Santos United Emirates, is a city of glory Azlak, where the air is perpetually filled with the smells of dust, camel dung, and substandard fuel.
The city, like the country itself, was chaotic, noisy, and brutally divided by the will of a few major warlords.
Hu Jiu and Du Zhong appeared like two ominous shadows, descending without warning before the Presidential Palace—a bloated building that combined earthen-yellow concrete fortresses with cheap gold decorations.
There was no infiltration, no disguise, not even a single unnecessary movement.
Hu Jiu raised his hand directly. An invisible and enormous Supernatural power, like a flood bursting its banks, instantly submerged the entire presidential palace, and from this base, it violently spread outward, covering the entire Azlak and even the entire territory of Santos.
The warlords, who were arguing over the unfair distribution of spoils or indulging in pleasure with dancers in the lavish banquet hall, froze instantly. The greedy, violent, and cunning glint in their eyes quickly faded, replaced by an extreme, brainwashed devotion.
They abruptly pushed away the dancers in their arms, straightened their askew uniforms or robes, and their faces showed the solemnity of martyrs. They recalled their lifelong "ideal"—to establish a sacred kingdom of absolute purity, absolute order, and the supreme rule of law!
Past misdeeds? Those were just temptations from the devil! They are now the embodiment of the law!
In an office piled high with documents, a drowsy bureaucrat suddenly straightened up, his eyes gleaming with a morbid worship of "oppressive rule." In the barracks, soldiers who were gambling and bullying new recruits instantly stood at attention, like the most loyal machine guards, with only one thought in their minds, "To uphold the dignity of the law."
The haggling vendors in the market, the farmers working in the fields, the children playing in the streets... the minds of all the citizens of Santos were as if branded with an invisible iron. Resentment towards the harsh laws, hatred towards warlord rule, despair over a life of poverty... these emotions were forcibly erased.
Instead, a new, forcibly implanted understanding emerged: the new law is sacred, a form of salvation. Obeying it is the highest honor, while violating it is an unforgivable blasphemy.
Their faces displayed the same mixture of fanaticism and apathy as those of warlord leaders.
The entire process lasted less than ten minutes. The entire city of Santos, from top to bottom, was transformed into a fanatical testing ground for "legal fundamentalism," formatted by a unified will.
The Santos Provisional Supreme Legislative Committee, thoroughly brainwashed, convened an emergency meeting with astonishing efficiency. The meeting was devoid of any debate, consisting only of fanatical agreement and morbid nitpicking of legal details.
A draft law entitled the Sacred Order Code was passed unanimously and immediately signed into law by the "President".
The contents of this legal code can be described as the most absurd and severe collection of tyranny in the history of human law.
Citizens are required to submit a daily "Thought Purification Report" of no less than 5,000 words to the community confession pavilion, detailing all inappropriate thoughts of the day, including but not limited to: dissatisfaction with food, complaints about the weather, and negative evaluations of others. Those who fail to submit the report or whose content is insincere will be warned of the death penalty.
In public, a "standard smile" must be maintained, with detailed regulations on the angle of the upturned corners of the mouth and the number of teeth shown. A stiff expression or downturned corners of the mouth are considered resentful and warrant a death sentence.
Conversations exceeding 55 decibels are considered noise pollution, resulting in the confiscation of all personal property; privately criticizing government policies constitutes "incitement to subversion," punishable by the death penalty.
All private communications, including letters, phone calls, and online messages, must have their Keys registered with the Moral Review Bureau and be subject to real-time monitoring.
Working less than 14 hours a day is considered a crime of laziness, punishable by forfeiture of all personal property.
All private property exceeding basic subsistence needs is automatically remitted to the national treasury to uphold the dignity of the law.
Unauthorized gatherings, including family gatherings with more than five people, constitute illegal association, and participants are subject to life imprisonment or, in severe cases, the death penalty.
Apart from the Sacred Order Code and officially designated reading materials, the dissemination, reading, or possession of any other books or audio-visual materials is prohibited. Violators will be considered sources of ideological pollution and may be subject to the death penalty.
On the very day these outrageous laws and regulations were promulgated, they were being enforced with fervor throughout Santos, with summaries of the code and standard smile illustrations plastered all over the streets and alleys.
Police officers in brand-new uniforms swarmed the streets like locusts, frantically arresting people with decibel meters and facial recognition devices.
A long line formed in front of the confession pavilion. Anyone who hesitated even slightly or whose report was insufficient was immediately dragged to the square to be punished. The screams of being torn apart and the shouts of the frenzied crowd mingled together, creating a scene of Hell.
