Chapter 106 New Home in the Mountains
"Brother Guan!"
Hearing Guan Tong's voice, Chen Na exclaimed softly, not expecting it to be him calling.
Guan Tong asked, "Xiao Na, I saw your car in the development zone parking lot. Didn't you go to Yong'an? By the way, how did your mother's checkup at the hospital go?"
"I, we, Mom—"
Chen Na wanted to say that she hadn't gone to the capital, that her mother's checkup results were bad, but the words caught in her throat as she remembered the short-haired sister.
The latter had specifically told her when they first met and said goodbye not to mention anything about them or the assessment to anyone else.
If she found out the information had leaked, the previous invitation would be canceled.
Chen Na couldn't accept the cancellation, because this was her only lifeline to save her mother.
"Mom is fine... We went to the capital, we took the high-speed train... We don't need the big truck." Chen Na said softly.
"Is that so?"
"Brother Guan, I, I have something to do here, so I'll hang up now."
"Okay."
Quickly pressing the end button, Chen Na's face was flushed. Even though it was just on the phone, lying still made her very flustered.
"I'm sorry, Brother Guan..." she whispered, looking at her phone. "I didn't mean to lie to you. I need to get medicine and supplies for my mother to treat her illness..."
Meanwhile, Guan Tong, in the parking lot, put away his phone. He felt something was off about Chen Na's tone on the phone. She seemed in a hurry to hang up, only saying two or three sentences before ending the call.
But since she said she took the high-speed train to Yong'an, Guan Tong didn't think much of it and told the parking lot attendant, "The owner of this car has left Yunhua. They probably don't want the car anymore."
"Don't want it? Then I'll have someone remove it."
Guan Tong returned to his car and continued on his way.
Along the way, he saw that the villages along the road were still in a state of collapse after the snow disaster. It seemed no one had cleaned them up for months.
It seemed the authorities, due to manpower shortages and other factors, were already exhausted from ensuring the city's supply of materials, building shelters, and maintaining order, leaving no energy to care for the villages outside the city.
This resulted in even villages near the city being almost deserted, completely desolate.
However, the original corpses were all gone, presumably "resurrected" under the rules of the living dead and went to attack the city.
There were quite a few cars on the road, but most were going in the opposite direction from Guan Tong. Those car owners were probably those who evacuated to the outskirts of the city during the Blood Plague Virus rule, and some of the survivors began to return to the city after the rule ended.
Continuing on, Guan Tong arrived at his destination, Mingdao Mountain, around 10 PM.
Just like last time, it was still desolate. The only trace of human habitation was the small camp he had built before.
Yes, his small camp was still there, but the surrounding wooden stakes had all collapsed. Such a simple camp would not last more than ten days without maintenance.
It was already dark, so Guan Tong did not go up the mountain and simply spent the night in the car.
After dawn the next day, he drove the car to the forest at the foot of the mountain and then walked up Mingdao Mountain.
During the Snow Disaster rule, he stayed here for so long, but because the mountain was blocked by snow, he had never been able to go up, which was somewhat regrettable.
Upon reaching the mountain, he found it much as he had imagined. Undeveloped, it was covered in weeds, rocks, and trees growing haphazardly. Before
the post-apocalyptic era, hikers occasionally came here, but after the new era began, no one had the leisure for such pursuits.
Guan Tong walked for a while, searching for a suitable spot to place the shelter. Soon, he found a well-lit flat area and decided to place it there. However
, some preparation was needed beforehand.
A black light flashed from the pattern on Guan Tong's hoodie, and a giant axe warrior appeared.
He then took out the [Corpse Whistle] and blew it repeatedly, causing some undead to emerge from the ground.
"Giant axe warrior, cut down those trees. Undead, clear away the weeds and rocks. Then move the felled trees away,"
Guan Tong commanded his summoned creatures, then sat down to watch them work leisurely.
This made him realize for the first time that having many summoned creatures was indeed advantageous. At least he wouldn't have to do all the odd jobs and physical labor himself anymore.
If only he had these conditions back then during the snowstorm, he wouldn't have needed to get up every day and toil away for half a day clearing the paths; he could just sit in the camp and let his summoned creatures do it.
Soon, the giant axe warriors chopped down the trees that were taking up space, and the undead cleared away all the weeds, rubble, and fallen trees, creating a clean clearing.
Guan Tong then took out the [Wordless Book]. Because summoning the giant axe warriors and the undead had consumed a lot of his mental energy, he could only use some of his reserve mental energy to materialize the expensive shelter.
After the wooden hut was in place, Guan Tong had just opened the door when Coal Ball jumped out with a whoosh.
"Meow!"
It jumped onto Guan Tong's shoulder, lying down and looking around warily. It seemed that the change in environment was making it a little uncomfortable.
Guan Tong patted its little head: "We'll be living on this mountain for now, let's get to know this new home."
Standing at the door, Guan Tong looked into the house, because he had put so many supplies inside before he left that there was hardly any room left to stand.
He had a few undead move some out first. It was already October, the weather wasn't too hot anymore, and some supplies could be left out in the open without any problems.
After moving out eight or nine boxes, there were still quite a few left. Guan Tong sighed, "I wonder what my mental power limit needs to be before I can expand this shelter."
His current goal was to have a two-bedroom apartment, one room for living and the other for storage. Unlike now, with only one room, it gets very messy when there's too much stuff.
After tidying everything up, Guan Tong took a shower, dried his hair with a hairdryer, and then sat down at his desk to turn on his computer.
In this desolate mountain, being able to use water and electricity without the aid of machines was undoubtedly the most satisfying thing for him; compared to that, the small space wasn't a big deal.
Guan Tong first checked the academy's online courses, which hadn't been updated yet.
During the Blood Plague rules, the academy was naturally closed, and lecturers and students were all isolating in their dormitories.
There were definitely quite a few infected people, but the situation should be much better than outside.
Just as Xu Xiaotian said on the phone, the authorities attached great importance to the academy. These students received professional-grade protective suits and oxygen masks immediately after the rules were released, greatly reducing their chances of infection.
