"Snap!"
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting Hu Jiu squarely on the head.
Although he did not cause any damage to Hu Jiu, he still felt very confused. Most importantly, he could not find the source of the damage.
"What happened?" Du Zhong looked around warily.
The passersby maintained their friendly smiles, though a hint of schadenfreude flashed in their eyes.
Du Zhong frowned, about to make a move.
"Snap!"
Another bolt of lightning struck Du Zhong on the head.
The passersby maintained their friendly smiles, but the schadenfreude in their eyes was no longer concealed.
Finally, the young woman, who was attracted to beauty, stepped forward to explain, "A week ago, the apocalypse struck this world. All human laws, regulations, and moral standards became 'rules,' and violating the rules will result in corresponding punishments. To be honest, I don't think this is the end of the world, but those above all believe it is. You two were struck by lightning just now, so you must have secretly done something bad, right?"
At this point, the woman took a few steps back; beauty was nothing compared to her own safety.
Hu Jiu and Du Zhong were dumbfounded. There really was this kind of apocalypse?
Wait a minute, is this farcical, childish game really the end of the world?
Hu Jiu had just thought the conversation was a waste of time and wanted to extract the memories of these passersby directly. Du Zhong hadn't even made a move yet when the heavenly lightning struck, making him feel that these "rules" weren't very rigorous.
"Let's go, let's wander around and see what this world is all about," Hu Jiu said to Du Zhong.
"Snap! Snap!"
Two more bolts of lightning struck Hu Jiu and Du Zhong with pinpoint accuracy.
The two had barely walked a hundred meters when they broke some rule again.
The passersby maintained their friendly smiles, and after watching the spectacle, they went about their business, none daring to show any impolite or uncivilized behavior, for fear of being struck by lightning.
Even so, the sound of thunder could still be heard from time to time nearby, along with the smell of burnt hair.
Hu Jiu's lips curled into a smile. This is truly an interesting world.
I really want to blow it up.
"Crack!" Another bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting Hu Jiu on the head.
"Tsk~, can't I even think about it?"
"Crack!" Du Zhong, who was gathering intelligence, was also struck by lightning.
"What's going on? I don't think I did anything wrong, so why was I struck by lightning again?"
Hu Jiu lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Perhaps we misunderstood. That woman said that laws and morals are written into the rules of the world, and that violating them will result in being struck by lightning."
"Does our use of power to gather intelligence violate some kind of rule? Or is it that using supernatural powers is itself a crime punishable by lightning?"
"Crack!" A bolt of lightning struck Hu Jiu on the head as he was deep in thought.
Although there was no harm done, Hu Jiu was really annoyed.
Du Zhong looked at Hu Jiu seriously. "Why don't you stop thinking? After all, your thinking itself is constantly emitting a harmless curse."
Hu Jiu rolled his eyes and immediately entered a state of ethereal transformation, his body becoming a projection.
As the two were talking, a bus slowly pulled into the station and came to a very smooth stop. People waiting on the platform boarded the bus politely and respectfully; there was no pushing or shoving, no one fighting for seats, and no elderly person trying to morally pressure young people to give up their seats.
Du Zhong couldn't help but exclaim, "True civilized transportation has actually been achieved in this kind of world!"
In his ethereal state, Hu Jiu moved silently through this bizarre world like an invisible ghost. His senses ignored physical barriers, penetrating walls, infiltrating networks, and scanning information in every corner. Perhaps because he spied on privacy, he was struck by lightning from time to time, but fortunately, his ethereal state made him immune to such attacks.
Du Zhong, on the other hand, was more down-to-earth. He concealed all his Supernatural aura and mingled with the crowd like an ordinary person, using his eyes to see, his ears to hear, and even adopting the slightly stiff "standard friendly smile" of the locals.
The streets were spotless, pedestrians and vehicles strictly followed traffic rules, and no one crossed the line when the red light was on. On buses and subways, it was common to offer seats to others, and arguments and shoving were nowhere to be seen. No one made noise in public places, and conversations were all conducted in hushed tones.
Customers lined up in an orderly fashion in the store, and the cashiers were all smiles.
Crime rate? Official data shows zero, because petty thieves, after being repeatedly warned by lightning strikes, will become law-abiding citizens, while robbers, murderers, and other criminals will be precisely struck and charred.
Spitting, littering, cutting in line, and making loud noises... these uncivilized behaviors that used to be a headache have almost disappeared.
People have become "helpful." When they see an elderly person fall, more than one person will rush to help them up. They will even calculate precisely whether the time it takes to help them up meets the "best helping time" (a guide circulating online), for fear that "immoral behavior" will attract lightning strikes.
The elderly man who was helped up didn't dare to extort money, fearing he would be struck by lightning on the spot.
Insincere politeness and superficial "friendliness" have become social currency.
"I have a question," Du Zhong suddenly said.
"What question do you have?" Hu Jiu asked.
Du Zhong said, "Different countries and nations have different laws and moral standards. Which country's laws and morals should this world use as a benchmark?"
Hu Jiu: "You'll understand once you walk around and see more."
The two didn't spend much time getting an answer.
The moral and legal differences between countries are addressed by this system of rules in a ruthless and efficient manner: severe, numerous, and strict treatment.
For example, if an act is legal in country A but illegal in country B, once someone triggers a judgment, the rules will directly reduce the punishment according to the law of country B, which has a more severe penalty.
When faced with legal conflicts, the rule's punitive logic is simple and brutal: take the most severe punishment.
In the early days of the apocalypse, frequent thunderstorms resembled festive fireworks, primarily targeting criminals and morally corrupt individuals.
Serious criminals were collectively "purified" in prison, street thugs were targeted for elimination, the entire industrial park in Northern Myanmar was subjected to a ritual sacrifice, and some high-ranking officials and dignitaries were electrocuted in their homes.
The remaining people, after several warnings and enough devastating lightning strikes to teach them a lesson, quickly learned to pretend to be good people. The world seemed to have been forcibly painted with a layer of "civilization."
At this moment, Du Zhong sat in a bright and clean coffee shop, sipping his weak coffee and looking at the eerily "harmonious" street scene outside the window. He couldn't help but complain to Hu Jiu, "Old Hu, this place... is simply a paradise for honest people and those with a strong sense of moral purity. Except for the occasional smell of barbecue (from people struck by lightning), the air is much fresher. What kind of apocalypse is this? This is practically an utopia!"
Hu Jiu retorted, "Look at the way those passersby are looking at you."
Upon hearing this, Du Zhong carefully observed the expressions on the faces of the pedestrians on the street.
It was a numbness born of forced domestication. Friendly smiles clung to their faces, but their eyes held a hollow weariness, filled with fear of the omnipresent rules and a suppressed restlessness. Like puppets on strings, they moved with extreme caution, afraid of tampering with the invisible sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. There was no true relaxation, no unrestrained laughter, only a "propriety" bound by fear. An invisible, suffocating low pressure permeated the air.
"There are always gains and losses," Du Zhong said calmly. "Law and morality have become rules, forcibly putting everyone in this world into a state of fairness and justice. For the people at the bottom, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."
"Yes," Hu Jiu echoed, "This so-called 'apocalypse' is actually a good thing for ordinary people."
What about the privileged class?
Faced with global changes, official media remained silent, resorting to delaying tactics.
Online platforms are filled with praise for the "new era," extolling its orderly conduct, praising its high moral standards, and promoting the "fairness, impartiality, and timeliness" of the Thunder Punishments, portraying it as the ultimate form of social progress.
Any voice questioning the rules, discussing loopholes, or complaining about their strictness will be instantly deleted by the platform, and the poster will immediately receive a "warning strike."
The online environment is frighteningly "clean." Cyberbullying and similar things have disappeared overnight. Press releases containing derogatory or disparaging content about celebrities have vanished. 90% of online articles have been taken down, and borderline short videos and live streams have all been censored.
"We seem to have only seen the good side; now it's time to look at the worse side," Hu Jiu said.
Du Zhong looked at him with surprise. "I don't think what I just saw was all a good thing."
"Huh???" Hu Jiu asked, puzzled.
