Chapter 1068: Experiment

Qi Xia avoided everyone along the way and arrived at the room marked with the character “Si.”

Though he was already in enemy territory, the place seemed relatively safe, with no signs of anyone entering.

He reached out and lightly touched the solitary “door” standing in the center. This was his first time making contact with these strange portals, and he couldn’t help but examine it more closely.

At first glance, these “doors” appeared no different from ordinary ones—made of commonplace wood, with a rickety, decayed craftsmanship.

Why did these “doors,” despite looking so plain, allow passage to other places so effortlessly?

Qi Xia turned the handle and slowly pushed the “door” open.

On the other side was a bookstore.

Standing at the threshold, Qi Xia frowned slightly. He recalled Chen Junnan’s earlier directions and felt certain he hadn’t taken a wrong turn. So why was there a bookstore on the other side?

A snake, so white it almost glowed, had its back to the “door.” Sensing something, it slowly turned its head and locked eyes with Qi Xia.

“You… brat…?” The white snake blinked in surprise.

“You…?” Qi Xia pondered for a few seconds, sensing that the situation wasn’t unfolding as he’d expected.

“Didn’t think anyone could actually enter this place,” the white snake chuckled. “Come on in, you goddamn brat. Time to read.”

“Pass,” Qi Xia replied coldly. “I’ll close the door for now. Might come back later.”

“Close the door…?”

Without another word, Qi Xia shut the door. He then walked to a corner of the room and pulled out three “characters” from his pocket.

“Soldier,” “Scholar,” “Scholar.”

One of the “Scholar” characters was crooked and clearly a fake.

Qi Xia placed the counterfeit “Scholar” on the ground, then went back and opened the door again. The bookstore was still there.

The white snake blinked, baffled by Qi Xia’s actions. It was about to ask something when Qi Xia silently shut the door once more.

To test his final theory, Qi Xia placed the “Soldier” on the ground as well, keeping only the genuine “Scholar” in hand before opening the “door.”

Still a bookstore.

“Hey… are you messing with me, brat?”

“No,” Qi Xia replied. “I’m conducting an experiment.”

“Experiment my ass,” the snake snapped, scowling. “If you’re coming in, just come in. Why keep opening and closing the damn door?”

“I’m alone,” Qi Xia said. “Entering would mean fighting you, and I don’t see the point.”

“Uh…” The snake hesitated, realizing Qi Xia had a point. “Then what kind of experiment are you running?”

“I’m trying to find a way to open the door without seeing you,” Qi Xia explained. “And I’ve found it.”

“Found it…?”

“Anything else to say?” Qi Xia asked. “Next time I open this door, it won’t be you I see.”

The snake sighed and stepped closer to the door.

The two faced each other, yet they seemed worlds apart.

The snake glanced through the doorway, spotting the dark void and the silhouette high above. It knew this wasn’t the place for conversation.

After a pause, it said, “Well… be careful. If you die in there, no one’s gonna bury you.”

“Same to you.”

Qi Xia gave the snake a meaningful look before shutting the door.

He pulled the genuine “Scholar” from his pocket and tossed it to the ground. Now carrying only the “Soldier,” he took a deep breath and opened the “door” again.

Inside was a crude space—just a Zodiac and a table.

The situation matched Qi Xia’s expectations. If a piece that wasn’t supposed to “cross the river” did so, opening the “door” would trigger a “Land-level game.”

Fortunately, he hadn’t entered with an enemy. Otherwise, being trapped in a “Land-level game” would make survival far from guaranteed.

There was also the risk of the “Land-level Zodiac” gambling with his life—a scenario with an extremely high fatality rate.

Seeing Qi Xia at the threshold, the “snake” inside slowly stood up.

They had met briefly not long ago, when the Human Snake had opened the door to release the group into the hallway. But now, after just a few days, it felt like an eternity had passed.

After a long silence, the Human Snake finally spoke two words: “You are…”

“I am.”

The Human Snake studied Qi Xia’s decisive response and his grayish-white eyes. There was nothing left to ask.

Brother Goat had never escaped at all.

Lowering his head, the Human Snake gently touched a tattered notebook, worn from constant flipping. “How do you prove that you…”

“This is proof.” Qi Xia tapped the notebook on the table.

The Human Snake fell silent, overwhelmed by a sudden, suffocating emptiness.

It coiled around him like a rope, choking his breath and trapping his words in his throat.

If Brother Goat had never escaped… what had he been clinging to all this time?

On one side was the most important person in his life. On the other, his deepest conviction.

Now, though the person had returned, the conviction had vanished. Should he rejoice or grieve?

He had wanted Brother Goat to stay forever—yet also to truly leave.

But he had never wanted Brother Goat to return as a “participant,” forced to relive it all.

It was like choosing hesitation over progress, or choosing an endless cycle over life or death.

If even Brother Goat couldn’t escape this place, who else stood a chance?

Qi Xia closed the door behind him and sat down across from the Human Snake.

He glanced around the room, noting its stark simplicity—likely a dilapidated building one might find on any street corner.

“Brother Goat…” the Human Snake choked out. “You’ve been gone for almost a month. What’s happening now?”

“It’s a long story,” Qi Xia replied. “I never became a Zodiac to ascend as a ‘Heaven.’ I did it for this moment.”

“What…?”

“Every time, I thought I couldn’t ‘win,’ so I chose to ‘lose,'” Qi Xia continued. “Luckily, things are mostly going according to plan now, so there’s no need to worry.”

The Human Snake nodded, though his expression remained conflicted.

“You wanted to see me, didn’t you?” Qi Xia asked. “Just to confirm my identity?”

“I promised Old Black and Money-Losing Tiger I’d verify who you were…”

The Human Snake clutched the notebook filled with unsolvable problems, crumpling its corner. He felt an inexplicable sorrow but couldn’t pinpoint its source.

“They must’ve already confirmed my identity,” Qi Xia said. “And I doubt that’s the only reason you called me here.”

“What…”

“Does the White Goat have a message for me?” Qi Xia asked coldly.