Recaps

As people struggled with the third Apocalypse Rule and the risk of Mind Power decay, Guan Tong bought Food Boxes and focused on making Ascension Coins. At the Countermeasure Research Office, officials debated preparing a team for the Apocalypse Operation and raised concerns about infiltration.

• The authorities announced that Food Boxes and Life Sustaining Tablets could help people pass the rule, then published guidance on surviving fifteen days on water for those without coins.
• Guan Tong bought four Food Boxes and resumed using the [Wordless Book] to make Binding Coins, while wondering how Fang Qian was doing.
• Gao Liangwei opened a seminar on the third Apocalypse Rule and called on Dr. Zhang to speak.
• Dr. Zhang argued that the rules were screening people for the Apocalypse Operation and urged officials to begin cultivating a selected team quickly.
• When asked why officials should cultivate people instead of choosing proven survivors, Gao Liangwei said vetted backgrounds would reduce infiltration risks.

Gao Liangwei and the researchers discussed screening and training a team to face the Apocalypse Rules and future competitions. They agreed to use strict background checks, high Mind Power requirements, extreme team training, and preparation for the First Ascendant Challenge.

• Gao Liangwei explained why team members' backgrounds had to be rigorously screened to protect Beixing Nation from infiltration.
• Dr. Zhang proposed requiring excellent Mind Power above 100 and using extreme survival challenges to strengthen the team.
• Gao Liangwei agreed to adapt the military's extreme training programs for the team's preparation.
• Gao Liangwei rejected individual training, pointing to the Personal Terminal's Team Up function as evidence that teamwork would matter.
• Dr. Zhang cited the First Ascendant Challenge Invitation as a sign of future competition, and the researchers agreed that specialized preparation was necessary.

On the third day of the third Apocalypse Rule, Guan Tong used an All-Effect Survival Tablet when hunger began slowing his Mind Power recovery. That night, two men impersonating public security officers tried to get into his home, leaving him worried that his address was exposed and that he needed to move.

• Guan Tong read online reports that hunger slowed Mind Power recovery and swallowed an All-Effect Survival Tablet to restore his strength.
• Two young men in Public Security Bureau uniforms rang Guan Tong's doorbell and demanded that he open the door for an inspection.
• Guan Tong refused to let them in, called the Public Security Bureau, and demanded their officer ID numbers.
• The two men threatened Guan Tong and fled when they realized he had called the authorities.
• Guan Tong told the responding Public Security Bureau operator that the impostors had run off and described their appearance.

After two men posing as Public Security officers targeted Guan Tong, he fled his home with officers and went to stay at Limei Hotel. The men’s leader, Brother Hu, ordered his gang to capture people with Mind Power values above 80 for an unnamed group and kill those below that threshold.

• Public Security officers told Guan Tong that the suspects had escaped in an unlicensed sedan and that their knowledge of surveillance blind spots suggested they were organized criminals.
• Guan Tong decided his home was unsafe and left with the officers for Limei Hotel, where he could stay while his housing application was processed.
• Brother Hu beat the two failed young men, then ordered them dragged away to be buried.
• Brother Hu instructed new recruits to force survivors to share their Mind Power values, capture anyone above 80, and kill anyone below 80.
• Brother Hu dismissed his subordinate’s warning about working with the people above him, saying he would take their gold and keep leverage against them.

After the danger at his home, Guan Tong tried to find a way to strengthen himself and experimented with adding words to the Wordless Book. The next morning, he joined Limei Hotel’s residents for their mutual-aid gathering and learned that Xu Xiaotian’s Instant Noodles were a Mind Power Artifact.

• Guan Tong considered buying a cold weapon but decided that developing his Mind Power could give him greater protection.
• Guan Tong added words before his name on the Wordless Book’s first page to see whether he could change the nature of Shadow.
• Xu Xiaotian invited Guan Tong to Limei Hotel’s morning gathering, where residents shared their experiences and encouraged one another to keep going.
• After the gathering, Xu Xiaotian showed Guan Tong that his Instant Noodles were a Mind Power Artifact he could return to his Personal Terminal’s Storage Box.

Guan Tong met Xu Xiaotian, whose Instant Noodles Mind Power Artifact helped him endure the Fasting Therapy rule, then went to the Public Security Bureau to identify the two men who had impersonated officers. The bureau suspected the men belonged to a gang targeting High Mind Power Users and planned to investigate further.

