49 Apocalypse Rules

August 12th.

After leaving the academy, Guan Tong followed an address to a large building in the city’s middle sector.

When he arrived, Xu Xiaotian was waiting at the entrance, dressed in a yellow uniform.

Upon seeing Guan Tong, he quickly raised his hand and called out, "Tong, over here!"

Guan Tong walked over, glanced at the two large, yellow characters for "Distribution" printed on his uniform, and asked, "Is this your department’s work uniform?"

"That’s right," Xu Xiaotian said with a chuckle. "Just like I told you, I was assigned to the Materials Distribution Department after graduating from the academy."

"It’s actually kind of funny. The person in charge of personnel told me they assigned me to this department because of my Instant Noodles Items. They said that if food runs short during an emergency, I could make my own instant noodles for people who need them."

Guan Tong nodded. That was indeed possible.

It hadn’t been possible during the snowstorm Apocalypse Rule because the terminals hadn’t enabled the party function yet.

But after that feature was enabled, some items could be shared while in a party.

That way, if Xu Xiaotian ever ran into Ascenders who needed food, he could just party up with them and let them eat the Psychic Power instant noodles he created.

"What’s it like working in this department?" Guan Tong asked. "You must be busy."

After the earthquake Apocalypse Rule ended and before the current one was announced, Guan Tong had already contacted Xu Xiaotian, planning to find some time to meet.

But Xu Xiaotian had said he was too busy to get away. It wasn’t until yesterday that he’d gone to the academy to leave a message with the staff, letting Guan Tong know he was free today.

So, Guan Tong came over after his morning classes.

"Yeah. After the last earthquake... a lot of shelters were destroyed and many people had to be relocated. Our department has to maintain the food supply during the whole process, without a single slip-up. So even as a new transfer, I was so busy every day that I only got five or six hours of sleep."

"That sounds really tough."

"You’re telling me... Thankfully, things are much better now." Xu Xiaotian suggested, "Come on, Tong, I’ll show you around the department building!"

Hearing this, Guan Tong asked, "Are you allowed to bring outsiders into the department building?"

"Heh heh, there’s no rule that says we can’t. Besides, the lower floors are crowded, so we won’t stand out. As long as we stay away from the upper management levels, we’ll be fine."

"...Alright."

Guan Tong didn’t really mind, so he followed Xu Xiaotian into the Pinglu City Materials Distribution Department building.

The moment he stepped into the ground-floor lobby, he saw that Xu Xiaotian was right.

The lobby was packed, with a noisy crowd of at least a hundred people.

Xu Xiaotian explained, "It’s all this new Apocalypse Rule’s fault. Normally, we’d use network devices to communicate, so it wouldn’t be this crowded. Now we have to rely on runners to pass on messages."

"I heard that because of this rule, a lot of places are hiring regular people. Your department isn’t doing the same?"

Xu Xiaotian shook his head. "The department head doesn’t seem to be considering it. I guess we’re just barely managing for now. Besides, a regular person’s body couldn’t handle our insane workload. The hours aren’t just long; we often have to work double shifts! Who could stand that?"

"Even Ascenders can’t keep that up for long, can they? Won’t it cause psychological issues?"

"It’s manageable. Our department has great benefits. We get a salary of several thousand Sublimation Coins a month, and we get priority shelter when a new Apocalypse Rule is announced, so we can put up with it."

’A salary of several thousand Sublimation Coins a month... That’s way more than the rewards from the Apocalypse Rules. Right now, a reward is typically just a few hundred Sublimation Coins.’

Guan Tong figured that made sense.

People like Xu Xiaotian were working themselves to the bone to provide food for a massive population, putting in an incredible amount of time and energy. It was only reasonable that, as compensation, the authorities would reallocate some of the shelter residents’ Sublimation Coins to pay them a salary.

All in all, it was a system with parallels to the tax distribution of the pre-Apocalypse era.

"This is the main office area, and that’s the temporary warehouse. This room here is the control room for the supply vehicles. We’ll skip touring it—it’s full of networking equipment, and we wouldn’t want to accidentally fail the Apocalypse Rule."

Xu Xiaotian showed Guan Tong around the department, finally leading him to the dining area. He said conspiratorially, "Tong, today I’m treating you to a proper hot meal. How about it? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

Guan Tong asked curiously, "Your department still has a cafeteria?"

"That’s right. But don’t tell anyone, or we’ll get raked over the coals."

"..."

He had a point. If people found out they still had a cafeteria here and didn’t have to eat canned food every day like everyone else, they’d definitely be viciously condemned.

Xu Xiaotian disappeared into the back kitchen for a moment and returned carrying a large wooden tray. On it were several hot dishes and two bowls of steaming white rice.

Guan Tong wasn’t usually picky about his food, but after so long without a hot meal, he found his appetite genuinely stirring.

The two of them picked up their chopsticks and began to eat and chat.

"You know, Tong, the main reason I’m sticking with this high-intensity job isn’t the Sublimation Coin salary. It’s getting to eat freshly stir-fried hot food every day!"

"Mhm, I believe it."

More than a year ago, back when Guan Tong was temporarily staying at the Li Mei Hotel, he’d see Xu Xiaotian eating like there was no tomorrow. Food was still unlimited back then, and every time he saw him, Xiaotian was usually holding a chicken leg or a pork knuckle.

"It’s hard to believe. In just over a year, it’s become a struggle to get a hot meal outside," Xu Xiaotian sighed. "That damn Fire Thief... think of all the foodies it’s crushed!"

"But speaking of which, Tong, I never expected you to become a substitute lecturer at the academy. What’s the deal between you and Lecturer Jingyi, anyway?"

Xu Xiaotian knew that Shi Jingyi and Guan Tong were acquainted. In fact, he was the one who had given Shi Jingyi Guan Tong’s phone number, with Guan Tong’s permission.

But he never knew how the two had met, or what their relationship was.

"We’re just friends," Guan Tong said. "Do you think she recommended me because of our relationship?"

Xu Xiaotian shook his head. "Definitely not. All the students trust Lecturer Jingyi’s judgment. If she recommended you, Tong, it means you’re more than qualified for the job."

"Mm."

"This is great," Xu Xiaotian suggested. "You should stay at the academy, Tong. It’s much safer than being outside. When survival-type Apocalypse Rules come up, the authorities provide protection there first. Even when Lecturer Jingyi comes back from her recuperation, you could switch to being an assistant lecturer or something."

"No," Guan Tong said, rejecting the idea. "I’m just filling in. I’ll leave when Shi Jingyi gets back. To be honest, I don’t really like the environment."

"Ah... I guess that’s true. Otherwise, you would have come with me to enroll in the academy back then, Tong."

Xu Xiaotian thought back to last year, when he had invited Guan Tong to go to Yong’an with him, but Guan Tong had refused. It was obvious even then that Guan Tong didn’t like that kind of communal environment.

"So where do you plan on going, Tong?"

"Not sure yet."

’It’s hard to say where I’ll go, but when the time comes, I’ll definitely have to settle some old scores—like getting revenge on the enemies who screwed me over.’

"I heard from some people in the department that the higher-ups are working on a space colonization plan," Xu Xiaotian mentioned. "The rumor is they plan to send some people to Terra Star, but that hellhole would be awful to live on. They’d have to solve problems like the radiation, gravity, energy consumption, and all that, right?"

"Space colonization... Has it been confirmed that the Apocalypse Rules are only effective on Celestial Water Star?"

"I don’t think so. Wasn’t there news last year? After the first Apocalypse Rule, Sleep Deprivation, was announced, the astronauts sleeping on the space station also died. Doesn’t that mean you can’t escape the rules even in space?"

"Maybe some rules can be avoided, and some can’t," Guan Tong speculated. "Take the first rule you mentioned—it affects people directly, so it can’t be escaped. But what about rules that affect the environment? The people in space during the last earthquake Apocalypse Rule avoided the threat, didn’t they?"