Chapter 12: Six Suns (12)
Is he… dead?
In his hazy consciousness, Jian Yuntai struggled to open his eyes. Faintly, he saw a dim glow not far away.
It was the lotus pool. He saw the lotus pool again!
Warmth surged through his heart. He braced himself with trembling arms and staggered to his feet, stumbling toward it.
The last time—when he had nearly starved to death in the clothing store—he had seen this lotus pool too. But no matter how hard he had tried back then, he hadn’t been able to move even half a step closer. This time, however, approaching it felt effortless.
“Could it be that I’m closer to death now? Or… am I already dead?”
As that possibility formed in his mind, his heart gradually sank.
When he drew closer—
The lotus pool wasn’t as vast as he had imagined. It resembled a small hot spring instead, its blue waters steaming with white mist. Fireflies darted through the vapor, dancing in the air, skimming across the water’s surface, and landing on the pool’s only foothold—A black lotus.
Strangely, the black lotus was dying.
Its petals drooped limply, their edges tinged with an unhealthy yellowish mold. At a glance, it looked like a frail old man with graying hair sitting in the lotus pool, all vitality drained away, leaving behind nothing but the hollow shape of a black flower.
Jian Yuntai shifted his gaze beside the black lotus.
There was also a small red lotus bud.
It was so tiny that he had almost missed it.
Compared to the black lotus, the red bud looked much more spirited. It stood proudly upright, its slender stem firm, tiny bubbles rising from its roots beneath the water.
Without realizing it, Jian Yuntai reached out. His fingertips hovered over the red bud, then circled gently around its stem.
The red lotus brushed against his hand in a friendly manner, like a young little beast acting spoiled. The unease in Jian Yuntai’s heart suddenly vanished. He lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.
At that very moment, something changed abruptly.
A powerful suction suddenly surged from beneath the water, yanking his hand downward. In just a few seconds, his body pitched forward, and his entire left arm had already sunk into the pool.
“!!!”
He jolted in shock and desperately tried to pull free, but he couldn’t overpower the brute force dragging him from below.
Water splashed violently. The lotuses swayed.
Before long, his entire upper body was submerged. He could only tilt his head back with difficulty, stealing what little fresh air he could.
But it did nothing.
Visible to the naked eye, he was sinking—little by little—into the pool.
※※
Inside the instance.
Dust filled the air. Willow branches whipped wildly, smashing deep craters into the ground one after another.
Jiang Jiu crawled out of his truck window, gripping an iron rod in his hand. With a savage grin, he roared, “You’re going to pay for my brother’s life!”
Fatty didn’t even glance at him. He hurriedly unfastened his seatbelt and ran toward the base of the willow tree.
Jian Yuntai had been pierced by this very willow’s branch.
“Jinjin, get bigger! Hurry and save Dadan’er!”
Fatty roared as he tugged and twisted the branch, wrenching at it with all his strength, even biting down on it in desperation. Jinjin whimpered at the side, its body expanding, sharp fangs clamping down viciously.
Man and beast were like two groundhogs gnawing away together, finally making the branch wobble unstably. Jian Yuntai’s body swayed along with it like a drifting mayfly, blood pooling beneath him.
“Fatty, you’re my benefactor from now on! Is there still hope for my wife?” Some viewers from the livestream rushed over to Fatty’s stream, hearts aching. “My wife’s heartbeat has already stopped, sob…”
The audience stared anxiously at the screen, wishing they could enter the instance themselves and help chew through that damned branch.
Second by second, time ticked by.
Finally—
The branch snapped!
Jian Yuntai fell from midair and crashed heavily into the pool of blood. Under everyone’s anxious gaze, he still didn’t move.
At that moment, a player near the institute gate shouted, “There are only twenty ID badges left! Hurry up!”
The players on the tree-lined path who had been distracted immediately snapped back to reality.
Now was not the time to watch the drama!
They bolted forward, dodging the whipping willow branches.
One after another, they ran past Jian Yuntai. Those who had been trailing behind him all overtook him now.
Young Master Xue’s mind had completely shut down. He instinctively followed the crowd and ran a few steps forward.
From behind, Fatty’s furious curses rang out.
