Chapter 172: Chance Encounter?

Qi Xia and Dr. Zhao left Di Ji's game room with thirty "Dao" in their hands. Before they had taken three steps, Qi Xia's face darkened.

"Dr. Zhao, what kind of pervert are you, exactly?" He turned around and asked.

"Ah?" Dr. Zhao was stunned. "Me? A pervert?"

"Your 'Echo' requires a woman to activate." Qi Xia wore a look of disgust. "Are you some kind of demon from a martial arts story who absorbs Yin to nourish his Yang?"

"What are you even talking about...? But 'Echo'...?" Dr. Zhao blinked. "Are you saying... what I have is called an 'Echo'?"

"What did you say?" Qi Xia was slightly taken aback. "We've reached this stage, is there any need to keep hiding it?"

"I-I'm not hiding anything..." Dr. Zhao said with an awkward expression. "I really don't know what this thing is, but I do seem to be able to destroy my surroundings according to my own will..."

"Destroy?"

Qi Xia's expression wavered. This was truly an unexpected answer.

That meant the survival game of the "Human Rabbit" didn't have the "aquarium collapse" solution; it was just Dr. Zhao's "Echo" activating.

But why didn't Dr. Zhao know he had an "Echo"?

"Whenever I touch a girl, I briefly gain some strange abilities..." Dr. Zhao said awkwardly. "Last time, when I wanted to have a deep... conversation with Xiao Ran... you interrupted me."

Qi Xia covered his forehead with a pained expression. He felt like this whole thing was insane.

That day, just as Dr. Zhao was about to obtain a real "Echo," he was interrupted?

"No wonder..." Qi Xia nodded. "That day when Lin Qin and I came looking for you, you were hiding in the shadows and swung a wooden plank at me. You really were trying to kill me, weren't you?"

"I..." Dr. Zhao lowered his head silently.

"Because I stopped you from becoming a superman." Qi Xia sighed, then his eyes turned cold as he asked, "Dr. Zhao, have you been retaining your memories all along?"

"I..." Dr. Zhao looked at Qi Xia warily and said, "Qi Xia, I don't understand what 'retaining memories all along' means, but I remember everything that happened last time."

"What?"

"But someone explicitly told me, 'Don't tell anyone you still remember'... so I..."

Qi Xia paused slightly. So Dr. Zhao wasn't the one in the room who had been retaining memories all along?

He had only retained one cycle's worth of memory.

"I think I guessed wrong..."

*CLANG!*

Before Qi Xia could figure it out, a series of rapid bell sounds startled him.

The two looked up blankly. Neither of them had ever heard such dense bell tolling, as if a group of people had "Echoed" simultaneously.

Three figures slowly emerged from the shadows, standing right behind Qi Xia.

"Qi Xia, listen. The bell tolls." A familiar voice slowly sounded.

Qi Xia's whole body stiffened, then he turned around stiffly.

That chilling face appeared before him.

It was Xiao Xiao.

The same Xiao Xiao who had mercilessly killed Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.

This face was the first impression "The End Land" had ever given Qi Xia.

Madness.

Qi Xia also looked at the man and woman standing on either side of Xiao Xiao.

One was Jiang Ruoxue, whom he had met once before, and the other was an unfamiliar man.

"Huh? Strange..." Xiao Xiao stared into Qi Xia's eyes. "You look like you remember me... Have you truly 'Echoed'?"

Qi Xia didn't speak, just stared at her warily.

"In that case, communication will be much easier. Qi Xia, did you grasp what I said last time?" Xiao Xiao fiddled with her oversized T-shirt as she slowly walked forward.

"Qi Xia... who is this?" Dr. Zhao slowly took a step back. He had a bad feeling.

Qi Xia didn't answer. Instead, he swallowed and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"I originally wanted to sneak into Di Ji's game to kill some people, but I didn't expect to run into you." Xiao Xiao wore a troubled expression. "I don't want to do anything, really. This is just a 'chance encounter.'"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruoxue smiled sweetly and waved at Qi Xia. "Hi! Long time no see."

"Since it's a 'chance encounter,' why are the three of you 'Echoing'?" Qi Xia asked.

"Isn't it to recruit you?" Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "I told you last time, the people here aren't worth a single life. You should understand by now, right? In a place like this, only 'Echoers' have the right to survive. Everyone else, no matter how many times they die, the outcome is the same."

After hearing this, Qi Xia also slowly walked forward, standing face to face with Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao's expression didn't change as she continued to smile. "We're 'Echoing' here to show you that we're far stronger than most people. Even so, don't you want to join us?"

"Xiao Xiao, listen carefully." Qi Xia said coldly, "The thing I hate most in my life is things that exceed my expectations. If you dare kill my teammates right in front of me, then you'd better be prepared to be my enemy forever."

"Oh...?" Xiao Xiao paused, her smile fading. "Do you think that just because I'm speaking politely to you, you can get cocky?"

"My attitude towards you has always been like this." Qi Xia said. "If you have a problem, come at me. No matter how many times you kill me, I won't compromise."

"Do you think I wouldn't dare?"

The atmosphere tensed up instantly. Everyone stood confronting each other, while Dr. Zhao was silently calculating an escape route.

"What the hell?" The unfamiliar young man standing behind Xiao Xiao suddenly broke the tension. "Xiao Jiang, what's all this about?"

"Hey, don't rush." Jiang Ruoxue tugged at the young man's sleeve and whispered, "Xiao Xiao should have a plan."

"How the hell is that gonna work?" The man glared impatiently. "Don't start bullying people here."

"Old Sun, when did I bully anyone?" Xiao Xiao frowned and turned around. "If you don't know the situation, don't speak."

"Do I even need to know the situation?" The young man immediately stepped forward, positioning himself between Xiao Xiao and Qi Xia, looking displeased. "You already killed his teammate, and you're still talking about the situation? Don't you know how to control yourself?"

"Old Sun, you..."

"I was tricked by Xiao Jiang into activating my 'Echo,' and this is what we're doing?" The young man called Old Sun felt deceived. "What is this, a joke? Did I just stand here with you two to show off?"

The atmosphere was suddenly tinged with awkwardness.

Xiao Xiao and Jiang Ruoxue exchanged helpless glances. "Old Sun, we want to recruit this guy named Qi Xia."

"Then talk to him properly!" Old Sun glared at Xiao Xiao with a look of disappointment. "Why did you have to kill someone?"

"I did talk to him properly." Xiao Xiao shook her head nonchalantly. "I said, 'These people aren't worth a single life,' but he didn't believe me."

"How the hell does that sound okay to you?" Old Sun turned around, looked at Qi Xia, and said, "Bro, don't listen to her bullshit. I'll apologize for what happened to your teammate first, on her behalf. I'll stand up for you."

Qi Xia and Dr. Zhao looked at each other in bewilderment.

What was this?

Were they putting on an act?