Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Limited-Time Event: Sun’s Puppets
The Tai Sui God could fly, and it was fast.
So it only took an hour to escape the Ashen Bandage Man’s pursuit.
’I can’t beat them. This time, I really can’t win.’
The Floating Cannons could be destroyed, but there were so many that Qi Suian simply couldn’t handle them all.
He estimated that he couldn’t kill them all even if he drained the Tai Sui God’s Supernova Strong Nuclear Reactor dry.
’The Ashen Bandage Men probably aren’t normal life forms. They’re a special kind of life derived from the unique technology of the "Sun in a Bottle."’
’Based on my observations, it’s most likely some kind of individual that was differentiated. Through some technology, it was brought under the control of the "Sun in a Bottle" and ultimately split into countless copies.’
"’Even the Doomsday Game is getting antsy,’ Qi Suian realized. At some point, a new limited-time event had appeared."
[Limited-Time Event: Sun Puppets]
[Objective: Survive for one month while being hunted by the Sun Puppets]
[Reward: New World Pass]
On top of that, there was a kill event: for every Sun Puppet killed, you could get 0.1 attribute points.
A kill leaderboard was also activated, with first place directly awarding 1 full attribute point.
The rewards this time were certainly generous.
But there was a problem: Sun Puppets weren’t something an ordinary survivor could kill.
’Even the protagonist of the Ancient Martial World probably couldn’t do it. If you can’t even get close, how are you supposed to kill them?’
What’s more, based on his calculations, each Sun Puppet had at least 2 points in both of its attributes.
’Of course, the stats aren’t the issue. They can’t block bullets, after all. The real difficulty is that they move in groups and are accompanied by intense heat.’
’Bullets would probably melt before they even got close.’
"’One month... surely some survivors will make it through.’"
Two-point attributes weren’t enough for the Sun Puppets to completely overrun the entire Horizon Realm.
This left Qi Suian very unsatisfied. Failing to achieve a total wipe was indeed a poor outcome.
’Then again,’ he considered, ’in this apocalypse, even I need a safe zone for my own protection.’
[Your speculation ignores the ambient temperature]
[After the "Sun in a Bottle" released the Sun Puppets, the interval for temperature increases has begun to shorten]
[Survivors will face not only the Sun Puppets, but also the most extreme heat and Desolate Beasts that are no longer restricted by temperature.]
[To a Desolate Beast, humans are an extremely delectable, luxurious meal.]
Qi Suian fell silent upon hearing this.
"Build a model for the temperature patterns and calculate when the Tai Sui God will no longer be able to withstand the heat."
Qi Suian knew the Tai Sui God definitely couldn’t withstand a month of rising temperatures.
Currently, the Sand Jiao Scale Pattern Shell allowed the Tai Sui God to protect Qi Suian from temperatures up to one hundred and ninety degrees. Combined with the Black Dark Energy Crystal and the Nirvana Insect Cocoon, it could probably withstand around three hundred degrees.
However, even without any further increases, the regular temperature in the Gobi Desert was already three hundred degrees.
[The model cannot make a precise calculation. I can protect you for ten days at most.]
The AI said no more, because this implied the Tai Sui God would have reached its limit.
Without any countermeasures, on the eleventh day, the Tai Sui God would no longer be able to protect Qi Suian, and he would be trapped in a constant cycle of death and rebirth.
"If I replace everything but the essential modules with heat-resistant ones, how long can we last?" Qi Suian asked.
[Fifteen days at most.]
[The Tai Sui God’s evolution level is too low. The modules’ effects are limited.]
Qi Suian fell silent. ’Does this mean the Tai Sui God is a guaranteed loss?’
"’There has to be a way out...’"
"’Protagonist Halo, use your invincible luck and think of something,’ Qi Suian pleaded, completely out of ideas."
’At this point, man is no match for nature.’
’At least, he couldn’t fight this terrifying heat.’
[The luck from your Protagonist Halo may not be enough. It might require amplification.]
[I recommend you kill the protagonist of the Ancient Martial World, as well as his affiliated protagonists, to obtain an enhancement.]
’If I’m going to rely on luck, I might as well stack it as high as it can go.’
""The problem is... I can’t find him." Of course Qi Suian wanted to, but he simply couldn’t locate him."
[Since there are no clues, we might as well leave everything to luck.]
The AI projected a compass for Qi Suian.
The next step was simple. Qi Suian just had to spin the compass, and they would head in whichever direction it pointed.
"To be honest, I’m not a fan of entrusting my life to luck," Qi Suian said, yet he spun the needle without a moment’s hesitation. "But I’m out of options. I can only rely on luck now."
Although the needle was virtual, it registered the force Qi Suian applied and calculated its spin based on the laws of physics, perfectly mimicking the motion of a real compass.
As the needle came to a stop, the AI immediately directed the Tai Sui God to advance in the indicated direction.
Qi Suian said nothing.
’Things have already come to this. I might as well keep practicing my Ancient Martial Techniques.’
’What else is there to do? At least this way I can try to live a little longer.’
"Actually, I feel like you projecting a map and me throwing a dart at it blindfolded would be more reliable than using a compass to pick a direction," Qi Suian remarked.
