As soon as Qi Xia’s words fell, the Chu Tianqiu before him abruptly transformed into Xu Liunian.
Unlike the gradual changes or mask removals seen in TV dramas, she didn’t transition slowly—she simply became another person in half a second.
The moment Qi Xia blinked, the figure before him reverted to Chu Tianqiu.
It was as though the person in front of him was veiled by a curtain—when lifted, it was Chu Tianqiu; when drawn, she became Xu Liunian.
“Qi Xia, stop messing around,” Chu Tianqiu steadied himself and said in a low voice. “I can’t expose my identity here.”
“You helped me before, so I won’t make things difficult for you,” Qi Xia replied. “Let me see Chu Tianqiu.”
“No!” Chu Tianqiu hissed. “You know his ‘memory’ is the key to escaping this place. He hasn’t lost his memory in two whole years! What you’re doing would put him in grave danger.”
“I know, but what I want to discuss with him is precisely how to escape,” Qi Xia said. “I don’t care what schemes he’s weaving, but don’t treat me as a pawn, or things will spiral out of control.”
Chu Tianqiu swallowed hard before replying, “Qi Xia, you really can’t see him. If you have a plan, I can relay it for you.”
“Relay, huh…”
Qi Xia smirked. “Fine. Then just ask him one question for me.”
“What question?”
“Ask Chu Tianqiu, ‘How long have you been here?'”
“What…?” Chu Tianqiu froze. “You—”
“If Chu Tianqiu answers wrong this time, I’ll make sure he’s out of the game for good.” Qi Xia stood up, ignoring the person before him, and walked back to his seat.
Lin Qin smiled faintly as Qi Xia approached. “Did the talk go well?”
“It went to hell,” Qi Xia replied.
Lin Qin chuckled silently, taking a sip from her bottle.
The two fell silent, turning their attention back to the lively crowd.
Soon after, Yun Yao finished her song and retreated to her seat amidst thunderous applause.
The audience gradually settled back into their original places.
“Oi, Scammer! That idol girl’s really something!” Qiao Jiazheng exclaimed. “I thought it was a recording, but she was actually singing live!”
“Yeah, she has a beautiful voice,” Qi Xia nodded.
Noticing Dr. Zhao sitting back down awkwardly, Qi Xia suddenly had a new idea.
Though he wasn’t sure if it was too bold.
“Dr. Zhao, I want to team up with you for tomorrow’s game,” Qi Xia said.
“Me?” Dr. Zhao turned back, baffled. “Why?”
“Because I think you’re a good person,” Qi Xia smirked. “Between Xiao Ran and me, I’m the more reliable one here, right?”
Dr. Zhao studied him for a moment before asking, “Who else is in the team?”
“Just you and me,” Qi Xia said. “No one else.”
“What?” Dr. Zhao blinked. “Just the two of us?”
Qiao Jiazheng and Lin Qin were equally stunned.
“Scammer, you’re going solo?”
Qi Xia shook his head. “No, it’s just temporary.”
He then turned to Lin Qin and added in a low voice, “Tomorrow, I’ll leave Qiao Jiazheng in your care. If he doesn’t come back, our cooperation ends.”
“Understood,” Lin Qin nodded. “Qiao Jiazheng, we’ll go together tomorrow.”
“Uh…” Qiao Jiazheng looked utterly confused. “What kind of team split is this?”
“Fists, it’s settled,” Qi Xia patted his shoulder. “Dr. Zhao and I are grown men—we shouldn’t run into much danger. You go protect Lin Qin.”
Qiao Jiazheng sighed but nodded. “Fine. But someone as strong as me doesn’t come cheap.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lin Qin also nodded. “If we earn any ‘Dao,’ I’ll buy you drinks.”
The “Welcome Party” came to a close amid the crowd’s cheer.
From tomorrow onward, there would be no more “joy” for them—only an endless cycle of games until “Paradise’s Gate” stood empty.
Qi Xia told the others to rest while he ventured alone into the night, heading toward the wasteland behind the school.
Holding a can of soda and a snack, he stopped before a grave marked “Zhang Lijuan” and gently placed them down.
He lifted his head, staring at the pitch-black sky, listening to the distant chirping of insects, his eyes filled with despair.
“Tian Tian, that knife was placed in front of you on purpose. But… I let you die in the game only to help everyone escape. You won’t blame me, will you?”
……
The next day, the group split into various teams and set out once more.
Though Qi Xia and Han Yimo retained their memories, neither joined Zhang Shan’s team.
Han Yimo’s memory retention was brief, and he was too timid—there was no way he’d participate in an “Earth”-level game with Zhang Shan.
So he chose to follow Lin Qin and Qiao Jiazheng’s team, tackling a “Human”-level game instead.
Qi Xia and Dr. Zhao packed their things and prepared to leave. What puzzled Qi Xia was that Xiao Ran hadn’t returned all night—no one knew where she’d gone.
She might have left “Paradise’s Gate” or was hiding in the shadows, plotting revenge.
“Heh…” Qi Xia smirked coldly. “If you’re capable enough, you might even lure out Chu Tianqiu for me.”
“What did you say?” Dr. Zhao asked beside him.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
The two stepped out of the school gates under the ochre-tinted sun.
“Qi Xia…” Dr. Zhao turned to him slowly. “Why me?”
“Because I understand most people in our group—except you,” Qi Xia said calmly. “Dr. Zhao, what kind of person are you?”
“I’m a realist,” Dr. Zhao replied. “I usually only do what benefits me.”
“I see,” Qi Xia nodded. “Same here. No one lives for others in this world, right?”
Dr. Zhao fell silent and simply followed Qi Xia without another word.
The two spent half an hour heading deeper into the city center, passing numerous “Zodiacs” along the way—yet Qi Xia didn’t spare them a glance.
Dr. Zhao couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Hadn’t they come here to participate in games?
“Qi Xia, what are you looking for?”
“Our target for today,” Qi Xia said.
“You seem to know this place well. You already have a target in just one day?” Dr. Zhao asked.
“Yeah,” Qi Xia nodded. “It’s just that targets seem scarce—haven’t seen one yet.”
Dr. Zhao gave him a wary look and stayed quiet, sensing something was off.
After two hours and over twenty “Zodiacs” later, Qi Xia finally found his “target.”
This “Zodiac” had the lifelike head of a rooster.
The comb atop its head wobbled like a bloated tumor, its white feathers gleaming under the dim light.
“Found it,” Qi Xia said.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage