49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 238: Chapter 227: Hidden Rule 12

’Digital Detox?’

When Guan Tong saw this rule, his first reaction was that it was far too simple.

’What’s so hard about going a month without any networked devices?’

He could spend his days reading, taking walks, chatting with people, or just tinkering with things. A month would be over before he knew it.

But as he read the note in the rule’s description, "for those of you who have been accompanied by the internet since birth," he suddenly realized a problem:

’The rule seems simple to me because I’m a transmigrator from Earth!’

On the planet he was from, the internet, while well-developed, was nowhere near the point of being "an accompaniment to humanity from birth."

The mobile internet wave, for example, represented by the smartphone, was still a "young technology" back on Earth, with a development history of only about twenty years.

But on Celestial Water Star, the world he had transmigrated to, internet development had far surpassed Earth’s. In particular, embodied AI and wearable smart devices, which were still in their exploratory phase on Earth, were a dime a dozen in this world.

Children on Celestial Water Star were accompanied by smart devices from birth; the average person wore three to five smart wearables.

For instance, a popular national brand from North Star sold a wearable wristband called the "Baby Companion." Almost every child had one, wearing it from birth. It could monitor the child’s various biometrics in real time and quickly report to the parents if they were sick, thirsty, or hungry.

It was easy to see how an infant wearing a smart device from birth could be described as having it as a "companion from birth." As they aged, they naturally wouldn’t feel any resistance to smart devices; rather, they would come to see them as a fundamental part of life.

But as a transmigrator, Guan Tong wasn’t used to them and didn’t feel they were essential. He usually only carried a phone and used no other smart devices, which had always made him a bit of an oddball in his class. This was also why he had few friends.

But the natives of this planet, for as long as they could remember, had been accompanied by networked and smart devices, forming habits and dependencies.

This current rule meant little to Guan Tong, but for others, it might actually become a very painful experience.

But no matter how he looked at it, the rule’s difficulty was still extremely low. As long as one was determined, they could pass it with ease.

If someone truly couldn’t bear it, giving up was also an option. It wasn’t a survival-type rule, anyway. As long as they could accept the penalty—a reduction in their maximum Psychic Power—they could act as if the rule didn’t exist.

’I wonder what the hidden rule for this one will be?’

Guan Tong opened his Terminal Panel to check the rule’s details.

After a moment of focused staring, the hidden rule appeared.

[Hidden Rule 12: Mind Interlink]

[Hidden Rule Content: During this Rule Stage, Ascenders can consume Psychic Power to create a "Mind Network" connecting each other, allowing for long-distance communication.]

[Note: If humanity could communicate directly through the mind, without any external objects, could it then succeed in building the Tower of Babel?]

’This hidden rule is a bit strange...’

Guan Tong was somewhat puzzled after reading it.

This hidden rule offered no reward element. Instead, it provided a method for using Psychic Power that humanity had never conceived of.

’If this "Mind Network" could connect everyone, would they all be able to communicate directly? Like some form of large-scale Telepathy?’

Guan Tong paid special attention to the mention of the Tower of Babel in the note.

He remembered it was a religious legend. The story was about humanity uniting to build a tower reaching to the heavens. To stop them, God made them speak different languages, rendering them unable to communicate and causing the plan to fail.

’I also remember the Human Federation, an organization humans established before the earthquake rule... I wonder if the Fire Thief releasing this rule and hidden rule now is related to that.’

’Once this rule is out, many official departments in every country will be affected. A lot of work will have to be suspended, or they’ll have to sacrifice some people, letting them pay the price of failing the rule to keep essential operations running.’

’But... what if they let the ordinary people—those whose Psychic Power has already decayed to zero and whose terminals have shut down—take over? Wouldn’t that solve the dilemma? I wonder if the authorities will think of that.’

’And this hidden rule... should I release it publicly or sell it? No, that’s not right.’ Guan Tong shook his head. ’The rule forbids using networked devices. That means I can’t use a computer or the Ascender’s Home website. How could I release it?’

Without a secure channel, he would never risk exposing his identity to leak the hidden rule. It was even more dangerous and would have far more severe consequences than revealing his true identity as Shadow.

’From now on, I can’t use my phone either.’

