On the internet, a post titled "Thank You, Fire Thief, for Letting Me Depart in Peace" was rapidly gaining traction.
"These few years with cancer have drained my family's savings. Not only have I been a burden to them, but I've also been tormented by the pain. I've wanted to just jump out the window and end it all several times, but I never had the courage... Now, I can just fall asleep and end things peacefully. For me, this is the best possible outcome. Thank you to the Fire Thief and the arrival of the Apocalypse Rules. Thank you."
The post already had tens of thousands of replies below it. Some were curses, some were sympathetic, and some were from people who planned to follow suit.
"If you want to die, then just go die! Why are you thanking the Fire Thief? That thing is a mass-murdering demon!"
"A mindset like the OP's deserves to suffer."
"Have you ever thought that while you get to be free, what about all the other people who were originally healthy?"
"Sigh... OP, may you have a peaceful journey."
"Come on, everyone, try to be understanding. The OP's thoughts only represent himself; he doesn't speak for everyone."
"OP, I don't know if you're still here, but I want to say that I'm making the same choice as you. I suffer from severe depression, and I've never had the courage to end my own life... But now, ending it all just by falling asleep is so convenient. My plan is to have a nice dinner tonight, clean my room, curl up in bed to watch a favorite movie, and then just close my eyes and sleep when I get tired. A good way to say goodbye to this world."
"If everyone thought like you guys and just went to sleep to end it, the human race would go extinct."
"That damn Fire Thief! Can't it just let the people who want to die, die, and let those of us who want to live, live?!"
"Anyway, I will absolutely not give up! I'm going to fight the Fire Thief to the bitter end!"
The Fire Thief and the rules it brought had undoubtedly given many pessimistic and world-weary people a peaceful, painless way to bid farewell to the world.
However, opponents were still in the vast majority, and the number of such pessimistic posts wasn't very high.
The topics that more people were discussing online were posts related to how to survive these 72 hours. Many of these discussion threads had already amassed hundreds of thousands of replies, a true case of everyone showing off their own special skills.
One post, titled "Party Up, Party Up! Mom Can't Scold Me for All-Nighter Gaming Anymore," sparked over a hundred thousand replies.
"Brothers, how are you all planning to get through these 72 hours? I'm planning to party up with my dorm mates and grind games for 72 hours straight. We'll play until the end of time, until the Great Dao itself is ground to dust!"
Most of the replies below were in the same vein.
"I'm planning to use gaming to get through it, too. But I'm a single-player guy. I plan to beat a major title. I was always too busy with work to play before. Now I finally have the time, I just don't know if I'll live long enough to finish it."
"Just gaming feels like it won't be enough. I'm planning to flame people for 72 hours straight while I play, maxing out the pressure! Any bros want to join? Leave a comment to sign up!"
"Let me recommend a game for you guys: *Civilization*. A cup of tea, a pack of smokes, and one game of Civ will last you all day. Maybe after 72 hours, you'll feel like you haven't had enough and still want 'just one more turn.'"
Another post from a user with the ID "I Am a Good Person" also had over a hundred thousand replies. The title was "The Easiest Way to Stay Awake. Men Only, Women Keep Out."
As soon as this post appeared, the number of replies skyrocketed, breaking ten thousand faster than a rocket launch.
"OP, you're on another level. This is a serious, life-or-death topic, and you're here offering this kind of 'guidance'?"
"One glance is all it takes. Diagnosis: OP is a god-tier poster who's seriously repressed."
"The root of all problems is repression, and the solution to all problems can be found through 'guidance'."
"I've seen the light! Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"
"Tested and it works! Thanks for sharing the secret, OP!"
"I give up. So many people above are praising this? Anyone with a bit of experience knows you get tired after you finish, right?"
"+1 to the comment above. The thread is full of newbies who don't know anything. Sometimes when I can't sleep, I do it, and it makes me sleepy and I fall asleep right after. Following the OP's advice is basically suicide."
Not long after the post was published, the OP added a clarification in the replies.