This was understandable, since those who could enter the academy were all Ascended individuals with a mental strength limit of at least 80 points. For the authorities, these were being cultivated as the backbone of the force, and their failure was unacceptable.
Guan Tong then logged into his "Ascended Individuals' Home" website. As soon as he opened the backend, he was astonished.
"So many people have registered accounts?"
Previously, besides his own account, only one other user, "Masked," had registered on the website. After only two or three days of inactivity, the number of registered accounts had exceeded eight hundred, approaching the thousand mark.
He suspected someone was driving traffic, otherwise, the growth wouldn't be so rapid.
Returning to the website homepage, he opened the intelligence section.
His Holy Grail post already had over two hundred replies.
"Unlimited mental power? Is this information reliable?!"
"Holy crap! No wonder Shadow was so powerful back then, slaughtering hundreds of contestants like pigs. Turns out he had unlimited mental power!"
"Actually, many contestants had discussed this before. They all thought that Shadow was just one person, and it was impossible for him to have so much mental power to use items and abilities continuously. Now it seems that it's because of this Holy Grail buff."
"I feel like you need suitable abilities or items. If I had unlimited mental power, I definitely wouldn't be able to use it."
"Upstairs +1. My items are actually quite powerful, but they have a cooldown time. Even with unlimited mental power, I can't use them if the cooldown isn't over! Once surrounded, I can only wait to die."
"I'm curious where the site administrator's information comes from? Does the site administrator know Shadow?"
"Site administrator, site administrator, could you be Shadow? If so, please allow me to express my worship and fawn over you!"
Guan Tong read the users' replies and most of them thought his statement was credible, but they were all curious about his source.
Guan Tong wouldn't reveal that he was Shadow, as that would ruin the mystery. Even if someone suspects him now, as long as he doesn't admit it, it can't be confirmed.
Furthermore, with more users, they've started posting on the website themselves.
The intelligence section already has over twenty posts; Guan Tong scrolled through them, and most were irrelevant public information—not a single one he wanted to highlight.
In the commission and transaction sections, although there were posts, there were only a few, and they were all questioning the security of Ascendants using such an unreliable website for commissions or transactions.
Guan Tong wasn't surprised, but he believed that with time, everyone would soon discover that his website was indeed secure.
Finally, there was the "casual chat" section. Guan Tong clicked on it and found that this section had the most posts, over a hundred.
What puzzled him was that many of the posts discussed network security technology.
He clicked on some and finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that in the past two days, a bunch of hackers had tried to crack the website and track down the site owner's IP address, but naturally, they all failed.
Many of these hackers were well-known and highly skilled in the industry. The fact that even they couldn't breach the site indirectly confirmed its high security, attracting some users.
These hackers themselves, believing the site to be very secure, treated it like a technical discussion forum, discussing various related topics.
Even Guan Tong saw "Mask," the guy who sent him the website optimization package, abandon his pretense and post a thread about his failed attempts to crack the site using tools and infiltrate it with a Trojan.
Guan Tong had known before that "Mask" was up to no good, but given the nature of the Vault network, he hadn't paid much attention. Now it seemed that this guy was likely the one who brought in a bunch of hackers, who in turn attracted some ordinary users.
However, given that this guy had worked tirelessly to create the optimization package and indirectly helped the site attract users, Guan Tong's assessment of "Mask" was: although his intentions were bad, he executed it well.
But then a post caught his attention.
The post titled "Questions about In-Website Transactions"
led Guan Tong to the author's confusion in the text.
"Although the website is newly created and its functions are still quite rudimentary, its security seems quite good at the moment.
However, this security only guarantees online security. If users want to conduct transactions, it will inevitably involve offline transactions. How can user safety be guaranteed then? Moreover, after the 10th, the country will enter a state of war, and the movement of City Ascendants will be restricted. How can we ensure that transactions can proceed smoothly?"
Chapter 107 The Reason for the Deception
That night, after her mother, Wang Yan, fell asleep, Chen Na secretly slipped out.
At nine o'clock, the car arrived as promised.
"Get in, Chen Na," the short-haired woman said, rolling down the window.
"Okay."
Chen Na sat in the back seat, and after the car started moving, she asked nervously, "Sister, where are we going?"
"To a factory in the suburbs."
"To a factory?"
"Yes, put this on."
The short-haired woman handed her a round mask, only revealing her eyes.
Chen Na didn't know why she had to wear a mask, but she obediently put it on.
Soon, the car arrived at a factory in the suburbs. It seemed to have been abandoned long ago, without even a gate.
Chen Na followed the short-haired woman into a large hall inside the factory, where she saw many people already there.
Some, like her, wore masks that only revealed their eyes. Two circles of people wearing black hoods and holding guns stood around, looking like terrifying bandits from a movie, which frightened her a little.
When the short-haired woman arrived, the masked people were quite surprised to see Chen Na, whom she had brought.
"The last one is a child?"
"What the hell? A child is participating in the selection!"
"There's no distinction between adults and children in the selection," the short-haired woman said calmly. "There are only participants. I'll explain the selection process now."
"See those people with guns around you? Your selection involves using this factory as your activity area and evading their pursuit. If you're not caught after three hours, you've succeeded."
Everyone nodded; the rules were clear, and everyone understood.
The short-haired woman then specifically asked Chen Na, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Chen Na nodded: "I understand, it means not getting caught by the people with guns!"
"Yes."
"So, we can only run?" a masked man said. "If they find us, can't we just kill them?" The
short-haired woman looked over: "You can. But if you attack the gunmen, they'll attack you too. You'll be responsible for any casualties."
The man sneered: "No problem."
Chen Na couldn't help but feel nervous after hearing their conversation: Why could there be casualties in this kind of selection?
"If there are no further questions, you can begin."
The short-haired woman glanced at her watch.
"You have five minutes to go first. After five minutes, these armed men will start looking for you."
The masked contestants immediately scattered, and Chen Na also ran out at the first opportunity.
She had seen before she came that the factory was very large. As long as she was careful and used her abilities well, she would definitely pass!
Five minutes later, the short-haired woman nodded to the armed men: "Begin."
…
A sharp pain came from her stomach. Wang Yan frowned and opened her eyes groggily.
