49 Apocalypse Rules

’Mr. Guan, I have all the details.’

’A total of five students left the city via the mountain path. They might be heading to the Cangying Ridge scenic area, south of Pinglu.’

Mrs. Chen’s voice rang out through the Mind Network. Guan Tong replied that he understood and set off for Cangying Ridge.

He had only taken a few steps when Mrs. Chen’s voice echoed in the Mind Network again, this time sounding extremely urgent.

’Mr. Guan, there’s an emergency!’

’Counselor Fang Qian said those students just posted on the Mind Network that they’re in a violent conflict with the people at the Cangying Ridge camp!’

Guan Tong replied, ’I’ll get there as soon as I can.’

The dean’s voice cut in. ’Mr. Guan, you go on ahead and assess the situation. We’re sending people over right away. We can’t let anything happen to the students!’

Guan Tong immediately released a wisp of Shadow, sending it to race toward Cangying Ridge in his place.

「Meanwhile, at the Cangying Ridge viewing platform.」

A wilderness group of several dozen ordinary people had been cut in half. The twenty-some survivors were all staring at the few students with terror in their eyes.

They couldn’t believe how formidable these students were. The moment the fight started, half their men were taken down!

The bearded man, their leader, glared fixedly at the students.

He had seen it clearly. A few of his men had struck the students with weapons, but it had done no damage at all.

The students didn’t look particularly muscular, but their physiques were far superior. A blow from an ordinary club only made them frown.

"We told you, you’d be the ones to suffer if you started a fight!"

The tall student among them wore a smug expression.

Even if the enemy was armed, they were Ascenders who had already cleared more than ten rules. It would be laughable to fear ordinary people wielding weapons.

Aside from some initial nervousness, once the fight began, they quickly realized how vast the gap was between them and these ordinary people. They didn’t even need to use their items or abilities; their physical prowess alone was enough to take someone down in a few moves.

Several men who took a heavy punch or kick from the students collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.

Just then, one of the fallen men began to bleed profusely from his mouth, looking to be in serious condition. The bearded leader and a few others hurried over to check on him.

"Boss, I don’t think he’s gonna make it! I don’t know what’s broken, but the bleeding won’t stop!"

"Quick, get him inside!" the bearded man ordered.

Seeing this, the students started to panic. If they actually killed someone, how would this whole thing end?

Shen Yun, the one in charge, wanted to get out of there. He shot his companions a look, signaling for them to make a run for it, but the bearded man noticed.

"You beat our brother like this and think you can just walk away?!"

"You’re the ones who attacked first! We were just defending ourselves!"

"Enough talk!"

The bearded man raised a shotgun, and the students’ expressions soured.

The conflict so far had been with melee weapons, not firearms, so they could easily win with their superior bodies. But if the other side used guns, they would undoubtedly have to use their items.

As the leader raised his gun, the few others who were armed followed suit.

The students saw that their opponents were resorting to firearms and knew the conflict had escalated. They had only taken a month of Psychic Power Flow classes and were a long way from being able to channel Psychic Power into a protective shield.

’We have to use our items!’

"BANG!"

With a single gunshot, a spray of iron pellets erupted from the wide muzzle of the bearded leader’s shotgun.

The other armed men also pulled their triggers, and for a moment, the air was filled with gunfire.

But the students were prepared. One of them produced a fan-like item and, with a powerful wave, caused all the incoming projectiles to stop dead in mid-air before losing their momentum and clattering to the ground.

This sight stunned the campers. Just then, Shen Yun took out a playing card item and threw it.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The single playing card multiplied into dozens in mid-air, each one razor-sharp as they shot toward the gunmen.

The next second, the sound of blades sinking into flesh—THWIP! THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!—was accompanied by sprays of blood. The playing cards, like steel darts, pierced through the bodies of the gunmen and several others standing nearby.

A dozen or so men, including the bearded leader, collapsed instantly. Seven or eight died on the spot, while the rest screamed in agony.

The other students were dumbfounded, staring at Shen Yun in shock. They hadn’t expected him to use such a devastatingly powerful item.

After unleashing the attack, Shen Yun’s own mind went blank as he stared at the consequences. ’I killed people? And so many?’

"Stop fighting!"

"Please, spare us!"

The remaining campers broke down completely. They had thought that with dozens of men, they could easily handle a few students. The reality was the complete opposite: the power wielded by these Ascender students easily crushed them.

"Let’s go... Let’s get out of here!"

Shen Yun snapped back to his senses, his thoughts a tangled mess. He urged the other four students to leave.

But they had barely taken a few hurried steps before a figure appeared, blocking their path.

When the five of them saw who it was, they all froze.

"Mr... Mr. Guan?"

Guan Tong glanced at the five students, then looked past them at the aftermath of the battle. His gaze lingered for a moment on the numerous bodies scattered haphazardly on the ground before he looked away.

He spoke. "Did you do this?"

"Mr. Guan, we—we were defending ourselves! They wouldn’t let us leave! They attacked us!"

The tall student argued vehemently, but his confidence wavered when he met Guan Tong’s eyes, and he instinctively looked away.

"I’m the one who killed them," Shen Yun admitted. "I saw them pull out guns, and I was worried my classmates and I would get hurt. I panicked and used a highly lethal item... I forgot they were just ordinary people."

Guan Tong was silent.

Though he had just arrived, he had a good grasp of the situation.

