After returning from the Public Security Bureau, Guan Tong sat in his room, reviewing everything that had happened recently.
Ever since those two gang members had randomly found his home, the pace of his life had sped up considerably.
This kidnapping case in particular had far-reaching implications. It was not an isolated incident, but a major case involving multiple cities, with higher-ups directing it remotely.
On his way back, Guan Tong had wondered how such remote control was possible. Under the Apocalypse Rules Era, why would gang groups in different cities risk kidnapping people and going against the authorities?
It could be bribery, though not with money, which was practically useless now, but with gold.
It could also be coercion—agree, or be eliminated by other means.
Or perhaps it was a combination of both, with both carrots and sticks in play.
"If it's bribery, the authorities definitely have the most gold on hand right now. Next would probably be hidden tycoons, major business owners, and big capitalists."
Guan Tong had often read reports before. They said that major business owners and capitalists held only a small proportion of their assets in cash. Most of their wealth was in high-quality assets such as company shares, gold, and prime real estate or storefronts.
Faced with a super black swan event like the Apocalypse Rules, even if all their money turned into wastepaper, the gold and prime real estate in their hands would still retain immense value.
That value was even multiplying severalfold.
Guan Tong had previously seen online that, after transportation resumed, huge numbers of people across the country had begun moving toward major cities.
Because many believed that in the face of a disaster of this magnitude, only major cities could provide timely and effective official aid.
Small cities and even villages would soon become places left behind. Perhaps the authorities did not want that, but it was not a matter of wanting to or not. With insufficient resources, they could only prioritize major cities where the population was concentrated.
There was now news online that Yong'an, the capital, had suspended its policy for applying for free housing. After the disaster, too many people from all over the country had gone to the capital, and the number of applicants had exploded, quickly exhausting the vacant housing supply.
Although the authorities still supported property transactions, people selling property in the capital now accepted only gold.
As a result, the real value of gold had continued soaring. If it was used to buy off gangs in other cities, perhaps they could be driven to work.
After all, gangs were made up of people. And as long as they were people, they first had to solve the issue of feeling secure enough to survive. At present, the city most capable of providing that sense of security was undoubtedly Yong'an, the capital.
So perhaps gang bosses everywhere wanted to get their hands on a large amount of gold as soon as possible, then buy a house in the capital and settle down there.
Guan Tong did not have many thoughts along those lines.
Although Yunhua City, where he lived, could not compare to the capital, it was still a major city and was doing quite well in all respects.
Besides, he believed that the idea that "living in the capital is safer" was more of a psychological comfort.
"Personal Terminal."
Guan Tong opened the Storage Box and took out the [Thermostatic Tech Underwear: Basic Model] he had purchased earlier.
Since its appearance could be customized, he simply set it to a pair of black boxer briefs.
The underwear felt exceptionally smooth to the touch, with the texture of silk fabric. He put it on and moved around a little. It felt great.
"I can use this in place of regular underwear from now on," Guan Tong thought. "Later, once I buy those [Multi-terrain Marching Boots], I'll have a replacement for everyday shoes too."
He felt that, later on, every Ascender might be decked out from head to toe in store items. It could not be helped; products from the store were not only comfortable, but also came with special functions.
He then took out the [Wordless Book] and placed it on the table.
When he opened the first page, the four words "Solidified Guan Tong" appeared before him.
"The first writing experiment was a success, which means adding words itself is possible."
"However, anything too outrageous probably won't work."
Guan Tong felt that if he added the words "invincible" before "Solidified Guan Tong," it definitely would not work.
The reasoning was simple. Writing the words down was not a problem, but turning them from something on the page into reality required Mind Power.
With his current Mind Power Cap of 119 points, no matter how optimistic he was, he did not think he could turn the concept of "Invincible Solidified Guan Tong" into reality.
"The more exaggerated and powerful the concept, the more Mind Power it consumes to turn it into reality. And..."
With a thought from Guan Tong, Shadow immediately detached from the page and stood beside him.
Guan Tong controlled him toward the window and had him touch the window's shadow. Sure enough, Shadow had lost the ability he had possessed before solidifying—to merge with the shadows of other objects.
Shadow now had a physical form, but he had also lost the abilities he possessed in his non-physical state.
"I wonder if Shadow can switch between physical and non-physical states? Then I could change him into whichever state I need."
As soon as that thought occurred to him, he issued a mental command to Shadow: switch to a non-physical state.
The next moment, he saw in delight as Shadow rapidly "deflated." Within two or three seconds, he had returned to his former non-physical state! It really worked!
"Return to physical form!"
After Guan Tong gave the command again, the non-physical Shadow filled back out and became solid and physical once more.
Amid his excitement, Guan Tong did not forget to check his Mind Power consumption.
Sure enough, switching between physical and non-physical states consumed Mind Power. Each switch instantly used around 20 points.
...It was absolutely worth it!
Guan Tong felt that forget 20—even if it doubled to 40, he could accept it!
Because this Phasing function had far too many practical applications.
He could already think of several. For example, if he needed to enter a sturdy room locked from the inside, he could have non-physical Shadow enter first, then solidify and unlock the door from within.
Or if Guan Tong encountered an enemy, he could hide in the shadows and control non-physical Shadow to silently circle behind the enemy. Then Shadow could solidify and launch a surprise attack, producing remarkable results.
"It seems that as long as Shadow once possessed an ability, he can retain it. He won't permanently lose it just because his form changes... That's really good. From now on, I'll call this ability 'Phasing.'"
Phasing referred to Shadow in his non-physical state, while solidification referred to Shadow in his physical state.
Having developed Shadow's Phasing ability, Guan Tong's confidence soared.
He felt that the [Wordless Book] in his hands had enormous potential for expansion. As long as he conducted enough tests, he would definitely be able to develop more practical and powerful abilities.
Even "Shadow" alone had several possible directions for development, not to mention all the other blank pages.
If not for his lack of Mind Power, Guan Tong truly wanted to write on one page every day and test whether a new ability could be realized each day.
"Unfortunately, the interval between Rules this time is too short. Fire Thief will announce the fourth Apocalypse Rule in three days... I don't have much time left for development, only today and tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I'll need to conserve Mind Power to deal with whatever the new Rule may be."
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