She knew the cancer pain had started again. This pain was extremely unbearable, and now she could only suppress it with large amounts of painkillers, but the effect was getting worse and worse.
Wang Yan reached for the pills on the table. The glass on the table was full of water, so she drank it down and called out softly, "Nana." There
was no response from the room. At first, Wang Yan thought her daughter had gone to the bathroom, but after waiting for a long time without her returning, she couldn't sit still any longer.
"Nana!"
Wang Yan raised her voice, but there was still no response.
She forced herself to get out of bed despite the pain and went out to look for her daughter, only to find she wasn't in the house at all. She didn't know if her daughter had run away or been taken away.
This immediately panicked her.
She rushed back to her room, grabbed her phone from the table, and wanted to call the police to report her missing.
But when she checked her call log, she found a call from yesterday evening, lasting only about ten seconds.
She clearly remembered not making a call yesterday and wondered if it was related to her daughter's disappearance. She immediately called back.
Buzz...buzz...
Guan Tong, who was meditating cross-legged, heard his phone vibrate and opened his eyes.
He picked it up and glanced at it; it was Wang Yan calling. He had already added her number to his contacts after their conversation yesterday. He
pressed the answer button, and Wang Yan's anxious voice immediately came through the receiver.
"Who are you? What did you say to my daughter yesterday?"
"…Sister Wang? This is Guan Tong."
Wang Yan paused, "Xiao Guan? Is this your number?"
Guan Tong asked curiously, "Yes. I saw your car parked in the development zone yesterday when I left the city. I took the phone from the car and called. Didn't Xiao Na tell you? She answered the phone yesterday." Wang Yan
had a bad feeling and quickly asked, "What did Nana say?"
"She said your illness wasn't serious, and you went to Yong'an by car…isn't that right?"
Guan Tong sensed something was wrong from Wang Yan's tone.
"Oh dear!" Wang Yan exclaimed anxiously, "Nana lied to you! That's not how it is at all!"
"Why would Xiao Na lie to me?" Guan Tong asked, puzzled. "Sister Wang, what happened?"
"It's like this…"
Wang Yan explained that she had been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer at the hospital and only had one or two months left to live. Moreover, they hadn't gone to the capital, Yong'an, and were still living in an abandoned community not far from the hospital.
Guan Tong hadn't expected this, but it still didn't explain why Chen Na would lie.
"I really don't know what's wrong with Nana. She lied to you yesterday, and I just woke up to find her missing. What if something happens to her…"
Guan Tong heard Wang Yan's anxious tone and comforted her, "Sister Wang, don't worry. I think there must be a reason why Nana did this. Has anything happened recently?"
Wang Yan thought carefully, her eyes falling on the protective suit in the corner of the room, and she suddenly remembered.
"Oh, right! There's something... After the sixth rule started, someone quickly delivered protective suits and masks to us. They looked very high-end and expensive. The person who delivered them was a young woman with short hair, who looked very energetic."
"That short-haired girl didn't say it to my face, but to Nana alone. She said that they had some kind of team selecting people and hoped that Nana would participate. If she was selected, they would give her Ascension Coins to buy medicine and items to cure my terminal illness..." "As soon as
Nana told me, I immediately refused. Those medicines and items are so expensive, some costing hundreds of thousands of Ascension Coins. Why would they buy them and give them to you for free? I know there's no such thing as a free lunch, so I didn't want Nana to agree. But this child, she..."
"She probably still decided to agree on her own." Guan Tong said.
He knew that Chen Na and her mother had an extremely deep relationship, otherwise she wouldn't have obtained the [Perception Domain] ability from the Ascension Shop. The reason she obtained this ability was because her wish was to know as soon as her mother delivered the goods home.
So, facing her mother's terminal cancer and short time left, it was only natural that she would try her best to save her. At this point, someone approached her, offering money for medicine and supplies to treat her mother's illness if she passed the selection process to join a certain team. It's not surprising that
she agreed. If Guan Tong were in the same situation, she would likely make the same choice, as it's the only possible way to save her mother's life.
However, from an outsider's perspective, a significant problem becomes apparent.
Hundreds of thousands of Ascended Coins are not a small sum; even if used to invest in talent, it requires careful consideration. Furthermore, what kind of organization, backed by that short-haired woman, is recruiting and selecting people just before entering a state of war? What is its background, and what kind of power does it possess?
"What am I going to do... I had planned to register Nana with the official authorities after the 10th and have her assigned to a shelter, so she would have a safe place and I could leave in peace. But now..."
Guan Tong asked, "Sister Wang, did Nana mention where the team selection is being held?"
"She didn't say, and I don't know either."
"That's troublesome." Without knowing the location, Guan Tong couldn't help. "It seems the only option is to contact the police station and check the surveillance footage; perhaps that will yield some results."
He said this, but in his heart, he felt the chances were slim. If the other party could come up with hundreds of thousands of Ascension Coins, it must be a large organization, and they must be aware of how to avoid being tracked.
But he wouldn't tell Wang Yan this; it would only increase her worries.
"But Sister Wang, I have another question," Guan Tong asked. "Nana was chosen because her abilities were leaked. When and where was it leaked?"
"This... maybe it was at the hospital? I can't remember... I have to call the police station right away! I'll hang up now, Guan Tong." After hanging up
, Guan Tong put down his phone and pondered silently.
Chen Na's abilities are indeed unique, especially since the "team" function was enabled in the challenge, allowing teammates to share the effects and abilities of mental power items.
This means she could potentially transmit the information she perceives to her teammates, providing a significant advantage.
Furthermore, further development could lead to other possibilities. For example, Xu Xiaotian's instant noodles could be developed into noodles with different effects, and her [Perception Domain], after deeper development, might perceive not only the activities of targets but also deeper levels of information.
It's perfectly normal for such potential to attract the attention of some organizations. Guan Tong even felt that if Chen Na had registered her mental power limit exceeding 80 in the village beforehand, she might have been discovered and taken away for specialized training by the authorities long ago.
However, that wouldn't change Wang Yan's physical condition. As for whether the authorities would be willing to spend hundreds of thousands of Ascension Coins to buy medicine and items to treat Wang Yan, that's hard to say… it all depends on how they assess Chen Na's potential and whether they think it's worth the investment.
