49 Apocalypse Rules

The southern border of the North Star Country, Guan Yu County.

This small border county town had been effectively abandoned not long after the Apocalypse Rules began.

The original inhabitants had all left, seeking refuge in the larger cities nearby. All that remained was an empty town, slowly withering in the gentle breeze.

At this moment, a figure appeared silently on a street in the county seat.

Guan Tong glanced at the many signs on the street advertising "Andai Kingdom Specialty Dishes" and nodded slightly. ’This is the place.’

His earlier plan to go abroad to collect Puzzle Fragments wasn’t just an idle thought. After spending over a week preparing, today, March 9th, was the day he would leave the country.

He first came to Guan Yu County, a small town on the edge of the national border. Beyond the town was a small river that served as the dividing line between the North Star Country and the Andai Kingdom.

To the north of the river was the North Star Country; to the south, the Andai Kingdom.

As Guan Tong walked the deserted streets, his heart was calm, yet filled with a certain anticipation.

He didn’t know what foreign countries were like now, but he was certain the environment would be far more complex than in the North Star Country.

In a small nation like the Andai Kingdom, with its weak official power and low level of domestic control, the dawn of the era of Apocalypse Rules was bound to bring chaos.

After all, even a country with a powerful government like the North Star Country had seen numerous violent organizations spring up in the wilderness. It was hard to imagine what would happen in a small country with minimal official control.

However, Guan Tong was confident in his own strength. Even if it was chaotic outside, he had the ability to protect himself and wasn’t overly worried.

He walked all the way to the end of the street, and the small river that marked the border came into view.

Guan Tong noticed that although the county seat was now a ghost town, there was still a lot of machinery operating in the border area.

For example, there were scanning cameras and some automated patrol vehicles.

It seemed that no matter how chaotic the world became after the Apocalypse Rules, the territory of a major power was not to be violated. If any Andai People tried to cross the border, they would be immediately detected by electronic devices and reported to the relevant authorities for handling.

Guan Tong definitely wanted to avoid being discovered. He sent out a Shadow Line across the small river to the other side, then used Body Shifting.

The next moment, he appeared within the borders of the Andai Kingdom.

’According to the map, this border city in the Andai Kingdom is called Antu, right?’

Guan Tong had carefully researched before coming and had some understanding of the situation in the Andai Kingdom.

Antu City was less a border town and more the second-largest city in the Andai Kingdom. The country’s Capital, named Banzhen City, was adjacent to it.

The location of the Puzzle Fragment he had sensed earlier was on the eastern edge of Banzhen City.

To get there, he would first have to cross through Antu City.

While Guan Yu County to the north of the border was deserted, Antu City to the south was clearly still inhabited. In fact, people were wandering all over the streets.

This gave Guan Tong an indescribable feeling.

It was both new and intriguing.

In the major cities of the North Star Country, despite the large populations, not many people just idled on the streets.

Especially after the country entered a state of war, many people wouldn’t even take a single step out of their shelters. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, exercise, entertainment, and socializing could all be done inside the shelters; there was no need to go out.

But the Andai Kingdom was different. All sorts of people walked the streets in groups of three or five, and many of them even looked quite happy.

That kind of happy expression was something Guan Tong had rarely seen since the era of the Apocalypse Rules began. He remembered that before he left Yunhua, everyone he saw on the streets wore an expression of either deep-seated bitterness or grim seriousness.

However, he soon figured out the reason for the happiness on the streets of the Andai Kingdom.

"Hey, handsome, need to have some fun?" A few young men and women walked up to Guan Tong and asked.

One of the women licked her lips. "You can pick any of us. It’s just 20 Sublimation Coins an hour."

Guan Tong shook his head. "No, thanks."

The moment he spoke, they all looked a little surprised. "So you’re from the North Star Country."

Although the Andai People also spoke the North Star Language, their accent was different and easily distinguishable.

What surprised them was why someone from the North Star Country would be in the Andai Kingdom after the Apocalypse Rules had begun.

After the first Apocalypse Rule was announced, all the people from the North Star Country who were in the Andai Kingdom had fled back home at the first opportunity, seeking safer shelter and resources.

Many Andai People had even tried every means to enter the North Star Country, which had caused a lot of chaos... That was why seeing a person from North Star here now was so shocking to them.

Discovering that Guan Tong was from the North Star Country seemed to pique their interest. One of the men, who had a delicate, almost effeminate face, said, "Are you sure you don’t want to? The Rule just ended not long ago. What’s the use of holding onto Sublimation Coins? Better to spend them and enjoy yourself."

"Exactly," another woman chimed in. "Who knows, we might all die during the next Rule. If you can’t spend your leftover Sublimation Coins by then, they’ll just be wasted. Isn’t it better to use them for a little fun, handsome guy from North Star?"

"..."

While they were speaking, someone came over from the side and picked one of the women. "Hey, Kama, I’m looking for you again. 20 an hour, right? Let’s go."

The woman called Kama gave a small smile and left with the man who had approached her.

Seeing that Guan Tong wasn’t playing along, the others shook their heads and walked away.

Guan Tong noticed that the group of men and women quickly found customers on the street, laughing and talking as they entered nearby houses.

Besides those soliciting on the main street, there were also people sleeping outdoors in alleys, barbecuing, playing soccer, and even piling on top of each other in meaningless human pyramids.

After taking it all in, Guan Tong finally understood why the people here in the Andai Kingdom were so happy.

It turned out they had all thoroughly embraced the philosophy of living for the moment.

Live one day at a time, enjoy one day at a time, and hold no illusions about the future. With such a mindset, those who were still alive indeed had reason to be happy in the here and now—because they could be certain they were still living.

In truth, people with this mentality also existed in the North Star Country—the so-called "slacker faction." But they were a minority. Most people were still actively fighting for survival, paying attention to all sorts of information every day, and discussing how to increase their Psychic Power and become stronger.

This shift in atmosphere made Guan Tong feel a little out of sorts. It was precisely because of this that he seemed somewhat out of place walking down the street here.

However, Guan Tong’s purpose in coming to the Andai Kingdom was to find the Puzzle Fragment, not to study the local culture and customs. He wouldn’t comment on the lifestyle people here had chosen; he respected and understood it.

He continued on his way, passing through streets and alleys.

Guan Tong soon noticed that someone was following him.

It wasn’t that his senses were particularly sharp, but rather that the Shadow Surveillance Eyes he had placed on his body could sync his surroundings to him, allowing him to react to any sudden situations at a moment’s notice.

’Is it because my foreign features are too obvious?’

Guan Tong thought to himself. In terms of clothing, there wasn’t much difference between him and the locals; they were all wearing heavy winter coats.

But his demeanor, and even his walking speed, clearly set him apart from the locals. Most of the locals were lazy and sluggish; few walked with such a hurried pace as he did.

Being in a foreign land, Guan Tong didn’t want to start a conflict lightly. After ducking into a small alley, he used a combination of his Shadow and Body Shifting to transport himself to another street.

When the young Andai People who were following him entered the alley and found him gone, they stared at each other in dismay.

"Where’d he go?!"

"I don’t know, seems like he ran."

"That guy looked like he had a lot of coins! It’s a real shame we couldn’t rob him!"

"Actually, I think he looked like he was from North Star."

"Pah!" The leader spat on the ground and cursed, "So what if he’s from North Star? I might die in the next Rule anyway, so who gives a damn! I’d rob the King of Soloma himself if he showed up! The worst that can happen is I die, and that’s coming for me sooner or later anyway!"

As they spoke, they failed to notice a solid black shadow clinging to the wall, blending in with the surrounding darkness, transmitting their entire conversation to Guan Tong on the other side.

’I see...’

Guan Tong wasn’t surprised to hear their conversation.

In an age where no one could be sure they’d live to see tomorrow, when everyone else was just living for the moment, what was the big deal about robbing a lone foreigner who just showed up?

’I should just have my Shadow scout the area near the fragment’s location first, and then use Body Shifting to get there... It’ll save me from getting tangled up in pointless trouble and delaying my actual objective.’

Guan Tong found a quiet place to stay put, took out his own fragment, and held it in his hand. A map appeared in his mind.

Huh?

The moment he saw the map, Guan Tong was taken by surprise.

’The location changed?’

...

「In the eastern part of Banzhen City, the capital of the Andai Kingdom.」

Inside a residential house, three young men were playing cards when suddenly, with a CRACK, the window shattered. Immediately after, several flashbangs were thrown in from outside.

BWEEEE!

Caught completely off guard, the three were hit by the blinding flash and fell to the ground, screaming and clutching their eyes.

"Aah! My eyes!!!"

Then, with a BANG, the door was broken down. A group of armed men rushed in, gave the three a vicious beating, and tied them up with ropes.

After taking a brutal beating and with no idea what was happening, the leader of the three roared through his tears, "Who are you people! What the hell do you want!"

The armed men didn’t answer. They just stared coldly, their guns aimed at the trio.

Then, a few more people walked in from outside. The one in the lead was a portly, bald man, followed by a short young man.

Seeing these two, the three beaten and bound youths instantly understood what was happening and started cursing loudly.

"Pita! You sold us out!"

"I’m gonna kill you, Pita!"

"Why would you do this?!"

The short young man named Pita said coldly, "I told you we should sell that thing for coins, but you wouldn’t listen. Since you wouldn’t sell, I found a buyer myself."

"Hahaha, the kid’s right!" the portly bald man beside him laughed loudly. "Look at you lot, so greedy. A bunch of small-time punks, daring to hoard a treasure for yourselves? Hand it over. A fine thing like this is better off in the hands of your Lord Ba Song."

Facing the muzzles of the guns, the three bound men were too scared and powerless to resist. They knew who Ba Song was. Nicknamed the "Banzhen Crocodile," he was a smuggler before the Apocalypse Rules and now controlled a large armed force. He was a local tyrant in the Andai Kingdom.

With Pita having sold them out to him, there was no way they could keep the fragment.

Left with no choice, the leader of the trio could only trade the fragment to Ba Song.

Ba Song took it and his eyes narrowed. "A good thing, a very good thing indeed. If I were to sell this, a few million would be nothing..."

"Lord Ba Song, are you satisfied?" Pita asked, fawning and rubbing his hands together. "About my... "

Ba Song glanced at him and waved a hand to his subordinate. The subordinate pulled out a pistol and shot Pita dead.

"Pita!" The three were horrified. Even though Pita had betrayed them, the four had been friends after all, and they cried out at the sight.

Ba Song chuckled darkly. "I hate rats who squeal the most, even if they’re squealing to me."

With another wave of his hand, his other men raised their guns and sprayed the three bound youths with bullets. Soon, the room fell silent, leaving only a bloody mess.