• Xu Xiaotian explained that his Instant Noodles artifact could produce only one cup a day, but it helped him meet Rule Three without buying a Food Box.
• Xu Xiaotian invited Guan Tong to the arcade, then revealed he planned to attend the Mind Power Development Academy in the capital next month; Guan Tong declined to join him.
• Guan Tong received a call from the Public Security Bureau asking him to confirm key information and went there at one in the afternoon.
• Director Li Meng showed Guan Tong photographs of two corpses, and Guan Tong confirmed they were the men who had pretended to be public security officers and knocked on his door.
• Li Meng said the men had probably been silenced, and the bureau suspected a gang was kidnapping High Mind Power Users as it prepared further operations.

Guan Tong stayed at Limei Hotel while developing his Mind Power Artifact, the Wordless Book, after learning that a gang in Yunhua was kidnapping High Mind Power Users. He successfully solidified Shadow, giving him a physical form that could interact with the real world, but discovered that maintaining it rapidly drained his Mind Power.

• Guan Tong worried that the suspected kidnappers might use weapons or Mind Power Artifacts, and decided to strengthen his own ability to defend himself.
• Guan Tong stayed in room 306 at Limei Hotel for five days, repeatedly adding words to the Wordless Book and warning Xu Xiaotian to be cautious.
• Guan Tong completed the word "Solidified" on the book's first page and summoned Shadow.
• Guan Tong discovered that Shadow had become fully solid and could mirror his movements and touch his hand.
• Guan Tong saw that solidifying Shadow sharply increased its Mind Power consumption, leaving him able to maintain it for less than two minutes.

Xu Xiaotian was lured into a kidnapping attempt while playing at an arcade, but he used his Instant Noodles artifact to escape briefly and called Guan Tong for help. The kidnappers caught him and destroyed his phone, leaving Guan Tong to report the abduction to the Public Security Bureau and seek more information.

• Xu Xiaotian met a long-haired former arcade worker who learned that he had not given up on Rule Three and invited him to another arcade.
• Xu Xiaotian realized the long-haired man and his companions were kidnappers and tried to leave, but they surrounded him.
• Xu Xiaotian scalded three kidnappers with his Instant Noodles artifact and ran while calling Guan Tong.
• The driver caught Xu Xiaotian, and the kidnappers beat him, forced him into the car, and smashed his phone.
• Guan Tong reported Xu Xiaotian's kidnapping to the Public Security Bureau and headed there to learn more about the case.

Guan Tong joined Director Li Meng’s team as they tracked Xu Xiaotian’s kidnappers to an abandoned construction site. As the officers raided the site, Brother Hu disguised himself and attacked the guards, but Guan Tong summoned the Shadow just as Brother Hu reached him.

• Director Li Meng brought Guan Tong along with a backup team and ordered the officers to follow the kidnappers to their hideout without alerting them.
• At the construction site, Brother Hu learned the police had tracked his gang and ordered his men to take Xu Xiaotian hostage.
• Brother Hu disguised himself in a public security officer’s uniform and escaped through a hidden route while his men confronted the police.
• Brother Hu attacked Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian at the entrance, then headed for Guan Tong’s car.
• Guan Tong summoned the Shadow from the [Wordless Book] as Brother Hu broke the car window and reached for him.

Guan Tong used Shadow to subdue Shen Zuohu, a criminal who had escaped after attacking two public security officers, and helped bring the kidnapping case under control. After Xu Xiaotian woke and recovered at the hospital, Guan Tong returned to the hotel and began planning how to strengthen Shadow.

• Shadow choked Shen Zuohu unconscious after he attacked Guan Tong, and Li Meng arrived with officers from the construction site.
• Li Meng identified Shen Zuohu and said the remaining criminals had been captured and the kidnapped victims were safe.
• Guan Tong accompanied the unconscious Xu Xiaotian to the hospital, where Xu woke several hours later and thanked him for notifying the authorities.
• Xu Xiaotian recounted his failed escape attempt and decided to stay in his hotel room until registering at Capital Academy.
• Guan Tong reflected on Shadow's first battle and concluded that training his own strength and speed would help develop Shadow.

Li Meng interrogated Shen Zuohu, who identified Zhao Jiping as the person behind the kidnapping of High Mind Power Users. Meanwhile, Ascenders worldwide discovered that Ascension Shop items had limited stock, and Guan Tong watched Food Box purchases surge as the Third Apocalypse Rule neared its end.

