After hearing this, Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and pondered slightly.
Fishhooks flying everywhere, “Disaster Summoner,” the injured Han Yimo, the doctor in need of medical supplies, and the person who uttered those words back then…
“If that’s the case, there was indeed someone who first suggested searching the nearby convenience store for items that could save lives…” Qi Xia then revealed a strange smile. “Ha… interesting. So someone was already interfering from that point on. She… was actually one of ‘Qinglong’s’ people?”
“Oh?” Chu Tianqiu turned his head. “Who? That extra ‘Extremist’ in your room?”
“Who else could it be…? Truly fascinating!” Qi Xia turned to Chu Tianqiu with a frenzied expression. “We might be standing at the closest point in history to turning the tables. In my fragmented memories, I’ve never recalled ‘Qinglong’ interfering before.”
“But would ‘Qinglong’ be some kind of saint?” Chu Tianqiu pressed. “Every time he’s interfered in the past, it’s been to kill us. How do you know this time is any different?”
“Because he went to great lengths. If he wanted us dead, he wouldn’t have needed to go through so much trouble.” After answering, Qi Xia abruptly shifted the topic. “But… Chu Tianqiu, when did you find out Wen Qiaoyun was in the convenience store?”
“I…” Chu Tianqiu’s expression gradually darkened. “I’d rather not have remembered that person was Wen Qiaoyun. I’d have preferred her to just be an ordinary resident. After all, I conducted filthy experiments on her. I can’t explain why I’d develop such feelings for a resident, but when I realized she was Wen Qiaoyun… I nearly lost all reason.”
“So what happened to her?” Qi Xia continued. “Why haven’t all my memories been restored? Only a small portion?”
“Ha…” Chu Tianqiu’s cold expression vanished instantly, replaced by a manic gleam in his eyes. “What unfortunate timing, Qi Xia. You were a step too late.”
“Oh?”
“I killed her.”
“Wen Qiaoyun… is dead?”
Chu Tianqiu lowered his head to look at his hands, his voice hoarse. “Theoretically, I shouldn’t have been able to strangle a resident with ‘Earth-level’ constitution… But you know what?”
He slowly brought his hands together, as if tying an invisible noose in the air.
Then, he pulled his hands apart with a cold expression.
“When I strangled her like this… she didn’t resist at all.”
Chu Tianqiu tightened his grip in the air, his hands trembling. “She just kept murmuring, ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry.’ Her hands merely patted my arms lightly. Until the moment she died, she was still comforting me, never once trying to break free. The tighter I squeezed, the softer her voice became… Even as she suffocated to death, she was still patting my arms… Qi Xia… I killed her with my own hands. I abandoned the last shred of humanity I had. Not only did I kill someone with my own hands, but I killed the person I loved most.”
Watching Chu Tianqiu’s trembling hands, Qi Xia said expressionlessly, “Killing a ‘Madman’—do you know what that means?”
“It means she can never appear again… I know.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “That was exactly my goal.”
“So you’ve always been like this?” Qi Xia asked. “Apologies, but I never paid you much attention before.”
“It’s laughable, really.” Chu Tianqiu lowered his head. “In the past, to lead everyone out of here, I compiled extensive game strategies. To secure food for my so-called ‘comrades,’ I even personally struck deals with ‘Earth Dragon.’ I proposed trading for food, and he demanded eyeballs from corpses. I roamed this land seeking the strong while unconditionally sheltering weak ‘Echoers.’ To give them hope of escape, I wrote a guide for escapees. I gave it my all, risked my life countless times for others, only to be repaid with dead teammates and repeated memory loss. I was even accused of lacking leadership. Tell me, why?”
“That’s the path you chose.” Qi Xia said. “The road you took was never smooth—it was lined with invisible thorns.”
“The path I chose… was left behind by Wen Qiaoyun.” Chu Tianqiu murmured. “I must have gone mad. Not only did I ruin the path, but I also killed the guide.”
“But she’s free now, while we’re still trapped.”
Hearing this, Chu Tianqiu slowly smiled bitterly.
“Yes, Qi Xia.” He lowered his trembling hands and whispered, “She’s free. She no longer has to live here in a daze, nor dissolve into red dust. She just sleeps forever.”
“But this complicates things for me.” Qi Xia frowned. “Without her as the ‘key,’ how am I supposed to restore my memories?”
“Oh…? How strange.” Chu Tianqiu studied Qi Xia. “What does recovering your memories have to do with Wen Qiaoyun? The way we lost our memories is different—you don’t need her as a ‘key,’ do you?”
“And how would you know how I recover my memories?” Qi Xia sneered. “Are we at the stage where we must lay all our cards on the table?”
“Indeed, for decades, you never spared me a glance.” Chu Tianqiu nodded. “But I’ve always been observing you. You’re far too intriguing.”
“Is that so?” Qi Xia replied ambiguously.
Chu Tianqiu pulled two yellowed notes from his shirt pocket and slowly handed them to Qi Xia. “Care to see?”
Qi Xia took them indifferently and unfolded them.
One note read: **”I must ensure Qi Xia attains the Echo.”**
The other read: **”I must never let Qi Xia attain the Echo.”**
The handwriting on both was unmistakably Chu Tianqiu’s.
“Tell me, why?” Chu Tianqiu asked. “I only write notes as reminders for crucial matters. So what happened back then… that made me write two completely contradictory statements?”
“What?” Qi Xia handed the notes back. “Your memories aren’t fully restored either?”
Chu Tianqiu returned the notes to his pocket and gazed at the sky. “My memories are floating up there, searching for their owner. I’ll remember eventually.”
“That’s not strange at all.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Because my ‘Echo’ changed, your stance shifted accordingly. Nothing more.”
“Nonsense.” Chu Tianqiu cut him off. “Are you saying your ‘Echo’ shifted from ‘Spirit Hearing’ to ‘Endless Life’—and that’s something I’d need written reminders for?”
“Isn’t that the case?” Qi Xia asked.
“Neither of those ‘Echoes’ would ever prompt me to write, ‘I must never let Qi Xia attain the Echo.'” Chu Tianqiu fixed Qi Xia with icy, deranged eyes. “What exactly are you hiding… that would make me write such a thing?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage