Chapter 1319: Top Eight
"It's a very strange way of counting votes," Qinglong shook his head. "It looks like Tianlong got two votes, but you didn't account for who Tianlong wants to kill."
"A person who has always been asleep—we don't need to worry about who he wants to kill," Qi Xia said again. "If you've decided, then arrange things according to the list. I need these people's memories to be relatively clean. Anyone familiar with them or close to them needs to be dealt with one by one. I want them to believe that I am their only teammate."
"That's quite an ambitious move," Qinglong said. "To be safe, I need to know the reason these people are entering the room."
"Are we going to keep doubting each other like this?" Qi Xia retorted. "I promised you I would make a move against Tianlong—is that still not enough?"
"This isn't called doubting each other; this is called showing each other sincerity," Qinglong replied. "If I understand your plan clearly, I'll trust you more."
"Fine then." Qi Xia nodded, reached out his finger, and pointed at the two names "Qiao Jiajin" and "Chen Junnan," then said, "These are two people I've observed over a long period and found to be extremely useful. The first one can increase my chances of survival, and the second can decrease my chances of death."
Qinglong silently looked at the names on the paper, then raised his head to look at Qi Xia. "Two 'shields,' are they?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "I'll find a way to gain their trust, and then have them use their own lives to help me survive until the very end. That's their only purpose."
"I feel like you're starting to move beyond the realm of ordinary people," Qinglong said with a laugh. "Two people willing to die for you—will you let them die with a clear conscience?"
"My goal is Tianlong. Whether these two people live or die... what does that have to do with me?" Qi Xia looked coldly at Qinglong, his attitude leaving no room for doubt. "When they become useless, I will abandon them without hesitation. After all, everyone is just a chess piece."
"Good. I really appreciate that about you," Qinglong nodded. "What about the others?"
Qi Xia remained silent for a few seconds, then pointed his finger at the next names, "Li Shangwu" and "Zhao Haibo," and said, "The first of these two can reliably take a life; the second can reliably disarm traps. Their presence ensures that I remain invincible in the games and always survive."
Upon hearing this, Qinglong slightly curled his lips. "Qi Xia... I take back what I just said... You're still an ordinary person."
"How so?"
"In a room with eight people, four of them are meant solely to protect your own life..." Qinglong shook his head. "That kind of decision is not the style of a 'god.'"
"I just don't want to fail," Qi Xia said. "As you know, if I fail, I might even lose my memories. That's not worth it for me. These four people not only guarantee my success, but also yours."
"Alright," Qinglong nodded. "What about the ones after that?"
Qi Xia fell silent for a few more seconds, then pointed his finger at "Han Yimo." "This is a special operative I've placed in the room, capable of both offense and defense. I'll arrange his role based on the situation."
After hearing this, Qinglong leaned back and sat up straight. "Strange. You say these people seem very capable, but I've hardly ever heard of those five names in 'Peach Blossom Spring.'"
"'Famous' people are not within my consideration," Qi Xia said. "People who are too famous have a hard time keeping their memories 'relatively clean.' Even if they don't remember others, others might remember them. That could affect my future actions."
"Not choosing the 'famous,' but instead picking some 'relatively mediocre' ones..." Qinglong looked up at Qi Xia. "Are you sure this strategy is reasonable?"
"'Relatively mediocre'?" Qi Xia shook his head. "No, I never said they were mediocre. In my hands, they might become the strongest team."
"Why is that?"
"Because each of them has a knot in their heart. These knots are like shackles pressing down on them, and perhaps only I can untie them," Qi Xia replied. "Once they break free from those shackles, they will leap from what you call 'mediocre' to become top-tier figures who command the wind and clouds."
Qinglong looked at the paper on the table with a mix of doubt and belief, then said, "Eight future top-tier figures...?"
"Oh, of course not," Qi Xia shook his head. "The last few people each have their own specific reasons."
After saying this, he pointed his finger at "Zhang Lijuan." "This person has exquisite 'subtle craft.' I need to get close to her to find a way to break Tianlong's 'subtle craft.' And her ability can help the team overcome difficulties in many situations."
Qinglong felt that Qi Xia's words seemed to be full of more and more flaws. Even if Tianlong had 'subtle craft,' why would he need to break Tianlong's 'subtle craft' in order to kill him while he was asleep?
Before Qinglong could finish pondering, Qi Xia pointed his finger at "Zhang Chenze." "I once owed this person a favor. She helped me with a very big matter, and I promised to bring her into the team. This is a mutually beneficial transaction she proposed, so I wrote down her name."
Qinglong didn't speak, just waited for Qi Xia to introduce the last name.
"As for her..." Qi Xia placed his finger on "Xiao Ran" and fell silent for a few more seconds, then said, "There was no one else suitable, so I just filled a spot."
"Do you think I'll believe that?" Qinglong frowned. "You wrote down these eight names yourself and handed them to me. Do you think I'll believe one of them is just there to make up the numbers?"
"It didn't fool you, huh..." Qi Xia nodded. "She really isn't just there to fill a spot, but I'm a bit embarrassed to say."
"Even you are embarrassed to say...?" Qinglong gave a light laugh. "Now I'm even more curious."
"Some people need her to activate their 'Echo,'" Qi Xia said. "So I had no choice but to bring her into the room."
"Oh... I don't want to hear about the dirty affairs of mortals." Qinglong reached out a finger and tapped the paper, thought for a moment, and said, "But I think I understand. You need a person who can help everyone activate their 'Divine Art' to join the room. How about this? Let me find this person for you. Consider it my contribution to the plan."
"Ha..." Qi Xia was completely amused by Qinglong's words. "If you find someone to help us activate the 'Echo'... then I won't be able to trust anyone in this room."
"You're being so distant?" Qinglong shook his head. "I just want to help you. Maybe I happen to have someone suitable for this task."
"Planting a 'needle' by my side is not a wise move," Qi Xia said. "No 'needle' can avoid exposing itself in front of me. I might go straight from the 'needle' to seeing through your entire plan. I advise you to think carefully."
Upon hearing this, Qinglong's gaze shifted slightly. He didn't seem to have given up on the idea, but rather was contemplating something.