Chapter 4: Six Suns (4)
The heavy panting in the shop rasped and wheezed, like an old electric fan barely clinging to life.
Besides him and Fatty, there was a third person—Jian Yuntai realized this instantly.
“Who’s hiding in here? Come out!”
No one responded.
The wheezing continued. Fatty cautiously stood upright and edged over, whispering, “Look under the counter.”
Jian Yuntai followed his gaze and froze.
Beneath the counter’s lower panel, a few centimeters above the ground, a pair of pale feet protruded, bare of socks. The ghostly white soles were striking even in the dim light, with bright red nail polish still on the toenails.
“Don’t be afraid. Maybe it’s just an injured native…” Fatty’s words of reassurance were cut short when Jian Yuntai casually dismantled a nearby shelf pole and gave him a meaningful glance.
Fatty felt a cold sweat run down his spine but steeled himself and nodded.
They moved forward, one on the left, one on the right, flanking along the route. Their movements weren’t particularly quiet, yet the woman behind the counter seemed entirely oblivious—silent and still. Even when they reached the sides of the counter, she remained face down, unmoving.
Fatty tentatively asked, “Are you okay?”
“Huff… huff…” The woman said nothing, her abdomen rising and falling with her ragged breathing. Fatty probed along the counter, whispering, “If you’re seriously hurt, there’s not much I can do. Wait a second… I’ll find a candle. I saw several shops with lit candles in the hallway just now.”
A few seconds later, there was a sharp fsshh as a match ignited.
Fatty cupped the flame in one hand, glanced at the woman on the floor, and nearly hiccupped in fright.
When the fire died down, he still hadn’t lit a candle, maintaining his outstretched hand instead: “Did you see that just now?”
Jian Yuntai nodded, saying, “I saw it.”
Fatty felt suffocated. “Then how can you stay so calm? Wouldn’t a normal person react?!”
“I did react. I grabbed the iron rod.” Jian Yuntai caught Fatty’s awed gaze, then took the match to light a candle, lowering his eyes toward the woman on the ground.
More precisely, it was her corpse.
No one knew how long she had been dead. She lay face down, stiff as a board, eyes wide, her expression frozen in that final instant before death. That wasn’t what mattered—the two of them had seen countless corpses already. What surprised them was beneath the woman—the thing still panting heavily.
“This is a type of ornamental succulent,” Fatty said, raising the candle closer to the corpse. “I noticed this back in the square. Mutated plants and animals in the instance seem to need sunlight to survive. Once they’re in darkness, they weaken.”
“How did you figure that out?”
“All the plants on the far left of the square were shade-loving, and the aquatic plants in the pools were water-dependent. One hates light, the other craves water. In these extreme high-temperature conditions, there’s no way they could grow so lush unless something was wrong.” Fatty poked the succulent with a pen from the counter. “That’s why I suspected the plants from the beginning.”
As he explained, the viewers in Jian Yuntai’s live stream finally realized and gasped in understanding.
“So that’s it. No wonder the newbie didn’t leave with Young Master Xue. He saw the plants were off!”
“Looks like this newbie actually knows his stuff…”
“Damn, even an 18-year-old can be so observant nowadays. That hurts, man.”
In truth, the viewers were overthinking. Jian Yuntai didn’t even know what a shade-loving plant was—but his expression made him seem mysterious, which was enough for the audience to fill in the gaps.
Fatty continued, “Later I saw the ivy under the mall’s eaves. It grew in the shadows without sunlight, while every other plant in the square had mutated. That pitiful ivy clung to the wall. That’s when I realized mutated plants need light to survive.”
“And it has to be sunlight,” Jian Yuntai said, flipping the woman’s corpse aside with one hand. “Looks like we’ll have to stay inside the mall for a while. Only when it gets dark can we safely go out.”
Fatty was shocked. “You actually want to go out? The enforcers are all outside watching us!”
Jian Yuntai gave him a puzzled look. “The whole building is filled with clothing stores. If we don’t go out, how do we handle food and water? Right now there are only two suns; the temperature isn’t too high yet. Once it rises further, even if you wanted to go out, you couldn’t.”
