“An…?”
Qi Xia’s lips trembled slightly. “Yu Nian’an?”
Li Xiangling froze at the words, quickly turning to look behind her.
But there was nothing—just empty space.
“What ‘An’?” she asked, puzzled.
“An… You’re really here?”
Qi Xia took slow steps forward, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.
His thoughts felt bizarre—chaotic, yet somehow crystal clear.
It was a sensation teetering between lucidity and madness, as if the final thread holding him together was about to snap.
“Xia, why aren’t you home yet?” Yu Nian’an spoke.
“Home…?” Qi Xia blinked, a guilty smile slowly spreading across his face. “I did go home… but you weren’t there anymore…”
Li Xiangling recoiled in fear at his expression.
“Qi… Qi-ge… What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me like this…”
She kept glancing back, but there was truly nothing behind her. Yet Qi Xia wasn’t just talking to thin air—he was even smiling at it.
This was also the first time she had ever seen Qi Xia smile.
“How could I not be home?” Yu Nian’an continued. “Xia, tell me—if I’m not at home, where else would I be?”
Qi Xia’s eyes widened slowly, as if realizing something.
“You mean… since you’re here… this is home…”
“Yes, Xia…”
“So I… finally made it home…”
Watching the light fade from Qi Xia’s eyes, Li Xiangling couldn’t take it anymore.
Ignoring her own injuries, she lunged forward and kicked Qi Xia to the ground.
“Qi-ge! Don’t let this place mess with your head!” she shouted, immediately wincing as the pain from her broken ribs flared up. “Owwww, damn it hurts…”
Despite being kicked for no apparent reason, Qi Xia didn’t react with anger. Instead, he scrambled to his feet, desperately searching for Yu Nian’an.
He needed her—more than anything.
She was his faith.
But within seconds, Qi Xia noticed something was off.
That kick had been perfectly timed, snapping him out of his daze.
How could Yu Nian’an suddenly appear in this room?
Her presence wasn’t human—more like a ghost.
Qi Xia slapped himself hard across the face, convinced he was losing his mind.
“Qi-ge… are you okay?” Li Xiangling asked.
“I’m better now.” Qi Xia stood up, shaking his head before turning serious. “Li Xiangling, what’s your ‘Echo’?”
“Uh…” She gave an awkward laugh. “I don’t know. Everyone just says it’s useless…”
“Is that so…?”
Qi Xia knew that if Li Xiangling’s “Echo” was conjuring illusions of someone you longed for, it might be meaningless to others—but for him, it was deadly.
Realizing it had been nothing more than a fleeting hallucination, Qi Xia felt his mind on the verge of exploding.
A wave of overwhelming grief sent his world spinning, but he quickly suppressed thoughts of Yu Nian’an, forcing himself to focus on the present.
“Li Xiangling, I need to go out and check. Stay hidden, lock the door,” Qi Xia said.
“Huh? You’re leaving too?” Li Xiangling’s face twisted with worry. “Qi-ge, it’s really dangerous out there…”
“It’s fine…” Qi Xia organized his thoughts and slowly opened the door.
If Chu Tianqiu’s goal was to kill him, staying with Li Xiangling would only put her in danger.
Before he could step out, a figure suddenly rushed in, shoving him back inside.
It was Qiao Jiajin, covered in blood.
“Qi Xia! Bloody hell…” Qiao Jiajin gasped. “It’s too dangerous outside… be careful!”
When he turned, Qi Xia was stunned.
Qiao Jiajin’s injuries were severe—his left arm bore burn marks as if he’d survived an explosion, and a bullet wound marred his right shoulder. He must have fought through hell.
“What’s going on?” Qi Xia demanded. “Who’s attacking?”
“Not ‘Extremists,’ I think…” Qiao Jiajin kept his voice low, eyes fixed warily on the door. “They’re all dressed in black, searching for something…”
Qi Xia had a sinking feeling he might be their target.
“And Lin Qin and Han Yimo are dead,” Qiao Jiajin added bitterly. “I couldn’t find Yun Yao and Zhang Shan—no idea if they’re alive.”
“Is that so…? Then things are worse than I thought…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, his expression grim.
“Don’t worry about it…” Qiao Jiajin’s face hardened as he stared outside. “As long as I’m here, everything will be fine.”
“Oh?” Qi Xia studied him. “What’s your plan?”
“I’ll get you out.” Qiao Jiajin cautiously pushed the door open. “I’ve cleared a path from the second floor to the exit. If we slip out before reinforcements arrive, we’ll be safe.”
Qi Xia rubbed his chin, thinking. “But we have injured.”
“I’ll take care of Li Xiangling,” Qiao Jiajin whispered. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll lose our chance.”
“Fine.” Qi Xia nodded, helping Li Xiangling up. “Lead the way.”
“Got it.” Qiao Jiajin peeked outside again. “Follow my signals. There are too many enemies—we need to move carefully.”
“Understood. I’ll follow your lead.”
Despite his words, Qi Xia quietly walked toward a chair.
“Now’s our chance—go!”
Just as Qiao Jiajin turned to speak, Qi Xia swung the chair with full force, smashing it into him and knocking him to the ground.
Before Li Xiangling could even react in shock, Qi Xia locked the door, pinned the man beneath him, and gripped his throat.
The blow had been brutal—Qiao Jiajin (or whoever he was) seemed dazed.
“You’ve got a death wish?” Qi Xia snarled. “Daring to impersonate Qiao Jiajin—what did you do to him?!”
“Cough…!” The man beneath him choked, then suddenly morphed into Xu Liunian. “H-How did you know…?”
Li Xiangling’s eyes widened—she hadn’t noticed any disguise.
“You think mimicking a ‘bloody hell’ makes you him?” Qi Xia spat. “Qiao Jiajin never calls people by their full names—Lin Qin, Han Yimo, Li Xiangling, Zhang Shan, Yun Yao—and he’s never once called me ‘Qi Xia.'”
“Heh… hehe…” Xu Liunian grinned viciously. “Doesn’t matter if you saw through it… Qi Xia, I’ve found a way to prove myself…”
“Oh?” Qi Xia tightened his grip on Xu Liunian’s throat. “And how do you plan to do that?”
“I’ll kill you tonight—send you into the next cycle.”
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