Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 8 Principles and Bottom Lines

53: 01: 56
Around 4 a.m.

Sitting in the chair, Liu Yuqiang felt that he was nearing the limit of his ability to persevere on his own.

He is now nearly fifty years old, and his energy is far less vigorous than when he was young.

In his twenties and thirties, he could work for more than thirty hours straight, but that was when he was young.

Liu Yuqiang silently recited the personal terminal command, then stretched out his hand.

With a thought, an ordinary round mint appeared in his palm.

Liu Yuqiang started from scratch and has moved many heavy objects; he can steadily hold up boxes weighing dozens of kilograms.

But at this moment, such a small peppermint candy, with a weight that is almost negligible, made Liu Yuqiang's rough hands tremble uncontrollably.

He knew very well that this had come at the cost of a human life.

Only he himself knows its weight.

Liu Yuqiang took a deep breath and put it in his mouth.

The mint melted in his mouth, and in an instant, he felt incredibly refreshed.

The fatigue and drowsiness vanished in that instant! In their place came clarity, precision, and sharpness!
Liu Yuqiang couldn't contain his joy; he felt as if his mind had returned to its most youthful and vigorous state!
"Good stuff, really good stuff..."

Liu Yuqiang took out his phone and opened the chat software used by Qingmei Club. He wanted to see how the other members felt, and whether they felt the same way as him.

In the group, many members were sending messages.

"Old Zhao, thanks to your information!"

"Brother Zhao, your news saved the lives of more than a dozen members of my family. I really don't know how to repay you!"

"These mints are amazing! I've never felt so clear-headed before!"

"Yes, it felt amazing after eating it!"

Members expressed their gratitude to Zhao Jiping and were amazed by the effects of the sobering mints.

Without the information provided by Zhao Jiping, even a fortune of tens of billions would be completely useless in the face of the rules.

Liu Yuqiang saw that Zhao Jiping had also posted a new message.

"Friends, please don't stand on ceremony. It's my honor to be able to help. I'll say it again: this 'Clarifying Peppermint Candy' can't be given to others; only whoever gets it can use it. So you can tell your immediate family members. But it's limited to your immediate family members; it wouldn't be good if too many people knew."

“Brother Zhao is right. If this secret is made public, order will immediately be disrupted, which will be detrimental to us.”

"I just checked, and information about this secret has been blocked online. I guess the higher-ups probably found out about it immediately."

"That's for sure. But the top leadership also chose not to disclose it because they share the same concerns as us, worrying that order would be disrupted."

"I think that in addition to using the information themselves, the top leadership will also secretly pass it on to the local security bureaus. After all, as long as the security bureaus don't cause any trouble, the local areas won't be in chaos."

"How do you think they plan to make the candy?"

"It goes without saying."

"Let's not talk about other people. I think what we should do now is stock up on more sugar."

"I've already prepared 20 pills as a precaution. I take one every three hours to make sure everything is in order."

"I also got more than a dozen."

"My company has a lot of people, and there are already thirty in the storage box."

Liu Yuqiang was stunned when he saw the message sent by "Yu Feiwei, Chairman of Firebird Financial".

He immediately sent a message asking, "Mr. Yu, one pill can last for 3 hours, why are you getting so many?"

The rule only lasts for 72 hours, while 30 mints would be enough to keep you awake for 90 hours, which is way too much!
Yu Feiwei replied, "Yuqiang, you're still young and your mind isn't sharp enough. This candy doesn't have an expiration date; even after the rule expires, it can still be used to refresh your mind. Besides, who can guarantee that there won't be similar apocalyptic rules that require you to stay alert later? It's better to be prepared."

"Mr. Yu is right."

"Mr. Yu is indeed a finance professional; his mind works really fast." "I'll learn from Mr. Yu. I'm also planning to save more, just like Mr. Yu said, it's better to be prepared, haha."

"I envy you guys. I'm living in a villa in the suburbs now. There aren't many residents here, so it's not easy to get more candy."

When Liu Yuqiang saw these messages in the group, he felt nauseous for a moment.

That's right, he plundered others in order to survive.

But he only did it for the necessary survival! He wouldn't plunder beyond what was necessary.

However, Yu Feiwei... and some people in the group, seemed to not care at all, ignoring that the so-called "sugar" was obtained at the cost of human lives.

This gave Liu Yuqiang, who came from a poor background and built his business from scratch, a strong sense of unease.

He quickly turned off his phone. Looking at his face reflected on the black screen, he took deep breaths to calm himself down.

After calming down, he began to think.

Should I follow their example and prepare more sugar "just in case"?

He has quite a few people in his company, and these employees won't be wary of him as the chairman. As long as they're careful, everything will be fine...

"Do not……"

Liu Yuqiang shook his head.

"I won't do anything beyond what's necessary for survival. Yes, I must set a bottom line and principles for myself..."

Liu Yuqiang took out his notebook and wrote down his determination at that moment.

His hand holding the pen even trembled slightly with fear...

Liu Yuqiang knew that he was afraid he would become like Yu Feiwei and others, completely losing his respect for life...

time flies.

48: 00: 00
It was exactly 9:00 AM.

As the first 24 hours passed, countless people on the internet posted celebratory messages, indicating that they were still alive.

"Congratulations on being alive!"

"The first 24 has passed, 48 remain. Persistence is victory!!!"

"An expert on staying up late says, 'Is this all?' My droopy eyelids mean I'm not professional enough!"

"I've been playing FPS games for a whole day and night, and I feel like I could play for another 48 hours! I'm just afraid that I won't be able to sleep and will end up ruining my wrists!"

However, at the same time, many people posted that they could no longer hold on.

"You guys are really resilient, I feel like I'm about to give up..."

"I've drunk a whole pot of green tea since yesterday, and my eyelids are still drooping... I'm really worried that I'll fall asleep and die!"

"There are still 48 hours left... I can't take it anymore, I'm going to burn out..."

"Is this the end? Everyone, I'm afraid I must take my leave first... I can feel my bed calling to me, my pillow beckoning me..."

Many more people are constantly following global news and developments.

"Anyone from Kurosawa City? Last night, truckloads of them came and went, I wonder how many people they took away!"

"This kind of thing happens in every city, right..."

"How many of the world's 10 billion people do you think are left?"

"There's simply no way to get statistics right now..."

"I estimate a lot will have to go, especially the elderly. Don't be fooled by the online buzz; it's mostly teenagers and adults who use the internet. The elderly don't use the internet much, and their energy levels can't compare to those of young people. How are they going to endure 72 hours?"

“You’re underestimating the elderly. My grandparents only sleep four or five hours a day, which is much more endurance than young people. People need less sleep as they get older.”

(End of this chapter)