49 Apocalypse Rules

Chapter 331: Chapter 308: The Final Stage of Parasitism

December 30th was the final day of the Outer Heaven Parasite rule, and the new year was just around the corner.

Before April of last year, the turn of the year was a time for holidays and celebrations in every country.

But after the Apocalypse Rules appeared, all holidays vanished into thin air. People had to fight with all their might just to stay alive, and few had the heart to celebrate. New Year’s was no exception.

Nevertheless, some wistful comments appeared online.

"Ah, I’ve survived another year."

"In another four months, it’ll be the second anniversary of the Apocalypse Rules. I wonder, will I even be alive then?"

"I hope the Fire Thief acts like a decent person in the new year, gives us more simple rules, and fewer survival-type ones."

"Hoping the Fire Thief acts human? You might as well hope the officials step up their protection. Speaking of which, it’s been almost two years. Haven’t the officials come up with any super-advanced tech?"

"That’s probably a long shot. Looks to me like the officials are already run ragged. Where would they find the time to hunker down and do research..."

"Does anyone remember that the second Ascender Challenge is after the fifteenth rule? It should be coming up soon, right?"

"Let’s just focus on the present. The Parasite problem isn’t even solved yet. Who has the energy to worry about what comes next?"

"I live near one of the concentrated cultivation zones. I’m terrified that when the rule ends, a bunch of Parasite monsters are going to come pouring out. I’ll definitely be the first to go!"

On the day before the rule ended, it wasn’t just netizens who were worried about the Parasites; the governments of every nation were also on high alert.

To this day, no one knew what the final stage of parasitism—or what humans would become after turning into Parasites—would look like.

Would they turn into some kind of monster? Or would they retain their human appearance?

Would they pose a threat to others?

Just in case, large numbers of armed soldiers had been deployed both inside and outside every quarantine zone in North Star.

If a major threat emerged, they had to ensure the disaster was contained within the quarantine zone and absolutely could not be allowed to spill over into the residential areas of the unafflicted.

At this moment, several armored vehicles arrived at the main gate of Quarantine Zone 3, a site under close observation by the Strategy Research Room.

Zhang Minglu and Dragon Soul stepped out of the lead vehicle.

Many more people, all Ascenders, got out of the following vehicles. They were all wearing brand-new, navy-blue uniforms, with an armband on their right arm that bore the word "Mobile."

This was the insignia of North Star’s newest department: the "Research Room Mobile Unit."

This department was under the jurisdiction of the Strategy Research Room. It had been established only after being proposed by Zhang Minglu, seconded by Gao Liangwei, and finally approved by the top decision-makers.

Zhang Minglu had proposed the creation of this special mobile unit because he had learned a lesson from the case of official Ascenders like Gu Fei, who had been eliminated from the selection process.

The Official Squads had few openings, but the competition was fierce, often with only one in a hundred or even one in a thousand being chosen.

The Ascenders who made it into the candidate pool were all talented, so it was inevitable they would feel resentful after being eliminated. Some would turn around and join illegal civilian organizations, which was both a loss for the officials and a danger to society.

Therefore, Zhang Minglu proposed establishing an armed agency under the Strategy Research Room to retain these individuals.

Besides, as time went on, the ability of ordinary soldiers to suppress Ascenders was steadily declining. A new type of armed force composed entirely of Ascenders was urgently needed.

Thus, the "Research Room Mobile Unit" was logically approved and successfully established. The main duty of this mobile unit was to handle large-scale, confrontational disaster events.

The current Spore Parasite situation had the potential to evolve in that direction, which was why Zhang Minglu had brought a team over today.

He and Dragon Soul led the mobile unit into the stadium quarantine zone, finding the main plaza area had been completely cleared.

The quarantine zone director came over to report. "The rule is about to end. To prevent any mass-violence incidents, we’ve ordered everyone to stay in their rooms and not move about freely."

These so-called "rooms" were actually just temporary tents. This was a stadium, after all, not a hotel; it didn’t have many areas suitable for sleeping.

Zhang Minglu nodded. "The ones with the most advanced parasitism—have they shown any new changes today?"

"It’s strange, now that you mention it."

The director’s expression turned a little odd as he spoke of it.

"The ones who were the most violent before... starting this afternoon, they’ve all quieted down."

"Quieted down? What are they doing, specifically?"

"Just sitting there, or lying down in a daze. But just last night they were all screaming and shouting, pounding the ground and walls with their fists."

Zhang Minglu looked thoughtful upon hearing this. At his side, Dragon Soul asked, "Dr. Zhang, could this be a change indicating the fifth stage of parasitism?"

"It could also be the final transition period," Zhang Minglu said, his voice tinged with anxiety. "The rule states that the penalty for failure is to ’survive in the form of a Parasite.’ With the rule about to end, those with the most advanced parasitism might be transforming into complete Parasites right now!"

Hearing this, the quarantine zone director asked nervously, "Dr. Zhang, should we preemptively..."

"No. Preemptive ’purification’ is strictly forbidden. The research room has made this clear before, and you zone directors should be well aware of that."

"Yes, sir. It’s just that this situation is incredibly nerve-wracking." The director gave a bitter smile. "I haven’t dared to sleep for the past two days. I’ve been glued to the monitors, terrified that someone might suddenly turn into a monster."

Zhang Minglu thought for a moment and said, "We’ll stay here overnight. I want to witness the Parasites’ transformation with my own eyes the moment the rule ends."

"Dr. Zhang, the mobile unit and I can stay behind," Dragon Soul said, concerned for Zhang Minglu’s safety. "You should return to base and watch via the live feed."

"No, I’m staying," Zhang Minglu said resolutely. "I need to see with my own eyes what these Alien Spores, which have left every nation helpless, will ultimately turn us humans into."

...

Late at night, in a lounge inside the stadium, a young man sat on a chair, his eyes vacant.

He stared at the door, knowing armed soldiers were standing guard outside.

The soldiers watched Parasites like him, who had a history of violence, very closely.

Earlier, someone had broken down their door, only to be shot and killed after several warnings from the armed soldiers went unheeded.

He had previously thought about fighting them. ’Why won’t they just experience the wonderful feeling the spores bring, just like me?’

’If everyone could feel it, if everyone joined this big family, there would be no more conflict in the world, right?’

But now, he could describe his feeling in a single word: tired.

’So tired.’

’Just a few days ago, I was bursting with energy every day, so full of stamina I didn’t even need to eat much. But now, I’m exhausted to the bone.’

His limbs felt as heavy as lead, but in contrast, his mind was hyperactive.

He could "see" countless images appearing and connecting in his mind.

The splendid palaces of the alien civilization, which he could previously only see with his eyes closed, were now visible even while they were open.

That place, which in his mind was like a holy sanctuary, seemed to be right before him, close enough to touch.

"Ahhh..."

The young man struggled to lift his hand, reaching forward, but it quickly fell back down.

Then, with a THUD, his entire body collapsed to the floor. An invisible change began to rapidly occur within him.

The sound alerted the guards outside. The door was immediately thrown open, and two soldiers rushed in, guns raised.

They saw the young man unconscious on the floor and exchanged a glance.

"Notify the director immediately!"

Just a few minutes later, the quarantine zone director rushed over, accompanied by Zhang Minglu and Dragon Soul.

The three of them saw the unconscious youth, and the director asked, "What happened?"

The two soldiers replied that they didn’t know.

Dragon Soul knelt to check the young man’s condition. "No issues with his vital signs."

The words had barely left his mouth when the young man’s eyes suddenly flew open.

"Careful!" Zhang Minglu warned.

Dragon Soul reacted instantly, twisting the young man’s arms behind his back and pressing a knee onto the back of his neck, firmly subduing him.

"UGH!!" The young man struggled painfully, his breathing choked. "You, let me go... I can’t breathe..."

Seeing the young man speak so coherently, shocked expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

It was important to remember that those isolated in single rooms were all in the fourth stage of parasitism and had a history of violence.

Their universal trait was an inability to listen to reason. But for this young man to be begging for mercy and saying he couldn’t breathe—something was definitely not right.

At a nod from Zhang Minglu, Dragon Soul removed his knee but kept control of the young man’s arms.

He stood and pulled the young man to his feet. The latter said weakly, "I’m so hungry. I want to eat something."

This increasingly strange behavior made Zhang Minglu thoughtful.

He immediately told the director to arrange for a meal and have the young man eat it.

After the man had eaten and drunk his fill, Zhang Minglu sat down and began to talk with him.

"Do you remember everything that’s happened? I mean everything since the new rule was announced."

The young man nodded. "I remember. We used cultivation to receive information from an alien civilization in the cosmos and strengthen our bodies."

"Do you remember trying to violently attack the guards two days ago?"

The young man’s face filled with shame. "I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me back then, to do something so terrible."

"..."

It wasn’t just Zhang Minglu asking the questions; the quarantine zone director and Dragon Soul behind him were also deeply confused.

How could this young man, who was so deeply infected by the spores, be acting no different from a normal person right now?

Could the research room’s earlier speculation have been wrong? Did the final stage of spore parasitism not turn humans into uncommunicative monsters?

Zhang Minglu then asked several more questions, and the young man’s answers were all perfectly rational.

After the questioning, Zhang Minglu and the others left first. The young man was locked back in his single room.

But unlike before, when the young man closed his eyes this time, no splendid palaces or gentle whispers appeared in his mind.

In their place were his own thoughts and his own voice.

’There are cameras in this room. I have to be careful not to give myself away. To get out of here, I need to make the heretics lower their guard. That’s the only way to preserve this useful body.’

The young man slowly opened his eyes, the fanaticism in his pupils almost impossible to conceal.

’To dedicate this life, this body, everything I am, to the great expansion... that is the true meaning of life!’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!