Chapter 210: Idle People

Qi Xia arrived at the school cafeteria in the evening, carrying the day’s earnings.

He bought five cans of food and five bottles of water from Aunt Tong.

Each of these items cost one “Dao.”

To be honest, it was expensive.

If one didn’t participate in the games and relied solely on the initial four “Dao” earned from the interview room, they’d likely run out of food and water within two or three days.

But even if they did participate in those “Human-level” games, how many “Dao” could an average person earn in a day?

With good luck, maybe three to five.

The people of “Paradise Entrance” were destined to either starve to death or die in battle—that was the inevitable outcome.

Just as Qi Xia was about to leave, he spotted canned beer on the side.

He picked one up and asked—this worthless thing actually cost four “Dao.”

“Tsk… I can barely afford to survive anymore.”

……

Qi Xia carried the food and beer back to the classroom, where three people were already waiting.

Han Yimo, Lin Qin, and Dr. Zhao.

It seemed that after enduring the ruthless culling of the first few days, those who remained weren’t so easy to kill off.

But Han Yimo was still a problem.

Over the past few days, he either participated in some simple “Human-level” games or just sat in the classroom staring at the sky.

He wouldn’t die easily, but neither could he sever his “Echo.”

“I brought some food,” Qi Xia said, placing the canned goods and bottled water on the table.

The three thanked him, just as Qiao Jiajin walked in.

His hands and feet were wrapped in thick bandages, but he looked surprisingly energetic.

“What’s this?” Qi Xia frowned. “You should be resting in the infirmary. I’d bring the food to you.”

“Dang it! Scammer, do you even know me?” Qiao Jiajin plopped onto a chair. “You call these injuries? You think I need to rest?”

“Suit yourself.” Qi Xia shook his head and tossed him a can of beer. “If I’d known you were fine, I wouldn’t have bothered buying this.”

Qiao Jiajin caught the beer, paused for a few seconds, then suddenly slumped weakly. “Oww… Actually, I feel… dizzy…”

“Enough, stop faking.” Qi Xia sat beside him. “Tell me about today’s match. Did you ‘Echo’?”

At this, Qiao Jiajin perked up, gathering everyone around as he recounted the day’s events in detail.

The game had been full of twists and turns, making Qiao Jiajin think they were going to lose at one point.

Fortunately, both he and Zhang Shan had awakened their “Echoes,” ultimately defeating the opponents.

Listening to Qiao Jiajin’s story, Qi Xia noted several key points.

First, his own “Echo” could actually affect others?

Qi Xia glanced subtly at Han Yimo. If this condition truly applied, Han Yimo’s ability would instantly rise to another level.

If “Disaster Summoning” could be used on enemies, wouldn’t that make it an extremely lethal ability?

But Han Yimo was still very different from Xiao Xiao.

If Xiao Xiao’s “Echo” failed, she’d at most get injured, but if Han Yimo’s failed, he would surely die.

If he realized this, the immense psychological pressure would only increase the likelihood of failure.

Second, there was the man called “Luo Shiyi.”

He seemed to be a mercenary operating independently from the “Extremists.” According to Qiao Jiajin, this man had accepted payment and was willing to sacrifice his own life to achieve his goal.

But in the “Land of Finality,” what kind of payment could make someone sell their life?

“Qiao Jiajin, what did he say his ‘Echo’ was called?”

“‘No Pain,’” Qiao Jiajin declared confidently.

“Uh…” Qi Xia blinked. “Are you sure that’s the name he gave?”

“Well…” Qiao Jiajin chuckled awkwardly. “He did introduce himself, but I forgot.”

“It’s ‘Forget Sorrow,’” Lin Qin interjected.

“Forget Sorrow?” Qiao Jiajin nodded quickly. “Right, that’s it. How’d you know?”

“I… was watching from the screen and saw it,” Lin Qin replied.

Qi Xia silently repeated the name, finding it odd.

“‘Forget Sorrow’ means ‘No Pain’? That doesn’t seem fitting at all.”

Qiao Jiajin thought back to the man’s words. “Apparently, it wasn’t just pain—he said he couldn’t perceive any ‘negative sensations.’”

Hearing this, Qi Xia’s expression slowly changed.

“Forget… Sorrow?!”

He looked at Lin Qin in shock, and she seemed to realize something as well.

But how could that be?

Could this man have some connection to Qi Xia’s “Grief”?

“Is that man dead?” Qi Xia asked.

“Yeah, dead.” Qiao Jiajin sighed, his expression regretful. “Even though I didn’t kill him, he died because of me.”

Qi Xia pondered for a moment before turning to Lin Qin. “Can you find him next time?”

Lin Qin gave a slight nod.

“Good…”

“Also, there was that stone man,” Qiao Jiajin added. “I have a feeling he’s not a bad guy—he might even side with us.”

Qi Xia studied Qiao Jiajin’s face, finding this unexpected.

“Did you recruit a lackey?” Qi Xia asked.

“Not a ‘lackey’—a ‘brother.’” Qiao Jiajin grinned. “That guy’s pretty strong.”

“What about Li Xiangling?” Qi Xia abruptly changed the subject.

“Kung Fu Girl?”

“What do you think of her?”

“She’s great.” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “She’s way more badass than I thought. Scammer, you wouldn’t believe it—she used a ‘staff’ to take down three opponents in an instant! If the other side hadn’t cheated, she would’ve won right then…”

“But she’s going to die,” Qi Xia said.

“Yeah, she almost did.” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “I had to climb down the bridge bit by bit to save her— Wait, what?”

Qi Xia stared straight into Qiao Jiajin’s eyes and repeated, “Li Xiangling won’t live past tonight.”

“You… what are you saying?” Qiao Jiajin froze slightly. “I checked her injuries—none of them were fatal…”

Dr. Zhao and the others overheard Qi Xia’s words and exchanged puzzled looks.

“Paradise Entrance” was supposed to be the safest place in the “Land of Finality.” Could there really still be danger here?

Qi Xia sighed. “Do you remember the creed of ‘Paradise Entrance’? Kim Won-hoon made it very clear—‘Paradise Entrance doesn’t support idlers.’ In the coming days, Li Xiangling won’t be able to participate in any games. She’ll just lie in the infirmary, wasting medicine and food. If I had to guess, ‘Paradise Entrance’ will kill her tonight.”

“Wha—what?!” Qiao Jiajin stared at Qi Xia in disbelief. “Scammer… how can you even think something so horrible?”

“Because Zhang Shan died mysteriously last time,” Qi Xia answered gravely. “If even the third-in-command of ‘Paradise Entrance’ could be discarded without hesitation, someone like Li Xiangling—a nobody—would be even less valuable.”