Chapter 526: Awakening, Blockade, the Life and Death of Grudges

The Doomsday Game slowly reawakened and instantly countered Qi Suian’s attack.

A dense web of cracks and fissures appeared, forming a complex pattern.

Yet, it failed to block Qi Suian’s unadorned attack.

A single punch shattered the protective pattern on the spot.

The whole process was brutally simple.

However, the punch didn’t severely injure the Doomsday Game. Instead, it halted its accelerated recovery.

"Stop. Let’s talk," a stiff, mechanical voice emerged—the voice of the Doomsday Game.

"You’re sentient?" Qi Suian was genuinely surprised. From his observations, the Doomsday Game was more of a special life form, akin to a platform operating on rigid rules.

As a whole, it tended to operate on rigid logic, completely lacking self-awareness.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have failed to expel him back then.

After all, just trapping him in the Profound World would have solved everything.

It would have been the cheapest solution, too.

But it had tried all sorts of convoluted methods and still couldn’t deal with him. Later, it simply stopped reacting. Qi Suian had studied it in depth, which was why he’d concluded it wasn’t sentient.

"I have you to thank for that. You provided such a perfect world-ending scenario that a rule related to self-awareness was born from my existing rules." The Doomsday Game’s second sentence was much more fluent.

The Doomsday Game wasn’t lying. It was because Qi Suian was destroying the world that a massive apocalyptic effect had been generated. This not only accelerated the Doomsday Game’s recovery but also spurred its evolution.

’Wait, you’ve never even had it this good before?’ Qi Suian was speechless.

’I thought the Doomsday Game had some glorious past, but it turns out it was just living a miserable existence before it met me.’

’It couldn’t even destroy a single world. How pathetic.’

’No wonder it wandered from place to place. So it wasn’t by choice, but because it had no other option.’

"There is no fundamental conflict of interest between us."

"You used me as a platform to grow, and I, in turn, have been reborn because of you."

"Therefore, we can engage in one final, friendly cooperation, rather than viewing each other with hostility and seeking mutual destruction." The Doomsday Game’s sentience was still in its infancy, so its choice of words was rather odd.

At first, Qi Suian thought it sounded reasonable, but... Qi Suian’s personal philosophy had always been: ’if I kill you, everything you have becomes mine.’

So he simply scoffed at the Doomsday Game’s proposal.

"I don’t believe I can get anything useful from you," Qi Suian said, playing along while his mind raced, trying to find a way to sever the Doomsday Game’s connection to the apocalyptic environment it was feeding on.

The rules that composed the entity were too numerous and chaotic, protected by corresponding defensive measures and encryption. He couldn’t pinpoint the connection immediately.

’Casually severing one might provoke a reaction. What if it decides to bolt?’

He had it contained for now, but if the Doomsday Game were to truly try and escape at any cost, Qi Suian wasn’t confident he could stop it.

When it came to fleeing and concealment, the Doomsday Game’s techniques were indeed superior to his.

Otherwise, how could it have run amok through worlds and survived this long? It was because of those two unique talents.

Even complete worlds had trouble pinning it down. If Qi Suian, a mere fledgling world, pushed it too far, it could likely escape as long as it was willing to pay a high enough price.

But for the Doomsday Game, such a price was simply unacceptable.

So, it opted to talk with Qi Suian first, and Qi Suian, in turn, used this opportunity to observe it.

"You obtained two rule technologies from me."

"But they are incomplete. If you let me leave, I’m willing to give you the complete versions."

"I can also throw in two sets of world coordinates." The Doomsday Game laid out its terms. "With your power, you could easily go and wreak havoc in other worlds."

"But if you destroy me, you’ll get none of it. The only outcome is that we both lose."

Listening to its pitch, Qi Suian was momentarily at a loss for words.

’Wreak havoc? Couldn’t it have used a more flattering term? It’s trying to bribe its way to freedom, yet its choice of words is so bizarre.’

’But, seeing as it was newly sentient, I’ll let it slide for now.’

"Not enough," Qi Suian said calmly. "I want all of your data and rules."

’That’s no ransom. A proper ransom shouldn’t be a painless pittance. Even if it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, it should at least take a pound of flesh, right?’

’And those two technologies it offered? I already have them. They might be incomplete, but I have most of the data. With my abilities, it’s only a matter of time before I can perfect them myself.’

’With an offer that insincere, how could it possibly be considered a ransom?’

’The entity might have a good chance of escaping, but I have a good chance of hunting it down and finishing the job.’

’It all comes down to whether I’m willing to pay the price.’

’As long as I’m willing to pay enough, I can catch the Doomsday Game no matter how fast it runs.’

"I cannot accept your demand. I will not hand over all of my data and rules to you."

"Otherwise, knowing your personality, you would kill me the very instant I handed them over."

"I can increase the number of technologies I offer. For instance, the technology related to the survivors, or... these. You can choose one."

The Doomsday Game listed several of its core technologies, but it didn’t give Qi Suian the option to take them all.

This displeased Qi Suian greatly. "You need to remember that your life is in my hands. I’m telling you what’s going to happen, not negotiating with you."

"It’s a single price, take it or leave it. You give me everything, and I let you go."

"If not, then we fight. Let’s see who’s faster—you at escaping, or me at killing." Qi Suian’s threat was blunt.

Since the entity had already seen through his intentions, there was no point in beating around the bush.

Qi Suian’s words silenced the Doomsday Game. The situation was exactly as he’d described.

’But I can’t hand them over. If I do, he’ll definitely go back on his word.’

’As the Doomsday Game, how could I not know how utterly without a bottom line Qi Suian’s rise to power has been?’

’Other people have a flexible moral compass. He’s different. His moral compass is the bottom line itself—so low it can’t get any lower.’

’A complete animal...’

’So if I trust him, I’m dead for sure.’

’But that brings up another problem. If I refuse, Qi Suian will fly into a rage and attack me anyway.’

’If I just stonewall him and wear out his patience, he won’t care about my potential value anymore. He’ll just kill me to eliminate the threat once and for all.’

The pressures of the apocalypse had warped Qi Suian’s way of thinking, making it different from that of an ordinary person. He rarely considered the long term, focusing instead on the here and now.

He had always believed that if you couldn’t even survive the present, any grand future prospects were worthless.

It wasn’t that Qi Suian was incapable of long-term planning; rather, he made a conscious choice to cash in on his assets immediately instead of hoarding them.

So the Doomsday Game had to bide its time, and then... strike.

’That’s right. Compromise and begging are completely useless against Qi Suian.’

’Countless lives have ended at his hands. If he had even a shred of pity left, he wouldn’t have committed such monstrous atrocities.’

’And he’s aware of his atrocities, yet feels not a single shred of remorse. That’s the most terrifying part.’

Qi Suian sensed the Doomsday Game’s change in thinking. "You’re planning to make a move," he said. "I get it."

"But I’ve already locked down all the space, time, and even causality and fate around you."

"Even with your skills and abilities, I don’t think you’d have enough time to break the lockdown," Qi Suian said. "So, I suggest you hand everything over. It’ll make your death easier."

As for when Qi Suian had learned to use such grandiose concepts, he had actually adapted them while organizing his own internal rules.

Even though he was only a fledgling world, he was a world nonetheless, with all the requisite rules.

To him, time and space were as instinctual as eating and drinking; the other rules were naturally part of him as well.

It wasn’t that he didn’t possess them, he just hadn’t learned how to use them yet.

Thus, the longer this dragged on, the more it favored Qi Suian. The Doomsday Game’s chances of escape would diminish, and the price it would have to pay would only grow.

Otherwise, why would Qi Suian be wasting time talking nonsense with the Doomsday Game? He would have started throwing punches long ago.

He’d beat it until it was half-dead.

"I just want to live." The Doomsday Game fell silent for a moment before finally uttering these five words.

"Once, that was my only thought, too. You didn’t give me a chance."

"Now the tables have turned, and I don’t plan on giving you one either," Qi Suian said, his tone laced with mockery.

’Who doesn’t want to live? Of all those batches of survivors, how many actually wanted to die?’

’If the Doomsday Game hadn’t dragged them into its world, I wouldn’t have been forced to become a rule-breaker. Everyone would still be living their own lives.’

’As for the Profound World turning into a zombie apocalypse? That was a different matter entirely.’

"There’s no need for this to be so hostile. It’s not as if there’s no room for negotiation."

"I can give you all of my data and rules except for the core technologies."

"Just open a small gap and let me leave." The Doomsday Game was making a concession, but it was also trying to lull Qi Suian into a false sense of security and buy more time.

But Qi Suian simply reached out and smashed a fist directly into the Doomsday Game.

"Stop playing these little games with me. It’s pointless." Qi Suian saw through its scheme in an instant.

His punch, however, didn’t disrupt the Doomsday Game’s plan. After all, it had been prepared.

Centered on the Doomsday Game, fractured patterns began to spread through space.

These fractures weren’t caused by internal pressure, but by an immense external pressure.

Something from outside the world was pressing in.