Qi Xia continued shelling peanuts, rubbing off the thin red skin with his fingers before blowing on it and popping it into his mouth.
“Purge this place… Then why don’t you act?” he asked.
“Because I don’t want to expose myself too soon,” Lin Qin replied, staring ahead before taking another sip of wine.
“I don’t want that answer,” Qi Xia muttered, his head lowered as he examined a peanut. “I want the truth.”
“Because I want to invite you to join the ‘Extreme Path.’ That way, we can better protect the ‘Land of Finality,’” Lin Qin added.
“That’s not it either.” Qi Xia shook his head. “Try another reason.”
Lin Qin fell silent.
Qi Xia was far more cunning than she had anticipated.
“Qi Xia, why don’t you share your thoughts instead?” Lin Qin tossed the question back. “In your speculation, what kind of person am I?”
“You’re strange,” Qi Xia said flatly. “You’ve helped us multiple times, so it’s hard to pin down your motives. All I know is you mean no harm—you’re just scheming something.”
“You even figured that out?” Lin Qin chuckled. “You’re not bluffing, are you?”
Qi Xia ate another peanut before turning to her. “Lin Qin, you could never purge ‘Paradise Port.’ Because your ‘Resonance’ is ‘Ignition.’”
“What…?” Lin Qin stiffened momentarily before regaining her composure. She let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Lin Qin, what are you trying to do?” Qi Xia lowered his voice. “Are you my enemy… or my ally?”
“I haven’t decided my stance yet,” Lin Qin replied, still smiling. “Impressive that you kept your cool even after guessing my identity.”
Qi Xia paused. “The book says, ‘A skilled warrior first makes themselves invincible.’ Until you attack, I won’t expose any weaknesses.”
“Hah!” Lin Qin covered her mouth with a laugh. “I don’t believe in *The Art of War*. I follow *On War*—because it says, ‘The best defense is a strong offense.’”
Uninterested in banter, Qi Xia brushed peanut crumbs from his hands and turned to face her. “So you infiltrated our group on purpose and ‘ignited’ three ‘Resonators’? Is that your offensive strategy?”
“Yes.” Lin Qin nodded. “I was the first to wake in that room. I touched the man beside me, so he ‘resonated.’ After standing, I touched Han Yimo, triggering his ‘Resonance.’ When we found Officer Li last time, I rushed to check his injuries—that’s how he gained his ‘Resonance.’”
Her description of ‘Ignition’ matched Qi Xia’s suspicions. Every time a ‘Resonator’ in their group awakened, Lin Qin had made physical contact with them.
She continued, “I could’ve avoided triggering the ‘Bell Toll.’ But that woman, Xiao Xiao, was determined to kill you. I had no choice but to reveal my ability to prove my identity and save you. Yet, I didn’t expect you to be so ruthless—disappearing the very next day. Lawyer Zhang and I searched for you for seven days.”
“Oh?” Qi Xia frowned. Lin Qin’s words seemed to carry two inconsistencies, and he intended to clarify them. “Lin Qin, you and Xiao Xiao are both part of the ‘Extreme Path,’ yet you didn’t recognize each other?”
Lin Qin grabbed another beer and handed it to him. “Could you open this for me?”
Qi Xia picked up a bottle opener, popped the cap, and returned it to her.
She took a long swig before explaining, “First, the ‘Extreme Path’ isn’t an ‘organization.’ We have no leader, no rules, no fixed members, no set plans. Beyond the phrase ‘Long live the Extreme Path,’ we have nothing.”
“What…?”
Qi Xia had assumed the ‘Land of Finality’ was a three-way standoff between the ‘Zodiacs,’ ‘Participants,’ and ‘Extremists.’ But now, it seemed far more complicated.
“Second, every self-proclaimed ‘Extremist’ protects this place in their own way. I don’t know who the others are—or what they’re planning.”
Lin Qin gave Qi Xia a pensive look. “Seems I’m not the only one targeting you. That duo, Jiang Ruoxue and Xiao Xiao, also have their eyes on you.”
Qi Xia set that aside and shifted focus. “Why doesn’t your ability trigger the Bell Toll?”
“Now that’s an interesting question.” Lin Qin stretched lazily in her chair. “Qi Xia, hearing the Bell Toll means someone has ‘resonated.’ But someone ‘resonating’ doesn’t always mean the Bell Toll sounds.”
“You’re saying…” Qi Xia processed her words carefully. “Some people here can ‘resonate’ without alerting the giant bell?”
“Exactly.”
Qi Xia realized he’d been making assumptions.
Every time the Bell Toll rang, it accompanied a ‘Resonance.’ But who said the Bell Toll *had* to ring for a ‘Resonance’ to occur?
When he’d asked Jiang Ruoxue about the Bell Toll’s mechanics, she’d only said it signaled ‘Resonance awakening’ or ‘Resonance fading.’ She never implied they were inseparable.
“This is ‘Pavlov’s dog’…” Qi Xia’s brow furrowed. “Someone’s using the Bell Toll to manipulate us?”
“Not exactly manipulation… Once you can control ‘Resonance,’ you’ll understand.” Lin Qin dabbed her lips lightly. “So, Qi Xia—do you think any of your teammates are ‘Resonators’ hiding their abilities? Could someone be deceiving you all along?”
Her words sent a chill down Qi Xia’s spine. If such a person existed, their cunning would be terrifying.
But how much of Lin Qin’s words could he trust?
In this damned place, everyone lied. How was he supposed to unravel the truth?
“If I can tolerate ‘Extremists’ in my team, why would I care about a hidden ‘Resonator’?” Qi Xia gave Lin Qin a meaningful glance. “Right now, I’m not interested in discussing others. I just want to know your stance. How should I treat you moving forward?”
Lin Qin pondered briefly before answering, “Qi Xia, I have a ‘grand plan’—but I can’t do it alone. I want you to join me.”
“What plan?”
“As I said, the ‘Extreme Path’ has been protecting this place, but they’re wrong.” Her expression turned solemn. “I’ll lend you my power. Let’s destroy this place together.”
“You mean…” Qi Xia seemed to grasp her intent.
“My ‘Ignition’ can drastically increase someone’s chance of ‘resonating.’ Let’s build a ‘Resonance army,’ tear this place apart, and finally return to the real world.”
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