Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 209 Shi Jingyi's Participation Decision
The Ascended's Home Forum.

In the casual discussion section, numerous photos of the disaster site caused by the magnitude 8 earthquake were posted.

One of the posts, titled "The number of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations should be reduced by one," was extremely popular.

The poster wrote in the main text: "The poster is in Magala and has had terrible luck this time. The epicenter was actually in the center of Magala's capital... The entire city was destroyed, and all the government departments were wiped out. I guess the next time the FIS meets, Magala won't exist anymore..."

A bunch of replies below:
"The original poster is a prophet! The Federation of Peoples' Associations just released the contents of this meeting, and the Magala member officially announced that the country has been dissolved."

"With one less seat, there are now only thirty-three countries left."

"So unlucky???"

"Even if an 8-magnitude earthquake occurs in the capital, it shouldn't be enough to dissolve a country, right? Weren't there any preparations made beforehand? Was there no secondary capital? Was there no backup leadership system?"

"You think Magala is some big country? It's just a small country with a few million people. How could it have so many preparations?"

"This isn't about the size of the country. I remember that in ancient times there was the concept of a 'backup central hub' in case the capital was breached and the country became unable to function."

"An 8-magnitude earthquake reduces the number of member states by one; how many will be reduced for a 9-magnitude earthquake? And what about a 10-magnitude earthquake?"

"The person upstairs asked the wrong question. After level 10, it shouldn't be a reduction of a few, it should be a remaining number."

"I feel like the earthquake in Beixing wasn't too serious..."

"That's because you have shadows! I wish he were the one who elevates our country!"

Because of the shadow, Beixing successfully reduced the destructive power of the earthquake by about 90%, and the disaster situation was not particularly serious.

But other countries weren't so lucky.

Some countries also have powerful Ascendants who mitigate disasters by using their abilities, creating technological artifacts, or by sending large numbers of people to contact the ley lines, based on publicly available hidden information.

But none of these are as efficient or as casualty-free as Guan Tong's method.

Therefore, netizens from all over the world, after seeing the relevant information on the Ascendant's Home forum using various translation plugins, inevitably felt a bit envious of Beixing.

People from many countries are seeking to settle in the Northern Star Kingdom, but most are unable to do so.

Even after the establishment of the Community of Peoples, and despite the relaxation of entry restrictions in various countries, ordinary people are still limited by a series of issues such as transportation, making it difficult for them to travel to other countries besides their neighbors.

If we're talking about who benefits most from this policy, it's actually those powerful figures in some smaller countries. Many of these individuals immediately entered powerful nations like North Korea and Somalia after the borders reopened.

They undoubtedly believed that, under the increasingly insane rules of the apocalypse, even being an ordinary civilian in a powerful country would have a higher survival rate than being a powerful figure in a small country.

Because of the release of these disaster notices, the voices in the Northern Star Kingdom that opposed transferring mental power to the shadows suddenly became much quieter.

Because anyone with a normal IQ can see that the transmission was genuinely effective. The shadow didn't just use its mental power without doing anything; it actually significantly reduced the earthquake damage and minimized casualties.

However, another situation soon emerged, sparking widespread discussion.

A user posted: "The official team contacted me, hoping I could protect the Shadow God..."

The title alone attracted countless clicks; everyone wanted to see who the poster was, that they could protect the shadow.

Most people initially thought it was just a gimmick, but after reading the article, they found that the title was actually quite accurate.

The post reads: "I have the ability to 'transfer damage,' meaning I can transfer the damage I suffer to others, and also transfer the damage others suffer to myself. Officials found me through their database, asking if I would be willing to go to the scene of a future earthquake to help the Shadow God transfer the damage he suffers…"

"To be honest, I ultimately refused. The authorities didn't hide anything from me; they clearly told me that if I accepted, there was a 99% chance I would die, but I don't want to die... After refusing, I kept wondering if I was being selfish or afraid of death, so I'm posting this to ask you all what you think?"

Users who clicked in read the article and then left comments.

"Of course we have to refuse! Who wants to go into a situation where they're doomed?"

"I would refuse too. I only have one life, and if I lose it, I'm done with it."

"It seems that the magnitude 9 and 10 earthquakes put a lot of pressure on the authorities, otherwise they wouldn't have done this."

"Actually, this is an opportunity to dedicate myself to the public and make sacrifices. If it were me, I probably would have agreed."

"Since it's not mandatory, both agreeing and refusing are reasonable, and there's no need to distinguish between right and wrong."

"Yes. Some people will definitely agree, and some will refuse. As long as you don't make a choice against your conscience, it's fine."

"The authorities contacted me, and I agreed after considering it. Anyway, I'm just an unknown nobody, and nobody would care if I died, but if I sacrifice myself this time, I should be able to get on a list of honors or something."

"The person upstairs sacrificed themselves for the greater good!"

"Breaking news!!! Shi Jingyi, a renowned lecturer at the academy, publicly stated in class a few minutes ago that she will also participate in the action to protect the shadows!"

The post's popularity skyrocketed after someone mentioned Shi Jingyi.

Shi Jingyi is very famous online, partly because her courses do have the most direct effects; learning them can truly improve the natural growth rate of one's mental strength.

On the other hand, it's also related to her stunning figure and dashing appearance. Even in the post-apocalyptic era, humans are still visual creatures, and someone who is strong, has a high status, and is also outstanding in appearance will naturally attract countless eyes.

Shi Jingyi only mentioned it casually in class and did not expect that it would cause such a huge discussion after the students posted it online.

"real or fake?"

"No way? Why would they send the academy's main lecturer when there's a 99% mortality rate?!"

"Strongly opposed!!!"

"What is the dean doing? He actually agreed to send a lecturer to his death?"

"Are you kidding me? If she dies in the epicenter, what will happen to the 'Psychic Power Flow' course? Who will be the lecturer?"

The unusually strong opposition quickly reached the college.

The college office was inundated with calls from countless students both on and off campus, protesting that Shi Jingyi should not be involved in the operation to protect the shadows.

Dean Zhou Qinfeng was under immense pressure and immediately called Shi Jingyi to come over.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door of the dean's office.

"Dong dong dong."

"Please come in!"

Shi Jingyi pushed open the door and came in, asking, "Dean Zhou, is there something you need from me?"

Zhou Qinfeng smiled wryly and said, "Lecturer Jingyi, did you say something during class?"

Shi Jingyi looked puzzled: "What did you say?" "Well... some students reported that you said in class that you wanted to participate in the action to protect shadows."

"Oh, this?" Shi Jingyi nodded. "I just mentioned it casually."

Zhou Qinfeng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and smiled, "It was just a casual remark. That's good, that's good."

However, Shi Jingyi's next words immediately froze the smile on his face.

"Although it was just a casual remark, I really am going."

"..."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Zhou Qinfeng asked anxiously, "Why is this? Did the authorities make demands of you? This is outrageous! I'll contact the head of the research lab immediately and get to the bottom of this!"

“No, it wasn’t an official requirement; I offered it myself,” Shi Jingyi said. “Because I can form a protective shield by releasing my mental energy, which can provide considerable defense.”

“Lecturer Jingyi!” Zhou Qinfeng earnestly advised, “While your act is righteous and I admire it greatly, you are the main lecturer for one of the academy’s three major courses! What will happen to the courses if something happens to you? What will happen to the students?”

Shi Jingyi said calmly, "Dean, have you ever considered that if the shadows don't receive enough protection, leading to the failure of the disaster mitigation operation, then it won't just be the courses and students that are worrying. The very existence of the academy, and even the city of Yong'an, will be in question."

"This……"

Zhou Qinfeng paused for a moment and then said, "The matter of protecting the shadows can be left to others; the authorities will make the arrangements. Why should you, Lecturer Jingyi, put yourself in danger?"

