49 Apocalypse Rules

"The emergency meeting on the fourth Apocalypse Rule will now begin!"

Inside the conference room of the Apocalypse Rules Strategy Research Room, its director, Gao Liangwei, made the announcement with a grave expression.

"This time, it’s a survival rule similar to the first one, ’Sleep Deprivation,’ and it’s extremely dangerous! If we don’t prepare a proper response, many people could die!"

"That’s right. This ’June Snow’ rule might seem like we just need to hide indoors, but in reality, the transportation of food and other supplies will be a huge problem!" a meteorological expert said.

"You all may know from weather forecasts that there are six classifications for snowfall: light snow, moderate snow, heavy snow, blizzard, heavy blizzard, and extreme blizzard. My assistants and I just used our instruments to observe for a while, and we’ve determined that this snowfall will reach the level of an extreme blizzard: 30 millimeters in 24 hours!"

"It might even exceed an extreme blizzard! Because this is an extreme blizzard under the Apocalypse Rules—the rate of snowfall won’t decrease at all for an entire month!"

The meteorological expert’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

"This means that without manual intervention, the snow on the streets outside will be over 50 centimeters deep by this time tomorrow!"

After the meteorological expert finished speaking, everyone in the room gasped.

Over 50 centimeters of snow in a single day—what did that even mean? A single step would send you knee-deep!

And that was just one day’s accumulation. The rule was set to last for thirty days...

"This kind of extreme blizzard will severely impact public transportation!" a transportation expert said. "I’m afraid transit systems everywhere will have to shut down. Only a very small number of underground rail lines will remain operational."

A logistics expert spoke up. "Has anyone considered how we’ll transport daily necessities for the public when the snow gets too deep for transport vehicles to move? A large number of people are currently relying on the Bureau of Livelihood Security for free food and supplies. If transportation stops, they’ll likely starve to death!"

"We can’t ignore the temperature issue either," a temperature expert added, their face full of worry. "A continuous extreme blizzard will soon cause temperatures to plummet below freezing. But don’t forget, it’s June! It’s supposed to be getting warmer, so preparations for winter insulation are severely lacking everywhere."

"The issue of mental health also warrants attention. When people face this kind of extreme environment for a prolonged period, their psychological state can deteriorate rapidly, potentially leading to self-harm or violence against others..."

"Those damn Fire Thieves! Did they deliberately choose this time to release a rule like this?!"

"Transportation, logistics, temperature, supplies... There are just too many problems! I’m afraid this rule..."

The discussion gradually descended into chaos, with everyone talking over each other.

Furthermore, because many experts had a very bleak outlook on the situation, a pessimistic atmosphere enveloped the entire conference room.

"Everyone, stop!" Director Gao Liangwei’s voice rang out, firm and resolute. "Now is not the time to give up!"

The moment he spoke, the room fell silent.

"I know the situation is grim, but don’t forget where you are. This is the Strategy Research Room, built with enormous national resources. Its entire purpose is to help our citizens face the challenges brought by the rules. If even you all lose your nerve, what are the people supposed to do?"

As Gao Liangwei finished speaking, the experts all nodded in agreement, their spirits lifted. The pessimistic atmosphere in the conference room was swept away, and they began to offer practical and effective suggestions.

A logistics expert said, "Based on my years of experience in logistics, to ensure high efficiency, the best approach is to centralize resource distribution."

Another expert, this one in disaster relief, agreed. "Exactly. In a situation like this, dispersing our transport capacity will only delay the rescue effort. The top priority is to gather people from all areas and shelter them in large buildings as much as possible. This will allow us to transport large quantities of survival resources to a central point, maximizing the reach of our relief efforts."

Hearing this, someone mentioned, "Then what about the more remote villages and areas... I’m afraid..."

The disaster relief expert, the logistics expert, and the others fell silent.

In this situation, silence was tantamount to abandonment.

Everyone knew very well that in the current situation, it would be difficult enough to ensure the rescue of major, densely populated cities, let alone remote areas with poor road access.

Gao Liangwei said, "Continue."

The various experts continued to give constructive suggestions.

"To reduce the impact of snow accumulation on the roads, I believe we must dispatch a large number of snowplows to work around the clock."

"Although it’s an extreme blizzard, the winds aren’t very strong. Perhaps we could dispatch helicopters to attempt low-altitude flights, continuously dropping large amounts of salt and de-icing agents to assist with clearance and reduce snow buildup."

"Don’t forget to consider the power supply!" a power systems expert said grimly. "With the sudden drop in temperature, people will use heaters, electric blankets, water heaters, and other devices for warmth en masse. This will cause electricity consumption to surge everywhere, and power plants will likely be overloaded! What’s more, over time, the thick snow could collapse some power lines... If the grid fails under the combined strain and we have a blackout, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Everyone nodded deeply at his words. Indeed, in modern society, a prolonged power outage would cause a level of public panic no less severe than some disasters. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"It’s the same situation with the water supply," another expert said. "The sudden temperature drop could cause a large number of water pipes to freeze and burst. If the water gets cut off, that will also be a huge problem."

"And cold-weather gear. It’s June, so many people probably haven’t prepared any warm clothing. Besides food, the relief supplies must include these kinds of items."

"There is the ’Thermoregulating Technology Underwear’ in the Sublimation Store..."

"The vast majority of Ascenders have already bought the ’Genetic Optimization Liquid’ and simply don’t have enough Sublimation Coins left to buy the underwear. Besides, that underwear can only provide six hours of temperature regulation per day, which still leaves eighteen hours! It can only be used in an emergency."

After the experts had each voiced their opinions and proposed response methods for specific issues, they all looked in unison to Director Gao Liangwei, waiting for him to make the final decision.

Gao Liangwei said in a heavy voice, "Time is short. Everyone, immediately enter all the plans and response methods for personnel consolidation, road clearance, supply transportation, power and water management, cold protection, and all other situations into the computer. The recorders will compile this into a digital manual to be distributed and transmitted to the emergency response departments in every region, so they can carry out rescue operations according to the manual."

With that said, he paused for a moment before adding, "As the military representative and director of this research room, I’ll add one more thing. A fully-equipped armed squad must be dispatched to garrison each building where civilians are being sheltered."

Hearing this, everyone was startled and looked at Gao Liangwei.

Gao Liangwei’s expression was cold, his gaze like a torch. "Have you all forgotten what happened during the first rule? Don’t overestimate human nature. Back then, some people were willing to attack others to get ’Sober Mint Candy.’ Now, they’ll do the same for survival supplies. At a critical moment, having an armed squad on-site can suppress the malevolent intentions of those who are itching to make a move."