Translator: CinderTL
Realizing he was in a life-or-death situation, Feng Qi didn't panic.
He calmed himself and began analyzing the situation.
One thing was certain: within ten minutes of entering the Dream Realm, he would be killed.
The reason was clearly related to the suggestion solicitation post he had published on the game forum a few days earlier.
[It's likely the detailed explanation in your suggestion solicitation post that drew attention. Perhaps it wouldn't have been noticed otherwise.]
[But other Domain Forces lurking within human society, like the Scarlet Research Institute, can directly access real-name verification data online. Discovering that you're the recently celebrated super genius, the Behind-the-Scenes Domain Faction, who had previously dismissed you, would certainly take notice.]
"That makes sense," Feng Qi nodded.
He hadn't expected his post soliciting advice from netizens to have such a significant impact.
The most crucial question now was how to survive the assassination upon returning to reality.
With roughly thirteen minutes remaining, he wouldn't simply wake up and die.
Time remained frozen until he regained consciousness, as he had confirmed during his previous traversals.
Therefore, he still had time to prepare, perhaps even strike back.
After all, the version of him on the Sacrifice Line had lost all his abilities, including the Narrator and his innate abilities. His combat power was vastly inferior to the version of him who would return to reality.
Perhaps the assassin who killed the Sacrifice Line wasn't even a match for him.
But this was unknown until he actually encountered the assassin.
Perhaps the assassin was even stronger than him when he had his innate ability.
[Schrödinger's Assassin's strength exists in a superposition of being weaker and stronger than you. You can't know its true power until you actually see it, Qi Zai! You're in danger!]
Ignoring the Narrator's commentary, he continued analyzing the situation.
In this Dream Realm, he clearly couldn't rely on any external help.
The Sacrifice Line had died just ten minutes after its start, leaving no hidden clues he could use.
This time, he couldn't even enter the Scarlet Research Institute's Secret Base. After all, the Sacrifice Line, who died at 17, hadn't even joined the institute yet, let alone shared his secrets with Wei Wei and other Scarlet Research Institute leaders.
Therefore, the Scarlet Research Institute route was completely useless, and there was no Talent Ability Blind Box.
Next, the Lin Ran route was also invalid.
In the normal historical trajectory, this Future Line's Lin Ran would have cultivated an additional technique to protect his consciousness. This might have allowed him to retaliate against the Lord of the Mist, gain his power, and become an ally in the Dream Realm.
However, this Sacrifice Line died before it even had a chance to begin, failing even to contact Old Wang.
Therefore, in this Future Line, Old Wang's historical trajectory remains unchanged. He will rejoin the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
It's confirmed that in this Dream Realm, the Lord of the Mist's host is Old Wang, not Lin Ran.
He can't offer himself any assistance.
[So stop searching for information and focus on leveling up. Strive to become stronger before little black kills you. Only then can you increase your chances of survival when you return to reality.]
After hearing the Narrator's analysis, he nodded immediately.
This Future Line offered no intelligence. The only thing he could do was make himself as strong as possible.
But before leaving, there was one more thing he needed to do.
He turned his gaze to the data control console and began searching for information.
He wanted to understand the exact nature of the injury that killed him in this Sacrifice Line. This would help him determine the assassin's ability specialization and allow him to train accordingly.
Flipping through the database, he found many images.
But in these images, he was covered in a white shroud, with no detailed photographs preserved.
He then tried searching for the death report.
To his surprise, he didn't have permission to view it.
"It's unlikely to be the Technology Research Institute. You should be familiar with their methods. This assassination more closely resembles sudden death, with no visible marks on the body. The fact that your death was classified as an assassination suggests the Tiger Soul Research Institute might be responsible."
"Regardless of whether it's the Technology Research Institute or the Tiger Soul Research Institute, the Domain-Transcending Creatures behind them share a common trait: their abilities lean towards mental-based art magic. You should prioritize acquiring a magic immunity-type innate ability to arm yourself. For example, the Stone Statue Domain Creature we encountered on the plains to the east."
Hearing the Narrator's analysis, the image of the stone statue from the plains immediately flashed through his mind.
The Narrator had previously urged him to pay close attention to it, noting its partial immunity to art magic, which perfectly complemented his close-combat abilities and would be worth hunting down once he grew stronger.
In his current situation, hunting down the Stone Statue Domain Creature would significantly enhance his safety upon returning to reality.
(PS: Details about the magic-immune statue can be found in Chapter 115.)
With this thought, he immediately turned and strode towards the metal corridor.
The Sacrifice Line offered no useful information. The most crucial task now was to grow stronger.
Leaving the underground shelter, he headed directly east.
His target was the Plain Region beyond the city ruins, where he would search for the magic-immune statue.
[Friendly Reminder: You might not be a match for the magic-immune statue. It's best to hunt domain creatures in the city ruins first to improve your strength... Wait, I just thought of something. You could use the Goat-Headed Demons to gang up on the statue, which would greatly increase your chances of winning.]