Chapter 390 - 357: Investing in Oneself

Chapter 390: Chapter 357: Investing in Oneself

Since the very first Apocalypse Rule was announced, every new rule and every nation’s response has been met with both support and opposition.

Even in times of peace, people would endlessly bicker over trivialities. How much more so in the era of the Apocalypse Rules, when every official decision could be a matter of life or death?

In the past, however, public support for most decisions outweighed the opposition, so dissenting voices would quickly fade away.

This time was different.

Because this rule came with no punishments or rewards, people were able, for the first time, to observe the Human Federation’s decisions and actions from a detached perspective, which gave rise to a multitude of opinions.

On the Ascender’s Home forums, there were countless threads on the topic. The number of posts surged even more after the Human Federation publicly released all the questions it had asked.

"After reading the questions the Human Federation asked, I realized the answers are mostly just empty promises! Not a single one offers any immediate benefit!"

"The only thing confirmed to have any practical value is the conversion of brainwave signals to digital signals, right? Looking at the official timeline, that technology will take at least a year to be implemented."

"A year is too long! This isn’t peacetime. Based on past experience, we could go through eight or nine Apocalypse Rules in a year!"

"Yeah, a year isn’t easy to wait out in the era of the Apocalypse Rules... It’s early February now. In two months, it’ll be April—the second anniversary of the Fire Thief’s advent. It’s only been two years. How many people are even left on Celestial Water Star? How many will be left in another year?"

"Time really does wait for no one. The Human Federation should be pooling experts from every nation for joint development, right? That would speed things up."

"I agree. Humanity is on its last legs. Is it really necessary for everyone to be so paranoid about each other?"

"Are you all really that optimistic? Even if the Digital Memory technology is successful, humanity will still be trapped on this planet. How hard would it be for the Fire Thief to target us then?"

"I agree with the user above. I think the Human Federation’s most urgent task should be to search for that special energy source within our own star system. That’s what will determine whether humanity can break through its energy and material limitations and become an interstellar species."

"Only the ability to travel between stars will save us. Can the Fire Thief control the entire universe? As for any other method of avoiding disaster, they’re all just temporary fixes in my opinion."

"And don’t forget, the Human Federation captured who knows how many humans to use as food! Today it’s the Black Banner People, tomorrow it could be us! We have to protest! We have to demand that the Human Federation make a promise!"

"Ordinary people should have the right to decide, too! If this rule had been put to a public vote, I’m sure ’don’t ask’ would have won, not ’ask’!"

Guan Tong read the forums for a little while longer before putting his phone away.

It was February 2nd. After the rule had concluded, he and Shangyuan Zi had come to the Sisiya Capital. They were now in the courtyard of a private estate.

The estate was Yelena’s private residence. It wasn’t heavily staffed, but according to Yelena, every servant had been with her since childhood and was completely trustworthy.

The butler who had welcomed them said Yelena would arrive in half an hour and asked them to wait in the courtyard.

"This rule has caused a bit of a crisis of trust," Guan Tong said. "Many citizens believe the Human Federation captured a large number of humans, turned them into Parasites, and fed them to the Nanomites Swarm."

Unlike Guan Tong, who had been killing time by browsing the forums, Shangyuan Zi was simply sitting in quiet meditation. She opened her eyes at his words. "But wasn’t there a suspicion that a lot of Parasites were making posts just to stir up trouble?"

"They definitely were, but there isn’t much the authorities can do about it. After all, you can’t disprove the claim."

"The burden of proof lies with the accuser. The ones claiming that people were captured en masse can’t provide any evidence."

Guan Tong shook his head. "When emotions run this high, who cares about evidence? Besides, it’s not entirely unreasonable for people to think that way. They’re putting themselves in the shoes of the citizens of the Black Banner Country."

"Think about it. The Black Banner Country was usurped by Parasites who then declared their own nation. That’s tragic enough. But then, to have the few human survivors get captured by the allied forces, mistaken for Parasites... that’s just monstrously tragic."

Shangyuan Zi nodded.

"What are you two chatting about?"

A cool, clear voice cut in. They both looked up to see Yelena approaching.

The pale-gold chignon that had left such a strong impression on Guan Tong was gone, replaced by a short, neck-length cut. The lavish, noble-like velvet attire she once wore had been swapped for a well-tailored gray overcoat, layered over an exquisite woman’s suit.

Compared to her academy days, Yelena looked far more mature. Back then, she had the air of a noble princess; now, she projected the image of a young, sharp-minded elite, the kind often seen in political circles.

Her features, however, remained unchanged. The amethyst-colored eyes beneath her silvery-white lashes were as captivating as ever, though a closer look revealed a deep-seated exhaustion.

"Yelena, let me introduce you. This is Shangyuan Zi."

"Hello," Yelena said, smiling as she proactively offered a hand to Shangyuan Zi. "I’m Yelena Konia."

"Hello. Shangyuan Zi."

Shangyuan Zi shook her hand. Yelena had already noticed the scales on Shangyuan Zi’s chin, but she still flinched slightly upon seeing that her entire hand was covered in them.

But she didn’t hide her curiosity or pretend not to notice. Instead, she asked with surprising frankness, "These scales... are they a result of your Psychic Power?"