Chapter 16: Six Suns (16)
Jian Yuntai’s first reaction was disbelief.
He thought Fatty must have lost his mind, and Young Master Xue, being indecisive, had probably gone along with it.
How could this possibly be true?
It made no sense at all!
“You really shouldn’t disbelieve it.” Fatty’s tone was hard to read. “Young Master Xue and I crawled through the ventilation ducts for hours. Surely we didn’t come out empty-handed. Three hours ago, we went to the lab where they were launching the artificial sun. His photo was plastered all over the walls outside, and he’s the main core member—the only leader.”
“You call that a lab?!” Young Master Xue was shocked, spreading his arms. “That’s not a room, that’s a football field! A huge plot covered by an iron lid. A few strong Sinister Monster Types were lined up pounding the walls, and they couldn’t make a single hole.”
Jian Yuntai picked up a diary, frowning in disagreement. “But the diary, and even the instance background audio, clearly say he wants to stop the sun launch. Your idea is nonsense.”
“Don’t worry about the diary for now.” Fatty tossed it aside, frustrated. “Maybe it was written to mislead everyone. Look, he tricked all the players!” He then asked, “After spending so much time with him, didn’t you notice anything unusual?”
“Nothing unusual, seemed normal.” Jian Yuntai’s expression faltered briefly, a rare hesitation appearing. “But when he left the room, the way he looked at Li Wei… it was strange.”
“Strange how?”
“I can’t put it into words… it was sorrowful, but also like he’d made up his mind about something.”
“And what expression did Li Wei have at the time?”
Jian Yuntai recalled, and Li Wei’s goofy, happy grin suddenly popped into his mind. He raised an eyebrow. “Happy like a fool, but as he left, he said something about giving blood. Song Yulu probably took him for a blood test.”
“Ah, that makes sense!” Fatty’s eyes lit up, shaking his head. “Li Wei is probably happily being led off to be sacrificed.”
“Sacrificed?” Jian Yuntai didn’t understand.
Fatty repeated the words “blood test” and explained: “Normally, when we make serum, we first inject rabbits with the virus or pathogen to produce antibodies. Then we draw the rabbit’s blood and purify it to make serum. But I went to the rabbit facility at the lab before—holy crap, all the cages were empty.”
He paused, voice darkening. “No rabbits. Where do you think the antibodies are going to come from?”
“…” Jian Yuntai understood. “Li Wei.”
Under the solar radiation, everyone had been infected—except Li Wei. He was extremely heat-resistant. When Jian Yuntai had been suffocating on the truck ride, Li Wei hadn’t broken a sweat. He seemed to naturally carry antibodies.
There had been a few others like him in the garage, but Li Wei had just happened to be taken to the lab.
Even without knowing exactly what Song Yulu intended, Jian Yuntai knew Li Wei’s chances weren’t good.
They had been deceived—all of them!
Jian Yuntai’s eyes turned cold, and he stepped toward the door. Behind him, Fatty and Young Master Xue shouted in alarm, “Don’t open the door!”
“?”
Jian Yuntai turned, puzzled. “Why not?”
Fatty sighed. “It’s complicated. Just peek through the crack, and you’ll know.”
Both Fatty and Young Master Xue looked anxious. Jian Yuntai, still confused, opened the door slightly and peeked out. In an instant, he slammed it shut with a ‘click.’
The corridor outside was full of mutated plants!
Every one or two meters there was a pot of orchids, now twisted into massive vines and buds. The flower centers looked like fish mouths lined with sharp, glinting teeth.
“You think we crawled through the ventilation ducts for fun?” Fatty buried his face in his hands, utterly defeated. “If we could walk normally, who the hell would spend four or five hours crawling through ducts?”
“Li Wei could move freely before… now it seems he really does carry natural antibodies, maybe even immune to mutant plants.” Jian Yuntai’s expression hardened. “Li Wei may already be dead. We have to stop the sun launch immediately, or Mission Two will fail again.”
Without further words, the three of them set off.
The ventilation ducts were dark and narrow, smelling of old, uncleaned mold. Jian Yuntai’s injury on his right chest was severe, so he could only support himself with his left hand. Fatty and Young Master Xue half-dragged, half-pushed him forward—it looked exhausting.
In the livestream, the chat scrolled rapidly, most speculating why Song Yulu wanted to launch the sun. Only a few dissenting messages stood out.
A viewer named “Little Li Knife” was particularly sharp: “Ha! Makes me laugh. I thought He Qingzhou was useless—can’t even punch a hole in the launch site wall after all that effort. I came to see if other streamers could do better. But this guy’s even worse! He Qingzhou is at the site at least. This guy arrives late, and the sun’s launch is basically done. Did he just win by lying down?”
Normally, such comments would start a massive flame war in any stream, chaos and insults flying.
Yet…
“LOL, girls spread it, my useless wife.”
“Spread it, my wife’s useless hahaha…”
“What? Let me see who called my wife a useless dog”
“Damn hahaha, you’re brave! Watch out, Jian Dadan might come and slice you all hhh”
“???” Jian Yuntai’s livestream chat had gone completely off the rails.
