Turn to dust…
Yu Nian’an witnessed the Day of Doom.
This was no surprise. Not just this time—Yu Nian’an would live here forever, witnessing every “Doom.” Unless someone killed her, she would never disappear.
But who could kill her?
Even though she was a stand-in, she possessed everything Yu Nian’an had.
Qi Xia couldn’t bring himself to do it, nor would he allow anyone else to.
No one here could kill any version of Yu Nian’an. Better to spare ten thousand than mistakenly kill one.
But could things really go on like this…?
As Qi Xia had thought, one day, this place would be “overrun with Yu Nian’ans.”
Just then, a faint knock sounded at the door. Jin Yuanxun stood outside.
Lin Qin opened the door and asked, “What is it?”
“Which one of you is Qi Xia?” Jin Yuanxun inquired.
“That’s me,” Qi Xia replied.
“Bro, someone’s here to see you,” Jin Yuanxun fumbled for words. “She came specifically for you.”
“To see… me?” Qi Xia frowned, his mind a tangled mess.
“It’s a girl,” Jin Yuanxun gestured. “Short hair, sharp, bright eyes.”
Qi Xia slowly stood up. He remembered who it was.
Su Shan.
“Alright, I’ll go meet her.”
Following Jin Yuanxun outside, Qi Xia saw the girl whose eyes seemed to glow.
She was staring blankly at the mountain of corpses in the center of “Paradise’s” field.
“Su Shan, you’re here,” Qi Xia said as he approached.
“West, school, Paradise, Qi Xia.” Su Shan pointed at the massive pile of bodies with a frown. “Did you lure me here to slaughter me?”
“My name isn’t that long,” Qi Xia shook his head. “You should know what kind of person I am. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t go through the trouble of luring you here.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Su Shan nodded. “So what’s this place? A corpse collection?”
“Not exactly.” Qi Xia glanced around. “Where’s your six-foot-tall teammate? Didn’t bring him?”
Su Shan fell silent for a moment before answering, “I think you’re right. If I want to survive here, I don’t need to keep protecting the weak.”
“You’re lying again,” Qi Xia said, locking eyes with her. “Su Shan, you’re afraid the path I’m showing you leads to hell, so you deliberately left your teammate behind, right?”
Su Shan let out a bitter laugh.
“Qi Xia, you’re terrifying,” she shook her head. “Why do you always see through me?”
“Because you’re not that cold-hearted,” Qi Xia replied. “You fought desperately to protect your teammate in the ‘Weapon Card’ game. For you, that was just yesterday. How could you change overnight?”
“True,” Su Shan admitted. “Qi Xia, you did kill me, so I can’t fully trust you. But my gut told me to come here no matter what.”
“You made the right choice,” Qi Xia said. “Joining me increases your chances of getting out.”
“So… what’s really going on here?” Su Shan asked. “Do we keep coming back to life?”
Qi Xia glanced at the towering pile of corpses and murmured, “Come inside first. I’ll tell you everything.”
Su Shan followed Qi Xia back into the classroom, startling Dr. Zhao.
He knew this girl was no ordinary player—few in the “Land of Doom” could hold their own against Qi Xia for even a few rounds.
“Let me introduce everyone,” Qi Xia said. “This is Su Shan. She’s incredibly sharp. From today on, she’s one of us.”
Qiao Jiajin studied Su Shan curiously. “If the conman calls you ‘sharp,’ you must be something else.”
Su Shan greeted the group sheepishly.
Honestly, Qi Xia’s teammates seemed far more approachable than him, which put her slightly at ease.
Apart from the guy with the tattooed arms—who looked shady—the rest seemed friendly enough.
“Qi Xia, so you’re the leader of ‘Paradise’?” Su Shan asked. “How many people are here?”
“I’m not the leader,” Qi Xia said. “Just an extremely dangerous figure in ‘Paradise.’ There are about thirty of us.”
Qi Xia briefly explained the group’s goal—to gamble against and eliminate all the Zodiacs—before filling Su Shan in on the basics of the “Land of Doom.”
But to everyone’s surprise, he also recounted his entire feud with Chu Tianqiu.
This wasn’t just for Su Shan—it was for all his teammates present.
From their first meeting to their last bloody confrontation.
Qiao Jiajin couldn’t take it.
“Conman… you’re saying Tianqiu did all this? He’s killing his own teammates?”
Qi Xia nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why the hell are we working with him?” Qiao Jiajin grew angrier. “What’s that bastard thinking? I’m gonna go kick his ass.”
“No need,” Qi Xia shook his head. “Fists, the only reason I’m staying is because Chu Tianqiu still has use. He owes me 2,900 ‘Tao.’ If we get that many, we’re close to escaping.”
The group’s expressions darkened.
Would someone like Chu Tianqiu really hand over all his ‘Tao’?
What if he snapped and killed them all again?
Even Lin Qin looked uneasy. She’d wandered the Land of Doom for years—even the “Cats” gave her some respect. But Chu Tianqiu didn’t care. Was he truly insane?
“So what do we do now?” Qiao Jiajin pressed.
“From now on, Su Shan will be the team’s new strategist, assigning games,” Qi Xia declared. “This time, no one follows Chu Tianqiu’s orders.”
Something felt off to the group.
“Su Shan’s the new brain…” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “Then what about you?”
“I’ve got a special mission this time,” Qi Xia said. “I’ll be tackling ‘Earth-level’ games alone. If you want to live, avoid those games—unless you want me as your opponent.”
“Alone? Against ‘Earth-level’…?”
Han Yimo, silent until now, finally spoke up. “Qi Xia… that doesn’t sound right.”
“How so?” Qi Xia turned to him.
“As the ‘Savior’… why go solo? Shouldn’t you take me with you?”
Qi Xia found the question almost laughable.
Frankly, he’d take anyone but Han Yimo.
“No need for you to die,” Qi Xia shook his head. “I’ll handle it alone. Remember my warning—stay away from ‘Earth-level.'”
Just then, the pale young man sitting in the corner spoke up coldly.
“Hey, buddy… can I talk to you alone?”
“Alone?” Qi Xia hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. Let’s step outside.”
The two walked into the schoolyard.
The young man stared at Qi Xia for a long moment before grinning.
“You’re a funny guy, telling us not to join ‘Earth-level’ games…”
“What?”
“Why can’t we join ‘Earth-level’ games… and kill you in them?”
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