Qi Xia walked on the road toward “Paradise Spire” and came to a halt in front of the “display screen,” stopping of his own accord.
He looked up at the screen, which showed an unusually high number of “Echoes.”
The largest line of text in the center read, “Life Begets Life.”
Scattered in the corners were numerous other “Echoes” such as “Heaven’s Vigor,” “Scapegoat,” “Calamity Beckon,” “Disintegration,” “Artifice,” and “Soulshift.”
Just as he had heard before, the closer they got to the final days, the more “Echoers” would awaken in this place.
The few people tailing Qi Xia from behind saw him stop and quickly ducked behind a nearby wall.
“Having fun?” Qi Xia asked without turning around.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiajin tugged at Chen Junnan’s sleeve. “Handsome guy… is he talking to us?”
Chen Junnan blinked. “Doubt it…? This guy’s lost it. Maybe he thinks it’s a voice-activated screen…”
“Is following me really that interesting?” Qi Xia pressed.
The air grew heavy with silence.
“Alright,” Chen Junnan muttered after a pause, shaking his head resignedly. “Guess I’m the one losing it.”
Since they’d been spotted, Chen Junnan strode out boldly, and the others quickly followed suit.
“Well, well—if it isn’t the famously short-tempered Qi Xia?” Chen Junnan said with exaggerated sarcasm. “Enjoying some TV time?”
“Why are you following me?” Qi Xia asked.
“Who the hell’s following you?” Chen Junnan shot back. “This street’s wide open—we can walk wherever we damn well please!”
Qi Xia gave him a cold glance. “Stop following me. Just go.”
Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “Liar… We’re just worried about you going to ‘Paradise Spire’ alone. That place is dangerous.”
“Chu Tianqiu is enough,” Qi Xia replied. “There’s no point in you coming with me. He won’t touch me.”
“But…” Qiao Jiajin hesitated, unsure what else to say.
“I told you, who the hell’s following you?” Chen Junnan snapped aggressively. “They’re helping me look for Sister Dong. What’s it got to do with you? Once we find her, we’re outta here. Stop yapping and move along.”
Qi Xia paused before asking, “Who are you looking for?”
“Qin Dingdong,” Chen Junnan grumbled.
Qi Xia nodded. “She’s right behind you.”
“Huh…?”
It took everyone three full seconds to process his words before they whirled around.
Sure enough, Qin Dingdong stood there in confusion, startling them all.
They hadn’t heard a single footstep the entire way, yet she was barely three or four steps behind them—as if she’d been waiting there the whole time.
Zheng Yingxiong covered his nose, his expression twisted in discomfort.
“Me…?” Qin Dingdong looked down at herself in disbelief, pinching her cheek as if to confirm reality. Things suddenly felt far more complicated.
“Sis… Sister Dong?” Chen Junnan blinked. “How the hell did you just pop up here?”
“I… don’t know,” Qin Dingdong said, equally baffled. “I just remember opening my eyes and… what’s going on? Classmate Qi, Classmate Qiao, Sweetie… and that bastard Chen Junnan? You’re all here?”
“We… uh…” Chen Junnan fumbled for words, unsure how to explain the situation.
If Qi Xia’s “Echo” was “Life Begets Life,” did that mean this Qin Dingdong was a “copy” he’d created…?
“Sister Dong, do you remember where you were before this?” Chen Junnan pressed.
“I… remember dying,” Qin Dingdong said numbly. “I was killed by ‘Heavenly Serpent’…”
Her answer threw Chen Junnan’s thoughts into chaos. He had too many questions and no idea where to start.
Chu Tianqiu had once pulled a similar trick by “copying” himself, but the duplicate had clear gaps in memory compared to the original.
Yet that didn’t seem to be the case with Qin Dingdong. So was she really a “copy”?
“Old Qi…” Chen Junnan finally spoke after a long silence. “What the hell are you doing…?”
“Finding the person you wanted to find,” Qi Xia replied.
Chen Junnan turned to glare at him, fury in his eyes. “You know how messed up your ability is, right…? Sister Dong was dead—and you just dragged her back. Is that right?”
“Isn’t it?” Qi Xia countered. “We’ve all died and come back here countless times. What’s one more?”
“You think you’re some kind of hero?” Chen Junnan spat. “Think you saved her?”
“I never said that,” Qi Xia replied flatly. “We’ve only got two days left. We’re all going to die anyway.”
“But what about the next cycle…?” Chen Junnan demanded. “Have you even thought about how many of us will wake up in the room? Even if your ability is this overpowered, you shouldn’t be breaking the delicate balance!”
“It doesn’t matter how many copies there are,” Qi Xia said. “The ‘Zodiacs’ will kill the extras as per the contract. That’s the ‘Watch Theorem’—no matter which one they kill, the one left standing is the real one.”
“You—”
“Anything else?” Qi Xia asked.
Chen Junnan was too furious to speak, while Sweetie and Qiao Jiajin stood there bewildered, unable to follow the conversation.
“If not, stop following me.” Qi Xia paused, then glanced at Qin Dingdong. “Is Lin Qin dead?”
“I… don’t know,” Qin Dingdong admitted. “We ran into ‘Heavenly Serpent,’ and things got messy. I was the first one he killed.”
“Damn it…” Chen Junnan cursed. “Like master, like disciple. ‘Heavenly Serpent’ and ‘Earthly Serpent’ are cut from the same cloth.”
“I don’t know if they escaped… but ‘Heavenly Serpent’ was asking us questions. If you couldn’t answer, you died,” Qin Dingdong said, still shaken. “But Lin Qin and Lawyer Zhang seemed smarter than me. They should’ve been fine, right?”
Qi Xia frowned slightly. “How many of you were there?”
“Four,” Qin Dingdong answered. “Me, Zhang Chenze, Lin Qin, and Su Shan. We played ‘Earthbound Dog’s’ game. Su Shan died, and Lin Qin and I got hurt.”
“Lin Qin was injured?” Qi Xia mused. “Then she’s definitely dead. Even if ‘Heavenly Serpent’ didn’t kill her, she wouldn’t have survived ‘Pegasus’ Hour.'”
“‘Pegasus’ Hour’…?” Qin Dingdong blinked. “What’s that?”
Qi Xia didn’t answer. Instead, he turned away. “Enjoy your reunion. Don’t follow me.”
Just as he was about to leave, the giant bell nearby began to chime—another “Echoer” had arrived.
**DONG!!**
The toll reverberated before them, and a new, never-before-seen line appeared on the screen:
**”I have heard the Echo of ‘Madman.'”**
Qi Xia stared at the words, his face unreadable. After a few seconds of thought, he set off again.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage