“Then what can I rely on…?” Qi Xia looked out the window and answered calmly, “On ‘strength’? On ‘information’? On ‘connections’? On ‘echoes’?”
Xu Liunian gripped the steering wheel tightly, pursing her lips in silence as she stared ahead.
Yes, Qi Xia had almost nothing to rely on. The only thing he could truly depend on was his own mind.
“What else do I have?” Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes, his gaze now filled with boundless despair. “I possess nothing tangible, and now even the intangible is slipping away.”
“The intangible…”
“Humans are like this,” Qi Xia explained softly. “When everything feels hopeless, they desperately seek a ‘spiritual anchor.’ But often, this so-called anchor is neither visible nor tangible. It’s merely a thread of ‘life’ buried deep in everyone’s heart. Yet for me, this thread grows ever more elusive—I’m on the verge of losing it.”
Qi Xia’s silhouette against the car window was especially desolate, like a tiny candle flame burning alone in the vast darkness of the universe.
“So, what do you mean…?” Xu Liunian knew every word now required utmost caution, for Qi Xia was in the midst of an “echo.”
A single thought from him could set the entire “Land of Finality” into motion.
After all, every notion he conceived, every word he uttered, had the power to reshape the very fabric of this realm.
“I miss her terribly,” Qi Xia murmured. “Every motive I have, every ounce of effort I expend, is because she still exists. That’s why you can manipulate me however you like—just don’t toy with ‘Yu Nian’an.'”
“Qi Xia… I never meant to toy with you…” Xu Liunian’s expression darkened at his words.
Perhaps this man wasn’t as strong as he appeared. No matter their ultimate goals, everyone here had to step over Qi Xia to achieve them.
So Qi Xia didn’t need to make any mistakes. Simply being Qi Xia meant he had to endure everyone’s “schemes.”
He might even die here for good, solely because he was Qi Xia.
He was both a piece in the game and the game itself.
“But do you truly refuse to believe Wen Qiaoyun is stronger than you?” Xu Liunian ventured one last time. “She was someone who once stood before Qinglong and Tianlong. Maybe it was just a small misstep that kept her from remaining active…”
“That’s the ‘Omnipotence Paradox,’ Xu Liunian,” Qi Xia interrupted with a sigh, still gazing out the window.
“The Omnipotence Paradox…?”
“Exactly,” Qi Xia nodded. “If there’s an omnipotent god in this world, can he create a stone so heavy that even he can’t lift it?”
Xu Liunian pondered this carefully. It was indeed a thought-provoking question.
If an omnipotent god could create such a stone, his inability to lift it would prove he wasn’t truly omnipotent. Conversely, if he couldn’t create it, he still wouldn’t be omnipotent.
“So, what’s your point?” Xu Liunian asked. “What does the ‘Omnipotence Paradox’ signify here?”
“It means I can’t create Wen Qiaoyun,” Qi Xia turned his sorrowful eyes toward her. “If I believed anyone in the ‘Land of Finality’ was stronger than me, I wouldn’t be this desperate, nor would I possess such a powerful ‘echo.’ So I am the ‘god,’ and Wen Qiaoyun is the ‘stone I can’t lift.’ Does that make sense now?”
At these words, Xu Liunian abruptly slowed the car. It took her several seconds to steady the wheel again, navigating past a few black lines streaking across the road before accelerating once more.
“You’re saying… it’s precisely because you’re more despairing than anyone else that you’ve gained ‘Endless Life’…”
“Do I have anything to rely on?” Qi Xia countered. “We’ve been here for over thirty years, haven’t we? If there were truly something—or someone—I could lean on, something that would let me devote myself fully or find even a sliver of peace, how could I have come this far?”
Only then did Xu Liunian fully grasp how powerless she was in this so-called “game.”
Her memories had persisted for decades, and with each cycle, she reconsidered her path forward.
Yet Qi Xia, whose memories barely held, had laid out a path for his future self decades ago.
This was the gap between them.
“I’ve lost,” Xu Liunian said.
Hearing these words, Qi Xia slowly turned to her and asked solemnly, “We never made a bet. How can you ‘lose’?”
“I didn’t lose to you—I lost to this world,” Xu Liunian smiled bitterly. “Qi Xia, you’re truly remarkable. Now, I have just one last strategy left.”
“A ‘strategy’…?” Qi Xia raised an eyebrow. “Against me?”
“Yes,” Xu Liunian nodded. “I’m about to deploy a strategy against you. It’s the key to whether we can escape this place.”
“Alright. Speak. I’m listening.”
“I have a plan. It might sound absurd, but it’s a possible ‘path’ out of here.”
Qi Xia said nothing, merely tapping the car window lightly with a finger.
“Just think about it, Qi Xia… If you can convince your subconscious that all of us have already escaped to the outside world, then according to the nature of ‘Endless Life,’ our ‘copies’ will inevitably appear out there. Then we… we…”
Xu Liunian’s expression grew increasingly pained, her eyes reddening.
“Then we’d become the ‘copies,'” Qi Xia finished. “Is that correct?”
“Isn’t it?” Xu Liunian let out a tearful laugh. “What other choice do we have…? Everyone wants to exploit your ability now… and I’m no exception, though I’m not as clever as the others…”
“I… I… even though…”
Xu Liunian gradually brought the car to a stop, burying her face in her hands. Overcome with emotion, she broke down sobbing.
“Qi Xia, I don’t know if you’ll believe me… Even if I’m not as smart as everyone else here… even if my actions often seem foolish… my ‘ultimate goal’ is the most selfless of all. None of the ‘schemes’ I’ve devised have ever factored in my own survival. All I want is for the ‘Land of Finality’ to end—even if it’s through a method no one else will accept… even if it costs me everything, even if I’m utterly destroyed…”
She collapsed onto the steering wheel, weeping uncontrollably. “But I’m so useless… Not only are my schemes easily seen through… even now, every word I say is being heard by those above…”
“But we can’t surrender,” Qi Xia said softly. “Living here as mere copies, ending our absurd lives—would you be content with that?”
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