49 Apocalypse Rules

September 2nd, Pinglu City Courthouse.

When Guan Tong arrived, the spectator gallery in the courtroom was already full.

Mrs. Chen, who had come early, had saved a seat for him. He went over and sat down.

"So many people are following this case," Mrs. Chen said. "Mr. Guan, you must have seen it when you came in. Besides all the people in here, there’s a huge crowd gathered outside too."

"I saw."

In truth, cases like this—conflicts between Ascenders and ordinary people resulting in casualties and ending up in court—had occurred many times over the past year or so.

But none had ever garnered as much influence as today’s case.

Guan Tong believed there were various reasons for this.

For instance, people from the camp had filmed a clear video of the conflict and uploaded it to the internet. Furthermore, the two conflicting parties were academy students—practically the chosen ones—and ordinary people living in a wilderness camp. The sheer contrast in their statuses was enough to generate a lot of buzz.

When these factors collided, they created a chemical reaction, turning this case into a matter of national concern, even drawing the attention of the Human Federation.

"Mr. Guan, what do you think the verdict will be?"

"It’s hard to say."

"Ah, the judge is here."

The court staff began to enter. After everyone was seated and had made brief preparations, the trial was declared open.

Soon, Shen Yun and the four other students, along with several representatives from the camp, were all brought in by the bailiffs.

Guan Tong glanced at the faces of Shen Yun and his companions. Every one of them looked haggard.

While they likely hadn’t suffered any real punishment during their days in custody, the fear of the outcome was torment enough.

Once everyone was present, the proceedings officially began.

Since the advent of the Apocalypse Rules era, time had become precious and efficiency paramount. The procedures of all official departments had been drastically shortened.

The same now applied to court trials. After a statement of facts and the presentation of evidence, the court moved quickly to pronounce judgment on the four students other than Shen Yun.

Of the four, three were judged to have acted in justifiable self-defense, while one was found guilty of excessive self-defense.

The one found guilty of excessive self-defense was the tall male student. He had maimed two people and killed one. His sentence was five years.

Upon hearing the sentence, the tall student looked as if he was about to break down on the spot.

The judge stated that the sentence should have been eight years or more, but it had been reduced in consideration of factors such as him turning himself in.

A five-year sentence might seem like a reduction, but the problem was whether humanity would even exist in five years. At the rate the Apocalypse Rules were progressing, all forty-nine would likely have concluded within that time frame.

Even if everything went smoothly, it still meant spending these crucial years in prison, essentially losing any chance to grow.

Finally, when it was Shen Yun’s turn, the judge delivered the verdict: "life imprisonment."

The moment the verdict was announced, Shen Yun’s face filled with resentment. He clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to accept it.

The spectator gallery erupted in a flurry of discussion.

"Life in prison? Isn’t that too harsh!"

"He killed so many people! Why not the death penalty?!"

"Are they planning some kind of backroom deal later on?"

"His life is completely ruined now..."

Some thought the sentence was too light, others too heavy. There was no consensus.

Upon hearing the life sentence, Mrs. Chen wore a look of regret. "What a shame. With Shen Yun’s grades and performance, he would have had such a bright future. Mr. Guan, do you think this verdict is reasonable?"

"Reasonable or not, this is how it is."

Guan Tong had actually anticipated a sentence of "twenty years or more."

He felt the death penalty was unlikely, as Shen Yun had indeed been fighting back in self-defense. But with so many dead, a light sentence was also out of the question.

After the verdict was announced, Shen Yun stated in court that he would not accept the judgment and demanded an appeal.

A few people from the gallery slipped out early to relay the news to the crowd waiting outside the courthouse.

The news spread quickly, igniting a storm of discussion online.

Whether they thought it was too harsh or too lenient, everyone tacitly agreed that a prison sentence of several years meant any chance of future growth was over. That much was set in stone.

This was because for an imprisoned Ascender, the authorities would only provide a certain amount of help when facing survival-type rules. For non-survival rules, however, inmates were not allowed to leave prison to complete challenges.

Take, for example, the fifth Apocalypse Rule issued by the Fire Thief: [Night of the Living Dead].

Ascenders in prison naturally didn’t have to worry about the threat of the Living Dead. But if they wanted to go outside to eliminate the Living Dead and earn Sublimation Coins, they would not be granted permission.

In the long run, no matter how strong an imprisoned Ascender was, they would gradually weaken until their Psychic Power decayed to zero and their status panel closed, turning them back into an ordinary person.

One could only imagine the despair an Ascender would feel going through this process, forced to watch as they fell behind the main group and grew weaker by the day.

Resistance or escape was also nearly impossible. The prisons where the authorities held Ascenders were specially modified, and even the guards were Ascenders who were paid a salary of Sublimation Coins.

As Guan Tong and Mrs. Chen were leaving the courthouse, Dean Zhou Qinfeng was standing at the entrance, sighing heavily.

Seeing the two of them emerge, Zhou Qinfeng walked up to them. "Mrs. Chen, Mr. Guan, I never expected this result! Such an outstanding student, ruined just like that!"

"Didn’t Shen Yun say he’s going to appeal?" Mrs. Chen said. "Maybe there’s a chance to get it reduced in the second trial..."

Her voice trailed off, as she clearly knew it was unlikely.

Zhou Qinfeng shook his head. "Even if it’s reduced to ten years, or eight, is there any difference from a life sentence in this era? By the time the forty-nine rules have all ended, even if humanity survives, it will have nothing to do with them. Mr. Guan, wouldn’t you agree?"

Guan Tong nodded slightly. Although he didn’t think humanity’s survival depended on a few kids like Shen Yun, he could understand Zhou Qinfeng’s point.