Dr. Zhao and Xu Liunian had already talked themselves hoarse, but Chu Tianqiu merely smiled faintly.
He neither interrupted them nor refuted their words.
“Why on earth…?” Dr. Zhao said. “I’ve barely participated in any games, and every time I barely escaped with my life, hanging on by a thread… Why must you choose me?”
“Because you’re strong,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Every time your ‘Echo’ is needed, you can unleash it flawlessly. Whether you admit it or not, your mental resilience surpasses most people here.”
“That’s just stating the obvious…” Dr. Zhao muttered. “Performing surgery on patients is far more intense than unleashing an ‘Echo’… It’s the same pressure of being watched by a crowd, where a single mistake could mean a patient’s death, my reputation ruined, and their family hounding me for life. I might not die, but I’d suffer worse than death.”
“See?” Chu Tianqiu said. “That mindset already puts you ahead of most. True strength only emerges under extreme pressure, and you’ve endured enough of it. No matter how dire the situation, you’re unlikely to fail, right?”
“But I don’t want to!” Dr. Zhao protested. “I’m such a shallow person…!”
He stepped forward, looking aggrieved as he spoke to Chu Tianqiu.
“Everyone says ‘doctors have compassion,’ that their dream is to ‘heal the sick and save the dying’…” Dr. Zhao grabbed his own hair. “But I’m nothing like them. All I ever thought was, ‘Doctors make money,’ ‘Doctors marry well’… That’s why I became one. I was never noble or selfless—so why force me to act like it?!”
Chu Tianqiu chuckled softly and placed a hand on Dr. Zhao’s shoulder.
“That’s precisely why you’re special,” he said.
“What…?”
“Even if everyone knows ‘doctors make money’ and ‘doctors marry well,’ most still can’t become one,” Chu Tianqiu continued with a grin. “And the few who do often lie and claim their dream was always to ‘heal the sick and save the dying.’ That’s the biggest difference between you and them.”
“Stop joking…” Dr. Zhao said gloomily. “Even if there’s a difference, it’s the opposite kind.”
“No, the world hates ‘hypocrites,’ but some like ‘honest scoundrels,'” Chu Tianqiu countered. “And I happen to like ‘honest scoundrels.’ You know yourself clearly—a rare virtue many lack.”
“You call that a ‘virtue’…?”
“Of course. Humans are no different from machines,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Every machine has flaws, but some face them while others hide them. Only those who confront their flaws can improve. Those who hide them will eventually pay the price—because over time, they’ll even deny those flaws exist.”
Chu Tianqiu’s words left Dr. Zhao looking increasingly bewildered.
Though he had always been the “model child next door,” few had ever acknowledged him from this angle.
Most people praised his grades, career, and prospects—but never truly understood who he was.
Was a greedy, lustful man who still did his best to heal patients good or bad?
Was a doctor who took bribes but still performed surgeries diligently good or bad?
Public opinion was terrifying—how could he ever dare to show his true self to the world?
“And you, Xu Liunian,” Chu Tianqiu turned to her. “Don’t you still have something to do?”
“Something to do…?” Xu Liunian’s eyes flickered before she replied, “I have nothing left I want to do… I only know what I *can’t* do. If I’m forced into this game, it’d be beyond absurd…”
“Don’t be naive,” Chu Tianqiu said. “What’s the difference between you now and a stray dog? Just giving up like this?”
“What else can I do…?” Xu Liunian shot back. “Every idea I’ve had is impossible. All I can do is accept fate… I just don’t want to die horribly again, but neither you nor Qi Xia will let me go.”
“Ridiculous,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Xu Liunian, the reason I’ve never given up on you all these years is because you *kept fighting*—but look at you now.”
“Fighting…? How?” Xu Liunian lifted her lifeless eyes despairingly. “Can you give me a reason to keep fighting?”
As soon as she spoke, everyone present felt an eerie pressure descend from above. They looked up to see a strange figure in a long robe, with jet-black hair streaked with green, materialize midair before landing gracefully.
“A reason? Simple,” the figure’s androgynous voice rang out. “The reason is to go ‘home’… I thought of a few jokes today. Want to hear them?”
The sudden appearance left the group speechless—most had never seen Qinglong before.
Zheng Yingxiong immediately covered his nose, as if struck by another overwhelming force.
The previously calm atmosphere plummeted into icy tension. Even those who hadn’t met Qinglong knew danger had arrived.
“Wooooah~~~~~~”
Before anyone could react, a sharp sound tore through the air, shattering the tension like glass.
Everyone turned to Chen Junnan.
“Alright, lads, stand tall!” he bellowed. “Qinglong came all this way to tell jokes—we can’t let him down. Wait for my signal, then laugh on cue!”
Qinglong’s brow twitched before his expression settled into disdain.
“Empty bravado…” he sneered. “Mortals are all the same… No matter how miserable their lives, their mouths stay defiant.”
“Woooah…” Chen Junnan blinked, then glanced at Qiao Jiajin as if deep in thought.
“What, struck a nerve?”
“Not really…” Chen Junnan shook his head. “Just unsure if I should laugh now. The joke wasn’t funny at all.”
“You—!”
Just as Qinglong’s anger flared, Qi Xia cut in: “What’s wrong with wanting to go ‘home’?”
Qinglong paused, visibly intrigued.
“What a foolish notion… Qi Xia,” he chuckled. “Do you know the difference between humans… and pigs?”
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