Du Zhong sighed, "You lack the seven emotions and six desires of ordinary humans, so there are some things you don't understand. For example, online novels and borderline videos, although they generally have distorted values and are filled with all sorts of unhealthy ideas, are indeed spiritual nourishment for many ordinary people."
"The pace of life in modern society is extremely fast, and most ordinary people find it difficult to experience the emotion of 'happiness.' Short videos or mindless novels on the internet offer only fleeting and cheap happiness."
"The whole world has become a giant tale of strange rules. Human psychological pressure has certainly accumulated to a certain level, but the channels for relieving emotions have disappeared. This is not a good thing."
After listening to Du Zhong's words, Hu Jiu pondered for a moment, "You're right, I was inconsiderate."
Hu Jiu does indeed lack human emotions and desires, but he can actively regulate these, making himself sentimental at any time, and even turning himself into a great philanthropist.
--But it's all fake. His true nature is dark and vicious. He can only pretend to be a good person for a short time. Over time, he will become more and more distorted until he reverts to his original self.
The two then went on to investigate the negative impacts of "regulation" and quickly made some discoveries.
The most immediate consequence is that innovation has almost stagnated. Entrepreneurs are hesitant to try any new models or technologies that carry potential legal or ethical risks.
Financial activities have become extremely conservative, and any behavior that is considered "speculative" may be deemed illegal.
Artistic creation was the hardest hit area, with satire, criticism, and marginal themes completely disappearing, leaving only model operas that sang praises and whitewashed reality.
The whole society was like a stagnant pool.
Family conflicts, arguments between lovers, dissatisfaction among friends... all scenarios that could trigger intense emotions and "uncivilized" remarks were forcibly suppressed by the person involved with the greatest willpower.
People are afraid to express their true anger, and can wear a "friendly" mask. The negative emotions accumulated in their hearts have nowhere to be vented, leading to a surge in the incidence of mental illness. However, related discussions and treatments are also strictly restricted.
Many members of the privileged class also died in the early days of the Jupiter's Day. Some of them tried to use lightning rods, but unfortunately, the lightning rods could not evade this divine punishment.
Faced with the current situation, governments around the world are actively studying countermeasures.
"Rules" possess a certain degree of unknowability: no one knows the specific terms and boundaries of all rules. Legal provisions are the foundation, but how are moral standards quantified? How do we determine whether "goodwill" is sufficiently sincere? Does "thought crime" exist? These are all mysteries hanging over everyone's head. People can only learn from the experiences of others who have been attacked, living in constant fear.
Some people have tried to test the limits of the rules. For example, they gave their parents exactly the minimum legal allowance, not a penny more, and recorded the whole process to prove that they were acting legally and compliantly. As a result, although they did not trigger any legal Thunder Punishment, they were given a warning for "lacking basic filial piety and violating public order and good morals," and were almost paralyzed.
The rules system seems to have unlimited power to interpret "morality".
After the initial panic and adjustment, most ordinary people choose to completely give up. They strictly follow the safest known behavior pattern—giving up any desires and pursuits that might bring risks. Living, living safely and numbly, becomes their only goal.
"The human spirit seems to be undergoing a slow, collective castration, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water," Hu Jiu said.
Based on the information he had gathered, Du Zhong concluded. "Old Hu, I think I understand why the privileged class and those in power call this kind of 'doomsday'."
Hu Jiu nodded. "I already know. For ordinary people, living in a world governed by rules is tiring, but at least they have a sense of security. There are no more serious crimes, and no more moral blackmail."
"But for those in power, a world becoming more rule-based is the end of the world. It disrupts the old power structure and social operating mechanisms. The privileged class can no longer use power and wealth as 'flexibly' as before, and they themselves are even placed under the invisible surveillance of the rules. Although they may still have some minor privileges, these privileges are insignificant compared to what they have lost. What they fear is the loss of power; for them, equality with ordinary people is the end of the world."
Du Zhong's voice held a hint of amusement. "The rules are like a cold, efficient, and absolutely impartial god, taking over the operation of society. There's no longer a need for these old-era rulers. Laws and morality are enforced to the extreme; the government's administrative functions, the police's law enforcement powers, the judiciary's adjudicative power... all become mere decorations. They've become puppets in name only. This is the real end of the world in their eyes—the end of their dominance."