Chapter 1069: Coordinated Attack

The serpent-man’s eyes darkened as he deeply lowered his head.

In the dimly lit room, two men sat silently facing each other. The oppressive light swayed faintly with the barely perceptible whisper of wind.

“…Brother Goat,” the serpent-man finally spoke after a long pause.

“It’s Qi Xia,” Qi Xia corrected.

“What’s the difference…?”

“I don’t know either,” Qi Xia shook his head. “But I feel like there is one.”

“Whether it’s Brother Goat or Qi Xia…” the serpent-man sighed. “You both seem to be striving for the same thing.”

“Seems that way.” Qi Xia nodded. “For now, I consider him a collaborator. Since I can’t fully access his memories, he is me, but I am not him.”

“Earlier, I met Chen Junnan,” the serpent-man continued. “He said you’re currently writing something far beyond *Macbeth*…”

“*Macbeth*?” Qi Xia glanced down at the notebook in front of the serpent-man, piecing together the full picture in his mind. “The *Macbeth* written by the ‘Infinite Monkeys’?”

“Yes.” The serpent-man confirmed. “Is it true? Are you saving all the monkeys?”

“At this point, yes,” Qi Xia replied. “I’ve walked many paths before, but none led anywhere. This is the one that finally came together.”

“What…?”

“Exactly what I meant earlier—whenever I was about to reach the end, I realized I couldn’t win.” Qi Xia explained. “It’s a strange feeling. I concluded that if I ever achieved a temporary ‘victory,’ I’d fall into an eternal ‘loss.’ Whether standing before Tianlong or on the verge of becoming Tian Goat, the outcome was the same. So I gave up.”

The serpent-man fell silent for a long time after Qi Xia’s explanation. Just like his impression of the “Land of the End,” his memories barely stored anything before Qi Xia had already tried countless paths.

So what was the difference between the “Land of the End” and real life?

Some people, the moment they opened their eyes and were born here, had a starting point far beyond ordinary individuals—just like life, inherently unfair.

That head start was even bought with the lives of their ancestors, generation after generation, no different from reality.

If one didn’t want to strive themselves, they could only pin their hopes on their fathers—who in turn pinned theirs on their grandfathers.

Replace those fathers, grandfathers, and ancestors with countless versions of oneself, and that was the “Land of the End.”

If even once the memory wasn’t preserved, it was as if the lineage was severed, and everything started anew.

“So this time… can you win?” the serpent-man asked again.

“At present, I see no backlash from ‘victory,'” Qi Xia answered. “So I’ll keep moving forward until this path leads to the end.”

“Meaning your plan has already begun.” The serpent-man lifted his head, locking eyes with Qi Xia. “But in this phase… is there no role for me to play?”

Qi Xia opened his mouth to answer but slowly closed it again.

From a conventional perspective, the serpent-man truly couldn’t be of much help. After all, when “Zodiacs” clashed, it was mostly a contest of strength—so the “Earth-level” figures were the core of the chaos.

But the “Land of the End” had already been seeded with so many “needles” by him—was there really none at the “Human-level”?

And if there were… how were the “Human-level” supposed to survive this storm?

“If I were White Goat, I would’ve arranged everything with you before leaving.”

Qi Xia tapped the notebook on the table.

“There should be more than just this,” he continued. “My memories aren’t fully recovered—they seem locked away by something. So, is there anything you need to tell me?”

The serpent-man stared at Qi Xia for a long moment before slowly speaking. “Qi Xia… Brother Goat spoke to me alone before he left.”

“I figured.”

“I thought it was just farewell words… but seeing you here now…” The serpent-man gritted his teeth. “Makes me realize it wasn’t just farewell. It was a mission.”

“So… can you share those words with me?” Qi Xia pressed.

The serpent-man hesitated, as if wrestling with something unspeakable. After a pause, he said, “If you stood before me as Brother Goat, those words might not even take effect. But now you’re ‘Qi Xia’… that complicates things. And I also want to ask you… which of you should I believe?”

Qi Xia stroked his chin, sensing the situation aligned with his suspicions.

“Earlier, you asked Chen Junnan about the ‘coordinated attack dilemma,'” Qi Xia said. “But the so-called ‘coordination’ isn’t between me and Chu Tianqiu—it’s between me and White Goat.”

“You…”

“The distance between White Goat and me isn’t spatial—it’s temporal.” Qi Xia mused. “To synchronize our thoughts across two points in time… every person we encounter along the way may not be trustworthy.”

The serpent-man pondered this and realized Qi Xia was right. This was a “coordinated attack” spanning timelines—far more complex than the original problem.

Not only could the two generals on separate peaks not unify their timing, but even the scattered soldiers had to decipher the generals’ messages. The battlefield was riddled with enemies, spies, and lies—some had even gone mad, no longer the people they once were.

And worse… Qi Xia had no way to send messages back to White Goat. He could only piece together clues left behind, judge their authenticity, and rally his own forces to synchronize with White Goat’s original strike.

Every step had to be calculated, for the enemy’s reach was vast, listening to every word Qi Xia uttered.

Just listing these obstacles made the serpent-man’s head spin.

Could anyone truly navigate such a treacherous path, solving problems and pushing forward? One misstep could undo decades of effort, reducing everything to ruin.

No… the serpent-man soon realized something even more horrifying.

This wasn’t just a coordinated attack between White Goat and Qi Xia.

When White Goat became White Goat, he had also coordinated with an even earlier Qi Xia.

So this wasn’t a collaboration between two people—it was a synchronization of countless selves.

After all, Qi Xia himself had admitted he stood here now because he once chose “loss” over “victory.” Nearly every subsequent Qi Xia followed that logic, all to ensure the final “win.”

In other words, spanning seventy years… all to unite every resource, every lesson from failure, and launch the final assault.

And the man before him was neither Qi Xia nor White Goat—he was the culmination of all his predecessors.

“No wonder you said he is you, but you are not him…” The serpent-man let out a bitter laugh. “Because your composition is far greater than his.”

“So what did he say?” Qi Xia pressed.

“Qi Xia… the current situation is about what I expected. Before leaving, Brother Goat told me, ‘If a new leader ever appears here, remember—he is him, and I am I.'”

The serpent-man lifted his gaze to Qi Xia, his expression profoundly conflicted.