“True, but…” Fatty stared at Jian Yuntai, sincerely asking, “Is this really your first instance? When I first entered an instance, I hid in one spot, barely moving for over ten days. I was terrified. The natives in the instance frightened me—they might have killed me if I made a wrong move.”
“Then you surviving until now is a miracle.”
Jian Yuntai used the iron rod to pry the succulent from the corpse. Much of it had parasitized the woman’s abdomen, coming away still attached to organs. He tossed it to Jinjin to eat. Once finished, he straightened up and calmly said, “The natives are physically weak and mostly timid. What’s the point of fearing them? It’s other players you should worry about. At least they’re real people with brains.”
“Eh, on that you’re wrong,” Fatty said, finally feeling vindicated, grinning knowingly. “Research shows that instances spawned by the Life Crystals are countless parallel worlds branching from a single temporal point. The natives are all real people—they’re just trapped in a repeating loop of the same life.”
This was the first time Jian Yuntai had heard such a theory. Curious, he looked up. “Which research says that?”
Fatty patted his chest, proudly saying, “A PhD named Chen Sanxian wrote a paper on it!”
“Ah?” Jian Yuntai laughed. “Isn’t that your own name? Are you bullshitting me?”
“Damn it, I really am a PhD. Don’t believe me? After the instance, I’ll show you my degree certificate.” Fatty winked. “You wouldn’t guess it.”
“Indeed.” Jian Yuntai didn’t fully believe him. “Unless you can explain this scientifically.”
He held out his wrist and made a small fist.
A luminous square, like a glowing microchip, appeared embedded in his skin. After the New World arrived, the Alliance implanted these as human ‘IDs.’ Jian Yuntai belonged to the lowest class, the “lowborn” tier. Above that were ordinary citizens, nobles, and political elite.
As a streamer now, his ID carried streamer certification, allowing viewers to watch his live broadcast.
Logically, this ID was part of the New World and shouldn’t be able to enter an instance—just like clothing. The clothes he wore entering the instance were different from the ones on him now.
“The ID can enter the instance, but clothes and weapons can’t. Why is that?”
“Who said weapons can’t?” Fatty looked at Jian Yuntai with curiosity. “Honestly, until now, you still seem like a newbie. Don’t you know some weapons can be brought in? They’re rare, usually collected from other instances. I’ve run instances for three years, and aside from Jinjin, I’ve never seen anything brought out. Forget about bringing it back in.”
“Of course, you can also buy them with National Points. Our live-streaming group has a dedicated marketplace. Items ordinary people can’t buy are openly sold here.”
Jian Yuntai froze. “National Points?”
Fatty was even more stunned. “You didn’t get streamer training before entering an instance? Audience donations convert to National Points, likes give recommended spots in streams, and bookmarks upgrade your ID. So we need to survive and make our stream engaging, to get audience engagement.”
Jian Yuntai thought for a moment, then asked, “How many bookmarks to upgrade the ID to ordinary citizen?”
Fatty held up five fingers, clicking his tongue. “Five hundred thousand.”
Jian Yuntai traced his wrist, hearing an electronic chime.
【Current likes: 15,000】
【Coins donated: 526】
【Bookmarks: 1,024】
He had had enough of the filth and scorn of the plebeian tier. He wanted to climb the social ladder urgently, but the path was long and difficult.
“Talking about this actually makes me thirsty,” Fatty said cautiously, lowering the shutter and searching the shop with the candle. He found nothing and muttered, “It’s so hot even the water for the succulents has dried up. Think there’s any water left in other shops?”
“Highly unlikely. Everything along the way was in disarray—food and water were probably taken by the natives. The heat has reached human limits. They’ll do whatever it takes to survive,” Jian Yuntai said, frowning slightly, a thought lingering in his mind.
He and Fatty felt entirely differently about the situation.
Having run so far and spoken so much, it was normal for Fatty to feel thirsty. But Jian Yuntai felt something worse than thirst—he was hungry, painfully hungry, stomach twisting with cramps.