He placed his phone in a desk drawer in the shelter, not intending to touch it for the next month.

Without a phone, his only options for contacting people were to meet in person or use the [Communication Secret Scroll] item he had left over.

However, Guan Tong was more interested in researching the "Mind Network" mentioned in the hidden rule. He wanted to know what it was, how to establish and operate it, and what its effects were.

...

「Strategy Research Room」

People had gathered in a very "plain" room.

This "plainness" meant that the room had no networked devices, only a single electric lamp—which was quite rare, as the Internet of Things had been a reality in this world for a long time.

Tables were networked, their height adjustable by voice or smart settings. Fans were networked, their speed and angle adjustable on command. Even water cups were networked these days, able to display the temperature in real time and give voice reminders to drink on schedule.

In short, in this age of the Internet of Everything, it was genuinely difficult to find a light bulb whose only function was illumination.

"This rule isn’t difficult for individuals," Gao Liangwei said. "But it will be a major obstacle to the work of every department."

"The Director is right. With a month of not being able to use networked devices, a lot of important work will be delayed. To say nothing of other critical tasks, our materiel transport vehicles alone rely on the network for autonomous driving. If humans can’t use networked devices, we have no way to regulate and dispatch supplies."

"Exactly. Many automated systems also require a network, with staff behind the scenes managing allocations. Even if we switched to using Intelligent Robots for these tasks, a human is still needed to issue the commands to the Intelligent Robots."

Someone suggested, "What if we have the ordinary people—the ones whose maximum Psychic Power has already decayed to zero from previous rules—take over these posts?"

"Yes! That’s a great idea!"

"Indeed. If ordinary people take over, they won’t trigger the rule’s penalty."

"But will that work? As far as I know, most departments have been using Ascenders for a long time."

The room fell silent.

Although officials had repeatedly ordered that Ascenders must not discriminate against ordinary people, their own departments were the ones who employed Ascenders the most.

The reason was simple: Ascenders were in better physical condition and could handle higher-intensity, higher-pressure jobs. Plus, they could be paid and motivated with Sublimation Coins.

As time went on, the physical gap between ordinary people and Ascenders only widened, leaving ordinary people increasingly unable to cope with many jobs. It was a form of natural selection; now, most departments had few, if any, ordinary people left.

All eyes turned to Gao Liangwei, who said in a low voice, "We’ll suspend whatever we can. For essential functions and jobs that absolutely cannot be stopped, we can rehire ordinary people with relevant experience to return to their departments."

"As for the few high-intensity jobs that ordinary people can’t handle, we’ll have to solicit volunteers from the relevant departments. They will have to pay the price for failing the rule’s challenge in order to continue working—of course, the government will provide these volunteers with sufficient additional compensation."

"Agreed."

"It’s the only way."

Everyone nodded, knowing this was the best possible solution.

Gao Liangwei then turned to the person in charge of intelligence.

"Your department needs to have people keeping a constant watch on the webmaster of Ascender’s Home. See if they publish or sell any hidden information about this rule."

The man was taken aback. "If they want to pass this rule, they shouldn’t be touching any networked devices, right?"

"That’s true, but they might have some special method. In any case, arrange for some ordinary people to work in shifts, monitoring the website around the clock."

"Understood."

After they finished discussing departmental matters, someone brought up another point. "How are we going to keep the public calm? They won’t be able to use networked devices for so long. People will need other forms of entertainment."

"Er, reading physical books? Or talking to people face-to-face? Can’t they just do that?"

"Perhaps watching television would work," suggested the entertainment Domain expert who had previously proposed creating a variety show about Ascenders. "As it happens, our first episode is currently in production. It should be finished and ready to air by mid-August."

"Television? Don’t all TVs connect to the internet?"

"Uh, I once read a pop-science article that said some old, antique televisions don’t have network modules. Those should be usable, right?"

"No network module? What kind of TV is that? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it." Most of the people in the meeting room looked bewildered, having never heard of a television that couldn’t connect to the internet.

"The kind that receives an analog signal, I imagine," an elderly professor in the room recalled. "I remember my grandfather mentioning that kind of television when I was a child. It seems they’re a product from over a hundred years ago, so it’s only natural that the younger generation has never heard of them."

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