Chapter 104: The Youth
Xiao Ran's expression froze slightly, then she quickly recovered her smile and stepped closer to Qi Xia.
A soft, warm sensation kept brushing against Qi Xia's arm.
"Brother Qi, you're so smart. You can definitely get us out of here, right? Just take me along."
Tian Sweet looked at the girl with a helpless expression, feeling that her demeanor was even more professional than her own colleagues.
No... to be honest, neither she nor her colleagues truly loved this profession. They were all forced into it by life, so none of them would ever put on such a fawning expression.
"We don't mesh well." Qi Xia was impervious to flattery, looking coldly at Xiao Ran. "Find another team."
A flicker of coldness passed through Xiao Ran's eyes, but it quickly returned to normal. Based on the games she had observed, she knew Qi Xia was extremely clever. If she didn't stick with him, she had no chance of survival.
"Brother Qi..." Xiao Ran pouted pitifully. "Do you dislike me that much?"
"Yes, I really don't like you." Qi Xia nodded again, shaking off Xiao Ran and stepping away from her. "Anyone else want to come with me? If not, we'll part ways here."
His gaze fixed on Han Yimo and Officer Li, carrying a hint of expectation.
Qi Xia hoped the two of them would voluntarily participate in the games, so they could transform into trustworthy teammates.
"Qi Xia." Officer Li suddenly called out.
"What is it?"
Officer Li's lips moved slightly, as if he was organizing his words. After a moment, he asked, "Do you think I... can get out?"
Qi Xia slowly lowered his head, his eyes falling to the ground.
This question had a double meaning and was hard to answer.
If Officer Li could return to the real world, he would become a bona fide murderer.
Even if he was lucky enough to go back to the day before the killing, he would still be a crooked cop colluding with a fraudster.
This dilemma was like two sharp knives, one pressing against his throat and the other against his heart, preventing him from moving forward at all.
No wonder Officer Li had been so hesitant all along—he had no reason to get out.
Qi Xia thought for a moment, then asked solemnly, "Do you have someone you care about?"
"Someone I care about..." A chubby, cute smiling face appeared in Officer Li's mind.
That was Xuanxuan.
"Of course I have someone I care about... but how can I face her..."
"I'll help you." Qi Xia interrupted Officer Li. "Whether it's 'getting out' or 'your situation,' I'll help you."
Officer Li was stunned, looking at Qi Xia in disbelief, instantly understanding his meaning.
But since both had their concerns, neither spoke openly about it.
Could Qi Xia already have a way to deal with Zhang Huanan?
On second thought, Qi Xia and Zhang Huanan weren't even on the same level. If he was willing to give advice, he could definitely get rid of that scumbag.
For someone like Zhang Huanan, conventional reasoning was useless. Now, only "fighting evil with evil" would work.
"Alright, I trust you." Officer Li said. "I'll join too."
Qi Xia nodded and looked at Han Yimo.
But he said nothing, only giving him a glance.
Compared to last time, the only variable this time was Han Yimo.
Since Officer Li hadn't yet "Echoed," Han Yimo became the only "Echoer" in the team.
In that case... with both sides having "Echoers," could they actually stand a chance against the "Extreme Path"?
"Can I... refuse?" Han Yimo replied.
"You can." Qi Xia nodded. "But I want to know the reason."
"I..." Han Yimo looked up with a troubled expression. "Qi Xia, even though you saved me just now and I want to repay you, my psychological endurance can't handle these games. I'll break down..."
He gave a very honest reason, so honest that Qi Xia didn't know how to refute it.
Han Yimo's biggest problem was his "timidity," and according to him, he suffered from severe claustrophobia, which made many games deadly for him.
But Qi Xia reconsidered. According to Jiang Ruoxue, people in extreme emotional states were more likely to hear the "Echo." That was probably why Han Yimo had awakened this ability first.
"What if you don't have to participate in the games?" Qi Xia asked.
"Don't have to participate?" Han Yimo didn't quite understand. "Then I'd have even less reason to join your team?"
Qi Xia also found this request a bit far-fetched, but he had no better way to recruit Han Yimo.
"It's fine. Just come along and help us brainstorm," Qi Xia said. "If we really win the 'Path,' I'll share it with you."
Han Yimo thought it over and then joined the team.
Seeing everyone eagerly forming teams, Attorney Zhang, who had been watching for a while, looked puzzled and asked, "In the face of total ignorance about the information, are you all so confident?"
Xiao Ran stood beside Qi Xia and naturally linked her arm with his. "With Brother Qi around, what do we need information for?"
"Let go." Qi Xia stopped her.
What Attorney Zhang said made sense. Everything Qi Xia had done was too suspicious. Now, except for Attorney Zhang and Dr. Zhao, almost everyone had sided with Qi Xia.
This made the team split seven to two, extremely unbalanced.
Dr. Zhao looked at the current team division, took a step forward, and said, "Let me say something... Since everyone has sided with the officer, I actually think there's no need for us to 'split teams.' We should just move together. Wouldn't that be safer?"
"Right, right, right!" Xiao Ran quickly chimed in. "It's safer if we all go together."
Things were gradually heading in a strange direction. Qi Xia wanted to intervene, but he had no reason to.
Forcing the group to split into two teams here would only arouse more suspicion.
Officer Li also nodded at this. "It seems there's no need to split up. Let's all go together."
Qi Xia knew that he was the only one who had seen and remembered Xiao Ran's true face.
Officer Li had had a minor conflict with Xiao Ran, but it wasn't outright hostility. Han Yimo had died on the first night, completely unaware of what happened later.
Only Qi Xia understood that this woman could potentially tear the entire team apart from within.
But now, how could he find a legitimate reason to kick her out?
"Everyone... I hate to interrupt..." Lin Qin suddenly spoke up from the side. "But there's something I've been concerned about..."
"What is it?" Qiao Jiajin turned to ask.
Lin Qin pointed a finger into the distance, where a youth was standing.
"There's been someone staring at us this whole time."
Seeing that everyone had noticed him, the youth didn't avoid it. He slowly walked toward the crowd.
When Qi Xia saw his appearance, he was momentarily stunned.
The youth with a ponytail came before the group, gave a symbolic bow, and then said, "Everyone, I saw you were all talking earlier, so I didn't interrupt. Are you done now?"