Shi Jingyi calmly said, "Compared to my risking my life, isn't the most dangerous thing to do to come into contact with the shadow of the Earth's vein pillar? I admire his courage, so I also want to do my part. Besides..."

"And I still owe someone Ascension Coins," she thought.

Zhou Qinfeng remained silent for a moment. He knew that Shi Jingyi's decisions would never be changed by the words of others, and he sighed helplessly.

"Sigh... Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say. It's just that the students are all against it, and they've all come to me to protest and complain, so I'm not in a good position to deal with it."

Shi Jingyi was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "The students protested?"

"Yes. The students all love and respect you, and they don't want anything to happen to you, Lecturer Jingyi."

"If that's the case, I will thank the students, but I will also tell them why I made this decision. I believe the students will understand."

"That's...ok."

As the dean, Zhou Qinfeng did not want Shi Jingyi to take any risks, but he had no right to interfere with her choice.

However, after Shi Jingyi left, he immediately called the Countermeasures Research Office to contact Gao Liangwei to inform him about Shi Jingyi's situation and hoped to ensure that nothing bad would happen.

Given the current faculty resources of the college, no one can replace Shi Jingyi in teaching. If she were to leave and not return, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Not long after, Shi Jingyi also registered a social media account for the first time and posted a message to express her gratitude to the students on campus and those watching online classes off campus.

But she had made her decision and wouldn't change it. She promised to do everything in her power to survive and return to the academy, and asked the students to believe in her.

The message quickly garnered numerous comments from students.

"Teacher, no! That's too dangerous!"

"Let someone else go."

"If anything happens to Teacher Shi Jingyi, I don't mind the world ending."

"While I admire the teacher's courage and spirit, I really don't want the teacher to take such a big risk..."

"I believe that with the teacher's strength, we will definitely survive!"

"come on!!!"

Due to its high level of popularity, it quickly became a trending topic.

Many non-students who didn't know who Shi Jingyi was were surprised after learning about her, not expecting someone of her status to take such a risk.

This news spread extremely quickly and soon reached the ears of the Dragon Soul team, who were traveling with Guan Tong and accompanying him to receive the mental power transfer.

This squad, at least for now, during this period of rule, has become like Guan Tong's personal bodyguard, almost inseparable from him.

At this moment, Guan Tong was receiving a transfer of mental energy. Standing next to him, Silver Fox, who was fiddling with her phone, said, "Shadow God, even the academy's number one beautiful lecturer is coming to protect you."

"what?"

"Didn't you check your phone? Lecturer Shi Jingyi from the college said she would participate in protecting you."

Guan Tong had been busy receiving mental energy transmissions these past few days and hadn't had time to check her phone. Hearing Silver Fox's words, she was somewhat surprised and then frowned.

"Is it a protection operation like yours, or is it an operation currently recruiting volunteers to protect me using their own abilities?"

"It should be the latter."

"That's too dangerous, I disagree."

Silver Fox asked in surprise, "Do you know her?"

Guan Tong remained unfazed: "I often watch her online classes, of course I know her."

"Then you should know she's very powerful, right? With her abilities protecting you, you'll definitely be safer, so why don't you agree?"

Guan Tong frowned: "She's an academy lecturer, and so many students want to learn advanced applications of mental power from her. What if... In short, I don't approve of her getting involved."

"Hmm... your opinion is indeed very important. If you strongly object, I think the person in charge will definitely make a decision not to let Shi Jingyi join the operation."

"Then please pass on this message to me and the person in charge."

"you sure?"

"determine."

"OK then."

Silver Fox contacted Gao Liangwei and informed him of the situation.

Gao Liangwei then informed Dean Zhou Qinfeng, who was overjoyed and then informed Shi Jingyi.

Half an hour later, Guan Tong felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw a text message from Shi Jingyi, containing only five short words:
"You are not allowed to disagree."

(End of this chapter)