Over a year ago.
"Son, you have to keep holding on!"
"Ming, even if your father and I are gone, you have to stay strong, understand?"
The middle-aged couple each held a cup of water. After speaking to their bewildered young son, they exchanged a glance and resolutely drank the water in their cups.
"Dad, Mom, what are you talking about? Didn't we agree that we'd hold on together?" The young man looked at his parents in confusion, unable to understand why they were saying such things.
After Fire Thief released Rule One of the Apocalypse Rules, the family of three had stayed awake for over forty hours. During that time, they had kept watch over, reminded, and encouraged one another.
But the exhaustion on all three of their faces had become obvious, especially on the middle-aged couple, who were nearly unable to hold on any longer.
A minute earlier, they had asked their son to pour them each a cup of water. After saying what sounded like farewell words, they drank it.
Faced with their son's questions, the middle-aged couple could only weep silently. Before long, their expressions turned ugly, and they began to grow drowsy.
The young man immediately realized the crucial issue: there was something wrong with the water in the cups!
What was going on? He had clearly poured water from the kettle... Had someone put something in it?!
"Ming, while you were in the bathroom earlier, we secretly put a large dose of sleeping solution into the kettle," the middle-aged woman said with difficulty.
"We knew we wouldn't be able to hold on much longer, but you have to survive!" his father said. "Once we fall asleep, you'll receive two Sobering Mint Candies. With the alertness they provide, you should be able to last until