Although Lin Qin didn’t want to view the issue through tinted glasses, working as a convenience store cashier didn’t seem like a career a smart person would choose.
If Wen Qiaoyun truly was as intelligent, resourceful, and even possessed remarkable leadership skills as the rumors claimed—enough to make even Qi Xia willingly submit to her back then—then by all accounts, she should have been among the elite at the pinnacle of society.
She could have easily found hundreds of jobs that were more lucrative or respectable than being a convenience store cashier.
This so-called “stereotype” had nothing to do with education; it was simply because her abilities were strong enough that she should have achieved extraordinary success.
Yet, with two consecutive questions, the situation kept veering into strange territory.
A bizarre thought arose in the minds of the three girls before her—
This person really did seem to be Wen Qiaoyun, but Wen Qiaoyun wasn’t as formidable as they had imagined.
Where had things gone wrong?
Lin Qin knew that the Wen Qiaoyun standing before her was undoubtedly the same person as the “native” she had met before, and that female clerk had also been confirmed by “White Tiger” himself to be Wen Qiaoyun.
According to the old man “White Tiger,” this woman had not only led “participants” but had even once been an Earth-level “Zodiac.”
Lin Qin was well aware that she couldn’t achieve either of those feats, yet Wen Qiaoyun had.
Countless questions swirled in her mind, and she began to doubt whether the plan she and Yun Yao had devised to “create Wen Qiaoyun” was even reasonable.
“Hey…” Wen Qiaoyun suddenly interrupted their thoughts, her expression serious. “Are you planning to kill me? Are you all working together?”
Lin Qin and Jiang Ruoxue exchanged glances but remained silent. Though four people stood in the room, aside from Wen Qiaoyun, the other three were all “Extremists”—in a sense, they really were a team.
At that moment, everyone’s gaze shifted to Yan Zhichun. Only one orb remained above her head—what happened next rested entirely on her.
If they wanted to uncover the secrets Wen Qiaoyun held, this might be the best—and only—opportunity.
But Yan Zhichun’s expression suggested she had no interest in Wen Qiaoyun at all. Instead, she kept staring at Lin Qin.
Lin Qin sensed something and turned to face her. “Hold on… Are you really going to waste this chance? There’s something far more important right in front of us. Can’t you set aside your grudge with me for now?”
Yet Yan Zhichun seemed fixated, her gaze growing colder as she stared at Lin Qin before speaking firmly: “I’ve said it before—’Extremism’ is my faith. So I have to get this straight. Lin Qin, are you really an ‘Extremist’?”
The black orb floated to Lin Qin’s forehead and hovered there.
Lin Qin sighed helplessly. She knew that if she didn’t resolve Yan Zhichun’s doubts here and now, she’d face even more trouble later.
Taking a deep breath, she stared at the orb in front of her and said, “I am indeed an ‘Extremist.'”
Yan Zhichun and Jiang Ruoxue both watched the orb intently. If Lin Qin was lying, it would pierce straight through her forehead.
But what happened next only made the situation even more unsettling.
The orb neither vanished nor struck Lin Qin. Instead, it trembled faintly in midair.
It swayed left, then right, then wobbled back and forth—as if it had encountered an answer it couldn’t quite process.
“What’s going on…?” Jiang Ruoxue muttered, glancing at Yan Zhichun in confusion.
Yan Zhichun, too, seemed puzzled. They both took a step forward, staring at the orb that wavered uncertainly in front of Lin Qin’s forehead, their expressions blank.
Thinking the orb might not have heard her clearly, Lin Qin cleared her throat and repeated louder, “I, Lin Qin, am an ‘Extremist.'”
Her confident tone almost convinced even Yan Zhichun—except the orb continued trembling in place, neither advancing nor disappearing.
It simply shook violently, as if caught in an impossible dilemma.
Lin Qin stared at the orb nervously, then looked at Jiang Ruoxue. “I wasn’t killed… so that means I told the truth, right?”
“I… can’t say for sure,” Jiang Ruoxue admitted, shaking her head. “Normally, the orb disappears if you tell the truth and attacks if you lie. But I’ve never heard of it just… hesitating like this.”
Lin Qin’s mind raced. Even she didn’t understand what was happening. She knew she was telling the truth—so why wasn’t the orb vanishing?
Before Yan Zhichun could say another word, the orb suddenly shuddered violently—as if giving up—before pulling away from Lin Qin’s forehead and returning to float above Yan Zhichun’s head.
Apart from Jiang Ruoxue, none of them had experienced the “Heavenly Serpent’s Moment” before. They didn’t understand the underlying mechanics of this deadly Q&A game—only that something unusual had clearly just happened. The previous question had been nullified, and Yan Zhichun now had another chance to ask.
But why?
Was “Are you an Extremist?” a question that couldn’t be answered?
This bizarre phenomenon only deepened Yan Zhichun’s curiosity about Lin Qin’s identity.
This woman hadn’t lied—yet the orb hadn’t disappeared either.
After half a second of thought, Lin Qin quickly spoke up. “I suggest you don’t try again… These ‘Heavenly Moments’ can’t possibly operate as precisely as a machine. There must be some flaws…”
Still unable to determine Lin Qin’s stance, Yan Zhichun hesitated briefly before asking another question: “Lin Qin, do you want to protect this place?”
The orb flew toward Lin Qin’s forehead once more and stopped.
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Lin Qin frowned and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
This question might be deadly.
When she had first revealed her identity to Qi Xia at “Paradise Gate” and proposed cooperation, she had declared with absolute certainty:
“‘Extremists’ have always protected this place, but I think they’re wrong.”
She had said: “I’ll lend you my power. Let’s destroy this place together.”
She had also said: “My ‘Stimulus’ can drastically increase someone’s chance of ‘Echo.’ Let’s build an ‘Echo Army,’ tear this place apart, and finally return to the real world.”
Though she was an “Extremist,” her actions had always been fundamentally different from the rest.
She wanted to escape—and she wanted to help Qi Xia escape.
After a long silence, Lin Qin finally answered, “I don’t want to protect this place.”
**Crack.**
The strange orb shattered before everyone’s eyes.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage