Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 294 The Third Stage of Parasitism

The academy, the training classroom.

After quickly completing a mental energy circulation of all the acupoints on his body, Lu Cheng slowly exhaled.

He looked at the others in the classroom, most of whom were far behind him in progress; he was far ahead of them.

"Lu Cheng".

His smugness lasted only a few seconds before he heard the lecturer calling his name.

He immediately got up and went to the front of the podium.

Shi Jingyi was sitting in the back at that moment, and her gaze toward the student in front of her was somewhat solemn.

"I heard from Instructor Qin that you've recently been cultivating using the power of spores. Is that true?"

Lu Cheng frowned, inwardly thinking that Qin Qing was really meddling in other people's business.

"Yes." Meeting Shi Jingyi's gaze, he didn't lie or try to evade the question. "The alien spores did help. But I think I controlled them very well."

Lu Cheng added, "Lecturer Jingyi, didn't you say that it's better to guide than to block? Uh... I saw that online. Anyway, I think as long as you are self-disciplined enough and careful, there won't be any problems."

"That being said, can you really control it?"

"I believe I can."

"Let's take a test."

"test?"

Lu Cheng didn't know how to test this kind of thing.

Shi Jingyi explained, "From now on, you will stop practicing the flow of mental energy."

"what?"

Lu Cheng was taken aback. He hadn't expected Shi Jingyi to make him stop practicing. Wouldn't that delay his lead?
"Seven days off only," Shi Jingyi said solemnly. "If you can refrain from practicing for seven days, I'll consider you in control. If you can't resist breaking your rule during those seven days, then it means you're already addicted... Tell me immediately then! Understand?"

I see……

Lu Cheng understood Shi Jingyi's intention.

The enhancement that spores provide to the body is a continuous process, and the intensity increases step by step.

Like some addictive substances, the pleasure they bring becomes increasingly intense. If you suddenly stop using them for a period of time and experience severe discomfort or even lose control of yourself, then it indicates addiction.

To prove himself, Lu Cheng readily agreed: "Absolutely no problem, Instructor Jingyi. I promise you I'll take a seven-day break from training."

"Very good, you keep your word."

After class, Lu Cheng returned to his dormitory.

He instinctively wanted to sit on the bed to cultivate, but then he remembered what he had said and immediately stopped.

Although Shi Jingyi wouldn't know if he secretly practiced, since he had made a promise to her face, he still intended to carry it out.

"It's just a few days of not practicing, it's nothing. I'll just focus on other classes. By the end of the seven days, Instructor Jingyi should be quite impressed with me...maybe she'll even share some secrets with me."

Lu Cheng thought that if he could persevere, it would mean he could achieve the same "go with the flow" state as Shi Jingyi. This was a great encouragement to him.

……

Pinglu City, Quarantine Zone 3.

This place was originally a large indoor stadium, but it has now been converted into an isolation zone by the authorities. Of course, "isolation zone" is just the internal term; to the outside world, it is still called the "collective training area."

At this moment, a former basketball court was densely packed with people practicing.

Most of them wore homemade so-called "signal booster hats" and muttered incantations.

The whole scene resembled a high school morning reading session, only the number of students had increased several dozen times, making it quite spectacular.

In one corner of the venue, several people in uniforms observed the scene, each with a serious expression.

"You just said they've been sitting here for six or seven hours without having lunch?" asked the middle-aged man in the white coat. He was Zhang Minglu from the Countermeasures Research Office, who was here today to conduct on-site observations in the quarantine area. "Yes," said the person in charge of the quarantine area. "People have been coming here to practice since around 7 a.m., and it hasn't stopped since."

Zhang Minglu glanced at his watch; it was already past 2 p.m.

Seven hours without food or water is becoming increasingly out of line with normal behavior.

"How late do they practice now?"

"It was 10 p.m. yesterday."

"From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.... you didn't eat anything during that time?"

"No, only a few people don't eat at all; most people will eat something around 5 p.m.

"..."

Zhang Minglu frowned, wondering if fasting was the third stage of parasitism.
The current countermeasures research lab has divided the parasitism of spores on humans into stages.

The first stage is when the host begins to show signs of fear for their life, refusing to engage in dangerous behavior or go to dangerous areas.

The second stage is when the host shows a tendency to stick together, and will strongly want to get together with other people of the same stage, the more the better.

The current prolonged fasting is like a manifestation of the third stage.

Zhang Minglu continued to ask, "When did those few people who don't eat anything start? Also, do they not eat after they finish practicing?"

The person in charge replied, "It started about two or three days ago. According to the surveillance footage, these people only eat once every two days now, and they don't eat much."

"...Okay, I understand the situation. Please continue to monitor the situation."

"That's what we should be doing."

After the person in charge left, only Zhang Minglu and Long Hun, who had come with him, remained in the corner.

He then spoke up, "Doctor, have these people who aren't eating entered the next stage of parasitism?"

“Very likely,” Zhang Minglu said, glancing sideways. “And have you noticed, a contradiction has emerged.”

"A contradiction?" Dragon Soul didn't understand for a moment.

"The first stage of a host being parasitized is to cherish life, right? Then let me ask you, is not eating for a long time a sign of cherishing life? It will only make the body weaker and weaker, and even lead to malnutrition and death."

Upon hearing this, Long Hun suddenly realized. Indeed, eating only once every two or three days was not the behavior of someone who valued their life.

“If I’m not mistaken, perhaps in the next one or at most two stages, that is, the fourth or fifth stage, the parasitism will be completely completed.” Zhang Minglu’s attitude was somewhat pessimistic. “At that time, the host may completely become the ‘parasite’ mentioned in the rules.”

Dragon Soul said, "Doctor, are we really powerless to do anything about this? Are we just supposed to watch it happen?"

Zhang Minglu shook his head and sighed: "There's nothing we can do... We've tried all sorts of methods during this time, including abilities, tools, and even medical research on alien spores, but all of them have ended in failure. The only thing that can fight against the spores is the will of humanity itself."

"..."

"To use the theory of Guan Tong, the lecturer from the academy, the Fire Stealers, as the superiors, completely suppress us humans, who are the inferiors. We can only play by the rules they set."

Upon hearing the name "Guan Tong," Long Hun's heart stirred: "Doctor, is there still no news about Guan Tong?"

"I don't know either. Investigating him isn't within my purview. Director Gao should have some information. What, Dragon Soul, are you interested in him too?"

"It's not me, it's Silver Fox."

"silver fox?"

“She only remembered it these last two days, why she had a strange feeling of familiarity when she saw Guan Tong that time,” Dragon Soul said. “Doctor, do you remember the rule about the Nightmare Beasts? Our team briefly fought against the Shadow in front of the Fog Gate.”

After recalling for a moment, Zhang Minglu nodded: "I remember. What do you mean?"

“Silver Fox attacked Shadow at close range. Although the latter was protected by armor formed by shadow, she still roughly observed his figure… She told me the day before yesterday that her sense of familiarity with Guan Tong might have come from this.”

Zhang Minglu's expression changed: "Does Silver Fox believe that Shadow's true identity is related to Guan Tong?"

"I think so."

(End of this chapter)