Chapter 394
: Impact Precedes Rules
Chapter 394: Impact Precedes Rules
Countermeasures Research Office.
Half an hour after receiving the hidden information about the rules, Gao Liangwei called Li Meng and Zhang Minglu to his office.
When the two arrived, they found that in addition to Gao Liangwei, there was a middle-aged man in a blue military uniform with a satellite logo on his shoulder in the office.
Both of them were quite surprised to see this person.
“It seems I don’t need to introduce you; you all know Director Chen,” Gao Liangwei said.
The two certainly knew each other; they had recently watched a press conference hosted by him—Chen Shi, director of the Beixing Space Agency.
Chen Shi stood up and extended his hand: "Section Chief Li, Dr. Zhang, I have already heard Colonel Gao introduce you. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The two men shook hands with him, and then the three of them sat down.
Gao Liangwei said, "Director Chen's visit this time is related to the rules."
“That’s right, it’s for the astronauts who died in the disaster,” Chen Shi said. “We haven’t revealed the truth about the astronauts’ sacrifice to the public because we’re afraid of causing panic.”
Upon hearing this, Li Meng asked curiously, "What is the truth? Is it related to the rules this time?"
Space colonization, as one of the two paths humanity takes toward the future, is of paramount importance. This abrupt and unclear conclusion has left not only the general public puzzled, but also many officials.
“I’m afraid so.” Chen Shi said solemnly. “Our astronauts fell into a special stress state after being subjected to unknown and intense psychological stimulation. This state lasted for several days before they died. After the Seventeenth Rule was issued, we believe they were affected by the rule.”
"Director Chen, are you saying that the astronauts died from Scarlet Fear?" Zhang Minglu asked in surprise. "How is that possible? The rules hadn't even been issued when they sacrificed themselves!"
How can a rule that hasn't even been released yet affect humanity in advance?
“But they had an accident on Terra, and not long after, that terrifying crimson power descended upon Terra in the form of a rule. Don’t tell me this is a coincidence,” Chen Shi said.
"..."
Zhang Minglu certainly didn't think it was just a coincidence, but the problem was that it had already had an impact before the rules were released... This kind of thing had never happened before.
"Could it be like this?" Li Meng then proposed a viewpoint: "The Fire Stealers had already established the rules and made preparations on Terra in advance. Perhaps the Fire Stealers did not consider that humans would launch manned rockets to land, so the astronauts just accidentally triggered it, resulting in them being harmed by that crimson power ahead of time?"
Chen Shi's expression was serious: "This is what I want to ask you, the Countermeasures Research Office, to investigate. If we can't find the cause, the space colonization plan will have to be postponed indefinitely—humanity currently does not have the capability to land on planets other than Terra."
Zhang Minglu and Li Meng exchanged a glance, knowing that this was indeed a big deal.
If the hope of space colonization is dashed, it will be a major blow to humanity, causing many to lose hope.
Gao Liangwei then made a promise: "Director Chen, rest assured, our policy research office will do its utmost to investigate the truth. For this, we need all relevant information."
“I have brought it.”
Chen Shi got up, took a data storage card from his pocket, and placed it on the table.
"Then I'll go ahead and wait for news at the station."
After Chen Shi left, Gao Liangwei picked up the data card and examined it closely.
Zhang Minglu said, "If Section Chief Li's speculation is true, then we will have another layer of understanding about the fire thieves... Deploying relevant forces in advance before the rules are issued is a very important understanding."
“Indeed,” Li Meng also said. “This means that the Fire Stealer is not omnipotent. It did not know that humans would launch manned rockets to land on Terra, which means that it could not predict what actions humans would take in the future.”
“Nothing in the universe is omnipotent,” Gao Liangwei said. “Perhaps the theory that Guan Tong mentioned at the academy is correct. The mysterious fire-stealers may just be some extremely powerful ascendants who cannot predict the future.”
"..."
Even after nearly twenty apocalyptic rules have been implemented, humanity still knows very little about the Fire Stealers.
Its true nature is impossible to determine.
"Alright, let's talk about the new intelligence we've received." Gao Liangwei changed the subject. "We must explore the unknowns within the Crimson Power."
“Yes,” Zhang Minglu immediately agreed. “We can’t miss any opportunity that might allow us to learn more about the truth.”
This was already demonstrated after the arrival of extraterrestrial intelligent beings; even at the risk of being devoured in large numbers, humanity still asked some key questions to gain more chances of survival.
"What are your specific ideas on how to do this?"
“Based on the existing data, we must first rule out ordinary people,” Li Meng said. “Ordinary people have poor mental resistance, and even indirectly seeing scarlet will severely affect them in a very short time. The task of exploring the unknown can only be entrusted to the Ascended.”
"And ideally, they should be Ascendants who possess mental abilities and items," Zhang Minglu added. "These Ascendants have stronger mental power than ordinary Ascendants, which can minimize the impact of Scarlet Fear."
“Then let’s do it this way,” Gao Liangwei decided. “Select some suitable individuals from the Ascended Persons database and recruit volunteers from them by offering high rewards.”
"Ok."
"Furthermore, regarding the joint operation against the Fire-Stealers Cult, the Human Alliance has decided to schedule the operation for the latter half of this month, which is also the end of the rule period. This is also for the safety of the participants... We will allow them to act only after we have thoroughly understood the rule crisis."
In addition, this also allows time for the team to gel. Section Chief Li, you are the overall commander of the Beixing detachment; you need to put your heart into this task.
Li Meng said, "I understand, person in charge. I have contacted all the members of the squad and arranged for them to meet together tomorrow to get to know each other better."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Minglu asked, "Did Guan Tong agree?"
"I agreed."
"It still has to be Section Chief Li."
"Why?" "Because Guan Tong has never really liked meeting up in person." Zhang Minglu explained with a wry smile, "It's quite difficult to see him in person."
Recalling his previous experience in Yunhua, Li Meng laughed and said, "Back then, when some thugs pretended to be sheriffs and knocked on his door, he left home that night to stay at a hotel... You could tell back then that this kid was very cautious."
"He will be the core of the team and a major fighting force in this operation, so you need to communicate with him frequently. Also, how's the situation with the suicide case he's investigating?"
“There’s something wrong with that case, but there’s no conclusive evidence yet to prove that the Sakura Inori Ascendant named ‘Suzuki’ was murdered,” Zhang Minglu said. “I think he will continue to investigate.”
"If it's murder, this is a very serious matter."
The two understood the meaning behind Gao Liangwei's words.
The murder of a sublimated individual in a rehabilitation center severely undermines official administrative functions. Whoever or whatever it is, once identified, must be dealt with decisively.
……
"Sister Bai, you're back!"
That afternoon, after receiving orders to return to Pinglu Base from the Allied front, Bai Xuewu saw Chen Na waiting to greet her as soon as she entered the gate.
Having not seen her for a long time, Bai Xuewu missed her younger sister very much. She took Chen Na's hand and smiled, "Little Na, how have you been lately?"
"I'm alright! Sister Bai, how about you? You've been on the front lines for so long, have you gotten hurt?"
"Heh... Don't underestimate your sister. Those parasites won't be able to hurt me so easily."
Bai Xuewu wasn't bragging; since going to the front lines, she had fought many battles against parasites, but had never been injured.
This was partly due to the power of her "Snowflake Without a Trace" mech, and partly due to her cautious nature. She would always withdraw from the battlefield before her mental energy dropped to 10%, avoiding a situation where she couldn't control her mech in combat.
"Hehe, Sister Bai, you're amazing! I can join the battle this time too!"
"Ah."
Bai Xuewu already knew that Chen Na was also in the team for this operation.
Entering the Fahe, which is now completely controlled by the Fire Thieves, is far more dangerous than fighting the parasites on the front lines.
This is because most parasites are transformed from ordinary people, and soldiers can inflict serious damage on them with modern weapons alone.
While the lowest-ranking members of the Church of the Fire Thieves are mostly ordinary people, the priests, bishops, popes, and other high-ranking members are undoubtedly those who have transcended worldly desires.
This is precisely why Chen Na is needed.
The last time Soromagato's decapitation attempt failed, it was because he targeted the wrong person; he killed a puppet instead of the real leader.
To find the real culprit, Chen Na's [Perception Domain] is crucial. She can now sense the strength of people's mental power within a certain range. As long as she finds the one with the strongest mental power, regardless of their identity, they will most likely be the one who controls the Fire Thief Cult—or at least the most powerful henchman under the controller.
"You'll stay by my side then, okay?" Bai Xuewu gently rubbed Chen Na's cheek. "As the strongest member of the team, I'll protect you."
Chen Na was about to nod in agreement when she suddenly remembered something and muttered to herself, "The strongest member of the team should be..."
"what?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Chen Na shook her head repeatedly, pushing Bai Xuewu forward. "Sister Bai, you must be tired after just getting back. Go and eat something and rest!"
"Okay."
As the two walked through the base's corridor, they soon encountered a red-haired young man in his early twenties.
The young man's eyes lit up when he saw Bai Xuewu, and he strode forward to greet her: "Old Bai! You're back!"
Bai Xuewu saw this person's eyes twitch and barely suppressed the urge to slap him: "How many times have I told you, don't call me that!"
Chen Na, who was following Bai Xuewu, paused for a few seconds when she saw the young man, then suddenly remembered something: "You are... Vulcan!"
In the show "The Ultimate Ascension," the most famous and popular contestant is Bai Xuewu, followed by the young man in front of us named Yang Ran.
Yang Ran possesses the ability to manipulate flames, and among the contestants on the show, his combat strength is second only to Bai Xuewu.
However, this person has an flamboyant personality and dyed his hair red, giving himself the nickname "Vulcan," which has drawn dissatisfaction from many viewers.
Yang Ran laughed heartily: "That's right, that's right! I am the God of Fire, hahaha!"
"Giving yourself such a nickname, aren't you ashamed?" Bai Xuewu said coldly.
"What's there to be ashamed of? Who's better at handling fire than me? If I'm not the God of Fire, then who is! By the way, Lao Bai, we need to cooperate a lot when we go to Fahe this time!"
"What?!" Bai Xuewu was shocked upon hearing this, forgetting all about how Yang Ran addressed her. "You're in the action team too?"
"Yes, Dr. Zhang spoke with me and felt that my combat skills could be put to use. As soon as I heard that it was about dealing with cultists, I immediately agreed. This is a fight for humanity!"
"..."
Bai Xuewu was speechless; she really didn't want to go to the battlefield with this kind of guy.
"I have to go collect my props. See you tomorrow!"
Yang Ran waved goodbye and left. Bai Xuewu sighed deeply and instructed Chen Na, "Xiaona, remember, stay away from him when you get to Fahe. His flames have a wide range and he can't distinguish between friend and foe, so it's easy to accidentally hurt your teammates."
(End of this chapter)