Chapter 421: Train of Thought
"Yeah." Qiao Jiajin stared at Tian Snake's nose and nodded. "I really kind of want to try punching you."
"I have to say, you're quite honest..." Tian Snake's expression grew darker. "But why do you want to hit me?"
"Come on..." Qiao Jiajin shrugged. "You're a member of the 'Zodiac,' and I'm a 'Participant.' We're not on the same team. Shouldn't I want to hit you?"
Tian Snake blinked, feeling a bit confused by the logic.
"Wait a second... I'm 'Tian,' you know."
"So I haven't actually hit you yet."
"You..." Tian Snake paused, feeling that the other's words made some sense, yet something still felt off. "No, that's not right... So you're just openly thinking about it?"
"Openly thinking about it?" Qiao Jiajin shook his head with an innocent look. "It's fine if I say it out loud; it's not like it's shameful. I really want to beat you up, but I figure I can't win, so it's just a thought."
These few short lines left Tian Snake speechless on the spot.
Qi Xia felt that his earlier worry was a bit excessive. Just like when he himself talked to Qiao Jiajin and inexplicably got stuck in conversation, Qiao Jiajin's unique way of thinking seemed to be a perfect counter to Tian Snake.
"You... you..." Tian Snake pointed at Qiao Jiajin. "You're not allowed to think that."
"Why?"
"Because I can hear your 'heartfelt thoughts.'"
"Aw, come on. Then don't listen." Qiao Jiajin pointed at Tian Snake in return. "Mind your own business! Why are you worrying about me?"
"I-I shouldn't listen?" Tian Snake scratched his head. "B-But I'm 'Tian'!"
"So I want to hit you!" Qiao Jiajin emphasized. "Isn't that the logic here? Why are you asking again?"
"I..."
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Tian Snake's face had turned very sour, clearly angry.
"Fine... fine..." He nodded emphatically. "I'll remember you... You'd better not let me see you tomorrow."
"Then you can just not come tomorrow," Qiao Jiajin said with a smile.
Tian Snake opened his mouth as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Qian Wu burst out laughing. "Hahahaha!"
"Er Wa, you're something else..." Qian Wu turned back and said. "Around here, you're probably the only one who can shut that guy up with just words."
Qi Xia sighed at this point. "Qian Wu, are you that optimistic?"
"What do you mean?"
"What is the 'Tian Ma Moment'?" Qi Xia said. "There's only one day left. What are we going to do tomorrow?"
"Let's talk inside." Qian Wu gestured to the two of them. After making sure no one was around, he turned back and closed the prison door.
The group once again entered the room belonging to Chen Junnan and Officer Li.
Nineteen was already waiting there again. His face looked a bit pale, and he seemed to be in a daze.
"Nineteen, give me three more minutes," Qian Wu said.
Nineteen nodded, then slowly closed his eyes.
Chen Junnan was about to speak, but Qian Wu raised a hand to stop him. "Big Wa, time is limited. Let me go first."
"Okay."
"The so-called 'Tian Ma Moment' is actually the 'Tian Ma Game.' The game's scope covers the entire 'Land of the End.'" Qian Wu spoke seriously. "Big Wa and I have experienced it once before. Tomorrow is only the fifth day. If the 'Tian Ma Moment' descends, about half of the people in the 'Land of the End' will likely be reshuffled."
"What kind of game is it?" Qi Xia asked.
"Life or death race." Qian Wu stared into Qi Xia's eyes. "Something is chasing us. If it catches you, you die."
Qi Xia had never imagined that the so-called "Tian Ma Game" could be so simple and brutal.
"You said the game's scope covers the entire 'Land of the End'..." Qi Xia found the idea somewhat unbelievable. "Will there be that many things chasing us? It's only the fourth day now, but there are already many 'Resonators.' Can't we join forces to fight back?"
Chen Junnan shook his head. "Fighting back is impossible, Old Qi. What's chasing us are thin threads, like strands of hair. We have no idea how to deal with those threads. Can't fight them, can't break them—we can only run."
Qi Xia turned to look at Chen Junnan. "One thread... per person?"
"Yeah." Chen Junnan nodded. "If that old hag is ruthless enough, we might have to run for an entire day."
"An entire day...?"
Qi Xia felt the problem was getting tricky. Forget a day—an ordinary person without systematic training would be exhausted after running continuously for an hour.
If everyone was being chased by their own thread, that meant the directions they ran could also differ, making it hard to look out for each other.
"It shouldn't be that long..." Qian Wu said. "Big Wa, last time the 'Tian Ma Moment' was only a little over an hour."
Chen Junnan nodded. "Yeah, but we've only experienced one 'Tian Ma Moment.' How do you know it's always an hour every time? What if she suddenly extends it next time?"
"I've experienced it twice." Qian Wu sighed. "Both times were a little over an hour."
"Twice...?" Chen Junnan frowned, suddenly remembering something—the two of them no longer had identical memories.
"We only have twenty-four hours left." Qi Xia gave Qian Wu a cold look. "You confidently told Tian Ma that we'd hand over the person tomorrow... Do you have a plan?"
"Yeah..." Qiao Jiajin also looked at Qian Wu in confusion. "What can we do in one day?"
"Qi Xia, the look in your eyes suggests you think I'm going to betray you." Qian Wu smiled slightly. "If I wanted to betray you, I would have done it today."
"Because I can't think of a reasonable plan..." Qi Xia said. "What's the point of the twenty-four hours you bought? Isn't the best plan right now to hand me over to her? Trade my life for everyone else's, and we start the plan in the next cycle."
"No way." Qian Wu and Chen Junnan both spoke at the same time.
"Huh?"
"Qi Xia." Qian Wu called out. "If you go with them, there probably won't be a next cycle."
"Is that so?" Qi Xia narrowed his eyes. "They can actively remove a person from the cycle?"
Qian Wu nodded. "Vermilion Bird can do it, and Tian Snake can too. They can mess you up so badly you're neither human nor ghost, and turn you into a native at any time."
Qi Xia nodded after hearing this. "I understand... In that case... one day isn't long, but it might be barely enough."
"What do you mean you understand?" Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged a glance.
"If I'm not mistaken..." Qi Xia stared at Qian Wu. "You want to have all the 'Cat' members achieve 'Resonance' today, and then kill Tian Ma tomorrow morning."
"That's exactly what I mean." Qian Wu said. "We have a whole day today to activate their 'Resonance.' Even if tomorrow's assassination 'fails,' Cat won't suffer too heavy losses."
"Hold on... that can't be right, can it?" Qiao Jiajin was stunned. "You guys can 'Resonate,' but what about the swindler?"
"Yeah..." Chen Junnan also spotted the problem. "Little Money Bean, even though this saves Cat, it still doesn't save Old Qi."
Qian Wu lowered his head, his expression grim.
"Qian Wu did the right thing," Qi Xia said. "My 'Resonance' is very hard to trigger. This is already the optimal plan."