49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 296: Chapter 275: Hidden Rule 14

Apocalypse Rules Strategy Research Room.

After the new rule was announced, Gao Liangwei immediately convened a strategy meeting.

"I’m sure you’ve all noticed that this new rule is a bit strange."

Right from the start of the meeting, everyone voiced their confusion.

"The rewards include a Survival Treasure Chest, which means this is a survival-type rule. But the penalty for failure isn’t ’None’; it’s ’survive as a Parasite.’ What does that mean?"

In past survival-type rules, the penalty for failure was "None," but in reality, the opposite of survival is naturally death.

But this time was different.

"The key is, what form does this Parasite take? Is the host alive or dead? Does the host still have self-awareness?"

"I don’t think we need to worry about that. We should just control it at the source and avoid inhaling the spores."

"Exactly. Can’t we just reuse the protective suits from the Deadly Blood Plague Rule Stage?"

"I’m afraid spores aren’t quite the same as viruses. The rule specifically states that these adhesive spores can attach to any physical object... Isn’t a protective mask a physical object?"

As the experts and scholars discussed, one of them mentioned, "What I’m more concerned about is the addictive nature after inhalation. The rule specifically mentions that humans can resist this addiction with willpower, which means that even if you inhale the spores, as long as your willpower is strong enough, you won’t fail the rule."

"It’s not as easy as it sounds. The addictive properties of these spores must be very strong. Humans have a hard time quitting even alcohol and nicotine..."

"That’s right. And the reward for this rule is 1,000 Sublimation Coins, which shows the difficulty is high. Once you’re addicted, it’ll probably be very hard to resist."

"Based on the addictive nature and the failure penalty, if you fail to resist, you become a Spore Parasite. I wonder where the line is drawn. Do you only lose control completely after inhaling a certain amount?"

"There’s no way to know without running experiments."

At this point, someone asked curiously, "Has no one noticed the Fire Thief’s note? These spores are apparently a bestseller in the cosmos. Why is that? Shouldn’t this stuff be harmful to intelligent life?"

"It’s probably because of the addiction. It’s the same principle as drugs. Drugs are incredibly harmful, but aren’t they bestsellers in some poorly regulated countries?"

"Don’t forget the word ’formerly’ in the note. It means these spores aren’t a bestseller anymore. Everyone should pay attention to that."

The people analyzed the rule word by word, but with the limited information available, it was difficult to make an accurate and detailed judgment.

However, the attendees unanimously agreed that prevention was more important than treatment.

Therefore, the proposed countermeasures would follow some of the regulations from the Deadly Blood Plague Rule Stage, requiring everyone to stay indoors in sealed rooms and not go out unless absolutely necessary.

Additionally, the large stockpiles of protective equipment would be delivered to every person by official transport departments.

As for further recommendations, more observation and experimentation were needed.

They needed to observe what changes would occur in humans who inhaled the spores and what form the so-called parasitism would take.

They needed to experiment to see if human medical science could use drugs or other methods to forcibly control the unique addiction in those who had inhaled the spores.

And they had to wait for the webmaster of Ascender’s Home to see if this mysterious individual, who had always had a way of obtaining hidden rule information, would publicize or sell the intel this time.

「...」

’This rule is so strange.’

After listening to the rule, Guan Tong felt that everything from its content to the Fire Thief’s note was inexplicable.

Especially the note.

’A bestseller in the cosmos... This seems to confirm that there are multiple intelligent civilizations in the universe, and it even suggests the concept of a "cosmic market."’

’Although the appearance of the Qimo Star Chronicles had already laid that card on the table, the Fire Thief now mentioning it directly in a note might mean we’ll see more and more rules involving alien creatures and civilizations in the future.’

’Whether that’s a good or bad thing for humanity remains to be seen.’

’The penalty for failure isn’t direct death, but survival as a Parasite... That should still count as death, right?’

Guan Tong was reminded of a plant from his old home, Earth—the dodder.

It’s a plant with no roots of its own that coils around and lives as a parasite on other plants. It draws nutrients by sucking the host’s sap, causing the host plant to suffer from malnutrition, reduced yield, and death.

Guan Tong recalled seeing a news story once about feuding farmers in the countryside. Some, seeking revenge, would secretly scatter a bunch of dodder seeds on their rivals’ crops.

’If these special Alien Spores also survive by absorbing nutrients from a human host, ultimately leading to the host’s death, then everyone would have a strong will to resist, right? Who would be willing to die just to become food?’

’How did this damn thing become a bestseller in the cosmos?’

’Something feels off... I’ll check the hidden rule first.’

Unable to figure it out, Guan Tong decided to open his panel and view the hidden rule.

[Hidden Rule 14: Dosage Control]

[Hidden Rule Content: The Alien Spores in this rule possess the special ability to deeply develop physical functions and improve one’s psychological state. Utilizing them within certain limits is a way for an intelligent individual to rapidly grow stronger.]

[Note: To speak of toxicity without considering the dose is not rigorous. The wise are those who can strike a balance.]

’...So that’s how it is.’

After reading the hidden rule, Guan Tong had a sudden realization.

’These spores can strengthen an organism and improve its psychological state... It’s like a combination of the "enhancement injection" and "psychological tranquilizer" from the movies!’

’With such powerful functionality, no wonder these spores became a cosmic bestseller.’

It was just that, to Guan Tong, this stuff felt a bit like morphine.

Using it for powerful pain relief after surgery or for severe pain is a benefit. But once you use too much and become addicted, the benefit instantly turns into a detriment, capable of dragging a person from heaven into hell.

’You can’t talk about toxicity without considering the dose... The note really hit the nail on the head.’

’A hidden rule like this...’

Guan Tong frowned, momentarily hesitating on whether to make it public.

’If I make it public, what if a lot of people get overconfident, think they can manage the balance, and actively seek out the spores to get stronger?’

’It’s like with gamblers; when they first start, they all swear they won’t get addicted and can control themselves, but later on, eight or nine out of ten of them will lose control.’

’And the addictiveness of these spores must be even more potent than ordinary gambling or drugs!’

’Would making it public end up harming a lot of people?’

’But if I don’t...’

’Just like with some of the previous rules, sooner or later—no, it’s certain to happen very soon—someone will inhale the spores and feel their body and mind being enhanced.’

’Once word gets out, will people get carried away, throw all caution about the failure penalty to the wind, and scramble to inhale the spores just to get stronger?’

After a moment of hesitation, Guan Tong made his decision.

’I have to make it public. The officials need to realize the danger and issue a stern warning to the public... But unfortunately, the hidden rule still doesn’t mention what it’s actually like to "survive as a Parasite" once you’re addicted and have lost control.’

’Will humans turn into monsters? Or will there be other changes...?’

Guan Tong sighed softly.

He knew he didn’t need to overthink it. With a group as large as humanity, no matter what preventative measures were taken, someone would inevitably inhale the spores, get completely addicted, and lose control very soon.

When that happened, the changes they underwent would naturally become a case study, publicized by the officials.

’...So then, what about me? What’s my strategy for this rule?’

Guan Tong wondered if he should do the same thing he did during the Deadly Blood Plague rule: stay locked up in the sanctuary for the entire month.

The Book Page Sanctuary was perfectly sealed. If it could keep out a virus back then, there was no reason it couldn’t keep out Alien Spores now.

Doing so was, without a doubt, the most surefire way to play it safe.

Besides, he wasn’t interested in using the spores to get stronger. He was already powerful and improving steadily every day. Why would he take a risk and gamble that he wouldn’t get addicted?

It was the same reasoning he used when he refused to eat that piece of Demon Flesh and Blood. He didn’t want to pay an uncontrollable price for a mere power-up.

’I’ll play it safe.’

Guan Tong decided not to leave the sanctuary during the rule unless absolutely necessary. Although he was curious about how the Alien Spores made people stronger, the thought of the risks quickly extinguished that curiosity.

However, this meant he had to change some of his original plans. His trip to Banzhen to find an opportunity to look for Baqizi would have to be delayed.

It was just that this rule gave Guan Tong a bad feeling. He had a premonition that this month would be fraught with complications and wouldn’t pass as smoothly as the last one.

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