Li Xiangling froze slightly. “Me…?”
She shook her head with a bitter smile. “You might not know this… but I was always just a background figure in ‘Paradise Port’… A decision this critical will affect the direction of our team. I think I’ll abstain…”
“It’s not that serious,” Zhang Chenze said with a reassuring smile. “Xiangling, you just need to voice your thoughts. This isn’t a ‘vote,’ and it won’t necessarily dictate all our paths.”
“I…” Li Xiangling hesitated for a moment before shaking her head again. “Sisters, the truth is, I just want to leave this place. I want to escape. The reason I joined ‘Paradise Port’ was to get out of the ‘Endgame Zone,’ but I know my own limits. I can only rely on my teammates. So I’ll trust you all—whatever decision you make in the end, I’ll stand with you.”
Though she hadn’t fully made her own choice, her stance was clear.
Now, all eyes turned to Tiantian.
Wrapped in Yun Yao’s jacket, Tiantian sat curled up in the corner, her wavy hair cascading lazily over her shoulders. Her large eyes blinked slowly, making her look like a motionless, speechless doll as she listened to the others.
Noticing the sudden attention, she blinked in confusion before forcing a smile. “I don’t really care…”
“How can you not care?” Yun Yao scooted her chair closer and took Tiantian’s cold hands in hers. “We’re in this together now. We want to hear what you think. From here on out, we’ll be acting as a team.”
Tiantian lowered her head, thinking for a long moment before murmuring, “I really… don’t care. Whatever happens to this place, it’s all the same to me. After all, I…”
She hesitated, swallowing the words on the tip of her tongue—
She didn’t want to leave.
No matter how this place changed, it meant nothing to her. Her life had ended long ago. Every second she survived now wasn’t exactly torture, but it wasn’t living, either.
Under the earnest gazes of the other girls, Tiantian found herself at a loss for words. They had gathered to discuss a plan, yet with three different opinions, no consensus could be reached.
It was like a vote among four people where the other three had split choices—leaving the final decision to her.
“We’ve known each other for a while now,” Yun Yao said softly, squeezing Tiantian’s hand. “I’ve never really understood what you truly think. So, for you… how do you want to live in the days ahead?”
“My true thoughts…” Tiantian frowned, as if the words themselves pained her. “My true thoughts are probably nothing like yours…”
Her expression remained blank as she shook her head. “I lost all motivation to move forward a long time ago. The life I had in the real world was even worse than this ‘Endgame Zone’… But here, people actually care about me, worry for me… So if I told you what I really think, you’d probably struggle to understand…”
Her words, devoid of emotion, carried a quiet weight that made each of them ache inside.
“I understand completely,” Zhang Chenze said firmly, nodding. “People are born different. Some spend their whole lives striving but never find happiness. But that doesn’t mean we stop pursuing it.”
“I don’t quite get it…” Tiantian rubbed her palms together, her voice barely audible. “Is ‘happiness’ really something you can just… pursue? You said people are born different… What if some are just born unable to seek happiness?”
“That…” Zhang Chenze faltered, her gaze dimming. “I can’t answer that. All I know is that I’d willingly fall into hell if it meant getting the life I want. As long as I can claw my way back out someday, my efforts won’t have been in vain.”
“Clawing out of hell…” Tiantian’s eyes trembled, her lips twisting into a hopeless smile. “Lawyer Zhang… Do you realize how impossible the path you just described is? Even if we did crawl out of hell… the same world would still be waiting for us.”
Zhang Chenze had intended to persuade Tiantian from her own perspective, but in just a few sentences, she found herself nearly swayed instead.
Yes. Even if they did escape this place… would the world outside really be any different?
“I’m sorry,” Tiantian said quickly, catching the shift in Zhang Chenze’s expression before anyone else could speak. “I didn’t mean to bring everyone down. These are just my own thoughts…”
“I know,” Zhang Chenze said, snapping out of her daze. “No one blames you for the hardships you’ve endured.”
Tiantian studied the faces around her before speaking again. “If I had to choose… I’d want to create a ‘Wen Qiaoyun.'”
The others stiffened, their attention snapping back to her.
“Tiantian, you…” Yun Yao frowned. “You support my approach?”
She was puzzled. Given Tiantian’s usual indifference, she’d expected her to abstain like Li Xiangling. After all, who became a god or escaped this hellhole shouldn’t matter to her. Yet here she was, stating her position clearly.
“I just want to know—is my choice really that important? If I pick this path, will we all commit to it?” Tiantian pressed.
Zhang Chenze nodded. “Fairness dictates that if this path has the most support, I’ll accept it. Majority rules.”
Li Xiangling chimed in, “Like I said, I’ll back whatever you decide. No objections here.”
“Even if we die? Even if we fail?” Tiantian double-checked.
“Right,” Zhang Chenze and Li Xiangling confirmed. Only Lin Qin remained silent, watching them with an unreadable expression.
“Then it’s settled.” Tiantian straightened, turning to Yun Yao with resolve. “Yun Yao, because you’ve been so kind to me, I’ll support your decision unconditionally. No one in this world has ever treated me this well. So what you want to do is what I want to do. It’s the only way I can repay you.”
At those words, Lin Qin let out a deep sigh.
To exploit Qi Xia’s ability, forcing him to do something he didn’t want to do…
Would that really be any easier than facing a high-stakes game?
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