Chapter 1149: Fellow Villagers

Qi Xia watched expressionlessly as Old Lü and Aunt Tong argued, saying nothing.

The entire “Extreme Path” team was caught in a pincer attack, forced to a standstill. Forget escaping—even survival was now in question.

“Xiao Chan, you can’t die here. I’ll protect you while you leave…” Old Lü snapped out of it and said to Aunt Tong. “You know the rendezvous point. You have to lead the others there.”

“Tch!” Aunt Tong was visibly angry. “What the hell are you doing?! What does this have to do with you?”

“How the hell does it *not* have to do with me?!” Old Lü roared, his plump cheeks trembling along with his balding scalp.

“Just find a way to leave on your own!” Aunt Tong shot back. “I’m accumulating immense ‘good karma’—death isn’t what awaits me!”

“Enough with the damn ‘good karma’!” Old Lü cut her off. “The knife is already at your throat! What the hell else could be waiting for you but death?!”

Qi Xia stroked his chin thoughtfully…

Was it *karma* that led them to him?

But this “Extreme Path” squad of seven or eight people was surrounded by thirty or forty. Even if karma brought them here, what help could they possibly offer?

Qi Xia sized up the situation. Old Lü and Aunt Tong had clearly noticed them, yet the two were strangely in sync—neither spoke up, pretending not to recognize Qi Xia and the others.

“Old Qi… What’s the plan?” Chen Junnan whispered. “The five of us plus their eight makes thirteen—a full ‘Thirteen Guardians.’ Sounds promising…”

“Is this really about numbers?” Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “Groups with fancy titles usually aren’t that strong. They just band together to make a name.”

Lawyer Zhang shook her head. “I suggest we stay out of it. They haven’t asked for help, and we each have our own objectives. Mixing up would be unwise.”

Qi Xia stroked his chin again, agreeing with Lawyer Zhang. But as he lifted his head to speak, he realized Qiao Jiajin had already vanished from sight.

“Tch…”

“Hahaha!” Chen Junnan chuckled awkwardly. “Old Qi, relax, I’m here. The plan won’t go sideways.”

“You…” Qi Xia sighed. If anyone could *really* derail a plan, it was Chen Junnan—far more than Qiao Jiajin. “Fine, go ahead. Just wrap it up quickly.”

“Got it. Watch and learn.”

Old Lü and Aunt Tong were still locked in their argument when a “participant” approached them, knife in hand. He looked young—probably a student under twenty.

“Hey!!” the youth shouted, startling the two. “Why the hell did you destroy the giant clock and the screens?!”

“I…” Old Lü hesitated, unsure of the reasoning himself, and glanced at Aunt Tong.

She stared at the young man before speaking calmly. “Kid… It’s hard to explain, but we’re accumulating ‘good karma’… Everything we do is for the sake of everyone in the ‘Land of Finality’…”

“Bullshit!!” The youth was already consumed by rage.

They wouldn’t consider how unreasonable this twisted place’s escape rules were, how merciless the “Zodiacs” were when killing, or the atrocities committed by “Heavenly Dragon” and “Azure Dragon” to numb their minds.

All they knew was that the clock and screens were gone—they couldn’t hear their “Echoes,” and now they were truly trapped.

So if they couldn’t escape, the ones to blame weren’t “Heavenly Dragon” or “Azure Dragon”—it was these “rebels” right in front of them.

“It’s true…” Aunt Tong insisted. “If you just listen, you’ll feel it—the earth isn’t mourning. Everything’s moving in a better direction…”

“You’re insane… completely insane…” The youth gritted his teeth, flipping his knife into a reverse grip as he lunged at Aunt Tong.

Just then, a powerful hand seized his wrist.

The youth froze as another arm draped over his shoulder.

“Hey, mate, hold on. Let’s talk first.”

He turned to see Qiao Jiajin’s cheerful grin. Though the smile seemed harmless, Qiao Jiajin looked like he’d just been in a fight—blood streaked his face, mouth, neck, and clothes.

“You… what are you—?” the youth stammered.

“Nothing, nothing.” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “Just wanna chat, yeah? And hey—you over there, drop the knife. Fight if you must, but no blades. What if someone dies?”

The crowd turned to the tattooed man, now covered in blood—a sight that sent chills down their spines.

They’d been shouting about killing, but faced with someone who looked like *this*, they fell silent.

“Whose side are you on?” the youth asked.

“I’m from Portland Street,” Qiao Jiajin replied. “Can’t we all just talk things out?”

“P-Portland Street…?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Qiao Jiajin smoothly disarmed the youth. “We’re all ‘participants’ here, right? Why fight each other? Save that energy for the ‘Zodiacs.'”

“Wait a minute…” A middle-aged man in the crowd spoke up. “These people destroyed the clock and screens! We can’t hear our ‘Echoes’ anymore! Why are you defending them? Are you with them?”

“I…” Qiao Jiajin twirled the knife in his hand before looking up. “I’m not with anyone. Just don’t wanna see you all kill each other. Isn’t staying alive better?”

When silence followed, he added, “But if you really wanna fight, I’m game. All at once or one by one—your call.”

Qi Xia shot Qiao Jiajin a glance. Normally, he could handle a crowd, but now, injured and with neither Chen Junnan nor Qi Xia able to help, a fight would be messy.

“Don’t listen to him! They *are* together!” the middle-aged man shouted. “He’s obviously helping them! Don’t be scared—just take them all down!”

Now Qiao Jiajin was genuinely stumped. The crowd was too enraged for words to work.

What now?

Did he *really* have to knock them all out?

“Little Qiao.” Chen Junnan’s voice rang out from behind, freezing the crowd once more.

“Little… Qiao?” Qiao Jiajin turned, confused. “Me…?”

“Why’s this so hard for you? Still haven’t explained things to our good folks?” Chen Junnan strode forward, hands clasped behind his back. The crowd, unsure of his role, took a step back.

“Good… folks? I… yeah, they’re not listening.” Qiao Jiajin sighed.

“Ah, no big deal. I’ll handle it.” Chen Junnan waved him off. “Ladies and gents, we’re from the ‘Finality Administration Bureau.’ We apologize for the sudden demolition, but it’s all part of a plan—to replace your old clock and screens with *better* ones!”

A beat of silence. Then, the crowd’s brows furrowed in unison.