41:02:15
"How are you feeling, Fang Qian?"
It was afternoon. Guan Tong looked at Fang Qian, who was sitting on a stool with a dazed look in her eyes, and asked.
"Huh... huh?"
Having gone without sleep for over thirty hours, Fang Qian was not in good shape. Her reactions had clearly become sluggish.
Guan Tong was just as exhausted, but he could still hold on.
Fang Qian rubbed her heavy eyelids. "Was I just spacing out...? Guan Tong, how much longer?"
"Forty-one hours left."
"That long..." Fang Qian's nose tingled, and she felt the urge to cry.
She was so, so sleepy right now and desperately wanted to lie down and sleep.
But her will to survive was so strong that she didn't dare even close her eyes to rest, let alone lie down.
She was terrified that if she closed her eyes, she might accidentally doze off and never wake up again.
"Don't give up," Guan Tong encouraged. "Think about your parents. They're still holding on, too."
"...Yeah."
Fang Qian's parents were indeed still alive. They had called three or four hours ago to check if their daughter was safe.
"Go get some fresh air by the window," Guan Tong suggested.
Fang Qian nodded and walked over to the window.
It was much quieter outside than it had been yesterday, with far less loud noise.
Presumably, after a full day and night of listening, people's ears and minds had taken a serious beating.
Even if it was to stay awake, listening to loud music for too long would inevitably make one irritable and short-tempered, which was probably even worse for survival.
That's why it had become so much quieter today.
Fang Qian gazed at the empty streets outside, fighting with all her might against the exhaustion and drowsiness.
RING RING RING!
Just then, the phone in her pocket began to vibrate. She pulled it out and saw it was a call from her father.
She answered in surprise. "Dad?"
"Qianqian, listen, I have something very important to tell you!" Her father's voice on the phone sounded extremely agitated.
"What is it?" Fang Qian asked nervously. "It's not Mom, is it...?"
"Your mother's fine. This is about your safety! Listen, is your classmate with you right now? Can he hear me?"
"Him?" Fang Qian turned to look. Guan Tong was sitting on a stool in the living room, reading a book. He definitely couldn't hear from that distance.
"He can't hear... Should I go over to him?"
"No!" Fang Qian's father said in a low, serious voice. "Qianqian, listen carefully. The research institute has top-secret information! It's a hidden detail about the Apocalypse Rules!"
"Wha—"
"Don't talk, just listen. Anyone who finds another person and knocks them unconscious will receive an item called a 'Sober Mint Candy.' Using that item grants three hours of absolute wakefulness!"
Fang Qian froze at his words.
"Did you hear me? Qianqian, it doesn't matter who it is. Just grab something and knock him unconscious—"
A strange man's voice suddenly cut in on the other end, questioning Fang Qian's father.
"Dr. Fang, who are you talking to?"
"You've already violated the confidentiality agreement. Stop immediately!"
"Qianqian! Remember what I said! If you can't hold on any longer, use this method, understand?! You have to survi—"
"Stop immediately!"
"That's my phone! Give it back, you savage—"
BEEP BEEP BEEP...
The call was forcibly disconnected. Fang Qian stood stunned for a few seconds before trying to call back, but the receiver only played the message: "The number you have dialed has been switched off."
'Is what Dad said... real?'
'Knock someone out... Sober Mint Candy... Three hours of absolute wakefulness...'
"Fang Qian."
"Ah!"
Guan Tong's voice, suddenly coming from behind her, made her jump.
She turned around stiffly and saw Guan Tong looking at her with a strange expression.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm-I'm fine..." Fang Qian forced a smile onto her face. "It was a call from my dad. He said... No, it's nothing..."
Guan Tong nodded, his gaze thoughtful.
Anyone who'd gone more than thirty hours without sleep would obviously be acting differently than usual. But Fang Qian was showing a strange sort of panic.
Fang Qian looked at Guan Tong, and remembering what her father had said on the phone, she couldn't help but shudder.
She knew what her father had said was very likely true!
Her parents had joined the expert council organized by the government, which was dedicated to researching the Apocalypse Rules.
Besides, as a father, he would never lie to his own daughter about something so life-or-death...
'No, no, no!'
Fang Qian bit her lip and shook her head.
'I know I should never even consider it. So what if Dad was right?'
'If you knock someone out, they'll die!'
'I can't be that kind of person. I can't be...'
Fang Qian had never done anything truly bad in her entire life, so how could she possibly hurt someone now?
Especially Guan Tong, who had been kind enough to let her into his home so they could fight the rules together. She knew that if she had stayed home alone, she most likely would have been defeated by the rules by now...
Fang Qian took several deep breaths to control her emotions.
Perhaps because the news from her father was so shocking and terrifying, the heavy drowsiness she'd been feeling was scared away, and her mind felt much clearer.
"This is good..." Fang Qian muttered under her breath.
'As long as I can stay like this, I can definitely make it to the end.'
'I don't need to use that horrible method Dad mentioned on the phone at all.'
'Yeah, I don't need it...'
"Guan Tong, I'm going to find a new show to watch. Want to join?" Fang Qian sat back down on her stool. She needed to distract herself from the matter of the Sober Mint Candy.
"Sure, you pick."
Fang Qian found a thriller series she hadn't seen before.
The chilling plot was indeed helpful for staying awake.
And maybe it was because they had pushed past the worst of the sleep deprivation, but both of them felt their drowsiness recede a little.
They ended up watching the show for nearly ten hours straight.
During this time, besides watching the show, they only ate one meal, though they did take several showers.
To jolt themselves awake, they took cold showers, which were indeed quite effective.
Many people online also posted that they were taking cold showers periodically to stay awake.
But as time went on, the number of active people online was undeniably decreasing.
Many users who had been making hourly check-in posts were no longer updating, a clear sign they hadn't been able to hold on.
The atmosphere online also grew more volatile. Many people started planning to ignore the quarantine and go to hospitals to get drugs that could help them stay awake.
"Guan Tong," Fang Qian said suddenly, glancing at her phone. "I don't think the internet is working anymore."
"The internet is down?"
Both of their voices had become hoarse. After so long without sleep, they were beginning to show pathological symptoms.
Guan Tong took out his own phone to check. Sure enough, it said there was no network service.
Fang Qian guessed, "Did the people in charge of maintenance fall asleep...?"
"Not necessarily." As soon as the words left Guan Tong's mouth, a loud commotion erupted from downstairs.