Fatty must have been truly enraged. He even shouted Young Master Xue’s real name, “Xue Fugui! Do you even have a conscience? Think about how Jian Dadan treated you these past two days—don’t you have any damn idea?!”
Young Master Xue’s eyes were red. He stiffly turned his head back and locked eyes with Jiang Jiu’s murderous glare.
He shuddered violently in fear…. My god. If he didn’t run now, he would be the next to die!
Gritting his teeth, Young Master Xue turned his head away and sprinted toward the institute.
“…” Fatty swore viciously and stopped caring about him.
He frowned at Jian Yuntai. The most urgent task now was to move him from the center of the tree-lined path to the side.
The two rows of willows weren’t attacking indiscriminately. Beneath each tree was a circular area with roughly a four-meter radius that formed a hollow safe zone. Because the branches grew in a parabolic arc, they couldn’t bend inward to strike their own roots. That area was safe.
Even so, Fatty was helpless.
Several times he tried to rush forward, but each time he was forced back by the branches lashing through the air. He could only stand there, frantic and powerless.
“You’re the fool. Young Master Xue was the smart one. Surnamed Jian’s already dead—can’t you tell?” Jiang Jiu stood in the same safe zone as Fatty but didn’t attack rashly. Instead, he remained where he was, watching with smug satisfaction.
He was savoring the sight of lowborn struggling at death’s door.
Rage surged through Fatty. He was about to speak when, across from them, several willow branches suddenly lifted high into the air.
From the look of it, they were all aimed at Jian Yuntai.
If they struck him again, then even if he had ten lives, he wouldn’t survive this blow.
“!!!” Fatty panicked instantly.
The livestream audience nearly suffocated. Many leaned closer to their screens, almost screaming.
The chat filled with anxious messages: “Fatty, hurry up!”
Fatty shouted and prepared to charge forward in one final burst of effort. Jiang Jiu wouldn’t let him. He stepped forward and grabbed Fatty tightly, preventing him from going to the rescue.
“Let go!” Fatty roared.
“Stand here and watch him die again!” Jiang Jiu sneered, raising his voice. His eyes flashed with vicious hatred.
Whoosh—
Several willow branches slashed down.
Fatty’s eyes turned red. The livestream viewers couldn’t bear to watch and turned away in sorrow.
Just when everyone thought it was over—
A white light flickered in the distance, closing in—two meters, three meters—
“Ahhhh! This has to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life!!!” Young Master Xue teleported in at the critical moment and snatched Jian Yuntai away from beneath the descending branches.
Even someone who rarely cursed broke down and shouted, “Damn it! Jian Yuntai, you owe me a hundred favors for this! If you die, I came back for nothing!!!”
The livestream audience erupted in joy. The chat flooded the screen:
“Holy crap, that was intense! They almost got skewered together!”
“Sob sob sob, Young Master Xue, you’re amazing! I shouldn’t have called you an idiot son before—you’re a smart son!”
“My heart is pounding so hard! Quick, check on my wife! I’m so worried—his stream is still black!”
Young Master Xue teleported back to Fatty’s side, Jian Yuntai’s shoulders cradled in his arms, his hands covered in blood.
“He’s not breathing.” Flustered, he laid Jian Yuntai flat on the ground. “Fatty, what do we do in this situation? CPR? Heimlich maneuver? Mouth-to-mouth? Or press his philtrum?”
“Press your sister’s philtrum!” Fatty was speechless. “Try CPR!”
Jiang Jiu sneered at the two of them, mockery filling his heart.
“Jian Yuntai’s death was only the beginning. Don’t worry—I’ll send the two of you underground to join him soon.”
As he spoke, Jiang Jiu advanced with the iron rod toward Jian Yuntai. Jinjin bristled as if its reverse scale had been touched, golden fur standing on end, a low growl rumbling from its throat.
Jiang Jiu halted and frowned deeply.
He was a Sinister Spirit Type. Even if the three in front of him were dead or half-crippled, he still wouldn’t be able to defeat them together.
Just then, an electronic voice sounded beside their ears:
【STEP1: Go to the institute】
【We regret to inform you that the mission has failed. You have lost the reward of ten days of survival time.】
Instantly, several curses rang out along the tree-lined avenue. The players who hadn’t made it into the research institute in time looked extremely grim.
Instead of getting angry, Jiang Jiu felt delighted: his opportunity had arrived. It really was like being handed a pillow just as he felt sleepy.
“Everyone, listen up. I’m a Sinister Spirit Type.” Jiang Jiu raised his voice, and several gazes turned toward him. With his left hand, he healed the abrasion on his arm, proving that his claim was true.
He spoke again, “I have a grudge against those two—and that dead cat. Whoever can bring me the head of any one of them, once we leave this instance, I’ll treat you for free. Lifetime guarantee!”
“…!!!” Fatty suddenly lifted his head. Young Master Xue’s face turned ashen, and he shrank back in panic.
The bait was simply too tempting!
This was lifetime free treatment from a Sinister Spirit Type—far more valuable than ten days of survival time.
Immediately, quite a few players turned around and surrounded Fatty and Young Master Xue with hostile expressions.
“It’s over, it’s over. Looks like it’s going to be a total wipe.” The audience felt utterly discouraged, sincerely believing this round was doomed.
And the reality unfolded exactly as they had expected.
Fatty was a summoning-type Sinister Ghost Type; his physique was only slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person. As for Young Master Xue, there was no need to elaborate—mages were meant to stay in the backline and cast spells cautiously. Being forced to the frontline like this, he had absolutely no power to fight back.
The two of them were beaten terribly. Against a group of Sinister Monster Types, they barely had the strength to flee.
Gradually, they were forced farther and farther away from Jian Yuntai.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps sounded. Under the despairing gazes of the livestream audience, Jiang Jiu approached Jian Yuntai with a club in hand.
Looking down at him, the mockery in his eyes deepened: “You lowborn wretch. You don’t deserve to keep your body intact.”
As he spoke, he raised the iron club high and, with all his strength, brought it down toward Jian Yuntai’s head—
“Jian Yuntai!” Fatty roared, trying to rush over, but he was helplessly tied down.
The audience had completely lost all hope. In their eyes, the situation was already a dead end—unless Jian Yuntai could somehow come back to life, but everyone knew that was impossible.
Many felt a bitter ache in their hearts. Not wanting to watch Jian Yuntai’s corpse be desecrated, one after another, they prepared to exit the livestream.
Just then!
The iron club was only a few centimeters from Jian Yuntai’s face, yet it froze midair, unable to move another inch.
There was clearly nothing blocking it. No one had stepped in to stop it. Jiang Jiu was even still exerting force—but the club remained suspended in the air, completely motionless.
“?!” The audience gasped in shock, stunned.
Fatty and Young Master Xue turned to look. When they saw the iron club inexplicably frozen in midair, their expressions were filled with shock and confusion—more confusion than anything else. Even the enemies near them halted their movements, hesitation plainly written in their eyes.
Under the intensely focused gazes—
A pale, slender hand lightly rested on the iron club. In full view of everyone’s astonishment, Jian Yuntai slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils were ink-black, deep and dim like a swamp in a rainforest. There was not the slightest trace of human emotion in them. Like a puppet, he propped himself up using the iron club and turned his gaze toward Jiang Jiu.
“…” Jiang Jiu had always feared nothing and no one, yet this time he unexpectedly felt a sense of panic rising from deep within.
It wasn’t fear—it was panic that spread from head to toe.
He instinctively took half a step back. When he realized what he had done, he felt confused… He had actually been forced back by a single look?
How was that possible?!
[Zzz… Zzz…]
[Reconnecting your livestream now.]
With a sudden whoosh, the previously pitch-black livestream lit up again, and Jian Yuntai reappeared on the screen.
“?! Wifey, you’re actually still alive, sob sob sob…”
“Wifey!! Wifey, I was so worried about you! Thank goodness you didn’t die or I’d have become a widow!”
“Damn, Jian Dadan’s heart stopped for more than five minutes just now, didn’t it? How did he come back to life?!”
The audience was shocked and overjoyed. Viewers who had wandered off to other livestreams to watch the instance quickly rushed back to the main channel. Amid waves of sobbing and exclamation marks, someone hesitantly commented:
“By the way… does anyone else feel like… he seems a little different now?”
If you like this novel and would like to show your appreciation, please head to my Kofi by (click here -> Kofi)—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the membership tier to access advanced chapter access (up to 10!).
