Chapter 147: A Brand New Self

Whether this reason is fabricated or not, it seems quite convincing.

Even if Chu Tianqiu wanted to arrange a competitive game, for safety’s sake, he should have ensured his own people awakened their “Echoes” first.

Moreover, if he and Yun Yao formed a team and encountered danger, she wouldn’t be able to escape. Why would Chu Tianqiu so easily sacrifice the second-in-command of the organization?

If he consistently operated under such strategies, neither Zhang Shan nor Yun Yao would have stayed loyal to him for so long.

Unfortunately, Officer Li’s team was completely wiped out, leaving no witnesses to this seemingly conspiratorial act.

This way… everything becomes very interesting.

“I understand how you feel, Qi Xia,” Chu Tianqiu said with a sorrowful expression. “Losing teammates in the game is an excruciating pain. Sometimes, we’d rather it were us who died.”

“But you don’t even participate in the games. How would you know this feeling?” Qi Xia replied calmly.

“Who said I don’t participate?” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Once the games have detailed walkthroughs, I lead teams too. But sometimes, accidents happen. My teammates die in my place to preserve my ‘memory.’ That feeling is worse than death itself.”

Qi Xia stared coldly at Chu Tianqiu, saying nothing.

This man was truly fascinating.

From start to finish, he had been telling the truth.

How could someone perform so flawlessly without leaving a trace?

“There’s a wasteland behind the school where you can bury your teammates,” Chu Tianqiu pointed toward the back of the teaching building. “All the members of ‘Paradise’ who have passed away in these past months rest there. Also… tell me where Glasses and Kim Wonsul are. I’ll send someone to retrieve them…”

Qi Xia stared into Chu Tianqiu’s eyes for a long time, his lips curling almost imperceptibly.

So intriguing.

This was the very scene he had hoped to witness upon coming to “Paradise.”

Only by playing against truly formidable opponents could he continue to push his own limits.

So what if his teammates died?

What did “Human Dragon” matter?

When he realized Chu Tianqiu wasn’t a fool, he felt an inexplicable thrill.

“Let me see your true tactics, Chu Tianqiu,” Qi Xia thought to himself. “This alone is far from enough.”

…

Under Yun Yao’s guidance, Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin arrived at the wasteland.

But what greeted them was a vast expanse of crude wooden graves.

Row upon row, countless in number.

Even Yun Yao’s own grave stood in a corner.

The mound bulged, clearly concealing something.

Seeing this, Qi Xia suddenly felt uneasy.

“Yun Yao…” Qi Xia pondered for a moment before pointing at her grave. “If you’re standing here… then who’s buried inside?”

“So you still don’t know…” Yun Yao lowered her head sadly. “Qi Xia, death is death. And when we return, we become a new version of ourselves.”

“Wha—” Qi Xia froze, as if the words had surpassed his comprehension.

Beside him, Qiao Jiajin short-circuited entirely.

Yun Yao pointed to several different spots.

“Here, here, here, and there—all of them are me,” she said with a bitter smile. “I’m buried inside, yet I’m still standing here. So… am I still the same me?”

Qi Xia’s eyes widened slowly.

Wait… this was too bizarre.

That meant the bodies of Qiao Jiajin, Tian Tian, and Officer Li, who had died in the first round, were still lying somewhere in “Terminal Land,” yet they could proceed unaffected into the second round.

If they went to the city’s edge now, they’d surely find Qi Xia’s corpse there too.

“A brand-new self…?”

Qi Xia formulated a new hypothesis.

Based on these two experiences, the so-called “cycle” wasn’t accurate.

Because “time” didn’t reset, and “people” didn’t reset either.

Time here genuinely progressed day by day. Two pieces of evidence stood out:

First, the convenience store clerk had given birth and eaten the “piglet.”

If time cycled within ten days, how could she have delivered a baby?

If it reset every ten days, why had she withered to such a state?

Second, Human Rat’s time of death exceeded ten days.

Her corpse showed signs of decay beyond that period—irrefutable proof.

But if so, why did those in “Terminal Land” believe it was a “cycle”?

After all, every ten days, a fresh batch of people was thrown in.

New time, new people—why call it a “cycle”?

Yet, due to some inexplicable reason, some of these new individuals inherited the memories of the dead.

They believed they were trapped in an endless loop.

But was this truly a “cycle”?

Whatever could orchestrate such a phenomenon certainly resembled a “god.”

Yet why would a “god” force people to die over and over?

No matter how capable the humans in “Terminal Land” were, none could wield magic.

The abilities called “Echoes,” while astonishing at first glance, were ultimately useless upon closer inspection. Were they supposed to slay a god with these?

“No wonder this place reeks of decay…” Qi Xia muttered. “The number of corpses only grows. Once again, this defies all my expectations…”

“Is there anything else you don’t understand?” Yun Yao sighed, forcing a smile. “One day, this world will be filled with our corpses.”

Qiao Jiajin silently laid Tian Tian on the ground, picked up a rusted shovel, and began digging without a word.

The depth of Qi Xia and Yun Yao’s conversation eluded him.

All he knew was that Tian Tian was pitiful.

She was cold.

She shouldn’t stay cold any longer.

Soon, a grave was dug. Just as Qiao Jiajin was about to place Tian Tian inside, Yun Yao stopped him.

“Wait.”

She pulled out a tube of lip gloss from her pocket, bent down, and carefully applied it to Tian Tian’s lips.

The pallid girl instantly gained color.

After a moment’s thought, Yun Yao added a touch of blush to her cheeks.

“She said she wanted to leave beautifully,” Yun Yao said with a relieved smile. “This looks much better. No one will laugh at her or look down on her now.”

Qiao Jiajin nodded, gently placed Tian Tian in the grave, and began covering her with soil.

As the earth slowly concealed her, Yun Yao said solemnly, “I like her. Starting next time, Tian Tian will be my ‘official girlfriend.’ I’ll do everything in my power to protect her. Anyone who opposes her is my enemy.”

Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Yun Yao was a girl, yet she wanted a girlfriend.

“You don’t have to do this,” Qi Xia said. “You pretend to like many things, many people, just to create opportunities for ‘unattainable desires,’ don’t you?”

Yun Yao stiffened, surprised Qi Xia had seen through her so easily.

“But genuine affection and spoken affection are different,” Qi Xia shook his head. “You seem trapped in a strange state. When someone claims to love everything before them, it means they desire none of it.”

“Maybe you’re right, but this time is different,” Yun Yao pressed a hand to her chest. “This girl, Tian Tian, makes my heart ache. Despite her own suffering, she still cared for others. In the real world, I couldn’t protect her, but here, I’ll do my best.”

“But she won’t remember you,” Qi Xia countered. “She’ll wake up foolishly, struggle through her pain, and seek death again. How will you protect her then?”

“I’ll have countless chances. Eventually, she’ll remember me,” Yun Yao smiled bitterly. “Don’t question an idol’s love life. Don’t guess an idol’s thoughts.”

Qiao Jiajin silently plucked a dark red wildflower and placed it on Tian Tian’s grave.

His heart ached too.

Failing to protect someone you wanted to save—what greater pain was there?

A strange sound echoed in his ears, like a bell.

But it was fleeting, never complete.