The Rule-Breaker of the Doomsday Game

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Level 1 Fire Seed: King of Hundred Beasts

Hayman was easily subdued before Qi Suian knocked him unconscious with a high-potency anesthetic.

However, the drug’s effects were limited. At most, he would be out for about an hour.

"I need to upgrade my anesthetics," Qi Suian muttered.

The power ceiling in the Doomsday World was constantly rising, and with it, the base stats of all life forms.

Hayman’s stats were only at the Elder level, but even so, Qi Suian didn’t have a strong enough anesthetic on hand.

The dose injected into Hayman would have been enough to knock out ten Warriors for a full day.

Yet on Hayman, it was only effective for an hour.

He’d killed Elder-level beings before. Most were tossed straight into the Melting Furnace, with only a small number vivisected for research.

Capturing one alive was far more difficult than simply killing one.

After dealing with Hayman, Qi Suian picked up the item he had placed on the ground: the Level 1 Fire Seed: King of Hundred Beasts.

[Level 1 Fire Seed: King of Hundred Beasts]

[Quality: A]

[Trait 1: Sanctuary]

[Trait 2: Symbiotic Armor]

[Trait 3: Key of Triumph]

’The quality has stabilized, and now there’s a third trait.’

Qi Suian suspected that this so-called Key of Triumph was likely used to enter the Triumphant Eden.

The problem was, he had no idea how to use it.

And even if he did, he likely wouldn’t be able to use it anyway.

Fire Seeds had identification technology. If even mutants couldn’t use them, what chance did a non-native life form like Qi Suian have?

He guessed only purebloods could use it.

From Qi Suian’s perspective, however, the Key of Triumph wasn’t a desirable trait. For someone who wanted to use this Level 1 Fire Seed as a raw material for his own, it was a liability.

He needed a Fire Seed that was entirely his own, not one tied to the Triumphant Eden.

Therefore, he would need to strip this trait away.

This would inevitably cause its quality to drop, but that didn’t matter. As long as the foundation remained, it would be fine.

Meanwhile, Kemp and Cummings, saved by Qi Suian’s arrival, quickly freed themselves from their restraints.

Kemp stormed toward the unconscious Hayman. As soon as he was close enough, he lunged, intending to kill him.

But Qi Suian stopped him.

"He’s still useful. You can’t kill him," Qi Suian said bluntly.

"He’s a Cardinal of the Corpse Eaters! Who knows how many of our mutant brothers and sisters he’s eaten to get where he is!"

"What possible use could you have for him?" Kemp demanded furiously.

Before, Qi Suian had ignored their plan and acted recklessly, leading to their encounter with the Corpse Eaters and causing their elite breakout team to suffer further losses.

And now, he was stopping him from killing Hayman. How could Kemp possibly stand for it? He confronted Qi Suian directly.

"Some necessary research. All you need to know is that he can’t die right now." Qi Suian was completely unconcerned by the other man’s anger and accusations.

His answer was dismissive.

He had already revealed his Floating Cannons and captured Hayman alive.

This was a flex of his power. If Kemp didn’t know what was good for him, Qi Suian was more than capable of teaching him how to be a proper corpse.

He had originally needed the Steel Brotherhood’s help, since getting a Level 1 Fire Seed wasn’t easy.

But now, Hayman had delivered the very Fire Seed he needed most. The Steel Brotherhood—his big ATM—was no longer so crucial.

As for the Wasteland King? Qi Suian would, of course, choose the one he had encountered upon his arrival in this world.

’Plot armor has already pointed the way for me; no need to take the scenic route.’

Could the Steel Brotherhood provide the resources he needed?

’Once I have the power of a Level 1 Fire Seed Armor and my strength skyrockets, why would I need to rely on them? I can just take what I want.’

’At that point, the Steel Brotherhood will become part of my resources, not a provider of them.’

’Strength is the only thing that matters. Everything else can wait, but how can I not be in a hurry to get stronger?’

"That’s not what Kemp meant. He’s just lost his head over this business with the Corpse Eaters," Cummings hurriedly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

Kemp had many strengths, but he also had his share of flaws, like being impulsive and quick to anger.

Still, he was flexible and willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Realizing his impulsiveness, he immediately apologized to Qi Suian. "Jack, I’m sorry. It’s just that..."

"I know it was an honest mistake, but it also shows you don’t trust me."

"So let’s just leave it at that. We’ll go our separate ways," Qi Suian said, cutting him off.

’Perfect. I was just looking for an excuse to leave, and he handed it to me on a silver platter.’

"Wait, Jack, I..." Kemp was stunned. He never imagined Qi Suian would say something like that.

’You followed us all this way! That means you wanted to go south with us.’

’How could he just change his mind all of a sudden?’ The thought made Kemp frantic.

"In that case, Jack, be careful out there on your own," Cummings said, cutting Kemp off in a completely different tone. "If you need anything, you can come find us in the south."

"The gates of the Steel Brotherhood will always be open to you."

Cummings could see that Qi Suian’s mind was made up; a few words wouldn’t change it.

Use force? Not with those Floating Cannons still hovering nearby.

The best solution, therefore, was to allow both sides to save face.

If Kemp kept apologizing or tried to win him over with appeals to the greater good, it would only backfire.

"I’ll visit you in the south when I have the chance," Qi Suian replied, leaving the door open. You burn bridges when you make an enemy, and this wasn’t that.

Besides, his own Fire Seed wasn’t even made yet. There was no need to sever ties so hastily.

"I’ve lived in your camp for so long, I can’t leave without a parting gift. Take this—the modification schematics for pureblood combat armor." As he spoke, Qi Suian took out a ridiculously thick manual.

He had taken the originally simple technology, made it more complex and convoluted, then modularized it, resulting in this massive tome.

’If I just gave them the simple, original version, what would that say about my own value?’

Cummings’s and Kemp’s eyes lit up. They hadn’t secured the Steel Armor technology or brought Qi Suian back with them, but these modification schematics were enough to help the Steel Brotherhood turn the tide.

"Alright, I accept." Cummings took the thick manual, struggling to suppress his joy.

This was an unexpected windfall. He had already resigned himself to walking away with nothing.

Of course, Qi Suian wasn’t doing this out of friendship. Despite Cummings’s pleasant words, he knew that if it weren’t for his Floating Cannons and his capture of Hayman...

...they would have had no qualms about using force to drag him back to the Steel Brotherhood.

Cummings was just humoring Qi Suian; it wasn’t what he truly felt.

Before this, Cummings’s attitude had been much the same as Kemp’s; he just wasn’t as open about it.

As for Qi Suian, he gave them the modification technology simply to ensure the Steel Brotherhood would last a little longer.

As the resource crisis worsened, the Sanctuaries would grow increasingly desperate.

And mutants, disdained by purebloods, made for the best source of labor.

Qi Suian needed the Steel Brotherhood to act as a thorn in their side, to stir up trouble for the Sanctuaries and give them no peace.

For that to happen, the Steel Brotherhood couldn’t fall just yet.

"Once you’re done with your research, Jack, you must come and be our guest in the south," Cummings continued. "The Steel Brotherhood never mistreats its friends."

He knew exactly what Qi Suian had wanted from them: resources and a Fire Seed.

The former was manageable; there were Sanctuaries in the north that Qi Suian could deal with himself.

But obtaining a Level 1 Fire Seed? At this stage, his only chance was to cooperate with the Steel Brotherhood.

But now that Qi Suian had a Fire Seed, he naturally wouldn’t choose to leave his home turf. It was better to stay in the north, where he was more familiar with the lay of the land.

The incident with Hayman was just the catalyst. Cummings suspected Qi Suian had wanted to part ways for a while but hadn’t found the right moment to say it.

If Kemp hadn’t messed things up, Qi Suian would have probably had to begrudgingly follow them.

But what was done was done. There was no point in dwelling on it.

"By the way, Jack," Kemp suddenly asked, "can your modification schematics be used on bionic armor?"

Qi Suian simply shook his head. "I don’t know. I’ve never studied bionic armor, but you’re welcome to try."

’Bionic armor, at the end of the day, is just an imitation of Fire Seed Armor. It’s still fundamentally combat armor.’

’Bionic armor is just a high-end replica, while combat armor is a low-end one.’

’That’s what creates the difference in quality.’

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving. Be careful on your way back." Qi Suian had no intention of continuing the conversation.

He had plenty of other things to do.

As for the Corpse Eaters, sure, they might know things, but he had one of their Cardinals in his possession. He could just interrogate Hayman later.

Besides, he didn’t need to know that much. As long as they could be burned for fuel, it was good enough.

Qi Suian left without another word. Kemp shook his head. "Mission failed."

"It wasn’t a complete failure. At least we got the modification schematics," Cummings said reassuringly.

"Jack’s just too selfish. He doesn’t give a damn about his fellow mutants," Kemp grumbled.

"And wasn’t it you who couldn’t hold back and gave Jack the perfect excuse to leave?" Cummings’s tone turned sharp.

He had been trying to cheer Kemp up, not give him an opening to shift the blame.

"If you ask me, we should’ve just used force from the beginning. Reasons be damned," Kemp retorted, refusing to accept Cummings’s point. "There was no stopping him from leaving. Even if it wasn’t me, he would’ve found some other excuse."

"I don’t want to argue with you about this anymore," Cummings stated plainly. "Even if we didn’t get the Steel Armor technology we were hoping for, these modification schematics are more than enough for the Steel Brotherhood."

"Besides, considering the cost of producing Steel Armor, we wouldn’t be able to afford it even if we had the schematics."

"These modification schematics are actually much more suitable for our situation."

Kemp, of course, was unconvinced. He wanted to argue that it was a matter of *having* the option, not necessarily using it, but he saw that Cummings was already walking away, completely ignoring him.

Clearly, neither man could convince the other.