Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 246 We've Grown a Lot
September 2, Pinglu City Court.

When Guan Tong arrived, the audience seats in the courtroom were already full.

Teacher Chen, who arrived early, saved a seat for him, and he sat down.

"Too many people are paying attention to this case," said Teacher Chen. "Teacher Guan, you saw it when you came in just now, right? Besides those inside, there were also many people gathered outside."

"I saw it."

In fact, there have been many similar cases in the past year or so where conflicts between those who have transcended their spiritual realm and ordinary people have resulted in injuries or deaths and led to lawsuits.

But none of them can compare to the impact of today's event.

Guan Tong believes the reasons are varied.

For example, people at the camp filmed a clear video of the conflict and uploaded it to the internet. Or, one side of the conflict consists of high-achieving college students, while the other side consists of ordinary people living in a wilderness camp. The contrast in their identities alone is enough to generate a lot of buzz.

The collision of these factors has created a chemical reaction, which is why this case has become a case of concern to the whole country and even the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

"Teacher Guan, what do you think the verdict will be?"

"Hard to say."

"Oh, the judge is here."

The court staff began to enter the room, and after taking their positions and making brief preparations, they announced the start of the trial.

Soon, Shen Yun and four other students, along with several representatives from the camp, were all brought up by the bailiffs.

Guan Tong glanced at Shen Yun and the others; each of them looked haggard.

Although they weren't punished much during their days of confinement, the fear of the consequences was enough to torment them.

Once everyone has arrived, the process officially begins.

After entering the post-apocalyptic era, time is precious and efficiency is paramount, and all official procedures have been significantly shortened.

The same applies to court hearings now. After explaining the events and presenting the evidence, they quickly issue verdicts against the four students other than Shen Yun.

Of the four, three were convicted of legitimate self-defense, while one was convicted of excessive self-defense.

The tall boy was convicted of excessive self-defense; he crippled two people and killed one, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

The tall man was devastated on the spot after hearing this.

The judge believed that the sentence should have been more than eight years, but considering factors such as surrendering himself to the police, he reduced the sentence accordingly.

The five-year sentence may seem like a reduction, but the problem is that it's uncertain whether humanity will even exist five years from now. Given the pace of the apocalyptic rules, all forty-nine articles will likely be in effect within five years.

Even if everything goes smoothly, it means that he has been in prison for the past few years and has basically lost the opportunity to grow.

When it came to Shen Yun, the judge ultimately sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Upon hearing the verdict, Shen Yun looked indignant, his fists clenched, clearly dissatisfied.

There was also a lot of discussion in the audience.

"Life imprisonment is too harsh!"

"He killed so many people, why wasn't he sentenced to death?!"

"Is this a plan to operate behind closed doors in the future?"

"My life is completely ruined now..."

Some people think the sentence is too lenient, while others think it is too harsh; there is no consensus.

Upon hearing the life sentence, Teacher Chen looked regretful: "What a pity. With Shen Yun's grades and performance, he could have had a very bright future. Teacher Guan, do you think this sentence is reasonable?"

Whether it's reasonable or not, let's just leave it at that.

Guan Tong actually had a premonition that it would be "more than twenty years".

He felt that a death sentence was unlikely, because Shen Yun was indeed acting in self-defense. But with so many people dead, a lenient sentence was also impossible.

After the verdict was announced, Shen Yun stated in court that he did not accept the verdict and requested an appeal.

Several people in the gallery also slipped out beforehand to inform the crowd waiting outside the courthouse.

The news spread quickly, sparking a storm of discussion online.

Whether people think it's too harsh or too lenient, everyone generally agrees that once the sentence is a few years, there will be no further developments.

Because for those who have ascended to higher realms while imprisoned, the authorities will only provide some assistance when facing survival-related rules. However, for non-survival-related rules, the authorities do not allow prisoners to leave prison in order to complete challenges.

For example, the fifth apocalyptic rule previously released by the Fire Stealers: "Night of the Living Dead".

Ascended individuals in prison naturally don't need to worry about being threatened by the undead. However, they won't be allowed to go outside to kill the undead and earn Ascended Coins.

