Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Division and Sealing

The impact of the personal terminals shutting down was far greater than many people had imagined.

Because it severely damaged humanity’s collective consensus.

Before this situation arose, all living humans could be called "Ascenders," the only difference being their varying levels of Psychic Power.

Furthermore, the Apocalypse Rules White Paper, published by the Strategy Research Room, contained methods for increasing one’s Psychic Power limit. Thus, many people were optimistic, believing that falling behind early on wasn’t a big deal, as they could slowly catch up later.

But the shutdown of personal terminals completely shattered this illusion.

Just imagine: would those who could no longer use their personal terminals still have the right to call themselves Ascenders? Would others still recognize them as such?

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before a huge, irreparable chasm formed between Ascenders and ordinary humans.

Not to mention, the new [Genetic Optimization Liquid] in the Sublimation Store only added fuel to the fire of this division.

The appearance of this item blatantly revealed that the Ascenders who bought and used it would become genetically superior to other humans.

With just one hidden feature and one shop item, the Fire Thief ripped away all the tender, sentimental veils between people.

It was as if it was telling all of humanity in the most direct way possible: You are destined to diverge.

Online platforms across the world erupted with massive conflicts over this matter.

Some Ascenders used malicious language to mock those who could no longer use their personal terminals, saying they could no longer be called Ascenders, only "primitives."

"Primitives" wasn’t even the worst of it; some went even further, using insults like "inferior goods" or "low-class horses."

Naturally, this behavior was met with retaliation.

The people whose Psychic Power had decayed to zero and whose personal terminals had shut down were not just one or two individuals; on a global scale, they formed a considerable group.

They would never accept becoming second-class citizens, so they not only besieged the insolent Ascenders online but also called for everyone to band together and take action.

They also tried to win over Ascenders with low Psychic Power.

One netizen whose terminal had shut down replied to an Ascender who was mocking him: "What you’re saying to me today might just boomerang back to you tomorrow. Just wait until the day you fail a rule challenge and your Psychic Power drops to 0. We’ll see what you do then."

Indeed, many low-Psychic-Power users were themselves on the brink of hitting zero. Perhaps after one or two more losses, their personal terminals would shut down too.

Therefore, many of them were willing to speak up for those whose terminals had shut down, knowing that they were also doing it for their future selves, who might one day find themselves in the same predicament.

Faced with this situation, the North Star Country government quickly issued a statement. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

They solemnly declared that every citizen was equal and equally important.

Anyone inciting hatred and division would be considered to be breaking the law and would be targeted with severe countermeasures!

Once this statement was released, it did suppress the various inflammatory remarks online.

However, the inflammatory thoughts in everyone’s hearts would inevitably take root and sprout.

...

Li Mei Hotel, first-floor restaurant.

Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian sat at a dining table laden with food, all of which had been delivered by official transport drones.

The ones responsible for providing this food was a new department established by the government after the advent of the Apocalypse Rules: the Department of Life Support.

After various "dark factories" produced their goods, a portion was transported to the Department of Life Support. The Department would then use transport drones to make deliveries based on user requests submitted online.

The entire process required very little manual labor, needing only a few personnel to handle coordination and management.

Of course, heavy automation meant a lack of individuality. For example, the meals Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian were eating were all pre-prepared dishes.

"Tong, have you heard?" Xu Xiaotian said while gnawing on a chicken leg. "The internet is in an uproar about Psychic Power decaying to zero causing personal terminals to shut down!"

"I saw," Guan Tong said. He was eating a simple plate of egg fried rice. After being hungry for so long, he felt that this kind of simple, home-style meal was more comforting than a rich feast.

"I can’t believe the Fire Thief had this trick up its sleeve. Tong, what do you think will happen to the people who can’t use their personal terminals anymore?"

"I don’t know."

Guan Tong wasn’t a god; how could he predict the future developments this incident would bring?

However, he had a faint feeling that this matter could become some kind of fuse, triggering some terrible events.

"Anyway, I don’t want to see everyone just slinging insults. We’re all humans who barely survived. Why attack each other?"

Xu Xiaotian shook his head as he spoke, then changed the subject. "Oh right, Tong, I bought the new Genetic Optimization Liquid from the store this time. But after drinking it, besides my Psychic Power limit increasing by 3 points, there doesn’t seem to be any other change."

points?

Guan Tong remembered his had shot up by 20 points. The difference in quality between the original liquid and the standard optimization liquid was clearly enormous.

"Tong, did you drink it? How did it feel?"

Xu Xiaotian just assumed Guan Tong had bought the Genetic Optimization Liquid. After all, everyone from netizens to the government considered it the most cost-effective item in the Sublimation Store; buying it was a no-brainer.

"It might take some time for the other benefits to show," Guan Tong said. "After all, optimizing genetic defects isn’t something that happens overnight."

"That makes sense. I’ll just wait and see, then. But the interval between rules this time is too short. It’s only three days. It feels like there’s no time to rest at all!"

Guan Tong said, "You have the Instant Noodles Items. The [Fasting Therapy] rule shouldn’t be much pressure for you, right?"

Xu Xiaotian looked embarrassed. "Uh, well, that’s true. But even if the survival pressure isn’t high, the mental pressure is still huge! Especially after running into... that incident!"

Seeing the lingering fear on his face, Guan Tong knew he was talking about the kidnapping.

BZZT BZZT BZZT!

Just then, Guan Tong’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, looked at it, and then looked up at Xu Xiaotian. "Speak of the devil."

"What does that mean???"

"Nothing. It’s a call from the Sheriff’s Bureau."

「Half an hour later.」

Guan Tong and Xu Xiaotian arrived at the Yunhua City Sheriff’s Bureau. A Sheriff led them into a small conference room and told them to wait, as the director would be there shortly.

Before long, Li Meng pushed the door open, nodded at the two of them, and sat down.

Xu Xiaotian asked curiously, "Um, Director Li, did you call us here because the kidnapping case has been solved?"

"Yes and no," Li Meng said, getting straight to the point. "The local Yunhua City kidnapping ring led by Shen Zuohu has been eliminated, but as far as I know, similar criminal groups are operating in other cities."

Hearing this, Guan Tong said, "So you’re saying someone is remotely controlling gangster rings in various cities?"

"Yes."

"Holy crap!" Xu Xiaotian blurted out. "Who has that kind of power? To remotely control gangster rings in different cities and have them kidnap people!"

"Shen Zuohu gave up a name. But this person is in the Capital and has a complex network of connections. We can’t make any rash moves or tip them off without concrete evidence."

"I called you here this time to let you know before I leave. Because the criminal organization’s leadership is complex and involves many people, your case probably won’t be closed anytime soon. It will be temporarily shelved."

"But you don’t have to worry about retaliation locally. At the very least, Shen Zuohu and the other core members of the gang are facing serious charges. Especially Shen Zuohu—murder, kidnapping, running a criminal organization... with his numerous crimes, it won’t be long before he’s executed."

The two fell silent upon hearing this. They never expected that a single kidnapping case would have so much tied to it.

At this point, Guan Tong asked, "Director Li, you just said ’before I leave’... Are you leaving Yunhua?"

"Yes," Li Meng said. "I received orders from my superiors this morning. I’ve been reassigned to a task force in the Capital. The purpose is to continue investigating this large-scale kidnapping case of High Spirit Users that spans multiple cities."