49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 289: Chapter 269: The Same Place, Different People

The southern border of North Star, Guan Yu County.

Guan Tong walked the streets, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"Here again."

The previous year, on his first trip abroad to the Andai Kingdom, he had come here first before crossing the border into Antu City.

Just like his last visit, the small county was still just as desolate and deserted. Furthermore, due to the effects of an earthquake, many buildings and roads had collapsed.

What was different from his last visit was that when Guan Tong reached the river that marked the border, he found that all the automated checkpoints and sentries were gone.

’It’s probably because of the establishment of the Human Federation.’

Guan Tong thought. He already knew that after the Human Federation was formed, all member nations had opened their borders and withdrawn their defenses.

This was, in fact, a sign that everyone was relaxing. Since all borders were open, it meant that, to a certain extent, military tensions had eased.

It was like why the nations of the world established various communication channels and regulatory organizations, emphasizing dialogue and negotiation. An important reason was to reduce military spending as much as possible and allocate more resources to developing technology and improving people’s livelihoods.

Otherwise, if every country in the world was constantly on guard against the others in an endlessly escalating arms race, it would only lead to the decline of public welfare under the shadow of war.

This was especially true after entering the era of the Apocalypse Rules. The commonly acknowledged enemies of the world were the Fire Thief and the Apocalypse Rules themselves, not fellow human beings.

This was also why the response to the Human Federation’s establishment had been so strong. People had spontaneously named that year the "United Year," a clear sign that humanity as a whole no longer wanted to continue with internal conflict.

Against this backdrop, any individuals or organizations still spending their days plotting to harm others were enemies of all humanity and had to be resolutely fought and eliminated.

And that was exactly what Guan Tong was doing right now.

It was true he was out for personal revenge, but when his enemy was also a threat to all of humanity, his vengeance took on a greater benefit and significance.

Standing by the river, he looked across at Antu City. It, too, had been affected by the earthquake, with a great number of its buildings collapsed.

However, in the past few months, the newly arrived Yingqi People had already repaired parts of the damaged city.

After all, with their island nation sunk, this was their new home. The sooner they tidied it up, the more comfortably they could live.

Guan Tong crossed the river and entered Antu City.

The city’s name hadn’t been changed, which was also a requirement of the Human Federation.

The lands of defunct nations could be allocated to countries in need, but the original place names had to be preserved. This wasn’t just out of respect for the vanished populations, but also an attempt to preserve some trace of their culture.

Walking the streets, Guan Tong’s first impression was one of emptiness.

He remembered his first time in this city. Back then, the streets were filled with wandering Andai People. Those who believed in living for the moment had been out in droves, playing games and soliciting business on every street and alley.

The Yingqi People who had moved in now had completely different personalities. They preferred staying in their residences to going out.

However, some characteristic decorations and flags of Sakura Prayer could be seen on the streets. Nameplates bearing the homeowners’ names had also been installed in front of some buildings, showing that the land had new occupants.

Guan Tong strolled around for a while, making some observations, before pulling his phone out of his pocket.

He opened his browser and went to the Ascender’s Home website. The displayed account nickname was "Lord of the Mountain"—unquestionably a new account he had created. He had deliberately chosen a name that sounded like one used by the Yingqi People.

His sole purpose in creating this account was to feign interest and bait a trap.

He opened the private message interface. His only contact was one of his targets for this trip: the account of the rumormonger suspected of attacking the Lado Team, with the nickname "Photography Art WW."

Two days ago, Guan Tong had used the new account to message the other party, expressing interest in a low-priced item they were selling and wanting to learn more about purchasing it.

The other party replied quickly, saying it was no problem but demanding an in-person transaction.

This was exactly what Guan Tong wanted. He pretended to be one of the Yingqi People, and the other party immediately replied, suggesting they meet in Antu City.

The two parties agreed to trade on November 28th, but a specific location had not yet been decided.

Today was already November 27th. Guan Tong had arrived a day early. Now that he was in Antu City, he sent a private message to inquire.

Lord of the Mountain: "Where are we trading tomorrow?"

After a while, the other party replied.

Photography Art WW: "Tomorrow at 10 a.m., I’ll send you the specific address. You just need to go there then."

Guan Tong could sense that this person was very cautious, unwilling to reveal their location. They were probably worried he was trying to set a trap.

It’s like how a scammer is always the most wary of other scammers. If this person or their team’s real business was robbing people under the guise of a trade, then they would naturally be on guard against being double-crossed by another group.

But as long as he met them tomorrow, everything would be simple.

’I’m not afraid of any tricks they might play,’ Guan Tong thought. ’I’m only afraid they’ll keep hiding and never show their faces.’

Although he could locate the other party’s device through the website’s backend, the location wasn’t precise down to the meter; it could only pinpoint a general area.

Previously, when he had used this method to find "Desperate," it had been relatively easy. That was because, aside from Jiang Lanying’s group hiding there, the area was completely uninhabited.

But Antu City was different. A large number of Yingqi People had migrated here, so the population density was not low. Relying on location data alone would make it difficult for Guan Tong to determine who was using the account. If he made a mistake and alerted his target, it would be troublesome.

That was why he was sticking to the method of "fishing" for a meeting, to ensure he could find the right person.

’Still... finding this person is easy, but finding the official Sakura Prayer faction that decided to bomb me will be difficult.’

Guan Tong mused that to find that faction, he would need help from someone inside Sakura Prayer.

He already had a candidate for this insider: the currently-under-house-arrest Baqizi.

This woman, Snake Eyes, was once an Ascender that Sakura Prayer officials had heavily invested in cultivating. Later, she was placed under house arrest for some unknown reason. Guan Tong had assumed it was related to her handing over the Qimo Star Fragment, but she had replied in a private message that this was only one of the reasons, and not even the main one.

But regardless, being under house arrest meant she was definitely no longer favored by the Sakura Prayer officials.

Therefore, Guan Tong felt that if he could just get her out, he should be able to learn the details of the bombing from her.

She had to know. Back then, only someone holding a fragment could sense the location of other fragments. In other words, she was the one who had revealed Guan Tong’s position, leading to him being bombed from a distance.

But before he could get her out, he had to find her first. According to the backend device tracking, the last known location of Baqizi’s device was in Banzhen City.

As the former Capital of the Andai Kingdom, Banzhen was more developed in every aspect. After Sakura Prayer relocated, their government would certainly choose Banzhen as their new Capital, and their various official departments would be based there.

’No need to do both things at once,’ Guan Tong thought. ’First, I’ll meet the target in Antu tomorrow and collect this debt. It won’t be too late to go to Banzhen after that.’

Besides, tomorrow was the 28th. The interval between the Apocalypse Rules was about to end. Three days from now, on December 1st, the Fire Thief would announce the fourteenth Apocalypse Rule.

No matter how urgent other matters were, nothing was more pressing than the Rules. Guan Tong planned to check the new Rule first before making any further plans.

’It’s already the fourteenth rule without me even realizing it... If I remember correctly, the second Ascender Challenge will begin after the fifteenth rule, right?’

The ticket that had been sitting in Guan Tong’s storage for months was finally about to be useful. He wondered what form the challenge would take this time, and whether it would be similar to the first one.

He didn’t dwell on it. Turning on his heel, he headed toward the outskirts of the city, planning to find a secluded spot to set down his shelter first.

...

「A certain courtyard in Antu City.」

A dozen or so people were gathered here. Some were playing games, others were boxing.

In a corner of the courtyard sat a young man in a hoodie. A bald, burly man walked over, and seeing the youth fiddling with a camera, he was left speechless.

Their boss was just too fond of filming. He always had a camera in his hands, no matter the time or place. The man honestly couldn’t understand what was so interesting to shoot.

Of course, the burly, bald man only dared to think this; he would never say it out loud. The only words that came out of his mouth were fawning compliments like, "What a great shot!" or "As expected of the boss, you’re just overflowing with artistic talent!"

"Boss, that mark from Sakura Prayer took the bait," the bald man reported. "I told him we’d meet tomorrow. We’ll be able to score another big haul!"

Just as Guan Tong had guessed, this gang’s business was pure robbery. They used various methods to trick wealthy Ascenders into meeting up, then used threats and violence to rob them blind.

Their biggest score was ambushing the convoy of Prince Lado of the Andai Kingdom on its way to North Star. They really made a huge killing on that one.

"Mm."

The hooded youth gave a noncommittal grunt, his eyes still fixed on the lens as he muttered, "This shot seems a bit overexposed. The client will probably leave a bad review."

Hearing this, the bald man asked curiously, "Boss, are you selling your films again?"

He knew that his boss didn’t just like to film; he also sold his work. And despite the high prices, he had quite a few customers.

"Yeah, the clients are all hounding me for new work. It’s a shame there hasn’t been any good material lately."

"Who’s to blame? These new Yingqi People who moved in are all dirt poor," the bald man complained. "Hardly any of them have money. When we catch them, all they do is beg for mercy. Nothing good to film there, really."

The hooded youth said faintly, "Now we just wait for the fourteenth rule. If it’s interesting, I might be able to get some decent footage."

"In that case, I’ll take some men and handle that mark tomorrow myself. No need for you to go in person, Boss."

"Mm. Alright, don’t bother me. I need to organize my material. Go do your own thing."

The hooded man waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing a fly. The bald, burly man, however, didn’t dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. He nodded obediently. "Yes, Boss."

The bald man knew that although he was powerfully built, his abilities were far inferior to the hooded youth’s. Otherwise, why would he have willingly accepted him as his boss?

’Detonating Metal... Why don’t I have an amazing ability like that? I’m so jealous!’

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