49 Apocalypse Rules

The tropical region, the Largan Country.

Largan was an underdeveloped nation. Its people lived in abject poverty, while a few warlords monopolized local rare resources, selling them to developed countries to live like local emperors.

But after the age of the Apocalypse Rules began, several of the rules utterly destroyed the country. The population was decimated by over 98%, with less than 2% of the people still clinging to life.

For the people living on this land, extinction seemed to be a predestined fate. The warlords who had monopolized the resources were either annihilated along with everyone else or had fled to other countries, leaving only a few scattered thousands to await their deaths.

This death came even faster than imagined. After the ninth rule ended, the Mist covering the land never dissipated. The remaining survivors were continuously turned into sustenance for the Mist or eroded and transformed into new Nightmare Beasts.

But today was different. An aircraft carrier had arrived in the outer sea, and along with heavy transport aircraft, it jointly deployed numerous armed soldiers and war vehicles onto this land.

The protective suits of these soldiers and their vehicles bore the insignia of a "scepter and crown"—the symbol of the Soloma Empire’s royal authority.

As one of the world’s most powerful nations, the Soloma Empire had retained its global transport capabilities nearly a year into the age of the Apocalypse Rules. It could deploy large-scale armed forces to any corner of the globe in a short amount of time.

However, since the beginning of the age of the Apocalypse Rules, the Soloma Empire, like other major powers, had initiated a full strategic withdrawal for self-preservation. It had not sent troops to another country since, and all its overseas military bases had been shut down, with all personnel recalled.

The Empire’s sudden reversal of this policy, deploying a large number of armed forces to the Largan Country, was naturally not without purpose.

Dressed in a protective suit, Adam stepped out of a war vehicle. He gazed at the Mist before him, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

He knew that somewhere in there, a Puzzle Fragment remained uncollected by any Ascender.

’This must be why the Mist hasn’t dispersed even after the rule ended.’

"The soldiers are all in position," the armed forces’ Commander said as he walked over to Adam. "What are our next orders?"

Although the Commander was irritated by this effeminate man, Adam, he had no choice. The King’s orders were for him to follow Adam’s command for the entirety of this operation. No matter how annoyed he felt, he had to endure it.

"Have the soldiers spread out and enter the Mist," Adam said. "The objective is to find the Fog Gate. Just notify me immediately once it’s found."

"Yes, sir."

As the Commander went to deploy his troops, Adam’s four female teammates—who were also his wives—stepped out of their vehicles and stood by his side.

"The fragment wasn’t taken, probably because this country is completely finished. They can’t even organize a decent army, and it’s unlikely they have any powerful individual Ascenders," Amanda said.

"That’s right," Adam said. "Of the five fragments in total, I have one, another is in Sakura Prayer, one is in the North Star Country, one is in the Andai Kingdom, and the last one is here in Largan. Without a doubt, the Largan Country is on the brink of collapse and lacks the strength to explore the Mist and retrieve the fragment."

Adam continued, "That’s also why, of the five fragments, only the one in Largan has remained in a fixed location. The fact that the Mist here hasn’t dispersed after the rule ended is further proof that the fragment hasn’t been taken."

"So you’re saying the locations of the other three fragments are all changing?"

"Yes. The most interesting one is the fragment from the North Star Country. Just today, its location moved to the Andai Kingdom. Do you know what that means?"

The four women were taken aback. Eliza was the first to speak. "The holder of the North Star Country’s fragment wants to get the one in the Andai Kingdom?"

Adam nodded in approval. "Exactly. The North Star Country and the Andai Kingdom are neighbors. If I were the fragment holder from the North Star Country, I’d also go for the one in the Andai Kingdom first."

Claire frowned. "So, the fragment holder from the North Star Country wants to collect all five fragments, just like you, Adam?"

"It would seem so."

"Hmph. Competing with you, Adam? They’re just asking for trouble."

"I wouldn’t be so sure. But let’s not worry about that for now. We’ll focus on getting the one in Largan first."

About two hours later, a voice came over the radio.

"Colossal Nightmare Beast spotted! I repeat, colossal Nightmare Beast spotted! We are under attack and request backup!"

Adam’s eyes lit up. "The Fog Gate must be nearby. Let’s go."

The four women nodded in unison. Near the Fog Gate in the Soloma Empire’s Mist, there had also been a colossal Nightmare Beast, almost as if it were guarding the gate.

Back then, the Soloma Empire had deployed heavy forces just to repel that beast. However, Adam had suddenly commented that it wasn’t a "Nightmare Beast," though he didn’t explain further.

The five of them immediately set off toward the Fog Gate’s location.

...

Early in the morning, Guan Tong arrived in Banzhen, the Capital of the Andai Kingdom.

The streets here were not crowded, likely because it was still very early and people were still asleep in their homes.

Guan Tong took out his fragment to check the location. The Andai Kingdom’s fragment had changed its position yesterday, but it hadn’t moved since.

The fragment’s trajectory had taken it from the eastern part of Banzhen to somewhere in the north. It was now less than a hundred kilometers away from Guan Tong in a straight line.

Guan Tong thought to himself as he moved forward.

He clearly remembered the trait: "Fragment holders can sense the location of other fragments."

He could sense the locations of the other fragments, which meant the other fragment holders could also sense his location.

This meant that unless the fragment holder in the Andai Kingdom was an idiot, they would realize that another holder was approaching.

The implications of that were self-evident.

’If I were the fragment holder in the Andai Kingdom, I would definitely realize another holder was coming to take my fragment. So, I would be prepared for a fight—not only to protect my own fragment, but to take the newcomer’s fragment for myself.’

’In that case, I’ll stick with the old-fashioned way.’

The ’old-fashioned way,’ as Guan Tong called it, was to have his main body stay in a safe location while he first sent his Shadow to scout things out. Only after gathering intelligence on the target’s location would he plan his next move.

Meanwhile, in a town in the eastern part of Banzhen, a massive manor stood in the town center.

This was Ba Song’s private manor. It was his residence and also his "barracks." His many mercenaries all lived in the outer areas of the estate, while he, a few confidants, and his mistresses lived in the inner section.

The windows and doors of the inner section were all reinforced with iron plates, making it look as impenetrable as a fortress. Any external assault would come at a great cost.

Of course, this level of defense would crumble against real heavy firepower; a few missiles would be enough to completely destroy the place. But Ba Song knew very well that his enemies wouldn’t have weapons like missiles. As for the people and factions who did possess such weapons, he made sure to regularly and obediently pay them tribute in exchange for them turning a blind eye.

At that moment, in a hall in the inner section, Ba Song was talking with a few of his trusted subordinates.

"When I hold this thing, I can see a map in my head," Ba Song said, clutching the Puzzle Fragment in one hand and tapping his forehead with the other.

"There are four other bright spots on the map. One of them is right here in Banzhen, and it’s getting closer. It’s obviously coming for the fragment in my hands."

"Isn’t he just asking to die?"

"Don’t worry, Boss. If anyone dares to try and steal from you, the boys and I will chop him into pieces!"

Hearing this, Ba Song grinned, a cunning look in his eyes. "I’m not an idiot. The fact that he dares to come means he’s got some skills. But I called my contacts in the official intelligence department, and there’s no sign of any armed forces entering Banzhen. What does that tell you? It means at most, we’re dealing with a small team."

In a place like the Andai Kingdom, no one who reached a certain status was a fool. Ba Song might look like a brutish oaf, but he was shrewd. Far from underestimating the approaching fragment holder, he was taking the threat seriously, even going out of his way to get intelligence from official Andai Kingdom channels.

Since the government hadn’t detected any large-scale military incursion, it meant the intruders were just one person or a small team of a few people. This undoubtedly put Ba Song much more at ease.

"Listen up," Ba Song said. "Spread the word to everyone in town. For the next few days, if anyone sees an unfamiliar face, they report it to me immediately. No penalty for being wrong, but a reward for being right!"

"Also, just waiting for him to show up at my door isn’t my style. Since he dared to come to the Andai Kingdom, I should send someone to ’greet’ him."

Ba Song looked at a lean, long-faced confidant among them. "Marla, I’m leaving this to you."

"No problem," Marla agreed at once. "But Boss, where should I take my men? Do you have a specific location?"

"Hmm..." Ba Song closed his eyes, carefully studying the map in his mind. "The location is north of Banzhen, not far from Antu. I can’t see the exact details. Just take your men to that area and look for any foreigners. I’m sure this person came from outside the Andai Kingdom."

"Got it, Big Brother. I’ll take my men over right away." Marla immediately stood up and left.

Ba Song continued, speaking to the two remaining confidants, "You two, don’t just sit there. Get the manor’s security in order. Starting today, I want patrols scheduled 24/7. If a goshawk flies in here, I want to know if it’s a male or a female, understand?"

"Understood, Big Brother!"

After the two left, Ba Song stared at the fragment in his hand, muttering to himself, "This thing may be good, but it’s a hot potato. Besides the one who’s coming for me, the holders of the other three fragments probably won’t be easy to deal with either..."

Ba Song knew his own limits. He was just a local tyrant in the Andai Kingdom with two or three hundred men and a few hundred guns under his command. His force was decent enough, but compared to the real major warlords in the Tulip Federation, he was just a small grasshopper.

Not to mention if the other fragment holders were from official government factions. Whether it was the Soloma Empire or Sakura Prayer, even the Andai Kingdom couldn’t afford to provoke these national powers, let alone him.

’This thing is probably more trouble than it’s worth in my hands. It would be best to sell it on the market. I could easily get over a million Sublimation Coins for it...’

As Ba Song thought this, he felt a pang of unwillingness. There were only five of these incredibly special Puzzle Fragments in the entire world, and one of them was in his possession. It gave him a sense of elation.

But he quickly remembered the four young men he had ordered killed. Those boys had met a tragic end simply for possessing a treasure they couldn’t protect. What was the difference between his own forces in the eyes of a major national power, and those four boys in his own eyes?

The thought that their gruesome deaths could happen to him made cold sweat break out on Ba Song’s forehead, and he instantly sobered up.

’That’s right, I can’t let greed cost me my life. I can’t hold onto this thing; I have to get rid of it quickly... I’ll just wait until I get the other fragment in the Andai Kingdom. With two in my hands, I should be able to sell them for an even higher price!’

He couldn’t afford to provoke the others, but here in the Andai Kingdom, now that he had confirmed the other fragment holder wasn’t a large military force but at most a small squad, he was confident he could use his superior numbers to seize the fragment.

He wasn’t even afraid if the opponent was a powerful Ascender. After all, he himself had significantly increased his Psychic Power limit through the eighth rule, making him quite formidable.

With his mind made up, Ba Song tightened his grip on the fragment. ’After I get both fragments, I’ll sell them as a package. I’ll get at least five million Sublimation Coins for them. That one deal will be enough to set me up for a long time!’