At 11 PM, the Beixing Country authorities publicly released the intelligence they had purchased.
This time, it wasn't just Beixing Country making the information public; several other organizations and groups that had bought the intelligence also chose to disclose it.
The reason was quite simple: this piece of hidden intelligence almost completely lacked any fierce competition, and there was basically no way to profit by harming others to benefit oneself.
In that case, it was better to make it public to earn a good reputation for oneself. Just like when Beixing officials released intelligence during the Eighth Rule, it received widespread praise across the world.
Once the news spread, people found it absurd, but for a moment, they couldn't think of any good ways to deal with it.
Even if drugs could temporarily disable the senses, such drugs certainly weren't in infinite supply. Moreover, it was unclear whether these drugs were actually effective, and whether using them to offset the rule would be judged as a failed challenge.
After the news spread, Guan Tong listed the [Taste Blocking Device] item he had bought on the Market.
This item, which he had purchased for thirty thousand, was relisted at a price of three hundred thousand, a tenfold increase. It sold successfully in less than half a minute.
Then he lay down on the bed and rested early.
He didn't want to cram any more information into his mind; that would affect his rest.
For him, maintaining abundant energy was the most important thing. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, he would still get a good night's sleep today.
The night passed without incident, and the next day arrived.
Guan Tong ate breakfast and waited for time to pass.
The moment 9 o'clock arrived, the rule effect officially manifested. Almost instantly, his vision plunged into complete darkness.
Guan Tong raised his hand and touched his eyes. "...It seems the first sense to be eliminated is vision."
Even with some mental preparation, the discomfort and fear brought by sudden blindness were beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Moreover, this visual elimination was absolute and thorough.
Not a single trace of light perception remained; he was completely immersed in a world of utter, pure darkness.
Guan Tong sat quietly for a moment, experiencing the sensations of being in this state.
He could feel the gradually rising, uncontrollable panic and fear deep within his heart.
It was an instinctive feeling humans experience when unable to see. Frankly, it was much more terrifying than he had imagined.
After staying in such pure darkness for about five minutes, Guan Tong didn't want to experience it any longer. He summoned his Shadow.
The moment he activated the shared vision, the darkness was shattered.
He saw himself sitting on a stool, his slightly messy long hair framing empty eyes that stared unfocused into the distance.
His vision was now replaced by the Shadow's vision. Since the Shadow was standing opposite him, what he saw was his own appearance.
"This... is very inconvenient."
Guan Tong thought for a moment and had the Shadow envelop his body.
Man and shadow overlapped, which somewhat mimicked seeing with his own eyes. A sense of strangeness would definitely remain, but it was no longer as intense.
Guan Tong didn't complain. He knew that the fact the Shadow's Five Senses sharing method worked was already an immense stroke of luck for him.
There probably weren't many Ascendants in the world who could offset the rule using their abilities or items like he could. Calling him a one-in-a-million, or even one-in-ten-million, lucky individual wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"You only learn to cherish something after losing it. That really is the truth."
Relying on the vision shared by the Shadow, Guan Tong looked at everything around him. Even though he had only experienced that pure darkness for five minutes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of "it's really good to be able to see" in his heart.
He walked out of the room, looked at the forest outside, then turned his gaze toward a certain direction to the east.
"Perhaps... this rule is an opportunity for me."
This so-called opportunity was the chance to go to Sakura Prayer Country and try to obtain Fragment 5.
Because in another four days, after all Five Senses were eliminated, most people would likely fall into a state of being "unable to move" and "unable to care for themselves." Only a few with special abilities or items would be spared.
But as long as the problem remained unsolved for the majority, even the most powerful national forces would fall into a state of complete paralysis.
Under normal circumstances, even if Guan Tong had the intention, he wouldn't easily set foot on Sakura Prayer Country's territory to obtain a fragment. Venturing alone into the territory of a powerful nation like that would be very dangerous.
But this time was different. If he acted carefully during this rule period, he might be able to obtain the fragment without confronting official armed forces.
Guan Tong couldn't be called a person who likes to take risks, but if he felt the timing was right, he would take the initiative to seize it. If he missed this opportunity, what situation he might face afterward was unknown.
Having tentatively made this decision, before Guan Tong could take any concrete action, he was surprised to discover that some uninvited guests had already arrived.
It turned out he wasn't the only one who wanted to seize this opportunity.
...
Half an hour earlier, a special forces unit entered Bandzhen, the capital of Andai State.
They entered openly, not covertly, seemingly having obtained permission from Andai State's official departments.
This special forces unit was well-equipped, and every member had a solemn expression. Led by a middle-aged man, they quickly moved toward a certain location.
And that location was near the spot where Guan Tong had buried the two fragments deep underground, wrapped in a section of shadow line.
When the special forces unit reached a point five kilometers from the target location, the Commander ordered a halt, then spoke in the Sakura Prayer language: "Take the medicine!"
These special forces soldiers from Sakura Prayer Country each took out a small medicine case they carried, which contained only two pills.
"Take the medicine!"
At another order from the Commander, these men didn't hesitate. They opened the cases, placed the pills in their mouths, and swallowed them with a tilt of their heads.
Soon, expressions of pain appeared on their faces.
Some clutched their heads, others their eyes, but none made any sounds of agony, silently enduring.
Not long after, when some of them raised their heads again, their pupils had turned completely blood-red, unable to see.
However, for two soldiers, the drug's effect wasn't obvious on them. Perhaps due to some resistance in their constitution, it failed to work properly.
Seeing this, the Commander said in a deep voice, "If the medicine doesn't work, do it yourselves!"
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, the two men pulled out a broken spike and stabbed it into their own eyes.
Thud!
This method was faster and more effective than the medicine. Instantly, the two men's vision plunged into darkness, blood flowing unceasingly.
The special forces unit had taken a special drug provided by Sakura Prayer Country doctors.
It would rapidly cause the retinal blood vessels to rupture after ingestion, leading to blindness.
Why these men were so ruthless to themselves remained unknown.
Then the entire special forces unit waited silently. A few minutes later, right after 9 o'clock, the soldiers suddenly raised their heads, their vision becoming bright and clear as before.
The Commander revealed a faint smile, but it vanished immediately.
"Today's elimination is vision. We have good luck."
"Yes!"
The special forces soldiers all understood. Among the Five Senses, as long as today's elimination wasn't touch, any of the other four counted as "good luck."
"Then, proceed with the plan as scheduled," the Commander said. "Today, we must eliminate the holder and bring back those two fragments!"
After speaking, the Commander's eyes burned with a fanatical light as he said, "Long live the Divine Child!"
"Long live!" everyone chorused in a low voice.
The Commander contacted headquarters again. After confirming the approximate location of the fragments, he immediately requested remote support.
The next moment, missiles launched from several warships stationed offshore outside Andai State tore through the sky, hurtling toward the area where Guan Tong had buried the fragments!
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