Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 307 "Going Ashore" and the Immortal Child
In front of the magnificent palace, some figures that looked like spirits floated.

They surrounded a person, repeating a sentence in gentle words.

"Join our family!"

"Join our family!"

"join in……"

call!
Lu Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

He covered his slightly damp forehead, breathing softly.

"It's this dream again."

As December drew to a close and the rules were about to end, this dream appeared more and more frequently.

At first, it would only happen once every two or three days, but starting the day before yesterday, he would see the same thing and hear the same sound every time he fell asleep.

Even when I'm not asleep, those images and sounds will appear even if I just close my eyes for a moment.

"...Do you need help?"

Lu Cheng struggled internally.

Even if he doesn't want to admit it now, he has to admit that he has become a spore addict.

The authorities have long ago published the various stages of addiction, or rather, parasitism.

He was showing symptoms of every stage: a fear of death, a desire to gather, and a reduction in food intake.

A few days ago, the authorities announced a new stage of symptoms – violent tendencies.

Lu Cheng was fortunate that he only felt annoyed and disgusted by other people, but had not yet reached the point of resorting to violence.

But deep down, he harbored a hidden worry.

If this continues unchecked, sooner or later he will resort to violence against others.

At that time, the academy will have no place for him.

Lu Cheng could not accept being expelled from the academy, so he decided to seek help to prevent the parasitic condition from worsening.

After staying up for several hours until dawn, he went directly to the dean's office to explain his current situation and seek help.

When he arrived at the door, Dean Zhou Qinfeng had just arrived. He smiled as soon as he saw him and said, "Lu Cheng, what brings you here?"

As one of the most outstanding students in his class, Lu Cheng was quite famous in the college; the dean and teachers from all departments knew him.

Lu Cheng hesitated, "Dean, I...maybe..."

Although he decided to seek help, he found it difficult to say the words, still unable to let go of his pride as an outstanding student.

Seeing Lu Cheng hesitate, Zhou Qinfeng chuckled and said, "Lu Cheng, just say what you have to say. If you're so indecisive, you'll suffer if you go to the research lab in the future."

"A research lab?" Lu Cheng was taken aback.

"Oh, you students probably don't know this yet. The best graduates from each year's academy are assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office. More than ten of last year's graduates went there. I think you have the potential to be one of the candidates next year."

Countermeasures Research Office!
Lu Cheng's heart pounded upon hearing this.

Nowadays, everyone knows that the Countermeasures Research Office is almost the most important and powerful institution in Beixing.

From the top decision-making level down, all other official departments must cooperate with the countermeasures research office.

After each new rule is released, the Countermeasures Research Office first analyzes and assesses it, and then compiles intelligence. Countermeasures are then formulated and distributed to various departments for implementation.

It can be said that joining the Countermeasures Research Office not only provides access to the highest level of security and the most meticulous training from Beixing, but also gives you the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of the entire country.

The latter is the most tempting.

Imagine how accomplished you would feel if you made a suggestion that was adopted and all departments across the country acted on it.

Furthermore, because North Star currently has the largest population in the world and its national strength is the most intact, many other countries will directly copy and adopt the countermeasures formulated by North Star.

This means that if you make a valid suggestion, the whole world might follow it. Even top figures might not have experienced this feeling before the end-of-the-world era.

However, this department has extremely strict hiring standards, requiring only a small group of people from all walks of life who possess the most core knowledge and are at the top level.

Ordinary Ascended individuals may have special abilities or items that can be temporarily accessed and used through the database when needed by the research lab, but they will not become official members of the research lab.

As Zhou Qinfeng said, outstanding graduates of the college will be assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office, which will undoubtedly be full members who can stay at the research office base indefinitely.

This is undoubtedly what the vast majority of those who strive for transcendence dream of!

"Lu Cheng".

"Lu Cheng?"

"Ah... Dean."

Lu Cheng snapped out of his daze, his rapidly beating heart still pounding.

"You still haven't told me why you came to see me."

"Uh, it's nothing, it's just... um, I want to apply to change dorm rooms, but I don't know how to do it."

Never reveal that you have been parasitized by alien spores to the third stage!

Lu Cheng was absolutely determined at this moment.

He believed that if the dean found out, his image in the dean's eyes would definitely plummet.

Even if we don't say it now, the dean still thinks he is an outstanding student who is qualified to be assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office after graduating next August.

If he spoke up now, wouldn't the dean think that he lacked even this much self-control and discipline, and therefore couldn't possibly be assigned to the highly demanding countermeasures research lab? Lu Cheng dared not gamble.

His abilities and tools weren't particularly special or powerful. The only way to get into the Countermeasures Research Lab was through academy-assigned job after graduation!

"Want to change dorms? What's wrong? Are your roommates bothering you?" Zhou Qinfeng didn't realize Lu Cheng's thoughts and only assumed that he and his roommates were having disagreements.

"It's my own fault."

The excuse Lu Cheng made up on the spot, he could only bite the bullet and continue: "Because I often stay up late studying, it affects my roommate's rest, so..."

"Hehe, you really are diligent," Zhou Qinfeng laughed. "It reminds me of when I was young, I also had a period of studying hard all night long. Not bad, not bad."

Zhou Qinfeng thought for a moment and said, "Giving you a single dormitory room is definitely not an option; it's unfair to the other students. How about this: I'll have the counselor give you a key to a study room. If you can't sleep at night and want to study, go to the study room instead of staying in the dormitory. That way, you won't disturb others."

"That's great, thank you, Dean!"

"Haha, it's good for young people to work hard, but they should also be careful not to overdo it. They need to find a balance between work and rest."

"Yes, I understand. I'll head back now."

Lu Cheng left quickly, feeling relieved.

Fortunately, I managed to smooth things over by talking about the dorm, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to say.

"Luckily, the dean warned us beforehand, otherwise we would have been doomed..."

Lu Cheng had no idea that some of the college graduates could be assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office.

This information gap wasn't just something he had; he estimated that very few students in the entire college knew about it.

The reason is simple: the college only started last year, and this year's class is only the second class.

In just two years, no effective information network could be formed, and the graduates of the previous year who were assigned to the Countermeasures Research Office did not need to, or even could not, tell the outside world where they were going.

Because the Countermeasures Research Office is a special institution, there must be a large number of confidentiality agreements.

“I know about this now, but most of the other students in the college don’t. That’s the advantage of information asymmetry,” Lu Cheng thought. “I have to seize this opportunity. If I get a job, I’ll be completely ‘settled’!”

If there is any place in this era that can be called "going ashore," then the Countermeasures Research Office must be one of them.

He didn't know this before, so he didn't have any hope. He just felt that he would be satisfied enough if he could be assigned to a good government department after graduation.

Now that we know there's this road to heaven, we absolutely must take it!

As for the issue of spore parasitism...

Lu Cheng thought to himself, "I absolutely cannot let the faculty know about this; it can't affect my evaluation. I can only rely on myself to get through this!"

……

Countermeasures Research Office Base, Interrogation Room.

Three people sat on one side of the long table, and one person sat on the other.

Besides Zhang Minglu and an investigator, the other one of the three is a well-known figure in society, whose online name is "吾本良人" and real name is Li Liang.

Li Liang had already gained some online fame through his posts during the first rule period, and was affectionately called "Mentor" by netizens.

Later, during the period of the "Five Senses Elimination" rule, he became popular again because he was able to skip class using his hypnotic props.

Later, when the official production team was filming the entertainment program "Clash of Ascendants," the director approached him and had him participate as one of the members, which made him truly famous.

The reason the Countermeasures Research Office has summoned him is simply to use his hypnotic tools to extract information from Miko Misawa Jun's personal bodyguard.

That's right, the ninja guard sitting on the other side of the long table.

After Guan Tong and Gao Liangwei had discussed it beforehand, they transferred the people from the underground prison of the official residence to Beixing territory through the Book Page Refuge, where they were received by the Beixing authorities.

Aside from the scholars, the Antai people, the opposition from the Mizawa family, and others, this ninja guard was also among them.

After receiving the person, Zhang Minglu first had the Ascended One, who possessed healing abilities, restore the tongue that the ninja guard had bitten off.

He then contacted Li Liang through the director of "The Ascendant" and asked him to use props to assist in the interrogation.

Li Liang readily agreed.

From the moment he agreed to participate in the recording of the official variety show, he was prepared to cling to the official's coattails.

As he stated in his post, he is very self-aware. He doesn't trust any of the various organizations that are interested in his abilities and only trusts the official guarantees as the most reliable.

At this moment, Li Liang was holding his own hypnosis tool, namely a hypnosis app, which was displayed on the phone as a swinging pendulum pattern.

The ninja guard sitting opposite him, due to insufficient mental strength, was controlled by Li Liang using a tool after regaining consciousness and fell into a hypnotic state.

"What's your name?"

Li Liang began asking questions based on the ones Zhang Minglu had prepared in advance.

“I don’t have a name, only a code name, ‘Xin’,” the ninja guard said blankly.

"Xin, what are your responsibilities?"

"Protect the Divine Child and complete all the tasks assigned by the Divine Child."

Li Liang nodded, and then Zhang Minglu gestured for him to ask a key question that Guan Tong had raised earlier.

"Divine Child, is Misawa Jun dead?"

“No,” Xin said. “The Divine Child is immortal.”

(End of this chapter)