When Qi Xia and the group returned to the prison, Wang Ba was already preparing the next day’s rations with his team.
Dilapidated backpacks were neatly arranged in rows, each containing a bottle of water and some oddly shaped flatbread.
“Qi Xia,” Qian Wu said, “since we’re back, everyone should get some rest. You’ve all worked hard today.”
Just as he turned to leave, Qi Xia grabbed his forearm. “Qian Wu, we need a place to talk.”
“Oh…?” Qian Wu’s brow instantly furrowed. He realized he had misunderstood Qi Xia’s earlier intentions—Qi Xia’s urgency to return to the prison had likely been to secure a private space for conversation.
“Nineteen,” Qian Wu called out as Saturday, standing beside him, spotted Yun Nineteen in the distance. “Tch, can your ‘Faith’ still hold up? We need you here.”
“No problem,” Yun Nineteen nodded. “I haven’t activated my ‘Echo’ yet, so I’m feeling much better now.”
Qi Xia exchanged glances with Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, and Officer Li. The four of them followed Qian Wu into the meeting room. Only after Yun Nineteen entered and activated his ability did Qi Xia finally speak.
“Qian Wu…” His expression was as cold and composed as ever, yet his face had turned ashen. “Xuanwu’s ability includes ‘Indestructibility.’ We can’t win. There’s no way we can kill something that’s ‘indestructible’…”
“What…?”
Seeing the shock on everyone’s faces, Qi Xia recounted in detail his encounter with Xuanwu—how he had attacked her alone with a knife, leaving countless wounds on her body.
Yet none of those wounds bled. They were identical to Jiang Shi’s ‘Indestructibility,’ emitting the same pitch-black hue, like a vast starry sky.
When the knife pierced Xuanwu’s body, it didn’t feel like stabbing flesh but rather like plunging into a withered tree.
“Even if you’re the ‘Twin Flower’… I doubt you have a hundred percent chance of taking Xuanwu down with you,” Qi Xia paused before adding, “Maybe only you would die, not her.”
Qian Wu realized Qi Xia had raised a thorny issue. In the past, though Xuanwu had always invited death whenever they met, everyone knew her status in the ‘Land of the End’—she could slaughter Earth-level ‘Zodiacs’ at will. No one had ever dared to attack her, so no one knew what state she was in when injured. Yet this man before him had actually tried stabbing her with a knife.
“So, how far can your ‘Twin Flower’ go…?” Qi Xia fixed a serious gaze on Qian Wu. “Can you truly share life and death with whoever you touch?”
Qian Wu nodded. With Yun Nineteen’s ‘Silence’ in effect, some previously unspoken words could now be voiced.
“During the interview room trials, I once tested it—exchanging my life for that of an interviewer ‘Zodiac,'” Qian Wu explained. “As you know, the ‘Zodiacs’ in those rooms are usually as strong as Earth-level ‘Zodiacs’ to subdue participants. So killing them is no different from killing an Earth-level. But something strange happened. According to the people in my room, we died simultaneously, and all the games instantly resolved, unlocking the exit. No ‘Divine Beasts’ intervened after I, a ‘participant,’ killed a ‘Zodiac.'”
His words left everyone deep in thought. Was it because both the killer and the killed had died simultaneously, rendering any intervention by the ‘Divine Beasts’ pointless?
“So you think the same applies to killing a ‘Divine Beast’…?” Qi Xia asked.
“I can’t say for sure…” Qian Wu shook his head. “We’re doing something no one has ever done. Everything is unknown.”
Just as Qi Xia was about to respond, Officer Li suddenly spoke up.
“Qian Wu, did the ‘Zodiac’ you killed have anything on them?”
At this question, Qi Xia also turned to Qian Wu.
“Anything…? Like what?”
“Like ‘paper documents,'” Officer Li said.
“No,” Qian Wu answered without hesitation. “I’ve searched countless times. There was nothing on them—not even a scrap of paper.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia and Officer Li exchanged glances. Only the two of them knew about the ‘Zodiac Ascension Wager Contract,’ and neither brought it up now.
Qi Xia stroked his chin, deep in thought. Something about this felt off.
Did the ‘Zodiac Ascension Wager Contract’ not need to be carried to take effect?
If so, why had Human Sheep kept it on him?
Qi Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Typically, such an easily obtained major clue would be highly suspect. Yet Human Sheep had indeed acted according to the contract—when Yu Nian’an appeared, he had immediately taken his own life.
If Human Sheep hadn’t lied, could he have been deceived?
“At the very least, the contract isn’t entirely fake…” Qi Xia mused silently. “Human Sheep could crush a man’s skull bare-handed on a table, proving his body was enhanced…”
Seeing Qi Xia and Officer Li both fall silent, Qian Wu decided not to dwell on the matter and continued, “So ultimately, killing Xuanwu isn’t entirely impossible. ‘Indestructibility’ is just a type of ‘Echo.’ She isn’t truly immortal—she just has that ability.”
Qi Xia couldn’t shake an inexplicable unease. Though Qian Wu insisted Xuanwu’s abilities were ‘Echoes,’ she never triggered the tolling of a bell when using them. Even Qiao Jiajin’s ‘Break All Laws’ might not work on her.
“In that case… I have a second question,” Qi Xia said.
“Go ahead.”
“Do all ‘Divine Beasts’ abilities have counterparts among the ‘participants’?”
“Theoretically, yes,” Qian Wu nodded.
“What about ‘Celestial-levels’?” Qi Xia pressed. “Are their special abilities also ‘Echoes’?”
Qian Wu considered this carefully before nodding. “Aside from ‘Celestial Moments,’ their other supernatural abilities likely stem from multiple ‘Echoes’ as well.”
“Then that means…” Qi Xia nodded slowly. “There’s one crucial figure who hasn’t appeared on this land yet.”
“Crucial figure?” Qian Wu looked puzzled. “Who do you mean?”
“Tian She’s ‘Mind Reading,'” Qi Xia said gravely. “I refuse to believe someone with such a power would remain in obscurity. Before we execute our plan, we must find him at all costs. ‘Mind Reading’ is absolutely vital to us.”
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