Chapter 555: Truth and Falsehood

I agreed to Qinglong’s request.

Not because I was particularly interested in the matter, but because the disparity in our status was too great—I simply couldn’t refuse.

In the days that followed, I kept thinking of a way to make Qi Xia “resonate.”

Chu Tianqiu would give me some of his pre-written plans at night, ensuring that all members of “Paradise” could trigger their “resonance” according to his arrangements the next day.

Since he understood the triggers for “resonance” among the “Paradise” members far better than I did, I trusted his plans completely.

But then he betrayed me.

On the very first day, he provided the game map for “Human Dragon,” directly causing the deaths of Qi Xia’s teammates and two of “Paradise’s” veterans, Jin Yuanxun and Xiao Yanjing.

Qi Xia then unleashed all his fury on me.

Luckily, I genuinely had no idea—I wasn’t lying. No matter how sharp Qi Xia was, he couldn’t detect any flaws in my tone or demeanor.

From that day on, I stopped following Chu Tianqiu’s arrangements. I decided to handle everything myself.

But when I handpicked Zhang Shan, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Xiangling to participate in the “Earth Tiger” game, Yun Yao grew suspicious of me again.

I wasn’t as clever as Chu Tianqiu, so no matter what I did, I would inevitably expose flaws.

It was bound to happen sooner or later—I could see it coming.

But do any of you even realize how dire the situation is now?

“Celestial Dragon” is about to win!

We’re out of time… We’re racing against the “gods,” and every step we take is fraught with danger. Even if I’m a fake… we don’t have time to dwell on that.

That day, after Qi Xia resolved the incident where Xiao Ran turned into a “Human Rabbit” and returned to “Paradise,” he confidently told me: “Xu Liunian, the person I’m working with is Chu Tianqiu. And you are you. We’re three separate individuals. If I can cooperate with ‘Chu Tianqiu,’ then I can also cooperate with ‘Xu Liunian.'”

It was then that I vaguely realized—Qi Xia’s “door” had opened for me.

But what he extended to me wasn’t an olive branch—it was a bloodstained thorn.

I could no longer keep up with any of them. No matter how many wounds that thorn would leave on my arm, I had to grab hold of it and climb up.

But I couldn’t agree outright—after all, this was Qi Xia.

“Qi Xia, you’re someone who’s hard to trust. I’m nowhere near as smart as you, so I’m even less inclined to believe you. I’m afraid you’ll drag me into hell.”

“It’s good that you don’t trust me. I’m a liar—you can only believe half of what I say.”

“Then how are we supposed to work together?”

Qi Xia told me his goal—he wanted to “gather the Paths,” and I could help him protect his teammates. In his eyes, our objectives aligned.

But Qi Xia… you still don’t understand me. Our goals were never the same.

Even Chu Tianqiu didn’t know—my ultimate goal wasn’t to escape this place, but to destroy it.

Qi Xia had exposed a flaw—one that was enough for me to achieve my goal.

“So, Xu Liunian, show me what you’re capable of.”

I was already thinking the same thing. I’ll make sure you see exactly what I can do.

After all, I hold a trump card that’s absolutely fatal to you—Yu Nian’an.

But there was still one urgent problem to solve: the exact trigger for Qi Xia’s “resonance.”

Considering the previous incident, there were two obvious triggers.

He was both “on the verge of death” and had seen “Yu Nian’an.”

Since Qi Xia had died many times before, “near-death” likely wasn’t the key factor—”Yu Nian’an” was.

But could such a powerful “resonance” really be triggered just by seeing Yu Nian’an?

To be safe, I decided to wait for an opportunity.

I needed Qi Xia to perfectly replicate the previous scenario—I’d make him see “Yu Nian’an” while on the verge of death. That way, the chances of his “resonance” activating would be extremely high.

Even if Qi Xia died immediately afterward, it didn’t matter—Qinglong’s deal with me never required keeping him alive.

My mission would be accomplished.

Now, I just needed to wait for one more opportunity—Chu Tianqiu extending a “thorn” to me as well.

If both of them opened a “door” for me, I could tiptoe my way through.

That night, I went back to the basement to see Chu Tianqiu—but something puzzled me… the cellar door wasn’t locked.

For a moment, I was confused—had I forgotten to lock it, or had Chu Tianqiu opened it himself?

“Xiao Nian, you’re here,” Chu Tianqiu said with a smile from inside.

He was sitting at his dining table, as if he’d never left.

“You seem happy today,” I remarked.

“Yes,” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “And you? Did anything happen today?”

“Today…” I hesitated, omitting my conversation with Qi Xia and briefly summarizing the events at “Paradise.” “There were quite a few injured. Li Xiangling was hurt the worst.”

“Li Xiangling?” Chu Tianqiu raised an eyebrow. “Will she… still be able to participate in games?”

“Probably not,” I said. “She needs rest.”

“Good…” Chu Tianqiu nodded, then stood up and walked to the wall. He pulled open a drawer, retrieving a syringe.

“What are you doing…?” I asked softly.

“After running ‘Paradise’ for so many years, our medical supplies are dwindling,” Chu Tianqiu said, examining the syringe before flicking the needle lightly. “Sometimes we have to make tough choices. You understand, right?”

Seeing the coldness in Chu Tianqiu’s expression, I realized something was very wrong.

Had he already started killing people on his own?

“Are you going to kill Li Xiangling?”

“Me? Oh, no, of course not.” Chu Tianqiu shook his head, putting the protective cap back on the needle and tucking it into his pocket. “I just want to give Li Xiangling some antibiotics. So don’t lock me in tonight—I need to step out.”

But how could I believe him?

His first question was whether Li Xiangling could still participate in games. After hearing the answer, he insisted on going out at night, taking a syringe with him to personally administer an injection… How was that not an attempt to kill her?

“Xiao Nian,” Chu Tianqiu called out as he passed by me, his tone eerily calm. “Tonight, I’m going to massacre ‘Paradise.'”

“Huh?”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard—as if something that should never have come from Chu Tianqiu’s mouth had just reached my ears.

“I’ve hired ‘Cats’ to kill everyone in ‘Paradise,'” he explained with a smile. “Once midnight strikes, no one here will escape. I suggest you run while you still can.”

Looking into his sincere eyes, I knew he wasn’t bluffing. He might genuinely intend to slaughter every member of “Paradise.” But what was the point?

In just a few seconds, my thoughts clicked into place.

If Chu Tianqiu wasn’t lying, this wasn’t a disaster—it was the “thorn” he was extending to me.