Splitting and Sealing

The impact of the Personal Terminal's shutdown far exceeded many people's imaginations.

It severely damaged humanity's collective consensus.

Before this situation arose, all surviving humans could be called "Ascendants," with differences only in the level of their Mind Power.

Coupled with the methods for increasing the Mind Power Cap provided by the Countermeasure Research Institute in the Apocalypse Rules White Paper, many were optimistic, believing that falling behind in the early stages was fine, as they could catch up slowly later.

But the shutdown of the Personal Terminal shattered this fantasy completely.

Consider those who could no longer use their Personal Terminals; did they still have the right to call themselves Ascendants? Would others still acknowledge them?

If this continued, it wouldn't take long for a vast, unbridgeable chasm to form between Ascendants and ordinary humans.

Not to mention, the newly listed [Gene Optimization Fluid] in the Ascension Shop only added fuel to this division.

The appearance of this item starkly revealed that Ascendants who purchased and used it would be genetically superior to other humans.

The Fire Thief, with just one hidden function, one item, tore away all the affectionate veils between humans.

It was as if they were telling all of humanity in the most direct way possible: you are destined to diverge.

Global online platforms erupted in massive online conflicts due to this incident.

Some Ascendants maliciously mocked those who couldn't use their Personal Terminals, saying they could no longer be called Ascendants and should only be called "Primitives."

"Primitives" wasn't even the worst; some even used insulting terms like "Inferior Product" and "Inferior Horse."

This behavior naturally drew counterattacks.

Those whose Mind Power had decayed to zero and whose Personal Terminals had shut down were not just one or two individuals; globally, they formed a considerable group.

They absolutely refused to accept becoming inferior from now on, so they not only attacked the verbally abusive Ascendants online but also called for everyone to band together.

Furthermore, Ascendants with low Mind Power were also targets for recruitment.

A netizen whose Terminal had shut down replied to the Ascendant who mocked him: "What you say to me today might boomerang back to you tomorrow. When you fail a Rule Challenge and your Mind Power decays to 0, let's see what you do then."

Yes, many low Mind Power users were themselves on the verge of zeroing out. Perhaps after one or two more decays, their Personal Terminals would also shut down.

Therefore, many of them were willing to speak up for those whose Personal Terminals had shut down, knowing that doing so was also for their own future if they were to face the same fate.

Facing this situation, the Beixing Nation's government quickly issued a statement.

They solemnly declared that every citizen was an equal existence and equally important.

Anyone inciting hatred or division would be considered a lawbreaker and would be severely punished!

This statement indeed suppressed the various extreme opinions online.

However, the extreme thoughts within everyone's hearts could not be suppressed and began to take root and sprout.

At the Limei Hotel, on the first-floor restaurant.

Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian sat at a dining table laden with food, all delivered by official transport drones.

The entity responsible for providing these meals was a new department established by the government after the Apocalypse Rules descended: the Life Support Department.

After various dark factories produced goods, a portion would be transported to the Life Support Department. The Life Support Department would then deliver them using transport drones based on the user's online-submitted requests.

Very little of the entire process required human intervention, needing only a small number of personnel for overall coordination and management.

Of course, extensive mechanization meant a lack of individuality. The meals Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian were eating were all pre-prepared dishes.

"Brother Tong, did you hear?" Xu Xiaotian said while gnawing on a chicken leg, "The news about Mind Power decaying to zero causing Personal Terminal shutdown has caused an uproar online!"

"I saw it," Guan Tong replied. He was currently eating a simple egg fried rice, and after a long period of hunger, he found this home-style meal more comforting than lavish dishes.

"I didn't expect the Fire Thief to have this move. Brother Tong, what do you think those people who can't use their Personal Terminals anymore will do?"

"I don't know."

Guan Tong wasn't a god; how could he predict the subsequent developments of this matter?

However, he vaguely felt that this incident might become a fuse, triggering some malicious events.

"I, for one, don't want to see everyone bickering. We're all humans who barely survived, so why attack each other?"

Xu Xiaotian shook his head and changed the subject: "Oh, Brother Tong, I bought the new Gene Optimization Fluid from the shop this time. After drinking it, besides my Mind Power Cap increasing by 3 points, there doesn't seem to be any other change."

3 points?

Guan Tong remembered that his had surged by 20 points before, showing the significant difference in quality between the original solution and the regular optimization fluid.

"Brother Tong, did you drink it? How do you feel?"

Xu Xiaotian directly assumed Guan Tong had bought the Gene Optimization Fluid. This was because from netizens to the government, everyone considered this item the most cost-effective in the Ascension Shop, and buying it was a safe bet.

"It might take some time for more benefits to manifest," Guan Tong said. "After all, optimizing genetic defects isn't an overnight process."

"That makes sense, then we'll just wait and see. But the interval between these rules is too short, only three days! It feels like there's not enough time to rest!"

Guan Tong said, "You have the Instant Noodles item, and the [Fasting Therapy] rule didn't put much pressure on you, did it?"

Xu Xiaotian looked embarrassed: "Uh, that's true. But the survival pressure isn't high, the mental pressure is quite significant! Especially when combined with... that incident!"

Seeing his lingering fear, Guan Tong knew he was referring to the kidnapping incident.

Buzz buzz buzz!

At that moment, the phone in Guan Tong's pocket vibrated. He pulled it out, looked at it, and then said to Xu Xiaotian, "Speak of the devil."

"What do you mean???"

"It's nothing, it's the Public Security Bureau calling."

Half an hour later.

Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian arrived at the Yunhua City Public Security Bureau together. A police officer led them into a small meeting room and told them to wait, as the director would be here shortly.

Before long, Li Meng pushed the door open, nodded at the two, and sat down.

Xu Xiaotian asked curiously, "Um, Director Li, did you call us here because the kidnapping case has been solved?"

"Yes and no." Li Meng got straight to the point. "The local Yunhua City kidnapping ring led by Shen Zuohu has been wiped out, but as far as I know, similar criminal groups are active in other cities."

Guan Tong said upon hearing this, "So, someone is remotely controlling criminal gangs in various cities?"

"Yes."

"No way!" Xu Xiaotian blurted out. "Who has that kind of power? To control criminal gangs in various cities to kidnap people!"

"Shen Zuohu confessed one person. But this person is in the Capital and has a complex network of connections. We can't act rashly or alert them without conclusive evidence."

"I called you here this time to let you know before I leave. Because the criminal network is complex and involves many people, your case probably won't be resolved in the short term and will be temporarily sealed."

"But you don't have to worry about retaliation locally. At the very least, Shen Zuohu and other core members of the gang will face severe penalties. Especially Shen Zuohu, for murder, kidnapping, operating a criminal organization... with multiple charges, he will be executed soon."

The two fell silent upon hearing this. They hadn't expected that behind a kidnapping case, so many things would be involved.

Guan Tong then asked, "Director Li just mentioned before you leave... are you leaving Yunhua?"

"Yes." Li Meng said, "I received orders from my superiors this morning to be transferred to a task force in the Capital. This task force is specifically to continue investigating this large-scale kidnapping case of high Mind Power users that spans multiple cities."