Seeing Guan Tong's expression, Xu Xiaotian could not help but laugh. "Everyone else at the hotel had the same expression when they first saw my artifact. They thought it was ridiculously absurd. Sigh, so did I, actually."
"I was searching for stuff in the Ascension Shop. I happened to be a little hungry at the time, and since I had always liked Instant Noodles, I searched for them. And I actually found them! But when I saw they cost 100 Ascension Coins, I had no intention of buying them."
"Later, when I searched for other things, I found that nothing else would come up. I had no choice but to buy this Instant Noodles artifact."
After coming back to his senses, Guan Tong said, "I see. But it is not useless. Doesn't it come in handy for Rule Three?"
Since Rule Two, people had known that Mind Power Artifacts could help them complete challenges.
Now, Xu Xiaotian's Mind Power Artifact was Instant Noodles, which happened to be useful for this [Fasting Therapy] rule. He did not need to endure hunger on an empty stomach, nor did he need to spend Ascension Coins on a Food Box. His Mind Power Artifact alone was enough.
"Exactly." Xu Xiaotian smiled. "When Rule Three came out a few days ago, I was over the moon. Everyone at the hotel was jealous as hell."
As he spoke, helplessness appeared on Xu Xiaotian's face again. "But the annoying part is that the noodles have to consume Mind Power to be generated. I can only make one cup a day. It is enough to get through Rule Three, but nowhere near enough to fill me up."
Guan Tong comforted him, "It is fine. Once your Mind Power Cap gets higher, you will be able to make more each day."
"It will be useless by then." Xu Xiaotian grumbled. "If it were not for the rule restrictions, I would never fill my stomach with Instant Noodles. Ever since food became free, big chicken legs and pork knuckles have been supplied for free. How could anyone ever get sick of eating them?"
"..."
"But Guan Tong, you look so healthy. You have not gone very hungry these past few days, have you? Did you give up the challenge, or did you buy a Food Box?"
It was not that Xu Xiaotian was particularly observant. Guan Tong's complexion was rosy, and he truly did not look like someone who had been starving. In contrast, quite a few people at the gathering earlier had looked haggard. One glance was enough to tell that they had not eaten for days and were extremely weak.
"I ate a little," Guan Tong said.
Guan Tong's answer was somewhat vague, but Xu Xiaotian did not pay it any mind. He then suggested, "Do you have plans this afternoon? Want to go out and have some fun together?"
"Have fun? What is there to do outside now?"
Guan Tong felt that since the Apocalypse Rules had descended, although the entertainment industry had developed rapidly, most of it had shifted online.
Movies, television dramas, games, animation, novels, livestreams, and so on... more than half of the offline entertainment venues had closed down.
On one hand, there were far fewer people. On the other, the rampant random crimes from some time ago had also played a part.
In the Apocalypse Rules Era, every survivor carried immense psychological pressure. No one knew whether a person who looked perfectly normal would suddenly break down the next second and indiscriminately attack everyone around them.
Out of fear, most people tried to stay at home or indoors and rarely wandered around outside.
"The arcade!" Xu Xiaotian said. "You can play all the machines now without even putting in coins. And amusement parks too—you can play whatever you want."
"...I'd better pass. I might have something to do this afternoon."
Guan Tong thought that he might need to go to the Public Security Bureau that afternoon to make a statement. Even if he did not, he had no interest in places like arcades. He might as well stay in his room, rest, and conserve his strength.
"All right." Xu Xiaotian sighed. "Sigh, nobody likes going out anymore. But I am taking the chance to have some more fun in Yunhua while I can. I will be leaving next month."
Guan Tong asked, "You are leaving Yunhua next month?"
"Yeah. The Mind Power Development Academy starts next month, and I plan to enroll in the capital." Xu Xiaotian smiled. "I may not look like much, but my Mind Power Cap is over 80 too. I meet the enrollment requirements."
"I see."
Guan Tong did not pay much attention to that Mind Power Development Academy, so he did not know much about its construction progress or exact opening date.
"What about you, Guan Tong?" Xu Xiaotian asked. "Since you have enough coins to buy a Food Box, is your Mind Power over 80 too? Want to enroll in the capital with me? We can keep each other company!"
Guan Tong had no intention of attending the academy, so he shook his head.
"I probably will not go."
"I see... all right, then. Talk to you later!"
Guan Tong watched Xu Xiaotian leave, then returned to his room and checked his Terminal Panel. His Mind Power had not recovered enough yet.
Just as he was about to turn on the television, his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was the Public Security Bureau.
"Mr. Guan, if you are free this afternoon, please come to the bureau. There is some key information we need you to confirm."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Guan Tong wondered what "key information needing confirmation" meant. Had they found some lead in the case?
He waited until one in the afternoon, then went to the Public Security Bureau.
To his surprise, besides the two public security officers who had visited his home yesterday, there was also a man wearing black-rimmed glasses. He was Li Meng, the director of the Public Security Bureau.
Director Li Meng and the other two public security officers led Guan Tong to an office and displayed a photograph for him on a large screen in the room.
Guan Tong was slightly startled when he saw it, because it was clearly a photo of two corpses.
"Look carefully. Are these two the people who knocked on your door last night?"
After looking for a few moments, Guan Tong asked, "Do you have clearer photos of their faces?"
"We do." Li Meng had one of the public security officers switch the photo. Close-ups of both corpses' faces appeared.
Although both men had injuries on their faces and were bruised and swollen, the time interval had been too short for Guan Tong to forget them.
"That is right." He confirmed, "These two were the people who pretended to be public security officers and came to my home last night."
Li Meng nodded. "Just as expected."
Guan Tong's gaze remained fixed on the photos on the large screen. "May I ask, these two were...?"
"They were probably silenced," Li Meng said. "But whoever silenced them must not have expected us to find the buried bodies so quickly."
"Who exactly were they? And what was their objective?"
Li Meng signaled to one of the public security officers with his eyes. The latter explained, "Our preliminary judgment is that this is a Gang Crime Organization. As for their objective, based on several similar cases before this, they were most likely searching for and kidnapping High Mind Power Users."
Guan Tong frowned. "Why would they kidnap High Mind Power Users? Human trafficking?"
"That is what we want to know as well." Director Li Meng spoke gravely. "Based on these two bodies, the bureau has already obtained some leads. We will immediately launch further operations."
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