Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 271 How come I didn't know it was me?

March 11, 28 am.

Guan Tong stayed in the shelter, browsing the forum.

Many trending topics have recently emerged in the casual chat section.

Examples include "The manned rocket heading to Terra is about to launch," "Episode 2 of 'The Ascendants' will be broadcast soon," and "Guess what kind of rule the fourteenth rule will be?"

Following the conclusion of the Human Rights Alliance meeting, the announcement that a manned rocket would be launched at the end of this year has undoubtedly generated a significant response.

People hope that this attempt will be successful, giving humanity a backup extraplanetary relocation site.

No one doubts that immigrating to Terra will be the privilege of the wealthy and powerful—in fact, Terra is not a habitable planet suitable for humans. If humans were to live there, they would probably have to stay in special survival pods, be fully armed when they go out, and only be able to replenish their food with energy gels.

So unless Tianshui is completely destroyed, no powerful or wealthy person would abandon their perfectly good home planet and run to Terra to live in cramped cabins and eat tasteless energy gels every day.

As for Guan Tong, he wasn't very optimistic about space colonization.

Given the current level of human technology, it is simply impossible to develop to the point of large-scale space colonization within the few years that the 49 rules take effect.

In just a few years, even with a plethora of geniuses, technology cannot explode to that extent. Moreover, during this period, the rules of the apocalypse will interfere one after another, making it impossible for many elites and experts to focus on continuous scientific research.

Unless humans win some big prize, such as obtaining some "advanced technology blueprints" or similar items, but the probability of that is undoubtedly low.

Moreover, judging from the actions of the Fire Stealer, it will absolutely not allow humanity to escape the rules of the apocalypse on a large scale through cheating methods such as space migration.

Therefore, Guan Tong believes that space colonization can at most preserve a spark of civilization. Alternatively, it could involve placing storage devices containing historical data about the Tianshui civilization on Terra and launching them in all directions of the universe.

To truly save oneself, each individual, each person striving for self-improvement, needs to work hard to understand the rules and uncover the secrets behind them.

This is exactly what Guan Tong has been striving to do.

Besides the manned rocket, the news that the second episode of "The Ultimate Ascendant" will be broadcast soon is also attracting attention, because the first episode was a huge success under the right circumstances.

When the first episode aired, people were restricted by the "digital withdrawal" rule and couldn't use internet devices, so they could only watch the recorded video on DVD. This made the episode a nationwide variety show.

This is somewhat similar to when Guan Tong was on Earth, where information access was limited, leading to the emergence of some household-name idols in that era.

However, with the advent of the internet and mobile internet era, it has become virtually impossible to create another superstar who is universally recognized.

However, the show's explosive popularity is also due to its high-quality production. Coupled with the contestants' immense popularity—from handsome men and beautiful women to a multitude of strong competitors—and the participation of internet celebrities like "I am a good man," its success is not surprising.

However, Guan Tong felt that there was another deeper reason why the show was so popular: most of the participants had very little or no real-world experience.

Because they lack the opportunity and are afraid of the dangers of real combat, the battles between contestants on the show have become a very exciting substitute for real combat.

What show could be more exhilarating than watching a group of powerful ascendants engage in fierce battles using their abilities while staying in a safe environment? It's similar to watching survival shows while snacking and drinking – both involve watching others go on adventures from a safe perspective.

This is precisely why Guan Tong isn't as enthusiastic about the show as others—he has too much real-world experience and isn't very interested in the pseudo-real-world scenarios on reality shows.

If he really wanted to watch, he only wanted to specifically look at the combat clips of the "Snowflake Without a Trace" mech. He felt that among all the contestants, only this mech's combat power would interest him.

"Ding."

While he was browsing, a private message notification popped up.

It was a message from the trader he had arranged to meet today.

Photographic Art WW: "Meet at 10 o'clock on the north bank of the border."

Guan Tong glanced at the time; it was 9:28. It would take about twenty minutes to walk from here to the north bank of the border river.

But why walk?

Guan Tong opened his hand, and the wordless book quietly appeared in his palm. He turned the first page, and the shadow swiftly detached itself from the page, moving rapidly towards its target.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and Guan Tong, though confident in his own abilities, would never underestimate others. Regardless of who the enemy is, he always adheres to the procedure of reconnaissance before taking action.

The shadow moved swiftly, reaching the vicinity in a few moments.

According to the transmitted images, Guan Tong saw that there were already seven or eight people taking a walk on the north bank.

However, although these people appeared to be scattered, they clearly knew each other. They would occasionally exchange glances or look around, forming a loose circle that was waiting for him to come over.

"Looks like I was right, it really was a group crime..."

Guan Tong continued to observe, trying to find the leader among these people.

He quickly identified a bald, burly man sitting by the river.

The guy was wearing headphones and his mouth was constantly moving. Guan Tong manipulated his shadow to sneak closer and eavesdrop on what he was saying.

"...Be on your guard later, and make sure you see how many people are coming. Damn it, there are plenty of double-crosses these days."

"You two, at least try to act convincingly! What are you doing, pacing back and forth like that?!" "Don't give yourself away, let me tell you. That sucker noticed last time, and he almost got away. I'll say it again, nobody's getting involved until I give the order!"

"If you keep messing around like this, I'll throw you all into the river to feed the fish, just like those other rich fools before!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Tong was surprised that the other party was worried that he would double-cross him.

Although this concern is not entirely unfounded.

And his guess was right; this group were repeat offenders. They not only robbed other Ascended's Ascended Coins and items, but after robbing them, they would also kill them and throw them into the river.

"No wonder they arranged to meet by the river... They probably wanted to throw me in there to feed the fish too."

With a thought, Guan Tong's shadow began to deform and split into several thin, elongated lines.

Like tiny, hair-like snakes, they swam towards the thugs who were pretending to stroll, then slipped into their clothes through their trouser legs and lay in wait.

After completing this action, Guan Tong was certain of one thing.

That is, these thugs had neither items to defend against mental attacks nor had they learned about the flow of mental energy from Shi Jingyi's online classes, so they were completely unaware of his shadow penetration.

This will make it easier for him to take action later.

Guan Tong set off for her destination.

Ten minutes later, he appeared by the river wearing a baseball cap.

The hat covered most of her face, making it impossible to see her features.

But the thugs noticed his arrival immediately, and the bald, burly man even stood up, waved to him, and spoke through a translator.

"Are you talking about the Sakura brothers, the ones you're trading with? This way."

Guan Tong walked over, and before the bald, burly man could say anything else, she heard a standard Beixing dialect spoken by the man in the baseball cap in front of her.

"I'm not your Sakura Inori brother."

The bald, burly man was taken aback: "You're from Beixing? You used the name Sakura Inori on the website to trick me?"

Guan Tong nodded: "Otherwise, how could I 'double-cross' him?"

"You!" The bald, burly man's face changed, and he shouted, "You've tried to steal from me! All of you, get him!"

The seven or eight people who had been pretending to take a walk immediately rushed over, but after running a step or two, they suddenly felt a tightness around their necks, as if they were being strangled by some extremely tough thread.

"Ugh! Ugh!!!"

These people all fell to the ground, their hands clawing at their necks, trying to tear the strangulation cord, but to no avail; they all suffocated to death in an instant.

The bald, burly man was completely dumbfounded, not knowing what had happened. Before he could react, he felt a swift, heavy punch land on his head, leaving him instantly dizzy and disoriented.

Then his hands and feet were bound and pulled backward by some tough yet flexible "ropes", causing his body to be in a backward-leaning position, unable to make any resistance.

"No, brother! Don't kill me!" Only then did the bald, burly man realize that the other party was indeed trying to double-cross him, and that they could actually afford to do so.

"I admit defeat, I'll give you everything! Spare my life, don't kill me!"

Guan Tong looked down at the bald, muscular man: "I have a question for you. Tell me honestly."

"Go ahead and ask, brother!"

"Prince Lato of Antai State, did you bomb their convoy?"

The bald, burly man was taken aback by the question posed by the mysterious and powerful man in the baseball cap. This made him realize that the man was probably not from the underworld; he might be someone sent by the North Star government to investigate the case.

He quickly shook his head: "No, it has nothing to do with us, it was Shadow who did it!"

"you sure?"

"Confirmed! Shadow has a grudge against Rado, so it's only natural that he'd take him down. Boss, no matter which department you're from to investigate, this matter really has nothing to do with us. I'm telling the truth, you have to believe me!"

Guan Tong's tone turned cold: "You say this was done by the Shadow, then take a look at this."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bald, burly man felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder and screamed. Looking down, his face paled in horror; the source of the excruciating pain was a black, sharp spike piercing his shoulder!
"This, this is..." The bald, burly man's voice trembled. Shadow Assassination, one of Shadow's signature attack methods, was already known to many people.

Seeing it with his own eyes, the bald, burly man finally realized who the person before him was, and for a moment he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss: "You are Shadow Master, the Great God..."

"You say I did the bombing of the convoy? How come I didn't know?" Guan Tong said coldly. "I'll give you one more chance. If you don't tell the truth, next time the Shadow Assassin will not pass through your shoulder, but your throat."

The bald, burly man never expected that the legendary "Shadow" would come knocking on his door. Thinking of the latter's terrifying methods, he dared not hide it any longer and confessed with trepidation.

"Yes, we blew up the convoy... But, Shadow God, framing you wasn't my idea, it was our boss's idea, it has nothing to do with me!"

(End of this chapter)