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Chapter 90: Covenantor (XIII)

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Shang Ke officially took over the Yue Family business. After repeated setbacks at the hands of Lu Xiufan, no one dared to fight Shang Ke for the position for fear of further delay in business. 

Lu Xiufan was originally prepared to support him, sparing no effort to help him clean up and sort out the Yue Family’s business. However, Shang Ke’s ability and actions once more exceeded his expectations. For Yue Family to establish a presence, the first thing he did was to employ a large number of covenantors. 

Before this, Shang Ke had been continuously gathering information, focusing especially on finding out more about covenantors. They lacked emotions but had strong principles, were steadfast in commitment to their work contract, were highly productive and weren’t driven by self interests. Of course, the degree of their capabilities and expertise varied. The first batch of covenantors that Shang Ke employed were at least two stars. They possessed certain basic knowledge and were able to accomplish any task that did not require specialized skills. 

Currently, Yue Family’s position was still unstable and not many people were willing to help Shang Ke. Since that was the case, Shang Ke employed only covenantors. Like this, he more or less sorted out the family business, then started to deal with matters according to priority. 

He completely disregarded criticisms from other people and ignored their petty, hypocritical actions. To those who couldn’t accept his way of doing things, he only had one thing to say; ‘F*** off’. He abandoned some of the more unprofitable businesses without the slightest hesitation and changed the organizational structure of the business from top to bottom, concentrating his efforts on important matters.

Quickly, the covenantors under his employ became his most reliable and efficient executors of duty—no one was more loyal to their duties or clear on the line of reward and punishment than them. Although their relentless modus operandi was offensive to those who wished to take advantage of the business’ suffering position to laze in their duties, the truly talented and dedicated workers soon began to show their support of the covenantors. They provided a simple and free working environment without personal conflict of any kind, allowing non-Covenantor workers to do their jobs in peace. 

This way of doing this further shrunk the family property, by at least another fifth. This dramatic shrinkage in goods and chattels frightened the other Yue family members, but they dared not revolt or criticize Shang Ke for his decisions. As a Covenantor, he didn’t bother to take heed of their complaints in the first place.

The way he handled family affairs was like removing tumors; he cut them off efficiently and without hesitation, without care for short term pains. In his opinion, even if Yue Family had only a single company remaining in the end, it would not affect his mission. So the things that other people would not dare to do; he dared to do them all, and even did so beautifully.

As the first to employ so many convenantors, even placing them in important positions, he gave rise to excitement that swept throughout the entire Empire. Even Lu Xiufan was a bit shocked.

Just as everyone was waiting for this covenantor to fully throw down Yue Family into destruction, he began slowly recovering them from their decline. From chaos to steadiness, from deficit to profit. Step by step they were dragged back onto the right track. Very soon, people began to notice that the covenantors’ working ability very much above the average. They had a very strong sense of time, that is, they were never late or early. Even when their individual skills were a bit lacking, they would diligently learn and adjust their education to suit their employer’s need. They did not embezzle, accept bribes or do things for private reasons, nor did they complain or hold grudges. They abided strictly by the rules and were fair and just.

Most likened them to robots but never truly realized their value. In the past several hundred years, who knows just how many capable and outstanding covenantors were treated as servants, wasting the flames of their short lives.

“Sir,” the prison guard greeted Lu Xiufan as soon as he noticed him. 

Lu Xiufan paid him no attention, his gaze piercing through the glass window and landing on Madam Chang and Yue Xuan within the detention room. 

The two of them had already been locked up for more than half a month but hadn’t been interrogated or punished. In the beginning, they would cry and shout, but now, their expressions held only hopelessness and despair. 

“Let’s start.” Lu Xiufan ordered the two doctors behind him.

Both doctors let out a sound of affirmation and entered the detention room with a few assistants. 

“What are you planning to do?” Seeing a bunch of people suddenly entering the room and dragging away her son, Madame Chang immediately rushed over to hold onto him.

“We’re merely performing a medical checkup for your son.” One of the doctors answered her with a blank expression. 

“My son is very healthy, there is no need for a medical checkup.”

“Is that so?” The other doctor spoke up, “From our observations, we’ve discovered that your son seems to be infected with some sort of virus. He requires immediate treatment.”

Madame Chang seemed to realise something. Her face turned pale as she cried out, “No! My son is fine, let go of him!”

“Save me, mother!” Any rational thought Yue Xuan had flew out the window in the face of fear. He struggled with all his might. 

“Get out of the way. Stop obstructing our work.” Ignoring their screams, several strong men pushed Madame Chang aside and hauled Yue Xuan out of the room. 

“I am Yue Family’s matriarch. Even if I’m guilty, I should be judged and punished according to the law! You don’t have the right to carry out your own punishment!” Madame Chang had completely lost the dignity she held in the past, slamming herself against the door that had already been closed.

“Mother! Mother!” Yue Xuan’s screams gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing completely.

Madame Chang fell listlessly to the floor, her body leaning onto the metal door. Her head hung low, hair a mess, eyes radiating a deep, bitter resentment. 

In the operating room, Yue Xuan was strapped to a stainless steel table by leather braces. There was a glaringly bright light directly above his head, making it hard to see. As soon as he grew used to the excess of light, he noticed a familiar device by the bed and his eyes filled with pure terror. This was the exact device that turned Yue Ze into a covenantor.

