Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 228 Hidden Rule Twelve
Digital withdrawal?

When Guan Tong saw this rule, her first reaction was that it was too simple.

What's so difficult about not using network equipment for a month?
Reading books, taking walks, chatting with people, or just tinkering with whatever you want every day, you can easily get through a month.

But looking at the note in the rules, "You who have been born with the internet," he suddenly realized a problem:
He thought the rule was simple because he was a time traveler from Earth!
The planet he traveled to had a well-developed internet, but it was far from being able to "coexist with humans."

For example, the mobile internet wave, represented by smartphones, is still considered a "young technology" in his native Earth, with a development history of only about twenty years.

However, the world he traveled to, Tianshui, had a much more advanced internet infrastructure than Earth. In particular, embodied intelligence and wearable smart devices, which were still in their exploratory stages on Earth, were already commonplace in this world.

Children on Tianshui are accompanied by smart devices from birth, with each person having an average of three to five smart wearable devices.

For example, there was a wearable bracelet called "Baby Companion" from a national brand called Beixing, which was worn by almost every child from birth. It could monitor various data indicators of the child in real time and quickly report to the parents if the child was sick, thirsty, or hungry.

It's easy to imagine that an infant wearing smart devices from birth would be considered to have a "life companion" relationship with them. As they grow older, they naturally won't resist smart devices; instead, they'll naturally perceive them as an integral part of their lives.

As a transmigrator, Guan Tong was not used to and did not consider it a necessity, so he usually only carried a mobile phone and did not use any other smart devices. This made him somewhat of an oddball in his class, which is why he did not have many friends.

But the native inhabitants of this planet have been with network devices and smart devices since they can remember, and this has become a habit and dependence.

This rule doesn't matter to Guan Tong right now, but it might be a very painful experience for others.

But no matter how you look at it, this rule is extremely easy; as long as you are determined, you can pass it smoothly.

If someone really can't stand it, choosing to give up is fine. After all, it's not a survival rule; as long as they can accept the cost of a reduction in their maximum mental power, they can naturally treat this rule as if it doesn't exist.

"I wonder what the hidden rules are behind this rule?"

Guan Tong opened the terminal panel to view the rule details.

After a moment of focused attention, the hidden rules became apparent.

Hidden Rule Twelve: Mind Connection

[Hidden Rule Content: During this rule period, Ascended individuals can create a "Mental Network" connecting each other by consuming Mental Power, enabling long-distance communication.]

[Note: If communication could be achieved directly through the mind without the need for external objects, would humanity have been able to successfully build the Tower of Babel?]

"...This hidden rule is a bit strange."

Guan Tong had some doubts after reading it.

This time, the hidden rule has no reward elements, but instead presents a method of using mental power that humans have never thought of before.

"If this 'mind network' can connect everyone, does that mean everyone can communicate directly? Like some kind of large-scale telepathy?"

Guan Tong paid particular attention to the mention of the Tower of Babel in the notes.

He remembered it as a religious legend. The story was that humanity united to build a tower to heaven, but to stop them, God made them speak different languages, preventing them from communicating and causing the plan to fail.

Guan Tong also thought of the "Human Alliance" organization that humans established before the earthquake rules... Could the Fire Stealers' current release of such rules and hidden rules also be related to this?

"Once this rule is introduced, many government departments in various countries will definitely be affected. Many tasks will be forced to be interrupted or some people will have to be sacrificed to make them pay the price of the rule's failure in order to maintain the operation of important tasks."

However… wouldn't it be a dilemma to let ordinary people whose mental energy has depleted to zero and whose terminals have shut down take over the work? I wonder if the authorities will consider this.”

"And should I make this hidden rule public or sell it...? No, that's not right." Guan Tong shook her head. "The rule doesn't allow the use of network devices, which means I can't use a computer or the Ascendant's Home website, so what's the point of making it public?"

Without a secure channel, he would never risk exposing his identity to reveal the hidden rules, which would be far more dangerous and have far more serious consequences than revealing that he is the Shadow.

"From now on, cell phones can't be used either."

He put his phone in the drawer of the table in the shelter and wouldn't touch it for the next month.

Without a cell phone, the only way to contact someone is to meet them in person or use the previously leftover "Call Scroll" item.

However, Guan Tong was more interested in studying what exactly the "mental network" mentioned in the hidden rules was, how it was established and operated, and what its effects were.

...Countermeasures Research Office.

People gathered in a very "simple" room.

This "simple" means that there are no network devices in the room, only a light bulb—which is rare, because the Internet of Things has already been realized in this world.

A table is connected to the internet, allowing you to adjust its height anytime via voice or smart settings; a fan is also connected, enabling you to adjust its speed and rotation angle; even water cups are connected these days, displaying real-time temperature and providing voice reminders to drink water at set times.

In short, in this era of the Internet of Everything, it's really not easy to find a light bulb that only needs to light up temporarily.

“These rules are not difficult for individuals,” Gao Liangwei said, “but they will be a major obstacle for departments to carry out their work.”

"The person in charge is right. If we can't use network equipment for a month, many important tasks will be delayed. Not to mention the most important ones, just the material transport vehicles rely on the network to achieve autonomous driving. If humans can't use network equipment, we can't control and allocate materials."

"Yes. Many automated devices also need networks, and behind the network are staff responsible for scheduling. Even if intelligent robots are used to do these tasks, humans still need to give commands to them."

Someone suggested, "How about letting ordinary people whose mental power limit has been reduced to zero under the previous rules take over the job?"

"Yes! That's a good idea!"

"Indeed. If an ordinary person takes on the job, it won't trigger any rule penalties."

"But will this work? As far as I know, most departments have been using the Sublimator for a long time."

Everyone was silent.

Although the authorities have repeatedly emphasized that those who have attained enlightenment should not discriminate against ordinary people, the term "enlightened one" is used most frequently in various departments within the government itself.

The reason is simple: those who have ascended have better physical fitness and can handle more intense and stressful work. They can also use ascended coins to pay wages as an incentive.

As time goes by, the physical differences between ordinary people and those who have advanced in their abilities widen, making it increasingly difficult for them to perform their jobs. This is like a natural selection process; now, most departments have very few ordinary people left.

Everyone looked at Gao Liangwei, who said in a deep voice: "Stop what can be stopped. For important functions and jobs that really cannot be stopped, we can rehire ordinary people with relevant work experience back to the department."

As for the few high-intensity jobs that ordinary people cannot handle, volunteers will be recruited from relevant departments to continue working, even if they fail to meet the rules—of course, the authorities must provide these volunteers with sufficient additional compensation.

"agree."

"It can only be this way."

Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing that this was the best possible outcome.

At this moment, Gao Liangwei looked at the personnel in charge of intelligence and information work.

"Your department needs to assign personnel to keep a close eye on the administrator of the House of Ascended, to see if they will release or sell any hidden information about this rule."

The man paused slightly, "If the other party wants to get through these rules, they shouldn't touch the network equipment, right?"

"That's true, but the other side might have some special methods. In any case, arrange for some ordinary people to take turns monitoring the website information 24 hours a day."

"Ok."

After discussing the official matters, someone mentioned, "How do we appease the public? After being unable to use internet devices for so long, people need other forms of entertainment."

"Uh, reading a physical book? Or having a face-to-face chat with someone, aren't those all fine?"

“Perhaps watching TV would also work,” suggested the entertainment expert who had previously proposed creating a variety show about rising stars. “Our first episode is currently in production and should be ready to air by mid-August.”

"TV? Don't TVs all connect to the internet?"

"Uh, I've read some popular science articles before, which said that some old TVs don't have a network module, so it should work, right?"

"No network module? What kind of TV is that? I don't think I've ever heard of it." Most people in the conference room looked blank, having never heard of a TV that couldn't connect to the internet.

“It was the kind that received analog signals, wasn’t it?” an elderly professor in the room recalled. “I remember my grandfather mentioning that kind of television when I was a child. It seems to be a product of more than a hundred years ago. Young people today have never even heard of it.”

(End of this chapter)