Chapter 768: Seeking Death

“You mean Qi Xia…?” Xu Liunian frowned as she asked.

“Who else could it be?” Chu Tianqiu replied. “I saw the answer in his eyes.”

“But even if he knows the truth, it’s useless,” Xu Liunian said. “Like I said… no one here can take back the ‘train’ or fight against the ‘gods.’ No matter what we do, it’s futile.”

“Is that so?” Chu Tianqiu nodded noncommittally. “Then we’ll just have to wait and see.”

After a pause, he gave Xu Liunian a meaningful look and said, “Xu Liunian, I can casually let people die here because I know they’ll return in the next cycle.”

Xu Liunian stared at him, unsure of his point.

“That’s why I don’t want you to disappear completely,” Chu Tianqiu said, enunciating every word. “For the sake of that so-called ‘superior’ of yours, there’s no need to push yourself to such extremes. You don’t have to leave entirely—just stay here.”

Xu Liunian lifted her head slightly, her expression tinged with sorrow and confusion. She didn’t understand why Chu Tianqiu was doing this or whether she should be grateful for his concern.

“But Chu Tianqiu…” she said, “you still lied. I heard you killed Wen Qiaoyun.”

“I…” Chu Tianqiu stiffened before turning his gaze into the distance.

“You said you kill people because you know they’ll always come back… but when you killed Wen Qiaoyun, you knew she wouldn’t revive,” Xu Liunian pressed. “Every one of us suffers here. Why were you willing to let Wen Qiaoyun be freed but not me?”

“Because you don’t deserve it,” Chu Tianqiu answered coldly. “Wen Qiaoyun was a victim here, but you’re the perpetrator. Your roles aren’t equal, so I can’t let you die so easily. Even if you die, I’ll drag you back here.”

Xu Liunian let out a bitter laugh. “I see.”

Chu Tianqiu fell silent, glancing down at the school gate where a commotion seemed to be brewing.

Zhang Shan and Old Lü were arguing with a young man, their voices rising.

With a sigh, Chu Tianqiu turned and walked toward the entrance.

……

“Dang it!” Zhang Shan scratched his head. “Kid, we can take you in, but you can’t lie to us. You were never part of our group before, so we have to be careful.”

“I’m really not lying…” The young man frowned in confusion. “There’s been this voice in my head telling me to come here… I don’t even understand it myself. It’s driving me crazy.”

As the two argued, Chu Tianqiu approached.

On the way, he ran into Dr. Zhao, exchanged a few words, and then both arrived in front of the young man.

The moment the young man saw Chu Tianqiu’s appearance, he felt like he’d stepped into something extraordinary.

“Hello,” Chu Tianqiu said with a smile. “I’m the leader here. Who are you looking for?”

The young man, barely eighteen or nineteen, looked equally bewildered. He timidly glanced at Chu Tianqiu’s bloodstained clothes before asking cautiously, “Is this place called ‘Heaven’s Gate’?”

“More or less,” Chu Tianqiu replied. “Who sent you?”

“I… I don’t know…” The young man scratched his head, as if struggling with his own thoughts. “Bro, I just woke up on the street… There’s this voice in my heart telling me I *have* to come to ‘Heaven’s Gate’…”

“And what does it want you to do here?” Chu Tianqiu asked.

“To ‘die,'” the young man answered. “I don’t even know why… but the voice keeps echoing in my head, making me feel like I’m losing my mind. I thought coming here might help.”

“You’re not afraid of death?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.

“I am…” the young man admitted. “But bro… to be honest, I remember already being dead.”

Chu Tianqiu caught the key detail in his words, and the truth of the matter began crystallizing in his mind.

“Oh…? You say you’re already dead, yet you followed the voice to ‘Heaven’s Gate’?”

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me… but that’s how it is,” the young man said. “I remember dying in a terrifying place…”

“I believe you,” Chu Tianqiu said immediately. “Bizarre things happen here all the time, so I give everyone the benefit of the doubt.”

“…Thank you,” the young man replied. “But bro… you don’t seem like violent people either…”

Chu Tianqiu chuckled. “Relax. Trust your subconscious. If it’s telling you to die here, then you must have your own way of dying.”

“Ah… no… that’s not what I meant…”

The others were growing increasingly confused by their exchange. Old Lü quickly stepped in to mediate. “Kid, what’s your name?”

“My name is… Cheng Aoyu.”

“Alright, Cheng,” Old Lü said. “Come inside and rest first.”

Just as Old Lü was about to lead the young man into the school building, Chu Tianqiu called out to them.

“Wait.”

“Huh…?” Cheng turned back to look at him.

“What’s your ‘Echo’?” Chu Tianqiu asked.

“I…” Cheng gave an awkward smile. “Mine is pretty useless. At best, it can make you have a nice dream.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Your ‘Echo’ can’t be more useless than mine.”

“I’m just worried my ability is too weak to help you…”

“Don’t be,” Chu Tianqiu said softly, stepping closer. “If your ability *were* useful to us, you might be dead already.”

“Wha—?” Cheng recoiled, feeling like he was still trapped in a nightmare.

There weren’t many kind people here, but few showed such hostility upon first meeting.

“Being useless is for the best,” Chu Tianqiu said, patting Cheng’s shoulder. “Useless people survive just fine here.”

Cheng swallowed hard before murmuring, “Bro… I’m ‘Dreamwalker.'”

Hearing those words, Chu Tianqiu’s pupils flickered. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “And you call *that* a useless ‘Echo’?”

“Huh…?”

Chu Tianqiu pondered for a moment before asking, “You said you remember dying. Do you recall where?”

Cheng hesitated before answering, “I don’t know if it was a dream… but I think I died in a place with a Landmonkey…”

“Was it ‘Plum Blossom Stakes’ or the ‘Casino’?”

“…The ‘Casino.'”

Chu Tianqiu nodded. “Lucky you. You won’t die today.”

“What…?”

With that, he turned to Dr. Zhao and said, “I’ll give you a map. Bring me his eyes.”