Chapter 293: A Role That Cannot Be Played

Chapter 293: A Role That Cannot Be Played

By the time Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin returned to "Heaven's Gate," the sky had grown completely dark.

Zhang Shan and another young man stood by the entrance, and the four of them exchanged brief nods.

Pushing open the classroom door, Qi Xia and his companion looked inside. Everyone else had already returned—except for Chen Junnan.

And right now, Chen Junnan was the person Qi Xia wanted to see most.

"Where's that chatterbox?" Qi Xia asked.

"Chen Junnan?" Lin Qin stood up. "I think he has something on his mind. He went to the rooftop."

"The rooftop?" Qi Xia stroked his chin, then nodded.

Had Chen Junnan discovered something?

After getting Qiao Jiajin settled, he was about to go find Chen Junnan when Lin Qin called out to him again.

"Qi Xia…" Lin Qin pulled him aside by the arm. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Qi Xia asked.

"Two things…" Lin Qin glanced over at Han Yimo. "First, there's the matter of Han Yimo…"

She told Qi Xia everything about how Han Yimo could no longer "Echo."

Qi Xia listened and nodded, finding nothing particularly alarming about it.

Although an "Echoer" was an indispensable asset, Han Yimo's "Echo" was undeniably unusual.

If he could no longer "Echo," it was neither a loss nor a gain—merely an ordinary occurrence.

"What I'm worried about now…" Lin Qin hesitated, "is that if Han Yimo forgets everything this time… then the next time he enters here, he'll be in a completely fresh state…"

"And then?"

"And then he might unleash the most severe 'fear' this place has ever seen…" Lin Qin looked up. "After all, everything here will be new and terrifying to him…"

"Hmm…" Qi Xia nodded again. He felt Lin Qin's reasoning was sound, but the problem was difficult to handle.

If Han Yimo truly experienced the worst "fear" in seven years, it would be no small disaster. But forcing him to gain an "Echo" right now to avoid that disaster wasn't a good idea either.

"Anything else?" Qi Xia asked.

"There's one more thing…" Lin Qin thought for a moment, then told Qi Xia about the old woman and the naked child she had encountered today.

Qi Xia had seen those two before as well, but he had never witnessed the scene Lin Qin described.

That old woman could move at such an incredible speed?

"Are they Divine Beasts?" Qi Xia asked.

"Probably not…" Lin Qin shook her head. "I've seen all four Divine Beasts… but I've never seen these two before."

"Isn't that strange?" Qi Xia pondered for a moment. "They're not 'Natives,' not 'Participants,' not 'Divine Beasts,' and they don't have masks on their heads, so they can't be 'Zodiacs' either…"

After saying this, Qi Xia paused, then turned to stare at Lin Qin. "Have you ever seen a 'Heavenly Zodiac'?"

"Me?" Lin Qin shook her head gently. "I've been active here for seven years, but I've never seen a 'Heavenly' level."

"Is that so…" Qi Xia slowly narrowed his eyes. "Are 'Heavenly' levels that hard to find?"

"I can't say for sure." Lin Qin sighed softly. "I heard that 'Heavenly' levels don't have fixed 'game grounds,' so they don't stay in one place. That makes it even harder to know where to look for them."

"I understand. I'll go see Chen Junnan now."

Leaving Lin Qin behind, Qi Xia turned and headed toward the school's rooftop. But just as he reached the stairwell, he ran into Chu Tianqiu.

"Qi Xia?" Chu Tianqiu smiled enigmatically. "Can't sleep in the middle of the night… planning to take a walk?"

Qi Xia didn't answer. He was about to brush past him and head to the rooftop when something occurred to him.

"Chu Tianqiu…" Qi Xia called out. "That method you used last time to make me 'Echo'—can you do it again?"

Hearing this question, Chu Tianqiu was momentarily taken aback, then let out a laugh. "What, after just one day, you're already suffering from 'amnesia panic'?"

"I don't have that kind of panic." Qi Xia replied. "I just want to use my 'Echo' to save someone."

"Save someone…?" Chu Tianqiu found this amusing. "A dead person?"

Qi Xia nodded. "That's right. Someone who's been dead for about a month."

"With your intelligence… shouldn't you be able to see the contradiction in that?" Chu Tianqiu chuckled. "You yourself remember that the person has been dead for a long time—how can your subconscious make that person come back to life?"

Qi Xia sighed softly. Of course, he understood the absurdity of this.

If he always remembered this fact, he could never revive the dead. But if he forgot, he would forget who that person was in the first place.

In that case… how could his "Everlasting Life" ever be of any use?

Qi Xia was silent for a moment, then spoke. "You don't need to worry about my matters. Just tell me—what do I need to trigger my 'Echo'?"

"That's quite difficult…" Chu Tianqiu mused. "I spent a lot of money and put a great deal of thought into it."

"Then the next time you decide to put in that kind of effort, make sure to let me know in advance." Qi Xia smiled. "After all that effort, we need to make sure it actually works."

Chu Tianqiu smiled and nodded in return. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned back. "Qi Xia, what did you see in the moment before your 'Echo'?"

"Is that question… important?" Qi Xia asked.

"Very important." Chu Tianqiu replied. "It's a key area of my research."

Qi Xia thought back to his state right before he had Echoed. He only remembered being in excruciating pain, and then Yu Nian'an had come to take him home.

"I didn't see anything." Qi Xia said. "If you have a plan, go ahead and carry it out. I'll wait."

A strange expression flickered across Chu Tianqiu's face. "Qi Xia… you must have realized, right? Even if I perfectly recreate that day's conditions, there's no guarantee you'll 'Echo' again. After all, your 'trigger' is something that can't be sought on demand."

"That's your problem." Qi Xia gave a meaningful smile. "Our new way of cooperating is: I provide the 'Echo,' and you take care of the 'trigger.' If I can't succeed, then how are we supposed to work together?"

Chu Tianqiu thought for a moment, then nodded. "That makes sense, Qi Xia."

The two exchanged a glance, then fell silent. Chu Tianqiu walked straight toward the classroom where Yun Yao was, while Qi Xia casually made his way to the rooftop.

The school's rooftop terrace was spacious and empty. Someone had placed a few chairs there.

Qi Xia looked into the distance and saw Chen Junnan and Qin Dingdong sitting there, staring up at the pitch-black night sky.

Still, they sat far apart from each other, as if they weren't particularly close.

Hearing footsteps, Chen Junnan turned around. "Yo… Old Qi, come on over and have a seat. Make yourself at home."