49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 159: Chapter 149: Hidden Rule Nine

’The fog is spreading this fast...’

Guan Tong stayed inside the small cabin of his shelter, looking out through the window.

He had been outside when the Ninth Rule was announced. He immediately ran back into the stone house and shut the door tight.

Less than a minute later, a thick fog began to spread over the mountain.

Now, when Guan Tong looked outside, visibility was less than five meters.

The fog was also mixed with faint shades of purple and green, giving it a deeply unsettling appearance.

’This time, the rules have already stated that there’s a type of monster in the fog called a "Nightmare Beast" that will hunt humans... I wonder how strong these monsters are? And what are their attack methods?’

’And the reward for this rule includes an Invitation Letter to the second Ascender challenge... Anyone who survives will get one.’

Guan Tong had won both the victor’s reward and the hidden reward in the first challenge, reaping the greatest harvest. Although the format of the second challenge would most likely change, he would definitely participate.

’But based on my experience from the first time,’ he thought, ’the competition usually doesn’t start until several rules after we get the Invitation Letters. It’s too early to think about it now. The most important thing is to get through the current rule.’

Guan Tong glanced at the thick fog outside again, opened his Terminal Panel, and checked this round’s hidden rule.

[Hidden Rule Nine: The Source of the Fog]

[Hidden Rule Content: By following the tracks of the Nightmare Beasts, you may be able to find one of the sources of the great fog. A fragment exists there. If you wish to assemble the puzzle behind the Apocalypse Rules, then go and find this fragment.]

[Note: Venturing deep into the great fog requires ample preparation, extraordinary strength, and dauntless courage. But the most important question is: is it worth risking it all for the unknown?]

’This rule...’

It was the first time Guan Tong had seen a hidden rule like this.

There was no clear reward and no special mechanic, only a "Puzzle Fragment of the puzzle behind the Apocalypse Rules." ’What is that?’

Guan Tong fell into deep thought.

’What does the puzzle refer to? Does it mean the secrets behind the Apocalypse Rules?’

There was too little information; he found it difficult to even speculate.

But he knew that entering the depths of the fog would definitely be dangerous.

So the question was, just as the note said, was it worth risking it all for the unknown?

Guan Tong already had an answer in his heart, but he didn’t act rashly.

This rule would be in effect for a whole month. There was no need to act immediately; he could afford to observe the situation first.

"HISS!"

Guan Tong suddenly heard a sound. He turned his head and saw Coal Ball perched on the headboard, its body arched, hissing at the door.

He was a little surprised. This was the first time he’d seen it hiss since he adopted it.

"SCRAPE... SCRITCH... SCRITCH..."

A noise came from the doorway. Guan Tong slowly rose to his feet, staring at the door.

It sounded like something was scratching at the door from outside.

"SCRATCH... SCRATCH..."

The sound came again. Coal Ball shrank back, seemingly terrified of whatever was outside the door.

Guan Tong just stared at the door without a word.

A moment later, the sound stopped. The thing outside seemed to have left.

Guan Tong knew that when the shelter’s door was closed, it couldn’t be opened from the outside. Not unless someone used brute force to destroy the entire structure. But this was a reinforced shelter summoned with 300 points of Psychic Power. Its defenses were greatly enhanced, no longer the simple wooden cabin that could be easily destroyed.

But even so, Guan Tong’s heart was still pounding.

That sound...

"THUD!"

A sudden loud noise came from the window, making both Guan Tong and Coal Ball jump.

He whipped his head around and saw something seem to extend out from the thick fog covering the window before retracting again.

The window, having taken a blow, was undamaged. Its strength was the same as the rest of the shelter. If the thing hidden in the fog couldn’t destroy the main door, it couldn’t destroy the window either.

’...What was that just now?’

In the instant he turned his head, Guan Tong had vaguely seen something like a jointed limb.

He sat on the edge of the bed and comforted Coal Ball, thinking, ’My shelter should be safe for now, but...’

’Because of the [Biological Signal Detector] that was previously listed in the Sublimation Store, which detects large organisms, there’s definitely going to be some kind of massive monster in this rule.’

’If one of those comes up the mountain, I’m really not sure my shelter can withstand it.’

He picked up his laptop, wanting to go online and check the situation outside.

As soon as he opened the Ascender’s Home website, he saw his private messages steadily increasing.

He opened them and saw they were all asking him for hidden information about the current rule.

Because he had been proven right the last few times, everyone now believed that he, the site administrator, could get his hands on the hidden information after a rule was announced. So now, less than half an hour after the rule’s release, they were all anxious to get information from him.

"Admin, can we make a trade now? We want to buy the latest intel as soon as possible!"

"Has the hidden information for the Ninth Rule gone on sale yet?"

"Admin, didn’t you see our reservation message? Is the price for the new intel going up? We can afford it."

Guan Tong looked at these messages, thought for a moment, and decided not to sell this time’s hidden rule for now.

The first reason was that this hidden rule was rather unusual, and he didn’t have any leads on it himself yet. If he sold the information as-is, the buyers would also find it baffling.

The second reason was that he wanted to get the "Puzzle Fragment" for himself this time, so he didn’t want too many competitors.

That’s right. After reading the content of the hidden rule, he had already made a preliminary decision to venture deep into the fog, find its source, and get the fragment.

Ever since the rules first descended, he had wanted to uncover their secrets. The Fire Thief, the Sublimation Plan, the Apocalypse Initiative... he wanted to know where humanity would ultimately end up.

He remembered talking to Fang Qian about it back then, about how curious and interested he was in all of it. That hadn’t changed, even now at the Ninth Rule.

If it weren’t for this curiosity supporting him, he might have found life meaningless long ago. To live just for the sake of survival—that kind of existence was like being one of the walking dead, something he couldn’t endure for long.

Therefore, he was determined to explore the depths of the fog and track down its source. The only reason he hadn’t set out immediately was that he wanted to gather more external intelligence about the fog, the Nightmare Beasts, and other conditions, so he could be fully prepared before making a move.

He opened the general discussion board and saw that someone had already reposted the latest official notice.

"The fog in the current rule is corrosive and contains a neurotoxin. It is imperative to take shelter in a sturdy, enclosed environment and avoid exposing yourself to the fog."

"If your current building is not sturdy enough, or has too many entrances, exits, or windows, please contact your local emergency management agency as soon as possible to be relocated to a safer location."

"If you are forced into exposure to the fog, cover your skin immediately and wear an oxygen mask. The fog will corrode and damage the human body, and inhalation may cause hallucinations. Please be extremely careful."

’So the fog is that potent...’

Guan Tong’s heart sank as he read the official announcement.

He had originally thought the danger of the fog lay only in the Nightmare Beasts lurking within it; he hadn’t expected the fog itself to be so dangerous.

’If that’s the case, and I want to go out... without professional protective gear, my only option is to cover my entire body with Shadow Armor? That might work, but the real-time drain on my Psychic Power would be immense.’

’Unless...’

Guan Tong thought of a much safer and less costly method of exploration. Just like when he had sent his Shadow to scout the Yongzhou Mountain Range base, he could first send his Shadow into the fog to investigate. Once it found the source, he could use "Body Shifting" to go there himself.

It would be even better if his Shadow could retrieve the "Puzzle Fragment" without his physical body having to go at all.

As he thought about this, he continued reading. In addition to the advice for the general public, the authorities had also announced their upcoming action plan.

"Relevant factories are currently coordinating the production of professional-grade anti-corrosion suits for distribution. Furthermore, we will mobilize armed forces and, once preparations are complete, will commence exploratory operations into the great fog."

"We will attempt to use man-made firearms to eliminate the Nightmare Beast monsters in the fog. If successful, we will quickly launch armed operations in all cities to eliminate the Nightmare Beasts within the urban fog."

"However, at present, we strongly advise against any private individuals or groups undertaking exploratory missions into the fog. This is an extremely dangerous act!"

"Additionally, for those outside the cities, we advise you to find enclosed outdoor shelters to hide from the fog as soon as possible. Although we consider it very dangerous, if you decide to return to the city for refuge, please be aware that the fog will interfere with electronic navigation devices. You will have to rely on maps or your own memory of the roads to return. If you are certain you know the route, please keep your car windows tightly closed while driving. But to repeat, driving in the fog is extremely dangerous, as you could be attacked by Nightmare Beasts at any moment. Please be exceptionally careful."

"Finally, we will issue a new status report every 6 hours. We urge the public to pay close attention to receive the latest updates and increase your chances of survival."

After reading the official update, Guan Tong had a preliminary understanding of the situation with the fog.

And this rule... it was indeed not very friendly to those who had previously chosen to leave the cities for the wilderness.

Inside the cities, there were official shelters that could be completely sealed, and some Gathering Points could also be shut tight. But in the wild, although there were villages, deserted county towns, and other places to take refuge, their seal was bound to be worse.

The unluckiest were definitely those who had set up camps in the wilderness. The fog had arrived so quickly and so densely that there was hardly any time to react. Even if they had started driving away the instant the rule was announced, they might not have escaped the fog’s advance.

This was probably why the authorities specifically mentioned "returning to the city for refuge." After this rule was announced, many people in the wild must have felt it was too dangerous and had no choice but to contact the authorities, hoping to return to the city... Clearly, when their lives were on the line, many would still give up their unrestrained freedom to save their own skin.

’I wonder about those two at the foot of the mountain...’

Guan Tong couldn’t help but think of Yu Hong and Zhao Yu, who were camping at the base of the mountain. After the rule was announced, the two of them must have had to find an enclosed space immediately, or their chances of survival would be slim.

’I wonder if they’ll try to come up the mountain to find me?’ Guan Tong thought about it, but then decided it was unlikely.

Less than a minute after the rule’s release, the mountain was already blanketed in thick fog. Mingdao Mountain was an undeveloped, wild mountain to begin with, without even a proper trail. It would be incredibly difficult to climb up with the fog so pervasive.

Guan Tong shook his head. "This isn’t the time to worry about others. I should get ready for my own exploration."

Although the authorities strongly advised against private individuals exploring the fog, he was no ordinary person. He was Shadow. If even he couldn’t explore it, then it would be even harder for other Ascenders.

Even as a Pioneer, Guan Tong had to be the first to try, to see just what these Nightmare Beasts in the fog really were.

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