Chapter 138: Killing
Qi Xia, Tian Tian, and Yun Yao all turned their faces away.
The scene before them was simply too painful to watch.
To put it nicely, it was a "one-on-one fight." To put it bluntly, it was a one-sided beating.
The bald giant in front of Qiao Jiajin was like a child who had just learned to walk, utterly defenseless.
There was no referee in this fight, so no one would step in to stop whatever moves either side used.
Qi Xia felt that Qiao Jiajin was strange. Every time he fought, he seemed to turn into a different person.
It had been the same way when they first entered the "Heaven's Mouth." His gaze would suddenly turn cold and fierce.
"B-Big brother..." A Mu stammered in fear. He now finally understood the gap between their skills. "Can we stop...? If this keeps up, he's really going to die..."
Qiao Jiajin stopped. The bald giant stood there, swaying, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Apologize."
The bald man, dazed, reached out a hand as if to bow, and through completely swollen lips said, "I'm sorry..."
A Mu and the blonde quickly stepped forward to support the bald man, their eyes filled with terror.
"Get lost. Don't let me see you again." Qiao Jiajin waved his hand.
A Mu and the blonde nodded, turned, and prepared to leave with the two others.
"You can't go." Qi Xia's eyes darkened as he called out to stop them. He knew the nature of these people; if they left, they would very likely go kill someone else.
Qiao Jiajin looked back in confusion. "What's up, Con Man?"
"These people are a plague," Qi Xia said. "We absolutely can't let them go."
With that, he picked up a folding knife from the ground and slowly stepped forward.
Qiao Jiajin furrowed his brow and extended a hand to block Qi Xia.
"Con Man, put the knife down."
"What did you say?"
"I said put the knife down. Fighting is fighting. Don't use a knife."
Qiao Jiajin knew all too well that his own life had turned out this way precisely because he had used a knife at the age of eleven to kill someone.
A flash of murderous intent flickered in Qi Xia's eyes, but he held his temper and turned to look at Qiao Jiajin. "They are far more ruthless than you imagine. They cannot be left alive."
"Have you really thought this through? This is killing someone," Qiao Jiajin said in a low voice.
"They'll be resurrected," Qi Xia said. "I'm only killing them now to ensure no one disturbs me for the next nine days."
"That still doesn't make it right." Qiao Jiajin kept a firm grip on Qi Xia's wrist. "Con Man, I've already taught them a lesson. If you still feel unsatisfied, you can go kick them a few more times, but you cannot kill anyone."
"You—" Qi Xia paused. He could see that Qiao Jiajin's eyes were serious, not joking.
"It doesn't matter if they can come back or not. Once you start killing, there's no going back." Qiao Jiajin slowly took the knife from Qi Xia's hand. "'They're dangerous, and I need to kill them'—that thought itself is extremely dangerous. We're human beings, not animals. If you get used to that way of thinking, you'll never be able to return to a normal world."
After hearing this, Qi Xia slowly closed his eyes.
How ironic. In the last cycle, he had used the question "Do you think it's feasible to kill others to take their Way?" to test Qiao Jiajin. Only after learning that Qiao Jiajin refused to kill did he feel at ease recruiting him as a teammate.
And now, just a few days later, Qi Xia's mindset had undergone a earth-shattering change.
As Qiao Jiajin had said, once he got used to the idea of "killing," he would have completely assimilated into the "Land of the End," no different from those zodiacs.
If he ever managed to return to reality, he would be doomed to live the rest of his life with the burden of human lives on his conscience.
"Qiao Jiajin, even if we don't kill, someone will always try to kill us," Qi Xia said coldly. "You carry a sense of 'righteousness' on your shoulders, but not everyone carries that same 'righteousness.' When all the people here start to think that 'killing' is normal behavior, what are we supposed to do then?"
"Leave it to me. I can handle it," Qiao Jiajin said.
"How long can you handle it?" Qi Xia's expression dimmed. "What if you die?"
"I..." Qiao Jiajin sighed, a helpless look spreading across his face. "Con Man, I'm not as smart as you, and I can't think that far ahead. All I know is that right now, you can't kill. I won't allow it."
The situation seemed to reach a deadlock.
The pair who usually seemed the most unbreakable of teammates now had a disagreement.
Tian Tian stood by, watching the two of them with a sorrowful expression. She knew that neither of them was wrong; they were just being driven mad by this place.
In a place like this, should they still consider themselves "human"?
Thinking this, she slowly walked forward and took the knife from Qiao Jiajin's hand.
"I have an idea," Tian Tian said.
Both men turned to look at her, puzzled.
"I'll do the killing," she said in her soft voice. "You don't have to argue about it anymore. I'll go kill them."
"Wh-what?" Qiao Jiajin was taken aback. "Pretty girl, that's not a matter of who does the killing! Do you want to become a murderer?"
"I don't care anymore," Tian Tian shook her head. "This might be my purpose for existing. After all, even if I go back to the real world, I'd still have to live in darkness. When I think about it, the best outcome for me is to die somewhere no one knows me. That way... no one will pity me, and no one will laugh at me."
Qi Xia blinked. He felt things were starting to go in a bad direction.
"So..." Tian Tian smiled bitterly. "I don't care if I kill anyone. It doesn't matter who you want me to kill. Just don't take me with you when you leave."
With that, she walked toward the three men.
A Mu had a sprained back, the blonde had a dislocated arm, and the bald man was beaten senseless. They didn't know what Qi Xia and the others were discussing. All they saw was this woman walking toward them with a knife.
"A-A Mu, something's not right..." the blonde said. "Is she going to kill us?"
"N-no way..." A Mu stammered. "We apologized and took our beating... Besides, we didn't hurt anyone... There's no need for this, right?"
"Should we run...?"
"But..." A Mu glanced at Qiao Jiajin. If he truly wanted to end their lives, where could they run with their heavily injured bodies?
Tian Tian was already in front of them, raising the knife. Her hand was trembling, and her whole state seemed extremely unstable.
"M-Miss..." A Mu swallowed. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"I just want to make a contribution to the people who trust me," Tian Tian choked out. "I'm sorry."
Her hand was shaking, but when she struck, she did not hesitate. The knife was aimed straight for A Mu's abdomen—but just as it flew, Qi Xia grabbed her and pulled her back.
The knife fell. A Mu collapsed to the ground in terror.
"Forget it, Tian Tian..."
Qi Xia's heart was conflicted. He caught Tian Tian in his arms and found that the girl was trembling all over. She was terrified.
Yes. This was killing, after all.
The other person's eyes were fixed on you as you thrust the blade into their belly.
"That's enough," Qi Xia said. "You don't have to do this."
He slowly helped Tian Tian aside and looked at the three terrified men in front of him. They were all badly injured and wouldn't be able to cause any trouble in the coming days.
"Let it go for today. You're on your own."