Talulah.
However, forcibly seizing this body is unstable and requires seclusion to digest it slowly. Once he has complete control over the body, he will appear before him in a completely new form.
The second task requires the help of the Inner Guards. Using the key he hid, they need to activate and separate the core of Chernobyl, sending it crashing towards Lungmen city.
If the two collide, Koschei could use this as a pretext to instigate a war between Ursus and Yan.
When the country is busy fighting wars, it won't care about the exploitation of ordinary people by the aristocracy.
History on this land proves that this path is indeed effective. Moreover, it aligns with the will of the people of Ursus and satisfies their unrealistic fantasies about the era of the Former Emperor.
"As expected of you, Koschei."
The Inner Guards truly believed that the person who came up with the plan to use the Core City to crash into the Lungmen was a genius.
He crushed the letter to dust with Black Mist, put his hood back on, and disappeared into the pitch-black night.
December 25th, 11:10 AM
Chen's efficiency is truly astonishing. Yesterday, they captured Talulah and took her to the Lungmen Guard Department for questioning. Today, they quickly completed the three stages of filing a case, investigation, and prosecution, and are fast-forwarding to the court trial.
The normal procedure would take at least a month. The fact that Talulah's trial was able to proceed so quickly is undoubtedly related to her position as the head of the Special Inspectorate.
Talulah had nothing to say; she neither wanted to explain her motives nor answer the judge's questions. Now she was at his mercy, and there was no point in struggling.
Ultimately, the judge delivered the verdict in court. Given the multiple crimes Talulah committed, she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
When she was taken into custody, Chen personally saw her off. Talulah didn't want to talk to her younger sister and remained silent throughout.
Seeing the other person enter the prison corridor Pincer Attack by prison guards, Chen's expression was complicated.
Before she could express her feelings, her phone vibrated. Looking at the caller ID, it was Hoshiguma's number.
"Hello?"
"Old Chen, where are you?"
Chen sensed the anxiety in the voice and a vague sense of foreboding rose in her heart:
"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what's wrong?"
"All the border checkpoints in Lungmen are closed, and I can't get close. I heard it's on the governor's orders."
Uncle?
Upon hearing this, Chen frowned slightly:
"Okay, I understand. You go ahead and attend to the Lower City branch, I'll go ask the governor."
After hanging up the phone, she drove away from the scene. Arriving in the Core City, she demanded to see Wei Yenwu again.
The guards here all knew that Chen was the governor's niece, so they didn't dare to stop her. After informing her male secretary, she took the elevator directly to the top floor.
"Bite."
The elevator doors opened, and the room doors were also open.
As soon as Chen arrived at the door, she smelled a faint sandalwood fragrance, which was a high-quality material from the inland areas.
Wei Yenwu, dressed in casual clothes, sat on the sofa. He held a pipe in his left hand, took a deep drag, then closed his eyes and exhaled smoke rings, appearing quite content.
Wenyue isn't home today, so I can enjoy smoking.
Hearing the elevator doors open, Wei Yenwu slowly opened his dragon eyes. Staring at his niece, who looked like she wanted to interrogate him, he shook his head with a mixture of disappointment and exasperation.
"You're so impatient and easily agitated; you've disappointed me greatly."