Free Web NovelChapter 97: Chapter 92: Hidden Rule 6
It’s a virus that can be transmitted through the air and blood!
After the Fire Thief finished explaining the rule, Guan Tong instinctively glanced at the closed door of his shelter.
’My shelter’s water, power, and internet are all independent systems,’ Guan Tong thought. ’The air inside should be sealed off from the outside, too. If I just stay put for fifteen days, I should be safe...’
Guan Tong’s first instinct was to stay in the shelter for fifteen days and not go outside.
This rule was truly terrifying. A highly lethal virus that killed within 24 hours of infection, and it was airborne. Without professional protective equipment, any exposure to the outside air carried the risk of infection.
’To go outside, I’d need a full hazmat suit, plus a professional-grade oxygen mask and tank... I don’t have any of those things.’
Guan Tong’s supplies only consisted of food and some basic necessities like lighters and common medicines.
He did have some protective gear, but it was just regular-grade masks and disinfectant. He wouldn’t dare rely on those to go outside.
’The food I have left is definitely enough for Coal Ball and me to last fifteen days,’ he thought. ’But with a disaster of this magnitude, the death toll this time will probably be...’
Guan Tong didn’t dare to imagine how many people would die after this rule. In terms of lethality to humans, this Blood Plague Virus was far more terrifying than the previous snow disaster.
...He would check the hidden rule first.
Guan Tong took a deep breath, momentarily pushing aside the horror of this rule, and opened his Terminal Panel to check the details.
As he watched, the hidden rule quickly assembled and appeared.
[Hidden Rule Six: The Genetic Lottery]
[Hidden Rule Content: During this rule, a very small number of humans possess a natural adaptive antibody to the virus. After being infected, they will not bleed out and die. Instead, within 24 hours, they will gain a special ability called "Infection Awareness," which allows them to sense whether people within a 100-meter radius are infected. Extracting the serum from these individuals and injecting it into oneself can provide immunity to/cure the virus.]
[Note: Would you want to win this genetic lottery?]
After reading the hidden information, Guan Tong’s first reaction was a sense of horror.
’Is the Fire Thief doing this on purpose?’
Anyone who discovered they had "Infection Awareness" within 24 hours of being infected, if they were smart enough, would definitely realize they had the antibody. At that point, the first thing they’d have to do is get away from other people, or else...
Once the information in this hidden rule became public knowledge, those who had won this so-called "genetic lottery" would certainly become targets for a collective hunt! If they were caught by some violent group, they could even be bled to death.
And this scene of humans turning on each other was probably exactly what the Fire Thief loved to see. freēwēbnovel.com
A chill went through Guan Tong. He could never release this hidden rule to the public. Not even on an untraceable network. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
He didn’t know if doing so would be saving people or killing them. Perhaps those saved by injecting the serum would be grateful to him, but if the "genetic lottery" winners were hunted down and killed, who would be responsible for their deaths?
’It’s too horrible...’
That was the only thought in Guan Tong’s mind. This hidden rule was practically designed to make people kill each other for survival.
Considering all the past rules, Guan Tong couldn’t help but wonder, ’If this keeps up, how many people will be left alive on this planet?’
Even knowing the Fire Thief’s goal was to cull humanity, very few could accept it all with a clear conscience.
’...What can I even do?’
Guan Tong silently sat back down on his bed.
Other than hiding in his shelter and waiting out the fifteen days, it seemed there was nothing he could do.
During the previous Night of the Living Dead, he had been able to rush out and eliminate the Mother Transformer immediately.
Even though he had done it for the special reward, objectively, by taking out the Mother Transformer so early, he had ended the creation of Living Dead in his area far ahead of schedule. In doing so, he had indirectly saved at least some people who would have otherwise died in attacks from the Living Dead.
But now, facing the Deadly Blood Plague rule, Guan Tong found that all the abilities he prided himself on were useless.
Neither Shadow nor Silver Hunter were of any use in this rule.
A virus was an enemy you couldn’t even see. It wasn’t just him; thinking back on all the powerful individuals he’d met in the challenges... every last one of them, who among them could do anything against a virus?
Take Lucifer, for example. Even if he had wings and could fly, was there no air at high altitudes? It’s not like he could fly into outer space. He could still get infected just like anyone else.
"Meow."
Coal Ball meowed, seemingly hungry, its eyes fixed on the backpack where the supplies were kept.
Guan Tong sighed helplessly and got it some food. Watching it eat so leisurely, he felt a small pang of envy for its animal ignorance.
However, watching Coal Ball eat, Guan Tong suddenly remembered an idea he’d had before.
He had once thought that when his Psychic Power became high enough, he could rely on the Wordless Book to be self-sufficient. If he ran out of food, he could just write "food" on its pages.
’Self-sufficient...’
Guan Tong took the Wordless Book from his storage box and flipped through its pages one by one.
Shadow, Silver Hunter, Psychic Power, the shelter... the contents of each page had been a massive help, allowing him to survive the previous rules.
He flipped to the fifth page and once again tried to pick up his pen.
On Holy Grail Island, his Psychic Power limit had been 132. After the challenge ended, it became 134, and now, half a month later, it had increased by another point to 135.
’Will these extra 3 points be enough for me to finally write something?’
He held onto a sliver of hope and tried to write on the page, but the next moment his right hand was repelled.
His hope shattered in an instant. Guan Tong tossed the pen aside.
’Still can’t do it, huh.’
The moment he tried to write, he only wanted to write a single word:
Serum.
That’s right. If his Wordless Book could manifest anything, why couldn’t it manifest the serum antidote needed for this Blood Plague rule?
If he could create a large amount of serum, couldn’t he save many people? This sudden idea had prompted his attempt, but it had ended in failure.
But failure didn’t mean it was the end.
On the contrary, the emergence of this idea felt like it had opened up a new way of thinking for Guan Tong.
In the past, it was always the Fire Thief setting the rules and making the moves, while humanity could only take the hits. Their greatest hope was simply not to be killed by the latest blow.
But today, at this very moment, Guan Tong had the idea of "countering the move" for the first time.
’If I can unlock enough pages in the Wordless Book, and if my Psychic Power is high enough, maybe one day I can actually fight back against the Fire Thief’s rules... As long as I can succeed just once, it means there’s hope.’
This optimism took deep root in Guan Tong’s heart.
...
In the Apocalypse Rules Strategy Research Room, an emergency meeting regarding the sixth Apocalypse Rule was underway.
Every participant was wearing a professional gas mask and a high-grade protective suit, ensuring that no part of their skin was exposed to the air.
The government had spent enormous resources to establish this Strategy Research Room and had assigned them a top-tier underground safety bunker, all for the purpose of having them contribute to dealing with the Apocalypse Rules.
Therefore, no one in the research room dared to slack off. From the very beginning, anyone who wasn’t serious about their work, or who was caught violating regulations or leaking secrets, was punished or dismissed by Gao Liangwei.
"Everyone." Gao Liangwei’s voice, muffled by his mask, sounded a bit dull, but the gravity in his tone was unmistakable.
"We are currently in a secure bunker, wearing top-level protective suits, with a 24-hour supply of recycled oxygen... But don’t forget, the general public is in extreme danger right now. Every second we delay, vast numbers of people could be infected, so I don’t want to hear a single word of nonsense!"
"Yes, sir. The construction of shelters in major cities is still underway and not yet complete. Most people are still in their original Gathering Points. But this is different from the snow disaster rule. The crowds at the Gathering Points must be forcibly dispersed and relocated, otherwise the number of Infected will explode."
"Mobilize disaster prevention, disease control, and emergency centers. Staff must be equipped with professional-grade protective gear, and we need to distribute protective masks and oxygen tanks to the general public."
"How should we handle the Infected?" someone asked a key question. "Also, should we conduct research on the virus?"
If the virus were to be a long-term threat, then research would be essential. But this rule only lasts for 15 days.
In just 15 days, could they possibly figure out a virus unheard of by humanity, one seemingly created by the Fire Thief? Even if they made some headway, would there be time to develop a vaccine?
To accomplish all that in half a month was practically impossible.
It was more likely that even if they managed to extract virus cells, the rule would end before they could learn anything significant. Then the virus would disappear along with the rule, and all their efforts would have been for nothing.
"We’ll research it," Gao Liangwei confirmed. "Let the virology experts handle it. Regardless of the outcome, we can’t give up the opportunity."
"As for how to handle the Infected, that will depend on the symptoms. If there are no external signs after infection and they just bleed out and die at a random time within 24 hours, then I’m afraid there’s no other way besides isolating everyone individually."
"If there are obvious changes after infection, like bleeding or a soaring body temperature, then for every one we find..." Gao Liangwei paused. "We euthanize them. At least don’t let them die in so much pain."
"Understood. We’ll relay the message to all regions immediately."
"And most importantly, find the hidden content of the rule as soon as possible!" Gao Liangwei said in a low voice. "Based on our experience with the previous rules, we can be certain that every rule has hidden content. If we can find it quickly, we might be able to save countless lives. There’s absolutely no room for carelessness!"
After the meeting, everyone hurried off to do their jobs.
However, Dr. Zhang, who was in charge of screening and training for the apocalypse squads, stayed behind.
Gao Liangwei asked, "Dr. Zhang, is there something else?"
Dr. Zhang said, "Yes. I believe the members of our squads need special protection. So I’d like to request your approval to purchase some special medicinal items on the terminal market and distribute them."
"Special medicinal items?" Gao Liangwei frowned. "You should know that those things have the highest prices on the terminal market."
"Yes," Dr. Zhang nodded.
He knew that the effects of some drugs on the market were nothing short of miraculous. While they couldn’t bring the dead back to life, drugs that could instantly cure a critically ill patient did exist.
Undoubtedly, the top figures in every country had a strong demand for such medicinal items. This led to their astronomical prices, with some selling for six or even seven-figure sums of Sublimation Coins, and they were still snatched up instantly after being listed.
"But if a key member of a squad, especially a captain, gets infected, they would need this kind of medicine to save their life at a critical moment. This is for the greater good. I hope you can approve this budget."
Even if the Official Squads received government funding, that funding wasn’t unlimited. For an expenditure of six or seven-figure Sublimation Coins, it really couldn’t be done without the approval of the person in charge, Gao Liangwei.
Gao Liangwei thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright. But I can only approve a budget of 800,000 for you. How much you can buy with that will be up to you."
