"Cosina, this has nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!"
The Neanderthal Chief, not wanting to involve innocent mbers of the tribe, unusually spoke more than usual, not as sparing with words as he typically was.
The "Convict" toxin had leaked, implicating serious matters. The current situation within the tribe had beco elusive and confusing. It was still unclear who had colluded with outsiders (the "Water Bear" organization was highly suspicious) to leak this toxin.
Bassan, taking advantage of the limited ti he was lucid, made as many arrangents as possible.
"Ah? Yes, yes!"
Cosina stared at the Clan Chief Bassan, her mouth agape, her back hair involuntarily standing on end.
She was not a participant in the great war that occurred more than thirty years ago, but rather born after its conclusion, enjoying from the start a life of peace and even a bit of affluence, utterly unprepared for facing brutal conflicts.
Although satisfied with her current life, Cosina, who had learned about the tribe's history, vaguely understood that although the Neanderthal tribe seed to be loosely maintained and the chief and elders rely symbolic mascots, nothing would happen unless sothing big was about to occur.
Having just heard about the antidote, could it be that the chief had been...
She dared not continue her thoughts. The tribe's few notorious poisons were quite dreadful, so even lacking an antidote. Once afflicted, even with today's dical technology, there was no solution other than waiting for death.
The Mobile Base Vehicle stopped beside the replicated building of the Supre Council, drawing the curious gazes of many tourists and locals.
"Chen Fei, three wheelchairs, thank you!"
Adrian, not trusting to leave Liaison Officer Rossi and the large black man, Apu, inside the Mobile Base Vehicle, briskly commanded Chen Fei, treating him like a tool.
Generating three wheelchairs was no big deal.
Just like 3D printing, three wheelchairs erged on the vehicle's floor, rely chairs with two large and two small wheels, nothing technically challenging. Even if the "Physical Evolution Database" had no sample, Chen Fei could replicate them using his imagination.
After being generated, the "vehicle" section of the "Physical Evolution Database" automatically added the single-person wheelchair as an item.
Besides the thod of absorbing a prototype, there was another way to add samples needed for replication in the "Physical Evolution Database."
"..."
Liaison Officer Rossi, who couldn't make a sound, was lifted onto a wheelchair, looking severely dented with skewed eyes and mouth.
The "Convict" toxin, although not imdiately lethal, was a rather sinister and malicious poison.
Team 04, pushing the three wheelchairs, entered the building of the Supre Council through an accessible passage. Most non-Neanderthal guards recognized Bassan, the current Clan Chief, and imdiately allowed entry using standard Neanderthal tribe protocol, thus they entered without tickets.
Supre Council tour tickets: 20 Star Yuans for adults, half price for children under 12, thank you!
With so many people on the preserve needing to make a living, it seed not wrong that the forr highest power organ of the Neanderthal tribe had beco a tool for making money; after all, isn't the ultimate use of power to make money? No embarrassnt there!
"Cosina, notify everyone. Stop operations here and clear the place."
Bassan, typically a symbolic chief, rarey exercised his power.
He was the only nominal proprietor of the preserve, even if the execution of the Supre Council's power by the Council of Elders was rely representative.
Of course, more often than not, the main job of the elders was still to rely on their age and perform to amuse, showing distant visitors what the highest power organ of the Neanderthal tribe was originally like.
"Oh, I understand!"
Cosina, becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of the situation, imdiately took off running, shouting as she went: "Ergency situation, the chief orders a stop to operations, clear the venue and close the hall!"
The workers impersonating Neanderthal tribe warriors looked at each other, but since Cosina was a pureblood Neanderthal and was relaying the ssage on behalf of the chief, it likely ant sothing important was happening. They followed her command, stopping tourist entries and asking those inside to leave the building of the Supre Council, naturally not without so complaints.
Since those executing the order were not Neanderthals, they couldn't use accusations such as racial discrimination to fuss about it.
The original main hall could accommodate up to forty to fifty Mobile Base Vehicles, but here, parking twenty was already the maximum.
The current role of the Supre Council was more about exhibitions and performances than its original sense of power.
"Bassan, is there sothing you need?"
On either side of the Starry Red Fla Flag, a voice from the Elder's Seat echoed in the hall.
Each one of the Twelve Overlord Tribes' elders was present, with so even having experienced the war more than thirty years ago. They were indulging in the previous half-real, half-showy performance and were naturally not pleased to be interrupted.
"I am Clan Chief Bassan, soone has violated the tribal rules!"
Utilizing a loudspeaker, the weak voice of Neanderthal Chief Bassan was amplified enough for everyone in the hall to hear.
A sinister old man said, "The one who has violated the tribal rules, Chief, is it not you?"
