Chapter 347: An Impersonation?
Yun Yao hadn't expected Chu Tianqiu to immediately throw out the very words she was about to say. For a moment, she could only stare at him, stunned.
"How wonderful. To actually stake your life and kill an 'Earth-level'..." Chu Tianqiu looked at Chen Junnan, a meaningful glint in his eyes. "If everyone in our 'Land of Endings' were characters like him, wouldn't that be great, huh?"
Yun Yao felt that Chu Tianqiu had changed somewhat. He seemed even more unhinged than when they first met.
"Chu Tianqiu... are you truly willing to give up the position of leader?" Yun Yao asked.
"Is this 'leader' really that important?" Chu Tianqiu smiled. "Every time, I have to risk danger to gather you all, manage your food and drink, arrange everyone's movements... Do you think this is easy for me?"
"You..."
Chu Tianqiu's expression gradually darkened. He turned his head to scan the group. "How amusing... carrying a Dìshé's head right in front of me, a whole crowd gathered here to depose me?"
"Though it may sound unfair to you, this is how things are," Yun Yao said decisively. "We gather here not to live out our days, nor to establish some kind of social hierarchy. We follow you because we want to get out. If you can't lead us out, then why gather us here and waste our time?"
"Then you are welcome to establish a second organization," Chu Tianqiu said with a laugh. "Every single person here—if they want to go with you, they can."
"That would be too slow." Yun Yao shook her head. "The fastest route isn't swapping out all the members; it's swapping out one leader."
"So you've always been this selfish, haven't you?" Chu Tianqiu's tone gradually calmed. "Because building your own organization would be slow, you've decided to just seize 'Paradise Gate' outright?"
After speaking, Chu Tianqiu glanced at Aunt Tong. "Aunt Tong, you're a veteran member here. Do you feel the same way?"
"Xiao Chu..." Aunt Tong had only learned of Yun Yao's plan a few minutes ago herself; how could she possibly have prepared a speech in advance? She could only give Chu Tianqiu a wry smile. "I don't think Yun Yao is a girl who acts rashly. Why don't you two have a proper talk?"
Hearing this, Yun Yao roughly understood Aunt Tong's position, so she pressed her advantage. "Even setting aside the matter of the Earth-level 'Zodiac'... last time you hired 'Cat' to massacre 'Paradise Gate,' it didn't seem like you considered us teammates, did it?"
"Oh?" Chu Tianqiu raised an eyebrow. "Massacre Paradise Gate, you say..."
"Did I remember wrong?" Yun Yao asked.
"No." Chu Tianqiu shook his head. "I did do that."
As soon as he said this, several of the 'Paradise Gate' members present were stunned.
"But if I said I did it to find a way out... would you believe me?" Chu Tianqiu swept his gaze across the people in the room, his eyes exceptionally wild.
"You..." Yun Yao took a deep breath, then nodded. "Fine. You say you were searching for a way out. Then through slaughtering our teammates, what did you discover that you hadn't known before?"
The atmosphere in the room became deathly quiet. The only sound was the crisp *click-clack* of Doctor Zhao's stapler.
Chu Tianqiu looked at Doctor Zhao, then a terrifying smile spread across his lips.
"Yun Yao... I actually did find a way."
Chu Tianqiu pulled a piece of red, fleshy matter from his pocket, pinched it between two fingers, and tossed it into his mouth. He chewed it a few times casually, swallowed the contents, then flashed a bloody grin at everyone.
Seeing Chu Tianqiu like this, Yun Yao involuntarily took half a step back.
"Doctor Zhao, you don't need to save him anymore." Chu Tianqiu smiled. "The flesh you're stitching up right now isn't Chen Junnan at all."
"What?" Doctor Zhao was taken aback, and even Chen Junnan was stunned.
Chen Junnan turned his head weakly. He felt like he was hallucinating.
"This young master isn't Chen Junnan...?" Chen Junnan gave a bitter smile. "What, is my dying face looking like Takeshi Kaneshiro or something...?"
"He's a fake," Chu Tianqiu said. "The real Chen Junnan went with Kim Won-hoon to get something for me. He'll be here soon."
"Wha..." Chen Junnan finally understood what Chu Tianqiu meant. He tried to struggle and sit up, but felt like his entire body was nailed down with spikes; every movement brought sharp pain. "Damn it... Doctor Zhao, what are you, some kind of sadistic old nanny from a period drama...?"
"J-Just don't move for now..." Doctor Zhao said worriedly. "You at least need to lie down until the blood clots..."
"Like hell I'm lying down!" Chen Junnan sat up, panting heavily. Many of his wounds split open again, instantly pouring blood. "Xiao Chu... what the hell are you babbling about... open your dead... dead man's eyes... and take a good look... see who the hell I am..."
Chen Junnan tried to stand, but couldn't move anymore. For the first time, he'd been so badly injured without successfully committing suicide, and his entire mind was consumed with how to die.
"I see clearly. You're a fake." Chu Tianqiu stood in front of Chen Junnan, grinning. "Who are you really? Sneaking into 'Paradise Gate' with such a disguise... what's your aim?"
"Kid... you've really gone too far..." Chen Junnan slowly reached out a hand and grabbed Chu Tianqiu's clothes. "I've already 'Echoed'... Are you sure it's a good idea to provoke me like this?"
"What does that mean?" Chu Tianqiu laughed, pushing Chen Junnan's hand away. "I'm just provoking a fake, that's all."
Yun Yao looked at Chu Tianqiu and Chen Junnan in confusion, feeling her own train of thought getting muddled too.
"Chu Tianqiu, stop trying to muddy the waters." Yun Yao said angrily. "I've been with Chen Junnan ever since we left 'Paradise Gate.' After he got hurt, I carried him the whole way without leaving his side. On what basis do you claim he's a fake?"
"Then is it possible..." Chu Tianqiu flashed his blood-stained teeth again, staring at Yun Yao, "...that from the very first moment you saw him today, he was already a fake?"
"Ridiculous!" Yun Yao interrupted. "Even if he were a fake, even if someone else was impersonating him... how could they possibly fake Chen Junnan's 'Echo'? Chu Tianqiu, have you sunk so low that you don't even bother to think up a proper lie now?"
"'Echo'?" Chu Tianqiu paused. "Who saw it?"
"I did." After speaking, Yun Yao turned and pointed at Xu Qian and Yan Zhichun. "The three of us all saw it."
As the words left her mouth, Yun Yao felt a twinge of guilt. If she was being honest with herself, she hadn't actually seen Chen Junnan activate his 'Echo' with her own eyes.
But if he was an impostor, why would he go and gamble with his life against an Earth-level?
Before she could figure it out, the classroom door was pushed open, and two people walked in.
One was Kim Won-hoon, and the other was none other than Chen Junnan.