Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 166: A Story Connected by Four Fragments
On March 14, the foreign ministry of the Northern Star Kingdom finally responded to the protest from An Tai State, stating that it would thoroughly investigate the matter of the shadow.

If it is confirmed that Shadow holds citizenship of the Northern Star Kingdom and there is conclusive evidence of cross-border murder, he will be held accountable in accordance with relevant laws.

The news sparked discussion not only in North Star and Antai State, but also caused a huge uproar around the world.

Because this matter concerns the Shadow, a special being who has undergone a transformation, many powerful nations that possess considerable strength are paying close attention to it.

Previously, Lucifer's arrest by Soma and his subsequent killings in other countries had already made the question of whether "powerful ascendants are still bound by the state" a hot topic.

Even in some small countries—such as Mogok, which was mentioned in a previous post on the Ascended People's Home website—there have been cases of civilian Ascended People groups overthrowing the president and taking power.

This matter has not generated much public interest in various countries because Mogok is a country with little international presence.

However, officials from various countries have attached great importance to this matter, and generally agree that it is a very bad sign!

If a small country can see its leaders rise to power through force, will similar situations occur in powerful and large countries tomorrow?
At present, it seems that those who strive for self-improvement in the private sector are still insignificant in the face of the armed forces of a powerful nation.

But don't forget that we've only passed nine rules so far. If we pass nine, ten, twenty... no one can predict how much the individual strength of the Ascended will increase.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the Ascended One's strength doesn't increase linearly level by level like in a game, but rather through leaps and bounds.

It's impossible for government officials in various countries not to feel a sense of crisis. Because government institutions are composed of people, and people have selfish motives and will worry about their wealth or power being taken away by others.

Therefore, now that the Shadow incident has occurred, officials from various countries are paying close attention, and most countries share the same attitude: to condemn it severely.

Most countries have issued statements deeming Shadow's act of infiltrating and massacring in other countries' capitals a blatant violation of their sovereignty and deserving him to be listed as an international fugitive.

By extension, these countries are being so harsh on this matter because they fear similar incidents might occur within their own borders.

However, a very small number of countries remain silent or even contradict the call.

For example, the Soro Empire issued a statement immediately after the official announcement from the Northern Star Kingdom. A spokesperson stated that the Shadow had eliminated a group of bandits and should not be so harshly criticized. They also publicly invited the Shadow to live in the Soro Empire, promising the most generous treatment.

These statements have escalated the discussion on this matter to a new level, with various countries' social media platforms debating the issue and offering differing opinions.

"So many countries have joined in the condemnation; it seems they're really scared by the shadow. Indeed, if more and more people engage in such sublimations, officials in various countries will be losing sleep."

"Soroma really takes its barbaric approach to the extreme. Other countries condemn it, but it goes against the grain and openly recruits. It really thinks it can disregard other countries just because it has more warships!"

"That goes without saying. Even before the apocalypse rules, Soroma bombed other countries every now and then, disregarding their sovereignty. What Shadow is doing now is probably considered mild in King Soroma's eyes."

"If I had the strength of a shadow, would I be afraid of being wanted? As long as I'm strong enough, there's nowhere in the world I can't go."

"No matter what, killing is wrong. Especially since human life is much more precious in this era than before."

"I think there will only be more and more 'shadows' in the future, and they can't be controlled. Sooner or later, humanity will enter a new type of society."

"I agree. I predict that when the personal power of the ascendant breaks through and surpasses the critical point of the nation's armed forces, the social structure of mankind will definitely change drastically."

"Have you all forgotten that the purpose of the Firebringers issuing the apocalyptic rules, which we've been discussing all along, was to select a small portion of humanity?"

The storm of discussion was massive, but like a typhoon, the eye of the storm was unusually calm with no wind.

Guan Tong, the one who triggered all of this, was sitting calmly in front of the computer, with Mei Qiu sleeping soundly on his lap.

He saw the joint condemnation from multiple countries, as well as the statements from the Northern Star Kingdom and the Somali Empire, but he wasn't particularly affected.

The deed is done, and there's little point in going back to consider whether it was reasonable or not. Besides, he believes he didn't do anything wrong; letting Basong and the others live was the mistake.

However, his mind was now more focused on the information sent by the "Primordial Being" regarding fragments number 2 and 4.

While it's called content, it's more accurately described as a "story" that I've come up with based on my personal understanding and summarization.

Just like the saying in the world before Guan Tong transmigrated: "A thousand people see a thousand Hamlets."

Hamlet is relatively better, at least it's still written text.

For a mural that has no words but only paintings, everyone's interpretation will be different, and there may even be interpretations with completely opposite meanings.

What Guan Tong saw was not the original mural, but only the interpretation of the mural by the "Primordial Man." As for whether it was real or fake, or whether there were any intentional additions or omissions, he could not judge.

All he could do was analyze whether the content made sense by combining the two fragments he possessed.

