Chapter 546: Return

To be honest, I don’t quite understand Qinglong’s intentions.

He activated a strange force field, making our conversation completely private—meaning no one else could hear what he said.

But why would he try to drive a wedge between Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu?

Neither of them is a bad person. If they joined forces, they would be unstoppable. Not only could they stand before Tianlong again, but they might even destroy this place entirely.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Qinglong… don’t you also want to destroy this place?”

“Of course,” Qinglong nodded. “But given my status, my options are limited. I can help others destroy it, but I can’t do it myself.”

Seeing my hesitation, he took a few steps forward and stood in front of me.

“Xu Liunian, you’re already immortal, aren’t you?” He ran his fingers through his long hair. “So you’re just going to keep reincarnating in this place forever? Don’t you want to free yourself?”

“Qinglong, half of my immortality is thanks to you… but isn’t the same true for you?”

“Same? What’s the difference between me and ‘Tianlong’? We can’t kill any of the ‘participants’—we can only wait for the day they come for us.” A desperate smile crept onto Qinglong’s face. “Rather than being toppled by mere mortals, we might as well destroy this place ourselves.”

“But Tianlong doesn’t think that way at all,” I interrupted. “Tianlong has always believed he’s the ‘god’ of this place! How could he ever agree to let you destroy it?”

“That’s exactly why I activated ‘Silence,'” Qinglong replied, wearing that inscrutable expression again. “Xu Liunian, do you remember the first time we met? Back then, you told me you weren’t one of the prisoners—you were the escort officer, begging me to send you out…”

Yes, I remember. I was a mess back then, but I truly had no other choice.

This place was terrifying from the start. At first glance, it seemed like paradise, but upon closer look, it was an abyss.

I was responsible for escorting tens of thousands of people here, only to find there was no way back after completing my mission.

Over the decades, the sky here turned blood-red, and every breath carried the stench of rotting flesh, clogging my lungs.

Why did it have to be like this?

I came here on the train—why was there no way back?

My superior couldn’t have betrayed me, so what happened in the real world that cut off all our escape routes?

To those outside, time in ‘Paradise’ stands still. Whether I’ve been trapped here for decades or millennia, they’d only think I vanished for an instant.

How could they ever come to save me?

I couldn’t last a hundred years here, let alone millennia.

My life should have ended with death, but instead, it became a new beginning.

The first time in my ordinary life that I was entrusted with something important, I failed. Now, if I want to end this, I have to find a way to destroy this place.

Even if everyone here perishes, it doesn’t matter.

The ‘Plan’ failed long ago.

Tianlong lied—he told a colossal lie.

The ‘Nuwa Game’ has been abandoned by him. His ultimate goal was never to create a ‘Nuwa.’

He doesn’t want to help my superior—his master—select a ‘god.’

He wants to become the ‘god’ himself.

He filled this place with countless lies, making every prisoner choose the wrong path. Everyone is running around, collecting different things, only to find their ‘divine power’ is fleeting.

How could anyone possibly escape this place?

How powerful, how omnipotent would a ‘god’ have to be to break free from this shattered space built within the fractures of time?

Even someone as strong as Qinglong can’t escape—after all, even the ‘train’ has stopped.

The best ending for us is to die here.

If we strive for that goal, wouldn’t our deaths at least be heroic?

That way, my life wouldn’t be entirely meaningless. Maybe I’d have done something worthwhile for my superior.

I was the one who escorted these people here—if something went wrong, I should take responsibility.

“Qinglong,” I called out in a low voice.

“What?”

“In all your years of observation… do you think Chu Tianqiu or Qi Xia could be the one to finally destroy this place?”

“Funny you should ask,” Qinglong chuckled. “These two have chosen completely different paths, but both threaten Tianlong’s position. Since I can’t fight Tianlong directly, I have to use the participants to achieve my goal.”

“Then have you thought about…?” I took a deep breath. “If Tianlong dies… what happens to you?”

“I’ll vanish with him,” Qinglong said expressionlessly. “I’m tired. It’s time to end this.”

I truly saw the look of someone longing for death in his eyes.

After a few seconds of thought, I agreed to his request.

“In that case…” I steadied myself. “I’ll need something—something only you can get in this ‘Paradise.'”

“Oh?” Qinglong glanced at me indifferently. “Let me put it this way: unless it’s the heads of ‘Tianlong’ or the ‘Beasts,’ nothing is beyond my reach.”

“Perfect… I need the heads of a few ‘Earth-level’ beings.”

“‘Earth-level’ heads?” Qinglong pondered for several seconds. “That’s not hard. I have quite a few from those who died breaking the rules, though they’re starting to rot.”

“That’s fine,” I shook my head. “I’ll wait here. Once you get them, put them in my car.”

After parting ways with Qinglong, I rushed straight back to ‘Paradise Gate,’ only to find it abandoned.

After asking a few participants who still had their memories, I learned that ‘Paradise Gate’ had relocated from its original site, pushing eastward into the city and settling in a school.

It seems Chu Tianqiu has been sticking to his plan—he wants to wipe out all the ‘Zodiacs’ in this city.

“But now I’m back…” I murmured to myself. “Tianqiu, the ‘native’ path leads nowhere…”

After walking for most of the afternoon, I finally arrived at the new ‘Paradise Gate.’

It had a vast playground and a four- or five-story school building.

Many classrooms were now lit by campfires, suggesting a sizable group still remained.

I wonder how Yun Yao is doing…

I wonder how Zhang Shan and the others are…

Before I could walk far, I spotted a young man I didn’t recognize standing at the school gate—someone who must have joined ‘Paradise Gate’ after me.

“Hello,” the young man said politely. He looked clean-cut, not like a bad person. “Need any help?”

“Are you an ‘Echoer’?” I asked.