Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 31 The Police Department's Investigation

Seeing Guan Tong's expression, Xu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh and said, "The other people in the hotel who saw this prop for the first time had the same expression as you, thinking it was too outrageous. Sigh, actually, I felt the same way myself."

"I was searching for something in the Sheng Hua store earlier. I was a little hungry at the time because I really like instant noodles, so I searched for it and actually found it! But when I saw that it cost 100 Sheng Hua coins, I had no intention of buying it."

"Later, when I searched for other things, I couldn't find them. I had no choice but to buy this instant noodle prop in the end."

After regaining her senses, Guan Tong said, "I see. But it's not entirely useless; this third rule comes in handy."

From the second rule onwards, people knew that they could use mental power items to complete challenges.

Xu Xiaotian's current mental energy item is instant noodles, which can be used perfectly for this [Fasting Therapy] rule. He doesn't need to starve himself or spend Ascension Coins to buy food boxes; his mental energy item is enough.

“Yes, that’s right,” Xu Xiaotian laughed. “So when the third rule came out a few days ago, I was overjoyed, and everyone in the hotel was incredibly envious.”

As Xu Xiaotian spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face: "However, the most annoying thing is that the noodles for instant noodles require mental energy to generate. I can only generate one box a day, which is enough to meet the third rule, but it's not enough to fill my stomach."

Guan Tong comforted her, "It's alright. As your mental power limit increases in the future, you'll be able to generate more each day."

"It'll be too late by then," Xu Xiaotian complained. "If it weren't for the rules, I wouldn't be relying on instant noodles to fill my stomach. Ever since the food became free, big chicken legs and pork knuckles are all provided for free. I never get tired of eating them!"

"..."

"But Guan Tong, you look so good. You haven't been starving these past few days, have you? Did you give up on the challenge, or did you buy a food box?"

Xu Xiaotian couldn't be called observant, because Guan Tong's complexion was rosy, and she certainly didn't look like she was starving. On the other hand, during the gathering earlier, many people looked haggard, clearly having not eaten for days, and appeared very weak.

"I ate something," Guan Tong said.

Guan Tong's words were somewhat ambiguous, but Xu Xiaotian didn't pay much attention to them. He then suggested, "Do you have any plans for this afternoon? Would you like to go out and have some fun together?"

"Play? What's fun to do outside these days?"

Guan Tong felt that since the end-of-the-world rules came into effect, although the entertainment industry has developed rapidly, most of it has been online.

For example, movies, TV series, games, anime, novels, live streaming, etc... most offline entertainment venues have closed down.

This is partly due to the significant decrease in the number of people, and partly due to the recent surge in random crime.

Entering the post-apocalyptic era, everyone who survives faces immense psychological pressure. No one knows whether someone who appears perfectly normal might suddenly break down and indiscriminately attack those around them.

Out of this fear, most people try to stay at home or indoors and rarely go out to wander around.

“Arcades!” Xu Xiaotian said. “Now you can play all those arcade games as much as you want, you don’t even need to insert coins. And amusement parks, you can play as much as you want there too.”

"...Let's forget it, I might have something to do this afternoon."

Guan Tong thought to himself that he might have to go to the police station to give a statement that afternoon. Even if he didn't, he wasn't interested in going to places like arcades; he'd rather stay in his room and rest to save his energy.

"Alright then." Xu Xiaotian sighed. "Sigh, nobody likes to go out these days. But I'll make the most of my time in Yunhua. I'm leaving next month."

Upon hearing this, Guan Tong asked, "Are you leaving Yunhua next month?"

“Yes, the Mind Power Development Academy is starting next month, and I plan to enroll in the capital.” Xu Xiaotian said with a smile, “Don’t let my appearance fool you, my Mind Power cap is over 80, so I meet the enrollment requirements.”

"I see." Guan Tong didn't pay much attention to the "Mind Power Development Academy," so she didn't know about its construction or the specific opening date.

"Guan Tong, what about you?" Xu Xiaotian asked. "Since you have enough coins to buy food boxes, does that mean your mental strength is over 80? How about we both go to the capital to enroll in school? We could keep each other company!"

Guan Tong had no intention of going to the academy and shook her head at this moment.

"I probably won't go."

"I see... Okay then, we'll talk about it later!"

Guan Tong watched Xu Xiaotian leave, then returned to her room and checked her terminal panel. Her mental energy hadn't fully recovered.

He was just about to turn on the TV when his phone rang. The caller ID showed it was the police station.

"Mr. Guan, please come to the bureau this afternoon if you have time. We need you to confirm some key information."

"Ok."

Guan Tong hung up the phone, wondering what "key information needs to be confirmed" meant. Did it mean that some clues had been discovered in the case?

He waited until 1 p.m. before going to the police station.

To his surprise, in addition to the two police officers who had visited his home the day before, he was also greeted by a man wearing black-rimmed glasses, who was Li Meng, the director of the Public Security Bureau.

Director Li Meng and two other police officers took Guan Tong to their office and showed him a photo on a large screen in the room.

Guan Tong was slightly startled when she saw the photo, because it clearly showed two corpses.

"Take a closer look, are these the two people who knocked on your door last night?"

Guan Tong glanced at the photo a few times and asked, "Do you have a clearer picture of the face?"

“Yes.” Li Meng asked a sheriff to switch the photos, and close-ups of the faces of both corpses were taken.

Although both of them had injuries on their faces, with bruises and swelling, Guan Tong was still able to recognize them because the time interval between them was too short.

“That’s right,” he confirmed. “These two are the ones who came to my house last night disguised as a sheriff.”

Li Meng nodded: "Just as I thought."

Guan Tong's gaze was still fixed on the photo on the big screen: "Excuse me, who are these two...?"

“They must have been silenced,” Li Meng said. “But the person who silenced them probably didn’t expect that we would find the buried body so quickly.”

"Who exactly are they? And what is their purpose?"

Li Meng gestured to a sheriff, who explained, "Our initial assessment is that this is a criminal gang. As for their purpose, based on previous similar cases, it is very likely that they are looking for and kidnapping individuals with high psychic abilities."

Guan Tong frowned and asked, "Why would they kidnap someone with high psychic abilities? Are they trying to traffic people?"

"That's what we want to know too," Director Li Meng said in a deep voice. "Based on these two bodies, the bureau has already obtained some clues, and we will immediately launch an operation."

(End of this chapter)