Chapter 1106: Evacuation

Qing Long seemed not to have heard Zheng Yingxiong’s words, gazing absentmindedly at the sky.

Something seemed off.

For some unknown reason, a bizarre memory had surfaced in his mind.

In this memory, he stood at the “Train Head” with Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan, the three of them panting and speaking intensely.

The next second, Qiao Jiajin appeared to lunge toward something—something that was neither himself nor Tian Long, but something else entirely.

Yet Qing Long couldn’t recall exactly what Qiao Jiajin had lunged toward. He only remembered trying to stop him.

Meanwhile, Tian Long still slept nearby, hand gently resting on his cheek, expression undisturbed as usual.

Qing Long quickly scanned the memory from beginning to end, but couldn’t figure out why he had been at the “Train Head” with those two.

Could this be some kind of illusion…?

Qing Long knew it wasn’t strange for someone to manipulate illusions in the “End of the World”—after all, there were specialized “Phantasm” on the train that transformed the eyes into “The Path.”

But it was extremely rare for someone to implant illusions directly into his mind, which seemed highly suspicious.

Had someone nearby activated an “Echo” just now?

Qing Long turned and surveyed the large room. Aside from the few immobile figures in front of him, there were two corpses.

One was Zhang Shan, the other was Di Long.

They lay far apart on the ground, seemingly long dead.

Qing Long was familiar with the “Echo” abilities of everyone present… so where had this illusion come from?

“His ‘Soul Stealer’ has vanished for sure!” Zheng Yingxiong shouted again, taking advantage of Qing Long’s momentary distraction.

At this moment, Qing Long snapped back to reality, inwardly cursing his lapse before refocusing his conviction.

But in that very instant, Xuan Wu immediately reached out and gripped Qing Long’s heart.

The moment his heart was seized, Qing Long’s conviction wavered greatly, and instantly, the “Soul Stealer” on everyone’s bodies vanished.

Regaining control of his body, Qi Xia quickly surveyed the battlefield. All the “Doors” had disappeared, leaving only several “Doors of Escape” leading outside the arena.

He couldn’t confront Qing Long directly now—he would have to leave him temporarily in Xuan Wu’s hands.

In Qi Xia’s view, it didn’t matter much whether Qing Long or Xuan Wu suffered serious harm here; after all, this was merely the beginning of the plan.

More attacks targeting both of them would follow continuously.

Perhaps for everyone in the “End of the World,” the signal for the plan’s commencement was the destruction of the “Great Bell.”

But for Qi Xia himself, the signal was “Di Long’s death.”

From the moment Di Long died, everything officially began its countdown. The great wheel of resistance had now started rolling toward an iceberg—either the mountain would be destroyed, or the ship would sink. There would be no turning back for anyone.

“Prepare to retreat,” Qi Xia said, turning to the others.

Understanding immediately, everyone began moving toward the “Doors of Escape.”

As Xuan Wu had yet to remove Qing Long’s heart, Qing Long vanished from his spot and instantly reappeared behind Xuan Wu, seemingly aiming for a weak point.

Startled, Xuan Wu immediately vanished and reappeared in the same spot, shifting her position in a single breath. Facing Qing Long, she blocked his attack with her hand.

Watching the two battle like divine beings, the others could only suppress their anxiety and continue moving toward the “Door.”

But the speed of Qing Long and Xuan Wu was too great. Before the others could approach the “Door,” Xuan Wu had already taken a step back, her hand grasping empty air. In an instant, she held a heart—pale and blackish, as if long deprived of blood.

“Kuh…”

Qing Long immediately spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, his body slowly bowing his head.

Seeing this, everyone involuntarily stopped in their tracks, sensing that something unexpected had occurred.

Had Qing Long actually been… killed by Xuan Wu?

Could this really not be a dream?

Only when Xuan Wu crushed the heart in her hand and then “plop” dropped it onto the ground did everyone realize this was no dream.

Qing Long’s heart had been removed by Xuan Wu.

“Boss Qi… did you… foresee this situation…?” Chen Junnan asked.

Qi Xia’s expression remained serious as he quickly urged, “Don’t stop! Hurry and go!”

“Ahh…?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qing Long suddenly lifted his head, his expression utterly frenzied. Then, like a bullet, he shot toward Xuan Wu with all his might, unleashing a devastating blow.

“Boom!”

Xuan Wu poured all her strength into blocking Qing Long’s body, but she flew backward like a broken kite, crashing into the giant display screen.

Xuan Wu pierced through the wall, and the screen shattered instantly. Countless shards and the “characters” beneath the screen scattered like fireworks.

The previously orderly “Cangjie Chess” arena instantly became a battlefield. Flying toward a wall at the edge, Xuan Wu slammed heavily into it, leaving a deep crater in the entire wall.

“Damn it…” Chen Junnan ran toward the “Door,” still shaken as he muttered, “What kind of being is Qing Long anyway…? How can he still live after having his heart taken?”

Qiao Jiajin kept looking back as he ran. No one in the world could survive without a heart. What exactly was going on with Qing Long?

As he ran, Qiao Jiajin suddenly stumbled, seemingly stepping on something, nearly falling to the ground.

He quickly steadied himself and looked down. He had stepped on a “character.”

“Shi.”

Instinctively, he bent down and picked up the “character,” feeling something stir in his heart.

“Old Qiao! Run!” Chen Junnan shouted. “If that old man recovers, we’re done for!”

“Junnan… this ‘character’…”

“‘Shi’?” Chen Junnan paused, looking at the “character” in Qiao Jiajin’s hand. “Isn’t this from Zhang Shan?”

At that moment, Qiao Jiajin understood what had stirred in his heart.

It was the shared promise with Zhang Shan to witness the pact between heaven and earth.

He placed the “character” into his pocket and left without looking back.

The group ran toward the “Doors of Escape,” discovering a lonely “Door” still standing nearby.

That “Door” led to the “End of the World.”

“You all go first!” Qi Xia said. “I still need to wait a bit longer.”

“What…?” Chen Junnan was taken aback. “What are you waiting for, Old Qi? Staying here means certain death!”

“Not yet,” Qi Xia replied. “You all scatter. The entire ‘End of the World’ is about to fall into chaos. Until we return to the ‘Train,’ absolutely do not trust any ‘Spirit Beast’ or ‘Zodiac’ easily. We’ll regroup at the Great Bell.”

“Don’t trust any ‘Spirit Beast’ or ‘Zodiac’…?” Chen Junnan clearly didn’t understand. “Old Qi… what do you mean?”

“Because I told a colossal lie,” Qi Xia said. “I’ve deceived them all.”