The interpretation sent by the "Primordial Being" is roughly as follows:
Chronicles of Yamo Planet, Fragment 2: Various strange beasts lived in different settlements, some forming alliances, others fighting each other. A few special groups of beasts seemed to have developed advanced intelligence, manifested in their prolonged stargazing, the establishment of large-scale tribes, and the invention of communication through stone carving. Chronicles of Yamo Planet, Fragment 4: A mass migration of various strange beasts occurred, and the planet's environment underwent drastic changes. Fire, floods, lightning, ice, earthquakes, and all sorts of disasters appeared, resulting in the deaths of countless beasts. After the migration ended, only a small number of beasts survived, and in the end, a wisp of mist dissipated.

Guan Tong generally agreed with the interpretation of the contents of these two fragments after reading them.

He believed that the "original man" did not cheat or slack off, because this corresponded to the contents of his two fragments.

"The story that the four fragments connect is roughly about this planet called Qimo, which gave rise to many strange creatures. They multiplied and evolved naturally, and after crossing countless dimensions of time, they gradually developed intelligence and formed tribes and other groups."

"After that, countless years passed, and some of the strange beasts evolved higher intelligence and developed the concept of 'stone writing'... If they continue to evolve, they may eventually enter the technological age like humans."

"But this process seems to have been interrupted. The planet's environment changed drastically, and various disasters such as floods, fires, extreme cold, and earthquakes struck, forcing all the alien beasts to migrate en masse in order to survive and try to find a safe new environment... And after the great migration was completed, the appearance of a wisp of mist announced the end of the contents of the fourth fragment..."

Guan Tong thought to himself, "That wisp of mist must be the 'mist' mentioned in the ninth rule, capable of corroding and transforming living beings into ferocious beasts. The alien beast civilization of Qimo Star might have been destroyed by this mist..."

Although we don't know the extent of the development of the alien civilization, judging from the interpretation of the murals given by the "Primordial People," if it corresponds to the development of humankind, it is highly likely that it is still in the primitive society period, and has not even entered the agricultural revolution period.

Imagine if humanity were in a primitive society, without modern, well-sealed buildings, facing the invasion of the fog, perhaps there would be no other outcome but destruction?

"In that era, perhaps only a very small number of humans who hid deep in caves, in places untouched by the mist, could survive..."

As Guan Tong was thinking, she saw that "The Primordial One" had sent her a new private message.

The Primordial One: "I've finished reading the stories of Fragment 1 and Fragment 3, and Shadow's summary is excellent! The storyline of Yamo Star is now very clear. Ah, I can't wait to see the ending of Fragment 5!"

Guan Tong herself was no different.

Although both speculated that the murals on Fragment 5 depicted the destruction of the alien civilization of the planet Yamo, they couldn't be certain until they saw it with their own eyes.

In particular, among the first four fragments, although many disasters occurred, there seemed to be no trace of the existence of the "Fire Stealers".

Perhaps evidence of its existence can be found in the murals of Fragment 5?
This is undoubtedly the key issue that both of them are concerned about, because if it is confirmed that the alien civilization of Qimo Star was destroyed by the Fire Thieves, then will the human civilization of Tianshui Star also suffer the same fate?
The Primal Man: "Sitemaster, Shadow probably has the same thought as me now, we both want to know the contents of Fragment 5 as soon as possible."

Station Master: "Yes."

The Primordial One: "How about this, after the tenth rule ends, Shadow and I will go to Cherry Blossom Kingdom together and find the holder?"

Station Master: "Shadow thinks we should talk about it later."

The Primal: "Alright. But more than the contents of Fragment 5, I really want to talk to the survivors of the Yamo civilization. They must possess intelligence."

Survivors of civilization?
Guan Tong frowned. Did this civilization have any survivors? Where did they get this information? He typed a message asking.

Station Master: "Have you seen any survivors from this planet?"

The Primal Man: "Haha, didn't the Shadow tell you? The guardians of the Fog Gate aren't the Nightmare Beasts."

Guan Tong was taken aback when she saw the message.

The guardians of the fog gate are not nightmare beasts?
and many more……

Guan Tong suddenly realized a problem: he had not made contact with the "gatekeeper" during the process of obtaining the two fragments.

The first fragment shows that the official armed forces held off the gatekeeper, who never actually fought him.

He obtained the second fragment from Basson, who in turn obtained it from several other people, so he also had no contact with the goalkeeper.

According to the "Primordial Beings," if the guardians of the Fog Gate are not the Nightmare Beasts, but rather strange beasts from the planet Qimo, then...

Guan Tong was startled and quickly typed.

Station Master: "You mean, the Fire Stealers brought the surviving alien beasts from Qimo Star to Tianshui Star to serve as the Fog Gate Guardians for this set of rules?"

The Primordial One: "This is indeed a guess of mine, because I saw the eyes of the strange beast. Only intelligent life forms would have that kind of look. However, I can't be completely sure until I know the contents of Fragment 5."

The Primordial Man: "And I have another guess—what if those gatekeeper beasts were the winners selected by the rules of the apocalypse...wouldn't that be terrifying?"

The Primal Man: "Could it be that after the forty-nine apocalyptic rules, a few of us humans will be selected to become the 'gatekeepers' of our civilization's record-keeping?"

(End of this chapter)