No one was actually insulting him, yet Little Li Knife felt like the entire chat was mocking him.
He scrolled suspiciously. “So amazing? I’ll see what new tricks Jian Yuntai can pull off.”
※※
As Fatty had said, the ducts branched in every direction, connecting all the rooms. Though they had forgotten the original layout, after nearly an hour of trial and error, they stumbled back near the launch site.
The terrain here was unusual.
The surrounding floors formed a ring around a half-exposed domed roof. Viewed from a balcony, it looked like a smooth eggshell.
A black slit ran along the shell. Presumably, when launching the artificial sun, the slit would open, and the surrounding floors would tilt outward.
Many players had already jumped onto the dome, scratching their heads while inspecting the black slit.
“This dome is a damn iron turtle!” Fatty whispered from the balcony, sneaking around. “See the muscular guy with the tiny braid on the far left? That’s He Qingzhou, from our livestream team. He’s a Sinister Monster Type, one of the strongest in the group. Last time I checked, his punch measured over 100 kilograms of force.”
“100 kilograms?” Jian Yuntai clicked his tongue and looked down.
He watched He Qingzhou throw punch after punch; the dome shook violently, making nearby players stumble. Yet after the shaking subsided, the dome remained perfectly intact—no cracks at all.
The players’ expressions were grim.
As Jian Yuntai watched, a chill ran across his back. Goosebumps rose over his body, an unsettling feeling crawling over him.
He followed the gaze and saw a man on the opposite balcony staring at him with pure malice.
The man looked almost inhuman—sparse hair hanging at the back of his head, skin pitted and scarred with corrosive wounds. The sight alone made one want to vomit.
Jian Yuntai asked, “Who’s that?”
Fatty burst out laughing. “My goodness, if he knew you asked that, he’d be furious. That’s Jiang Jiu! You don’t recognize him because of the disfigurement?”
“…” Jian Yuntai stared at Jiang Jiu in astonishment. He couldn’t connect the zombie-like face to Jiang Jiu. “He fell into the sulfuric quicksand, and yet he’s still alive?”
Fatty said nothing, but Young Master Xue spoke with concern. “Not only is he alive, he’s recruiting others, trying to use players against us. No player alive now is dumb enough to be a pawn—but given time, some might be persuaded.”
“Persistent little bastard,” Jian Yuntai clicked his tongue.
Fatty patted him on the shoulder, speaking earnestly: “So, Dadan’er, next time we encounter a Sinister Spirit Type, we have to go at its head like Thor going after Thanos. Sinister Spirit Types are like this—unless you see them die with your own eyes, they could come back in ways you can’t even imagine. You just have to get used to it.”
“Got it. Next time, go straight for dismemberment.” Jian Yuntai joked, half-serious. Fatty and Young Master Xue laughed so hard they hiccupped.
Before either of them could respond, shouts erupted from the dome. Players jumped like the ground was on fire, desperately scrambling onto surrounding balconies. Jian Yuntai’s expression changed, and he quickly scooped Jinjin into his arms.
“Get down!!!”
He crouched, holding Jinjin close. Fatty reacted instantly, throwing himself over Young Master Xue like a crashing boulder.
Three seconds later, the floor shook.
Then it tilted sharply to the sides, spinning the world around.
Jian Yuntai tumbled backward, and Jinjin, terrified, darted up into his clothes, tail bristling. It was like an earthquake—people couldn’t react, everything seemed to fly into the air, and they couldn’t tell north from south.
Swish—swish—
An invisible wave of energy spread out, tossing everyone around.
Dust rose, and heat swirled.
Cries of pain came from all directions; many hadn’t even reacted before the scorching wave hit them directly.
When they opened their eyes again, five minutes had passed.
A new sun blazed in the sky.
“Damn!” Fatty scrambled to the balcony edge, peering down. “The dome opened!”
Jian Yuntai immediately got to his feet, intending to move forward.
Before he could approach, Fatty shouted again, “Faster than I could even pee, this iron turtle dome just closed!”
He practically roared, veins bulging in his neck. Yet even his voice was drowned out by the booming noise, only fragments of his words audible.
When the chaos settled, an electronic voice spoke:
【STEP2: Stop the Fifth Sun from Launching】
【We regret to inform you that the mission failed. You have lost ten days of survival-time rewards.】
“!!!”
Before the players could lament, something even worse happened.
【Mutation is escalating again.】
【After plants, animals, the dead, and the living were infected, the next victims are law enforcers outside the city. All players, take note: solar radiation has now spread beyond the city.】
As if to confirm the announcement, a sudden buzzing of helicopter blades came from the horizon. Military fighter jets appeared, circling high above.
The wind whipped up, clothes fluttering violently, as someone on the jets shouted over a megaphone:
“Attention, fleeing suspects below! You have committed serious crimes, and the military will no longer tolerate it. Those who surrender now will have their remorse considered in court, reducing punishment.”
All the players ignored it and kept doing what they were doing. But the next statement made everyone sit up in shock, staring skyward.
“If, within 24 hours, you insist on launching the sixth sun, we will immediately use nuclear weapons to intercept it!”
“Holy… nuclear weapons?!”
Even the most evolved players were stunned—they were no match for a nuke.
Viewers in the livestream were frozen too:
“A nuclear strike? Once the sun falls, the whole city’s doomed! I can’t understand why Song Yulu hasn’t opened the dome for punishment yet. He’s not planning to sacrifice a whole city, is he?”
“The military inside the instance can’t do anything either. The radiation’s already outside the city. If they don’t shoot down the sun, more than just the city will die.”
“What about the players? The dome won’t open. When the nuke comes, we’re all screwed.”
“D-level instance, probably not total wipe… but players will likely quit before the nuke launches. Still, everyone fails the mission. This run is basically wasted.”
What the audience realized, the players inside already understood. The thought of a wasted run made everyone’s faces turn green.
【Player Main Quest Update】
【STEP3: Stop the Sixth Sun from Launching】
【Reward for this mission: ten days of survival time】
Even with the main quest updated, most players were still in a sorry state. Updating didn’t help—they couldn’t complete it!
“My god, Song Yulu isn’t coming out.”
“What do we do? Do we just watch the sixth sun launch? This instance is a total loss.”
During the conversation, someone glanced at Jian Yuntai thoughtfully. After careful consideration, they walked toward Jiang Jiu.
If someone came to surrender, Jiang Jiu naturally welcomed them.
As he spoke with them, he occasionally glanced at Jian Yuntai, grinning like a wolf toying with its prey.
None of the players had completed mission one or two, and mission three looked impossible. They wouldn’t tolerate a wasted run—they had to find a way to profit.
Free healing was the biggest payoff at this moment.
Jiang Jiu was waiting.
If nothing went wrong, all remaining players in the instance would eventually serve him, without exception. He intended to make Jian Yuntai taste being surrounded and attacked from all sides.
Being watched by such a group, Jian Yuntai and his companions naturally noticed.
Fatty frowned and lowered his voice: “Before Jiang Jiu gathers enough people, should we just go kill him? Take him by surprise!”
“Can you guarantee a one-hit kill?” Jian Yuntai asked.
By now, four or five Sinister Monster Type players had surrounded Jiang Jiu. Sinister Monster Type had tough, thick skin, and under their protection, killing Jiang Jiu was nearly impossible.
Fatty shook his head. “No.”
Jian Yuntai’s expression remained cold. “Then don’t fire the first shot. If we start fighting, the others who are just watching might stop watching.”
Fatty scratched his head. “Then what do we do?”
Jian Yuntai thought for a moment. “We retreat.”
The three withdrew, returning to the ventilation ducts.
Seeing this, Little Li Knife sighed in disappointment. “I thought Jian Yuntai would be amazing, but it’s just a hyped-up fan. He can’t stop the sun launch, is being hunted by enemies, and now has to flee from the mission center… this is pathetic.”
After all that anticipation, there was nothing—completely wasted!
“Wasting my time.” Little Li Knife moved his mouse, ready to hit ‘dislike’ on Jian Yuntai’s livestream.
But just before he clicked, Jian Yuntai’s voice sounded in the stream: “I found a way into the dome.”
“???” Little Li Knife froze, stunned.
…So when Jian Yuntai said “retreat” earlier, he wasn’t trying to escape?
When everyone else was just trying to salvage some advantage, he was already aiming straight for the prize?!
No way.
He couldn’t possibly be bluffing.
Even He Qingzhou, a powerful Sinister Monster Type, couldn’t breach the dome. Jian Yuntai… could not possibly do it!
The chat was filled with confusion, everyone bewildered. Everything Jian Yuntai could see, they could see too. The dome was airtight and indestructible—their minds were blank, unable to think of any solutions.
Little Li Knife was practically wearing the word “doubt” on his face, typing disdainfully:
“If he has a solution, I’ll eat shit standing on my head.”
But as soon as he sent the message, a tremendous roar shook the livestream. Little Li Knife jumped, nearly throwing his keyboard.
“?!!” What the hell just happened?!
He stared at the screen in disbelief.
Jian Yuntai crouched in the ventilation duct, fist clenched, swinging down with a mighty crash. A hole was punched through the duct. Little Li Knife was stunned.
Before the viewers could react, Jian Yuntai’s next moves shocked everyone further.
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
The livestream viewers were dumbstruck.
Jian Yuntai’s face was cold, pupils glinting faintly in the dark. One by one, he punched through countless ceilings, smashed ventilation windows, cleared all obstacles, carving a path straight to the building’s lowest level.
His knuckles were stained with blood, pale skin contrasting with vibrant scarlet. Amidst the swirling dust, all eyes focused on that flash of red.
And on the boy’s increasingly ruthless gaze.
Seeing that gaze, Little Li Knife’s contempt vanished. A genuine, gut-level horror took its place:
“What… what is he trying to do?!!!”
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