Chapter 938: I Want You Dead

As soon as Chu Tianqiu finished speaking, tears streamed down his smiling face.

His lips curled into a grin while tears rolled down like beads.

Wen Qiaoyun’s expression softened with pity, her brows furrowing slightly as she stepped forward and gently grasped Chu Tianqiu’s arm. “Don’t cry…”

Chu Tianqiu stared at her, his expression unbearably complex.

“That’s why I can’t leave,” Chu Tianqiu said softly, pushing her hand away. “How many ‘participants’ in this entire ‘Land of the End’ are like me, already counting down their lives before even arriving here?”

“Is it a terminal illness?” Wen Qiaoyun asked again.

“Brain tumor,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Only in this place of infinite cycles can my lifespan be extended. No medical treatment in the world can save me—only this cursed land.”

His words struck with weight, and Wen Qiaoyun guessed he might not be lying.

“Infinite… cycles…?” Her mind raced, piecing together the truth.

No wonder this man felt so familiar. Could it be that the “lover” he spoke of was…?

No matter how she thought about it, Wen Qiaoyun couldn’t make sense of it.

Even in his current state of madness, she could tell he was quite handsome, his clothes expensive-looking.

As a faction leader, he must also be exceptionally intelligent.

Yet she was plain in appearance… and in reality, just a convenience store cashier.

How, then, could two people with such mismatched lives, experiences, intelligence, and financial means ever become lovers?

Especially in a place this hopeless?

“Qiaoyun…” Chu Tianqiu spoke again. “I thought I had freed my lover from the cycle… yet she returned. What should I do?”

His words all but confirmed her suspicions.

“How do you know… your lover even wanted to leave?” Wen Qiaoyun asked. “What if she felt the same way as you?”

“No,” he answered. “Because she was always striving to escape. For the longest time, I had no motivation to move forward. Then I realized… if I could help fulfill her dream, it would at least settle one of my regrets.”

“Did she… know about your brain tumor before?” Wen Qiaoyun pressed.

“No,” he said. “We were each other’s most important person. If she had known… how could she have kept fighting to leave?”

“So you planned to stay here and let your lover go free.” Wen Qiaoyun gave a bitter laugh. “Even if it meant killing her to set her free?”

“Yes,” Chu Tianqiu smiled faintly. “I had no other choice… I had to stay, but she still had a life ahead. As twisted as it sounds, killing her was to protect her. She’s suffered too much—she deserved freedom long ago.”

Wen Qiaoyun fell silent for a moment before asking, “But she did come back. What will you do now? Kill her again?”

Chu Tianqiu also paused before answering, “Yes. I still want her to die.”

The air between them grew heavy with silence until the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, neither speaking another word.

“Tell me honestly…” Wen Qiaoyun finally broke the silence. “If I die, will everyone be freed?”

The air turned deathly still again. Even Chu Tianqiu seemed taken aback by her question.

She was the same as before, yet not quite.

“I can’t say for sure,” he admitted, shaking his head. “There’s only a chance. No one here knows the true method of liberation. Everyone’s just stumbling in the dark. Success is uncertain—we can only see who fails less.”

“A chance is enough,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “I can tell you’re smart. If you’ve really figured something out, then it’ll save me time. Let’s try it.”

“But there are many smart people in the world…”

“No.” She shook her head. “The world is made up of ten percent smart people, ten percent fools, and the remaining eighty percent are just… lost.”

“Lost?” Chu Tianqiu raised an eyebrow.

“Mm. They sway with whoever’s loudest—smart or foolish—without their own convictions.” She sighed. “That’s why their leader matters so much. If given the chance, I’d like to lead them too.”

Chu Tianqiu exhaled softly.

“But I’m one of the lost,” Wen Qiaoyun chuckled. “In my life, I’ve done things both wise and stupid.”

He remembered how, back then, she had fearlessly built a massive organization without any certainty of success.

Just as she said, its decisions had swung between brilliance and folly—yet none of it diminished her determination to help others.

“So if you have an idea, just try it,” she urged. “You’ve been at this for a long time, right? Since smart people like you have already done the trial and error, why should I stubbornly go it alone?”

When Chu Tianqiu remained silent, she asked again, “How do you want me to die?”

Those few words stabbed into his heart like a dagger.

Perhaps killing Wen Qiaoyun again… truly would bring him closer to “godhood.” Yet losing her once more after having her back would hurt far worse than the first time.

Qi Xia… is this your plan? To make me tear my own heart apart over and over?

Chu Tianqiu couldn’t tell if Qi Xia’s latest “Endless Cycle” was meant to help him or torment him.

All he knew was that after this, he’d be even more broken. If he let Wen Qiaoyun live, all his efforts would be wasted.

“Qiaoyun… I need you to die completely,” he said, voice thick with despair.

Another long silence stretched between them.

“You know I’ve lost my memories,” Wen Qiaoyun finally said. “If this place has ‘infinite cycles,’ does that mean normal death is hard to achieve?”

“Yes,” Chu Tianqiu nodded.

“Then how do I ‘die completely’?” she pressed. “And after I die, how will you free me?”

“There are many ways… Tomorrow happens to be one.” He took a breath. “Qiaoyun, you’re the most important person to me in this ‘Land of the End.’ Once you’re gone, I’ll carry out the rest of the plan. I can’t guarantee liberation for everyone, but I know that if I keep breaking past human limits, I can brush against the threshold of ‘godhood.’”

After a long pause, Wen Qiaoyun said, “Alright…”

“Tomorrow, I’ll be joining a game,” Chu Tianqiu told her. “Come with me.”

“A game…” She nodded. “You want me to die in it?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “No matter who the referee is… I want you to ‘bet your life.’”