49 Apocalypse Rules

Like the magnitude 1 earthquake, the magnitude 2 earthquake was also classified as a "microquake." Furthermore, since it occurred late at night, ordinary people, fast asleep, felt nothing.

But starting with the next one, the magnitude 3, people would begin to feel the tremors, and the sensation would only grow more intense with each subsequent quake.

After the Human Federation meeting concluded, some of its contents—minus the bickering and petty squabbles—were made public online.

Since its inception, the Human Federation had championed transparent cooperation and information sharing. Therefore, aside from a small amount of classified intelligence, the majority of their discussions were released to the public. The goal was to help the populace understand the reasoning behind certain policies; knowing the "why" would make them more willing to cooperate with official operations.

When the public learned that Fahe Country’s data collection mission had failed due to obstruction by Cultists, they found it somewhat incredible.

The citizens of Fahe Country itself were especially incensed. They took to the streets in protest, demanding the government forcefully eradicate the Cultists. Unlike previous demonstrations, this one was extremely fierce, as it concerned everyone’s survival.

Based on online reports, massive demonstrations involving hundreds of thousands of people had erupted in several of Fahe’s major cities. In addition to protesting against the government, the demonstrators spontaneously shared tips about Cultists and began carrying out their own arrests.

Strangely, however, even though black uniforms and copies of a new scripture called the "Fire Thief Apocalypse," which contained the Apocalypse Rules, were found in the homes of many alleged Cultists, all those who were captured claimed to have no idea what was going on and insisted they were innocent.

The furious protestors, of course, didn’t believe them. Some of the captured were turned over to the authorities, while others were beaten to death by the angry mob. If there was one thing the nations of the world shared after entering the era of the Apocalypse Rules, it was that the spark of violence hidden deep within everyone’s heart had been fanned into a raging fire.

The Fahe government attempted to quell the unrest, but to little effect. In just a day or two, the entire country had descended into chaos.

’This will only get worse if it keeps up...’

Guan Tong read the relevant threads on the Ascender’s Home forums, feeling that Fahe Country’s future looked bleak.

’Tomorrow is the day of the magnitude 3 earthquake,’ he thought. ’The protests haven’t stopped. The data collection will probably fail again...’

While netizens around the world were busy spectating the drama in Fahe, the government of North Star Country had publicly issued a statement seeking the person who had dealt with the Earth Vein Pillar.

The statement specified that the government would not impose any restrictions whatsoever. They simply wished to cooperate with this individual or group to jointly resolve the disaster brought about by this new rule, offering a handsome reward for their assistance.

After the statement was released, people grew curious about which mysterious expert had taken action. But with no leads, the discussion quickly died down.

Guan Tong, for his part, knew the government wasn’t playing games with this. Their offer was sincere.

If he determined after tomorrow’s magnitude 3 earthquake test that his Psychic Power was insufficient to use the [Wordless Book] to nullify higher-level quakes, then he would contact the government and cooperate.

...

「Fahe Country, Liluo’an City.」

Fahe’s largest city had been thrown into chaos by the protests of hundreds of thousands of people.

As the new day dawned, the streets were still crowded.

They wandered the streets with no specific goal, simply venting their frustrations.

Even though the Fahe government had officially announced earlier in the day that they would crack down on cults like the Fire Worship Cult with full force, the people’s anger had yet to subside.

Pierre was one of the protesters. He was twenty-five years old, a promising young talent who had graduated from a top university and landed a job at a world-class company. But the Apocalypse Rules brought by the Fire Thief had completely destroyed his life.

His family and friends had been killed or injured by the previous rules, and his job had become meaningless. Now, he just drank his days away, living one day at a time.

When he saw the news yesterday about Cultists obstructing the data collection, he was incandescent with rage.

The Apocalypse Rules had destroyed everything he had, so he hated the rules and the Fire Thief more than anything. And now people were actually worshiping the Fire Thief as a god? He found that utterly unacceptable.

So he had immediately joined, and even organized, a community protest. He personally led a group, following a public tip, to a house where they discovered a Cultist uniform and a copy of the Fire Thief Apocalypse.

