49 Apocalypse Rules

BOOM!

With a clap of thunder, rain began to fall from the sky.

Guan Tong was sitting cross-legged on his bed meditating when he heard the pitter-patter of rain outside and opened his eyes.

"Is it raining?"

It was mid-August, the height of summer and the rainy season.

Listening to the thunderstorm, Guan Tong felt his mind, which he had just managed to calm through meditation, grow restless again.

He got up and paced around the room before sitting at his desk, turning on his computer, and glancing at the time.

4:00 PM. Seven hours had passed since the new rule was announced.

He then went online to check the news. Many people had posted extremely unsettling pictures and videos of the Infected gruesomely bursting from the bleeding.

The authorities had also released a statement, announcing their preliminary assessment of the virus and officially naming it "Blood Plague," as mentioned in the rule.

It was a virulent infectious disease. Soon after infection, victims would begin to bleed both internally and externally. This condition would deteriorate rapidly until blood pressure spiraled completely out of control at a certain critical point, causing the terrifying "blood bursting" effect.

The symptoms of the Blood Plague Infected had also been summarized. The most obvious sign, "bleeding from all seven orifices," was a manifestation of the late second stage of infection. In the earlier first stage, large red spots would appear on the neck and shoulders.

These red spots were extremely distinct. Unlike the dark spots of other skin diseases, these were bright, making them very easy to identify. It was safe to say that anyone with bright red spots in these two areas could be confirmed as a Blood Plague Infected.

As for a cure for the Blood Plague Virus, the authorities had yet to mention one.

However, some people had posted online that certain medicinal items were available on the terminal market. Items with descriptions that explicitly included "antiviral," "disease-curing," or "antibacterial" properties might be effective.

But these items were now being sold at exorbitant prices. A seven-figure price tag in the millions of Sublimation Coins was enough to make 99.99% of people "sigh and look away."

However, those lucky few who had happened to unbox such medicinal items were both excited and conflicted.

They were excited because this was a chance to strike it rich! Cashing in on this trend and selling an item for hundreds of thousands, or even millions, was equivalent to the reward for completing how many rules? After all, the current reward for clearing a single rule was only in the triple digits—a few hundred Sublimation Coins.

But... what if they sold the item and then accidentally got infected themselves?

Selling it was easy, but buying it back would be another matter entirely.

If they sold an item for hundreds of thousands or millions of Sublimation Coins, only to get infected themselves before the money was even warm in their hands, and then found they couldn’t buy a similar item back... wouldn’t that be the ultimate tragedy: to die with money unspent?

Thus, to sell or not to sell was a vexing question.

Some Ascenders who felt lucky and wanted to gamble—to turn their bicycle into a motorcycle—chose to list their items.

Other, more risk-averse Ascenders who valued survival above all else chose to keep the items for themselves, to save their own lives in a critical moment.

However, there was a third, compromise solution.

Guan Tong saw that an official government account had posted an announcement, seeking to purchase such items from the public. In addition to a high price in Sublimation Coins, they were also offering benefits like professional protective suits and spots in specialized shelters.

This was aimed specifically at those Ascenders who didn’t want to take risks but still wanted to profit from selling their items. The government was essentially using its official status as an endorsement, offering professional-grade protection along with the purchase to minimize the seller’s risk of infection.

Guan Tong thought, ’In that case, I bet a lot of people will be willing to choose this option.’

There was no doubt the authorities were collecting medicine like this to provide multiple layers of protection for key personnel.

For ordinary people, trading medicine for sanctuary and a large sum of Sublimation Coins was a good option, a win-win in a sense.

As for Guan Tong himself, he was a little envious, but not overly so.

The shelter he was currently in was undoubtedly far more valuable than any of those medicinal items.

After all, everyone would rather avoid getting infected in the first place than be cured afterward.

It’s just...

Guan Tong looked at the door. He didn’t know if he had won the "genetic lottery," but there was no way he was going to go outside and test it. That would be pure suicide.

With his current abilities, he had no way of sealing himself off from the air, unless...

’I wonder if a fully solidified and sealed Shadow can block out the air? Even if it could, I’d suffocate if I stayed inside too long. I’d need an oxygen mask and tank... That might work, but why take the risk?’

Guan Tong couldn’t think of a single reason why he had to go out. Waiting safely in the shelter for fifteen days until the rule ended was the most prudent course of action.

Guan Tong stopped thinking about going out. Just then, another trending video online caught his attention.

The video was filmed in a foreign country. Hundreds of foreigners were gathered in a famous cathedral, praying.

A tall, divine statue that once stood at the front of the hall had been removed. Judging by the fragments left on the floor, the statue, once listed as a "national treasure," had been violently destroyed.

In its place was a rectangular black stone slab, which looked oddly similar to the "personal terminal" interface an Ascender could open by thinking a command.

Furthermore, each of these foreigners was clutching a thin booklet. As the camera zoomed in, you could see that the cover read "The Word of God," and its contents were, shockingly, every one of the Apocalypse Rules that had been released so far.

The person filming was clearly from North Star Country, speaking his native language: "Damn it, these foreigners have lost their minds! They’ve made the Fire Thief into a new god and printed the Apocalypse Rules into a book to read like a new bible! They’re all going to be doomed sooner or later... No, I can’t stay here anymore. I have to get back home as soon as possible!"

Had things abroad really reached this point?

Watching the devout worshippers in the video, Guan Tong couldn’t help but feel a chill.

He could somewhat understand the destruction of the old statue. The facts were plain to see: if the gods they once revered truly existed, why hadn’t they appeared and used their great power to stop the Fire Thief, who had killed countless humans?

Since no god had intervened, it meant that those gods never existed in the first place. As such, it wasn’t all that surprising that some followers would smash the statues out of anger.

But to actually worship the Fire Thief as a new god and recite the Apocalypse Rules as a new bible was another matter entirely... And although this was happening in a foreign country, the world had become a global village.

Transportation was so advanced that even in the age of the Apocalypse Rules, it was inevitable that countries would influence one another. It was just that, for now, the world couldn’t even unite to face the rules together.

Otherwise, the "Wolf Pack Team" created by the Tulip Federation wouldn’t have appeared in the last Ascender tournament.

Their strategy—teaming up to eliminate teams from other countries first, then dividing the top ten spots among themselves—made it clear that the Tulip Federation had no intention of cooperating with other nations.

’Humanity is splintering, each faction fighting for itself. This must be exactly what the Fire Thief wants to see.’

Guan Tong closed his laptop, thinking silently.

Is it really right for humanity to continue down this path, following the Fire Thief’s script?

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Open up, Gu Fei."

Hearing the voice outside, Gu Fei, who was staying alone in an abandoned house, got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Standing at the door was a person in a full high-spec protective suit. It was the same short-haired woman who had previously stopped him from committing suicide.

She was carrying a case, which she placed in front of Gu Fei.

"This is a special provision from the Commander-in-Chief. Inside is a full set of top-grade protective gear. As long as you aren’t infected with the virus now, you will be completely safe from infection once you put it on."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fei looked at the case with complicated feelings and took it. "Thank... the Commander-in-Chief for me."

"Thank him yourself later."

Gu Fei was surprised. "I’ll be able to meet the Commander-in-Chief?"

"The Commander-in-Chief said so. As long as you can survive this rule, he will arrange a meeting for you."

"Understood."

Not daring to risk infection any longer, Gu Fei immediately opened the case and put on the protective suit, face shield, and other gear inside.

"Excuse me," Gu Fei said, "does the Commander-in-Chief need me to do anything?"

"You’ll find out when the time comes." After speaking, the woman pointed inside the case. "There’s a phone in a hidden compartment. I’ll contact you through it, and you can use it to contact me. But I’m usually very busy, so don’t bother me unless it’s urgent."

"I understand." Gu Fei paused for a moment before asking, "How did you know I was here? And how did you know I was a captain...?"

"Stop. I don’t have time for a Q&A session. You’ll understand when you meet the Commander-in-Chief."

With that, the short-haired woman left, and Gu Fei closed the door in silence.

He looked down at the professional protective gear he was wearing and knew he hadn’t made the wrong choice.

’The Official Team... Hmph, why didn’t they send me a set of protective gear? Just because I failed twice, I deserve to be kicked away like a dog?’

’When I meet the Commander-in-Chief and make a name for myself in the new organization... there will come a day when you all regret this!’

After delivering the protective gear to Gu Fei, the short-haired woman returned to the transport vehicle. The driver asked, "Where’s the next set going?"

The short-haired woman took out a tablet and looked at it. "The next one, according to the location tracker, is on Baishui Road, next to the Second Hospital. Let’s go."

The driver started the vehicle and headed toward the destination.

"Do we have enough gear?"

"Enough. There are five people left on the list, and we have eight sets in the vehicle."

"The Commander-in-Chief is certainly willing to spend a fortune. If you ask me, why go through all this trouble? We could just grab them and take them away like before."

"Things are different now," the short-haired woman said calmly. "Our previous methods were too crude and quickly attracted the attention of the top brass. They formed a special task force to investigate, and they’re still looking into it."

"Besides, the Commander-in-Chief believes it’s necessary to build his own elite team. To maximize the combat potential of its members, he prefers to recruit them using softer methods, by showing favor and kindness."

The driver nodded. "The Commander-in-Chief is a man of great vision. We can’t compare. But there aren’t many skilled people among the populace. Look at Yunhua—we’ve been searching for so long and have only found a dozen or so worth contacting."

"The strongest ones are definitely with the authorities, but..." The short-haired woman thought for a moment. "The person the Commander-in-Chief is most interested in is a civilian, and most likely from North Star Country."

"Who?"

"Shadow."

"That Shadow is a civilian?"

"Mhm. The Commander-in-Chief has access to inside intelligence. If Shadow belonged to the authorities, he would have known long ago... But according to the Commander-in-Chief, the authorities have also been putting a lot of effort into finding this Shadow, hoping to recruit him."

The driver came to a realization. "So, the Commander-in-Chief wants to find Shadow before the authorities do and win him over?"

"Yes." The short-haired woman nodded. "The Commander-in-Chief told us himself that he is willing to recruit Shadow at any cost. This person was able to form a one-man team in the tournament and defend the Holy Grail by himself, which is proof enough of his extraordinary power."

"It would be great if this Shadow was right here in Yunhua," the driver said. "If we could find him, the Commander-in-Chief would surely reward us handsomely."

"If only we were that lucky. North Star has over a dozen megacities, so who knows where he is? Not to mention, he might not even be in a major city at all."

"That’s true... We’re at Baishui Road. Who is it this time?"

The short-haired woman glanced at the list. "A little girl named Chen Na."