He pressed his stomach uncomfortably, about to speak, when an electronic chime sounded by his ear:
【Congratulations, player survived.】
【You found the correct escape route.】
Jian Yuntai and Fatty exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. The real challenge was about to begin.
This time, a deep male voice, one they had heard before, spoke with a tone full of anguish: 【They’re completely insane. Two suns are already enough to destroy the city, and they want to keep going. Firing suns for five consecutive days would incinerate the entire city.】
【I can’t understand what the predecessors are trying to do. I need to confront them directly. If I die, this diary will serve as evidence of the research lab elders’ crimes!】
A long silence followed. Fatty, confused, asked, “What does that mean? I don’t get it.”
“Nothing complicated,” Jian Yuntai said, getting straight to the point. “It just means they’ll fire the third sun tomorrow.”
“…” Fatty muttered, genuinely: “Damn.”
Neither of them could sit still. While they still had energy, they grabbed whatever weapons they could and masked their faces, then methodically searched the entire floor. Many shops were hiding natives. Every time Jian Yuntai pulled up a shutter, dozens of terrified eyes followed him. Even with Fatty rifling through supplies right under their noses, the natives were powerless to resist.
“It’s so hot. The temperature is at least fifty degrees—worse than a sauna. The natives are dehydrated, and the weaker ones can barely move.” Fatty, hot enough to change into an old man’s tank top, added, “If it doesn’t cool down tonight, none of the natives in this instance will survive two days.”
“If the natives die, we become live targets in the eyes of the enforcers,” Jian Yuntai said coldly as he counted their supplies.
After searching the entire floor, they had found only a half-empty bottle of mineral water. Fatty cursed his luck. “I should’ve listened to you earlier. After all that searching, just half a bottle?”
“Half a bottle is enough,” Jian Yuntai said. He was so hungry his steps wobbled as he followed Fatty into a shop on the fourth floor that was extremely well-hidden. Unsurprisingly, this would be their resting place for the night.
Inside, a native’s corpse lay. Judging by the wounds, it had been killed. Neither of them paid it much attention; only Jinjin sniffed it briefly and lost interest.
At this point, dusk had fallen. The sun had set, but the artificial sun still hung high in the sky. Its brightness, however, was clearly dimming over time, and the extreme heat was gradually abating.
By late night, it should be completely extinguished.
“You look terrible—white as a ghost.” Fatty handed over the half bottle of water, worry in his voice. “Drink some. I can hold on a bit longer.”
Jian Yuntai wasn’t thirsty—he was hungry.
But he didn’t fuss. He took a sip from the mineral water. The cramping in his stomach didn’t ease, and paradoxically, the water only made him feel hungrier.
How could he be this hungry?
After Sinister Types awaken, a person’s eyesight, endurance, strength, even skin improves. Normally, resistance to hunger should improve too. Fatty felt only a little thirsty, but Jian Yuntai felt as though he hadn’t eaten for four or five days. Darkness flickered before his eyes.
He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep.
Or rather, passed out. His consciousness sank into the darkness. Half-dreaming, half-awake, Jian Yuntai thought he saw a faint, ghostly glow ahead. Focusing, he realized it was swarms of fireflies hovering above a lotus pond.
He wanted to approach the pond, but his body wouldn’t move. He could only watch from afar.
Was this lotus pond the reason he felt so hungry? Or was it somehow related to his Sinister Type?
Once the thought appeared, he couldn’t shake it. Jian Yuntai struggled to move toward the pond but could not advance a single step. In the haze, someone called his name.
“Wake up! Jian Yuntai!”
The pond seemed farther away, but the voice grew clearer. “Jian Yuntai?”
“Jian Dadan!” Fatty shouted.
Note: Dadan means bold or fearless.
Jian Yuntai snapped awake as if returning from the brink of death, drenched in cold sweat. Turning, he saw Fatty staring at him in panic. Hoarse, he asked, “What did you just call me?”
Fatty had been so anxious that he accidentally shouted Jian Yuntai’s nickname.
He shrank his neck guiltily and tried to shift the topic. “You said I had asthma earlier—don’t you have sleepwalking? Damn it, you nearly scared me to death!”
Jian Yuntai clutched his stomach with one hand, too hungry to speak in full sentences.
“I don’t sleepwalk.”
“Then what the hell just happened? Your whole body was convulsing! Your temperature was ridiculously low, not like a living person.” Fatty swallowed nervously, adding, “And your eyes—frozen open, staring at that corpse like you were going to eat it.”
Jian Yuntai forced himself to sit upright. “I was too hungry.”
Fatty shivered. “Those two things… probably not connected, right?”
Jian Yuntai gave him a disdainful look. “Of course not. Do you think I’d be hungry enough to eat a corpse?”
“Who knows.” Fatty hugged his belly cautiously. “Everyone knows you came from the Xiang’an Team. Maybe that’s why you were caught—because of cannibalism.”
Jian Yuntai: “…”
Fatty laughed at his own wild imagination. “Nah, eating people wouldn’t get the Xiang’an Team involved. What did you really do?”
The live-stream viewers were curious too.
It was already deep into the night, yet many stayed up to watch. The nickname “Jian Dadan” had spread widely in the chat.
“Damn, I was feeling sleepy, but Jian Dadan’s gaze just scared me awake.”
“He must’ve wanted to eat the corpse, right? Being from Xiang’an Team, he’s capable of anything.”
“If he’s hungry, shouldn’t he eat Jinjin first? I don’t think he would… These past few hours, he’s acted mostly rational—just a little fierce.”
“Not gonna lie, that look of his just now was crazy attractive. My heart skipped a beat.”
“That stare had pressure… heart racing +1.”
“So what exactly did this handsome guy do?”
Seeing Fatty’s eager expression, Jian Yuntai vaguely said, “I was starving, so I followed a supply truck delivering food to the noble district.”
“And then?”
“Nothing else.” Jian Yuntai drew back the curtain to look outside. He didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious. The artificial sun had gone out, leaving only the moon’s pale glow.
Fatty’s expression showed disbelief. “Just stealing food wouldn’t get Xiang’an Team involved. You must’ve done something else…”
Before he could finish, a helicopter whirred outside the window.
“Woooo… woooo…”
The rotors whipped up a violent wind, tearing the curtain aside. There were shouts from the building—others in the shops had noticed the commotion.
Fatty dropped all joking thoughts and pulled Jian Yuntai and Jinjin back several steps.
Almost immediately, a massive helicopter swept past the window. The wind toppled freestanding clothing racks, and the rotors passed just inches from the window. Then came a deafening clang!
An iron crate had been dropped.
Before anyone could react, more clang clang sounds followed, like thunder and hail smashing on metal. The helicopter circled low, dropping crates randomly across the square and nearby alleys.
Fifteen minutes later, it was quiet outside.
The curtains had been blown who-knows-where, and from inside the shop, the street was visible.
Bodies lay scattered across the street. Marmots and sparrows slept peacefully beside them. The left side of the square was already overgrown with plants, all motionless as if in deep sleep.
Fatty’s sharp eyes caught an iron crate that had been smashed open. Inside, mineral water and compressed biscuits spilled everywhere.
“It’s an airdrop. The enforcers said they’d send food to the residents today… Damn, with a helicopter?”
Jian Yuntai stepped closer, his eyes darkening.
Others around the square noticed too. In a hotel across the street, a Sinister Monster Type mutant went berserk, stuffing food from the airdrop crates into his backpack with both hands. Inspired, people came running from all directions.
After a day of extreme heat, they’d die without water. Survival was their only concern.
From the corridor, shutters rattled up. Someone ran downstairs shouting, “Water! There’s water in the airdrop crates!”
“Go grab it, or it’ll be gone!” Fatty realized what was happening and dashed outside. But before he could run far, a loud crash sounded behind him.
He turned and gaped.
Jian Yuntai, back to him, had removed a window frame with his bare hands and vaulted over the broken glass in a single leap.
“…???”
Fatty stood frozen, shock written all over his face as he stared at the empty window ledge.
Tens of thousands of viewers in the live chat were just as stunned. “Did he just… jump straight from the fourth floor?!”
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