Chapter 106: Those with No Right to Be Resurrected
Although everyone harbored their own thoughts, they ultimately decided to join the "Heaven's Gate" together.
After all, most people knew nothing about this world. Now that someone had stepped forward confidently and told them "we can get out," who wouldn’t want to go see for themselves?
Just as Jin Yuanxun was about to lead everyone away, Qi Xia caught a glimpse of a small path beside the square.
He had been on this path once before—it led to the safest game in the "Land of Endings."
One "Dao" for another "Dao," with no danger throughout the entire journey, like a sightseeing tour.
If possible, Qi Xia wanted to go see Human Rat and say sorry to that child.
"Everyone, go ahead with Jin Yuanxun first. I’ll catch up later," Qi Xia said quietly as he dropped to the back of the group.
Jin Yuanxun was puzzled. "Bro, you’ll come later? Do you even know where our organization is?"
Qi Xia realized his slip of the tongue and corrected himself. "I forgot to ask. Draw me a map."
Jin Yuanxun nodded, took a map he had prepared in advance from his pocket, and handed it to Qi Xia. "Our organization is in a place that looks like a school. This is the map I drew earlier."
Qiao Jiajin looked at Qi Xia with a thoughtful expression. "Conman, what are you going to do?"
"Just take a stroll nearby," Qi Xia replied. "It won’t take long."
"I’ll go with you," Qiao Jiajin said cautiously, glancing around. "I feel like something’s off here."
"With me?" Qi Xia looked at Qiao Jiajin with mild surprise.
"Yeah, aren’t we partners now?" Qiao Jiajin laughed cheerfully. "You’re my 'brain.' If you get lost, I won’t be able to get back."
Qi Xia nodded reassuringly. Even though Qiao Jiajin didn’t remember what had happened before, he was still himself.
"In that case..." Jin Yuanxun walked up to them. "Both of you, I’ll take the rest to the organization. Stay safe."
---
"Conman, where do you want to go?" Qiao Jiajin stretched lazily and asked.
"Follow me," Qi Xia replied calmly, leading him down the small path.
They weaved through the alleys for a while as Qi Xia tried to locate Human Rat’s small storeroom from memory.
That storeroom was tiny, but it had held all of Human Rat’s hopes. She must have gathered all sorts of odds and ends from various places and carefully designed the game.
And Qi Xia had ruined it all.
If he could see her this time, he might offer her some reasonable suggestions to improve the game and help her earn more "Dao," as a way to make amends.
"Strange..." Qi Xia looked around the street but didn’t see anyone standing in front of any building. He murmured to himself, "Did I misremember the way?"
"Are you looking for something?" Qiao Jiajin asked curiously.
"I..." Qi Xia stopped before the words came out. Although he trusted Qiao Jiajin, he still didn’t want to reveal his memories. "Nothing. Just looking around."
As they turned a street corner and prepared to continue walking, they saw a dark object lying across the middle of the road.
Qi Xia froze, a bad feeling rising in his heart. He was about to step forward when Qiao Jiajin grabbed him.
"Whoa... Conman, wait."
Qiao Jiajin shielded Qi Xia behind him and slowly stepped forward.
On the ground lay a small, blackened corpse.
Her face was dark and hideous, her skin beginning to rot and dissolve. Yellow, foul-smelling pus flowed on the ground.
And on her lower abdomen, a rotting, blooming flower of flesh had opened.
"How could this be..." Qi Xia stared in disbelief at the small figure, his mind filled with horror.
It was unmistakably Human Rat. But she was lying here, dead.
Qiao Jiajin crouched down, pinched his nose, and took a rough look. "The body has already passed the bloating stage and is starting to decompose and blacken. She’s been dead at least ten days."
"Ten days...?" Qi Xia’s heart jolted. "You’re saying this body has been dead for ten days?"
"Maybe even longer." Qiao Jiajin stood up, covering his mouth and nose as he took a step back. "Ever since I got here, I’ve felt that the smell in the air is really unusual. Could be that a lot of people have died in this city."
Qi Xia slowly walked closer, feeling something throbbing painfully in his mind.
Why had everyone else been resurrected... but not Human Rat?
Did this child not have the "right" to be resurrected?
But then Qi Xia thought again—Human Sheep had been resurrected, too. They were both "Zodiacs," so why was Human Rat still here?
"Conman, do you know this person?"
Know her...
Qi Xia didn’t know how to answer.
He didn’t even know this child’s name. The two of them had only met hastily once. But if he hadn’t shown up, she wouldn’t be lying here.
He walked to the side, picked a small dark red flower from the roadside, and placed it on Human Rat’s chest.
If this child had a choice, she would probably have chosen never to have met him.
"I don’t know her. I just feel sorry seeing such a young child die here." Qi Xia said to Qiao Jiajin. "Let’s go."
Though Qiao Jiajin didn’t understand Qi Xia’s actions, he could only follow the "brain."
After walking three steps, Qi Xia suddenly thought of something and stopped in his tracks.
"What’s wrong?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
Qi Xia turned back suspiciously and looked at Human Rat’s corpse.
There was a sense of dissonance.
He looked at the ground beside her. Apart from the spread of pus, there was nothing else.
Where was her mask?
Qi Xia frowned. If everything here had remained as it was ten days ago, why was the mask missing?
Had someone stolen it, or had "Vermilion Bird" taken it away?
Even though he had already returned to the "Land of Endings" with his memories intact, Qi Xia still knew nothing about this place.
If he wanted to understand what was going on, he would have to go see Chu Tianqiu.
"Nothing. Let’s hurry and catch up with the others."
The two left the alley and returned to the square, which was now empty.
Qi Xia looked up at the screen again. It still read: "I have heard the Resonance of 'Disaster Summoning.'"
The "Resonators" he had encountered had never sustained a "Resonance" for so long. It seemed Han Yimo’s ability was indeed very special.
He stared at the screen for a while, then noticed that characters seemed to be carved on the pillar beneath the display screen.
He walked closer and saw two numbers: "87."
He reached out and gently touched the numbers.
These numbers seemed to be scattered all over the city. What did they represent?
"I have too many questions for Chu Tianqiu right now."
Qi Xia turned around, only to find an old, withered, smiling face right in front of him.
The man stood on tiptoe, his entire body like a withered old tree.
He was leaning in, pressing his wrinkled face closer and closer to Qi Xia’s.