Currently, it seems that the mysterious organization thinks it's worthwhile, though it could also be deceiving Chen Na and ultimately not implementing anything.
"If I had contacted them sooner, perhaps I could have done something. But now… I can only wait for news."
Guan Tong shook his head; he had his own troubles now.
The issue of trading on the Ascended Ones' Home was indeed difficult. Although no one was trading on it yet, it was still necessary to plan ahead.
"Direct trading between users is definitely not feasible; both sides would feel unsafe. So, if I really want to get trading going, I'll have to be responsible for 'logistics'…"
If he had enough mental energy, he could consider using shadows with activated senses for long-distance transport. However, that required a large amount of mental energy.
"But there's no rush now." Guan Tong thought. The website only had a few hundred users; it wasn't necessary to rush to get everything sorted out now—that would be too demanding.
His current goal was to first improve the "Intelligence" and "Chat" sections, to reassure the Ascended Ones that they could communicate safely and confidently here. The "Trading" and "Entrustment" sections could be improved later.
Chapter 108 Shi Jingyi's Invitation
"It seems I've grasped the basics..."
After receiving Wang Yan's call, Guan Tong, though still concerned about Chen Na, felt there was nothing he could do, so he returned to focusing on his original focus on luck.
He had been studying in the shelter since the Blood Plague Rules period, and after half a month, he had memorized almost all the acupoints on the human body.
Even he himself was surprised by this memory; he figured it was due to his continuously improving mental strength and the subtle, gradual improvement in his physical attributes. It wasn't easily noticeable in normal times, but the changes were truly remarkable when used.
Guan Tong felt that if a World Games were held now, even without using any abilities, relying solely on physical prowess, he could break all the historical records for every event.
"As Shi Jingyi said in the first overview class, the first step is to memorize all the acupoints on the body, and then you can try to circulate your qi between these acupoints... Only by mastering this can you possibly make your mental energy cover and circulate on the body surface in a way similar to 'qi'."
Currently, the online classes don't seem to have reached this stage yet; they're still focused on acupoint recording techniques and some fist and foot exercises.
Indeed, before the students mastered acupoints and qi circulation techniques, Shi Jingyi also taught some fist and foot techniques from her "Guiyun Martial Arts School" in class, saying that regular practice would improve blood circulation and help with future cultivation.
Guan Tong couldn't go out before and didn't practice much; practicing fist and foot in a small room was too stifling. Now he has the means; the entire Mingdao Mountain can be used as a training ground, and he can practice wherever he wants. However,
he knows that no matter how much he practices, he can never reach Shi Jingyi's level of effortless skill. She herself said she has practiced martial arts for over twenty years, which must have started from a young age; it's not easy for others to catch up.
Therefore, rather than honing his martial arts skills, Guan Tong preferred to leverage his strengths and study the [Wordless Book] more thoroughly.
He only needed to achieve a basic level of mental energy circulation in his "martial arts." Because he was ahead of the course, he considered calling Shi Jingyi to ask about techniques and tips for practicing energy circulation. However, glancing at the time, it was already 10:30 PM, so he decided not to disturb her rest and would do it tomorrow.
With a thought, the Wordless Book appeared before Guan Tong.
Turning to the fifth page, looking at the blank page, he wondered how much mental energy he needed to write.
Considering the refuge on the fourth page, where all his mental energy was instantly drained when he materialized it on Holy Grail Island, the fifth page would be even more extreme. Perhaps… he would need a limit of 150 points, or even higher, to write.
"My current limit is 137, averaging 1 point every 7-8 days, about 4 points a month… still a bit slow."
4 points a month, less than 50 points a year, hardly enough.
He considered another way to quickly increase his limit: intense combat. But what was the reason for intense combat increasing mental energy?
According to Ouyang Shanyue, one of the academy's main lecturers, in the course "Philosophical Reflections on Mental Power," mental power is related to emotions and spirit. Referring
to the first rule, "Sleep Deprivation," why do some people have high mental power while others have low mental power?
Post-event statistics show that those who used external aids to overcome challenges generally had lower mental power. Whether it was using "wake-up peppermints" or receiving injections of psychotropic drugs in the hospital, all affected the upper limit of mental power. Those who
relied solely on willpower without external aids generally had higher upper limits of mental power. Within this, there are also differences; statistically, teenagers tend to have higher limits, while older people have lower limits.
Thus, the upper limit of mental power seems to reflect an individual's potential at the level of mental will.
However, according to Ouyang Shanyue's theory, the rate of increase in the upper limit of mental power is also related to emotions. When facing threats in battle, a person's emotions fluctuate dramatically.
Worry about one's own abilities, high tension when facing a powerful enemy, and extreme fear of defeat... these emotions are intense and complex, something impossible to experience in a stable environment.
Ouyang Shanyue also gave some examples in class, mainly focusing on some well-known ascendants, many of whom were celebrities from the pre-apocalyptic rule era, including famous athletes and stars.
One example was a former well-known young boxer who, after the first rule was implemented, proactively revealed his maximum mental strength on his social media account—105 points, very high.
Another example was a movie star whose publicly revealed mental strength maximum also exceeded 100 points. This star, despite his fame, had numerous scandals and was constantly insulted by netizens, yet he seemed completely unconcerned, earning him the nickname "thick-skinned." Another
example Ouyang Shanyue gave in that class was someone Guan Tong had heard of: Go champion Wenren Yizhi. She became an internet sensation after live-streaming her Go matches for 72 consecutive hours during the rule period, gaining countless followers.
However, she didn't proactively reveal her mental strength value; it was officially disclosed. It seems the organization recognized her sudden fame and recruited her into their ranks, using her reputation for promotional purposes.
According to the official announcement, Wenren Yizhi's maximum mental strength was 117 points after passing the first rule. This news caused a huge stir online, as it was far higher than others.
Most people were happy with an 80-point rating, barely qualifying for an "ordinary" rating. Her 117 points far exceeded the "excellent" rating of 100 points, a truly terrifying achievement.
