# Chapter 338: The Path of Destruction
"Twinblossoms"...?
Qi Xia turned to look at Zheng Yingxiong once more. He could sense that this child's ability was exceptionally remarkable.
He was practically like a mobile "display screen," somehow able to know the names of other people's "Echoes."
Qiao Jiajin and Li Shangwu stared dumbfounded at Qian Wu, watching helplessly as he transformed from a woman into a man. This kind of situation rarely appeared even in movies.
"You... you're really a freaky weirdo...?" Qiao Jiajin felt that even the alcohol he'd drunk had lost its sweetness.
"No." Qian Wu shook his head. "I am Qian Wu of 'Twinblossoms.' One of my abilities is to change my form."
Qi Xia looked up at Qian Wu at this moment. Although his figure had changed in an instant, in the "Land of Endings," there was nothing that couldn't be accepted.
"Why can't we collect three thousand six hundred Dao?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Wu steadied his breathing, then released his grip on Qi Xia's hand, leaned back, and sat down again. He replied, "Qi Xia, don't you find it strange? What exactly are the 'Dao'? Where do they come from, and what use are they? When we collect three thousand six hundred Dao, what will happen then?"
"I don't know. But since someone has set the rules, we follow them."
"You're wrong." Qian Wu shook his head. "I can only tell you this—the Dao is the greatest deception in the Land of Endings. Once a 'participant' collects three thousand six hundred, both Tianlong and Qinglong will appear together. They will wipe everyone's memories, kill everyone in sight, and then reshuffle the entire 'Land of Endings.' Everyone will be as if they've just arrived here. That is the so-called 'way out.'"
Qiao Jiajin and Li Shangwu slowly raised their eyebrows, feeling that things had exceeded their expectations.
Everything seemed both unbelievable and yet perfectly logical.
So the three thousand six hundred Dao were never a path of escape—they were a path of destruction.
"Qi Xia, you should also know that the 'Land of Endings' has likely existed longer than we have been alive. How could no one have collected three thousand six hundred Dao?"
Qi Xia nodded silently. "That's true."
He knew that even he himself, back in his earlier days, must have collected three thousand six hundred Dao. As long as he understood the rules, this wasn't difficult for him to accomplish.
"If you wander here long enough, you'll notice that everyone's memories share a unified break point." Qian Wu slowly furrowed his brow, as if recalling something painful. "Some people's memories are preserved for seven years, some for five years, and others for only two years."
Upon hearing this, Li Shangwu was taken aback. "You're saying... the reason everyone's memories are neatly preserved around these specific time points is that someone collected three thousand six hundred Dao?"
"Exactly." Qian Wu nodded. "Some of the brothers in the 'Cat' team have five years of memories preserved, while most only have two years. As for those with memories preserved over seven years... I am the only one."
Li Shangwu wanted to ask more, but Qi Xia quietly placed his hand on his arm, interrupting him.
"Qian Wu, how did you manage to escape the 'reshuffling' every time?" Qi Xia asked. "You escaped the reshufflings seven years ago, five years ago, and two years ago?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Wu blinked, then pulled a cigarette from the pack on the table and lit it.
"My 'Echo' has a special function that allows me to escape during a 'reshuffle.'"
"So you're implying... that your memory is the complete history of the 'Land of Endings'?"
"No. As I said just now, the Land of Endings may have existed longer than either of us have been alive. It just so happens that ten years ago, I discovered a way to escape the 'reshuffle.' But I cannot preserve memories from further back than that. And this method is my means of survival—I won't reveal it."
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, contemplating something unknown.
"Qi Xia, I've laid everything I know on the table this time, just to hear your plan." Qian Wu sighed and continued, "If I find your plan feasible, I'll bring all the 'Cats' to risk our lives alongside you."
"Oh?" Qi Xia cupped his chin, carefully weighing the truth of every word Qian Wu had spoken, then said, "If I recall correctly, the 'Cats' are mercenaries, aren't they? You stay here, taking money to do jobs for others. And now you want to get out?"
Upon hearing this, Qian Wu turned to look at Song Qi, Saturday, and Nineteen, then replied, "I'm afraid only the few of us know this..."
"Know what?"
"The number of participants in the 'Land of Endings' is gradually decreasing. If we don't find a way out soon, everyone will be trapped here forever. But rashly starting a war with 'Tianlong' is definitely not wise. We've had to wait for an opportunity."
"Is that so...?" Qi Xia tilted his head slightly. "Your 'Cats' go from 'Five' to 'Twenty-One'—seventeen people in total. You said earlier that ten thousand people couldn't accomplish it. Can seventeen people do it?"
"Back then, I knew nothing—I could only follow behind you. But things are different now." Qian Wu took a slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling the smoke into the center of the room. "Qi Xia, the 'Cats' are a well-trained team capable of completing any mission."
"Then why shouldn't I seek out Chu Tianqiu's help instead?" Qi Xia asked. "He wants to kill 'Tianlong' even more than you do. Besides, 'Heaven's Gate' has far more people than the 'Cats'—almost twice as many."
At these words, the several 'Cats' present all showed disdainful expressions. Saturday even spat the chewing gum he'd been working on for a while onto the ground, raising his head and growling at Qi Xia, "Tch! What are you talking about? No matter how many people 'Heaven's Gate' has, they're just rabble. Can't you see they're not united?"
Qian Wu reached out and patted Saturday, his entire figure instantly shifting back into a woman. "Saturday, there's no need."
"Tch, Fifth Brother, what kind of attitude is this guy giving us?" Saturday seemed unsatisfied and spat on the ground again. "I've been giving you face, haven't I? I haven't said a word since we walked in, but does his attitude look like someone who wants to talk properly?"
Qian Wu frowned slightly and said, "Saturday, pick up the gum. Spitting it on the ground makes it hard to clean."
Saturday took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and picked up the gum.
Qian Wu turned back to Qi Xia and said, "Qi Xia, I've actually been curious for a long time—why did you join Chu Tianqiu's camp? Do you two... really get along?"
Qi Xia knew there was subtext in Qian Wu's words, so he simply nodded and said, "Chu Tianqiu is a very interesting person. He's kept many things from me."
"I see..." Qian Wu smiled. "So it seems you also know that Chu Tianqiu isn't on the same 'two-year' level as others."
"Of course not." Qi Xia smiled as well. "Although he's been deceiving me all along, our ultimate goals don't conflict. For now, we can stand on the same side."