Chapter 118: Chapter 113: A Surge in Fame After taking out more than a dozen thugs, Guan Tong had lost all desire to sleep.
He knew this sort of thing was bound to happen in the age of the Apocalypse Rules; it was only a matter of time.
In fact, it would probably happen even more often in the future.
It was like the "First Ascender Challenge." The Ascenders who died in that competition were merely eliminated, not truly killed.
But what if dying in the competition meant *really* dying?
Would Guan Tong have given up on fighting for the Holy Grail? No, he still would have gone.
So, since he was already mentally prepared, he didn’t feel much of anything even after using his Shadow to kill over a dozen people.
Guan Tong sat down at his desk and opened his computer. Plenty of people online were already discussing the Sound Hunter.
Many had already figured out its main trait: Invisibility.
Furthermore, some online theorized that it couldn’t be very large.
Some of the victims had been attacked inside shelters, but all the shelters had sealed their main gates shut after the new rule was announced.
So, with the gates undamaged, how did the Sound Hunter get inside to attack the person who made a sound?
Either it could teleport, ignoring spatial restrictions; it could phase through walls in addition to being invisible; or it was simply small enough to sneak in through places like ventilation ducts and drainpipes.
Most people preferred to believe the third option.
The first two were just too terrifying.
But as for the truth, no one could say for certain.
Even Guan Tong, who had witnessed the bearded man’s death at the hands of a Sound Hunter, could only confirm its Invisibility.
He had tried to split his Shadow into countless tiny tentacles to cover the surrounding area, hoping to physically touch the Sound Hunter, but he had failed.
This failure left him unable to determine if the Sound Hunter was simply too fast, or if it had "teleported" away after the kill.
There was a fundamental difference between the two possibilities.
If it was just fast, there was still a chance of ’chasing’ it. But if it simply teleported away, ignoring distance, then pursuit was impossible.
Guan Tong opened his website, Ascender’s Home.
In the "Intel" section, many people were posting threads related to the current rule.
"[Help] How do I make sure I don’t make any noise?"
"About the Sound Hunter, does anyone know how to survive an attack?"
"Official shelter announcement, posting for those outside to see."
Because this section had a "No one-line topic threads" rule, there were very few pointless, spammy posts. Most threads were serious discussions; the shitposts were generally confined to the "Chat" section.
Guan Tong browsed for a moment and found a particularly popular thread.
"I have a cheesy way to beat this rule, aren’t you jealous?"
Guan Tong saw the four words, "cheesy way to beat," and noted the thread already had several hundred replies. Curious, he clicked on it.
The poster’s ID was "I Am a Good Person." For some reason, the name seemed familiar to Guan Tong, but he didn’t dwell on it and started reading the post.
I Am a Good Person: "It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but my Psychic Power item is the ’Hypnosis App.’ As the name suggests, it can be used to hypnotize others or myself for a duration of 24 hours."
"Once successfully used, the subject enters a deep sleep. They won’t talk in their sleep or wake up suddenly. In other words, I can clear this rule by hypnotizing myself once every 24 hours and staying in a deep sleep."
Guan Tong was left speechless after reading the post.
He had to admit, this "I Am a Good Person" had a point. If he kept hypnotizing himself, he really could breeze through this rule in a state of deep sleep.
And the first reply to the thread reminded him why the poster’s name had seemed familiar.
"I Am a Good Person? That ID is so familiar. Isn’t that the legend who posted during the first rule about using edging to stay awake?"
"I think you’re right. I remember that thread got over a hundred thousand replies..."
"Liangzi is still alive?"
"Hey, watch your mouth up there. The fact that he can edge without ever finishing proves he has massive potential!"
"Liangzi? More like Liang God!"
"Hypnosis App? You live up to your name, Liang God. That item is perfect for you..."
"Bro, share the app! I want to hypnotize myself too!"
"You sure you want to hypnotize *yourself* there, buddy?"
"No, I’m serious. This guy’s item is really useful for the current rule. And since he can hypnotize others, I think he should use this opportunity to make a killing, don’t you think?"
"I agree with the user above. The rich and powerful will definitely be in need of this. Now’s your time to shine, Liang God. Any other time, you’d be lucky not to get beaten to death for using that thing on someone... But now? People will not only thank you, they’ll have to pay you handsomely!"
"Liang God, where are you? I want to find you so you can hypnotize me! I’m a total chatterbox. I usually talk so much in a day that my mouth gets dry and I have to drink liters of water. This new rule is going to be the death of me! I don’t think I can last a month!"
The thread was incredibly active. Some people were envious, some were begging to be hypnotized, and others were giving the OP advice on how to monetize his item.
After reading through the comments, Guan Tong agreed that this was a real opportunity for I Am a Good Person. However, actually going out to hypnotize other people was still risky.
I Am a Good Person replied in the thread himself: "Quite a few people have contacted me, offering Gold and Sublimation Coins in exchange for hypnosis. But after thinking it over, I’ve decided against it. The will of heaven is easier to predict than the hearts of men. I’m afraid of being set up in a honey trap or coerced by some shadowy organization... However, if an official government department needs my help, I’d be willing to assist once they’ve verified their identity."