Chapter 118: Officer Li's Tactics
But should he tell him this news now?
This wasn't a good idea. The hardest thing for humans to control is their own "thoughts."
Han Yimo's mood seemed relatively stable. If he were to break this news now, it would inevitably disturb his mind.
"Han Yimo, are you feeling scared right now?" Qi Xia asked cautiously.
"Not really scared," Han Yimo said calmly, shaking his head. "It's brightly lit here, and there doesn't seem to be any danger."
"Th-then that's good..."
Officer Li noticed that Qi Xia actually seemed a bit flustered.
"But who knows which comes first, accidents or tomorrow..." Han Yimo stared distantly at the sky. "Qi Xia, do you think we'll ever get out of—"
"Stop!" Qi Xia stepped forward and covered Han Yimo's mouth, a thin stream of cold sweat slowly trickling down his forehead. "Han Yimo, calm down. We will definitely get out of here."
Han Yimo nodded slightly after hearing this, and Qi Xia released his hand.
"Qi Xia, I don't know why, but I really trust you," Han Yimo said. "You're like a character I once wrote about. In the final chapter of the story, he broke through a seemingly unsolvable challenge."
"It's best that you can say that..." Qi Xia forced out a bitter smile. "I'm here, so don't worry."
Looking at Qi Xia's expression, Officer Li seemed to realize something too.
Could "Disaster Summoning" be the same as "jinxing"?
"That's right... Han Yimo, don't let your mind wander..." Officer Li said belatedly. "Qi Xia and I will lead everyone out."
Han Yimo felt that the two in front of him were acting a bit strange.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"I..." Officer Li exchanged a glance with Qi Xia, words catching in his throat. "N-nothing."
The top priority now was to find a way to shut down Han Yimo's "Resonance." Otherwise, with his astonishing imagination, the train might end up driving onto the playground, or a meteor shower might rain down from the sky.
"You two are really weird..." Han Yimo sighed. "You called me out to the middle of the playground in the middle of the night, but then you won't speak clearly."
Qi Xia felt his mind getting a bit chaotic.
The "Resonators" he knew of so far didn't seem like ordinary "superpowers" at all.
They didn't possess abilities like flying through the sky or burrowing into the earth. Instead, they developed in a bizarre direction.
Han Yimo could summon disasters, Jiang Ruoxue could forcibly establish logical connections between two unrelated things, and Officer Li could produce things out of thin air that didn't exist.
And that woman named Xiaoxiao, when she killed Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian, she hadn't moved a muscle. She simply ate a bowl of meat and everyone collapsed.
Qi Xia remembered that her "Resonance" was called "Frame."
That being the case, he could make a bold guess: Xiaoxiao had indeed poisoned something, but she didn't need to put the poison into everyone's bowls—she only needed to put it into her own.
Then, by "framing" her poisoning onto others, she could complete the murder.
Qi Xia let out a bitter smile. If this were the real world, anyone proposing such a theory would surely be a madman. But in the "Land of the End," this reasoning was inexplicably convincing.
"I'm a bit sleepy," Han Yimo said, stretching. "Aren't you two going back to sleep?"
"We'll have another cigarette. You go ahead," Officer Li said.
"Alright then." Han Yimo nodded. "I'll head off. You two get some rest too."
With that, he turned and walked toward the brightly lit teaching building. On the way, he seemed to run into Zhang Shan, and the two chatted as they disappeared into the distance.
Now that only Qi Xia and Officer Li remained, there was nothing left to hide.
Qi Xia turned around and asked bluntly, "Officer Li, do you still remember your 'Resonance'?"
"My... 'Resonance'?" He frowned, as if trying to recall something. "Did I 'Resonate' last time? I only remember having a cigarette and then losing consciousness."
"The problem lies with that cigarette," Qi Xia said. "You pulled out a clean pack of 'Winter Worm Summer Grass' from an old cigarette box. Do you remember?"
Qi Xia knew this question was a bit hard on Officer Li. His condition at the time had been very bad—not only had he lost a lot of blood, but he was also in severe pain and his consciousness was hazy.
"I have a vague impression..." Officer Li nodded. "'Winter Worm Summer Grass' is a specialty cigarette from Inner Mongolia. It costs a hundred yuan a pack. I vaguely remember smoking one before I died, but I have no idea how it got there."
"What about the lighter?" Qi Xia felt his pockets and realized the lighter was long gone, so he just gestured with his hands. "A well-worn Zippo lighter, looked like a pretty standard model."
Officer Li was taken aback: "How do you know about that lighter? Xuanxuan gave it to me as a gift with her New Year's money... I always carry it with me."
Qi Xia nodded. "Then I understand. Officer Li, I suspect your 'Resonance' is very powerful—you can conjure up anything you want out of thin air."
"What did you say?!" Officer Li's eyes instantly went wide. "Are you saying I not only 'Resonated' but even materialized the lighter Xuanxuan gave me?"
"Yes. I, Lin Qin, and Attorney Zhang all witnessed your 'Resonance' firsthand. But aside from me, there are no other witnesses now."
Officer Li lowered his head, his expression very complicated.
"What's wrong?" Qi Xia asked.
"Qi Xia, is it true that only 'Resonators' retain their memories?"
"That's what I've heard."
"And I... hear the 'Resonance' when I'm near death?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded again.
Officer Li slowly lifted his head and said, "Qi Xia, I think I've found a way to escape from here..."
"What?" Qi Xia turned to look at him. "What is it?"
"Find a way to let me die." Officer Li looked up seriously. "Let me enter a near-death state."
Qi Xia frowned. "Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm not crazy."
Officer Li's eyes kept flickering, as if he were constantly assessing the feasibility of this plan in his mind. After a long moment, he spoke:
"When I'm on the verge of death, I'll find a way to conjure three thousand six hundred 'Daos.' That way, all of you can get out! I don't know exactly how to activate this ability, but when I'm dying, I'll definitely feel it!"
His gaze was very serious, not at all like he was joking.
"One 'Dao' is about the size of a walnut. How could a normal person carry three thousand six hundred of them on their body?" Qi Xia felt this plan was too risky. "I don't think it's reliable. Let's think of another option."
"If it doesn't work once, I'll try twice. If it doesn't work twice, I'll try three times." Officer Li said earnestly. "I will make sure everyone survives."