Yue Xuan seemed to finally grasp his situation as cries of despair fell from his lips….

Although Shang Ke was busy with Yue business matters during this time, he made sure to return to Lu Xiufan’s residence every day. 

Lu Xiufan was also very busy, but he would always return home on time to listen to Shang Ke’s reports, and conveniently exercise the power of his three ‘rights’.

The two held tacit understanding, and in some areas, they had reached the realm of complete synchronization.

Life was so harmonious that Shang Ke almost forgot that his mission still needed to meet the requirement of ‘heroic death’. Just as he was getting worked up about how he could possibly go about elegantly courting death, danger approached without warning.

Shang Ke walked out from the office building and led two covenantors to the parking lot.

These two covenantors were his most recent finds of the rare technical talent. He planned to have them settled in with the Yue Family’s technology development team.

Shang Ke drove them with the science and technology site in mind while two bodyguard cars followed behind. They were bodyguards assigned to him by Lu Xiufan; they would follow him everyday to protect him.

The car had only gone a little distance when Shang Ke heard an electronic beep. Automatic driving mode had turned to manual and the speed was swiftly increasing.

Shang Ke’s heart jumped and he immediately took control of the wheel to prevent them from deviating into another traffic line or hitting something. However, besides the wheel, the other controls were completely out of control and his speed was still increasing without stopping. 

It was very clear that someone had done something to his car!

Looking at the scenery speeding by outside the car window, Shang Ke’s pupils contracted. Using his excellent driving skills, he calmly sailed the car down at a rapid speed.

“Young Master Ze, what happened?” A bodyguard’s voice came through his communication device. They had noticed Shang Ke’s car suddenly speeding up and became keenly aware that something bad was going on.

“The car is out of control.” Shang Ke gave back a simple answer.

Right after he replied, the communication device emitted a burst of static before completely losing the connection.

Communication was cut short, the two bodyguard cars behind him were left so far behind they could not be seen.

The speed of Shang Ke’s car had already reached the maximum speed allowed by the vehicle. The car was like a phantom as it drove through the building complexes at a breakneck speed.

If it was just himself, then there was nothing to fear. But there were two convenators sitting in the backseats. They held their seat belts, their gazes steady without a hint of nervousness on their faces as their bodies rocked with the car’s movements. They were like two human dolls.

No matter what, he had to save them.

Shang Ke checked the energy source, only three percent had been used up. The car had just gone through maintenance today and filled with energy, it was probably at that time that the car had been tampered with.

According to the rate at which the car’s energy was being consumed, he had to keep up with this for thirty-six hours! Even if he didn’t make a single mistake, it was impossible for him to complete it alive!

Shang Ke controlled the direction and headed for an area with fewer people and a wide expanse of field, his mind spinning frantically to find a solution.

At this kind of speed, jumping out of the car was akin to suicide.

Then, was there any way to increase the rate the energy was being used?

Shang Ke turned on everything in the car that used energy. Lights, music, air conditioning… but the drainage from these was ineffectual.

Shang Ke’s concentrated everything onto the task and cold sweat seeped from his forehead without pause. His body was already starting to become unable to tolerate driving at this speed for forty minutes and his mind was starting to blur, leaving him dizzy and tired. From the looks of things, forget thirty-six hours, even three hours would be unbearable.

The highest speed a hover car could go was only as high as specially made racing cars. Under conditions where equipment was plentiful and support was at the ready, it could not sustain this speed for longer than five hours. Otherwise it would lead to injury of the driver and passengers.

The hover car flew out of the city and entered the relatively spacious and empty outskirts.

Shang Ke’s eyelashes trembled slightly and sweat flowed down his forehead and soaked the corner of his eyes, but he did not dare to be distracted.

 Everything was silent but for the soft hissing of the friction between air and car. The two covenantors in the backseats were already turning pale in the lips. Cold sweat dripped as their facial muscles started to twitch unnaturally . One of them began to bleed slowly from their nose.

Shang Ke’s blood pressure was skyrocketing. It felt as if his veins were going to rupture as pain blossomed through his body.

He looked at the energy bar. There was still ninety percent battery remaining. He cried in his heart. He never thought that he would one day face a situation where too much battery life was such a bad thing!

The car flew quickly but time went by slowly.

He didn’t know how long it had been, but blood started to seep out of Shang Ke’s ears and nose and sweat mixed into his eyes. Tremors of pain wracked him and his vision gradually became unfocused.

No! He must find a way to save them!!

Right then, the landscape fell away and opened up. A large lake appeared in front of him.

A lake!

Shang Ke’s eyes brightened and an idea formed in his mind.

He guided the hover car and rounded the lake, calculating the height and position. After that, he spoke to the two in the back, “Jill, Yurian, wait for my order. When I tell you two to jump, jump.”

While Shang Ke spoke, he unlocked the lock of the right door. He shifted the car into a tilt, and with his excellent skills, reduced the height while he made his rounds.

“Now, Jill, jump out of the car!” Shang Ke shouted.

The covenantor named Jill pushed open the door and jumped out without hesitation. His body cast a shadow on the lake surface and then the sound of breaking water followed as he went underwater.

A moment later, Jil’s head popped out of the water. Shang Ke released a sigh of relief and prepared to do the same thing to help Yurian escape.

But when Shang Ke looked at him through the rearview mirror, he discovered that Yurian was already half unconscious. He did not react to his voice at all…

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