49 Apocalypse Rules

April 3rd, 9:00 AM.

After another twenty-four hours, yet another of humanity’s collective senses was eliminated.

People who had been eating, one second savoring the delicious taste of their food, found their mouths completely devoid of flavor the next. It was as if they were chewing on wood, causing many to spit out their food immediately.

It was taste! The sense eliminated today was the sense of taste!

People quickly realized this and felt a sense of relief.

Losing taste or smell was far better than losing hearing or touch.

Ever since their sight was taken yesterday, people had gotten through the last twenty-four hours by listening to audio to pass the time. If their hearing were to be eliminated as well, being both blind and deaf would be the ultimate torture.

As for what would happen if their sense of touch was eliminated, no one could say for sure. The general public knew it would be more terrifying than losing the other four senses combined, so everyone was deliberately avoiding the thought.

At first, people were grateful that it was their sense of taste that had been eliminated, but they would soon discover that eating without it was extremely unpleasant.

Everyone forced themselves to eat their canned food, then went back to listening to audiobooks and music to endure the passing time.

Only a rare few, relying on abilities, items, or special drugs, could spare themselves this suffering.

Guan Tong was one of them.

He was currently walking along a beach.

This was Leming Island, a territory of Sakura Prayer. He had crossed the ocean by manipulating his Shadow Line, then used Body Shifting to arrive here from the Andai Kingdom in the blink of an eye.

The reason he had come to this island was that "Fragment 5" was located here.

As for Sakura Prayer’s bombing, he considered it an unforgivable act.

Since they had tried to destroy him, he would certainly repay them in kind—an eye for an eye. From the decision-makers to those who carried out the orders, he wouldn’t let any of them off the hook.

But there was no rush to handle this matter, just as he wasn’t in a hurry to kill Prince Lado. Even when it came to revenge, it had to be done when success was absolutely certain.

Therefore, his purpose in coming here this time was still to get the fragment first.

Walking on the tidal flats, the turquoise sea and clear sky formed a beautiful, picturesque scene.

Guan Tong had done some research before coming. This "Leming Island" was originally a tourist destination for Sakura Prayer, with many visitors from all over the world coming here for vacation every year.

But after the era of the Apocalypse Rules began, all countries closed their borders, and Sakura Prayer was no exception. Leming Island, in turn, was converted from a resort island into an official base.

Guan Tong had scouted ahead with his Shadow. Originally, there was only a single shrine attraction at the center of the island, but now several military camp-like buildings had been erected around the shrine’s perimeter.

Only a handful of people lived in the core area. One main hall, in particular, caught Guan Tong’s attention because his Shadow could not penetrate it.

That’s right. When he tried to infiltrate it with his Shadow, he was met with an invisible barrier in front of the hall. It was the same situation he’d encountered before when his Shadow invasion failed against certain enemies.

This immediately made him realize that the large building was likely protected by an item or ability that could produce an effect similar to a "Psychic Power barrier."

He was very curious about this. Most of the items he had encountered that could defend against Psychic Power attacks were for personal protection. This was the first time he’d seen a large-scale protective barrier like this.

Extrapolating from this, Guan Tong concluded that the key locations and residences of important figures in powerful nations were likely protected by similar special items, preventing ability users like him from infiltrating them undetected.

As for why the royal palace in the Andai Kingdom had no such protection, it was naturally because the Andai Kingdom was a small country, with a remaining population of probably less than a million. Combined with the government’s lack of control, even if its citizens possessed similar items or abilities, the higher-ups would have no way of knowing.

But in nations like Sakura Prayer, or even Soloma and North Star, there were bound to be many such items and abilities. Important locations would surely be under the strictest protection, making it nearly impossible for his Shadow to infiltrate.

’Fragment 5 is located in the shrine’s core area. To get in, I’ll have to pass through the barracks on the perimeter first.’

This wasn’t difficult for Guan Tong; in fact, it would be quite easy. He had already discovered that the vast majority of the soldiers in those barracks were currently blind.

A group of blind soldiers posed a threat that was practically zero. This was what Guan Tong called "seizing the opportunity." If not for the [Five Senses Elimination] rule, he certainly wouldn’t have come so recklessly.

However, the presence of soldiers, combined with the previous missile strike, was enough to show that the holder of Fragment 5 was someone backed by the Sakura Prayer government.

Being backed by the government meant receiving a massive infusion of resources and becoming very powerful. They certainly couldn’t be compared to the likes of Ba Song.

Trying to take the fragment in the same playful manner he had used against Ba Song was probably impossible.

But since he was already here, returning empty-handed was not part of Guan Tong’s plan.

His plan was that even if he couldn’t get the fragment, he would destroy the barracks and other buildings on the island to collect a down payment on his revenge against Sakura Prayer for bombing him.

...

「Da Ming Shrine, Main Hall.」

Before the era of the Apocalypse Rules, this place was always sealed off, with no ordinary people allowed to enter.

After the era of the Apocalypse Rules began, it became the exclusive meditation place for a single person.

In the center of the main hall stood a massive, bizarrely shaped statue of a god.

The statue had the lower body of a human, but from the waist up, eight snake heads sprouted forth. Each head held an object in its mouth: a round mirror, a long rope, a short blade, a Spirit Talisman, and so on.

It looked less like a deity and more like some kind of monster, exuding a malevolent aura that made anyone who saw it deeply uncomfortable.

On a square cushion before the statue, Baqizi knelt with her eyes closed. Her expression was serene, and she seemed to be in the middle of cultivation.

This main hall was her exclusive place for cultivation; no one else was allowed to enter. This was not at her own request, but an order from Lord Divine Son.

As an orphan whose parents had disappeared when she was young, she clearly remembered the day the first Apocalypse Rule ended.

At that time, she had searched for the word "bloodline" in the Sublimation Store. It was an obsession she’d had since childhood, wanting to know who her parents were and why they had abandoned her.

However, the result of her search and exchange led to a completely unexpected change.

After she exchanged for the [Blood of Orochi], her body mutated. Her eyes turned into vertical slits, and she could use strange, inexplicable powers.

Never mind others—she herself was terrified.

However, soon after the news of "the woman with Snake Eyes" spread, officials from Sakura Prayer came to her door and took her to a certain location in the Capital.

There, she met the "Divine Son." This most revered figure in all of Sakura Prayer actually knelt and bowed to her, telling her that she had awakened the bloodline of Sakura Prayer’s Ancient Gods and was destined to become the nation’s Guardian.

From then on, the Divine Son had her abandon her former surname and adopt "Orochi," the name representing the Ancient Gods, keeping only her given name, "Zi."

Afterward, the Chosen Team was formed, and she was naturally selected to join. She received the most resources, and her power grew at an incredible rate. Within a year, she had gained power beyond the imagination of ordinary people, awakening many abilities that surged from the depths of her bloodline.

’Is this what I really want? I’m not sure.’

"Lady Baqizi," a voice called from outside the hall. "Instructor Mu Tian City wishes to see you."