“She…” Zhang Chenze turned back in surprise to look at the two of them.
“Her condition was already very poor…” Lin Qin said with a hint of sorrow. “Perhaps this is a release for her… When she returns next time and regains her senses, we can ask her what exactly she saw.”
Zhang Chenze nodded silently.
This place was even more terrifying than she had imagined.
“Excuse me…” Zhang Chenze looked up at them and asked, “Does using ‘Echo’ always come with such severe side effects? Isn’t it supposed to be a superpower?”
“Echo has never been a ‘superpower.’ It’s a double-edged sword,” Qin Dingdong replied. “In this place, everyone’s ‘Echo’ inevitably has its own significant drawbacks—even yours.”
Zhang Chenze thought of the suit that had “escaped” last night.
For her, Echo was more than just a double-edged sword.
It was practically a useless piece of scrap metal.
“Generally speaking… if an ‘Echo’ acts on the user themselves, it’s very likely to cause self-harm,” Lin Qin explained. “Su Shan is a prime example, but she seems to have mixed in another scenario.”
“What scenario?”
“If the ‘Echo’ acts on something else, it can damage your brain and eventually lead to loss of reason. If I’m not mistaken, all three of us have at least this drawback with our ‘Echoes.'” Lin Qin paused and glanced at Su Shan’s corpse. “Logically, Su Shan’s ‘Echo’ acted on herself, so the side effects should have only blinded her. But she also lost her mind. Perhaps her ‘Echo’ has functions we don’t yet know about.”
“I see…” Zhang Chenze looked at her left hand. “If I use this ability excessively… I’ll go insane?”
“Yes,” Lin Qin nodded. “Once you enter a ‘deranged’ state, your cognition becomes distorted. This means an ‘Echo’ user could either become significantly stronger or completely destroy themselves.”
Lin Qin then turned her gaze to the display screen ahead, where “Soul Migration” was still listed.
She knew Zhang Chenze’s ‘Echo’ operated entirely differently from her own—more like a skill akin to “Inviting Disaster.” Once activated, there was a high probability of negative consequences. If such an ‘Echo’ wasn’t controlled, the situation would only worsen.
“Chenze,” Lin Qin called out. “I’ve never met you before, so I don’t know how you’re supposed to turn off your ‘Echo.’ When you hear the ‘Bell’ again, make sure to remember the feeling.”
“Oh…” Zhang Chenze nodded seriously.
The three of them stood silently before Su Shan’s body, contemplating whether to bring it back to “Paradise Port,” when they noticed three figures approaching from the distance.
“Huh…?”
Both groups looked at each other in surprise.
The newcomers were Yun Yao, Tian Tian, and Li Xiangling.
Now, six girls stood face-to-face before the giant bell.
“You…” Lin Qin asked, “Are you here to participate in a game?”
“No…” Yun Yao shook her head. “The three of us have left ‘Paradise Port.'”
“Hmm…?” Lin Qin was taken aback. “Yun Yao, weren’t you the deputy leader of ‘Paradise Port’?”
“A lot has happened…” Yun Yao’s expression was downcast. “That place has changed. The Chu Tianqiu I knew is gone.”
“Is that so?” The three of them didn’t know much about Chu Tianqiu, so they couldn’t really comment.
Yun Yao’s gaze shifted to Su Shan lying on the ground. “She…?”
“We participated in an ‘Earth-level’ game…” Zhang Chenze explained. “Su Shan ‘Echoed,’ but the side effects killed her.”
The group nodded with a hint of sorrow.
“By the way…” Yun Yao spoke up, “I’m thinking of starting a new organization and recruiting some teammates. Are you interested?”
“A new organization…?”
“Yes.” Yun Yao looked at them. “It feels like we’ve been here too long—long enough to forget our real goal: to escape and return to the world we once knew. I want to work toward that goal, but I know my own limits, so I’ve asked Tian Tian and Li Xiangling to join me. Will you?”
Qin Dingdong stroked her chin and glanced sideways at Lin Qin.
“Me…” Qin Dingdong said, “I’m just a small-time swindler, and I’m used to going solo. Joining an organization… Well, maybe we should hear Old Lin’s opinion first.”
Lin Qin stared into Yun Yao’s eyes for a long moment before speaking. “I’m ‘Extremist.'”
“Huh?” Yun Yao blinked. “You’re what?”
“I’m Lin Qin, an ‘Extremist,'” Lin Qin said with a smile. “Are you sure you want to recruit me?”
Yun Yao’s expression darkened. She felt more certain than ever that leaving ‘Paradise Port’ had been the right choice—because the ‘Extremists’ had thoroughly infiltrated the place.
Whether it was Yan Zhichun or Lin Qin, they could very well dismantle ‘Paradise Port’ entirely.
“Extremists are out of the question,” Yun Yao said firmly. “I despise ‘Extremists’ more than anything. So you can’t join. What about the rest of you?”
“What have ‘Extremists’ ever done to you?” Qin Dingdong snapped. “Did they take something from you or eat your food? Some people are so ridiculous—they don’t even bother understanding the situation before excluding others.”
“Haven’t I seen enough?” Yun Yao replied coldly. “Back when ‘Paradise Port’ was pure, our only goal was to conquer the games. But ‘Extremists’ kept sneaking in to sabotage us. At best, they ruined our carefully prepared strategies. At worst, they got us all killed. Isn’t that enough?”
“Do you even know why?” Qin Dingdong countered. “You think betting your lives against all the ‘Zodiacs’ is right, and their attempts to stop you are wrong?”
“That’s not the point.” Yun Yao frowned. “They could have just left us alone. Like you said, if we can’t agree on what’s right or wrong, we could’ve gone our separate ways. But these lunatics kept deceiving us, gaining our trust, only to betray us over and over. Does that sound fair to you? Do they really have to build their missions on betrayal? I hate betrayal more than anything.”
Qin Dingdong fell silent. In some ways, Yun Yao wasn’t wrong.
If ‘Extremists’ wanted to protect this place, they had no choice but to keep shattering others’ plans—something that must have felt unbearably cruel to Yun Yao.
Lin Qin took a step forward. “I don’t plan on joining you, but let’s be clear: not all ‘Extremists’ operate the same way. You can’t judge all of us based on one person’s betrayal.”
“True, but I’ll stick to my stance,” Yun Yao said. “I don’t know how many of you there are or what methods each of you might use. The only solution is to cut ties completely.”
“But that’s not fair,” Zhang Chenze suddenly interjected. “No one in this world… should ever be punished for something they didn’t do.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage