Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 111 Hidden Rule Seven

"Fuck!"

At a campsite in the wilderness of Yunhua City, a young man, after hearing the rules, blurted out a phrase from the classic Chinese novel.

As soon as he shouted that, everyone else in the camp turned to look at him, their eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

The man realized what was happening and blurted out, "Oh, how did I—"

He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth, but it seemed to be too late.

The others in the camp looked at each other, and several people were so anxious that they were gesturing to each other.

The gesture clearly conveyed the message: danger!
The rules clearly state that speaking means failing the challenge and will result in being attacked by the "voice hunters".

What are sound hunters? How do they attack?

Everyone was completely unaware of the danger, but they all knew it must be extremely dangerous!
The camp leader, a middle-aged woman, pointed to a car parked by the camp and anxiously gestured for the young man to go inside and hide.

The young man realized he had failed in his challenge, so he stopped covering his mouth and asked the middle-aged woman, "Sister Yu, can you let me into the car?"

Sister Yu nodded.

This woman, Sister Yu, was the adaptable being in the Blood Plague rules. During the event, she had a lot of blood drawn to separate serum, but the authorities also gave her a lot of Ascension Coins as compensation.

After the Blood Plague Rules ended, Yunhua City asked her if she wanted to join the official department, but she declined, preferring to stay with her camp members.

The young man immediately ran into the car, climbed into the back seat, and locked the doors. The others in the camp watched their surroundings with tension and fear, wary of the "sound hunters" mentioned in the rules.

They knew the rules wouldn't be wrong; if it was mentioned that there would be attacks from sound hunters after making a sound, then there definitely would be.

They simply didn't know what the Sound Hunter was. Would it only attack the person making the sound, or would it attack everyone within a certain radius?
After realizing this, Sister Yu gestured for everyone to spread out. Just then, the sound of shattering car window glass rang out.

"Crack!"

Everyone looked toward the vehicle. The rear window had been broken by something. Sister Yu was the first to rush over and look inside.

The young man's throat and neck were pierced, blood gushing out, and he lay dead on the back seat of the car with his eyes wide open.

Sister Yu covered her mouth tightly, trying to control herself from screaming.

The other people in the camp also rushed over, covering their mouths. When they saw the man's gruesome death inside the car, they were all terrified.

Because they never saw the sound hunter, nor did they know how the latter killed the man!

Some people couldn't help but shed tears because of the death of their companion and the immense fear, but they covered their mouths with their hands, trying their best not to make a sound.

Another man with a buzz cut was the first to calm down, took out his phone, turned the font size to the largest, and quickly typed a line of text for everyone to see:

(Communicate using text, and absolutely do not speak!)
Others nodded.

Xiaoming, the boy who had previously been infected with the virus and saved by Sister Yu's serum, was typing on his phone:
(The "secret communication scrolls" sold in stores also work. You can complete the conversation using only your thoughts without speaking!)

The man with the buzz cut shook his head and typed on his phone: (Each person can only buy 10 of those, don't waste them.)
Sister Yu is also typing on her phone right now: (Yes. This rule lasts for a month, so unless absolutely necessary, please use your phone to type or write to communicate.)
Everyone in the camp agreed. Then, Sister Yu found a clean piece of clothing, cut it into several strips with scissors, and distributed them to everyone.

She typed on her phone to inform everyone: (It would be best if everyone kept their mouths shut to avoid unconsciously or accidentally saying something.)
……

Unable to speak...?
On Mount Mingdao, Guan Tong felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the contents of the seventh rule.

This rule may not seem as harsh as other survival rules at first glance, but it is actually more nerve-wracking.

Especially since the rule is in effect for a whole month, being unable to speak for a month is an absolute torment for humans, social beings.

Even though Guan Tong lives alone on the mountain, she sometimes talks to herself or teases her black cat, Coal Ball, when she has nothing to do, and calls it to eat. She doesn't stay silent all day long.

This rule restricts not only speaking, but also crying and laughing... Just as the note says, it's meant to discipline people into a sculpture that can only breathe and think.

only……

Guan Tong was somewhat confused because the rules rewarded players with a survival chest, implying that the rules were survival-related.

Such rules usually result in death upon failure, but this time the rules specify that the penalty for failure is "a decrease in mental strength".

This means that there is a possibility of "failing to challenge the rules but surviving".

...Is it related to that "sound hunter"?

Guan Tong thought that if she made a sound, she would be attacked by the Sound Hunters. So if she could dodge or fight back, she might be able to survive even if she failed the rule challenge.

Guan Tong certainly didn't want to be reckless and try something dangerous; who knew what exactly a "Sound Hunter" was? Besides, he didn't want to fail the challenge and cause his mental power limit to decrease.

According to information posted online, the degree of reduction in mental strength limit after failing a rule challenge varies, with some people even experiencing a reduction of more than ten points! For Guan Tong, it would take several months to recover those ten points, and he wouldn't do something so foolish.

Let's take a look at what the hidden rules are.

Guan Tong silently ordered to open her personal terminal and check the rules details.

After a moment of observation, the hidden rule combination appears.

