Chapter 353: The Hidden Expert
Kim Won-hoon stretched his limbs, then looked past Li Xiangling at Chu Tianqiu behind her.
Chu Tianqiu's eyes met Kim Won-hoon's. He smiled faintly and said, "I won't give up. Be careful—she's tougher to deal with than you think."
Kim Won-hoon thought for a moment, glanced at Chen Junnan's body on the ground, then looked up and asked, "Brother, even if I die, you'll save me, right?"
Chu Tianqiu was silent for a long moment, then bared his teeth in a grin. "Kim Won-hoon, you can't rely on me for everything. You have to depend on yourself."
Kim Won-hoon's expression darkened slightly, then he nodded. "I understand, brother."
Just as he was about to step forward, Old Lü couldn't hold back anymore.
"W-Wait a minute..." Old Lü scratched the back of his fat head and asked, "What the hell are you two doing? A couple of grown men ganging up on a little girl?"
"Scram," Kim Won-hoon said. "Brother Chu wants her to stay."
"What the hell does 'scram' mean?" Old Lü was clearly pissed. "You look like you're only fifteen or sixteen, and that's how you talk to your elders?"
Aunt Tong had been listening nearby. She spoke up quietly, "Old Lü, maybe we shouldn't get involved..."
"Like hell I won't!" Old Lü said righteously. "Don't think just because I usually keep a low profile, I don't know right from wrong when it counts!"
"Uncle, I appreciate the sentiment." Li Xiangling's eyes were locked on Kim Won-hoon as she said seriously, "This guy's ability is very special. You'd better stay out of it, or you might get hurt."
"Don't be a hero, little girl!" Old Lü rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward a few paces. Though he looked confident, his voice was trembling. "Today, I want to see if this young punk can really kill all of us!"
Kim Won-hoon gave a contemptuous laugh, then closed his eyes and vanished from where he stood.
The next second, he appeared on a table right next to Old Lü, swinging his foot toward Old Lü's head.
Old Lü was too fat and bulky to dodge. With a pained howl, he was kicked straight to the ground.
But that split second gave Li Xiangling the opening she needed.
She reacted extremely quickly, executing a roundhouse kick that sent the table flying sideways. Just as the table flipped over, Kim Won-hoon leaped into the air, vanished mid-flight, and reappeared on another table.
Li Xiangling abandoned her defensive stance without hesitation and pursued him aggressively.
Under normal circumstances, human legs are stronger than arms. Kim Won-hoon clearly knew Li Xiangling wasn't an easy opponent, so he kept attacking her with kicks.
Li Xiangling was far more agile than anyone had expected. She never took any of Kim Won-hoon's kicks head-on; instead, she dodged and then kicked the tables he was standing on.
In close-quarters combat, few people jump to high ground—because once their foothold is attacked, they're extremely likely to lose balance. But Kim Won-hoon didn't care about that at all. He always vanished the instant before his table could topple.
They fought for over three minutes. Li Xiangling was beginning to tire, but Kim Won-hoon seemed unaffected—after all, he had been flipping through the air the whole time, while she had been running nonstop.
"That's enough," Chu Tianqiu said softly. "Take her down."
Kim Won-hoon flashed away instantly, reappearing on the table closest to Li Xiangling. Just as she paused to catch her breath, he was about to kick her—when he suddenly felt the surface shift beneath him. A table leg had snapped for no apparent reason, with no one touching it.
He immediately squeezed his eyes shut and teleported to another table. Before he could steady himself, the table beneath him broke apart again.
This time, Kim Won-hoon couldn't dodge in time. He crashed to the floor along with the shattered table, letting out a muffled groan.
The entire room fell silent. Only Li Xiangling's ragged breathing could be heard. She was puzzled—that guy who had been bouncing around like a monkey had actually tripped over a collapsing table?
Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brows at the sight. He scanned the room, his lips moving slightly. "There's an expert here...?"
Kim Won-hoon slowly got up from the floor, also looking around the room with caution, then shot Chu Tianqiu a questioning glance.
Two consecutive table-leg fractures—if that wasn't caused by an "Echo," then it was too much of a coincidence.
Chu Tianqiu knew the Echoes of most people present. He quickly eliminated the majority of suspects, leaving only two questionable individuals.
Xu Qian. Doctor Zhao.
He had never met the first girl before, and they hadn't spoken much. Could she have some bizarre Echo? But if her ability was that overpowering, then why would Chen Junnan, who was in the game with her, have died so miserably?
So then...
Chu Tianqiu turned his head and looked at Doctor Zhao.
Yes. This was really interesting.
In all the materials he'd collected before, he had never gathered any information about this man's Echo. He had always assumed Doctor Zhao was just an "Unlucky One."
Doctor Zhao looked up and accidentally met Chu Tianqiu's gaze. He immediately pretended nothing was wrong and looked away.
The corner of Chu Tianqiu's mouth lifted. He stood up and walked toward Doctor Zhao, muttering to himself, "Interesting indeed... Able to hide all this time?"
Doctor Zhao swallowed nervously, his eyes darting around. Han Yimo, sitting beside him, also felt the tense atmosphere and wisely scooted a little farther away.
Doctor Zhao knew he couldn't avoid it. He let out a bitter laugh, raised his head, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
"This doctor..." Chu Tianqiu leaned down, staring into Doctor Zhao's eyes. "Is your main job 'repair,' but your side job 'destruction'?"
"What are you talking about... I don't understand..."
"You don't need to understand." Chu Tianqiu smiled. "I don't think you realize the current situation. Have you counted how many of Qi Xia's people are still in this room from this morning until now?"
Doctor Zhao paused, suddenly realizing something was indeed off.
Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Shangwu had left with the "Cat." Lin Qin, Zhang Chenze, Su Shan, and Qin Dingdong had all gone to participate in games. A few minutes ago, Chen Junnan had died. Soon, Tian Tian would leave with Yun Yao. The only ones left in the room from Qi Xia's group were himself and...
Han Yimo?
"Wh-What are you saying?" Doctor Zhao stammered. "They're just temporarily busy. They'll be back tonight."
"Really?" Chu Tianqiu placed a hand on Doctor Zhao's shoulder. "It's almost dusk now. Ask yourself honestly—who among them will actually come back tonight?"
Doctor Zhao lowered his head and thought.
Yes. Uncertain.
Not a single person was certain to return.
Every one of them seemed to have their own clear goals. No one was willing to stay here.
"You two have been completely abandoned," Chu Tianqiu said. "Qi Xia abandoned you. Don't you understand yet?"
Hearing this, both of their expressions shifted slightly.
"You can't really blame him. Abandoning useless teammates is just 'survival of the fittest' around here." Chu Tianqiu watched Doctor Zhao's expression, knowing his words had struck a nerve. "So think it over carefully. As long as you are 'Echoers,' Paradise Gate is willing to take you in."
Before Doctor Zhao could respond, Han Yimo slowly stood up, his face twisted in extreme terror.
"What the fuck did you say...?" Han Yimo's pupils flickered wildly. He seemed on the verge of breaking down. "You're saying Qi Xia... he abandoned me?!"
In the distance, echoes rang out, and the sound of a bell suddenly descended.
Chu Tianqiu frowned and looked at him.
"How can we survive without Qi Xia...?" Han Yimo's lips trembled, his voice growing hoarse. "If we don't have Qi Xia... what are we supposed to do?! What will happen to us if we die?!"