The Rule-Breaker of the Doomsday Game

"A lobster? This big?"

Just three minutes ago, Qi Suian had received a notification from the AI and detected an anomaly.

He had rushed to the location of the anomaly immediately. The moment he arrived, he saw a giant lobster break through the ice.

[Based on data monitoring, this Cold Energy Monster’s estimated age is around one thousand years]

[There is an 80% probability that it is a Cold Energy Monster that survived from the last mini ice age]

"Lobster?" The giant lobster vibrated the air around it, producing a human-like voice. It turned its head and stared at Qi Suian. "A mere humanoid."

"You should address me with respect as King Zhen Ao."

Its voice was like thunder, its movements like lightning.

In an instant, King Zhen Ao closed in on Qi Suian. It was incredibly fast, raising a giant pincer and smashing it down on his head.

"Get lost!"

Qi Suian shouted, unhesitatingly reaching out to catch the creature’s giant pincer.

’That scared me to death. So it was just an empty shell.’ Qi Suian had expected to be flattened, but he discovered that the so-called King Zhen Ao passed right through him.

’It’s a fake, not real.’

Both its menacing presence and its physical form were just a projection of some kind.

That was why the AI hadn’t taken any action, instead calmly watching Qi Suian retaliate.

"What’s going on?" Qi Suian asked.

He didn’t feel like he’d been tricked; it was more like a test of courage.

[Enemy is escaping. Pursuit in progress...]

The AI acted fast. The entire Tai Sui God plunged directly into the water beneath the ice.

Although the Tai Sui God lacked a dedicated submersion module, its various other modules compensated for each other. It couldn’t compare to a specialized unit, but it was more than suitable for the situation.

In the darkness, Qi Suian could vaguely make out a silhouette.

Fortunately, Qi Suian didn’t need to see with his own eyes; he could view everything perfectly through the reconnaissance network.

"This thing is some kind of giant mollusk, isn’t it?" Qi Suian asked. "From the looks of it, it’s a clam."

"But since it can create illusions, you might as well call it a mirage beast."

[The entity is using certain fluctuations in Cold Energy to create a mental hallucination affecting you]

[The giant lobster you saw earlier was not an image, but a direct manipulation of your brainwaves]

"I see." Qi Suian understood. As for why his 5 points of Spirit and S-class Spirit enhancement ability hadn’t been able to block it?

’It would be strange if they *had* blocked it. The creature was already capable of using its Spirit to directly interfere with the outside world. Even if its power wasn’t as high as his, it had unique abilities.’

’Plus, it was using its own innate talent—its strength—against Qi Suian’s weakness. It was perfectly normal that it won.’

’Didn’t you see how it fled without a second thought the moment the AI severed the brainwave interference?’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’That just proves it’s a one-trick pony.’

"I am an Iron Armor General under the command of King Zhen Ao! What happened today was my fault. I offer my apologies."

"I hope you will be magnanimous, sir, and spare me this once for King Zhen Ao’s sake."

"I will surely repay you generously in the future."

Suddenly, a voice reached Qi Suian’s ears.

It was clearly the large clam up ahead, fleeing for its life.

Qi Suian’s eyes narrowed. "So it has connections."

"All the more reason not to spare you."

"AI, can you catch it? If you can’t, just destroy it with the Floating Cannons."

’Since I’ve already offended it, it doesn’t matter if I offend it further. If I kill it, the problem’s solved.’

[Catching up is possible. Time required: three minutes.]

"Then go after it. How dare it threaten me," Qi Suian said coldly. "When you catch it, I’ll roast it like an oyster."

As for the so-called King Zhen Ao? Qi Suian paid him no mind.

If this thing were really one of his subordinates, how would it dare to use its supreme commander’s image as a tool?

It was definitely just borrowing the tiger’s might.

However, the so-called King Zhen Ao most likely did exist and was probably still alive.

If a clam this big could survive for a thousand years, a lobster certainly could too.

It just went to show that the effects of Cold Energy on the Cold Winter World were indeed long-lasting.

The calamity had only just returned, yet thousand-year-old Cold Energy Monsters were already reawakening.

Since they had just reawakened, they probably hadn’t recovered much of their strength.

CLANG!

The sound brought Qi Suian back to reality. He saw the Tai Sui God gripping the giant clam tightly, using its Floating Cannons to blast a path through the ice above and coordinating with the Wind Master aviation system.

And just like that, it dragged the giant clam up from the depths.

Out of the water, the giant clam immediately went limp, sealing its shell shut.

"Heh, you don’t seem to realize that times have changed."

"Still think the old tricks from a thousand years ago will work?" Qi Suian said, taking a large amount of cutting equipment from his Subspace Pocket.

The freezing weather would affect them, sure, but it’s not like they wouldn’t work at all.

Besides, he wasn’t on the Ice Continent right now, but in a relatively warmer place... Okay, it wasn’t really that warm.

After all, there was Cold Energy everywhere.

Then, the sound of cutting, accompanied by sparks flying between machinery and shell, forced the giant clam to beg for mercy.

"Speak. Why did you attack me?" Qi Suian asked.

It was true that Qi Suian had sought it out, but the giant clam had been the first to strike; he hadn’t even had the chance to make the first move.

The giant clam stammered, not daring to speak.

Under repeated questioning, it finally confessed that it wanted to eat a person to satisfy its craving.

The creature had indeed just awoken and was starving. Seeing Qi Suian standing there like a tin can, it had decided to scare him with King Zhen Ao first.

Then, when he was panicking and fleeing blindly, it would drag him into the water.

But it never expected Qi Suian to be so ferocious, not only unafraid but daring enough to chase it into the water.

The giant clam truly was one of King Zhen Ao’s Iron Armor Generals, but that was back in the day. Things were different now.

After all, times had changed. Who knew where King Zhen Ao had gone?

"Cold Energy... or ’yin qi’ as you call it, can it grant sentience to plants?" Qi Suian asked.

He didn’t need to verify that Cold Energy could grant animals intelligence rivaling that of humans; the proof was right in front of him in the form of the giant clam.

"No. In the dead of winter, it’s a miracle just to survive. How could anything develop intelligence?"

"Besides, developing intelligence isn’t easy. Back then, the yin qi permeated the world for decades. That was the only reason we were able to awaken," the giant clam said.

"How long did it take for you to go from a small clam to a sentient being?" Qi Suian asked again.

"My aptitude is poor. It took me one year to awaken, one year to achieve enlightenment, and one year to enter the Way."

"It took me a full three years just to get my foot in the door." The giant clam didn’t hide anything; after all, its life was in the hands of the human before it.

But if you were to ask if it left anything out, it certainly did.

"So you’re saying, if a being’s aptitude is good enough, it could quickly gain intelligence and power comparable to yours?" Qi Suian asked.

"Of course. In places with dense yin qi, we Cold Beasts naturally grow faster."

"If all goes as expected, Beast Kings have already been born in the Ancestral Court." The giant clam, trying to save its own skin, revealed more information.

Qi Suian knew what the so-called Ancestral Court was, of course. It was the former Ice Continent.

As for Beast Kings, it was currently unknown what level of power they represented.

However, he estimated they were probably on par with the likes of King Zhen Ao.

"Your King Zhen Ao is also a Beast King?" Qi Suian continued to ask.

"But of course! Although my King Zhen Ao does not hail from the Ancestral Court, he is still a Beast King in his own right, with command over..." The giant clam went on and on, overtly and covertly hinting at how powerful its backing was.

Its goal, naturally, was to save its own life.

"Then why did they all disappear?" Qi Suian asked.

"The cold tide receded, and the yin qi dispersed."

"If we hadn’t chosen to enter a deep slumber, how could we have survived until now?" the giant clam replied smoothly.

"What about humans? Are there any like you?" Qi Suian asked the crucial question.

"That I do not know. But humans have Qi Cultivation Methods, so there should be." The giant clam truly didn’t know.

The era it came from was sparsely populated, unlike the present with its large human population. So while it had seen humans, it had rarely encountered those who had mastered a Qi Cultivation Method.

As for whether its own King Zhen Ao knew, it had no idea.

Although it was an Iron Armor General, there were countless others like it under King Zhen Ao’s command.

’Then where is your King Zhen Ao’s place of deep slumber? Why hasn’t he woken up yet?’ Qi Suian thought, ’If King Zhen Ao hasn’t woken up, I’ll find him and shove him into the Melting Furnace for fuel.’

"I do not know where the King is." The giant clam certainly didn’t know, but it knew why he hadn’t awakened yet. "The yin qi in the world is insufficient, and the cold tide has only just begun. The time is not yet right."

"The King naturally cannot awaken."

The gist was that the current environment wasn’t suitable.

After hearing this, Qi Suian immediately understood the difficulty level of this apocalyptic world.

"Is there anything else you wish to ask? If not, I will return to the water," the giant clam said.

"No rush. I still need your cooperation on a few things, so don’t be in a hurry to go back," Qi Suian refused flatly. "Don’t worry, I’ve always been a kind person. I don’t kill needlessly."

"But I’m not a person." The giant clam sensed Qi Suian’s malicious intent and squirmed, trying to leave.

But Qi Suian slapped a hand on it, and his Dragon and Tiger Primordial Force seeped into its shell, causing the giant clam to screech in pain.

And that was with him holding back. Otherwise, he could have definitely crushed the giant clam to death.

The giant clam’s overall strength was similar to the white bear Qi Suian had encountered before; its physique was weaker, but it excelled in Spirit-based abilities.

Of course, its weak physique was compensated for by its defensive shell.

"I know you’re not a person. So I suggest you do this the easy way, not the hard way." Qi Suian hadn’t expected the giant clam to see through his lie, but it didn’t matter. He’d just go back on his word.

From the giant clam’s words, one thing was certain: these Cold Energy Monsters were intelligent, but they hadn’t been chosen as survivors by the apocalypse game.

It seemed the apocalypse game’s selection criteria wasn’t intelligence, but humanity.

’I just wonder if those humans of the Cold Winter who practiced the so-called Qi Cultivation Methods were chosen as survivors by the apocalypse game.’

’If they were, it would mean the apocalypse game is starting to change its strategy.’

Qi Suian thought silently to himself, but with no way to obtain the relevant information, he could only shelve the idea for now.

As for the giant clam, Qi Suian dragged it back to his safe house to be kept for the time being. He would dissect it after he finished his research on his virus talent.