Ouyang Shanyue used these examples to illustrate the relationship between the increase in mental strength and emotions. Whether it's a fiery, passionate emotion or a rock-solid one, reaching the extreme can benefit the increase in mental strength.
Returning to Guan Tong himself, his personality could be described in two words: calm and even-tempered.
He possessed all the emotions of an ordinary person, but none were particularly intense, so the path of increasing mental strength through extreme emotions didn't seem suitable for him.
"...Forget it, what's the rush? Let's take it one day at a time."
Guan Tong thought carefully and realized he didn't need to be too hasty. His goal was simply to keep completing the rule challenges and see if he could reach the end to learn the truth, not to endlessly become stronger.
At 11 PM, he went to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, he found a message on his phone from Wang Yan, sent in the middle of the night.
"The sheriffs checked the surveillance footage; Nana took a car to the suburbs. They haven't found her yet; they're still investigating."
Guan Tong's heart sank slightly upon seeing the message.
If that was the case, Chen Na might not be able to return anytime soon…
No matter who that organization was or how powerful they were, they would definitely be worried about being exposed.
Even if Chen Na passed the selection, if they let her go back, she was so young; she might reveal something, exposing some of the organization's secrets.
Looking at the message, Guan Tong inexplicably thought of the multi-city kidnapping case targeting individuals with high mental abilities that he and Xu Xiaotian had both been involved in.
Although Shen Zuohu and his associates from Yunhua have already been arrested and are likely sentenced to death, it's unclear whether the mastermind behind their remote control has been apprehended.
Guan Tong only knows that Li Meng, the director of the Yunhai City Public Security Bureau, has been transferred to Yong'an, the capital, to continue investigating this matter.
...Could the organization that recruited Xiao Na have some connection with those people from before?
Guan Tong couldn't be sure, and he was also worried about Wang Yan.
She was already seriously ill and didn't have much time left; if her daughter disappeared, it would be a huge blow to her...
Guan Tong thought for a moment and replied, "Sister Wang, even if Xiao Na is missing, she shouldn't be in any danger. Her abilities are rare; whoever took her away is unlikely to harm her."
All he could do now was offer words of comfort to Wang Yan; he couldn't help with anything else, whether it was Chen Na's whereabouts or Wang Yan's terminal cancer.
Wang Yan replied to the message shortly after: "Thank you, Xiao Guan. I also believe Nana will be alright. I will persevere and find her!"
Guan Tong sighed and stopped thinking about it. After breakfast, he called Shi Jingyi, who answered quickly.
"Hello, Guan Tong, is there anything you don't understand that you want to ask me?"
Shi Jingyi got straight to the point, knowing that Guan Tong wasn't the type to call her for casual chats.
"Yes." Guan Tong told her about the luck problem he had been thinking about last night, and Shi Jingyi was quite surprised.
"You've already started trying luck, so fast? You've memorized all the acupoints?"
"I've memorized them."
Shi Jingyi deliberately asked a few tricky questions, which Guan Tong answered correctly.
"I didn't expect you to have such a good memory! No wonder you are... um." Shi Jingyi almost blurted out, "No wonder you are the world's number one shadow."
"You're progressing so fast, it's really hard to keep up with online classes. Here, I'll send you some of the later course materials on luck later, you can study them on your own first."
"Okay, thank you."
"Oh, right." Shi Jingyi suddenly remembered something, "I was planning to call you in the next few days anyway."
Guan Tong asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"
"The whole country will be entering a state of war on the 10th, you should know that, right?"
"I know."
"Everyone will have to register and be assigned shelters. I was thinking after I found out, you probably won't be going to a shelter."
Shi Jingyi knew Guan Tong's shadow identity and that the latter had been hiding it from registration. But once the state of war begins, hiding it won't be so easy.
"…Actually, I've already left the city," Guan Tong said.
"Haha, I knew it." Shi Jingyi seemed to have guessed, laughing a few times before saying seriously, "The reason I called you is to offer you an invitation."
"An invitation?"
"Yes! When I called before, I noticed you were progressing very quickly in my course. This time it's even more certain that you're ahead of the other students in my class, so if you're willing, you can come to the academy as my teaching assistant."
Teaching assistant...
Guan Tong was quite surprised that Shi Jingyi had this plan.
"If you come, once the wartime state begins, I can register you as a specially invited teaching assistant. At that time, besides spending some time helping other students every day, you can arrange most of your time freely. Also, you don't need to live in a collective shelter; you can live in the academy's faculty and staff dormitory, which is a single room, so privacy is not a problem."
Guan Tong thought carefully after listening to Shi Jingyi's words.
If he registered as a teaching assistant, then he would have an identity that would allow him to move around in the city reasonably. Otherwise, if he didn't register, living in the wild would be fine, but once he wanted to enter the city, he would face a lot of trouble.
Furthermore, Shi Jingyi specifically mentioned that teaching assistants could live in single faculty dormitories, not in communal shelters… This also met his need for privacy.
The price to pay for these things is dedicating a portion of his time each day to fulfilling the responsibilities of a teaching assistant, helping Shi Jingyi, the lecturer, organize course materials, and assisting students with their studies.
"No need to make a decision immediately," Shi Jingyi said. "My invitation is valid indefinitely. Just call me whenever you want to come—but it's best to make a decision before the 10th. Once we enter a state of emergency, it might be difficult for unregistered personnel to enter the academy."
Chapter 109 Wartime Status Officially Begins
"Knock, knock, knock."
At noon, a knocking sound woke Wang Yan.
She had been too worried to sleep since discovering her daughter Chen Na was missing last night. She had only managed a brief nap when she heard the knocking again.
Thinking the police had some leads, she quickly got up and went to the door. Opening it,
she found no one there. Looking around, she saw a small box on the floor.
Taking it into her room and opening it, she found a letter and a sealed medicine box inside.
Wang Yan unfolded the letter and immediately recognized the delicate handwriting as her daughter Chen Na's.
"I'm sorry, Mom, I have to leave for a while. Please don't worry about me, I'll be back."
Following Chen Na's brief message was another piece of writing, but the handwriting suggested it was someone else's.
"Ms. Wang, your daughter has passed our selection process. We will temporarily take her to another place for training. The medicine box contains medication to treat your illness, as agreed upon with your daughter. Don't try to find us; you don't have the ability. When the time is right, your daughter will return to see you."
"Nana..."
Wang Yan was already in tears after reading the letter.
She remained silent for a long time before opening the medicine box. Inside was only one pill. Her personal terminal automatically recognized the information:
[Special Healing Pill]: Cures various diseases after consumption. This item is tradable.
Wang Yan knew that such a medicinal item would probably sell for hundreds of thousands of Ascension Coins on the market.
Now that the mysterious organization that had taken her daughter had actually delivered the medicine, she felt no joy.
Having struggled in society for many years, she knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. The fact that the mysterious organization was willing to spend hundreds of thousands of Ascension Coins meant they believed they could obtain far more than that from her daughter, Chen Na.
This caused Wang Yan immense anxiety; she didn't know how her daughter would be treated.
But she felt that what Guan Tong had said on the phone earlier was probably right. The organization had gone to great lengths to take Chen Na away, definitely not to harm her, but to use her abilities. So she shouldn't be in any danger.
After a long silence, Wang Yan looked at the pill, swallowed it.
This was something her daughter had traded her freedom for; she had to take it. And then she had to live, until she found her daughter.
...
On Mingdao Mountain.
Guan Tong sat in the doorway of the wooden house, basking in the sun, while Coal Ball climbed up and down the tree in front of it.
In less than a day, it had adapted to and even liked the environment. Being able to climb up and down the tree was definitely better than being cooped up in the small room.
Watching Coal Ball's lively figure, Guan Tong felt a sense of it enjoying freedom.
Coal Ball felt this way, and so did he. A
free and unrestrained life had always been what he wanted. Especially after entering the era of apocalyptic rules, this freedom was even more precious.
"It seems I have to refuse Shi Jingyi's invitation for now."
After a morning of consideration, Guan Tong finally made his decision.
Actually, the conditions Shi Jingyi mentioned were already quite good: the teaching assistant work wasn't heavy, he could register his identity, and he had a separate faculty dormitory.
However, this inevitably meant falling into a rigid, formulaic lifestyle.
At that point, not only would he struggle, but even someone like Meiqiu (a nickname) would find it difficult to climb trees, and he'd have to stay indoors all the time.
Moreover, the college was in Yong'an, the national capital, where regulations were undoubtedly the strictest.
Guan Tong thought it over and decided that he wasn't suited, at least not now, to live in the capital.
He took out his phone and typed a text message to Shi Jingyi:
"Thank you for your invitation. After considering it, I've decided not to go."
About ten minutes later, Shi Jingyi replied:
"Just do what you think is best. And as I said on the phone, my invitation is valid indefinitely. If you change your mind someday, just let me know."
Guan Tong put away his phone and began to manage his time at his own pace.
Just like his previous plan, he would watch online classes, maintain his website, and relax by taking walks in the mountains.
During this time, Wang Yan contacted him once, telling him what had happened afterward.
Although Chen Na was nowhere to be found, Wang Yan's terminal illness was indeed cured with the medication and props, which was a good thing no matter what.
Wang Yan told him that she had registered and applied to join the Public Security Bureau, and the authorities had notified her that her application was successful.
This surprised Guan Tong quite a bit, but considering Wang Yan's prop, the "oil-converting pot" that could turn any liquid into oil, such a resource-based prop still had some value to the authorities.
Moreover, it had been previously revealed online that various departments of the authorities, especially those on the front lines, were recruiting massively, and manpower was extremely scarce.
It seems that due to the chaos and conflicts in various regions, many frontline personnel did not die from the virus itself, but from the infected individuals who rioted.
Therefore, now, anyone with a sound mind and normal values can easily apply for a position in an official frontline department.
As for Wang Yan's purpose in applying to join the Public Security Bureau, it's obvious: to find her daughter, Chen Na.
Time passed, and before they knew it, it was October 10th.
Today was the day the country officially entered a state of war. Guan Tong also turned on his computer and watched the announcement live.
He knew that from today onwards, this country would undergo a major change.
After the official announcement of entering a state of war, the atmosphere on the internet immediately changed drastically.
Some somewhat outrageous remarks were quickly suppressed.
Numerous drones were deployed to patrol major cities. These drones were equipped with facial scanning capabilities; if they scanned unregistered individuals, they would transmit the location to the Public Security Bureau for investigation.
In addition, the first batch of officially constructed shelters was completed and randomly allocated according to registered personnel. Each shelter could accommodate about a thousand people, with accommodations similar to university dormitories.
Unlike university dormitories, each shelter has two energy systems: one supplied externally and the other an independent system. If the external system is disrupted due to natural disasters or other calamities, the internal system can still operate for a period of time.
In addition, each shelter maintains a large stockpile of various foods, medicines, and equipment to ensure that shortages are not easily encountered.
Guan Tong saw someone mention on the Yunhua local forum that everyone entering a shelter must undergo detailed registration. This
includes not only name, age, and facial features, but also their personal terminal's digital ID, psychic power items, abilities, and the amount of Ascension Coins—all of which must be recorded, and an agreement must be signed.
The agreement wasn't directly posted online, but roughly speaking, it states that upon entering the shelter, one agrees to resource sharing.
In other words, if the authorities have a unified allocation need, shelter personnel must comply with management and use their items or psychic power for allocation.
Some people feel this is not good, while others say it doesn't matter. They feel that since the authorities provide shelter and will assist in passing subsequent rules, complying with management and unified resource allocation is not inappropriate.
Another sizable group has been raising numerous questions online: while the shelters are supposedly randomly assigned, their observations suggest that almost all occupants are Ascended.
This group consists of non-Ascended individuals—those whose mental energy has dwindled to zero and whose personal terminals have shut down after several failed rule challenges. This group
first emerged after the third rule, "Fasting Therapy," and grew significantly after the fifth rule.
Now, this group is substantial, and their collective voice is powerful.
They believe the authorities are prioritizing Ascended individuals for shelter placement, while those with shut-down terminals are relegated to the back of the list—a blatant act of discrimination. The
authorities have not responded, but some Ascended individuals have expressed disdain online, questioning the future usefulness of those without mental energy and deeming the shelter placement a waste.
This has sparked strong discontent among the non-Ascended group, leading to numerous protests. As for the final outcome, Guan Tong couldn't find any follow-up information. Only a few people mentioned being placed in shelters, while others said they had chosen to leave the city and live elsewhere.
After reviewing the current situation, Guan Tong's heart was also unsettled.
If the division among people after the third rule was still implicit and not so obvious, then this outbreak of conflict had reached an irreconcilable point.
Perhaps the authorities were also helpless; there were only so many shelters built, and those who moved in would inevitably be placed in a certain order. So, the question of who would go first—the Ascended or the Non-Ascended—was a simple choice.
Complete randomness was impossible, because no matter how much everyone claimed equality, everyone knew in their hearts that an Ascended person's value and potential were higher than a non-Ascended person's.
The authorities had clearly stated in the previous live broadcast that everything was for the survival of more citizens, and some sacrifices had to be made for this purpose.
These sacrifices included both basic necessities and certainly those of a certain group.
But when it came to becoming that sacrifice, how many could accept it calmly?
However, what surprised Guan Tong both was that after entering wartime, the traffic to his "Ascended's Home" website began to surge.
Currently, registered users had exceeded two thousand and were still rapidly increasing.
"It seems other social networking sites are starting to restrict free speech..."
Guan Tong thought, feeling that even if his website couldn't be tracked, he couldn't allow users to spout nonsense. Discussing daily life and sharing information was fine, but inhumane remarks were definitely prohibited.
He quickly wrote a "Posting Guidelines" and pinned it to the top of each forum. It stated that healthy, positive, and harmonious discussions were encouraged, and those who posted inhumane remarks would be banned or have their accounts suspended.
The post quickly garnered dozens of comments.
"Support the site administrator!" "
After the declaration of wartime status, other websites have clearly tightened their restrictions. It feels like this forum will be the only safe haven..."
"Anyone from Wu'an City? I was assigned to Wu'an-114 shelter. If anyone's here, we could be roommates!"
"You got assigned to a shelter so quickly? I don't think I was randomly assigned to the first batch. I guess I'll have to wait until the second or third batch of shelters are built before I can move in."
"What's so good about shelters... four people a room, and they don't allow men and women to live together. Isn't that forcibly separating me and my girlfriend?!"
"I remember the shelter's admission agreement mentioning that strict management only applies during the period when the apocalypse rules are in effect. Outside of the rules, you can still apply to leave and meet people from other shelters."
Chapter 110, Rule Seven of the Apocalypse
: The Apocalypse Rules Countermeasures Research Office.
After the nation declared a state of war, relevant data was compiled and discussed here.
A data clerk reported: "Currently, the first batch of 18,819 shelters nationwide have been completed, expected to accommodate approximately 20 million people. The second and third batches of shelters are under construction; the second batch should be partially completed before Rule Seven is issued on October 31st."
"Has the population count been completed?" an expert asked.
One reason for conducting this preliminary population registration work under the state of war was that the authorities wanted to confirm the current total population of the nation.
From the first rule onwards, the snow disaster, the living dead, and the blood plague all resulted in some casualties. The snow disaster and blood plague rules caused particularly large numbers of casualties.
However, due to insufficient manpower, detailed data collection has been impossible. Especially in many villages, which were essentially cut off from communication after the snow disaster rule was implemented, the number of survivors is unknown.
After checking, the data clerk replied, "The total registered population of major cities across the country is currently approximately 713,456,200."
"Just over seven hundred million...?"
Silence fell over the room.
The population of Beixing Kingdom had originally reached 1.6 billion, but in just six months, it had dwindled to less than half. The cruelty of this result was enough to shock anyone.
"This is only the registered population," the data clerk added. "There's also a certain number of unregistered people living outside the city. If we include these people, the total population is estimated to be around 800 million."
"800 million is only half of what it used to be!" Gao Liangwei said in a deep voice. "Just six rules have been implemented, and only half the population remains. Gentlemen, you can see how dire our situation is!"
"Yes... but things should get better later. The first few rules left us too little time to carry out large-scale construction. Now that a large number of professional-grade shelters are being built in batches, the casualties shouldn't be so severe."
At this moment, someone said, "Should we take some action against those living outside the city? According to reports, it seems that quite a few people are forming organizations and establishing camps outside the city, and even some groups that resemble religions have emerged... If this continues, will there be problems?"
"I don't think that's necessary," Dr. Zhang said. "Those who choose to live outside the city are either strong individuals confident in their abilities, people who resist communal living, or non-Ascensioners who feel discriminated against... Forcing these three types of people into the city would only cause chaos."
"Moreover, these people don't have sufficient resources in the wild; they'd be lucky to be self-sufficient. Even if they establish camps, it's just for survival; they're unlikely to pose any threat to the city."
"That's right," Gao Liangwei said. "Forcing everyone to move into shelters will only provoke resistance and cause internal strife. Since they've chosen to go outside the city, let them go. What we need to do now is focus on taking care of the 700 million people in the city."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Gao Liangwei then added, "Also, I'd like to remind everyone of something. As you all know, the newly released [Secret Communication Scroll] in the Ascension Shop can be used for private calls between friends."
After the sixth rule was implemented, the research lab tested the item as soon as it was available.
The test results showed that using the [Secret Communication Scroll], the entire call was completed in the mind. The callers didn't need to speak; they communicated directly through thought.
This undoubtedly posed a new challenge for highly classified units.
"Everyone knows how high the security level is here. So, although there are still twenty days until the release of the seventh rule, I'd like to make this clear upfront... If anyone tries to use the [Secret Communication Scroll] to secretly contact the outside world or leak classified information, the research lab will severely punish them if discovered!"
Everyone looked solemn and said in unison, "Understood."
...
October 30th, one day before the release of the seventh apocalyptic rule.
In the morning, Guan Tong was sitting in the small courtyard he had cleared out in front of his wooden house—or rather, it was cleared out by the undead; he had simply been a hands-off manager.
A wooden fence had been erected around the courtyard. This was because a few days ago, some wild animals had started appearing, scratching at his wooden house door in the middle of the night, making disturbing noises.
Guan Tong then decided to modify the environment.
He first summoned the giant axe warriors to chop down some trees, and then summoned a bunch of undead to clear out a small courtyard around it, and then used the chopped-down logs to build a wooden fence.
This way, any small wild animals would be kept out by the wooden fence and wouldn't run directly to Guan Tong's wooden house and cause trouble.
At this moment, Guan Tong was meditating with his eyes closed, circulating his qi.
Ever since Shi Jingyi sent him the course materials on qi circulation, he had spent a considerable amount of time studying and practicing every day.
Compared to memorizing acupoints, qi circulation was much more difficult and tested one's control over the body. It took Guan Tong half a month just to sense the existence of qi, and then another half a month to try controlling it and letting it circulate within his body.
Finally, with only a few days left in October, he succeeded once, allowing the qi to travel through different acupoints.
So today, he couldn't wait to try it out, to see if he could manipulate the flow of mental energy like qi circulation.
He started meditating outside at six in the morning, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and it's now past nine o'clock—more than three hours have passed—but still no luck.
After yet another failure, Guan Tong opened his eyes: "Was I too impatient? Maybe I should try focusing on one point first."
He calmed himself, no longer pursuing the flow of mental energy, but only striving to materialize it into a single point.
Lowering his expectations, the results were immediately apparent. In less than half an hour, Guan Tong successfully made a point of mental energy appear on his right index finger.
However, it only existed for about two seconds before dissipating. Even so, Guan Tong was very satisfied.
This proves his training is effective, and that's enough. If he continues, sooner or later he'll be able to circulate it throughout his body, strengthening his bodily functions.
"That's enough for today."
Guan Tong stood up, stretched, and gazed into the distance.
His chosen refuge was on a mountainside, offering excellent views of distant villages and towns.
This panoramic view always put him in a good mood, reaffirming his decision.
Living in a shelter or staff dormitory would have meant only seeing walls, beds, and tall buildings—a truly agonizing experience.
"The new rules will be released tomorrow… my preparations are almost complete."
Over the past month, Guan Tong's mental strength had increased as expected, by 4 points, from 137 to 141.
With each point increase, he would open the [Wordless Book] and try to write on the fifth page, but all four attempts ended in failure.
He even considered adding words to the earlier pages to strengthen his abilities. After thinking it over, he didn't have many ideas for the time being, so he gave up.
He divided his daily mental energy recovery into three parts.
One part was used to maintain the shelter, which consumed 1 point of mental energy every ten minutes, totaling 144 points per day.
This seemed like a lot, but with the "Winner" title equipped, Guan Tong's mental energy recovery rate reached a high speed of 1 point every 2.5 minutes. In 24 hours, he could recover a total of 576 points.
Subtracting the 144 points consumed by the shelter, he still had 432 points left. He then divided this mental energy in half again, converting one half into reserve mental energy and the other half into Silver Hunter bullets.
After a month, his reserve mental energy had reached 3890, just a little over 100 points shy of 4000.
As for the Silver Hunter bullets, the current quantity was also staggering: 105 #1 bullets; 102 #2 bullets; 315 #3 bullets; 141 #4 bullets; and 68 #5 bullets.
Having stored so many bullets, he would never recall the Silver Hunter to the [Book of No Words] unless absolutely necessary; wiping them all out was unacceptable to him.
Besides, he also took the time to test the "Giant Axe Warrior."
Previously, summoning it to chop trees only required the minimum 50 points of mental energy. To test its higher combat power, he later tested it with 100 and 200 points of mental energy respectively.
The Giant Axe Warrior summoned with 100 points was slightly taller, approaching 2.5 meters, and its strength had also increased significantly; a single axe strike could split a large boulder in the mountain. Summoning
it with double the points (200 points) didn't change its size or strength much, but its speed increased, reaching the speed of a normal adult male. At this speed, its combat power had increased by more than one level.
Guan Tong didn't test summoning it with even more points.
Firstly, it would waste his reserved mental energy, and secondly, he felt it wasn't necessary at the moment. This guy only supports a maximum of 1000 points of mental power summoning, and Guan Tong couldn't afford to use that much of his reserve mental power just for a combat power test.
Besides, he logged into his "House of Ascendants" website every day to check posts and messages.
Since society entered a state of war, his website's traffic had been surging daily, with one user bringing in two, two bringing in four, and user registrations doubling.
As of today, the website had over 20,000 registered users. Compared to the vast population of Beixing Kingdom, 20,000 might not seem like much, but this increase already indicated a bright future for the website.
If this growth continued, it wouldn't be long before it reached 100,000, or even a million.
However, with the surge in users, Guan Tong was gradually feeling the strain of management. He was starting to find it difficult to manage alone, unless he devoted all his time to it, which was impossible.
Therefore, he was considering recruiting a few administrators. There would definitely be no salary; it would be entirely voluntary. He thought perhaps someone would be willing to apply—not to mention others, "Masked" would definitely be willing, as he had already posted several times expressing his desire to become one of the website's administrators.
However, with the new rules about to be released, the selection of administrators had to be postponed.
After a night's rest, Guan Tong maintained perfect condition the next day, gazing into the distance, silently waiting for the Firebringers to release the new rules.
When the time came, the rules were released.
[The Seventh Apocalyptic Rule Has Been Released]
[Apocalyptic Rule Seven: Hour of Silence]
[Rule Content: From the date of this rule's release, all humans are prohibited from speaking. This includes any meaningful words or names uttered from the mouth. Whispers, crying, laughter, groans, etc., are also included, but breathing sounds are not restricted. This rule lasts for 30 days.
If someone speaks in violation of the rule, the challenge will be immediately deemed a failure, and the speaker will be hunted and attacked by "Sound Hunters."]
[Success Reward: 300 Ascension Coins, Survival Chest - Silver Grade]
[Failure Penalty: Reduced Mental Strength Limit]
[Note: Do not blindly test the limits of the rules, and do not attempt to provoke the Sound Hunters with meaningless roars. If you want to survive, try to become a silent statue that only breathes.]