Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 433 The End of the Rules and a Layer of Gloom

Wilanko immediately sent a voice communication to "Dreamboat-1".

The message is straightforward: Robert should first slow down and change direction of the rocket, then relinquish supreme control and let the North Star Space Agency take over.

After the message was sent, there was no reply for a long time.

Wilanco's heart sank. He knew that Zhang Minglu and Guan Tong might be right; Robert really did have ulterior motives.

He quickly sent several more messages to question and inquire.

After sending these messages, Robert soon initiated a real-time voice call request.

Wilanco agreed to the application.

Once the voice call started, he immediately questioned, "Robert, why did you do this? Have you forgotten that you're an astronaut named Soro? Besides, we've been friends for almost twenty years outside of work. Are you trying to spread scarlet fear to me?!"

After a moment of silence on the communicator, a slightly hoarse voice came through.

“Wilanko, you don’t understand. I’m trying to help you.”

Even though his tone sounded very different from usual, it was definitely Robert's voice.

Wilanco was utterly bewildered: "You call it helping me by subjecting me to the rules? What does that even mean?"

“I will free you, Wilanco,” Robert said. “Otherwise, when the demons truly descend, you will only suffer more and more terrible pain.”

Robert's tone and words exuded a sinister aura, sending chills down the spines of Wilanco and the others.

"Who do you think you are!" Wilanco roared. "The Robert I know would never say such a thing!"

Zhang Minglu interjected, "The demon has descended? Are you referring to this rule by 'demon'? The Scarlet Fear has been defeated and dispelled by our Ascended Ones, and this rule will soon come to an end. Why do you say we will suffer more pain?"

There was a moment of silence in the channel, with only a faint buzzing sound troubling everyone's anxious hearts.

Guan Tong was also on the shared connection at the moment, and he was also puzzled by what Robert said.

Could the forces behind this rule, the "devil" Robert refers to, have long-term effects on humanity?

This type of threat is very troublesome. Currently, just one parasite that has coexisted with humans for a long time has already caused a lot of harm to humans. If there is another "demon", the situation will only get worse.

After several seconds of silence, Robert's pained voice came through the communication channel.

"Demons cannot be destroyed. The one you fought so hard to defeat was nothing more than a lowly being... They told me they would find us, find our home planet, and make us pay the price..."

These words shocked everyone.

Wilanco looked stunned and shouted, "Robert, explain yourself! Are you saying there's a...tribe behind this rule? We only defeated one individual? This tribe will retaliate against us, is that what you mean?!"

"...They are terrifying."

Robert's voice was mumbled and incoherent, as if he were talking to Wilanco, or as if he were talking to himself.

"Don't you understand? Humanity is too weak in the universe. The power of demons is enough to destroy us, let alone the Firebringers who can capture demons and stuff them into the rules. The future only awaits destruction for humanity. Rather than perish in extreme pain, it's better to choose a comfortable way... I wish I could go back to when the first rule was issued. How fortunate it would be to die in one's sleep... That was the greatest generosity the Firebringers gave to humanity, but we foolishly chose to fight against fate..."

"He's gone mad! This guy has completely gone mad!" Wilanco took a half step back, his face filled with horror, as if he had been frightened by Robert's words. It was hard to imagine that an astronaut with outstanding mental fortitude would utter such desperate ramblings.

“He must have been overwhelmed by scarlet phobia, which led to his despair,” Zhang Minglu said. “Robert, we can’t truly empathize with what you’ve been through, but we can help you.”

Wilanco refused to give up so easily, grabbing the microphone: "Robert, wake up! We can help you! First, disengage from 'Dreamship,' and we'll remotely control a rocket ship to take you home and treat your injuries using every possible means. For the sake of our years of friendship, you have to trust me!"

Now that things have come to this, he still wants to appeal to Robert's emotions to win him back, but Guan Tong feels it's too late.

Zhang Minglu was right when he said something: they couldn't empathize with Robert's experience; none of them had ever truly grasped how real the horror created by Scarlet Fear was.

Guan Tong himself only experienced two short scenarios. Even though he regained consciousness in time, those scenes still reappeared in his mind from time to time. Even if you know they are fake, because everything happened at the level of deep consciousness, the brain will still store them as real memories.

