The dead were gone, but the living had to go on.
Seventy-two hours after the first rule's effective period ended.
Nations around the world began to announce the number of people who had perished in their countries during the rule.
The countries with the highest and most tragic death tolls were those where it had been the middle of the night when the rule descended.
Due to the lack of timely warnings, the mortality rate in these countries almost all exceeded 90%.
In one of the most extreme cases, a rough calculation showed a terrifying mortality rate of 97%.
At that rate, the entire country could be considered wiped out.
Although the situation was better for countries in daytime time zones, they too paid a heavy price.
Take the North Star Country, for example. According to preliminary data released by the government, the mortality rate during the rule reached 27%.
More than a quarter of the population was just... gone.
Of course, this also included many who had actively sought their own demise.
For those suffering from debilitating illnesses, being able to leave this way might have been a blessing.
But regardless, the Apocalypse Rules had inflicted tremendous harm upon all of humanity.
However, humanity had almost no time to grieve or mourn.
Because there were only 12 days—288 hours—left until the next rule was announced.
No one knew what the second rule would be, whether it would be harder or easier than the first, or if the penalty for failure would still be death.
This pressure was enough to crush most ordinary people.
As a result, for three days, the entire world had nearly ground to a halt.
Most industries shut down, and all schools suspended classes.
The government announced the provision of free food, free cultural and entertainment products, and more.
This was sustainable for a few days, but over time, society would undoubtedly collapse completely.
So, on the fifth day, the world's governments issued a joint declaration.
"We will not yield to the Apocalypse Rules, nor to the Fire Thief! We, humanity, will defend our civilization and our way of life!"
And with that, sweeping societal reforms were launched on a massive scale.
「On the sixth day.」
Guan Tong sat in his study, the Wordless Book spread open on the desk before him.
For the past few days, he had been repeating the same process: wait for his Psychic Power to recover, then expend it to continue writing his name. Wait for his Psychic Power to recover, then expend it to continue writing his name.
He had become fixated, absolutely determined to write his name on the book's page.
And now, he had made considerable progress.
Guan Tong gazed at the characters on the page. The character for "Guan" was complete. As for "Tong," he had only managed to write the left half, leaving the right side unfinished.
This frustrated him somewhat, because the character for "Tong" was complex, with many strokes, which in turn consumed a lot of Psychic Power.
He felt that if he had a simpler name with only a few strokes, he probably could have finished it days ago.
...Though he had no idea what use writing his name would be, it was something to focus on.
"BZZZ."
His phone on the desk began to vibrate. Guan Tong picked it up and saw the caller ID: "Public Security Bureau."
After answering, a clear female voice came through: "Hello, is this Mr. Guan Tong?"
"This is he. May I ask who's calling?"
"I'm from a new survey and investigation department at the Public Security Bureau."
"Survey and investigation? What are you surveying?"
"It's about Psychic Power. The government is currently compiling data on the Psychic Power of all survivors for research purposes. Mr. Guan Tong, would you be willing to disclose your specific Psychic Power value? I need to record it here."
Guan Tong frowned. 'A specific Psychic Power value is basically private information, isn't it? Is it really okay to investigate this?'
As if sensing his hesitation, the woman on the other end continued, "Please rest assured, our data is strictly confidential and will not be leaked to any unauthorized individuals or organizations."
Guan Tong said, "That might be inconvenient."
Although there was currently no indication that revealing one's Psychic Power value was risky, Guan Tong had always been cautious and preferred not to disclose it.
"Alright, we are not collecting this information forcibly. However, I should mention that if your Psychic Power, Mr. Guan Tong, exceeds 80 points, you will have the opportunity to receive special support from the state after reporting it."
"Special support?"
"Yes. It's a new policy. The government will select individuals with outstanding potential for training and support, helping them grow stronger to face the challenges brought by the Apocalypse Rules."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up, Guan Tong went online to search for more information.
Sure enough, many people were saying they had received calls from their local Public Security Bureaus to survey and collect their Psychic Power data.
They also mentioned the matter of targeted support.
Many people were skeptical about it.
Some with less than 80 Psychic Power claimed it was unfair treatment and that they should also receive special support, but these protests didn't gain much attention.
Under the shadow of the Apocalypse Rules, many things and concepts were changing rapidly.
Faced with the threat of extinction, many old definitions of fairness and justice were undoubtedly taking a backseat.
Guan Tong didn't pay too much attention.
His experience of passing the first Apocalypse Rule had taught him that sometimes, paying attention to too many things only served to scatter one's focus.
For instance, he had spent the final 24 hours simply playing single-player games, his mind completely calm.
Another example was Wenren Yizhi.
Thanks to Fang Qian, Guan Tong had also learned about Wenren Yizhi's 72-hour marathon Go challenge.
He had looked it up the day before and discovered that Wenren Yizhi had actually played Go continuously for 72 hours, passing the Apocalypse Rule live under the watchful eyes of countless people.
This caused her fame to go completely mainstream, attracting immense attention.
Upon learning this, Guan Tong, in addition to his admiration, felt that this was the power of calmness and focus at work.
So, he stopped reading the news and returned to his daily routine: eating, sleeping, relaxing, recovering his Psychic Power, and then expending it by writing.
This continued until the tenth day, when he finally finished the last stroke of the character "Tong."
"Done!"
Guan Tong expended the last of his Psychic Power to write the final stroke, letting out a long breath.
He looked at his own name on the page, the two words "Guan Tong," and felt an indescribable sensation.
It was as if... he could connect with it telepathically.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
Suddenly, the page with Guan Tong's name on it began to flutter, though there was no wind!
Startled, Guan Tong jumped back, thinking, 'What's happening? Did writing my name trigger something?'
The next moment, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The two words "Guan Tong" on the page began to lift, expand, and detach from the book, hovering in mid-air.
Then, they slowly began to change shape, morphing into an outline.
At first, Guan Tong was merely shocked, but as he watched, a chill ran down his spine, and a sense of horror washed over him.
He realized what was happening—the strokes, having lifted and expanded from the page, were forming a human silhouette!
What was even more terrifying was that this human silhouette's height and build were identical to his own!