Chapter 1064: I Smell It

“What… do you mean?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.

“Pavlov’s dog,” Qi Xia replied. “Simply put, every time you feed the dog, you ring a bell. Over time, just ringing the bell alone will make the dog salivate.”

“This…?” Zheng Yingxiong seemed to grasp the concept but felt something was off.

“Now, we need to add another layer to this principle,” Qi Xia continued. “Once the dog starts salivating, humans will begin frantically ringing the bell as if possessed.”

“Huh?”

“Since we’ve already forcibly linked bell-ringing to feeding, let’s make that connection even tighter,” Qi Xia explained. “From now on, you are the ‘Giant Bell.’ As soon as you speak, they will receive the ‘Echo.'”

Zheng Yingxiong felt that Qi Xia truly lived up to his title as the leader he had chosen—his thinking was far beyond his own imagination.

He had used “Spiritual Scent” to declare these people’s “Fragrance” and make them truly acquire it, but in the end, no one would ever know that “Spiritual Scent” had never actually been activated from start to finish.

Qi Xia resembled Wan Cai, who had once ruled over “Jade City,” but he wasn’t entirely the same—his thinking surpassed Wan Cai’s.

Zheng Yingxiong gathered his thoughts and asked, “If I say it… will they believe me?”

Qi Xia shook his head. “Getting them to believe you isn’t simple. You have to pay attention to timing and frequency. If they become suspicious even once, it’ll be hard to regain their trust later. Some teammates are especially difficult to handle.”

“Like Chen Junnan,” Zheng Yingxiong said.

“Right, like Chen Junnan,” Qi Xia agreed. “Deceiving him and making him believe he’s truly obtained the ‘Echo’ will take some effort.”

“Alright…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded solemnly. “Earlier, you said this was the first phase of the mission. Is there a second phase?”

“There is,” Qi Xia said. “Once you’ve mastered the first phase and actually allowed our teammates to obtain the ‘Echo,’ we can proceed to the second phase. But similarly, if you fail repeatedly in the first phase, forget I ever mentioned the second.”

“Got it. Go on.”

“The second phase is declaring that the enemy’s ‘Echo’ has disappeared when we encounter them,” Qi Xia paused before adding, “But this phase is much harder. You only need to succeed once—it doesn’t matter whose ‘Echo’ you nullify. And I don’t mind if you try multiple times.”

Zheng Yingxiong fell silent for a long moment, as if unsure whether he could pull it off.

“Qi Xia…” he finally said. “Logically speaking… if this method works, shouldn’t you have first made me believe I’ve acquired ‘Fragrance,’ and then had me tell them ‘I smell Fragrance’? Why tell me the truth outright?”

“Zheng Yingxiong…” Qi Xia said, “Do you think you don’t have ‘Fragrance’ right now?”

“Huh…?”

“You can smell the strange scents here, but we can’t,” Qi Xia pointed out. “You’ve never doubted whether you’re what you call a ‘Fragrant One’ because, in your memory, you’ve never known what it’s like to lose ‘Fragrance.'”

“So I’ve always had ‘Spiritual Scent’…” Zheng Yingxiong blinked. “It’s just that in this chaotic place of scents, I haven’t been able to use it.”

“Haven’t been able to use it?” Qi Xia chuckled. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing now?”

“Eh…?”

“Faking it is still using it,” Qi Xia said. “You’re the only one who can accomplish this mission, so I’m counting on you.”

“I’ll do my best,” Zheng Yingxiong said with determination.

“By the way, you can start with Tian Tian,” Qi Xia suggested. “I’ve already found a way to make her ‘Echo’ earlier. Go reinforce her ‘Echo’—it’ll be good practice for your lying skills.”

“Got it!”

After Qi Xia left the room, Zheng Yingxiong took several deep breaths.

The upcoming mission felt surreal to him. For nearly a decade, he had spent every day judging people based on their “scent.” What he was about to do wasn’t much different—except now, he’d be lying.

Despite smelling nothing, he’d have to pretend he did.

Since he’d never done this before, even he didn’t know his chances of success.

He only remembered someone once kneeling before him, begging him to lie so they could get food.

But Zheng Yingxiong had refused, and that person became the first casualty under Wan Cai’s rule.

If he had known this day would come… would things have been different if he’d agreed back then and learned to lie in advance?

Snapping out of his thoughts, Zheng Yingxiong carefully considered his next steps.

The first priority was to find Tian Tian. Practicing on someone who already had “Fragrance” was ideal—the lies would come more naturally, and there’d be no guilt.

But what about after that?

Qiao Jiajin was severely injured and unconscious, so he could be ignored for now.

If he had to pick the easiest target in the entire team, the first person that came to Zheng Yingxiong’s mind was Han Yimo.

Though he was an adult like the others, Han Yimo gave Zheng Yingxiong a strange vibe—as if he’d already gone mad, his thoughts now those of a lunatic. He should be easy to convince.

Next was Lawyer Zhang, but the reason she’d be easy to deceive was different from Han Yimo’s. She wasn’t foolish—it was just that, after working together earlier and exposing the fake Chen Junnan in front of her, Lawyer Zhang now trusted him highly. Anything he said would likely be believed.

However, after separating from him, Lawyer Zhang seemed to have gotten caught up in some game. He hadn’t seen her in a while.

Lastly… there was Chen Junnan, the “peak” to conquer. Making him believe would require serious planning—ordinary methods probably wouldn’t work.

Zheng Yingxiong could only be grateful he didn’t have to deceive Qi Xia this way. Otherwise, even “planning” would’ve been futile.

Steeling himself, he searched a few rooms and soon found Tian Tian.

She was murmuring something with her eyes closed, occasionally opening them to glance around, as if checking the results of her efforts.

“Sister?” Zheng Yingxiong called tentatively.

“Huh? Hero,” Tian Tian turned to him. “What brings you here…?”

“I was in the next room… when I suddenly smelled something really fragrant,” Zheng Yingxiong said. “Sister… have you ‘Echoed’?”

“Me…?” Tian Tian smiled. “Yes, Hero. How did you know? I wasn’t entirely sure earlier, but if even you say so, then it must be true.”

“Yeah,” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “Sister, I smell the fragrance of ‘Ingenuity.'”