Chapter 160: Target Zodiac
The moment Qi Xia finished speaking, the Chu Tianqiu before him suddenly turned into Xu Liunian.
She didn't transform gradually or tear off a mask like in TV dramas. In just half a second, she completely became another person.
Qi Xia blinked, and the person in front of him turned back into Chu Tianqiu.
The figure before him seemed to be covered by a curtain—when the curtain was lifted, he was Chu Tianqiu; when it was drawn, she became Xu Liunian.
"Qi Xia, don't mess around." Chu Tianqiu steadied himself and said in a low voice, "I can't reveal my identity here."
"You helped me before, so I won't make things difficult for you." Qi Xia said. "Let me see Chu Tianqiu."
"No!" Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice. "You should know that his 'memory' is the key to escaping this place. He hasn't lost his memory for two whole years! If you do this, you'll put him in danger."
"I know, but what I want to discuss with him is exactly about escaping." Qi Xia said. "I don't care what kind of plan he's setting up, but don't treat me like a pawn, or things will get out of control."
Chu Tianqiu swallowed nervously after hearing this and slowly said, "Qi Xia, you really can't see him. If you have any plans, I can relay them for you."
"Relay..."
Qi Xia's lips curled into a smile. "Fine. Just ask him one question for me."
"What question?"
"Ask Chu Tianqiu, 'How long have you been here?'"
"What...?" Chu Tianqiu froze. "You..."
"If Chu Tianqiu answers this one wrong, I'll make sure he's completely out of the game." Qi Xia stood up, ignoring the person in front of him, and walked back to his seat.
Lin Qin saw Qi Xia approaching and smiled slightly. "Did it go well?"
"It went south." Qi Xia replied.
"Haha." Lin Qin chuckled, holding her wine bottle.
The two fell silent, instead watching the noisy crowd.
Soon, Yun Yao finished singing and returned to her seat amidst prolonged applause from the audience.
The other spectators gradually returned to their original seats.
"Brother Liar! That idol girl is really amazing!" Qiao Jiajin exclaimed. "I thought it was a recording, but she actually sang it live!"
"Yeah, she sings very well." Qi Xia nodded.
Seeing Doctor Zhao also sit back down with an awkward expression, Qi Xia suddenly had a new idea.
He just wasn't sure if it was a bit too bold.
"Doctor Zhao, I want to team up with you for the game tomorrow." Qi Xia said.
"Me...?" Doctor Zhao turned to look at Qi Xia in surprise. "Why?"
"Because I think you're a good person." Qi Xia's lips curled. "Here... I'm more reliable than Xiao Ran, right?"
Doctor Zhao stared at Qi Xia for a moment before asking, "Who else?"
"Just you and me." Qi Xia said. "We won't bring anyone else."
"What?" Doctor Zhao was taken aback. "Just you and me?"
Qiao Jiajin and Lin Qin were also stunned.
"Brother Liar, are you going solo?"
Qi Xia shook his head. "No, this is only temporary."
He then turned to look at Lin Qin and said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, I'll leave Qiao Jiajin in your care. If he doesn't come back, our cooperation ends."
"Understood." Lin Qin nodded. "Qiao Jiajin, I'll go with you tomorrow."
"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin looked confused. "What kind of team splitting is this?"
"It's settled, fist." Qi Xia patted his shoulder. "Two grown men like me and Doctor Zhao shouldn't run into much danger. You go protect Lin Qin."
Qiao Jiajin reluctantly nodded. "Alright, but someone as tough as me has a high appearance fee."
"Got it, got it." Lin Qin also nodded. "If we earn some 'Tao,' I'll buy you drinks."
The "Welcome Party" ended amidst everyone's joyful atmosphere.
But from tomorrow onward, there would be no more "joy" for them. They would throw themselves into the games one after another until "Heaven's Gate" stood empty.
Qi Xia told the others to go rest first, but he himself walked to the wasteland behind the school under the night sky.
He held a can of drink and a pack of snacks, placing them slowly in front of Zhang Lijuan's grave.
Qi Xia looked up at the pitch-black sky, listened to the distant chirping of insects, and his eyes were filled with despair.
"Tiantian, that knife was deliberately placed in front of you. But... I let you die in the game just to get everyone out. You won't blame me, right?"
...
The next day, everyone formed teams and set out again.
Although Qi Xia and Han Yimo retained their memories, they did not join Zhang Shan's team.
Han Yimo's memory retention was very short, and he was timid. There was no way he could participate in a "Ground"-level game with Zhang Shan.
So he chose to follow Lin Qin and Qiao Jiajin's team to tackle "Human"-level games.
Qi Xia and Doctor Zhao also packed their things and prepared to leave. What bothered Qi Xia was that Xiao Ran hadn't returned all night, and he had no idea where she went.
She might have left "Heaven's Gate" or was lurking in the shadows plotting revenge.
"Ha..." Qi Xia let out a cold laugh. "If only you were a bit more capable, you'd help me lure out Chu Tianqiu."
"What did you say?" Doctor Zhao asked from beside him.
"Nothing. Let's go."
The two walked out of the school gate under the yellowish sun.
"Qi Xia..." Doctor Zhao slowly turned to look at him. "Why me?"
"Because I know most of the people in the team, but I don't know you." Qi Xia said calmly. "Doctor Zhao, what kind of person are you?"
"I'm a very practical person." Doctor Zhao replied. "I usually only do things that benefit me."
"I see." Qi Xia nodded. "Same here. No one in this world lives for others, right?"
Doctor Zhao didn't respond after hearing this and simply followed Qi Xia in silence.
The two spent half an hour delving deeper into the city center, passing by many "Zodiacs" along the way, but Qi Xia didn't even glance at them.
Doctor Zhao couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
Hadn't they come here to participate in the games?
"Qi Xia, what are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for this time's target." Qi Xia said.
"You seem to know this place very well. You already have a target after just one day?" Doctor Zhao asked.
"Yeah." Qi Xia nodded. "It's just a pity that targets seem rare, and I haven't seen one yet."
Doctor Zhao shot Qi Xia a suspicious glance and fell silent again. He had a bad feeling.
For two whole hours, after passing by at least twenty "Zodiacs," Qi Xia finally found the "target."
That "Zodiac" had an incredibly lifelike rooster's head.
The comb on top of its head wobbled like a swollen tumor, and the feathers on its face gleamed a bright white.
"Found it." Qi Xia said.