I Am a Good Person: "Sorry, I wasn't clear in my original post, which led to some of my fellow 'guides' misunderstanding. As long as you control yourself and don't 'ship the goods,' you can maintain a state of wakefulness. As for how to control it, this one's suggestion is not to use any external aids during your 'guidance,' such as videos, audio, pictures, text, etc. Go for a pure, organic 'guidance'."
"?????"
"OP, you're truly invincible!"
"So the secret is organic 'guidance'! Master, I have been enlightened once again!"
...
Fang Qian saw these bizarre ideas and was too embarrassed to share them with Guan Tong.
But soon, she scrolled to a post on the trending list that made her eyes light up.
"Guan Tong, do you know who Wenren Yizhi is?"
The name "Wenren Yizhi" was very unique; once you heard it, it left a deep impression.
Guan Tong thought for a moment and said, "I think I've seen her in the news. Is she that world Go champion who started playing at age 3 and broke the record for the youngest champion last year?"
"Yep!" Fang Qian showed Guan Tong the post on her phone. "Look, she's launched a seventy-two-hour non-stop Go challenge!"
"Really?"
Guan Tong was also a bit surprised. He glanced at the post's content and saw that it was actually true.
*Breaking News! Genius Go Champion Wenren Yizhi has initiated a 72-hour non-stop Go tournament on her only social media account. The matches will be live-streamed, and several professional Go players have already signed up to participate!*
In the comment section below the post, numerous netizens were expressing their adoration.
"A 72-hour non-stop Go tournament? That's insane!"
"Isn't Go incredibly mentally taxing? Playing for 72 hours straight... even a champion couldn't handle that, right?"
"Is she trying to become a martyr for her art?!"
"Get lost, you above me! Don't jinx it! Sister Yizhi will definitely make it through!"
"As expected of the great Wenren! I'm going to her stream and staying for the full 72 hours!"
"This is seriously over the top... If Wenren Yizhi can really live-stream herself playing Go for 72 hours straight, she'll be the undisputed goddess of Go from now on."
After reading a few comments, Guan Tong saw Fang Qian's excited expression and asked her, "Are you a big fan of Wenren Yizhi?"
"Yeah! I really admire her dedication to Go. I've always used her story to motivate myself. But I'm also a little worried... Playing Go is so tiring, and for so long... can she really do it?"
"Just thinking about it is exhausting for us, but it might not be that tiring for her," Guan Tong said.
"It's like when you're completely absorbed in something you love, you don't even notice time passing. I think Go is like that for her... If she *wasn't* allowed to play Go, she might actually find it harder to stay awake for this long."
"That makes sense!" Fang Qian's eyes widened. "Then we should do something like that, too!"
"Right. Is there anything you love to do?"
"Me..." Fang Qian thought for a moment. "I love watching TV shows! Especially detective and suspense series. Last year during summer break, I think I binge-watched an entire twenty-plus episode crime drama in one go, from morning till night!"
"I see. Then I'll turn on the TV and find a show like that for us to watch."
Fang Qian quickly waved her hands. "No, no, not yet. I'm not tired yet. Let's wait until tonight. What about you, Guan Tong? What do you like to do?"
"I'll just read some books, maybe some novels."
Guan Tong recalled how, back when he was most obsessed with novels, he had also read for a whole day and night. It was definitely one way to fight off sleepiness.
BZZT BZZT!
DING!
Just then, both of their phones chimed with a notification. It was another official announcement.
[Urgent Notice: Effective immediately, all citizens are prohibited from going outside. Please remain in a safe indoor location. Maintain a calm disposition with those sharing your space and do not argue or fight due to emotional agitation.]
When Guan Tong saw this notice, his expression shifted slightly as a thought occurred to him.
He immediately went online and searched for the keywords "Apocalypse Rules" + "Sober Mint Candy". The feedback he got was "No results." There wasn't even any interference or junk information, just a pure "No results."
A chill ran through Guan Tong's heart. 'It seems that hidden rule is real, and the government has already discovered it and immediately imposed a media blackout online.'