People Are the Foundation of Everything

"They've banned people from going out..."

After reading the notice, Fang Qian thought, Good thing I came out early. Otherwise, once the notice was issued, I wouldn't have been able to come to Guan Tong's place.

The thought of staying home alone and enduring these seventy-two hours was terrifying.

Fang Qian looked at Guan Tong and saw him frowning. Curious, she asked, "Guan Tong, what's wrong?"

"...Nothing."

Naturally, Guan Tong would not mention the Hidden Rules.

He would neither use nor spread such rules that harmed others for one's own benefit.

"Fang Qian, are you hungry? It's about time for lunch."

"Ah..."

Fang Qian glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Without realizing it, it was already twelve noon.

It had been fine when Guan Tong did not mention it, but now that he had, she really did feel a little hungry. This was usually when she ate lunch.

"A little... but didn't the official recommendations say that staying hungry helps people remain awake?"

"Then just eat until you're five or six tenths full," Guan Tong said. "Staying hungry doesn't mean not eating at all. Otherwise, if you don't fall asleep from exhaustion but faint from low blood sugar instead, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

Fang Qian smiled. "True. Then shall I cook?"

"You can make dinner. I'll handle lunch."

After saying that, Guan Tong went into the kitchen. Just then, Fang Qian's phone suddenly rang.

"Beep beep beep, beep beep beep."

Someone was calling by video. Fang Qian took one look and immediately answered. The screen displayed the two faces she knew best.

"Dad, Mom."

"Qianqian, how are you? Are you okay?" Fang Qian's mother was beside herself with worry. "I'm sorry. Your father and I really can't get back..."

"It's okay, Mom. I'm fine."

"Qianqian, where are you?" Fang Qian's father noticed from the wall behind her that this was not their home and immediately asked.

"Dad, I... I'm at a classmate's house right now. He's alone too, and the official recommendations said staying with others helps people remain awake, so I came to find him..."

"Your classmate is home alone too? Then that is indeed not bad." Fang Qian's father nodded. "You did the right thing, Qianqian."

"Mom, Dad, how are things on your end?"

"We're at the research institute. The Official Department has gathered researchers from every field to discuss research and response measures regarding the Apocalypse Rules. We're about to attend a meeting... Qianqian, you must hold on and don't fall asleep, understand!"

"I know, Dad. You and Mom need to hold on too..."

After the call ended, Fang Qian's eyes turned red.

She did not know whether she and her parents could all make it through these seventy-two hours. But no matter how worried she was, it would not help. She could only take care of herself.

Still, her parents had said on the call that the Official Department had gathered researchers from every field and begun studying the Apocalypse Rules. That gave Fang Qian a glimmer of hope.

If all those scientists and scholars could work together to figure out what the Apocalypse Rules were and what kind of being the Fire Thief was, perhaps everyone could be saved...

Before long, Guan Tong finished making a simple lunch.

There were two dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried eggplant with green peppers, along with a small bowl of rice for each of them.

"Guan Tong, I didn't expect you to be such a good cook." After taking a few bites, Fang Qian said, "It tastes much better than what I make."

"Really? Then once we get through Rule Time, you can eat more."

"Okay! Oh, right. My parents called just now and said they had received official notice that professionals from every industry would be gathered to research countermeasures for the Apocalypse Rules."

Guan Tong asked, "Do your parents think they'll get results?"

"They didn't say." Fang Qian shook her head. "I hope so... The Fire Thief said there are a full forty-nine Apocalypse Rules! If every one of them is this difficult, humanity will be in terrible shape."

"Yeah."

As they talked, the two finished lunch. A little after one in the afternoon, they both looked at the countdown in the sky outside the window.

67:52:49

Although only a little over four hours had passed since the countdown began, fatigue had already started to creep in.

As the saying went, spring brought drowsiness, autumn brought weariness, and summer brought naps. It was now April, the season of spring drowsiness. Besides, most high school students had the habit of taking a noon nap. After a morning of intensive classes, they would usually sleep for a while at noon to restore their energy.

Without question, that habit of napping had now become a source of danger.

Fang Qian and Guan Tong decided to watch two fast-paced episodes of a TV drama to get through this usual hour or so of naptime.

Guan Tong turned on the television. Fang Qian suggested casting something from the video app on her phone, since it had a wider selection.

"Wait a moment, I need to buy a membership first," Fang Qian said.

Guan Tong guessed, "Do we still need memberships? The major platforms are probably all free now."

"Ah... huh? They really are!"

After opening the app, Fang Qian found that every resource could indeed be watched freely for free. She did not even need to log into an account!

"This was probably done by the government, right?" Fang Qian said in surprise. "Someone in our class group said that a lot of games that normally cost money can be downloaded for free too."

"The government probably had those content providers do it," Guan Tong said. "At a time like this, what use is money? What every country wants most right now is for more people to survive... After all, people are the foundation. Without enough people, everything will become meaningless."

"I see... So anything that can help people pass the time has been made available for free."

Fang Qian sighed. "Guan Tong, do you think those billionaires now wish they could trade money for time? If one hundred million could buy an hour, they'd probably do it without hesitation!"

Trading money for time...

Fang Qian's careless remark made Guan Tong's heart stir.

Could an item like Sobering Mint Candy, which could keep someone awake, be traded?

Jule Company Tower, chairman's office, before a massive floor-to-ceiling window.

Liu Yuqiang, with a stern face and graying temples, stood by the window, looking down at This city.

As a massive comprehensive corporation spanning multiple sectors in food, drink, entertainment, and leisure, Jule was one of Beixing Nation's best-known household enterprises and possessed immense financial resources.

The chairman of Jule Group, Liu Yuqiang, was one of the "billionaires" Fang Qian had mentioned.

What he liked most about this office was the enormous floor-to-ceiling window before him. Whenever he stood there and looked down upon most of the city, a surge of ambition would rise in his heart, bringing with it the pleasure of controlling everything.

But now, everything had changed.

Liu Yuqiang looked upward. The enormous red countdown in the sky continued to tick down, unaffected by anyone's will.

As he watched it, a deep sense of frustration rose from the bottom of his heart.

He could look down on This city, yet he himself was being "looked down upon" by the countdown.

This countdown, along with the Fire Thief behind it, was what truly stood high above all else and looked down upon everything.

It could even be called a "god."

Known for his daring and tenacity, Liu Yuqiang had once gone two days without eating in order to pursue business deals. He had slept with his phone clenched tightly in his hand, setting an alarm every hour just to check whether any clients had sent messages.

That desperate work ethic had not only allowed him to build the Jule business empire before reaching fifty, but had also earned him the title of Iron Man Entrepreneur in the business world. Every time other entrepreneurs mentioned him, they expressed sincere admiration.

Yet even Liu Yuqiang, the "Iron Man," felt a profound sense of powerlessness as he looked up at the countdown in the sky.

Had he struggled for half his life, painstakingly built a career, and just as he was preparing to expand his business empire further, only for it all to come to nothing because of this ultimate black swan event?

Unwilling to accept it, Liu Yuqiang clenched his fist. Then he suddenly heard a brief "bzz—bzz" from the phone on his desk.

This phone was for private use, not business. Very few people knew its number. Moreover, the two-short-one-long vibration pattern was the exclusive alert tone of a special app used by a small circle of people.

Liu Yuqiang walked over, picked up the phone, and with just one glance, his pupils contracted as he held his breath.

The message was short, but astonishing.

"Tell all fellow members how to exploit a loophole to pass Rule One of the Apocalypse Rules. Note: this method is top secret! It must never be leaked to anyone other than immediate family!"