• Li Meng confronted Shen Zuohu about the kidnappings, and Shen Zuohu admitted his men had betrayed him after he fled and committed murder.
• Shen Zuohu recalled that a mysterious black arm had overpowered him, then told Li Meng that Zhao Jiping, chairman of Hengyun Real Estate and a Development Department member, had ordered the kidnappings.
• An Ascender in the Solloma Empire bought a Food Box and discovered that the Ascension Shop displayed remaining stock, revealing that its items were limited.
• News of the limited quantities spread online, and Ascenders worldwide rushed to buy Food Boxes as their stock rapidly declined.
• Guan Tong saw the stock report from Room 306 of the Limei Hotel and reflected that he had kept the hidden information secret to avoid triggering an earlier buying frenzy.

After the third Apocalypse Rule ended, Guan Tong learned that the fourth rule would arrive in three days and examined his reward and improved Mind Power Cap. He received an invitation to a future Ascendant challenge, then checked the Ascension Shop for new products.

• Ascendants rushed to buy Food Boxes, and the Apocalypse Rules Countermeasure Research Office urged them to purchase only what they needed.
• Guan Tong conserved energy until the third rule ended, while Xu Xiaotian chose not to contact the Public Security Bureau about his kidnapping.
• Fire Thief announced that the trial had ended, issued Guan Tong his reward, and scheduled the fourth Apocalypse Rule for three days later.
• Guan Tong checked his Personal Terminal and found that his Ascension Coins had risen to 190 and his Mind Power Cap to 119.
• Guan Tong discovered a First Ascendant Challenge Invitation in his Storage Box, then opened the Ascension Shop to inspect its new products.

Guan Tong bought thermostatic tech underwear after discovering the Food Crates had sold out, while Ascendants worldwide debated the new shop items. The chapter ended with confirmation that Personal Terminals shut down when Mind Power reached zero, terrifying Ascendants who had little Mind Power left.

• Guan Tong found that the Basic Food Crates had sold out and decided to buy thermostatic tech underwear before it might disappear too.
• Guan Tong spent 120 Ascension Coins on the underwear, then went out to eat after several days of barely eating.
• Ascendants online debated the three new shop items, and most favored buying the Gene Optimization Fluid.
• An Ascendant posted that their Personal Terminal would not open, prompting speculation that their Mind Power had reached zero.
• The Apocalypse Rules Countermeasure Research Office confirmed that Personal Terminals shut down when Mind Power decayed to zero, alarming Ascendants with little Mind Power remaining.

The shutdown of Personal Terminals at zero Mind Power deepened divisions between Ascendants and ordinary humans, while Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian learned that the kidnapping case extended across multiple cities. The case was temporarily sealed as Director Li Meng prepared to join a task force in the capital.

• People with shut-down Personal Terminals faced insults from Ascendants, prompting backlash and calls for solidarity, while the Beixing Nation government warned against inciting division.
• At the Limei Hotel, Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian discussed the controversy and the Gene Optimization Fluid, and Xu Xiaotian recalled the mental strain of the kidnapping.
• Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian met Director Li Meng, who told them that Shen Zuohu’s local kidnapping ring had been eliminated but similar groups operated in other cities.
• Li Meng said Shen Zuohu had named a powerful figure in the capital, but investigators lacked evidence to act against them.
• Li Meng told Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian that their case would be temporarily sealed and that he was leaving Yunhua to join a capital task force investigating the kidnapping network.

After returning from the Public Security Bureau, Guan Tong considered who might be directing the kidnappings and tested his Wordless Book. He discovered Shadow could switch between physical and non-physical forms by spending Mind Power, giving him a versatile new ability, but he had only two days to experiment before the next Apocalypse Rule.

• Guan Tong considered whether gold or coercion was driving gangs in different cities to participate in the kidnapping case.
• Guan Tong tried on his Thermostatic Tech Underwear and reflected that Ascenders might increasingly rely on store items.
• Guan Tong used the Wordless Book and confirmed that adding words to it could affect reality, though more powerful concepts would require more Mind Power.
• Guan Tong discovered that Shadow could switch between physical and non-physical forms, with each switch consuming about 20 Mind Power, and named the ability Phasing.
• Guan Tong decided he had only today and tomorrow to develop Shadow's abilities before conserving Mind Power for the fourth Apocalypse Rule, which Fire Thief would announce in three days.

Guan Tong tested Shadow’s limits and reviewed the Countermeasure Research Institute’s findings before Apocalypse Rule Four brought a month of continuous global snowfall. As heavy snow began, he realized the challenge could not be escaped by giving up because failure meant death.

• Guan Tong discovered that Shadow needed line of sight, could not materialize while fused with a car’s shadow, and could be controlled physically only within about one kilometer.
• Guan Tong collected his food delivery and read the updated Apocalypse Rules White Paper, including tests showing Gene Optimization Fluid increased Mind Power Cap and could improve genetic defects.
• On June 1, Guan Tong returned to his room while hotel residents gathered in the lobby to await Fire Thief’s announcement.
• Fire Thief announced that snow would fall continuously across the globe throughout June, with 150 Ascension Coins and a Bronze Survival Chest as the reward and no failure penalty.
• Guan Tong watched heavy snow begin and concluded that failure meant death, making June Snowfall a challenge he could not simply abandon.

Director Gao Liangwei led an emergency seminar on the fourth Apocalypse Rule, [June Snowfall], as experts warned that a month-long extreme blizzard could cripple transport, utilities, and supply deliveries. He ordered a nationwide response manual and armed squads in civilian shelters, leaving the institute preparing for both the storm and potential violence.

• Gao Liangwei opened the seminar as experts confirmed the snowfall would reach extreme blizzard levels and persist for a month.
• Experts warned that deep snow, freezing temperatures, and transport disruptions could cut off supplies and leave people without food, heat, water, or electricity.
• Gao Liangwei stopped the experts’ pessimistic discussion and urged them to focus on practical countermeasures.
• Experts proposed concentrating residents in large buildings, clearing roads with snowplows and helicopters, protecting utilities, and including warm clothing in relief supplies.
• Gao Liangwei ordered the institute to compile and distribute a nationwide emergency response manual.
• Gao Liangwei directed that every civilian shelter have an armed squad to deter attacks over survival supplies.

After learning that snowfall would be heavier in densely populated areas, Guan Tong decided to leave Limei Hotel and Yunhua City for sparsely populated Mingdao Mountain. The chapter left him setting out into the snowstorm with a plan to find supplies before his protective underwear’s six-hour limit ran out.

• Guan Tong read Hidden Rules IV and learned that snowfall increased with population density, making the choice between staying with the crowd and facing the disaster alone difficult.
• More than a hundred newcomers arrived at Limei Hotel, where residents argued about sleeping space and gathering supplies as the snowfall worsened.
• Guan Tong told Xu Xiaotian that he planned to leave, packed his emergency supplies, and gave Xu Xiaotian his keycard.
• Guan Tong left Limei Hotel and planned to gather supplies, leave Yunhua City, and travel south to sparsely populated Mingdao Mountain.

Guan Tong went to a supply point for food and supplies but found Longxiang Pharmaceutical workers blocking the entrance and claiming everything inside. He summoned Shadow and ordered it to wear his clothes and knock the workers down.

• Liu Yuqiang rallied hundreds of Jule Group employees and promised to protect them during the snowfall rule.
• Liu Yuqiang noticed Zhao Jiping's message asking the Green Plum Association for help because the Official Department was investigating him.
• Guan Tong headed alone to a nearby supply point while considering how the snowfall Hidden Rule might affect where people gathered.
• Guan Tong found Longxiang Pharmaceutical workers armed with tools barring people from the warehouse and threatening anyone who challenged them.
• Guan Tong hid in an abandoned milk tea shop, summoned Shadow, and ordered it to wear his clothes and attack the workers.

Guan Tong escaped the supply depot with essential gear and set out by autonomous SUV for remote Mingdao Mountain, hoping to avoid the dangers of crowded gathering points. On the way, he learned that snowfall varied sharply by region, but he remained committed to reaching the mountain and surviving there with Shadow’s help.

• Shadow knocked out the pharmaceutical factory workers guarding the warehouse, allowing Guan Tong to take the supplies he needed.
• Guan Tong packed two backpacks, took the team leader’s iron pliers, and set a shared SUV to drive him toward the edge of the city.
• Guan Tong saw helicopters scattering material and armed convoys moving through the streets, and reasoned that authorities were preparing to control crowds.
• Guan Tong found a video showing light snowfall in Nalgeemu despite heavy snow in major cities, revealing that snowfall differed by region.
• Guan Tong decided to continue toward sparsely populated Mingdao Mountain, where he hoped snow and food would be manageable and Shadow could help him survive.

As the Hidden Rules took effect and heavy snow blanketed Yunhua City, Guan Tong drove toward Mingdao Mountain, where the snowfall was lighter away from population centers. A chain collision blocked the road less than ten kilometers from his destination, so he summoned Shadow to carry him onward through the snow.

• Guan Tong left Yunhua City, avoiding the growing crowds and worsening snowfall as he headed for Mingdao Mountain.
• Guan Tong noticed the snow growing lighter as he traveled farther from population centers and continued driving without stopping for lunch.
• Guan Tong calculated that he needed to reach Mingdao Mountain before nightfall and drove carefully as the snow accumulated on the road.
• Guan Tong crashed lightly into a sedan after finding several cars blocking the road less than ten kilometers from Mingdao Mountain.
• Guan Tong loaded his supplies onto his back, summoned Shadow with the Wordless Book, and had Shadow carry him toward the mountain.

As the blizzard worsened, Guan Tong traveled to sparsely populated Mingdao Mountain and set up a sheltered camp, trusting his own judgment over the authorities’ protection. He planned to search the area for supplies and earn enough Binding Coins to buy boots better suited to the snow.

• Limei Hotel filled with refugees, who took comfort in the nearby main road and an armed squad stationed in the lobby.
• Xu Xiaotian worried about Guan Tong as he struggled through the snow toward Mingdao Mountain.
• Guan Tong avoided the snow-covered mountain trail and found shelter beneath a large rock at the foot of the mountain.
• Guan Tong cleared a place to sleep, ate compressed biscuits, and built a raised platform and campfire.
• Guan Tong planned to scout nearby for supplies, melt and filter snow for water, and earn Binding Coins for Multi-terrain Marching Boots.

Guan Tong endured worsening cold and snowfall at his campsite on Mingdao Mountain while clearing a narrow path toward the highway. As a vehicle approached through the blizzard, the chapter also showed Yunhua City buried under deep snow, where buildings were beginning to collapse.

• Guan Tong rationed his food, used the [Wordless Book] to begin creating Ascension Coins, and cleared a narrow path from his campsite toward the highway.
• Guan Tong spent three days clearing snow and gathering branches, while frozen layers made the growing snowbanks increasingly difficult to break.
• Guan Tong planned to limit outdoor work as temperatures fell and wondered how Yunhua City was faring after four days of blizzards.
• Guan Tong heard a horn and spotted headlights approaching along the highway despite a wreck blocking the road ten kilometers away.
• A snowplow driver in Yunhua City saw snow nearly two meters deep and heard another storefront collapse beneath the weight.

As flu spread through the crowded Limei Hotel, Xu Xiaotian helped sick Teacher Feng and realized the outbreak could become dangerous. Meanwhile, Guan Tong approached a truck that had stopped near his cleared path and discovered a woman and her young daughter inside.

• Residents at Limei Hotel argued over clearing the snow piled up at the entrance, and Xu Xiaotian joined the work.
• Teacher Feng developed a fever and a violent cough, so Xu Xiaotian helped him back to his bedding.
• Xu Xiaotian noticed many residents coughing and queuing for cold medicine, then heard someone demand that sick people be quarantined.
• Guan Tong saw a large truck approach along the snowy highway and walked toward it carrying iron pincers.
• A girl named Nana jumped down from the truck, followed by her mother, who shielded Nana and pointed a flashlight at Guan Tong.

Guan Tong and Wang Yan gradually grew more comfortable with each other while surviving the blizzard on Mingdao Mountain. Wang Yan explained why she had fled Sun Family Village with her daughter, Chen Na, and the chapter left them wondering how the snow had affected their former homes.

• Wang Yan and Chen Na arrived at Mingdao Mountain in their truck, and Guan Tong warned them to stay off the path he had cleared.
• Guan Tong took precautions around his camp while Wang Yan kept her daughter secure in the truck, and the three passed several days without incident.
• On June 9, Chen Na helped Guan Tong clear snow, and he and Wang Yan exchanged details about their lives and the Apocalypse Rules.
• Chen Na revealed that villagers had taken food from their home, so Wang Yan had driven her daughter away to protect their supplies.
• Guan Tong and Wang Yan discussed the snowfall and wondered what conditions were like in Sun Family Village and Yunhua.