Over time, even the strongest Ascendants in prison will gradually weaken until their mental power depletes to zero, at which point their panels will close and they will become ordinary people.

One can imagine how desperate those who undergo this process of transformation must feel, helplessly watching themselves fall behind the main group and gradually weaken.

Rebellion or escape is virtually impossible. The official prisons where Ascended are held have been specially treated, and even the guards are Ascended who are paid by Ascended coins.

When Guan Tong and Teacher Chen left the court, President Zhou Qinfeng was standing at the door sighing.

Seeing the two of them come out, Zhou Qinfeng stepped forward and said, "Teacher Chen, Teacher Guan, I never expected it to turn out like this! Such an outstanding student has been ruined like this!"

"Didn't Shen Yun say he was going to appeal?" Teacher Chen said. "Perhaps there's still a chance the appeal will be downgraded..."

Her voice trailed off, clearly indicating that it was unlikely.

Zhou Qinfeng shook his head and said, "Even if it's reduced to ten or eight years, is there any difference between that and life imprisonment in this era? By then, all forty-nine rules will have ended, and even if humanity survives, it will have nothing to do with them anymore. Professor Guan, don't you agree?"

Guan Tong nodded slightly. Although he didn't think that humanity couldn't function without Shen Yun and the other kids, he could understand Zhou Qinfeng's meaning.

Teacher Chen sighed helplessly: "They just had to cause trouble themselves. They're around twenty years old, and they don't even know how to use their strength."

Just then, Zhou Qinfeng's phone rang. He answered it and listened for a few moments before exclaiming in shock, "What? The students are causing trouble?! I'm going back right now!"

He hurriedly hung up the phone: "Quickly, Teacher Chen, Teacher Guan, we need to get back to the college immediately! The students are causing a disturbance after they found out the court results!"

The three of them dared not delay and immediately rushed back to the academy.

Upon entering the gate, one hears a chaotic commotion. Hundreds of students are gathered in front of the office building, chanting slogans such as "Innocent release" and "Shen Yun is innocent."

Some teachers tried their best to dissuade them, but to no avail. However, the students dared not do anything other than chant slogans, because the college's security personnel were all nearby on high alert, posing a strong deterrent.

Zhou Qinfeng jogged to the front of the group of students and called out loudly, "Students, please calm down!"

The students became even more agitated upon seeing the dean.

"Shen Yun is innocent! We cannot sacrifice him to appease public opinion!"

"Dean, you should lead us in speaking out in protest!" "This is reverse discrimination against us students; we cannot accept it!"

Zhou Qinfeng tried his best to comfort her, while Guan Tong and Teacher Chen both frowned.

Just then, another teacher ran over, looking extremely anxious, and said, "Teacher Guan, Teacher Chen, some students are causing trouble in the faculty dormitory. Could you please go and resolve this? We really don't have enough manpower here."

To cause trouble in the faculty and staff dormitory?

Guan Tong and Teacher Chen exchanged a glance, both vaguely guessing what was going on, and immediately went over.

When I got downstairs, I saw about fifty or sixty students gathered there, shouting loudly into the dormitory building:
"Traitor! Come out!"

"She's a senior from the previous year, how could she do something like this!"

"It's one thing to sneak into the students' mental network and eavesdrop, but to actually report them to the dean is shameless!"

When Guan Tong and Teacher Chen heard the students' shouts, their suspicions were confirmed. The students were indeed causing trouble in the faculty dormitory because they were after Fang Qian, their counselor.

Fang Qian gave testimony in court, and this news must have reached the college. It's not surprising that the students are angry and cause her trouble.

"I never thought that what we were worried about would actually happen!" Teacher Chen said with a worried look. She and Guan Tong had previously discussed that Fang Qian's situation would not be good after she was exposed, but they did not expect it to become a reality so quickly.

"Let the students disperse first," Guan Tong said.

"Correct."

The two walked forward, and the dozens of students fell silent upon seeing them.

Teacher Chen gently advised, "Classmates, why don't you go back first? We can discuss any complaints later."