The upheaval in Santos was like cold water being poured into boiling oil, instantly igniting the international community. Satellite images revealed that this small, isolated country had descended into a state of national fanaticism and terror. The chaotic radio communications intercepted, mostly reports of neighbors' inappropriate expressions or insincere repentance, sent chills down the spines of high-ranking officials in various countries.
"Insane! Has the Santos government gone mad? What are they trying to do? Commit suicide?" Inside a security conference room of a major power, members of parliament roared at the screen.
"It must be stopped! Immediately! Right now! Once this insane law is 'adopted' by that damned rule..." An official turned pale and dared not continue.
A multinational joint intervention force assembled at top speed, with fighter jets taking to the skies, special forces on standby, and diplomatic channels issuing an ultimatum.
However, it was all too late.
Just as the coalition aircraft were about to enter Santos airspace—
Buzz!
Rule rewriting.
The Sacred Order Code (promulgated by the Santos United Emirates) is automatically elevated to the level of an internationally recognized basic law, and in the event of conflict with the existing laws of other countries, the provisions of the Sacred Order Code automatically take precedence.
The rules, with a cold and unreasonable logic, recognized and adopted this most stringent legal system, which Hu Jiu maliciously created, and instantly promoted it to the world!
A living Hell descended in an instant, and the apocalypse truly revealed its hideous face at this moment.
The moment the code came into effect globally became one of the darkest moments in human history. Countless people were struck down by lightning without warning simply for complaining about the heat at home, for showing anxiety because they were late for work, or for not having written a 5,000-word confession.
Offices, subways, restaurants, homes... everywhere were corpses that collapsed instantly and the pervasive smell of burning flesh; the global population plummeted by a terrifying number in just a few minutes.
Those who were still alive were gripped by extreme panic. They stood frozen in place, forcing distorted, standard smiles onto their faces, afraid to speak, afraid to move, and even afraid to think wildly!
All social activities came to an instant. Factories shut down, transportation was paralyzed, and schools closed. Hospitals were overwhelmed again, but this time the surge was driven more by heart attacks, mental breakdowns, and self-harm due to extreme fear.
Because new laws encourage and stipulate that citizens have an obligation to report all violations, neighbors, colleagues, and even family members began a frenzy of mutual surveillance and informing in order to protect themselves.
A disgruntled glance or a weary sigh could lead to a report and subsequent Thunder Punishment.
Trust between people has completely collapsed, and society has become a prison filled with suspicion and death.
Standing on the roof of President Azlak's palace, Hu Jiu admired the intermittent lightning, rising smoke, and desperate cries from the city below, a pure smile of joy spreading across his face.
"Not enough." He licked his lips, a surge of malice in his eyes. "To only strike humans is too narrow-minded. Everything in this world should be bathed in the light of the rules!"
He once again seized control of Santos as the nominal president, and the very next day, the Santos government issued the "Natural Ecology Supplementary Regulations" to the "Sacred Order Code":
Trees whose annual growth rate is lower than the standard stipulated in Appendix III of the Sacred Code are considered to be passively resisting and will be subject to purification lightning strikes;
Flowers that fail to bloom as required by law, whose color, shape, and fragrance do not meet standards, are considered a desecration of the beauty of nature and will be subject to purification by lightning.
Weeds growing in undesignated areas constitute illegal encroachment on territory; they must be removed immediately and the breeding sites struck by lightning.
If livestock fail to meet legal standards for daily weight gain, milk production, or egg production, it is considered passive resistance and negligence, and both the farmer and the livestock should be immediately euthanized.
Wild animals whose calls exceed the decibel limit (especially at night), whose hunting behavior is excessively bloody, or whose presence is near human settlements are all considered to be disruptive to public order and potential threats, and should be killed immediately.
Insects that fail to pollinate effectively are considered to have committed dereliction of duty and should be killed immediately.
If the rate at which microorganisms decompose organic matter does not meet legal standards, it is considered a failure to perform their duties and should be immediately eradicated.
Insufficient nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil is considered a violation of soil fertility and should be eradicated immediately.
The gut microbiota failed to perfectly assist digestion, causing the host to pass gas in public; immediate eradication is necessary...
These supplementary regulations are nothing short of insane. Previous rules only applied to humans, Hu Jiu added laws specifically for animals, plants, and microorganisms. This was the final straw that broke the camel's back, leading to the "rules" being adopted again!
The global ecosystem has suffered a devastating blow.
In city parks and suburban forests, sturdy trees, growing slowly, were ignited by lightning strikes that appeared out of nowhere, and flames roared. Gardens that did not meet aesthetic standards were plowed into scorched earth by lightning.
On the farm, cows that failed to meet their daily milk production target and the farm owner were struck by lightning and turned into charred remains.
In the sky, flocks of birds flying by were instantly vaporized by the dense lightning and lightning strikes because their calls disturbed the peace. In the mountains and forests, the scene of wolves hunting rabbits was deemed too bloody, and the wolves, along with the creatures in that area, were covered by the thunderstorm and turned to ashes.
Rivers and lakes are repeatedly struck by lightning due to insufficient microbial decomposition efficiency. As water vapor evaporates, fish are electrocuted or boiled, ending up belly up.
Vast tracts of farmland were struck and plowed by lightning due to the dereliction of duty by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The scorched soil was emitting blue smoke. Someone even passed a sharp, unpleasant fart due to intestinal discomfort, and in their terror, a small bolt of lightning struck their anus, causing them to convulse and collapse.
The whole world was filled with deafening, incessant thunder!
The sky was illuminated by flashes of lightning, and the smells of burning, blood, burning vegetation, and rising steam blended into a nauseating apocalyptic atmosphere.
Cities burned in the thunder and lightning, fields turned to scorched earth in the thunderstorm, and rivers boiled and dried up under the lightning strikes.
Hu Jiu and Du Zhong stood on the roof of President Azlak's palace, letting the violent thunderstorm rage around them. Countless bolts of lightning, some thick and some thin, struck the two of them with the precision of a rainstorm. This was the rule's punishment for Hu Jiu's distorted perception, his spreading of malice, and Du Zhong's assistance in the evil deeds.
Blinding lightning crackled around Hu Jiu's ethereal body, producing a hissing sound, yet it couldn't budge him in the slightest, as if it were merely draping him in a flowing cloak of lightning.
Hu Jiu did not help Du Zhong, Du Zhong could only endure the lightning strike. His body trembled slightly, and occasionally, sparks flew across his skin, leaving tiny scorch marks.
"The new body you sculpted for me is almost ruined," Du Zhong complained.
"I'll get you an even nicer one later," Hu Jiu said.
Du Zhong rolled his eyes. "It's obvious you're tired of looking at my face now, so you want to take this opportunity to play with my face."
Hu Jiu didn't deny it, nodding directly. "I'm really tired of looking at them. Even the most stunningly beautiful face gets annoying after a while."
"Haha..." Du Zhong laughed, "These faces you sculpted are all your own favorites, but I don't like them."
The two had almost completely different aesthetic tastes. The faces Hu Jiu sculpted always had a gloomy and mean look, making them repulsive. Du Zhong, on the other hand, preferred sunny and cheerful types.
"How about I sculpt a female body for you?" Hu Jiu suddenly said.
Du Zhong hesitated for two seconds, then decisively refused, "Forget it, I can't cross that line."
Hu Jiu didn't continue the topic and turned his gaze into the distance.
"Look!" Hu Jiu laughed loudly amidst the deafening thunder, his voice piercing through the roar.
Such a magnificent symphony, where order collapses, rules run rampant, and life howls in despair within the laws it has created for itself—this is what the apocalypse should look like.
Chaos, destruction, and indiscriminate final judgment!
Du Zhong wiped the black ash from his face, burned by the lightning, his eyes reflecting the burning city and the ever-flashing lightning below. "The frequency of Thunder Punishment has reached its peak, the collapse of the ecosystem is happening faster than expected, and effective human activity has been completely wiped out."
Against a backdrop of devastating thunder and burning flames, the two perpetrators admire the finest works of art, immersed in the apocalyptic flames they themselves ignited, which engulfed everything on Earth.
Santos, this small testing ground, is now irrelevant. The entire world has become a Molotov cocktail for their malice, and the desperate cries of billions of lives have become the most beautiful melody in their ears.
As time went on, the thunderstorm gradually subsided, because most of the people had died.
"Huh?" Hu Jiu suddenly spoke up, "There are still people alive?"
Under such harsh rules, some survivors managed to adapt and survive temporarily.
Du Zhong said, "They certainly won't live much longer. The destruction of the ecosystem has led to rapid environmental degradation, and it won't be long before it becomes unsuitable for carbon-based life."
Hu Jiu: "We've destroyed another world."
Du Zhong: "It's just following the will of Heaven. Even without us, 'doomsday' had already arrived..."