Chu Tianqiu stood quietly in front of a classroom door for several long minutes before finally raising his hand to knock.
“Come in.”
A girl’s voice came from inside, causing Chu Tianqiu to stiffen slightly.
He slowly pushed the door open and caught sight of the person inside.
That single glance felt like an eternity had passed.
She was wearing a convenience store uniform T-shirt, her hair tied up casually, her wide eyes staring straight at him.
Chu Tianqiu’s gaze flickered for a moment before a faint, bitter smile tugged at his lips.
How many years had it been since he last saw this face?
Her cheeks were no longer sunken, her eyes no longer lifeless, her fingers no longer withered—even her clothes were clean and tidy.
She was no longer a deranged monster but a living, breathing human being.
*”Endless Rebirth.”* What an overpowering and eerie ability.
It could tear apart all farewells, trample over all emotions, and defy every rule—only to start all farewells anew.
For a moment, Chu Tianqiu felt as if he had returned to the day he first arrived in this land. If not for the weight of the eyeballs hanging from his neck, he might have believed he had traveled through time.
But time in this cursed place never flowed backward. The only things that cycled endlessly were living lives.
The seemingly frail woman before him had experiences no ordinary *”participant”* could fathom. She had once led countless *”participants,”* served as both a *”Zodiac”* and a *”native,”* shouldered the trust of many, and endured suffering beyond imagination.
Yet here she stood, unharmed, as if nothing had ever happened. Her eyes were clear as water, as if she had just arrived for the first time.
“Is there something you need?” the girl asked.
Then, her gaze drifted to Chu Tianqiu’s attire, and her expression turned slightly odd. “You’re…?”
“I’m the leader here. My name is Chu Tianqiu.” He placed a can of food and a bottle of water on the table before continuing, “From now on… I hope we can get along.”
“Leader…?”
“You—” Chu Tianqiu hesitated, feeling the question might be too forward. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile and ask perfunctorily, “What’s your name?”
“Wen Qiaoyun.”
“Wen… Qiaoyun.” He nodded. “That’s good…”
Qiaoyun found the man in front of her rather strange. “What’s so *’good’*…? And why are you dressed like this…?”
“These?” He reached up to touch the eyeballs hanging from his neck. “They’re the hope of everyone here.”
“Hope…?” She had never heard of such a thing.
“Once, I had my own hope too,” Chu Tianqiu said. “But under the gaze of these eyes, it slowly vanished. Now, I want them to witness another path on this land with me.”
“You’re a very strange person,” Qiaoyun remarked. “You look like a villain, but talking to you doesn’t feel threatening at all.”
“I’m really not a good person.” Chu Tianqiu slowly walked to a chair beside her and sat down. “Qiaoyun, in this place, those who are too kind never meet a good end. History has proven this to us time and time again.”
“What…?” She blinked in confusion. “But… this feels so strange. Even though we’re meeting for the first time, hearing you call me *’Qiaoyun’* feels familiar.”
The eerie crimson glow of the setting sun cast its light on Wen Qiaoyun’s face, and in an instant, countless images flashed through Chu Tianqiu’s mind.
The person he had once aided, doubted, loved deeply—and ultimately killed with his own hands.
The memories tangled and overlapped in his mind, but in the end, all of them were stained red with blood.
“Qiaoyun… You shouldn’t have come back,” Chu Tianqiu murmured, lowering his head.
“Come back…?” She paused, then quickly understood. “Leader, did you know me before?”
“I…”
“I suspected as much,” Qiaoyun said with a faint smile. “I couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere. Did I lose my memories?”
“Perhaps.” He nodded. “Everyone here loses their memories—it’s just that you’ve lost more than most.”
“So, we must have been good friends before, right?” she asked.
“In a way,” he answered softly.
“Then… why did you say I *’shouldn’t have come back’*?” She gave a bitter laugh. “If we were close, wouldn’t you have wanted me to return?”
“Because I killed you with my own hands.”
“…What?”
“I strangled you to death right in front of me.” Chu Tianqiu lifted his head, his face filled with despair. “Your existence was the only proof that I was still *’human.’*”
“I… don’t understand…”
“I thought that by killing you, I could become a *’god.’* But I never imagined this path would be so difficult.” His smile was bleak, the stench of blood thick around him. “Who would’ve thought Qi Xia would find an even crueler method… He abandoned his humanity in a way no ordinary person could.”
The more Qiaoyun listened, the more she felt the man before her was unhinged—yet she didn’t know how to respond. Everything about Chu Tianqiu, from his appearance to his words, exuded an aura of *’danger.’*
But deep down, a voice whispered to her—this man wasn’t truly evil. There was a helplessness in him that even ordinary people never experienced.
“It seems the *’mind’* is what truly makes us human… Not *’emotions.’*” Chu Tianqiu let out a hollow laugh. “What I considered the most brutal way to *’ascend’* was merely the first step for him.”
Qiaoyun was silent for a long moment before reaching out to pat his shoulder. “Being a *’leader’* must be exhausting… If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”
“Qiaoyun… When will this cursed place ever let us go?” His voice was ragged. “Is killing the one you love with your own hands not enough…? Is watching them suffer for over a decade still not enough?”
“The one you love…?” Her expression shifted slightly, as if something had stirred within her. “Tell me… What were you thinking when you killed the person you loved?”
Chu Tianqiu was silent for a long time before answering:
“I wanted to set her free. I wanted her to escape.”
“You…”
“I wanted to become a god—and I wanted everyone to escape.”
“Why would you think that way?” she asked. “Didn’t you want to escape too…?”
“I…” His head lowered further. “If I left… I would die immediately. Even here, every day is agony—I can’t sleep, I can’t feel sorrow…”
A ghastly smile spread across his face as he looked at her again.
“Qiaoyun… No matter how sad, how helpless, how despairing I am… All I can do is smile.”
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