Yan Zhiqun’s tone was unyielding, not because she harbored any prejudice against Han Yimo, but solely due to the nature of his “Disaster Magnet” ability.
In this land, everyone’s “Echo” had side effects, but she had never seen someone whose “Echo” was essentially *just* a side effect.
All the efforts of the “Extreme Path” over the past seven years had been leading to this moment. Adding a “Disaster Magnet” to the team now, no matter how you looked at it, was simply absurd.
“Me… go alone…?” Dr. Zhao froze. “I do want to help, but no matter what kind of organization you are or how many people you have… the fact is, I don’t know a single person I can trust. You have to consider my perspective too, don’t you?”
“Forget it, then,” Yan Zhiqun replied. “Thank you, Dr. Zhao. You’ve already helped me a lot. Let’s hope for better cooperation next time.”
“Ah…” Dr. Zhao sighed. “Fine. After all, we’ve only met once. I can only say I did my best.”
“Exactly!” Han Yimo cut in. “Old Zhao, ignore them. Who knows what these side characters are so smug about?”
Yan Zhiqun and Jiang Ruoxue could only conclude that this young man was completely unhinged—nothing he said made any sense.
“Sure, sure,” Jiang Ruoxue nodded quickly. “We’re all side characters, and you’re just an extra, right?”
“Glad you know it!” Han Yimo snapped, then paused. “Wait, who the hell is an extra?!”
“What, then? Not an extra—are you the lighting guy?” Jiang Ruoxue shot back.
Seeing her sharp wit, Han Yimo pressed his lips together in frustration and turned away. “Old Zhao, ignore her. Qi Xia’s back now anyway. If they don’t want us, there’s always another place. I’ll just say this—don’t underestimate the young and poor. They can look down on me all they want, but sooner or later, they’ll regret it.”
“Qi Xia… is back?” Yan Zhiqun paused slightly. “You know him too?”
“What, now you’re scared?” Han Yimo sneered. “Not only do we know him, we were teammates in the same room. Qi Xia is my ‘Guide’ and my ‘Savior.'”
Yan Zhiqun found this intriguing.
After all, Qi Xia *was* Bai Yang—and Bai Yang had also been her “Guide” and “Savior.”
If that was the case… could Han Yimo be another “Needle” planted by Qi Xia?
His deranged behavior suggested he was a seasoned “Echo” user. Plus, his ability, like “Scapegoat,” was blatantly displayed on the screen. Had she underestimated the power of “Disaster Magnet”?
“Same room as Qi Xia…?” A bold hypothesis flashed in Yan Zhiqun’s mind. She quickly called out, “Wait—what was your room’s ‘Interview Game’?”
“Interview Game…?” Dr. Zhao thought for a moment. “Let’s see… there was ‘The Liar,’ ‘Bamboo Shoots After Rain,’ and… what was the last one…?”
“‘Death From Above’?” Yan Zhiqun ventured.
“Yes!” Dr. Zhao nodded. “How did you know? Did someone tell you?”
In that instant, everything clicked for Yan Zhiqun.
Zhang Qiang hadn’t disappeared—he had been *trapped* in Qi Xia’s room all along. No wonder he had said Zhang Qiang would never be promoted…
Even if everyone else vanished from that room, Qi Xia would never disappear.
Moreover, when she first met Bai Yang, he had told her that every teammate in his room had been carefully selected. This ensured both Zhang Qiang’s “eternal stagnation” and his “permanent safety.”
Given that, this lunatic in front of her might be more of a “Needle” than she was—a pawn handpicked by Qi Xia long ago.
“Come to think of it,” Jiang Ruoxue murmured, “that Qi Xia guy… his room is full of interesting people. Besides these two, there’s that weird ‘Extreme Path’ member Lin Qin, and that tattooed guy who took down Xiao Xiao and Luo Shiyi. All of them are unheard-of ‘Echo’ users.”
“And then there’s that Chen Junnan,” Yan Zhiqun added dryly, “who kept trying to set me up on blind dates.”
“Blind dates…?” Jiang Ruoxue blinked, then laughed. “What kind of motive is *that*?”
Yan Zhiqun didn’t respond, only sighed. “Exactly… ever since Qi Xia led his team into this land, everything has been progressing like clockwork. It’s terrifying…”
“What?” Jiang Ruoxue didn’t follow.
“Ruoxue, you were right,” Yan Zhiqun said. “What’s happening now was already predetermined by ‘Cause and Effect’ long ago.”
“That’s my life motto,” Jiang Ruoxue smiled. “You agree?”
“You embody ‘Cause and Effect,’ so you feel it intensely,” Yan Zhiqun explained. “But the truth is, someone spent an *extremely* long time orchestrating this. None of this was destined by heaven—it was *human-made*. He minimized his chances of losing to the greatest extent possible.”
“You mean…” Jiang Ruoxue’s eyes widened. “That person is… *him*…?”
“Mm.” Yan Zhiqun nodded, then turned to Dr. Zhao and Han Yimo. “Since we’ve crossed paths here, it must be fate. Will you two join me in action tomorrow?”
“Oho…” Han Yimo smirked. “A power fantasy, huh? The face-slapping comes this fast? Now you’re begging for my help? Fine, I’ll humor you. Sooner or later, you’ll all see who the real protagonist is.”
Jiang Ruoxue let out a bitter laugh and rubbed her temples. “You’re *so* weird… what did you do before coming here?”
“I’m a *writer*,” Han Yimo declared. “Everything here can be explained through fiction. Compared to you, I understand this place better. Even if you don’t recruit me today, I’ll still become the true ‘Savior’ eventually.”
Jiang Ruoxue stared at him for a long moment before finally muttering, “Right…”
Han Yimo snorted. “But… you mentioned a ‘Savior’ earlier. What exactly do you need me to *do*?”
“Let’s just say… if you two participate tomorrow, you might *become* the true ‘Saviors.’ Everyone here will remember your deeds.” Yan Zhiqun glanced out the window at the darkening sky. “One of you is a life-saving doctor, the other an aspiring savior-writer. Maybe you’re more suited for this than anyone.”
“Ha!” Han Yimo perked up instantly. “You should’ve led with *that*!”
“W-Wait a second…” Dr. Zhao frowned. “Miss, if you’re handing this whole mission to just the two of us, then what’s the point of your organization? Do you *not* do any work?”
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