Chapter 735: The Purpose of Killing

“Qi Xia…?” Dr. Zhao frowned slightly. “Have you forgotten? We’ve already joined ‘Paradise Gate,’ and our leader now is Chu Tianqiu.”

“But with so much deceit in this world, who can say for sure?”

Zhang Shan walked forward step by step, now less than ten paces away from the two of them.

Dr. Zhao quickly considered his options and soon realized the situation was dire.

Zhang Shan didn’t seem to be here to negotiate—it was more like he was here to demand answers.

“Han Yimo… I don’t think we can hold out much longer…” he whispered, turning his head slightly. “We’ll have to strike when he’s not paying attention…”

“You…” Han Yimo gave Dr. Zhao a helpless look. “Are you messing with me…?”

“Huh?”

“I finally summoned ‘Seven Black Swords’… and after you shattered them, you want me to summon another…” Han Yimo murmured, looking dazed. “What do you think I am? A weapon factory?”

“Uh…” Dr. Zhao was momentarily at a loss for words. “I… I didn’t think that far ahead just now… I…”

With only a few steps left between them, their conspiratorial whispers reached Zhang Shan’s ears. He sighed slightly and glanced back at Little Glasses. “These two really don’t seem to have much going on upstairs. What do you think?”

Little Glasses adjusted his glasses and said softly, “If you ask me whether they planned this themselves and framed Chu Tianqiu, I wouldn’t believe it—they don’t strike me as that clever. But if you say it’s the scheme of that young man named Qi Xia, I also doubt it. I heard he’s already left ‘Paradise Gate.’ Having two former subordinates kill people here makes no sense.”

“Oh…?” Zhang Shan immediately picked up on the key point in Little Glasses’ words. “So you’re saying… this really was arranged by Chu Tianqiu?”

“Zhang Shan,” Little Glasses said seriously, “you trust Chu Tianqiu, and the two of us trust you. We followed you without hesitation into ‘Paradise Gate’ because you believed in him. But that doesn’t mean we’ve opened our hearts to him. So I’ll judge this objectively—Chu Tianqiu is the most suspicious.”

“But…” Zhang Shan lowered his head, seemingly at a loss for words.

“That’s why I wanted to ask earlier—why do you trust Chu Tianqiu so much?” Little Glasses pressed. “You don’t retain memories, yet you always bring us to ‘Paradise Gate’ every time…”

“I have a secret,” Zhang Shan said. “One I’ve kept for years, not even telling those closest to me.”

“Chu Tianqiu knows that secret?” Little Glasses asked.

“Exactly.” Zhang Shan nodded. “Every time we leave the interview room, Chu Tianqiu pulls me aside and whispers to me. He recounts the secret only I should know and quickly fills me in on the state of this world. That’s why I have to believe him.”

“Can you tell us that secret?” Little Glasses gestured to himself and Old Lü.

“Sorry, no.”

Little Glasses nodded grimly, then abruptly changed the subject. “So… not even sworn brothers like us can know. That secret must mean everything to you.”

“Yes, it’s the one thing I regret most in my life,” Zhang Shan admitted. “That’s why I can’t tell anyone… yet Chu Tianqiu knows.”

Little Glasses gave Zhang Shan a deep look. “But… people change, don’t they?”

“What?”

“Everyone says Chu Tianqiu has retained at least two years of memories… but what if it’s longer?” Little Glasses mused. “What if, when you first met, you thought he was trustworthy and confided in him—only for him to use that secret to bind you to him for eternity?”

Zhang Shan stiffened slightly, halting mid-step.

“Little Glasses…” His expression darkened as he turned back. “I’m a simple man. No riddles. Spit it out.”

“I’m being direct,” Little Glasses replied. “Zhang Shan, you might have been tricked. Chu Tianqiu might not even need you to confess your secret—he could’ve used some ‘Echo’ to extract it from your memories. What if your secret wasn’t something you willingly told him?”

“Enough.” Zhang Shan cut him off. “I don’t buy it…”

“Tch.” Little Glasses shook his head helplessly. “Zhang Shan, you retained your memories last time, right? Based on your experiences then and now… is Chu Tianqiu really someone worth risking your life for?”

At those words, Zhang Shan’s resolute expression wavered.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. “Right now, the priority isn’t Chu Tianqiu—it’s dealing with these two.”

Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao, who had just begun to relax, tensed up again.

“Han Yimo!” Dr. Zhao shouted. “Summon ‘Seven Black Swords’ now!!”

“I… I’m trying…” Han Yimo squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the danger closing in.

Chu Tianqiu had told him his “Echo” was called “Invoke Calamity.”

When he first learned of this ability, he had been struck with indescribable dread.

Normally, any disaster he summoned would inevitably affect him—except for “Seven Black Swords.” There was only a fifty percent chance he would die by them. With Dr. Zhao’s help, his “Seven Black Swords” became relatively safe, targeting only the enemy.

But facing an enraged “Tian Xingjian,” his subconscious could no longer remain calm enough to summon them.

Han Yimo struggled to control his thoughts, forcing himself to suppress all sense of danger. If he started thinking “I’m going to die,” he’d collapse before Zhang Shan even laid a hand on him.

“Kid, since I don’t believe what you’re saying, I’ll have to stop you first.” Zhang Shan cracked his knuckles. “I’ll beat you two senseless, then get the truth from Chu Tianqiu myself.”

“Han… Han Yimo…” Dr. Zhao called out nervously. “Are you done yet…?”

“Almost… just a little more time…” Sweat trickled down Han Yimo’s face as dizziness clouded his mind. He had no idea if the “Seven Black Swords” were coming.

“Dammit… Chu Tianqiu was here earlier, but he vanished right when we needed him…”

Dr. Zhao muttered under his breath, then took a slow step back. Only one thought remained in his mind—run.

“What, Chu Tianqiu was just here?” Zhang Shan asked.

“Yeah…” Dr. Zhao nodded. “After we killed the first group, he came to… take something.”

“If this was his plan, why didn’t he stick around to supervise?” Zhang Shan pressed.

“He said he didn’t want blood on his hands…” Dr. Zhao answered truthfully. “But he…”

Noticing Dr. Zhao’s uneasy expression, Zhang Shan glanced at the corpses on the ground.

From this close, he could see each face clearly—all members of “Paradise Gate.”

But every single corpse had its eyes gouged out.