One student shook his head and refused, saying, "Teacher Chen, Counselor Fang somehow infiltrated our mental network and even tattled on us. If it weren't for her, the college wouldn't have known about leaving the city, then..."

"Does the fact that the academy doesn't know mean the conflict at Eagle Ridge won't happen?" Guan Tong asked.

"Even if this were to happen, it wouldn't have turned out like this."

"You mean if I hadn't gone, Shen Yun and the others could have silenced the rest of them, thus avoiding any further trouble?"

The student's expression changed drastically, and he shook his head repeatedly: "That's not what I meant!"

Another student calmly said, "Teacher Guan, if the academy didn't know about this, there would only be a dozen or so people who managed to sneak out of the city. If a dozen or so of them went to Eagle Ridge together, would those ordinary people dare to make a move when they saw that number? That way, the conflict might not have happened."

"Makes sense!"

"Yeah, those guys only dared to attack because they outnumbered Shen Yun and his group. If we had a dozen or so of us, would they have dared to make a move?" The other students chimed in.

Guan Tong said, "Your assumption is very good. Then let me ask you, what are your demands now?"

Demands?

The group exchanged glances, and the calm student spoke again: "Let counselor Fang Qian give us a sincere apology!"

"That's right, make her apologize to us!"

"An apology is the least she can do, and she shouldn't be a counselor anymore."

Guan Tong nodded: "And then?"

after?

The students stopped thinking about the question.

"Do you just want her to apologize?" Guan Tong asked. "Or do you think that the person who made her do that doesn't need to apologize, and that only the person who carried it out should be held responsible?"

"what……"

The students were stunned.

Teacher Chen tugged at Guan Tong's arm and whispered a reminder, "Teacher Guan, don't talk nonsense!"

Guan Tong ignored him and looked at the calm student: "What do you think?"

The student started to stammer.

At this moment, the door of the faculty and staff dormitory building opened from the inside, and Fang Qian and her friend Qin Qing, who was with her, came out on their own.

She seemed to have heard what was happening outside, and walked up to the crowd, bowing deeply: "I apologize to you all, I'm sorry!"

"..."

Although the students had been clamoring for Fang Qian to come out, they were at a loss for what to do now that she had actually come out to apologize.

Looking at the teardrops falling on the ground directly below her, and considering what Guan Tong had said earlier, many of them felt uneasy and realized something was wrong.

Teacher Chen then pressed on, saying, "Alright, Counselor Fang has already apologized, so everyone should forgive him. Come back with me."

"……gone."

"gone back."

The students seized the opportunity and quickly turned around and followed Teacher Chen away.

"Qianqian, they've all left, you don't need to bow anymore!" Qin Qing said quickly when she saw Fang Qian still bowing after the students had left.

Fang Qian slowly straightened up, her face already covered in tears.

Qin Qing felt her pockets and realized she didn't have any tissues, so she quickly ran back to get some.

Only Guan Tong and Fang Qian remained in front of the building. Guan Tong spoke up, saying, "Why did you take on this task in the first place? This outcome was inevitable."

Fang Qian remained silent for a moment before saying, "I don't want to make things difficult for others..."

"So you sacrificed yourself for others. I never would have guessed that you'd become such a noble person after just over a year."

"..."

Fang Qian thought Guan Tong was being sarcastic, but when she looked through her glasses with her blurry vision, she found that there was no sarcasm on Guan Tong's face, only calmness.

She sniffed and said, "I will apply to leave the academy and go somewhere else. As for what happened back then, I..."

"Fang Qian, you must have heard what I just said to the students, right?" Guan Tong suddenly said. "Do you know what I was thinking when I said those words?"

"……what?"

"Why did I only blame you and not your parents who called you? They were the ones who told you about the hidden rules and instigated you to attack me. Is the fault solely yours?"

Fang Qian was stunned.

After saying her last words, Guan Tong turned and left.

"So, I think we've all grown a lot over the past year. Wherever you go in the future, remember what happened today and don't repeat the same mistakes."

(End of this chapter)