Chapter 514: Reaching into the Bag

Qian Wu looked at his palm, feeling a slight numbness. This body had never truly felt like his own, and now it seemed even more foreign.

He snapped back to reality and raised his head, gazing at Qi Xia, who was deep in thought. Softly, he said, “We’ve more or less saved the person. We can continue our earlier conversation now.”

“Earlier conversation…” Qi Xia paused. “Didn’t it already conclude?”

“You just suspected that woman, Xu Liunian, was a bit suspicious… and that’s it?” Qian Wu pressed. “Don’t you have any plan? If you have any ideas, I can have the ‘Cat’ work with you.”

“My plan…” Qi Xia exhaled slowly. “If I’m not mistaken… I don’t even need a plan. Xu Liunian will definitely appear on her own and give me the answers.”

“Oh…?”

“Qian Wu, both times I died, Xu Liunian was there,” Qi Xia mused. “Before, I thought it was coincidence, but now, with so many doubts, I can’t believe that. This time, during the ‘Pegasus Moment,’ she’ll likely show up again. If she appears voluntarily, I might be able to figure out her intentions.”

Qian Wu frowned slightly at Qi Xia’s cold, determined expression.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Qi Xia had changed—different from the person he remembered.

Now, Qian Wu had no idea what Qi Xia was thinking or what decisions he might make next.

Would the old Qi Xia have gambled his life on something so uncertain?

“So…” Qian Wu tentatively asked again, “Do you still need us to help you ‘Echo’?”

“No need.” Qi Xia shook his head, giving Qian Wu an odd look. “You know it’s futile. If I can’t meet the real Yu Nian’an, nothing we do will matter. I’m tired today—let’s head back, eat something, rest up, and get some sleep early.”

Qian Wu and Saturday exchanged glances, neither knowing how to persuade him. Tomorrow would bring the deadly “Pegasus Moment,” yet Qi Xia acted as if it were just another ordinary afternoon.

With no clear objective, the group could only reorganize briefly before setting off toward the prison.

As they walked, Saturday stared at Qi Xia, Chen Junnan, and Qiao Jiajin in the distance, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.

The three of them were far too composed—chatting, laughing, even admiring the scenery along the way.

Even if Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin had no memory of the “Pegasus Moment,” what about Chen Junnan? Had he given up too?

Saturday slowed her pace, falling to the rear of the group. Making sure no one was paying attention, she lightly pressed her right hand to her ear and whispered:

“Jiang Ruoxue, you dead yet?”

A voice quickly responded from the other end: “Huh? Isn’t this Sister Mo? Should you be contacting me right now?”

“Tch, cut the crap,” Saturday hissed, her eyes darting cautiously toward the group ahead. “Tomorrow’s the ‘Pegasus Moment.’ Remember to run for your life.”

“Wha—?” Jiang Ruoxue’s voice immediately sharpened. “You’re joking, right? We’re not even halfway through the ten days—what kind of ‘Pegasus Moment’ is this?”

“Tch, damn it…” Saturday muttered under her breath. “Just know about it. Get ready to flee with your people. Don’t blame me if you die.”

“Alright, alright…” Jiang Ruoxue replied lazily. “On behalf of all the members of the ‘Extreme Path,’ I extend our sincerest gratitude to Sister Mo, our undercover agent out in the field…”

“Piss off.”

Saturday abruptly cut off the communication and rejoined the group.

Officer Li noticed her troubled expression and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? Something happen?”

“Nothing,” Saturday answered, glancing away. “I just checked in on Wang Ba and the others. They’re ahead of us—they’ll reach the prison soon.”

Officer Li was no ordinary man. He had interrogated countless people and could tell at a glance that Weekend was hiding something. But considering he’d only known them for a day or two, he figured it wasn’t his place to pry. He simply nodded.

Seeing that Saturday had no interest in further conversation, Officer Li absentmindedly reached into his pocket, hoping—against all odds—to find a pack of cigarettes. Any brand would do, as long as it was fresh, smokeable, and fragrant.

But the pocket remained empty.

He had already “Echoed” “Reach Into the Bag,” yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull out a single cigarette.

What was going on?

Was it really as Qian Wu had said—that he had to truly believe there were cigarettes in his pocket?

It was a paradox. Precisely because he had no cigarettes, he desperately wanted to activate this ability. But the moment he acknowledged their absence, he couldn’t summon them. What was he supposed to do?

“How am I supposed to control my subconscious…?”

Officer Li’s muttered words reached Saturday’s ears. She glanced at him with interest and asked, “Tch, you practicing your ‘Echo’?”

“Practicing…? Can you even practice this?” Officer Li asked, baffled.

“More or less,” Saturday nodded. “None of us could activate it reliably at first. No one can help you with this—what matters most is whether you ‘believe.’”

“I get the theory, but how do I believe…? My pocket is clearly empty.”

“Tch, you can use your usual habits to boost your success rate,” Saturday explained. “Take me, for example. My ‘Echo’ is ‘Voice Transmission,’ but if I just speak normally, it might fail. So I imagine I’m making a phone call.”

She lifted a hand to her ear and whispered, “That way, I know I’ve entered the transmission state. The success rate goes way up.”

“So how do I use an action?” Officer Li shook his head. “I just want a smoke.”

“Tch, how are you this dense? If you want to smoke, then smoke.”

“Smoke…?” Officer Li struggled to follow. “But I don’t have any—”

“Close your eyes,” Saturday ordered bluntly.

With no choice, Officer Li slowly shut his eyes.

“Take out a cigarette,” Saturday instructed.

“But my subconscious—”

“Take out a cigarette,” Saturday snapped. “Show me the pack.”

Cornered, Officer Li pretended to pull out a cigarette box from his pocket. Admittedly, with his eyes closed, it was easier to imagine.

He mimed extracting a cigarette from the nonexistent box, fully aware his hands were empty.

To make the act more convincing, after “taking” a cigarette, he even pretended to return the imaginary box to his pocket.

“Go ahead and smoke one,” Saturday said calmly. “This is a public space—no one will mind.”