Free Web NovelChapter 131: Chapter 124: Humans Live on Hope
"Wang, has there been any news about Na?"
Guan Tong asked after picking up the phone. He figured Wang Yan was calling him because of this.
"Yes, Guan. I just got a call. The person on the other end said they’d let me see my daughter in a little while."
Wang Yan’s voice sounded a little anxious, as if she were worried about something.
"But they wouldn’t tell me a specific time or address. They just said they’d notify me right before and that I should keep my phone on... I think these people are probably holding Nana captive. What do you think, Guan?"
Guan Tong thought for a moment and asked, "Wang, didn’t you join the Public Security Bureau? Have you considered asking your colleagues to help you catch them then?"
"I can’t. The person on the phone knew my every move, knew I’d joined the Public Security Bureau. They specifically warned me that if I told my colleagues anything I shouldn’t, I would never see my daughter again... That’s why I can’t discuss it with them. I could only call you, Guan, to ask for your opinion."
"This could be tricky... I’m not in the city right now, so I’m afraid I can’t be of much help."
A random time and a random place. Even if Guan Tong could remotely control his Shadow, he had no leads to follow.
Wang Yan knew that Guan Tong had left the city before the wartime management was implemented. It was easy to leave back then, but now, a valid reason was required to enter or exit.
"I know. I’m planning to wear a hidden camera when I meet them to get a picture of the organization members’ faces. Then, after the meeting, I can investigate based on their faces."
From Wang Yan’s words, Guan Tong knew she already had a plan. She was just calling him to have someone to talk to and ease her anxiety.
Sure enough, Wang Yan quickly hung up to get ready after saying her piece.
As for Guan Tong, he wasn’t very optimistic about Wang Yan’s chances of getting her daughter, Chen Na, back. The key issue was that Chen Na had joined that mysterious organization voluntarily.
She had traded joining the organization for medicine and items that saved her mother’s life from late-stage cancer. Perhaps in her heart, gratitude toward the organization outweighed any resentment, because they had truly helped her.
If that were the case, and Chen Na herself didn’t resist the organization or didn’t intend to leave out of a sense of gratitude, then no matter how hard anyone else tried, their efforts would be greatly diminished.
Perhaps Chen Na felt that since the organization had saved her mother’s life, it was only natural for her to work for them.
Guan Tong mulled it over for a moment, then decided he shouldn’t overthink it. Although Chen Na was young, she wasn’t the type of child without her own opinions. She should know exactly what she was doing.
Besides, rather than worrying about other people’s problems, he just wanted to relax and decompress.
He had been on edge every day for the past month. He wasn’t in a good state and needed some time for self-healing. freewebnσvel.cøm
Just as he’d thought before, the Rule Stage would end, but the psychological damage it caused wouldn’t disappear so easily.
’I’ll just ignore everything and clear my head for a few days.’
Guan Tong wasn’t a robot; he didn’t want to force himself to endlessly pursue power.
After making his decision, he stopped overthinking and focused on trivial little things. He spent his days taking walks, turning over the soil in the small yard, and playing with Coal Ball.
Meanwhile, the situation for some people in the city was far more severe than his. Many people’s mental health was greatly affected after experiencing this rule.
The authorities took this into consideration and announced the opening of the shelters and Gathering Points the day after the rule ended. People were free to go outside, take walks, or meet with acquaintances.
Some people had someone to meet and went out cheerfully to see them. But many more had no friends and just wandered the streets.
The December weather had already turned cold, and people wore thick winter clothes when they went out. But colder than the air was the expression on everyone’s faces.
The drones hovering in the air captured face after face, almost all of them poker-faced.
Strangely, after a month of being unable to speak, now that the rule was over, one would expect people to be chattering nonstop, even striking up long conversations with random strangers on the street.
But in reality, people walking on the streets deliberately kept their distance from one another. They had no desire to converse, and many wore expressions of joyless, sorrowless apathy.
This phenomenon didn’t ease with time; instead, it grew more severe in the following days.
Some people had even persevered through the Rule Stage, only to suddenly end their own lives after it was over.
If it were just a few isolated cases, it would be one thing. But when such incidents became numerous across major cities, they soon reached a point where they could no longer be ignored, requiring the Strategy Research Room to convene a meeting to discuss countermeasures.
...
On December 7th, the Strategy Research Room held a debriefing meeting about the rule.
A data analyst began by reporting the casualties from this rule.
"Personnel outside the city were not registered, so they are not included in this count."
"Within the city, based on data reported from various locations, the total number of deaths during this rule is approximately 165,910. Over 130,000 of those were in Gathering Points, and the remaining 30,000-plus were in shelters."
Hearing this, everyone in the conference room felt that the construction of the shelters had proven effective. The casualty ratio was the most direct reflection of this.
"It’s worth noting," the data analyst continued, "that according to our statistics, of the 160,000 deaths, approximately 12,000 were not killed by Sound Hunters, but died by suicide."
Upon hearing this figure, everyone fell silent.
Twelve thousand people in the 30-day Rule Stage. That meant an average of four hundred people had ended their own lives each day.
A psychology expert said grimly, "The psychological damage this rule has inflicted on people is immense. We can’t just ignore it now that the rule is over. This kind of trauma will have major aftereffects."
"That’s right," said the data analyst. "Of those 12,000-plus people, over 2,000 committed suicide in the week after the rule ended."
The people in the conference room looked at each other, at a loss for words. They all turned to look at the person in charge.
Gao Liangwei’s expression was grim. His background gave him some understanding of the psychological effects of a repressive environment.
If this was allowed to continue, a few more similar rules could make things even worse. It was possible that before the rules could defeat humanity, humanity itself would cause its own society to collapse under the pressure.
But for the moment, he couldn’t think of a solution either.
Just then, the psychology expert spoke up. "The biggest problem right now is that people see no hope. Humans are creatures who live on hope, on the expectation of a better tomorrow. The ’one day at a time’ mentality isn’t actually sustainable long-term... If people continue to see no hope, they will break down."
"The question is, how do we give people hope?" someone said dejectedly. "Forget the general public—aren’t we also just waiting for the Fire Thief to keep releasing rules?"
"No," Gao Liangwei said. "We built a massive number of shelters in the shortest possible time, effectively reducing the number of casualties during this rule. That is the result of human initiative. In my eyes, that is hope."
"That’s true, but..."
"I have an idea," a sociologist spoke up. "An idea that could give people motivation and something to look forward to. However, it might not be approved."
"Don’t hold back. Just say it."
"Alright. We release the data—including classified data like personnel casualties." The sociologist’s first words stunned everyone in the room.
Someone wanted to object, but Gao Liangwei silenced them with a look, motioning for the sociologist to continue.
The sociologist continued, "People lack motivation because they are passively accepting everything. The rules released by the Fire Thief, the arrangements made by the authorities... Most people have almost no ability to proactively choose what to do. This creates a strong sense of being an object rather than a subject."
"So, release the classified data to the public. Once people know, they will start to see things from a decision-maker’s perspective. They’ll proactively think about how to adjust based on this information, and even discuss better countermeasures among themselves."
"This way, people will feel a sense of participation. They will be eager to offer suggestions to the authorities through various channels, and they will also understand the basis for some of the authorities’ decisions. But there’s a saying, ’information is power,’ which I believe is very true. Releasing classified data is tantamount to ceding a portion of power to the general public..."
At this, no one spoke. Ultimately, this wasn’t something they could decide, not even Gao Liangwei, the head of the research room.
After a moment of silence, Gao Liangwei said, "If it will work, I will do my utmost to persuade the decision-makers to agree."
His words eased much of the tension in the conference room.
Then, a middle-aged woman in her early forties proposed, "Speaking of giving people hope, I have an idea too. We should create ’Star Ascenders.’"
Her words left everyone feeling a bit baffled.
They all knew, however, that this woman had a rather legendary history. She had gone viral as an internet celebrity in her youth, then later founded a major entertainment company that incubated numerous online personalities, some of whom even reached the level of A-list or B-list celebrities.
She had been selected for the research room as an expert in the entertainment industry.
"Judging by your expressions, you don’t approve. I can understand that. You are all experts and scholars in your respective fields. Before the Apocalypse Rules, many of you were engrossed in academia and work, and you surely paid no attention to things like celebrity worship—or even scoffed at it."
"However, many people do have a psychological need for celebrities, both men and women. After entering the era of the Apocalypse Rules, practically all the stars and idols of the previous era have fallen from grace. Very few are still active... I believe we must adapt to the times and create Ascender stars who belong to this era of Apocalypse Rules, giving people something to admire and look forward to."
Gao Liangwei’s brows furrowed. He clearly had no fondness for celebrities or idols. But as the person in charge, he wouldn’t let his personal feelings cloud his judgment.
"How would it work, specifically?" he asked.
"First, of course, is selection," the woman said. "To become a Star Ascender, you need both power and looks—unless one of those is at the absolute top tier. For example, the legendary ’Shadow.’ If that person were willing to appear in public, they would win countless fans with their overwhelming power, even if they were hideously ugly."
"After the selection, we can have the chosen candidates record some shows. For instance, ’Ascender Power Competitions,’ ’Wondrous Uses for Ascender Abilities,’ and so on. Of course, to ensure entertainment value, everything will be scripted beforehand... If we release these shows to the public, people will definitely be interested."
"Then, based on audience feedback, we can see who has the best audience appeal and focus on cultivating them, designing more programs around them... We could even hold autograph sessions and things like that later on."
As the woman spoke, someone finally couldn’t resist interjecting, "This is an era where humanity’s survival is at stake. Isn’t doing all this a bit frivolous?"
Hearing this, the woman said calmly, "I think the Apocalypse Rules and the wartime social management system are serious enough. People now need something *not* serious to neutralize the pressure they bring."
"I agree," Dr. Zhang chimed in. "The pursuit of happiness is a human instinct. If we constantly suppress it for the sake of survival, it could, over time, lead to mass psychological collapse."
Gao Liangwei pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I will report this proposal, along with the one about releasing data, to the higher-ups for a final decision."
