Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 296 Decisions and Threats

September 12, early morning.

In the quiet college dormitory, only the students' breathing could be heard.

And the sound of someone constantly turning over.

Lu Cheng tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Today is the third night of his "seven-day break from training".

He had thought he could easily fulfill the promise he made to Shi Jingyi, but he didn't expect that before half the time had passed, he would fall into severe insomnia.

He couldn't sleep since last night. He stayed in bed until 5 a.m., and only managed to doze off for three or four hours before getting up to go to class.

Logically, since he didn't sleep well yesterday and had classes all day today, he should fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow tonight and sleep very soundly.

But to his surprise, he found himself unable to sleep again tonight.

"...No. Lying down like this will only keep me up all night until dawn."

After lying there for three hours, Lu Cheng finally couldn't take it anymore and sat up.

His three other roommates were fast asleep, while he sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window with a furrowed brow.

"What's wrong with me? Am I really addicted to spores and experiencing withdrawal symptoms?"

He thought back carefully and realized that he had indeed become somewhat different from before during this period.

For example, his need to eat has decreased. But he doesn't see this as a bad thing; instead, he sees it as a manifestation of his body's accelerated optimization.

If you can maintain plenty of energy even when you only eat one meal a day or two, isn't that a sign of improved health?
"Insomnia is probably just a result of a broken habit...it has nothing to do with spores."

Lu Cheng felt that he had been cultivating the flow of spiritual energy ever since he joined the academy. Suddenly stopping such a long-standing habit would definitely make his body uncomfortable.

"Just hang in there for a few more days. If you can't sleep in the meantime, just don't!"

Lu Cheng got out of bed, sat down at the table, and turned on his computer.

He tried to stay up until dawn by watching other online classes, but no matter what he watched, he couldn't concentrate.

Even watching mindless entertainment videos and variety shows is unbearable for him.

Moreover, it seemed like there were voices in his head constantly advising him.

Practice, or you'll fall behind.

Traveling against the current, retreating if not advancing.

If you slack off for a whole week, others will catch up with and surpass you.

As long as he practices secretly and doesn't tell anyone, Shi Jingyi won't know.

...Lu Cheng couldn't tell whether these gentle voices were real or just his imagination.

He tried to drive them away, but he couldn't do it at all.

Even with headphones on and heavy metal rock music playing, the effects of those sounds cannot be eliminated.

Moreover, as those voices increased, he increasingly felt that they made sense.

The college's academic program lasts only one year, or 52 weeks.

Excluding the time spent unable to attend classes due to rules, it would be good if half of that time, or 26 weeks, could be used for training and becoming stronger.

In these precious and short 26 weeks, Shi Jingyi asked him to take a week off from training and do nothing... Isn't that cruel to him?

Three days is reasonable, but a whole week is too much.

Lu Cheng felt a bit resentful, but then he thought that he and Shi Jingyi hadn't signed any agreement, it was just a verbal guarantee.

Just like the voice in my head said, even if I practice secretly, she won't know... No way!
Lu Cheng shook his head vigorously, trying to dismiss the idea. But it was deeply ingrained in his mind.

"Lu Cheng, what are you doing?"

The roommate in the opposite bunk got up to go to the toilet and was startled to see Lu Cheng sitting down there in the middle of the night.

"I'm fine, I just can't sleep so I'm watching online classes."

"Can't sleep and watching online classes? That's too much..." My roommate advised, "You weren't serious about what you said about Teacher Guan last time, were you? He's a genius, you can't catch up no matter how hard you try."

After his roommate finished speaking, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom, completely unaware of how unpleasant Lu Cheng's expression became after he said those words.

"Teacher Guan..."

It would have been better if Guan Tong hadn't been mentioned, but the moment she was, Lu Cheng's mental balance tipped instantly.

That's right, it's simply impossible to catch up with a genius like Guan Tong through ordinary efforts.

But with the amplification from the spores, Lu Cheng felt his strength advancing by leaps and bounds... Would such an opportunity really come again?
Lu Cheng glanced at his phone screen. "Today is the 15th, and the rules only last for half a month. That means the rules will end in half a month, the spores will disappear, and without their help, it will be impossible to make such leaps in progress every day like we are now."

Lu Cheng took a deep breath.

