Chapter Summaries

Guan Tong explored the Personal Terminal’s new Social and Trading functions and reviewed the Ascension Shop’s limited items, deciding to save his coins. After learning that failed challenges reduced people’s Mind Power Caps and that the Mind Power Development Academy was being prepared, he resolved to keep training and was left with a new opportunity to investigate.

• Guan Tong examined the Social function, learning how Digital IDs distinguished duplicate nicknames and how Nemeses received proximity alerts and could not team up.
• Guan Tong checked the Trading market and found that no items had been listed.
• Guan Tong reviewed the Ascension Shop’s three new crates and decided not to spend his Ascension Coins.
• Guan Tong read online complaints and learned that failed challenge participants lost different amounts from their Mind Power Caps depending on how close they came to completing the challenge.
• Guan Tong decided to continue draining and recovering his Mind Power, then visited the Apocalypse Rules Countermeasure Research Office website and saw a notice about the upcoming Mind Power Development Academy.

Guan Tong read the updated White Paper, learned what the new Ascension Shop crates could produce, and reviewed the world record for the second Apocalypse Rule. With a month until Rule Three arrived, he began writing “Ascension Coins” on the Wordless Book’s second page to test whether it could grant what he wanted.

• Guan Tong read about the Mind Power Development Academy and decided he had no intention of joining.
• Guan Tong learned that the Weapon Crate offered a choice of cold weapon, the Medical Crate produced varied items, and the Food Crate yielded an All-Effect Survival Tablet.
• Guan Tong read that Shadow had set the world record for the second Apocalypse Rule by completing it in 14 seconds.
• Guan Tong decided to use the month before Rule Three to improve his Mind Power by writing on the Wordless Book’s second page.
• Guan Tong focused his Mind Power to write the first stroke of “Ascension Coins” on the second page.

Over the month after the first Apocalypse Rule, surviving nations reorganized, recruitment and public disputes over [Order Keepers] and [Rule Breakers] intensified, and the Mind Power Development Academy announced its admission standards. Guan Tong kept writing the Wordless Book and, after receiving a message from Fang Qian, acknowledged it without reopening their relationship.

• The first Apocalypse Rule and the riots that followed devastated populations, while Beixing Nation, the Solloma Empire, and the Tulip Federation emerged as relatively stable powers.
• The [Friends] function let people verify titles and Mind Power, fueling arguments and rival alliances among [Order Keepers] and [Rule Breakers].
• The Countermeasure Research Institute announced that its Mind Power Development Academy would admit applicants with a Mind Power Cap of at least 80, while private groups recruited people with lower scores.
• Guan Tong spent his days writing the Wordless Book and avoided following online news.
• Fang Qian messaged Guan Tong that she had never used the Hidden Rule and thanked him for stopping her, and Guan Tong replied, "Got it. Take care of yourself."

Guan Tong used the [Wordless Book] to create Binding Ascension Coins and grew his Mind Power before the third Apocalypse Rule arrived. The new rule required everyone to fast for 15 days to earn Ascension Coins and an invitation to the First Ascendant Challenge.

• Guan Tong completed writing “Ascension Coins” in the [Wordless Book] and gained ten Binding Coins, which could only be spent in the Ascension Shop.
• Guan Tong repeated the process over the next half month, gained another ten Binding Coins, and raised his Mind Power Cap to 116.
• Guan Tong waited with people around the world for the third Apocalypse Rule to arrive.
• The Fire Thief released Apocalypse Rule Three, “Fasting Therapy,” requiring people to drink only water and eat nothing for 15 days; success earned 150 Ascension Coins and a First Ascendant Challenge Invitation, while failure caused Mind Power Cap decay.

Guan Tong discovered that Basic Food Boxes could help people endure the fifteen-day fasting challenge and that their supply was limited, so he bought four while keeping the scarcity secret. Meanwhile, the First Ascendant Challenge Invitation sparked widespread online debate and competition among Mind Power Users.

• Guan Tong read Hidden Rules Three and learned that food from Basic Food Boxes could help complete the fasting challenge and that the shop’s supply was limited.
• Guan Tong calculated that he needed four boxes, spent eighty Ascension Coins to buy them, and kept forty coins for later.
• Guan Tong decided not to reveal that the boxes were limited because he feared that doing so would trigger a rush to buy them.
• People online focused on the First Ascendant Challenge Invitation, with many claiming the Ascendant label and vowing to clear the challenge.

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.