“You…”
Chen Junnan swallowed hard, seemingly caught off guard by Qi Xia’s blunt response. He then pressed, “Then what’s your purpose?”
“I don’t know,” Qi Xia replied. “I can’t remember.”
“Quit bullshitting me, asshole!” Chen Junnan snapped. “Qi, you’re not even bothering to think before you speak now, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“You said we’re ‘useless’ yourself,” Chen Junnan growled, lowering his voice. “But if you don’t even know why you brought us together, how can you claim we’re ‘useless’?”
“I don’t need to know the ‘purpose’ to realize you’re already ‘useless,’” Qi Xia answered coldly, his eyes fixed on the campfire, devoid of emotion.
“What…?”
“One ‘scapegoat,’ one ‘breaker of all laws.’” Qi Xia’s voice was icy. “If everyone in this room was gathered for a specific purpose, then the reason you two are here is painfully obvious.”
Chen Junnan seemed to grasp something but still asked in disbelief, “What reason?”
“Two impulsive, emotionally driven, justice-obsessed people placed beside me—naturally, you’d see me as someone trustworthy and easily form a team with me.” Qi Xia’s tone was clinical. “Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, whether you believe it or not, you two were brought here to be my human shields.”
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin’s eyes widened in shock.
This felt worse than outright insults.
“Chen Junnan, maybe I once saw you take the blame for others, or witnessed your reckless temper, knowing you’re easier to manipulate than most. That’s why you earned a spot beside me. If I played my cards right, you’d willingly die for me. Your control over ‘echoes’ is sloppy—maybe you never wanted this, but you couldn’t resist your subconscious urge to be a martyr.”
Chen Junnan’s pupils contracted slightly at the words, his brows furrowing.
Qi Xia then turned to Qiao Jiajin. “And you’re no different. I might’ve noticed you were looking for a smart partner, and with your easily triggered ‘breaker of all laws,’ I pulled you into this room. Once you were here, you’d inevitably suggest ‘cooperation.’ After I agreed, you’d rely on your combat skills and ‘breaker of all laws’ to become my invincible shield.”
Qiao Jiajin glanced at Chen Junnan, both men grappling with the revelation.
This… had taken a bizarre turn.
“So, do you understand now?” Qi Xia said flatly. “From the start, I placed you two in this room to absorb fatal blows for me. That’s why you don’t need to say ‘we’ll help you’ anymore—you’re already ‘useless’ to me.”
Chen Junnan’s anger gave way to confusion. He opened his mouth but said nothing, eventually sinking to the ground in silent contemplation.
Qiao Jiajin followed suit, his gaze locked on Qi Xia.
“What’s with the looks?” Qi Xia asked.
“Nah…” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “I just don’t fucking get it.”
“What don’t you get?”
Chen Junnan took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Alright, Qi, if that’s how you’re spinning it, then let’s hash this out properly.”
“Go ahead.”
“Even if—*even if*—what you said is true,” Chen Junnan gestured emphatically, “even if your grand plan was to use us as meat shields, fine, I’ll take the L. But we stepped up for you because of *loyalty*, you prick. Why the hell would we do that for anyone else? And looking back, you never screwed us over.”
“True,” Qi Xia nodded. “Screwing you over wouldn’t benefit me.”
Qiao Jiajin cut in, “What’s ‘benefit’ got to do with it, liar? If we’re playing this game, then my reason for befriending you was to ‘use’ your brain. But you know damn well that’s just how it started—doesn’t mean I didn’t end up seeing you as a brother.”
Qi Xia shook his head. “You’re twisting the logic. It’s not the same.”
“How the hell isn’t it?” Chen Junnan snapped. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Why even say ‘you’re useless’ just to piss us off? You *want* me to beat your ass?”
“No, I meant it,” Qi Xia said. “You don’t need to be my shields anymore. We can go our separate ways.”
“Oh? You planning to stop dying from today on?” Chen Junnan shot back.
“No. But dragging you into this room was my debt to you. I’ve also helped you settle scores—consider it even. From now on, we don’t need to be tied together. Go wherever you want.”
“Qi,” Chen Junnan sighed deeply. “You *know* that logic doesn’t hold up. If me and Old Qiao were meant to be ‘shields,’ what about the other six in the room? Your ‘weapons’? If you’re categorizing us by our ‘echoes,’ how do you explain them?”
“I don’t know,” Qi Xia admitted. “I only vaguely remember making a deal with Qinglong. I altered the room’s layout—even the initial ‘interview game’ was my design. But I can’t recall *why.* Maybe in a while, or even the next second, it’ll come back to me.”
“I still don’t buy it,” Chen Junnan said. “Unless you give me a better reason.”
“This isn’t about ‘reason’ anymore,” Qi Xia said darkly. “I have a feeling that staying connected to me will only bring you ruin.”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’ve always been arrogantly confident,” Qi Xia muttered. “I convince myself I can handle any danger. If I went out of my way to plant *two* shields beside me… it means I foresaw something catastrophic.”
Oddly, the words brought Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin a strange sense of relief.
“Oh, *this* again. I thought it was something serious,” Chen Junnan chuckled dryly.
Qiao Jiajin blinked. “What ‘again’?”
“Old Qiao,” Chen Junnan smirked. “Our boy Qi here’s just playing the lone hero.”
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