Chapter 26 Research Lab Meeting
"Anyone who's ascended, say something! How do we handle this rule?"
"Just starve for now. If you can't take it anymore, eat. The penalty for failure isn't death."
"The person upstairs's given up? Mental energy decay is a big deal. Haven't you seen how both official and non-governmental organizations are scrambling to recruit people?"
"They only want the big shots, they definitely won't look down on ordinary people."
"I failed the second rule already, and I've already decayed once. If I decay again this time, I'll probably be down to single digits!"
"Don't think too much. Take advantage of the free food and drink, live one day at a time!"
"The Countermeasures Research Lab has updated. The life-sustaining tablets from food boxes can be used under this rule."
"Oh???"
"What's the point of buying them if you don't have coins!" "
Damn it! If you fail the previous rule, you don't have coins; if you don't have coins, you can't buy food boxes; if you can't buy boxes, you can't pass this rule either. It's a vicious cycle!"
"Not having boxes doesn't necessarily mean you can't pass, right? Don't forget the first rule. Many people didn't use mints and still passed, didn't they?"
"I'm a 300-pound fat guy, I can easily burn some fat and get through! That's called being prepared for the worst, it teaches you guys to eat more to build up your energy."
"Holy crap! The person upstairs is a genius!"
"I envy the episode with the big appetite the most."
The online discussion was nonstop. Just like with the second rule, because there was no pressure of death, the atmosphere wasn't as oppressive and desperate as with the first rule.
However, as people discovered that mental strength was becoming increasingly important, the fact that mental strength would decrease after failing the challenge became increasingly difficult to accept.
This time, the official update of the challenge method was incredibly fast. Less than ten minutes after the rules were released, information about buying food boxes to help pass the level was updated, indicating that they had conducted experiments immediately.
Even so, many people still couldn't afford to buy them because they didn't pass the second rule and didn't have enough coins.
Fortunately, for these people, the official also released a detailed strategy two hours later: how to survive for fifteen days by only drinking water.
The Northern Star Kingdom was the fastest in this regard because within a few hours of the first apocalyptic rule being released, the Northern Star Kingdom government had gathered a large number of experts and scholars from all walks of life to study countermeasures.
This guide is a compilation of information gathered from the collective wisdom of doctors, nutritionists, and even fasting enthusiasts. The guide
begins by concluding that if a person is healthy and has no underlying medical conditions, it is possible to survive fifteen days on water alone.
However, the consequences could be severe; for example, while the person might survive, some organs may fail.
Just like the first rule, sleep deprivation, some people persevered, but suffered long-term health problems such as headaches and neurasthenia.
The same applies to this rule. Without the threat of death, how many people with insufficient coins would risk organ failure to survive these fifteen days?
The official decision is not something the authorities can make for others, so they only provide a guide. Whether or not to persist is up to each individual.
After buying four food boxes, Guan Tong's mindset became very peaceful.
He knew he could definitely succeed in the challenge, so now he focused more on continuing to use his mental power to create coins on the [Wordless Book].
Although he really wanted to start another page and write something on the third page, he didn't know what to write, so he decided to create more coins first.
You can never have too many Ascended Coins. Even though he was only creating bound coins, as long as they could be used in the terminal store, that was fine. Maybe he could buy something good next time the store updated .
So, Guan Tong resumed his undisturbed life of writing at home.
Perhaps because he hadn't posted since the rules were implemented, the surviving members of his classmates' group thought he was dead.
Fang Qian hadn't sent any new messages after Guan Tong replied, and they didn't know how she was doing.
Of course, no one bothering him was a good thing for Guan Tong; he liked the feeling of developing slowly by himself, just like he liked reading farming novels or playing simulation games.
...
While Guan Tong was engrossed in writing and creating coins, the official organization of the Northern Star Kingdom, the Post-Apocalyptic Rules Countermeasures Research Office, was holding a meeting in an office.
The head of the research office was a middle-aged man with short hair, thick eyebrows, and rugged features, who looked like he had a military background.
In fact, before becoming the person in charge, this man named "Gao Liangwei" was a senior colonel in the military. After
the apocalyptic rules were implemented, the top leadership appointed Gao Liangwei as the person in charge because they believed that his decisive and meticulous style could keep the elites from all walks of life in check and unite them to fight against the rules.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the seminar on the third apocalyptic rule is now beginning. Please speak in an orderly manner," said Gao Liangwei, who was sitting at one end of the long table. "Let's start with Dr. Zhang on the left."
Dr. Zhang nodded, adjusted his glasses, and said, "As you all know, what I've been researching before wasn't the rule itself, but the purpose of the Fire Stealers. Now that the third rule has emerged, I think it's quite clear."
"Regardless of what these Fire Stealers actually are, their purpose should be very clear. It's to use various extreme methods to screen people on our planet, and ultimately send those selected to..." "
to participate in the apocalyptic operation." A long-haired man on the other side of the long table interrupted, "Dr. Zhang, I think everyone knew this on day one, the Fire Stealers themselves said so."
"Dr. Zhou, didn't I just say to speak in an orderly manner?" Gao Liangwei, the person in charge, stared at the long-haired man. "Didn't you hear me?"
Dr. Zhou's expression changed slightly, and he said "Excuse me" in a low voice before falling silent.
"Dr. Zhang, please continue."
"Alright, I'll continue. Indeed, the Firebringers said on their first day that the so-called forty-nine rules of the apocalypse are actually the content of the 'Ascension Test.' Those who pass the test will be selected to participate in the apocalyptic operations… What I'm trying to say is that if we're determined to build a selected team, we must start preparing now; we can't delay."
Gao Liangwei asked, "Dr. Zhang, do you mean we should start personnel selection now?"
"Yes, the sooner the better. Because the constant updates to the apocalyptic rules are a process where the strong get stronger. The longer we delay, the more difficult it will be to train specific personnel."
At this moment, someone raised their hand to ask a question.
"Go ahead," Gao Liangwei gestured.
"I want to ask why we need to train specific personnel. Can't we select from those who have already passed several rules? For example, wouldn't it be better to select people from the soon-to-be-established Mind Power Development Academy?"
Dr. Zhang was about to speak when Gao Liangwei said, "I'll answer that question. Because we need to consider the risk of infiltration, it's best to select personnel with a solid background for training."
"Infiltration risk?"
Chapter 27 Competition and Challenges
"Infiltration risk?"
As soon as Gao Liangwei finished speaking, many researchers in the conference room exchanged bewildered glances.
They looked at each other, somewhat confused. Seeing this,
Gao Liangwei explained, "Everyone here is in the Countermeasures Research Lab, and you all have access to the latest firsthand information. You should all know that since the apocalyptic rules descended, dozens of countries around the world have perished."
"The demise of these countries has not only resulted in the loss of countless citizens, but also their precious culture, heritage, and history. Our Beixing Kingdom must not fall into that category. Therefore, if we are to train a team to fight for the country, then the backgrounds of the personnel in this team cannot be problematic."
"..."
The researchers remained silent. Their task was to study the rules, but Gao Liangwei, the person in charge with a military background, undoubtedly had many more responsibilities.
"I think you all know that I come from the military, so protecting the country is my top priority. Imagine, if we were to dedicate all the country's resources to training a hidden enemy, how much damage and loss would that cause to the country?" "
Therefore, the backgrounds of personnel must be strictly screened. Do you have any further questions?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Dr. Zhang, please continue."
"Okay." Dr. Zhang organized his thoughts and continued, "Regarding the personnel requirements for this team, I think a mental strength exceeding 100 to achieve an excellent rating is essential. I won't go into the details of the others."
"What I want to talk about is how to strengthen this team. Based on the current three rules, since the Firebringers select humans through extreme methods, we can learn from them and use extreme training to cultivate team members."
"In other words, in addition to facing the challenges of the rules, team members will also have to undergo the extreme survival challenges we set. This will not only enhance their adaptability, but I believe it will also accelerate the increase in the upper limit of their mental strength."
"I see." Gao Liangwei said, "The military does have a lot of extreme training methods used to cultivate top special forces soldiers. Now we can use them."
Dr. Zhang agreed, "Some extreme training methods in the military have been proven effective by soldiers and can indeed be used."
At this point, someone asked, "Does it have to be in a team format? We know that everyone's situation is different. Wouldn't individual training be better?"
"No," Gao Liangwei said decisively. "The 'team' option was clearly included in the previously updated 'social' function on the personal terminals. It's clear we'll definitely need it later, so we need to train personnel in a team-based model from the start."
"That makes sense..."
"There's another point," Dr. Zhang added, "The reward for this third rule includes an 'Invitation to the First Ascended Challenge.'"
"Something with such a clear competitive element means there might be direct confrontations between people later. The outcome of these confrontations could have a significant impact, so starting specialized training now is a necessary preparation for competition."
Everyone agreed on this point.
Since it's called a "challenge," it's a competition, and competition involves winning and losing.
This is different from the hidden rule in the first rule, the one where you knock others unconscious to obtain sobering candy. That rule was less about competition and more about some kind of malice from the Firebringers. The purpose was to induce people to attack others to obtain survival items.
Gao Liangwei nodded: "Dr. Zhang is right. Whether for the final apocalyptic operation or for the upcoming competition, we need to immediately form a special team and train its members."
"Then, let's add a discussion item to this meeting: the selection criteria and requirements for team members, excluding the upper limit of mental power."
...
"I'm not afraid of these rules,"
Liu Yuqiang thought to himself after the third apocalyptic rule was announced.
He grew up hungry; his family was poor when he was young, and they often ate only a pancake a day to make do.
Later, in college, to save money, he often ate only one meal a day, or even just porridge in the cafeteria.
Although this caused Liu Yuqiang to fall ill several times, it also honed his ability to withstand hunger. So, upon seeing the new rules, he believed he wouldn't need to buy food boxes and could manage on his own.
However, unlike him, his children, having grown up in privilege, couldn't bear the thought of hunger.
His son called specifically to ask, "Dad, is there any information about hidden rules?"
Liu Yuqiang replied, "Didn't the official announcement say we can buy food boxes to help?"
"Buy what? I don't have any Ascension Coins. I haven't even run the marathon rule, how could I possibly finish it?"
"..."
"What I want is a hidden rule similar to 'Sobering Peppermint Candy' that doesn't require spending coins. Dad, you have connections, ask around, maybe you'll find something."
Liu Yuqiang really wanted to curse.
He had specifically told his son and daughter before that no one was allowed to mention the first hidden rule or "Sobering Peppermint Candy" again.
Because that was achieved through murder, it wasn't honorable at all!
Liu Yuqiang didn't want his child to lack respect for human life. He knew that if his child became like that, he would suffer greatly in the future, perhaps even never recovering.
But in the end, he held back from scolding him; scolding over the phone would be useless.
After hanging up, he subconsciously opened the Qingmei Society's dedicated chat app.
Many people in the group, like his son, were asking about the hidden rules.
"Where's Brother Zhao? Is there a way to get through this latest rule?"
"The official announcement said you can buy boxes with Ascension Coins, but I don't have any. What should I do?"
"Me neither. My mental power diminished after the second rule, and now I only have 3 points left. Will it go to zero if it diminishes again?"
"There's a possibility of going to zero?"
"I don't know!"
"Where's Brother Zhao? Why isn't he saying anything?"
Liu Yuqiang looked at the messages. The member who posted "about to go to zero" was the one who had completely overcome the first rule by eating sobering mints.
Because he ate too many candies, although he passed the rule, he only gained a single-digit mental power cap.
He failed the second marathon rule, and after diminishing, he was down to his current 3 points.
If it weakens further…
Liu Yuqiang was also curious, would it go straight to zero?
As for the "Chairman of Hengyun Real Estate – Zhao Jiping" that everyone in the group was asking about, over the past few days, everyone had learned his source.
It turned out he had a younger brother who was a top researcher, recruited into the countermeasures research lab by the authorities.
This younger brother, being in the lab, had access to firsthand research data and experimental results. And, despite violating confidentiality regulations, he had privately leaked this information to Zhao Jiping.
However, as the lab's management became increasingly strict, such opportunities to privately leak secret information became increasingly rare, and each time carried significant risks.
A dozen minutes later, Zhao Jiping finally spoke after being urged by more than a dozen people.
"I asked my brother, and he said that apart from the food box rule, the countermeasures lab hasn't discovered any other hidden rules so far. This time, everyone has to rely on themselves."
Chapter 28 Unexpected Danger
The third day after the third apocalyptic rule took effect.
Guan Tong sat at his desk, sensing his body's hunger level.
"Very hungry, but not to the point of collapse."
Perhaps due to his high mental strength limit, Guan Tong found his perception of his body was stronger than before.
If hunger were quantified, the danger line would be 90, and he felt he was currently around 70, able to endure a little longer.
But others couldn't.
Especially the older ones, those with lower mental strength limits, who basically started frantically posting online towards the end of the second day.
"I can't take it anymore, I'm so hungry I'm dizzy, looks like I have to give up the challenge!"
"Let me tell you a lesson learned the hard way: energy drinks don't count as water! I only took one sip and the challenge failed!!!"
"Upstairs... are you a caveman? This was explained on the very first day the rules were released..."
"Why can't the food boxes be traded?! My sister has coins, but she bought boxes that I can't use, it's a total rip-off!"
"I can manage, but I'm afraid my organs will fail after fifteen days, what will I do then?"
"Those worried about getting sick should go to the hospital. There's free healthcare for everyone now."
"Yeah, to preserve as much population as possible, the government has made everything free. And we can't buy what's not free; they only accept gold transactions."
"Persistence is victory! Don't give up!!!"
"Brothers, let me show you my homemade secret-recipe burger, it's so delicious. [Super Honey Mega Hamburger.jpg]"
"Ban the account of the person upstairs who posted the burger picture!! Immediately!!!"
Faced with this environment, besides chatting online to vent, there wasn't much else people could do.
Guan Tong had things to do. When his mental energy recovered, he would write on the [Wordless Book], and when he was done, he would entertain himself, living a relatively peaceful life.
However, by the evening of the fourth day, he started to feel unwell.
It wasn't that he was unbearably hungry, but rather that the rate at which his mental energy recovered had slowed down.
After searching online, Guan Tong discovered that others had already noticed this problem. The worse one's physical condition, the slower the recovery of mental energy. In a near-death situation, recovery might even stop completely.
Being hungry wasn't a problem, but slow mental energy recovery was! This would significantly impact his "money-making plan."
Immediately, he took out a [Basic Food Box] from his terminal's storage box, opened it, and found a multi-functional vitamin pill.
Swallowing it, he could feel the pill rapidly breaking down in his body, supplying energy throughout his body.
In less than a few seconds, Guan Tong felt fully recovered, and the previous feeling of being starving and dizzy completely disappeared.
"Terminal products are really good," Guan Tong thought to himself. Once he has more coins, he'll definitely stop eating meals and just take one of these every day—convenient and healthy.
After fully recovering, Guan Tong was about to continue working when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
"Ding-dong, ding-dong."
Hmm?
Guan Tong's heart skipped a beat. Who would be looking for him?
He went to the door and looked through the peephole. He saw two young men in their twenties, wearing baseball caps and white police uniforms, standing at his door.
Guan Tong didn't recognize either of them.
He didn't open the door or say anything.
After waiting a moment, one of them knocked on the door and called out, "Please open the door. We're from the police department, here to conduct an investigation."
Guan Tong frowned. What a joke!
What kind of police officer would come to investigate in the middle of the night?
He still didn't speak.
After a while, the other young man knocked on the door forcefully.
Bang! Bang!
"Sheriff's inspection! Open the door! We know someone's home; we saw the lights on in the room!"
Lights on!
Guan Tong was startled and looked towards the study window.
He had completely overlooked this!
His study curtains were thin and let in light, so at night, the lights would be visible from downstairs.
After the first apocalyptic rule, over a quarter of the population had been drastically reduced. It was conceivable that in Guan Tong's neighborhood, while not nine out of ten houses were empty, there weren't many survivors left.
Therefore, the lights on in his house at night would be extremely conspicuous, telling outsiders that someone was still alive.
Now that they knew he was home, Guan Tong didn't remain silent.
He picked up his phone, quickly dialed the police station, and said to the door, "Even if you're police officers, you can't just come into my house and search. Do you have a search warrant?"
Hearing Guan Tong's voice, one of the two men outside immediately replied, "Of course we have the warrant, open the door and I'll show it to you!"
"I've dialed the police station now and need to verify your identities first. Give me your police officer number."
"What?!"
"If you don't open the door, we're going to break down the door and search!"
Guan Tong shouted into the speakerphone, "Hello, police station? Someone is impersonating a police officer at my house. Please send someone over immediately. The address is..."
"Damn it!"
"You wait, kid, let's go!"
Hearing Guan Tong actually call the police station, the two men cursed and quickly ran down the stairs. After
reporting the information to the police operator, Guan Tong put down his phone, his brow furrowed deeply.
What was wrong with these two?
Robbers? But many things are provided free of charge by the government now, what's there to rob?
Are they going to steal gold? Guan Tong's neighborhood was just an ordinary one, not a wealthy area. How many families could afford to store gold there?
Stealing Ascended Coins? That was even more impossible; those couldn't be traded…
Or perhaps these two youths had been driven to madness by the apocalyptic rules and were contemplating random crime?
Such situations weren't uncommon, but they mostly occurred during the first rule's era.
After the first rule ended, random crime was significantly curbed under the government's strong suppression.
Guan Tong frowned, a strong sense of unease creeping into his heart.
It stemmed from his inability to understand the two youths' motives,
and also from the fact that his address had been exposed and he was being watched.
"I didn't notice the curtains' blackout function at night; it was my oversight… Now I can't stay here anymore, I need to find another place to stay as soon as possible!"
One of the youths had said "You just wait" before running away; this could just be a boastful remark for face, but it could also be serious.
Guan Tong felt that if it was serious, he might be ambushed the next time he went out to buy food.
This wasn't a good thing, because he currently didn't have much fighting power.
His "shadow" had no physical form; it might be useful for scaring people, but in a real fight... it wouldn't work.
*Buzz buzz buzz!
* The phone vibrated; it was the police department.
"Hello, we've dispatched two officers, numbered A1221 and C3306,"
Guan Tong provided. "The two men ran away as soon as I called the police department, but they shouldn't have gone far. They were wearing police uniforms and baseball caps, and both were under thirty years old."
Chapter 29 Leaving Home
About ten minutes later, two security officers arrived.
After confirming their identification numbers were correct, Guan Tong opened the door and explained the situation.
"Based on the information you provided, we've had our colleagues retrieve nearby surveillance footage," the officer said. "The footage shows that the two suspects impersonating security officers ran out of the residential area and got into a black sedan without license plates."
"Our colleagues used camera technology to track them and discovered that the car entered a blind spot in the surveillance footage. We've already sent people to search it."
Guan Tong asked, "Those two people actually knew about the blind spot?"
"Yes, that's what we've been focusing on. It's impossible to cover the entire city with surveillance cameras, but being able to find the blind spot indicates that these two aren't ordinary criminals; they must be part of an organization."
Organized crime?
Hearing this, Guan Tong felt even more unsafe.
He told the two sheriffs, "Now they know my address and have told me to wait. I feel my home isn't safe anymore, so I want to move."
"Of course," one of the sheriffs said. "There are a lot of vacant houses in every city right now, and Yunhua is no exception. Well… it's because too many people died under the first rule. So now there's a policy that people without a place to live can apply, and the government will provide housing for free."
"Then I'll apply."
"Okay, I'll send you the application link later. If we don't have any other information, we'll head back now. If you remember any useful details about the suspect, you can call us again."
The two sheriffs were about to leave when Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, "Wait, I'd like to leave in your car, is that alright?"
The two were taken aback, not expecting Guan Tong to say that.
"Are you leaving tonight?" the sheriff asked.
"Yes," Guan Tong said, "We can't rule out the possibility that those two might come back, after all, it's organized crime. So I want to leave tonight to eliminate any risks."
"…Okay, you're quite cautious. Then pack your things and come with us."
"Thank you."
Guan Tong didn't have much to pack; food and clothes could be picked up for free after finding a new place to stay, so there was no need to bring them.
He took his phone, carried a small backpack, and went downstairs with two security officers.
After leaving the residential area and sitting in the back of the security officer's car, Guan Tong finally felt a little safer.
The sheriff driving the car asked, "Where are you planning to go? We can give you a ride."
Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, "I want to go somewhere safe, but I don't know where?"
The sheriff in the passenger seat joked, "The safest place is definitely the police station, but we can't just let ordinary citizens stay overnight."
"How about this," the sheriff driving the car said, "we'll take you to the Limei Hotel for now. It's been converted into free accommodation; anyone whose housing application hasn't been approved can stay there." "
Because there are many people there, it should be relatively safe. Besides, the hotel is just one street away from the police station; if there's any danger, we can get there quickly with just one call."
"Okay, then let's go to the Limei Hotel. Thank you both."
"Don't mention it. Remember to give a statement at the station later. I don't think this case is that simple."
"Yes," the investigator in the passenger seat also said, "Recently, there seem to have been several similar cases in Yunhua..."
...
Inside an abandoned factory, the two young men who knocked on Guan Tong's door knelt on the ground.
Sitting in front of them was a middle-aged man with a fierce face and a fleshy appearance. He wore a brass knuckle on his right hand, which was stained with blood.
The bloodstains belonged to the two young men, their faces bruised and swollen, clearly having just been beaten.
The middle-aged man stared at them and said coldly, "Let me tell you, my task was to get rid of 10 people with an 'ordinary' rating. I only gave you two three, and a month has passed and you still haven't finished. Tell me, aren't you useless!"
"Yes, Brother Tiger, we're useless!"
"Brother Tiger, we were already on our third one today, but that kid was cunning and wouldn't open the door for us!"
"Yeah, we pretended to be a sheriff but couldn't fool him. He even called the police station, so we had to run away."
The man called "Brother Tiger" laughed after hearing this.
His laughter made the two kneeling youths tremble, knowing something was terribly wrong.
Sure enough, the next moment Brother Tiger suddenly stood up and kicked them in the temples, one on each side. The two screamed and fell to the ground, looking like they were about to die.
Tiger spat, "Pah, drag them out and bury them."
"Yes, sir."
Several henchmen dragged the two away, then Tiger called over a few more young men.
"Now is your chance. Do you know what to do?"
"Tiger, please tell us!"
The young men looked nervously at the knuckle duster in the man's hand.
Tiger slowly said, "It's simple. Go to each neighborhood and find those living people. Find a way to control them, then force them to add you as friends on their personal terminals. If they don't, beat them up until they do."
"After they're friends, force them to reveal their mental strength value. If it's above 80, knock them out and bring them to me. I'll hand them over to the higher-ups, and when they distribute the rewards, you'll all get a share."
One of the young men asked, "Tiger, what if it's below 80? Do we bring those below 80?"
Tiger grinned, "Those below 80 aren't worth the attention. Just kill them to avoid exposing our existence."
The young men looked at each other, all somewhat terrified.
"Did you understand?" Tiger's face darkened. "Let me tell you, once you're on my ship, don't even think about getting off. If you don't want to work, I'll kill you trash first."
"Understood, Tiger!"
"Let's do it!"
At this moment, a young man couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Um, Tiger, what's the purpose of having so many people with a mental strength of 80 or higher?"
Upon hearing this, Tiger walked over and patted the questioner's face: "Are you tired of living? Is this something you should be asking? Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
"Yes, yes, Tiger, I won't ask anymore..."
"Get back to work, all of you! Get at least one person with a mental strength of 80 or higher every week!"
Several young men hurriedly ran away, and at this moment, a trusted aide walked up to Tiger.
"Brother, actually, I don't think getting too involved with that group is a good thing. Once they've used us, I'm afraid…"
Tiger replied, "Don't worry, I've been in this business for so many years, don't I know this? It's foolish not to take advantage of a good deal. I'll take their gold first. If they betray us after using us, I'll have something to use against them."
Chapter 30 Adding Words Attempt
Limei Hotel.
It was late at night, and no one was on duty in the lobby. All the room cards for the empty rooms were placed on the front desk, available for use at any time.
It made sense; in this post-apocalyptic world, unless it was a job one genuinely loved, most jobs were no longer available.
Mechanical, assembly-line work like producing food or electronic equipment in factories was now done by specialized machines. Most factories were now dark factories, no longer needing people to tighten screws.
Guan Tong casually picked up a room card for room 306, went upstairs, swiped it, and entered the room.
It was a standard double room. He threw his backpack on a chair and lay down on the bed. Although it was late, he wasn't sleepy at all because of the sudden danger he had faced that day.
"No, I need to find a way to gain some power to protect myself."
Guan Tong sat up, his expression grave.
He had previously thought that there was no need to get involved in outside affairs; he could just develop on his own.
But now it seemed that some things, even if you don't want to get involved, will find you. If you lack the ability to protect yourself, you might find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Although Guan Tong didn't know the purpose of the two people who went to his house today, nor could he be sure if it was an isolated incident, this event undoubtedly served as a wake-up call.
So the key now was how to gain the ability to protect himself.
Guan Tong got out of bed and sat down at the small table in the room to think.
The Ascension Shop did sell weapons, specifically the [Basic Weapon Box - Bronze Grade]. This box allowed him to choose a melee weapon, which could be retrieved from the storage box at any time.
However, the melee weapon obtained from this box wasn't a particularly powerful weapon; it would still be ineffective against multiple enemies.
In Guan Tong's view, this weapon could only be used as a backup.
"To truly possess great power, I still need to start with mental strength."
He remembered the hidden rule of the second apocalyptic rule, [Mental Victory]. Its description stated, "Mental strength is the root of all power. Explore it, use it, and you will be invincible."
With a thought, Guan Tong drew the [Wordless Book] into his hand.
He flipped to the blank third page, thinking that based on his experience with the first two pages, if he wrote down keywords like "weapon," he might actually obtain a weapon.
However, opening another page would significantly increase the mental energy consumption.
Guan Tong had only recently discovered that writing on the second page consumed more mental energy than on the first.
If this was a progressive process, then writing on the third page would definitely consume more mental energy than on the second.
With his current mental energy limit, it was simply insufficient.
Should he still write on the first two pages?
Guan Tong flipped back to the first page, where the two characters "Guan Tong" were clearly visible.
"What if I added something to 'Guan Tong'?"
This thought popped into his mind.
He knew that the result of the two characters "Guan Tong" was "shadow," so what if he added more words?
Guan Tong found this shadow convenient, but its drawback was that it lacked a physical form.
"What if I wrote 'physical form' before 'Guan Tong'?"
That way, the "Guan Tong" on the first page would become "physical Guan Tong." Would that change the nature of the shadow?
After a moment's thought, Guan Tong decided to give it a try.
Just like how he dared to write "Ascension Coin" on the second page, some things you'll never know if they're feasible until you try.
So he picked up his pen and began adding words.
...
The next day.
Guan Tong was catching up on sleep when there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
He opened his eyes, stood up, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
A young male voice came from outside the door: "Hello, are you new here? I live in room 305 next door!"
Guan Tong asked again, "What's up?"
"Nothing much, it's just that people living in Limei usually have a gathering in the lobby in the morning, it's a habit. I thought you might be interested in going to take a look."
Guan Tong opened the door upon hearing this. Standing in the doorway was a very young man, wearing an anime-themed T-shirt, with some freckles on his face, looking to be about the same age as him, only eighteen or nineteen years old.
"Hello new neighbor, my name is Xu Xiaotian. I saw at the front desk that room key 306 was missing when I went downstairs, so I knew a new person had arrived." Xu Xiaotian grinned. "Welcome to Limei!"
"Hello, I'm Guan Tong."
"We look about the same age. I'm a senior in high school this year, what about you?"
"Me too."
"Oh?! Which school do you go to?"
"Yunhua No.1 High School."
"So you're a top student from No.1 High School! I'm from No.3 High School, hehe. Come on, let's go to the lobby, everyone's downstairs."
Guan Tong went downstairs with Xu Xiaotian, and asked on the way, "You said that the people living here have a gathering every morning?"
"Yes. But it's really just a gathering, everyone chats and shares their experiences." Xu Xiaotian explained, "Like those mutual aid societies in some TV dramas."
"I see."
"Yeah, everyone encourages each other after talking, I think it's quite useful. Many people don't even want to apply for free housing because of this gathering, they just stay in Limei."
Guan Tong nodded, he could understand that feeling.
The two went down to the lobby on the first floor, and as Xu Xiaotian had said, dozens of people were gathered there, sitting in a circle.
Xu Xiaotian led Guan Tong to a place to sit down, where a middle-aged man was sharing his experience.
"Now I'm all alone in my family. My parents didn't make it through the first rule. I have a one-year-old child, who also didn't make it... The child's mother was overwhelmed with grief and passed away in her sleep. I was thinking of just falling asleep and dying too, but I still don't want to die. Isn't that too cowardly...?"
After listening, everyone comforted the man.
"What a terrible experience, thankfully it's all over..."
"This isn't cowardice, it should be called courage!"
"Yes, daring to face misery and still having the courage to continue living, that's a true warrior."
"Keep going, your family must want you to live well. So do we, we all need to work together and survive."
The people's heartwarming words of comfort brought tears to the middle-aged man's eyes. Many others also empathized and wiped their eyes. Guan Tong looked on and realized that, just as Xu Xiaotian had said, this was indeed a gathering similar to a mutual aid society.
Several people then shared their experiences and insights, and finally, everyone sang the popular song "Tomorrow Will Be Better" together, ending the gathering.
Afterwards, some went out together, while others returned to their rooms. Guan Tong also planned to go back to his room first, but then he heard a slurping sound of noodles beside him.
He turned his head and saw Xu Xiaotian happily eating a box of instant noodles.
"You... gave up the challenge of the third rule?" Guan Tong asked, as there were still more than ten days left before the rule's effective period ended.
Xu Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Oh right, Guan Tong, you don't know yet. This isn't instant noodles from outside; it's my mental power item. Look." As
he spoke, he waved his hand, and the instant noodles disappeared, obviously stored in his personal terminal's storage box.
Guan Tong was a little confused now; instant noodles could actually be a mental power item?