49 Apocalypse Rules

July 2nd, the second day after the rule ended.

At noon, the scorching sun beat down on the land, quickly melting the accumulated snow.

An old saying goes, "It’s not the snowing that’s cold, but the melting." But under the high heat of July, the melting process wasn’t particularly cold. The interplay of hot and cold actually kept the temperature at a comfortable, moderate level.

A short while ago, Guan Tong had already packed up everything from his camp and loaded it back into his backpack.

He had to pack up. As soon as the snow started to melt, water from the snowbanks on both sides of the path flowed down and flooded it. If he didn’t pack up, a single day of melting would soak all his supplies.

"Guan, this snow is melting really fast," Wang Yan said as she gazed toward the highway. "It was so thick, but a good portion of it is gone now. I bet it’ll all be melted in three to five days."

"Yeah, it’s a good thing this is happening in July, the hottest time of the year. If it were winter, this snow might not have melted for months."

"That’s right," Wang Yan said, but her face suddenly twisted in pain as she clutched her stomach.

Chen Na, who was at her side, immediately noticed her mother’s distress. "Mom, is your stomach hurting again? Quick, go lie down in the truck!"

"I’m fine, I’m fine..."

Even as Wang Yan said this, she headed back to the truck. Guan Tong helped her up, saying, "Wang, at the rate this snow is melting, we should be able to get the truck moving the day after tomorrow. When we can, let’s head to a hospital in Yunhua first."

Chen Na nodded repeatedly. "Mom, you should listen to Guan and go to the hospital. Yunhua is a big city. They’ll definitely be able to cure you."

Wang Yan nodded as well, but then added worriedly, "Yunhua is such a big city... will the snow melt as fast there as it does here?"

"The natural melting rate certainly won’t be as fast, but I imagine the cities will use a lot of artificial methods to speed things up," Guan Tong speculated. "The authorities will want to clear the snow and restore normal operations as soon as possible, so they’ll likely use a lot of de-icing agents and call on citizens to clear the streets together."

"That’s true... let’s go, then. Ugh, this old ailment is such a pain."

Guan Tong thought for a moment and asked, "Wang, do you have enough fuel in your truck?"

Wang Yan and her daughter Chen Na had lived in the truck for the entire month. To ensure the vehicle didn’t freeze up, Wang Yan started it every day and left it idling with the heater on for a considerable amount of time.

Although Guan Tong didn’t know the exact amount of fuel left, idling for several hours every day for a month would have definitely consumed a lot.

Wang Yan smiled. "It’s enough, definitely enough... This truck holds 1,100 liters when full, and after a month, I still have over 300 liters left. Even if it’s not enough, I..."

Wang Yan paused, then said bluntly, "I can also make my own fuel."

Guan Tong was taken aback, not understanding what "make my own fuel" meant.

Wang Yan explained, a little embarrassed. "It’s an item I got for clearing the first rule. At the time, I figured I’d still be driving long hauls, so I searched for ’fuel-efficient’ in the store. What I got was the [Oil Transfer Pot]. You pour other liquids into it, and by using Psychic Power, you can convert them into an equal volume of fuel in milliliters..."

...

Guan Tong was speechless for a moment. This item inexplicably reminded him of a news story from many years ago, from before he’d crossed over. Someone had claimed to have invented "water-to-fuel" technology, and it even made the headlines.

Of course, it was later proven to be a hoax. He just never expected that here, in the age of the Apocalypse Rules, this technology would actually become a reality in Wang Yan’s hands.

And with all the snow melting, the one thing they didn’t lack was snowmelt. Scooping up a potful every day, using Psychic Power to convert it into fuel, and saving it up would be enough to meet the truck’s needs.

"But who would’ve thought that after the rule ended, the government would announce that food and such would be supplied for free, and money would be useless," Wang Yan said awkwardly. "If I’d known I wouldn’t be driving for a living anymore, why would I have bought this item?"

"You can’t look at it that way. Didn’t it come in handy during this rule?" Guan Tong said. "And besides, food might be free, but fuel is still supplied in limited quantities. When your Psychic Power gets higher, Wang, and you can convert more, you might even be able to join an official resource department and become a key member."

"Guan’s right. Mom, your item is still really powerful," Chen Na added.

Guan Tong then left Wang Yan to rest and went outside, walking on the gradually melting layer of snow.

Thanks to the [Multi-Terrain Marching Boots] on his feet, he wasn’t worried about slipping and falling in the puddles. The temperature outside was pleasant, and with a clear, cloudless sky overhead, the walk was quite enjoyable.

’I haven’t been able to take a leisurely walk in a month. These rules are just torture.’

During the [June Snow] rule, it was constantly snowing, and visibility was terrible. Coupled with the low temperatures, Guan Tong had basically stayed in his camp as much as possible.

Perhaps this was the feeling of not appreciating something until it’s gone. Only after enduring the torment of this rule did he realize just how pleasant it was to take a walk under the sun.

As he walked, he thought about the future.

’The interval this time isn’t short. The fifth rule will be announced on August 1st, which gives everyone a month to catch their breath.’

’During this month, the big cities will probably spend the first few days dealing with the aftermath of the fourth rule—clearing snow, preventing secondary floods, and so on.’

’The question is, how should I plan out my entire July?’

Guan Tong knew that time was extremely precious in the age of the Apocalypse Rules. If he wanted to keep surviving and completing the rule challenges, he couldn’t afford to get complacent and slack off.

Of course, if things got too tough, he could always choose to just coast—eat the free food and live one day at a time. Many people had made that choice.

Not all of them were simply indulging; for many, it was a choice born of helplessness. Limited by factors like poor innate conditions, bad luck with useless items, or a low Psychic Power cap, their desperate efforts wouldn’t yield much of a result anyway.

But Guan Tong wasn’t like that. He felt that since he could see hidden rules and had obtained a powerful item like the [Wordless Book], it would be a huge waste of an opportunity to just coast.

If he didn’t have the means, that would be one thing. But since he had the ability and the opportunity, he was determined to try his best to see it through to the end, to clear all the rules and get a glimpse of the ultimate secret and the truth of the Fire Thief.

As he walked, Guan Tong gradually cleared his mind and formulated a plan for July.

First, he needed to finish adding words to the first page—specifically, adding the word "transform"—to try and give his Shadow more possibilities and plasticity. He would use this to experiment with more combat styles.

Second was storing ammunition for the Silver Hunter.

Judging by the two new items in the Sublimation Store, the fifth rule would likely involve conflict between people, which was undoubtedly a terrifying type of rule.

If he had a choice, Guan Tong would rather contend with nature and natural disasters than be forced by the rules to fight and kill other people. But unfortunately, he had no choice; everything was up to the Fire Thief.

Therefore, if the rule involved interpersonal conflict, the Silver Hunter shotgun would be an extremely powerful deterrent. With that in mind, Guan Tong planned to stock up on more No. 1 shells, while storing a moderate amount of No. 2 and No. 3.

The third thing he wanted to do was try opening a new page in the [Wordless Book].

Although the Psychic Power cost for writing on each new page increased, his current cap of 123 points wasn’t low. And even if he only wrote a single stroke each day, the results would accumulate over time.

As for what to write on the third page, he wanted to try the core of everything: "Psychic Power." If the [Wordless Book] could generate Psychic Power or increase his cap, the boost would be a quantum leap... He didn’t have high hopes for it, but he wanted to give it a try and see what happened. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

And the last thing on his list didn’t concern him personally, but rather the changes in society.

Guan Tong planned to spend this month differently. Instead of just focusing on his own development and ignoring the outside world, he would spend more time online and pay attention to social dynamics.

He wanted to see what kind of societal changes the appearance of "tradable items" would bring.

If lone wolf Ascenders found themselves quickly squeezed out and threatened by various groups, he might have to take countermeasures for his own safety.