49 Apocalypse Rules

In the first few days after the thirteenth rule was announced, incidents of people breaking the rule by lying out of carelessness or habit appeared frequently all over the world.

Even in North Star Country, where the government updated its white paper shortly after the rule was announced, many people still failed.

Moreover, nearly every day, stories appeared online about people who had once been close but whose relationships fractured because they couldn’t resist prying into each other’s private affairs.

It’s hard to say what exactly these people were thinking. Perhaps they believed that learning the answers to their questions was more important than the relationship itself.

Fortunately, people quickly grew used to it. After all, having lived in this era for so long, many had developed mental health issues to some degree.

For instance, after the rule for Five Senses Elimination ended, many people appeared to have recovered on the surface, but in reality, their bodies were prone to stress reactions at the slightest hint of something wrong.

For example, many people developed claustrophobia after that rule.

The more severe cases couldn’t even fall asleep in the dark. They could only manage to doze off with the lights on, and they would often jolt awake, never getting a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep.

With so many people in such a fragile mental state, nothing that happened was surprising anymore.

However, over the past few days of discussion, people had figured out an optimal solution for obtaining the double reward.

This optimal solution was to establish a Truth Contract on the last day of the rule, or even within the final minute.

Because according to the publicly available information, there was no stipulation on how long a Truth Contract needed to be maintained to qualify for the double reward after the rule ended.

This created a loophole that could be exploited.

As long as the contract was established in the final minute, one could obtain the double reward with minimal risk.

When Guan Tong saw this "optimal solution," he thought it was feasible.

The hidden rules he had seen indeed made no mention of a time requirement for the contract.

But even so, he would stick to the plan he had made earlier.

On the fifth day after the rule was announced, Xu Xiaotian called Guan Tong.

"Tong, do you have anyone in mind for a Truth Contract for this rule?"

"I’m not planning on making one," Guan Tong said. "Why? Xiaotian, are you looking for someone to form a contract with?"

Xu Xiaotian’s tone was full of surprise. "Tong, you’re not making one? You don’t want the double reward?"

"I prefer to play it safe, so I’ll pass."

"Oh, okay then. A colleague of mine wanted to form a contract, so I figured I’d call and check on your situation first, Tong. If you needed a partner, I’d definitely team up with you first, heh."

Guan Tong chuckled. "Even if you wanted to partner with me, I’d be afraid you’d make a careless mistake."

He didn’t offer any polite platitudes like, "Thanks, but no thanks." After all, this was the exact reason he had ruled out Xu Xiaotian in the first place. Saying anything else would be a lie, and a violation of the rule.

"Er..." Xu Xiaotian was a little embarrassed. "Well, I do tend to get mixed up easily."

"Alright. If you’re going to form a contract with your colleague, don’t rush to do it now. Just wait until the last day, or even the last minute or two of the rule."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone’s talking about it online. They’re calling it exploiting a rule bug!"

"Good."

"Then I won’t bother you anymore, Tong. Talk to you later!"

The call ended, and Guan Tong looked at the computer screen in front of him.

On it was the chat log from the past few days between his other account and "Desperate."

Shadow: "What are your conditions for providing intel on Jiang Lanying’s location?"

Desperate: "One million Sublimation Coins, and a personal guarantee from the Station Master."

Shadow: "Guarantee what?"

Desperate: "A guarantee that I will no longer be pursued by the authorities, and that I will be pardoned for all my past actions."

Shadow: "You think the Station Master has that kind of influence over the authorities?"

Desperate: "He does. The Station Master can obtain hidden information on the Apocalypse Rules. That’s his greatest asset. Using that as a bargaining chip to trade for the freedom of a small fry like me, the authorities will definitely compromise."

Shadow: "How do I know the information you provide is accurate? Are you with Jiang Lanying?"

Desperate: "Yes, I’m one of her attendants."

Shadow: "I will contact you later."

The conversation paused there. Upon learning that "Desperate" was right beside the "Big Sister," Jiang Lanying, an idea began to form in Guan Tong’s mind.

He could use reverse network tracking to pinpoint the location of the device "Desperate" was using to log in.

He had previously wanted to use this type of tracking to find the people who had slandered him and spread rumors about his involvement in some "God-Making Plan."

But at the time, he was busy dealing with the earthquake disaster. Then Shi Jingyi got injured, and to repay the favor he owed her, he took her place as a teacher at the academy.

As a result, he was spread too thin, and the investigation had to be put on hold.

But now, he felt the plan could be restarted.

His plan was to locate all the necessary devices during this Rule Stage. When the rule was over and Shi Jingyi was back at the academy, he would go and settle scores with each of them.

As for any "guarantee," he had no intention of giving one.

In his eyes, whether it was the "Big Sister" or her accomplice "Desperate," they were all cut from the same cloth. Eliminating them would be a service to the public.

「Meanwhile.」

In a deserted town in the northern border region of North Star, seven or eight young women were standing outside a house.

These young women shared highly similar features: all had short hair, slender figures, and a sharp, capable air about them.