Chapter 147: A Brand New Self

This reason, whether fabricated or not, seems quite sufficient.

Even if Chu Tianqiu wants to arrange a confrontation-style game, for safety's sake, he should have his own people respond first.

Besides, if I team up with Yunyao, she'd definitely be unable to escape if we encounter danger. How could Chu Tianqiu easily sacrifice the second-in-command of his organization?

If he always operated with this strategy, Zhang Shan and Yunyao wouldn't have followed him all along.

Unfortunately, Officer Li's entire team was wiped out, leaving no evidence for this seemingly conspiratorial action.

In that case... everything becomes quite intriguing.

“I understand your feelings, Qixia.”

Chu Tianqiu said with a sad expression, “Losing a teammate in the game is an extremely heartbreaking thing. Sometimes, we'd rather the one who dies is ourselves.”

“But you never participate in the games, so how would you know that feeling?”

Qixia replied indifferently.

“Who says I don't have to participate?”

Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “Once we have a detailed strategy for the game, I'll lead a team in as well. But accidents can happen, and my teammates will die in my place to protect my 'memories.' That feeling is worse than being killed myself.”

Qixia stared coldly at Chu Tianqiu without speaking.

This person is truly fascinating.

He's been telling the truth all along.

How does he manage to perform so flawlessly without a trace?

“There's a wasteland behind the school where you can bury your teammate.”

Chu Tianqiu pointed toward the back of the teaching building. “All the members of Tian Tang Kou who have passed away in the past few months are buried there. Also... tell me the locations of Xiao Yanjing and Jin Yuanxun, and I'll send people to bring them back.”

Qixia stared into Chu Tianqiu's eyes for a long time, his lips curving up almost imperceptibly.

How intriguing.

This is exactly the scene he had been looking forward to since arriving at Tian Tang Kou.

Only by engaging in a real contest with someone truly formidable can he continue to unlock his own potential.

So what if his teammates died?

So what if there's the Ren Long?

When he realized Chu Tianqiu wasn't a fool, he felt inexplicably excited.

“Let me see your tactics, Chu Tianqiu.”

Qixia thought to himself, “This is far from enough.”

...

Under Yunyao's guidance, Qixia and Qiao Jiajin arrived at the wasteland.

But what met their eyes was a vast expanse of makeshift graves built from dilapidated wood.

They were densely packed and numerous.

Even Yunyao's own grave stood in a corner.

The mound was bulging, as if something was buried inside.

Seeing this earth pile, Qixia suddenly felt something was off.

“Yunyao...”

Qixia pondered for a moment, then pointed at Yunyao's grave and asked, “If you're standing here right now... then who's inside that grave?”

“So you didn't know yet...”

Yunyao lowered her head sadly. “Qixia, once you're dead, you're dead. When we come back, we become a new version of ourselves.”

“Wha...”

Qixia was stunned, feeling that this went beyond his comprehension.

Qiao Jiajin, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded.

Yunyao pointed to several different spots.

“Over here, here, here, and over there—they're all me.”

Yunyao said with a bitter smile. “I'm clearly buried in them, yet here I am standing. So... am I still the original me?”

Qixia slowly widened his eyes.

Wait... this situation is too bizarre.

That means Qiao Jiajin, Tian Tian, and Officer Li's bodies from the first round are still lying somewhere in Zhong Yan Zhi Di, yet they're carrying on with the second round as if unaffected.

If they could go to the city's edge right now, there would certainly be a corpse of Qixia there as well.

“A brand-new self...?”

Qixia considered a new perspective.

Based on these two experiences, the so-called “Hui Xiang” isn't quite accurate.

Because time hasn't reset, and people haven't either.

Time here is indeed moving forward day by day. There are two strong pieces of evidence for this.

First, the convenience store clerk gave birth to a child and consumed the “Xiao Zhu Zai.”

If time were looping within ten days, how could she have given birth?

And if it reset every ten days, why would she have become so emaciated?

Second, the death of the person-rat exceeded ten days.

Her body showed signs of decay beyond ten days, which is the best proof.

But if that's the case, why do people entering Zhong Yan Zhi Di think of it as a “loop”?

After all, every ten days, a new batch of people is thrown in.

Why call this new time and new people a “loop”?

Yet, for some strange reason, part of the new people inherit the memories of the corpses.

They believe they're looping endlessly.

But is this really a “loop”?

Whatever is causing this bizarre phenomenon truly seems like a “god.”

But why would a “god” make everyone die over and over?

Even if the humans in Zhong Yan Zhi Di are incredibly capable, none of them can release magic.

Those abilities called “Hui Xiang” may seem astonishing at first, but upon closer thought, they're just a series of useless skills. Are people supposed to use them to slay a god?

“No wonder this place has such an overwhelming stench of decay...”

Qixia murmured to himself, “The number of bodies only increases, and this is once again beyond my expectations...”

“Is there anything else you don't understand?”

Yunyao sighed and smiled. “One day, this world will be filled with our corpses.”

Qiao Jiajin slowly placed Tian Tian on the flat ground, picked up a rusty shovel from nearby, and began digging silently.

The topics Qixia and Yunyao were discussing were too profound for him to grasp.

He only knew that Tian Tian was pitiful, that she was cold.

She shouldn't have to stay cold like that.

In no time, a pit was dug. As Qiao Jiajin was about to place Tian Tian inside, Yunyao stopped him.

“Wait a moment.”

She took out a tube of lipstick from her pocket, bent down, and carefully applied it to Tian Tian's lips.

The pale-faced Tian Tian suddenly looked more vibrant.

After thinking for a bit, Yunyao also took out some blush and gently dabbed it on Tian Tian's cheeks.

“She said she wanted to go looking beautiful.”

Yunyao smiled contentedly. “This looks much better. No one will mock her, and no one will look down on her.”

Qiao Jiajin nodded, lifted Tian Tian into the pit, and then used the shovel to cover her with soil.

Yunyao watched as Tian Tian was gradually buried, her face serious as she said, “I like her. Starting from the next time, Tian Tian will be my 'official girlfriend.' I'll do everything in my power to protect her. Anyone who goes against her is my enemy.”

Qixia and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Yunyao was a woman, yet she wanted a girlfriend.

“You don't have to do this.”

Qixia said, “You're pretending to like so many people and things just to find an opportunity for 'unattainable desires,' right?”

Yunyao was taken aback; she hadn't expected Qixia to see right through her.

“But genuine liking is different from just saying it.”

Qixia shook his head. “You seem trapped in a strange state. When someone claims to like everything in front of them, it means they don't want any of it.”

“Maybe you're right, but this time is different.”

Yunyao shook her head and placed her hand on her chest. “This girl named Tian Tian makes my heart ache. She's already going through so much hardship herself, yet she's still thinking of others. In the real world, I couldn't protect her, but here, I'll do my best.”

“But she won't remember you.”

Qixia said, “She'll wake up clueless again, go through another painful struggle, and end up seeking death once more. How will you protect her then?”

“I'll have many chances. Eventually, she'll remember me one time.”

Yunyao said with a bitter smile, “Don't worry about an idol's romance, and don't try to guess an idol's thoughts.”

Qiao Jiajin quietly picked a dark red wildflower from nearby and placed it on Tian Tian's grave.

His heart ached too.

Failing to protect someone he wanted to safeguard was heartbreaking.

He kept hearing strange sounds in his ears, like the tolling of a bell.

But the bell rang fleetingly, and he could never hear it fully.