"No one cares, the president of the small country Mogoke was just taken out by an Ascendant."
"Most people probably haven't heard of that little country, right? Population only a few million. The thread starter used to work there for a few years, married a Mogoke woman, and settled down. You wouldn't believe it — just yesterday the president was taken out by an Ascendant who brought a group of people. The presidential guards are gone too. Right now that Ascendant is announcing on live stream that he's going to be the new president."
That post blew up, because although foreign affairs had been chaotic lately, it was the first ti anyone had seen an Ascendant actually take out a president.
"Really? The Mogoke governnt is that incompetent?"
"Can't be that bad... Even if soone greatly increases their Mind Power upper limit, that doesn't automatically make them invincible, right? Skills and items have no cooldowns?"
"At this stage, no matter how much Mind Power an Ascendant has, can they withstand a military missile? That's seriously underestimating the power of conventional weapons..."
"Isn't the Tulip Federation embroiled in civil war right now? I saw news a few days ago that a warlord used hundreds of rocket launchers to kill dozens of 'pack' Ascendants."
"Mogoke's still a tiny country, their ard forces probably aren't great."
"This sets a terrible precedent. If Ascendants resort to violence to seize power whenever they want, won't everyone start copying them and it becos chaos?"
"We don't need to worry here. No matter how strong an Ascendant is, they won't be able to run wild."
Guan Tong scrolled through the posts and felt so sadness. So many people who had struggled to survive past the Doomsday Rules were now dying in human conflicts.
This situation wasn't limited to Mogoke. Similar clashes had broken out in other small countries: newly risen groups of powerful young Ascendants clashing with established old capital holders in power.
Those contradictions were hard to reconcile. Without external interference, they would quickly escalate into real, deadly fights.
But in this era, just keeping yourself safe was hard enough. No nation had the spare capacity to intervene or diate internal disputes elsewhere.
So from the middle of the eighth rule until now—more than ten days after its end—these local conflicts continued. Rather than calming, they were escalating.
Guan Tong read for a while, quietly thankful that he was in relatively stable Beixing Country. If he were in those small nations, he probably would have been swallowed by the chaos.
Days passed in a blur. By the evening of January 29, with only a few hours left until the Ninth Doomsday Rule was released, Guan Tong finally finished drawing the last stroke of the character "kai" on the fifth page of the Wordless Book.
Staring at the character centered on the page, Guan Tong silently repeated in his mind: "Unlock the Mind Lock, remove the Mind Power upper limit restriction."
Then he held the book and poured Mind Power into it continuously.
As Mind Power flowed in, the character "kai" started to glow, then warped and transford. Like a conversion of reserve Mind Power, it condensed into a data stream that slamd into Guan Tong's body.
Empty!
Guan Tong shuddered all over, feeling so "imprisonnt" deep in his mind getting jolted.
Before this, he had never sensed the existence of that imprisonnt itself. If not for this shock, he would never have realized why there was a seal buried deep in his mind.
It was hard to describe the sensation: like a unique color or sll that you have no concept of until you actually see or sll it. Only by encountering it do you beco aware it exists.
"...So that's the Mind Lock."
Guan Tong was certain. The Mind Lock was hidden deep inside his mind.
If he had to pinpoint it, it seed to be near the amygdala.
Beyond that, he could confirm one more thing: the attempt to unlock had failed.
Yes, although an impact had been generated, it had not destroyed the confinent. It only allowed him to perceive the seal's existence.
"Was it because the converted Mind Power wasn't enough?"
Guan Tong glanced at his status panel. He had just spent about 100 Mind Power injecting into the page, which was about what he had left under normal circumstances.
If he fully recovered and poured in all 309 points, would the converted shock have been enough to break the Mind Lock?
He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that the Ninth Rule would be announced at 9 a.m. tomorrow. Without knowing what the new rule would be or how to pass it, he couldn't risk consuming his reserve Mind Power.
Guan Tong breathed deeply. "Just being able to confirm the existence of the Mind Lock is a big step."
The first step to solving a problem is discovering it.
Now that he had found the Mind Lock and confird that writing "kai" on the Wordless Book's fifth page had so effect, he could wait until he was confident he could pass the Ninth Rule before coming back to deal with the Mind Lock.
Hopefully the Ninth Rule won't be survival-based... That would at least reduce the pressure, he thought.
...
On the morning of February 1, exactly at 9:00, the voice of the Fire Thief sounded on schedule.
That chanical, cold announcer's voice was a nightmare to survivors worldwide.