【Hidden Rule Seven: The Secret Scroll Awaits Peril】 【Hidden Rule Content: In this rule, Voice Hunters can be eliminated. Defeating them will grant additional Ascension Coins and has a chance to drop a tradable "Call Scroll"】

[Note: Should you preserve your mental power or prioritize ascending coins and teleportation scrolls? That is the question. But if you decide to choose the latter—first ensure you possess the strength to eliminate the Sound Hunters.]

Defeating a Voice Hunter has a chance to drop a tradable call scroll.

Guan Tong was slightly startled when she saw the hidden rules.

Keep in mind that the Ascendancy Shop currently sells the non-tradable version, with a limit of 10 per person, and each card costs 20 Ascendancy Coins. But everyone knows that the actual value of this item far exceeds 20 Ascendancy Coins; you could easily add another zero to that.

Even without these new rules, a tool that allows communication regardless of distance, environment, or eavesdropping, and can be used simply by adding a terminal friend, would definitely be expensive.

Those in high positions, in particular, have a greater need for such private calls. If one could obtain some tradable secret call logs, reselling them could definitely make a fortune.

However, the risks involved are not insignificant.

The hidden rules, which are known as "seeking danger amidst danger," are thus revealed.

Guan Tong estimated that this "Sound Hunter" must be some kind of terrifying enemy, not so easy to deal with. If they blindly lured it away by making noise for the sake of the Ascension Coins and the tradable call scrolls, they would be in trouble if they couldn't defeat it.

Even though she knew the threat posed by the Sound Hunters was real and there were ways to deal with them, Guan Tong was still reluctant to do so.

Because increasing his mental power cap is too difficult, he only gained 4 points in the past month, solely for the sake of Ascension Coins and Telephone Scrolls—the latter isn't guaranteed to drop, only has a chance. To sacrifice mental power for these things feels like throwing away a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

Unless it wasn't someone who attracted the sound hunters by making their own voice.

Guan Tong's heart skipped a beat. He wondered if the undead he summoned with the [Corpse Whistle] would be considered human under these new rules.
If we summon a few undead and let them roar, will it attract sound hunters?

Guan Tong was somewhat tempted, but still didn't try it easily.

It's better if it fails, but if it succeeds, who knows if the Sound Hunter only attacks the speaker or attacks everyone within a certain range? If it's the latter, then doing this without knowing the enemy's situation is undoubtedly a very unwise move.

Let's play it safe for now.

After thinking it over, Guan Tong thought: Information about the Sound Hunter should circulate online later. It's not too late to try it after we've determined the attack characteristics of this thing.

Just then, the black cat Coal Ball came up and meowed.

"Meow."

Guan Tong looked at it and thought to herself, "You're not human, yet you can meow so freely. I can't."

He thought for a moment, then went back into the cabin and took out a roll of electrical tape.

He then put a layer of paper in his mouth and wrapped it with tape to prevent a sentence from suddenly popping out of his mouth unintentionally.

After all, this rule lasts for a whole month. Even in a month, he can't guarantee that he'll be vigilant at all times. If he lets his guard down at any point and says something, all his efforts will be in vain.

Moreover, Guan Tong felt that she actually had the upper hand.

Because he lived alone on the mountain, he eliminated a major negative influence: the presence of other people.

Those living in settlements, shelters, or wilderness camps are different. In a group setting, even with extra caution, unconscious conversations can still lead to challenge failure.

……

At this very moment, at Shelter No. 915, Yunhua City.

Several Ascended individuals, randomly assigned to this location, are gathered in the meeting room, along with staff responsible for managing the shelter.

The staff member is typing on the computer, which is being projected onto the TV screen.

(An official notice has been issued stating that, from the date the rules take effect, all personnel in the shelter must not move around at the same time. People must be kept separate and are not allowed to eat together, watch television together, etc.)
The residents nodded nervously. At this time, let alone doing anything together, if possible, they would even prefer to each stay in a single room, where no one could see each other, which would be the safest option.

Unfortunately, the shelters weren't that big; a bedroom for four people was already quite good.

Originally, the official plan was to design the bedroom area according to the standard of 6-8 people, but after discussion, this was abandoned and it was changed to a standard 4-person room.

The reason is that everyone is under immense psychological pressure under the rules of the apocalypse. If they were to create 8-person dorm rooms, it would likely put even more pressure on the residents. If the group were to go berserk and lose control, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The administrator typed a few more lines and displayed them on the screen:

(To avoid unconscious or unintentional talking, everyone will be required to wear a special 'talking prevention device,' which is currently being developed and manufactured by various factories. Before distribution, cloth strips, pacifiers, etc., will be used as substitutes.)
(Furthermore, to prevent sleep talking, everyone should fall asleep with something plugged in their mouth. After waking up, do not rush to get out of bed; first check the position of the plug in your mouth to ensure you will not unconsciously make any noises before getting up.)
The residents were speechless after reading these words, but they could understand.

Especially pacifiers; although they're childish, you really can't talk while sucking on them.

Moreover, due to the current near-zero birth rate, a huge amount of maternity and baby products are piling up in warehouses. Now that there's something that can be used, why not use it?

As a result, truckloads of pacifiers were transported to various shelters and gathering points in major cities and distributed to the public.

The sight of people sucking on pacifiers together was so comical that no one dared to look at others for fear of bursting out laughing.

　Day 11 of my daily check-in challenge! I got my first badge! I'm so happy.

　　keep it up!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)