Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 310 The rules end, the parasite goes berserk.

The New Year, January 1st, arrived as scheduled.

At exactly 9 o'clock, the fire-stealer's voice rang out.

However, what different people hear may vary.

Congratulations on passing the test of the fourteenth rule of the apocalypse!

[Reward has been sent to your storage box]

The fifteenth apocalyptic rule will be released in fifteen days.

After listening to the Fire Thief's words, Zhang Minglu didn't look at the rewards in the storage box, but stared at the Deep Parasites who had been concentrated on the football field.

At this moment, soldiers armed with guns stood on both sides of this football field.

The intimidating power of those dark gun muzzles is self-evident.

Behind the soldiers, the research team was on standby at any time.

If these parasites transform into dangerous monsters the instant the rules end, then purification will be necessary.

Fortunately, that didn't happen.

The rule period has ended.

[This rule challenge has failed, and the penalty has taken effect.]

The fifteenth apocalyptic rule will be released in fifteen days.

These voices resonated in the minds of everyone on the football field.

Strangely, most of these people remained calm, as if they hadn't heard anything.

"Great, it didn't turn into a monster!"

On the high platform, the person in charge of the quarantine area looked at the situation on the football field and was overjoyed.

"Could it be that these people weren't completely parasitized, but rather operated through the rules?"

Immediately, Zhang Minglu's resolute denial came from the side: "Impossible."

He knew very well that these people were all deep parasites, and many of them had accepted the existence of spores from the very first day the rules were established.

If even they can get through the rules, then who in this world can't?
What are you trying to do?

"We've already passed, so why are you pointing guns at us!"

"Protest! We demand to leave immediately; this is illegal detention!"

Suddenly, the crowd inside the arena began shouting and yelling, most of them expressing indignation and opposing the control of persons and the threat of firearms.

The armed soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.

These people seem fine; they haven't turned into any parasitic monsters as imagined. They're still human.

“Regardless, the rules have been lifted, and these people haven’t shown any aggression,” said the head of the quarantine area. “Continuing to restrict their departure is indeed unreasonable. Dr. Zhang, shouldn’t we let them go?”

Zhang Minglu did not answer; he looked at the crowd in the arena with a furrowed brow.

When his gaze fell on some of these individuals, he keenly noticed that some of them were exchanging glances and communicating with each other.

Some individuals try their best to be different from others, standing aside, but they always look awkward and deliberate.

This discordant and eerie atmosphere, combined with the behavior of the previous parasitic stages and the survival treasure chest in this rule reward... quickly merged into a terrifying thought that jumped into Zhang Minglu's mind.

"No, that's not right!"

"These people have a problem... a really big problem!"

Zhang Minglu's voice trembled. He immediately used his mobile phone to contact the Countermeasures Lab and Gao Liangwei.

"Director Gao! Listen to me, we absolutely cannot allow the quarantine zones in various places to release the deeply parasitic individuals who were previously held in solitary confinement!"

Gao Liangwei asked in a deep voice, "What did you discover?"

"These people are 'dead'! Although they are still alive, their consciousness must be dead. Spores! Alien spores must have replaced their consciousness!"

Zhang Minglu was certain that the fire thief would not make a mistake.

If the Firebringer sets a survival chest in the rules' rewards without any special instructions, then the consequence of failing the rules is certain death!
The preceding parasitic stages—from prioritizing survival to swarming, then to reduced food intake and violence—are essentially a process of spores "seizing" the host's body. First, they preserve the host's body, then accelerate parasitism through their swarming characteristics... By this stage, the spores are already deeply rooted within the host.

The next step, to weaken the host's own power, is to reduce food and sleep. Finally, through hallucinations and manipulation, violence will be used to completely destroy the host's self-control!

"If I'm not mistaken, these people—no! These parasites—while their appearances haven't changed, their consciousness is now entirely that of monsters, and they likely possess the memories of their original hosts! The end of the rules doesn't mean the end of their lives; on the contrary, they've become even more dangerous than before!"

The more Zhang Minglu spoke, the more his inner fear spread.

Gao Liangwei on the other end of the phone had also fallen silent, but his heavy breathing revealed the weight of his heart.

"Because they've learned to disguise themselves! If we let them leave the quarantine area and blend into the crowd, it will be extremely difficult to find them later, so we absolutely cannot let them out!"

"...I understand. Dr. Zhang, your discovery is of utmost importance. I will immediately notify all quarantine zones across the country and relay the news to countries around the world."

Before Zhang Minglu could even put down his phone after the call ended, he heard Long Hun's serious voice.

"Doctor, be careful. These guys look like they're going to fight to the death."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Minglu looked up and his heart clenched.

The crowd on the football field, which had been noisy and full of protests, had all fallen silent.

Their eyes were all focused on the platform, clearly having discovered that Zhang Minglu and his group were the managers of the quarantine area.

The deathly silence of hundreds of people, even in broad daylight, sent chills down the spines of any normal person.

The head of the quarantine area said in a trembling voice, "Dr. Zhang, we are now..."

Before he finished speaking, the parasites on the football field suddenly shouted in unison.

"diffusion!"

"diffusion!"

"diffusion!"

They shouted as they charged wildly toward the platform! Their agile and swift movements were like those of a pack of wild beasts.

"Quick! Stop them!"

"Fire!"

These people still looked human, but at this moment they felt more like monsters. The soldiers pulled the triggers without hesitation, but many of the parasites, after being hit by bullets, only paused for a moment before continuing to charge forward!

This instilled fear in many soldiers. At this moment, Zhang Minglu's voice came through the loudspeaker, indicating that he had taken over command.

"These parasites have been most thoroughly modified by the spores, and their full potential has been unleashed. Ordinary soldiers, retreat immediately, and the mobile teams will take their place!"

The mobile team he brought consisted of dozens of elite Ascended individuals. They were facing hundreds of beast-like people. Although he was nervous, the order had been given, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Normally, an elite ascendant could easily take on a hundred ordinary people. Just like Shen Yun, a student from the academy, who killed or injured many ordinary people with a single move at Eagle Ridge.

But the situation is different now.

As Zhang Minglu said, the spores had pushed the potential of all these hundreds of parasites to its limit. Even if they were ordinary people before, they had now become "perfect ordinary people," with their combat power greatly enhanced.

In addition, the fearless charge of hundreds of men put immense pressure on the mobile unit, leading to numerous forced errors.

An elite Ascended being was so frightened by the several parasites charging towards him that he dropped his weapons and tools. The next moment, he was torn apart alive by the parasites, who beat and bit him.

Seeing this, Long Hun couldn't stay still any longer. If he didn't intervene, even if this mobile team could suppress these hundreds of parasites, there probably wouldn't be many people left.

"Doctor, I'll go help them."

"Alright! Dragon Soul, go quickly!"

Zhang Minglu quickly said that he didn't want his mobile team to be wiped out in the first battle.

However, this battle situation reminded him of the importance of practical combat that Guan Tong had always emphasized when he was at the academy.

"Guan Tong is right, real combat experience is extremely important. These elite ascendants perform well in training but not in actual combat, but once they face a fierce enemy, they are too prone to forced mistakes due to pressure..."

Zhang Minglu shook his head again.

No, now is not the time to think about those things. The biggest problem right now is how to solve the threat posed by the parasites!

And... what exactly did they mean by "spreading"? Does this mean that even though the rules are over, the spores can still spread in some way?!

(End of this chapter)