Every ti a new rule was released, it ant another round of human struggle.
[The Ninth Doomsday Rule has been published]
[Doomsday Rule Nine: Beasts in the Mist]
[Rule description: From the ti of publication, a mist from an alien world will shroud Tianshui Star. Nightmarish beasts hiding within it will hunt humans. This rule lasts for 30 days]
[Success reward: 400 Ascension Coins, Survival Chest · Silver Grade, Invitation to the Second Ascendant Challenge Tournant]
[Failure penalty: None]
[Note: If you decide to explore the depths of the mist, rember: in the mist trust your biological instincts more than your ears. When your hair stands on end, imdiately hide or prepare to fight.]
When the Fire Thief finished announcing Rule Nine, Ascendants around the globe wailed in unison.
"A survival rule again? Why is it always survival rules!"
"The second Ascendant Challenge Tournant? Is the tournant back?"
"I'd rather soone else take first place than face monsters again!"
"Damn you, Fire Thief. Always like this! Non-survival rules give us short breaks, but survival rules last so long!"
"Nightmarish beasts... sounds terrifying..."
"I feel like I'm going to puke!"
Fear spread rapidly.
People had every reason to be afraid. Every survival rule claid many lives.
Friends made during the previous rule could easily die in the next survival rule. Repeat that pain a few tis and people would go insane or beco coldly numb.
Fear of survival rules far outweighed interest in the tournant. Outside of those who had participated in the first tournant, most people had little enthusiasm and only wanted to survive.
Right after the Fire Thief released the rule, vast mists began to appear on Tianshui Star without warning.
The fog had a faint, strange purplish-green hue and looked very odd.
It spread quickly, covering the land.
Many Ascendants who were outdoors imdiately sheltered inside sealed buildings, afraid of the beasts the Fire Thief had described lurking in the mist.
But a few Ascendants, driven by despair or psychological collapse, did the opposite and deliberately walked into the fog.
Soon their screams echoed out—so a short, shocked cry, others long, ghastly screams that made those outside shiver, not knowing what exactly was happening within the haze.
Without exception, those who entered were devoured by the fog and never ca back out.
...
A research briefing on Rule Nine convened in the Counterasures Research Office ten minutes after the rule's publication.
A data officer quickly summarized: "After Rule Nine's release, all city shelters imdiately sealed, their internal circulation systems activated to block out external mist. Aside from shelters, gathering points have been sealing doors and windows as much as possible to prevent fog intrusion."
Gao Liangwei asked, "Any reports on the beasts?"
"None so far," the data officer replied. "Aside from the deaths of those who entered the mist and were suspected to be attacked by beasts, there's been no report of beasts leaving the fog to attack people."
"So as long as we don't go into the mist, we'll be safe?" soone asked, relieved.
"I don't think it's that simple..."
"If only it were that easy. Then staying in sealed locations for a month would pass the rule."
"The situation is indeed more complicated," the data officer continued. "Two minutes ago the detection departnt reported new findings: the mist is corrosive and neurotoxic."
Everyone fell silent for a mont. An expert said, "Corrosive? Then doors and windows at gathering points outside shelters could be corroded away!"
"Yes. And the mist also has neurotoxic effects. Although there are no complete experintal results yet, researchers speculate that without protective gear, exposure can cause skin ulcers and hallucinations."
The officer's tablet chid again.
"New data incoming. Tests show the mist disrupts electronic navigation devices. Once such equipnt enters the mist it quickly malfunctions and cannot perform reconnaissance."
"...Which damned planet did this fog co from!"
"Don't panic," a xenostudies expert said, oddly cheerful compared to the others. "This is the first ti the Fire Thief explicitly ntioned an 'alien world' in a rule. That proves the Fire Thief is indeed extraterrestrial in origin. This is the first confirmation of its source—we should celebrate."
"..." The room fell into silence. With humanity facing catastrophe, there was little cause for joy.
Gao Liangwei said, "Now is not the ti for that. The imdiate task is to quickly propose counterasures for this rule."
Experts spoke up.
"Factories must imdiately produce protective equipnt targeted to the fog's properties!"
"Although the mist disrupts electronic navigation, gunpowder shouldn't be affected. We should deploy ard forces to try to confront the beasts in the fog."
"Gathering points need ergency reinforcent. If doors and windows are corroded, people exposed to the mist... the consequences are unimaginable!"
"One more thing to consider, head of the eting. Could the Administrator of Ascendant Ho be selling hidden intelligence related to this rule?"
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