“Qi Xia…” Qian Wu felt that the man before her was even more unfathomable than she had imagined. “Even if we’re really just using each other, why would you choose someone as terrifying as Chu Tianqiu as your ally? I’ve been completely open with you—wouldn’t I be a better fit?”
“He wants to become a god, and I can help him,” Qi Xia replied with a smile. “He’s willing to replace ‘Tianlong’ here, while I just want to leave. From the perspective of our respective goals, we won’t pose any obstacles to each other. Once he ascends to godhood, he certainly wouldn’t allow someone like me to remain in the ‘Land of Finality.’ After all, he can’t completely kill me, and one day, I might threaten his position. That’s the razor’s-edge deal we’ve struck.”
Qian Wu fell silent for a moment before looking up and asking, “You’d rather make a deal with someone like him than spare me a glance…?”
Qi Xia studied the person before him, who shifted between male and female, and shook his head quietly. “Qian Wu, you strike me as a decent person, and that’s precisely why it’s hard for me to work with you. Those who collaborate with me rarely meet a good end.”
“Ha…” Qian Wu let out a bitter laugh. “But Qi Xia, I’ve been searching for you for ten years.”
“Is that so…?”
“For the first three years, I could still catch glimpses of you. But seven years ago… you seemed to vanish completely.” A trace of sorrow flickered across Qian Wu’s expression. “Before long, all of you disappeared… I once thought you’d become mindless husks in some forgotten corner of the ‘Land of Finality.'”
Qi Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that Qian Wu’s demeanor was eerily familiar—somewhat like Chen Junnan.
“Why me?” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes. “There are tens of thousands of people in the ‘Land of Finality.’ Even if the numbers have dwindled, why does it have to be me?”
“Because you’re the only one who’s ever stood against ‘Tianlong’ head-on,” Qian Wu said, her voice tinged with excitement. “Even if you’ve lost all your memories, I know you can do it. Ten years ago, you rallied ten thousand people to face ‘Tianlong’—you can do it again now.”
Qi Xia lowered his head, a pang of sorrow washing over him.
“Qian Wu, but I lost,” he said softly. “I lost ten years ago, and I’m still losing now. Though I don’t remember, I know I’ve tried countless methods to break ‘Tianlong’s’ hold and escape this place. But I have no guarantee of success.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, Qi Xia felt like he was speaking from the heart. Whether it was an inexplicable familiarity with Qian Wu or the safety of ‘Silence’ that emboldened him, he wasn’t sure.
“Different methods…?” Qian Wu seemed intrigued. “You know what you’ve tried?”
Qi Xia nodded. “I was going to share this anyway—consider it part of my bargaining chip.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you the second method I used. You can weigh the possibility of working with me based on that.”
Qian Wu gave a solemn nod. “Go on.”
“I spent seven years as a ‘Zodiac.'”
The moment the words left his mouth, the room erupted in shock. Everyone except Qi Xia shot to their feet.
“You were a ‘Zodiac’ for seven years?!”
The answer was beyond anything Qian Wu had anticipated.
“I started as a ‘Human Sheep’ and climbed my way up, reaching ‘Earth Sheep.’ But just as I was about to ascend to ‘Heaven Sheep,’ ‘Tianlong’ played me, resetting me completely. My memories were wiped, and I became a participant again.”
Qian Wu exhaled slowly, exchanging glances with Song Qi and Zhou Liu before cautiously asking, “Do you… actually remember this?”
“No, I don’t,” Qi Xia admitted. “I pieced it together from fragments, but now… there’s no evidence to disprove my theory.”
Qiao Jiajin, who had been silent until now, murmured under his breath, “So you’re the ‘sheep’ that tiger-headed guy was looking for…?”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia confirmed.
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“Because I don’t know where his loyalties lie,” Qi Xia sighed. “What if he finds out I’m that ‘sheep’? As a ‘Zodiac,’ would he side with us ‘participants’? Or would he force me back into being a ‘sheep’? Neither scenario appeals to me, so I kept it to myself.”
Qian Wu slumped into her seat as if drained of energy. “I thought becoming a ‘Zodiac’ was our way out… but it seems even that was just another trick?”
Song Qi, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “So… none of the paths here lead anywhere? Fifth Brother… how do we escape?”
“Paths…?” Qi Xia frowned slightly.
In this world, there are countless paths, and each person must walk their own.
“Wait…” A fleeting thought crossed Qi Xia’s mind, but it slipped away before he could grasp it.
A bizarre question began circling in his head.
Why had he employed a different method every time he faced ‘Tianlong’?
The same person, emerging from the same room, leading the same teammates down the same road—yet each time, his tactics were entirely different.
“Hold on…” Qi Xia pressed a hand to his forehead as if realizing something crucial.
What if…
What if he knew full well that his memories wouldn’t carry over? How would he ensure that he didn’t repeat the same mistakes?
How could he guarantee that he wouldn’t retrace his steps?
“So that’s it…?” Qi Xia’s eyes widened as he stared at Qian Wu.
Only this man held the answer, but now, Qi Xia was afraid to ask.
If the truth matched his suspicions… what would happen to Yu Nian’an?
Qian Wu noticed Qi Xia’s sudden shift and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Qi Xia hesitated before finally voicing the question. “Qian Wu, in your memories from ten years ago… was I a ‘Resonator’?”
Qian Wu thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, I believe so. On the battlefield back then, I recall someone mentioning it. Though your ability wasn’t particularly strong—just a basic two-word ‘Resonance.'”
Just as he thought…
Qi Xia clutched his head in frustration, his expression twisted in agony.
Everything made sense now.
Why did he choose a different path each time?
Because he had paved the way for his future self!
If his hunch was correct, he had left behind a contingency plan after failing to defeat ‘Tianlong’—one that sealed his own ‘Resonance’ trigger. That way, no matter how many times he revived, he would remain an ‘Unfortunate,’ forced to take the path of becoming a ‘Zodiac.’
And after seven years as a ‘Zodiac,’ on the brink of failure, he had carved out yet another path for himself—one to ensure he wouldn’t repeat the same cycle.
That path was Yu Nian’an.
As long as Yu Nian’an existed, he would always have something to hold onto, preventing him from becoming a ‘Zodiac’ again.
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