"Let's all go together!"
"That's right, get in my car, I'll drive!"
"Why should we just wait at home to die?!"
"Exactly! The rich must be able to buy sobering medicine or get sobering shots at the hospital!"
The clamor outside grew louder. Guan Tong and Fang Qian went to the balcony to look down and saw that twenty or thirty people had already gathered at the community entrance.
These people were all frantic, clamoring to go to the hospital.
"Looks like everyone's about to reach their limit," Guan Tong said. "A lot of people can't take it anymore."
Fang Qian said, "Are they planning to rob the hospital for medicine? Is that really okay? Shouldn't there be security patrols on the streets?"
"They probably feel like they can't hold on any longer and are making a desperate move."
Guan Tong could actually understand. If it were him, and he were truly on the verge of collapse, he didn't know what he might do either.
"So, you're saying the internet is down because too many people are planning to go to the hospital like this?"
"It's very likely."
Guan Tong thought Fang Qian's reasoning made sense.
The authorities hadn't shut down the internet even after discovering the hidden rules. For them to suddenly shut it down now, it was probably because too many people were arranging to go out.
The more people who went out, the more conflicts would inevitably break out on the streets. More street conflicts meant more people getting knocked out... and that would lead to more and more people discovering the existence of the hidden rules.
And so, order would descend further into chaos.
The crowd gathered downstairs quickly left the community.
They weren't the first wave, nor would they be the last.
More and more people who had held on until now but simply couldn't stay home any longer began to ignore the official ban and leave their homes.
Even Fang Qian found herself getting restless as she watched the crowds in the distant streets grow denser.
"Guan Tong, don't you want to go out?"
"No," Guan Tong answered crisply.
"Why?"
"Think about it. After so long without sleep, everyone is probably like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark. Going to a crowded place right now could easily lead to a massive conflict, and you'd get caught up in it."
Hearing the word "conflict," Fang Qian couldn't help but think of "knocking someone out" and "Sober Mint Candy," and her eyes widened.
Guan Tong looked up at the sky.
The red countdown continued.
30:18:06
"There are only 30 hours left. If we just hold on a little longer, we'll make it through."
After speaking, Guan Tong sat back down on the stool, using reading to fight off his drowsiness.
Fang Qian also resolved to endure the final 30 hours. She put her phone away and stopped trying to refresh the internet over and over.
Constantly checking the news online had only made her more anxious. She decided to learn from Guan Tong and also picked out a book from the study to read.
One hour, two hours, three hours.
During these last 30 hours, every hour felt like a year.
At this point, Guan Tong no longer paid attention to what was happening outside. He knew that his only enemy now was himself.
He repeatedly told himself: 'Seventy-two hours without sleep is nowhere near the known human limit. I can definitely hold on.'
Fang Qian, in the same room with him, was also in immense torment.
She was so terrified that she didn't dare look at how much time was left on the countdown. The more intense her sleepiness became, the more she couldn't stop thinking about the phone call from her father.
Her father had asked if Guan Tong was with her. The meaning couldn't have been clearer: when she could no longer hold on, she could, for the sake of survival, resort to any means necessary and go after her classmate, Guan Tong.
At first, she had completely rejected such an act, but now, as she grew more and more exhausted, her resolve was wavering.
'I'm so tired, I really can't take it anymore...'
'Maybe in another hour... no, in another ten minutes... I might even fall asleep in the next second...'
'I don't want to die, what about Mom and Dad...'
Fang Qian struggled internally. She felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, to the point where she could barely keep them open.
If it weren't for her parents, she might have chosen to give up.
But...
Fang Qian looked at Guan Tong.
'Guan Tong is an orphan.'
'Yes, that's right, he's an orphan. If... if only one of us can survive, wouldn't it be better if it were me, the one with parents...'
The moment that thought surfaced, Fang Qian was startled by her own mind.
She had never imagined she could have such a thought. Was she an evil person by nature?
'No, I'm not!'
'I'm just... It's the instinct for survival...'
Fang Qian's gaze gradually became determined, as if she had made a decision.
She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. As she passed Guan Tong, she asked, "Guan Tong, do you... want some coffee?"
Guan Tong nodded. "Sure, thanks."
By now, he was also having trouble holding on and needed some external help to stay as awake as possible.
"I'll go make it then."
Fang Qian entered the kitchen and made the coffee.
She came out carrying it and handed one of the cups to Guan Tong.
'If I use the glass cup in my hand while he's looking down to drink his coffee...'
Fang Qian felt her heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of her throat.
Guan Tong took the coffee but didn't drink it right away. Instead, he stood up and stared at Fang Qian.
"Fang Qian, what are you trying to do?"
"Ah..."
"There's no water in your cup," Guan Tong said.
Stunned, Fang Qian looked down and saw that her cup indeed only contained coffee powder, no water.
She had been so focused on her plan, and so dazed from exhaustion, that she had actually forgotten to add water!
"And judging by the way you're holding the handle of your cup... Are you planning to attack me while I'm drinking coffee and use it to knock me out?"
Fang Qian's right hand was gripping the glass cup's handle tightly, her wrist bent slightly downward and outward. It was a posture that didn't look like she was about to drink at all, but rather like she was preparing to use the glass cup in her hand as a weapon.
"Guan, Guan Tong... I... How did you..."
Fang Qian never expected her plan to be seen through. She froze on the spot, at a complete loss.
Guan Tong's eyes were cold.
"You found out about the hidden information, didn't you," he said. "Your parents are both well-known researchers. You said before that they were organized by the authorities to study countermeasures for the Apocalypse Rules. In that case, the authorities most likely told them the hidden information."
"Then your parents told you about it over the phone... So you want to knock me out to get an item that keeps you awake? Fang Qian, I never thought you'd be this kind of person."
Hearing Guan Tong's words and seeing his cold expression, Fang Qian suddenly felt much more awake.
"Guan Tong, you knew about the hidden information all along? How did you know...? Then why didn't you use it to..."
"How I know is none of your business," Guan Tong interrupted. "I don't use it because I don't want to kill an innocent person just to survive."
Hearing this, a line of tears welled up in Fang Qian's eyes. "I'm sorry, Guan Tong... I was just so tired, my mind was fuzzy, I acted on impulse..."
"Fang Qian, leave my house right now."
Guan Tong had no desire to hear any more of Fang Qian's explanations. In his eyes, she could no longer be trusted. The only reason he was letting her leave was that she hadn't actually attacked. If she had truly made a move, Guan Tong would have shown no mercy.
"Leave immediately, or don't blame me for what happens next."