Chapter 150: Chapter 140: The Choice of the Strong and the Weak Liu Yuqiang stared at the black hand clutching his neck, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He knew Guan Tong wasn’t joking. If he didn’t say anything, he would definitely die here.
’Die here?’
Liu Yuqiang had never been one to admit defeat. This was proven from the very first rule, when he chose to sacrifice his secretary’s life for his own chance at survival.
But as time went on, especially after arriving at this base, he increasingly felt that living like this... wasn’t much fun.
Forty-nine rules. They were just over a sixth of the way through, and the world had already become this hellscape. After a few more rules—or when they were all over—would humanity even still exist?
Five seconds passed in a flash. Liu Yuqiang’s entire Essence, Qi, and Spirit seemed to wither away. He sighed and said, "Go ahead. I have nothing to say."
Guan Tong was a little surprised. He had thought that even if Liu Yuqiang refused, he would do so with a more resolute, tough attitude. After all, that was the tough-guy image he had always projected in public and on camera before the Apocalypse Rules.
But the Liu Yuqiang before him now gave Guan Tong a stronger sense of despair. Despair for the world, and for himself.
This display of despair, however, made Guan Tong feel he might have a chance to get something out of him.
He didn’t make a move. Instead, he said slowly, "I know you came from a poor background, Boss Liu. You built Jule Technology from scratch. You were considered a legend in the business world."
Liu Yuqiang’s story was public knowledge. The government used to frequently hold him up as a rags-to-riches role model for young people, telling them to learn from him.
Guan Tong even remembered his school organizing an event where his whole class watched one of Liu Yuqiang’s motivational speeches to learn about his spirit of diligence, perseverance, and hard work.
"...What are you trying to say?" Liu Yuqiang said.
"I’m saying, after you made your fortune, did you lose all sympathy for the poor, Boss Liu?" Guan Tong said. "In the lowest level of this base, nearly two thousand people are being held captive. Judging by their situation, they’re not even being treated as human anymore. They’re just a resource."
"Can a kid from a poor family like you really be at peace with something like this? Don’t those imprisoned people remind you of the injustices you and your parents suffered when you were poor? Or does money really have that much power, enough to change a person’s nature so completely?"
"Enough!" Liu Yuqiang snapped. "What do you know about my life?"
"I don’t know, and I don’t want to. But if you have even a shred of conscience left for the poor, for ordinary people, you should tell me what you know."
Guan Tong released the shadow hand holding him. Liu Yuqiang sat on the floor, silent for a long time.
Perhaps Guan Tong’s words had moved him. After a series of complex emotions flickered across his face, he finally began to speak slowly. "...I’m a member of the Qingmei Association. Before the era of the Apocalypse Rules, the Qingmei Association was a secret business alliance."
"The head of the Qingmei Association is someone we call ’Big Sister.’ She’s a mysterious figure with immense power."
"After the Apocalypse Rules began, Big Sister announced that the Qingmei Association would transform from a business alliance into a mutual survival group. To acquire more resources, she, along with a few other members and possibly others, secretly manipulated violent gangs in various cities to kidnap High Spirit Users."
Guan Tong’s pupils contracted sharply at this.
’So the mastermind behind my and Xu Xiaotian’s kidnapping was this ’Big Sister’ from the Qingmei Association?’
"The kidnapped people are held in this base. They’re used to provide Sublimation Coins and items, and this time, to create custom rules for a select few."
"As for us members, we had to rely on Big Sister and follow her orders to survive in this era of rules. After the government announced it was entering a state of wartime administration, most of us left the cities and moved into the bases."
"Gradually, I realized it too. Having lost our old social connections and resources, people like us weren’t worth much to Big Sister anymore. She shifted her focus to cultivating teams of Ascenders with potential."
Guan Tong asked, "Who exactly is Big Sister? Do you have a name or a photo?"
Liu Yuqiang shook his head. "We don’t know her name. We’ve met her, but we don’t have any photos. Big Sister is an old woman in her seventies, but she’s full of vigor and has a powerful voice."
’In her seventies... To be able to pull all the strings from behind the scenes at that age, her energy must be unimaginable.’
Liu Yuqiang looked up at Guan Tong and said in a low voice, "I don’t know if you’re really that ’Shadow.’ But even if you are, opposing Big Sister is an extremely dangerous choice. The resources she can mobilize are beyond your imagination. Even if you destroy this base, it probably wouldn’t be a major blow to her."
Guan Tong looked at the business tycoon who was once famous for his aggressive style.
"Obeying just because the enemy is strong is the choice of the weak. The strong are those who rise up and fight against injustice and oppression, even if it means they might fail."
"..."
Liu Yuqiang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Yeah... Before I knew it, I also became someone who just silently obeys, heh..."
Suddenly, Liu Yuqiang initiated a face-to-face trade between Ascenders.
He put up his Sublimation Coins and tradable items, and Guan Tong accepted.
"...In this base, Han Ling has always been the sole point of contact with Big Sister. If you want to track Big Sister down, start with her."
With that, Liu Yuqiang got up, walked to the desk, took a pistol from a drawer, and pointed the muzzle at his own temple.
"Shadow, I hope that you, as a true strong one, can walk this path to the end of the forty-nine rules."
BANG!
With a dull thud, Liu Yuqiang collapsed to the ground.
Guan Tong watched in silence. He did not stop Liu Yuqiang from taking his own life.
Suicide—is it the weak escaping their own powerlessness, or the strong defying their fate? Perhaps only the person themselves could ever know.
He walked out of the room and continued to the next door.
...
「Strategy Research Room.」
Gao Liangwei was talking with Dr. Zhang in the office.
Gao Liangwei asked, "Is the operation going smoothly?"