The solemn and heavy atmosphere, coupled with the eerie tone, left no one able to discern whether this was a performance or a genuine expression of speech.
Standing at an entrance of the grand hall, Cosina's face turned deathly pale; she could tell that this was not an act, but a highly charged conversation between the Council of Elders and the Clan Leader.
"Soone has colluded with outsiders to manufacture the tribe's secret prohibited dicine and has distributed it, you fools. Do you still not understand what is happening?"
The fiery Bassan appeared nothing like the Neanderthal chief the mbers of team 04 knew.
The "Convict" supply had been destroyed thirty years ago, the formula taken away and sealed. Now, the tribe's pharmacists only had access to healing dicine and dicine for treating diseases, which did have unique benefits for incurable diseases. However, due to the ecological extinction in the Primordial Realm, many animals and plants had vanished, making it impossible to reproduce the dicines, even with the formulas available.
This sudden appearance of the "Convict" must have been from soone finding the secretly hidden formula and properly preserved materials, which was not a good sign for the Neanderthal tribe trying to integrate into Blue Star civilization; it could even potentially be the beginning of their true calamity.
"Are you joking, Bassan?"
The voice carried not a trace of respect for the Neanderthal Chief.
"I've been poisoned by the 'Convict,' Elder Motong. Perhaps you owe an explanation."
Bassan glared at the Elder of Kro Clan.
"'Convict'?"
"How could that be?"
"Does that thing still exist?"
"Who did it?"
The seats of the Twelve Overlord Tribes beca noisy like a pot boiling over at the scene.
There were not only elders from the Twelve Overlord Tribes present but also several leaders of minor tribes who, having nothing better to do, ca to collect an appearance fee of a hundred Star Yuan, rely to show their faces. The nature reserves operated like corporations, without any significant roles for these individuals.
Even so, the unexpected eruption of a major incident had so reaching for their cell phones to inquire about the situation outside and gather information.
Elder Motong of the Kro Clan, looking like a rooster whose neck had been clutched, turned red-faced and stuttered, "This, this, this can't be, Bassan. This has nothing to do with . It wasn't . You shouldn't talk nonsense. Maybe you're just trying to trick ; you're not really poisoned."
He had noticed the eyes from around the room upon him.
Poisoning a Clan Leader was undoubtedly a severe cri, even for an elder, who might be executed on the spot based on the right of autonomy.
"'Convict' leaves only one hour of lucidity each day. I have only 15 minutes left. Where is the witch doctor Liese Nan? Why hasn't she co yet?"
On his way to the Supre Council, Bassan had reached out to the best witch doctor in the tribe.
She might have the antidote for the "Convict," but there was also another possibility.
Elder Motong's panicked expression quickly faded, replaced by a sneer. "Today is not April Fool's Day. Please don't make such low-grade jokes in this sacred place. It's not funny at all, our dear Clan Leader!"
The "Convict" was a poison used to execute Neanderthal traitors, causing the condemned traitors to step into death amidst despair. However, now the chief of the Neanderthals had been poisoned with it, as if labeling the emperor as a traitor himself; it was highly ironic.
"Nicole, have you found anything?"
Adrian, who had intentionally stayed behind others, lowered his voice and asked the blonde young lady next to him.
"Who secretly concocted the 'Convict' and handed it to outsiders? Jiandong? Tramon? Mabu'en? Xita..."
Bassan surveyed the people at the elder's seats, naming each suspect, which included rebellion factions within the tribe and even those he trusted. No one with a potential motive was spared.
"As an elder of the Autumn Tribe, I swear by the Star Sky Crimson Fla, I, Mabu'en, have not violated our tribal laws or betrayed the Neanderthals!"
Mabu'en of the Autumn Tribe, a loyalist of Bassan, was the first to voice his oath. Soon, others followed suit, and in a short ti, almost everyone from the seats of the elders to those of the small tribes swore their innocence concerning the poisoning.
With her mind-reading ability at full throttle, Nicole von Sasha intently studied everyone on the high platform to detect any lies or distracted individuals, closely observing their microexpressions and subtle movents.
The rest of team 04 remained covertly on alert to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
After a long mont, Nicole finally declared, "No, none of them!"
None of them were simple folks who could rise to the position of chief.
Having made arrangents during his journey, Bassan stord into the Supre Council during his lucid monts to maximize his effectiveness and to synergize with Nicole von Sasha, one of the foremost experts in probing minds from the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee, to identify any traitors within the tribal hierarchy.
Once he identified the traitors, not even the Blue Star United Defense Committee, much less Bassan himself, would let them go unpunished.
-
Reviews
All reviews (0)