Chapter 354: Punishing Evil
The moment Han Yimo finished speaking, everyone felt the entire room tremble slightly.
"What...?" Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brow at him. "What do you mean, 'can't live without Qi Xia'?"
"You supporting characters have been abandoned by the 'Savior'..." Han Yimo's voice trembled as he spoke. "And you still have the audacity to plan for the future...? In no novel can any 'supporting character' accomplish anything...!"
"Supporting character...?"
Chu Tianqiu and Yan Zhichun were both stunned, feeling that this man before them had probably gone mad. Both of them were prominent figures in the "Land of the End"—how could they be someone else's "supporting characters"?
"What do we do... what do we do?!" Han Yimo said nervously. "Which part of the plot is this exactly...?"
Dr. Zhao turned and patted Han Yimo on the shoulder. "Brother... calm down. How could the situation be as bad as you say?"
"Not that bad?!" Han Yimo shouted. "The situation couldn't be worse!! I, the 'protagonist,' have gotten separated from the damn 'Savior'!!"
None of them could follow Han Yimo's train of thought. They could only stare at him blankly.
"Oh heavens..." Han Yimo crouched down, grabbing his hair. Everyone felt the entire teaching building tremble again. "What am I supposed to do now...? Who can protect me?!"
Yun Yao felt that the man before her seemed somewhat dangerous. She shielded Tiantian behind her and looked at him with confusion. "Why don't you try to protect yourself?"
"Protect myself?! What if I encounter a problem I simply can't solve?!" Han Yimo looked up, his face crazed. "What if—just like in the real world—an earthquake happens here?!"
The moment he finished speaking, the whole room began to shake continuously.
"Wait, hold on..."
Chu Tianqiu sensed something was wrong. Was this man also an "Echoer"? Why was he yet another person no one had ever heard of?
Could he actually shake the earth?
"If this place experiences the same kind of earthquake as outside..." Han Yimo kept his head down, his whole body trembling. "If the walls crack... and the ceiling shatters..."
Before he could even finish, fine cracks began appearing on the walls under the weak tremors, and dust fell continuously from the ceiling.
Jin Yuanxun sensed trouble immediately. In an instant, he appeared in front of Han Yimo and pressed him to the ground.
"Hey! That's enough!" he shouted, grabbing Han Yimo by the collar. "What ability do you have? What are you saying?"
"Damn it..." Han Yimo was startled by Jin Yuanxun. "You thug... A group of you grabbing a girl—this kind of scene is way too common in novels. How can a 'thug' grab the 'protagonist' by the collar?!"
"What...?"
A whooshing sound came from afar, as if something was flying toward them at great speed.
Just as Dr. Zhao was about to speak, several white objects landed in front of him.
He froze, looking down to see several pieces of silver lying on the floor by his feet.
At the same moment, pieces of silver fell in front of Yun Yao, Tiantian, Aunt Tong, Old Lü, and Li Xiangling.
These silver pieces scattered all over the floor like hailstones falling indoors.
*Crack!*
A sharp sound exploded, and a pitch-black object broke through the glass and flew inside. It now hovered above everyone's heads, radiating a chilling aura.
Looking up, they saw it was a massive black sword. Hanging in the air like a venomous snake, it aimed its tip at everyone in the room.
"Those judged as 'Good' receive one tael and seven maces of silver... Those judged as 'Evil'... have their dantian pierced by the 'Seven Black Sword,'" Han Yimo said with a cold smirk. "Let's see... who is more 'evil'—me or you?"
Jin Yuanxun felt a chill and immediately released Han Yimo, stepping back cautiously.
"Seven Black Sword...?"
The giant sword floating in the air kept turning its tip, sometimes pointing at Han Yimo, sometimes at Jin Yuanxun, as if it were truly deciding who to attack.
After a moment, the sword aimed at Jin Yuanxun. Then, with a terrifying whoosh, it shot straight toward his abdomen at a speed no one could react to.
Seeing this, Jin Yuanxun quickly shut his eyes. When the sword tip was less than a finger's width away, he vanished from his spot.
The black sword didn't stop. It tore through the floor, knocking over a large number of desks and chairs. Everyone in the room scrambled to take cover. Old Lü quickly shielded Aunt Tong in a corner, and Yun Yao pulled Tiantian behind her.
No matter what kind of technique this was, it was far too terrifying.
One man controlled a flying sword to attack, while another could vanish from sight. This surreal, almost superhuman duel was happening right before their eyes. They had no power to resist, only to dodge.
The giant sword knocked over more than half the furniture, then turned around in midair. It let out a reluctant dragon-like roar before aiming at Jin Yuanxun again.
"Hey..." Yun Yao felt something was wrong. This giant sword was enormous. If it kept flying around the room, no one would survive. "Han Yimo, calm down. Do you want to kill everyone here?"
Han Yimo turned his head at her words and gave a bitter smile. "You think that sword is really under my control...?"
"What...?"
"Those who didn't receive silver, run," Han Yimo said despondently. "After Jin Yuanxun dies, it'll be your turn. Even I probably can't escape."
"You can't control that sword at all?!"
"That's right." Han Yimo nodded. "It will keep slaughtering the 'evil.' None of us can escape."
As he spoke, the Seven Black Sword accelerated in the air again. Like a dart, it shot straight at Jin Yuanxun. Jin Yuanxun quickly shut his eyes and reappeared on the other side of the room.
Yun Yao paused, then turned to scan everyone present. Among them... who could use their "Echo" to counter this sword?
Chu Tianqiu stood motionless in the center of the room, slowly lifting the corners of his mouth.
"As expected... only 'gods' can do these things... This is truly excellent..."
The Seven Black Sword brushed past Chu Tianqiu several times. The massive sword aura made his clothes snap and flutter. He slowly turned his head and said to Yun Yao, "Yun Yao, you should leave. Take Li Xiangling and go."
Hearing this, Yun Yao turned cautiously. "Really?"
"Really." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "Jin Yuanxun is trapped. I can't keep you here anymore. Go."
Yun Yao noticed his strange expression. It was as if he had given up on something, or finally come to some realization.
"Xiao Li, Tiantian, let's go," Yun Yao said. "I don't want to stay here for another second."
"Alright." Both of them nodded at her. They hugged the wall and ran out of the classroom one by one.
Inside the room now, the "Seven Black Sword" was still flying, its target always Jin Yuanxun. Fortunately, the sword seemed somewhat cumbersome, and Jin Yuanxun barely managed to survive. But to keep the giant sword from harming others, his dodging became increasingly difficult.
"Dr. Zhao," Chu Tianqiu suddenly called out. "Make your move. I'll let you be the deputy leader of 'Heaven's Gate.'"
"Deputy leader...?" Dr. Zhao paused.
"That's right. Tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to satisfy you." Chu Tianqiu nodded. "From now on, both of you will follow me."
"Is that so...?"
Dr. Zhao thought for a moment after hearing this. Then he furrowed his brow slightly.
The Seven Black Sword in the air instantly dissolved into a cloud of black sand and scattered to the ground.
Han Yimo stared in shock for a moment, then turned to look at Dr. Zhao.
Why did this man have the power to shatter the "Seven Black Sword"?
Why did everyone seem to have a hidden identity?
"Which part of the plot... is this now?"