Qiao Jiajin stared at the words written by the corpse for a long time before raising his head in confusion and asking,
“Liar, which one of you was teaching the other homework?”
“I…” Qi Xia found himself at a loss for words whenever he spoke with Qiao Jiajin. “Neither of us was teaching the other. Someone must be trying to send me a message.”
“Oh.” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “Why does this feel so similar to how that ‘Ant’ sent a message yesterday…?”
“Probably not the same,” Qi Xia replied. “Yesterday’s ‘Ant’ had its own thoughts, but this corpse was clearly being controlled.”
“Whoa… She stopped moving!” Qiao Jiajin exclaimed softly.
Qi Xia turned to look at the corpse and saw that it had indeed frozen in place, its hand propped on the table as if completely still.
“Hey!” Qiao Jiajin patted the corpse worriedly. “She’s not dead, is she?”
Realizing how odd that sounded, he quickly corrected himself, “She’s not dead *again*, is she?”
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes and glanced out the window. This was definitely worth pondering. If someone went to such lengths to send a message… why not just show up in person?
A corpse rampaging through the school building would only draw more attention, wouldn’t it?
Before Qi Xia could figure it out, a *thud* echoed as the corpse collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Damn it…” Qiao Jiajin quickly crouched down and checked the woman’s pulse. “This time, she really seems dead… completely gone.”
Footsteps soon echoed from the hallway as Zhang Shan and several members of “Paradise” appeared.
They happened to see a blood-covered woman lying motionless on the floor, with Qiao Jiajin’s hand still on her neck.
“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin faltered. He looked down at the scene, then up at the crowd at the door, before forcing a wry smile. “I might’ve had too much to drink today… If I told you this lady was already dead when she came in, would you believe me?”
“He didn’t kill her,” Qi Xia added. “Something’s going on.”
“Obviously, I know that,” Zhang Shan said, stepping forward to examine the corpse. After confirming it was the same strange woman they’d seen earlier, he sighed deeply.
“Were you chasing her?” Qi Xia asked.
“Yeah,” Zhang Shan replied, inspecting the body but finding nothing unusual. “How the hell did this thing even get in here…? I just can’t figure it out.”
“Is this the ‘enemy attack’ you mentioned?” Qi Xia pressed.
Zhang Shan hesitated. “It slipped past me and rushed into the building at an insane speed. It sure looks like an attack… Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine,” Qiao Jiajin said, shaking his head before pointing at the corpse. “But she’s not…”
…
**The Train**
Tianzhu knelt on the ground, gasping for air, his entire body drenched in blood—so much so that it was impossible to tell where his wounds were.
Standing before him, Qinglong remained expressionless, his long robe spotless except for his bloodstained hands.
“Was that all you’ve got?” Qinglong flicked his hands dismissively. “Even with these bodies, you’re useless. Your lack of combat experience leaves you at others’ mercy.”
“You think we’re like you…?” Tianzhu wheezed weakly. “We never wanted to use these bodies to slaughter others… How could we possibly ‘gain combat experience’?”
“Still stubborn.” Qinglong smirked. “Even if all of you attacked me at once—even if I didn’t use ‘Soul Snatch’—what chance would you really have?”
Tianzhu gritted his teeth, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He knew his time was running out.
The only regret was that the “Puppet’s” mission had failed. His “conviction” had been nearly beaten out of him by Qinglong, and now the “Puppet” had likely lost control.
*Get up… “Puppet.”* Tianzhu thought desperately. *If I’m going to die… I won’t let Qinglong walk away unscathed.*
Tianshe, overhearing this mental plea, glanced sideways, feeling a sudden admiration for Tianzhu, who had slumbered for decades.
His *thoughts* were so vivid, resonating clearly in Tianshe’s mind.
Truly… only those tempered by “reality” could exhibit such unyielding resolve.
If given the chance… should he return to that “reality” as well?
“Tianshe, what’s he thinking?” Qinglong demanded.
Tianshe stiffened, lifting his head to speak before hesitating, his gaze darting away nervously.
*Having to evade everyone’s eyes…* This constant vigilance was exhausting.
“He… he’s thinking…”
Tianshe struggled for words. He knew Tianzhu’s mind was fixated on *reactivating the Puppet*, but if Qinglong learned of this, Tianzhu would lose his last chance.
“Speak,” Qinglong snapped.
After a pause, Tianshe finally murmured, “He… wants to kill you…”
The moment the words left his mouth, both Tianzhu and Qinglong frowned.
“Interesting…” Qinglong’s lips curled into a manic grin. “Even riddled with holes, you still have the will to fight. If possible, I’d let you live—but I’m done playing.”
Tianzhu let out a faint chuckle, sending a silent *Thank you* toward Tianshe’s mind.
To Tianshe’s astonishment, Tianzhu pushed himself up again. Knowing that someone, however minor their aid, stood with him restored a sliver of his “conviction.”
With a sudden motion, Tianzhu swung his right arm toward Qinglong from a distance.
The arm expanded rapidly, swelling to monstrous proportions in half a second, its massive fist tearing through the air with a sonic boom.
Qinglong raised a hand to block, only for a blinding flash to erupt from the fist, forcing him to shut his eyes.
A cacophony of *echoes* surged around him—Tianzhu was going all out.
In that split second of brilliance, Qinglong closed his eyes and swiped his hand, effortlessly catching the colossal fist.
***BANG!***
“That’s the extent of your killing move,” Qinglong sneered.
Only Tianshe knew the truth: Tianzhu had unleashed all his *echoes* at once—solely to mask the *Puppet’s* activation.
…
Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan were crouched over the corpse, examining it.
The next moment, the corpse jerked upright like a reconnected marionette, its limbs twisting unnaturally as it sprang to its feet.
The two men, completely unprepared for the corpse’s sudden revival, yelped and fell backward onto the floor.
“Holy shit!”
Zhang Shan prided himself on having nerves of steel, but a corpse dying and reviving repeatedly was too much even for him.
“Tattoo guy… d-don’t freak out!” Zhang Shan nudged Qiao Jiajin, scrambling to his feet.
“Damn, who’s freaking out?” Qiao Jiajin shot up immediately. “I just felt like sitting down for a sec. Don’t scream like a baby, big guy.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage