A red heavy-duty truck was driving on an empty highway.

Wang Yan was driving, Guan Tong was in the passenger seat, and Chen Na was in the sleeper berth behind them. The three of them were headed for Yunhua City.

It was now July 9th. The Apocalypse Rule had ended several days ago. Under the scorching sun, most of the snow on the highway had melted. The meltwater had turned the deep ditches on either side of the road into a series of small rivers.

"Look at all this meltwater. The city sewers must be overflowing," Wang Yan said. "I wonder how they’ll handle it."

"Mom, the sun’s so strong now. The water on the road will dry up quickly, won’t it?" Chen Na asked from the sleeper berth.

"Hmm, good point." Wang Yan nodded, then asked Guan Tong in the passenger seat, "Guan, you’re a Yunhua local. Do you have any plans for when you get back?"

"No major plans. Once I’ve settled in, I’ll start preparing for the next Apocalypse Rule as soon as I can," Guan Tong said.

Wang Yan sighed. "That’s true. A month goes by so fast. It’s already the 9th, and in another twenty-something days, there’ll be a new rule. Ugh, when will it ever end?"

"Aren’t there forty-nine of them in total?" Chen Na, with all the optimism of a child, chimed in. "Four are already over, that’s, um... one-twelfth of the way done. It feels so fast!"

Hearing this, Wang Yan gave a wry smile.

Children didn’t know how cruel reality was, but she, an adult, was painfully aware.

’It would be one thing if most of the rules were like the second and third, where you could choose to give up. But if there were many survival-type rules like the first and fourth mixed in, then each one would be a major ordeal.’

Guan Tong, however, remembered that the Fire Thief had explicitly stated that after passing all forty-nine rules, they would have to participate in an "Apocalypse Operation." That latter part was likely far more terrifying than the rules themselves.

’Still, there’s no point in thinking too far ahead and putting too much pressure on myself,’ he thought.

’I’ll just have to face each challenge as it comes. For now, it’s best to focus on the rule right in front of me.’

The truck drove on for some time. As they passed the ruins of a village, Wang Yan’s expression turned incredibly grim.

Chen Na sat up in the sleeper berth, looked out the window, and said, "Mom, isn’t this our village...?"

"...It is."

’We’re at Sun Family Manor?’

Guan Tong looked out the window. As far as he could see, the houses in the village beside the highway had been almost completely crushed. They must have been buried in snow before; now, eight days later, the melting snow revealed the destruction.

Roofs, doorframes, tiles, wooden beams, composite panels... all kinds of farm tools and other objects were floating in the meltwater.

Looking closely, one could even make out the floating bodies of villagers in the floodwaters.

Guan Tong pulled his gaze away and turned to look at Wang Yan. Seeing her pale face, he asked with concern, "Wang, are you all right?"

"I’m fine... Guan. It’s just... I’m terrified thinking back. If I hadn’t driven out with Nana, I’m afraid..."

"..."

It was true. If she and her daughter had stayed in the village without any hope of rescue, the outcome would have been grim.

"I have to take Nana to the Capital!" Wang Yan said, gritting her teeth. "Only there will Nana be safe!"

She had this plan before, but seeing the tragic state of her own village firsthand had only strengthened her conviction.

Chen Na stared wide-eyed at the village ruins floating in the meltwater and suddenly blurted out, "The people who bullied us should be dead too. That’s a good thing, right?"

Both Wang Yan and Guan Tong turned to look at her in surprise, but neither of them said anything.

The truck drove on.

The closer they got to Yunhua, the more water there was on the road.

By the time they were less than ten kilometers from the city, the road looked as if it had just been through several days of heavy rain. The water was deep enough to nearly submerge the large truck’s wheels.

"Did the city pump all its floodwater out here? Why is there so much water?" Wang Yan slowed down, carefully navigating the road.

Guan Tong guessed, "It’s possible. A few days ago, before the snow melted, emergency services might have moved large amounts of it out of the city with dump trucks. That would have eased the pressure on the urban drainage system."

"But that makes it difficult to get in and out of the city."

"True. But I doubt many people are trying to get in or out of the city right now anyway."

The truck plowed forward through the water. After entering the suburbs of Yunhua, they found the water was even deeper, rising nearly to the level of the truck’s doors.

Luckily, it was a high-cab truck. A smaller car would have been completely submerged, its driver left stranded and helpless inside.

Fortunately, after they drove a bit farther, the water on the road began to recede. The terrain grew higher as they approached the urban core, causing most of the water to flow out toward the lower-lying suburbs.

By the time the truck entered the development zone, the water was only calf-deep. They started seeing other vehicles on the road, though most were official government supply trucks and special-purpose vehicles.

"Guan, should we go straight to the hospital or drop you off somewhere first?" Wang Yan asked.

"Let’s go to the hospital first. Your health is more important, Wang."

Guan Tong thought for a moment, then took out his phone. "I’ll call around to the hospitals and see which ones are open."

In the era of the Apocalypse Rules, any job that could be replaced by a machine had been. As a result, huge numbers of people in those industries were out of work.

However, essential institutions like hospitals were still in operation. While many doctors and nurses had quit, a certain number chose to remain at their posts. Others even joined voluntarily out of a passion for medicine. Furthermore, the government provided extra rewards and support to those who remained in essential roles to ensure these institutions could continue to function.

There were many hospitals in Yunhua City, so Guan Tong called five of the more well-known ones. Three were still closed. Only two had recently reopened, but the receptionist at each warned him that they were packed with patients and there was no guarantee of being seen quickly.

That made sense. After a month of blizzards and freezing temperatures, countless survivors must have come down with colds and fevers. They were probably all jamming the hospitals to capacity.

Still, they had to go. Guan Tong picked a hospital that was nearby, but as Wang Yan drove to the edge of the development zone, they were stopped by people in the uniforms of the Emergency Management Bureau.

Two officers came forward. After asking about their situation, one informed them, "There are a lot of supply vehicles operating in the city proper right now. A big truck like yours could cause traffic jams, so you can’t go in. Please park it in a nearby lot for now."

"Then how is the patient in our truck supposed to get to the hospital?" Guan Tong asked.

The two officers conferred for a moment before one said, "We have a few colleagues heading into the city for work. They can give the patient a ride. But their car can’t fit all three of you. Who’s the patient?"

"I am," said Wang Yan.

"All right, that’s one. The car can take one more person at most. Let your little daughter go with you. Your son can figure out how to get there later."

Guan Tong was speechless. Wang Yan said awkwardly, "Oh, you’re mistaken. He’s not my son."

"Wang, you and Na should go with them. Getting to the doctor is what’s important," Guan Tong said. "I can make my own way into the city."

"Are... are you sure? Leaving you here all by yourself, Guan..."

The Emergency Management Bureau officer said, "He’s a young man, what’s there to worry about? We’ll send him into the city when another vehicle is free. You two should hurry, my colleagues are waiting."

"All right." Seeing no other choice, Wang Yan parked her truck in the lot, then left with her daughter, Chen Na, in the Emergency Management Bureau’s vehicle.

After Guan Tong watched them go, the same officer said to him, "If you want to go into the city, just wait here. One of our cars might be able to give you a lift later."

After saying that, the officer added, looking a little curious, "Come to think of it, you’re the first private vehicle we’ve seen coming in from outside in days. I heard all the nearby towns and villages were buried in the snow. It’s impressive that you made it through."

Guan Tong just nodded without saying anything more.

Besides, he didn’t want to just stand around waiting. After a few moments, he decided to start walking toward the city on his own.