49 Apocalypse Rules

Hearing this from Xu Xiaotian, Guan Tong asked curiously, "Shouldn’t the academy’s students be a top priority for government protection?"

"But they can’t protect that many people. The government sent some people with special abilities and items to help, but there weren’t nearly enough to go around. In the end, it came down to a lottery. I got lucky and won the right to use an item, and that’s how I survived."

Guan Tong replied, "Didn’t you try to whip up some Instant Noodles with a new ability on the spot? Like, developing a kind that makes you ’lose your sense of touch’?"

"It’s not that easy," Xu Xiaotian said helplessly. "Developing Instant Noodles with special abilities consumes a massive amount of Psychic Power, and it takes many days to get right. If I’d known the rule’s details a few months in advance, I might have given it a shot."

"I see."

’Developing abilities on the fly really isn’t realistic,’ Guan Tong thought. ’Forget Xu Xiaotian’s Instant Noodles Items; even my own Wordless Book isn’t that convenient.’

"Everyone at the academy is on edge right now. I’ve even heard some people say that our first cohort might be graduating this August."

"That soon?"

Guan Tong remembered the academy had started on August 10 of last year. Graduating this August would make it exactly one full year.

’Is the academy’s program only one year long? Still, time is incredibly precious right now.’

Before the age of the Apocalypse Rules, a one-year program was rare, probably limited to a few one-year master’s degrees.

But in the age of the Apocalypse Rules, one year could mean surviving ten rounds of the rules, making every moment that much more valuable.

From last April to this April, ten rules had already passed. If things continued at this pace, the remaining thirty-nine rules should be over within four years.

That was, of course, assuming humanity could hold on long enough to see all the rules through. If they crumbled midway, the timeline would be drastically shorter.

"What’s the plan for you guys after graduation?" Guan Tong asked. "Will you be assigned to shelters like everyone else?"

"That’s not certain yet," Xu Xiaotian said. "I hear the government is really short-staffed, so us first-cohort graduates will probably be assigned to various government departments. By the way, did you know that government workers are being paid in Sublimation Coins now, Tong?"

"I saw someone mention it online."

A month or two ago, someone had posted on the Ascender’s Home website about government reforms. Salaries, which had been suspended, were being reinstated, but they would be paid in Sublimation Coins instead of cash.

The source of these Sublimation Coins, naturally, was the pool collected from residents of the city shelters, which was then redistributed as needed.

"Sigh. I just hope I get assigned to a good department."

"What, you don’t want to take the assignment?"

"That’s not it. Besides, it’s not like there’s anything else to do if I don’t... I heard from one of our instructors that exceptionally talented students might get to stay at the academy for advanced studies and help the future second cohort, but I’m definitely not good enough for that..."

"Isn’t it a little late for a second cohort to be starting from scratch now?" Guan Tong asked, puzzled.

If the admission standard for both cohorts was the same—a Psychic Power cap of 80—then an 80-point cap now was a completely different beast compared to an 80-point cap at the start of the Apocalypse Rules.

"I’m not sure about that," Xu Xiaotian said. "But there’s a rumor at the academy that they’ll be recruiting some foreign students for the second cohort. A lot of countries have collapsed recently, and the government said it would be taking in refugees, right? It’s probably them."

"I see."

"By the way, Tong, are you still out in the wilds?"

"Yeah."

"...I really admire you. After the ninth rule, the Mist, didn’t pretty much everyone in the wilds flow back to the cities? There can’t be many people left out there."

Xu Xiaotian was right. The Mist from the ninth Apocalypse Rule had destroyed a great number of wilderness camps.

Yu Hong and Zhao Yu, who had been camped at the foot of Mingdao Mountain, were a case in point. Most wilderness camps simply couldn’t withstand the encroaching Mist and the attacks of the Foggy Nightmare Beasts, so it was no surprise that they chose to return to the cities.

"My situation is a little different," Guan Tong said. "Besides, I prefer it out here."

"Okay, well, how about after I graduate in August, I apply for a pass to leave the city and come visit you, Tong?"

"Sure. We’ll probably have another two or three rules to get through before then, so be careful."

"You too, Tong."

After hanging up, Guan Tong looked at his phone, opened his contacts, and saw Wang Yan’s name. He decided to give her a call.

A while back, Wang Yan had called him. She’d made Chen Na apologize for lying and had said they should keep in touch more often.

Guan Tong had agreed. Now, still feeling sociable after his chat with Xu Xiaotian, he figured it was a good time to call and see how she was doing.

The call connected quickly, and Wang Yan sounded surprised. "Guan? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong. I was just calling to say hello, Wang."

"Oh? Ha, that’s a rare treat." Wang Yan chuckled. "I didn’t think you were the type to reach out first, Guan."

Wang Yan wasn’t wrong. Guan Tong knew he was slow to warm up to people; he usually took calls but rarely made them himself.

"Nana and I are doing fine," Wang Yan said. "This last rule wasn’t too hard on us because—er, I can’t really get into the details. The security clearance for this place is extremely high, so I can’t say much."

Guan Tong knew Wang Yan and Chen Na had been recruited by a government department, so he understood. "That’s fine. As long as you two are safe, Wang. That’s all I wanted, so I’ll let you go."

"Hey, wait, Guan," Wang Yan asked curiously. "Are you still outside the city?"

"I am."

"Yikes, isn’t that a little dangerous? Look at the last two rules, nine and ten. It’s gotten pretty risky to stay outside. If you ask me, you should come into the city and apply for a spot in a shelter."

"I don’t have any plans for that at the moment. You don’t need to worry, Wang."

"Alright. I’ll have Nana call and say hi the next time I see her."

"Okay."

After hanging up again, Guan Tong scrolled through his very short contact list. Only one name remained at the bottom: "Shi Jingyi."

He pressed the call button. After a few rings, a recorded voice announced, "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

’Is she not available?’ Guan Tong put his phone away.

He wasn’t worried about Shi Jingyi having trouble with the tenth rule. Her status as a lead instructor at the academy guaranteed her significant government support, but even without it, she was more than capable of getting through the rule on her own.

’Time to check out the new stock.’

Xu Xiaotian’s call had interrupted him before he could look. Now, he mentally opened his Terminal Panel and entered the Sublimation Store.

This time, the new item looked like a handheld electronic disc.

[Life Detector]: Detects human life signs within a 1000-meter radius. Survivors are displayed as red dots on the electronic screen. Single-use item.

[Price: 300 Sublimation Coins]

’Detects human life signs...’

The moment Guan Tong saw the item’s description, he had a bad feeling.

’Is the eleventh rule going to be another survival game?’

A survival rule like the ninth one, where humanity could rely on technological inventions to cope, would be manageable...

’Whatever. I’ll find out when it happens. Overthinking it now is pointless.’

Seeing that the item had no purchase limit, Guan Tong immediately spent 6,000 Sublimation Coins on twenty of them and stashed them in his storage. With coins to burn, he could afford to be impulsive.

Just as he was about to open his computer and check the website, his phone rang. It was Shi Jingyi, calling him back.

"Hello."

"I was training," Shi Jingyi said right away, explaining why she hadn’t answered. "Did you need something?"

"Nothing important, just calling to say hello."

"Hm?" Shi Jingyi sounded surprised. "That doesn’t sound like you."

"..."

"Never mind. It’s rare for you to be so thoughtful. Thanks. I’m doing fine."

"That’s good to hear. Well, I’ll—"

"Wait, don’t hang up," Shi Jingyi said. "How’s your Psychic Power Flow training coming along?"

Guan Tong replied, "I can currently circulate it twice in a row. I can also basically cover my entire body with Psychic Power as a form of energy, but I’m still a long way from being able to control it as freely as you do."

She sucked in a sharp breath over the phone, clearly surprised.

"Your aptitude for this is really something else."

"It’s alright."

"No need to be modest. The best students at the academy can barely manage to circulate it once. Your progress has far surpassed theirs. But it’s not their fault. Because of the Mind Lock, it’s hard for any of them to calm their minds enough to train."

’The Mind Lock? The academy still hasn’t solved that problem?’

Guan Tong had used his Wordless Book to break through that restriction before the ninth rule even ended, so he’d completely forgotten about it. He never would have expected that the well-resourced academy still hadn’t found a solution by the end of the tenth rule.

Shi Jingyi astutely picked up on his silence. "You broke through the Mind Lock?"

"Yes. I used my own method."

"Can your method be used on other people?"

"I don’t think so," Guan Tong said after a pause. "It’s tied to my unique item."

The Wordless Book was his exclusive item, using power manifested from his own Psychic Power. He honestly didn’t know if it could help someone else break their Mind Lock.

But he figured it probably couldn’t. Even if it could, he wasn’t inclined to try. It would almost certainly expose his item’s abilities, and any potential profit wouldn’t be worth the risk.

"That’s a real shame," Shi Jingyi said with regret. "If it worked, you could make a fortune in Sublimation Coins charging an ’unlocking fee’... Wait a minute. Speaking of which, you’re not short on Sublimation Coins, are you?!"

Guan Tong wasn’t surprised that Shi Jingyi knew he had a lot of coins. Since she knew he was Shadow, she must also know about the administrator of the Ascender’s Home website selling information. Although he’d never explicitly told her he was the administrator, she had probably put two and two together.

"I’m not. Why?"

"Lend me some. I want to buy something, but I’m a little short."

"Sure. How much do you need?"

"Let me calculate... with what I have, I’m still short about three hundred thousand."

"Three hundred thousand?" Guan Tong was taken aback. "What costs that much?"

"An Ancient Martial Secret Manual on Qi Gong! I saw it on the trading market and was really interested, so I’m planning to buy it and give it a try. The price is just really high. If you lend me the coins, I’ll pay you back slowly over the next few months."

"Okay. Send me your Terminal’s ID number."

"Thanks!"

Shi Jingyi quickly sent the ID number. Guan Tong added her as a friend and transferred three hundred thousand Sublimation Coins to her.

After the transaction was complete, he looked at her name in his friends list—she just used her full name, "Shi Jingyi," as her username. He thought for a moment, then decided not to delete her as he usually would. ’She knows who I am anyway,’ he reasoned. ’Might as well keep her on the list.’