Only the person experiencing it knows how painful it is.

Now consider Robert. Shortly after landing on Terra, he and his astronauts were affected by the Scarlet Fear. Although Robert himself became the source of the infection and survived, living was probably a torment for him, as the "demon" he spoke of might still occasionally show him terrifying images.

The fact that he has managed to stay insane until now, even if the "devil" deliberately wanted him to spread more fear as a source of transmission, is still predicated on his own unwavering will. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to persevere to the point of becoming a source of transmission.

This is essentially an unsolvable dead end caused by the erosion of scarlet fear: if your resistance is low, you'll be terrified to the point of madness or death. If your resistance is high, you might come into contact with the "Wailing Forge" and become a source of transmission.

Unable to escape the torment no matter what, Robert may have fallen into utter despair because of this, which sparked his extreme psychology of "spreading fear to help humanity find liberation."

Now that things have come to this point, it's probably impossible to turn back.

Robert did not reply and the communication was aborted.

"Boom!"

Wilanko slammed his fist on the table, looking both angry and pained.

"damn it!"

"Director Wilanco, things have come to this point, so we have no choice but to proceed as planned."

"...Okay, all groups, take note: immediately initiate the forced return of the 'Imperial Pioneers'!"

After Wieland gave the order, the various teams at the space agency immediately coordinated and carried it out.

Seeing this, Guan Tong did not immediately use the teleportation ability to return to Tianshui Star. If he could return, there was no need for him to expose this ability.

After all, teleportation devices cannot be used in space. If he returns like this, everyone will know that he has the ability to move over long distances in space. Even if some intelligence agencies know that he can move over long distances by collecting his combat intelligence, they cannot determine whether he is using a device or some other ability.

So for the rest of the time, he watched those multi-clawed robots busy at the control panel, working with the ground control center to complete the return mission.

A few hours later, the return journey began.

Zhang Minglu specifically instructed Guan Tong to be vigilant and to protect herself if the return trip was not smooth.

He even half-joked that if forced to, Guan Tong should be prepared to "parachute from outside the atmosphere".

Guan Tong knew Zhang Minglu was trying to ease the tension, but he wouldn't be careless. Regardless of the situation, he would first encase himself in thick shadow armor, then be ready to use teleportation at any moment.

However, the situation that the ground control center feared did not occur. Although it was a forced return outside the window, thanks to the precise control of those intelligent space robots, the Empire Pioneer successfully entered the atmosphere after multiple orbital changes.

At this point, everyone was relieved. Entering the atmosphere was practically like going home, and Guan Tong could now use the teleportation item to leave at any time.

He didn't waste any props and landed at the designated location along with the rocket ship.

It was dawn, and Zhang Minglu was already waiting at the landing site. He went to greet Guan Tong as she disembarked from the rocket ship. "Guan Tong, you've had a long journey. The plane back to Beixing is ready; shall we go back together?"

"No, thank you," Guan Tong said. "Dr. Zhang, you can go now. I have some things to do."

"Something to do? In Soroma?"

Guan Tong nodded.

Although Zhang Minglu was surprised, he did not ask any further questions.

After saying goodbye, Guan Tong took out his phone, which contained an address he had saved in advance.

On his way to this address, something came to mind.

That is, from the time he finished the experiment until he returned from space, no one asked him how he "beat the rules" and made the scarlet fear subside.

He had expected someone to ask, so he came up with some excuses to cover up the fact that the title had been devoured.

However, these excuses were ultimately not used.

Guan Tong didn't think that their lack of curiosity was the reason they didn't ask; he thought it might be the result of discussions between the higher-ups at Beixing and Soroma.

Both sides must have realized that pressing the issue further would offend Guan Tong, who didn't want to reveal her secrets. Rather than create a conflict that would be difficult to resolve, it was better not to ask at all; the problem would be solved eventually.

As for how the two countries' officials will deal with "Dream Boat 1" operated by Robert, whether they will launch a large number of missiles to destroy it, that is not something Guan Tong needs to consider.

The only thing Guan Tong cared about was the "devil" Robert mentioned.

If what he said is true, then it means that the "Wailing Forge" is not a single intelligent life form, but rather a member of a certain race. If, as Robert suggests, this race is temporarily named the "Demon Race," then they seem to still possess a sense of "revenge."

“Robert said the ‘Demon Race’ would seek revenge on the human homeworld… but wasn’t that demonic individual captured by the Firebringers? Shouldn’t they seek revenge on the Firebringers first? Unless they believe that the individual captured by the Firebringers was still ‘alive,’ but completely dead after being absorbed by my title…”

Guan Tong didn't feel she had any responsibility, and she certainly wouldn't worry unnecessarily before anything happened.

He was simply curious about what exactly this "demon race" was all about.

According to the complete puzzle record of the past in the "Chronicles of Yamo Star," the identity of several Yamo Star behemoths in the rule of [Nightmare in the Mist] was that of "gatekeepers" of their own civilization.

At the time, it was widely believed that these alien creatures that appeared in the post-apocalyptic rules were likely similar to the behemoths of the planet Qimo—that is, their home planet had been destroyed by the post-apocalyptic rules, and the remaining individuals were taken away by the Fire Stealers as "collectibles" and used in other post-apocalyptic rules.

Therefore, when the "nano swarm intelligence" first appeared, many scholars believed that the species of this intelligence had become extinct, with only a few or individual individuals remaining for the Fire Thieves to use.

But now the elusive presence of the "Demon Race" has cast a shadow over humanity... Of course, this is on the premise that the voices Robert heard weren't deceiving him.

……

March 4, 1 am.

Solomon, the capital of Rome, is the city of New York.

In the suburbs far from the city center, a car slowly drove up to an old house and stopped.

Guan Tong didn't rush to get out of the car, but instead sat in the car and listened to the voice of the fire thief.

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

[Reward has been sent to your storage box]

The eighteenth apocalyptic rule will be released in fifteen days.

The month-long seventeenth rule has finally come to an end.

For many people, they can finally stop living in fear and anxiety every time they go online.

For those affected by "scarlet phobia," although the damage caused cannot be undone, there is a possibility of recovery as long as they are alive.

Guan Tong opened the storage box and then the newly acquired survival treasure chest.

[Obtain random item: Mimicry Trench Coat]

[Mimetic Trench Coat]: After use, it blends into the environment and conceals the user's form. Using abilities or being attacked during this state will break the state. It automatically consumes 10 points of mental energy per second while in stealth mode. This item is tradable.

"Assimilation with the environment... in a sense, it's close to invisibility. But you can't use your abilities or be attacked during that time... the performance is still a bit lacking, after all, it's a silver-level box."

Guan Tong wasn't disappointed with the items she received, but she wasn't entirely satisfied either.

In any case, these uniquely functional items are always better than offensive or defensive items.

After getting out of the car, Guan Tong chose what to wear, and a black mid-length single-breasted trench coat that fit his body was immediately put on.

He glanced at himself in the car's rearview mirror; the style was quite simple, so he wore it.

Then, he looked at the old house in front of him.

It's called an old house, not because it's been built for a long time, but because of its old style.

In New York City, a world-class modern metropolis, this house is surprisingly built entirely of wood, with no metal materials in sight, giving it a very retro feel.

He walked to the wooden door, which was carved with some intricate patterns and some star and constellation designs.

"Knock knock knock".

Guan Tong raised her hand and knocked on the door. After a short while, a voice came from inside the house.

"Please come in."

He pushed open the door and entered the wooden house. After lifting a curtain in the passageway, the first thing that caught his eye was a collection of mystical tools on the wall: talismans, tortoise shells, incense, wooden tablets, ritual knives, and so on.

A long wooden table stood against the wall, and a woman draped in a starry blanket sat in a chair behind it. A crystal ball sat before her pale face, and her eyes gazed at Guan Tong through it.

She is none other than Soroma, the renowned fortune teller known as "The Key of the Moon" in the global Ascended community, and the person Guan Tong has come to find this time.

She had previously participated in the decapitation operation against the Firebringers as a member of the team. The operation failed, and Adam's wife Amanda was killed by the traitor Peter. Peter was then killed by Adam. After Adam disappeared, only "The Key of the Moon" returned to Soroma to be questioned.

Now that she is here, it means the investigation is over.

She placed the crystal ball on the table and gestured to Guan Tong with her eyes: "Please sit down."

(End of this chapter)