The owner of the house had claimed to know nothing, insisting he had no idea where the uniform and book came from.

Pierre, naturally, didn’t believe him and knocked the man to the ground with a single punch. His violence incited others. A mob descended, kicking and punching the man to death, then set the uniform and the book on fire.

It was a deeply satisfying feeling for Pierre. He clenched his fists, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a hawk, searching for more Cultists, ready to tear these bastards who worshipped the Fire Thief limb from limb.

Suddenly, as Pierre was walking, a voice echoed in his mind.

"A miracle has descended. Go to the central plaza and protect it."

Pierre froze, stunned by the voice in his head. It was a gentle male voice, seemingly imbued with a magical quality that instantly calmed his agitated heart.

He didn’t know who the voice belonged to. When he came to his senses and processed the words, he found it very strange.

’A god? What god?’

"A miracle has descended. Go to the central plaza and protect it."

When the voice echoed again, Pierre’s once-confused gaze instantly turned resolute. All his doubts seemed to have been swept away.

Now, only a single thought remained in his mind: Go protect the miracle.

He stopped dead in his tracks, then spun around and broke into a run toward the central plaza. Astonishingly, he wasn’t alone. Some of the people who had been following him also began to run, as if they too had heard a similar command.

Others, however, did not, and simply stared in confusion as the group suddenly turned and fled.

People have a herd mentality. A large group suddenly breaking into a run will sweep up others who don’t know what’s happening. In an instant, hundreds, then thousands of protesters were all running. Pierre was at the very front, his gaze fixed as he sprinted straight for the central plaza.

At 12:14 a.m., the magnitude 3 earthquake struck.

Soon after, at 12:14:30 a.m., the Fahe government confirmed the epicenter’s location: the central plaza of Liluo’an City.

Having learned their lesson, this time the Fahe government dispatched not only data collectors but also an elite unit of armed soldiers and an elite squad of Ascenders. The two teams totaled a hundred people.

With this hundred-strong escort, there was no need to fear any Cultist organization.

However, a minute later, when the hundred-strong escort team arrived at the central plaza, they were shocked to find hundreds of people encircling the Earth Vein Pillar, preventing anyone from getting near.

At first, they assumed the crowd had formed a cordon on their own while waiting for the officials to arrive. But when the soldiers approached and identified themselves as the Official Team, the people still refused to make way.

"Get out of the way, now!" the armed Commander bellowed. "We need to collect disaster data! What do you think you’re doing?!"

From the crowd of over a hundred people guarding the Earth Vein Pillar, a young but resolute voice cried out.

"The holy relic of our god shall not be desecrated!"

As the words fell, the surrounding crowd erupted in chaos.

"What?!"

"Damn it! They’re Cultists!"

"Wait, weren’t those people part of the anti-Cultist protests?!"

"Wasn’t that Pierre who just spoke? Isn’t he one of the organizers of the community protest?!"

Everyone was stunned. Pierre and the people around him were all participants—some even organizers—of the anti-Cultist protests. Why were they now acting just like the Cultists?

The armed Commander found himself in a thorny situation. He immediately contacted his superior to report the situation and ask for instructions.

His superior’s voice was ice-cold. "If we fail to collect data twice in a row, our Fahe Country will be utterly disgraced before the Human Federation! Clear out the obstructionists immediately!"

"But—!" The armed Commander hesitated. "The people blocking us are civilians! They’re not wearing Cultist uniforms! And there are too many onlookers. If we open fire, there could be collateral damage..."

"We’re running out of time! Do it now!"

"...Understood!"

The armed Commander immediately ordered his soldiers, "Clear out anyone obstructing the data collection!"

The soldiers exchanged glances. One of them gritted his teeth, raised his rifle, and pulled the trigger. BANG! BANG! One of the obstructors was shot in the face and fell to the ground, dead.

This instantly triggered chaos. Screams filled the air. Gunshots rang out from all directions, and the stench of blood quickly filled the central plaza...