Within the Eternal United States, Qi Suian was in a difficult position.
The conspicuous and unique appearance of the Tai Sui Divine Armor, in particular, made it incredibly difficult for him to hide.
The good news, however, was that no other powerhouses on the level of Sharp had appeared among his pursuers.
Unfortunately, Qi Suian only knew that they were from the Seventh Execution Chamber; he didn’t know anything more.
It was a secret unit, after all. He was only able to recognize them thanks to the fact that he had once interrogated Harrington.
Everything else was classified, so there was no way to find out more.
Especially not while Qi Suian was still being hunted.
He didn’t know what the Eternal United States was plotting, but they had most likely sensed his desire to escape.
Although they were hunting him, they weren’t applying much pressure. It felt more like they were herding him.
Qi Suian was well aware of how difficult it should be for them to find him.
While Sacred Artifacts weren’t omnipotent, they could at least rival a modern surveillance system, and with even greater efficiency.
After all, some Sacred Artifacts were just absurdly powerful.
Take Sharp’s Elemental Chalice, for example. Qi Suian had no idea how it could expend energy so endlessly. It couldn’t be an infinite power source, could it?
If it were really that powerful, Qi Suian would dare to take on the *Book of Revelation* and kick the apocalypse game to the curb the moment he got his hands on it.
But a moment’s thought made it clear: if it were truly that strong, Sharp wouldn’t be stuck at his current rank.
"I guess this place should be safe." Qi Suian glanced around before asking, "Did we shake the pursuit?"
[Not yet. The enemy is slowly advancing to encircle.]
The smart brain provided Qi Suian with a map of the surrounding enemy distribution via its reconnaissance network.
There were indeed a lot of them, but their average strength was low.
They didn’t even have anyone at the School Officer level; they were only Lieutenants.
"They think I won’t make a lethal move, and that’s why they’re so fearless," Qi Suian said in a cold voice.
A proper pursuit would require personnel at the School Officer level at a minimum. But this time, they had sent only Lieutenants and Non-commissioned Officers, followed by a large number of soldiers.
These soldiers were all using standard-issue Sacred Artifacts—of a uniform type and number—which couldn’t be used as puzzle Sacred Artifacts.
If Qi Suian turned on them and started a slaughter, not a single one of them could expect to survive.
[Killing is not recommended. It may trigger the Influence of War. This is definitely a plot by the Eternal United States.]
This wasn’t the smart brain speaking, but a pre-set message from Qi Suian himself. It would trigger on specific keywords to give him a relevant reminder.
The goal was to prevent Qi Suian from getting caught in the vortex of war.
In other mindless apocalypses, it wouldn’t matter; he could just go on a rampage.
But in the Sacred Artifact World, the Influence of War was too profound. Getting carried away with killing could easily become life-threatening.
That’s why he needed to exercise restraint instead of just doing as he pleased.
Qi Suian could choose to kill, but he wouldn’t be forced into it.
Being coerced was not part of Qi Suian’s plan.
"Forget it. I’ll let them off the hook." Qi Suian recalled Sharp’s punches. Those three fists had nearly shattered his sense of invincibility, bringing his inflated ego back down to earth.
"Next, I just need to cross the border and then the battlefield, and I’ll reach the Xuan Empire." Qi Suian’s gaze drifted into the distance.
The border itself was no big deal. The real difficulty was the battlefield between the two nations.
If you couldn’t say the fighting was non-stop twenty-four hours a day, it was at least twenty-three.
With so many dying, both countries would have collapsed after a year or two of fighting if not for the Sacred Artifacts sustaining their populations.
[I have a suggestion.]
"Go on," Qi Suian said, a little surprised that the smart brain would offer a suggestion.
[Since you cannot avoid the war, why not embrace it?]
[After entering the Xuan Empire, do you plan to stop collecting Sacred Artifacts?]
"Of course not. You’re saying that even if I reach the Xuan Empire, I’ll still end up being hunted after a while."
’Are you suggesting I should operate on the battlefield?’ Qi Suian’s eyes narrowed. He suspected the Influence of War was at play here, but he had to admit, the smart brain had a point.
If he was going to be hunted anyway, he might as well take advantage of the chaos on the battlefield.
As for being hunted by both sides on the battlefield? That was true, but the intensity would be less than being hunted within the territory of either country.
The simplest reason was that if the two armies encountered each other, there was absolutely no possibility of them cooperating. There was a high probability they would start fighting each other before they killed Qi Suian.
National hatred, personal grudges, and the Influence of War were enough to make the soldiers on both sides lose their minds.
But at the same time, it was also extremely dangerous.
Because of the existence of Sacred Artifacts, the soldiers on both sides weren’t fighting with cold weapons. They used various standard-issue Sacred Artifacts, as well as puzzle Sacred Artifacts.
The combat scenes were no less spectacular than modern warfare; it was just that planes, cannons, tanks, and warships were replaced by even more powerful weapons of war built from Sacred Artifacts.
