Chapter 1307: The Final Variable
Tiangou seemed unable to care about much else. Seeing Yan Zhichun still hesitating, he had no choice but to speak:
"Yan Zhichun, I'll be blunt with you... I know you and Baiyang have a connection. The only thing you need to consider now is... whether you want to stay loyal to Baiyang to the death, or to take care of the overall plan. After all, your people have suffered countless losses in this battle... You need to give them an explanation, don't you?"
Only then did Yan Zhichun realize how much information Tiangou possessed. He might have been watching her every move all along.
"Fine..." Yan Zhichun swallowed. "Even if I could apply this 'Heart-Stealing' technique to this 'Energy Storage'... I have no way to guarantee that I can seize control of others' minds. After all, I've never done anything like this before."
"Don't you get it yet..." Tiangou sighed. "All three of you from the 'Jidao' are here. Since you've brought 'Stimulation' and 'Karma' along, this is no longer a question of whether you can do it alone. The three of you working together will definitely manage."
"The three of us...?" Yan Zhichun was stunned for a long moment. "Don't tell me even this current setup was arranged by Qi Xia... Cut the crap... That kind of probability is astronomically small..."
She seemed to lose confidence the more she spoke, and couldn't help turning her head to look at Zheng Yingxiong.
Zheng Yingxiong seemed to understand what Yan Zhichun meant, then shook his head: "Sister... he really isn't lying..."
He thought this statement would put Yan Zhichun at ease, but this time, things were different from before.
The words did not calm Yan Zhichun; instead, they made her feel that even Zheng Yingxiong's appearance was part of the plan.
Under normal circumstances, whenever Zheng Yingxiong spoke, Yan Zhichun would trust him and execute the plan accordingly.
So Tiangou had said from the very beginning... Qi Xia had brought him, Jiang Ruoxue, Lin Qin, and Zheng Yingxiong through the door.
What kind of bizarre feeling was this?
Living a life she had painstakingly built, only to find it was a chess game orchestrated by someone else—this feeling made her begin to doubt herself once again.
No... not just herself.
Think about it carefully... Was Jiang Ruoxue's appearance reasonable?
Was Lin Qin's appearance reasonable?
Was her entire existence in the 'Land of the End'... reasonable?
...
"She will go mad sooner or later."
Qi Xia slowly closed his eyes and said, "Because she's just too smart... There are always people in this world who think they're clear-headed, but the mad are mad. She can't escape."
...
Yan Zhichun turned around and stared at Lin Qin and Jiang Ruoxue behind her for a long time before finally realizing where the sense of dissonance came from.
Think about it carefully—almost every notable figure in the 'Jidao'... had been personally recruited by Jiang Ruoxue.
Whether it was Old Sun, Old Deng, Aunt Tong, Xiaoxiao, or that old man digging the ground—they were all the same. Even Zhoumo, who seemed to be the only one not recruited by Jiang Ruoxue, came from the same room as her.
But what about the people she herself had recruited...?
She had never tried to figure out one question... Who exactly is Jiang Ruoxue?
Was this organization, which had pledged allegiance to her as its leader and followed her all the way to the 'train,' truly connected to her?
If she had to use 'Karma' to explain all of this, wasn't that too far-fetched...
"Zhichun... your eyes don't look right..." Jiang Ruoxue stepped forward, her face full of concern. "What are you thinking? Don't bottle it up. Tell us, and we'll figure it out together."
"Don't speak..." Yan Zhichun frowned, her whole body trembling slightly. "From now on... no one is going to command me to do anything..."
"Zhichun..." Jiang Ruoxue looked puzzledly at Lin Qin beside her, and even Lin Qin didn't know what to do anymore.
"I don't need anyone to give me advice right now..." Yan Zhichun's gaze gradually turned icy. "I just need to think for myself..."
She silently took a step back, as if drawing a line between herself and the people before her.
"Zhichun... what's wrong with you?" Jiang Ruoxue asked, bewildered. "Don't let Tiangou influence you... He only said a few words, how can you..."
"No..." Yan Zhichun shook her head. "This isn't just about a few words... There are too many problems here..."
The two women watched Yan Zhichun's slightly trembling figure, not knowing what to say to calm her down.
"A good friend who always shows up at critical moments... a 'Jidao' as seasoned as me who fell from the sky... plus a 'lie-detecting' kid who traveled thousands of miles from another city to join..." Yan Zhichun gave a bitter laugh. "Now they're all gathered here, just in time to carry out an important mission... Am I the only one who finds this situation extremely strange?"
"Strange..." A look of sadness gradually crossed Jiang Ruoxue's face. "Zhichun, we've known each other for so many years... And you're calling this experience 'strange'? Even though there are many coincidences you can't understand, if I wanted to harm you, why would I wait until now?"
"My heart is filthy," Yan Zhichun said, staring at Jiang Ruoxue. "From my selfish perspective, I simply can't understand how someone could help me selflessly for so many years without expecting anything in return. You tell me it's my 'Karma'... But what are you trying to achieve by assembling this 'Karma'? Who stands behind you?"
"I don't need to assemble 'Karma' for anyone or anything," Jiang Ruoxue replied firmly. "Because my very existence is 'Karma'."
"I've had enough." Yan Zhichun cut her off, frowning. "I'll finish the last task Qi Xia assigned right now. In exchange, from this moment on, none of you are allowed to interfere with my life again... Living a life that I thought was clever but was actually toyed with by others gives me a tremendous sense of failure."
The air gradually fell silent.
Jiang Ruoxue was silent for a long time, then spoke with a sad expression: "Zhichun, I've said it before... No matter what you want to do, I'll support you. Even now, you can use my 'Karma'..."
Lin Qin also nodded: "I have my own reasons for needing to liberate this place. Whether you believe I am 'Stimulation' or not, I'll join this operation."
...
"I've given you enough time, haven't I..." Qi Xia murmured. "The entire 'train' has shown no movement... Do I need to go over and say it in person?"
As his words fell, a faint sound came from the door.
According to Qi Xia's calculations, the Tiantian trio should have completed their task and come back to forge a new 'door.' So he expressionlessly lifted his head to meet what was coming next.
But when he looked at the door, things once again took an unexpected turn.
The person who came was none other than the 'Variable.'
"Young man..." An old man with a dirty face poked his head in, revealing a complicated smile. "I didn't expect it to be you in this room...?"
Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow, staring at the old man before him, as if sorting through the flow of events.
"Tiangou, I'll give you two more minutes. Otherwise, you won't survive past dawn."
...
"Dammit..." Tiangou gritted his teeth and cursed, though it was unclear who he was cursing. "What's the difference between you and Tianlong or Qinglong..."
He looked up at the three women before him.
Although things had been delayed for a while, the three of them seemed to have reached some kind of agreement and were now walking together toward the workbench.