[That is an excellent idea. If you require it, I can provide that as well.]
"Never mind. We’ve already picked a direction, no need to make a fuss."
"’Your resolve is strongest the first time, weakens the second, and is gone by the third.’ Qi Suian didn’t choose to try again."
’With something like luck, if it’s going to work, it already has.’
’If it’s not going to work, trying again is pointless.’
"Hey, what if we copied the Mantle Sanctuary and built another one..."
[There isn’t enough time. Furthermore, with our current technology, we cannot construct a sanctuary fifty kilometers underground.]
The AI had indeed downloaded the relevant architectural knowledge, but the Mantle Sanctuary’s construction involved unknown technology from the "Sun in a Bottle."
They couldn’t possibly replicate it.
Besides, even fifty kilometers deep might not be enough to block the surging heat.
If things continued on this track, the entire Horizon Realm would likely melt by the thirtieth day.
A sun in a bottle was still a sun. Its power couldn’t be ignored just because it was contained.
The Doomsday Game’s limited-time event, "Sun Puppets," was actually a trap. It concealed the true source of the danger and misled the survivors.
The last limited-time event in the Profound World, "Blood Moon Shadow," had been the same. It ignored the danger of the Blood Moon itself, focusing instead on describing the terror of its light.
In the end, an Earth-Moon impact shattered the entire planet, and any remaining survivors were devoured by the Blood Moon.
Qi Suian started to wonder if the survivors had some kind of grudge against the Doomsday Game. Why else would it screw them over so badly?
But he soon pushed these thoughts aside and began to ponder where his own chance for survival might lie.
’It can’t be as simple as just walking in one direction, can it?’
-----------------
"We shook them off... That was terrifying." The forehead of the survivor driving the behemoth was beaded with cold sweat.
The sight of the endless horde of Sun Puppets had cast a pall over everyone.
"If we hadn’t come to the Extreme North State looking for the Mantle Sanctuary, we wouldn’t have had to face the Sun Puppets directly. The mission to survive for a month shouldn’t have been that hard, right?" one survivor said, a hint of despair in his voice.
They had put themselves on the highest difficulty setting for survival.
"This is all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on me leaving, I wouldn’t be in this mess!"
One survivor broke down, roaring uncontrollably at Qin Sheng.
With someone taking the lead, the survivors who hadn’t dared to face the Sun Puppets now redirected their anger toward Qin Sheng, treating him as the culprit.
But Qin Sheng just snorted coldly. All the survivors’ faces went pale, their minds ringing as if they’d been struck.
"If you have a problem, you can get the hell out of the vehicle." Qin Sheng released a minor application of his Tribulation Force, instantly cowing them.
It wasn’t as if he had forced this group of survivors to come with him. They hadn’t been able to survive in their original camp and had chosen to follow him on their own accord.
’Looks like I’ve been too good to them,’ Qin Sheng thought. ’It’s made them forget their place.’
He was a Tribulation Force Ancient Martial Artist. Throughout all of history, the number of Ancient Martial Artists who could reach this level could be counted on one hand.
Not to mention he had provided them with a safe environment and plentiful, if monotonous, food—a far better situation than that of other struggling survivors.
’And what was the result? They treated him like this.’
The display of power worked. Everyone quieted down.
"Full speed ahead. We have to—" Qin Sheng was about to say more when his heart suddenly skipped a beat. That ominous premonition surfaced in his mind once again.
"Change direction! It’s dangerous to keep going this way!"
He was certain this premonition wasn’t because of some suddenly appearing Sun Puppets.
It was from the violator.
Qin Sheng was confident in the power of his Tribulation Force, but he had no confidence he could protect the behemoth and the survivors while fighting the violator.
’For someone to give me such a strong sense of crisis, they must be powerful.’
Still, he felt his own chances of winning were higher.
The power of Tribulation Force was already bordering on the transcendent.
Of course, he had also sensed his own bottleneck.
According to the *Eternal Undying God-Demon Scripture*, there was another realm above Tribulation Force: the Land Immortal Realm, where one could ’shatter the void to witness the indestructible divinity.’
Unfortunately, even this scripture, supposedly the number one orthodox Ancient Martial Technique, was vague on the details.
So he had no idea how to break through.
It was so vague, in fact, that Qin Sheng suspected the records were nothing more than fantasy.
’Tribulation Force was the limit of Ancient Martial Technique.’
As for innovating on his own, he had no such intention.
The predecessors had already refined every level of force in the *Eternal Undying God-Demon Scripture* to perfection.
Even if he wanted to forge a new path, there was no path left to forge.
Besides, he was currently trying to survive. With danger so close, he had no time to ponder such things.
What’s more, the Doomsday Game could help him; there was no need to go to the trouble himself.
"What happened?" Xue Pingjun asked. A sudden change of direction definitely meant something was wrong.
"A powerful enemy. Not a Sun Puppet," Qin Sheng said bluntly.
"Even you aren’t a match for them? But you’ve reached Tribulation Force," Xue Pingjun said, his expression worried.
"I’m confident I can win," Qin Sheng stated, voicing his concern, "but I’m not confident I can win while also protecting all of you."