A small fry like Qi Suian on the battlefield might not even be hunted; he could just as easily be swept up in a saturation strike.
As for his zombie tide, it would be useful if all the zombies had powerful innate abilities and stats around 7 points.
Unfortunately, they weren’t that effective.
But they could be used as cannon fodder.
[No, my meaning is that you could choose the survivors.]
[Their Sacred Artifact reserves are low, they are not natives, and they are hostile to both the Xuan Empire and the Eternal United States.]
[As long as you don’t reveal your identity as a violator, the success rate of integrating with them is very high.]
The smart brain offered another option.
"That would be a hassle. Getting there on my own two feet would take quite a while."
"And I’d have to cross an entire front line." The reason Qi Suian hadn’t considered the survivors was because it was both time-consuming and difficult.
But on second thought, it did make sense.
"Even if I join them... they arrived as a fallen city. After being forged in blood and fire, they must be a tightly-knit group now."
"It’ll probably be difficult for an outsider like me to join them," Qi Suian continued.
It wasn’t a matter of just wanting to join. With his Tai Sui Divine Armor, Qi Suian couldn’t even hide if he wanted to.
He would be discovered easily.
So he would need to demonstrate his strength.
[Correct. That is why you need the zombie tide as your foundation. In the process, you must build a reputation as a survivor and forge a powerful force within the war to serve as your guarantee.]
It had come full circle, back to killing.
"And at the same time, I can obtain enough Sacred Artifacts. Although I’ll offend both nations, I can profit through the survivors," Qi Suian added, finishing the smart brain’s thought.
"Especially the zombies created by the Plague and Sickness suit module. As long as they’re within range, they don’t need to be controlled and can fight independently."
Qi Suian was beginning to understand. The opportunity was a real one, but it felt like the "War" itself was sparing no expense just to make things more brutal for him.
After saying this, Qi Suian fell silent.
He was contemplating whether it was worth it.
The Influence of War on him wasn’t continuous, but an intermittent cycle.
Every time Qi Suian underwent a death-and-rebirth, the influence progress would be cleared and reset.
Therefore, its effect on Qi Suian was relatively limited.
"Screw it! I can’t escape anyway, might as well go for broke." Qi Suian gritted his teeth and decided to take the gamble.
As for his research, time was like water in a sponge; you could always squeeze some out.
Besides, it wasn’t like he had any time for research now, being hunted and all.
Between the two choices, at least the former offered some benefits.
He was certain that the Influence of War was a factor in his decision.
But for Qi Suian, he was more concerned with the benefits.
This tendency became more and more apparent when his life was threatened.
"In that case, I’ll deal with that tail behind me first, and then break away from the front line."
Since he planned to dive into the war, he would start by dealing with the fearless Lieutenants from the Eternal United States.
He had already offended them, and reconciliation was impossible. The best solution was to offend them so thoroughly there was no turning back.
In Qi Suian’s eyes, there was no difference between 1 point of hatred and 100 million points of hatred. Both meant a fight to the death.
Even if they hadn’t attacked, Qi Suian still remembered how they had beaten him until he had to flee in disgrace.
As for the fact that he was the one in the wrong first, that was true. But that couldn’t stand up against the fact that Qi Suian was shameless and held a double standard.
"Plague? It has not descended upon the world." The King of the Eternal United States sat on his throne, his right hand resting on a scroll with seven seals, and looked calmly down at Sharp.
Sharp had indeed been thoroughly frightened. After turning back, he had wanted to report to the King immediately.
However, the King had not seen him, delaying until today. Only now was he finally meeting the King.
Before he could even speak, the King had already defined the nature of the situation.
"But... it really was the Plague’s..." Sharp began hesitantly, wanting to explain his situation.
But before he could finish, the King spoke first, "Take a look at the latest intelligence."
A servant immediately came forward, holding a file on a tray.
Sharp did not refuse. After opening it and reading, his expression darkened slightly, then gave way to a look of relief.
"Such good acting. He even managed to fool me." Having lived this long, Sharp didn’t care too much about his own face. As long as the Plague had not descended, everything was fine.
"Lord Sharp, is there anything else you wish to say?" the King asked.
"Nothing, Your Majesty," Sharp said. Although he had been played, failure wasn’t always avoidable.
The opponent had the ability to deceive him; that was a testament to his skill. By now, Sharp had long since learned to be impassive and was deeply cunning.
"Then go and take the head of this person who dared to offend the dignity of the United States, and wash away your shame, Lord Sharp."
"But be quick. He has already reached the border. If nothing unexpected happens, he will cross the battlefield and reach the Xuan Empire in three days at most."
"By then, it will not be so easy for you to capture him," the King said.
In terms of intelligence, no one could compare to the King of the United States, except perhaps the Emperor of the Xuan Empire.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will be sure to bring you the joyous news of the offender’s death," Sharp said respectfully.