Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 210 The Terrifying Destructive Power of a Magnitude 9 Earthquake
Guan Tong felt that there weren't many people in this world who were connected to him, so if he had a choice, he didn't want these few people to take the risk.

Such as Shi Jingyi, Chen Na, Xu Xiaotian, etc., this can also be said to be part of his own personal interests.

But when he saw the text message from Shi Jingyi, he knew there was definitely no way to get through to her.

He silently pressed the lock button, looked at his phone screen as it went dark, and felt a mix of emotions.

However, he didn't have much time to be distracted, and his attention was quickly drawn back to the transformation of mental power.

Using items that restored his energy and eliminated fatigue, he did not sleep or eat for the next seventy hours, but simply kept teleporting to the Ascended's gathering points to receive psychic energy.

Meanwhile, the Countermeasures Research Office was busy coordinating efforts while also gathering volunteers who wanted to protect Guan Tong.

There weren't many volunteers, only about a hundred. Gao Liangwei met with them personally and emphasized the risks involved again, asking each person if they were truly volunteering.

Everyone gave an affirmative answer.

The words of one young man represent the sentiments of everyone.

"We just want to do our part for the people of this land."

This deeply moved Gao Liangwei.

Most of them work tirelessly every day, all for this one sentence: to help more people on this land survive in the cruel post-apocalyptic world.

Afterwards, before the magnitude 9 earthquake struck, the research team showed these 100 people full video recordings of the epicenters of the previous earthquakes.

These videos were recorded by personnel like the Dragon Soul Squad, and they provide a direct view of the impact of strong seismic waves on people.

"This is a live recording from the epicenter of the last magnitude 8 earthquake."

Zhang Minglu personally served as the guide, giving a video presentation to a hundred people in the large conference room.

The video footage shows a shockingly devastating scene at the epicenter. The ground cracks, dust storms, and the visibly liquefied surface create a powerful visual impact.

Even more astonishing was the unmoving pillar of the earth's veins located at the epicenter, and the figure standing atop it.

"Is that the shadow?" someone exclaimed. "How is he able to stand so steadily on it?!"

“The shadow used many methods to stabilize its body,” Zhang Minglu explained. “For example, it manipulated the rope formed by the shadow to tie to the pillar of the earth vein, and it constantly used various defensive items to reduce the impact of the seismic waves.”

"This is too dangerous..."

"Yes. That's why we recruited you volunteers to help. Because the protection provided by your abilities is usually much more effective than defensive items."

"..."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

It must be said that seeing firsthand footage of the epicenter from a first-person perspective instilled a great deal of fear in one's heart.

Zhang Minglu said, "It's not surprising that everyone feels scared, after all, these video materials have not been released, and you didn't know what the situation was like in the epicenter beforehand."

He said with a serious tone, "What I want to tell you is that this is the epicenter of an 8-magnitude earthquake. The upcoming 9-magnitude earthquake, and then the 10-magnitude earthquake, will only be more terrifying! If you watch these videos and want to back out, it's not too late."

Gao Liangwei had previously advised Zhang Minglu to quit, but Zhang Minglu came again this time.

Moreover, recording the scene on video is a more effective way to dissuade people from leaving.

Many members of the 100-person group who hadn't left before are now wavering.

Zhang Minglu did this simply to retain the most determined volunteers. Otherwise, if they hesitated, they might falter once they arrived on site, affecting the overall operation.

A moment later, some people silently took the lead in getting up and leaving, while others followed with their heads down. About thirteen or fourteen people left.

"I originally thought that after watching the video, half of the people would choose to leave, but I didn't expect so many to stay. On behalf of the research lab, I thank you."

Zhang Minglu bowed deeply to the remaining people.

After straightening up, he said seriously, "Now I will explain the specific action plan to everyone."

……

Having gained ample experience in personnel mobilization through previous deliveries, the number of people providing mental energy to Guan Tong within this 72-hour period reached tens of millions.

There's a method to selecting these millions of people. Previously, people were transported in groups from entire shelters or gathering points, but this resulted in lower efficiency due to varying levels of mental strength.

Therefore, improvements were made this time, and those selected to transfer mental energy to Guan Tong were all Ascended individuals with a mental energy limit exceeding 100 points.

In the end, Guan Tong absorbed and transformed the energy, and his accumulated mental power barely broke through the hundred million level for the first time.

With hundreds of millions of stored spiritual power, Guan Tong truly felt like he was holding a mountain of gold. However, this feeling didn't last long, as a magnitude 9 earthquake suddenly struck.

At 0:14 a.m., less than fifteen minutes into the new day, the earthquake bureau detected the outbreak of a mega-earthquake.

When the coordinates of the epicenter were determined, everyone was taken aback.

"The epicenter of this earthquake is located in the center of Yunhua City!" The coordinate information was transmitted to Guan Tong and the others immediately, and they began to transmit the information collectively according to the established plan.

This time, in addition to the regular action team, there was also a "volunteer team" of fifty people. Their only task was to use their abilities to reduce and share the impact of the seismic waves on Guan Tong.

These fifty people were now surrounding Guan Tong. There were also dozens of others who had not participated this time and were saving them for the final magnitude 10 earthquake.

Shi Jingyi, whom Guan Tong cared about more, was not in the volunteer team this time. Undoubtedly, she knew that the final level 10 was the most dangerous, so she chose to participate next time.

hum!
A large teleportation array was activated, and everyone disappeared without a trace in an instant, only to reappear in the epicenter area a moment later.

