Chapter 209: Playing Chess
Zhang Shan was stunned for a long moment before finally asking, "Impersonate? What do you mean?"
Yun Yao didn't say anything. She simply walked slowly out of the room, and the others followed.
"Hey, Yun Yao, say something." Zhang Shan called out.
Yun Yao took three steps, then stopped and turned around. "Zhang Shan, why did you join 'Heaven's Mouth' this time?"
"I..." Zhang Shan thought for a moment and then said, "Because Chu Tianqiu knows everything about me. He knows secrets that only I know. So I believe he knew me from before."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yao's expression grew even darker.
What did this mean?
It meant that the imposter Chu Tianqiu most likely knew the original Chu Tianqiu.
In Yun Yao's memory, only one person could have done this.
But why?
"Qi Xia, did you already know?" Yun Yao asked.
"I don't know." Qi Xia shook his head.
"I haven't even said what it is yet... and you say you don't know?"
"You didn't say it, but I could guess." Qi Xia's expression didn't change. "So I don't know."
"Hmph... you liar." Yun Yao cursed him lightly, without any real venom. "You people are terrifying. Things have already reached such an absurd level, and yet you still act like nothing's wrong."
"Abburd?" Qi Xia slowly lifted his head to look at the sky. "Yun Yao, don't you think that sun is absurd?"
Everyone looked up at the bizarre, yellowish-brown sun.
"Don't you think this sky, these buildings, these residents are absurd?" Qi Xia let out a bitter laugh. "When the most impossible, most absurd things have already started becoming absurd, can the people trapped here still be normal?"
Yun Yao stared at the sky in silence for a long while before asking again, "Qi Xia, do you have confidence in escaping?"
"I don't have 'confidence' in escaping—I only have 'determination.'" Qi Xia replied.
"What's your method?" Yun Yao asked.
"'Collecting Paths.'" Qi Xia said. "After everything I've experienced, I've come to realize that only 'Collecting Paths' is the truth."
"'Extreme Path'?" All four of them shot Qi Xia an odd look.
"Don't misunderstand." Qi Xia shook his head. "I mean collecting three thousand six hundred 'Paths.' I'm not one of those lunatics."
Yun Yao was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."
...
When the five of them returned to Heaven's Mouth, it was already getting dark. Chu Tianqiu was still standing on the campus, looking outward.
When he saw Yun Yao return, he immediately broke into a smile. "You're back?"
Yun Yao forced a smile and said, "Yes. I'm fine."
She didn't pay any more attention to Chu Tianqiu and instead walked straight toward the teaching building.
"What's wrong?" Chu Tianqiu asked the others. "Is Yun Yao injured?"
"N-no..." Zhang Shan's expression was unnatural. He scrutinized Chu Tianqiu carefully but couldn't find any flaws.
"Then go and rest."
The others nodded and left, except for Qi Xia, who remained standing there.
"Qi Xia, did something happen?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"Of course." Qi Xia nodded. "When you abandoned Yun Yao to die, they all found out."
"What?" Chu Tianqiu frowned. "Abandoned her to die...? Only you and I knew about that."
"Yeah, I told them." Qi Xia nodded. "You didn't ask me to keep it a secret."
"Wha... what?" Chu Tianqiu's expression instantly turned unnatural. "Qi Xia, what are you trying to do?"
"My goal is very simple." Qi Xia scratched his head. "I want them to rebel against you."
"You..." This Chu Tianqiu had never expected Qi Xia to so openly reveal his plan. "You want them to rebel against me?!"
"Keep your voice down." Qi Xia waved his hand. "It wouldn't be good if others heard."
Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice, his face full of anger. "Why would you do that?!"
Qi Xia thought for a moment. "I don't have any fixed idea. I just want to see what you're capable of."
"But aren't you cooperating with Chu Tianqiu?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "Is this how you cooperate?"
"Xu Liunian, the person I'm cooperating with is 'Chu Tianqiu,' but you are you." Qi Xia said. "We're three independent people."
"But if you really make them rebel against me, wouldn't 'Heaven's Mouth' suffer heavy losses?" Chu Tianqiu asked. "What good would that do you? Since you want to collect 'Paths,' you naturally need the power of 'Heaven's Mouth'..."
"No, no, no..." Qi Xia quickly waved his hand. "Xu Liunian, listen to me."
Chu Tianqiu paused. "Alright, go ahead."
"Just as I said, you, me, and Chu Tianqiu are three independent people." Qi Xia rubbed his chin and continued. "I can cooperate with 'Chu Tianqiu,' and naturally, I can also cooperate with 'Xu Liunian.'"
"What?"
"Xu Liunian, don't you feel wronged?" Qi Xia said. "Chu Tianqiu is behind the scenes, and you're on the stage. No matter what you do, he is always the beneficiary, and you're always the one taking the bullets. If the people of 'Heaven's Mouth' are going to resent someone, they'll resent you. If the 'Extreme Path' wants to kill someone, they'll kill you. In the end, he might not succeed, but you will definitely be sacrificed."
"You..." Chu Tianqiu slowly furrowed his brows. He felt that what Qi Xia was saying was obviously a form of provocation, but there was indeed some truth to it.
"Those decisions that got your teammates killed... they were clearly Chu Tianqiu's ideas, yet everyone is blaming you. Let me ask you—if it were you, what would you choose?" Qi Xia said. "Right now, you are the true leader of 'Heaven's Mouth.' Do you want your teammates to die?"
"Qi Xia." Chu Tianqiu said. "You are a very hard person to trust. I am far less clever than you, so I trust you even less. I'm afraid you'll drag me into hell."
Qi Xia nodded. "It's right that you don't trust me. After all, I'm a liar. You can only believe half of what I say."
"In that case, how can I cooperate with you?" Chu Tianqiu asked.
"Our goals are aligned." Qi Xia said. "My purpose is to 'collect Paths,' so I don't want to lose teammates. The more 'Echoers' survive, the closer I get to getting out."
"'Collecting Paths'..." Chu Tianqiu lowered his head silently. "Do you know how difficult a path that is? 'Heaven's Mouth' hasn't even gathered three thousand six hundred 'Paths' so far..."
"That's because Chu Tianqiu's real goal has never been to 'collect Paths.' His mind isn't on it." Qi Xia said meaningfully. "He wants to become a god."
The Chu Tianqiu in front of him lowered his head even further after hearing this. It seemed he had already known this answer.
"From what you know of him, if he becomes a 'god,' will he let the people here go?" Qi Xia said. "He didn't care about human life before becoming a god. How could he value you after becoming one?"
"I... but I..." Chu Tianqiu wanted to say more, but his mind was already a complete mess.
"Xu Liunian, if you can resolve the trouble I've created for you, I'll think highly of you and cooperate with you to escape this place." Qi Xia said. "Even if human lives are chess pieces, you can't play this game recklessly."
"You..."
"This game of chess can only be played by me, Qi Xia."