He had to consider whether this was the only opportunity he would ever have.

Should I keep the promise I made to Shi Jingyi and waste a precious week of spore-assisted time? Or should I believe in myself, seize this opportunity that may never come again, and improve my strength as much as possible?

Lu Cheng's breathing became heavier.

He has made his decision.

……

Countermeasures Research Office Base.

Inside the cafeteria, several researchers watched with curiosity as a group of people devoured their lunch and hurriedly left.

"Are they from the intelligence agency? Why are they in such a hurry to have a meal?"

"It seems like something happened these past two days; the staff and departments have been very busy."

"You don't know yet?" one of the group said. "Something really has happened, and it's not just one thing."

"What is it? Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."

"I heard about it too. One thing is related to the true identity of the Shadow. The other thing is about Sakura Inori. It is said that the Shadow went there and caused a great disturbance, and killed the Divine Child."

The other students at the table, who were engrossed in their studies and unaware of the outside world, were all taken aback when they heard this.

"Has the Shadow's identity been discovered?"

"Wasn't the Divine Child the leader of the powerful Sakura Inori family? How could the Shadow have killed him?"

"This is really a big deal..."

The topic that people at the base were discussing had long been on the desk of the person in charge, Gao Liangwei.

He was holding a discussion meeting at the time, and the participants were all department leaders.

"Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, based on the experience of our internal staff, we speculate that the true identity of the Ascended One 'Shadow' may be this person."

The large screen displayed a young face with a calm expression.

People from all departments recognized him when they saw the photo.

"Isn't this Guan Tong, the lecturer from that academy?"

"He's the Shadow?!"

Gao Liangwei said, "The intelligence department is currently conducting a detailed investigation and searching for evidence. One thing is certain: Guan Tong has been missing since leaving the academy. And it has been confirmed that Shadow recently appeared in the Sakura Inori area."

“Our intelligence team has already requested that Sakura Inori transmit surveillance data from various locations. If there are any records of Hitomi appearing in those records, then it can be almost certain that he is indeed ‘Shadow’.”

Everyone looked at each other.

It would be great if we could confirm the shadow's identity, but what's the next step?

“Another matter,” Gao Liangwei continued, “Sakura Inori’s diplomatic department has lodged a strong protest at the UN-China remote meeting, accusing the Shadow of committing war crimes against their country.”

"War crimes?"

"Yes. Sakura Inori accused the Shadow of attacking the official administration building, capturing and killing several official Ascendants, and also assassinating the head of the Misawa family, Misawa Jun... also known as the 'God Child'."

"Given Sakura Inori's national system, Misawa Jun is considered their supreme commander. Therefore, Sakura Inori officials believe that the Shadow's assassination attempt on him is no longer limited to murder, but rather an act of war against the entire Sakura Inori."

Zhang Minglu then asked, "The person in charge, what is Yingqi's official stance?"

"Sakura, as a member of the Human Alliance, is demanding that North Star assist in the capture of Shadow. If North Star refuses, Sakura will withdraw from the Human Alliance and consider North Star a hostile force."

"Hostile forces?" someone immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this. "How dare they threaten our North Star! If we hadn't sent ships to help them evacuate their population during the earthquake, how many people would be left in Yingqi now?!"

"It's just a pretense. Becoming an enemy of Beixing is tantamount to courting disaster. Do they think they can just secretly buy some weapons from the Soro Empire and put them to good use?"

“That’s right. Moreover, the reasons why Shadow did this are still unclear, so it’s unwise to make a hasty judgment. If the situation is similar to that of Antai State before, then our assistance to Yingqi in capturing Shadow will only anger our own people.”

“How to decide this matter is not up to us,” Gao Liangwei said. “What we can do now is try to contact Shadow as soon as possible and find out the specific situation.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Minglu thought of several people.

If we guess that the shadow is Guan Tong, then we can naturally seek a breakthrough by looking at Guan Tong's interpersonal relationships.

People like Wang Yan and Chen Na (mother and daughter), Xu Xiaotian, and Shi Jingyi can try to contact Guan Tong through them.

“However,” Gao Liangwei changed the subject, “I personally cannot accept Sakura Inori’s threats, and I will report the countermeasures research office’s opinion to the decision-making level.”

(End of this chapter)