Free Web NovelChapter 133: Chapter 126: Official Announcement
WHOOSH.
The cloth strip was torn away, and Wang Yan took a moment to adjust to the transition from darkness to light.
She found herself in a windowless room, unable to see what was outside.
A man in a face mask stood in the corner of the room, silently watching her.
Wang Yan recalled what had happened. About ten minutes ago, on her way to work at the public security bureau, she had received a phone call telling her it was time for her to meet with her daughter, Chen Na.
Without giving her any time to prepare, a car had appeared and whisked her away. The car had partitions and all its windows were blacked out, making it impossible to see outside or know where she was going.
Upon arriving at their destination, she had been blindfolded and led into this unknown room.
She glanced down at the miniature camera she always kept pinned to her collar, surprised to find it was gone. It had obviously been discovered and removed.
’Just who are these people...’
CREAK.
The door opened. Wang Yan turned her head, and when she saw who had entered, her eyes instantly welled up. She rushed forward and threw her arms around her daughter.
"Nana!"
"Mom..."
Having not seen each other for over a month, mother and daughter both burst into tears.
Wang Yan wiped away her daughter’s tears, ruffling her hair as she asked with concern, "Nana, where have you been all this time? That organization... they haven’t hurt you, have they? Your hair..."
Chen Na now had a neat, ear-length bob, making her look a bit like the short-haired woman who had first sought them out.
"Mom... I can’t talk about the organization... Is your illness better?"
Wang Yan froze for a moment, then nodded. "It is. After I took that pill, I went to the hospital for a check-up. They found that the cancer cells were gone."
"That’s wonderful..." A joyful smile spread across Chen Na’s face.
"Nana, I know you made a deal with that organization to get this, right? Tell me, what exactly do they want you to do?"
Chen Na shook her head. "I really can’t say, or else... I just need to help them with some things. I think it’s only right. After all, they gave me such a precious medicine to cure your illness, Mom..."
"..."
Wang Yan was at a loss for words. She couldn’t argue, because it was the truth.
Without that medicinal item, she would likely be dead by now. After her diagnosis, the doctor had told her plainly that she only had one or two months left.
Chen Na said, "Mom, you don’t need to worry about me. I..."
Just then, the door opened and the short-haired woman walked in. "Chen Na, it’s about time. You know this was just a brief meeting, not a long chat."
Chen Na nodded reluctantly.
Seeing the short-haired woman, Wang Yan immediately stepped forward and demanded, "Who are you people? Why would you make a deal with a child? What do you want?!"
The short-haired woman said calmly, "Don’t get emotional, Ms. Wang. From the very beginning, we never forced your daughter to do anything. She voluntarily joined us in exchange for the life-saving medicine for you... You should be happy to have a daughter who loves you so much."
"You!" Wang Yan’s chest heaved with anger. She was, of course, moved that her daughter was willing to sacrifice for her. But as a mother, how could she accept her daughter being part of a mysterious organization, doing who-knows-what dangerous things?
If she had to choose, she would rather die from her illness than let her daughter put herself in danger for her sake.
"Mom, it’s okay... I really did this voluntarily," Chen Na said, stepping forward. "I’ll apply to see you again. We both have to keep living well!"
"Nana..."
Wang Yan looked at her daughter. In just over a month, it seemed her child had matured a great deal. The old Nana would never have said such things.
"Alright, Chen Na, we’re way over time," the short-haired woman said. Chen Na nodded, gave Wang Yan one last hug, and turned to leave.
Wang Yan tried to grab her but was blocked by the short-haired woman.
After Chen Na had left, the short-haired woman warned, "Ms. Wang, we know you’ve joined the public security bureau, and we know you want to investigate us. But I advise you, for your own sake and for your daughter’s, to stop these unnecessary actions."
Wang Yan glared at the woman. "When are you going to let her go?"
"That’s not for me to decide. Besides, Ms. Wang, perhaps you haven’t considered this carefully: your daughter’s survival rate is actually higher with us than with you. We have ample resources to invest in helping her get through the Rules. What resources can she get with you?"
Wang Yan was stunned by her words.
"That’s all for today. One more reminder before you go. If you, Ms. Wang, can live your life peacefully and refrain from unnecessary actions, the organization will allow your daughter to visit you again. But if you insist on working against us, her next request will be denied. You’d best think it over."
With that, the short-haired woman left. Wang Yan stood there in a daze for a few minutes before finally leaving the room.
After going downstairs, she realized she was still somewhere in the city center. Many people were out strolling and wandering about.
’Of course...’
It was currently a non-Rule Stage. During a non-Rule Stage, the shelters would open, and people who had been cooped up for a month all came out. Even though the outside world was a mess of demolition and construction with nothing much to do, just getting out for a walk was a relief after being confined for so long.
The organization had used this period, under the cover of the large crowds, to arrange their meeting so it wouldn’t be noticed.
"Nana..."
Thinking about the short-haired woman’s words and what her daughter had said before leaving, Wang Yan could only resolve to live well.
Only by staying alive would she ever have a chance to be reunited with her daughter.
...
「December 29th, only one day remained before the announcement of the eighth Apocalypse Rule.」
Guan Tong sat in front of his computer, reading a long announcement newly posted by the official government account.
The announcement was primarily divided into two main categories of matters.
The first was the official decision to release some non-core, non-classified data to the public nationwide.
This data was collected from various regions, compiled by the Strategy Research Room, and then analyzed by specialized data analysts who prepared reports.
Previously, these compiled reports were only circulated internally. But starting next year, January 2041, this data would be regularly released for public viewing.
Furthermore, the government would be opening dedicated channels for collecting suggestions and feedback, with both online and offline channels available at the shelters.
Good suggestions would be adopted and rewarded.
The second category of matters was that the government was beginning to encourage the private sector to develop the tertiary industry.
Ever since the Apocalypse Rules began several months ago, major countries around the world had focused their efforts on developing the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery) and the secondary sector (mining, manufacturing, and construction).
Faced with apocalyptic disasters, humanity’s first priority was to secure food, drink, and survival. Thus, many factories had been converted to primarily produce essential goods.
In North Star Country, because the government had decided to build a large number of professional-grade shelters in major cities, the secondary sector had also developed rapidly.
However, the tertiary sector (services such as transportation, finance, education, information, scientific research, and entertainment) had suffered a devastating blow.
The first to go was the complete collapse of the financial system. Currencies of all nations became worthless paper, with only Gold retaining some value.
In education, classes from elementary school to university were completely suspended. Many schools were even demolished and converted into shelters.
Scientific research faced a similar rout. The reason a "vigorously develop technology to resist the apocalypse" scenario never emerged was because the paradigm-shattering power of the Fire Thief was too terrifying.
To say nothing of anything else, an item from a random Bronze Level Survival Treasure Chest could have an effect that completely violated the physical laws humans once considered inviolable ironclad rules.
This caused the convictions of many scientists to be completely shattered. Even the most brilliant minds didn’t believe that humanity’s current level of technology could even scratch the surface of the power wielded by the Fire Thief within the next century.
So, was there any point in continuing scientific research? Many people wrestled with this question.
This was also why, when the Apocalypse Rules first began, many people had called for all of humanity to return to a simpler, pastoral life. However, since most modern humans couldn’t accept living without electricity, very few answered this call.
As for entertainment, the industry experienced a brief period of prosperity at the beginning of the Apocalypse Rules era, but it was soon plunged into the abyss as well.
Even if people could all stay home and play games or watch movies, with no one left to maintain or create new games, and no one shooting new films, it all became a stagnant pool. Now, several months later, no one even mentioned the initial "nationwide binge-gaming" phase anymore.
Now, the government was starting to encourage people with relevant talents to continue developing these fields. If they did well, the government would provide rewards such as Sublimation Coins. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The government also explained its reasoning for this. It wasn’t about using entertainment for self-delusion during a crisis, but about giving people joy and something to live for beyond mere survival. If humanity lived only to survive, it would sooner or later lose hope and develop extremist mentalities.
After reading the two main points of the official announcement, Guan Tong thought they were both excellent ideas.
Making statistical data public would give ordinary people the same opportunity as decision-makers to think from a macro perspective.
"Three cobblers with their wits combined equal a Zhuge Liang." A few people putting their heads together could produce a master of ideas. Who knew if there were masterminds among the populace comparable to a think tank? It was just that without access to data, such talented individuals had no opportunity to shine. Now, a stage was being set for them.
If they could truly analyze the situation based on the public data and come up with good ideas, they could submit them through the new channels with a chance of being adopted. It was a way of opening up avenues for advice and pooling everyone’s wisdom.
As for using Sublimation Coins as rewards to encourage talented people to develop the tertiary sector, he saw that as another good move.
Just as the announcement said, humans weren’t animals that sought only to survive. If survival became their sole pursuit, they would eventually become psychologically warped.
He didn’t even have to look at others; Guan Tong himself had been in a poor mental state not long ago. Fortunately, he lived on a mountain and was able to slowly recover with the help of the fresh, tranquil environment.
’It seems the last two survival-type Rules have caused significant psychological problems for people, forcing the government to adopt some methods for relaxation...’
Guan Tong recalled how, several months ago on the last day of the first Rule, many people had taken to the streets to cause trouble. The situation would naturally only get worse after several more months.
The sixth Rule, the Blood Plague, was a prime example. A large number of people hadn’t died from the Rule itself, but from the conflicts between people.
After that Rule ended, people began moving into the shelters. While they enjoyed the benefits of being enclosed, the confinement also gave rise to many psychological issues... As for the vast world outside the cities, it had been turned into a dog-eat-dog society by survivors and thugs, with rampant infighting...
No one knew where humanity was headed. But at the very least, the government’s actions this time had received widespread approval, both internally and from the public.
And amidst these changes, the eighth Apocalypse Rule arrived right on schedule.