The conflict had broken out, but since the campers were just ordinary people, they were weak. The students, unaware of how to hold back, had ended up killing and injuring many of them.

"Mr. Guan, it’s all my responsibility! I’m willing to take the blame for everything!" Shen Yun declared.

His classmates all shook their heads, wanting to say something, but Guan Tong silenced them with a look.

"How this is handled isn’t up to me," Guan Tong said. "The academy will have people here soon. Stay here for now and don’t wander off."

"...Understood."

One student asked nervously, "Mr. Guan, what’s... what’s going to happen to us? Are we going to have to go to court?"

"I don’t know."

Guan Tong truly didn’t know.

In the era of the Apocalypse Rules, while the laws hadn’t officially changed, many had been rendered obsolete by "emergency self-defense" and the new realities of the world.

For instance, when the rules caused food shortages, many people took what they needed directly from supermarket warehouses. Was that theft? Robbery? But did the officials really prosecute them under those circumstances? No, they didn’t.

Previously, when the wilds were filled with numerous Sponsor Organizations and violent gangs, the official response was to send armed forces to wipe them out directly. There were no trials or legal proceedings. Did that follow the rules?

The times had changed, and many things changed with them.

Now, a few academy students had clashed with a wilderness camp and killed many people. As for how this would be handled—whether it would go through the legal system—Guan Tong, who had spent a long time living alone in the wild, had no idea how the officials would react.

Guan Tong then walked over to the group of campers and introduced himself.

He tried to ask about the situation, but the campers ignored him, simply glaring at him with hatred.

One woman, her eyes streaming with tears, cradled the body of a man Shen Yun had killed. In her other hand, she held a phone and shrieked, "You can’t deny that your Ascender Academy students killed people! I recorded everything that just happened and uploaded it to the internet! If the officials are biased, the netizens will get us justice!"

"..."

Seeing this and the way the people looked at him, Guan Tong shook his head and said nothing more.

Before long, people from the academy arrived.

There were teachers, as well as soldiers from the security department and medical personnel.

After some initial processing at the scene, all the students and campers involved in the conflict were taken back to Pinglu City.

Upon returning to Pinglu, the five students, led by Shen Yun, were not returned to the academy but were temporarily detained by an official department.

This prompted Dean Zhou Qinfeng to immediately convene a meeting to discuss the matter.

"I believe everyone understands the situation. Our five students are currently being held in temporary custody, which is not good."

Zhou Qinfeng’s expression was grim. As a long-time school president, he could see the gravity of the situation and knew it would not be easily resolved.

Zhang Linliang, the lecturer who had previously sparred with Guan Tong, asked in confusion, "Weren’t our students stopped by that group from the wilderness camp? They attacked first, right? How can our students be in the wrong for defending themselves?"

Another lecturer added, "These students are all outstanding, and Shen Yun is one of the best. If we punish them over something like this and it disrupts their studies, it will be a major loss for both the academy and the government."

Seeing Zhou Qinfeng’s brow furrowed, Mrs. Chen asked, "Dean, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Qinfeng said gravely, "I’ll say just one thing, which Mr. Guan told me. The video of Shen Yun and the others fighting was filmed by the campers and posted online. It seems it was given some sensational title like ’Academy Students Massacre Ordinary People,’ and it’s already causing a public outcry."

Everyone’s expression shifted slightly as they understood the implications of Zhou Qinfeng’s words.

At a societal level, there has always been significant tension between ordinary people and Ascenders. To prevent conflict, some departments have deliberately or indirectly arranged for separate residential areas, minimizing interaction and potential clashes between the two groups.

Now, with this video out on the internet, it’s bound to stir up a storm of public opinion.

"Our academy must do everything we can to protect our students," Zhou Qinfeng said. "We need to quickly release a statement explaining the incident online, before public opinion turns completely against us."

"I’m afraid... Dean, have you forgotten? The [Digital Detox] is still in effect. The vast majority of people active online right now are ordinary people. It’s obvious which side public opinion will favor."

"If the government caves to public pressure and convicts the students, what do we do? Are we really going to let our precious academy students go to prison?"

"If you ask me, our academy needs to be our students’ rock!" a lecturer said, sounding somewhat radical. "It doesn’t matter if our students were acting in self-defense or even if they were a little at fault. So what? In this era, the value of one outstanding academy student is greater than that of a hundred ordinary people. People may not like hearing the truth, but that’s just how it is!"

At these words, the others looked over in astonishment. Zhou Qinfeng shot the lecturer a glare. "Watch your words!"

Although the lecturer fell silent, his face was still defiant, as if he believed he hadn’t said anything wrong.

Furthermore, from the way his eyes swept over the others, it was clear he thought many people in the room shared his opinion but were too afraid to voice it for the sake of political correctness.

A brief silence fell over the conference room.

After a moment, Zhou Qinfeng looked at Guan Tong. "Mr. Guan, you were the first teacher to arrive on the scene. What is your opinion on this matter?"

"If the students aren’t lying, and the campers attacked first, even using firearms, then I believe it’s a clear case of self-defense," Guan Tong said.

"That may be so, but... SIGH."

Zhou Qinfeng sighed and finally said, "Regardless of how the officials handle this, our academy will first declare its stance: we will resolutely defend the legitimate rights of our students. Also, I expect every lecturer to use this incident as a cautionary tale in your next class. Impress upon the students the importance of not inviting this kind of trouble upon themselves!"