Chapter 344: The Lonely Hero

Qi Xia held the emerald-green pebbles in his hands, examining them carefully over and over, always sensing something peculiar.

Their shapes and sizes were strikingly similar to teeth—irregular, angular, yet translucent, emitting a faint green glow. Judging by their texture, they were unmistakably jade.

“‘Jade’?”

Qi Xia paused before asking, “So you’re saying this thing called ‘jade’… you need to collect 3,600 pieces?”

“3,600…?” Zheng Yingxiong’s resolute expression faltered slightly, replaced by a bitter smile uncharacteristic of a child. “If it were really that few… why would they all succumb?”

Qi Xia hadn’t expected that not only were the items they needed to collect different between their two cities, but even the required quantities varied.

“Then… how many of these ‘jade’ pieces do you need to collect?”

“Commoner, the referee in our room told us that to escape, we must gather 57,600 pieces of this ‘jade.’”

“How… many?”

Qi Xia froze, wondering if he had misheard.

What kind of bizarre, oddly specific number was that?

It didn’t seem like a random fabrication, but why would they need so many?

“We’ve already given up hope,” Zheng Yingxiong said. “I know my city has lost any chance of escaping. To find a way to break free, I woke up this time, found a bicycle, and started moving toward the city’s edge. It took tremendous effort to get here.”

Zheng Yingxiong gazed out through the prison’s narrow window bars, his eyes filled with melancholy and a distant emptiness.

“This city is very different from where I was before. You actually have display screens here—they can show you the power of the awakened. What we once called ‘Fragrance’ is referred to here as ‘Echo.’”

“W-wait a second.” Qi Xia felt his thoughts clogging up again. “Did I hear you right? You’re saying display screens only exist here?”

“I don’t know about other cities,” Zheng Yingxiong replied. “But I’ve never seen them in mine.”

“So you never knew whether you had an ‘Echo’ or not…” Qi Xia narrowed his eyes slowly.

If his guess was correct, this was the reason their city had fallen into ruin.

“Yes…” Zheng Yingxiong lowered his head slowly. “As I said… as the ‘Hero’ of a city… I was powerless.”

Qi Xia stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, feeling as though he had grasped a faint clue.

The “Giant Bell” and “display screens” weren’t inherent features of the “Land of Finality.” They had jumped to conclusions—since they had encountered these things upon arrival, they assumed they were part of the environment.

If the setting never changed and only the people did, was it possible that the “Giant Bell” and “display screens” had been built by a “participant”?

The purpose was simple: to demonstrate the existence of “Echoes.” By making this supernatural ability visible, people would gradually uncover the survival rules of the “Land of Finality.”

Through repeated deaths, participants would realize that obtaining an “Echo” allowed them to retain their memories.

The “Giant Bell” and “display screens” served as their best reference points.

Though the theory was bold, the direction seemed correct.

If his guess was right, the person who built them had an “Echo” related to “hearing echoes”—more precisely, an ability possibly called “Spiritual Hearing.”

The “Giant Bell” and “display screens” were merely manifestations of this ability, magnifying it so the entire city could see.

Qi Xia frowned slowly, feeling a surge of respect for this person.

Without their ingenuity and the maximization of their ability, this city would never have survived this long.

Due to the nature of the “Land of Finality,” those without an “Echo” couldn’t retain memories. Yet for Zheng Yingxiong’s city, this crucial “Echo” was an intangible, incomprehensible mystery.

Even if someone luckily retained memories after death, they’d struggle to deduce why, let alone identify their special ability based on the name “Echo.”

This was likely why Zheng Yingxiong was called a “Hero.”

In that light, he must have held significant influence in his city. He could detect “Echoes” and determine if someone retained memories. Over time, he developed the habit of announcing abilities on sight.

But if their city was similar to Qi Xia’s, with roughly ten thousand people, how could they rely solely on Zheng Yingxiong?

Qi Xia knew the boy might not be lying—he could indeed have been a “leader” in his city. Or, more pessimistically, just its “mascot.”

They revered him as a “Hero” not for his strength, but because he could “smell” Echoes.

Zheng Yingxiong looked at Qi Xia and declared, “Being a hero is hard, but I’ll protect you, commoner.”

Qi Xia nodded thoughtfully, choosing not to engage further.

This child’s “Echo” seemed easily triggered, leaving him with too many memories. He no longer resembled a child but rather a naïve madman.

Unfortunately, he had experienced all this before his mind fully developed. The only way to restore his sanity now was to erase his memories.

“It’s still early. Let’s rest for a while.”

Qi Xia stood from the bed, walked to the table, and pulled out a chair to sit.

“You take the bed. I’ll stay here.”

He waved at Zheng Yingxiong, who, without hesitation, plopped onto the bed.

“Alright, commoner. I’ll take a nap then.”

Zheng Yingxiong carefully removed his bedsheet cape, folded it neatly several times, and placed it at the head of the bed as a pillow.

Then he took off his newspaper crown and short sword, setting them on the table.

Qi Xia sighed, leaning back in the chair.

Admittedly, the prison’s structure was more livable than the classroom—except that leaving any room here required traversing a considerable distance.

At dawn tomorrow, he’d need to rely on Nineteen’s ability again to have a proper talk with Qian Wu.

But Qi Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that he was taking too many risks.

Given his current abilities and situation, could he really meet Tianlong on the tenth day of this cycle?

A renewed sense of uncertainty clouded his mind—there were simply too many unanswered questions.

Yet aside from Tianlong, who else in this place could provide answers about Yu Nian’an?

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