Chapter 91 Experimental Adoption
On the streets of Yunhua City, a young man walked aimlessly.
He seemed to have no destination, not knowing where to go.
"Thump."
A passerby bumped into him, immediately frowning and saying, "What are you doing? Walking without looking where you're going, you..." He
stopped mid-sentence, swallowing hard as the young man's murderous gaze fell upon him, and quickly lowered his head and hurried away.
"...I never thought I, Gu Fei, would fall to this state!"
The young man was none other than Gu Fei, the former captain of the Third Apocalypse Squad.
The Third Squad's defeat in this Ascended Challenge made him the primary person responsible.
In fact, the moment he was killed on Holy Grail Island, he had a premonition that he would be punished.
But he hadn't expected the final punishment to be his expulsion from the squad and the confiscation of all the items previously invested in him.
This felt like being thrown from heaven to hell. After trading the items with the officials, Gu Fei left the base in a daze, wandering aimlessly through the streets.
He knew that from now on, he was no longer a member of the official organization, and could no longer enjoy comprehensive protection and unconditional investment. Even if his mental strength exceeded that of ordinary people, so what?
Gu Fei knew very well that after leaving the official team, his former teammates, who were not as good as him, would soon surpass him. And he could never go back; he could only live as an ordinary person.
The gap between his former self and his current state was unacceptable to him.
Gu Fei walked on, and when he came to his senses again, he was on the roof of a building.
Standing on the edge and looking down, he raised his right hand, and his mental power tool, the curved sword, appeared in his hand.
Gu Fei slowly placed the curved sword against his neck, his hand trembling slightly.
Before today, the thought of "suicide" had never crossed his mind. But now, his heart had collapsed, and he simply could not accept that he had fallen from the high and mighty captain of the official team to merely a slightly stronger ordinary person.
He wanted to use his weapon to cut his own neck and then let his body fall from the building.
"A former captain of the official team, and this is all the mentality you have?"
Just as Gu Fei was about to make his move, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Just being kicked out of the team and you want to commit suicide? It's laughably weak."
Gu Fei turned around abruptly and saw a short-haired woman in a suit standing not far away.
"Who are you?!"
"Does it matter who I am?"
"..."
Gu Fei wasn't stupid. He knew this woman must have been watching him for some time, otherwise she wouldn't have followed him to the rooftop of this abandoned building.
He pointed his curved sword at the woman and said coldly, "Why are you following me? Tell me, or I'll kill you right now!"
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in you. It's just that the commander asked me to assess your situation... Now it seems the result isn't very good. What's the use of someone who's so easily willing to end their own life, no matter how strong they are?"
Commander?
Gu Fei frowned: "Who is this 'commander' you're talking about?"
He had just been kicked out of the official team, and this "commander" had sent someone to assess him. There was clearly something wrong.
How did this commander know his captaincy and the internal information of the Countermeasures Research Office?
"The commander is the commander," the short-haired woman said. "Gu Fei, let me be frank. You went through rounds of selection to become captain; I think you know better than anyone how difficult that was."
"If you want to end it all, then go ahead. But if you're still unwilling to accept it, if you want to prove yourself, if you want revenge, then the commander might give you a chance."
Prove himself…revenge…
Gu Fei's right hand, which was holding the scimitar, unconsciously lowered slowly.
"Take me to see your commander,"
the short-haired woman smiled. "The commander isn't in Yunhua. Since you have this intention, I will report your situation. If the commander is willing, he will summon you. Until then, just wait." After the woman finished speaking
, she turned and left. Gu Fei stood there in silence for a long time, his eyes gradually hardening.
"That's right, I can't just end it all…that would be too useless! Even if I'm kicked out of the official team, can't I, Gu Fei, rely on my strength to join another organization and get resources? Sooner or later…hmph!"
The short-haired woman, who had gone downstairs, took out a small cell phone and made a call.
"Commander, Gu Fei wants to see you."
"Let him wait." The voice coming from the phone was that of the eldest sister, the founder of the Green Plum Society. "I'll make time to see him later." "
Commander, please forgive my bluntness. This Gu Fei actually wanted to commit suicide after being kicked out of the official team. Is someone with such a weak character really worth cultivating?"
"Hehe." The eldest sister chuckled. "Child, this isn't called weakness. A truly weak person wouldn't dare to commit suicide... Since Gu Fei dared to commit suicide, he dared to kill others. With proper guidance, he can become a useful weapon in our hands."
"Yes, Commander. I understand."
...
"The city is changing really fast..."
Guan Tong walked down the street. After not leaving the city for a while, Yunhua City had changed drastically.
First of all, both sides of the streets were completely cleared out. Shops, bus stops, even the trees and flower beds planted along the roadside had been cleared away.
And what was being built on these cleared spaces were undoubtedly the various large and small shelters that the authorities had previously proposed.
Guan Tong noticed that these shelters weren't built directly from the ground, but rather deep pits and large holes were dug first. This means the shelter will be divided into underground and above-ground levels, and it seems to be being built with a professional-grade approach.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but marvel at the efficiency of the official actions. At this rate, these shelters would probably be ready for initial use in another round or two of the rules.
He was just curious, though, whether there would still be anyone outside once all these professional-grade shelters were completed and people moved in.
The thought of streets filled with shelters, devoid of any human presence, sent a chill down Guan Tong's spine.
However, in this post-apocalyptic era, everything had to give way to survival.
And if humanity could survive these forty-nine post-apocalyptic rules, and if a large number of survivors remained, the accumulated items, abilities, and mental power from these rounds of rules might just elevate humanity to a new golden age.
Guan Tong wandered through the streets and alleys, finding no rats, but instead a stray cat with pure black fur and emerald green eyes.
This was quite rare, because the fourth rule, "Snow in June," had nearly wiped out wild animals in cities.
Under that rule, even human survival was fraught with difficulties, let alone stray cats and dogs.
Guan Tong took out a sausage he always carried and successfully brought the little black cat back.
He placed the cat in a room in the shelter, along with some supplies.
Then, standing outside the door, he closed it and retrieved the shelter into the [Wordless Book].
The next moment, the shelter vanished without a trace, along with the supplies and the little black cat.
"...They're all in the book?"
Guan Tong summoned it again, opened the door, and went inside. The little black cat was lying on the bed, and the supplies were still in their original positions.
Guan Tong was very satisfied with the result of this experiment.
He had previously worried that if the supplies were placed in the shelter, they would all fall to the ground when the shelter was taken back. This would be troublesome when relocation was needed.
But now it seemed that the items placed in the shelter became part of the shelter and would be retrieved and released from the pages along with it.
And this included not only inanimate objects but also living things. At least judging from the little black cat's condition, it hadn't been harmed in the process.
"If anyone ever goes against me, I'll lure them to this shelter, then tuck them back into the pages of my book, trapping them until they die..."
Guan Tong thought to himself. Just then, the little black cat meowed and jumped to his feet, rubbing its head against his trouser leg.
"You're all black, just like my shadow." Guan Tong squatted down and ruffled the little black cat's head. "You'll stay with me from now on."
He had originally gone out to find a living creature for his shelter-retrieval experiment, but now, looking at this little black cat, he found it quite cute and decided to adopt it.
Guan Tong thought this was good; at least he'd have a living companion. Although he wasn't very outgoing, he still occasionally felt lonely when he was alone. Having a little black cat for company wasn't bad.
"What should I name you?" Guan Tong looked at the little black cat and thought for a moment. "I'll call you 'Coal Ball'."
"Meow." The little black cat meowed, whether in agreement or disagreement, Guan Tong simply called it that.
"Come on, Coal Ball, let me give you a bath first, look how dirty you are."
Guan Tong picked up Coal Ball and took it to the bathroom to give it a bath, then fed it some biscuits and sausages.
After eating and drinking its fill, Coal Ball quickly jumped onto the bed, lay down, and fell asleep with its eyes half-closed.
Guan Tong watched from the side, feeling quite pleased.
Coal Ball didn't seem afraid of people, but it wasn't the clingy type of cat either. That was fine; Guan Tong didn't need much interaction. As long as there were other living beings besides himself in the area, it could alleviate some of his loneliness.
"Next, I just have to wait for the sixth rule to be released."
Guan Tong sat at the table, thinking about how to allocate his time over the next ten days. He
had already accumulated a lot of mental energy and silver hunter bullets, and accumulating more wouldn't be impossible... but he felt the returns wouldn't be as great as before.
"Is there any other way to improve my strength from other aspects..."
Guan Tong thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up.
How could he have forgotten that!
He quickly plugged in his computer, turned it on, and went to the official website of the Mental Energy Academy.
That's right, he was so caught up in the events of the challenge that his mind was a bit muddled, and he'd completely forgotten about Shi Jingyi's "Psychic Power Circulation" course.
He needed to find other ways to improve his strength, and Shi Jingyi's unique use of psychic power was naturally his first choice.
Imagine if he could also circulate psychic power throughout his body like Shi Jingyi. With his vast reserves of psychic power, he would definitely be able to unleash considerable power.
However, Shi Jingyi had previously mentioned that to learn her method, one needed a certain amount of talent, as well as the patience to diligently memorize acupoints and learn how to circulate energy.
"I'll try to learn it seriously. It would be best if I could learn it, but if not, so be it." Guan Tong made up his mind and clicked to enter Shi Jingyi's course channel.
However, after clicking in, he realized a somewhat strange problem.
...What network was this laptop connected to?
Guan Tong used to use his phone's hotspot to connect to the internet when he used his laptop. But now, it seemed that the laptop automatically connected to the network as soon as it was plugged in and turned on.
He checked, and the network connection showed that it was connected to an "unknown wireless network."
"...Could this be a unique network that comes with my shelter?"
Realizing this, Guan Tong immediately pondered further: "If I use the network within the shelter, will I be able to avoid being tracked by it?"
Chapter 92, Rule Six
of the Apocalypse. Guan Tong immediately conducted some tests on network tracking and the like.
He randomly logged into several websites and checked his IP address's location, but all of them showed "unknown location."
He then tried several other methods to test his IP and location, but all of them either showed "unknown" or could not be displayed.
He even opened a map app, selected location, and after a few seconds, the app popped up a message saying "service not available in the current area."
"...Why does it feel like this shelter is in another world, as if it's disconnected from reality?"
Guan Tong conducted an experiment, taking his phone outside, pressing record, and then returning to the room and closing the door. After a while, he went out and checked his phone; the room was still in the recorded video and hadn't disappeared.
This indicated that the shelter existed on a physical level, but its functions—more accurately, its energy—were self-generated, or rather, generated by mental energy, so it didn't have any connection with the outside world.
Electricity, water, and even this unlocatable wireless network were all products of Guan Tong's mental energy used to transform the shelter.
This discovery made Guan Tong realize for the first time that this shelter was far more powerful than he had imagined.
He certainly couldn't convert his mental energy into water, electricity, and a network… It truly lived up to its reputation as an all-around shelter? Had he underestimated it before?
"This makes going online much easier,"
Guan Tong thought. He rarely spoke online, mostly just observing. He was worried that if he revealed any important information, someone with ulterior motives would track him down online.
Now that he was confirmed to be untraceable, he could confidently post any crucial intelligence online, which would at least help some people.
Buzz…
His phone vibrated. Guan Tong picked it up and saw it was Xu Xiaotian calling.
"Hey, Xiaotian, what's up?"
"Nothing much, Tong-ge. The challenge is over, right? Let me tell you, our team ran into a group of illegally formed teams, and we were wiped out right away," Xu Xiaotian sighed. "
It was the Wolf Pack team, right?"
Guan Tong had also seen many participants online angrily denouncing the Tulip Federation's Wolf Pack team. Other countries operate in separate teams, but this Wolf Pack from the Federation is different—dozens of teams operate together. How can anyone else compete with that?
However, Guan Tong himself didn't encounter them, and he didn't know if the Wolf Pack later came to contest the Holy Grail. He only knew that whoever entered the smoke was eliminated without discrimination.
"Exactly! I really don't know what they're thinking. Even if they wipe out all the teams from other countries, they'll still have to fight each other to determine the top ten, right?"
"Maybe they think that way the top ten rewards will all go to their own federation's teams."
"Yeah... but it still feels really infuriating. Oh, right, there's something important." Xu Xiaotian's tone became much more serious. "Tong-ge, do you know that Yong'an might be restricting people from entering?"
"Really?"
"It seems like it's because too many people from all over the country are coming to the capital every day. You have no idea how exaggerated it is. Now many newcomers have nowhere to stay and have to sleep on the streets. A classmate of mine said that Yong'an's population has exceeded 100 million!"
"...That's really a lot."
Guan Tong knew that after the heavy snow and the rules of the living dead, megacities had been rapidly siphoning off the entire country's population, including Yunhua, and the number of new entrants had surged.
But thinking back to Wang Yan's longing for the capital, hoping that her daughter Chen Na could study and live there... many people across the country must have had similar thoughts, which naturally led to the population explosion in Yong'an.
"Yes. That's why I called to tell you, Tong-ge, if you don't come soon, it might be difficult to enter the city after the restrictions are lifted. If you're worried about not having a place to stay when you arrive, I'll make room for you in our dorm!"
"Thanks, Xiaotian, but I really don't plan to go to Yong'an anytime soon. Just focus on your studies at the academy and don't worry about me."
"Okay then, call me when you plan to come, and I'll welcome you!"
"No problem."
After hanging up, Guan Tong thought that apart from megacities, there probably wouldn't be many people in other places.
This situation wasn't just in Beixing Kingdom; it was probably similar in other countries. Faced with disaster, people tend to stick together to resist.
"I'll just watch some online classes."
Thinking too much was useless, so Guan Tong focused on his online classes.
For the next ten days or so, he mainly watched Shi Jingyi's online classes, learning and memorizing the acupoints on the human body, and trying to learn the methods of circulating mental energy.
According to what Shi Jingyi said in class, to learn the basics of energy circulation, it would take about three to six months of diligent study every day. But this experience was before the apocalypse.
In this era, with sufficient talent, progress will be far faster than before. What used to take six months might now only take three. What used to take three months might now only take a month.
This is because the emergence of mental power has subtly transformed people's bodies.
Various experts have been tracking and researching the effects of mental power on the human body, regularly publishing their findings.
Publicly available reports clearly indicate that individuals with higher mental power experience a 30%-50% improvement in various bodily functions within just a few months.
Furthermore, this is an increasing trend. Research estimates suggest that after another 3-4 rounds of rules, the physical functions of those with high mental power will generally be 80%-100% better than before the apocalyptic rules.
This means that even excluding abilities and tools, purely in terms of physical attributes and functions, those with high mental power will be approximately twice as strong as before. While
a 100% improvement may seem like merely physical strength, the most important aspect is this growth trend. If this trend continues, humanity will eventually reach levels previously unimaginable.
No one can predict what society will be like then. So all people can do now is stop thinking about the distant future and focus on the rules they need to face now. More
than ten days have passed in a flash.
September 14th, evening.
Guan Tong lay on the bed, with his black cat, Coal Ball, sprawled beside him, lazily stretching.
"The new rules will be released tomorrow..."
Guan Tong opened his terminal and accessed the Ascension Shop.
No new items were listed.
Before the Ascension Challenge, the shop had listed drones and lockpicks, clearly items added for the challenge.
But since the challenge ended, the Ascension Shop hadn't added any new items.
This made it difficult to predict what the sixth rule would be.
"I bet the research department is even more frustrated than me."
Without predicting the rules in advance, they didn't know what preparations to make or what resources to allocate. Preparing after the rules were announced would definitely be too late.
Guan Tong closed the shop and opened the trading market.
Since the Living Dead rule, item prices had remained consistently high, only slightly decreasing until now.
If Guan Tong had previously been very interested and wanted to buy them, after the challenge, he felt many items were actually quite useless,
especially offensive and defensive items.
If your own mental power items or abilities can provide these two points, then you might as well save your Ascension Coins to buy some special items. For
example, Guan Tong himself has a balanced offense and defense, so ordinary attack and defense items aren't that important to him.
Many people think this way, which is why some items with special effects are priced ridiculously high in the market.
The panacea that Guan Tong had previously found selling for 15,000 Ascension Coins is no longer available; he doesn't know if it's been sold or removed from the market. He browsed for a while and found another piece of equipment with an outrageous price:
[Mental Pendant]: Reduces mental power consumption by 15% when equipped.
[Price]: 500,000 Ascension Coins.
The effect is indeed good; the more you use, the more you save. But the price is outrageous—500,000 Ascension Coins. Even small and medium-sized organizations probably can't afford it; only official and large private organizations can afford it.
"It seems the market has no affinity with unorganized individuals like me..."
Guan Tong didn't look any further and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow is the day the new rules are released; he should go to bed early and get some rest. The
following
morning, just like before the last rule announcement, all the sounds of excavators and transport trucks outside ceased, as if the entire city had been silenced.
It was unclear when the rule announcement began, but on each new rule's day, the city became unusually quiet. Everyone stayed alone or in groups, silently awaiting the rule's arrival.
Some, mostly religious figures, didn't just wait silently; they performed various strange "welcoming ceremonies."
Guan Tong had seen online that after the advent of the apocalyptic rule era, religions similar to "fire-stealers" had emerged in various countries.
Believers believed the fire-stealers were incarnations of gods or messengers sent by the divine to purify this corrupt world.
On each rule's day, these believers would gather for ceremonies and sing hymns; some leaked videos of these rituals were unsettling to ordinary people.
This wasn't surprising; even in an era when gods were merely ethereal concepts, religious power was so strong. How much more so now that the fire-stealers truly displayed the power to manipulate nature and plunder life?
For believers, wouldn't such a living, breathing "god" who periodically displays his power be more real and more worthy of worship than any god who previously existed only in legends?
Guan Tong naturally didn't care much about these things, and besides, most of these religions were expanding wildly abroad, while they had virtually no place to survive in Beixing.
But he felt that the authorities might be worried. If those who worshipped the Fire Stealer became accomplices to evil, instead of thinking about resisting the rules, they began to help the Fire Stealer better enforce the rules, which would undoubtedly be a disaster for humanity as a whole.
Time ticked by, and it reached 9 o'clock.
As always, the Fire Stealer's voice arrived as scheduled, resounding in everyone's minds.
[The Sixth Rule of the Apocalypse Has Been Issued]
[Apocalypse Rule Six: Deadly Blood Plague]
[Rule Content: From the date of the rule's issuance, a virus transmitted through the air and blood will begin to spread throughout the world. This virus is highly lethal; those infected will bleed to death within 24 hours.] [This rule lasts for 15 days]
[Success Reward: 300 Ascension Coins, Silver-tier Survival Chest]
[Failure Penalty: None]
[Note: Since the dawn of humanity, disease has been a constant companion. Fortunately, humanity has always survived major epidemics. Will you be able to continue your luck this time?]
The Firebringer's voice ended, and the entire city erupted in curses.
"A contagious virus! And it's airborne! Damn Firebringers, how many people are they going to kill?!"
"Why is it another survival rule?!"
"This is it, as soon as I saw the 'Survival Chest' reward, I knew this rule would definitely kill a lot of people again..."
Chapter 93 Hidden Rule Six
: A Virus That Can Spread Through Air and Blood!
After hearing the Fire Thief explain the rules, Guan Tong subconsciously looked up at the closed door.
"The water, electricity, and internet in my shelter are all independent, so the air inside the room shouldn't be connected to the outside. Staying here for fifteen days shouldn't be dangerous..."
Guan Tong's first thought was to stay in the shelter for fifteen days and not go out.
Because this rule was truly terrifying. A highly lethal virus that could cause death within 24 hours of infection, and it could also spread through the air. Unless you had professional protective equipment, there was a risk of infection just from exposure to the outside air.
"To go out, you need full-body protective clothing, and you also need professional-grade oxygen masks and oxygen tanks... I don't have any of those."
Guan Tong's supplies consisted only of food, some basic necessities like lighters, and common medicines. He
did have some protective gear, but it was just ordinary masks and disinfectant; he dared not go out with just those things.
"The food we have left should be enough to last me and Coal Ball for fifteen days, but with a disaster of this magnitude, the casualties are probably..."
Guan Tong didn't dare to think about how many people would die after this rule was implemented. In terms of lethality to humans, this blood plague virus was far more terrifying than the previous snow disaster.
...Let's see what the hidden rule is first.
Guan Tong took a deep breath, temporarily putting aside the horror of this rule, and opened the terminal panel to check the rule details.
Under his gaze, the hidden rules quickly appeared.
[Hidden Rule Six: Gene Lottery]
[Hidden Rule Content: In this rule, a very small number of humans are born with adaptive antibodies against the virus. After being infected with the virus, they will not die from a blood explosion, but will instead gain a special ability called "Infection Awareness" within 24 hours. This ability can sense whether people within a 100-meter radius are infected. Extracting the serum of such people and injecting it into oneself can immunize against/cure the virus]
[Note: Do you want to win this gene lottery?]
After reading the hidden information, Guan Tong's first reaction was one of horror.
Was the Fire Stealer doing this on purpose?
Humans who discover they have "infection awareness" within 24 hours of infection, if intelligent enough, will definitely realize they have antibodies. Their first instinct then is to distance themselves from others; otherwise…
once this hidden rule is discovered by the public, those possessing this so-called "genetic lottery ticket" will become targets of mass hunting! If captured by violent groups, they might even be subjected to continuous bloodletting until death.
And this scenario of humans killing each other seems to be exactly what the Firebringers crave.
Guan Tong felt a chill run down his spine. He would never reveal this hidden rule. Even if there were an untraceable network, he would never release it.
Because he didn't know whether doing so was saving lives or killing them. Perhaps those saved by the serum would be grateful, but what about the winners of the "genetic lottery"—if they were killed, whose fate would be blamed?
It was terrifying…
This was Guan Tong's only thought at that moment. This hidden rule was completely guiding people to kill each other for survival.
Considering all the past rules, Guan Tong couldn't help but wonder: if things continue like this, how many people will be left alive on this planet?
Even knowing that the Fire Stealers' purpose is to filter humanity, how many people can accept it with a clear conscience and indifference?
"...What can I do?"
Guan Tong silently sat back on the bed.
Aside from hiding in his shelter and enduring fifteen days, he seemed powerless.
During the previous [Night of the Living Dead], he could rush to eliminate the "Mother Converter" immediately.
Even if he did this to obtain a special reward, objectively speaking, eliminating the Converter early was equivalent to ending the living dead conversion in this area much earlier. This indirectly saved some people who would otherwise have died from the living dead attacks.
But now, facing this [Deadly Blood Plague] rule, Guan Tong found that all his proud abilities were ineffective.
Shadow, Silver Hunter—neither were useful in this rule.
Because viruses are the kind of enemy you can't see at all. It's not just Guan Tong himself; think about all the powerful individuals he encountered in the challenge… one by one, who could possibly defeat a virus?
Take Lucifer, for example. Even if he had wings and could fly, is there no air at high altitudes? It's not like he flew into outer space; he could still get infected.
"Meow."
Coal Ball meowed, seemingly hungry, its eyes fixed on the backpack containing supplies.
Guan Tong sighed helplessly, gave it some food, and watched it leisurely eat, even feeling a little envious of its animalistic ignorance.
However, watching Coal Ball eat, Guan Tong suddenly remembered an idea he had once had.
He had thought that once his mental power increased, he could be self-sufficient using the [Wordless Book], simply writing "food" on it when he ran out.
"Self-sufficient…"
Guan Tong took out the [Wordless Book] from the storage box and turned the pages one by one.
Shadows, Silver Hunters, Mental Power, Shelter… the contents of each page provided him with tremendous assistance, helping him overcome the rules of the past.
He turned to page five and tried to pick up the pen again.
His maximum mental strength was 132 on Grail Island, then it increased to 134 after the challenge ended, and now, half a month later, it had increased by one point to 135.
Could those extra three points allow him to put pen to paper?
He tried to write with a glimmer of hope, but his right hand was flung away the next moment.
Hope vanished instantly, and Guan Tong tossed his pen aside.
"Still can't do it?"
In that instant, only two words came to mind:
serum.
That's right, since his [Book Without Words] could materialize anything, why couldn't it materialize the serum antidote needed for the Blood Plague rule?
If he could produce a large quantity of serum, wouldn't he be able to save many people? This sudden thought led him to try, but it ended in failure.
But failure didn't mean the end.
On the contrary, this idea gave Guan Tong a sense of enlightenment.
In the past, the Firebringers would issue rules and make moves, and humanity could only accept and be attacked, their greatest hope being to avoid being killed.
But today, at this moment, Guan Tong had, for the first time, the idea of "countering the moves."
"If enough pages of the Book Without Words can be opened, and my mental power is sufficient, perhaps one day in the future, I can truly fight against the Firebringers' rules… As long as I succeed even once, it means hope still exists."
This optimism took deep root in Guan Tong's heart.
…
In the Post-Apocalyptic Rule Countermeasures Research Room, an emergency seminar on the sixth post-apocalyptic rule was being held.
Every participant was wearing a professional oxygen mask and high-level protective suit, ensuring that no part of their skin was exposed to the air.
The authorities had invested heavily in establishing this countermeasures research lab, allocating them to near-top-level underground security fortresses, all to contribute to addressing the rules of the apocalypse.
Therefore, no one in the lab dared to slack off. From the very beginning, anyone who was negligent in their work or engaged in any violations or leaks of secrets was punished or dismissed by Gao Liangwei.
"Everyone," Gao Liangwei's voice came through the mask, sounding somewhat somber, but the gravity of his tone was clear to everyone.
"We are now in safe bunkers, wearing the highest level of protective clothing, with a 24-hour circulating oxygen supply... but don't forget, the vast majority of our citizens are currently in extreme danger. Every second of delay could result in a large number of infections, so I don't want to hear any nonsense!" "
Yes. The construction of shelters in major cities is still underway and not yet complete; most people are still in their original gathering points. But this time, the rules are different from those during the snowstorm. People in gathering points need to be forcibly dispersed and relocated, otherwise the number of infected people will explode rapidly."
"Disaster prevention, disease control, and emergency centers are all activated. Staff must be equipped with professional-grade protective equipment, and protective masks and oxygen tanks must be distributed to the general public."
"What should be done with the infected?" someone raised a crucial question. "Also, should we conduct research on the virus?"
If the virus is a long-term threat, then not researching it is impossible. But this rule only lasts for 15 days!
Can we possibly understand a virus that is suspected to be unheard of by humans and created by fire-bringers in just 15 days? Even if we find some clues, is there enough time to develop a vaccine?
To accomplish all this in half a month is almost impossible.
More likely, even if viral cells are extracted, the rule's time limit will expire before any research can be conducted. The virus will then disappear along with the rule, rendering all the work futile.
"Research is needed," Gao Liangwei stated definitively. "Let the virus experts conduct the research; regardless of the results, we cannot give up the opportunity."
"As for how to handle the infected, it depends on the infection situation. If there are no outward symptoms after infection, but the person bleeds to death at a random time within 24 hours, then there's probably no other way but to isolate each person individually."
"If there are obvious changes after infection, such as bleeding or a spike in body temperature, then if we find one..." Gao Liangwei paused, "...euthanize them. At least don't let them die in such agony." "
Understood, we will immediately relay the message to all regions."
"And most importantly, find the hidden content of the rule as soon as possible!" Gao Liangwei said in a deep voice. "Based on the experience with the previous rules, we can conclude that each rule has hidden content. If we can find it quickly, we might save a large number of lives; we absolutely cannot be careless!"
After the meeting, everyone hurriedly left to do their own work.
Dr. Zhang, who was in charge of selecting and training the post-apocalyptic team members, stayed behind alone.
Gao Liangwei asked, "Dr. Zhang, is there anything else?"
Dr. Zhang replied, "It's like this, I think the members of several teams need extra protection. So I'd like to apply to you to purchase some special-type drugs and supplies on the terminal market and distribute them."
"Special-type drugs and supplies?" Gao Liangwei frowned. "You should know that those things are the most expensive on the terminal market."
"Yes," Dr. Zhang nodded.
He knew that some drugs on the market were practically miracle cures. While they couldn't bring someone back from the dead, drugs that could instantly cure a seriously ill patient did exist.
Undoubtedly, top figures in various countries would have a strong demand for such drugs and supplies. This led to astronomical prices for these drugs, some even selling for six or seven figures in Ascension Coins, and they were still snapped up instantly after being listed.
"But what if an important member of the team, especially the captain, gets infected and needs this drug to save their life in a critical moment? This is for the sake of the overall situation, and I hope you can approve this budget."
Even if the post-apocalyptic team could receive official investment, the investment wasn't unlimited. If the consumption of Ascension Coins were to reach six or seven figures, it really wouldn't be possible without Gao Liangwei's approval.
Gao Liangwei pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Alright. However, I can only approve a budget of 800,000 for you; how much you can buy is up to you." (
Chapter 94 The City Under the Plague
After Rule Six took effect, crowds began to pour out of various gathering points.
Even before official evacuation efforts began, many people were already finding their own way out.
If the virus were only airborne, people might still seek refuge together. But since the virus could also be transmitted through blood, gathering in one place would be far more dangerous.
Especially since infected individuals would bleed to death within 24 hours, and if one were unlucky enough to be splattered with someone else's blood and become infected, that would be a truly undeserved disaster.
Even if one didn't come into contact with an infected person's blood, would the bleeding of an infected person create more viruses? This was also a concern for everyone.
Therefore, people decided to evacuate separately, and many planned to leave the city.
Some people familiar with viruses knew that while airborne viruses seem terrifying, they don't necessarily guarantee infection.
For example, some types of influenza are airborne, but not everyone gets infected.
This is also related to the degree of viral accumulation in the air. Some people believed that this rule might be similar to the snowstorm, where in less populated areas, the viral accumulation in the air is lower, resulting in a lower probability of infection.
This idea spread rapidly online. Even after official statements clarified that the virus was still under urgent investigation and no conclusions had been reached, people remained convinced that "fewer people meant fewer viruses in the air."
As a result, after a massive influx of people into major cities, a similarly astonishing outflow occurred.
Large numbers of people, carrying food, drove their own cars or shared vehicles to the outskirts of
the city. Some chose to go to remote areas, hiding in abandoned houses, hoping to survive the next two weeks without infection.
Besides those who left, some chose to remain in the gathering points. Some
resolutely awaited official rescue.
Others were driven by a profound fear of surviving alone.
In their view, going to less populated areas might be the right thing to do, but even so, they dared not stray far from the crowds. The sense of security provided by the crowds was even more important to them than a higher survival rate.
Still others adopted a completely passive attitude, staying in the gathering points, eating and drinking as usual, completely disregarding the virus.
If they didn't get infected, great; if they did, they would simply die. Moreover, with others around in the gathering points, if someone gets infected, it won't just be one person. They'll have company on their journey to the afterlife, so they won't be alone.
Thus, with different perceptions and choices, the city's population began to diverge dramatically.
Those who chose to stay in the gathering points were roughly equal to those who chose to leave for survival.
But even if only half chose to leave the city, it was enough to cause a constant cacophony of car horns.
With millions, even tens of millions, of people leaving the city, one can imagine the traffic jams that would occur.
"Beep! Beep! Beep—"
"Move forward!"
"It's completely blocked!"
On the North Avenue leading out of the city, a man honked his horn and pounded on the steering wheel, but to no avail. The driver in front of him was also urging the car in front to move.
The man wanted to get out to see how far the traffic jam went, but when his hand touched the door handle, he recoiled as if electrocuted.
"No, no… I can't go out, there's a virus in the air outside…"
Although the man knew very well that his car couldn't completely seal off the outside air. But for psychological comfort, he still felt safer in the enclosed space of the car.
The
incessant honking of horns continued, making the man incredibly irritable.
He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled to ease his anxiety.
Although most people nowadays smoke personalized e-cigarettes, he remained a staunch traditionalist, always buying boxed cigarettes. He believed there were already enough electronic things in life and that he should retain more non-electronic items.
"Phew..."
After finishing one, the man lit another.
Afraid of the virus, he didn't dare open the windows, so the smoke swirled inside the car. He
quickly finished another, and just as he was about to smoke his third, he suddenly heard a crash and screams from not far ahead.
"What happened?!"
He immediately sat up straight and looked ahead. A car in the distance seemed to have lost control, lurching forward and backward, colliding with several vehicles in front and behind. The
scream seemed to come from the driver of the car behind—a middle-aged man wearing a mask who got out of his car. He got out of his car, seemingly intending to ask the driver of the car in front what had happened, but upon seeing something, he screamed and ran back to his own car, causing a chain-reaction collision.
As the man was wondering what was going on, he saw the door of the stopped, out-of-control car open, and a person stagger out. The
person's expression turned to one of utter terror upon seeing the man.
Blood was gushing from the driver's seven orifices, dripping onto his clothes and the ground, but he seemed not yet unconscious, still struggling and shouting, "Help...help me..."
It's an infected person!
"Beep beep!"
"Thump—!"
All the cars that had stopped and were waiting nearby immediately started their engines, honked their horns, and tried to move away from the person. But the area was completely blocked, and there was no way to maneuver. They could only floor the accelerator and try to ram into other cars.
The scene became chaotic, and the man holding his third cigarette, through the windshield of the car in front, witnessed the infected person struggle for several seconds before suddenly bursting into a large amount of blood and collapsing to the ground, dead.
"Damn it!"
The man immediately swerved, slammed on the gas, and like everyone else, crashed into other cars, trying to get as far away as possible from the infected person who had died from a blood explosion.
Who knew if the virus on the infected person's body would seep into the air after their death, increasing the chances of infection for those nearby?!
Those who saw the situation drove away, and those who didn't saw others running followed suit, creating chaos on the entire road.
...
Limei Hotel.
This gathering place, where Guan Tong had briefly stayed, had its residents fixed after the snow disaster rules were implemented.
Most were the original residents; new residents who wanted to join had to participate in the daily morning mutual aid sharing session as required by the older residents.
Before Guan Tong's time, this sharing session wasn't mandatory. But under the snow disaster rules, the original founder of the sharing session, Teacher Feng, died of a high fever. After the rules ended, the older residents unanimously agreed that everyone living there must participate.
Now, an hour after the sixth rule, the "Deadly Blood Plague," was issued, all the guests of the Limi Hotel gathered in the lobby, sitting together.
"We don't need to be afraid. As long as we stay strong, we'll get through this."
"That's right, the rules can't defeat us. As long as we're united, no virus is real; it can't invade our bodies."
Someone suggested, "Let's sing the anthem together!"
This suggestion was immediately met with enthusiastic support. Everyone held hands and began singing the anthem, "Tomorrow Will Be Better."
"The wings of hope are soaring."
"The hopes we hold are shining."
"Let's shout together, 'Tomorrow will be better!'"
The voices of hundreds echoed in the hotel lobby, and warm smiles radiated from everyone's faces.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A rapid knocking came from the door. Looking through the window, one could see staff members wearing Emergency Management Bureau uniforms and virus protection masks.
After the hotel's glass doors were damaged by the snow disaster rules, the guests had replaced them with a large wooden door, leaving only a small window for communication and receiving supplies.
The person in charge of the gathering point stood up and went to the window, asking, "What's the matter?"
"We're from the Emergency Management Bureau, delivering virus protection equipment to various gathering points according to orders," a staff member said. "How many people are at your gathering point?" The person
in charge shook his head. "We don't need any protective equipment. We're all pure-hearted people; singing our anthem can ward off the virus disaster." The
staff member outside the window was stunned, thinking they'd misheard.
"What did you say?!"
"I said we don't need it. Give that equipment to those with weak hearts; they might need it."
The staff member snapped, "Who are you! What right do you have to refuse equipment on behalf of others?"
"I'm the person in charge of this gathering point. And I'm not representing anyone else, because everyone thinks the same way I do."
"That's right, we don't need those things."
"Take it away!"
"Our anthem can ward off the virus. Look, there are hundreds of people here, and not a single infected person has appeared."
Others came to the window and said.
The few people still sitting on the ground showed a hint of wavering on their faces. They undoubtedly wanted the protective equipment, but faced with the firm stance of the majority, they were momentarily swayed and dared not express their true thoughts.
Seeing this, the staff outside the window were momentarily speechless. At this moment, another staff member stepped forward and asked, "Are you sure you don't need protective equipment? These are limited quantities; once they're all gone, you'll have to wait for new ones to be manufactured."
The person in charge of the gathering point nodded, "Yes, we're sure we don't need it."
"Then let's go," the staff member said to his colleague, "We're responsible for distributing equipment to twenty gathering points; we can't waste time here!"
"You...you'll regret this!" the first staff member said, both confused and heartbroken, before leaving with his colleague and returning to the transport vehicle to head to the next gathering point.
After the vehicle had driven away, the person in charge turned to everyone and smiled, "I see the strength of your resolve, very good. As long as we continue to hold onto a sincere heart, we will definitely be able to..."
As he spoke, he felt something wet on his cheek, as if water was dripping from it. He looked up in confusion; the houses above were dry, without any water.
Looking down again, he saw everyone staring at him with terrified expressions.
He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his cheek; the wet liquid on his cheek was red—was it blood? "Where did that come from, eyes? "
The person in charge snapped out of his daze, looked at the people moving away from him, and started walking towards the stairs, smiling as he spoke.
"Don't be afraid. I had a momentary wavering in my faith, which allowed the virus to take advantage of my weakness. But I will fight it to the end in my room. In 24 hours, I will walk out of my room with a healthy body. Then, please witness a miracle."
Chapter 95 Worship and Recruitment
Boom!
With a clap of thunder, rain began to fall.
Guan Tong was sitting cross-legged on the bed meditating when he heard the pattering rain outside and opened his eyes.
"Is it raining?"
It was mid-August, the height of summer, the rainy season.
Listening to the thunder and rain, Guan Tong's heart, which had finally calmed through meditation, began to stir again.
He got up and paced around the room before sitting down at his desk and turning on his computer, first checking the time.
It was 4 PM, seven hours after the rules were released.
He then went online to check the news. Many people had posted pictures and videos of infected individuals bleeding profusely, which looked extremely disturbing.
The authorities had also released a statement, making a preliminary assessment of the virus and naming it after the name mentioned in the rules: "Blood Plague."
This was a highly contagious disease that quickly caused internal and external bleeding after infection. This condition would rapidly worsen until a certain critical point was reached, at which point blood pressure would completely spiral out of control, causing the body to exhibit a terrifying "bleeding" effect.
The symptoms of those infected with the plague have been summarized. The most obvious symptom, "bleeding from all seven orifices," is a late-stage manifestation of the second phase of infection. The earlier first phase involves large patches of red spots on the neck and shoulders.
These spots are highly distinctive; unlike the dark spots of other skin diseases, they are bright red, making them very easy to identify. It can be said that the presence of bright red spots in these two areas is a strong indication of plague infection.
Currently, there is no official mention of a solution for the plague virus.
However, some online posts mention the existence of certain medicinal items in the market. Items with descriptions explicitly including "antiviral," "cure disease," and "antibacterial" functions might be useful.
However, these items are now sold at exorbitant prices, reaching seven figures or even millions of Ascendant Coins, making them unaffordable for 99.99% of people.
But some lucky individuals who happened to obtain similar items from loot boxes are both excited and conflicted.
Excited because a chance to make a fortune has arrived! Seizing this opportunity to sell these items for hundreds of thousands or even millions of coins could be worth countless reward events. Currently, the reward for passing a single rule is only a few hundred or a few hundred Ascension Coins.
But... what if you sell the item and accidentally get infected? Selling it
is easy, but buying it back is a different story.
Imagine selling hundreds of thousands or millions of Ascension Coins, only to get infected shortly after, and then being unable to use the money to buy back a similar item... wouldn't that be a truly tragic situation: dying without spending any money?
Therefore, selling or not selling is a very difficult decision.
Some Ascension users who feel lucky and want to gamble their luck choose to list the item.
Others who don't want to take risks and prioritize survival choose to keep it for themselves, hoping to save their lives in a critical moment.
However, there is a third compromise.
Guan Tong saw an official account posting that they are buying up such items from the public. In addition to offering a high amount of Ascension Coins, they will also provide benefits such as professional protective suits and access to professional shelters.
This is specifically designed for Ascendants who don't want to take risks but still want to make money by selling items. It's like using official backing to buy items while providing professional-grade protection, minimizing the risk of infection.
Guan Tong thought, "If that's the case, I guess quite a few people would choose this method."
The official buying of medicine like this is undoubtedly to provide multiple layers of insurance for key figures.
For ordinary people, selling medicine for shelter and a large amount of Ascendant Coins is also a good choice, a win-win situation in a sense.
Guan Tong himself felt a little envious, but not too much. The
actual value of the shelter he was in was definitely much higher than those medicine items.
After all, compared to being cured after infection, everyone hopes to avoid infection altogether.
However…
Guan Tong looked at the door. He didn't know if he had won the "gene lottery," but going out to try was out of the question; that would be pure suicide.
With his current abilities, there's no way to isolate himself from the air, unless…
"I wonder if a completely solidified, sealed shadow can isolate the air? Even if it can, I'll suffocate inside after a while, I'd have to wear an oxygen mask and oxygen tank… That might work, but why take the risk?"
Guan Tong couldn't think of a reason to go out. Staying safely in the shelter until the rules ended in fifteen days was the safest course of action.
Guan Tong stopped thinking about going out, and then a trending video online caught his attention.
The video was filmed abroad, showing hundreds of foreigners praying in a famous cathedral.
A tall statue that had originally stood at the front of the hall had been removed, and judging from the remaining fragments on the ground, the statue, once listed as a "national treasure," had been violently destroyed.
Occupying the original statue's place was a rectangular black stone slab, which looked strangely like the "personal terminal" interface that an Ascended could access by silently reciting a mantra.
Moreover, each of these foreigners was holding a thin book. As the camera zoomed in, it became clear that the book's cover bore the inscription "Words of God," and its contents were none other than every single rule of the apocalypse that had been released so far.
The person filming the video was undoubtedly from Northern Star, speaking fluent Mandarin: "Damn it, these foreigners have gone mad! They've turned the Fire Stealers into new gods, and they've printed the apocalyptic rules into books like a new Bible! I think they're all doomed sooner or later... No, I can't stay here any longer, I have to hurry back home!"
Had things really gotten this bad overseas?
Guan Tong watched the devout worshippers in the video and couldn't help but feel a chill.
He could somewhat understand the destruction of the old idols. The facts were clear: if the gods they once revered truly existed, why didn't they appear and demonstrate their power to stop the Fire Stealers who were killing countless humans?
Since no god intervened, it meant those gods didn't exist in the first place. Thus, it wasn't entirely unexpected that some believers would smash the idols out of anger.
But if we truly worship the fire-bringer as a new god and recite the end-times rules as a new Bible, then it's a different story... And although this happened abroad, the world is now a global village.
With such advanced transportation, even in an end-times world, countries inevitably influence each other. However, as things stand, the world still can't even unite to face these rules together.
Otherwise, the Tulip Federation wouldn't have created the "Wolf Pack" team in the previous Ascendant Challenge.
The fact that they first united to eliminate other countries' teams and then internally allocated the top ten shows that the Tulip Federation had no intention of cooperating with other nations.
"Human groups falling apart and fighting amongst themselves—that's exactly what the Firebringers want,"
Guan Tong thought silently, closing his laptop.
Is it really right for humanity to continue following the Firebringers' path?
...
Knock knock knock.
"Open the door, Gu Fei."
Hearing the sound outside, Gu Fei, who was alone in an abandoned house, got up and went to the door, opening it.
Standing there was a person in full high-level protective gear—the short-haired woman who had stopped him from committing suicide earlier.
She placed a box in front of Gu Fei.
"This is a special arrangement by the Commander-in-Chief. It contains a complete set of top-tier protective equipment. As long as you're not infected with the virus now, wearing this will absolutely prevent further infection."
Hearing this, Gu Fei looked at the box with mixed feelings, then reached out and took it. "Please thank the Commander-in-Chief for me .
" "You can thank him yourself later."
Gu Fei asked in surprise, "I can see the Commander-in-Chief?" "
The Commander-in-Chief said that as long as you survive this trial, he'll arrange for you to meet him."
"Understood."
Not daring to risk further infection, Gu Fei immediately opened the box and put on the protective suit, face shield, and other protective equipment inside.
"Excuse me," Gu Fei said, "is there anything the commander needs me to do?"
"You'll find out when the time comes," the woman said, pointing to the inside of the box. "There's a cell phone in a hidden compartment. I'll use it to contact you, and you can use it to contact me too. But I'm usually very busy, so it's best not to bother me unless it's urgent."
"I understand," Gu Fei said, then paused and asked, "How did you know I was here? And what about the fact that I'm the captain…"
"Stop, I don't have time to answer your questions. You'll understand when you meet the commander."
The short-haired woman finished speaking and left. Gu Fei silently closed the door.
He looked down at his professional protective gear, knowing he hadn't made the wrong choice.
"The official team... Hmph, why didn't they send me a set of protective equipment? Just because I failed twice, do I deserve to be kicked out like a dog?"
"When I meet that commander and shine in the new organization... you'll all regret it one day!" After
delivering the protective equipment to Gu Fei, the short-haired woman returned to the transport vehicle. The driver asked, "Where should we send the next set?"
The short-haired woman took out a tablet and looked at it: "The next one is on Baishui Road next to the Second Hospital. Let's go."
The driver started the vehicle and headed towards the destination.
"Is the equipment enough?"
"Yes, it's enough. There are still five people on the list, and eight sets in the car."
"The commander is certainly willing to spend money. If you ask me, why go through all this trouble? Just grab people like before, wouldn't that be enough?"
"The situation is different now," the short-haired woman said calmly. "The way things were handled in various places before was too sloppy, which quickly attracted the attention of the top leadership. A professional team was formed to investigate this matter, and they're still investigating.
Moreover, the commander believes it's necessary to build our own powerful squad. To maximize the combat effectiveness of the personnel, the recruitment of members for this squad will mainly be done through appeasement and
favors." The driver nodded and said, "The commander has a great eye; we certainly can't compare. However, there are still few capable people in the civilian population. Look at Yunhua; we've searched for so long, and we only have a dozen or so worth contacting."
"The strongest ones are definitely all with the authorities, but..." the short-haired woman thought for a moment, "The person the commander is most interested in is in the civilian population, and he's most likely from Beixing."
"Who?"
"Shadow."
"That Shadow is actually in the civilian population?"
"Hmm. The Commander-in-Chief has access to internal intelligence. If Shadow belonged to the government, the Commander-in-Chief would have known long ago… But according to the Commander-in-Chief, the government has also been putting in a lot of effort to find this Shadow, hoping to
recruit him." The driver suddenly realized, "So, the Commander-in-Chief wants to find Shadow before the government and recruit him?"
"Yes." The short-haired woman nodded. "The Commander-in-Chief told us personally that he is willing to recruit Shadow at all costs. This person was able to form a team by himself in the Challenger Series and defend the Holy Grail single-handedly, which is enough to prove that he possesses extraordinary power."
"If only this Shadow were in Yunhua." The driver said, "If we can find him, the Commander-in-Chief will definitely give us a big reward."
"If only we were that lucky. Beixing Kingdom has more than a dozen megacities. Who knows where that person is? Not to mention that he might not even be in a megacity."
"That's true… We've arrived at Baishui Road. Who is it this time?"
The short-haired woman glanced at the list: "It's a little girl named Chen Na."