“Did saving me… really the best choice now…?”
Wen Qiaoyun struggled to steady her last breaths and spoke with trembling lips, “In terms of strength… in terms of ‘Echoes’… in terms of usefulness at the critical moment… Is this the choice you would make?”
Chu Tianqiu, hearing Wen Qiaoyun’s question, felt his already chaotic mind grow even more congested.
What was the reason he revived Wen Qiaoyun…?
The last remaining “Everlasting Life” in his hand might play a crucial role at a decisive moment, yet reviving Wen Qiaoyun here now would only serve to ease his own sorrow.
Moreover… Wen Qiaoyun would lose even the memories of their reunion today.
A wave of intense conflict began swirling in Chu Tianqiu’s mind, freezing his thoughts multiple times within mere seconds.
“It’s okay…” Wen Qiaoyun reached out and touched Chu Tianqiu’s face. “Tianqiu, it’s okay. I’m not afraid of parting with you…”
Chu Tianqiu knew exactly where her feelings came from—after all, this wasn’t the first time they had to say goodbye.
Those past farewells hadn’t completely vanished; they simply floated in the air, turning into an intangible, invisible energy.
It influenced the joys and sorrows of every person in the “Land of the End.”
By the time Wen Qiaoyun ceased all movement, Chu Tianqiu still clutched the last “Everlasting Life,” unable to react.
Even if he were to activate this ability, he could only do so after Wen Qiaoyun had completely died, summoning a completely unrelated, memory-less, entirely new person.
Her pain could not be resolved. Her fear of death could not be dispelled.
Why had he never realized this before…?
“Everlasting Life” was never salvation—it was a curse.
Its existence did not free people from suffering; it only forced them to face it.
What could not be done would remain undone for generations. A prison one could not escape would trap them for lifetimes.
“Brother Chu…” Jin Yuanxun approached Chu Tianqiu, his expression hesitant.
“I don’t know what to do anymore…” Chu Tianqiu said hoarsely. “I feel utterly helpless now…”
At that moment, a sharp voice whispered behind Chu Tianqiu’s ear: “If you stay helpless, you won’t have many people left.”
Chu Tianqiu slowly turned his head to see the groundhog still grinning at him.
“Less than ten minutes left. Who are you taking with you on the train?” the groundhog said. “Tickets are limited—first come, first served, leaders.”
“Who… am I taking?”
Only then did Chu Tianqiu blankly look around and realize that most of “Paradise’s Gate” had already fallen, with only four people still standing.
Zhang Shan, drenched in blood. Li Xiangling, with a knife embedded in her shoulder. Xiao Glasses, one arm twisted grotesquely. And Jin Yuanxun, his face deathly pale, on the verge of losing his mind.
Beyond them, everyone else lay in pools of blood, unable to rise again.
Though Chu Tianqiu had repeatedly unleashed “Echoes,” wiping out more than half of the hundred-strong encirclement, the despair came from the enemy’s reinforcements still pouring in endlessly. Their numbers only grew, the encirclement tightening.
“An army in rout, eh?” the groundhog asked.
“The army is routed. I am not,” Chu Tianqiu replied.
“So what are you waiting for?”
“For ‘Heaven’s Will,'” Chu Tianqiu said solemnly. “I’ve given mine. Only ‘Heaven’s’ remains. Until the final moment, who can say for sure?”
“Perhaps this chaos is about to end,” the groundhog muttered to himself. “Once the little ‘Good King’ dies here, he’ll bear the sins of all. Even ‘Qinglong’ will attribute this turmoil to you—the fastest way to stabilize the masses.”
“So you know me…”
“Not exactly an honor, but I’ve heard of you,” the groundhog said. “Fascinating, really. Look closely at those who want you dead. How many of them ate the cans you traded your life for?”
“Human nature is like that,” Chu Tianqiu said. “To me, it’s the most natural thing. They just want to live, so they accept my cans and shelter, and they’ll kill me to survive.”
“Betting ‘Heaven’s Will’ on these people, staking the lives of those important to you…” The groundhog shook his head. “Isn’t that tragic?”
“The tragedy is theirs, not mine,” Chu Tianqiu said. “My conscience is clear.”
Within seconds, numerous “Participants” began encircling the five with their weapons, and the groundhog tactfully stepped back.
*Ding-ding-ding—*
A faint chime suddenly pierced through the clamor, reaching everyone’s ears.
Chu Tianqiu slowly raised his head, looking toward the source of the sound.
*Ding-ding-ding—*
It sounded like someone shaking a handbell, the noise growing closer as if approaching from the far end of the street.
“Brother Chu…” Jin Yuanxun whispered. “What is that?”
Squinting into the distance, Chu Tianqiu saw a massive crowd moving toward them—an unbelievably large group.
But soon he realized something was off. The sheer number was absurd.
Three hundred… no, at least five hundred.
What organization in the “Land of the End” today could still muster such a force?
*Ding-ding-ding—*
“Holy shit!”
Zhang Shan exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction. The others turned to see another group—hundreds of dark figures, accompanied by the same eerie chime.
From both sides, at least a thousand people advanced in unison, their synchronized footsteps like an uncanny army.
The oppressive weight of their approach sent chills down Chu Tianqiu’s spine. Whoever they were, their overwhelming numbers could end the chaos instantly.
But with such a massive force… how could they be “Rebels”?
“Well, well.” The groundhog’s fur bristled with cold sweat. “So this was your final move… You really pulled out all the stops, Brother Sheep.”
The approaching tide from both directions consisted entirely of gaunt figures, their faces blank, mechanically shuffling forward.
An old man and a young woman led the groups, shaking bells in perfect rhythm. With each chime, the “army” took another step, their eerie silence suffocating.
“What magnificent ‘Heaven’s Will,'” the groundhog chuckled.
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