Research Institute Meeting

"Ascenders, speak up. How are we supposed to handle this rule?"

"Just starve for now. If you really can't take it anymore, eat. It's not like the Failure Penalty is death."

"Has the guy upstairs given up on treatment? Mind Power decay is a serious matter. Haven't you seen how both the authorities and civilian organizations are scrambling like mad to recruit people?"

"They only want big shots. Ordinary people are definitely beneath their notice."

"I didn't even pass Rule Two. My Mind Power has already decayed once. If it decays again this time, it'll probably drop straight to single digits!"

"Don't overthink it. While food and drinks are free, surviving one more day is one more day earned!"

"The Countermeasure Research Institute updated the information. The Life Sustaining Tablets from Food Boxes can be used for this rule."

"Oh???"

"Buy them with what coins?"

"Damn it! If you didn't pass the last rule, you don't have coins. Without coins, you can't buy Food Boxes. If you can't buy boxes, you can't pass this rule either. This is a fucking vicious cycle!"

"Not having boxes doesn't necessarily mean you can't pass, right? Don't forget Rule One. Plenty of people got through without using Mint Candy."

"I'm a three-hundred-pound fatty. I just burned a little fat and made it through! That's called being prepared for danger in times of peace. Told you people to eat more and store up energy!"

"Holy shit! The guy upstairs is a legend!"

"The episode where I envied Big Stomach the most."

The heated discussion online continued. Just like during Rule Two, the lack of pressure from death meant the atmosphere was not as oppressive and despairing as it had been during Rule One.

However, as people discovered that Mind Power was becoming increasingly important, they found the prospect of Mind Power decaying after a failed challenge ever more unacceptable.

This time, the authorities updated the Rule Challenge methods with incredible speed. Less than ten minutes after the rule was released, they announced that Food Boxes could be bought to help clear it. Apparently, they had run experiments immediately.

Even so, many people had failed Rule Two and therefore had no coins, leaving them unable to afford the boxes.

Fortunately, two hours later, the authorities also released a detailed guide for these people: how to survive fifteen days on water alone.

Beixing Nation moved the fastest in this regard. Within hours of the first Apocalypse Rule outbreak, its authorities had gathered a large number of experts and scholars from all walks of life to study countermeasures.

This guide was compiled from the collective insights of doctors from various fields, nutritionists, and even experienced fasters.

The guide opened with a conclusion: if a person was healthy and had no underlying conditions, they could endure fifteen days on water alone.

The consequences, however, could be severe. A person might survive, but some of their organs could suffer failure.

It was like the Sleep Deprivation of Rule One. Some people had endured it, but were left with lasting problems afterward, such as headaches and neurasthenia.

The same applied to this rule. Without the threat of death hanging over them, how many people who lacked enough coins would risk organ failure to endure those fifteen days?

The authorities could not make that choice for others, so they only provided the guide. Whether to persist or not depended on each individual.

After buying four Food Boxes, Guan Tong became much more at ease.

He knew he would definitely succeed in the challenge, so what he thought about more now was continuing to use Mind Power to write in the [Wordless Book] and create coins.

Although he wanted to open another page and write something on the third page, he had no idea what to write for the moment. He decided to make more coins first.

You could never have too many Ascension Coins. Although the ones he made were all Binding Coins, that was fine as long as they could be used in the terminal store. Perhaps the next time the store updated, he would be able to buy something good.

Thus, Guan Tong resumed his undisturbed stay-at-home life of writing and making coins.

Perhaps because he had not said a word since the rule began, the surviving members of the class group chat all thought he was dead.

After Guan Tong replied to her messages, Fang Qian did not send anything else. He had no idea how she was doing.

Of course, no one bothering him was a good thing to Guan Tong. He liked the feeling of staying alone and slowly building himself up, just as he liked farming stories when reading and cultivation games when gaming.

While Guan Tong immersed himself in writing and making coins alone, Beixing Nation's official organization, the Apocalypse Rules Countermeasure Research Office, was holding a meeting in an office.

The head of the office was a middle-aged man with short hair, thick brows, and sharp, rugged features. He looked like he came from the military.

In fact, before becoming the head, the man named Gao Liangwei had been a senior colonel in the military.

After the Apocalypse Rules descended, the upper echelons had appointed Gao Liangwei as the head because they believed his decisive, meticulous style could keep elites from all industries in line and unite them against the rules.

"Everyone, the seminar on the third Apocalypse Rule now begins. Please speak in order," Gao Liangwei said from one end of the long table. "We'll start with Dr. Zhang on the left."

Dr. Zhang nodded, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Everyone knows that what I had been researching was not the rules themselves, but Fire Thief's purpose. Now that the third rule has appeared, I believe it has become very clear."

"Regardless of what kind of entity Fire Thief actually is, its purpose should be obvious. It is using various extreme methods to screen people on our planet, ultimately sending those selected to..."

"To participate in the Apocalypse Operation." A long-haired man from the other side of the table interrupted him. "Dr. Zhang, didn't everyone know that on the first day? Fire Thief said so itself."

"Dr. Zhou, didn't I just say to speak in order?" Gao Liangwei stared at the long-haired man. "Didn't you hear me?"

Dr. Zhou's expression shifted slightly. He quietly said, "Sorry," then fell silent.

"Dr. Zhang, continue."

"Alright, I'll continue. Indeed, when Fire Thief first descended on the first day, it said that the so-called forty-nine Apocalypse Rules were actually the content of the 'Ascension Test.' Those who passed the test would be selected to participate in the Apocalypse Operation... What I mean is, if we intend to build a selected team, we must start preparing now. We cannot delay."

Gao Liangwei asked, "Dr. Zhang, are you suggesting that we begin selecting personnel now?"

"Yes, the sooner the better. The constant updates to the Apocalypse Rules create a process where the strong only grow stronger. The longer we delay, the harder it will be to cultivate specific personnel."

At that moment, someone raised a hand to ask a question.

"Go ahead," Gao Liangwei signaled.

"I'd like to ask why we need to cultivate specific personnel. Can't we select from people who have already passed several rules? For example, wouldn't it be better to choose people from the Mind Power Development Academy that is about to open?"

Dr. Zhang was about to speak when Gao Liangwei said, "I'll answer that question. We need to consider infiltration risks, so it is best to cultivate people whose backgrounds have been vetted."

"Infiltration risks?"