Following the clues Jiang Ruoxue provided, I quickly arrived at the building where Xiaoxiao often stayed.
But I didn’t reveal myself, choosing instead to observe the unusually burly girl from the shadows.
After all, my task wasn’t to befriend her—I just needed to ensure she was a proper “Extremist.”
I had to admit… she was truly unhinged.
She would attack anyone without reason, or suddenly become obsessively determined to disrupt the normal flow of a game. I realized Jiang Ruoxue was practically a genius—whenever Xiaoxiao had an “episode,” her behavior perfectly matched the ideal “Extremist.”
She could kill based on her whims and casually inflict “despair” on her teammates. Her very existence was a ticking time bomb, fulfilling every requirement Bai Yang had for an “Extremist.”
Her “Echo” was called “Scapegoat.” Even if someone wanted revenge, they couldn’t touch her—she could effortlessly shift any misfortune meant for her onto someone else.
I think I understood the origins of Xiaoxiao’s “Scapegoat.” Every time she had an episode, it was someone else who suffered. It was an innate ability—her own calamities could be forcibly transferred to others.
I followed her discreetly to multiple locations and noticed she frequented a particular game hosted by the “Earth Ox.”
That Earth Ox used black bears to kill people, and Xiaoxiao was a regular there. The game suited her perfectly.
Not only did she have an innocent face, but when she wore a jacket, her frame appeared completely unthreatening. Anyone would assume she was just a slightly overweight girl—never imagining the terrifying muscles hidden beneath her clothes.
So she could move through the game however she pleased—killing, sowing discord. The Earth Ox there saw her every day, and the game site might as well have been her personal playground.
After some observation, I realized the Earth Ox wasn’t a bad person. From his perspective, he kept trying to persuade Xiaoxiao to change her ways—since her actions only created endless enemies and seemed utterly pointless. But he didn’t know she couldn’t even control her own destructive impulses.
Jiang Ruoxue, that shameless liar, had deceived me. Xiaoxiao wasn’t just “prone to episodes”—she was *always* in one. I saw her take medication, but it had no effect. I’d never seen her in a normal state. I had no idea how that lunatic Jiang Ruoxue dared to talk to someone like her.
For now, all I could do was protect Xiaoxiao from the shadows before she awakened her “Echo”—using “Soul Snatch” to deal with anyone trying to ambush her. Once her “Echo” manifested, I’d step back. If she died, so be it. At least the memory would remain.
Some time later, Xiaoxiao emerged from the Earth Ox’s game with a sullen expression. Then I saw a group of people exit the same game—something I’d never witnessed before. The Earth Ox’s games rarely had so many survivors, let alone so many unfamiliar faces. Two of them even carried bear arms, looking like they’d struck gold.
After the crowd dispersed, Xiaoxiao went back to speak with the Earth Ox. He was still trying to talk sense into her, but she wasn’t listening.
Then, with a strange expression, she dashed out of the game site and headed straight for one of the groups carrying a bear arm. What kind of “Echo” did they have to tear off a bear’s limb like that?
If they ever found out those “bears” were just manifestations of an “Echo”—or worse, that they were actually humans transformed by “Morphing”—would they still feel justified ripping off their limbs?
I glanced in the direction Xiaoxiao was heading. I recognized that look—she intended to kill.
This time, she hadn’t killed in the game. Instead, she was hunting them *outside* of it. Were those people important?
Hiding in the shadows, I watched Xiaoxiao enter a restaurant. Soon after, the two men and two women carrying the bear arm arrived.
This situation was unusual—Xiaoxiao was actually using strategy to kill. Was this an ambush?
If she was lying in wait, then I’d wait for *her*. This girl hadn’t awakened her “Echo” yet, and that made me uneasy.
Before long, a bell tolled in the distance—Xiaoxiao’s “Scapegoat” had triggered. But what surprised me was that a few minutes later, *another* bell rang. I wondered if it was connected to her ability.
“Tch…” A voice suddenly sounded in my ear. “‘Trigger’?”
“Zhou Mo?” I frowned. “Why are you contacting me now? What ‘Trigger’?”
“Uh…” Zhou Mo hesitated. “Nothing major. Yan Zhichun, are you with ‘Scapegoat’?”
“How’d you know?” I asked, puzzled.
“Tch, that bitch Jiang Ruoxue told me. She said you’d be with ‘Scapegoat’ these days and to contact you if anything came up.”
I was about to respond but realized I couldn’t admit I’d been stalking Xiaoxiao from the shadows—that’d make me sound like a creep.
“We’re together, more or less,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“Tch, nothing urgent,” Zhou Mo’s voice crackled. “I was just at the monitor and saw two ‘Echoes’ activate back-to-back. Thought Xiaoxiao might’ve gotten into a fight.”
“So, do you need help?” I asked.
“Tch, no need. We’ve made a deal with that ‘Trigger’ person. She’s decent. If Xiaoxiao *is* fighting her, just step in if you’re nearby. We’re recruiting strong players right now.”
“Recruiting…?”
“Tch, yeah. Whether it’s ‘Extremists’ or ‘Cats,’ we need all hands on deck. Oh, right—last cycle, they mentioned some powerful newcomer named Qi… Damn, what was it? Whatever, I’ll double-check the name and have my people tell Jiang Ruoxue directly. No need to bother the ‘Extremist King.’ Speaking of, where *is* that bitch? Haven’t seen her in days.”
I sighed. “Forget the ‘Extremist King.’ Xiaoxiao’s awakened her ‘Echo,’ so my job’s done. Let’s meet up—I’ll fill you in on Jiang Ruoxue.”
“Fine,” Zhou Mo said. “Tch, but you’ll have to wait. I need to ask Fifth Brother for time off.”
After ending the call, we agreed to meet at a house where Jiang Ruoxue and I often convened.
But before Zhou Mo arrived, I spotted Jiang Ruoxue herself—exhausted, walking into the house like a corpse bathed in the sunset’s glow.
She’d only been gone for a little over ten days, yet her eyes carried the weight of decades.
“Ruo… Ruoxue? You’re back?”
Her expression was off. She pulled up a chair and sat down slowly, her face etched with sorrow.
“What happened…?” I asked. “Where are ‘Flower’ and ‘Seed’…?”
“Zhichun…” she murmured. “Let’s destroy this godforsaken place…”
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