49 Apocalypse Rules

"We agree to your plan. We’ll mobilize people to transfer Psychic Power to you as soon as possible."

Zhang Minglu was the one who relayed the news to Guan Tong, and he also came with a proposal.

"However, about thirty percent of the research lab doesn’t approve. They’re worried you’ll go back on your word after the transfer and refuse to cooperate with the operation to weaken the Earth Vein Pillar."

"In the end, the majority agreed, and the minority had to concede. The higher-ups approved the plan as well. But with this internal dissent, there could be potential risks... That’s why, after discussing it with Mr. Gao, we came up with the following proposal."

Guan Tong understood what Zhang Minglu was saying.

It would be a lie to say the thought of ’taking the Psychic Power and running’ hadn’t crossed his mind. But people have always been judged by their actions, not their intentions. Everyone has dark thoughts; as long as they aren’t acted upon, it doesn’t matter.

Guan Tong had considered it. If he had a reserve of several million Psychic Power, he could do whatever he pleased anywhere in the world. He could go wherever he wanted.

But that truly wasn’t his goal.

What he had wanted from the very beginning was to clear all the rules, figure out the origin and purpose of the Fire Thief, and see what the ultimate fate of this planet—and himself—would be.

He truly had no interest in decadent pleasures or in crowning himself a king. He could never do what Lucifer did—run off and become a warlord.

Therefore, he assumed Zhang Minglu’s proposal would involve using some kind of ability or item as a safeguard.

However, Zhang Minglu’s actual proposal took Guan Tong completely by surprise.

"We’d like you to reveal your identity. Not an alias like ’Shepherd’ or ’Shadow,’ but your real identity. If you cooperate with us under your real name, I believe we won’t need any other safeguards. It should be enough to put the dissenters’ minds at ease."

’My real identity... "Guan Tong," of course.’

Guan Tong understood their reasoning.

Cooperation with an anonymous party always feels veiled in uncertainty; you can never completely trust them.

Besides, a "real identity" is its own form of insurance. If something were to go wrong, knowing who he really was would make it much easier to hold him accountable later.

This wasn’t part of Guan Tong’s plan, however, so he refused without hesitation.

In truth, his identity was simple. He was just an ordinary person with no complicated social ties. It wouldn’t make much difference if people found out.

Even if someone discovered that Shadow was Guan Tong and tried to threaten him, they would find they had no leverage. To use a popular phrase, Guan Tong had no weaknesses.

Even so, he didn’t want to expose his identity and have his face and name become known to the world.

He gave Zhang Minglu a clear refusal.

Zhang Minglu quickly replied that it was fine and the cooperation would proceed as planned.

This made Guan Tong suspect that Zhang Minglu and Gao Liangwei had probably anticipated his refusal. The only reason they asked was on the off-chance it might work—it was worth a shot.

With the great earthquake imminent and the stakes so high, the authorities were working at peak efficiency. The strategy was to group the transfer personnel by city. Then, they would use teleportation items to send Guan Tong to each location and use specialized tools like the Negative Pole Magnet to perform the transfer.

The entire process, however, was kept secret.

The participants were only told that their Psychic Power was being collected for an experiment; they had no idea it was all being transferred to a single person.

The secrecy was partly due to concerns about public opposition. They worried that widespread resistance, like the kind Dr. Yu had shown, would hinder their efficiency.

It was also a measure to protect Guan Tong. If the fact that he possessed the "Power of Rupture," which could affect the Earth Vein Pillar, was made public, it would draw a great deal of unwanted attention.

It was even possible that other countries might take desperate measures, hoping to abduct him to solve their own earthquake problems.

North Star wasn’t afraid, but with time being so tight, it was better to avoid any unnecessary complications. Thus, the transfer was conducted in total secrecy.

The participants were generally brought into small rooms, had their Psychic Power transferred via an item, and were then sent back, remaining completely in the dark about the whole affair.

Fortunately, only Flowing Psychic Power was transferred, which would regenerate over time. This prevented widespread doubt and opposition. Even so, after the first group completed their transfers, a storm of discussion erupted online.

On the Ascender’s Home forums, the general chat board was flooded with posts discussing the event.

"What’s with the shelter staff being gathered for a Psychic Power transfer today? Anyone know the deal?"

"Mass Psychic Power Transfer. Are the authorities making some big move in secret?"

"Academy students got a notice for a temporary assembly tomorrow. Are we getting our Psychic Power transferred too?"

People were discussing it everywhere, but no one knew what was really happening.

Then, in the early hours of the morning, a new post suddenly appeared and quickly shot to the top of the trending list.

"The REAL Reason the Authorities Are Organizing Mass Psychic Power Transfers"

The post read: "I’m an insider. For the sake of my conscience, I am risking my life to expose the truth.

The purpose of this mass Psychic Power transfer is to enact a ’God-Making Project.’ The project’s central figure is the famous Ascender, ’Shadow.’ He possesses the unique ability to store excess Psychic Power, which is why the authorities have organized for tens of thousands of people to transfer their power to him. The goal is to grant him strength beyond imagination."

The moment the post went live, the reply count skyrocketed. People were stunned.

"Is this for real?! He can store Psychic Power? If he stores the power from all these people, won’t he be invincible?!"

"Isn’t the Shadow God supposed to be a prime example of an unaffiliated, independent Ascender? When did he get bought out by the government?"

"@Shadow @AscendersHome_Admin, is this post for real? We need confirmation!"

"So he can store Psychic Power... I was just saying that transferring Flowing Psychic Power was pointless because of the cap. I never imagined this was possible... That’s completely broken!"

"If this is true, why would the authorities hide it from us?! This is not right!"

"Exactly! If the government wants to create a god, they should just say so. Being all sneaky about it makes it feel like some kind of conspiracy."

"Using our Psychic Power to create a god? That’s a total rip-off! I’m completely against it!"

"What’s a god created this way even for? Is it like on Qimo Star, where they’re trying to become one of the few survivors? Are the authorities so terrified by the predicted destruction of the level-10 earthquake that they’ve decided to abandon most of the population?"

A single stone cast a thousand ripples. The post instantly triggered an explosion of public outrage.

Gao Liangwei was still working late when he received the report from the night-shift data analyst. Two words immediately flashed in his mind.

’Internal leak!’

Only the top brass and the research lab knew about the Psychic Power transfer to Shadow. Shadow himself wouldn’t leak it, which meant the mole had to be on the inside.

As Gao Liangwei read the post, a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

The part about transferring Psychic Power to Shadow was true, but the ’God-Making Project’ was a complete fabrication. This wasn’t just a leak; it was a deliberate act of mixing truth with lies to incite public outrage. The perpetrator’s intentions were truly venomous.

Gao Liangwei’s mind raced for a moment, recalling everyone’s behavior during the earlier meeting. He immediately snatched up the phone. "Security! Get Yu Minyue—Dr. Yu—and bring him to the interview room. I want to speak with him now!"