Chapter 178: Nervous?
After arranging the tactics for the group, the sky gradually darkened.
To be honest, Zhang Shan, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Xiangling hadn't actually "discussed tactics" at all—they just did some physical training and chatted idly for a bit.
After Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling left, Qi Xia looked around at the few people remaining in the room and felt the scene was somewhat ironic.
Now, besides himself, only Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, Han Yimo, and Doctor Zhao were left.
In just two days, this was all that remained.
Aside from Qiao Jiajin, none of them were normal people.
Maybe Xiao Xiao was right—in the "End of the World," only "Echoers" had the right to survive.
"Qiao Jiajin," Qi Xia called out softly from the corner.
Hearing this, Qiao Jiajin came over and sat down beside Qi Xia. "What's up, swindler boy?"
"Tomorrow your opponent is the 'Jidao,' so I have a few things I want to tell you alone," Qi Xia said.
"What is it?"
"Do you still remember Aunt Tong's lesson?" Qi Xia asked.
"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. "I remember part of it."
"Mm." Qi Xia thought for a moment and said, "The prerequisite for successfully activating the 'Echo' is 'conviction.' If you're cornered, try to make the other person doubt themselves."
"Oh?" Qiao Jiajin pondered this for a moment. "But how exactly do I do that?"
"I can't say for sure," Qi Xia said, rubbing his forehead. "After all, we don't know the specific rules of tomorrow's game."
"Then it's fine. You'll be there tomorrow too, right?" Qiao Jiajin asked. "Not participating, just advising from the sidelines."
"Of course I want to give advice, but 'Earth'-level zodiacs are especially cunning. I don't know if I'll have a chance to speak."
"Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll show you a thing or two." Qiao Jiajin patted Qi Xia's shoulder with a calm expression. "Don't worry."
"Whatever you plan to show me, remember this: neither 'Jidao' nor 'Heaven's Gate' can be fully trusted," Qi Xia said in a low voice. "Although 'Earth-level' games are dangerous, they aren't necessarily fatal. Your ultimate goal is to stay alive. Even if you lose the game, it doesn't matter. Understand?"
Qiao Jiajin felt as though he was seeing a shadow of Jiu Zai in Qi Xia again.
Jiu Zai had once said, "A-Jin, if you can't win, run. Just survive, got it?"
"Don't worry." Qiao Jiajin snapped back to reality. "Swindler boy, even if my opponent is a Terminator, I can still twist off one of his arms."
That may be true, but how could Qi Xia not worry?
Without deep cunning, how could anyone survive in the "End of the World"?
The kinder a person was, the worse their death here.
Qiao Jiajin was not suited to live here.
After nightfall, the group ate a simple meal, pushed the tables together, and lay down.
Qi Xia picked up a lighter, lit a small fire for Han Yimo, hoping it might ease his claustrophobia a little. Then he gently placed the lighter on the door handle and finally sat down in a corner far from the door.
Another day was about to pass.
Today's good news was that no teammates were lost. The bad news was that Qi Xia had been targeted by "Jidao."
He didn't know how to handle the coming days.
Late at night, Chu Tianqiu stood in the hallway and tapped on the window.
Qi Xia pulled the window open with a blank expression.
"What is it?" Qi Xia asked.
"Qi Xia, he said 'I never left,'" Chu Tianqiu said in a low voice.
This answer made Qi Xia freeze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said, "I understand."
Without another word, Chu Tianqiu turned and left.
Qi Xia sat down on the chair and slowly closed his eyes.
He was exhausted. Many strings in his mind were pulled taut, and he couldn't relax for even a moment.
"Xia, you know? There are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own."
"Yes, I know." Qi Xia nodded in his sleep, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I've always known."
That night, the dark shadow did not appear. The lighter on the door handle stayed there until dawn, when it was knocked off by a low knock on the door.
"Wake up!" Zhang Shan shouted from outside.
Qi Xia immediately opened his eyes. The others in the classroom slowly sat up as well.
Although staying at "Heaven's Gate" was safe, the hard tabletops still left their backs and sides aching.
"Sheesh..." Qiao Jiajin stretched his limbs, feeling terrible all over. "What time is it?"
"Stop sleeping!" Zhang Shan pushed the door open, and the lighter fell behind it. "Chu Tianqiu said that since 'Earth-level' games require paying an entry fee to learn the rules, we should go pay the fee early and see what the game is."
Qiao Jiajin yawned slowly. "Alright, you guys go first... I'll catch up in three hours..."
Zhang Shan sighed, reached out, grabbed Qiao Jiajin by the neck like a pet, and lifted him off the table.
"Hey, hey, hey?" Qiao Jiajin froze, instantly much more awake. "Big guy, that's a bit much..."
"Time is critical. We need to head out early!" Zhang Shan tossed a pack of biscuits to Qiao Jiajin. "Old Qi, are you coming too?"
"Yes." Qi Xia nodded. "I'll help you guys come up with ideas."
Han Yimo perked up at this. "Can I come?"
Qi Xia paused. "No, you'd better not come today. Stay with Lin Qin and Doctor Zhao."
"Huh?" Lin Qin raised an eyebrow. "Let him go with Doctor Zhao."
Doctor Zhao was startled. "Huh?"
"Uh..." Han Yimo hadn't expected to be rejected by so many people and looked a little embarrassed.
"Then it's settled. The four of us will go," Zhang Shan said.
With that, Qiao Jiajin slowly walked to the door, but when he looked back, he saw that the other three hadn't followed.
He was confused.
"What? Aren't we leaving?" Qiao Jiajin yawned.
"We can leave..." Zhang Shan nodded. "But you're not going to go without clothes, are you?"
"Uh..." Qiao Jiajin looked down and realized he was shirtless. He quickly slunk back to put on a shirt.
After saying goodbye to the others, Qi Xia and the three participants set off under the yellowish dawn.
The early morning in the "End of the World" was strange. It wasn't cold, nor was there the usual hazy mist of dawn. Everything just seemed a bit dim.
They walked for about half an hour until the sky gradually brightened. Occasionally, they saw "natives" moving about in the alleys.
The atmosphere along the way was somewhat odd. Qi Xia felt that something was off.
He looked at the three people in front of him. Their expressions didn't look like they were going to an "Earth-level" game at all—they looked like they were going on a trip.
They were too relaxed.
Zhang Shan seemed to realize this too. He scratched his head and turned to ask Qiao Jiajin, "Kid, are you nervous?"
"Uh... what?" Qiao Jiajin was caught off guard.
"I asked if you're nervous?" Zhang Shan repeated.
"Should I... be nervous?" Qiao Jiajin looked puzzled.
"F*ck... What do we do now?" Zhang Shan seemed troubled. "Chu Tianqiu told me over and over to be careful in this game, but I just can't get nervous. I was hoping you'd help set the mood."
Qiao Jiajin let out a slow yawn. "Oh, I see? Yeah, actually, I'm pretty nervous."
That yawn almost made Zhang Shan sleepy too.
"What about you, Li Xiangling?" Zhang Shan turned to ask the girl beside him.
"Me?" Li Xiangling gave a crisp smile. "My grandfather taught me from a young age that the most important thing for a martial artist is mental discipline. Even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you, your heart must remain calm. So I don't really know what 'nervous' means."