The Rule-Breaker of the Doomsday Game

"Wait, what is this..." Qi Suian stared, momentarily dazed, at what had been dug up from under the old altar.

It was a rather cheap-looking glass bottle, filled with a small amount of ash. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

[Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle]

[Quality: D]

[Trait: None]

’So it really was meant literally.’

Apparently, the altar had once enshrined the Sun in a Bottle. It was later toppled, which ultimately led to the Sun in a Bottle being released.

All that remained was a small amount of residual ash.

’So the sun in the sky was actually let out of a bottle.’

’And the apocalypse only happened because the sun that came out of the bottle was in the wrong position or was somehow agitated.’ A sense of horror washed over Qi Suian.

That would explain why the temperature kept rising. The faster it climbed, the closer the sun released from the bottle was getting to them.

’And the stagnation of the Horizon Realm must also be some kind of cosmic problem caused by the sun disappearing and then reappearing.’

Qi Suian didn’t know much about cosmology, but he knew the basics—that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Even if the Horizon Realm was different, it used to have sunrises and sunsets, so it must have had similar physical laws.

Things couldn’t have just changed so abruptly. Something must have fundamentally altered them.

Qi Suian then stored the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle in his Subspace Stable Pocket. This thing was far from simple.

Just being able to reach D-Quality with no traits meant that if it became a module for the Tai Sui God, its potential would be immense.

’So they really possessed the technology for a Sun in a Bottle, and they actually succeeded. The truth was just covered up.’

As for how they concealed it, that was also simple. It could only have been a solar eclipse. What else could it have been?

As long as they were fast enough, they could monopolize the sun.

’Unbelievable. It’s the first time I’ve realized people could be so greedy.’

’Anyone in their right mind knows you don’t mess with the sun.’

’And now look what happened. A full-blown apocalypse.’

Qi Suian didn’t have any good solutions for this.

"Let’s see if there’s anything else," Qi Suian muttered, having the AI Brain continue its sweep.

For Qi Suian, just getting the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle was already a huge win. Based on its name alone, if it became an SSS-grade module, it would be absolutely extraordinary.

Soon, the entire altar was dismantled completely.

Aside from digging up a few skeletons, there were no other discoveries.

Qi Suian didn’t care where the bones came from. They were just human sacrifices, used as foundation piles.

The elite preying on the weak was a common occurrence.

Suddenly, his instincts flared. He sharply sensed a movement behind him and forced the Tai Sui God to sidestep.

He then narrowly dodged the sound of something slicing through the air.

When he turned to look, he saw a strange, slender figure. The bizarre person was completely wrapped in bandages stained with some kind of black powder and held a scimitar.

Seeing its first attack miss, the opponent quickly swung the scimitar in a diagonal slash.

"Hey, AI Brain, a little help here!" Qi Suian shouted. He maneuvered the Tai Sui God to close the distance, forcibly blocking the scimitar while simultaneously kicking straight for the groin.

The kick sent the figure tumbling, and its scimitar fell right into Qi Suian’s hands.

He might be a novice compared to the AI Brain and other high-energy lifeforms, but that didn’t mean he was actually weak.

[No anomaly detected. Requesting access to your visual system.]

Clearly, the Tai Sui God’s reconnaissance network couldn’t effectively observe this strange person.

Qi Suian had no idea when it had appeared; its approach was completely silent. If not for his protagonist’s intuition kicking in as it drew near, allowing him to sense it just in time, he would have been hit.

"Access granted!" Qi Suian agreed immediately.

With access to Qi Suian’s human vision, the Tai Sui God could finally see the strange person. The AI Brain immediately took control of the Tai Sui God from him.

"Capture it alive," Qi Suian said without hesitation.

Now under the AI Brain’s control, the Tai Sui God immediately pinned the strange person down.

Qi Suian keenly observed that the black powder on the strange person’s body was remarkably similar to the ashes from the Sun in a Bottle.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this strange person was likely the culprit behind the fall of the entire Mantle Sanctuary and had an extremely close connection to the Sun in a Bottle.

"You have blasphemed the sun, sinner!"

The strange person rasped in a grating voice.

Qi Suian didn’t bother to answer. The creature was at a dead end; all he had to do was capture it alive...

Before Qi Suian could even finish the thought, the restrained figure’s body suddenly collapsed, and a large amount of ash poured out from within its bandages.

The entire figure deflated, becoming nothing but bandages and ash.

"It escaped. What a pain," Qi Suian said, his expression grim.

Qi Suian collected the bandages and ash, then asked, "Without being connected to my vision, can you see these two items?"

[Observation is possible now, but it was not when the entity possessed vital signs.]

[It appears to possess a special electromagnetic field that specifically targets electronic devices. I am unable to parse it.]

"Analyze the composition of this black powder and these bandages." For now, Qi Suian had no better solution.

It was visible to the naked eye, yet the Tai Sui Divine Armor couldn’t detect it. This was clearly a targeted effect.

[Initial analysis indicates unknown ash and conventional bandages. However, a certain carbon-based reaction has been detected within the ash, though it is ancient.]

[Furthermore...]

Listening to the AI Brain’s analysis, Qi Suian realized that these strange figures were indeed going to be difficult to handle.

He didn’t know how they appeared, nor how they left.

Qi Suian suspected he was already being targeted.

As for his "blasphemy" against the sun? It was nothing more than him destroying this altar.

To survive, he’d do more than just blaspheme the sun; he’d gladly be its gravedigger.

Having survived this long, there were no taboos he wouldn’t break.

Fear meant death. To live, you couldn’t be afraid.

"If I capture one of these things alive, scoop out its brain, and turn its body into a module, could the Tai Sui God gain the ability to counter them?"

Qi Suian didn’t even consider studying it; the creature would escape long before he could finish any research.

So, the best method was to shove it directly into a module slot.

[There is an eighty percent probability of acquiring the corresponding observation perspective.]

The AI Brain wasn’t entirely certain, just that the probability was high.

Qi Suian didn’t ask what would happen if he used the black ash and bandages. He was fairly certain they were useless. Even if crafted into a module, it would just be an SSS-grade module for "ash and bandages."

It would have nothing to do with the actual creature.

The core of it was its unique life signature. Without that, the physical vessel was just a vessel.

It was like the Tai Sui God; without its three traits, the remaining armor would be completely useless.

"That’s not right. Logically speaking, the Tai Sui God’s reconnaissance network is supposed to have the functionality of the human naked eye. In theory, you should be able to see it too."

"The fact that you have to jack into my vision implies that other people can’t observe this creature either."

Qi Suian took out the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle again.

He suspected that holding this item was what attracted the Ashen Bandage Men.

He held the bottle, examining it intently. The very next moment, the Tai Sui God sprang into action, pinning another Ashen Bandage Man with a swift motion and moving to tear its brain out without hesitation.

It smashed the creature’s head on the spot, only for the body to deflate and collapse again.

[Your guess is correct. Holding the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle attracts these Ashen Bandage Men, and only the holder can perceive them.]

[Furthermore, based on data projections, the strength of the Ashen Bandage Men will increase with each appearance.]

[Additionally, the time between their appearances will shorten. Please store the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle in the Subspace Stable Pocket as soon as possible.]

[The Subspace Stable Pocket appears to effectively block this attraction.]

The AI Brain provided Qi Suian with meticulous feedback.

"It’s a good thing I got my hands on this. The trouble would have been immense if it fell into someone else’s hands." Qi Suian was well aware of the principle that one must seize the opportunities fate provides, lest they suffer the consequences.

If these ashes of the Sun in a Bottle were to fall into the hands of some local or another survivor, who knows if they might turn into another Chunyu Hu.

Swift steeds are many, but a Bo Le to recognize them is rare.

Many people aren’t without ability; they just lack the opportunities and platforms to temper their skills and put them to use.

The moment they seize an opportunity to display their abilities, they’ll undergo a Dragon Transformation.

Chunyu Hu was a perfect example. In the reincarnator’s past life, he was a nobody who died to the Zombie Dominator. But once he obtained the Source of Profound Virus, his fate was completely reversed.

’Looks like there must be other uses for this that I’ll have to figure out on my own.’ Qi Suian didn’t immediately follow the AI Brain’s advice, instead pondering how to maximize the benefits.

"Every time one of these Ashen Bandage Men is killed, does anything strange happen?"

Qi Suian asked suddenly.

[The number of encounters and the observation time have been too brief. There is nothing to report at this time.]

Both encounters had been over very quickly.

To quantify the data, the first Ashen Bandage Man had dual attributes of roughly 1.0, while the second’s were 1.1.

Since Qi Suian’s own dual attributes had already reached 2.5, he had a crushing advantage.

Aside from their ability to appear and disappear without a trace and their extremely potent stealth, they had no other special characteristics.

"Compare the volume and weight of the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle. See if they decrease with every kill." Qi Suian suspected the Ashen Bandage Men were coming out of the bottle.

Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence.

[Adding to observation parameters...]

After that, Qi Suian began to inspect himself again.

He didn’t find any issues for the time being.

"Then, fill in any gaps on your own. If there’s anything I’ve missed, just add it to the plan as you see fit." Qi Suian wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could anticipate everything.

[Understood. Commencing plan refinement...]

With that settled, Qi Suian began a more detailed observation and study of the ashes of the Sun in a Bottle.

The item was most likely dangerous, but he was certain it held a great opportunity.

Even if his research yielded nothing, he could still use it as a module. No matter how you looked at it, Qi Suian wouldn’t be at a loss.