The instant the teleportation ended, everyone deployed all defensive measures according to the established plan.

The volunteer team immediately used their abilities to create a protective barrier around Guan Tong to withstand the seismic waves.

However, the immense power of a magnitude 9 earthquake was manifested in its most brutal form.

Within just two seconds of the teleportation being completed, more than ten people died from internal organ rupture caused by the seismic waves, while others were pierced through the body by mud columns that spewed from the ground dozens of meters high.

Moreover, this earthquake occurred in the center of a major city, causing all the high-rise buildings to collapse. The resulting dust walls stretched for over a hundred meters, instantly engulfing many people and making them unable to see.

"Defense! Defense!"

People shouted, but the sounds they made were inaudible even to themselves.

In the epicenter of the magnitude 9 earthquake, the underground roar was like thunder, making people dizzy. Some people even fell immediately while dizzy, falling into bottomless crevices or being completely "swallowed" by the undulating asphalt road.

No one had experience going deep into the epicenter of a magnitude 9 earthquake, so even with ample preparations, they were still caught off guard when they arrived at the scene.

More than half of the volunteer team originally tasked with protecting Guan Tong died within seconds of being teleported. The rest were stunned by the apocalyptic disaster, abandoning all mission plans and revealing only their animalistic instincts in the face of natural disaster, their minds gripped by boundless fear.

Guan Tong himself was also shocked by the terror of the magnitude 9 earthquake, but he did not forget what his mission was. After finding the pillar of the earth veins, he made a difficult approach to it.

If he had difficulty maintaining his balance during an 8-magnitude earthquake, this time he was like a kite, being tossed about by the seismic waves, only kept from being thrown far away by the pull of thousands of seismic lines.

As for his other teammates, he couldn't see any of them. He didn't know where they had been swept away by the impact; he knew many of them were probably dead, but he had no ability to rescue them.

A few seconds later, he laboriously used the shadow lines to pull himself to the edge of the ley line pillar. The moment he made contact with it, he unleashed hundreds of millions of units of mental energy without holding back.

The damage caused by a disaster of this magnitude is extremely terrifying for every second it lasts. Guan Tong must commit all his resources at once, unlike before when he could invest half first to assess the situation.

He didn't know if it was because he had output too much at once, but for the first time, he felt that the [Wordless Book] he was holding against his chest had become incredibly hot, and then a violent "cracking power" was injected into the pillar.

Accompanied by a deafening rumble, Guan Tong could see the outer shell of the pillar peeling off in large quantities, with a very noticeable effect.

Even so, he could still feel the intense vibrations within the pillar. This meant that, just like last time, even if he used up all his stored mental energy, he still couldn't completely destroy the ley line pillar; he could only weaken it.

This meant that the earthquake would continue for the next few minutes, but Guan Tong's mental energy was almost completely depleted, making it impossible for him to continuously rebuild his shadow armor, which undoubtedly put him in a dangerous situation.

The Ascended Ones who were originally responsible for protecting him had all disappeared without a trace, and Guan Tong couldn't be sure how many had survived. This frustrated him greatly, and he felt that the plan had essentially failed.

Then another wave of seismic waves struck. Even though the pillars of the earth's veins had been damaged, the force of the impact was still too much for Guan Tong, whose mental energy was almost depleted, to withstand.

No, if this continues, my life will be in danger!

Guan Tong realized the urgency of the situation and could only use the little mental power he had left to use "Shadow Shift" to exchange positions with a shadow line in the distance.

After he left the epicenter, he immediately felt a sense of exhaustion. He quickly took out the remaining items that restored his strength and used them, which made him feel a little better.

"A magnitude 9 earthquake is terrifying; human power is completely powerless against it," Guan Tong thought. "Especially the epicenter area, which is an absolute 'no-go zone'."

Thinking about the hidden rules of this rule, he felt for the first time that the hidden rules were less about mitigating the disaster and more about luring more powerful people to their deaths.

Even he almost couldn't withstand it, let alone ordinary strong individuals. If many who have transcended themselves believe that they can save their country and compatriots simply through self-sacrifice, they are probably completely wrong.

More likely, the moment they enter the epicenter, they will face a tremendous threat of death, and even making it extremely difficult to reach the pillars of the ley lines.

Was this the work of the Fire Stealer? What was its purpose? Was it really because the formation of the "Human Alliance" by humans angered it, so it designed this rule to eliminate most ordinary people through a super earthquake, and then attract a large number of powerful people to their deaths through hidden rules?
Guan Tong was confused. The only thing he was certain of was that the Fire Stealer was not some pre-programmed, fixed operation; it must be a being with its own consciousness.

The mural "Chronicles of Qimo Star" that it previously painted for Qimo Star proves this point. The mural even evoked an emotional response from Guan Tong, which means that the Fire Stealers should also have emotions.

...But thinking about these things now is pointless.

It's still unrealistic for humans today to have a deep understanding of, or even to have personal contact with, the fire-bringers; it will take time.

Guan Tong took a deep breath, took out a [Soul Candy] and ate it. After the five-minute earthquake time ended, he used the teleportation ability again to return to the epicenter area.

By now, some of the dust had settled, and everything around was exceptionally clear under the bright moonlight—yet this was the heart of a bustling metropolis, and now to have such an unobstructed view, as if we were on a plain, was it really a good thing?

Guan Tong looked around and a sad truth was laid out before her.

His hometown, Yunhua, a once-major city, was completely destroyed and razed to the ground in this earthquake disaster.

(End of this chapter)