Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 296: Chapter 286: Rule Day

Tang Mo’s gaze fell upon Mr. Hu’s face. One look told her why he was asking this question.

”Counting the days... it should be the first of next month.”

The month was already half over. Tang Mo and the others had arrived at a fortuitous time, just before the next Rule Day was to be decided.

As people who had arrived in this world and possessed QR codes, they now had the right to vote.

’But can they rely on just their few votes?’

Labor Day was a precious time for the people here, so Tang Mo didn’t want to disturb them for too long. Now that they had found Bo Niou, it was time to head back.

”What are we going to do? There are cameras everywhere! We can’t possibly avoid them.”

Mr. Hu patted Bo Niou’s big head, pacing anxiously. It was true; no one had come looking for them yet.

Tang Mo guessed it was because Bo Niou had already been taken to the Euthanasia Room, so the system had automatically registered her as destroyed.

And the staffer from the Euthanasia Room had probably been knocked senseless and hadn’t had a chance to report back to his superiors yet.

Knowing he wasn’t a real person made everything much easier. Tang Mo led Mr. Hu and Bo Niou back to the Euthanasia Room, then directly stored the uniformed man, who was trussed up like a dumpling, into her Space.

Living people and creatures couldn’t be brought into the Space, but a robot was another story.

Once inside her Space, sending a message to this world’s system would be impossible, even for an AI.

Alright, only one problem remained: how to get Bo Niou back to the villa without being spotted by the cameras.

As it happened, Tang Mo had a solution for that.

After walking to an open area, Tang Mo pulled a pickup truck out of her Space.

”You even have a car in there!”

Mr. Hu grew ecstatic at the sight of the car.

They knew by now that the staff only managed people and things that violated the world’s rules, but there was no rule against driving your own car on the road.

Of course, the main reason for this oversight was that not even the system had considered someone might bring their own vehicle into this world.

From her earlier chat with the others, Tang Mo already knew they didn’t all come from the same time and place.

That meant a personal Space like hers was something the others had never even heard of.

”I have the truck, but no gas.”

Tang Mo had used up all her gasoline setting a fire long ago. Gas was precious now, and she hadn’t had a chance to get more.

”Oh.”

Mr. Hu couldn’t hide his disappointment.

”But I have a way.”

Since Tang Mo had gone to the trouble of taking the truck out, she obviously wasn’t just showing it off. Of course it was going to be useful.

She hadn’t understood the intricacies of this world before, so she hadn’t dared to use her spiritual power.

But now that she understood the rules, she was much more confident. The staff and cameras couldn’t detect spiritual power.

The truck might not have gas, but she could still use her spiritual power to make it run.

The drive to the villa wasn’t very far; she could afford to expend that much spiritual power.

In truth, she didn’t need the truck at all. Tang Mo could have just used her spiritual power to create a small carpet or flying vessel to take Mr. Hu and the bundled-up Bo Niou straight back.

But if she did that, the system might misidentify her as some kind of bird and sanction her, which would be disastrous...

After all, this world’s satellite technology was so advanced; who knew if they had infrared drones or other forms of surveillance.

When he heard Tang Mo say she had a way, Mr. Hu’s eyes lit up again.

”Could you please finish your sentences all at once next time? This emotional roller coaster is going to give me a heart attack.”

For the honest and straight-laced Mr. Hu, the day’s events had been a little too much excitement.

Tang Mo’s pickup only had two seats. Since she had to drive, Mr. Hu had no choice but to squeeze in while holding Bo Niou.

Tang Mo had also put a hat and some clothes on Bo Niou. At a glance, she almost looked human.

”If the cameras see you, they’ll never guess it’s a dog. It’ll just look like you’re hugging your big, hefty wife.”

Tang Mo teased Mr. Hu as she drove the truck down the street.

The more time she spent with him, the more Tang Mo enjoyed teasing the kind, introverted, yet earnest and scrupulous teacher.

As if on cue, Bo Niou stuck out her big tongue and licked Mr. Hu’s face.

The space was too cramped for Mr. Hu to dodge, so he could only accept a face full of slobber.

”You ungrateful dog! Why are you biting the hand that feeds you? If I hadn’t found you in time, you’d be a pile of mush by now, you know that?”

Mr. Hu said to Bo Niou with a completely serious expression.

”What are you planning to do next?”

Tang Mo asked, her tone serious.

From the moment Mr. Hu asked about the date for Rule Day, Tang Mo knew he wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

There were just some people in the world who insisted on meddling in ”other people’s business” that no one else could handle.

Tang Mo considered herself a refined egoist; she’d never had any grand ideas about saving the world.

Her only goal was to ensure she and the people she cared about survived the apocalypse. Anything more than that was beyond her control.

She wasn’t an especially kind person. The cruelty of the apocalypse had made her more decisive and cold, especially toward strangers.

’Just like this time, I knew the Illusion Realm was fraught with danger, that it wasn’t a true Peach Blossom Spring, yet I still brought these people in.’

’Was it really so they could live a better life?’

’No. It was just so I could take advantage of the chaos to learn this world’s secrets more quickly.’

Mr. Hu was different. He was someone who truly had great love in his heart.

In Mr. Hu’s world, sacrificing the individual for the sake of the collective was possible. Perhaps in the apocalypse, such a person would be called a ”saint”—a term often used with derogatory intent.

But deep down, Tang Mo still felt a degree of admiration for him.

’Perhaps this world has been waiting for someone like Mr. Hu all along—someone who genuinely doesn’t think of themselves, who considers only the greater good and all of humanity. Only a person like that could break the current impasse.’

”Rule Day is in half a month. Since we all have the right to vote, I’ll go back and talk to everyone about it first. Twenty-odd votes isn’t much, but it’s a small start. I’ll figure out the next steps after that.”

He hadn’t worked out the specifics yet, but Mr. Hu had already decided on his first step: to start with the people closest to him.

He had personally brought these twenty-odd people here, and since they had only just arrived, he assumed they would naturally vote the same way he did.

Seeing Mr. Hu’s confident expression, Tang Mo inwardly shook her head.

’What’s coming next will likely disappoint this kind, stubborn man. The darker depths of human nature are often unimaginable.’

’If everything went according to people’s wishes, this world wouldn’t have so many people who line up for Labor Day while simultaneously upholding the existing rules.’