Chapter 215: The Plan of Three

Chu Tianqiu and Yun Yao were speeding down the road in a car.

“Chu Tianqiu… what are you doing?” Yun Yao asked in confusion. “Didn’t you see that ‘Paradise Port’ is under attack?!”

“I saw, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Chu Tianqiu replied, gripping the steering wheel as he stared ahead. “Their goal is to ‘wipe out Paradise Port.’ You and I staying there would only mean throwing our lives away.”

“You…” Yun Yao hesitated. “Do you know something?”

“Hah, of course,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Tonight, Xu Liunian, Qi Xia, and I each had our own goals and laid out our own plans. What I didn’t expect was that all three of us pretended to fall for each other’s schemes, weaving deception within deception. Now, all three plots are intersecting—what a spectacle…”

Yun Yao was still baffled. Xu Liunian had really returned?

Not only was she here, but she had also orchestrated some kind of move?

“What exactly do you mean?” Yun Yao pressed. “What were the three of you trying to achieve?”

Chu Tianqiu thought for a moment before answering. “My goal is obvious—I wanted Qi Xia to awaken his ‘Echo.’ As for Xu Liunian’s goal…”

He paused, then said, “I might be wrong, but it seems like she was trying to prove something to someone. Or maybe she wanted to ruin me… When she asked me to be the one to kill Li Xiangling tonight, I knew something was off.”

“What?” Yun Yao’s eyes widened again. “She told you to kill Li Xiangling?”

“I thought it over and realized it was suspicious, so I swapped the cyanide for antibiotics,” Chu Tianqiu laughed. “Looks like caution really does pay off. That wretched woman Xu Liunian actually dared to scheme against me.”

Yun Yao hesitated before asking, “And Qi Xia’s goal?”

“That’s even harder to figure out…” Chu Tianqiu adjusted the steering wheel with one hand and stroked his chin. “Could it be that Qi Xia was scouting for another ally? If tonight’s ‘trap’ was Qi Xia’s test for Xu Liunian, then everything makes sense…”

Despite being inside the enclosed car, Yun Yao felt a chill run down her spine.

These three had each set their own traps without knowing what the others would do.

“You said you wanted Qi Xia to awaken his ‘Echo’… So what was your plan?” Yun Yao asked.

“Exactly what’s happening—’wiping out Paradise Port,'” Chu Tianqiu replied.

“What…?” Yun Yao’s eyes widened slowly. “The attackers… You arranged them?”

“Yep, cost me quite a bit,” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “Tonight, the cats are out, and no one in Paradise Port will be spared.”

“Chu Tianqiu, have you lost your mind?!” Yun Yao exclaimed. “Most of the people in ‘Paradise Port’ haven’t awakened their ‘Echoes’ yet!”

“Yun Yao, I’m not insane—I’ve just had an epiphany,” Chu Tianqiu said with a strange smile. “Those people have died countless times already. One more death won’t hurt them. But Qi Xia is different. His abilities are formidable, but his mental state is unstable. I estimate that in three to five cycles, he’ll completely lose his mind and never awaken his ‘Echo’ again.”

Yun Yao frowned but said nothing.

“So I’m racing against time. In at most three cycles, I need to figure out the trigger for Qi Xia’s ‘Echo,'” Chu Tianqiu said with a grin. “I was completely wrong before… I always thought his trigger was ‘grief,’ but after reviewing all the records, I realized there’s a state he’s never been in!”

“What is it…?” Yun Yao asked cautiously.

“It’s ‘peace.’ It’s ‘contentment.’ It’s ‘happiness!’ Hahahaha!”

Chu Tianqiu laughed wildly as the car plowed through the insects on the road, splattering blood across the windshield.

Yun Yao’s eyes widened slowly. “I get it now… That’s why you left Li Xiangling behind… You’re gambling with the lives of everyone in ‘Paradise Port’…”

“Hahahaha!” Chu Tianqiu roared with laughter. “Li Xiangling’s ‘Echo’ is so weak… yet it’s perfect for this moment! Her trigger—’caught in the crossfire’—has already been met. Now, it’s time to witness Qi Xia’s ‘Echo!'”

“Then… where are you taking me?”

“To the screen, of course,” Chu Tianqiu said, turning on the windshield wipers and smearing the blood further.

“You singled me out to leave ‘Paradise Port’ smoothly…” Yun Yao said. “But to erase what you did tonight… you’re going to silence me, aren’t you?”

“You underestimate me, Yun Yao,” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Killing you is pointless. I just fear I might’ve already gone mad—I need the sanest person in ‘Paradise Port’ by my side to confirm what I see on that screen.”

They arrived at the square, and Chu Tianqiu turned on the car’s high beams, illuminating a large area.

The screen was densely packed with words.

Chu Tianqiu squinted for a long time before finally smiling.

“Look, Yun Yao. I did it. Li Xiangling didn’t disappoint me.”

The last line on the screen read: *”I heard the ‘Echo of Manifestation.'”*

“Wonderful… Wonderful!!” Chu Tianqiu shouted to the sky.

But the next moment, his expression twisted into sorrow, and he suddenly bent over, vomiting violently.

“Cough… cough…” After retching for a while, he wiped his mouth and sighed. “Hmph… Was tonight’s dinner not up to standard?”

Yun Yao shivered slightly—she had clearly seen a human fingernail in Chu Tianqiu’s vomit.

……

Li Xiangling sat in the classroom, listening to the shouts and killing outside, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Some terrible memories began to surface.

“Qi… Qi-ge…” she stammered. “You should run… Don’t worry about me.”

Qi Xia remained silent, staring through the door crack before whispering, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not staying for your sake. Running out now is suicide.”

His face was filled with worry.

Not long after Qiao Jiajin left, a violent explosion had erupted downstairs. Now, Qi Xia was at a loss.

The person who drove away earlier was most likely Chu Tianqiu, meaning this attack was probably his doing.

He was willing to sacrifice everyone in “Paradise Port”—but why?

Qi Xia couldn’t guess.

In that case, the only way to thwart Chu Tianqiu’s plan was to do the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Chu Tianqiu wanted him to stay inside, so Qi Xia changed locations.

But he had also told him to “look after the injured.”

Should he separate from Li Xiangling then?

Right—when you don’t know what your opponent wants, the only option is to think about what they *don’t* want.

Qi Xia pondered for a moment, about to turn and speak, when he suddenly froze.

Standing behind Li Xiangling was a girl in white. Her face was sweet, her long hair cascading past her shoulders, and she was smiling at Qi Xia.