Chapter 1180: Ring-a-Ling
"Saving me… is that really the best choice right now…?"
Wen Qiaoyun struggled to steady her final breath, speaking through trembling lips. "In terms of strength… in terms of 'Echoes'… in terms of what role I could play in the final hour… is this the decision you would make?"
When Chu Tianqiu heard Wen Qiaoyun's question, his already chaotic mind became even more clogged.
What was his reason for reviving Wen Qiaoyun…?
The single remaining 'Everlasting' in his hand might play a crucial role at a critical moment. Reviving Wen Qiaoyun here and now would only serve to alleviate the sorrow in his own heart.
Moreover… Wen Qiaoyun would even lose the memories of today, the memories of their reunion after so long apart.
A powerful sense of conflict began to swirl within Chu Tianqiu's mind, causing his train of thought to halt multiple times in just a few seconds.
"It's alright…" Wen Qiaoyun reached out and touched Chu Tianqiu's face. "Tianqiu, it's fine. I'm not afraid of parting with you…"
Chu Tianqiu naturally knew where Wen Qiaoyun's feelings came from. After all, this wasn't the first time the two had parted.
Those past separations hadn't completely disappeared; they merely floated in the air, becoming an energy that couldn't be grasped or seen.
It was influencing the joys and sorrows of every single person in the 'Land of Ending'.
By the time Wen Qiaoyun's movements had completely ceased, Chu Tianqiu was still clutching that single 'Everlasting', unable to make any reaction.
Even if he were to truly activate this ability, he could only wait for Wen Qiaoyun to die completely, and then summon a completely unrelated, memoryless, brand-new person.
The pain within her could not be resolved. Her terror of death had no way to dissipate either.
Why had he never been aware of this problem before…?
'Everlasting' had never been redemption. It was a curse.
Its existence couldn't help people escape their pain; it only forced them to face it.
Things that could never be done would never be done, life after life. A prison one couldn't escape would trap them for generation after generation.
"Brother Chu…" Kim Won-ho approached Chu Tianqiu, his expression hesitant.
"I don't know what to do anymore…" Chu Tianqiu said hoarsely. "I feel completely helpless right now…"
At that moment, a harsh voice sounded behind Chu Tianqiu's ear, speaking softly: "Keep being helpless, and you won't have many people left."
Chu Tianqiu slowly turned his head. The groundhog was still grinning at him.
"There's less than ten minutes left. Who are you planning to take on the bus in the end?" the groundhog said. "Tickets are limited, first come, first served for all you leaders."
"Who… am I taking on the bus…?"
Only then did Chu Tianqiu look around in bewilderment. He realized that the people of 'Heaven's Mouth' had begun to fall one after another. Only four were still standing.
Zhang Shan, covered in blood. Li Xiangling, with a knife stuck in her shoulder. Little Glasses, one arm twisted out of shape. And Kim Won-ho, pale-faced and on the verge of losing his sanity.
Everyone else had already collapsed into pools of blood, unable to stand again.
Although Chu Tianqiu had continuously released 'Echoes', killing a large portion of the hundred-plus people encircling them, what was despairing was that the enemy's reinforcements kept pouring in endlessly. Their numbers weren't decreasing; they were increasing, and the encirclement was growing tighter.
"A rout is a rout, right?" the groundhog asked.
"The army might be routed. I am not," Chu Tianqiu replied.
"So what are you waiting for?"
"Waiting for 'Heaven's Will'." Chu Tianqiu said, his face serious. "'My Will' has already been given. Only 'Heaven's Will' remains. No one knows the outcome until the very last moment."
"Perhaps this chaos is about to end," the groundhog muttered to himself quietly. "Once little 'King of the Good' dies here, he's destined to take the blame for everyone's sins. Even 'Blue Dragon' will attribute this disturbance to you. It's the fastest way to stabilize morale."
"So you do know who I am…"
"I wouldn't say I've admired you for long. Barely heard of you, that's all," the groundhog said. "How interesting. Take a close look at those who want you dead. How many of them have eaten the canned food you risked your life to get?"
"Human nature," Chu Tianqiu said. "To me, this is the most normal thing in the world. They just want to survive. So they'll accept my canned food and my protection, and they'll also kill me because they want to live."
"To bet 'Heaven's Will' and the lives of important people for these kinds of people…" The groundhog shook his head. "Isn't it tragic?"
"The tragic ones are the masses, not me," Chu Tianqiu said. "I have a clear conscience."
Within a dozen seconds, numerous 'Participants' began to surround the five of them slowly, their weapons in hand. The groundhog tactfully retreated.
`Ring-a-ling—`
A faint sound of a bell slowly emerged at that moment, piercing through the crowd's clamor to reach everyone's ears.
Chu Tianqiu slowly raised his head, looking toward where the bell sound had come from.
`Ring-a-ling—`
It sounded as if someone was gently shaking a handbell. The sound drew closer from afar, as if someone was about to appear from the other end of the street.
"Brother Chu…" Kim Won-ho asked softly, "What is that?"
Chu Tianqiu squinted into the distance. He actually saw a surging sea of heads, a massive group of people moving toward them.
But soon, Chu Tianqiu realized the situation was absurd, because this group was simply too large.
Three hundred… no, at least five hundred people.
In the 'Land of Ending' as it stood today, which organization could still have a force of this scale?
`Ring-a-ling—`
"The hell!"
Zhang Shan exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction. The others followed his gaze and found that the bell sound was also coming from there, along with the dark silhouettes of several hundred people.
From two directions, at least a thousand people were slowly approaching. Their steps were perfectly uniform, like a bizarre army.
The heavy footsteps sent chills down the spines of Chu Tianqiu and the others. No matter which side these arrivals were on, with such a massive numerical advantage, they could directly put an end to all the chaos.
But such an enormous number… how could they possibly be 'rebels'?
"Oh." The groundhog slowly frowned, cold sweat seeping through his fur. "So there was still this move… You really have used every trick up your sleeve, Brother Goat."
The people advancing like a tidal wave from both directions all had gaunt frames. Their faces were completely expressionless, their feet moving forward woodenly.
An old man and a young woman were leading the crowds in their respective directions, shaking the bells. With every ring of the bell, the 'army' took another step forward. The quiet yet eerie pressure made everyone's backs run cold.
"What a magnificent 'Heaven's Will'," the groundhog laughed.